Surah 71. Nuh

---

Verses [Section]: 1-20[1], 21-28 [2]

---

Quran Text of Verse 1-2071. Nuhبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِاِنَّاۤIndeed, Weاَرْسَلْنَا[We] sentنُوْحًاNuhاِلٰیtoقَوْمِهٖۤhis peopleاَنْthatاَنْذِرْWarnقَوْمَكَyour peopleمِنْfromقَبْلِbeforeاَنْ[that]یَّاْتِیَهُمْcomes to themعَذَابٌa punishmentاَلِیْمٌ painful قَالَHe saidیٰقَوْمِO my people!اِنِّیْIndeed I amلَكُمْto youنَذِیْرٌa warnerمُّبِیْنٌۙclear اَنِThatاعْبُدُواWorshipاللّٰهَAllahوَ اتَّقُوْهُand fear Himوَ اَطِیْعُوْنِۙand obey me یَغْفِرْHe will forgiveلَكُمْfor youمِّنْ[of]ذُنُوْبِكُمْyour sinsوَ یُؤَخِّرْكُمْand give you respiteاِلٰۤیforاَجَلٍa termمُّسَمًّی ؕspecifiedاِنَّIndeedاَجَلَ(the) termاللّٰهِ(of) Allahاِذَاwhenجَآءَit comesلَاnotیُؤَخَّرُ ۘis delayedلَوْifكُنْتُمْyouتَعْلَمُوْنَ know قَالَHe saidرَبِّMy Lord!اِنِّیْIndeed Iدَعَوْتُinvitedقَوْمِیْmy peopleلَیْلًاnightوَّ نَهَارًاۙand day فَلَمْBut notیَزِدْهُمْincreased themدُعَآءِیْۤmy invitationاِلَّاexceptفِرَارًا (in) flight وَ اِنِّیْAnd indeed Iكُلَّمَاevery timeدَعَوْتُهُمْI invited themلِتَغْفِرَthat You may forgiveلَهُمْthemجَعَلُوْۤاthey putاَصَابِعَهُمْtheir fingersفِیْۤinاٰذَانِهِمْtheir earsوَ اسْتَغْشَوْاand covered themselvesثِیَابَهُمْ(with) their garmentsوَ اَصَرُّوْاand persistedوَ اسْتَكْبَرُواand were arrogantاسْتِكْبَارًاۚ(with) pride ثُمَّThenاِنِّیْindeed Iدَعَوْتُهُمْinvited themجِهَارًاۙpublicly ثُمَّThenاِنِّیْۤindeed Iاَعْلَنْتُannouncedلَهُمْto themوَ اَسْرَرْتُand I confidedلَهُمْto themاِسْرَارًاۙsecretly فَقُلْتُThen I saidاسْتَغْفِرُوْاAsk forgivenessرَبَّكُمْ ؕ(from) your LordاِنَّهٗIndeed HeكَانَisغَفَّارًاۙOft-Forgiving 71. Nuh Page 571یُّرْسِلِHe will send downالسَّمَآءَ(rain from) the skyعَلَیْكُمْupon youمِّدْرَارًاۙ(in) abundance وَّ یُمْدِدْكُمْAnd provide youبِاَمْوَالٍwith wealthوَّ بَنِیْنَand childrenوَ یَجْعَلْand makeلَّكُمْfor youجَنّٰتٍgardensوَّ یَجْعَلْand makeلَّكُمْfor youاَنْهٰرًاؕrivers مَاWhatلَكُمْ(is) for youلَاnotتَرْجُوْنَyou attributeلِلّٰهِto Allahوَقَارًاۚgrandeur وَ قَدْAnd indeedخَلَقَكُمْHe created youاَطْوَارًا (in) stages اَلَمْDo notتَرَوْاyou seeكَیْفَhowخَلَقَdid createاللّٰهُAllahسَبْعَ(the) sevenسَمٰوٰتٍheavensطِبَاقًاۙ(in) layers وَّ جَعَلَAnd madeالْقَمَرَthe moonفِیْهِنَّthereinنُوْرًاa lightوَّ جَعَلَand madeالشَّمْسَthe sunسِرَاجًا a lamp وَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahاَنْۢبَتَكُمْhas caused you to growمِّنَfromالْاَرْضِthe earthنَبَاتًاۙ(as) a growth ثُمَّThenیُعِیْدُكُمْHe will return youفِیْهَاinto itوَ یُخْرِجُكُمْand bring you forthاِخْرَاجًا (a new) bringing forth وَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahجَعَلَmadeلَكُمُfor youالْاَرْضَthe earthبِسَاطًاۙan expanse لِّتَسْلُكُوْاThat you may go alongمِنْهَاthereinسُبُلًا(in) pathsفِجَاجًا۠wide

---

Translation of Verse 1-20In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(71:1) We sent Noah to his people (and directed him): “Warn your people before a grievous chastisement¹ comes upon them.”

(71:2) Noah said: “My people, I have certainly been sent as a clear warner to you,

(71:3) that you serve Allah and fear Him, and follow me;²

(71:4) He will forgive your sins³ and will grant you respite until an appointed term.⁴ Indeed when Allah's appointed term comes, it cannot be deferred;⁵ if you only knew!”⁶

(71:5) He said:⁷ “My Lord, I called my people by night and by day,

(71:6) but the more I called, the farther they fled.⁸

(71:7) And every time I called them so that You might forgive them,⁹ they thrust their fingers into their ears and wrapped up their faces with their garments¹⁰ and obstinately clung to their attitude, and waxed very proud.¹¹

(71:8) Then I summoned them openly,

(71:9) and preached to them in public, and also addressed them in secret.

(71:10) I said to them: “Ask forgiveness from your Lord; surely He is Most Forgiving.

(71:11) He will shower upon you torrents from heaven,

(71:12) and will provide you with wealth and children, and will bestow upon you gardens and rivers.¹²

(71:13) What is amiss with you that you do not look forward to the majesty of Allah¹³

(71:14) when He has created you in stages?¹⁴

(71:15) Do you not see how Allah has created seven heavens, one upon the other,

(71:16) and has placed the moon in them as a light, and the sun as a radiant lamp?

(71:17) And Allah has caused you to grow out of the earth so wondrously,¹⁵

(71:18) and He will later cause you to return to it and will then again bring you out of it.

(71:19) Allah has made the earth a wide expanse for you

(71:20) so that you may tread its spacious paths.”

---

Commentary

1. It was the Prophet Noah’s assignment to warn his people that if they do not mend their ways, their defiance and misconduct will bring upon them divine punishment. He was also to guide them to the path which will save them from God’s punishment.

2. The Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) asked his people to accept the three above-mentioned directives: to serve God, to adopt piety, and to obey His Messenger. Serving God meant abandoning all false gods, and worshipping God alone as their only Lord, obeying His commands. Inculcating piety meant avoiding all those misdeeds which incur God’s displeasure and leading life in a manner befitting a pious person. As to their following the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him), it required that they should abide by his commands which he proclaimed in his capacity as God’s Messenger.

3. The verse does not say that God will forgive some of their sins. It implies that if they accept the three above-mentioned directives given to them, God will overlook all the sins they have committed in the past.

4. If they follow the above three mentioned directives, then God would grant them respite to live until the time He had determined for their natural death.

5. The expression “Allah’s appointed term” signifies the time determined by God to send His scourge on a people. In this context, the Qur’an has explicitly stated on many occasions that once God resolves to strike a nation down with His scourge, that nation will not be spared the scourge even if they embrace the faith at the last minute.

6. They should realise it well that after the Prophet Noah’s delivery of the divine message to them, they are enjoying a period of respite for embracing faith. Once this moment is over, there is no way they can escape God’s punishment. They should therefore accept the message at the earliest and not defer it to their peril.

7. Omitting the history of a long intervening period, the Surah goes straight to the last phase of the Prophet Noah’s mission and brings to the fore his entreaty to God.

8. The more he invited them to embrace faith, the farther they moved away from him.

9. The inherent message here is that they should have given up their habit of disobedience and sought God’s forgiveness. This was their only way to receive their deliverance.

10. The reason that these disbelievers “wrapped up their faces with their garments” could be that owing to their disgust at his preaching, they could not even stomach looking at him and so kept their faces, including their eyes covered. Another reason for doing so could have been to prevent the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) from recognizing and communicating his teachings to them. The same was the attitude of the Makkan disbelievers towards the blessed Prophet (peace be upon him) in those days. Verse 5 of Surah Hid recounts their attitude as follows: “Lo! They turn away their chests in order to conceal themselves from him. Surely when they cover themselves up with their garments, God still knows well what they cover and what they reveal. Indeed, He even knows the secrets hidden in the breasts of people.” (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. IV, Surah Hud 11: nn. 5-6, pp. 81-82.)

11. Their arrogance consisted in their refusal to embrace the truth.

Moreover, they considered it beneath their dignity to accept the advice of God’s Messenger. In doing so, they behaved like an arrogant person who rudely responds to his well-wisher’s counsel.

12. This truth is affirmed at several places in the Qur’an, that rebellion to God lands people into misery not only in the Hereafter but also in the life of this world. By the same token, if a community, far from betraying disobedience, embraces faith, piety, and obedience to God's commands, it benefits them not only in the Hereafter, but in this life too they are endowed with numerous bounties. It is recounted in verse 124 of Surah Ta Ha: “Whosoever turns away from My admonition shall have a straitened life. We shall raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection.” Of similar thrust is verse 66 of Surah al-Ma'idah: “Had the People of the Book observed the Torah and the Gospel and all that had been revealed to them from their Lord, sustenance would have been showered over them from above and would have risen from beneath their feet.” Verse 96 of Surah al-A‘raf affirms the same: “Had the people of those towns believed and been God-fearing, We would have certainly opened up to them blessings from the heavens and the earth.” The Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) told his people: “My people! Ask your Lord for forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. He will shower abundant rains upon you from the heavens and will add strength to your strength.” (Surah Hud 11: 52) The Makkans were given the same advice by the Prophet (peace be upon him): “You may seek forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him in repentance whereupon He will grant you a fair enjoyment of life until an appointed term.” (Surah Hud 11:3) The Prophet (peace be upon him) is on record advising the Quraysh: “If you believe in this true word, you will turn into the rulers of the Arabs and non-Arabs.” (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. IL, Surah al-Ma’idah 5: n. 96, p. 177; vol. IV, Surah Hid 11: nn. 3 and 57, pp. 77, 80 and 109; vol. V, Surah Ta Ha 20: n. 105, p. 237 and Introduction to Surah Sad.)

While acting on the above Qur’anic directive, once during a famine, ‘Umar went out to invoke Allah for sending rain but he sought only Allah’s forgiveness. When someone queried as to why he did not make a specific supplication for rain, he replied: “I have knocked at the doors in the heavens wherefrom the rain is sent down.” He then recited these verses of Surah Nah which are presently under discussion. (Tafsir of Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, 23, 293-294 and Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, 8, 232-233) Likewise, when someone complained about drought to Hasan al-Basri, he directed him to seek forgiveness from Allah. Another person presents there related to him his problem of low income, a third one about his childlessness and a fourth one about the low yield of his fields. To each one of them he advised the same — seeking Allah’s forgiveness. When people asked him why he gave the same reply to everyone for different complaints, he recited these verses of Surah Nuh in order to vindicate his stance. (Kashshaf, 6,215)

13. People are generally cognizant that it is dangerous to say or do anything that is offensive to the majestic sensibilities of even the petty chiefs and nobles of this world, but they are hardly concerned with showing deference to God’s majesty. In fact, they do a great deal that may offend Him - they rebel against Him, associate others with Him in His divinity, disobey His commands — and yet they are not at all afraid of His wrath that will befall them as a result of their misconduct.

14. God has brought man to the present stage of his existence through different phases of the creation process. Initially, he existed in the form of separate reproductive material in the bodies of his parents. Through divine command, there was the union of these reproductive materials which led to conception. For nine months, the foetus went through various stages of growth. Finally, he received the human form and shape. He was endowed with all the faculties needed for leading life in the world. Then as a baby he was delivered by his mother. The process of growth continued as the baby passed through from one stage to another. He eventually grew into an adult and later an old man. All along, man is totally under God's control. Had He willed, he would not have been conceived in the first place. Or he would have been born as a blind, deaf, dumb, disabled or mentally deficient person. Or it could be a still birth. Even after birth, man is liable to die at any time. At God’s behest, he would have lost his life in an accident. Since man is so powerless and totally, at God’s mercy, how could he even think of being disrespectful, ungrateful, and rebellious, and do all those with impunity? Has he thought that he will never face any punishment for such heinous activities?

15. Here a similitude is drawn between man’s creation out of different elements taken from the earth, and the growth of vegetation. There was a time when there was no vegetation on earth and then God caused vegetation to appear. In like manner, there was a time when man did not exist on earth and then God planted him on it.