the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between the two, and the Lord of the sunrises!'
6
Verily, we have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars,
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and to preserve it from every rebellious devil,
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that they may not listen to the exalted chiefs; for they are hurled at from every side,
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driven off, and for them is lasting woe;
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save such as snatches off a word, and there follows him a darting flame!
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Ask them whether they are stronger by nature or (the angels) whom we have created? We have created them of sticky clay.
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Nay, thou dost wonder and they jest!
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and when they are reminded they will not remember;
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and when they see a sign they make a jest thereof,
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and say, 'This is naught but obvious sorcery.
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What! when we are dead, and have become earth and bones, shall we then be raised?
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what! and our fathers of yore?'
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Say, 'Yes, and ye shall shrink up,
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and it shall only be one scare, and, behold, they shall look on,
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and they shall say, 'O, woe is us! this is the day of judgment,
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this is the day of decision, which ye did call a lie!'
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Gather ye together, ye who were unjust, with their mates and what they used to serve
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beside God, and guide them to the way of hell,
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and stop them; verily, they shall be questioned.
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'Why do ye not help each other?'
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nay, on that day they shall resign themselves,
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and some shall draw near to others, to question each other,
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and they shall say, 'Verily, ye came to us from the right. '
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They shall say, 'Nay, ye were not believers,
30
nor had we any authority over you; nay, ye were an outrageous people.
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And the sentence of our Lord shall be due for us; verily, we shall surely taste thereof;
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we did seduce you - verily, we were erring too!'
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therefore, verily, on that day they shall share the torment:
34
thus it is that we will do with the sinners.
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Verily, when it is said to them, 'There is no god but God,' they get too big with pride,
36
and say, 'What! shall we leave our gods for an infatuated poet?'
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Nay, he came with the truth, and verified the apostles;
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verily, ye are going to taste of grievous woe,
39
nor shall ye be rewarded save for that which ye have done!
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Except God's sincere servants,
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these shall have a stated provision
42
of fruits, and they shall be honoured
43
in the gardens of pleasure,
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upon couches facing each other;
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they shall be served all round with a cup from a spring,
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white and delicious to those who drink,
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wherein is no insidious spirit, nor shall they be drunk therewith;
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and with them damsels, restraining their looks, large eyed;
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as though they were a sheltered egg;
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and some shall come forward to ask others;
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and a speaker amongst them shall say, 'Verily, I had a mate,
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who used to say, "Art thou verily of those who credit?
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What! when we are dead, and have become earth and bones, shall we be surely judged?"'
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He will say, 'Are ye looking down?'
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and he shall look down and see him in the midst of hell.
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He shall say, 'By God, thou didst nearly ruin me!
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And had it not been for the favour of my Lord, I should have been among the arraigned. ' -
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'What! shall we not die save our first death?
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and shall we not be tormented?-
60
Verily, this is mighty bliss!
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for the like of this then let the workers work. '
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Is that better as an entertainment, or the tree of Ez Zaqqum?
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Verily, we have made it a trial to the unjust.
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Verily, it is a tree that comes forth from the bottom of hell;
65
its spathe is as it were the heads of devils;
66
verily, they shall eat therefrom, and fill their bellies therefrom.
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Then shall they have upon it a mixture of boiling water;
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then, verily, their return shall be to hell.
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Verily, they found their fathers erring,
70
and they hurried on in their tracks;
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but there had erred before them most of those of yore,
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and we had sent warners amongst them.
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Behold, then, what was the end of those who were warned,
74
save God's sincere servants!
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Noah did call upon us, and a gracious answer did we give;
76
and we saved him and his people from a mighty trouble;
77
and we made his seed to be the survivors;
78
and we left for him amongst posterity
79
'peace upon Noah in the worlds;
80
verily, thus do we reward those who do well;
81
verily, he was of our believing servants. '
82
Then we drowned the others.
83
And, verily, of his sect was Abraham;
84
when he came to his Lord with a sound heart;
85
when he said to his father and his people, 'What is it that ye serve?
86
with a lie do ye desire gods beside God?
87
What then is your thought respecting the Lord of the worlds?'
88
And he looked a look at the stars
89
and said, 'Verily, I am sick!'
90
and they turned their backs upon him fleeing.
91
And he went aside unto their gods and said, 'Will ye not eat?
92
What ails you that ye will not speak?'
93
And he went aside to them smiting with the right hand.
94
And they rushed towards him.
95
Said he, 'Do ye serve what ye hew out,
96
when God has created you, and what ye make?'
97
Said they, 'Build for him a pyre, and throw him into the flaming hell!'
98
They desired to plot against him, but we made them inferior.
99
Said he, 'Verily, I am going to my Lord, He will guide me.
100
My Lord! grant me (a son), one of the righteous;'
101
and we gave him glad tidings of a clement boy.
102
And when he reached the age to work with him, he said, 'O my boy! verily, I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice thee, look then what thou seest right. ' Said he, 'O my sire! do what thou art bidden; thou wilt find me, if it please God, one of the patient!'
103
And when they were resigned, and Abraham had thrown him down upon his forehead,
104
we called to him, 'O Abraham!
105
thou hast verified the vision; verily, thus do we reward those who do well.
106
This is surely an obvious trial. '
107
And we ransomed him with a mighty victim;
108
and we left for him amongst posterity,
109
'Peace upon Abraham;
110
thus do we reward those who do well;
111
verily, he was of our servants who believe!'
112
And we gave him glad tidings of Isaac, a prophet among the righteous;
113
and we blessed him and Isaac;- of their seed is one who does well, and one who obviously wrongs himself.
114
And we were gracious unto Moses and Aaron.
115
We saved them and their people from mighty trouble,
116
and we helped them and they had the upper hand;
117
and we gave them both the perspicuous Book;
118
and we guided them to the right way;
119
and we left for them amongst posterity,
120
'Peace upon Moses and Aaron;
121
verily, thus do we reward those who do well;
122
verily, they were both of our servants who believe!'
123
And verily Elyas was of the apostles;
124
when he said to his people, 'Will ye not fear?
125
do ye call upon Baal and leave the best of Creators,
126
God your Lord and the Lord of your fathers of yore?'
127
But they called him liar; verily, they shall surely be arraigned,
128
save God's sincere servants.
129
And we, left for him amongst posterity,
130
'Peace upon Elyasin;
131
verily, thus do we reward those who do well;
132
verily, he was of our servants who believe!'
133
And, verily, Lot was surely among the apostles;
134
when we saved him and his people altogether,
135
except an old woman amongst those who lingered;
136
then we destroyed the others;
137
verily, ye pass by them in the morning
138
and at night; have ye then no sense?
139
And, verily, Jonah was amongst the apostles
140
when he ran away into the laden ship;
141
and he cast lots and was of those who lost;
142
and a fish swallowed him, for he was to be blamed;
143
and had it not been that he was of those who celebrated God's praises
144
he would surely have tarried in the belly thereof to the day when men shall be raised.
145
But we cast him on to the barren shore; and he was sick;
146
and we made to grow over him a gourd tree;
147
and we sent him to a hundred thousand or more,
148
and they believed; and we gave them enjoyment for a season.
149
Ask them, 'Has thy Lord daughters while they have sons?
150
or have we created the angels females while they were witnesses?'
151
is it not of their lie that they say,
152
'God has begotten?' verily, they are liars.
153
Has he preferred daughters to sons?
154
what ails you? how ye judge!
155
will ye not be mindful,
156
or have ye obvious authority?
157
then bring your Book if ye do speak the truth.
158
And they made him to be related to the ginns, while the ginns know that they shall be arraigned;
159
celebrated be God's praises from what they attribute!-
160
save God's sincere servants.
161
'Verily, ye and what ye worship
162
shall not try any one concerning him,
163
save him who shall broil in hell;
164
there is none amongst us but has his appointed place, and,
165
verily, we are ranged, and,
166
verily, we celebrate His praises.
167
And yet they say,
168
'Had we a reminder from those of yore
169
we should surely have been of God's sincere servants. '
170
But they misbelieved in it; but soon shall they know.
171
But our word has been passed to our servants who were sent
172
that they should be helped;
173
that, verily, our hosts should gain mastery for them.
174
Then turn thou thy back upon them for a time,
175
and look upon them, for soon they too shall look.
176
Would they hasten on our torment?
177
but when it descends in their court, ill will the morning be of those who have been warned!
178
But turn thy back upon them for a time;
179
and look, for soon they too shall look.
180
Celebrated be the praises of thy Lord, the Lord of glory, above what they attribute!