Quran Universe
7:64

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَنجَيۡنَٰهُ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥ فِي ٱلۡفُلۡكِ وَأَغۡرَقۡنَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآۚ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ قَوۡمًا عَمِينَ

Fakaththaboohu faanjaynahu waallatheena maAAahu fee alfulki waaghraqna allatheena kaththaboo biayatina innahum kanoo qawman AAameena

But they denied him, so We saved him and those who were with him in the ship. And We drowned those who denied Our signs. Indeed, they were a blind people.

Word by word
  1. فَكَذَّبُوهُBut they denied him
  2. فَأَنجَيۡنَٰهُso We saved him
  3. وَٱلَّذِينَand those who
  4. مَعَهُۥ(were) with him
  5. فِيin
  6. ٱلۡفُلۡكِthe ship
  7. وَأَغۡرَقۡنَاAnd We drowned
  8. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  9. كَذَّبُواْdenied
  10. بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآۚOur Verses
  11. إِنَّهُمۡIndeed,they
  12. كَانُواْwere
  13. قَوۡمًاa people
  14. عَمِينَblind
Al-A'raf · 7:64Makkah

The ship saved the few. The blind were drowned.

Blindness to the truth, and its end

Two outcomes
the shipNuh and those with him
the floodthose who denied
What kind of blindness
eyes that cannot seenot their fault
blind to the truthunwilling to look

They kept rejecting him, and only a few believed. Allah saved Nuh and those with him in the ship. The tafsir explains "blind" as blind to the truth, unable to find their way to it. It calls this Allah's way: the good end is for those who fear Him.

The doctor warns you about your blood pressure three times. You stop going to appointments. Blindness is not always in the eyes. The ship is still there for whoever gets on.

I can always see the truth when I need to.

Refusing to look can make me blind to what is plain.

Try this

Face one warning you have been avoiding, about health, money or faith, today.

Related71:2540:51
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 7:63)

"Do you wonder that there has come to you a Reminder from your Lord through a man from among you, that he may warn you, so that you may fear Allah and that you may receive (His) mercy? (63)But they belied him, so We saved him and those along with him in the Fulk, and We drowned those who belied Our Ayat. They were indeed a blind people (64)

Allah said that Nuh proclaimed to his people,

أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ

("Do you wonder..."), do not wonder because of this. Surely, it is not strange that Allah sends down revelation to a man among you as mercy, kindness and compassion for you, so that he warns you that you may avoid Allah's torment by associating none with Him,

وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

("and that you may receive (His) mercy.") Allah said,

فَكَذَّبُوهُ 

(But they belied him) but they insisted on rejecting and opposing him, and only a few of them believed in him, as Allah stated in another Ayah. Allah said next,

فَأَنجَيْنَاهُ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ فِي الْفُلْكِ

(So We saved him and those along with him in the Fulk) the ark,

وَأَغْرَقْنَا الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا

(And We drowned those who belied Our Ayat.) Allah said in another Ayah,

مِّمَّا خَطِيئَاتِهِمْ أُغْرِقُوا فَأُدْخِلُوا نَارًا فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا لَهُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنصَارًا

(Because of their sins they were drowned, then they were admitted into the Fire. And they found none to help them instead of Allah.)[71:25] Allah said,

إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا عَمِينَ

(They were indeed a blind people.) meaning, blind from the Truth, unable to recognize it or find their way to it. Here, Allah said that He has taken revenge from His enemies and saved His Messenger ﷺ and those who believed in him, while destroying their disbelieving enemies. Allah said in a another Ayah,

إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا

(Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers)[40:51].

This is Allah's Sunnah (way) with His servants, in this life and the Hereafter, that the good end, victory and triumph is for those who fear Him. For example, Allah destroyed the people of Nuh, and saved Nuh and his believing followers. Ibn Wahb said that he was told that Ibn 'Abbas said that eighty men were saved with Nuh in the ship, one of them was Jurhum, who spoke Arabic. Ibn Abi Hatim collected this statement, which was also narrated with a continuous chain of narration from Ibn 'Abbas.