Juz 19

But those who do not believe that they are destined to meet Us are wont to say, “Why have no angels been sent down to us?” – or, “Why do we not see our Sustainer?” Indeed, they are far too proud of themselves, hav­ing rebelled [against God’s truth] with utter disdain!

[Yet] on that Day - the Day on which they shall see the angels there will be no glad tiding for those who were lost in sin; and they will exclaim, “By a forbidding ban [are we from God’s grace debarred]!” –

for We shall have turned towards all the [supposedly good] deeds they ever wrought, and shall have transformed them into scattered dust –

[whereas] on that same Day those who are destined for paradise will be graced with the best of abodes and the fairest place of repose.

And on the Day on which the skies, together with the clouds, shall burst asunder, and the angels are made to descend in a mighty descent –

on that Day [it will become obvious to all that] true sover­eignty belongs to the Most Gracious [alone]: hence, a Day of distress will it be for all who deny the truth,

and a Day on which the evildoer will bite his hands [in despair], exclaiming: “Oh, would that I had followed the path shown to me by the apostle!

Oh, woe is me! Would that I had not taken so-and-so for a friend!

Indeed, he led me astray from the remembrance [of God] after it had come unto me!” For [thus it is:] Satan is ever a betrayer of man.

AND [on that Day] the Apostle will say: “O my Sustainer! Behold, [some of] my people have come to regard this Qur’an as something [that ought to be] discarded!”

For so it is that against every prophet We have set up enemies from among those who are lost in sin: yet none can guide and give succour as thy Sustainer does!

Now they who are bent on denying the truth are wont to ask. “Why has not the Qur’an been bestowed on him from on high in one single re­velation?” [it has been revealed] in this manner so that We might strengthen thy heart thereby - for We have so arranged its component parts that they form one consistent whole -

and [that] they [who deny the truth] might never taunt thee with any deceptive half-truth without Our conveying to thee the [full] truth and [providing thee] with the best explanation.

[And so, tell those who are bent on denying the truth that] they who shall be gathered unto hell upon their faces – it is they who [in the life to come] will be worst in station and still farther astray from the path [of truth]!

AND, INDEED, [long before Muhammad] We vouchsafed revelation unto Moses, and appointed his brother Aaron to help him to bear his burden;

and We said, “Go you both unto the people who have given the lie to Our messages!” - and thereupon We broke those [sinners] to smithereens.

And [think of] the people of Noah: when they gave the lie to [one of] the apostles, We caused them to drown, and made them a symbol for all mankind: for, grievous suffering have We readied for all who [knowingly] do wrong!

And [remember how We punished the tribes of] Ad and Thamud and the people of Ar-Rass, and many generations [of sinners] in-between:

and unto each of them did We proffer lessons and each of them did We destroy with utter destruction.

And they [who now deny Our messages] must surely have come across that town which was rained upon by a rain of evil: have they, then, never beheld it [with their minds eye]? But nay, they would not believe in resurrection!

Hence, whenever they consider thee, [O Muhammad,] they but make thee a target of their mockery, [saying:] “Is this the one whom God has sent as an apostle?

Indeed, he would well-nigh have led us astray from our deities, had we not been [so] steadfastly attached to them!” But in time, when they see the suffering [that awaits them], they will come to know who it was that went farthest astray from the path [of truth]!

Hast thou ever considered [the kind of man] who makes his own desires his deity? Couldst thou, then, [O Prophet,] be held responsible for him?

Or dost thou think that most of them listen [to thy message] and use their reason? Nay, they are but like cattle - nay, they are even less conscious of the right way!

Art thou not aware of thy Sustainer [through His works]? - how He causes the shadow to lengthen [towards the night] when, had He so willed, He could indeed have made it stand still: but then, We have made the sun its guide;

and then, [after having caused it to lengthen,] We draw it in towards Our­selves with a gradual drawing-in.

And He it is who makes the night a garment for you, and [your] sleep a rest, and causes every [new] day to be a resurrection.

And He it is who sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace; and [thus, too,] We cause pure water to descend from the skies,

so that We may bring dead land to life thereby, and give to drink thereof to many [beings] of Our creation, beasts as well as humans.

And, indeed, many times have We repeated [all] this unto men, so that they might take it to heart: but most men refuse to be aught but ingrate.

Now had We so willed. We could have [con­tinued as before and] raised up a [separate] warner in every single community:

hence, do not defer to [the likes and dislikes of] those who deny the truth, but strive hard against them, by means of this [divine writ], with utmost striving.

AND HE it is who has given freedom of movement to the two great bodies of water – the one sweet and thirst-allaying, and the other salty and bitter - and yet has wrought between them a barrier and a forbidding ban.

And He it is who out of this [very] water has created man, and has endowed him with [the con­sciousness of] descent and marriage-tie: for thy Sustainer is ever infinite in His power.

And yet, some people worship, instead of God, things that can neither benefit them nor harm them: thus, he who denies the truth does indeed turn his back on his Sustainer!

Yet [withal, O Prophet,] We have sent thee only as a herald of glad tidings and a warner.

Say: “For this, no reward do I ask of you [- no reward] other than that he who so wills may unto his Sustainer find a way!”

Hence, place thy trust in the Living One who dies not, and extol His limitless glory and praise: for none is as aware as His creatures’ sins as He –

He who has created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness: the Most Gracious! Ask, then, about Him, [the] One who is [truly] aware.

Yet when they [who are bent on denying the truth! are told, “Prostrate yourselves before the Most Gracious.” they are wont to ask, “And [who and] what is the Most Gracious? Are we to prostrate ourselves before whatever thou biddest us [to worship]?” - and so [thy call] but increases their aversion,

HALLOWED is He who has set up in the skies great constellations, and has placed among them a [radiant] lamp and a light-giving moon.

And He it is who causes the night and the day to succeed one another, [revealing Himself in His works] unto him who has the will to take thought - that is has the will to be grateful.

For, [true] servants of the Most Gracious are [only] they who walk gently on earth, and who, whenever the foolish address them, reply with [words of] peace;

and who remember their Sustainer far into the night, prostrating themselves and standing;

and who pray: “O our Sustainer, avert from us the suffering of hell - for, verily, the suffering caused by it is bound to be a torment dire:

verily, how evil an abode and a station!” -;

and who, whenever they spend on others, are neither wasteful nor niggardly but [remember that] there is always a just mean between those [two extremes];

and who never invoke any [imaginary] deity side by side with God, and do not take any human beings life - [the life] which God has willed to be sacred - otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice, and do not commit adultery. And [know that] he who commits aught thereof shall [not only] meet with a full requital

[but] shall have his suffering doubled on Resurrection Day: for on that [Day] he shall abide in ignominy.

Excepted, however, shall be they who repent and attain to faith and do righteous deeds: for it is they whose [erstwhile] bad deeds God will transform into good ones - seeing that God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace,

and seeing that he who repents and [thenceforth] does what is right has truly turned unto God by [this very act of] repent­ance.

And [know that true servants of God are only] those who never bear witness to what is false, and [who], whenever they pass by [people engaged in] frivolity, pass on with dignity;

and who, whenever they are reminded of their Sustainer’s messages, do not throw themselves upon them [as if] deaf and blind;

and who pray “O our Sustainer! Grant that our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes, and cause us to be foremost among those who are conscious of Thee!”

[Such as] these will be rewarded for all their patient endurance [in life] with a high station [in paradise], and will be met therein with a greeting of welcome and peace,

therein to abide: [and] how goodly an abode and [how high] a station!

SAY [unto those who believe]: “No weight or value would my Sustainer attach to you were it not for your faith [in Him]!” And say unto those who deny the truth:] “You have indeed given the lie [to God’s message], and in time this [sin] will cleave unto you!”

Ta. Sin, Mim.

THESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth!

Wouldst thou, perhaps, torment thyself to death [with grief] because they [who live around thee] refuse to believe [in it]?

Had We so willed, We could have sent down unto them a message from the skies, so that their necks would [be forced to] bow down before it in humility.

[But We have not willed it:] and so, whenever there comes unto them any fresh reminder from the Most Gracious, they [who are blind of heart] always - turn their backs upon it:

thus, indeed, have they given the lie (to this message as well). But [in time] they will come to understand what it was that they were wont to deride!

Have they, then, never considered the earth - how much of every noble kind [of life] We have caused to grow thereon?

In this, behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it].

But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace!

HENCE, [remember how it was] when thy Sustainer summoned Moses: “Go unto those evil doing people.

the people of Pharaoh, who refuse to be con­scious of Me!”

He answered: “O my Sustainer! Behold, I fear that they will give me the lie,

and then my breast will be straitened and my tongue will not be free: send, then, [this Thy command] to Aaron.

Moreover, they keep a grave charge [pending] against me, and I fear that they will slay me.”

Said He: “Not so, indeed! Go forth, then, both of you, with Our messages: verify, We shall be with you, listening [to your call]!

And go, both of you, unto Pharaoh and say, ‘Behold, we bear a message from the Sustainer of all the worlds:

Let the children of Israel go with us!’”

[But when Moses had delivered his message, Pharaoh] said: “Did we not bring thee up among us when thou wert a child? And didst thou not spend among us years of thy [later] life?

And yet thou didst commit that [heinous] deed of thine, and [hast thus shown that] thou art one of the ingrate!”

Replied [Moses]: “I committed it while I was still going astray;

and I fled from you because I feared you. But [since] then my Sustainer has endowed me with the ability to judge [between right and wrong], and has made me one of [His] message-­bearers.

And [as for] that favour of which thou so tauntingly remindest me - [was it not] due to thy having enslaved the children of Israel?”

Said Pharaoh: “And what [and who] is that ‘Sustainer of all the worlds’?”

[Moses] answered: “[He is] the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them: if you would but [allow yourselves to] be convinced!”

Said [Pharaoh] unto those around him: “Did you hear [what he said]?”

[And Moses] continued: “[He is] your Sus­tainer, [too,] as well as the Sustainer of your fore­fathers of old!”

[Pharaoh] exclaimed: “Behold, [this] your ‘apostle’ who [claims that he] has been sent unto you is mad indeed!

[But Moses] went on: “[He of whom I speak is] the Sustainer of the east and the west and of all that is between the two”- as you would know] if you would but use your reason!”

Said [Pharaoh]: “Indeed, if thou choose to worship any deity other than me, I shall most cer­tainly throw thee into prison!

Said he: “Even if I should bring about before thee something that clearly shows the truth?”

[Pharaoh] answered: “Produce it, then, if thou art a man of truth!”

Thereupon [Moses] threw down his staff - and lo! it was a serpent, plainly visible;

and he drew forth his hand - and lo! it appeared [shining] white to the beholders.

Said [pharaoh] unto the great ones around him: “Verily, this is indeed a sorcerer of great knowledge

who wants to drive you out of your land by his sorcery. What, then, do you advise?”

They answered: “Let him and his brother wait a while, and send unto all cities heralds

who shall assemble before thee all sorcerers of great knowl­edge”

And so the sorcerers were assembled at a set time on a certain day,

and the people were asked: Are you all present,

so that we might follow [in the footsteps of] the sorcerers if it is they who prevail?”

Now when the sorcerers came, they said unto Pharaoh: “Verily, we ought to have a great reward if it is we who prevail.

Answered he: “Yea - and, verily, in that case you shall be among those who are near unto me.

[And] Moses said unto them: “Throw whatever you are going to throw!”

Thereupon they threw their [magic ropes and their staffs, and said: “By Pharaoh’s might, behold, it is we indeed who have prevailed!”

[But] then Moses threw his staff - and lo! it swallowed up all their deceptions.

And down fell the sorcerers, prostrating them­selves in adoration,

[and] exclaimed: “We have come to believe in the Sustainer of all the worlds,

the Sustainer of Moses and Aaron!”

Said [Pharaoh]: “Have you come to believe in him ere I have given you permission? Verily, he must be your master who has taught you magic! But in time you shall come to know [my revenge]: most certainly shall I cut off your hands and your feet in great numbers, because of [your] perverseness, and shall most certainly crucify you in great numbers, all together!”

They answered: “No harm [canst thou do to us]: verily, unto our Sustainer do we turn!

Behold, we [but] ardently desire that our Sustainer forgive us our faults in return for our having been foremost among the believers!”

AND [there came a time when] We inspired Moses thus: “Go forth with My servants by night: for, behold, you will he pursued!”

And Pharaoh sent heralds unto all cities,

[bidding them to call out his troops and to proclaim:] “Behold, these [children of Israel] are but a contemptible band;

but they are indeed filled with hatred of us

seeing that we are, verily, a nation united, fully prepared against danger –

and so we have [rightly] driven them out of [their] gardens and springs,

and [deprived them of their erstwhile] station of honour!”

Thus it was: but [in the course of time] We were to bestow all these [things] as a heritage on the children of Israel.

And so [the Egyptians] caught up with them at sunrise;

and as soon as the two hosts came in sight of one another, the followers of Moses exclaimed: “Behold, we shall certainly be overtaken [and defeated]!”

He replied: Nay indeed! My Sustainer is with me, [and] He will guide me!”

Thereupon We inspired Moses thus: Strike the sea with thy staff!”- whereupon it parted, and each part appeared like a mountain vast.

And We caused the pursuers to draw near unto that place:

and We saved Moses and all who were with him,

and then We caused the others to drown.

In this [story] behold, there is a message [unto all men], even though most of them will not believe [in it].

And yet, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace!

And convey unto them the story of Abraham –

[how it was] when he asked his father and his people, “What is it that you worship?”

They answered: We worship idols, and we remain ever devoted to them.”

Said he: “Do [you really think that] they hear you when you invoke them,

or benefit you or do you harm?”

They exclaimed: But we found our fore­fathers doing the same!”

Said [Abraham]: “Have you, then, ever con­sidered what it is that you have been worshipping

you and those ancient forebears of yours?

“Now [as for me, I know that,] verily, these [false deities] are my enemies, [and that none is my helper] save the Sustainer of all the worlds,

who has created me and is the One who guides me,

and is the One who gives me to eat and to drink,

and when I fall ill, is the One who restores me to health,

and who will cause me to die and then will bring me back to life –

and who, [hope, will forgive me my faults on Judgment Day!

“O my Sustainer! Endow me with the ability to judge [between right and wrong], and make me one with the righteous,

and grant me the power to convey the truth unto those who will come after me,

and place me among those who shall inherit the garden of bliss!

“And forgive my father - for, verily, he is among those who have gone astray –

and do not put me to shame on the Day when all shall be raised from the dead:

the Day on which neither wealth will be of any use, nor children,

[and when] only he [will be happy] who comes before God with a heart free of evil!”

For, [on that Day,] paradise will be brought within sight of the God-conscious,

whereas the blazing fire will be laid open before those who had been lost in grievous error;

and they will be asked: “Where now is all that you were wont to worship

instead of God? Can these [things and beings] be of any help to you or to themselves?”

Thereupon they will be hurled into hell – they, as well as all [others] who had been lost in grievous error,

and the hosts of Iblis - all together.

And there and then, blaming one another, they [who had grievously sinned in life] will exclaim:

“By God, we were most obviously astray

when we deemed you [false deities] equal to the Sustainer of all the worlds –

yet they who have seduced us [into believing in you] are the truly guilty ones!

And now we have none to intercede for us,

nor any loving friend.

Would that we had a second chance [in life], so that we could be among the believers!”

In all this, behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it].

But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace!

The people of Noah [too] gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearers

when their brother Noah said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God?

Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust:

be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!

“And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds.

Hence, remain conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!”

They answered: “Shall we place our faith in thee, even though [only] the most abject [of people] follow thee?”

Said he: “And what knowledge could I have as to what they were doing [before they came to me]?

Their reckoning rests with none but my Sus­tainer: if you could but understand [this]!

Hence, I shall not drive away [any of] those [who profess to be] believers;

I am nothing but a plain warner.”

Said they: “Indeed, if thou desist not, O Noah, thou wilt surely be stoned to death!”

[Whereupon] he prayed: “O my Sustainer! Behold, my people have given me the lie:

hence, lay Thou wide open the truth between me and them, and save me and those of the believers who are with me!”

And so We saved him and those [who were] with him in the fully-laden ark,

and then We caused those who stayed behind to drown.

In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it].

But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace

[AND the tribe of] Ad gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearers

when their brother Hud said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God?

Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust:

be, then, con­scious of God, and pay heed unto me!

“And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds.

“Will you, in your wanton folly, build [idola­trous] altars on every height,

and make for yourselves mighty castles, [hoping] that you might become immortal?

And will you [always], whenever you lay hand [on others], lay hand [on them] cruelly, without any restraint?

“Be, then, conscious of God and pay heed unto me:

and [thus] be conscious of Him who has [so] amply provided you with all [the good] that you might think of

amply provided you with flocks, and children,

and gardens, and springs -:

for, verily, I fear lest suffering befall you on an awesome day!”

[But] they answered. “It is all one to us whether thou preachest [something new] or art not of those who [like to] preach.

This [religion of ours] is none other than that to which our forebears clung,

and we are not going to be chastised [for adhering to it]!”

And so they gave him the lie: and thereupon We destroyed them. In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it].

But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace!

[AND the tribe of] Thamud gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-hearers

when their brother Salih said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God?

Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust:

be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!

“And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds.

“Do you think that you will be left secure [forever] in the midst of what you have here and now?

amidst [these] gardens and springs

and fields, and [these] palm-trees with slender spathes? –

and that you will [always be able to] hew dwellings out of the mountains with [the same] great skill?”

“Be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me,

and pay no heed to the counsel of those who are given to excesses –

those who spread corruption on earth instead of setting things to rights!”

Said they: “Thou art but one of the be­witched!

Thou art nothing but a mortal like our­selves! Come, then, forward with a token [of thy mission] if thou art a man of truth!”

Replied he: “This she-camel shall have a share of water, and you shall have a share of water, on the days appointed [therefor];

and do her no harm, lest suffering befall you on an awesome day!”

But they cruelly slaughtered her - and then they had cause to regret it:

for the suffering [predicted by Salih,] befell them [then and there]. In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it].

But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone – is almighty, a dispenser of grace!

[AND] the people of Lot gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearers

when their brother Lot said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God?

Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust:

be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!

“And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds.

“Must you, of all people, [lustfully] approach men,

keeping yourselves aloof from all the [lawful] spouses whom your Sustainer has created for you? Nay, but you are people who transgress all bounds of what is right!”

Said they: “Indeed, If thou desist not, O Lot, thou wilt most certainly be expelled [from this town­ship]!”

[Lot] exclaimed: “Behold, I am one of those who utterly abhor your doings!”

[And then he prayed:] “O my Sustainer! Save me and my household from all that they are doing!”

Thereupon We saved him and all his household –

all but an old woman, who was among those that stayed behind;

and then We utterly destroyed the others,

and rained down upon them a rain [of destruction]: and dire is such rain upon all who let themselves be warned [to no avail]!

In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not be­lieve [in it].

But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace!

[AND] the dwellers of the wooded dales [of Madyan] gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearers

when their brother Shu’ayb said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God?

Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust:

be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!

“And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds.

“[Always] give full measure, and be not among those who [unjustly] cause loss [to others];

and [in all your dealings] weigh with a true balance,

and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs; and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption,

but be conscious of Him who has created you, just as [He created] those countless generations of old!”

Said they: “Thou art but one of the be­witched,

for thou art nothing but a mortal like ourselves! And, behold, we think that thou art a consummate liar!

Cause, then, fragments of the sky to fall down upon us, if thou art a man of truth!”

Answered [Shu’ayb]: “My Sustainer knows fully well what you are doing.”

But they gave him the lie. And thereupon suffering overtook them on a day dark with shadows: and, verily, it was the suffering of an awesome day!

In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it].

But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace!

Now, behold, this [divine writ] has indeed been bestowed from on high by the Sustainer of all the worlds:

trustworthy divine inspiration has alighted with it from on high

upon thy heart, [O Muhammad] so that thou mayest be among those who preach

in the clear Arabic tongue.

And, verily, [the essence of] this [revelation] is indeed found in the ancient books of divine wisdom [as well].

Is it not evidence enough for them that [so many] learned men from among the children of Israel have recognized this [as true]?

But [even] had We bestowed it from on high upon any of the non-Arabs,

and had he recited it unto them [in his own tongue], they would not have believed in it.

Thus have We caused this [message] to pass [unheeded] through the hearts of those who are lost in sin:

they will not believe in it till they behold the grievous suffering

that will come upon them [on resurrection,] all of a sudden, without their being aware [of its approach];

and then they will exclaim, “Could we have a respite?”

Do they, then, [really] wish that Our chas­tisement be hastened on?

But hast thou ever considered [this]: If We do allow them to enjoy [this life] for some years,

and thereupon that [chastisement] which they were promised befalls them –

of what avail to them will be all their past enjoyments?

And withal, never have We destroyed any community unless it had been warned

and reminded: for, never do We wrong [anyone].

And [this divine writ is such a reminder:] no evil spirits have brought it down:

for, neither does it suit their ends, nor is it in their power [to impart it to man]:

verily, [even] from hearing it are they utterly debarred!

Hence, [O man,] do not invoke any other deity side by side with God, lest thou find thyself among those who are made to suffer [on Judgment Day].

And warn [whomever thou canst reach, beginning with] thy kinsfolk,

and spread the wings of thy tenderness over all of the believers who may follow thee;

but if they disobey thee, say, “I am free of responsibility for aught that you may do!” –

and place thy trust in the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace,

who sees thee when thou standest [alone],

and [sees] thy behaviour among those who prostrate themselves [before Him]:

for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing!

[And] shall I tell you upon whom it is that those evil spirits descend?

They descend upon all sinful self-deceivers

who readily lend ear [to every falsehood], and most of whom lie to others as well.

And as for the poets [they, too, are prone to deceive themselves: and so, only] those who are lost in grievous error would follow them.

Art thou not aware that they roam confusedly through all the valleys [of words and thoughts],

and that they [so often] say what they do not do [or feel]?

[Most of them are of this kind] save those who have attained to faith, and do righteous deeds, and remember God unceasingly, and defend them­selves [only] after having been wronged, and [trust in God’s promise that] those who are bent on wrong­doing will in time come to know how evil a turn their destinies are bound to take!

Ta. Sin. THESE ARE MESSAGES of the Qur’an - a di­vine writ clear in itself and clearly showing the truth:

a guidance and a glad tiding to the believers

who are constant in prayer and spend in charity: for it is they, they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come!

As for those who will not believe in the life to come - behold, goodly have We made their own doings appear unto them, and so they stumble blindly to and fro

It is they whom the worst of suffering awaits: for it is they, they who in the life to come shall be the greatest losers!

But [as for thee, O believer,] verily, thou hast received this Qur’an out of the grace of One who is wise, all-knowing.

Lo! [While lost in the desert,] Moses said to his family: “Behold, I perceive a fire [far away]; I may bring you from there some tiding [as to which way we arc to pursue], or bring you [at least] a burning brand so that you might warm yourselves.”

But when he came close to it, a call was sounded: “Blessed are all who are within [reach of] this fire, and all who are near it! And limitless in His glory is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!”

[And God spoke thus:] “O Moses! Verily I alone am God, the Almighty, the Wise!”

[And then He said:] “Now throw down thy staff!” But when he saw it move rapidly, as if it were a serpent, he drew back [in terror], and did not [dare to] return. [And God spoke to him again:] O Moses! Fear not - for, behold, no fear need the message-bearers have in My Presence,

and neither need anyone who has done wrong and then has replaced the wrong with good: for, verily, I am much-forgiving, a dis­penser of grace!

“Now place thy hand into thy bosom: it will come forth [shining] white, without blemish!” [And thou shalt go] with nine [of My] messages unto Pharaoh and his people for, verily, they are people depraved!”

But when Our light-giving messages came unto them, they said, “This is clearly [but] spellbinding deception!”

- and in their wickedness and self-exaltation they rejected them, although their minds were convinced of their truth: and behold what hap­pened in the end to those spreaders of corruption!

AND, INDEED, We granted [true] knowledge unto David and Solomon [as well]; and both were wont to say: All praise is due to God, who has [thus] favoured us above many of His believing servants!”

And [in this insight] Solomon was [truly] David’s heir; and he would say: “O you people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and have been given [in abundance] of all [good] things: this, behold, is indeed a manifest favour [from God]!”

And [one day] there were assembled before Solomon his hosts of invisible beings, and of men, and of birds; and then they were led forth in orderly ranks,

till, when they came upon a valley [full] of ants, an ant exclaimed: “O you ants! Get into your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you without [even] being aware [of you]!”

Thereupon [Solomon] smiled joyously at her words, and said: “O my Sustainer! Inspire me so that I may forever be grateful for those blessings of Thine with which Thou hast graced me and my parents, and that I may do what is right [in a manner] that will please Thee; and include me, by Thy grace, among Thy righteous servants!”

And [one day] he looked in vain for [a parti­cular one of] the birds; and so he said: How is it that I do not see the hoopoe? Or could he be among the absent?

[If so,] I will punish him most severely or will kill him unless he bring me a convincing excuse!”

But [the hoopoe] tarried but a short while; and [when it came] it said: “I have encompassed [with my knowledge] something that thou hast never yet encompassed [with thine] - for I have come to thee from Sheba with a tiding sure!

“Behold, I found there a woman ruling over them; and she has been given [abundance] of all [good] things, and hers is a mighty throne,

And I found her and her people adoring the sun instead of God; and Satan has made these doings of theirs seem goodly to them, and [thus] has barred them from the path [of God], so that they cannot find the right way:

[for they have come to believe] that they ought not to adore God [although it is He] who brings forth all that is hidden in the heavens and on earth, and knows all that you would conceal as well as all that you bring into the open:

God, save whom there is no deity - the Sustainer, in awesome almightiness enthroned!”

Said [Solomon]: “We shall see whether thou hast told the truth or art one of the liars!

Go with this my letter and convey it to them; and thereafter withdraw from them and see what [answer] they return.”

[When the Queen had read Solomon’s letter,] she said: “O you nobles! A truly distinguished letter has been conveyed unto me.

Behold, it is from Solomon, and it says, ‘In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace:

[God says:] Exalt not yourselves against Me, but come unto Me in willing surrender!’”

She added: “O you nobles! Give me your opinion on the problem with which I am now faced; I would never make a [weighty] decision unless you are present with me.”

They answered: “We are endowed with power and with mighty prowess in war - but the command is thine; consider, then, what thou wouldst command.”

Said she: “Verily, whenever kings enter a country they corrupt it, and turn the noblest of its people into the most abject. And this is the way they [always] behave?

Hence, behold, I am going to send a gift to those [people], and await whatever [answer] the envoys bring back.”

Now when [the Queen’s messenger] came unto Solomon, he said: “Do you people mean to add to my wealth? But that which God has given me is [so much] better than all that He has given you! Nay, it is [only such as] you that would rejoice in this gift of yours!

“Go thou back unto them [that have sent thee]! For, [God says:] ‘We shall most certainly come upon them with forces which they will never be able to withstand, and shall most certainly cause them to be driven from that [land of theirs], despicable and humbled!’”

[When Solomon learned that the Queen of Sheba was coming,] he said [to his council]: “O you nobles! Which of you can bring me her throne ere she and her followers come unto me in willing surrender to God?”

Said a bold one of the invisible beings [subject to Solomon]: “I shall bring it to thee ere thou rise from thy council-seat - for, behold, I am powerful enough to do it, [and] worthy of trust!”

Answered he who was illumined by revela­tion: “[Nay,] as for me - I shall bring it to thee ere the twinkling of thy eye ceases!” And when he saw it truly before him, he exclaimed: “This is [an outcome] of my Sustainer’s bounty, to test me as to whether I am grateful or ungrateful! However, he who is grateful [to God] is but grateful for his own good; and he who is ungrate­ful [should know that], verily, my Sustainer is self-sufficient, most generous in giving!”

[And] he continued: Alter her throne so that she may not know it as hers: let us see whether she allows herself to be guided [to the truth] or remains one of those who will not be guided.”