أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ أَلِيمٍ 26
Translations
That you not worship except Allāh. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a painful day."
Transliteration
An lā ta'budū illā Allāh, innī akhāfu 'alaikum 'adhāba yawmin alīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah contains the core message of Prophet Nuh's da'wah (call) to his people: worship none but Allah alone, and abandon all forms of shirk (polytheism). Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that Nuh emphasizes the severity of divine punishment on the Day of Judgment as a motivating factor for his people to heed his warning and turn to monotheistic worship. The phrase 'adhāba yawmin alīm (punishment of a painful day) refers to the torment of the afterlife, underscoring the urgency of his message.
Revelation Context
This verse is part of Surah Hud, a Meccan surah that recounts the stories of various prophets and their struggles against their disbelieving peoples. This particular ayah encapsulates Prophet Nuh's fundamental preaching for 950 years—calling people to pure monotheism and warning them of divine punishment. It reflects the consistent message of all prophets throughout Islamic history.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari states that the Prophet Muhammad said, 'The most important thing I have been commanded to do is to make people understand that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.' This directly parallels Nuh's emphasis in this ayah. Additionally, Sunan Ibn Majah records that the Prophet warned about the punishment of the Day of Judgment as a means to encourage righteous behavior.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that the essence of all divine messages is the call to exclusive worship of Allah, and that sincere concern for others' spiritual welfare (as Nuh showed) is demonstrated through clear, persistent preaching and reminding them of accountability before Allah. For modern readers, it emphasizes that true guidance involves both positive invitation to faith and honest warning about consequences of rejecting truth.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن سُلَـٰلَةٍ مِّن طِينٍ
And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay.
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى خَـٰلِقٌۢ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلْصَـٰلٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ
And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud.
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚ فِطْرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
So direct your face [i.e., self] toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fiṭrah of Allāh upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allāh. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.
وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ٱلْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ ۖ وَخَرَقُوا۟ لَهُۥ بَنِينَ وَبَنَـٰتٍۭ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
But they have attributed to Allāh partners - the jinn, while He has created them - and have fabricated for Him sons and daughters without knowledge. Exalted is He and high above what they describe.