Quran Universe
26:116

قَالُواْ لَئِن لَّمۡ تَنتَهِ يَٰنُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡمَرۡجُومِينَ

Qaloo lain lam tantahi ya noohu latakoonanna mina almarjoomeena

They said, "If you do not desist, O Noah, you will surely be of those who are stoned."

Word by word
  1. قَالُواْThey said
  2. لَئِنIf
  3. لَّمۡnot
  4. تَنتَهِyou desist
  5. يَٰنُوحُO Nuh
  6. لَتَكُونَنَّSurely you will be
  7. مِنَof
  8. ٱلۡمَرۡجُومِينَthose who are stoned
Ash-Shu'ara · 26:116Makkah

Stop, Nuh, or we will stone you.

After years of calling, a death threat

Years of calling
Nuhnight and daysecret and open
answered with
stop, or be stoned
What repetition did
softened themwhat he hoped
hardened themthe more he called

Ibn Kathir says Nuh stayed among his people a long time, calling them night and day, in secret and openly. The more he called, the more they clung to disbelief. In the end they said: if you do not stop, we will stone you.

You have been patient for years with a family member, a difficult coworker, a friend. It only got worse. Sometimes your patience is not failing. You did your part, like Nuh. Their hardness is theirs.

If they only got worse, I must have done it wrong.

I can call with patience for years and still not be the cause of their refusal.

Try this

Tell Allah about one long effort that has not worked. Ask Him for strength.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

They said: "If you cease not, O Nuh you will surely be among those stoned. (116)He said: "My Lord! Verily, my people have denied me. (117)"Therefore judge You between me and them, and save me and those of the believers who are with me. (118)And We saved him and those with him in the laden ship (119)Then We drowned the rest thereafter (120)Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers (121)And verily your Lord, He is indeed the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful (122)

His People's Threat, Nuh's Prayer Against Them, and Their Destruction

Nuh stayed among his people for a long time, calling them to Allah night and day, in secret and openly. The more he repeated his call to them, the more determined were they to cling to their extreme disbelief and resist his call. In the end, they said:

لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهِ يَا نُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمَرْجُومِينَ

(If you cease not, O Nuh you will surely be among those stoned.) meaning, 'if you do not stop calling us to your religion,'

لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمَرْجُومِينَ

(you will surely be among those stoned.) meaning, 'we will stone you.' At that point, he prayed against them, and Allah responded to his prayer. Nuh said:

رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي كَذَّبُونِ - فَافْتَحْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُمْ فَتْحًا

(My Lord! Verily, my people have denied me. Therefore judge You between me and them.) This is like the Ayah:

فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ

(Then he invoked his Lord (saying): "I have been overcome, so help (me)!")(54:10) And Allah says here:

فَأَنجَيْنَاهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ فِي الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ - ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا بَعْدُ الْبَاقِينَ

(And We saved him and those with him in the laden ship. Then We drowned the rest thereafter.) The "laden ship" is one that is filled with cargo and the couples, one pair from every species, that were carried in it. This Ayah means: 'We saved Nuh and all of those who followed him, and We drowned those who disbelieved in him and went against his commands, all of them.'

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ - وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

(Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers. And verily your Lord, He is indeed the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.)