Interpretation
And narrate to them the story of Noah when he said to his people: “O my people, if you find it hard (to accept) my presence among you and my delivering messages from God to you, then know that I only rely on God. Therefore, you should decide your course of action, you and your partners, and have no doubt about your course of action. Then follow through your decision against me and give me no respite. But if you turn away, know that I ask for no compensation from you. My compensation is from God only and I am commanded to be with those who align with God [muslim].” But they (his community) rejected him; so We [God] delivered him and those who were believers with him in the ark and gave them the opportunity to govern (themselves) while those who denied the messages, We cause them to be drowned. Therefore, you should wonder about the end results of those who have been warned (about the truth).
After him (Noah), We continued to send messengers to them; messengers who came with sound arguments and reasoning, but they continued to deny what they rejected before. This is how We allowed their hearts to be impervious (to the truth) because they transgressed the boundary (of faith and goodness). Following these prophets, We sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and his Advisers with Our Messages but they were blind with pride and they were consumed in sinful conducts and practices. So, when the message of truth came to them, they said to themselves: “This is a clear deception!” 480
Interpretation
480 The coming of messengers throughout human history is the result of a commitment that God made to Adam and Eve that He will send reminders and guidance to humanity (children of Adam and Eve) so that they have no excuse for not having the information or knowledge about God and about God’s guidance to mankind. Time and again, even in the face of such guidance and the presence of such messengers, people, especially those who were wealthy and powerful, committed crimes against people in the name of material gains and abuse of power. As the story of Noah, the narrative of other prophets, and the eventual success of Moses and Aaron against Pharaoh clearly and consistently demonstrate, false beliefs and evil practices will fail every time, and truth will prevail as long as people of faith and goodness strive to excel and establish truth and justice for all people.
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REFLECTION
The struggle for truth and justice is a constant challenge to human beings in every generation, and so is the maintenance of true faith in God and His guidance for mankind.
ACTION
Informed and reasoned faith is stronger than imitated faith. While in our current world, faith is under threat from atheism and false notions of secularism, which deny religions as opposed to being impartial to various religious teachings in governing the society, faith is also under threat from those who claim faith but hold extreme prejudice and exhibit self-righteousness in dealing with others based on their religion, race, ethnicity, and cultural practices. People of faith and human goodness who aspire for a middle ground in faith and human conduct should be more vocal and diligent in fighting extremism and the ongoing assault on faith.