And We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him; then will you not fear Him?" 23 But the great ones among his people, who refused to acknowledge the truth, replied: "This [man] is nothing but a mortal like yourselves who wants to make himself superior to you! For, if God had willed [to convey a message unto us,] He would surely have sent down angels; [moreover,] we have never heard [anything like] this from our forebears of old! 24 He is nothing else except a man who is mad, so watch him for awhile. 25 Noah said, "My Lord, help me! for they have rejected me," 26 So We inspired to him, "Construct the ship under Our observation, and Our inspiration, and when Our command comes and the oven overflows, put into the ship from each [creature] two mates and your family, except those for whom the decree [of destruction] has proceeded. And do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are to be drowned. 27 "And as soon as thou and those who are with thee are settled in the ark, say: 'All praise is due to God, who has saved us from those evildoing folk!' 28 and say, 'My Lord, let me land with Your blessing in a blessed landing place. You alone can provide the best landings.'" 29 Verily, in this [what We did as regards drowning of the people of Nuh (Noah)], there are indeed Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc. for men to understand), for sure We are ever putting (men) to the test. 30 Then, after them, We brought forth another generation; 31 We sent to them a Messenger from among their own people who told them, "Worship God; He is your only Lord. Will you then not have fear of Him?" 32