As-Saffat · Makki · ayah 78 of 182

As-Saffat 37:78

وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ

“And left for him [favorable mention] among later generations:”

Saheeh International

Essence

Mocked by his own people for centuries, Nuh was given by Allah a good name that every later generation keeps.

A reflection

A good name is left, not built

Wa-taraknā ʿalayhi fī al-ākhirīn: and We left upon him, among those who came later. The verb is taraka, to leave. One lexicon notes a special turn in it. Tark can mean letting something stand, as a good name is left for a prophet among later generations. The commentaries name what was left: a beautiful mention, good praise, a tongue of truth.

Notice who does the leaving. Not Nuh. Not his followers. We left it.

Picture a chief executive who pays a reputation firm for years. Glossy profiles, awards, carefully placed interviews. Then one scandal surfaces. A decade later the profiles are forgotten, and his name brings up only the scandal.

The ego believes it can manage how it will be remembered. It cannot. A name that lasts is not a product. Nuh never polished his. For centuries his own people called him a liar. Yet every later generation that knows him honours him. The reputation was left by Allah, not built by Nuh.

That should loosen our anxious grip on image. Do the right thing in the dark, as he did. Leave the record of it to the One who keeps records.

The full entry has 2 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.