الاحقاف
Al-Ahqaf
No Novelty Among the Messengers
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the All-Benevolent, the Benevolent.
Ḥa. Mim.
حمٓ
The descent of the Scripture comes from God, the All-Powerful, the Wise.
تَنزِيلُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَكِيمِ
We did not create the heavens and the earth, and what is between them, except in truth and for an appointed term.
مَا خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَآ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَأَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّۭى
And those who disown turn away from what they were warned of.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ عَمَّآ أُنذِرُوا۟ مُعْرِضُونَ
Say: "Have you considered what you invoke besides God? Show me what they have created of the earth, or do they have a share in the heavens?
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُم مَّا تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَرُونِى مَاذَا خَلَقُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ أَمْ لَهُمْ شِرْكٌۭ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ
Bring me a Scripture prior to this one, or a remnant of knowledge, if you are veracious."
ٱئْتُونِى بِكِتَٰبٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِ هَٰذَآ أَوْ أَثَٰرَةٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمٍ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
And who is more astray than one who invokes, besides God, that which will not answer him until the Day of Appearance, while they remain heedless of their invocation?
وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّن يَدْعُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَن لَّا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُۥٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ وَهُمْ عَن دُعَآئِهِمْ غَٰفِلُونَ
And when mankind is gathered, they will be enemies to them, and they will disown their obedience.
وَإِذَا حُشِرَ ٱلنَّاسُ كَانُوا۟ لَهُمْ أَعْدَآءًۭ وَكَانُوا۟ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَٰفِرِينَ
And when Our clear signs are recited to them, those who disown say of the truth once it reaches them: "This is a manifest illusion."
وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتُنَا بَيِّنَٰتٍۢ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ هَٰذَا سِحْرٌۭ مُّبِينٌ
Or will they say: "He has invented it"?
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ
Say: "If I have invented it, you possess nothing for me against God.
قُلْ إِنِ ٱفْتَرَيْتُهُۥ فَلَا تَمْلِكُونَ لِى مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًٔا
He knows best what you indulge in concerning it.
هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ
He suffices as a witness between me and you.
كَفَىٰ بِهِۦ شَهِيدًۢا بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ
And He is the Most-Forgiving, the Benevolent."
وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Say: "I am not a novelty among the messengers, and I have no idea what will be done with me or with you.
قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعًۭا مِّنَ ٱلرُّسُلِ وَمَآ أَدْرِى مَا يُفْعَلُ بِى وَلَا بِكُمْ
I only follow what is revealed to me.
إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ
And I am only a clear warner."
وَمَآ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ
Say: "Have you considered: if this is from God and you disown it, while a witness among the Sons of Israel has testified to its conformity and believed, whereas you grow proud...
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ وَكَفَرْتُم بِهِۦ وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌۭ مِّنۢ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ عَلَىٰ مِثْلِهِۦ فَـَٔامَنَ وَٱسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ
God indeed does not guide the wrongdoing people."
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
And those who disown say to those who believe: "If it were good, they would not have preceded us to it."
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَوْ كَانَ خَيْرًۭا مَّا سَبَقُونَآ إِلَيْهِ
And since they have not let themselves be guided by it, they will say: "This is an old distortion."
وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا۟ بِهِۦ فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَٰذَآ إِفْكٌۭ قَدِيمٌۭ
And before him, the Scripture of Moussa, as a reference and a benevolence.
وَمِن قَبْلِهِۦ كِتَٰبُ مُوسَىٰٓ إِمَامًۭا وَرَحْمَةًۭ
And this is a confirming Scripture, in a flawless tongue, so that you may warn those who have done wrong, and as good tidings for those who do good.
وَهَٰذَا كِتَٰبٌۭ مُّصَدِّقٌۭ لِّسَانًا عَرَبِيًّۭا لِّيُنذِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ
Indeed, those who say: "Our Guardian is God," then stand straight — no fear upon them, and they will not grieve.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَقَٰمُوا۟ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Those are the companions of the Garden, abiding therein eternally,
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا
as a recompense for what they used to do.
جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
And We enjoined upon the human being beneficence toward his two parents.
وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ إِحْسَٰنًا
His mother carried him in pain and bore him in pain.
حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ كُرْهًۭا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًۭا
And his bearing and his weaning are thirty months.
وَحَمْلُهُۥ وَفِصَٰلُهُۥ ثَلَٰثُونَ شَهْرًا
Until, when he reaches his full maturity and reaches forty years, he says: "My Guardian, inspire me to be grateful for Your blessing which You bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do a sound deed that pleases You.
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُۥ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةًۭ قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَٰلِحًۭا تَرْضَىٰهُ
And make sound for me my descendants.
وَأَصْلِحْ لِى فِى ذُرِّيَّتِىٓ
Indeed, I turn back to You, and I am among those true to God alone."
إِنِّى تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّى مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ
Those are the ones from whom We accept the most beautiful of what they did, and pass over their bad deeds, among the companions of the Garden —
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ نَتَقَبَّلُ عَنْهُمْ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ وَنَتَجَاوَزُ عَن سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ فِىٓ أَصْحَٰبِ ٱلْجَنَّةِ
a true promise which they were promised.
وَعْدَ ٱلصِّدْقِ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ
And he who says to his two parents: "Fie on you both! Do you promise me that I will be brought forth, when generations have already passed before me?" — while they both call on God for rescue: "Woe to you, believe! Indeed the promise of God is true" — and he says: "These are nothing but legends of the ancients."
وَٱلَّذِى قَالَ لِوَٰلِدَيْهِ أُفٍّۢ لَّكُمَآ أَتَعِدَانِنِىٓ أَنْ أُخْرَجَ وَقَدْ خَلَتِ ٱلْقُرُونُ مِن قَبْلِى وَهُمَا يَسْتَغِيثَانِ ٱللَّهَ وَيْلَكَ ءَامِنْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّۭ فَيَقُولُ مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
Those are the ones against whom the saying has proven true, among communities that had already passed before them, of the Occulted and humans.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْقَوْلُ فِىٓ أُمَمٍۢ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ
They were indeed losers.
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ خَٰسِرِينَ
And to each, degrees, according to what they did,
وَلِكُلٍّۢ دَرَجَٰتٌۭ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوا۟
and so that He may faithfully repay them for their works, and they will not be wronged.
وَلِيُوَفِّيَهُمْ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
And the Day those who disown are exposed to the Fire: "You took away your wholesome things in your present life and enjoyed them.
وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ أَذْهَبْتُمْ طَيِّبَٰتِكُمْ فِى حَيَاتِكُمُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِهَا
So today you will be recompensed with the punishment of degradation for having grown proud on earth without right, and for having overstepped."
فَٱلْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ ٱلْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَفْسُقُونَ
And remember the brother of the Aad, when he warned his people at the Ahqaf — warners had already passed before him and after him: "Obey none but God.
وَٱذْكُرْ أَخَا عَادٍ إِذْ أَنذَرَ قَوْمَهُۥ بِٱلْأَحْقَافِ وَقَدْ خَلَتِ ٱلنُّذُرُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦٓ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ
I indeed fear for you the punishment of an immense day."
إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍۢ
They said: "Have you come to us to turn us away from our deities? Then bring us what you promise us, if you are among the veracious."
قَالُوٓا۟ أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَأْفِكَنَا عَنْ ءَالِهَتِنَا فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَآ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ
He said: "The knowledge is with God alone; I convey to you what I was sent with, but I see you to be an ignorant people."
قَالَ إِنَّمَا ٱلْعِلْمُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَأُبَلِّغُكُم مَّآ أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِۦ وَلَٰكِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكُمْ قَوْمًۭا تَجْهَلُونَ
Then, when they saw it as a cloud approaching their valleys, they said: "This is a cloud bringing us rain."
فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ عَارِضًۭا مُّسْتَقْبِلَ أَوْدِيَتِهِمْ قَالُوا۟ هَٰذَا عَارِضٌۭ مُّمْطِرُنَا
No, it is rather what you sought to hasten —
بَلْ هُوَ مَا ٱسْتَعْجَلْتُم بِهِۦ
a wind carrying a painful punishment,
رِيحٌۭ فِيهَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ
destroying everything by the command of its Guardian.
تُدَمِّرُ كُلَّ شَىْءٍۭ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّهَا
And in the morning, you could see nothing but their dwellings.
فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ لَا يُرَىٰٓ إِلَّا مَسَٰكِنُهُمْ
Thus do We recompense the severed people.
كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
And We had certainly established them in what We have not established you in, and We had placed for them hearing, sight, and Consciences,
وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّٰهُمْ فِيمَآ إِن مَّكَّنَّٰكُمْ فِيهِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعًۭا وَأَبْصَٰرًۭا وَأَفْـِٔدَةًۭ
but neither their hearing, nor their sight, nor their Consciences availed them anything, since they used to stubbornly reject the signs of God,
فَمَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلَآ أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ وَلَآ أَفْـِٔدَتُهُم مِّن شَىْءٍ إِذْ كَانُوا۟ يَجْحَدُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ
and that which they used to mock enveloped them.
وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
And We have certainly annihilated the cities around you, and We diversified the signs, perhaps they would return.
وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا مَا حَوْلَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ وَصَرَّفْنَا ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
Why then did those they took, besides God, as an offering — as deities — not help them?
فَلَوْلَا نَصَرَهُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ قُرْبَانًا ءَالِهَةًۢ
Rather, they strayed away from them,
بَلْ ضَلُّوا۟ عَنْهُمْ
and that is their distortion and what they used to invent.
وَذَٰلِكَ إِفْكُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ
And when We directed toward you a group of the Occulted, listening to the Recitation; and when they were present at it, they said: "Be silent."
وَإِذْ صَرَفْنَآ إِلَيْكَ نَفَرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ يَسْتَمِعُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَلَمَّا حَضَرُوهُ قَالُوٓا۟ أَنصِتُوا۟
Then, when it was concluded, they turned back to their people as warners.
فَلَمَّا قُضِىَ وَلَّوْا۟ إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِم مُّنذِرِينَ
They said: "O our people, we have heard a Scripture sent down after Moussa, confirming what came before it, guiding to the truth and to a straight road.
قَالُوا۟ يَٰقَوْمَنَآ إِنَّا سَمِعْنَا كِتَٰبًا أُنزِلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مُوسَىٰ مُصَدِّقًۭا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ يَهْدِىٓ إِلَى ٱلْحَقِّ وَإِلَىٰ طَرِيقٍۢ مُّسْتَقِيمٍۢ
O our people, respond to the caller of God and believe in him: He will forgive you some of your offenses and grant you asylum from a painful punishment.
يَٰقَوْمَنَآ أَجِيبُوا۟ دَاعِىَ ٱللَّهِ وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَغْفِرْ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُجِرْكُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍۢ
And whoever does not respond to the caller of God cannot render Him powerless on earth, and has no allies besides Him.
وَمَن لَّا يُجِبْ دَاعِىَ ٱللَّهِ فَلَيْسَ بِمُعْجِزٍۢ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَيْسَ لَهُۥ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءُ
Those are in manifest error."
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍ
Do they not see that God, who created the heavens and the earth and was not worn out by their creation, is able to bring the dead back to life? Yes!
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَمْ يَعْىَ بِخَلْقِهِنَّ بِقَٰدِرٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يُحْـِۧىَ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ بَلَىٰٓ
He is capable of all things.
إِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ
And the Day those who disown are exposed to the Fire: "Is this not the truth?"
وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ أَلَيْسَ هَٰذَا بِٱلْحَقِّ
They will say: "Yes, by our Guardian!"
قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّنَا
He will say: "Taste then the punishment, for having disowned."
قَالَ فَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
So be patient, as the resolute among the messengers were patient, and do not seek to hasten.
فَٱصْبِرْ كَمَا صَبَرَ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعَزْمِ مِنَ ٱلرُّسُلِ وَلَا تَسْتَعْجِل
To them: "As if, on the day they see what they were promised, they had remained only an hour of the day" — this is a transmission.
لَّهُمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ مَا يُوعَدُونَ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوٓا۟ إِلَّا سَاعَةًۭ مِّن نَّهَارٍۭ بَلَٰغٌۭ
So will any be annihilated except the people of the oversteppers?
فَهَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا ٱلْقَوْمُ ٱلْفَٰسِقُونَ