سورة Al-Anbiya ( The Prophets )

Mankind’s reckoning has drawn near to them, yet they are disregardful in [their] obliviousness.

There does not come to them any new reminder from their Lord but they listen to it as they play around,

their hearts set on diversions. The wrongdoers secretly whisper together, [saying], ‘Is this [man] not a human being like yourselves? Will you give in to magic with open eyes?’

He said, ‘My Lord knows every word [spoken] in the sky and on the earth, and He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.’

But they said, ‘[They are] muddled dreams!’ ‘Indeed, he has fabricated it!’ ‘Indeed, he is a poet!’ ‘Let him bring us a sign, like those sent to the former generations.’

No town that We destroyed before them believed. Will these then have faith [if they are sent signs]?

We did not send [any apostles] before you except as men to whom We revealed. Ask the People of the Reminder if you do not know.

We did not make them bodies that did not eat food, nor were they immortal.

Then We fulfilled Our promise to them, and We delivered them and whomever We wished, and We destroyed the transgressors.

Certainly We have sent down to you a Book in which there is an admonition for you. Do you not exercise your reason?

How many a town We have smashed that had been wrongdoing, and We brought forth another people after it.

So when they sighted Our punishment, behold, they ran away from it.

‘Do not run away! Return to the opulence you were given to enjoy and to your dwellings so that you may be questioned!’

They said, ‘Woe to us! We have indeed been wrongdoers!’

That remained their cry until We turned them into a mown field, stilled [like burnt ashes].

We did not create the sky and the earth and whatever is between them for play.

Had We desired to take up some diversion We would have taken it up with Ourselves, were We to do [so].

Indeed, We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it crushes its head, and behold, falsehood vanishes! And woe to you for what you allege [about Allah].

To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and those who are near Him do not disdain to worship Him, nor do they become weary.

They glorify [Him] night and day, and they do not flag.

Have they taken gods from the earth who raise [the dead]?

Had there been any gods in them other than Allah, they would surely have fallen apart. Clear is Allah, the Lord of the Throne, of what they allege [concerning Him].

He is not questioned concerning what He does, but they are questioned.

Have they taken gods besides Him? Say, ‘Produce your evidence! This is a precept of those who are with me, and a precept of those [who went] before me.’ But most of them do not know the truth, and so they are disregardful.

We did not send any apostle before you but that We revealed to him that ‘There is no god except Me; so worship Me.’

They say, ‘The All-beneficent has taken offsprings.’ Immaculate is He! Indeed, they are [His] honoured servants.

They do not venture to speak ahead of Him, and they act by His command.

He knows that which is before them and that which is behind them, and they do not intercede except for someone He approves of, and they are apprehensive for the fear of Him.

Should any of them say, ‘I am a god besides Him,’ We will requite him with hell. Thus do We requite the wrongdoers.

Have the faithless not regarded that the heavens and the earth were interwoven and We unravelled them, and We made every living thing out of water? Will they not then have faith?

We set firm mountains in the earth lest it should shake with them, and We made broad ways in them so that they may be guided [to their destinations].

We made the sky a preserved roof and yet they are disregardful of its signs.

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

We did not give immortality to any human before you. If you are fated to die, will they live on forever?

Every soul shall taste death, and We will test you with good and ill by way of test, and to Us you will be brought back.

Whenever the faithless see you they only take you in derision: ‘Is this the one who remembers your gods?’ while they remain defiant towards the remembrance of the All-beneficent.

Man is a creature of haste. Soon I will show you My signs. So do not ask Me to hasten.

And they say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, if you are truthful?’

If only the faithless knew about the time when they will not be able to keep the Fire off their faces and their backs, nor will they be helped!

Indeed, it will overtake them suddenly, dumbfounding them. So they will neither be able to avert it, nor will they be granted any respite.

Apostles were certainly derided before you; but those who ridiculed them were besieged by what they had been deriding.

Say, ‘Who can guard you, day and night, against [the punishment of] the All-beneficent [should He want to punish you]?’ Indeed, they are disregardful of their Lord’s remembrance.

Do they have gods besides Us to defend them? Neither can they help themselves, nor can they shield [the idolaters] from Us.

Indeed, We have provided for them and their fathers until they lived on for long years. Do they not see how We visit the land diminishing it at its edges? Are they the ones who will prevail?

Say, ‘I indeed warn you by the means of revelation.’ But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned.

Should a whiff of your Lord’s punishment touch them, they will surely say, ‘Woe to us! We have indeed been wrongdoers!’

We shall set up just scales on the Day of Resurrection, and no soul will be wronged in the least. Even if it be the weight of a mustard seed We shall produce it and We suffice as reckoners.

Certainly We gave Moses and Aaron the Criterion, a light and reminder for the Godwary

—those who fear their Lord in secret, and who are apprehensive of the Hour.

This [too] is a blessed reminder, which We have sent down. Will you then deny it?

Certainly We had given Abraham his probity before, and We knew him

when he said to his father and his people, ‘What are these images to which you keep on clinging?’

They said, ‘We found our fathers worshipping them.’

He said, ‘Certainly you and your fathers have been in manifest error.’

They said, ‘Are you telling the truth, or are you [just] kidding?’

He said, ‘Indeed, your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, who originated them, and I affirm that.

By Allah, I will devise a stratagem against your idols after you have gone away.’

So he broke them into pieces—all except the biggest of them—so that they might come back to it.

They said, ‘Whoever has done this to Our gods?! He is indeed a wrongdoer!’

They said, ‘We heard a young man mentioning them. He is called ‘‘Abraham.’’ ’

They said, ‘Bring him before the people’s eyes so that they may bear witness [against him].’

They said, ‘Was it you who did this to our gods, O Abraham?’

He said, ‘No, it was this biggest one of them who did it! Ask them, if they can speak.’

Thereat they came to themselves and said [to one another], ‘Indeed it is you who are the wrongdoers!’

Then they hung their heads. [However, they said,] ‘You certainly know that they cannot speak.’

He said, ‘Then, do you worship besides Allah that which cannot cause you any benefit or harm?

Fie on you and what you worship besides Allah! Do you not exercise your reason?’

They said, ‘Burn him, and help your gods, if you are to do anything!’

We said, ‘O fire! Be cool and safe for Abraham!’

They plotted to harm him, but We made them the biggest losers.

We delivered him and Lot toward the land, which We have blessed for all nations.

And We gave him Isaac, and Jacob as well for a grandson, and each of them We made righteous.

We made them imams, guiding by Our command, and We revealed to them [concerning] the performance of good deeds, the maintenance of prayers, and the giving of zakat, and they used to worship Us.

We gave judgement and knowledge to Lot, and We delivered him from the town which used to commit vicious acts. Indeed, they were an evil and depraved lot.

And We admitted him into Our mercy. Indeed, he was one of the righteous.

And before that Noah, when he called out, We responded to him and delivered him and his family from the great agony.

And We helped him against the people who denied Our signs. They were indeed an evil lot; so We drowned them all.

And [remember] David and Solomon when they gave judgement concerning the tillage when the sheep of some people strayed into it by night, and We were witness to their judgement.

We gave its understanding to Solomon, and to each We gave judgement and knowledge. We disposed the mountains and the birds to glorify [Us] with David, and We have been the doer [of these things].

We taught him the making of coats of mail for you, to protect you from your [own] violence. Will you then be grateful?

And [We disposed] for Solomon the tempestuous wind which blew by his command toward the land which We have blessed, and We have knowledge of all things.

Among the devils were some who dived for him and performed tasks other than that, and We were watchful over them.

And [remember] Job, when he called out to his Lord, ‘Indeed distress has befallen me, and You are the most merciful of the merciful.’

So We answered his prayer and removed his distress, and We gave him [back] his family along with others like them, as a mercy from Us and an admonition for the devout.

And [remember] Ishmael, Idris, and Dhul-Kifl—each of them was among the patient.

We admitted them into Our mercy. Indeed, they were among the righteous.

And [remember] the Man of the Fish, when he left in a rage, thinking that We would not put him to hardship. Then he cried out in the darkness, ‘There is no god except You! You are immaculate! I have indeed been among the wrongdoers!’

So We answered his prayer and delivered him from the agony; and thus do We deliver the faithful.

And [remember] Zechariah, when he cried out to his Lord, ‘My Lord! Do not leave me without an heir, and You are the best of inheritors.’

So We answered his prayer, and gave him John, and cured for him his wife [of infertility]. Indeed, they were active in [performing] good works, and they would supplicate Us with eagerness and awe and were humble before Us.

And [remember] her who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her Our spirit, and made her and her son a sign for all the nations.

Indeed this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord. So worship Me.

They have fragmented their religion among themselves, but everyone of them will return to Us.

Whoever is faithful and does righteous deeds, his endeavour shall not go unappreciated, and We will indeed record it for him.

It is forbidden for [the people of] any town that We have destroyed [to return to the world]: they shall not return,

until when Gog and Magog are let loose, and they race down from every slope,

and the true promise draws near [to its fulfillment], behold, the faithless will look on with a fixed gaze: ‘Woe to us! We have certainly been oblivious of this! Indeed, we have been wrongdoers!’

Indeed you and what [idols] you worship besides Allah shall be fuel for hell, and you will enter it.

Had they been gods, they would not have entered it, and they will all remain in it [forever].

Their lot therein will be groaning, and they will not hear anything in it.

Indeed those to whom there has gone beforehand [the promise of] the best reward from Us will be kept away from it.

They will not hear even its faint sound and they will remain [forever] in what their souls desire.

The Great Terror will not upset them, and the angels will receive them [saying]: ‘This is your day which you were promised.’

The day We shall roll up the heaven, like rolling of the scrolls [meant] for writings. We will bring it back just as We began the first creation—a promise [binding] on Us. [That] indeed We will do.

Certainly We wrote in the Psalms, after the Torah: ‘Indeed My righteous servants shall inherit the earth.’

There is indeed in this a proclamation for a devout people.

We did not send you but as a mercy to all the nations.

Say, ‘It has been revealed to me that your God is the One God. So will you submit?’

But if they turn away, say, ‘I have proclaimed to you all alike, and I do not know whether what you have been promised is far or near.

Indeed He knows whatever is spoken aloud, and He knows whatever you conceal.

I do not know—maybe it is a trial for you and an enjoyment for a while.’

He said, ‘My Lord! Judge [between us and the polytheists] with justice.’ ‘Our Lord is the All-beneficent; [He is our] resort against what you allege.’