وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَقَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ 23
Translations
And We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him; then will you not fear Him?"
Transliteration
Wa-laqad arsalnā nūḥan ilā qawmihi fa-qāla yā-qawmi i'budū l-lāha mā lakum min ilāhin ghayruhu, a-fa-lā tattaqūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah introduces the mission of Prophet Noah (Nuh), one of the most important messengers in Islamic history, who was sent to warn his people to worship Allah alone and abandon idolatry. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, Noah's call embodied the fundamental message of all prophets—pure monotheism (tawhid)—and his rhetorical question "Will you not fear Allah?" served as both an admonition and an appeal to their conscience to recognize divine accountability. The phrase "ma lakum min ilāhin ghayruhu" (there is no deity worthy of worship except Him) establishes the core Islamic principle that worship belongs exclusively to Allah, rejecting all false gods.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Mu'minun, a Meccan surah that emphasizes the characteristics of true believers and the histories of previous prophets as evidence of divine truth. The context here is within a series of narratives about prophets and their peoples, establishing a pattern of divine guidance being rejected by disbelieving communities—a theme directly relevant to the Meccan audience who were resisting Prophet Muhammad's message.
Related Hadiths
Prophet Muhammad said: 'The best supplication is that of Noah, and the best people are the people of Noah' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Bukhari reports that the Prophet said Noah was the first of the five greatest messengers (Ulul-Azm), emphasizing his supreme rank among prophets.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that the primary duty of prophets—and by extension, all those who convey faith—is to call people to sincere worship of Allah alone, and that true belief begins with recognizing divine oneness and developing conscious awareness of God's authority and accountability. For modern readers, it emphasizes that establishing correct beliefs and combating false ideologies within the heart is the foundation upon which all righteous deeds are built.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْىِۦ وَنُمِيتُ وَإِلَيْنَا ٱلْمَصِيرُ
Indeed, it is We who give life and cause death, and to Us is the destination
وَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ أَضْحَكَ وَأَبْكَىٰ
And that it is He who makes [one] laugh and weep
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِن كُنتُمْ فِى شَكٍّ مِّن دِينِى فَلَآ أَعْبُدُ ٱلَّذِينَ تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَـٰكِنْ أَعْبُدُ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى يَتَوَفَّىٰكُمْ ۖ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "O people, if you are in doubt as to my religion - then I do not worship those which you worship besides Allāh; but I worship Allāh, who causes your death. And I have been commanded to be of the believers
لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّمَا تَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ دَعْوَةٌ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَلَا فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ مَرَدَّنَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَأَنَّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ هُمْ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ
Assuredly, that to which you invite me has no [response to a] supplication in this world or in the Hereafter; and indeed, our return is to Allāh, and indeed, the transgressors will be companions of the Fire.