An-Naḥl 16:26

The issue

The Qur’ānic story in this verse does not clearly identify the mentioned group of people nor provides any clues to help the reader. To resolve this problem, Islamic commentators suggest that the verse is speaking about Nimrod and his people. They explain that Nimrod built a structure to ascend to heaven: “It is Nimrod, son of Canaan, and his people. They wanted to ascend to heaven and fight its people [inhabitants of heaven], hence they built the structure to go up by it….” But their conclusion is misleading.

The verse does not specify here the identity of the leader and his people. Most likely, the identity of the tyrant is a fictional composite and not a historical figure. But, if it is true that the verse points to “Nimrod, son of Canaan,” the verse contradicts the biblical narrative, which states that Nimrod is the son of Cush, the son of Ham, the son of Noah (Gen. 10.1-8). According to the Genesis account, the story of the tower took place after the Flood, when the world’s people endeavored to build a city and a high tower to preserve a name for themselves. For such vanity, they were punished by God, who confused their language so they could not understand each other and thus stopped the construction (Gen. 11.1-8).