َ وَقَدْ أَضَلُّوا كَثِيرًا وَلَا تَزِدِ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا ضَلَالًا ﴿۲۴﴾ مِمَّا خَطِيئَاتِهِمْ أُغْرِقُوا فَأُدْخِلُوا نَارًا فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنْصَارًا ﴿۲۵﴾ وَقَالَ نُوحٌ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ دَيَّارًا ﴿۲۶﴾ إِنَّكَ إِنْ تَذَرْهُمْ يُضِلُّوا عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوا إِلَّا فَاجِرًا كَفَّارًا ﴿۲۷﴾ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِمَنْ دَخَلَ بَيْتِيَ مُؤْمِنًا وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَلَا تَزِدِ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارًا ﴿۲۸﴾

﴾24﴿ Wa qad adalloo kaseera; wa laa tazidiz zaalimeena illaa dalaalaa
﴾25﴿ Mimmaa khateee' aatihim ughriqoo fa udkhiloo Naaran falam yajidoo lahum min doonil laahi ansaaraa
﴾26﴿ Wa qaala Noohur Rabbi laa tazar 'alal ardi minal kaafireena daiyaaraa
﴾27﴿ Innaka in tazarhum yudil loo 'ibaadaka wa laa yalidooo illaa faajiran kaffaaraa
﴾28﴿ Rabbigh fir lee wa liwaa lidaiya wa liman dakhala baitiya mu'minanw wa lil mu'mineena wal mu'minaati wa laa tazidiz zaalimeena illaa tabaaraa

﴾24﴿ And indeed, they have led many people astray; so do not increase the wrongdoers except in misguidance
﴾25﴿ Because of their sins, they were drowned and then made to enter the Fire. Thus, they found no helpers for themselves besides Allah
﴾26﴿ And Nuh (peace be upon him) said, O my Lord, do not leave upon the earth even a single household of the disbelievers
﴾27﴿ Indeed, if You leave them, they will mislead Your servants and will not beget except wicked, persistent disbelievers
﴾28﴿ My Lord, forgive me, my parents, whoever enters my house as a believer, and all believing men and believing women. And do not increase the wrongdoers except in destruction

[24] (Kathīran) – From that time and in the generations that followed, among both Arabs and non-Arabs, shirk continued to spread. The foundation of this misguidance was laid by the people of Nūḥ (peace be upon him), and they bear a share of the sin. This is supported by the hadith: “Whoever starts an evil practice, he will bear its sin and the sin of all who act upon it, without any decrease in their own burden.” (Wa lā tazidi al-ẓālimīn) – This is a supplication of punishment upon that nation, after Nūḥ (peace be upon him) was informed that they would never believe, as mentioned in Sūrah Hūd (11:36). (Illā ḍalālā) – This refers to the well-known meaning: just as faith can increase, so too can misguidance and disbelief. Here, ḍalāl refers to loss and ruin.
[25] This verse mentions both the worldly and the hereafter punishment of that nation, along with its cause—namely, their sins (khaṭīʾātihim). It shows that their punishment was not merely due to the supplication of Nūḥ (peace be upon him), but primarily because of their own sins.
Their sins are listed in the previous verses, such as: ‘aṣaw (they disobeyed), wattaba‘ū (they followed [wrongdoers]), wa makarū (they plotted), wa qālū (they said [misguiding things]), aḍallū (they led others astray). Their greatest sin was shirk (polytheism). (Fa-udkhilū nāran) – According to Qurtubī, this refers to the punishment of the grave, similar to what is mentioned regarding Pharaoh’s people in Sūrah Ghāfir (40:46). Another interpretation is that the nār (fire) refers to one found beneath the sea, as stated in the ḥadīth: “beneath the ocean is fire.” (Min dūni Allāh) – This highlights that none of their so-called deities, including their five revered figures, could help them in the least—just as mentioned in Sūrah al-Aḥqāf (46:28).
[26,27] This is a supplication of destruction against his people, asking for their uprooting from the earth.
(Yuḍillū ‘ibādaka) – Meaning, they are like venomous snakes that harm others. Therefore, their destruction is necessary.
(Question): How did Nūḥ (peace be upon him) know that their offspring would also be wicked and there would be no hope of guidance from them? (Answer): He knew this through revelation, as mentioned in Sūrah Hūd (11:36).
This serves as proof that if someone is actively harming the religion and there remains no apparent hope of their guidance, then making a supplication of harm (du‘ā’ al-sharr) against them is permissible.
Just as our Prophet (peace be upon him) recited Qunūt Nāzilah, and Mūsā (peace be upon him) also made a similar supplication against Pharaoh and his people, as mentioned in Sūrah Yūnus (10:88).
[28] After making a supplication against the disbelievers, Nūḥ (peace be upon him) then prays for the believers—both specifically and generally. This reflects the etiquette of du‘ā’, where one first prays for specific individuals and then includes the general group. (Rabbi ighfir lī) – Asking for forgiveness does not necessarily mean a person has committed sin; it also expresses humility and the acknowledgment of one's shortcomings in fulfilling the rights of servitude to Allah. (Wa li-wālidayya) – The commentators have written that among the forefathers of Nūḥ (peace be upon him), all the way back to Ādam (peace be upon him), none were disbelievers. (Wa liman dakhala baytīya mu’minan) – Qurtubī has mentioned many possible meanings for “house” (bayt): it could mean the physical home of Nūḥ, his mosque, his ship, or his religion—and all these meanings are valid. The word mu’minan (believer) indicates that merely entering his house is not enough; belief in the heart is essential. Because of this, Nūḥ’s own son and wife are excluded from this prayer—despite entering his household physically, they were not true believers. (Wa lil-mu’minīn wa-l-mu’mināt) – This is a general prayer for all believing men and women until the Day of Judgment. We, too (mā), are included in this. (Wa lā tazidi al-ẓālimīn) – The earlier supplication against disbelievers was specific to Nūḥ’s people; this one is general—for all disbelievers and polytheists in every era. (Tabārā) – Refers to destruction and loss.
[]