37. Surah As-Saffat (Those Ranged In Ranks)

Mecca 56 [182 verses]


The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:



وَلَقَدْ نَادَانَا نُوحٌ...

37: 75. (In the days of old), Noah cried to Us,

C4080. Cf. 21:76-77.

The story of Noah occurs in many places: here the point is that when men gird themselves against evil, Allah protects them, and Evil cannot triumph against Allah's Plan.

...فَلَنِعْمَ الْمُجِيبُونَ ﴿٧٥﴾

and We are the Best to hear prayer.

وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ مِنَ الْكَرْبِ الْعَظِيمِ ﴿٧٦﴾

37: 76. And We delivered him and his people from the Great Calamity.

C4081. The Deluge, the Flood of Noah. The main story will be found in 11:25-48.

وَجَعَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُ هُمْ الْبَاقِينَ ﴿٧٧﴾

37: 77. And made his progeny to endure (on this earth);

C4082. Noah's posterity survived the Flood in the Ark, while the rest perished.

وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرِينَ ﴿٧٨﴾

37: 78. And We left (this blessing) for him among generations to come in later times:

C4083. His name is remembered for ever, commencing a new era in religious history.

Note that the words in verses 78-81, with slight modifications, form a sort of refrain to the following paragraphs about Abraham, Moses, and Elias, but not about Lut and Jonah.

Lut was a nephew of Abraham, and may be supposed to belong to the story of Abraham. Jonah's career nearly ended in a tragedy for himself, and his people got a further lease of power "for a time" (37:148). And both Lut and Jonah belong to a limited local tradition,

سَلَامٌ عَلَى نُوحٍ فِي الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٧٩﴾

37: 79. "Peace and salutation to Noah among the nations!"

C4084. The story of the Flood is found in some form or other among all nations, and not only among those who follow the Mosaic tradition.

إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٨٠﴾

37: 80. Thus indeed do We reward those who do right.

إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٨١﴾

37: 81. For he was one of Our believing Servants.

ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا الْآخَرِينَ ﴿٨٢﴾

37: 82. Then the rest We overwhelmed in the Flood.

وَإِنَّ مِن شِيعَتِهِ لَإِبْرَاهِيمَ ﴿٨٣﴾

37: 83. Verily among those who followed his Way was Abraham.

C4085. The main story will be found in 16:51-73; but the episode about his readiness and that of his son to submit to the most extreme form of self-sacrifice under trial (in verses 102-107 below) is told here for the first time, as this Surah deals with the theme, "Not my will, but Thine be done!"

In "followed his way", the pronoun "his" refers to Noah, "he", of verse 81 above.

إِذْ جَاء رَبَّهُ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ ﴿٨٤﴾

37: 84. Behold, He approached his Lord with a sound heart.

C4086. A sound heart: qalb salim: a heart that is pure, and unaffected by the diseases that afflict others.

As the heart in Arabic is taken to be not only the seat of feelings and affections, but also of intelligence and resulting action, it implies the whole character.

Cf. Abraham's title of Hanif (the True): 2:135 and n. 134.

Cf. also 26:89: "only he will prosper who brings to Allah a sound heart."

إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَاذَا تَعْبُدُونَ ﴿٨٥﴾

37: 85. Behold, he said to his father and to his people,

"What is that which ye worship?


Asad’s Version:



37:75 And, indeed, [it was for this reason that] Noah cried unto Us - and how excellent was Our response:


(37:76) for We saved him and his household from that awesome calamity, 29


(37:77) and caused his offspring to endure [on earth]; (37:78) and We left him thus to be remembered 30 among later generations:


(37:79) "Peace be upon Noah throughout all the worlds!"


37:80 Verily, thus do We reward the doers of good –


(37:81) for he was truly one of our believing servants:


(37:82) [and so We saved him and those who followed him] and then We caused the others to drown.


[[Asad’s note - 29 I.e., the Deluge.


30 Lit., "and We left upon him", sc., "this praise or "remembrance", expressed in the salutation which follows. ]]