Those drawn up in Ranks

He said: worship ye that which carve.

Whereas Allah hath created you and that which ye make?

What aileth you? How judge ye?

Will ye not then be admonished?

Or, is there for you a clear warranty

Then he slipped Unto them striking them with the right hand.

Then they advanced toward him, hastening.

By the angels ranged in ranks.

By the angels driving away.

By the angels reciting the praise.

Verily your God is One.

Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is in- between the twain, and Lord of the easts.

Verily We! We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment: the stars.

And have placed therein a guard against any Satan froward.

They cannot listen to the exalted assembly, and they are darted at from every side.

With a driving fusillade, and theirs shall be a torment perpetual;

Except him who snatcheth away a word by stealth, and him then pursueth a glowing flame.

Ask them thou: are they stronger in structure or those others whom We have created? Verily We! We have created them of a sticky clay.

Aye! thou marvellest, and they scoff.

And when they are admonished, they receive not admcnition.

And when they behold a sign, they turn to scoffing.

And they say: this Qur'an is naught but magic manifest.

When we have become dead and have become dust and bones, shall we then verily be raised?

And also our forefathers?

Say thou: and verily ye; shall then be despicable.

It shall be but one shout, lo! they shall be staring.

And they will say: Ah! woe be Unto us! this is the Day of Requital.

This is the Day of Judgment which ye were wont to belie.

Gather together those who did wrong and their comrades and that which they were wont to worship

Beside Allah, and lead them on to the path of the Flaming Fire.

And stop them; verily they are to be questioned:

What aileth you that ye succour not one another?

Nay! on that Day they will be entirely submissive.

And they will advance toward each other mutually questioning.

They will say: verily ye! ye were wont to come Unto us Imposing.

They will say: nay! ye yourselves were not believers.

And we had over you no authority, but ye were a people exorbitant.

So on us hath been justified the sentence of our Lord: verily we are to taste.

We seduced you astray; verily we were ourselves the seduced ones.

So verily on that Day they all in the torment will be sharers.

Verily We! in this wise We deal with the culprits.

Verily when it was said Unto them: there is no god but Allah, they ever grew stiff-necked.

And they said: are we going to abandon our gods on account of a Poet distracted?

Aye! he hath come with the truth, and he confesseth to the sent ones.

Verily ye are going to taste a torment afflictive.

And ye shall be required not except for that which ye have been doing;

But the bondmen of Allah, the sincere ones -

Those! theirs shall be a provision known:

Fruits! And they shall be honoured.

In Gardens of Delight.

On couches, facing one another.

Round shall be passed a cup Unto them filled with limpid drink:

White, a pleasure Unto the drinkers.

No headiness there shall be therein, nor shall they be therewith Inebriated.

And with them shall be damsels of refraining looks, large- eyed

As though they were eggs hidden.

Then they will advance Unto each other, mutually questioning.

And a speaker from among them will say: verily there was Unto me a mate.

Who said: art thou of those who confess to the doctrine of Resurrection:

When we are dead and have become dust and bones, are we indeed going to be requited?

Allah will say: will ye look down?

Then he will look down and see him in the midst of the Flaming Fire.

And he will say: by Allah, thou hadst wellnigh causedest me to perish.

And but for the favourcf my lord, I should have been of those brought forward.

Are we not then to die

Save our first death, and are we not to be tormented?

Verily this! that is the supreme achievement.

For the like of this, then, let the workers work.

Is this better as an entertainment or the tree of Zaqqum?

Verily We! We have made it a temptation for the wrong- doers.

Verily it is a tree that springeth forth in the bottom of Flaming Fire.

The fruit thereof is as though the hoods of the serpents.

And verily they must eat thereof and fill their bellies therewith.

And thereafter verily they shall have thereon a draught of balling water.

And thereafter verily their return is Unto the Flaming Fire.

Verily they found their fathers gone astray.

So they in their footsteps are rushing.

And assuredly there went stray before them many of the ancients.

And assuredly We sent among them warners.

So behold what wise hath been the end of those who were warned.

Save the bondmen of Allah sincere.

And assuredly Nuh cried Unto us; and We are the Best of answerers!

And We delivered him and his people from the great affliction.

And his offspring! them We made the survivors.

And We left for him among the posterity.

Peace be on Nuh among the worlds.

Verily We! thus We recompense the well-doers.

Verily he was of Our bondmen believing.

Then We drowned the others.

And verily of his sect was Ibrahim.

Recall what time he came Unto his lord with a heart whole.

Recall what time he said Unto his father and his people: What is it that ye worship?

Is it a falsehood-god beside Allah - that ye desire?

what, then, is your opinion of the Lord of the worlds?

Then he glanced a glance on the stars.

And he said: verily I am about to be sick.

So they departed from him turning their backs.

Then he slipped Unto their gods and said: eat ye not

What aileth ye that ye speak not?

They said. build for him a building and cast him into the flaming fire.

And they devised a plot for him, but We made them the humble.

And he said: verily I am going to my Lord who will guide me.

My Lord! Bestow on me a son who will be of the righteous.

Wherefore We gave him the glad tidings of a boy gentle.

And when he attained the age of, running with him, he said: O my son! verily I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering thee; so look, what considerest thou? He said: O my father! do that which thou art commanded; thou shalt find me, Allah willing, of the patients.

Then when the twain had submitted themselves and he had prostrated him upon his temple.

We cried Unto him: O Ibrahim

Of a surety thou hast fulfilled the vision. Verily We! thus We recompense the well-doers.

Verily that! that was a trial manifest.

And We ransomed him with a mighty victim.

And We left for him among the posterity:

Peace be Unto Ibrahim:

Verily We! thus We compense the well-doers.

Verily he was one of Our believing bondmen.

And We gave him the glad tidings of Is-haq, a prophet, and of the righteous.

And We blessed him and Is-haq; and of their offspring are some well-doers and some who wrong themselves manifestly.

And assuredly We gave grace Unto Musa and Harun.

And delivered them and their people from the great affliction.

And We succoured them so that they became overcomers.

And We vouchsafed Unto the twain a Book luminous.

And We led the twain on Unto the straight path.

And We left for the twain among the posterity:

Peace be Unto Musa and Harun.

Verily We! thus We recompense the well-doers.

Verily the twain were of Our bondmen believing.

And verily, llyas was one of the sent ones.

Recall what time he said Unto his people: fear ye not?

Call ye upon Bal and forsake the Best of creators.

Allah, your Lord and Lord of your forefathers?

Then they belied him, so verily they are to be brought up.

Except the bondmen of Allah sincere.

And We left for him among the posterity:

Peace be Unto Elyasin.

Verily We! thus We recompense the well-doers.

Verily he was one of Our bondmen believing.

And verily Lut was of the sent ones.

Recall what time We delivered him and his household, all.

Save an old woman among the lingerers.

Then We annihilated the others.

And surely ye pass by them in the morning.

And at night. Will ye not therefore reflect?

And verily Yunus was Of the sent ones.

Recall what time he ran away Unto a laden ship.

Then he joined the lots, and was of the condemned.

And a fish swallowed him, and he was reproaching himself.

And had he not been of those who hallow Him,

He would have tarried in the belly thereof till the Day when they are raised.

Then We cast him on a bare desert whilst he was sick.

And We caused to grow over him a tree, a gourd.

And We had sent him to a hundred thousand: rather they exceeded.

And they believed, whrefore We let them enjoy life for a season.

Now ask thou them: there for thy Lord daughters and for them sons?

Or created We the angels females while they were witnesses?

Lo! verily it is of their falsehood that they say:

God hath begotten. Verily they are the liars.

Hath He chosen daughters above sons?

Then bring your book, if ye say sooth.

And they have made a kinship between Him and the jinn a kinship whereas the jinn assuredly know that they are to be brought up

Hallowed be Allah from that which they ascribe to Him.

Except the bondmen of Allah sincere.

Wherefore verily neither ye nor that which ye worship,

Can tempt anyone to rebel against Him.

Save him Who is to roast in the Flaming Fire.

Of us there is none but hath a station assigned.

And verily we! we are ranged in ranks.

And verily we! we halloW.

And they surely were wont to say:

Had we but an admonition as had the ancients.

Surefy we would have been the bondmen of God sincere.

Yet they disbelieve therein. Presently they shall come to know.

And assuredly Our word hath already gone forth Our bondmen, the sent ones:

That verily they! they shall be made triumphant.

And verily Our host! they are to be overcome.

So turn thou aside from them for a season.

And see them thou; they themselves shall presently see.

Our torment seek they to hasten on!

Then when it descendeth Unto them face to, face, a hapless morn that shall be for those who were Warned.

And turn thou aside from them for a season.

And see thou: they themselves shall presently see.

Hallowed be thine Lord, the Lord of Majesty, from that which they ascribe!

And peace be Unto the sent ones.

And all praise Unto Allah the Lord of the worlds.