سُوْرَةُ نُوْحٍ
Surah Nooh (71) — Ayah 23
وَقَالُوا۟ لَا تَذَرُنَّ ءَالِهَتَكُمْ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدًّا وَلَا سُوَاعًا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسْرًا ﴿23﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
"And they have said: ‘You shall not leave your gods: nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwâ‘, nor Yaghûth, nor Ya‘ûq nor Nasr’ (these are the names of their idols).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَقَالُوا۟
waqālū
And they said
لَا
lā
(Do) not
تَذَرُنَّ
tadharunna
leave
ءَالِهَتَكُمْ
ālihatakum
your gods
وَلَا
walā
and (do) not
تَذَرُنَّ
tadharunna
leave
وَدًّۭا
waddan
Wadd
وَلَا
walā
and not
سُوَاعًۭا
suwāʿan
Suwa
وَلَا
walā
and not
يَغُوثَ
yaghūtha
Yaguth
وَيَعُوقَ
wayaʿūqa
and Yauq
وَنَسْرًۭا
wanasran
and Nasr
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
And they said: 'Never leave your gods, nor abandon Wadd, nor Suwa', nor Yaghuth, nor Ya'uq, nor Nasr [14].'
[14]
How the Idols of the People of Nuh Became Prevalent in Arabia:
For the explanation of this verse, consider the following hadith: Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: The idols that were worshipped among the people of Nuh (peace be upon him) later came to Arabia. Wadd was the idol of the Kalb tribe, which was in Dumah al-Jandal. Suwa‘ was the idol of the Hudhayl tribe. Yaghuth was first the idol of the Murad tribe, then of Banu Ghutayf, and it was in Jawf near the city of Saba. Ya‘uq was of the Hamdan tribe, and Nasr was of the Himyar tribe, who were the descendants of Dhi al-Kala‘ (the king). These were the names of some righteous people among the people of Nuh (peace be upon him). When they died, Satan suggested to them that they should make statues at the places where these people used to sit (as memorials) and give them the same names as those elders. At that time, they were not worshipped. But when those people passed away, the later generations did not have that understanding, and they began to worship them. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
Here, a question arises: the idol worshippers or all the polytheists of the people of Nuh (peace be upon him) were drowned in the flood of Nuh, and those who remained were all believers and monotheists, so how did the worship of these same idols start again later? The answer is that just as Satan deceived the ancestors of the surviving monotheists and gradually led them to worship those righteous people, the same trick of Satan succeeded later as well. The monotheists narrated the story of the flood of Nuh and its reason to their children. After a few generations, people developed reverence for those same idols because of which the punishment had come upon the people of Nuh.
[14]
How the Idols of the People of Nuh Became Prevalent in Arabia:
For the explanation of this verse, consider the following hadith: Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: The idols that were worshipped among the people of Nuh (peace be upon him) later came to Arabia. Wadd was the idol of the Kalb tribe, which was in Dumah al-Jandal. Suwa‘ was the idol of the Hudhayl tribe. Yaghuth was first the idol of the Murad tribe, then of Banu Ghutayf, and it was in Jawf near the city of Saba. Ya‘uq was of the Hamdan tribe, and Nasr was of the Himyar tribe, who were the descendants of Dhi al-Kala‘ (the king). These were the names of some righteous people among the people of Nuh (peace be upon him). When they died, Satan suggested to them that they should make statues at the places where these people used to sit (as memorials) and give them the same names as those elders. At that time, they were not worshipped. But when those people passed away, the later generations did not have that understanding, and they began to worship them. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
Here, a question arises: the idol worshippers or all the polytheists of the people of Nuh (peace be upon him) were drowned in the flood of Nuh, and those who remained were all believers and monotheists, so how did the worship of these same idols start again later? The answer is that just as Satan deceived the ancestors of the surviving monotheists and gradually led them to worship those righteous people, the same trick of Satan succeeded later as well. The monotheists narrated the story of the flood of Nuh and its reason to their children. After a few generations, people developed reverence for those same idols because of which the punishment had come upon the people of Nuh.
