The Prophets

Nigh unto men has drawn their reckoning, while they in heedlessness are yet turning away;

no Remembrance from their Lord comes to them lately renewed, but they listen to it yet playing,

diverted their hearts. The evildoers whisper one to another, 'Is this aught but a mortal like to yourselves? What, will you take to sorcery with your eyes open?'

He says: 'My Lord knows what is said in the heavens and the earth, and He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.'

Nay, but they say: 'A hotchpotch of nightmares! Nay, he has forged it; nay, he is a poet! Now therefore let him bring us a sign, even as the ancient ones were sent as Messengers.'

Not one city that We destroyed before them believed; what then, will they not believe?

And We sent none before thee, but men to whom We made revelation -- question the People of the Remembrance, if you do not know --

nor did We fashion them as bodies that ate not food, neither were they immortal;

then We made true the promise We gave them and We delivered them, and whomsoever We would; and We destroyed the prodigal.

Now We have sent down to you a Book wherein is your Remembrance; will you not understand?

How many a city that was evildoing We have shattered, and set up after it another people!

Then, when they perceived Our might, behold, they ran headlong out of it.

'Run not! Return you unto the luxury that you exulted in, and your dwelling-places; haply you shall be questioned.'

They said, 'Alas for us! We have been evildoers.'

So they ceased not to cry, until We made them stubble, silent and still.

We created not the heaven and the earth, and whatsoever between them is, as playing;

had We desired to take to Us a diversion We would have taken it to Us from Ourselves, had We done aught.

Nay, but We hurl the truth against falsehood and it prevails over it, and behold, falsehood vanishes away. Then woe to you for that you describe!

To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and the earth; and those who are with Him wax not too proud to do Him service neither grow weary,

glorifying Him by night and in the daytime and never failing.

Or have they taken gods out of the earth who raise the dead?

Why, were there gods in earth and heaven other than God, they would surely go to ruin; so glory be to God, the Lord of the Throne, above that they describe!

He shall not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall he questioned.

Or have they taken gods apart from Him? Say: 'Bring your proof! This is the Remembrance of him who is with me, and the Remembrance of those before me. Nay, but the most part of them know not the truth, so therefore they are turning away.

And We sent never a Messenger before thee except that We revealed to him, saying, 'There is no god but I; so serve Me.'

They say:' 'The All-merciful has taken to Him a son.' Glory be to Him! Nay, but they are honoured servants

that outstrip Him not in speech, and perform as He commands.

He knows what is before them and behind them, and they intercede not save for him with whom He is well-pleased, and they tremble in awe of Him.

If any of them says, 'I am a god apart from Him', such a one We recompense with Gehenna; even so We recompense the evildoers.

Have not the unbelievers then beheld that the heavens and the earth were a mass all sewn up, and then We unstitched them and of water fashioned every living thing? Will they not believe?

And We set in the earth firm mountains lest it should shake with them, and We set in it ravines to serve as ways, that haply so they may be guided;

and We set up the heaven as a roof well-protected; yet still from Our signs they are turning away.

It is He who created the night and the day, the sun and the moon, each swimming in a sky.

We have not assigned to any mortal before thee to live forever; therefore, if thou diest, will they live forever?

Every soul shall taste of death; and We try you with evil and good for a testing, then unto Us you shall be returned.

When the unbelievers behold thee, they take thee only for mockery: 'Ha, is this the one who makes mention of your gods?' Yet they in the Remembrance of the All-merciful are unbelievers.

Man was created of haste. Assuredly I shall show you My signs; so demand not that I make haste.

They say, 'And when shall the promise come to pass, if you speak truly?'

If the unbelievers but knew when that they shall not ward off the Fire from their faces nor from their backs, neither shall they be helped!

Nay, but it shall come upon them suddenly, dumbfounding them, and they shall not be able to repel it, nor shall they be respited.

Messengers indeed were mocked at before thee, but those that scoffed at them were encompassed by that they mocked at.

Say: 'Who shall guard you by night and in the daytime from the All-merciful?' Nay, but from the Remembrance of their Lord they are turning away.

Or have they gods that shall defend them apart from Us? Why, they are not able to help themselves, nor shall they be guarded in safety from Us.

Nay, but Ourselves gave these and their fathers enjoyment of days, until their life had lasted long while upon them. What, do they not see how We come to the land, diminishing it in its extremities? Or are they the victors?

Say: 'I warn you only by the Revelation'; but they that are deaf do not hear the call when they are warned.

If but a breath of thy Lord's chastisement touched them, they would surely say, 'Alas for us! We were evildoers.'

And We shall set up the just balances for the Resurrection Day, so that not one soul shall be wronged anything; even if it be the weight of one grain of mustard-seed We shall produce it, and sufficient are We for reckoners.

We gave Moses and Aaron the Salvation and a Radiance, and a Remembrance for the godfearing

such as fear God in the Unseen, trembling because of the Hour.

And this is a blessed Remembrance that We have sent down; so are you now denying it?

We gave Abraham aforetime his rectitude -- for We knew him --

when he said to his father and his people, 'What are these statues unto which you are cleaving?'

They said, 'We found our fathers serving them.'

He said, 'Then assuredly you and your fathers have been in manifest error.'

They said, 'What, hast thou come to us with the truth, or art thou one of those that play?'

He said, 'Nay, but your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth who originated them, and I am one of those that bear witness thereunto.

And, by God, I shall assuredly outwit your idols, after you have gone away turning your backs.'

So he broke them into fragments, all but a great one they had, for haply they would return to it.

They said, 'Who has. done this with our gods? Surely he is one of the evildoers.'

They said, 'We heard a young man making mention of them, and he was called Abraham.'

They said, 'Bring him before the people's eyes; haply they shall bear witness.'

They said, 'So, art thou the man who did this unto our gods, Abraham?'

He said, 'No; it was this great one of them that did it. Question them; if they are able to speak!'

So they returned one to another, and they said, 'Surely it is you who are the evildoers.'

Then they were utterly put to confusion saying, 'Very well indeed thou knowest these do not speak.'

He said, 'What, and do you serve, apart from God, that which profits you nothing; neither hurts you?

Fie upon you and that you serve apart from God! Do you not understand?'

They said, 'Burn him, and help your gods, if you would do aught.'

We said, 'O fire, be coolness and safety for Abraham!'

They desired to outwit him; so We made them the worse losers,

and We delivered him, and Lot, unto the land that We had blessed for all beings.

And We gave him Isaac and Jacob in superfluity, and every one made We righteous

and appointed them to be leaders guiding by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, and to perform the prayer, and to pay the alms, and Us they served.

And Lot -- to him We gave judgment and knowledge; and we delivered him from the city that had been doing deeds of corruption; they were an evil people, truly ungodly;

and We admitted him into Our mercy; he was of the righteous.

And Noah -- when he called before, and We answered him, and delivered him and his people from the great distress,

and We helped him against the people who cried lies to Our signs; surely they were an evil people, so We drowned them all together.

And David and Solomon -- when they gave judgment concerning the tillage, when the sheep of the people strayed there, and We bore witness to their judgment;

and We made Solomon to understand it, and unto each gave We judgment and knowledge. And with David We subjected the mountains to give glory, and the birds, and We were doers.

And We taught him the fashioning of garments for you, to fortify you against your violence; then are you thankful?

And to Solomon the wind, strongly blowing, that ran at his command unto the land that We had blessed; and We had knowledge of everything;

and of the Satans some dived for him and did other work besides; and We were watching over them.

And Job -- when he called unto his Lord, 'Behold, affliction has visited me, and Thou art the most merciful of the merciful.'

So We answered him, and removed the affliction that was upon him, and We gave his people, and the like of them with them, mercy from Us, and a Reminder to those who serve.

And Ishmael, Idris, Dhul Kifl -- each was of the patient,

and We admitted them into Our mercy; they were of the righteous.

And Dhul Nun -- when he went forth enraged and thought that We would have no power over him; then he called out in the darkness, 'There is no god but Thou. Glory be to Thee! I have done evil.'

So We answered him, and delivered him out of grief; even so do, We deliver the believers.

And Zachariah -- when he called unto his Lord, 'O my Lord, leave me not solitary; though Thou art the best of inheritors.'

So We answered him, and bestowed on him John, and We set his wife right for him; truly they vied with one another, hastening to good works, and called upon Us out of yearning and awe; and they were humble to Us.

And she who guarded her virginity, so We breathed into her of Our spirit and appointed her and her son to be a sign unto all beings.

'Surely this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord; so serve Me.'

But they split up their affair between them; all shall return to Us.

And whosoever does deeds of righteousness, being a believer, no unthankfulness shall befall his endeavour; We Ourselves write it down for him.

There is a ban upon any city that We have destroyed; they shall not return

till, when Gog and Magog are unloosed, and they slide down out of every slope,

and nigh has drawn the true promise, and behold, the eyes of the unbelievers staring: 'Alas for us! We were heedless of this; 'nay, we were evildoers.'

'Surely you, and that you were serving apart from God, are fuel for Gehenna; you shall go down to it.'

If those had been gods, they would never have gone down to it; yet every one of them shall therein abide forever;'

there shall be sighing for them therein, and naught they shall hear.

But as for those unto whom already the reward most fair has gone forth from Us,

they shall be, kept far from it neither shall they hear any whisper of it, and they shall dwell forever in that their souls desired;

the greatest terror shall not grieve them, and the angels shall receive them: 'This is your day that you were promised.'

On the day when We shall roll up heaven as a scroll is rolled for the writings; as We originated the first creation, so We shall bring it back again -- a promise binding on Us; so We shall do.

For We have written in the Psalms, after the Remembrance, 'The earth shall be the inheritance of My righteous servants.'

Surely in this is a Message delivered unto a people who serve.

We have not sent thee, save as a mercy unto all beings.

Say: 'It is revealed unto me only that your God is One God; do you then surrender?'

Then, if they should turn their backs, say: 'I have proclaimed to you all equally, even though I know not whether near or far is that you are promised.'

Surely He knows what is spoken aloud and He knows what you hide.

I know not; haply it is a trial for you and an enjoyment for a time.

He said: 'My Lord, judge Thou with truth! And our Lord is the All-merciful; His succour is ever to be sought against that you describe.'