but him from mere clay.”
77God answered, “Well, go from here,
for you are cursed.
78“And the curse shall stay with you
until the day of reckoning.”
79Iblis implored, “My Lord,
grant me respite, till the day
when they are raised [from the dead].”
80“You shall have respite,” said God,
81“until the appointed day.”°
82Iblis said, “I swear, by your might,
I will lead them astray—all.
83“except those among them
who are Your chosen servants.”
84God said, “This is the truth
—for I speak the truth—
85“that I will fill hell
with you and those of them
who follow you—all.”
86Say, Prophet,
“I ask no reward of you,
nor am I an impostor.
87“This is no less than a reminder
to all the worlds,
88“and, in time, you shall know
the truth it holds.”
SURA 39
The Crowds (Al-Zumar)
A late Meccan sura of 75 verses, this declares God’s unity and creative intent. Repeatedly the fate of believers and disbelievers is contrasted, before concluding with a vivid depiction of the day of resurrection (vv. 67–75).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1A revelation of the Book
from God—
the Almighty, the Wise.
2We revealed the Book to you
with truth—
so serve God with true devotion.°
3True devotion is for God alone.
Those who take gods other than Him
as protectors claim, “We serve them
only to bring us closer to God.”
God will judge between them
in the things they dispute.
God does not guide those
who lie and disbelieve.
4Had God wanted a child,
He could have chosen whom
He wished from His creation.
Glory be to Him—
He is the One God, Omnipotent.
5He created the heavens and earth
with true purpose. He enfolds day
within night and night within day,
and he subdues the sun and moon,
each sailing for an appointed term—
He is truly the Almighty, Forgiving.
6He created you from a single soul
then from it made its mate;
and He gave you four kinds°
of livestock, in pairs.
He creates you in the wombs
of your mothers, in stages, one upon
another, in threefold darkness.°
This is God, your Lord,
Who has dominion over all.
There is no god but Him—
so, how can you turn away?
7If you disbelieve, know that
God is Free of all need of you;
but His servants’ ingratitude
does not please Him.
If you are grateful,
He will be pleased with you.
None can bear another’s burden.
In the end, you will return to
your Lord and He will inform you
of all you have done—
He Knows what is in your hearts.
8When harm strikes people,
they call on their Lord
and turn to Him.
But then, when He grants them
His favor, they forget the One
they called on before,
and they set up against God
rivals, who will lead them
from His path. Say,
“Enjoy your disbelief for a while.
You shall be inmates of the fire.”
9[Are such people better] than
those who devote themselves
during the night, prostrating
and standing, fearful
of the hereafter, and hopeful
of their Lord’s mercy?
Say, “Are those who know
the same as those who don’t?”
Only the discerning take heed.
SECTION 2
10Say, “My servants who believe,
be mindful of your Lord.
Those who do good in this world
shall be rewarded with good.
God’s earth is wide.
Those who are patient shall know
a reward beyond measure.”
11Say, “I am commanded
to serve God with true devotion.
12“And I am commanded
to be the first of those
who submit their will to God.”
13Say, “If I disobeyed my Lord,
I would fear the torment
of a momentous day.”
14Say, “It is God whom I serve,
with true devotion.
15“So serve what you will
besides Him.” Say,
“The true losers are those who
lose themselves and their families
on the day of resurrection.
That is the clear loss.”
16Layers of fire shall engulf them,
above and below. This is how God
puts fear into His servants:
“So, be mindful of Me, My servants.”
17But there is joyous news for those
who spurn the worship of false gods
and turn to God. So give
this joyous news to My servants—
18those who hear the Word
and follow the best in it.
Those are the ones God guides—
they are the discerning ones.
19What of those
who are justly sentenced?
Can you rescue those
already in the fire?
20But those mindful of their Lord
shall have high mansions
raised for them, one upon another,
with rivers flowing beneath.
This is God’s pledge—
He never fails in His promise.
21Don’t you see how God
sends down rain from the sky,
guiding it through earth’s springs,
to bring out crops of varying colors?
Then, as they wither, you see them
yellowing, crumbling.
In all this is a reminder
for people of insight.
SECTION 3
22What of those whose hearts
God has opened to bow to His will,
who live by their Lord’s light?
Woe to those whose hearts are hardened
against remembrance of God—
they have clearly gone astray.
23God has revealed
the most sublime of narratives
as a Book, its parts consistent, paired°—at which
those who fear their Lord
tremble in their skins,
then their skins and hearts
are soothed by His remembrance.
This is God’s guidance, by which
He guides whom He will.
But those whom God leaves astray
have none to guide them.
24What of those who have only
their faces to shield them
from extreme torment
on the day of resurrection?
The wrongdoers will be told,
“Taste what you have earned.”
25Those before them disbelieved,
and punishment came to them
from places they could not imagine.
26So God made them taste
disgrace in the life of this world;
but punishment in the hereafter
is greater—if only they knew.
27We have coined for people
all kinds of parables in this Quran,
that they might take heed—
28an Arabic Quran,
with no deviation,
that they might be mindful.
29God offers a parable:
is a man owned by shared masters
—all squabbling—equal to a man
owned by one master?
Praise be to God—
most of them don’t know.
30It is certain that you will die,
and they too will die.
31Then, on the day of resurrection,
you will bring your disputes
before your Lord.
SECTION 4
32Who does more wrong
than those who lie about God
and deny the truth when it comes
to them? Is there not a home in hell
for those who disbelieve?
33But the one who brought the truth
and those who affirmed it—
they are the ones mindful of God.
34They shall have all that they desire
from their Lord—the reward
of those who do good;
35God shall erase their worst deeds
and reward their best ones.
36Does God not suffice
for His servant?
Yet they threaten you
with other gods.°
Those whom God leaves astray
have no guide.
37And none can lead astray
those whom God guides. Is God not
Almighty, Lord of Requital?
38If you ask them, who created
the heavens and the earth,
they will surely say, “God.”
Say, “Consider those
you call on besides God—
if God wanted harm for me,
could they remove it?
And if he wanted mercy for me,
could they withhold it?
Say, “God suffices for me—
let those who trust,
trust in Him.”
39Say, “My people,
do whatever you can;°
and I will do what I can—
for soon you will know
40“who shall face degrading torment
and on whom
lasting punishment will descend.”
41Prophet, We revealed the Book
to you, with truth, for humankind.
Those who receive guidance
do so to their own gain;
but those who go astray
do so to their own loss—
and you are not their custodian.
SECTION 5
42God takes the souls of people
at the hour of their death,
and of those asleep who are not dead.
He keeps the souls of those
for whom He has decreed death,
and the others He sends back
until an appointed time—in all this
are signs for those who think.°
43Do they take intercessors
other than God? Say, “Even though
they have no power [to intercede]
and no understanding?”
44Say, “All power to intercede
belongs to God alone—His
is dominion of the heavens and earth;
in the end, you will return to Him.”
45When the One God is mentioned,°
the hearts of those who don’t believe
in the hereafter recoil in aversion,
but when other gods are spoken of,
they exult and rejoice.
46Say, “O God, Originator
of the heavens and the earth,
Knower of the unseen
and the seen—it is You Who
will judge between Your servants
on the things they dispute.”
47If the wrongdoers possessed
all that is on the earth—twice over—
they would offer it as ransom
for the dreadful torment
of the day of resurrection—
but God will bring before them
something they had not conceived.
48The evil deeds they reaped
will come before them,
and they shall be engulfed
by what they mocked.
49When adversity strikes someone,
they cry out to Us. But when
We grant them Our favor, they say,
“I’m given this for my knowledge.”
Wrong—such favor is a trial,
but most of them don’t know.
50Those who came before them
said the same thing. But the deeds
they reaped were of no use to them.
51The evil they reaped
overtook them; and the evil reaped
by the wrongdoers among these
shall overtake them—
they shall not escape.
52Don’t they know that God
enlarges provision and restricts it
for whom He will? In this
are signs for people who believe.
SECTION 6
53Say, “My servants, who have
transgressed against yourselves—
do not despair of God’s mercy.
God forgives all sins.
He is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
54“Turn to your Lord and bow
to His will, before punishment
overcomes you—then
you will not be helped.
55“And follow the best
of what is revealed to you
from your Lord, before punishment
overcomes you—suddenly,
while you are unaware,
56“and your soul says,
‘Alas for me, for my neglect
of what was due to God—
I was among those who mocked.’
57“Or, ‘If only God had guided me—
I would have been among the righteous.’
58“Or [when it sees the punishment],
‘If only I could have another chance—
I’d be among those who do good.’
59“[A voice will then reply,]
‘No—My signs came to you
and you denied them, through pride—
you were among the disbelievers.’ ”
60On the day of resurrection
you’ll see those who lied about God
with faces blackened—is there not
a home in hell for the proud?
61But God will deliver the righteous
to their salvation. No evil shall
touch them, nor shall they grieve.
62God is the Creator of all things;
it is He Who Oversees all things.
63His are the keys of the heavens
and the earth, and those who deny
the signs of God shall suffer loss.
SECTION 7
64Say, “Do you command me
to worship something other than God,
you who are so ignorant?”
65It has been revealed to you
and those before you, that if you join
other gods as partners with God,
your works will be vain,
and you will be among
those who suffer loss.
66No—worship God, and be
among those who are grateful.
67They have not reckoned God
in His true measure; on the day
of resurrection, the whole earth
will be folded in His grasp,
and the heavens rolled up
in His right hand. Glory be to Him,
exalted beyond the other gods
they partner with Him.
68The trumpet shall be sounded
and all in the heavens and earth
shall fall dead, except those
God wishes. Then, it will be sounded
again, and they shall stand,
