Tafsir of Surah Nuh (71) — Noah · نوح

Meccan surah, 28 ayat. Read the whole surah

Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Quran — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies. QuranEnc.com (english_mokhtasar), 2026-10-30.

Nuh 71:1

إِنَّآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦٓ أَنۡ أَنذِرۡ قَوۡمَكَ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٞ

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

Tafsir 71:1

Indeed, I sent Noah to his people, inviting them so that he may warn them before a painful punishment afflicts them due to their state of ascribing partners to Allah.

Nuh 71:2

قَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ إِنِّي لَكُمۡ نَذِيرٞ مُّبِينٌ

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

Tafsir 71:2

Noah said to his people, “O my people! Indeed, I am a clear warner for you of the punishment of Allah that awaits you if you do not repent to Him.”

Nuh 71:3

أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ

[Saying], 'Worship Allah, fear Him and obey me

Tafsir 71:3

“And the gist of my warning to you is: “Worship Allah alone and do not ascribe any partners to Him; be mindful of Him by fulfilling His commands and refraining from the things He has not allowed, and obey me in whatever I instruct you to do.”

Nuh 71:4

يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمۡ وَيُؤَخِّرۡكُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُۚ لَوۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ

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

Tafsir 71:4

“Indeed, if you do that, Allah will forgive your sins for you in relation to other than violating the rights of the people. He will also prolong the lifespan of your nations until a time fixed according to His knowledge, wherein you shall populate the earth as long as you remain steadfast on it. Indeed, when death comes, it does not delay. If you truly knew, you would hasten to bringing faith in Allah and repenting to Him from your states of ascribing partners to Him and of deviance.”

Nuh 71:5

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُ قَوۡمِي لَيۡلٗا وَنَهَارٗا

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

Tafsir 71:5

Noah said, “O my Lord! Indeed, I called my people to Your worship and oneness, continuously, day and night.”

Nuh 71:6

فَلَمۡ يَزِدۡهُمۡ دُعَآءِيٓ إِلَّا فِرَارٗا

But my invitation increased them not except in flight

Tafsir 71:6

“But my calling them only increased them in alienation and distanced them from what I called them towards.”

Nuh 71:7

وَإِنِّي كُلَّمَا دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ لِتَغۡفِرَ لَهُمۡ جَعَلُوٓاْ أَصَٰبِعَهُمۡ فِيٓ ءَاذَانِهِمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡشَوۡاْ ثِيَابَهُمۡ وَأَصَرُّواْ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْ ٱسۡتِكۡبَارٗا

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

Tafsir 71:7

“And whenever I called them towards that which meant forgiveness for their sins, i.e. worshipping You alone, obedience to You and Your Messenger, they blocked their ears with their fingers so that they could not hear my call. They also covered their faces with their clothes so that they could not see me, and they continued in their ascribing partners to you, showing arrogance in not accepting my call to them or submitting to it.”

Nuh 71:8

ثُمَّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ جِهَارٗا

Then I invited them publicly

Tafsir 71:8

“O my Lord! I then invited them publicly.”

Nuh 71:9

ثُمَّ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَنتُ لَهُمۡ وَأَسۡرَرۡتُ لَهُمۡ إِسۡرَارٗا

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

Tafsir 71:9

“I invited them raising my voice, and I also invited them privately in a hushed tone. I used different methods of calling them.”

Nuh 71:10

فَقُلۡتُ ٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارٗا

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

Tafsir 71:10

Then I said to them, “O my people! Seek the forgiveness of your Lord by turning to Him. Indeed, He, may He be glorified, is the oft-Forgiving of the sins of whichever of His servants repents to Him.”

Nuh 71:11

يُرۡسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّدۡرَارٗا

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

Tafsir 71:11

“Because if you do that, Allah will send down frequent rainfall for you, whenever you need it, so you will never face a drought.”

Nuh 71:12

وَيُمۡدِدۡكُم بِأَمۡوَٰلٖ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ جَنَّـٰتٖ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ أَنۡهَٰرٗا

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

Tafsir 71:12

“And He will grant you an abundance of wealth and offspring, make gardens grow for you from which you can consume fruits, and make rivers flow from which you can drink and irrigate your crops and livestock.”

Nuh 71:13

مَّا لَكُمۡ لَا تَرۡجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارٗا

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

Tafsir 71:13

“O my people! What is wrong with you that you do not fear the greatness of Allah, such that you disobey Him without any care?!”

Nuh 71:14

وَقَدۡ خَلَقَكُمۡ أَطۡوَارًا

While He has created you in stages

Tafsir 71:14

“While He created you in stages, one after the other: a drop of semen, then clotted blood, then a piece of flesh.”

Nuh 71:15

أَلَمۡ تَرَوۡاْ كَيۡفَ خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ سَبۡعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٖ طِبَاقٗا

Do you not consider how Allah has created seven heavens in layers

Tafsir 71:15

“Do you not see how Allah has created the seven heavens, one on top of the other?”

Nuh 71:16

وَجَعَلَ ٱلۡقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورٗا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمۡسَ سِرَاجٗا

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

Tafsir 71:16

“And He made the moon a light for the people of the earth, in the nearest of the heavens, also making the sun illuminating.”

Nuh 71:17

وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ نَبَاتٗا

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

Tafsir 71:17

“And Allah is the one who created you from the earth, by creating your father Adam from soil. Then, you are also nourished by whatever it grows for you.”

Nuh 71:18

ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمۡ فِيهَا وَيُخۡرِجُكُمۡ إِخۡرَاجٗا

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

Tafsir 71:18

“Allah will then return you to it after your death, and then take you out of it again for the resurrection.”

Nuh 71:19

وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِسَاطٗا

And Allah has made for you the earth an expanse

Tafsir 71:19

“And Allah also spread the earth out for you, ready for you to live on.”

Nuh 71:20

لِّتَسۡلُكُواْ مِنۡهَا سُبُلٗا فِجَاجٗا

That you may follow therein roads of passage

Tafsir 71:20

“Perhaps you may create wide paths from it, striving to make permissible earnings.”

Nuh 71:21

قَالَ نُوحٞ رَّبِّ إِنَّهُمۡ عَصَوۡنِي وَٱتَّبَعُواْ مَن لَّمۡ يَزِدۡهُ مَالُهُۥ وَوَلَدُهُۥٓ إِلَّا خَسَارٗا

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

Tafsir 71:21

Noah said, “O my Lord! Indeed, my people have disobeyed me in what I have instructed them to do i.e. accepting Your oneness and worshipping You alone. The lowly among them have followed the nobles, whom You have favoured with wealth and offspring. Your favouring them has only increased them in their deviance.”

Nuh 71:22

وَمَكَرُواْ مَكۡرٗا كُبَّارٗا

And they conspired an immense conspiracy

Tafsir 71:22

The elders among them hatched a great plot by inciting the lowly against Noah.

Nuh 71:23

وَقَالُواْ لَا تَذَرُنَّ ءَالِهَتَكُمۡ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدّٗا وَلَا سُوَاعٗا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسۡرٗا

And said, 'Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd or Suwa' or Yaghuth and Ya'uq and Nasr

Tafsir 71:23

They said to their followers, “Do not leave the worship of your deities: do not leave the worship of your idols Wadd, Suwā‘, Yaghūth and Nasr.”

Nuh 71:24

وَقَدۡ أَضَلُّواْ كَثِيرٗاۖ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا ضَلَٰلٗا

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

Tafsir 71:24

“Verily, they have led the majority of people astray with these idols. O my Lord! Do not increase those who wrong themselves by persisting on disbelief and sins, except in further deviance from the truth.”

Nuh 71:25

مِّمَّا خَطِيٓـَٰٔتِهِمۡ أُغۡرِقُواْ فَأُدۡخِلُواْ نَارٗا فَلَمۡ يَجِدُواْ لَهُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَنصَارٗا

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

Tafsir 71:25

Due to the sins they committed, they were drowned by a flood in the world, and they were made to enter the hellfire immediately after their death. They did not find any helpers to save them from drowning or the hellfire.

Nuh 71:26

وَقَالَ نُوحٞ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرۡ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِنَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ دَيَّارًا

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

Tafsir 71:26

And when Allah informed him that no one will ever bring faith from his people, except those had already brought faith, Noah said, “O my Lord! Do not leave any disbeliever walking or moving on earth.”

Nuh 71:27

إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرۡهُمۡ يُضِلُّواْ عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوٓاْ إِلَّا فَاجِرٗا كَفَّارٗا

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

Tafsir 71:27

“O my Lord! If you leave them and give them respite, they will lead your believing servants astray and will only give birth to more transgressors who will not obey You, or extreme ungrateful ones who will not show gratitude for Your favours.”

Nuh 71:28

رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ لِي وَلِوَٰلِدَيَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيۡتِيَ مُؤۡمِنٗا وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِۖ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارَۢا

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

Tafsir 71:28

“O my Lord! Forgive my sins, forgive my parents, and forgive the one who enters my house as a believer. Also forgive the believing men and women, and do not increase those who wrong themselves by disbelief and sins except in destruction and loss.”

← Tafsir of Surah Al-Ma'arij · Tafsir of Surah Al-Jinn →

Arabic: Uthmani text, Tanzil Project (tanzil.net) · English: Saheeh International · Bosnian: Besim Korkut