37. Surah As-Saffat (Those Ranged In Ranks)

Mecca 56 [182 verses]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَلَقَدْ نَادَانَا نُوحٌ...

37: 75. (In the days of old), Noah cried to Us,

C4080. Cf. 21:76-77.

The story of Noah occurs in many places: here the point is that when men gird themselves against evil, Allah protects them, and Evil cannot triumph against Allah's Plan.

...فَلَنِعْمَ الْمُجِيبُونَ ﴿٧٥﴾

and We are the Best to hear prayer.

وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ مِنَ الْكَرْبِ الْعَظِيمِ ﴿٧٦﴾

37: 76. And We delivered him and his people from the Great Calamity.

C4081. The Deluge, the Flood of Noah. The main story will be found in 11:25-48.

وَجَعَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُ هُمْ الْبَاقِينَ ﴿٧٧﴾

37: 77. And made his progeny to endure (on this earth);

C4082. Noah's posterity survived the Flood in the Ark, while the rest perished.

وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرِينَ ﴿٧٨﴾

37: 78. And We left (this blessing) for him among generations to come in later times:

C4083. His name is remembered for ever, commencing a new era in religious history.

Note that the words in verses 78-81, with slight modifications, form a sort of refrain to the following paragraphs about Abraham, Moses, and Elias, but not about Lut and Jonah.

Lut was a nephew of Abraham, and may be supposed to belong to the story of Abraham. Jonah's career nearly ended in a tragedy for himself, and his people got a further lease of power "for a time" (37:148). And both Lut and Jonah belong to a limited local tradition,

سَلَامٌ عَلَى نُوحٍ فِي الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٧٩﴾

37: 79. "Peace and salutation to Noah among the nations!"

C4084. The story of the Flood is found in some form or other among all nations, and not only among those who follow the Mosaic tradition.

• In Greek tradition, the hero of the Flood is Deukalion, with his wife Pyrrha:

• in Indian tradition (Shatapatha Brahmana and Mahabharata) it is the sage Manu and the Fish.

• The Chinese tradition of a great Flood is recorded in Sha-King.

• Among American Indians the tradition was common to many tribes.

إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٨٠﴾

37: 80. Thus indeed do We reward those who do right.

إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٨١﴾

37: 81. For he was one of Our believing Servants.

ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا الْآخَرِينَ ﴿٨٢﴾

37: 82. Then the rest We overwhelmed in the Flood.

Asad’s Version:

37:75 And, indeed, [it was for this reason that] Noah cried unto Us - and how excellent was Our response:

(37:76) for We saved him and his household from that awesome calamity, 29

(37:77) and caused his offspring to endure [on earth]; (37:78) and We left him thus to be remembered 30 among later generations:

(37:79) "Peace be upon Noah throughout all the worlds!"

37:80 Verily, thus do We reward the doers of good –

(37:81) for he was truly one of our believing servants:

(37:82) [and so We saved him and those who followed him] and then We caused the others to drown.

[[Asad’s note - 29 I.e., the Deluge.

30 Lit., "and We left upon him", sc., "this praise or "remembrance", expressed in the salutation which follows. ]]