By those ranged in ranks
and the drivers driving
and the reciters of a reminder
truly your God is One
Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and Lord of the easts
Truly We adorned the lowest heaven with an ornament, the stars
and a guard against every defiant satan
They listen not to the Highest Assembly, for they are repelled from every side
cast out, and theirs shall be a punishment everlasting
save one who snatches a fragment as a piercing flame pursues him
So ask them, are they more difficult to create, or those whom We created? Truly We created them from a viscous clay
Indeed, but thou dost marvel, while they scoff
And when they are reminded, they do not remember
And when they see a sign, they seek to scoff
and say, “This is naught but manifest sorcery
What! When we have died and are dust and bones are we to be resurrected
and our fathers of old?
Say, “Yes, and debased will you be.
Then there will be but a single cry. And they will then behold
They will say, “Oh, woe unto us! This is the Day of Judgment.
This is the Day of Division that you used to deny
Gather those who did wrong together with their spouses and that which they used to worship
apart from God, and guide them unto the path of Hellfire
And stop them. Surely they are to be questioned
“What ails you that you do not help one another?
Nay, but this Day they will surrender
And they will turn to one another, questioning each other
saying, “Truly you used to come to us from the right.
They reply, “Nay, but you were not believers
And we had no authority over you. Rather, you were a rebellious people
So the Word of our Lord has come due for us; truly we shall taste [it]
We caused you to err for truly we were errant.
Verily that Day they will share in the punishment
Thus do We deal with the guilty
Indeed, when it was said unto them, “There is no god but God,” they waxed arrogant
saying, “Are we to forsake our gods for a poet possessed?
Nay! He has come with the truth and confirmed the messengers
Truly you shall taste the painful punishment
And you shall not be requited, save for that which you used to do
Not so for God’s sincere servants
For them there shall be a known provision
fruits. And they will be honored
in Gardens of bliss
upon couches, facing one another
with a cup from a gushing spring brought round
white, delicious to those who drink thereof
No headiness lies therein; nor are they intoxicated by it
And theirs shall be maidens of modest gaze with lustrous eyes
as if they were hidden eggs
And they will turn to one another, questioning each other
One among them will say, “I had a companio
who would say, ‘Are you among those who confirm
What! When we have died and are dust and bones, are we to be requited?’
He will say, “Will you look?
So he will look and see him in the midst of Hellfire
He will say, “By God! You did well-nigh destroy me
and if not for the blessing of my Lord, I would have been among the arraigned
Are we then not to die
but our first death, and are we not to be punished
This indeed is the great triumph!
For the like of this, then, let the laborers labor
Is this a better welcome or the tree of Zaqqum
Truly We have made it a trial for the wrongdoers
Truly it is a tree that emerges in the depths of Hellfire
Its spathes are as the heads of satans
They will eat thereof and fill their bellies therewith
Then on top of it they will have a brew of a boiling liquid
Then their return shall be unto Hellfire
Truly they found their fathers astray
yet they hasten in their footsteps
And before them most of those of old had indeed gone astray
though We had indeed sent warners among them
So behold how those who were warned fared in the end
Not so for God’s sincere servants
And indeed Noah cried out to Us. How excellent are those who respond
We saved him and his people from great distress
and We made his progeny endure
and We left [a blessing] upon him among later generations
“Peace be upon Noah throughout the worlds.
Thus do We recompense the virtuous
Truly he was among Our believing servants
Then We drowned the others
And surely among his party was Abraham
when he came unto his Lord with a sound heart
when he said unto his father and his people, “What do you worship
Is it a perversion, gods apart from God, that you desire
What, then, think you of the Lord of the worlds?
Then he cast a glance at the star
and said, “Truly I am sick.
But they turned their backs on him
Then he went quietly to their gods and said, “Will you not eat
What ails you that you speak not?
Then he turned upon them, striking with his right hand
Then they came to him rushing
He said, “Do you worship that which you carve
while God created you and that which you make?
They said, “Erect a building for him and cast him into the fire.
They desired to scheme against him, so We made them the lowest
And he said, “Truly I am going unto my Lord. He will guide me
My Lord, give unto me from among the righteous.
So We gave him glad tidings of a gentle son
When he had become old enough to partake of his father’s endeavors, Abraham said, “O my son! I see while dreaming that I am to sacrifice you. So consider, what do you see?” He replied, “O my father! Do as you are commanded. You will find me, God willing, among those who are patient.
But when they had submitted and Abraham had laid him upon his forehead
We called unto him, “O Abraham
Thou hast been true to the vision.” Thus indeed do We recompense the virtuous
Truly this was the manifest trial
Then We ransomed him with a great sacrifice
And We left [a blessing] upon him among later generations
“Peace be upon Abraham.
Thus do We recompense the virtuous
Truly he was among Our believing servants
And We gave him glad tidings of Isaac, a prophet from among the righteous
And We blessed him and Isaac. And among their progeny are the virtuous and those who clearly wrong themselves
And We were gracious unto Moses and Aaron
We saved them and their people from great distres
and helped them, so that they were the victors
And We gave the two of them the Book that makes clear
and guided the two of them upon the straight path
And We left [a blessing] upon them among later generations
“Peace be upon Moses and Aaron.
Thus indeed do We recompense the virtuous
Truly they were among Our believing servants
And truly Elias was among the message bearer
when he said to his people, “Will you not reverence
Do you call upon Baal and leave the most beautiful of creators
God is your Lord and the Lord of your fathers of old.
But they denied him; so they are surely to be arraigned
Not so for God’s sincere servants
And We left [a blessing] upon him among later generations
“Peace be upon Elias.
Thus indeed do We recompense the virtuous
Truly he was among Our believing servants
And truly Lot was among the message bearers
Behold! We saved him and his family all together
save for an old woman who was among those who lagged behind
Then We destroyed the others
And truly you pass by them in the morning
and at night. Do you not understand
And truly Jonah was among the message bearers
Behold! He fled to the full-laden ship
and then cast lots and was among those rejected
Then the fish swallowed him, for he was blameworthy
And had he not been among those who glorify
he would have tarried in its belly till the Day they are resurrected
So We cast him, sick, upon the barren shore
And We caused a gourd tree to grow over him
Then We sent him unto a hundred thousand or more
And they believed; so We granted them enjoyment for a while
So ask them, does your Lord have daughters while they have sons
Or did We create the angels female, while they were witnesses
Behold! It is of their own perversion that they say
“God has begotten,” while truly they are liars
Has He chosen daughters over sons
What ails you? How do you judge
Do you not reflect
Or have you a manifest authority
Bring your Book, then, if you are truthful
They have made kinship between Him and the jinn—yet the jinn know that they will surely be arraigned
Glory be to God above that which they ascribe
Not so for God’s sincere servants
For truly neither you nor that which you worship
can tempt any against Him
save he who is to burn in Hellfire
There is none among us, but that he has a known station
And truly we are those who are ranged [in ranks]
Truly we are those who glorify
Indeed, they used to say
“If only we had a reminder from those of old
then we would indeed be God’s sincere servants.
But they disbelieved in it. So soon they will know
for indeed Our Word has already gone forth unto Our message bearer
that they will surely be helped
and that Our host will surely be victorious
So turn away from them for a time
and observe them; for they will soon observe
Do they seek to hasten Our Punishment
When it alights in their very midst, evil will be the morning of those who were warned
So turn away from them for a time
and observe; for they will soon observe
Glory be to thy Lord, the Lord of Might, above that which they ascribe
Peace be upon the message bearers
And praise be to God, Lord of the worlds