my people,
ask forgiveness of your Lord,
then turn to Him.
He will send abundance of rain upon you,
pouring from the sky;
He will add strength to your strength,
so do not turn back as sinners.”
53They said,
“Hud, you’ve brought us no clear proof,
and we are not ones to abandon our gods
at your word—we don’t believe you.
54“All we can say is that perhaps
some of our gods have harmed you.”
He responded, “I call upon God
—and you also—to witness
that I dissociate myself
from the gods you associate°
55“with Him. So plot against me,
all of you, and give me no quarter.
56“I trust in God,
my Lord and your Lord.
There is no creature
that He does not hold
by the forelock—
the path of my Lord is straight.
57“If you turn away, I have,
for my part, conveyed the message
with which I was sent to you;
and my Lord will replace you
with another people; and you
cannot harm Him at all.
My Lord is Watchful
over all things.”
58And when Our command came to pass,
We saved Hud and those
who believed with him, through Our mercy—
We saved them from a stern punishment.
59These were the people of ʿAd—
they rejected the signs of their Lord,
and disobeyed His prophets,
and followed the commands
of every obdurate tyrant.
60Shadowed by a curse
in this world and
on the day of resurrection—
See, the people of ʿAd
denied their Lord.
See, the ʿAd are gone,
the people of Hud!
SECTION 6
61And to the people of Thamud
We sent their brother Salih,
who said, “My people, worship God,
for you have no other god but Him.
It is God Who brought you forth
from the earth and settled you there.
So ask forgiveness of Him and
turn to Him. My Lord is
Ever Near, Responsive.”
62They said, “Salih,
before now, you were our hope.
Do you now forbid us to worship
what our fathers worshipped?
We are in doubt, in distrust,
about what you call us to.”
63He said, “My people, can you see—
if I have a clear sign from my Lord,
and He has shown me His mercy—
who will help me against God
if I disobey Him?
You would increase only my loss.
64“And, my people,
this is the she-camel of God,
a sign for you.
So let her pasture on God’s earth
and do not harm her,
else punishment shall soon
overcome you.”
65But they hamstrung her.
So he said, “Enjoy yourselves
in your homes for three days only—
this promise shall not prove false.”
66And when Our command came to pass,
We saved Salih and those who believed with him,
through Our mercy, from the shame of that day.
Your Lord is Powerful, Almighty.
67The fearsome blast
overcame the wrongdoers,
who lay, fallen, face-down,
in their homes
68as if they had never
lived and flourished there.
See, the people of Thamud
denied their Lord.
See, the people of Thamud
are gone.
SECTION 7
69And Our messengers came
to Abraham with joyous news,
and a greeting of “Peace.”
“Peace,” he responded,
and did not delay
in offering them a roasted calf.
70But when he saw that
they did not reach for the food,
he found this strange, and began
to fear them. But they said,
“Don’t be afraid,
for we have been sent
against the people of Lot.”
71And his wife, standing there, laughed.
But we gave her joyous news,
of a son Isaac, and after him, Jacob.
72She said, “Alas for me,
how shall I, an old woman,
bear a child, and my husband here
an old man? That would be
an amazing thing.”
73They said,
“Are you amazed at God’s command?
God’s mercy and His blessings
be upon you, people of the house.
He is the Praiseworthy, Glorious.”
74When the fear had passed from Abraham,
and the joyous news reached him,
he began to plead with Us
for the people of Lot.
75Abraham was forbearing, pitying,
turning always to God in repentance.
76“Abraham, turn away from this.
The command of your Lord
has come to pass, and punishment
comes for them—that
cannot be turned back.”
77When Our messengers came to Lot,
he was vexed for them,
and felt powerless to protect them,
saying, “This is a harsh day.”
78And his people came
rushing toward him, those who
before this had performed evil deeds.
He said, “My people, here
are my daughters for you to marry;
they will be a purer choice for you.°
Be mindful of God, then,
and do not disgrace me
before my guests. Is there not
a right-minded man among you?”
79They said, “You know well
we have no right to your daughters,
and you know well what we want.”
80He replied, “If only I had power
over you, or could find myself some
forceful support [to resist you].”
81The strangers said, “Lot,
we are messengers from your Lord.
They shall not reach you.
Go with your family, while
night is still here, and let
none of you look back—
except your wife—what strikes
the rest will strike her.
The appointed hour is
morning. Isn’t morning
almost here?”
82When Our command
came to pass, We turned their town
upside down, and rained upon
it stones of baked clay,
layer upon layer,
83marked as being from your Lord,°
and never far from the wrongdoers.
SECTION 8
84And to the people of Midian
We sent their brother Shuʿayb,
who said, “My people, worship God,
for you have no other god but Him.
And do not fall short in measure
and balance. I see you now
in prosperity, but I fear for you
the punishment of a day
that shall encompass all.
85“And, my people, be just
in measure and balance,
and do not withhold from people
things that are their due,
nor do evil in the land,
sowing corruption.
86“What rests with God
is better for you, if only you believe.
But I am not your keeper.”
87They said, “Shuʿayb,
do your prayers tell you
that we should abandon what
our forefathers worshipped,
or that we should not do
as we please with our wealth?
You—you who are so
forbearing and right-minded!”
88He replied, “My people,
do you see—if I have a clear sign
from my Lord, who has Himself
given me a good provision—
[should I still not guide you?]
I don’t wish to be inconsistent
by doing what I forbid you to do.
I want only your betterment,°
as far as I am able, and my success
can come only from God.
In Him I trust, and to Him I turn.
89“And, my people,
don’t let your opposing me
make you sin, else
there might fall upon you
what fell upon the people of Noah,
or of Hud, or of Salih.
Nor is the fate of Lot’s people
far from you.
90“But ask forgiveness of your Lord,
then turn to Him, for my Lord
is Ever Merciful, Most Loving.”
91They said, “Shuʿayb,
we don’t understand much
of what you say, and we see
how weak you are among us.
Were it not for your family,
we would stone you, for you
have no power over us.”
92He said, “My people,
Do you imagine that my family
has more power over you than God?
Have you put Him behind you?
My Lord Encompasses
all that you do.
93“And, my people,
do whatever you can,
and I shall do what I can.
Soon, you will know who
will meet humiliating punishment
and who is a liar. Be watchful,
for I will be watching with you.”
94And when Our command
came to pass, We saved Shuʿayb
and those who believed with him,
through Our mercy,
but the wrongdoers
were struck by a fearsome blast,
and morning found them
fallen face-down in their homes,
95as if they had never
lived and flourished there.
See, the people of Madyan
are gone, just as the people
of Thamud are gone.
SECTION 9
96And we sent Moses,
with Our signs and clear authority,
97to Pharaoh and his chiefs,
but they followed the command
of Pharaoh—a command
that was not righteous.
98He will go before his people
on the day of resurrection,
and lead them into the fire—
wretched is the end
to which they will be led.
99And they shall be shadowed
by a curse in this life
and on the day of resurrection—
wretched is the gift
they will be given.
100These are among the chronicles of cities
that We narrate to you, Prophet.
Some of them still stand, others are mown down.
101We did not wrong them,
but they wronged themselves.
The gods on whom they called
besides the One God
did not help them at all.
And when the command
of your Lord came, their gods
brought them nothing but ruin.°
102This is the punishment
of your Lord when He punishes
communities who do wrong—
His punishment is painful, severe.
103In this is a sign
for those who fear
punishment of the hereafter.
This is a day on which
humankind shall be gathered,
a day that shall be witnessed.
104And We shall delay it only
for a limited term.
105The day it comes,
no soul shall speak
except by His leave.
Among them
some shall be wretched,
others joyous.
106The wretched shall be
in fire, sighing and wailing,
107where they will reside
as long as the heavens and earth abide,
except as your Lord wishes.
Your Lord Accomplishes
all that He intends.°
108And the joyous shall be
in the garden, where they will reside
as long as the heavens and earth abide,°
except as your Lord wishes—
an enduring gift.
109So be in no doubt
about what these people worship:
they worship only what
their forefathers worshipped before.
And We shall repay their portion
in full, undiminished.
SECTION 10
110We gave the Book to Moses,
but disputes arose over it,
and if a Word from your Lord
had not gone already forth,
[to defer their judgment]
their judgment would have come.
Yet they remain in doubt over it,
mired in mistrust.
111Your Lord shall requite them
in full for their deeds.
He is Aware of all that they do.
112Stand firm, then,
as you are commanded,
you and those with you
who turn toward God,
and do not transgress.
He Sees all that you do.
113And do not lean
toward those who do wrong
for fear the fire might reach you,
for you would have no protectors
besides God, nor
would you be helped.
114Be steadfast in prayer
at the two ends of the day
and the approach of night.
Good always banishes evil—
this is a reminder
for those who remember.
115And be patient, for God
will not withhold the reward
of those who do good.
116In the generations before you,
why were there not people
with a vestige [of good sense]
to prohibit mischief on the earth—
except the few whom We saved?
But the wrongdoers indulged
in the luxuries bestowed on them
and became sinners.
117And your Lord would not
destroy communities unjustly
if their people were righteous.°
118Had your Lord wished,
He could have made humankind
one community; but [He wished
otherwise, and] they will not cease
their quarreling,
119except those to whom
your Lord has shown mercy;
and for this He created them—
that the words of your Lord
might be fulfilled,
“I will fill hell with jinn
and humankind, all together.”
120All We narrate to you, Prophet,
of the chronicles of the messengers
is to strengthen your heart;
these accounts bring truth to you,
as well as lessons, and a reminder
for those who believe.
121Tell those who don’t believe,
“Do whatever you can,
and we shall do what we can.
122“And wait, for
we too are awaiting
[judgment].”
123To God belong the unseen realms
of the heavens and the earth,
and to Him all matters are