26

26. Ash-Shuara - The Poets

1Ta Sin Mim
2Those are the signs of the Manifest Book.
3Perchance thou consumest thyself that they are not believers.
4If We will, We shall send down on them out of heaven a sign, so their necks will stay humbled to it.
5But never fresh remembrance comes to them from the All-merciful, except they turn away from it.
6So they have cried lies; therefore assuredly tidings will come to them of that they mocked at.
7What, have they not regarded the earth, how many therein We have caused to grow of every generous kind?
8Surely in that is a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
9Surely thy Lord, He is the All-mighty, the All-compassionate.
10And when thy Lord called to Moses, 'Go to the people of the evildoers,
11the people of Pharaoh; will they not be godfearing?'
12He said, 'My Lord, I fear they will cry me lies,
13and my breast will be straitened, and my tongue will not be loosed; so send to Aaron.
14They also have a sin against me, and I fear they will slay me.'
15Said He, 'No indeed; but go, both of you, with Our signs, and We assuredly shall be with you, listening.
16So go you to Pharaoh, and say, "Verily, I am the Messenger of the Lord of all Being;
17so send forth with us the Children of Israel."
18He said, 'Did we not raise thee amongst us as a child? Didst thou not tarry among us years of thy life?
19And thou didst the deed thou didst, being one of the ungrateful!'
20Said he, 'Indeed I did it then, being one of those that stray;
21so I fled from you, fearing you. But my Lord gave me Judgment and made me one of the Envoys.
22That is a blessing thou reproachest me with, having enslaved the Children of Israel.'
23Pharaoh said, 'And what is the Lord of all Being?'
24He said, 'The Lord of the heavens and earth, and what between them is, if you have faith.'
25Said he to those about him, 'Do you not hear?'
26He said, 'Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers, the ancients.'
27Said he, 'Surely your Messenger who was sent to you is possessed!'
28He said, 'The Lord of the East and West, and what between them is, if you have understanding,'
29Said he, 'If thou takest a god other than me, I shall surely make thee one of the imprisoned.'
30He said, 'What, even though I brought thee something so manifest?'
31Said he, 'Bring it then, if thou art of the truthful.'
32So he cast his staff, and behold, it was a serpent manifest.
33And he drew forth his hand, and lo, it was white to the beholders.
34Said he to the Council about him, 'Surely this man is a cunning sorcerer
35who desires to expel you from your land by his sorcery; what do you command?'
36They said, 'Put him and his brother off a while, and send among the cities musterers,
37to bring thee every cunning sorcerer.
38So the sorcerers were assembled for the appointed time of a fixed day.
39The people were asked, 'Will you assemble?
40Haply we shall follow the sorcerers if it should be they are the victors.'
41Then, when the sorcerers came, they said to Pharaoh, 'Shall we indeed have a wage, if we should be the victors?'
42He said, 'Yes indeed; and you shall then be among the near-stationed.'
43Moses said to them, 'Cast you down what you will cast.'
44So they cast their ropes and their staffs, and said, 'By the might of Pharaoh we shall be the victors.'
45Then Moses cast his staff and lo, it forthwith swallowed up their lying invention;
46so the sorcerers were cast down, bowing themselves.
47They said, 'We believe in the Lord of all Being,
48the Lord of Moses and Aaron.'
49Said Pharaoh, 'You have believed him before I gave you leave. Why, he is the chief of you, the same that taught you sorcery; now you shall know! I shall assuredly cut off alternately your hands and feet, then I shall crucify you all together.'
50They said, 'There is no harm; surely unto our Lord we are turning.
51We are eager that our Lord should forgive us our offences, for that we are the first of the believers.'
52Also We revealed unto Moses, 'Go with My servants by night; surely you will be followed.'
53Then Pharaoh sent among the cities musterers:
54'Behold, these are a small troop,
55and indeed they are enraging us;
56and we are a host on our guard.'
57So We expelled them from gardens and fountains,
58and treasures and a noble station;
59even so, and We bequeathed them upon the Children of Israel.
60Then they followed them at the sunrise;
61and, when the two hosts sighted each other, the companions of Moses said, 'We are overtaken!'
62Said he, 'No indeed; surely my Lord is with me; He will guide me.'
63Then We revealed to Moses, 'Strike with thy staff the sea'; and it clave, and each part was as a mighty mount.
64And there We brought the others on,
65and We delivered Moses and those with him all together;
66then We drowned the others.
67Surely in that is a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
68Surely thy Lord, He is the All-mighty, the All-compassionate.
69And recite to them the tiding of Abraham
70when he said to his father and his people, 'What do you serve?'
71They said, 'We serve idols, and continue cleaving to them.
72He said, 'Do they hear you when you call,
73or do they profit you, or harm?'
74They said, 'Nay, but we found our fathers so doing.'
75He said, 'And have you considered what you have been serving,
76you and your fathers, the elders?
77They are an enemy to me, except the Lord of all Being
78who created me, and Himself guides me,
79and Himself gives me to eat and drink,
80and, whenever I am sick, heals me,
81who makes me to die, then gives me life,
82and who I am eager shall forgive me my offence on the Day of Doom.
83My Lord, give me Judgment, and join me with the righteous,
84and appoint me a tongue of truthfulness among the others.
85Make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss
86and forgive my father, for he is one of those astray.
87Degrade me not upon the day when they are raised up,
88the day when neither wealth nor sons shall profit
89except for him who comes to God with a pure heart.
90And Paradise shall be brought forward for the godfearing,
91and Hell advanced for the perverse.
92It shall be said to them, 'Where is that you were serving
93apart from God? Do they help you or help themselves?'
94Then they shall be pitched into it, they and the perverse
95and the hosts of Iblis, all together.
96They shall say, as they dispute there one with another,
97'By God, we were certainly in manifest error
98when we made you equal with the Lord of all Being.
99It was naught but the sinners that led us astray;
100so now we have no intercessors,
101no loyal friend.
102O that we might return again, and be among the believers!'
103Surely in that is a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
104Surely thy Lord, He is the All-mighty, the All-compassionate.
105The people of Noah cried lies to the Envoys
106when their brother Noah said to them, 'Will you not be godfearing?
107I am for you a faithful Messenger,
108so serve you God, and obey you me.
109I ask of you no wage for this; my wage falls only upon the Lord of all Being;
110so fear you God, and obey you me.'
111They said, 'Shall we believe thee, whom the vilest follow?'
112He said, 'What knowledge have I of that they have been doing?
113Their account falls only upon my Lord, were you but aware.
114I would not drive away the believers;
115'I am naught but a plain warner.'
116They said, 'If thou givest not over, Noah, thou shalt assuredly be one of the stoned.'
117He said, 'My Lord, my people have cried me lies,
118so give true deliverance between me and them, and deliver me and the believers that are with me.
119So We delivered him, and those with him, in the laden ship,
120then afterwards We drowned the rest.
121Surely in that is a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
122Surely thy Lord, He is the All-mighty, the All-compassionate.
123Ad cried lies to the Envoys
124when their brother Hood said to them, 'Will you not be godfearing?
125I am for you a faithful Messenger,
126so fear you God, and obey you me.
127I ask of you no wage for this; my wage falls only upon the Lord of all Being.
128What, do you build on every prominence a sign, sporting,
129and do you take to you castles, haply to dwell forever?
130When you assault, you assault like tyrants!
131So fear you God, and obey you me;
132and fear Him who has succoured you with what you know,
133succoured you with flocks and sons,
134gardens and fountains.
135'Indeed, I fear for you the chastisement of a dreadful day.'
136They said, 'Alike it is to us, whether thou admonishest, or art not one of the admonishers;
137this is nothing but the habit of the ancients,
138and we shall not be chastised.'
139So they cried him lies; then We destroyed them. Surely in that is a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
140Surely thy Lord, He is the All-mighty, the All-compassionate.
141Thamood cried lies to the Envoys
142when their brother Salih said to them, 'Will you not be godfearing?
143I am for you a faithful Messenger,
144so fear you God, and obey you me.'
145'I ask of you no wage for this; my wage falls only upon the Lord of all Being.
146Will you be left secure in this here,
147among gardens and fountains,
148sown fields, and palms with slender spathes?
149Will you still skilfully hew houses out of the mountains?
150So fear you God, and obey you me;
151and obey not the commandment of the prodigal
152who do corruption in the earth, and set not things aright.'
153They said, 'Thou art merely one of those that are bewitched;
154thou art naught but a mortal, like us; then produce a sign, if thou art one of the truthful.'
155He said, 'This is a she-camel; to her a draught and to you a draught, on a day appointed,
156and do not touch her with malice so that there seize you the chastisement of a dreadful day.'
157But they hamstrung her, and in the morning they were remorseful,
158and the chastisement seized them. Surely in that is a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
159Surely thy Lord, He is the All-mighty, the All-compassionate.
160The people of Lot cried lies to the Envoys
161when their brother Lot said to them, 'Will you not be godfearing?
162I am for you a faithful Messenger,
163so fear you God, and obey you me.
164I ask of you no wage for this; my wage falls only upon the Lord of all Being.
165What, do you come to male beings,
166leaving your wives that your Lord created for you? Nay, but you are a people of transgressors.
167They said, 'If thou givest not over, Lot, thou shalt assuredly be one of the expelled.'
168He said, 'Truly I am a detester of what you do.
169My Lord, deliver me and my people from that they do.'
170So We delivered him and his people all together,
171save an old woman among those that tarried;
172then We destroyed the others,
173and We rained on them a rain; and evil is the rain of them that are warned.
174Surely in that is a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
175Surely thy Lord, He is the All-mighty, the All-compassionate.
176The men of the Thicket cried lies to the Envoys
177when Shuaib said to them, 'Will you not be godfearing?
178I am for you a faithful Messenger, so fear you God, and obey you me.
179I ask of you no wage for this;
180my wage falls only upon the Lord of all Being.
181Fill up the measure, and be not cheaters,
182and weigh with the straight balance,
183and diminish not the goods of the people, and do not mischief in the earth, working corruption.
184Fear Him who created you, and the generations of the ancients.'
185They said, 'Thou art merely one of those that are bewitched;
186thou art naught but a mortal, like us; indeed, we think that thou art one of the liars.
187Then drop down on us lumps from heaven, if thou art one of the truthful.'
188He said, 'My Lord knows very well what you are doing.'
189But they cried him lies; then there seized them the chastisement of the Day of Shadow; assuredly it was the chastisement of a dreadful day.
190Surely in that is a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
191Surely thy Lord, He is the All-mighty, the All-compassionate.
192Truly it is the revelation of the Lord of all Being,
193brought down by the Faithful Spirit
194upon thy heart, that thou mayest be one of the warners,
195in a clear, Arabic tongue.
196Truly it is in the Scriptures of the ancients.
197Was it not a sign for them, that it is known to the learned of the Children of Israel?
198If We had sent it down on a barbarian
199and he had recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.
200Even so We have caused it to enter into the hearts of the sinners,
201who will not believe in it, until they see the painful chastisement
202so that it will come upon them suddenly, while they are not aware,
203and they will say, 'Shall we be respited?'
204What, do they seek to hasten Our chastisement?
205What thinkest thou? If We give them enjoyment of days for many years,
206then there comes on them that they were promised,
207what will it then avail them, the enjoyment of days they were given?
208Never a city We destroyed, but it had warners
209for a reminder; and never did We wrong.
210Not by the Satans has it been brought down;
211it behoves them not, neither are they able.
212Truly, they are expelled from hearing.
213So call thou not upon another god with God, lest thou shouldst be one of those that are chastised.
214And warn thy clan, thy nearest kin.
215Lower thy wing to those who follow thee, being believers;
216then, if they disobey thee, say, 'I am quit of that you do.'
217Put thy trust in the All-mighty, the All-compassionate
218who sees thee when thou standest
219and when thou turnest about among those who bow.
220Surely He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.
221Shall I tell you on whom the Satans come down?
222They come down on every guilty impostor.
223They give ear, but most of them are liars.
224And the poets -- the perverse follow them;
225hast thou not seen how they wander in every valley
226and how they say that which they do not?
227Save those that believe, and do righteous deeds, and remember God oft, and help themselves after being wronged; and those who do wrong shall surely know by what overturning they will he overturned.
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