Translation
We [God] sent Noah to his community, (he said to them): “I am simply a warner (and conveyor) that none be worshiped except God and I am concerned about your suffering (as a consequence of your denial of God) on the Day of grave consequence.” But the leaders of his community, who were in denial, said:” We consider you none but a mortal like us and those who follow you, we see them as the least significant among us. Also, we do not find any reason to consider you superior to us, rather we think you are a liar.”
He (Noah) replied: “O my people, how can you not see that I have been inspired (given guidance) by my Sustainer God and He has blessed me with His grace to which you wish to remain unmindful. We cannot force you to accept something that you continue to show disdain for. O my people, I am not seeking any profit [wealth] from you, rather, my compensation is from God alone. People who have believed with me will not be driven away from me, not by me while they look forward to meeting their Sustainer God. But I do find you steeped in ignorance and having no mindfulness.”
(He continued): “O my people, who will prove my innocence to God if I drive them (those who believed) away. Do you not think rationally? I also do not claim to have treasure from God, nor do I know what remains unseen (from you and me), nor do I say that I am an angel. I also cannot claim that those, whom you consider to be insignificant in your estimation, will not be favored by God. Only God knows what is in their minds and souls and I wish not be the one to misjudge.”
The leaders replied: “O Noah, you are in dispute with us and have prolonged this disagreement; we would rather that you bring out the consequence that you speak of against us, if you speak the truth.” He (Noah) replied: “It is only God Who decides such matters and when it does come about, you cannot escape. My advice will not profit you even as I continue to give good guidance if God deems otherwise (based on your persistent denial and evils). He is your Sustainer God, and you will be made to come back to Him.”
Do they still say:” He [the Prophet] has invented this (Qur’an)?” Say to them: “If I did so, then I will account for this myself and I am free from all of your denials and evils.” 495
Interpretation
495 The examples from other prophets who preceded Prophet Mohammad abound in the Qur’an, and their narratives corroborate, and at times augment, what is already known from the Bible and the Torah and aid in the understanding of the circumstances and the context of the situation that the Prophet was facing. Denial of the prophets and aggressive and oppressive stances by the community leaders and their chiefs against the prophets and their followers, and belittling such followers who accepted faith and guidance from the prophets, were as common during the life of the Prophet as they were during the life of other prophets, including Noah, whose example is given in this particular section. He was considered unworthy of being a prophet because he lacked wealth or familial connections to leadership in the community, and his followers were considered not as well off or intelligent or otherwise worthy by those who denied Noah and his messages. Prophet Mohammad was accused many times by his tribes and by some even to this day that he had manufactured the Qur’an, and his answer stands before as it is today: if it was manufactured, then he will have to account for this to God, and by the same token, he will not be responsible for the evils of those who deny and restrict freedom of expression.
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REFLECTION
Continued debate about faith and goodness is an ever-constant phenomenon in human existence as prophets, people of conscience, and people who genuinely care about human welfare have been speaking about such faith and goodness in various generations. Ours is no different, but we face a different kind of challenge, where the actions of few overzealous and misguided faithful from various religious pursuits give ammunition to atheistic and agnostics to blame religion (and by implication, faith in God), while promising goodness by such secular people that sound very hollow, given their own lapses of moral and ethical standards and ever-increasing corruption in political, social, and financial domains.
ACTION
Genuine interest in faith in God and human goodness is essential to advance the dialogue on religion and human progress, in a world that is on the brink of collapse in the face of widespread corruption, income inequality, environmental degradation to the point of no return, and persistent and ever-expansive violations of human rights and human dignity by authoritarian regimes, drug smugglers, profiteering business enterprises, and uninspired and disengaged citizens.