Noah (10): "So I said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord...'"

Qatadah said: When the people of Noah disbelieved him for a long time, Allah withheld rain from them and rendered the wombs of their women barren for forty years. They then returned to Noah, and Noah said to them: "Ask forgiveness of your Lord from polytheism (Shirk), so that He may open the doors of His blessings upon you."

Know that engaging in obedience is a cause for the opening of the doors of goodness. This is indicated by several points:

1. The Consequence of Disbelief: Disbelief is a cause for the ruin of the world, as stated concerning the disbelief of the Christians:

   "The heavens are almost to break apart therefrom, and the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in ruin, that they attribute to the Most Merciful a son." (Maryam: 90-91) Since disbelief is a cause for the world's ruin, faith (Iman) must necessarily be a cause for its flourishing/reconstruction.

2. Explicit Scriptural Evidence (Ayat): This verse itself is evidence, as are others:
   • "And if the people of the towns had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth." (Al-A'raf: 96)
   • "And if they had established the Torah and the Gospel and what was revealed to them from their Lord, they would have eaten from above them [i.e., from the sky]..." (Al-Ma'idah: 66)
   • "And if they had remained upright on the way, We would have given them abundant water to drink." (Al-Jinn: 16)
   • "And whoever fears Allah – He will make for him a way out and will provide for him from where he does not expect." (At-Talaq: 2-3)
   • "And enjoin prayer upon your family, and be patient therein. We ask not of you provision; We provide for you." (Taha: 132)

3. Fulfillment of Purpose: Allah Almighty said: "And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me." (Adh-Dhariyat: 56). When they engage in achieving this primary purpose, what they need in this world follows as a secondary consequence.

4. The Practice of the Companions: 'Umar (ibn al-Khattab) went out seeking rain (Istisqa') and did nothing but seek forgiveness. When asked why he didn't supplicate for rain directly, he replied: "I have sought rain with the stars (Majadih al-Sama')." Al-Majdah refers to three specific stars, and their appearance brings rain. 'Umar likened his seeking forgiveness to those true, unfailing omens.

Bakr ibn Abdullah said: "The people with the most sins are those who seek forgiveness the least, and those who seek forgiveness the most have the fewest sins."

Al-Hasan narrated that a man complained to him of drought, so he told him: "Seek forgiveness from Allah." Another complained of poverty, another of low birth rates, and another of low yield from his land. He commanded them all to seek forgiveness. Some people asked him: "Men came to you complaining of various needs, and you commanded them all to seek forgiveness?" He then recited this verse (to them).

Here we encounter several questions:

The First Question: Noah (peace be upon him) had already commanded the disbelievers, prior to this verse, to worship, be pious, and obey. So, what was the benefit of then commanding them to seek forgiveness?

The Answer: When he commanded them to worship, they said: "If the old religion we followed was true, why do you command us to leave it? And if it was false, how can He accept us after we have disobeyed Him?" Noah (peace be upon him) replied: "Even though you have disobeyed Him, seek forgiveness from Him for those sins, for He, the Exalted, is Oft-Forgiving."

The Second Question: Why did he say: "{Indeed, He was ever a Forgiver}" and not just "Indeed, He is Forgiving"?

The Answer: What is meant is that He was Forgiving towards everyone who sought His forgiveness. It is as if he is saying: "Do not think that His forgiveness has only just occurred; rather, He has always been so. This is His constant habit and practice."