Tafsir

Meaning; Then after Nuh We sent Messengers to their people.

They brought them clear proofs. and evidences of the truth that they came with. فَمَا كَانُواْ لِيُؤْمِنُواْ بِمَا كَذَّبُواْ بِهِ مِن قَبْلُ(But they would not believe what they had already rejected beforehand) meaning the nations did not believe what their Messengers brought to them because they already rejected it from the beginning. Allah said: وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَـرَهُمْ(And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance).) (6:110) He then said here, كَذَلِكَ نَطْبَعُ عَلَى قُلوبِ الْمُعْتَدِينَ(Thus We seal the hearts of the transgressors.) This means that as Allah has set seals on the hearts of those people, such that they would not believe since they previously rejected faith, He would also set seals on the hearts of the people that are like them, who will come after them. They would not believe until they see the severe torment. This means that Allah destroyed the nations after Nuh. He destroyed the nations that rejected the Messengers and saved those who believed from among them. From the time of Adam to Nuh, people followed Islam.

Then they invented the worship of idols. So Allah sent Nuh to them. That is why the believers will say to him on the Day of Resurrection, "You are the first Messenger Allah sent to the people of the earth." Ibn `Abbas said: "There were ten generations between Adam and Nuh, and all of them were following Islam." Allah also said: وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن بَعْدِ نُوحٍ(And how many generations have We destroyed after Nuh!) (17:17) This was a serious warning to the Arab pagans, who rejected the leader and last of the Messengers and Prophets. If the people before them who rejected their Messengers had received this much punishment, then what did they think will happen to them since they perpetrated even greater sins than others before them

It was said in the last verse (64) that, for the friends of Allah, there is the good news in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. As for the good news of the Hereafter, it will come at the time of death when the spirit of the deceased will be taken to Allah. At that time, he will hear the good news of Paradise being for him. Then, on the day of Qiyamah, when he rises from his grave, he will receive the good news of being welcome to Paradise. This is similar to what al-Tabarani has reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ narrates that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: ` People who recite: لا إلہ إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah: There is no god but Allah) will not experience any fright at the time of death, nor inside the grave, nor at the time they rise from it.

This is as if my eyes are seeing the scenario of that time when these people will, shaking the dust off, rise from their graves, saying: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا الْحَزَنَ (Praised is Allah who has removed from us [ all ] grief - 35:34) 'As for the good news in this world, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, `(they are) the true dreams one sees himself or are seen by someone else with him in it and, in which, there is good news for them. (Reported by al-Bukhri from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ .

Another basharah (good news) of this world unfolds in the form that Muslims at large love someone and take him to be good without any personal motive or interest. About it, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: تِلکَ عَاجِلُ بشرَی المؤمِن that is, ` being taken as good and praiseworthy is, for a true Muslim, good news in ready cash.' (Muslim and al-Baghawi)

ثم بعثنا من بعد نوح رسلا إلى أقوامهم (هودًا وصالحًا وإبراهيم ولوطًا وشعيبًا وغيرَهم) فجاء كل رسول قومه بالمعجزات الدالة على رسالته، وعلى صحة ما دعاهم إليه، فما كانوا ليصدِّقوا ويعملوا بما كذَّب به قوم نوح ومَن سبقهم من الأمم الخالية. وكما ختم الله على قلوب هؤلاء الأقوام فلم يؤمنوا، كذلك يختم على قلوب مَن شابههم ممن بعدهم من الذين تجاوزوا حدود الله، وخالفوا ما دعاهم إليه رسلهم من طاعته عقوبة لهم على معاصيهم.

يقول تعالى : ثم بعثنا من بعد نوح رسلا إلى قومهم ، فجاءوهم بالبينات ، أي : بالحجج والأدلة والبراهين على صدق ما جاءوهم به ، ( فما كانوا ليؤمنوا بما كذبوا به من قبل ) أي : فما كانت الأمم لتؤمن بما جاءتهم به رسلهم ، بسبب تكذيبهم إياهم أول ما أرسلوا إليهم ، كما قال تعالى : ( ونقلب أفئدتهم وأبصارهم كما لم يؤمنوا به أول مرة ) [ الأنعام : 110 ] .وقوله : ( كذلك نطبع على قلوب المعتدين ) أي : كما طبع الله على قلوب هؤلاء ، فما آمنوا بسبب تكذيبهم المتقدم ، هكذا يطبع الله على قلوب من أشبههم ممن بعدهم ، ويختم على قلوبهم ، فلا يؤمنوا حتى يروا العذاب الأليم .والمراد : أن الله تعالى أهلك الأمم المكذبة للرسل ، وأنجى من آمن بهم ، وذلك من بعد نوح ، عليه السلام ، فإن الناس كانوا من قبله من زمان آدم عليه السلام على الإسلام ، إلى أن أحدث الناس عبادة الأصنام ، فبعث الله إليهم نوحا ، عليه السلام ؛ ولهذا يقول له المؤمنون يوم القيامة : أنت أول رسول بعثه الله إلى أهل الأرض .وقال ابن عباس : كان بين آدم ونوح عشرة قرون ، كلهم على الإسلام .وقال الله تعالى : ( وكم أهلكنا من القرون من بعد نوح وكفى بربك بذنوب عباده خبيرا بصيرا ) [ الإسراء : 17 ] ، وفي هذا إنذار عظيم لمشركي العرب الذين كذبوا بسيد الرسل وخاتم الأنبياء والمرسلين ، فإنه إذا كان قد أصاب من كذب بتلك الرسل ما ذكره الله تعالى من العقاب والنكال ، فماذا ظن هؤلاء وقد ارتكبوا أكبر من أولئك ؟