سُورَةُ نُوحٍ
Surah 71 - Nooh
Noah
- 28 verses
- Juz 29
- Pages 570 to 571 of the Mushaf
Nooh holds together as one account, carried almost entirely by the voice of the prophet it names three times. The opening verse states the sending and the charge to warn. The next three report his address to the people. From the fifth on he stops speaking to them: he reports to his Lord, quoting what he told them by night and by day, aloud and then in confidence - ask forgiveness, and see rain, goods, children and gardens come in return. He then draws his arguments from the seven heavens, from the moon and the sun, from the ground spread under foot. The report ends on their refusal and on five named divinities. The last three verses are a request.
The main parts
The text of the surah
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦٓ أَنْ أَنذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ
Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, [saying], "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment."
قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ إِنِّى لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌۭ مُّبِينٌ
He said, "O my people, indeed I am to you a clear warner,
أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ
[Saying], 'Worship Allah, fear Him and obey me.
يَغْفِرْ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُ ۖ لَوْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
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.' "
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِى لَيْلًۭا وَنَهَارًۭا
He said, "My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day.
فَلَمْ يَزِدْهُمْ دُعَآءِىٓ إِلَّا فِرَارًۭا
But my invitation increased them not except in flight.
وَإِنِّى كُلَّمَا دَعَوْتُهُمْ لِتَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ جَعَلُوٓا۟ أَصَٰبِعَهُمْ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَٱسْتَغْشَوْا۟ ثِيَابَهُمْ وَأَصَرُّوا۟ وَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ ٱسْتِكْبَارًۭا
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.
ثُمَّ إِنِّى دَعَوْتُهُمْ جِهَارًۭا
Then I invited them publicly.
ثُمَّ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَنتُ لَهُمْ وَأَسْرَرْتُ لَهُمْ إِسْرَارًۭا
Then I announced to them and [also] confided to them secretly
فَقُلْتُ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارًۭا
And said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver.
يُرْسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًۭا
He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers
وَيُمْدِدْكُم بِأَمْوَٰلٍۢ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّٰتٍۢ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَٰرًۭا
And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.
مَّا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًۭا
What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to Allah [due] grandeur
وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا
While He has created you in stages?
أَلَمْ تَرَوْا۟ كَيْفَ خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ سَبْعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٍۢ طِبَاقًۭا
Do you not consider how Allah has created seven heavens in layers
وَجَعَلَ ٱلْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًۭا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ سِرَاجًۭا
And made the moon therein a [reflected] light and made the sun a burning lamp?
وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ نَبَاتًۭا
And Allah has caused you to grow from the earth a [progressive] growth.
ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمْ فِيهَا وَيُخْرِجُكُمْ إِخْرَاجًۭا
Then He will return you into it and extract you [another] extraction.
وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ بِسَاطًۭا
And Allah has made for you the earth an expanse
لِّتَسْلُكُوا۟ مِنْهَا سُبُلًۭا فِجَاجًۭا
That you may follow therein roads of passage.' "
قَالَ نُوحٌۭ رَّبِّ إِنَّهُمْ عَصَوْنِى وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ مَن لَّمْ يَزِدْهُ مَالُهُۥ وَوَلَدُهُۥٓ إِلَّا خَسَارًۭا
Noah said, "My Lord, indeed they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children will not increase him except in loss.
وَمَكَرُوا۟ مَكْرًۭا كُبَّارًۭا
And they conspired an immense conspiracy.
وَقَالُوا۟ لَا تَذَرُنَّ ءَالِهَتَكُمْ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدًّۭا وَلَا سُوَاعًۭا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسْرًۭا
And said, 'Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd or Suwa' or Yaghuth and Ya'uq and Nasr.
وَقَدْ أَضَلُّوا۟ كَثِيرًۭا ۖ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا ضَلَٰلًۭا
And already they have misled many. And, [my Lord], do not increase the wrongdoers except in error."
مِّمَّا خَطِيٓـَٰٔتِهِمْ أُغْرِقُوا۟ فَأُدْخِلُوا۟ نَارًۭا فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا۟ لَهُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَنصَارًۭا
Because of their sins they were drowned and put into the Fire, and they found not for themselves besides Allah [any] helpers.
وَقَالَ نُوحٌۭ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِنَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ دَيَّارًا
And Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant.
إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرْهُمْ يُضِلُّوا۟ عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا فَاجِرًۭا كَفَّارًۭا
Indeed, if You leave them, they will mislead Your servants and not beget except [every] wicked one and [confirmed] disbeliever.
رَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيْتِىَ مُؤْمِنًۭا وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارًۢا
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."
Key verses of the surah
The verse that changes addressee: from here on the prophet speaks to his Lord, no longer to his people.
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِى لَيْلًۭا وَنَهَارًۭا
He said, "My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day.
The sky offered as proof, with two heavenly bodies the verse names by two different words.
وَجَعَلَ ٱلْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًۭا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ سِرَاجًۭا
And made the moon therein a [reflected] light and made the sun a burning lamp?
The only verse of the surah to name the divinities the people refuse to leave: five of them are listed.
وَقَالُوا۟ لَا تَذَرُنَّ ءَالِهَتَكُمْ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدًّۭا وَلَا سُوَاعًۭا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسْرًۭا
And said, 'Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd or Suwa' or Yaghuth and Ya'uq and Nasr.
The last verse: a plea for forgiveness widening from the parents to all believing men and women.
رَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيْتِىَ مُؤْمِنًۭا وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارًۢا
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."
What is surah Nooh about?
Of a preaching that lasts and gets nowhere. The text follows not the events but the speech: we hear the call, then the account the caller gives of it, then what he asks once the answer is known.
How is surah Nooh built?
As a very thin frame around a long speech. One verse of narration at the start, another at verse 25; all the rest is quoted. The speech changes addressee twice: first the people, then the Lord, with quotations nested inside.
Which divinities does surah Nooh name?
Five, in verse 23: Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Yauq and Nasr. They are quoted inside an instruction the people give themselves, and the next verse says only that they led many astray. The text says nothing further about them.
How does surah Nooh end?
With three verses of request, after the drowning is mentioned in verse 25. The first two concern those who refused; the last comes back to the one asking, to his parents, to whoever enters his house believing, then to all believers.
Why is surah Nooh called that?
“Nooh” is the name of the prophet the whole surah is built around. It appears three times: in verse 71:1, which states his sending, then in verses 71:21 and 71:26, each introducing a speech before his Lord.
How many verses does surah Nooh have?
Surah Nooh has 28 verses. It stands at number 71 in the order of the Mushaf, which holds 114.
The Arabic text is that of the Mushaf. The summary, the outline and the answers on this page describe the text and how it is built: they are not religious commentary.