42 But those who believe and do good deeds– and We do not burden any soul with more than it can bear– are the people of the Garden and there they will remain. 43 We shall have removed all ill feeling from their hearts; streams will flow at their feet. They will say, ‘Praise be to God, who guided us to this: had God not guided us, We would never have found the way. The messengers of our Lord brought the Truth.’ A voice will call out to them, ‘This is the Garden you have been given as your own on account of your deeds.’ 44 The people of the Garden will cry out to the people of the Fire, ‘We have found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have you found what your Lord promised you to be true?’ and they will answer, ‘Yes’. A voice will proclaim from their midst, ‘God’s rejection [hangs] over the evildoers: 45 those who turned others away from God’s path and tried to make it crooked, those who denied the Hereafter.’
46 A barrier divides the two groups with men on its heights recognizing each group by their marks: they will call out to the people of the Garden, ‘Peace be with you!’– they will not have entered, but they will be hoping, 47 and when their glance falls upon the people of the Fire, they will say, ‘Our Lord, do not let us join the evildoers!’– 48 and the people of the heights will call out to certain men they recognize by their marks, ‘What use were your great numbers and your false pride? 49 And are these the people you swore God would never bless? [Now these people are being told], “Enter the Garden! No fear for you, nor shall you grieve.”’
50 The people of the Fire will call to the people of Paradise, ‘Give us some water, or any of the sustenance God has granted you!’ and they will reply, ‘God has forbidden both to the disbelievers– 51 those who took their religion for distraction, a mere game, and were deluded by worldly life.’ Today We shall ignore [a] them, just as they have ignored their meeting with this Day and denied Our Revelations.
52 We have brought people a Scripture– We have explained it on the basis of true knowledge– as guidance and mercy for those who believe. 53 What are they waiting for but the fulfilment of its [final prophecy]? On the Day it is fulfilled, those who had ignored it will say, ‘Our Lord’s messenger spoke the truth. Is there anyone to intercede for us now? Or can we be sent back to behave differently from the way we behaved before?’ They will really have squandered their souls, and all [the idols] they invented will have deserted them.
54 Your Lord is God, who created the heavens and earth in six Days, then established Himself on the throne; He makes the night cover the day in swift pursuit; He created the sun, moon, and stars to be subservient to His command; all creation and command belong to Him. Exalted be God, Lord of all the worlds! 55 Call on your Lord humbly and privately– He does not like those who transgress His bounds: 56 do not corrupt the earth after it has been set right– call on Him fearing and hoping. The mercy of God is close to those who do good. 57 It is God who sends the winds, bearing good news of His coming grace, and when they have gathered up the heavy clouds, We drive them to a dead land where We cause rain to fall, bringing out all kinds of crops, just as We shall bring out the dead. Will you not reflect? 58 Vegetation comes out of good land in abundance, by the will of its Lord, but out of bad land only scantily: We explain Our Revelations in various ways to those who give thanks.
The Stories of Noah and Hud
59 We sent Noah to his people. He said, ‘My people, serve God: you have no god other than Him. I fear for you the punishment of a fearsome Day!’ 60 but the prominent leaders of his people said, ‘We believe you are far astray.’ 61 He replied, ‘My people, there is nothing astray about me! On the contrary, I am a messenger from the Lord of all the Worlds: 62 I am delivering my Lord’s messages to you and giving you sincere advice. I know things from God that you do not. 63 Do you find it so strange that a message should come from your Lord– through a man in your midst– to warn you and make you aware of God so that you may be given mercy?’ 64 but they called him a liar. We saved him, and those who were with him, on the Ark and We drowned those who rejected Our revelations– they were willfully blind.
65 To the people of Ad We sent their brother, Hud. He said, ‘My people, serve God: you have no god other than Him. Will you not take heed?’ 66 but the disbelieving leaders of his people said, ‘We believe you are a fool,’ and ‘We think you are a liar.’ 67 He said, ‘My people, there is nothing foolish about me! On the contrary, I am a messenger from the Lord of all the Worlds: 68 I am delivering my Lord’s messages to you. I am your sincere and honest adviser. 69 Do you find it so strange that a message should come from your Lord, through a man in your midst, to warn you? Remember how He made you heirs after Noah’s people, and increased your stature: remember God’s bounties, so that you may prosper.’ 70 They said, ‘Have you really come to tell us to serve God alone and to forsake what our forefathers served? If what you say is true, bring us the punishment you threaten.’ 71 He said, ‘You are already set to receive your Lord’s loathing and anger. Are you arguing with me about mere names you and your forefathers invented, names for which God has given no sanction? Just wait; I too am waiting.’ 72 We saved him, and those who were with him, through Our mercy; We destroyed those who denied Our revelations and would not believe.
73 To the people of Thamud We sent their brother, Salih. He said, ‘My people, serve God: you have no god other than Him. A clear sign has come to you now from your Lord: this is God’s she-camel– a sign for you– so let her graze in God’s land and do not harm her in any way, or you will be struck by a painful torment.
The Stories of Saleh, Lot and Shuaib
74 Remember how He made you heirs after Ad and settled you in the land to build yourselves castles on its plains and carve houses out of the mountains: remember God’s blessings and do not spread corruption in the land,’ 75 but the arrogant leaders among his people said to the believers they thought to be of no account, ‘Do you honestly think that Salih is a messenger from his Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes. We believe in the message sent through him,’ 76 but the arrogant leaders said, ‘We reject what you believe in,’ 77 and then they hamstrung the camel. They defied their Lord’s commandment and said, ‘Salih, bring down the punishment you threaten, if you really are a messenger!’ 78 An earthquake seized them: by the next morning they were lying dead in their homes. 79 So he turned away from them, saying, ‘My people, I delivered my Lord’s messages to you and gave you sincere advice, but you did not like those who gave sincere advice.’
80 We sent Lot and he said to his people, ‘How can you practice this outrage? No one in the world has outdone you in this. 81 You lust after men rather than women! You transgress all bounds!’ 82 The only response his people gave was to say [to one another], ‘Drive them out of your town! These men want to keep themselves chaste!’ 83 We saved him and his kinsfolk– apart from his wife who stayed behind– 84 and We showered upon [the rest of] them a rain [of destruction]. See the fate of the evildoers.
85 To the people of Midian We sent their brother, Shu'ayb. He said, ‘My people, serve God: you have no god other than Him. A clear sign has come to you from your Lord. Give full measure and weight and do not undervalue people’s goods; do not cause corruption in the land after it has been set in order: this is better for you, if you are believers. 86 Do not sit in every pathway, threatening and barring those who believe in God from His way, trying to make it crooked. Remember how you used to be few and He made you multiply. Think about the fate of those who used to spread corruption. 87 If some of you believe the message I bring and others do not, then be patient till God judges between us. He is the best of all judges.’
88 His people’s arrogant leaders said, ‘Shu'ayb, we will expel you and your fellow believers from our town unless you return to our religion.’ He said, ‘What! Even if we detest it? 89 If we were to return to your religion after God has saved us from it, we would be inventing lies about Him: there is no way we could return to it– unless by the will of God our Lord: in His knowledge He comprehends everything. We put our trust in God. Our Lord, expose the truth [and judge] between us and our people, for You are the best judge.’ 90 The disbelieving leaders among his people said, ‘You will certainly be losers if you follow Shu'ayb’– 91 an earthquake seized them: by the next morning they were lying dead in their homes; 92 it was as if those who had rejected Shu'ayb had never lived there; it was those who had rejected Shu'ayb who were the losers– 93 so he turned away from them, saying, ‘My people, I delivered my Lord’s messages to you and gave you sincere advice, so why should I grieve for people who refused to believe?’
Footnotes
a. ‘Ignore’ is one of the meanings of the Arabic nasiya normally translated as ‘forget’.
The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)
The Qur'an / a new translation by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, copyright © 2004 Oxford World's Classics (Oxford University Press). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Comments