Surah Nuh Tafseer

يَغْفِرْ لَكُم مِّن 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. '

وَيُوَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى

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 الْعُمُر

Maintaining the family ties increases the life span.

Concerning Allah's statement,

إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذَا جَاء لَا يُوَخَّرُ لَوْ كُنتُمْ 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