26. Surah Ash-Shu'ara
سورة الشعراء
In the name of God, the Almighty, the Merciful.
ṭā sīn mīm
Those are the proofs of the Clear Writ.
Thou mightest destroy thy soul from grief that they are not believers.
If We will, We can send down upon them from the sky a proof to which their necks will remain humbled.
And there comes not to them any new remembrance from the Almighty, save they turn away therefrom.
Then have they denied; and there will come to them the report of that whereat they mocked.
Have they not seen the earth: how much We have caused to grow therein of every noble kind?
In that is a proof, but most of them are not believers.
And thy Lord: He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
And when thy Lord called Moses: “Go thou to the wrongdoing people,
“The people of Pharaoh: — will they not be in prudent fear?”
He said: “My Lord: I fear that they will deny me,
“And my breast will be straitened, and my tongue not proceed; so send Thou for Aaron.
“And they have a transgression against me, so I fear that they will kill me.”
He said: “By no means! Go with Our proofs; We are with you, listening.”
“And go to Pharaoh, and say: ‘We are a messenger of the Lord of All Creation.
“‘Send thou with us the children of Israel.’”
Said he: “Did we not bring thee up among us as a child? And thou tarriedst among us years of thy life;
“And thou didst thy deed which thou didst, and wast of the false claimers of guidance.”
He said: “I did it when I was of those who stray.
“And I fled from you when I feared you. Then my Lord gave me judgment and made me among the emissaries.
“And that favour wherewith thou reproachest me is that thou hast enslaved the children of Israel.”
Said Pharaoh: “And what is the Lord of All Creation?”
He said: “The Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and what is between them; if you are certain––”
Said he to those round about him: “Do you not hear!”
He said: “Your Lord, and the Lord of your fathers of old––”
Said he: “Your messenger who has been sent to you is possessed!”
He said: “The Lord of the East and the West, and what is between them; if you use reason––”
Said he: “If thou takest a god other than me, I will place thee among those imprisoned.”
He said: “Even though I brought thee something clear?”
Said he: “Then bring thou it, if thou be of the truthful.”
And he cast his staff, and then it was a clear serpent;
And he drew forth his hand, and then it was white for all to see.
Said he to the eminent ones round about him: “This is a learned sorcerer.
“He wants to turn you out of your land by his sorcery; then what do you command?”
They said: “Delay thou him and his brother, and raise thou up in the cities gatherers
“Who will bring thee every learned sorcerer.”
And the sorcerers were assembled at the appointed time of a known day.
And it was said to the people: “Will you assemble
So we might follow the sorcerers, if they are the victors?”
And when the sorcerers came they said to Pharaoh: “Will there be a reward for us, if we are the victors?”
He said: “Yea; and you will then be of those brought near.”
Moses said to them: “Cast what you will cast.”
And they cast their ropes and their staffs, and said: “By the power and glory of Pharaoh are we the victors!”
Then Moses cast his staff; and then it swallowed up what they falsified;
Then were the sorcerers cast down in submission,
They said: “We believe in the Lord of All Creation,
“The Lord of Moses and Aaron.”
Said he: “You have believed him before I gave you leave. He is your chief who taught you sorcery. And you will come to know! I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and crucify you all together.”
They said: “No harm! To our Lord are we returning.
“We hope that our Lord will forgive us our offences because we were the first of the believers.”
And We instructed Moses: “Travel thou by night with My servants; you will be followed.”
And Pharaoh sent into the cities gatherers:
“These are but a little band
“But they do enrage us
“And we are a cautious assembly.”
And We turned them out of gardens and springs,
And treasures and a noble station.
Thus! And We caused the children of Israel to inherit them.
And they followed them at sunrise;
And when the two hosts saw each other, the companions of Moses said: “We are overtaken!”
He said: “By no means! My Lord is with me; He will guide me.”
Then We instructed Moses: “Strike thou the sea with thy staff”; and it parted, and each part was like a great towering mountain.
And We brought nigh thereto the others,
And We delivered Moses and those with him all together.
Then drowned We the others.
In that is a proof, but most of them are not believers.
And thy Lord: He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
And recite thou to them the report of Abraham
When he said to his father and his people: “What do you serve?”
They said: “We serve idols, and remain to them devoted.”
He said: “Do they hear you when you call,
“Or benefit you, or do harm?”
They said: “Nay — we found our fathers doing thus.”
He said: “Have you considered what you have been serving,
“You, and your fathers the ancients?
“And they are an enemy to me save the Lord of All Creation
“Who created me; and He guides me,
“And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink,
“And when I am sick, He heals me,
“And who will give me death, then give me life,
“And who I hope will forgive me my offences on the Day of Judgment.”
“My Lord: give Thou me judgment, and join Thou me with the righteous,
“And appoint Thou for me a tongue of truth among those who come later.
“And make Thou me among the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss.
“And forgive Thou my father; he is of those who go astray.
“And disgrace Thou me not the day they are raised:
“The day wealth and sons benefit not
“Save him who comes to God with a pure heart.”
And the Garden will be brought nigh to those of prudent fear,
And Hell will be made manifest to those who err,
And it will be said to them: “Where is what you served,
“Besides God? Do they help you, or help themselves?”
And they will be hurled therein, they and those who err,
And the forces of Iblīs all together.
They will say while they dispute therein:
“By God, we were in manifest error
“When we made you equal with the Lord of All Creation!
“And none but the lawbreakers led us astray,
“So now we have no intercessors,
“Nor sincere loyal friend.
“Would that we might return and be among the believers!”
In that is a proof, but most of them are not believers.
And thy Lord: He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
The people of Noah denied the emissaries
When their brother Noah said to them: “Will you not be in prudent fear?
“I am to you a trustworthy messenger,
“So be in prudent fear of God, and obey me.
“And I ask of you for it no reward; my reward is only upon the Lord of All Creation;
“So be in prudent fear of God, and obey me.”
They said: “Are we to believe thee when the abject follow thee?”
He said: “And what knowledge have I of what they did?
“Their reckoning is only upon my Lord, were you to perceive.
“And I am not one to drive away the believers.
“I am only a clear warner.”
They said: “If thou cease not, O Noah, thou wilt be of those stoned.”
He said: “My Lord: my people have denied me,
“So decide Thou between me and them, and deliver Thou me and those with me among the believers.”
So We delivered him and those with him in the laden ship.
Then We drowned thereafter those remaining.
In that is a proof, but most of them are not believers.
And thy Lord: He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
ʿĀd denied the emissaries
When their brother Hūd said to them: “Will you not be in prudent fear?
“I am to you a trustworthy messenger,
“So be in prudent fear of God, and obey me.
“And I ask of you for it no reward; my reward is only upon the Lord of All Creation.
“Build you a proof on every prominence, amusing yourselves
“And take you constructions, that you might abide eternally,
“And when you lay hold, lay you hold as tyrants?
“So be in prudent fear of God, and obey me.
“And be in prudent fear of Him who has supplied you with what you know:
“Supplied you with cattle and sons,
“And gardens and springs.
“I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous day.”
They said: “It is the same to us whether thou admonishest, or be not of the admonishers.
“This is only the tradition of the former peoples,
“And we are not to be punished.”
And they denied him, then We destroyed them. In that is a proof, but most of them are not believers.
And thy Lord: He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
Thamūd denied the emissaries
When their brother Ṣāliḥ said to them: “Will you not be in prudent fear?
“I am to you a trustworthy messenger,
“So be in prudent fear of God, and obey me.
“And I ask of you for it no reward; my reward is only upon the Lord of All Creation.
“Are you to be left secure in what is here,
“Among gardens and springs,
“And tilled fields, and date-palms with slender spathes,
“And to hew out houses from the mountains skilfully?
“So be in prudent fear of God, and obey me.
“And obey not the command of the committers of excess:
“Those who work corruption in the land, and do not right.”
They said: “Thou art but one taken by sorcery.
“Thou art only a mortal like us; then bring thou a proof, if thou be of the truthful.”
He said: “This is a she-camel; to her a drink and to you a drink on a day appointed.
“And touch her not with evil lest there take you the punishment of a tremendous day.”
But they hamstrung her, then they became remorseful,
And the punishment seized them. In that is a proof, but most of them are not believers.
And thy Lord: He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
The people of Lot denied the emissaries
When their brother Lot said to them: “Will you not be in prudent fear?
“I am to you a trustworthy messenger,
“So be in prudent fear of God, and obey me.
“And I ask of you for it no reward; my reward is only upon the Lord of All Creation.
“Do you approach the males among all mankind,
“And leave what your Lord created for you among your wives? The truth is, you are a transgressing people.”
They said: “If thou cease not, O Lot, thou wilt be of those turned out.”
He said: “I am of those who abhor your deed.”
“My Lord: deliver Thou me and my household from what they do.”
And We delivered him and his household all together,
Save an old woman among those who stayed behind;
Then We annihilated the others,
And We rained upon them a rain; and evil is the rain of those who were warned.
In that is a proof, but most of them are not believers.
And thy Lord: He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
And the companions of the woods denied the emissaries
When Shuʿayb said to them: “Will you not be in prudent fear?
“I am to you a trustworthy messenger,
“So be in prudent fear of God, and obey me.
“And I ask of you for it no reward; my reward is only upon the Lord of All Creation.
“Fulfil the measure, and be not of those who cause loss.
“And weigh with the straight balance.
“And deprive not men of their possessions, and commit not evil in the earth, working corruption.
“And be in prudent fear of Him who created you and the generations of the former peoples.”
They said: “Thou art but one taken by sorcery;
“And thou art only a mortal like us; and we consider thee a liar.
“Then cause thou pieces of the sky to fall upon us, if thou be of the truthful.”
He said: “My Lord best knows what you do.”
Then they denied him; then there seized them the punishment of the Day of Shadow; it was the punishment of a tremendous day.
In that is a proof, but most of them are not believers.
And thy Lord: He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
And it is a revelation of the Lord of All Creation,
Brought down by the Faithful Spirit
Upon thy heart — that thou be of the warners —
In a clear Arabic tongue.
And it is in the writings of the former peoples.
Is it not a proof to them that the learned of the children of Israel know it?
And had We sent it down upon any of the non-Arabs,
And he had recited it to them, they would not have been believers in it.
Thus have We put it in the hearts of the lawbreakers:
“They will not believe in it until they see the painful punishment,
“And it will come upon them unexpectedly, when they perceive not,”
Then will they say: “Can we be granted respite?”
Is it then Our punishment they seek to hasten?
Hast thou then considered: if We give them enjoyment for years,
Then there comes to them what they were promised,
What will it avail them, what they enjoyed?
And We destroyed no city save it had warners
As a reminder; and We were not wrongdoers.
And the satans did not bring it down;
And it does not behove them, nor are they able.
They are excluded from hearing.
And call thou not, with God, to another god lest thou be of those punished.
And warn thou thy relatives.
And lower thou thy wing to those who follow thee among the believers.
And if they oppose thee, say thou: “I am quit of what you do.”
And place thou thy trust in the Exalted in Might, the Merciful:
Who sees thee when thou arisest,
And thy going to and fro among those who submit;
He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
Shall I inform you upon whom the satans descend?
They descend upon every sinful deceiver:
They give ear, and most of them are liars.
And the poets: those who err follow them.
Dost thou not see that they wander in every valley,
And that they say what they do not?
Save those who heed warning and do righteous deeds, and remember God much, and help themselves after they have been wronged; and those who do wrong will come to know to what final destination they will be returned.