11.Surah Hud

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَنَادَى نُوحٌ رَّبَّهُ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ ابُنِي مِنْ أَهْلِي...   

11: 45.   And Noah called upon his Lord, and said:

"O my Lord! surely my son is of my family!

...وَإِنَّ وَعْدَكَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنتَ أَحْكَمُ الْحَاكِمِينَ ﴿٤٥﴾

and Thy promise is true, and Thou art the Justest of Judges!"

قَالَ يَا نُوحُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ...   

11: 46.   He said:

"O Noah! he is not of thy family:

C1540. See n. 5135 above.

Like all Prophets of Allah, Noah was kind-hearted, but he is told that there can be no compromise with evil. And Noah acknowledges the reproof.

There was a wife of Noah, who was also an unbelieving woman (66:10), and she suffered the fate of Unbelievers.

...إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صَالِحٍ...

for his conduct is unrighteous.

...فَلاَ تَسْأَلْنِ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ...

So ask not of Me that of which thou hast no knowledge!

...إِنِّي أَعِظُكَ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ ﴿٤٦﴾

I give thee counsel, lest thou act like the ignorant!"

Others Version:

11: 45

Yusuf Ali And Noah called upon his Lord and said: "O my Lord! surely my son is of my family! and Thy promise is true and Thou art the Justest of Judges!"

Pickthall And Noah cried unto his Lord and said: My Lord! Lo! my son is of my household! Surely Thy promise is the Truth and Thou art the Most Just of Judges.

Yuksel Noah called on his Lord, and he said, "My Lord, my son is from my family, and your promise is the truth, and you are the Wisest of all Judges."

Transliteration Wa na_da_ nu_hur rabbahu_ faqa_la rabbi inna_bni min ahli, wa inna wa'dakal haqqu wa anta ahkamul ha_kimin(a).

11: 46

Asad [God ] answered: “O Noah, behold, he was not of your family, for, verily, he was unrighteous in his conduct.”……..

Yusuf Ali He said: "O Noah! he is not of thy family: for his conduct is unrighteous. So ask not of Me that of which thou hast no knowledge! I give thee counsel lest thou act like the ignorant!"

Pickthall He said: O Noah! Lo! he is not of thy household; lo! he is of evil conduct, so ask not of Me that whereof thou hast no knowledge. I admonish thee lest thou be among the ignorant.

Yuksel He said, "O Noah, he is not from your family, he committed sin, so do not ask what you have no knowledge of. I advise you not to be of the ignorant."*

Transliteration Qa_la ya_ nu_hu innahu_ laisa min ahlik(a), innahu_ 'amalun gairu sa_lihin fala_ tas'alni ma_ laisa laka bihi 'ilm(un), inni a'izuka an taku_na minal ja_hilin(a).

[[ Yuksel’s note - 011:046 Intercession is a false hope and it contradicts the monotheistic theology advocated by the Quran. Neither Abraham could help his father, Noah to his son, nor Muhammad to his relatives (2:48,123,254; 6:70,94; 7:53; 9:80; 10:3; 39:44; 43:86; 74:48; 82:17-19).

[[Ruby’s note- Loyalty to God supercedes all other loyalties, relations and concerns. If one reject Truth and goes beyond the threshold of wrong-doings deliberately and continue obstinately on that course, that person must be rejected or excluded or cannot be befriended even if he is a son. Apparently in this case the son rejected a continuous appeal, from a righteous father -- who was a good man with upright characters such as truthfulness, compassion, humility, honesty etc. being a God-sent Prophet above all -- and completely disregard the call. Being the father Noah must have tried again and again to help bring the son into the fold but failed. Noah knew the consequence of his son’s state and he must have done everything in his power to convert him from the paramount concern and desire of a father not to let his son go astray when the welfare both lives are concerned. That son cannot be part of that father’s family because his father’s most important mission he rejects. This however does not happen suddenly, it takes a long trail of rejection, arrogance and wrong-doing to come to this state.]]