وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ نُوحٍ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنْ كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَقَامِي وَتَذْكِيرِي بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ فَعَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ فَأَجْمِعُوا أَمْرَكُمْ وَشُرَكَاءَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُنْ أَمْرُكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ غُمَّةً ثُمَّ اقْضُوا إِلَيَّ وَلَا تُنْظِرُونِ ﴿۷۱﴾ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَمَا سَأَلْتُكُمْ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴿۷۲﴾ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ فِي الْفُلْكِ وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ خَلَائِفَ وَأَغْرَقْنَا الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُنْذَرِينَ ﴿۷۳﴾

﴾71﴿ Watlu 'alaihim naba-a-Noohin iz qaala liqawmihee yaa qawmi in kaana kabura 'alaikum maqaamee wa tazkeeree bi Aayaatil laahi fa'alal laahi tawakkaltu fa ajmi'ooo amrakum wa shurakaaa'akum thumma laa yakun amrukum 'alaikum ghummatan thummaq dooo ilaiya wa laa tunziroon
﴾72﴿ Fa in tawallaitum famaa sa altukum min ajrin; in ajriya illaa 'al allaahi wa umirtu an akoona minal muslimeen
﴾73﴿ Fa kazzaboohu fa najjainaahu wa man ma'ahoo fil fulki wa ja'alnaahum khalaaa'ifa wa aghraqnal lazeena kazzaboo bi aayaatinaa fanzur kaifa kaana 'aaqibatul munzareen

﴾71﴿ And relate to them the story of Noah, peace be upon him, when he said to his people, "O my people, if my standing and my delivering of the signs of Allah is difficult for you, then I have placed my trust in Allah. So strengthen your resolve and call upon your [false] deities. Your plot will not be hidden from you, so bring upon me what you will and give me no respite
﴾72﴿ So if you turn away (from my message), then I have not asked from you any reward. My reward is only with Allah, and I have been commanded to be among the Muslims
﴾73﴿ So they denied him, but We saved him and those with him in the ship and drowned those who denied Our signs. So look at how the end was for the warners

[71] From this verse until the end of the surah is the third section. In this part, the stories of Nūḥ (peace be upon him) and Mūsā (peace be upon him) are mentioned as examples of worldly punishment upon those who denied the truth.
The selection of these specific events is for two main reasons:
1. The story of Nūḥ is the earliest, and the destruction of Pharaoh is among the final major events—so the first and last are mentioned, while the events in between are alluded to briefly.
2. In verse 22 of this surah, the fear of the polytheists regarding drowning was mentioned. So, the stories of those who were drowned—like the people of Nūḥ and Pharaoh’s followers—were referenced to emphasize that drowning and deliverance are purely by Allah’s will: If He wills, He drowns, as He did with the people of Nūḥ and Pharaoh’s people. If He wills, He saves, as He did with Yūnus (peace be upon him) from drowning, and his people, whom He saved due to their repentance.
The mention of the people of Yūnus in this part serves as a motivation for repentance before punishment arrives.
Toward the end of this section, the status of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is clarified to refute all forms of shirk and encourage commitment to the Qur’an.
In verse 71, the story of Nūḥ is presented, mainly to instill fear (of divine punishment), but it also serves as comfort to the Prophet.
That’s why Tawḥīd is not explicitly discussed here—it focuses instead on Nūḥ’s steadfastness and courage.
(مَقَامِي) – implies that Nūḥ (peace be upon him) used to stand and call people to the truth, indicating persistent and public da‘wah.
(فَعَلَى اللَّهِ) – Before this phrase, a hidden clause is implied: “if you have resolved to kill me or harm me”. This shows the boldness and bravery of Nūḥ (peace be upon him).
(ثُمَّ لَا يَكُنْ أَمْرُكُمْ ...) – The meaning is: make your plan against me clear and open. Because someone who hides their plan is not fully confident or determined. This statement shows Nūḥ's firm trust in Allah and fearlessness in the face of opposition.
[72] In this verse, it is emphasized that Nūḥ (peace be upon him) had no worldly desire or personal gain in mind—because someone who is greedy or seeking reward cannot convey the truth purely.
(فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ) – If you turn away, then the result (jazā’) is omitted, and understood to mean: “I am not to be blamed”.
The final sentence of the verse serves as the reason for this implied result—meaning: I only convey what Allah has commanded me; I seek no benefit.
Since prophetic da‘wah (calling to Allah) is a personal obligation (farḍ ʿayn) upon the prophets, it is forbidden for them to take any compensation for it.
Likewise, if any duty is individually obligatory on a person, then taking payment for that duty is prohibited.
(الْمُسْلِمِينَ) – has two possible interpretations:
1. It refers to those who submit sincerely to Allah—i.e., those who accept Allah’s judgment without seeking worldly reward, regardless of whether people accept their message or not.
2. It refers to the group of prophets—meaning: “In preaching without taking a reward, I am following the path of the earlier prophets who submitted to Allah.”
[73] In this verse, the salvation of those who were with Nūḥ (peace be upon him) is mentioned, as well as the punishment of the deniers.
(فَكَذَّبُوهُ) – This was the cause of their punishment—their denial of the message brought by Nūḥ (peace be upon him).
(خَلَائِفَ) – Means: successors, referring to the descendants of Nūḥ (peace be upon him) who settled and populated the earth after the flood—similar to what is mentioned in Surah As-Sāffāt, verse 77.
(الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا) – This phrase indicates that only the deniers were drowned, which is evidence that the flood did not cover the entire earth—only the region where the deniers of Nūḥ lived.