15

1Alif Lam Ra These are the verses of the Scripture, a Quran that makes things clear

2The disbelievers may well come to wish they had submitted to God

3so [Prophet] leave them to eat and enjoy themselves. Let [false] hopes distract them: they will come to know

4Never have We destroyed a community that did not have a set time

5no community can bring its time forward, nor delay it

6They say, ‘Receiver of this Quran! You are definitely mad

7Why do you not bring us the angels, if you are telling the truth?’

8But We send down the angels only to bring justice and then these people will not be reprieved

9We have sent down the Quran Ourself, and We Ourself will guard it. Even before you [Prophet]

10We sent messengers among the various communities of old

11but they mocked every single messenger that came to them

12in this way We make the message slip through the hearts of evildoers

13They will not believe in it. That was what happened with the peoples of long ago

14and even if We opened a gateway into Heaven for them and they rose through it, higher and higher

15they would still say, ‘Our eyes are hallucinating. We are bewitched.’

16We have set constellations up in the sky and made it beautiful for all to see

17and guarded it from every stoned satan

18any eavesdropper will be pursued by a clearly visible flame

19As for the earth, We have spread it out, set firm mountains on it, and made everything grow there in due balance

20We have provided sustenance in it for you and for all those creatures for whom you do not provide

21There is not a thing whose storehouses are not with Us. We send it down only according to a well-defined measure

22We send the winds to fertilize, and We bring down water from the sky for you to drink- you do not control its sources

23It is We who give life and death; it is We who inherit [everything]

24We know exactly those of you who come first and those who come later

25[Prophet], it is your Lord who will gather them all together: He is all wise, all knowing

26We created man out of dried clay formed from dark mud

27the jinn We created before, from the fire of scorching wind

28Your Lord said to the angels, ‘I will create a mortal out of dried clay, formed from dark mud

29When I have fashioned him and breathed My spirit into him, bow down before him,’

30and the angels all did so

31But not Iblis: he refused to bow down like the others

32God said, ‘Iblis, why did you not bow down like the others?’

33and he answered, ‘I will not bow to a mortal You created from dried clay, formed from dark mud.’

34‘Get out of here!’ said God. ‘You are an outcast

35rejected until the Day of Judgement.’

36Iblis said, ‘My Lord, give me respite until the Day when they are raised from the dead.’

37‘You have respite,’ said God

38‘until the Day of the Appointed Time.’

39Iblis then said to God, ‘Because You have put me in the wrong, I will lure mankind on earth and put them in the wrong

40all except Your devoted servants.’

41God said, ‘[Devotion] is a straight path to Me

42you will have no power over My servants, only over the ones who go astray and follow you

43Hell is the promised place for all these

44with seven gates, each gate having its allotted share of them

45But the righteous will be in Gardens with springs

46“Enter them in peace and safety!”––

47and We shall remove any bitterness from their hearts: [they will be like] brothers, sitting on couches, face to face

48No weariness will ever touch them there, nor will they ever be expelled.’

49[Prophet], tell My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful

50but My torment is the truly painful one

51Tell them too about Abraham’s guests

52when they came to him and said, ‘Peace,’ he said, ‘We are afraid of you.’

53‘Do not be afraid,’ they said, ‘We bring you good news of a son who will have great knowledge.’

54He said, ‘How can you give me such news when old age has come to me? What sort of news is this?’

55They said, ‘We have told you the truth, so do not despair.’

56He said, ‘Who but the misguided despair of the mercy of their Lord?’

57and then asked, ‘Messengers, what is your errand?’

58They replied, ‘We have been sent to a people who are guilty.’

59But We shall save the household of Lot

60all except his wife: We have decreed that she will be one of those who stay behind

61When the messengers came to the household of Lot

62he said, ‘You are strangers.’

63They said, ‘We have brought you what they said would never happen

64we have brought you the Truth. We speak truly

65so leave in the dead of the night with your household, and walk behind them. Let none of you look back. Go where you are commanded.’

66We made this decree known to him: the last remnants of those people would be wiped out in the morning

67The people of the town came along, revelling

68and he told them, ‘These are my guests, do not disgrace me

69Fear God, and do not shame me.’

70They answered, ‘Have we not told you not to interfere [between us and] anyone else?’

71He said, ‘My daughters are here, if you must.’

72By your life [Prophet], they wandered on in their wild intoxication

73and the blast overtook them at sunrise

74We turned their city upside down and rained on them a shower of clay stones

75There truly is a sign in this for those who can learn

76it is still there on the highway

77there truly is a sign in this for those who believe

78The forest-dwellers, too, were wrongdoers

79and We took retribution on them; both are still there on the highway, plain for all to see

80The people of al-Hijr also rejected Our messengers

81We gave them Our signs, but they turned their backs

82They carved out dwellings in the mountains, and lived in security

83the blast overwhelmed them early in the morning

84What they had gained was of no use to them

85We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them without a true purpose: the Hour will certainly come, so [Prophet] bear with them graciously

86Your Lord is the All Knowing Creator

87We have given you the seven oft-recited versesand the whole glorious Quran

88Do not look longingly at the good things We have given some to enjoy. Do not grieve over the [disbelievers], but lower your wings over the believers

89and say, ‘I am here to give plain warning,’

90like the [warning] We have sent down for those who divide themselves into bands

91and abuse the Quran––

92by your Lord, We will question them all

93about their deeds

94So proclaim openly what you have been commanded [to say], and ignore the idolaters

95We are enough for you against all those who ridicule your message

96who set up another god beside God- they will come to know

97We are well aware that your heart is weighed down by what they say

98Celebrate the glory of your Lord and be among those who bow down to Him

99worship your Lord until what is certain comes to you