23:25

إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلُۢ بِهِۦ جِنَّةٞ فَتَرَبَّصُواْ بِهِۦ حَتَّىٰ حِينٖ

In huwa illa rajulun bihi jinnatun fatarabbasoo bihi hatta heenin

He is not but a man possessed with madness, so wait concerning him for a time."

Word by word
  1. إِنۡNot
  2. هُوَhe
  3. إِلَّا(is) but
  4. رَجُلُۢa man
  5. بِهِۦin him
  6. جِنَّةٞ(is) madness
  7. فَتَرَبَّصُواْso wait
  8. بِهِۦconcerning him
  9. حَتَّىٰuntil
  10. حِينٖa time
Al-Mu'minun · 23:25Makkah

Call him mad, then wait for him to go away.

Labeling and waiting as a way to dodge truth


Their plan
Nuh
labeled
madness
then
wait it outuntil he dies
The dodge
label and waitthe problem will pass
listen and actthe message stays

They called Nuh a man possessed by madness. Ibn Kathir explains their plan: wait until he dies, put up with him until you are rid of him. Not one argument against what he said.

The reminder you keep scrolling past. The friend who invites you to pray, whom you call "a bit extreme" and wait for them to stop. Waiting out a reminder does not make it go away.

If I ignore it long enough, the reminder will stop.

Labeling a reminder is not the same as answering it.

Try this

Pick one reminder you have been waiting out, and take one small step on it today.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 23:23)

And indeed We sent Nuh to his people, and he said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him. Will you not then have Taqwa? (23)But the chiefs of his people who disbelieved said: "He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you. Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels. Never did we hear such a thing among our fathers of old. (24)"He is only a man in whom is madness, so wait for him a while. (25)

The Story of Nuh, Peace Be upon Him, and His People

Allah tells us about Nuh, peace be upon him, whom He sent him to his people to warn them of the severe punishment of Allah and His severe vengeance on those who associated partners with Him, defied His commands and disbelieved His Messengers:

 فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

(and he said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him. Will you not then have Taqwa?") Meaning, "Do you not fear Allah when you associate others in worship with Him?" The chiefs or leaders of his people said:

مَا هَٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ

(He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you.) meaning, 'he is putting himself above you and trying to make himself great by claiming to be a Prophet, but he is a human being like you, so how can he receive revelation when you do not?'

 وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَأَنْزَلَ مَلَائِكَةً

(Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels.) meaning, 'if Allah had wanted to send a Prophet, He would have sent an angel from Him, not a human being. We have never heard of such a thing – i.e., sending a man to our forefathers' – their predecessors in times past.

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ بِهِ جِنَّةٌ 

(He is only a man in whom is madness,) means, 'he is crazy in his claim that Allah has sent him and chosen him from among you to receive revelation.'

فَتَرَبَّصُوا بِهِ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ

(so wait for him a while.) means, 'wait until he dies, put up with him until you are rid of him.'