As-Saaffaat (Those drawn up in Ranks)

75. “And indeed Noah did call upon Us, and the most excellent answerer (of prayer are We).”

76. “And We delivered him and his people from the great distress,”

77. “And We made (only) his progeny the survivors.”

78. “And We perpetuated to him (praise) among the later generations.”

79. “Peace be on Noah among the nations.”

If a person calls Allah sincerely, his supplication will be accepted and answered.

From here on, the story life of three great prophets, which was secretly pointed out in the former verses, begins. At first, Noah, the chief of the Divine prophets, and the first arch-prophet, is referred to and, before anything else, his pungent prayer, when he became disappointed from the guidance of his people, is pointed out.

It says:

“And indeed Noah did call upon Us, and the most excellent answerer (of prayer are We).”

This call may point to the same thing which is mentioned in Surah Noah:

“And Noah said: ‘O’ my Lord! Leave not of the unbelievers, a single one on the earth!” “For, if You do not leave (any of) them, they will but mislead Your devotees, and they will breed none but wicked ungrateful ones.”1

Or it is the prayer which he asked Allah before embarking on the Ark.

He said:

“…‘My Lord! Cause me to land with a blessed landing, for You are the Best to cause to land’.”2

Or it is the prayer which is mentioned in Surah Al-Qamar, No. 54, verse 10, saying:

“Then he called on his Lord: ‘I am one overcome; do You then help (me)!’”

Of course, there is no problem that the verse under discussion might be a hint to all of these prayers and Allah answered them all in the best way.

So, in the next verse, it immediately says:

“And We delivered him and his people from the great distress,”

According to Raqib in Mufradat, the Arabic term /karb/ means ‘a severe grief’.

Which grief has been this great grief that troubled Noah seriously? It may refer to the mockeries of the proud faithless people, and their oral hurts, such as their violation and affront to him and his followers. Or it may refer to the consecutive denials of this obstinate nation.

They hurt this patient Divine prophet, Noah, and acted so impolitely unto him and said that he was mad, that as the Qur’an says:

“He (Noah) said: ‘My Lord help me against what they belie’.”3

However, a group of these unwholesome events and harsh sarcasms presses his heart violently until when the flood came, and Allah delivered him from the grip of that cruel nation and that great distress.

Some of the commentators have said that the probable purpose of the Qur’anic phrase /karbin ‘azim/ has been that very Flood in which none delivered except Noah and his followers, but this meaning seems improbable.

Then, in the next verse, it adds:

“And We made (only his progeny the survivors.”

Are really all the human beings, who are living on the earth at the present time, from among the progeny of Noah? And does the above verse say the same meaning? Or did great group of prophets, saints, and righteous ones remain from his seed, though all human beings are not from his seed?

Some of the great commentators have said that all the members of humankind after Noah have come into being from his generation and, just now, all people are the Children of Noah.

A great deal of the historians have cited that there have remained three sons from Noah, by the names of: Sam, Ham, and Yafith, and all the present nations living on the earth terminate to them. The races of Arab, Persian, and Roman are called Semitic (races).

The Turkish race and another group of people are considered as the progeny of Yafith. The races in Sudan, India, Nubia, Ethiopia, Qibt, and Barbary are counted as the progeny of Ham.

The discussion is not upon this matter that, for example, this race is from which son of Noah, because there are many different ideas delivered by the commentators and historians upon this subject. The discussion is upon this matter that do all the human races terminate to these three ones?

This question arises here that: did not some other believers embark in the Ark with Noah? Then, what fate did they have? Did they all pass away without having any offspring after them? Or, if they had some children, would they be girls who married with Noah’s sons?

This problem is not so clear from the point of history, but it can be understood from Some Islamic narrations that, in relation with the hints in the verses of the Qur’an, there remained some children from them on the earth and there exist some people from those children, too.

Upon the explanation of the above holy verse, there is a tradition recorded in the Commentary of Ali-ibn-’Ibrahim narrated from Imam Baqir (as) who said:

“The purpose of Allah from the verse saying: ‘And We made (only) his progeny the survivors’”

is that the Truth, prophethood, the (heavenly) Book, and Faith remained in the progeny of Noah, but the entire people who are living on the earth from the children of Adam are not from the offspring of Noah (as), because Allah, the Exalted, says in His Book:

‘… We said: ‘Embark therein, of each kind a pair and your family (a part from your wife and a son) except for those against whom the Word has already passed - and whoever believed. And there believed not with him but a few.”4

And also He, the Almighty, (addressing the Children of Israel,) says:

‘(O’ you!) the offspring of those whom We embarked along with Noah (on the Ark).…’5 ”6

And thus, whatever is known about the whole races on the earth terminating to the Noah’s sons is not fixed.

In the Next verse, the Qur’an says:

“And We perpetuated to him (praise) among the later generations.”

Noah is known as a steadfast, brave, patient, sympathetic, and kind prophet, and he is called ‘the chief of the Divine prophets’.

Noah’s life story is usually the example of persistence and perseverance, and his manner and program is as a sample for all those who pave the path of Truth against the hard hindrances of the enemies.

In the last verse of this group of verses, the Qur’an says:

“Peace be on Noah among the nations.”

What an honour is higher than this that Allah, the Exalted, sends greeting to him? It is a greeting that remains in the world among the nations of the world and will be stretched until the Hereafter. Allah’s greeting is accompanied with the beautiful praise and good mention of the servants of Allah.

It is interesting that there is hardly a greeting in the Qur’an about anyone as vast as this one, specially that the Qur’anic word /‘alamin/ (nations), which is in plural form and with the Arabic signs (of definite article).

It contains such a vast meaning that it may envelop not only all human beings but also the whole angels and those who are in the entire Universe.