Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 74

(Ayah 74) ➊ {ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَا مِنْۢ بَعْدِهٖ رُسُلًا اِلٰى قَوْمِهِمْ: } Here, among the prophets who were sent after Noah (peace be upon him), Hud, Salih, Ibrahim, Lut, and Shu'ayb (peace be upon them) are especially noteworthy. Their mention is coming in the next Surah Hud and is also recorded at other places in the Quran, and with the words {’’ اِلٰى قَوْمِهِمْ ‘‘}, it has been indicated that among Noah (peace be upon him) and all the prophets after him, none of their prophethoods was universal for all mankind, rather, they were sent to specific nations. However, there is a difference of opinion regarding the prophethood of Noah (peace be upon him); the correct view is that he too was sent specifically to his own people. (According to the research of our teacher, Maulana Muhammad Abduh, may Allah have mercy on him, the correct view is that not all people on the face of the earth were drowned in the flood, rather, only a specific region was destroyed and ruined.) This status is unique to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, that his prophethood is universal for all nations of the world and will remain so until the Day of Judgment. See Surah Saba (28).

➋ { فَجَآءُوْهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنٰتِ:} That is, they came with such proofs and miracles which indicated that they were truly messengers of Allah. The greatest and most effective miracle of our Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, was the Quran, due to which his Ummah became the largest. For details, see the benefits of Surah Ankabut (50, 51).

➌ { فَمَا كَانُوْا لِيُؤْمِنُوْا بِمَا كَذَّبُوْا بِهٖ مِنْ قَبْلُ :} But these nations did not believe in the call of the messengers. The reason for this was that when Allah’s messengers first came to them, they refused to believe due to their rebellion and arrogance, and this refusal became a permanent barrier for them, and they kept thinking, “How can we now believe in what we have already denied?” As a result, they were deprived of the blessing of faith. Imam Ibn Jarir, may Allah have mercy on him, has made the subject of {’’ كَذَّبُوْا ‘‘} the people of Noah. In this case, the meaning would be that the nations of these messengers were also not such that they would believe in what the people of Noah and those before them had already denied; rather, their hearts were sealed just like the people of Noah. The first meaning is more appropriate, although this is also correct.

➍ { كَذٰلِكَ نَطْبَعُ عَلٰى قُلُوْبِ الْمُعْتَدِيْنَ :} That is, Allah Almighty ultimately gives such people this punishment that they are never granted the divine enablement (Tawfiq) to find the path of guidance, and this is the meaning of Allah Almighty sealing their hearts. Whoever adopts this attitude in the future will receive the same punishment. See Surah Baqarah (7), An’am (109, 110), and Anfal (24).

74. 1. That is, they came with such proofs and miracles which indicated that indeed they are the true Messengers of Allah, whom Allah has sent for guidance and direction.

74. 2. But these communities did not believe in the call of the Messengers, merely because when these Messengers first came to them, they immediately, without any reflection or thought, denied them. And this initial denial became a permanent barrier for them. And they kept thinking that since we have already denied, what is the point in accepting now, thus they remained deprived of faith.

74. 3. That is, just as seals were set upon the previous nations due to their disbelief and rejection, in the same way, in the future, any nation that denies the Messengers and rejects the signs of Allah, seals will continue to be set upon their hearts, and they will remain deprived of guidance just as the previous nations were deprived.

74. Then after him We sent other messengers to their people, and they came to them with clear proofs, but they were not such as to believe in what they had previously denied. Thus do We seal the hearts of the transgressors.

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The Meaning of Sealing:

After Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him), We sent Hud, Salih, Ibrahim, Lut, and Shu'ayb (peace be upon them) to their respective peoples with clear signs. All these messengers faced the same situation as Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him). That is, when those people denied for the first time, they remained stubborn upon it, and despite the messengers explaining to them a thousand times, they could not bring themselves to admit their mistakes. When people reach this state, Allah sets a seal upon their hearts, which means that their hearts are no longer capable of accepting guidance in the future. The attribution of sealing to Allah is only in the sense that the Causer of the causes, or the results, are in Allah’s hands. Man is fully free in choosing the means, and for this reason, his reward and punishment are based on the means he chooses. Thus, the sealing is a punishment from Allah, which they receive as a consequence of their crime of denial and opposition.