71. Nuh

Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, [saying], "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment."

We sent Noah forth to his people, saying, "Warn your people before there comes upon them a grievous punishment

Behold, We sent Noah unto his nation, "Warn your people before an awful doom comes to them

He said, "O my people, indeed I am to you a clear warner -

[Noah] said, "My people! I am but a plain warner to you

He said, "O My people! Behold, I am a plain Warner to you

To worship Allāh, fear Him and obey me.

that you should worship God [alone] and be conscious of Him. Pay heed to me

That you serve Allah and be mindful of Him. Now, do pay heed to me

He [i.e., Allāh] will forgive you of your sins and delay you for a specified term. Indeed, the time [set by] Allāh, when it comes, will not be delayed, if you only knew."

He will forgive your sins and will grant you respite till an appointed time. When the time appointed by God arrives, it cannot be postponed, if you only knew

He will then protect you from the detriment of trailing behind in humanity and respite you until a term appointed. Behold, when the term appointed by Allah comes, it cannot be delayed - if you but knew this (Law)

He said, "My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day.

He said, "My Lord! I have called my people night and day

He said, "My Lord! Verily, I have been calling unto my people night and day

But my invitation increased them not except in flight [i.e., aversion].

but my pleas have only increased their aversion

But my call only increases their fleeing

And indeed, every time I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments,1 persisted, and were arrogant with [great] arrogance.

Every time I have called to them, so that You might forgive them, they have only thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments, grown obstinate, and given themselves up to arrogance

And, behold, whenever I call unto them to be forgiven by You, they thrust their fingers in their ears - and veil themselves in their garments. And they persist in this behavior glorifying themselves in pride

Then I invited them publicly.

Then I called them openly

And, behold, then I called unto them aloud

Then I announced to them and [also] confided to them secretly

and spoke to them in public and in private

And, behold, I addressed them in gatherings and spoke to them individually in private

And said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver.

Then I said, "Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Surely He is the most forgiving

And I have said, "Seek forgiveness of your Lord. Behold, He is ever Forgiving

He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers

He will send down abundant rain from the sky for you

He will shower upon you heavenly blessings

And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.

increase your wealth and sons; and grant you gardens and waterways

And will help you with goods and riches and flourishing families, and will grant you gardens and will bestow upon you flowing rivulets

What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to Allāh [due] grandeur

What is the matter with you that you deny the greatness of God

What is the matter with you that you seek not for dignity toward Allah? (His Laws can give you dignity and eminence)

While He has created you in stages?1

when He has created you through different stages of existence

Knowing that He has created you in successive stages

Do you not consider how Allāh has created seven heavens in layers1

Do you not see how God has created the seven heavens one above another

Don't you realize how Allah has created the seven heavens in great harmony

And made the moon therein a [reflected] light and made the sun a burning lamp?

and made the moon therein a light, and made the sun a lamp

And made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a radiant lamp

And Allāh has caused you to grow from the earth a [progressive] growth.

how God has produced you from the earth and caused you to grow

And Allah has caused you to grow as a growth from the earth

Then He will return you into it and extract you [another] extraction.

how He will then return you to it and bring you forth again

Then He returns you into the earth and He will bring you forth again, a new bringing

And Allāh has made for you the earth an expanse

how God has spread the earth out for you

And Allah has made the earth a wide expanse for you

That you may follow therein roads of passage.'"

so that you may walk along its spacious paths

That you may travel thereon on spacious valley-ways

Noah said, "My Lord, indeed they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children will not increase him except in loss.

Noah supplicated, "Lord, they have disobeyed me, and followed those whose wealth and children have only added to their ruin

Then Noah said, "My Lord! Behold, they have opposed me throughout, for they follow him whose wealth and children have led him increasingly into ruin

And they conspired an immense conspiracy

and they have hatched a mighty plot

And they plot tremendous schemes

And said, 'Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd or Suwāʿ or Yaghūth and Yaʿūq and Nasr.'1

and they said [to their followers], "Do not ever abandon your deities: abandon neither Wadd, nor Suwa', and neither Yaghuth, nor Yauq nor Nasr

And keep telling one another, "Do not abandon your gods! And forsake not Wadd, nor Suw'a, nor Yaghuth and Ya'uq and Nasr

And already they have misled many. And, [my Lord], do not increase the wrongdoers except in error."

They have led many astray; so lead the wrongdoers to further error

And they have thus led a great many people astray (and divided them). And Your Laws let go more and more astray those who displace Truth with falsehood

Because of their sins they were drowned and put into the Fire, and they found not for themselves besides Allāh [any] helpers.

They were drowned and sent to Hell for their misdeeds; they found no one to help them against God

And so, because of faults upon faults, they were drowned, then made to enter a Fire. And they found out that they had no helpers besides Allah. (Made to enter: Before Allah is Eternal Now. The past tense also indicates the inevitable outcome)

And Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant.

Noah prayed, "O my Lord! Do not leave on earth a single one of those who deny the truth

And Noah said, "My Lord! Leave not any of these rejecters to dwell in this valley

Indeed, if You leave them, they will mislead Your servants and not beget except [every] wicked one and [confirmed] disbeliever.

if You leave any, they will misguide Your servants, and they will beget none but sinners and deniers of truth

If you should leave them, they will mislead Your servants and they will only beget division and ingratitude

My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house a believer and the believing men and believing women. And do not increase the wrongdoers except in destruction."

Lord! Forgive me and my parents and every true believer who enters my house, forgive all the believing men and believing women; and bestow no increase upon the wrongdoers except in ruin

My Lord! Grant unto me the protection of forgiveness and unto my parents and whoever enters my house in Faith, and unto all the believing men and the believing women (of all times). And increase the oppressors in nothing but ruin of their evil schemes