The Quran

Preface

۞ وَاتلُ عَلَيهِم نَبَأَ نوحٍ إِذ قالَ لِقَومِهِ يا قَومِ إِن كانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيكُم مَقامي وَتَذكيري بِآياتِ اللَّهِ فَعَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلتُ فَأَجمِعوا أَمرَكُم وَشُرَكاءَكُم ثُمَّ لا يَكُن أَمرُكُم عَلَيكُم غُمَّةً ثُمَّ اقضوا إِلَيَّ وَلا تُنظِرونِ

Yusuf Ali

Relate to them the story¹ of Noah. Behold! he said to his people: “O my people, if it be hard on your (mind) that I should stay (with you) and commemorate the signs of God,- yet I put my trust in God. Get ye then an agreement about your plan and among your partners, so your plan² be on to you dark and dubious. Then pass your sentence on me, and give me no respite.

The reference to Noah’s story here is only incidental, to illustrate a special point. The fuller story will be found in 11:25-49, and in many other passages, e.g., 7:59-64, 26:105-122, and 37:75-82. At each place there is a special point in the context. The special point here is that Noah’s very life and preaching among his wicked people was a cause of offence to them. But he feared nothing, trusted in God, delivered his message, and was saved from the Flood.
Finn in his sense of Truth from God, Noah plainly told his people to condemn him to death if they liked, openly and in concert, so that he should at least know who would listen to his Message and who would not. He wanted them to be frank and direct, for he feared nothing.