217 Page Notes

10 Surah Yunus (continued)

Page 217 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

10:71

10:72

10:73

10:74

10:75

10:76

10:77

10:78

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 217 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 217 of the Qur'an contains verses 71 through 78 of Surah Yunus (Chapter 10). This specific section functions as a thematic shift, moving from general theological statements to concrete historical proofs by recounting the narratives of past prophets.

Verses 71–73 detail the resilience of Prophet Nuh (Noah) against his defiant people, while verses 74–78 introduce the mission of Prophet Musa (Moses) and Prophet Harun (Aaron) to Pharaoh and his ruling elite. Prophetic traditions (Hadith) and the Sunnah provide deep contextual insights, linguistic clarifications, and practical principles derived from these specific historical accounts.

1. The Proclamation of Noah & Relying Solely on Allah (Verses 71–73)

"And recite to them the news of Noah, when he said to his people, 'O my people, if my residence and my reminding of the signs of Allah has become burdensome upon you—then I have relied upon Allah... And I have not asked you for any reward. My reward is only from Allah...'" (Qur'an 10:71-72)

The Sunnah of Absolute Reliance (Tawakkul)

In verse 71, Noah challenges his people to bring forth their idols and execution plans without hesitation, declaring: "then I have relied upon Allah." Classical scholars note that this demonstrates the utmost degree of absolute reliance (Tawakkul), a core Sunnah practiced by all prophets when facing mortal danger.

The Prophet Muhammad mirrored this identical stance during his mission. When facing assassination plots by the Quraish elite, he implemented this prophetic formula of reliance, which is anchored in the famous Hadith:

"If you all rely upon Allah with right reliance, He would certainly provide for you as He provides for the birds; they go forth hungry in the morning and return with full bellies at dusk."

— Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Book 36, Hadith 2344 (Authenticated by Al-Albani)

The "Ship of Salvation" Concept

Verse 73 concludes Noah's narrative on this page: "And they denied him, so We saved him and those with him in the ship and made them successors..."

While the exact phrase "Noah's Ark" appears across various early narrations to emphasize the spiritual rescue of believers, the Prophet Muhammad historically drew a direct analogy between Noah's physical ship of salvation and following the path of the righteous early Muslim community. In an explicit historical reference to this verse's theme, the Prophet's companions likened adherence to the Sunnah to stepping onto Noah's Ark:

Imam Malik ibn Anas famously stated: "The Sunnah is like the Ark of Noah. Whoever boards it is saved, and whoever stays away from it is drowned."

— Tarikh Baghdad (The History of Baghdad) by Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi

2. The Cycle of Nations & Selective Blindness (Verse 74)

"Then We sent after him messengers to their peoples... But they would not believe in what they had denied before. Thus We seal the hearts of the transgressors." (Qur'an 10:74)

The Hadith on the "Sealing of Hearts"

Verse 74 introduces a terrifying spiritual reality: if a community repeatedly and deliberately rejects truth out of sheer arrogance, a point of no return is reached where their hearts are "sealed" (Natba'u).

The Hadith literature explicitly defines the spiritual mechanics behind how a heart progresses from basic sin to the total "seal" mentioned in Surah Yunus:

The Messenger of Allah said: "When the believer commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. If he repents and gives up that sin and seeks forgiveness, his heart is polished clean. But if the sin increases, the black spot increases until it covers his heart. That is the 'Rân' (rust/covering) which Allah mentioned in the Qur'an..."

— Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 5, Hadith 4244 (Authenticated by Al-Albani)

3. Moses, Aaron, and the Elite of Pharaoh (Verses 75–78)

"Then We sent after them Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and his establishment with Our signs, but they behaved arrogantly and were a criminal people." (Qur'an 10:75)

The Sin of Arrogance (Kibr) Defined

Verse 75 attributes the failure of Pharaoh's council to one specific trait: "they behaved arrogantly" (Fastakbaru). Because Pharaoh's court viewed Moses and Aaron as lower-class citizens, they rejected the message out of hand.

The Prophet Muhammad gave a precise, legalistic definition of this exact type of arrogance in a well-known Hadith, mapping perfectly onto the behavior of Pharaoh described here:

The Prophet said: "He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of arrogance will not enter Paradise." A man asked, "What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?" The Prophet replied: "Allah is Beautiful and He loves beauty. Arrogance (Kibr) means rejecting the truth (out of pride) and looking down on other people."

— Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 164

Rejection Based on Blind Ancestral Tradition (Verse 78)

When Moses presents his clear miracles, Pharaoh’s elite resort to a classic logical fallacy, which is highlighted in verse 78:

"They said, 'Have you come to us to turn us away from that upon which we found our fathers and so that you two may have greatness in the land? And we are not believers in you.'" (Qur'an 10:78)

The Sunnah strictly opposes this mentality of Asabiyyah (blind tribalism/cultural preservation at the expense of objective truth). The Prophet Muhammad spent his entire life dismantling the exact excuse mentioned in verse 78, warning his followers not to follow customs that explicitly contradict divine ethics:

The Prophet stated decisively in his Farewell Sermon: "Lo! Everything pertaining to the Days of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah)—including blind ancestral pride and blood feuds—is completely abolished under my two feet."

— Sahih Muslim, Book 15, Hadith 1218

References

• Al-Baghadi, Al-Khatib. (n.d.). Tarikh Baghdad (History of Baghdad).

• Al-Sijistani, Abu Dawud. (n.d.). Sunan Abi Dawud.

• Al-Tirmidhi, Muhammad ibn Isa. (n.d.). Sunan al-Tirmidhi.

• Ibn Majah, Muhammad ibn Yazid. (n.d.). Sunan Ibn Majah.

• Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. (n.d.). Sahih Muslim.

(Note: "n.d." denotes classical texts where modern standardized publication years vary across publishers, cited instead by their universally recognized book and Hadith numbers).