َ قَالَ نُوحٌ رَبِّ إِنَّهُمْ عَصَوْنِي وَاتَّبَعُوا مَنْ لَمْ يَزِدْهُ مَالُهُ وَوَلَدُهُ إِلَّا خَسَارًا ﴿۲۱﴾ وَمَكَرُوا مَكْرًا كُبَّارًا ﴿۲۲﴾ وَقَالُوا لَا تَذَرُنَّ آلِهَتَكُمْ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدًّا وَلَا سُوَاعًا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسْرًا ﴿۲۳﴾

﴾21﴿ Qaala Noohur Rabbi innahum 'asawnee wattaba'oo mal lam yazid hu maaluhoo wa waladuhooo illaa khasaara
﴾22﴿ Wa makaroo makran kubbaaraa
﴾23﴿ Wa qaaloo laa tazarunna aalihatakum wa laa tazarunna Waddanw wa laa Suwaa'anw wa laa Yaghoosa wa Ya'ooqa wa Nasraa

﴾21﴿ Nuh (peace be upon him) said: O my Lord, indeed they have disobeyed me and followed one whose wealth and children do not increase him in anything except loss
﴾22﴿ And they devised a mighty plot
﴾23﴿ And they said, Never abandon your gods, and never leave Wadd, nor Suwa', nor Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr

[21] In this verse, the opposition of the people is mentioned in five ways, particularly their call toward polytheism and their misguidance of their own children.
(‘Aṣawnī) – Their disobedience refers to the commands mentioned earlier in verses 3 and 10.
(Wattaba‘ū man lam yazid'hu) – This points to two types of people among his nation:
First, the leaders (malā’) who wanted people to blindly follow them. They were very obstinate and hostile, as described in verse 7.
The second group was their followers—imitators—who didn’t seek evidence themselves, because their leaders had none. Instead of truth, they looked at their leaders' wealth and large following, assuming that this was proof of being right. In reality, their wealth and children were a means of gradual destruction (istidrāj) and loss.
This verse also implies that they practiced shirk in legislation and judgment (shirk fī al-tashrī‘ wa al-ḥukm).
[22] The pronoun in (makarū) refers to those misguided leaders. What is meant by their makr (plotting) is their invitation to disbelief and polytheism through deception, distortion, and doubts—both day and night—just as mentioned in Sūrah Saba (34:33).
[23] This verse points to the presence of shirk fī al-ulūhiyyah (polytheism in divinity) among them, and it serves as an explanation of their makr (scheming).
(Ālihatakum) – This shows that they had many gods besides Allah, but the specification of these five (Wadd, Suwā‘, Yaghūth, Ya‘ūq, and Nasr) is because they held special status in their beliefs. This is a case of mentioning the specific after the general—similar to the way ignorant people today believe in worshipping many saints and tombs, but assign special status to a few, like "Ghaws al-A‘zam" and "Bābā Kalān," especially Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir Jīlānī (may Allah have mercy on him). Due to ignorance, they have fallen into shirk like the people of Nūḥ (peace be upon him). Note 1: According to Abū Bakr al-Biqā‘ī, these were pious men. However, the idolaters made their statues in different forms based on their qualities: Wadd was known for manliness, so his image was made in the form of a strong man. Suwā‘ was a devout woman, so her idol was shaped as a woman—rijāl (men) is used here dominantly. Yaghūth was brave, so his image was made like a lion. Ya‘ūq was strong and excelled in good deeds, so they shaped him like a horse. Nasr was physically large and lived long, so they shaped him like a great bird (e.g., a hawk). Thus, whether they were originally names of righteous men (as one narration says), or forms made in various shapes (as al-Wāqidī narrates), both views can be reconciled. Note 2: Based on these qualities, the idolaters believed these figures fulfilled specific needs: Wadd was a symbol of love, believed to help bring affection between people. Suwā‘ represented firmness and guardianship—what mystics call the quṭb, the one managing the universe. Yaghūth was a symbol of rescue—like the ghawth in Sufi terms. Ya‘ūq was seen as a repeller of calamities (dāfi‘ al-balā’). Nasr was believed to prolong life and bring blessings. Note 3: According to Imam Bukhārī, these were names of pious elders in the time of Nūḥ (peace be upon him). When they died, Shayṭān whispered to their people to set up markers at their places of residence and name them after those men. The people did so. When time passed and new, ignorant generations arose, they started worshipping those images. Ibn Kathīr narrates from Ibn Abī Ḥātim that people initially gathered out of love for Wadd at his grave. Later, Shayṭān inspired them to create an image to remember him, and eventually worship began. This shows that shirk first started with love for the graves of saints, then images, and eventually idol worship. That is why the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) initially forbade visiting graves—to prevent a path to shirk. But once the Companions were firmly grounded in tawḥīd, he allowed grave visitation.