Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:75

[75] "And Noah had certainly called Us..." Having mentioned the sending of warners to past nations and the evil consequences for those who were warned, He follows this with the mention of Noah and his supplication when he despaired of his people.

"And how excellent were the Responders!" The lam (prefix) attached to ni‘ma (excellent) is the answer to an omitted oath. The specific subject of the praise is omitted; the implied meaning is: "By Allah, how excellent are We as responders." The use of the plural is a sign of Majesty and Grandeur. The meaning is: We answered him in the best possible way, fulfilling his desire and goal of victory over his enemies and taking vengeance upon them in the most effective manner.

[77] "And We made his descendants the survivors." They are the ones who remained alone while others perished. It is narrated that everyone who was with him on the Ark died except for his offspring. Alternatively, it means they are the ones who remained, reproducing until the Day of Resurrection. Qatadah said: "All of humanity is from the progeny of Noah." Noah (peace be upon him) had three sons: Shem, the father of the Arabs, Persians, and Romans; Ham, the father of the blacks from East to West; and Japheth, the father of the Turks, Gog, and Magog.

[78] "And We left for him [favorable mention] among the later generations." Among the nations, this phrase remains: "Peace be upon Noah." This means they greet him with peace and pray for him. It is a quoted statement, like saying: "I recited: 'A surah We have sent down' (An-Nur: 1)."

[79] "Peace be upon Noah among the worlds." If you ask: "What is the meaning of 'among the worlds'?" I say: It means a prayer for the permanence of this greeting among all of them, such that no one is left out. It is as if it were said: "May Allah establish and perpetuate the greeting of peace upon Noah among the angels and the two species (jinn and mankind), with all of them greeting him until the very end."

[80] "Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good." He explains the rewarding of Noah (peace be upon him) with that sublime honor—the preservation of his memory and the greeting of the worlds upon him until the end of time—by stating that he was a "doer of good." He then explains his being a "doer of good" by stating that he was a "believing servant," to show you the majesty of the station of faith, that it is the ultimate of all attributes of praise and glorification, and to encourage you to attain it and increase in it.

[83] "And indeed, among his kind was Abraham. [84] When he came to his Lord with a sound heart. [85] When he said to his father and his people, 'What do you worship? [86] Is it falsehood—gods other than Allah—that you desire? [87] Then what is your thought about the Lord of the worlds?'"