Al-Ahqaf
No Novelty Among the Messengers
In the name of God, the All-Benevolent, the Benevolent. Ḥa. Mim.
بسم ٱلله ٱلرحمن ٱلرحيم حمThe descent of the Scripture comes from God, the All-Powerful, the Wise.
تنزيل ٱلكتب من ٱلله ٱلعزيز ٱلحكيمWe did not create the heavens and the earth, and what is between them, except in truth and for an appointed term.
ما خلقنا ٱلسموت وٱلأرض وما بينهمآ إلا بٱلحق وأجل مسمىAnd those who disown turn away from what they were warned of.
وٱلذين كفروا عمآ أنذروا معرضونSay: "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?"
قل أرءيتم ما تدعون من دون ٱلله أروني ماذا خلقوا من ٱلأرض أم لهم شرك في ٱلسموتBring me a Writ prior to this one, or a remnant of knowledge, if you are truthful.
ٱئتوني بكتب من قبل هذآ أو أثرة من علم إن كنتم صدقينAnd 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?
ومن أضل ممن يدعوا من دون ٱلله من لا يستجيب له إلى يوم ٱلقيمة وهم عن دعآئهم غفلونAnd when mankind is gathered, [these objects of invocation] will be enemies to them, and they will disown that obedience [which was devoted to them].
وإذا حشر ٱلناس كانوا لهم أعدآء وكانوا بعبادتهم كفرينAnd when Our clear signs are recited to them, those who disown say of the truth once it reaches them: "This is a manifest illusion."
وإذا تتلى عليهم ءايتنا بينت قال ٱلذين كفروا للحق لما جآءهم هذا سحر مبينOr do they say: "He has invented it"?
أم يقولون ٱفترىهSay: "If I have invented it, you can do nothing for me against God."
قل إن ٱفتريته فلا تملكون لي من ٱلله شياHe knows best what you engage in concerning it.
هو أعلم بما تفيضون فيهHe suffices as a witness between me and you.
كفى به شهيدا بيني وبينكمAnd He is the Most-Forgiving, the Benevolent.
وهو ٱلغفور ٱلرحيمSay: "I am not a novelty among the messengers, and I do not know what will be done with me or with you."
قل ما كنت بدعا من ٱلرسل ومآ أدري ما يفعل بي ولا بكمI follow only what is revealed to me.
إن أتبع إلا ما يوحى إلىAnd I am only a clear warner.
ومآ أنا إلا نذير مبينSay: "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 are arrogant..."
قل أرءيتم إن كان من عند ٱلله وكفرتم به وشهد شاهد من بني إسرءيل على مثله فامن وٱستكبرتمIndeed, God does not guide the wrongdoing people.
إن ٱلله لا يهدي ٱلقوم ٱلظلمينAnd those who disown say to those who believe: "If it were good, they would not have preceded us to it."
وقال ٱلذين كفروا للذين ءامنوا لو كان خيرا ما سبقونآ إليهAnd since they are not guided by it, they will say: "This is an ancient falsehood."
وإذ لم يهتدوا به فسيقولون هذآ إفك قديمAnd before it was the Scripture of Moussa, as a reference and a benevolence.
ومن قبله كتب موسى إماما ورحمةAnd this is a confirming Writ, in an unblemished, undistorted expression, so that you may warn those who have done wrong, and as good news for those who do good.
وهذا كتب مصدق لسانا عربيا لينذر ٱلذين ظلموا وبشرى للمحسنينIndeed, those who say: "Our Guardian is God," then stand straight — no fear will be upon them, nor will they grieve.
إن ٱلذين قالوا ربنا ٱلله ثم ٱستقموا فلا خوف عليهم ولا هم يحزنونThose are the companions of the Garden, abiding therein eternally,
أولئك أصحب ٱلجنة خلدين فيهاas a recompense for what they used to do.
جزآء بما كانوا يعملونAnd We enjoined upon the human being beneficence toward his two parents.
ووصينا ٱلإنسن بولديه إحسناHis mother carried him with hardship and bore him with hardship.
حملته أمه كرها ووضعته كرهاAnd his bearing and his weaning are thirty months.
وحمله وفصله ثلثون شهراUntil 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 righteous deed that pleases You.
حتى إذا بلغ أشده وبلغ أربعين سنة قال رب أوزعني أن أشكر نعمتك ٱلتي أنعمت على وعلى ولدى وأن أعمل صلحا ترضىهAnd make righteous for me my offspring.
وأصلح لي في ذريتيIndeed, I turn to You, and I am among those true to God alone."
إني تبت إليك وإني من ٱلمسلمينThose are the ones from whom We accept the best of what they did, and overlook their bad deeds, among the companions of the Garden —
أولئك ٱلذين نتقبل عنهم أحسن ما عملوا ونتجاوز عن سياتهم في أصحب ٱلجنةa true promise which they were promised.
وعد ٱلصدق ٱلذي كانوا يوعدونAnd he who says to his two parents: "Fie on you both! Do you promise me that I will be raised, when generations have already passed before me?" — while they both cry out to God for help: "Woe to you, believe! Indeed the promise of God is true" — and he says: "This is nothing but legends of the ancients."
وٱلذي قال لولديه أف لكمآ أتعدانني أن أخرج وقد خلت ٱلقرون من قبلي وهما يستغيثان ٱلله ويلك ءامن إن وعد ٱلله حق فيقول ما هذآ إلآ أسطير ٱلأولينThose are the ones against whom the word [of punishment] has proven true, among communities that had already passed before them, of the Occulted and mankind.
أولئك ٱلذين حق عليهم ٱلقول في أمم قد خلت من قبلهم من ٱلجن وٱلإنسIndeed, they were losers.
إنهم كانوا خسرينAnd to each are degrees according to what they did,
ولكل درجت مما عملواand so that He may fully repay them for their deeds, and they will not be wronged.
وليوفيهم أعملهم وهم لا يظلمونAnd the Day those who disown are exposed to the Fire: "You exhausted your good things in your present life and enjoyed them."
ويوم يعرض ٱلذين كفروا على ٱلنار أذهبتم طيبتكم في حياتكم ٱلدنيا وٱستمتعتم بهاSo today you are recompensed the humiliating punishment for having been arrogant on earth without right, and for having overstepped [the limits].
فٱليوم تجزون عذاب ٱلهون بما كنتم تستكبرون في ٱلأرض بغير ٱلحق وبما كنتم تفسقونAnd remember the brother of the Recidivists [Aad], when he warned his people at the Ahqaf — while warners had already passed before him and after him — [saying]: "Obey none but God."
وٱذكر أخا عاد إذ أنذر قومه بٱلأحقاف وقد خلت ٱلنذر من بين يديه ومن خلفه ألا تعبدوا إلا ٱللهI indeed fear for you the punishment of an immense day.
إني أخاف عليكم عذاب يوم عظيمThey said: "Have you come to us to turn us away by falsehood from our deities? Then bring us what you promise us, if you are among the truthful."
قالوا أجئتنا لتأفكنا عن ءالهتنا فأتنا بما تعدنآ إن كنت من ٱلصدقينHe said: "The knowledge [of that] is with God alone; I convey to you what I was sent with, but I see you to be a people who are ignorant."
قال إنما ٱلعلم عند ٱلله وأبلغكم مآ أرسلت به ولكني أرىكم قوما تجهلونThen, when they saw it as a cloud approaching their valleys, they said: "This is a cloud bringing us rain."
فلما رأوه عارضا مستقبل أوديتهم قالوا هذا عارض ممطرناNo, it is rather what you sought to hasten —
بل هو ما ٱستعجلتم بهa wind carrying a painful punishment,
ريح فيها عذاب أليمdestroying everything by the command of its Guardian.
تدمر كل شىء بأمر ربهاAnd they became such that nothing could be seen except their dwellings.
فأصبحوا لا يرى إلا مسكنهمThus do We recompense the severed people.
كذلك نجزي ٱلقوم ٱلمجرمينAnd We had certainly established them in what We have not established you, and We gave them hearing, sight, and Consciences,
ولقد مكنهم فيمآ إن مكنكم فيه وجعلنا لهم سمعا وأبصرا وأفدةbut neither their hearing, nor their sight, nor their Consciences availed them anything, since they used to stubbornly reject the signs of God,
فمآ أغنى عنهم سمعهم ولآ أبصرهم ولآ أفدتهم من شىء إذ كانوا يجحدون بايت ٱللهand there enveloped them that which they used to mock.
وحاق بهم ما كانوا به يستهزءونAnd We had certainly annihilated the cities around you, and We diversified the signs, that they might return.
ولقد أهلكنا ما حولكم من ٱلقرى وصرفنا ٱلءايت لعلهم يرجعونWhy then did those they took, besides God, as an offering — as deities — not help them?
فلولا نصرهم ٱلذين ٱتخذوا من دون ٱلله قربانا ءالهةRather, they strayed from them,
بل ضلوا عنهمand that was their falsehood and what they used to invent.
وذلك إفكهم وما كانوا يفترونAnd remember when We directed toward you a group of the Occulted, listening to the Recitation; and when they were present at it, they said: "Listen closely."
وإذ صرفنآ إليك نفرا من ٱلجن يستمعون ٱلقرءان فلما حضروه قالوا أنصتواThen, when it was concluded, they turned back to their people as warners.
فلما قضي ولوا إلى قومهم منذرينThey 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 path.
قالوا يقومنآ إنا سمعنا كتبا أنزل من بعد موسى مصدقا لما بين يديه يهدي إلى ٱلحق وإلى طريق مستقيمO our people, respond to the caller of God and believe in him: He will forgive you some of your offenses and protect you from a painful punishment.
يقومنآ أجيبوا داعي ٱلله وءامنوا به يغفر لكم من ذنوبكم ويجركم من عذاب أليمAnd whoever does not respond to the caller of God cannot escape on earth, and has no allies besides Him.
ومن لا يجب داعي ٱلله فليس بمعجز في ٱلأرض وليس له من دونه أوليآءThose are in manifest error.
أولئك في ضلل مبينDo they not see that God, who created the heavens and the earth and was not wearied by their creation, is able to give life to the dead? Yes, indeed.
أولم يروا أن ٱلله ٱلذي خلق ٱلسموت وٱلأرض ولم يعي بخلقهن بقدر على أن يحي ٱلموتى بلىHe is indeed capable of all things.
إنه على كل شىء قديرAnd the Day those who disown are exposed to the Fire: "Is this not the truth?"
ويوم يعرض ٱلذين كفروا على ٱلنار أليس هذا بٱلحقThey will say: "Yes, by our Guardian!"
قالوا بلى وربناHe will say: "Then taste the punishment for what you used to disown."
قال فذوقوا ٱلعذاب بما كنتم تكفرونSo be patient, as the resolute among the messengers were patient, and do not seek to hasten [the punishment],
فٱصبر كما صبر أولوا ٱلعزم من ٱلرسل ولا تستعجلTo 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.
لهم كأنهم يوم يرون ما يوعدون لم يلبثوا إلا ساعة من نهار بلغSo will any be annihilated except the overstepping people?
فهل يهلك إلا ٱلقوم ٱلفسقون