English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah sent Nūḥ to his people out of mercy, commanding him to warn them before a painful punishment came upon them if they continued in disbelief.

Warn your people before the painful punishment reaches them.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Nūḥ told his people that he was a clear warner, plainly explaining what he warned them against and the way by which they could be saved.

A clear warning that explains both the danger and the path to safety.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

He called them to worship Allah alone, fear Him by keeping away from shirk and its ways, and obey the messenger.

Worship Allah alone, fear Him, and stay far from shirk and its ways.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

If they feared and obeyed Allah, He would forgive their sins and let them remain in this world until an appointed term. When Allah’s decreed term arrives, it cannot be delayed.

When Allah’s appointed term comes, it cannot be postponed.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Nūḥ complained to his Lord that he had called his people night and day.

Nūḥ called his people continually, by night and by day.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Yet his calling only increased their flight from the truth and their turning away.

Their response to the call was increased flight from the truth.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Whenever Nūḥ called them so that they might be forgiven, they blocked their ears, covered themselves, persisted in disbelief, and showed extreme arrogance toward the truth.

They persisted in disbelief and acted with great arrogance toward the truth.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Nūḥ then called them openly, within the hearing of them all.

He called them openly so that all could hear.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

He also called them publicly and privately, using every means of sincere counsel by which he hoped the purpose of the call might be achieved.

He combined public and private counsel out of sincere concern for them.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

He urged them to leave their sins and seek their Lord’s forgiveness, for Allah is abundant in forgiveness toward those who repent and ask forgiveness.

Leave sin and seek forgiveness from your Lord, who forgives abundantly.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Nūḥ encouraged them with immediate worldly good: Allah would send abundant, continuous rain that revives the land and its people.

Allah would send abundant, recurring rain as an immediate worldly blessing.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah would increase them in wealth and children and provide gardens and rivers — among the greatest enjoyments and provisions of worldly life.

Allah would increase their wealth and children and grant gardens and rivers.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Nūḥ rebuked them for not fearing Allah’s greatness and for failing to give Him the reverence due to Him.

They were not giving Allah the fear, greatness, and reverence due to Him.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah created people through successive stages. Al-Sa‘di points to this creation as evidence that Allah alone deserves worship and that the One who originated them can resurrect them.

Human creation through successive stages points to Allah’s sole right to worship and His power to resurrect.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Nūḥ also pointed them to the greater creation of the seven heavens, one above another, as evidence of Allah’s power.

The seven heavens are created in layers, one above another.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah made the moon a light for the people of the earth and the sun a lamp. Their great creation and many benefits show His mercy and vast goodness, making Him worthy of worship, love, fear, and hope.

The moon’s light and the sun’s lamp show Allah’s great creation, mercy, and abundant benefit.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah caused mankind to grow from the earth when He created their father Ādam, while they were in his loins.

Allah originated mankind from the earth through their father Ādam.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

At death Allah returns people to the earth, then He will bring them out again for resurrection. He alone owns life, death, and resurrection.

Allah returns people to the earth at death and brings them out again for resurrection.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah made the earth spread out and prepared so that people can benefit from it.

Allah made the earth spread out and prepared for human benefit.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Because Allah spread the earth out, people can travel its wide paths and use it for cultivation, planting, building, and dwelling.

Its wide paths make travel and many forms of human livelihood possible.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Nūḥ complained that his people disobeyed his sincere call and instead followed their wealthy and influential leaders, whose wealth and children only increased them in loss.

They rejected the sincere messenger and followed leaders whose worldly advantages only increased their loss.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Those leaders devised a great and far-reaching plot in stubborn opposition to the truth.

Their leaders made a great plot in stubborn resistance to the truth.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

They urged their followers not to abandon their idols — Wadd, Suwā‘, Yaghūth, Ya‘ūq, and Nasr. Al-Sa‘di explains that these had been names of righteous men whose images were later turned into objects of worship through Satan’s deception.

The leaders urged their followers to cling to their idols and inherited shirk.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Those leaders misled many people. Nūḥ prayed that the wrongdoers increase only in misguidance, because their response to the truth showed no prospect of reform.

The leaders had already misled many people away from the truth.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Because of their sins they were drowned, then entered the Fire, and they found no helpers besides Allah who could save them from His decree.

Their drowning and entry into the Fire came because of their sins, and no helper could save them from Allah.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Nūḥ prayed to his Lord not to leave a single disbelieving inhabitant upon the earth.

Nūḥ asked that no disbelieving inhabitant remain on the earth.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

He explained that if they remained, they would mislead Allah’s servants and produce only wicked, intensely ungrateful offspring. Al-Sa‘di says Nūḥ knew this from his long experience among them.

Nūḥ knew from his long experience that their remaining would spread misguidance and corruption.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Nūḥ asked forgiveness for himself, his parents, every believer who entered his house, and all believing men and women; and he prayed for the wrongdoers to increase only in ruin and destruction.

Nūḥ ended with a prayer for forgiveness for himself, his parents, and all believing men and women.

Summary of the Meanings:

Allah sent Nūḥ to warn his people before punishment came. He clearly called them to worship Allah alone, fear Him, obey the messenger, and seek the forgiveness that leads to safety until the appointed term.

Nūḥ called night and day, publicly and privately, but his people fled, blocked their ears, persisted, and acted arrogantly. He urged them to seek Allah’s forgiveness and reminded them of the rain, wealth, children, gardens, and rivers Allah could grant them.

Nūḥ pointed to human creation in stages, the layered heavens, the moon and sun, mankind’s origin from the earth, resurrection, and the earth prepared with wide paths — all signs of Allah’s greatness, mercy, and sole right to worship.

The people followed leaders who plotted against the truth and urged them to cling to idols. Their sins brought drowning and the Fire. Nūḥ prayed against the persistent wrongdoers and ended by asking forgiveness for himself, his parents, and all believing men and women.

Al-Sa‘di presents Surah Nūḥ as a record of persistent prophetic counsel, the people’s determined rejection, clear signs of Allah’s power and mercy, and the just consequence of continued disbelief.