Quran Universe
26:118

فَٱفۡتَحۡ بَيۡنِي وَبَيۡنَهُمۡ فَتۡحٗا وَنَجِّنِي وَمَن مَّعِيَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ

Faiftah baynee wabaynahum fathan wanajjinee waman maAAiya mina almumineena

Then judge between me and them with decisive judgement and save me and those with me of the believers."

Word by word
  1. فَٱفۡتَحۡSo judge
  2. بَيۡنِيbetween me
  3. وَبَيۡنَهُمۡand between them
  4. فَتۡحٗا(with decisive) judgment
  5. وَنَجِّنِيand save me
  6. وَمَنand who
  7. مَّعِيَ(are) with me
  8. مِنَof
  9. ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَthe believers
Ash-Shu'ara · 26:118Makkah

Judge between us, and save me and the believers.

Handing the outcome to Allah

Nuh asks
judge between usdecisively
save meand the believers with me
Who settles it
I take revengeI settle the score
Allah decidesI ask Him to judge

Nuh asks Allah to judge between me and them with a decisive judgement, and to save me and the believers with me. He did not take matters into his own hands. He asked Allah to decide, and remembered those who believed with him.

There is a conflict you cannot resolve, with an ex, a business partner, a sibling. You fantasize about getting even. Hand it to Allah: judge between us. And remember to pray for the people on your side.

If I do not settle this myself, it will never be fair.

I can hand the judgment to Allah and ask Him to protect the good people with me.

Try this

Make a dua for justice in one conflict, and include the people who stood by you.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 26:116)

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.)