Tafsir of Nuh 71:5

{Night and day}: Constantly, without fatigue, occupying all times with it.

{My call did not increase them}: He made the "call" the agent of the "increase in fleeing." The meaning is that they increased in fleeing from him because it [the call] was the cause of that increase. Similar to: {It increased them in abomination upon their abomination} (9:125) and {It increased them in faith} (9:124).

{That You may forgive them}: That they may repent from their disbelief, and then You forgive them. He mentioned the consequence—which is their share exclusively—to make their turning away from it more hideous. They blocked their ears from hearing the call, {and wrapped themselves in their garments}, covering themselves with them, as if they requested that their garments cover them, or that they cover themselves so they would not see him, out of hatred for looking at the face of one who advises them in the religion of Allah. It is said: so that he would not recognize them. This is supported by His saying: {They fold up their breasts to hide from Him. Behold, when they cover themselves with their garments} (11:5).

{Obstinacy}: Derived from aṣarra al-ḥimār ʿalā al-ʿānah (the donkey persisted against the herd of wild asses) when it pricks up its ears and advances to bite and drive them away. It is used metaphorically for advancing toward sins and plunging into them.

{And they grew arrogant}: Pride prevented them from following Noah and obeying him. Mentioning the verbal noun (masdar) is for emphasis and to indicate the excess of their arrogance and defiance.

If you ask: He mentioned that he called them by night and day, then he called them openly, then he called them in secret and in public. Must there be three different calls for the conjunction to be valid? I say: He, peace be upon him, did as one who enjoins good and forbids evil does: starting with the easiest, then progressing to the more severe. He began with private counseling; when they did not accept, he followed with open proclamation; when that did not affect them, he combined secrecy and publicity. The meaning of {then} is to indicate the distance between the states, for public proclamation is harsher than secrecy, and combining both is harsher than isolating one.

{Openly} (jihāran): Accusative as a verbal noun (masdar) because the call is a type of openness, just as al-qurfuṣāʾ (the squatting posture) is used with qaʿada (to sit) because it is a type of sitting. Or, he intended by "calling them" (daʿwatihim) "proclaiming to them" (jāhartuhum). It is also possible that it is an adjective for the verbal noun of daʿā, meaning "a call openly," i.e., proclaimed. Or a verbal noun in the position of a state (ḥāl), i.e., "being open."

He commanded them to seek forgiveness, which is repentance from disbelief and sins. He presented them with a promise of what is more impactful to their souls and more beloved to them than present benefits and immediate gains, to entice them toward faith and its blessings, and obedience and its results in both abodes. As He said: {And another [favor] that you love: victory from Allah} (61:13).

It is said: When they denied him after long repetition of the call, Allah withheld rain from them and made the wombs of their women barren for forty years—some say seventy. He promised them that if they believed, Allah would grant them fertility and remove them from their state.

Regarding Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): He went out to pray for rain and did not exceed seeking forgiveness. It was said to him: "We did not see you pray for rain." He replied: "I have sought rain with the 'stars' of the sky through which rain is brought down," likening seeking forgiveness to the true constellations that do not fail.

{The sky}: The canopy, because rain descends from it to the clouds. It is permissible that it refers to the clouds or the rain itself. {Pouring} (midrār): Abundant in pouring. Miʿfāl is a form shared by masculine and feminine.

{Gardens}: Orchards.

{You do not hope for majesty from Allah}: You do not hope for Him to show you reverence, i.e., glorification. The meaning is: Why are you not in a state where you hope for Allah to glorify you in the Abode of Reward? {From Allah} clarifies the one being glorified; if it were placed later, it would be a modifier for "majesty."

{And He has created you in stages}: In the position of a state (ḥāl). It is as if he said: Why do you not believe in Allah while this state exists? It is a state that necessitates belief in Him, for He created you in stages: first dust, then a drop, then a clot, then a lump of flesh, then bones and flesh, then He brought you forth as a new creation. Or: Do you not fear the forbearance of Allah and His delaying of punishment so that you might believe? It is said: Why do you not fear the greatness of Allah? Ibn Abbas said: You do not fear the consequence (ʿāqibah) from Allah, because the consequence is the state of stability of affairs and the permanence of reward and punishment, from waqara (to be steady/settled).

He alerted them to look at themselves first, as they are the closest thing to them to observe, then to look at the world and the wonders it contains that testify to the Maker—whose power and knowledge are dazzling—such as the heavens, the earth, the sun, and the moon.

{In them}: In the heavens. It refers to the lowest heaven, for there is a connection between the heavens as they are layers, so it is permissible to say "in them" even if it is not in all of them, just as one says "there is such-and-such in the city" while it is only in some parts of it. Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) said: The sun and moon have their faces toward the sky and their backs toward the earth.

{And made the sun a lamp}: The people of the world see by its light just as the people of a house see by the light of a lamp what they need to see. The moon is not like that; it is only a light that has not reached the strength of the sun's radiance. Similar to His saying: {It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light} (10:5). Ḍiyāʾ (radiance) is stronger than nūr (light).

He used "growing" metaphorically for "creation," as one says "May Allah plant you for good." This metaphor is more indicative of origination, for if they were plants, they would inevitably be originated.

{Then He will return you into it}: Buried, then {He will bring you out} on the Day of Resurrection. He emphasized it with the verbal noun as if saying: He will bring you out truly and inevitably. He made it a carpet, spread out, for you to move about on it just as a man moves about on his carpet. {Wide paths}: Spacious and open.