Surah 71. Nuh

Indeed, We sent Noah to his people 'saying to him', 'Warn your people before a painful punishment comes to them.'

Noah proclaimed, 'O my people! I am truly sent to you with a clear warning:

worship Allah 'alone', fear Him, and obey me.

He will forgive your sins, and delay your end until the appointed time.¹ Indeed, when the time set by Allah comes, it cannot be delayed, if only you knew!'

 Meaning, it is out of Allah’s mercy that He does not hasten your punishment but allows you more time to repent.

He cried, 'My Lord! I have surely called my people day and night,

but my calls only made them run farther away.

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.

Then I certainly called them openly,

then I surely preached to them publicly and privately,

saying, 'Seek your Lord's forgiveness, 'for' He is truly Most Forgiving.

He will shower you with abundant rain,

supply you with wealth and children, and give you gardens as well as rivers.

What is the matter with you that you are not in awe of the Majesty of Allah,

when He truly created you in stages 'of development'?¹

 See 22:5 and 23:12-14.

Do you not see how Allah created seven heavens, one above the other,

placing the moon within them as a 'reflected' light, and the sun as a 'radiant' lamp?

Allah 'alone' caused you¹ to grow from the earth like a plant.

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

Then He will return you to it, and then simply bring you forth 'again'.

And Allah 'alone' spread out the earth for you

to walk along its spacious pathways.''

'Eventually,' Noah cried, 'My Lord! They have certainly persisted in disobeying me, and followed 'instead' those 'elite' whose 'abundant' wealth and children only increase them in loss,

and who have devised a tremendous plot,

urging 'their followers', 'Do not abandon your idols- especially Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya’uq, and Nasr.'¹

 These are the names of their main idols. Initially, these idols had been erected to commemorate some righteous people before the time of Noah. After many generations, however, the idols were taken as objects of worship.

Those 'elite' have already led many astray. So 'O Lord', only allow the wrongdoers to stray farther away.'

So because of their sins, they were drowned, then admitted into the Fire. And they found none to help them against Allah.

Noah had prayed, 'My Lord! Do not leave a single disbeliever on earth.

For if You spare 'any of' them, they will certainly mislead Your servants, and give birth only to 'wicked' sinners, staunch disbelievers.

My Lord! Forgive me, my parents, and whoever enters my house in faith, and 'all' believing men and women. And increase the wrongdoers only in destruction.'