Al-Qur'an Surah Nuh Verse 21

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And said NūH, “My Lord, they disobeyed me, and followed him whose wealth and children added nothing to him but loss,

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

˹Eventually,˺ Noah cried, “My Lord! They have certainly persisted in disobeying me, and followed ˹instead˺ those ˹elite˺ whose ˹abundant˺ wealth and children only increase them in loss,

Ruwwad Translation Center

Noah said, “My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed those whose wealth and children did not increase them except in loss.

A. J. Arberry

Noah said, 'My Lord, they have rebelled against me, and followed him whose wealth and children increase him only in loss,

Abdul Haleem

Noah said, ‘My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed those whose riches and children only increase their ruin;

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Nuh said. my Lord! verily they have disobeyed me and followed them whose riches and children have only increased them in loss.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Noah said; "O my Lord! They have disobeyed me, but they follow (men) whose wealth and children give them no increase but only Loss.

Abul Ala Maududi

Noah said: “My Lord, they did not pay heed to what I said, and followed those (nobles) whose possession of wealth and children has led them to an even greater loss.

Ahmed Ali

But they did not listen to me," Noah said, "and followed him whose wealth and children only added to his ruin.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Prayed Nooh, “O my Lord! They have disobeyed me, and they follow the one whose wealth and children increase nothing for him except ruin.”

Ali Quli Qarai

Noah said, ‘My Lord! They have disobeyed me, following someone whose wealth and children only add to his loss,

Ali Ünal

Noah (turned to his Lord, and) said: "My Lord! They have disobeyed me and followed those whose wealth and children have increased them only in loss and self-ruin.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Noah said, `My Lord! they (- my people) have disobeyed me. They follow (such leaders) whose wealth and children only add to their loss.´

English Literal

Noah said: "My Lord, that they truly disobeyed me, and they followed who his properties/possessions , and his children/child did not increase him except loss ."

Faridul Haque

Prayed Nooh, “O my Lord! They have disobeyed me, and they follow the one whose wealth and children increase nothing for him except ruin.”

Hamid S. Aziz

Noah said, "My Lord! Surely they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children have added to him nothing but loss.

Hilali & Khan

Nuh (Noah) said: "My Lord! They have disobeyed me, and followed one whose wealth and children give him no increase but only loss.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And they say: Forsake not your gods; nor forsake Wadd, nor Suwa’, nor Yaghuth and Ya’uq and Nasr.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Nuh said: My Lord! surely they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children have added to him nothing but loss.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Noah said: My Lord! Lo! they have disobeyed me and followed one whose wealth and children increase him in naught save ruin;

Muhammad Sarwar

Noah said, "Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed those whose wealth and children will only bring about destruction for them.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Noah said: 'My Lord, they have rebelled against me and followed he whose wealth and offspring increase him only in loss,

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Nuh said: "My Lord! They have disobeyed me, and followed one whose wealth and children give him no increase but loss."

Wahiduddin Khan

Noah supplicated, "Lord, they have disobeyed me, and followed those whose wealth and children have only added to their ruin;

Talal Itani

Noah said, “My Lord, they have defied me, and followed him whose wealth and children increase him only in perdition.”

Tafsir jalalayn

Noah said, `My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed, that is, the riffraff and the paupers [among them have followed], those whose wealth and children, namely, their leaders who have been blessed with such things (read wulduhu or waladuhu, `whose children', the first of which is said to be the plural of walad, similar [in pattern] to khasab, khushb, or in fact [it is said to be] of the same meaning [as walad, but an alternative form] as in the case of bukhl or bakhal, `niggardliness'), only add to their loss, [to] their insolence and disbelief.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Nuh complains to His Lord about His People's Response

Allah says that,

قَالَ نُوحٌ رَّبِّ إِنَّهُمْ عَصَوْنِي

Nuh said;"My Lord! They have disobeyed me,

Nuh turned to Allah to inform Allah - the All Knowing from Whom nothing escapes - that he presented the clear call, as mentioned previously, and the comprehensive invitation in various ways. He called them sometimes by encouragement and sometimes by intimidating warnings. Yet, they disobeyed him, opposed him, denied him and followed the children of the world. They were those who were heedless of the command of Allah and they possessed delights of wealth and children. However, these things (worldly benefits) were also for gradual punishment and temporary respite, not for honor or blessing.

Thus, Allah says,

وَاتَّبَعُوا مَن لَّمْ يَزِدْهُ مَالُهُ وَوَلَدُهُ إِلاَّ خَسَارًا




and followed one whose wealth and children give him no increase but loss.

The meaning of Allah's statement,

وَمَكَرُوا مَكْرًا كُبَّارًا