يَغفِر لَكُم مِن ذُنوبِكُم وَيُؤَخِّركُم إِلىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذا جاءَ لا يُؤَخَّرُ ۖ لَو كُنتُم تَعلَمونَ

He will forgive your sins and delay you to a specified term. When God’s appointed time arrives, it can’t be deferred—if only you could understand.”

قالَ رَبِّ إِنّي دَعَوتُ قَومي لَيلًا وَنَهارًا

He implored, “My Lord, I called out to my people night and day.

فَلَم يَزِدهُم دُعائي إِلّا فِرارًا

But my call only increased their flight away.

وَإِنّي كُلَّما دَعَوتُهُم لِتَغفِرَ لَهُم جَعَلوا أَصابِعَهُم في آذانِهِم وَاستَغشَوا ثِيابَهُم وَأَصَرّوا وَاستَكبَرُوا استِكبارًا

Whenever I urged them to seek Your forgiveness, they would stick their fingers in their ears, cover themselves with their garments, persist in their stubbornness, and grow increasingly arrogant.

ثُمَّ إِنّي دَعَوتُهُم جِهارًا

I called out to them openly.

فَقُلتُ استَغفِروا رَبَّكُم إِنَّهُ كانَ غَفّارًا

I said, ‘Seek forgiveness from your Lord, for He is Ever-Forgiving.

يُرسِلِ السَّماءَ عَلَيكُم مِدرارًا

He will send down abundant rain upon you.

وَيُمدِدكُم بِأَموالٍ وَبَنينَ وَيَجعَل لَكُم جَنّاتٍ وَيَجعَل لَكُم أَنهارًا

And provide you with wealth and children, and bless you with gardens, and grant you rivers.

ما لَكُم لا تَرجونَ لِلَّهِ وَقارًا

What’s the matter with you, that you don’t attribute to God due grandeur.

وَقَد خَلَقَكُم أَطوارًا

When He created you in stages.