Tafsir of Al-Mu'minoon 23:26-30

Al-Mu'minun (The Believers): Verses 26–30

There are several interpretations regarding the meaning of this supplication:

1. Victory through their destruction: It is as if he was saying, "Destroy them because they denied me."
2. Victory as a replacement: It means, "Grant me victory in exchange for their denial," similar to saying, "This for that." The meaning is: Replace the distress of their denial with the solace of victory over them.
3. Victory through promised punishment: Grant me victory by fulfilling the punishment you promised them, which they denied when you said to them: {إني أخاف عليكم عذاب يوم عظيم} (I fear for you the punishment of a great Day) (Al-A'raf: 59).

When God answered his prayer, He said: {فأوحينا إليه أن اصنع الفلك بأعيننا} (So We inspired him: "Construct the Ark under Our eyes [supervision] and by Our command).

• بأعيننا (Under Our eyes): This means under Our protection and care, as if God had a watchful guardian protecting him so that no spoiler could harm him or corrupt his work. This is the source of the saying, "He has a watchful eye from God upon him."
• Theological Implication: This verse indicates the falsehood of the position of the Mushabbihah (those who liken God to creation) who rely on the Hadith, "Indeed, God created Adam in His image," because the affirmation of eyes (plural) prevents such an interpretation (of God having physical eyes).

Regarding the construction of the Ark:

• It is said that Noah (peace be upon him) was a carpenter and knew how to build it.
• It is also said that the Angel Gabriel (peace be upon him) taught him the craft of shipbuilding and described the method of its construction. This latter view is closer to the meaning of {بأعيننا ووحينا} (under Our eyes and by Our inspiration).

Know that the term Amr (command) is literally used for demanding an action through speech based on authority. It is also used literally for a great matter or affair.

• Evidence: If you say, "This is an Amr," the mind hesitates between the two meanings, indicating that it is a true meaning for both. A full exposition of this is found in the book Al-Mahsul fi Usul al-Fiqh.
• Some scholars say it was called Amr as a means of glorification and magnification, similar to His saying: {ثم قال لها وللأرض ائتيا طوعا أو كرها} (Then He said to it and to the earth, 'Come willingly or unwillingly').

There is disagreement concerning the meaning of al-Tannur (the oven):

1. The Known Oven: The majority hold it is the familiar oven. It is narrated that Noah was told: "When you see water boiling out of the oven, embark yourself and those with you in the Ark." When the water gushed from the oven, his wife informed him, and he embarked. It is also said it was Adam's oven, made of stone, which passed down to Noah.
   • Location: Opinions vary: Al-Sha'bi said it was in the Mosque of Kufa, to the right upon entering, near the gate of Kindah, and that Noah built the Ark in the middle of the mosque. Others say it was in Syria, at a place called 'Ayn Wardah, or in India.
2. The Surface of the Earth: According to Ibn Abbas (may God be pleased with him).
3. The Highest Place on Earth: According to Qatadah.
4. The Dawn: {وفار التنور} means the dawn broke, according to Ali (peace be upon him). It is also said the boiling of the oven occurred at the rising of dawn.
5. A Metaphor: It is like the saying, "The heat of the battle intensified" (Hamma al-Watīs).
6. A Low Point in the Ark: The low, sunken part of the Ark where the water would flow towards, according to Al-Hasan (may God have mercy on him).

Conclusion: The first opinion (the known oven) is the correct one because deviating from the literal meaning to a metaphor without evidence is not permissible. God made the boiling of the oven a sign for Noah (peace be upon him) to board the Ark to seek salvation for himself and those who believed with him.

This means: enter it. It is said salaka fīhi (he entered it) and asslakahu (he made something enter it).

{من كل زوجين اثنين} (of every kind, two [males and females])

This means two of every kind of animal present at that time—male and female—so that their lineage would not be cut off. Each one of them is a zawj (pair/mate), not as the common folk say that zawj means just "two." It is narrated that only creatures that lay eggs or give birth were carried.

• It is also read with tanwin on min kull (from every nation/kind), and ithnayn (two) serves as emphasis and further clarification.

This means: and bring your family into it. The word ʿalayhi (upon him) is typically used for something negative or binding. God says: {لها ما كسبت وعليها ما اكتسبت} (For her is what she has earned, and against her is what she has incurred) (Al-Baqarah: 286).

This verse indicates two matters:

1. God commanded him to bring in everyone who believed, even if they were not of his immediate family. Some interpret "his family" as only those who believed, excluding those related by lineage or cause, but this is weak. Otherwise, the exception {إلا من سبق عليه القول} (except those about whom the word has already gone forth) would not be permissible.
2. God said: {ولا تخاطبني في الذين ظلموا} (And do not plead with Me concerning those who have wronged [i.e., Canaan]). When God informed Noah of their impending doom, He had to forbid him from interceding for any of them. If God granted his request, it would render God's true report a lie; if He refused, it would diminish Noah's status. Therefore, God said: {إنهم مغرقون} (Indeed, they are to be drowned), meaning drowning is inevitably coming upon them.

Ibn Abbas (may God be pleased with him) said there were eighty people on the Ark: Noah, his wife (excluding the one who drowned), his three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), their three wives, and seventy-two other people. All subsequent creation descended from those on the Ark.

This contains several points:

First Issue: He said {فقل} (So say) and not {فقولوا} (So say [plural]) because Noah was their Prophet and Imam; thus, his saying was their saying, while also indicating the virtue of prophethood and manifesting the majesty of Lordship, suggesting that only an angel or a prophet could attain the rank of that address.

Second Issue: Qatadah said that God taught you to say when boarding a vessel: {بسم الله مجراها ومرساها} (In the name of God is its course and its mooring) (Hud: 41); when riding a beast: {سبحان الذي سخر لنا هذا وما كنا له مقرنين} (Exalted is He who subjected this to us, and we could not have comprehended it) (Az-Zukhruf: 13); and when disembarking: {وقل رب أنزلني منزلاً مباركاً وأنت خير المنزلين} (And say, "My Lord, cause me to land a blessed landing, and You are the best of those who bring to land") (Al-Mu'minun: 29).

Al-Ansari mentioned that the Prophet (PBUH) was commanded: {وقل رب أدخلني مدخل صدق وأخرجني مخرج صدق} (And say, "My Lord, cause me to enter a good entrance and cause me to exit a good exit") (Al-Isra: 80), and {فإذا قرأت القرآن فاستعذ بالله من الشيطان} (And when you recite the Qur'an, seek refuge in Allah from Satan) (An-Nahl: 98). It is as if God commanded them never to be heedless of His remembrance or seeking refuge in Him in all their states.

Third Issue: This is a great exaggeration in condemning their state, as the command to praise God for their destruction and salvation from them follows the prohibition of praying for them. This is like His saying: {فقطع دابر القوم الذين ظلموا والحمد لله رب العالمين} (So the root of the people who wronged was cut off. And praise be to God, Lord of the worlds) (Al-An'am: 45).

God made their settling upon the Ark a salvation from drowning because He had informed Noah that this action would save him and those who followed him. Thus, it is correct for him to say {نجانا} (He saved us) in the sense that God made him safe through this act. He described his people as ẓālimūn (wrongdoers) because their disbelief was an injustice to themselves, based on {إن الشرك لظلم عظيم} (Indeed, association with God is a great injustice) (Luqman: 13).

Then, after commanding him to praise God for their destruction, God commanded him to supplicate for himself: {وقل رب أنزلني منزلاً مباركاً} (And say, "My Lord, cause me to land a blessed landing"). It is also read as munzalan (a landing/alighting) in the sense of the act of landing (inzāl) or the place of landing, similar to His saying that He will make them enter a place they will be pleased with.

Regarding al-munzal (the place of landing): There are two opinions:

1. It refers to the Ark itself; whoever rode it was saved from what afflicted his people of destruction.
2. It refers to God causing him to land on earth in a blessed place after exiting the Ark.

The first view is closer because he was commanded to make this supplication while settled in the Ark, so the landing place must be that [the Ark] and not something else.

Then God clarified by saying: {وأنت خير المنزلين} (And You are the best of those who bring to land), indicating that landing in places can occur from sources other than God, even though God is the best of those who bring to land, as He protects whomever He lands in all circumstances and wards off harm according to wisdom and judgment.

Finally, God clarified that in the story of Noah and his people, there are signs, indications, and lessons for inviting to faith and deterring from disbelief. The emergence of that great water and its subsequent disappearance can only be achieved by the One capable of all things. The occurrence of that event exactly as Noah had predicted indicates a great miracle. The annihilation of the disbelievers and the inheritance of the earth by the people of religion and obedience is one of the greatest lessons.

This can mean: We were testing you previously, or We were to test you later. The latter is more probable as it has a future connotation. If taken in the future sense, it has several possibilities:

1. Future generations: It means the accountable people in the future must take heed of what has been mentioned.
2. Punishment for imitators: It means We will punish those who follow the path of those who denied the Prophets, like Noah's people.
3. Testing without punishment: Just as We punish those who deny with drowning and other things, We might test those who did not deny with drowning, but for the sake of benefit, not punishment, to show that not all drowning occurs for the same reason.

The Second Story: The Story of Hud or Salih (Peace be upon them)

{ثم أنشأنا من بعدهم قرنا ءاخرين * فأرسلنا فيهم رسولا منهم أن اعبدوا الله ما لكم من إلاه غيره أفلا تتقون * وقال الملأ من قومه الذين كفروا وكذبوا بلقآء الا خرة وأترفناهم فى الحيواة الدنيا ما هاذا إلا بشر مثلكم يأكل مما تأكلون منه ويشرب مما تشربون * ولئن أطعتم بشرا مثلكم إنكم إذا لخاسرون * أيعدكم أنكم إذا مت م وكنتم ترابا وعظاما أنكم مخرجون * هيهات هيهات لما توعدون * إن هى إلا حياتنا الدنيا نموت ونحيا وما نحن بمبعوثين * إن هو إلا رجل افترى على الله كذبا وما نحن له بمؤمنين * قال رب انصرنى بما كذبون * قال عما قليل ليصبحن نادمين * فأخذتهم الصيحة بالحق فجعلناهم غثآء فبعدا للقوم الظالمين}

(Then We brought forth after them another generation. And We sent among them a messenger from among them, [saying], "Worship God; you have no other deity besides Him. Will you not fear Him?" And the eminent ones who disbelieved among his people said, "This is not but a man like you who eats what you eat and drinks what you drink. And if you should obey a man like yourselves - indeed, you would then be losers. Does he promise you that when you have died and become dust and bones that you will be brought forth [again]? Far-fetched! Far-fetched is that which you are promised. This is not but our worldly life; we die and live, and we will not be resurrected. This is not except a man who has invented a lie about God, and we will not believe him." [The Prophet] said, "My Lord, grant me victory because they have denied me." [God] said, "Soon they will be regretful." So the blast of truth seized them rightfully, and We made them like foam. So away with the wrongdoing people!)