إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ أَنْ أَنْذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

BEHOLD, We sent Noah unto his people, [saying:] "Warn thy people ere grievous suffering befall them!" (1)

قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ

[And Noah] said: "O my people! I am but a plain warner to you, [sent to tell you] (2)

أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ

that you should worship God [alone] and be conscious of Him. "Now do pay heed unto me, (3)

يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ مِنْ ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذَا جَاءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

so that He may forgive you some of your sins, and grant you respite until a term known [to Him alone]: but, behold, when the term appointed by God does come, it can never be put back – if you but knew it!" (4)

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِي لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا

[And after a time, Noah] said: "O my Sustainer! Verily, I have been calling unto my people night and day, (5)

فَلَمْ يَزِدْهُمْ دُعَائِي إِلَّا فِرَارًا

but my call has only caused them to flee farther and farther away [from Thee]. (6)

وَإِنِّي كُلَّمَا دَعَوْتُهُمْ لِتَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ جَعَلُوا أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَاسْتَغْشَوْا ثِيَابَهُمْ وَأَصَرُّوا وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا اسْتِكْبَارًا

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], and grew obstinate, and became [yet more] arrogant in their false pride. (7)

ثُمَّ إِنِّي دَعَوْتُهُمْ جِهَارًا

"And, behold, I called unto them openly; (8)

ثُمَّ إِنِّي أَعْلَنْتُ لَهُمْ وَأَسْرَرْتُ لَهُمْ إِسْرَارًا

and, behold, I preached to them in public; and I spoke to them secretly, in private; (9)

فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا

and I said: "`Ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins – for, verily, He is all-forgiving! (10)

يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا

He will shower upon you heavenly blessings abundant, (11)

مَا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا

"What is amiss with you that you cannot look forward to God's majesty, (13)

وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا

seeing that He has created [every one of] you in successive stages? (14)

أَلَمْ تَرَوْا كَيْفَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا

"Do you not see how God has created seven heavens in full harmony with one another, (15)

وَجَعَلَ الْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًا وَجَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ سِرَاجًا

and has set up within them the moon as a light [reflected], and set up the sun as a [radiant] lamp? (16)

وَاللَّهُ أَنْبَتَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ نَبَاتًا

"And God has caused you to grow out of the earth in [gradual] growth; and thereafter He will return you to it [in death]: (17)

ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمْ فِيهَا وَيُخْرِجُكُمْ إِخْرَاجًا

and [then] He will bring you forth [from it] in resurrection. (18)

وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ بِسَاطًا

"And God has made the earth a wide expanse for you, (19)

لِتَسْلُكُوا مِنْهَا سُبُلًا فِجَاجًا

so that you might walk thereon on spacious paths.'" (20)