وَقِيلَ يَـٰٓأَرْضُ ٱبْلَعِى مَآءَكِ وَيَـٰسَمَآءُ أَقْلِعِى وَغِيضَ ٱلْمَآءُ وَقُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ وَٱسْتَوَتْ عَلَى ٱلْجُودِىِّ ۖ وَقِيلَ بُعْدًا لِّلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ 44
Translations
And it was said, "O earth, swallow your water, and O sky, withhold [your rain]." And the water subsided, and the matter was accomplished, and it [i.e., the ship] came to rest on the [mountain of] Jūdiyy. And it was said, "Away with the wrongdoing people."
Transliteration
Wa qīla yā arḍu ablʿī māʾaka wa yā samāʾu aqlʿī wa ghīḍa al-māʾu wa quḍiya al-amru wa astawat ʿalā al-jūdiyy wa qīla buʿdan li-al-qawm al-ẓālimīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the conclusion of the Great Flood during Prophet Nuh's time, when Allah commanded the earth to swallow its waters and the sky to cease raining, causing the waters to recede and the ark to rest upon Mount al-Judi. Classical exegetes like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that this marked the end of Allah's judgment upon the disbelieving people, with the final phrase pronouncing destruction upon those who rejected Nuh's message. The sequence demonstrates Allah's complete control over creation and His decisive judgment against those who persist in disbelief.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Nuh (Noah) in Surah Hud, a Meccan chapter that emphasizes the stories of the prophets and divine punishment of disbelievers. The context involves the flood narrative that serves as a warning to the Meccan disbelievers of the Prophet Muhammad's time about the consequences of rejecting divine guidance.
Related Hadiths
Sunan Ibn Majah and other sources contain reports about the location of Mount al-Judi, which some scholars identify with mountains in the region of Cizre in modern-day Turkey. While not a direct hadith commentary, Al-Nawawi's work on Islamic geography discusses this mountain's significance in Islamic tradition.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that Allah's judgment is absolute and inevitable—those who reject divine guidance will face consequences, while the believers (represented by those on the ark) are saved. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of heeding prophetic warnings and maintaining faith, knowing that Allah's justice encompasses all of creation.
Related Ayahs
وَيَـٰقَوْمِ هَـٰذِهِۦ نَاقَةُ ٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ ءَايَةً فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِىٓ أَرْضِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوٓءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ قَرِيبٌ
And O my people, this is the she-camel of Allāh - [she is] to you a sign. So let her feed upon Allāh's earth and do not touch her with harm, or you will be taken by an impending punishment."
وَيَـٰقَوْمِ مَن يَنصُرُنِى مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِن طَرَدتُّهُمْ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
And O my people, who would protect me from Allāh if I drove them away? Then will you not be reminded?
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ فَٱخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ لَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مُرِيبٍ
And We had certainly given Moses the Scripture, but it came under disagreement. And if not for a word that preceded from your Lord, it would have been judged between them. And indeed they are, concerning it [i.e., the Qur’ān], in disquieting doubt.
فَلَمَّا رَءَآ أَيْدِيَهُمْ لَا تَصِلُ إِلَيْهِ نَكِرَهُمْ وَأَوْجَسَ مِنْهُمْ خِيفَةً ۚ قَالُوا۟ لَا تَخَفْ إِنَّآ أُرْسِلْنَآ إِلَىٰ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ
But when he saw their hands not reaching for it, he distrusted them and felt from them apprehension. They said, "Fear not. We have been sent to the people of Lot."