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Surah 71. Nuh

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71:6
فَلَمْ يَزِدْهُمْ دُعَآءِىٓ إِلَّا فِرَارًا Falam yazidhum duAA a ee ill a fir a r a n
but my call has only caused them to flee farther and farther away [from Thee].2
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "has not increased them in anything but flight".

but my plea has only added to their aversion.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
but my calls only made them run farther away.
  - Mustafa Khattab
But all my calling doth but add to their repugnance;
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"But my call only increases (their) flight (from the Right)." 5709
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

When convincing arguments and warnings are placed before sinners, there are two kinds of reactions. Those who are wise receive admonition, repent, and bring forth fruits of repentance, i.e., amend their lives and turn to Allah. On the other hand, those who are callous to any advice take it up as a reproach, fly farther and farther from righteousness, and shut out more and more the channels through which Allah's healing Grace can reach them and work for them.

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71:7
وَإِنِّى كُلَّمَا دَعَوْتُهُمْ لِتَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ جَعَلُوٓا۟ أَصَـٰبِعَهُمْ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَٱسْتَغْشَوْا۟ ثِيَابَهُمْ وَأَصَرُّوا۟ وَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ ٱسْتِكْبَارًا Wainnee kullam a daAAawtuhum litaghfira lahum jaAAaloo a sa biAAahum fee atha nihim wa i staghshaw thiy a bahum waa s arroo wa i stakbaroo istikb a r a n
And, behold, whenever I called unto them with a view to Thy granting them forgiveness, they put their fingers into their ears, and wrapped themselves up in their garments [of sin],3 and grew obstinate, and became [yet more] arrogant in their false pride.
  - Mohammad Asad

For the reason of the above interpolation - which endows the concept of "garments" with a metaphorical meaning - see note [2] on 74:4 ; cf. also the expression "garment of God-consciousness" (libas at-taqwa) in 7:26 .

Each time I called on them to seek Your pardon, they thrust their fingers in their ears and drew their cloaks over their heads, persisting in sin and puffing themselves up with insolent pride.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And whenever I invite them to be forgiven by You, they press their fingers into their ears, cover themselves with their clothes, persist 'in denial', and act very arrogantly.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And lo! whenever I call unto them that Thou mayest pardon them they thrust their fingers in their ears and cover themselves with their garments and persist (in their refusal) and magnify themselves in pride.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"And every time I have called to them that thou mightest 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. 5710
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The literal meaning would be that, just as they thrust their fingers into their ears to prevent the voice of the admonisher reaching them, so they covered their bodies with their garments that the light of truth should not penetrate to them and that they should not even be seen by the Prophet.

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71:8
ثُمَّ إِنِّى دَعَوْتُهُمْ جِهَارًا Thumma innee daAAawtuhum jih a r a n
"And, behold, I called unto them openly;
  - Mohammad Asad
I have called them aloud,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Then I certainly called them openly,
  - Mustafa Khattab
And lo! I have called unto them aloud,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"So I have called to them aloud;
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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71:9
ثُمَّ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَنتُ لَهُمْ وَأَسْرَرْتُ لَهُمْ إِسْرَارًا Thumma innee aAAlantu lahum waasrartu lahum isr a r a n
and, behold, I preached to them in public; and I spoke to them secretly, in private;
  - Mohammad Asad
appealed them openly in public and secretly in private,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
then I surely preached to them publicly and privately,
  - Mustafa Khattab
And lo! I have made public proclamation unto them, and I have appealed to them in private.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"Further I have spoken to them in public and secretly in private 5711
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Noah used all the resources of the earnest preacher: he dinned the Message of Allah into their ears; he spoke in public places; and he took individuals into his confidence, and appealed privately to them; but all in vain.

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71:10
فَقُلْتُ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارًا Faqultu istaghfiroo rabbakum innahu k a na ghaff a r a n
and I said: "'Ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins - for, verily, He is all-forgiving!
  - Mohammad Asad
saying: "Seek forgiveness of your Rabb, He is ever ready to forgive you.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
saying, 'Seek your Lord's forgiveness, 'for' He is truly Most Forgiving.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And I have said: Seek pardon of your Lord Lo! He was ever Forgiving.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"Saying `Ask forgiveness from your Lord; for He is Oft-Forgiving;
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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71:11
يُرْسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا Yursili a l ssam a a AAalaykum midr a r a n
He will shower upon you heavenly blessings abundant,4
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit.,"He will let loose the sky over you with abundance" (but see also note [76] on {ll:52}).

He will send abundant rain for you from heaven,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
He will shower you with abundant rain,
  - Mustafa Khattab
He will let loose the sky for you in plenteous rain,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`He will send rain to you in abundance; 5712
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

They had perhaps been suffering from drought or famine. If they had taken the message in the right way, the rain would have been a blessing to them. They took it in the wrong way, and the rain was a curse to them, for it flooded the country and drowned the wicked generation. In the larger Plan, it was a blessing all the same; for it purged the world, and gave it a new start, morally and spiritually.

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71:12
وَيُمْدِدْكُم بِأَمْوَٰلٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَـٰرًا Wayumdidkum biamw a lin wabaneena wayajAAal lakum jann a tin wayajAAal lakum anh a r a n
and will aid you with worldly goods and children, and will bestow upon you gardens, and bestow upon you running waters.5
  - Mohammad Asad

The two last-mentioned blessings are an allusion to the state of happiness in the hereafter, symbolised in the Qur'an as "gardens through which running waters flow".

help you with wealth and sons, and provide you with gardens and the flowing rivers.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
supply you with wealth and children, and give you gardens as well as rivers.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And will help you with wealth and sons, and will assign unto you Gardens and will assign unto you rivers.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`Give you increase in wealth and sons; and bestow on you Gardens and bestow on you Rivers (of flowing water). 5713
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Each of these blessings-rain and crops, wealth and man-power, flourishing gardens, and perennial streams-are indications of prosperity, and have not only a material but also a spiritual meaning. Note the last point, "rivers of flowing water". The perennial springs make the prosperity as it were permanent: they indicate a settled population, honest and contented, and enjoying their blessings here on earth as the foretaste of the eternal joys of heaven. A) I.e., why don't you fear Allah's Majesty, His greatness and consequent punishment for your sinfulness, and hope for His mercy, kindness and reward for your faith and good deeds. The words of the verse contain the twin strands-fear and hope-simultaneously.

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71:13
مَّا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا M a lakum l a tarjoona lill a hi waq a r a n
"What is amiss with you that you cannot look forward to God's majesty,6
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "that you refuse to believe in God" (Zamakhshari). Some authorities (e.g., Jawhari) give to the above phrase the meaning, "that you will not fear God's majesty", which, too, implies lack of belief in Him.

What is the matter with you that you do not regard the greatness of Allah
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
What is the matter with you that you are not in awe of the Majesty of Allah,
  - Mustafa Khattab
What aileth you that ye hope not toward Allah for dignity
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`What is the matter with you that ye place not your hope for kindness and long-suffering in Allah
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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71:14
وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا Waqad khalaqakum a t w a r a n
seeing that He has created [every one of] you in successive stages?7
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., by a process of gradual evolution, in the mother's womb, from a drop of sperm and a fertilised germ-cell (the female ovum), up to the point where the embryo becomes a new, self-contained human entity (cf. 22:5 : all of which points to the existence of a plan and a purpose and, hence, to the existence of a conscious Creator.

when He has created you in gradual stages?
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
when He truly created you in stages 'of development'?1
  - Mustafa Khattab

 See 22:5 and 23:12-14.

When He created you by (divers) stages?
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`Seeing that it is He that has created you in diverse stages? 5714
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxii. 5, and notes 2773-2777; also xxiii. 12-17, and notes 2872-2875. The meaning here may be even wider. Man in his various states exhibits various wonderful qualities or capacities, mental and spiritual, that may be compared with the wonderful workings of nature on the earth and in the heavens. Will he not then be grateful for these Mercies and turn to Allah, Who created all these marvels?

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71:15
أَلَمْ تَرَوْا۟ كَيْفَ خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ سَبْعَ سَمَـٰوَٰتٍ طِبَاقًا Alam taraw kayfa khalaqa All a hu sabAAa sam a w a tin t ib a q a n
"Do you not see how God has created seven heavens in full harmony with one another,8
  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. 67:3 and the corresponding note [2].

Can you not see how Allah created the seven heavens one above the other,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Do you not see how Allah created seven heavens, one above the other,
  - Mustafa Khattab
See ye not how Allah hath created seven heavens in harmony,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another 5715
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 5559 to lxvii. 3.

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71:16
وَجَعَلَ ٱلْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ سِرَاجًا WajaAAala alqamara feehinna nooran wajaAAala a l shshamsa sir a j a n
and has set up within them the moon as a light [reflected], and set up the sun as a [radiant] lamp?9
  - Mohammad Asad

See 10:5 , where the sun is described as "a [source of] radiant light" (diya') and the moon as "light [reflected]" (nur); both these interpolations are explained in note [10] on 10:5 .

placing in them the moon as a light and the sun as a glorious lamp?
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
placing the moon within them as a 'reflected' light, and the sun as a 'radiant' lamp?
  - Mustafa Khattab
And hath made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp?
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`And made the moon a light in their midst and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp? 5716
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxv. 61, where the sun is referred to as the glorious Lamp of the heavens: "Blessed is He Who made the Constellations in the skies, and placed therein a lamp, and a moon giving light."

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71:17
وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ نَبَاتًا Wa A ll a hu anbatakum mina alar d i nab a t a n
"And God has caused you to grow out of the earth in [gradual] growth;10 and thereafter He will return you to it [in death]:
  - Mohammad Asad

This phrase has a twofold meaning. In the first instance, it alludes to the evolution of the individual human body out of the same substances - both organic and inorganic - as are found in and on the earth as well: and in this sense it enlarges upon the creation of the human individual "in successive stages" referred to in verse {14} above. Secondly, it alludes to the evolution of the human species, which, starting from the most primitive organisms living on earth, has gradually ascended to ever higher stages of development until it has finally reached that complexity of body, mind and soul evident in the human being.

Allah has caused you to grow as a growth from the earth.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Allah 'alone' caused you1 to grow from the earth like a plant.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., your father Adam, who was created from clay.

And Allah hath caused you to grow as a growth from the earth,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`And Allah has produced you from the earth growing (gradually) 5717
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. iii. 37, where the growth of the child Mary the Mother of Jesus is described by the same word nabat, ordinarily denoting the growth of plants and trees. The simile is that of a seed sown, that germinates, grows, and dies, and goes back to the earth. In man, there is the further process of the Resurrection. Cf. also xx. 55.

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71:18
ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمْ فِيهَا وَيُخْرِجُكُمْ إِخْرَاجًا Thumma yuAAeedukum feeh a wayukhrijukum ikhr a j a n
and [then] He will bring you forth [from it] in resurrection.11
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "with a [final] bringing-forth".

He will return you to the same earth and then raise you back to life again on the Day of Resurrection?
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Then He will return you to it, and then simply bring you forth 'again'.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And afterward He maketh you return thereto, and He will bring you forth again, a (new) forthbringing.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`And in the End He will return you into the (earth) and raise you forth (again at the Resurrection)?
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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71:19
وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ بِسَاطًا Wa A ll a hu jaAAala lakumu alar d a bis ata n
"And God has made the earth a wide expanse for you,
  - Mohammad Asad
Allah has made the earth for you as a wide expanse
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And Allah 'alone' spread out the earth for you
  - Mustafa Khattab
And Allah hath made the earth a wide expanse for you
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out) 5718
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xx. 53.

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71:20
لِّتَسْلُكُوا۟ مِنْهَا سُبُلًا فِجَاجًا Litaslukoo minh a subulan fij a j a n
so that you might walk thereon on spacious paths.'"12
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "He has provided you with all facilities for a good life on earth" - the unspoken implication being, "Will you not, then, acknowledge Him and be grateful to Him?"

so that you may walk in its spacious paths."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
to walk along its spacious pathways.''
  - Mustafa Khattab
That ye may thread the valley ways thereof.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"`That ye may go about therein in spacious roads.' " 5719
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Fijaj implies valley-roads or passes between mountains. Though there are mountain chains on the earth, Allah's artistry has provided even in such regions, valleys and channels by which men may go about. Mountain roads usually follow the valleys. A) Sinners always resent it as a reproach that righteous men should speak to them for their own good. They prefer smooth flatterers, and they worship power even though the depositaries of power are selfish men, who neither profit themselves nor profit others by the wealth and man-power that they collect round themselves. They forget that mere material things may be a delusion and a snare unless the moral and spiritual factor behind them sanctifies them.

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