سُوْرَةُ نُوْحٍ
Surah Nooh (71) — Ayah 1
إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦٓ أَنْ أَنذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿1﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Verily, We sent Nûh (Noah) to his people (saying): "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِنَّآ
innā
Indeed, We
أَرْسَلْنَا
arsalnā
[We] sent
نُوحًا
nūḥan
Nuh
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
قَوْمِهِۦٓ
qawmihi
his people
أَنْ
an
that
أَنذِرْ
andhir
Warn
قَوْمَكَ
qawmaka
your people
مِن
min
from
قَبْلِ
qabli
before
أَن
an
[that]
يَأْتِيَهُمْ
yatiyahum
comes to them
عَذَابٌ
ʿadhābun
a punishment
أَلِيمٌۭ
alīmun
painful
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
1. We sent Noah to his people [1], saying: "Warn your people before a painful punishment comes upon them."
[1]
Mention of Sayyiduna Nuh (Noah) ؑ:
The mention of Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ has already appeared in many places in the Quran. This entire surah is devoted to his mention. In this surah, not all the events of his life are mentioned. Rather, most of it consists of Sayyiduna Nuh’s complaints and supplications to his Lord. The way his people responded to his preaching after his day and night efforts and after preaching for a full nine hundred and fifty years, Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ expresses this complaint to Allah Almighty. His center of preaching was the region between the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq. There is a long interval of five thousand years between Sayyiduna Adam ؑ and Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ, and in this long period, the only noteworthy prophet mentioned in the Quran is Sayyiduna Idris ؑ. But he too was not a law-bearing prophet. When Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ was sent, the disease of shirk (polytheism) had spread among his people like an epidemic. Therefore, in these initial verses, Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ is instructed to warn his people about the evil consequences of shirk, and if they do not desist, they will certainly have to face a painful punishment.
[1]
Mention of Sayyiduna Nuh (Noah) ؑ:
The mention of Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ has already appeared in many places in the Quran. This entire surah is devoted to his mention. In this surah, not all the events of his life are mentioned. Rather, most of it consists of Sayyiduna Nuh’s complaints and supplications to his Lord. The way his people responded to his preaching after his day and night efforts and after preaching for a full nine hundred and fifty years, Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ expresses this complaint to Allah Almighty. His center of preaching was the region between the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq. There is a long interval of five thousand years between Sayyiduna Adam ؑ and Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ, and in this long period, the only noteworthy prophet mentioned in the Quran is Sayyiduna Idris ؑ. But he too was not a law-bearing prophet. When Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ was sent, the disease of shirk (polytheism) had spread among his people like an epidemic. Therefore, in these initial verses, Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ is instructed to warn his people about the evil consequences of shirk, and if they do not desist, they will certainly have to face a painful punishment.
