English - Chapter 37 - As-Saffat

By those drawn up in ranks

and by the warners crying warning

and by the reciters of the Reminder

your God is One

Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything between them; Lord of the Easts

We have adorned the lowest heaven with the beauty of the planets

and guarded it against every defiant shaytan

They cannot eavesdrop on the Highest Assembly and they are stoned from every side

repelled with harshness — they will suffer eternal punishment —

except for him who snatches a snippet and then is pursued by a piercing flame

Ask them for a fatwa: is it they who are stronger in structure or other things We have created? We created them from sticky clay

No wonder you are surprised as they laugh with scorn

When they are reminded they do not pay heed

When they see a Sign they only laugh with scorn

They say, ´This is just downright magic

When we are dead and turned to dust and bones will we then be raised up again alive

And our earlier ancestors as well?´

Say: ´Yes, and you will be in a despicable state.´

There will be but one Great Blast and then their eyes will open

They will say, ´Alas for us! This is the Day of Reckoning!´

This is the Day of Decision you used to deny

besides Allah, and guide them to the Path of the Blazing Fire

And call them to a halt. They will be asked

´Why are you not helping one another?´

No, today they come in absolute submission

They will confront each other, questioning one another

One group will say, ´You used to come at us from a position of power.´

The others will say, ´The truth is that you were not muminun

We had no authority over you. Rather you were unbridled people

Our Lord´s Word has been carried out against us, that we would taste it

We misled you and we were ourselves misled.´

On that Day they will be partners in the punishment

That is how We deal with evildoers

When they were told, ´There is no god but Allah,´ they were arrogant

They said, ´Are we to forsake our gods for a mad poet?´

Rather he has brought the truth and confirmed the Messengers

You will definitely taste the painful punishment

and you will only be repaid for what you did —

except for Allah´s chosen slaves

They will have preordained provision

sweet fruits and high honour

in Gardens of Delight

on couches face to face

a cup from a flowing spring passing round among them

as white as driven snow, delicious to those who drink

which has no headache in it and does not leave them stupefied

There will be dark-eyed maidens with them, with eyes reserved for them alone

just like closely guarded pearls

They will confront each other, questioning one another

One of them will say, ´I used to have a friend

who would say to me, "Are you one of those who say that it is true

that when we have died and are turned to dust and bones, we will face a Reckoning?"´

He will say, ´Are you looking down?´

So he will look down and see him in the midst of the Blazing Fire

and say, ´By Allah, you almost ruined me

If it were not for the blessing of my Lord, I would have been among those arraigned

Are we not going to die

except for our first death? Are we not going to be punished

Truly this is the Great Victory

It is for the like of this that all workers should work!´

Is that better by way of hospitality or the tree of Zaqqum

which We have made to be an ordeal for the wrongdoers

It is a tree that emerges in the depths of the Blazing Fire

Its fruits are just like the heads of shaytans

They will eat from it and fill their bellies with it

Then they will have a boiling brew to drink on top of it

Then their destination will be the Blazing Fire

They found their fathers misguided

and they are following hard upon their heels

Most of the earlier peoples went astray before them

though We sent warners to them

See the final fate of those who were warned —

except for Allah´s chosen slaves

Nuh called out to Us and what an excellent Responder We are

We rescued him and his family from the terrible plight

and made his descendants the survivors

and We left the later people to say of him

´Peace be upon Nuh among all beings!´

That is how we recompense the good-doers

He truly was one of Our slaves who are muminun

Then We drowned the rest

One of his followers in iman was Ibrahim

when he came to his Lord with an unblemished heart

and said to his father and his people, ´What are you worshipping

Is it falsehood — gods besides Allah — that you desire

So what are your thoughts about the Lord of all the worlds?´

He took a look at the stars

and said, ´I am sick.´

So they turned their backs on him

He turned surreptitiously to their gods and said, ´Do you not eat

What is the matter with you that you do not speak?´

He turned on them, striking out with his right hand

They came rushing back to him

He said, ´Do you worship something you have carved

when Allah created both you and what you do?´

They said, ´Build a pyre for him and fling him into the blaze!´

They tried to outwit him but We made them the lowest

He said, ´I am going towards my Lord; He will be my guide

My Lord, bestow on me a right-acting child!´

And We gave him the good news of a forbearing boy

When he was of an age to work with him, he said, ´My son, I saw in a dream that I must sacrifice you. What do you think about this?´ He said, ´Do as you are ordered, father. Allah willing, you will find me resolute.´

Then when they had both submitted and he had lain him face down on the ground

We called out to him, ´Ibrahim

you have discharged your vision.´ That is how We recompense good-doers

This was indeed a most manifest trial

We ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice

and left the later people saying of him

´Peace be upon Ibrahim.´

That is how We recompense good-doers

He truly was one of Our mumin slaves

We gave him the good news of Ishaq, a Prophet, one of the righteous

We showered blessings upon him and upon Ishaq. Among their descendants are good-doers and also people who clearly wrong themselves

We showed great kindness to Musa and Harun

We rescued them and their people from their terrible plight

We supported them and so they were the victors

We gave them the clarifying Book

and guided them on the Straight Path

and left the later people saying of them

´Peace be upon Musa and Harun!´

That is how We recompense good-doers

They truly were among Our slaves who are muminun

Ilyas was one of the Messengers

When he said to his people, ´Will you not have taqwa

Do you call on Baal and abandon the Best of Creators

Allah is your Lord and Lord of your forefathers, the previous peoples,´

they denied him and so they will be among those arraigned —

except for Allah´s chosen slaves

We left the later people saying of him

´Peace be upon the family of Yasin!´

That is how We recompense good-doers

He truly was one of Our slaves who are muminun

And Lut was one of the Messengers

When We rescued him and all his family —

except an old woman among those who stayed behind

Then We utterly destroyed the rest

And you pass by them in the daytime and at night

So will you not use your intellect

Yunus too was one of the Messengers

When he ran away to the fully laden ship

and cast lots and lost

Then the fish devoured him and he was to blame

Had it not been that he was a man who glorified Allah

he would have remained inside its belly until the Day they are raised again

So We cast him up onto the beach and he was sick

and We caused a gourd tree to grow over him

We sent him to a hundred thousand or even more

They had iman and so We gave them enjoyment for a time

Ask them for a fatwa: does your Lord have daughters while they themselves have sons

Or did We create the angels female, with them as witnesses

No indeed, it is one of their blatant lies to say

´Allah has given birth´. They are truly liars

Has He chosen daughters over sons

What is the matter with you? How do you reach your judgement

Will you not pay heed

Or do you have some clear authority

Bring your Book, then, if you are telling the truth

They claim there is a blood-tie between Him and the jinn but the jinn know very well that they will be arraigned

Glory be to Allah above what they describe —

except for Allah´s chosen slaves

You and those you worship

you will entice no one to them

except for him who is to roast in the Blazing Fire

´There is not one of us who does not have a known station

We are those drawn up in ranks

We are those who glorify.´

They used to say

´If we had only had a Reminder from the previous peoples

we would certainly have been sincere slaves of Allah!´

But they have rejected it and they will soon know

Our Word was given before to Our slaves, the Messengers

that they would certainly be helped

It is Our army which will be victorious

Therefore turn from them for a time

And watch them, for they will soon see

Are they trying to hasten Our punishment

When it descends in their courtyard — how evil will be the morning of those who were warned

Therefore turn from them for a time

And watch, for they will soon see

Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Might, beyond anything they describe

And peace be upon the Messengers

And praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds