Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 18–27

23. Al-Muminoon · The Believers

Makkan118 verses

وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۢ بِقَدَرٍۢ فَأَسْكَنَّٰهُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ ذَهَابٍۭ بِهِۦ لَقَٰدِرُونَ

23:18We sent down water from the sky in a measured manner, and We lodged it within the ground, and We are indeed able to take it away.

فَأَنشَأْنَا لَكُم بِهِۦ جَنَّٰتٍۢ مِّن نَّخِيلٍۢ وَأَعْنَٰبٍۢ لَّكُمْ فِيهَا فَوَٰكِهُ كَثِيرَةٌۭ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ

23:19Then with it We produced for you gardens of date palms and vines. There are abundant fruits in them for you, and you eat from them,

وَشَجَرَةًۭ تَخْرُجُ مِن طُورِ سَيْنَآءَ تَنۢبُتُ بِٱلدُّهْنِ وَصِبْغٍۢ لِّلْءَاكِلِينَ

23:20and a tree that grows on Mount Sinai, which produces oil and a seasoning for those who eat.1

وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ لَعِبْرَةًۭ ۖ نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِى بُطُونِهَا وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَٰفِعُ كَثِيرَةٌۭ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ

23:21There is indeed a moral for you in the cattle: We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, and you have many uses in them, and you eat some of them,

وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى ٱلْفُلْكِ تُحْمَلُونَ

23:22and you are carried on them and on ships.

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَقَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

23:23Certainly We sent Noah to his people, and he said, ‘O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other god besides Him. Will you not then be wary [of Him]?’

فَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَنزَلَ مَلَٰٓئِكَةًۭ مَّا سَمِعْنَا بِهَٰذَا فِىٓ ءَابَآئِنَا ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

23:24But the elite of the faithless from among his people said, ‘This is just a human being like you, who seeks to dominate you. Had Allah wished, He would have sent down angels. We never heard of such a thing among our forefathers.2

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌۢ بِهِۦ جِنَّةٌۭ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ بِهِۦ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍۢ

23:25He is just a man possessed by madness. So bear with him for a while.’

قَالَ رَبِّ ٱنصُرْنِى بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ

23:26He said, ‘My Lord! Help me, for they impugn me.’

فَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ أَنِ ٱصْنَعِ ٱلْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا وَفَارَ ٱلتَّنُّورُ ۙ فَٱسْلُكْ فِيهَا مِن كُلٍّۢ زَوْجَيْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَن سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْقَوْلُ مِنْهُمْ ۖ وَلَا تُخَٰطِبْنِى فِى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ ۖ إِنَّهُم مُّغْرَقُونَ

23:27So We revealed to him: ‘Build the ark before Our eyes and by Our revelation. When Our edict comes and the oven gushes [a stream of water], bring into it a pair of every kind [of animal], and your family, except those of them against whom the decree has gone beforehand, and do not plead with Me for those who are wrongdoers: they shall indeed be drowned.’3

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 18

1.Actually the mention of water is the introduction of flood: We sent it in limited quantity in the beginning that it should not be so much that the whole world would drown in it and it should not so scanty that people die of thirst. We caused trees and fruits to grow from this water and kept animals alive with this water and a man gets different kinds of advantages. The olive trees grew by this water. We have prepared milk in the bellies of cattle and the same water is the fountainhead of human life but when humans rebel We cause this water to involve people in difficulty just as in the time of Nuh (a.s.) people falsified and insulted his messages and Nuh (a.s.) complained to Allah to help him against them. Then We made water the source of punishment and drowned the whole community in it. Only a few good people were saved in the Ark so that it be known that punishment cannot overpower Us and We can deliver our people from the punishment and can deliver them by the source of an ordinary boat and people would know that if a boat can save from such a big chastisement then why can the Prophet not save from the chastisement of Allah!

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    The Almighty Allah has made water the real Kingdom. The origin of the plants is water and the origin of man is also a drop of water. The incidence of water on the earth is a divine bounty. That a part of the earth has the capacity to absorb water and another portion returns the moisture. Otherwise all the living beings would have perished.

  2. 1

    It denotes the olive tree which is generally found in the vicinity of Mt. Sina. Nuh (a.s.) planted this tree first of all after the deluge. Its specialty is that it is used for cooking and it can also be consumed with bread. It is also used for body massage.

    Also note that in the Surah Tin the mountain mentioned is Mt. Seen (as Toor-e-Sineen).

    Sabagh - denotes immersing. That this oil can also be used as curry.

  3. 2

    In every age the leaders are always worried that if the superiority of other people is recognized what would be the effect on their leadership? Even in our present age people are worried that if the merit of the religious Scholars is recognized who could care for the drunkards and the Charlatans?

  4. 3

    This word denotes Nub’s son, Canaan and the wife of Nuh (a.s.) who drowned in the deluge thus proving that relationship to prophethood is not of any use. What is required is to follow the path of prophethood.