Hud: (32-34) They said, "O Noah..."

Issues in the Verse:

When the disbelievers raised their doubts and Noah (عليه السلام) answered them with sound refutations, they raised two further points against him:

1. Accusation of Excessive Argumentation: They said, "O Noah, you have argued with us and argued excessively." This indicates that Noah (عليه السلام) had indeed engaged them extensively in debate, which was focused on establishing Tawhid (monotheism), Nubuwwah (prophethood), and the Ma'ad (Resurrection). This shows that debating to establish proofs and remove doubts is the profession of the Prophets, while imitation, ignorance, and insistence on falsehood are the characteristic of the disbelievers.

2. Haste for Punishment: They demanded the punishment that he had warned them about, saying: {Fain bring us what you promise, if you are of the truthful.}

Noah (عليه السلام) responded correctly: {Allah will only bring it upon you if He wills, and you will not cause failure [to Him].}

The meaning is that sending down the punishment is not up to me; rather, it is an act of creation by Allah (تعالى), which He does when and how He wills. If He wills to send the punishment, no one can frustrate Him, meaning no one can prevent Him from doing so. The one who causes failure (mu'jiz) is one who does what is in his power to thwart the will of another, thus being described as having frustrated the other. Therefore, {and you will not cause failure [to Him]} means you have no means to do what is in your power to prevent it, so it is not impossible for Allah (تعالى) to send the punishment He wills upon you.

It has also been said that the meaning is: "You will not be preventers," or "You will not be protectors," or "You will not be the first to escape." These interpretations are closely related.

When Noah (عليه السلام) finished answering their doubts, he concluded with a decisive statement: {And my advice will not benefit you, even if I intended to advise you,} meaning, if Allah wills to let you go astray, then my advice will absolutely not benefit you.

Our scholars used this verse as proof that Allah (تعالى) may will disbelief from a servant, and if He wills that for him, then the servant's utterance of faith becomes impossible. They argue that Noah (عليه السلام) said: {And my advice will not benefit you, even if I intended to advise you, if Allah wills to let you go astray.} The implication is: My advice will not benefit you if Allah wills to let you go astray and misguide you. This is explicit in our doctrine (of predestination/Jabr).

However, the Mu'tazila argue that the apparent meaning indicates that if Allah wills to misguide the people, the Messenger's advice will not benefit them, which we concede. We know that if Allah wills to misguide a servant, the advice of the advisors will not benefit him. But why do you claim that Allah (تعالى) willed this misguidance? The dispute is precisely about that. Rather, we say that Noah (عليه السلام) mentioned this statement to indicate that Allah (تعالى) did not misguide them, but rather left the choice to them.

This is explained in two ways:

1. He (عليه السلام) clarified that if Allah (تعالى) willed their misguidance, there would be no benefit left in the advice. If the advice had no benefit, Allah would not have commanded him to advise the disbelievers. Muslims agree that Noah (عليه السلام) was commanded to call the disbelievers and advise them. Thus, we know that this advice was not devoid of benefit. Since it was not devoid of benefit, it must be concluded that Allah (تعالى) did not will their misguidance. Thus, this verse becomes an argument for us from this perspective.

2. If the ruling were established against them that Allah (تعالى) had misguided them, this would become an excuse for them for not bringing faith, and Noah would be defeated in his debate with them. They would say to him: "You conceded that Allah misguided us, so neither your advice nor our striving and effort has any benefit. If you claim Allah misguided us, you have excused us, so we are not obliged to accept your call." Therefore, it is established that if the matter were as the opponent claims, it would become an argument for the disbelievers against Noah (عليه السلام). It is impossible that Noah (عليه السلام) would utter words that would render him silenced, unable to establish the proof of Allah (تعالى). Thus, what we have mentioned proves that this verse does not support the position of the Jabriyyah (those who affirm absolute predestination).

Then, they (the Mu'tazila) mentioned several interpretations:

1. Those disbelievers were already affirming predestination (Jabriyyah) and claiming their disbelief was by the will of Allah (تعالى). In response, Noah (عليه السلام) said that his advice would not benefit them if the matter was as they claimed. The analogy is: A father punishes his son for a sin, and the son says, "I cannot do otherwise than what I am doing." The father replies, "Then my advice and warning will not benefit you." This is not meant as confirmation of the son's claim, but rather as a rejection of it.

2. Al-Hasan said the meaning of {to let you go astray} (yughwiyakum) is "to punish you." The meaning is: My advice will not benefit you today if punishment befalls you and you then believe, because faith at the time of witnessing punishment is not accepted. My advice only benefits you if you believe before witnessing the punishment.

3. Al-Jubba'i said that Ghawayah (misguidance/straying) means disappointment in seeking something, citing the verse: {So, the meeting place for them will be Hell. They will abide therein for ages.} (Maryam: 59) meaning disappointment from the good of the Hereafter. The poet said:

   And whoever strays, he will not lack a blamer for his straying.

4. If a person insists on disbelief and persists in it, Allah (تعالى) prevents the gentle aids (al-lutaaf) from him and leaves him to himself. This is similar to the situation where Allah wills to misguide him, which is why it is appropriate to say that Allah (تعالى) has misguided him in this sense. This summarizes the Mu'tazila's arguments on this matter. The response to such arguments has been mentioned by us repeatedly, so there is no benefit in repetition.

The statement: {And my advice will not benefit you, even if I intended to advise you, if Allah wills to let you go astray} involves a consequence (Jaza') suspended upon a condition, which is followed by another condition. This requires that the condition mentioned last in wording must be prior in existence.

This is because if a man says to his wife, "You are divorced if you enter the house," the implication is that this divorce is a consequence of that entry. If he then adds another condition, such as saying, "if you eat the bread," the meaning is that the consequence (divorce) attached to the first condition (entering the house) is itself conditional upon the occurrence of this second condition (eating the bread). Since the condition precedes the consequence in existence, if the second condition occurs, the consequence is attached to the first condition. If the second condition does not occur, the consequence is not attached to the first condition. This is the precise analysis of this construction. For this reason, the jurists say: "The condition mentioned last in wording is prior in meaning, and the condition mentioned first in wording is later in meaning."

When Noah (عليه السلام) established these meanings, he said: {He is your Lord, and to Him you will return.} This is the ultimate warning: He is your God who created you, nurtured you, and has dominion over your essence and attributes before death, at death, and after death. Your return is to Him. This conveys the utmost admonition.

{Or do they say, "He has fabricated it"? Say, "If I have fabricated it, then upon me is my crime, and I am innocent of what you commit."}