English - Chapter 37 - As-Saffat

By the angels, who rank themselves in order

and by those who drive forward and dispel the clouds

and by those who read the Koran for an admonition

verily your God is one

The Lord of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them, and the Lord of the east

We have adorned the lower heaven with the ornament of the stars

And We have placed therein a guard, against every rebellious devil

that they may not listen to the discourse of the exalted princes, -- for they are darted at from every side

to repel them, and a lasting torment is prepared for them

except him who catcheth a word by stealth, and is pursued by a shining flame

Ask the Meccans therefore, whether they be stronger by nature, or the angels whom We have created? We have surely created them of stiff clay

Thou wondrest at God's power and their obstinacy; but they mock at the arguments urged to convince them

When they are warned, they do not take warning

and when they see any sign, they scoff thereat

and say, this is no other than manifest sorcery

After we shall be dead, and become dust and bones, shall we really be raised to life

and our fore-fathers also

Answer, yea: And ye shall then be despicable

There shall be but one blast of the trumpet, and they shall see themselves raised

And they shall say, alas for us! This is the day of judgment

this is the day of distinction between the righteous and the wicked, which ye rejected as a falsehood

Gather together those who have acted unjustly, and their comrades, and the idols which they worshipped

besides God, and direct them in the way to hell

And set them before God's tribunal; for they shall be called to account

What aileth you that ye defend not one another

But on this day they shall submit themselves to the judgment of God

And they shall draw nigh unto one another, and shall dispute among themselves

And the seduced shall say unto those who seduced them, verily ye came unto us with presages of prosperity

and the seducers shall answer, nay, rather ye were not true believers

For we had no power over you to compel you; but ye were people who voluntarily transgressed

Wherefore the sentence of our Lord hath been justly pronounced against us, and we shall surely taste his vengeance

We seduced you; but we also erred ourselves

They shall both thereof be made partakers of the same punishment on that day

Thus will We deal with the wicked

Because when it is said unto them, there is no god besides the true God, they swell with arrogance

and say, shall we abandon our gods for a distracted poet

Nay; he cometh with the truth, and beareth witness to the former apostles

Ye shall surely taste the painful torment of hell

and ye shall not be rewarded, but according to your works

But as for the sincere servants of God

they shall have a certain provision in paradise

namely, delicious fruits: And they shall be honoured

They shall be placed in gardens of pleasure

leaning on couches, opposite to one another

A cup shall be carried round unto them, filled from a limpid fountain

for the delight of those who drink

It shall not oppress the understanding, neither shall they be inebriated therewith

And near them shall lie the virgins of paradise, refraining their looks from beholding any besides their spouses, having large black eyes

and resembling the eggs of an ostrich covered with feathers from the dust

And one of them shall say, verily I had an intimate friend while I lived in the world

who said unto me, art thou one of those who assertest the truth of the resurrection

After we shall be dead, and reduced to dust and bones, shall we surely be judged

Then he shall say to his companions, will ye look down

And he shall look down, and shall see him in the midst of hell

And he shall say unto him, by God, it wanted little but thou hadst drawn me into ruin

and had it not been for the grace of my Lord, I had surely been one of those who have been delivered up to eternal torment

Shall we die any other

than our first death; or do we suffer any punishment

Verily this is great felicity

For the obtaining a felicity like this let the labourers labour

Is this a better entertainment, or the tree of Al Zakkum

Verily We have designed the same for an occasion of dispute unto the unjust

It is a tree which issueth from the bottom of hell

The fruit thereof resembleth the heads of devils

and the damned shall eat of the same, and shall fill their bellies therewith

and there shall be given them thereon a mixture of filthy and boiling water to drink

Afterwards shall they return into hell

They found their fathers going astray

and they trod hastily in their footsteps

For the greater part of the ancients erred before them

And We sent warners unto them heretofore

And see how miserable was the end of those who were warned

except the sincere servants of God

Noah called on Us in former days, and We heard him graciously

And We delivered him and his family out of the great distress

and We caused his off-spring to be those who survived to people the earth

And We left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest posterity

namely, peace be on Noah among all creatures

Thus do We reward the righteous

for he was one of our servants the true believers

Afterwards We drowned the others

Abraham also was of his religion

When he came unto his Lord with a perfect heart

When he said unto his father and his people, what do ye worship

Do ye choose false gods preferably to the true God

What therefore is your opinion of the Lord of all creatures

And he looked and observed the stars

and said, verily I shall be sick, and shall not assist at your sacrifices

And they turned their backs and departed from him

And Abraham went privately to their gods, and said scoffingly unto them, do ye not eat of the meat which is set before you

What aileth you that ye speak not

And he turned upon them, and struck them with his right hand, and demolished them

And the people came hastily unto him

And he said, do ye worship the images which ye carve

Whereas God hath created you, and also that which ye make

They said, build a pile for him, and cast him into the glowing fire

And they devised a plot against him; but We made them the inferior, and delivered him

And Abraham said, verily I am going unto my Lord, who will direct me

O Lord, grant me a righteous issue

Wherefore We acquainted him that he should have a son, who should be a meek youth

And when he had attained to years of discretion, and could join in acts of religion with him; Abraham said unto him, O my son, verily I saw in a dream that I should offer thee in sacrifice: Consider therefore what thou art of opinion I should do. He answered, O my father, do what thou art commanded: Thou shalt find me, if God please, a patient person

And when they had submitted themselves to the divine will, and Abraham had laid his son prostrate on his face

We cried unto him, O Abraham

now hast thou verified the vision. Thus do We reward the righteous

Verily this was a manifest trial

And We ransomed him with a noble victim

And We left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest posterity

namely, peace be on Abraham

Thus do We reward the righteous

For he was one of our faithful servants

And We rejoiced him with the promise of Isaac, a righteous prophet

and We blessed him and Isaac: And of their off-spring were some righteous doers, and others who manifestly injured their own souls

We were also gracious unto Moses and Aaron, heretofore

And We delivered them and their people from a great distress

And We assisted them against the Egyptians, and they became the conquerors

And We gave them the perspicuous book of the law

and We directed them into the right way

And We left the following salutation to be bestowed on them by the latest posterity

namely, peace be on Moses and Aaron

Thus do We reward the righteous

for they were two of our faithful servants

And Elias was also one of those who were sent by Us

When he said unto his people, do ye not fear God

Do ye invoke Baal, and forsake the most excellent creator

God is your Lord, and the Lord of your forefathers

But they accused him of imposture: Wherefore they shall be delivered up to eternal punishment

except the sincere servants of God

And We left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest posterity

namely, peace be on Ilyasin

Thus do We reward the righteous

For he was one of our faithful servants

And Lot was also one of those who were sent by Us

When We delivered him and his whole family

except an old woman, his wife, who perished among those that remained behind

Afterwards We destroyed the others

And ye, O people of Mecca, pass by the places where they once dwelt, as ye journey in the morning

and by night: Will ye not therefore understand

Jonas was also one of those who were sent by Us

When he fled into the loaded ship

and those who were on board cast lots among themselves, and he was condemned

And the fish swallowed him; for he was worthy of reprehension

And if he had not been one of those who praised God

verily he had remained in the belly thereof until the day of resurrection

And We cast him on the naked shore, and he was sick

And We caused a plant of a gourd to grow up over him

and We sent him to an hundred thousand persons, or they were a greater number

and they believed: Wherefore We granted them to enjoy this life, for a season

Inquire of the Meccans whether thy Lord hath daughters, and they sons

Have We created the angels of the female sex? And were they witnesses thereof

Do they not say of their own false invention

God hath begotten issue? And are they not really liars

Hath he chosen daughters preferably to sons

Ye have no reason to judge thus

Will ye not therefore be admonished

Or have ye a manifest proof of what ye say

Produce now your book of revelations, if ye speak truth

And they make Him to be of kin unto the genii; whereas the genii know that they who affirm such things, shall be delivered up to eternal punishment

far be that from God, which they affirm of him

Except the sincere servants of God

Moreover ye and that which ye worship

shall not seduce any concerning God

except him who is destined to be burned in hell

There is none of us, but hath an appointed place

We range ourselves in order, attending the commands of God

and we celebrate the divine praise

The infidels said

if we had been favoured with a book of divine revelations, of those which were delivered to the ancients

we had surely been sincere servants of God

Yet now the Koran is revealed, they believe not therein; but hereafter shall they know the consequence of their unbelief

Our word hath formerly been given unto our servants the apostles

that they should certainly be assisted against the infidels

and that our armies should surely be the conquerors

Turn aside therefore from them, for a season

And see the calamities which shall afflict them; for they shall see thy future success and prosperity

Do they therefore seek to hasten our vengeance

Verily when it shall descend into their courts, an evil morning shall it be unto those who were warned in vain

Turn aside from them therefore for a season

and see: Hereafter shall they see thy success and their punishment

Praise be unto thy Lord, the Lord who is far exalted above what they affirm of Him

And peace be on his apostles

And praise be unto God, the Lord of all creatures