By the rangers ranging
and the scarers scaring
and the reciters of a Remembrance
surely your God is One
Lord of the heavens and the earth, and of what between them is Lord of the Easts
We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the star
and to preserve against every rebel Satan
they listen not to the High Council, for they are pelted from every side
rejected, and theirs is an everlasting chastisement
except such as snatches a fragment, and he is pursued by a piercing flame
So ask them for a pronouncement -- Are they stronger in constitution, or those We created? We created them of clinging clay
Nay, thou marvellest; and they scoff
and, when reminded, do not remembe
and, when they see a sign, would scoff
and they say, 'This is nothing but manifest sorcery
What, when we are dead and become dust and bones, shall we indeed be raised up
What, and our fathers, the ancients?
Say: 'Yes, and in all lowliness.
For it is only a single scaring, then behold, they are watchin
and they say, 'Woe, alas for us! This is the Day of Doom.
'This is the Day of Decision, even that you cried lies to
Muster those who did evil, their wives, and that they were serving
apart from God, and guide them unto the path of Hell
And halt them, to be questioned
"Why help you not one another?"
No indeed; but today they resign themselves in submissio
and advance one upon another, asking each other questions
These say, 'Why, you of old would come to us from the right hand.
Those say, 'No; on the contrary, you were not believers
we had no authority over you; no, you were an insolent people
So our Lord's Word is realised against us; we are tasting it
Therefore we perverted you, and we ourselves were perverts.
So all of them on that day are sharers in the chastisement
Even so We do with the sinners
for when it was said to them, 'There is no god but God,' they were ever waxing proud
saying, 'What, shall we forsake our gods for a poet possessed?
'No indeed; but he brought the truth, and confirmed the Envoys
Now certainly you shall be tasting the painful chastisement
and not be recompensed, except according to what you were doing.
Except for God's sincere servants
for them awaits a known provision
fruits -- and they high-honoure
in the Gardens of Bliss
upon couches, set face to face
a cup from a spring being passed round to them
white, a delight to the drinkers
wherein no sickness is, neither intoxication
and with them wide-eyed maidens restraining their glance
as if they were hidden pearls
They advance one upon another, asking each other questions
One of them says, 'I had a comrade
who would say, "Are you a confirmer
What, when we are dead and become dust and bones, shall we indeed be requited?"
He says, 'Are you looking down?
Then he looks, and sees him in the midst of Hell
He says, 'By God, wellnigh thou didst destroy me
But for my Lord's blessing, I were one of the arraigned
What, do we then not di
except for our first death, and are we not chastised
This is indeed the mighty triumph
for the like of this let the workers work.
Is that better as a hospitality, or the Tree of Ez-Zakkoum
We have appointed it as a trial for the evildoers
It is a tree that comes forth in the root of Hell
its spathes are as the heads of Satans
and they eat of it, and of it fill their bellies
then on top of it they have a brew of boiling water
then their return is unto Hell
They found their fathers erring
and they run in their footsteps
Before them erred most of the ancients
and We sent among them warners
and behold, how was the end of them that were warned
except for God's sincere servants
Noah called to Us; and how excellent were the Answerers
And We delivered him and his people from the great distress
and We made his seed the survivors
and left for him among the later fol
'Peace be upon Noah among all beings!
Even so We recompense the good-doers
he was among Our believing servants
Then afterwards We drowned the rest
Of his party was also Abraham
when he came unto his Lord with a pure heart
when he said to his father and his folk, 'What do you serve
Is it a calumny, gods apart from God, that you desire
What think you then of the Lord of all Being?
And he cast a glance at the stars
and he said, 'Surely I am sick.
But they went away from him, turning their backs
Then he turned to their gods, and said, 'What do you eat
What ails you, that you speak not?
And he turned upon them smiting them with his right hand
Then came the others to him hastening
He said, 'Do you serve what you hew
and God created you and what you make?
They said, 'Build him a building, and cast him into the furnace!
They desired to outwit him; so We made them the lower ones
He said, 'I am going to my Lord; He will guide me
My Lord, give me one of the righteous.
Then We gave him the good tidings of a prudent boy
and when he had reached the age of running with him, he said, 'My son, I see in a dream that I shall sacrifice thee; consider, what thinkest thou?' He said, 'My father, do as thou art bidden; thou shalt find me, God willing, one of the steadfast.
When they had surrendered, and he flung him upon his brow
We called unto him, 'Abraham
thou hast confirmed the vision; even so We recompense the good-doers
This is indeed the manifest trial.
And We ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice
and left for him among the later fol
'Peace be upon Abraham!
Even so We recompense the good-doers
he was among Our believing servants
Then We gave him the good tidings of Isaac, a Prophet, one of the righteous
And We blessed him, and Isaac; and of their seed some are good-doers, and some manifest self-wrongers
We also favoured Moses and Aaron
and We delivered them and their people from the great distress
And We helped them, so that they were the victors
and We gave them the Manifesting Book
and guided them in the straight path
and left for them among the later fol
'Peace be upon Moses and, Aaron!
Even so We recompense the good-doers
they were among Our believing servants
Elias too was one of the Envoys
when he said to his people, 'Will you not be godfearing
Do you call on Baal, and abandon the Best of creators
God, your Lord, and the Lord of your fathers, the ancients?
But they cried him lies; so they will be among the arraigned
except for God's sincere servants
and We left for him among the later fol
'Peace be upon Elias!
Even so We recompense the good-doers
he was among Our believing servants
Lot too was one of the Envoys
when We delivered him and his people all together
save an old woman among those that tarried
then We destroyed the others
and you pass by them in the morning
and in the night; will you not understand
Jonah too was one of the Envoys
when he ran away to the laden shi
and cast lots, and was of the rebutted
then the whale swallowed him down, and he blameworthy
Now had he not been of those that glorify God
he would have tarried in its belly until the day they shall be raised
but We cast him upon the wilderness, and he was sick
and We caused to grow over him a tree of gourds
Then We sent him unto a hundred thousand, or more
and they believed; so We gave them enjoyment for a while
So ask them for a pronouncement -- Has thy Lord daughters, and they sons
Or did We create the angels females, while they were witnesses
Is it not of their own calumny that they say
'God has begotten?' They are truly liars
Has He chosen daughters above sons
What ails you then, how you judge
What, and will you not remember
Or have you a clear authority
Bring your Book, if you speak truly
They have set up a kinship between Him and the jinn; and the jinn know that they shall be arraigned
Glory be to God above that they describe
except for God's sincere servants
But as for you, and that you serve
you shall not tempt any against Hi
except him who shall roast in Hell
None of us is there, but has a known station
we are the rangers
we are they that give glory
What though they would say
'If only we had had a Reminder from the ancients
then were we God's sincere servants.
But they disbelieved in it; soon they shall know
Already Our Word has preceded to Our servants, the Envoys
assuredly they shall be helped
and Our host -- they are the victors
So turn thou from them for a while
and see them; soon they shall see
What, do they seek to hasten Our chastisement
When it lights in their courtyard, how evil will be the morning of them that are warned
So turn thou from them for a while
and see; soon they shall see
Glory be to thy Lord, the Lord of Glory, above that they describe
And peace be upon the Envoys
and praise belongs to God, the Lord of all Being