Az-Zukhruf

Ha Mim

By the Scripture that makes things clear,

We have made it a Quran in Arabic so that you [people] may understand.

It is truly exalted in the Source of Scripture kept with Us, and full of wisdom.

Should We ignore you and turn this revelation away from you because you are insolent people?

We have sent many a prophet to earlier people

and they mocked every one of them,

so We have destroyed mightier people than [the disbelievers of Mecca] and their example has gone down in history.

If you [Prophet] ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and earth?’ they are sure to say, ‘They were created by the Almighty, the All Knowing.’

It is He who smoothed out the earth for you and traced out routes on it for you to find your way,

who sends water down from the sky in due measure––We resurrect dead land with it, and likewise you will be resurrected from the grave––

who created every kind of thing, who gave you ships and animals to ride on

so that you may remember your Lord’s grace when you are seated on them and say, ‘Glory be to Him who has given us control over this; we could not have done it by ourselves.

Truly it is to our Lord that we are returning.’

Yet they assign some of His own servants to Him as offspring!Man is clearly ungrateful!

Has He taken daughters for Himself and favoured you with sons?

When one of them is given news of the birth of a daughter, such as he so readily ascribes to the Lord of Mercy, his face grows dark and he is filled with gloom-

‘Someone who is brought up amongst trinkets, who cannot put together a clear argument?’

They consider the angels- God’s servants- to be female. Did they witness their creation? Their claim will be put on record and they will be questioned about it.

They say, ‘If the Lord of Mercy had willed it, we would not have worshipped them,’ but they do not know that- they are only guessing-

or have We perhaps given them a book before this one, to which they hold fast?

No indeed! They say, ‘We saw our fathers following this tradition; we are guided by their footsteps.’

When-ever We sent a messenger before you to warn a township, those corrupted by wealth said, in the same way, ‘We saw our fathers following this tradition; we are only following in their footsteps.’

The messenger said, ‘Even though I bring you a truer religion than what you saw your fathers following?’ and they replied, ‘But we do not believe the message you bring.’

We punished them: think about how those who rejected the Truth met their end.

Abraham said to his father and his people, ‘I renounce what you worship.

I worship only Him who created me, and it is He who will guide me,’

and he bequeathed these words to his descendants so that they might return [to God].

I have let these people and their fathers enjoy long lives, and now I have given them the Truth and a messenger to make things clear-

yet when the Truth came to them, they said, ‘This is sorcery. We do not believe in it,’

and they said, ‘Why was this Quran not sent down to a distinguished man, from either of the two cities?’

Are they the ones who share out your Lord’s grace? We are the ones who give them their share of livelihood in this world and We have raised some of them above others in rank, so that some may take others into service: your Lord’s grace is better than anything they accumulate.

If it were not that all mankind might have become a single nation [of disbelievers], We could have given all those who disbelieve in the Lord of Mercy houses with roofs of silver, sweeping staircases to ascend,

massive gates, couches to sit on,

and golden ornaments. All of these are mere enjoyments of this life; your Lord reserves the next life for those who take heed of Him.

We assign an evil one as a comrade for whoever turns away from the revelations of the Lord of Mercy:

evil ones bar people from the right path, even though they may think they are well guided.

When such a person comes to Us, he will say [to his comrade], ‘If only you had been as far away from me as east is from west. What an evil comrade!’

[It will be said to them], ‘You have done wrong. Having partners in punishment will not console you today.’

Can you [Prophet] make the deaf hear? Or guide either the blind or those who are in gross error?

Either We shall take you away and punish them- indeed We will-

or We shall let you witness the punishment We threatened them with; We have full power over them.

Hold fast to what has been revealed to you- you truly are on the right path-

for it is a reminder for you and your people: you will all be questioned.

Ask the prophets We sent before you: ‘Did We ever appoint any gods to be worshipped besides the Lord of Mercy?’

We sent Moses to Pharaoh and his courtiers and he said, ‘I am truly a messenger from the Lord of the Worlds,’

but when he presented Our signs to them, they laughed,

even though each sign We showed them was greater than the previous one. We inflicted torment on them so that they might return to the right path.

They said, ‘Sorcerer, call on your Lord for us, by virtue of His pledge to you: we shall certainly accept guidance,’

but as soon as We relieved their torment they broke their word.

Pharaoh proclaimed to his people, ‘My people, is the Kingdom of Egypt not mine? And these rivers that flow at my feet, are they not mine? Do you not see?

Am I not better than this contemptible wretch who can scarcely express himself?

Why has he not been given any gold bracelets? Why have no angels come to accompany him?’

In this way he moved his people to accept and they obeyed him- they were perverse people.

When they provoked Us, We punished and drowned them all:

We made them a lesson and an example for later people.

When the son of Mary is cited as an example, your people [Prophet] laugh and jeer,

saying, ‘Are our gods better or him?’- they cite him only to challenge you: they are a contentious people-

but he is only a servant We favoured and made an example for the Children of Israel:

if it had been Our will, We could have made you angels, succeeding one another on earth.

This [Quran] gives knowledge of the Hour: do not doubt it. Follow Me for this is the right path;

do not let Satan hinder you, for he is your sworn enemy.

When Jesus came with clear signs he said, ‘I have brought you wisdom; I have come to clear up some of your differences for you. Be mindful of God and obey me:

God is my Lord and your Lord. Serve Him: this is the straight path.’

Yet still the different factions among them disagreed- woe to the evildoers: they will suffer the torment of a grievous day!-

what are they waiting for but the Hour, which will come upon them suddenly and take them unawares?

On that Day, friends will become each other’s enemies. Not so the righteous-

‘My servants, there is no fear for you today, nor shall you grieve’––

those who believed in Our revelations and devoted themselves to Us.

‘Enter Paradise, you and your spouses: you will be filled with joy.’

Dishes and goblets of gold will be passed around them with all that their souls desire and their eyes delight in. ‘There you will remain:

this is the Garden you are given as your own, because of what you used to do,

and there is abundant fruit in it for you to eat.’

But the evildoers will remain in Hell’s punishment,

from which there is no relief: they will remain in utter despair.

We never wronged them; they were the ones who did wrong.

They will cry, ‘Malik, if only your Lord would finish us off,’ but he will answer, ‘No! You are here to stay.’

We have brought you the Truth but most of you despise it.

Have these disbelievers thought up some scheme? We too have been scheming.

Do they think We cannot hear their secret talk and their private counsel? Yes we can: Our messengers are at their sides, recording everything.

Say [Prophet], ‘If the Lord of Mercy [truly] had offspring I would be the first to worship [them], but-

exalted be the Lord of the heavens and earth, the Lord of the Throne- He is far above their false descriptions.’

Leave them to wade in deeper and play about, until they face the Day they have been promised.

It is He who is God in heaven and God on earth; He is the All Wise, the All Knowing;

Exalted is He who has control of the heavens and earth and everything between them; He has knowledge of the Hour; you will all be returned to Him.

Those gods they invoke besides Him have no power of intercession, unlike those who bore witness to the truth and recognized it.

If you [Prophet] ask them who created them they are sure to say, ‘God,’ so why are they so deluded?

The Prophet has said, ‘My Lord, truly these are people who do not believe,’

but turn away from them and say, ‘Peace’: they will come to know.