سورة Az-Zukhruf ( The Gold Adornment )

Ha Mim

By the Clear Book,

behold, We have made it an Arabic Koran; haply you will understand;

and behold, it is in the Essence of the Book, with Us; sublime indeed, wise.

Shall We turn away the Remembrance from you, for that you are a prodigal people?

How many a Prophet We sent among the ancients,

but not a Prophet came to them, without they mocked at him;

so We destroyed men stronger in valour than they, and the example of the ancients passed away.

If thou askest them, 'Who created the heavens and earth?' they will say, 'The All-mighty, the All-knowing created them.'

He who appointed the earth to be a cradle for you, and appointed ways for you therein, that haply you may be guided;

and who sent down out of heaven water in measure; and We revived thereby a land that was dead; even so you shall be brought forth;

and who created the pairs, all of them, and appointed for you ships and cattle such as you ride,

that you may be seated on their backs and then remember your Lord's blessing when you are seated on them, and say, 'Glory be to Him, who has subjected this to us, and we ourselves were not equal to it;

surely unto our Lord we are turning.'

Yet they have assigned to Him a part of His own servants! Man is dearly unthankful.

Or has He taken to Himself, from that He creates, daughters, and favoured you with sons?

And when any of them is given the good tidings of that he has likened to the All-merciful, his face is darkened, and he chokes inwardly.

What, one who is reared amid ornaments and, when the time of altercation comes, is not to be seen?

And they have made the angels, who are themselves servants of the All-merciful, females. What, did they witness their creation? Their witness shall be written down, and they shall be questioned.

They say, 'Had the All-merciful so willed, we would not have served them.' They have no knowledge of that; they are only conjecturing.

Or did We bring them a Book aforetime to which they hold?

Nay, but they say, 'We found our fathers upon a community, and we are guided upon their traces.'

Even so We sent never before thee any warner into any city, except that its men who lived at ease said, 'We indeed found our fathers upon a community, and we are following upon their traces.'

Say: 'What, though I should bring you a better guidance than you found your fathers upon?' They say, 'We disbelieve in that you were sent with.'

So We took vengeance upon them; and behold how was the end of them that cried lies.

And when Abraham said to his father and his people, 'Surely I am quit of that you serve,

except Him who originated me; and He will guide me.

And he made it a word enduring among his posterity; haply so they would return.

Nay, but I gave these and their fathers enjoyment of days, until the truth came unto them, and a manifest Messenger.

And when the truth came to them, they said, 'This is a sorcery, and in it we are unbelievers.'

They say, 'Why was this Koran not sent down upon some man of moment in the two cities?'

What, is it they who divide the mercy of the Lord? We have divided between them their livelihood in the present life, and raised some of them above others in rank, that some of them may take others in servitude; and the mercy of thy Lord is better than that they amass.

And were it not that mankind would be one nation, We would have appointed for those who disbelieve in the All-merciful roofs of silver to their houses, and stairs whereon to mount,

and doors to their houses, and couches whereon to recline,

and ornaments; surely all this is but the enjoyment of the present life, and the world to come with thy Lord is for the godfearing.

Whoso blinds himself to the Remembrance of the All-merciful, to him We assign a Satan for comrade;

and they bar them from the way, and they think they are guided,

till, when he comes to Us, he says, 'Would there had been between me and thee the distance of the two Easts!' An evil comrade!

It shall not profit you today, since you did evil, that you are partners in the chastisement.

What, shalt thou make the deaf to hear, or shalt thou guide the blind and him who is in manifest error?

Whether We take thee away, We shall take vengeance upon them,

or We show thee a part of that We promised them, surely We have power over them.

So hold thou fast unto that which has been revealed unto thee; surely thou art upon a straight path.

Surely it is a Reminder to thee and to thy people; and assuredly you will be questioned.

Ask those of Our Messengers We sent before thee: Have We appointed, apart from the All-merciful, gods to be served?

We also sent Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his Council, and he said, 'Surely, I am the Messenger of the Lord of all Being.'

But when he brought them Our signs, lo, they laughed at them.

And not a sign We showed them, but it was greater than its sister sign; and We seized them with chastisement, that haply they should return.

And they said, 'Sorcerer, pray to thy Lord for us by the covenant He has made with thee, and surely we shall be right-guided.'

But when We removed from them the chastisement, behold, they broke their troth.

And Pharaoh proclaimed among his people: 'O my people, do I not possess the kingdom of Egypt, and these rivers flowing beneath me? What, do you not see?

Or am I better than this man, who is contemptible and scarcely makes things clear?

Why then have bracelets of gold not been cast on him, or angels not come with him conjoined?'

So he made his people unsteady, and they obeyed him; surely they were an ungodly people.

So, when they had angered Us, We took vengeance on them, and We drowned them all together;

and We made them a thing past, and We appointed them for an example to later folk.

And when the son of Mary is cited as an example, behold, thy people turn away from it

and say, 'What, are our gods better, or he?' They cite not him to thee, save to dispute;. nay, but they are a people contentious.

He is only a servant We blessed, and We made him to be an example to the Children of Israel.

Had We willed, We would have appointed angels among you to be successors in the earth.

It is knowledge of the Hour; doubt not concerning it, and follow me. This is a straight path.

Let not Satan bar you; he is for you a manifest foe.

And when Jesus came with the clear signs he said, 'I have come to you with wisdom, and that I may make clear to you some of that whereon you are at variance; so fear you God and obey you me.

Assuredly God is my Lord and your Lord; therefore serve Him; this is a straight path.'

But the parties among them fell into variance; so woe unto those who did evil, because of the chastisement of a painful day.

Are they looking for aught but the Hour, that it shall come upon them suddenly, when they are not aware?

Friends on that day shall be foes to one another, but the god-fearing.

'O My servants, today no fear is on you, neither do you sorrow' --

even those who believed in Our signs, and had surrendered themselves

'Enter Paradise, you and your wives, walking with joy!'

There shall be passed around them platters of gold, and cups, therein being whatever the souls desire, and the eyes delight in. 'And therein, you shall dwell forever.

This is the Paradise that you have been given for an inheritance for the things that you were doing.

Therein you have abundant fruits, whereof you may eat.'

But the evildoers dwell forever in the chastisement of Gehenna

that is not abated for them and therein they are sore confounded.

We never wronged them, but they themselves did the wrong.

And they shall call, 'O

'We brought you the truth, but most of you were averse to the truth.'

Or have they contrived some matter? We too are contriving.

Or do they think We hear not their secret and what they conspire together? Yes indeed, and Our messengers are present with them writing it down.

Say: 'If the All-merciful has a son, then I am the first to serve him.

Glory be to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne, above that they describe.'

Then leave them alone to plunge and play, until they encounter that day of theirs which they are promised.

And it is He who in heaven is God and in earth is God; He is the All-wise, the All-knowing.

Glory be to Him, to whom belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that between them is; with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, and to Him you shall be returned.

Those they call upon, apart from Him, have no power of intercession, save such as have testified to the truth, and that knowingly.

If thou askest them, 'Who created you?' they will say, 'God.' How then are they perverted?

And for his saying, 'My Lord, surely these are a people who believe not' --

yet pardon them, and say, 'Peace!' Soon they will know.