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Surah 71 · Makkah · 28 āyāt
Phase 04 · Ṭāʾif, al-Isrāʾ and the final Makkan years(c. 5–1 BH) — view in timelineNūḥNoah
نوح
A concentrated retelling of Nūḥ's ﷺ mission — nine hundred and fifty years of calling his people night and day to worship Allah alone, met with refusal, mockery, and the covering of ears and garments in defiance. The surah records his methods of daʿwah, Allah's signs in creation offered as proof, his final despair and prayer against the persistently disbelieving elite, and the flood that followed, closing with his personal supplication for his parents, for himself, and for the believers, and against the wrongdoers.
Why it was revealed
Revealed while the Prophet ﷺ faced sustained, obstinate rejection from Quraysh's leadership despite prolonged, patient calling — a situation the surah mirrors precisely in Nūḥ's own centuries-long struggle with his people, offering the Prophet ﷺ both solidarity and a sober precedent for how long true rejection can persist even against a firm and repeated message.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:5–9; al-Qurṭubī on 71:5–9 and 29:14; Ibn Kathīr on 71:1–3; Ibn Kathīr on 71:26–28; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat Nūḥ
Ibn ʿAbbās and other commentators relate that Nūḥ remained among his people one thousand years less fifty, as stated explicitly in Sūrat al-ʿAnkabūt (29:14), calling them to Allah continuously; this surah gives the substance of that call — night and day, openly and privately — and its result: only a small number believed, while the elite persisted until the flood overtook them.
Cited toIbn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat Nūḥ; cf. al-Qurṭubī on 71:5–9 and 29:14
In the Prophet's ﷺ life
Nūḥ sent to warn his people
He was commanded to warn his people before a painful punishment came to them, and he began calling them to worship Allah alone and fear Him.
Recalled in āyah 1, 2, 3
إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦٓ أَنْ أَنذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, [saying], 'Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment.'
أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ
[Saying], 'Worship Allāh, fear Him, and obey me.'
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 71:1–3
- Madd — 2 vowels
- Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
- Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
- Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
- Ghunnah — 2 vowels
- Qalqalah
- Ikhfāʾ
- Ikhfāʾ shafawī
- Idghām shafawī
- Idghām with ghunnah
- Idghām without ghunnah
- Idghām mutajānisayn
- Idghām mutaqāribayn
- Iqlāb
- Hamzat al-waṣl
- Lām shamsiyyah
- Silent letter
Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).
Warn your people before a painful punishment comes
Indeed We sent Nūḥ to his people: warn your people before a painful punishment comes to them. He said: O my people, I am to you a clear warner — worship Allah, fear Him, and obey me, so He may forgive your sins and delay you to an appointed term. He then describes calling them night and day, only for them to flee further, and how he called them openly and secretly, yet they persisted, covering their ears with their fingers and wrapping themselves in their garments in stubborn refusal.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:5–9; Al-Saʿdī on 71:7; Ibn Kathīr on 71:1–3
إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦٓ أَنْ أَنذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
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Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, [saying], 'Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment.'
أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ
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[Saying], 'Worship Allāh, fear Him, and obey me.'
يَغْفِرْ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى
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He will forgive you of your sins and delay you for a specified term.
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِى لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا
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He said, 'My Lord, indeed I invited my people night and day.'
وَإِنِّى كُلَّمَا دَعَوْتُهُمْ لِتَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ جَعَلُوٓا أَصَـٰبِعَهُمْ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَٱسْتَغْشَوْا ثِيَابَهُمْ
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And whenever I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and wrapped themselves in their clothing
From the tafsīr
The mission is framed with urgency — warning before punishment — establishing that a prophet's role is to give people time to repent while a window of respite remains open, exactly as later prophets, including Muḥammad ﷺ, were sent.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 71:1–3
Nūḥ's varying his approach — day and night, private and public exhortation — models the range of methods a caller to truth must employ; their refusal despite this variety shows the depth of their obstinacy, not any deficiency in his effort.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 71:5–9
Covering the ears with fingers and wrapping in garments is read as a deliberate act of avoidance — refusing even to hear the message, let alone consider it, the clearest picture of willful rejection.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 71:7
Key takeaways
- A warner's role is to give people the chance to turn back before punishment, not to guarantee their acceptance.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:5–9; Al-Saʿdī on 71:7; Ibn Kathīr on 71:1–3
- Variety in method — day and night, public and private — is part of sincere daʿwah, and its rejection is not a failure of the caller.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:5–9; Al-Saʿdī on 71:7; Ibn Kathīr on 71:1–3
- Refusing even to listen is a more severe rejection than disagreeing after hearing.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:5–9; Al-Saʿdī on 71:7; Ibn Kathīr on 71:1–3
Reflect
Have you ever avoided hearing something true simply because you did not want to be moved by it?
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Question 1 of 2
What was Nūḥ commanded to do in 71:1–2?
Question 2 of 2
What does covering the ears with fingers in 71:7 represent?
Signs offered as incentive to believe
Nūḥ told them: ask forgiveness of your Lord, indeed He is ever Forgiving; He will send rain in abundance, give you increase in wealth and children, and provide gardens and rivers. What is with you that you do not attribute grandeur to Allah, when He has created you in stages? He created the seven heavens in layers, placed the moon in them as a light, and made the earth for you as a carpet, that you may walk on its broad paths.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:14; Al-Saʿdī on 71:19–20; Ibn Kathīr on 71:10–12
فَقُلْتُ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارًا
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I said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord, indeed He is ever Forgiving.'
يُرْسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا
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He will send rain upon you in [continuing] showers
مَّا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا
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What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to Allāh [due] grandeur
وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا
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While He has created you in stages?
أَلَمْ تَرَوْا كَيْفَ خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ سَبْعَ سَمَـٰوَٰتٍ طِبَاقًا
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Do you not consider how Allāh created seven heavens in layers?
وَجَعَلَ ٱلْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًا
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And made the moon therein a light
وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ نَبَاتًا
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And Allāh has caused you to grow from the earth a [progressive] growth.
وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ بِسَاطًا
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And Allāh has made for you the earth as a carpet
لِّتَسْلُكُوا مِنْهَا سُبُلًا فِجَاجًا
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That you may follow therein roads, spacious [ways]
From the tafsīr
Nūḥ links repentance directly to provision — rain, wealth and offspring — teaching that seeking forgiveness (istighfār) is a practical means of increased sustenance, not only spiritual benefit; this became a basis in later fiqh for prescribing istighfār at times of drought.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 71:10–12
'He created you in stages' refers to the stages of human formation in the womb, offered as an argument for Allah's power and worthiness of worship that even the most obstinate could recognise in themselves.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 71:14
The earth described as a 'carpet' (bisāṭ) spread out for walking highlights Allah's mercy in making the earth navigable and habitable, a favour that should draw gratitude rather than the persistent refusal Nūḥ's people showed.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 71:19–20
Key takeaways
- Seeking Allah's forgiveness is presented as a means to provision, not only pardon.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:14; Al-Saʿdī on 71:19–20; Ibn Kathīr on 71:10–12
- Human beings carry, within their own formation in the womb, evidence of the Creator they were being called to worship.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:14; Al-Saʿdī on 71:19–20; Ibn Kathīr on 71:10–12
- The earth's very design for walking and habitation is a mercy calling for gratitude.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:14; Al-Saʿdī on 71:19–20; Ibn Kathīr on 71:10–12
Reflect
Where in your own body or circumstances do you see the 'stages of creation' argument Nūḥ made to his people?
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Question 1 of 2
What benefit does Nūḥ link to seeking Allah's forgiveness in 71:10–12?
Question 2 of 2
What does 'He created you in stages' in 71:14 refer to?
The idols named, and the elite who led people astray
Nūḥ said: My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed one whose wealth and children increased him not except in loss. They have devised a great plot, saying: do not leave your gods — do not leave Wadd, nor Suwāʿ, nor Yaghūth, Yaʿūq, nor Nasr. And they have led many astray; so increase, my Lord, the wrongdoers only in error.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:21; Ibn Kathīr on 71:23
قَالَ نُوحٌ رَّبِّ إِنَّهُمْ عَصَوْنِى وَٱتَّبَعُوا مَن لَّمْ يَزِدْهُ مَالُهُۥ وَوَلَدُهُۥٓ إِلَّا خَسَارًا
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Noah said, 'My Lord, indeed they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children increase him not except in loss.'
وَقَالُوا لَا تَذَرُنَّ ءَالِهَتَكُمْ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدًّا وَلَا سُوَاعًا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسْرًا
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And said, 'Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd, nor Suwāʿ, nor Yaghūth and Yaʿūq and Nasr.'
From the tafsīr
Wadd, Suwāʿ, Yaghūth, Yaʿūq and Nasr are named as the specific idols worshipped by Nūḥ's people; Ibn ʿAbbās reported these were originally names of righteous men whom later generations began venerating with images after their deaths, until worship of them took root — an early account of how shirk historically develops from unchecked veneration.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 71:23
That 'wealth and children increased him not except in loss' describes the followers' leaders whose worldly success only deepened their arrogance and resistance, a warning against measuring truth by worldly prosperity.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 71:21
Key takeaways
- Idolatry often begins with excessive veneration of righteous figures, later distorted into worship after their death.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:21; Ibn Kathīr on 71:23
- Worldly wealth and children are not proof of guidance; they can instead deepen a person's arrogance and error.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:21; Ibn Kathīr on 71:23
- Following corrupt leadership, rather than independent thought, is repeatedly named as the cause of a people's straying.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 71:21; Ibn Kathīr on 71:23
Reflect
Where might excessive admiration for a person, even a righteous one, tip into something Allah alone deserves?
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Question 1 of 2
What warning does 71:21 give about wealth and children?
Question 2 of 2
According to Ibn ʿAbbās, what were Wadd, Suwāʿ, Yaghūth, Yaʿūq and Nasr originally?
The Flood, and Nūḥ's final supplication
Because of their sins they were drowned and made to enter a Fire, and they found none besides Allah to help them. And Nūḥ said: My Lord, do not leave upon the earth any disbelievers, for if You leave them, they will mislead Your servants and beget none but the wicked and disbelieving. My Lord, forgive me, my parents, whoever enters my house as a believer, and the believing men and believing women, and do not increase the wrongdoers except in destruction.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 71:28; Ibn Kathīr on 71:25–28
مِّمَّا خَطِيٓـَٰٔتِهِمْ أُغْرِقُوا فَأُدْخِلُوا نَارًا
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Because of their sins they were drowned and put into the Fire
وَقَالَ نُوحٌ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ دَيَّارًا
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And Noah said, 'My Lord, do not leave upon the earth any of the disbelievers as an inhabitant.'
رَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيْتِىَ مُؤْمِنًا وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارًا
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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.
From the tafsīr
Nūḥ's prayer against leaving any disbeliever came only after almost a millennium of calling and clear evidence that further generations would only reproduce disbelief; it is not offered as a model for hasty judgement against others, but as the conclusion of an exhausted, patient da'wah.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 71:25–28
Nūḥ's final supplication names himself, his parents, whoever enters his house believing, and all believing men and women — modelling a comprehensive du'ā' that widens beyond the self to family and the whole community of belief.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 71:28
Key takeaways
- Nūḥ's severe prayer against the disbelievers came only after prolonged, exhausted effort and clear evidence of their persistence.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 71:28; Ibn Kathīr on 71:25–28
- A believer's supplication should extend beyond himself to parents, household and the wider community of belief.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 71:28; Ibn Kathīr on 71:25–28
- The Flood is presented as a direct consequence of accumulated sin, not an arbitrary disaster.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 71:28; Ibn Kathīr on 71:25–28
Reflect
Does your own du'ā' extend beyond your own needs to your parents and fellow believers, as Nūḥ's did?
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Question 1 of 2
Why is Nūḥ's prayer against the disbelievers in 71:26–27 not a model for hasty judgement?
Question 2 of 2
Who does Nūḥ include in his final du'ā' in 71:28?
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Roots from this surah
Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.
ن ذ ر
āyāt 1to warn
- أَنذِرْwarn
- نَذِيرa warner
- إِنذَارwarning
د ع و
āyāt 5, 7to call, invite
- دَعَوْتُI called
- دُعَآءsupplication
- دَاعٍone who calls
غ ف ر
āyāt 4, 10, 28to forgive
- يَغْفِرْHe forgives
- ٱسْتَغْفِرُواseek forgiveness
- ٱغْفِرْforgive
ط و ر
āyāt 14stage, phase
- أَطْوَارًاstages
- طَوْرa stage
ط ب ق
āyāt 15layer, correspondence
- طِبَاقًاin layers
- طَبَقَةa layer
ن ب ت
āyāt 17to grow, sprout
- أَنۢبَتَكُمcaused you to grow
- نَبَاتvegetation
- نَبْتa plant
ب س ط
āyāt 19to spread out
- بِسَاطًاa carpet, spread
- بَسَطَhe spread
خ س ر
āyāt 21to lose, incur loss
- خَسَارًاloss
- خَاسِرa loser
- خُسْرَانgreat loss
أ ل ه
āyāt 23deity, god
- ءَالِهَتَكُمْyour gods
- إِلَـٰهa god
- ٱللَّهAllah
غ ر ق
āyāt 25to drown
- أُغْرِقُواthey were drowned
- غَرَقdrowning
ت ب ر
āyāt 28to destroy, ruin
- تَبَارًاdestruction
- تَبَّرَhe destroyed utterly
Carry this with you
- A prophet's mission is to warn people while a window of respite remains, not to guarantee their acceptance.
- Rejection can be sustained for centuries; its persistence is not evidence against the truth of the message.
- Seeking Allah's forgiveness is tied directly to provision — rain, wealth and offspring — as a practical, not only spiritual, benefit.
- Idolatry historically develops from excessive veneration of righteous people, later distorted after their deaths.
- Worldly wealth and children are not proof of guidance and can deepen a person's arrogance instead.
- A comprehensive du'ā' extends beyond oneself to parents, household, and the whole community of belief.
Where this surah connects
Cross-surah threads
Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.
Sources behind Sūrah Nūḥ
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Nūḥ · The Flood, and Nūḥ's final supplication
Why is Nūḥ's prayer against the disbelievers in 71:26–27 not a model for hasty judgement?
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