Here Allah consoles His servant and Messenger Muhammad ﷺ by telling him that Nuh, peace be upon him, stayed among his people for this long period of time, calling them night and day, in secret and openly, but in spite of all that they still persisted in their aversion to the truth, turning away from it and disbelieving in him. Only a few of them believed with him. Allah says:
(and he stayed among them a thousand years less fifty years; and the Deluge overtook them while they were wrongdoers.) meaning, `after this long period of time, when the Message and the warning had been of no avail, so, O Muhammad, do not feel sorry because of those among your people who disbelieve in you, and do not grieve for them, for Allah guides whomsoever He wills and leaves astray whomsoever He wills. The matter rests with Him and all things will return to Him.'
It was described in the previous verses that infidels keep on their opposition and afflictions on Muslims as a routine. In the above verses the Holy Prophet ﷺ was consoled by relating some incidents of earlier people that this practice of harassment of believers by the infidels is going on for long. But they never lost hope due to such harassments. Therefore, you too should not care about the troubles afflicted by the infidels, and should keep on performing firmly your prophetic obligations.
Among the earlier prophets, the story of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) was related first. It was so because he was the very first prophet who had to confront with the infidelity and association of others with Allah Ta’ ala. Secondly, any other prophet did not experience the extent of harassment he had to put up with from his own people. It was because he had the exclusive honour from Allah Ta’ ala of having very long life. His life span of nine hundred and fifty years (950) years as quoted by the Holy Qur'an is true without any element of doubt. However, in certain narrations it is mentioned that this relates to the period of his preaching and teaching, and there are additional periods of his life before this and after the deluge. وَاللہُ أعلَم
Noah lived for nine hundred and fifty years. Even before he was given prophethood, he was a righteous person and followed the Shariah or religious code of Adam. After receiving prophethood, he became a regular missionary of God and issued warnings to his people. But, even after he had put in efforts for hundreds of years, his people rejected him. In the end, the whole community, barring a few reformed individuals, was destroyed in a terrible flood. There is a high mountain known as Ararat in the mountain ranges of Eastern Anatolia on the border between Russia and Turkey. Its height is more than five thousand metres. The pilots of planes flying over this mountain say that they have seen a boat-like object on the snow-clad peak. So, constant efforts are being made to reach this boat. Scholars hold the view that this is that very boat known in religious traditions as Noah’s Ark. If this information is correct, it means that Almighty God has preserved Noah’s Ark till today, to serve as a sign to show that, in order to save themselves from a storm which will destroy them all, human beings required the special protection of a prophet’s boat. Nothing else could save them from His wrath.
Uthmani text of the Madinah mushaf (King Fahd Complex). Translation: Saheeh International. Tafsir via Quran.com.
