English - Chapter 27

(Ta) S. (Seen) the Surah opens with these, introductory letters from the Arabic Alphabet to draw attention to the miracle of the Quran which though written in the people's tongue, cannot be emulated. These are the divinely discoursed verses flowing with the precision and grace symbolic of the Quran, which is the spirit of truth guiding into all truth

It is a guide leading and directing mankind in their course of action, way of life and in the manner of conducting themselves and their affairs besides being joyful tidings to those whose hearts have been impressed with the image of religious and spiritual virtues

Who engage in the act of worship and give alms -for alms are but the vehicles of prayer- and look at the Hereafter as the most undoubted event

As to those who deny the Hereafter and refuse to admit the truth of Resurrection, they have lost the intuitive recognition and perception of the truth. Acting upon their struggle in defiance of the truth, We have allured them to a brighter present and a happier destiny so that their minds be thrown into confusion and lose sight of the truth until they commit themselves to loss in the maze of error

These are they who are destined to the torment laid upon the damned. They are the biggest losers-whose crime has lost them all hope of forgiveness

And you -Muhammad, the chosen recipient- do receive the Quran, sent down to you, from its prime Source, The Originator of all knowledge, Who is Hakimun (the Source of wisdom and wise mysterious dispensation,) and 'Alimun (the Omniscient)

Mussa said to his family: I have just seen a fire, you stay here, I might be able to fetch you some information relative to the direction we pursue or fetch you a brand from the burning wood to kindle a fire to warm you up

And when he reached the destined spot, he was called to and was told: "Blessed be those who are in the fire and those around, and extolled are the glorious attributes of Allah, The Creator of the worlds, the visible and the invisible, past, present and those to come

O Mussa," the voice continued, "I am Allah and it is only I, AL-Aziz (the Almighty), AL-Hakim (the Source of wisdom and wise mysterious dispensations)

Drop your staff". He said to Mussa. And when Mussa saw it moving as though it were a serpent personified, he withdrew in the face of danger and did not return. But he was told: "O Mussa do not be afraid and cast out of your mind the emotion of fear, for My Messengers fear naught in My immediate presence

Except him who has deviated from equity, justice and goodness. but, he exchanged; thereafter the evil for what is good shall he and such persons find that I am indeed AL-Gafur (the forgiving) and AL-Rahim

And, Allah added, "put your hand into your bosom it shall come out transfigured in a radiance of white divine light unharmed and all sound, one of nine divine signs you shall present to Pharaoh and his people who have confirmed themselves in the horrid purpose and the ill intention

And when Our divine convincing signs were presented to them they blinded their minds' eyes and labeled them as magic with over-mastering influence

Unjustly and with inordinate self-esteem, they refused to accept these signs- as emblematic of Allah's Omnipotence and Authority, notwithstanding that they had a sense perception of the truth in their innermost beings And you can see how fatal was the consequence which united all those characterized with playful malice

And We bestowed on Dawud (David) and Sulayman (Solomon) divine knowledge for which they were grateful and they expressed their gratitude in words, thus: "Our bosoms", they said, "surge forth answering thanks to Allah Who has privileged us with what is beyond the common advantages of others of His votaries whose hearts reflect the image of religious and spiritual virtues

And then did Sulayman inherit Dawud's kingdom, spiritual insight and the prophetic office -attributes do not usually go from father to son- and there did he address his people, thus: "O you people" he said, "we have been gracefully taught the language of the birds and we have been granted -by Allah- something of everything, and this is indeed His efficacious grace effecting the end for which it is given

And to Sulayman were thronged his forces embodying arrays of the Jinn, the men and the birds marshaled in proper order

And when they reached the valley of the ants -where ants formed a great number of communities or colonies- one ant said to the rest: O you ants go back to your dwellings so that Sulayman and his hosts do not crush you unawares

And there did Sulayman's countenance turn expressive of pleasure and amusement and he laughed at what he thought was indeed incredible and at once he prayed: "O Allah, my Creator", I pray and beseech You to actuate me with the feeling of gratitude and gratefulness for Your grace and blessing and Your beneficent gift you bestowed on me and my parents Help me impress my deeds with wisdom and piety to Your satisfaction, and in mercy to me, admit me O Allah, my Creator, into the realm of those of Your votaries in whose hearts reigns piety

And he inspected the birds and took a muster of them, only to find one missing, he said: "Why do I not see the hoopoe or has he been among the absentees!" (A bird of the family upupidae especially the typical upupa epops, conspicuous by its variegated plumage and large erectile crest)

I will punish him severely", he said, "or I will slaughter him unless he gives me a convincing excuse

And there and not far came forth -the hoopoe- into view and said : "I have learned something you have no knowledge of and I have brought you some objectively certain news from the kingdom of Saba

I have found, "the hoopoe continued, "that a woman reigns over them and all grace abounds in her and she has a great throne

I found," he said, "that she and her subjects pay reverence and veneration to the sun in lieu of Allah and they display that by appropriate acts and rites. And AL-Shaytan (Satan) has allured them to a brighter present and a happier destiny as a logical result or sequence to their doings and He blinded their eyes to the path of righteousness and led them by the nose to their loss in the maze of error

They do not worship Allah Who brings to light what is hidden in the heavens and the earth and knows all that people conceal and all that they reveal

Allah, there is no Ilah but He the Absolute Sovereign of the Supreme Throne of dominion and authority, of grace and mercy

And there Sulayman said: "We will see whether you have stated the truth or you are one of those speaking falsely or conveying a false impression

Take this message of mine", Sulayman said, "and drop it in the palace then wait to see what kind of response they shall give

She -the Queen- said to her counselors: "O you counselors, I have just received an honourable letter which has been dropped into my quarters

It is from Sulayman," she said, "and it reads, quote: "In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman, and AL-Rahim

Do not let your pride get the better of your prudence and I expect you to come to me with low submissive reverence for Allah Who exacts reverence and obedience from every Created being

Her anxiety prompted her to consult with her counselors. She said: "O you counselors, I seek counsel from you in this matter. I never decided upon a course of action before presenting it to you for an opinion

They said: "we are people who face danger with boldness, firmness and courage and we exercise powerful and vehement opposition, but it rests in you to decide this matter

The problem is" she said, "that when kings make –hostile- entry into a country to take possession of the land they plunder it and they humble its superiors and render them inferior, and this is what they usually do

I have resolved" she said, "to send them a present and wait to see what kind of response will the envoys bring back

And when the envoys presented Sulayman with the present he said: "Do you provide me with wealth!" "What Allah has conferred on me of His grace that abounds in me far excels all that He has bestowed on you. In fact, it is you - people- who would rejoice with such a gift beyond a common joy". It is evident, said Sulayman, that they rejoice at worldly gains whereas We rejoice at inviting to the path of Allah, for which cause we are ready to fight

Go back to them. We will confront them with such forces as they can never withstand and oust them from thence and drive them away humbled and humiliated

Then he said to the leaders of his assemblage -of the men and the Jinn-: "Who among you can fetch me her throne before they come to me with low submissive reverence for Allah

I can fetch it right here" said a very strong Jinn, "before you assume the standing position and I am powerful enough to be trusted for such an undertaking

But said he who was imbued with spiritual Knowledge of the Scriptures and with some limitless spiritual power conferred on him by Allah. "I will fetch it to you before the time taken in twinkling your eye*" And when he -Sulayman- found -the throne- set right there he prayed: "This is indeed an instance of the grace of Allah conferred on me to test my inclination whether I will propound gratitude or ingratitude. And he who is actuated with the feeling of gratitude and gratefulness, he but serves his own interest and he who sets himself in defiance of Allah must realize that Allah is Ghaniyun (Independent, Absolute, Self-sufficient) and Karimun (Beneficent)

Sulayman then said to his assemblage: "Disguise her throne to see whether she will be able to recognize it or she will be one of those who lack insight and do not discern the truth

And when she arrived -and was welcomed by Sulayman- she was asked: "Does your throne look like this!" "It certainly looks," she said, "as if it were it" "And with Allah's mercy and grace", said Sulayman to his retinue, "we were given the divine knowledge which is the spirit of truth guiding us into all truth long before her and by consequence we conformed to Allah's system of faith and worship, we conformed to Islam

What dissuaded her against paying reverence and veneration for Allah and induced her to revere other objects -such as the sun- instead, was intimately connected with her birthright; she was born and reared in an atmosphere of paganism

As the honoured guest of Sulayman she was invited to enter the palace and as she did she thought the brilliant floor was a lake and she drew up the hem of her clothes, but there she was told that that was not water but a floor paved with slabs of glass. There and then she paused and declared: O Allah my Creator, she said, "I have wronged my own soul and here and as of now I exercise with Sulayman low submissive reverence in Islam for Allah the Creator, of the worlds

And We sent to Thamud -the Thamudites- their brother Saleh to exhort them to pay low submissive reverence for Allah but they were divided among themselves into two parties occasioning disputes against each other leading to hostile feeling and action

He -Saleh- said to them -to those who disbelieved him and challenged his warnings-: "O my people, Why do you defiantly wish evil be hastened on rather than good! If only you invoke Allah's forgiveness He might hopefully extend His mercy to you

But they wickedly said: "We esteem you and those with you as birds of evil omen presaging some direful events." "Indeed," he said, "events portending good or evil and all that is destined to happen rest at the hands of Allah; the fact is that you are people put to the test

Among the leaders in Saleh’s town were nine men whose wickedness exceeded all limits and reached an irreversible degree, they flourished at spreading mischief in the land and at creating discord

They mutually agreed and resolved under oath (their kind of oath) to launch an attack upon him -Saleh- and his people by night to finish them off and rid the town of them and then declare their innocence to his next of kin and insist on their statement, thus: "We", they would say, "were never present at the scene of the massacre of his people and this is the truth

And with cleverness in circumventing, they had recourse to stratagem and in Our plan We also had recourse to stratagem which they failed to perceive

And now look at the fatal consequences of their cunning. We simply reduced them together with their people to a useless form

And you can see how their dwellings stand dilapidated over hills of ruin as a sequel to their iniquities. This is emblematic indeed of Allah's Omnipotence and Authority and a significant sign appreciated by people who comprehend

And We saved those of his people whose hearts reflected the image of religious and spiritual virtues and entertained the profound reverence dutiful to Allah

And in a similar manner did We deal with the people of Lut who said to them: "O my people, do you commit such an immorality as is contrary to the general inherent character and moral constitution when you discern what is moral from that which is morally evil

Certainly" he continued, "you have sensuous desire for men in lieu of women; you are a people who are indeed ignorant and indeed impudent, a people who have no shame of their sins

And what was the response of his people other than to say: "Oust them -Lut and his family and those who fell in line- of your town and drive them away. They are averse to our disposition and wish to cleanse themselves of what they imagine to be moral defilement

And We saved him and his family but not his wife whom We decided was among those destined to be left behind

We poured down upon them a direful rain –of fire and brimstone- how evil and devastating was the rain on the heads of those who defiantly ignored Allah's warning

Declare O Muhammad, the praise of Allah and make a return to Him in evidence of obligation, thus: "To You O Allah do I express my gratitude and gratefulness". And pray and beseech Him for peace that it be extended to those of His worshippers whom He chose to convey His message. Ask -the infidels- "Who is better, Allah (the Unique, the Omnipotent and the Omnipresent) or those -who are helpless- whom they incorporate with Him

Ask them: "Who was He Who created the heavens and the earth and caused rain water to fall from the floor of the vault of heaven to serve as the means of causing beautiful orchards to grow, an action proper to Allah alone! If you people had tried hard to cause the trees* thereof to grow you would have utterly failed. Is this not an action distinctly and exclusively peculiar to Allah! Or is it to a god incorporated with Him! Yet they are a people who ignorantly and impudently place the objects they worship -false gods- on an equality with Allah

Who was He Who set the earth at Creation in the order of a settled habitation** where you established your abode and He permeated into it rivers and placed in it stays –mountains*- in a certain setting, fixed as with an anchor, and installed a natural barrier*** between the two waters -the fresh and the salt-! Was it another Ilah with the Almighty Allah! The truth is that most of them are ignorant of the facts

Who is He who responds to the invocation of the distressed when he invokes His help and sets him free from what caused him misery and exhausted his mind, and Who makes you inherit those who came to this world before you! Is it an Ilah incorporated with Allah! How little indeed you bear Allah in mind

Who is He who guides you in the darkness on land and at sea and Who sends the wind as a forerunner of His mercy heralding a joyful event! Is it an Ilah sharing the Omnipotence and Authority of Allah! Glory be to Him and extolled are His glorious attributes. He is infinitely far beyond all those they incorporate with Him

And Who is he Who starts creation and repeats it and creates and recreates who provides you with your livelihood from heaven above you and from the earth below you! Is it another god with Allah! If so then produce your evidence if indeed you're declaring the truth

Say to them O Muhammad: "No one ever knows the hidden, the unknown and the unseen nor what the future holds in the heavens and on earth but Allah alone and never do they know when they shall be resurrected to face judgement

No, but their knowledge of the Hereafter has reached a dead-lock giving occasion to uncertainty. No, but their doubt stands as the beacon of the unwise, in fact, their notion of the Hereafter has fallen on the blind spot

And yet the infidels still say: "Do you mean that after we and our fathers have been reduced to dust, we; can be resurrected

We" they add, "have been promised that before and so have our fathers; this is indeed nothing but fables of old

Say to them O Muhammad: "Journey the land and open your minds' eyes to see for yourselves the fatal consequence which united all those who persisted in crime

And do not be grieved at heart for their denial of the divine message nor for their hearts which dare rise defiant against Allah, nor should you be sorely distressed on account of their cunning which they take for a sinister and crooked wisdom

And in their challenge to the occurrence of punishment they say: " When will that promised punishment come to pass if indeed you are declaring the truth

Say to them O Muhammad: "It is hoped that some of what you have been promised and wish it be hastened on may overtake you now

Indeed, the grace of Allah, your Creator, abounds in people but most of them show indisposition to acknowledge His bounty and display want of gratitude

Allah, your Creator is Omniscient indeed of all that is reposited in their breasts of private thoughts and feelings and of all that they conceal and He is Alimun of all that they reveal

And nothing of the unknown, the unseen or the hidden in the heavens or on earth but is recorded in the archetypal book

Indeed this Quran tells the Children of Israel plenty, and informs them of the truth of most of the subject matter which set them at variance

It is the spirit of truth guiding them into all truth and a mercy to those whose hearts reflect the image of religious and spiritual virtues

Allah, your Creator, shall judge between them in Day of Judgement with justice and equity; He is AL-Aziz and AL-'Alim

And so, put O Muhammad your trust in Allah. You are in the right and you act in accordance with what is just and good, equitable and morally fitting

But you shall not be able to make your voice reach the spiritually dead nor shall you be able to make it reach the worthless who counsel deaf nor do they open their hearts' ears when they turn their backs

Nor shall you be able to guide those who lack intellectual or spiritual perception and their minds' eyes are blind nor can you extricate them or disengage out of the entangled wood of error. You can only influence those who listen to you and give credence to Our revelations and to Our authoritative divine signs with hearts impressed with the image of religious and spiritual virtues, for such persons have indeed conformed to Islam

And when time is propitious for Allah's predetermined special occasion to come to pass and they-the infidels - come to meet with their destiny, We introduce to them a beast from the earth to discourse with them and say to them: "The infidels had always denied Allah's revelations and authoritative signs. What do you think of the signs now

The Day shall come when We throng from every nation a group of those Who rejected Our message and denied Our authoritative divine signs. They shall be driven ahead like herds one flock behind the other

Until they have all assembled before Him for judgement. Then shall He question them "Did you not deny My revelations and authoritative divine signs when you did know their significance! What was it you were doing and what was it you had in mind

And now that what was predicted and destined to happen as a reaction to their iniquities has come to pass, they are stricken dumb unable to put forward a plea neither in abatement nor in bar of an action or prosecution

Did they not see that We designated for them a period of darkness - the night- to take their natural repose and recuperate*, and a period filled with light -the day- to have clear perception of things and acquire experience of the activities of human existence! phenomena emblematic indeed of Allah's Omnipotence and Authority that are appreciated and faithfully recognized by people who bow down their ears to the truth

The Day shall come when the trumpet is sounded indicative of Resurrection and Judgement, and there shall all those in the heavens and all those on earth be shocked with startling intense horror except those whom Allah shall exempt as He will and all shall be brought before Him in low submissive reverence and humility

And you see the mountains you think they are motionless while in fact they move as fast as the clouds -when driven by the wind

He who crowns his deed with equity and good will shall advantage himself of the profit accruing therefrom and shall be exempt from the shocking occasion of the exciting intense horror, feeling safe and secure

And he who crowns his deed with inequity and or iniquity shall be cast in Hell headlong with his damnable face downward, and be told: "Are you not requited but with what is commensurate with your deeds

Say to them O Muhammad: "I have been commanded to worship and serve Allah, The Creator and the Supreme Master of this town -Macca- which He rendered sacrosanct and to Whom belong the whole and all in all, and I have been commanded to be one of those who have conformed to Islam

Also to recite the Quran to be meaningful to the people". Then he who is steered by the spirit of truth into all truth and Providence is his guide benefits his own soul and he who errs and strays from the path of righteousness, you just say to him O Muhammad: "I am only a spectacle and a warning

And say to them: "Praise be to Allah and extolled are His glorious attributes, He shall exhibit to you His authoritative divine signs and His marvels which you shall inevitably recognize. Allah, your Creator, is not unmindful nor is He oblivious of all that you do