English - Chapter 21 - Al-Anbiya

People's reckoning draws closer, but they turn away without paying any attention

Every time a new message comes to them from their Lord, they listen to it while they play

with their hearts distracted. Those bent on wrongdoing conceal their private conversation, [saying], "Is he not [Muhammad] just a man like you? Do you succumb to magic with your eyes wide open

He said, "My Lord knows whatever is said throughout the heaven and earth, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-knowing

But they continue to quibble, "These [revelations] are only confused dreams," or, "He has just invented it," or, "He is merely a poet." "So [they say] let him bring us a sign like those who were sent previously

We destroyed the communities before them who did not believe, so will they believe

Those We have sent before you were only men whom We inspired. So, tell those who deny the truth: "if you do not know this, ask the people of earlier revelations

And We did not give the prophets bodies that did not eat food, nor were they immortal

Then We fulfilled Our promise to them and We saved those We willed, and destroyed those who exceeded all bounds

We have sent down to you a Book containing all that you ought to bear in mind. Will you not reason, then

And how many communities of unjust people have We destroyed, raising up other people in their place

When they felt the might of Our punishment, they fled at once

Do not flee, but return to the life of luxury you enjoyed and to your homes, so that you may be questioned

They said, "Woe to us! we were truly wrongdoers

And that cry of theirs did not cease until We made them like stubble, silent and still

We did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in play

had We wished for amusement, We could have found it within Ourselves- had We so willed

Instead, We hurl the Truth after falsehood, and the Truth destroys it, and it withers away. But woe to you for all your [attempts to] define [God]

To Him belongs everything in the heavens and on earth. And those near Him are never too proud to worship Him, nor do they tire [of doing so]

They exalt His limitless glory day and night, [and] do not grow weary

Or have they taken for themselves earthly gods who resurrect the dead

Had there been in heaven or on earth any deities other than God, they would both be ruined. But exalted be God in His limitless glory, Lord of the Throne, Who is far above anything they describe

He will not be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned

Or have they taken gods besides Him? Say, "Produce your proof. This is the message for those with me and the message of those before me." But most of them do not know the Truth, so they turn away

We never sent any messenger before you [Prophet] without revealing to him that "There is no god except Me, so worship Me

And yet, some say, "The Merciful-to-all has taken a son!" May He be exalted in His glory! " No! They are only His honored worshipers

They do not speak before He does, and they act only on His command

He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot intercede [for anyone] except with His approval, as they are in reverent awe of Him

Where any of them say, "I am a god besides Him"- that one We would repay with Hell. This is how We repay the transgressors

Are the unbelievers not aware that the heavens and the earth were one mass before We separated them and made every living thing from water? Will they not believe, then

And We placed within the earth firmly set mountains, lest it should shake with them, and We made valleys, as roadways as roadways that they might be guided [through them]

and We made the sky a protected roof, yet still, they turn away from its signs

And It is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; each floating in its orbit

[Prophet] We did not grant immortality to any human being before you; so if you die, would they live forever

Every soul is bound to taste death. We test you with evil and with good as a trial and to Us you will all return

And when the unbelievers see you, they laugh at you, [saying], "Is this the one who keeps talking about your gods?" Yet when the Merciful-to-all is mentioned, they reject Him

The human being is a creature of haste. I will show you My signs soon, so do not ask Me to show them sooner

And they say, "When will this promise be fulfilled, if you are telling the truth

If the unbelievers only knew the time when they will not be able to divert the Fire from their faces or from their backs, and they will find no help

Rather, it will come to them unexpectedly and bewilder them, and they will not be able to repel it, nor will they be reprieved

Messengers before you were also mocked, but those who mocked them were overwhelmed by the very thing they mocked

Say, "Who can protect you by night or day from the Merciful-to-all?" Yet they turn away when their Lord is mentioned

Or, do they have gods to defend them from Us? They are unable [even] to help themselves, nor can they be protected from Us

We have allowed these people and their fathers to enjoy life for a long time, until life seemed long and good to them. Do they not see how We come upon the land, eroding it from its extremities? Will they prevail then

Say: "I can only warn you through Revelation," but the deaf cannot hear the call when they are warned

Yet, if but a whiff of your Lord's punishment should touch them, they would surely say, "Woe to us! We have been unjust

And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul will be wronged in the least for though there be [only] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. It suffices that We will do the reckoning

And We gave Moses and Aaron the Furqan [a standard by which to judge right from wrong] a light and a reminder for those who are ever mindful of God

those who stand in awe of their Lord, though He is unseen, and who fear the Hour

And this [Qur'an] too is a blessed message that We have sent down. Will you then ignore it

Before [Moses] We gave Abraham sound judgment and We knew him well

when he said to his father and his people, "What are these statues to which you are devoted

They said, "We found our fathers worshipping them

He said, "You and your fathers have obviously gone astray

They said, "Have you come to us with the Truth, or are you playing games

He said, "[No], rather, your Lord, who created them, is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and I am a witness to that

And, by God, I will surely plot against your idols after You have turned your backs and gone away

So he broke them into pieces, except for the largest one among them, so that they might return to it [and question]

They said, "Who has done this to our gods? He is unjust

Some said, "We heard a young man mention them; they call him Abraham

They said, "Then bring him before the eyes of the people, so that they may be witnesses

They said, "Have you done this to our gods, Abraham

He said, "Rather, this one, the largest of them, did it, so ask them, if they are able to speak

So they turned on one another, saying, "It is you who are the unjust

Then, they reversed themselves, [saying], "You [Abraham] knew that these [idols] do not speak

He said, "Then do you worship what does not help or harm you at all instead of God

Shame on you, and shame on what you worship instead of God. Will you not use reason then

They said, "Burn him and support your gods-if you are to act

But We said, "Fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham

And they intended to harm him, but We made them the greatest losers

And We delivered him and Lot to the land which We had blessed for all people

And We gave him Isaac and Jacob as an additional gift, and all [of them] We made righteous

We made them leaders guiding others by Our command. And We inspired them to do good deeds, to establish prayer, and to give the purifying alms; they were our true worshippers

And to Lot We gave sound judgment and knowledge, and We saved him from the town that was committing wicked deeds. They were evil, perverse people

And We admitted him into Our mercy. He was of the righteous

Long before that, We answered Noah when he called to Us, so We responded to him, and saved him and his family from the great calamity

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

And David and Solomon, when they gave judgment concerning the field into which some people's sheep had strayed [at night]. We were witness to their judgment

and We gave understanding of the case to Solomon, and to each [of them] We gave sound judgment and knowledge. And We caused the mountains and the birds to join David in extolling Our limitless glory, for We are able to do [all things]

And We taught him to fashion coats of armor to protect you from your [enemy in] battle. But are you grateful

And to Solomon We subjected the wind, which aped at his command toward the land that We had blessed. It is We who have knowledge of everything

And among the [devils] rebellious creatures, who dove into the sea for him and did other work, but it was We who kept watch over them

And [mention] Job, when he cried to his Lord, "Great harm has afflicted me, and you are the Most Merciful of the Merciful

So We responded to him and removed the harm that afflicted him. And We restored his family and their like with them, as a mercy from Us and a reminder for God's worshippers

And [mention] Ishmael and Idris and Dhul-Kifl; all were all steadfast

And We admitted them into Our mercy for they were truly righteous

And [Jonah] Zun-nun, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not punish him. Then he called out from the deep darkness, "There is no God except You; May You be exalted in Your glory. I have been among the unjust

We responded to him and saved him from his grief. This is how We save the believers

And Zechariah, when he called to his Lord, "My Lord, do not leave me childless, for you are the best of heirs

We responded to him, gave him John, and healed his wife for him. They were always eager to do good deeds, calling out to Us in hope and fear, and they humbled themselves before Us

And [mention Mary] the one who guarded her chastity. We breathed into her from Our Spirit, and made her and her son a sign for all people

This is your community, a single community [of believers], and I am your Lord, so worship Me

And [yet], they later disagreed and became divided, [but] they are all destined to return to Us

So whoever does righteous deeds while he is a believer -his effort will not be ignored, and We shall record it in his favor

No community that We have destroyed can possibly return

until Gog and Magog are let loose and they rush down from the heights

Then, the true promise will approach and the eyes of the unbelievers will stare [in horror, while they say], "Woe to us; we were oblivious to this; rather, we were unjust

You and what you worship other than God are the firewood of Hell. You will be coming to it

Had these [false deities] been [actual] gods, they would not have come to it, but each one of them will stay there [in Hell] forever

In it they will be wailing and they will not be able to hear

As for those for whom We have decreed the best [reward]-they will be kept far removed from Hell

They will not hear its sound, while they abide eternally in whatever their souls desire

They will not be grieved by the greatest horror and the angels will greet them, [saying], "This is your Day which you have been promised

the Day when We will roll up the heavens as one rolls up a written scroll. Just as We produced the first creation, [so] We will repeat it. This is a binding promise on Us. We will do it

We have written in the Zabour [Psalms] as We did in previous Scriptures, that My righteous worshipers shall inherit the earth

Truly there is a message in this for people who worship

We have only sent you [Prophet] as a mercy to humanity

But, if they turn away, then say, "I have proclaimed the message equally to [all of] you. And I do not know if what you have been promised is near or far

He knows what is revealed when you speak, and He knows what you conceal

For all I know [this delay in God's judgment] may be a trial for you and you will have enjoyment for a while

Say [Prophet] "My Lord, judge [between us] in Truth. Our Lord is the Merciful-to-all, the one whose help is ever sought against that which you unbelievers speak