Quran Universe
71:1

إِنَّآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦٓ أَنۡ أَنذِرۡ قَوۡمَكَ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٞ

Inna arsalna noohan ila qawmihi an anthir qawmaka min qabli an yatiyahum AAathabun aleemun

Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, [saying], "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment."

Word by word
  1. إِنَّآIndeed,We
  2. أَرۡسَلۡنَا[We] sent
  3. نُوحًاNuh
  4. إِلَىٰto
  5. قَوۡمِهِۦٓhis people
  6. أَنۡthat
  7. أَنذِرۡWarn
  8. قَوۡمَكَyour people
  9. مِنfrom
  10. قَبۡلِbefore
  11. أَن[that]
  12. يَأۡتِيَهُمۡcomes to them
  13. عَذَابٌa punishment
  14. أَلِيمٞpainful
Nuh · 71:1Makkah

Warn them before it is too late.

Nuh's mission begins with mercy

The mission
Allahsends Nuh
to
his peoplehis own community
before
a painful punishmentnot yet arrived
What a warning is
a threatmeant to scare
a door left openrepent and it is lifted

Ibn Kathir says Nuh was sent to warn his people before Allah's punishment befell them, and to tell them that if they repented, it would be lifted. The surah was revealed in Makkah when opposition to the Prophet ﷺ was growing strong.

The smoke alarm goes off at 3am and you are annoyed. But the alarm is not the fire. It is the warning that saves you from it. A reminder that stings is often the kindest thing anyone does for you.

Warnings about punishment are harsh and negative.

A warning before the harm is a mercy. It means there is still time.

Try this

Thank someone today who once warned you about something, even if it stung.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ 

(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ أَنْ أَنْذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ - قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ - أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ - يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ مِنْ ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذَا جَاءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُ ۖ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

(1. Verily, We sent Nuh to his people (saying): "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment.")(2. He said: "O my people! Verily, I am a plain warner to you,")(3. "That you should worship Allah, and have Taqwa of Him, and obey me,")(4. "He will forgive you of your sins and respite you to an appointed term. Verily, the term of Allah when it comes, cannot be delayed, if you but know.")

Nuh's Invitation to His People

Allah says concerning Nuh that He sent him to his people commanding him to warn them of the punishment of Allah before it befell them. He was to tell them that if they would repent and turn to Allah, then the punishment would be lifted from them. Due to this Allah says,

أَنْ أَنْذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ - قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ

("Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment." He said: "O my people! Verily, I am a plain warner to you.") meaning, clarity of the warning, making the matter apparent and clear.

أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاتَّقُوهُ

(That you should worship Allah, and have Taqwa of Him,) meaning, 'abandon those things that He has forbidden and avoid that which He has declared to be sinful.'

 وَأَطِيعُونِ

(and obey me,) 'In that which I command you to do and that which I forbid you from.'

يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ مِنْ ذُنُوبِكُمْ 

(He will forgive you of your sins) meaning, 'if you do what I command you to do and you believe in what I have been sent with to you, then Allah will forgive you for your sins.'

وَيُؤَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى

(and respite you to an appointed term.) meaning, 'He will extend your life span and protect you from the torment that He would have made befall you if you did not stay away from His prohibitions.' This Ayah is used as proof by those who say that obedience (to Allah), righteousness and maintaining the family ties truly increase the life span of a person. This is like that which has been reported in the Hadith,

صِلَةُ الرَّحِمِ تَزِيدُ فِي الْعُمُرِ

(Maintaining the family ties increases the life span.) Concerning Allah's statement,

إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذَا جَاءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُ ۖ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

(Verily, the term of Allah when it comes, cannot be delayed, if you but know.) means, hasten to the obedience (of Allah) before the coming of His vengeance. For verily, if He commands that to happen, it cannot be repulsed or prevented. For He is the Great One Who compels everything, and He is the Almighty Whose might all of creation succumbs to.