Surah Nuh 71:16

Nuh complains about his Encounter with His People

Allah tells about His servant and Messenger, Nuh, and that he complained to his Lord about the response he received from his people, and how he was patient with them for this long period of time -- which was nine hundred and fifty years. He complained due to his explaining and clarifying matters for them and his calling them to guidance and the straightest path. So he (Nuh) said,

(O my Lord! Verily, I have called to my people night and day,) meaning, `I did not abandon calling them night and day, carrying out Your command and in obediance to You.'

(But all my calling added nothing but to (their) flight.) meaning, `the more I called them to come to the truth, the more they fled from it and avoided it.'

(And verily, every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments,) meaning, `they closed up their ears so that they could not hear what I was calling them to.' This is similar to what Allah said about the disbelievers of the Quraysh.

(And those who disbelieve say: "Listen not to this Qur'an, and make noise in the midst of its (recitation) that you may overcome.") (41:26)

(covered themselves up with their garments,) Ibn Jarir recorded from Ibn `Abbas that he said, "They concealed themselves under false pretences from him so that he would not recognize them." Sa`id bin Jubayr and As-Suddi both said, "They covered their heads so that they could not hear what he was saying."

(and persisted,) meaning, they continued in what they were upon of associating partners with Allah and great disbelief.

(and magnified themselves in pride.) meaning, they were turned away from following the truth and submitting to it.

(Then verily, I called to them openly.) meaning, openly among the people.

(Then verily, I proclaimed to them in public,) meaning, with open speech and a raised voice.

(and I have appealed to them in private.) meaning, in discussions with them. So he tried various types of propagation to be more effective with them.

What Nuh said when He called His People to Allah

(I said: Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving;) meaning, `return to Him and turn away from what you are involved in. Repent to Him soon, for verily, He is Most Accepting of the repentance of those who turn to Him in repentance. He will accept repentance no matter what the sin is, even if it is disbelief and polytheism.' Thus, he said,

(I said: Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you Midrar,) meaning, continuous rain. Thus, it is recommended to recite this Surah in the prayer for rain due to this Ayah. This has been reported from the Commander of the faithful, `Umar bin Al-Khattab. He ascended the Minbar to perform the prayer for rain, and he did not do more than seeking Allah's forgiveness and reciting the Ayat that mention seeking Allah's forgiveness. Among these Ayat:

(I said: Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you Midrar, disbelievers of the Quraysh. Qu ? s? ? ? ? A ? Nuh complains about his Encounter with His People Allah tells about His servant and Messenger, Nuh, and that he complained to his Lord about the response he received from his people, and how he was patient with them for this long period of time -- which was nine hundred and fifty years. He complained due to his explaining and clarifying matters for them and his calling them to guidance and the straightest path. So he (Nuh) said,

(O my Lord! Verily, I have called to my people night and day,) meaning, `I did not abandon calling them night and day, carrying out Your command and in obediance to You.'

(But all my calling added nothing but to (their) flight.) meaning, `the more I called them to come to the truth, the more they fled from it and avoided it.'

(And verily, every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments,) meaning, `they closed up their ears so that they could not hear what I was calling them to.' This is similar to what Allah said about the disbelievers of the Quraysh. n?A h complains about his Encounter with His People Allah tells about His servant and Messenger, Nuh, and that he complained to his Lord about the response he received from his people, and how he was patient with them for this long period of time -- which was nine hundred and fifty years. He complained due to his explaining and clarifying matters for them and his calling them to guidance and the straightest path. So he (Nuh) said, NnA ? What Nuh said when He called His People to Allah

(I said: Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving;) meaning, `return to Him and turn away from what you are involved in. Repent to Him soon, for verily, He is Most Accepting of the repentance of those who turn to Him in repentance. He will accept repentance no matter what the sin is, even if it is disbelief and polytheism.' Thus, he said,

(I said: Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you Midrar,) meaning, continuous rain. Thus, it is recommended to recite this Surah in the prayer for rain due to this Ayah. This has been reported from the Commander of the faithful, `Umar bin Al-Khattab. He ascended the Minbar to perform the prayer for rain, and he did not do more than seeking Allah's forgiveness and reciting the Ayat that mention seeking Allah's forgiveness. Among these Ayat:

(I said: Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you Midrar,) Then he (`Umar) said, "Verily, I have sought rain with the keys of the sky which cause the rain to descend." Ibn `Abbas and others have said, "It (Midrar) means some of it (rain) following others." Concerning Allah's statement,

(And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.) meaning, `if you repent to Allah, seek His forgiveness and obey Him, He will increase your provisions for you and provide you with water from the blessings of the sky. He will cause the blessings of the earth and crops to grow for you. He will increase your live stock animals for you and give you more wealth and children. This means that He will give you more wealth, more children and gardens with various types of fruits. He will cause rivers to flow among these gardens.' This is the position of the invitation with encouragement. Then He made it balanced for them by using intimidation. He said,

(What is the matter with you, that you do not hope for any Waqar from Allah) meaning, great majesty. This has been said by Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak. Ibn `Abbas said, "That you all do not magnify Allah in the proper manner that He deserves to be magnified. Meaning, you do not fear His punishment and His vengeance."

(While He has created you (in) Atwar (stages).) It has been said that this means from a drop of sperm, then from a hanging clot, then from a lump of flesh. Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Qatadah, Yahya bin Rafi`, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd, all said this. Concerning Allah's statement,

(See you not how Allah has created the seven heavens in tiers) meaning, one above another. Can this be comprehended simply by hearing it only or is it of the matters that actually can be perceived with the senses which are known about the movements (of the heavenly bodies) and the eclipses. It is known that they (the scholars) have many different opinions about these matters that we will not discuss here. The only intent here is that Allah

(Allah has created the seven heavens in tiers and has made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp) meaning, He made a distinction between them (the sun and moon) in reference to their lighting. He made each one of them in a set manner with a distinct quality so that the night and day may be known. They (the night and day) are known by the rising and setting of the sun. He also determined fixed stations and positions for the moon, and He made its light vary so that sometimes it increases until it reaches a maximum, then it begins to decrease until it is completely veiled. This shows the passing of months and years. This is as Allah said,

(It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the moon as a light and measured out for its stages that you might know the number of years and the reckoning. Allah did not create this but in truth. He explains the Ayat in detail for people who have knowledge.) (10:5) Concerning Allah's statement,

(And Allah has brought you forth from the (dust of) earth) This (Nabat) is a verbal noun (for emphasis) and its usage here is most excellent.

(Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth),) (71:18) meaning, when you die.

(And bring you forth.) meaning, on the Day of Judgement He will repeat your creation just as He first originated you.

(And Allah has made for you the earth a wide expanse.) meaning, He spread it out, leveled it, settled it, and stabilized it with firm and lofty mountains.

(That you may go about therein in broad roads.) meaning, He created it so that you may settle in it and travel in it wherever you wish, from its different sides, areas and regions. All of this is from what Nuh informed them of concerning Allah's power and His greatness in creating the heavens and the earth. It demostrates the favor that He did for them by making both heavenly benefits and earthly benefits. For He is the Creator and the Sustainer Who made the heaven as a building and the earth as a bed, and He enlarged His provisions for His creatures. Therefore, He is the One Who it is obligatory to worship, and accept as One God. No one should be associated with Him as a partner, because He has no equal, peer, rival, coequal, mate, son, minister or advisor, rather He is the Most High, the Most Great.

Nabi Nuh menerangkan kepada kaumnya bahwa Allah yang disembah itu menciptakan bulan bercahaya dan matahari bersinar. Dari ayat itu dapat dipahami bahwa:

1.Matahari memancarkan sinar sendiri, sedang bulan mendapat cahaya dari matahari. Cahaya yang dipancarkan bulan berasal dari sinar matahari yang dipantulkannya ke bumi. Oleh karena itu, sinar matahari lebih keras dan terang dari cahaya bulan.

2.Sinar dan cahaya itu berguna bagi manusia, tetapi bentuk kegunaannya berbeda-beda.

Ayat yang membedakan cahaya dan sinar dari dua benda langit, matahari dan bulan telah berkali-kali dikemukakan. Bintang mempunyai sumber sinar, sedangkan planet tidak. Penjelasan mengenai hal ini dapat dilihat pada Surah Yunus/10: 5. Uraian mengenai hal ini secara ilmiah adalah demikian:

Dalam membicarakan benda-benda angkasa, Al-Qur'an juga sudah membedakan bintang dan planet. Bintang adalah benda langit yang memancarkan sinar, sedangkan planet hanya memantulkan sinar yang diterima dari bintang.

Dialah yang menjadikan matahari bersinar dan bulan bercahaya, dan Dialah yang menetapkan tempat-tempat orbitnya, agar kamu mengetahui bilangan tahun, dan perhitungan waktu. Allah tidak menciptakan demikian itu melainkan dengan benar. Dia menjelaskan tanda-tanda (kebesaran-Nya) kepada orang-orang yang mengetahui. (Yunus/10: 5)

Matahari adalah benda angkasa terbesar dalam tata surya kita. Ia merupakan gumpalan gas yang berpijar, dengan garis tengah sekitar 1,4 juta km. Jarak rata-rata antara titik pusat bumi dan matahari sekitar 150 juta km. Di pusat matahari, suhu mencapai sekitar 20.0000C.

Dalam ilmu astronomi, matahari merupakan benda langit yang digolongkan ke dalam jenis bintang. Di jagad raya ini terdapat miliaran, bahkan triliunan bintang. Matahari adalah salah satunya. Bintang merupakan benda langit yang memancarkan sinar karena di permukaan maupun bagian dalam bintang masih berlangsung reaksi-reaksi nuklir hidrogen yang dahsyat. Hasil reaksi inilah yang menimbulkan pancaran sinar. Sedangkan 10 benda langit yang mengorbit matahari, termasuk di dalamnya bumi (dan bulan yang mengorbit bumi), digolongkan ke dalam jenis planet.

Jumlah bintang diperkirakan lebih dari 6 miliar, bahkan boleh jadi mencapai 100 miliar. Akan tetapi, hanya sekitar 6.000 bintang yang dapat diamati dengan mata telanjang. Suhu, warna, ukuran, dan kepadatan bintang bervariasi. Bintang yang terpanas umumnya berwarna putih kebiruan. Suhu permukaannya dapat mencapai 20.0000C. Sedangkan yang kurang panas berwarna kuning, sebagaimana matahari. Ukurannya ada yang melebihi ribuan atau jutaan kali ukuran Matahari. Adapun jarak bintang terdekat dari tata surya adalah 4.000 tahun cahaya. Apabila kecepatan cahaya 186.000 mil per detik, maka jarak bintang terdekat tersebut mencapai 104 x 109 mil. Cahaya bintang terdekat ke tata surya, Alpha Centauri, memerlukan waktu 4 tahun untuk mencapai bumi. Sedang bintang "terjauh", Riga, cahayanya baru mencapai bumi lebih dari 1.000 tahun kemudian. Bandingkan dengan cahaya matahari yang mencapai bumi dalam hanya 4 menit saja.

Planet dapat dikategorikan sebagai bintang yang telah 'mati. Permukaannya telah mendingin, dan berubah menjadi padatan. Planet tidak memancarkan sinar. Akan tetapi, apabila ia disinari oleh satu sumber sinar (misal matahari), maka ia akan memantulkannya, sehingga tampak seperti bercahaya. Dengan demikian, kata 'bercahaya dapat diartikan sebagai dapat dilihat oleh mata karena memantulkan sinar yang diterima dari sumber sinar. Bulan bercahaya karena memantulkan sinar yang diterimanya dari matahari.