Quran Universe
11:45

وَنَادَىٰ نُوحٞ رَّبَّهُۥ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ ٱبۡنِي مِنۡ أَهۡلِي وَإِنَّ وَعۡدَكَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَأَنتَ أَحۡكَمُ ٱلۡحَٰكِمِينَ

Wanada noohun rabbahu faqala rabbi inna ibnee min ahlee wainna waAAdaka alhaqqu waanta ahkamu alhakimeena

And Noah called to his Lord and said, "My Lord, indeed my son is of my family; and indeed, Your promise is true; and You are the most just of judges!"

Word by word
  1. وَنَادَىٰAnd Nuh called
  2. نُوحٞAnd Nuh called
  3. رَّبَّهُۥ(to) his Lord
  4. فَقَالَand said
  5. رَبِّO my Lord
  6. إِنَّIndeed
  7. ٱبۡنِيmy son
  8. مِنۡ(is) of
  9. أَهۡلِيmy family
  10. وَإِنَّand indeed
  11. وَعۡدَكَYour promise
  12. ٱلۡحَقُّ(is) true
  13. وَأَنتَand You
  14. أَحۡكَمُ(are) the Most Just
  15. ٱلۡحَٰكِمِينَ(of) the judges
Hud · 11:45Makkah

My Lord, my son is of my family.

A grieving father brings his question to Allah

Nuh's prayer
my sonis of my family
Your promiseis true
You are most justof all judges
so
how can this behis honest question
Where he took his grief
bitternessYou broke Your word
a respectful questionYour promise is true

After the flood, Nuh called to his Lord about his son. Allah had promised to save his family, and Allah's promise is true. So how had his son drowned? It was a question, asked with respect, ending with: You are the most just of judges.

You are in the hospital corridor after the news, or at home after a loss that makes no sense. Questions burn inside you. Bring them to Allah, in prayer, the way Nuh did: honest grief, with trust still in it.

Questioning what happened means my faith is weak.

I can bring my hardest questions to Allah, as long as I bring them with trust.

Try this

In your next sujood, tell Allah honestly about one loss that still hurts.

Related11:40
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And Nuh called upon his Lord and said, "O my Lord! Verily, my son is of my family! And certainly, Your promise is true, and You are the Most Just of the judges. (45)He said: "O Nuh! Surely, he is not of your family; verily, his work is unrighteous, so ask not of Me that of which you have no knowledge! I admonish you, lest you should be one of the ignorant. (46)Nuh said: "O my Lord! I seek refuge with You from asking You that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and have mercy on me, I would indeed be one of the losers. (47)

A Return to the Story of the Son of Nuh and mentioning what transpired between Nuh and Allah concerning him

This was a request for information and an inquiry from Nuh concerning the cirumstances of his son's drowning.

فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ ابْنِي مِنْ أَهْلِي

(and said, "O my Lord! Verily, my son is of my family!") This means, "Verily, You promised to save my family and Your promise is the truth that does not fail. Therefore, how can he (my son) be drowned and You are the Most Just of the judges?"

قَالَ يَا نُوحُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ

(He (Allah) said: "O Nuh! Surely, he is not of your family...") This means, "He (your son) is not of those whom I promised to save. I only promised you that I would save those of your family who believe." For this reason Allah said,

وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَن سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ

(and your family except him against whom the Word has already gone forth.)[11:40] Thus, for his son, it had already been decreed that he would be drowned due to his disbelief and his opposition to his father, the Prophet of Allah, Nuh peace be upon him. Concerning Allah's statement,

إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ

(Surely, he is not of your family;) meaning that he (Nuh's son) was not among those whom Allah promised to save. 'Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Ibn 'Abbas said, "He was the son of Nuh, but he opposed him in deeds and intention." 'Ikrimah said in some of the modes of recitation it said here,

(إِنَّهُ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا غَيْرَ صَالِحٍ)

Verily, he (Nuh's son) worked deeds that were not righteous."