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)
وَيُمْدِدْكُمْ بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ أَنْهَارًا
and will aid you with worldly goods and children, and will bestow upon you gardens, and bestow upon you running waters. (12)
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)
- "What is amiss with you that you cannot look forward to God's majesty,6
- 6 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 ye place not your hope for kindness and long-suffering in Allah,-
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
What aileth you that ye hope not toward Allah for dignity
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
What is the matter with you that you fear not the greatness of Allah?
— M. Habib Shakir -
What is the matter with you, [that you fear not Allah (His punishment), and] you hope not for reward (from Allah or you believe not in His Oneness).
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
What aileth you that ye expect not in Allah majesty!
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
What is the matter with you that you do not want the Greatness of Allah,
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
What ails you, that you do not look for dignity with God,
— Ayub Khan -
What is the matter with you that you hope not for greatness and wisdom from God?
— Sher Ali -
"What is amiss with you that you cannot look forward to God's majesty,
— Muhammad Asad -
What ails you, that you look not for majesty in God,
— Arthur Arberry -
What is amiss with you that you do not look forward to the majesty of Allah{{13}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi