The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

The Qur
an
70: 36
390

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71. NOAH
A Meccan sura giving further details of the life of Noah before the Flood, to
encourage the Prophet and warn the disbelievers.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1We sent Noah to his people: ‘Warn your people, before a painful
punishment comes to them.’ 
2And so he said, ‘My people, I am here
to warn you plainly. 
3Serve God, be mindful of Him and obey me.
4He will forgive you your sins and spare you until your appointed
time –– when God’s appointed time arrives it cannot be postponed. If
only you understood!’
5He said, ‘My Lord, I have called my people night and day, 6but
the more I call them, the further they run away: 
7every time I call
them, so that You may forgive them, they thrust their 
fingers into their
ears, cover their heads with their garments, persist in their rejection,
and grow more insolent and arrogant. 
8I have tried calling them
openly. 
9I have tried preaching to them in public and speaking to
them in private. 
10I said, “Ask forgiveness of your Lord: He is ever
forgiving. 
11He will send down abundant rain from the sky for you;
12He will give you wealth and sons; He will provide you with gardens
and rivers. 
13What is the matter with you? Why will you not fear
God’s majesty, 
14when He has created you stage by stage?
a
15Have
you ever wondered how God created seven heavens, one above the
other, 
16placed the moon as a light in them and the sun as a lamp,
17how God made you spring forth from the earth like a plant, 18how
He will return you into it and then bring you out again, 
19and how
He has spread the Earth out for you 
20to walk along its spacious
paths?” ’
21Noah said, ‘My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed
those whose riches and children only increase their ruin; 
22who have
made a grand plan, 
23saying, “Do not renounce your gods! 24Do not
renounce Wadd, Suwa
 , Yaghuth, Ya uq, or Nasr!”
b
They have led
a
See
22: 5; 23: 12–15.
b
Names of idols.

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many astray. Lord, bring nothing but destruction
a
down on the
evildoers!’
25They were drowned and sent to Hell for their evildoings: they
found no one to help them against God. 
26And Noah said, ‘Lord, do
not leave any of the disbelievers on the earth –
–
27if you leave them
they will lead Your servants astray and beget only sinners and dis-
believers –
–
28Lord, forgive me, my parents, and whoever enters my
house as a believer. Forgive believing men and women but bring
nothing but ruin down on the evildoers!’
a
See al-Mu
 jam al-Wasit for this meaning of dalal.
The Qur
an
71: 25
392

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72. THE JINN
a
A Meccan sura that gives an account of what a group of jinn said when they
overheard a recitation of the Qur
an and realized its truth (verses 1–15). This
is a lesson to the Meccan Arabs, who are also told that the Prophet can help
them only by delivering the Message –– God is the All Powerful One (verses
16–28). The disbelievers are threatened with what they will meet on the Day
of Judgement (verses 
23–7).
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1Say [Prophet], ‘It has been revealed to me that a group of jinn once
listened in and said, “We have heard a wondrous Qur
an, 2that gives
guidance to the right path, and we have come to believe it –– We shall
never set up partners with our Lord ––
3and that He––exalted be the
glory of our Lord! –– has neither spouse nor child. 
4Outrageous
things have been said about God by the foolish among us, 
5although
we had thought that no man or jinn would [dare to] tell a lie about
Him.
6Men have sought refuge with the jinn in the past, but they
only misguided them further. 
7They thought, as you did, that God
would never raise anyone from the dead. 
8We tried to reach heaven,
but discovered it to be full of stern guards and shooting stars ––
9we
used to sit in places there, listening,
b
but anyone trying to listen now
will
find a shooting star lying in wait for him––10[so now] we do not
know whether those who live on earth are due for misfortune, or
whether their Lord intends to guide them. 
11Some of us are right-
eous and others less so: we follow di
fferent paths. 12We know we can
never frustrate God on earth; we can never escape Him. 
13When we
heard the guidance we came to believe: whoever believes in his Lord
need fear no loss nor injustice. 
14Some of us submit to Him and
others go the wrong way: those who submit to God have found wise
guidance, 
15but those who go wrong will be fuel for Hellfire.” ’
16If they