Makkan · 28 ayat · 71st in order of revelation
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
إِنَّآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦٓ أَنۡ أَنذِرۡ قَوۡمَكَ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٞ
Truly, We sent Nūḥ [as a messenger of Ours] to his people [with a mission to], “Warn your people before [it is too late and before] a dreadful affliction comes upon them!”
قَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ إِنِّي لَكُمۡ نَذِيرٞ مُّبِينٌ
And [toward that end], Nūḥ said, “O my people! Truthfully I am an evident warner to you [all],
أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ
“[My message to you is] that you comply with Allah, avert Him [in His capacity to use His power over you] and do as I tell you to do,
يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمۡ وَيُؤَخِّرۡكُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُۚ لَوۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ
“[So that] He may forgive you your sins, and grant you respite until a certain time [prearranged by Him]: [however], in point of fact, when that certain time does come, it cannot be pushed back — if only you could realize [what this means]!”
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُ قَوۡمِي لَيۡلٗا وَنَهَارٗا
Said [Nūḥ, after a lifetime of interaction with his people], “O my Sustainer! Verily, I [spent the years] calling my people [to Your truth] night and day,
فَلَمۡ يَزِدۡهُمۡ دُعَآءِيٓ إِلَّا فِرَارٗا
“But my call to them did nothing but escalate their evasion [from You and me].
وَإِنِّي كُلَّمَا دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ لِتَغۡفِرَ لَهُمۡ جَعَلُوٓاْ أَصَٰبِعَهُمۡ فِيٓ ءَاذَانِهِمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡشَوۡاْ ثِيَابَهُمۡ وَأَصَرُّواْ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْ ٱسۡتِكۡبَارٗا
“And, honestly, whenever I urged them to ask You for forgiveness they would put their fingers into their ears, obscure themselves by [altering] their attire, and become more stubborn and show [yet] more manifest arrogance.
ثُمَّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ جِهَارٗا
“And then I did, indeed, call upon them openly;
ثُمَّ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَنتُ لَهُمۡ وَأَسۡرَرۡتُ لَهُمۡ إِسۡرَارٗا
“And, then I, indeed, preached to them publicly; and I spoke to them confidentially;
فَقُلۡتُ ٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارٗا
“And I said [to them], ‘Ask your Sustainer to forgive you [your mistakes and misconducts] — for, verily, He is ever-forgiving!
يُرۡسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّدۡرَارٗا
“‘He will release [the potential of] the sky upon you with copious precipitation,
وَيُمۡدِدۡكُم بِأَمۡوَٰلٖ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ جَنَّٰتٖ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ أَنۡهَٰرٗا
“‘And [He] will supply you with provisions and manpower, and make available to you gardens, and make available to you running river waters.
مَّا لَكُمۡ لَا تَرۡجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارٗا
“‘What is it with you that you hold no high opinion of Allah;
وَقَدۡ خَلَقَكُمۡ أَطۡوَارًا
“‘Seeing and knowing that He has created you in consecutive phases?
أَلَمۡ تَرَوۡاْ كَيۡفَ خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ سَبۡعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٖ طِبَاقٗا
“‘Do you not see how Allah has created seven celestial elevations as tiers,
وَجَعَلَ ٱلۡقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورٗا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمۡسَ سِرَاجٗا
“‘And has set up the Moon therein as a [reflected] glow, and set up the Sun as a [radiant] lamp?
وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ نَبَاتٗا
“‘And Allah spawned you to grow out of the earth in a burst of spontaneous growth;
ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمۡ فِيهَا وَيُخۡرِجُكُمۡ إِخۡرَاجٗا
“‘And thereafter He will have you return to it [earth] and then extract you from it [the earth] once again [after death].
وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِسَاطٗا
“‘And [know that] Allah has made the earth into an extended expanse for you,
لِّتَسۡلُكُواْ مِنۡهَا سُبُلٗا فِجَاجٗا
“‘So that you may traverse its channels [of movement] in spacious paths.’”
قَالَ نُوحٞ رَّبِّ إِنَّهُمۡ عَصَوۡنِي وَٱتَّبَعُواْ مَن لَّمۡ يَزِدۡهُ مَالُهُۥ وَوَلَدُهُۥٓ إِلَّا خَسَارٗا
[And] Nūḥ went on, “My Sustainer! They have gone against me, following [instead] the ones whose wealth and prolific procreation only increase their losses,
وَمَكَرُواْ مَكۡرٗا كُبَّارٗا
“And they conspired a grand conspiracy [against You and me],
وَقَالُواْ لَا تَذَرُنَّ ءَالِهَتَكُمۡ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدّٗا وَلَا سُوَاعٗا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسۡرٗا
“Saying [to each other], ‘Do not ever abandon your [supreme] deities! Do not abandon Wadd nor Suwā‘, and neither Yaghūth nor Ya‘ūq nor Nasr!’
وَقَدۡ أَضَلُّواْ كَثِيرٗاۖ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا ضَلَٰلٗا
“And so, they [the leaders of this society] have misled many [people]: hence, do not but increase the waywardness of such offenders [as a result of their self-sustained deviance]!”
مِّمَّا خَطِيٓـَٰٔتِهِمۡ أُغۡرِقُواْ فَأُدۡخِلُواْ نَارٗا فَلَمۡ يَجِدُواْ لَهُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَنصَارٗا
Due to their sins, they were caused to drown [in the flood of all time], and then were destined to enter a fire from which they had no one to support them against Allah.
وَقَالَ نُوحٞ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرۡ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِنَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ دَيَّارًا
And Nūḥ [prayed], saying, “My Sustainer! Do not leave a [single] God-denier as a dweller on earth:
إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرۡهُمۡ يُضِلُّواْ عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوٓاْ إِلَّا فَاجِرٗا كَفَّارٗا
“For, truly, if You permit them to dwell [on earth] they will mislead Your [obedient] subjects and will only breed outrageous God- deniers.
رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ لِي وَلِوَٰلِدَيَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيۡتِيَ مُؤۡمِنٗا وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِۖ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارَۢا
“My Sustainer! Forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house with a character of divine commitment — both committed men and committed women; and make it so that violators of justice accumulate nothing but unmitigated loss!”