Hud 11:48 · Hud · Arabic, translation, recitation

Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"And it was said, ‘Noah, descend in peace from Us, with blessings on you and on some of the communities that will spring from those who are with you. There will be others We will allow to enjoy life for a time, but then a painful punishment from Us will afflict them.’"

Pickthall (classic)+

"It was said (unto him): O Noah! Go thou down (from the mountain) with peace from Us and blessings upon thee and some nations (that will spring) from those with thee. (There will be other) nations unto whom We shall give enjoyment a long while and then a painful doom from Us will overtake them."

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"The word came: "O Noah! Come down (from the Ark) with peace from Us, and blessing on thee and on some of the peoples (who will spring) from those with thee: but (there will be other) peoples to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time), but in the end will a grievous penalty reach them from Us.""

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

The Command to descend from the Ship with Peace and Blessings

Allah, the Exalted, informs of what was said to Nuh when the ship anchored on Mount Judi, peace be upon him, peace were sent upon him and the believers with him. This salutation was also for every believer from his progeny until the Day of Resurrection. Muhammad bin Ka`b said, "Every male and female believer until the Day of Resurrection is included in this salutation of peace. Likewise, every male and female disbeliever until the Day of Resurrection is included in this promise of torment and pleasure. Muhammad bin Ishaq said, "When Allah wanted to stop the flood, He sent a wind upon the face of the earth that caused the water to be still. Then the springs of the earth were closed off from the great flooding and the pouring (rain) from the sky halted. Allah, the Exalted, says,

وَقِيلَ يَأَرْضُ ابْلَعِى مَآءَكِ

(And it was said: "O earth! Swallow up your water...") 11:44 Thus, the water began decreasing and subsiding until the ship settled on Mount Judi. The People of the Tawrah (the Jews) claim that this occurred during the seventh month (of the year) and it lasted for seventeen nights. Then, on the first day of the tenth month, he (Nuh) saw the mountain tops. Then after forty more days, Nuh opened the small window in the roof of the ship and he sent a raven out to see what the water had done. However, the raven did not return to him. Then, he sent a pigeon out but it returned to him without finding any place (land) to put its two feet down. He extended his hand out of the ship and the pigeon grabbed his hand so that Nuh could pull it back into the ship. Then, after seven more days passed, he sent the pigeon out again to investigate for him. The pigeon returned in the evening with a leaf from an olive tree in its mouth. From this, Nuh knew that the water had decreased from the face of the earth. He remained in the ship for seven more days before he sent the pigeon out again. This time the pigeon did not return to him, so he knew that the earth had appeared. Thus, a year was completed from the time that Allah sent the flood, until the time of Nuh sending the pigeon. The first day of the first month of the second year began when the face of the earth appeared and land became visible. This is when Nuh uncovered the opening of the ship. During the second month of the second year, after twenty six nights,

قِيلَ ينُوحُ اهْبِطْ بِسَلَـمٍ مِّنَّا

(It was said: "O Nuh! Come down (from the ship) with peace from Us)

In the fourth verse (48), described there is the end of the flood. When the flood subsided, the ark of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) came to rest on Mount Judiyy, the earth sucked its water back, standing water from the heaven got preserved in the form of rivers and streams mak-ing the land habitable. Then, Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) was asked to disembark, go down the mountain, for there was nothing to worry about. Blessings of Allah will be with him keeping him secure from any calamities and hardships and that he will prosper in terms of peace, wealth and children.

According to this statement, the entire post-flood human population of the world is the progeny of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) . At another place, the Qur'an has said: وَجَعَلْنَا ذُرِّ‌يَّتَهُ هُمُ الْبَاقِينَ ﴿77﴾ (and those remaining We made his descendants - 37:77). Therefore, historians refer to Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) as the second Adam.

Then, the promise of peace and blessing made to Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) is not limited to his person, instead, it was said: وَعَلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّمَّن مَّعَكَ (and upon the peoples [ springing ] from those with you). Those who boarded the ark with Sayyidna Nuh have been identified with the word: امم (umam) which is the plural form of امۃ (ummah: community). It releases the sense that those on board the ark consisted of different nationalities and communities, although we already know that those who had embarked the ark were mostly people from the family of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) in addition to a few other believers as well. So, they were identified as different communities and nationalities in the sense that different communities and nationalities will spring forth from their future generations. This tells us that the whole human race to be born up to the day of Qiyamah is included under the sense of the words: أُمَمٍ مِّمَّن مَّعَكَ (peoples [ springing ] from those with you).

This was the reason why it became necessary to elaborate the subject of peace and blessing as the coming generation would include believers and disbelievers both. As for peace and blessing for believers, it is correct in its general sense for they would have peace and blessing in the mortal world as well as in the Hereafter. But, the disbelievers from this generation would have been consigned to the everlasting punishment of Hell. How would it be correct to say that they would be recipients of peace and blessing? Therefore, at the end of the verse, it was said: وَأُمَمٌ سَنُمَتِّعُهُمْ ثُمَّ يَمَسُّهُم مِّنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (And there are peoples whom We shall give some enjoyment, then a painful punishment from Us will visit them). It means that the peace and blessing they will enjoy in the mortal world is like a feast thrown open to all, friends and foes alike. Also participating in it will be those who take to disbelief from among the progeny of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) but the salvation and prosperity of the Hereafter shall be reserved for believers only. The disbeliever will be given the return for his good deeds within the mortal world and there will be nothing left for him to receive in the Hereafter where he will find nothing but punishment waiting for him.

When the Holy Prophet ﷺ came to know of this detailed information about Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) and the Flood through revelation, he related it to his people - this event, then became a standing witness to the veracity of the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself as a genuine prophet. To alert him to this situation, it was said in the fifth verse (49): ` As for Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) and the flood that came during his time, these were pieces of information that lay in the domain of the unseen. He had no knowledge of it beforehand, nor his people, the Arabs, knew about it. It was he who told them about it. What was the explanation for it? How could it happen? There was no other explanation but that Allah had Himself told him about it through revelation, because, had his people been educated and conversant with world history, it could be surmised that he had related these events after having heard them from those learned people. But, when the whole lot of his people was unaware of these events and their prophet too had never gone to another country to get his education there, then, the only inlet of this information stands determined conclusively. It was وَحِی Wahy, the divine revelation, which is a clear proof that the prophet is a true messenger of Allah.