أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ
To worship AllŒh, fear Him and obey me.
يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمۡ وَيُؤَخِّرۡكُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُۚ لَوۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ
He [i.e., AllŒh] will forgive you of your sins and delay you for a specified term. Indeed, the time [set by] AllŒh, when it comes, will not be delayed, if you only knew."
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُ قَوۡمِي لَيۡلٗا وَنَهَارٗا
He said, "My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day.
فَلَمۡ يَزِدۡهُمۡ دُعَآءِيٓ إِلَّا فِرَارٗا
But my invitation increased them not except in flight [i.e., aversion].
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,[1] persisted, and were arrogant with [great] arrogance.
1- Refusing to look or listen.
ثُمَّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ جِهَارٗا
Then I invited them publicly.
ثُمَّ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَنتُ لَهُمۡ وَأَسۡرَرۡتُ لَهُمۡ إِسۡرَارٗا
Then I announced to them and [also] confided to them secretly
فَقُلۡتُ ٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارٗا
And said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver.
يُرۡسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّدۡرَارٗا
He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers
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.
مَّا لَكُمۡ لَا تَرۡجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارٗا
What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to AllŒh [due] grandeur
وَقَدۡ خَلَقَكُمۡ أَطۡوَارًا
While He has created you in stages?[1]
1- i.e., in various progressive states and conditions. See also 22:5 and 23:12-14 in reference to development of the embryo.
أَلَمۡ تَرَوۡاْ كَيۡفَ خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ سَبۡعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٖ طِبَاقٗا
Do you not consider how AllŒh has created seven heavens in layers[1]
1- See footnote to 67:3.
وَجَعَلَ ٱلۡقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورٗا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمۡسَ سِرَاجٗا
And made the moon therein a [reflected] light and made the sun a burning lamp?
وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ نَبَاتٗا
And AllŒh has caused you to grow from the earth a [progressive] growth.
ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمۡ فِيهَا وَيُخۡرِجُكُمۡ إِخۡرَاجٗا
Then He will return you into it and extract you [another] extraction.
وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِسَاطٗا
And AllŒh has made for you the earth an expanse
لِّتَسۡلُكُواْ مِنۡهَا سُبُلٗا فِجَاجٗا
That you may follow therein roads of passage.'"
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.
وَمَكَرُواْ مَكۡرٗا كُبَّارٗا
And they conspired an immense conspiracy
وَقَالُواْ لَا تَذَرُنَّ ءَالِهَتَكُمۡ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدّٗا وَلَا سُوَاعٗا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسۡرٗا
And said, 'Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd or SuwŒÔ or Yagh´th and YaÔ´q and Nasr.'[1]
1- These were the names of specific idols named after pious men of earlier generations.
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."
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 AllŒh [any] helpers.
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.
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.
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."