Quran Universe
71:4

يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمۡ وَيُؤَخِّرۡكُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُۚ لَوۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ

Yaghfir lakum min thunoobikum wayuakhkhirkum ila ajalin musamman inna ajala Allahi itha jaa la yuakhkharu law kuntum taAAlamoona

Allah will forgive you of your sins and delay you for a specified term. Indeed, the time [set by] Allah, when it comes, will not be delayed, if you only knew.' "

Word by word
  1. يَغۡفِرۡHe will forgive
  2. لَكُمfor you
  3. مِّن[of]
  4. ذُنُوبِكُمۡyour sins
  5. وَيُؤَخِّرۡكُمۡand give you respite
  6. إِلَىٰٓfor
  7. أَجَلٖa term
  8. مُّسَمًّىۚspecified
  9. إِنَّIndeed
  10. أَجَلَ(the) term
  11. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  12. إِذَاwhen
  13. جَآءَit comes
  14. لَاnot
  15. يُؤَخَّرُۚis delayed
  16. لَوۡif
  17. كُنتُمۡyou
  18. تَعۡلَمُونَknow
Nuh · 71:4Makkah

He will forgive you and give you more time.

Obedience opens forgiveness and respite

The offer
turn backworship, obey
brings
forgivenessfor your sins
respitea longer term
About time
I can always delaythere is time
the term cannot waitwhen it comes, it comes

Ibn Kathir says Allah would extend their lifespan and protect them from punishment if they obeyed. He notes the hadith that maintaining family ties increases lifespan. But when Allah's term comes, it cannot be delayed, so hurry to obey.

You keep a list of things you will fix: the uncle you stopped calling, the prayer you dropped. Allah offers more time to those who return. The appointment itself is not moving.

I will have time to sort things out later.

Returning now brings forgiveness and more time. Waiting gains nothing.

Try this

Call one relative you have drifted from, today, even for two minutes.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 71:1)

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.