They said: "We do not believe in you, and we will not follow you and become equal to the meanest of the people, who follow you and believe in you, and they are the lowest among us.''

[قَالُواْ أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الاٌّرْذَلُونَ - قَالَ وَمَا عِلْمِى بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ ]

(They said: "Shall we believe in you, when the inferior follow you'' He said: "And what knowledge have I of what they used to do'') meaning, `what does it have to do with me if they follow me No matter what they used to do before, I do not have to check on them and examine their background; all I have to do is accept it if they believe in me; whatever is in their hearts is for Allah to know.'

[إِنْ حِسَابُهُمْ إِلاَّ عَلَى رَبِّى لَوْ تَشْعُرُونَ - وَمَآ أَنَاْ بِطَارِدِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ]

(Their account is only with my Lord, if you could (but) know. And I am not going to drive away the believers.) It seems that they asked him to drive these people away, then they would follow him, but he refused to do that, and said:

[وَمَآ أَنَاْ بِطَارِدِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - إِنْ أَنَا إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ ]

(And I am not going to drive away the believers. I am only a plain warner.) meaning, `I have been sent as a warner, and whoever obeys me and follows me and believes in me, then he belongs to me and I to him, whether he is noble or common, upper-class or lower-class.'

[قَالُواْ لَئِنْ لَّمْ تَنْتَهِ ينُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُرْجُومِينَ - قَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِى كَذَّبُونِ - فَافْتَحْ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَهُمْ فَتْحاً وَنَجِّنِى وَمَن مَّعِى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - فَأَنجَيْنَـهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ فِى الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ - ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا بَعْدُ الْبَـقِينَ إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لأَيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ ]

(116. They said: "If you cease not, O Nuh you will surely be among those stoned.'') (117. He said: "My Lord! Verily, my people have denied me.'') (118. "Therefore judge You between me and them, and save me and those of the believers who are with me.'') (119. And We saved him and those with him in the laden ship.) (120. Then We drowned the rest thereafter.) (121. Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers.) (122. And verily your Lord, He is indeed the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.)