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1. * |
Alif. Lam. Ra.' THESE ARE MESSAGES of revelation - of a discourse clear in itself and clearly showing the truth.`
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2. * |
And it will come to pass that those who are [now] bent on denying this truth will wish that they had surrendered themselves to God [in their life time].'
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3. * |
Leave them alone; let them eat and enjoy themselves the while the hope [of vain delights] beguiles them: for in time they will come to know [the truth].
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4. * |
And never have We destroyed any community [for its wrongdoing] unless a divine writ had [previously] been made known to it;`
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5. * |
[but remember that] no community can ever forestall [the end of] its term - and neither can they delay [it].5
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6. * |
And yet, they [who deny the truth] say: "O thou unto whom this reminder has [allegedly] been bestowed from on high: verily, thou art mad!
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7. * |
Why dost thou not bring before us angels, if thou art a man of truth?"
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8. * |
[Yet] We never send down angels otherwise than in accordance with the [demands of] truth;' and [were the angels to appear now,] lo! they [who reject this divine writ] would have no further respite!'
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9. * |
Behold, it is We Ourselves who have bestowed from on high, step by step, this reminder? and, behold, it is We who shall truly guard it [from all corruption]. '°
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10. * |
AND, INDEED, [O Prophet,] even before thy time did We send [Our apostles] unto communities" of old -
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11. * |
and never yet came an apostle to them without their deriding him.
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12. * |
Even so do We [now] cause this [scorn of Our message] to pervade the hearts of those who are lost in sin,
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13. * |
who do not believe in it,". although the way which those [evildoers] of olden times had to go has long been within their ken."
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14. * |
Yet even had We opened to them a gateway to heaven and they had ascended, on and on, up to it,
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15. * |
they would surely have said, "It is only our eyes that are spellbound! Nay, we have been bewitched!"
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16. * |
AND, INDEED, We have set up in the heavens great constellations," and endowed them with beauty for all to behold;
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17. * |
and We have made them secure against every satanic force accursed `6-
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18. * |
so that anyone who seeks to learn [the unknowable] by stealth is pursued by a flame clear to see."
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19. * |
And the earth -We have spread it out wide, and placed on it mountains firm, and caused [life] of every kind to grow on it in a balanced manner,
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20. * |
and provided thereon means of livelihood for you [O men] as well as for all [living beings] whose sustenance does not depend on you.'8
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21. * |
For, no single thing exists that does not have its source with Us;` and nought do We bestow from on high unless it be in accordance with a measure well-defined."
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22. * |
And We let loose the winds to fertilize [plants] 2' and We send down water from the skies and let you drink thereof: and it is not you who dispose of its source-
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23. * |
for, behold, it is We-We alone -who grant life and deal death, and it is We alone who shall remain after all else will have passed away !22
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24. * |
And well do We know [the hearts and deeds,of all human beings - both] those who lived before you and those who will come after you;2'
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25. * |
and, behold, it is thy Sustainer who will gather them all together [on Judgment Day]: verily, He is wise, all-knowing!
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26. * |
AND, INDEED, We have created man out of sounding clay, out of dark - slime transmuted 24 -
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27. * |
whereas the invisible beings We had created, [long] before that, out of the fire of scorching winds."
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28. * |
And lo! Thy Sustainer said unto the angels: "Behold, I am about to create mortal man out of sounding clay, out of dark slime transmuted;
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29. * |
and when I have formed him fully and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down before him in prostration!"
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30. * |
Thereupon the angels prostrated themselves, all of them together,
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31. * |
save Iblis: he refused to be among those who prostrated themselves.`'
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32. * |
Said He: "O Iblis! What is thy reason for not being among those who have prostrated themselves?"
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33. * |
[Ib1Ts] replied: "It is not for me to prostrate myself before mortal man whom Thou hast created out of sounding clay, out of dark slime transmuted!"
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34. * |
Said He: "Go forth, then, from this [angelic state]: for, behold, thou art [henceforth] accursed,
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35. * |
and [My] rejection shall be thy due until the Day of Judgment!"
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36. * |
Said [Ib1Ts]: "Then, O my Sustainer, grant me a respite till the Day when all shall be raised from the dead!"
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37. * |
Answered He: "Verily, so be it: thou shalt be among those who are granted respite
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38. * |
till the Day the time whereof is known [to Me alone]."
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39. * |
[Whereupon Iblis] said: "O my Sustainer! Since Thou hast thwarted me, '9 I shall indeed make [all that is evil] on earth seem goodly to them, and shall most certainly beguile them-into grievous error -
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40. * |
(alll save such of them as are truly Thy servants!"3')
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41. * |
Said He: "This is, with Me. a straight way:"
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42. * |
verily, thou shalt have no power over My creatures- unless it be such as are [already] lost in grievous error and follow thee [of their own will]:`'
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43. * |
and for all such, behold, hell is the promised goal.
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44. * |
with seven gates leading into it, each gate receiving its allotted share of sinners.-33
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45. * |
VERILY, those who are conscious of God [shall find themselves in the hereafter] amidst gardens and springs,
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46. * |
[having been received with the greeting,] "Enter here in peace, secure!"
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47. * |
And [by then] We shall have removed whatever unworthy thoughts or feelings may have been [lingering] in their breasts, [and they shall rest] as brethren, facing one another [in love] upon thrones of happiness.'°
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48. * |
No weariness shall ever touch them in this [state of bliss], and never shall they have to forgo it."
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49. * |
Tell My servants that I - I alone - am truly forgiving, a true dispenser of grace;
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50. * |
and [also,] that the suffering which I shall impose [on sinners] will indeed be a suffering most grievous."
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51. * |
AND TELL THEM [once again] about Abraham's guests"-
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52. * |
[how,] when they presented themselves before him and bade him peace, he answered: "Behold, we are afraid of you!"
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53. * |
Said they: "Fear not! Behold, we bring thee the glad tiding of [the birth of] a son who will be endowed with deep knowledge."
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54. * |
Said he: "Do you give me this glad tiding despite the fact that old age has overtaken me? Of what [strange thing], then, are you giving me a tiding!"
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55. * |
They answered: "We have given thee the glad tiding of something that is bound to come true.-' so be not of those who abandon hope!"
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56. * |
[Abraham] exclaimed: "And who-other than those who have utterly lost their way-could ever abandon the hope of his Sustainer's grace?"
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57. * |
He added: "And what [else] may you have in view, O you [heavenly] messengers?"
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58. * |
They answered: "We are sent to people lost in sin" [who are to be destroyed],
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59. * |
barring Lot's household, all of whom, behold, we shall save -
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60. * |
excepting only his wife, [of whom God says,] `We have ordained [that], behold, she should be among those who stay behind!' '4z
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61. * |
AND WHEN the messengers [of God] came to the house of Lot,
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62. * |
he said: "Behold, you are people unknown [here] !"
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63. * |
They answered: "Nay, but we have come unto thee with [the announcement of] something that they [who are given to evil] have always been wont to call in question,"
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64. * |
and we are bringing thee the certainty [of its fulfilment] :4s for, behold, we are speaking the truth indeed.
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65. * |
Go, then., with thy household while it is yet night, with thyself following them in the rear; and let none of you look back,' but proceed whither you are bidden."
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66. * |
And [through Our messengers] We revealed unto him this decree: "The last remnant of those [sinners] shall be wiped out in the morn."
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67. * |
And the people of the city came [unto Lot], rejoicing at the glad tiding."8
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68. * |
Exclaimed [Lot]: "Behold, these are my guests: so put me not to shame,
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69. * |
but be conscious of God and disgrace me not!"
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70. * |
They answered: "Have we not forbidden thee [to offer protection] to any kind of people?"9 relevant notes. AL-HlJR SCRAH
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71. * |
[Lot] said: "[Take instead] these daughters of mine," if you must do [whatever you intend to do]!"
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72. * |
[But the angels spoke thus:] "As thou livest, [O Lot, they will not listen to thee:]5' behold, in their delirium [of lust] they are but blit*ly stumbling to and fro!"
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73. * |
And thereupon the blast [of Our punishment] overtook them32 at the time of sunrise,
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74. * |
and We turned those [sinful towns} upside down, and rained down upon them stone-hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained.s'
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75. * |
Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for those who can read the signs:"
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76. * |
for, behold, those [towns] stood by a road that still exists."
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77. * |
Verily, herein lies a message indeed for all who believe [in God].
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78. * |
AND THE DWELLERS of the wooded dales [of Madyan, too,] were inveterate evildoers,
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79. * |
and so We inflicted Our retribution on them. And, behold, both these [sinful communities] lived by a highway, [to this day] plain to seed'
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80. * |
AND, [likewise,] indeed, the people of AI-Hijr51 gave the lie to [Our] message-bearers:
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81. * |
for We did vouchsafe them Our messages, but they obstinately turned their backs upon them-
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82. * |
notwithstanding commentary on this verse. The of [God's] punish that they had been wont [to enjoy Our blessings and] to hew out dwellings from the mountains, [wherein they could live] in security" -:
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83. * |
and so the blast [of Our punishmennt] overtook them at early morn,
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84. * |
and of no avail to them was all [the power] that they had acquired.
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85. * |
AND [remember:] We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them without [an inner] truth;' but, behold, the Hour [when this will become clear to all] is indeed yet to come. Hence, forgive [men's failings] with fair forbearance:
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86. * |
verily, thy Sustainer is the all-knowing Creator of all things !61
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87. * |
AND, INDEED, We have bestowed upon thee seven of the oft-repeated [verses], and [have, thus, laid open before thee] this sublime Qur'an:62
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88. * |
[so] turn, not thine eyes [longingly] towards the worldly benefits which We have granted unto some 63 of those [that deny the truth]. And neither grieve over those [who refuse to heed thee], but spread the wings of thy tenderness over the believers,"
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89. * |
and say: "Behold, I am indeed the plain warner [promised by God] !-61
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90. * |
[For, thou art the bearer of a divine writ66] such AL-HIJR SCRAH 15 as We have bestowed from on high upon those who [afterwards] broke it up into parts ,e'
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91. * |
[and] who [now] declare this Qur'an to be [a tissue of] falsehoods!
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92. * |
But, by thy Sustainer! [On the Day of Judgment] We shall indeed call them to account, one and all,
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93. * |
for whatever they have done!
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94. * |
Hence, proclaim openly all that thou hast been bidden [to say], and leave alone all those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God:
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verily, We shall suffice thee against all who [now] deride [this message - all]
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96. * |
who assert that there are, side by side with God, other divine powers as well:b9 for in time they will come to know [the truth].
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And well do We know that thy bosom is constricted by the [blasphemous] things that they say:
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98. * |
but extol thou thy Sustainer's limitless glory and praise Him, and be of those who prostrate themselves [before Him] in adoration,
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99. * |
and worship thy Sustainer till death comes to thee.'°
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