His People's Threat, Nuh's Prayer against Them, and Their Destruction

Nuh stayed among his people for a long time, calling them to Allah night and day, in secret and openly. The more he repeated his call to them, the more determined were they to cling to their extreme disbelief and resist his call. In the end, they said:

لَئِنْ لَّمْ تَنْتَهِ ينُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُرْجُومِينَ

(If you cease not, O Nuh you will surely be among those stoned.) meaning, `if you do not stop calling us to your religion,'

لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُرْجُومِينَ

(you will surely be among those stoned.) meaning, `we will stone you.' At that point, he prayed against them, and Allah responded to his prayer. Nuh said:

رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِى كَذَّبُونِفَافْتَحْ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَهُمْ فَتْحاً

(My Lord! Verily, my people have denied me. Therefore judge You between me and them.) This is like the Ayah:

فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنُّى مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ

(Then he invoked his Lord (saying): "I have been overcome, so help (me)!")(54:10) And Allah says here:

فَأَنجَيْنَـهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ فِى الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ - ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا بَعْدُ الْبَـقِينَ

(And We saved him and those with him in the laden ship. Then We drowned the rest thereafter.) The "laden ship" is one that is filled with cargo and the couples, one pair from every species, that were carried in it. This Ayah means: `We saved Nuh and all of those who followed him, and We drowned those who disbelieved in him and went against his commands, all of them.'

إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لأَيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

(Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers. And verily your Lord, He is indeed the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.)

كَذَّبَتْ عَادٌ الْمُرْسَلِينَ - إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ هُودٌ أَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ - إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ

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فَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

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وَمَآ أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلاَّ عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

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أَتَبْنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ ءَايَةً تَعْبَثُونَ