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Sura Xxi. Anbiyaa, Or The Prophets

*
"The Holy Quran", tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934],

p. 822

Sra Xxi.

\"ANBIYA," Or The Prophets

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1.
Closer and closer to mankind

Comes their Reckoning: yet they

Heed not and they turn away.

2.
Never comes (aught) to them

Of a renewed Message

From their Lord, but they

Listen to it as in jest,--

3.
Their hearts toying as with

Trifles. The wrong-doers conceal

Their private counsels, (saying),

"Is this (one) more than

A man like yourselves?

Will ye go to witchcraft

With your eyes open?
"

4. Say: "My Lord

Knoweth (every) word (spoken)

In the heavens and on earth:

He is the One that heareth

And knoweth (all things).
"

p. 823

5.
\"Nay," they say, "(these are)

Medleys of dreams!--Nay,

He forged it!--Nay,

He is (but) a poet!

Let him then bring us

A Sign like the ones

That were sent to

(Prophets) of old!"

6.
(As to those) before them,

Not one of the populations

Which We destroyed believed:

Will these believe?

7.
Before thee, also, the apostles

We sent were but men,

To whom We granted inspiration:


If ye realise this not, ask

Of those who possess the Message.

8.
Nor did We give them

Bodies that ate no food,

Nor were they exempt from death.

9.
In the end We fulfilled

To them Our promise,

And We saved them

And those whom We pleased,

p. 824

But We destroyed those

Who transgressed beyond bounds.

10.
We have revealed for you

(O men!) a book in which

Is a Message for you:

Will ye not then understand?

Section 2.

11.
How many were the populations

We utterly destroyed because

Of their iniquities, setting up

In their places other peoples?

12.
Yet, when they felt

Our Punishment (coming),

Behold, they (tried to) flee

From it.

13.
Flee not, but return to

The good things of this life

Which were given you,

And to your homes,

In order that ye may

Be called to account

14.
They said: "Ah! woe to us!

We were indeed wrong-doers!"

15.
And that cry of theirs

Ceased not, till we made

p. 825

Them as a field

That is mown, as ashes

Silent and quenched.

16.
Not for (idle) sport did We

Create the heavens and the earth

And all that is between!

17.
If it had been Our wish

To take (just) a pastime,

We should surely have taken

It from the things nearest

To Us, if We would

Do (such a thing)!

18.
Nay, We hurl the Truth

Against falsehood, and it knocks

Out its brain, and behold,

Falsehood doth perish!

Ah! woe be to you

For the (false) things

Ye ascribe (to Us).

19.
To Him belong all (creatures)

In the heavens and on earth:

Even those who are in His

(Very) Presence are not

Too proud to serve Him,

Nor are they (ever) weary

(Of His service):

20.
They celebrate His praises

Night and day, nor do they

Ever flag or intermit.

p. 826

21.
Or have they taken

(For worship) gods from the earth

Who can raise (the dead)?

22.
If there were, in the heavens

And the earth, other gods

Besides God, there would

Have been confusion in both!

But glory to God,

The Lord of the Throne:


(High is He) above

What they attribute to Him!

23.
He cannot be questioned

For His acts, but they

Will be questioned (for theirs).

24.
Or have they taken

For worship (other) gods

Besides him? Say, "Bring

Your convincing proof: this

Is the Message of those

With me and the Message

Of those before me."

But most of them know not

The Truth, and so turn away.

p. 827

25.
Not an apostle did We

Send before thee without

This inspiration sent by Us

To him: that there is

No god but I; therefore

Worship and serve Me.

26.
And they say: "(God)

Most Gracious has begotten

Offspring.
" Glory to Him!

They are (but) servants raised

To honour.

27.
They speak not before

He speaks, and they act

(In all things) by His command.

28.
He knows what is before them,

And what is behind them,

And they offer no intercession

Except for those who are

Acceptable, and they stand

In awe and reverence

Of His (glory).

29.
If any of them should say,

"I am a god besides Him",

Such a one We should

Reward with Hell: thus

Do We reward those

Who do wrong.

p. 828

Section 3.

30.
Do not the Unbelievers see

That the heavens and the earth

Were joined together (as one

Unit of Creation
), before

We clove them asunder?

We made from water

Every living thing. Will they

Not then believe?

31.
And We have set on the earth

Mountains standing firm,

p. 829

Lest it should shake with them,

And We have made therein

Broad highways

(between mountains)

For them to pass through:

That they may receive guidance.

32.
And We have made

The heavens as a canopy

Well guarded: yet do they

Turn away from the Signs

Which these things (point to)!

33.
It is He Who created

The Night and the Day,

And the sun and the moon:


All (the celestial bodies)

Swim along, each in its

Rounded course.

34.
We granted not to any man

Before thee permanent life

(Here): If then thou shouldst die,

Would they live permanently?

35. Every soul shall have

A taste of death:


And We test you

By evil and by good

p. 830

By way of trial.

To Us must ye return.

36.
When the Unbelievers see thee,

They treat thee not except

With ridicule. "Is this,"

(They say), "the one who talks

Of your gods?
" And they

Blaspheme at the mention

Of (God) Most Gracious!

37. Man is a creature of haste:


Soon (enough) will I show

You My Signs; then

Ye will not ask Me

To hasten them!

38.
They say: "When will this

Promise come to pass,

If ye are telling the truth?"

39.
If only the Unbelievers

Knew (the time) when they

Will not be able

To ward off the Fire

From their faces, nor yet

From their backs, and (when)

No help can reach them!

40.
Nay, it may come to them

All of a sudden and confound

Them: no power will they

Have then to avert it,

Nor will they (then)

Get respite.

p. 831

41.
Mocked were (many)

Apostles before thee;

But their scoffers

Were hemmed in

By the thing that they mocked.

Section 4.

42.
Say, "Who can keep

You safe by night and by day

From (the Wrath of) (God)

Most Gracious?
" Yet they

Turn away from the mention

Of their Lord.

43.
Or have they gods that

Can guard them from Us?

They have no power to aid

Themselves, nor can they

Be defended from Us.

44.
Nay, We gave the good things

Of this life to these men

And their fathers until

The period grew long for them;

See they not that We

Gradually reduce the land

(In their control) from

Its outlying borders? Is it

Then they who will win?

p. 832

45.
Say, "I do but warn you

According to revelation":


But the deaf will not hear

The call, (even) when

They are warned!

46.
If but a breath of the Wrath

Of thy Lord do touch them,

They will then say, "Woe

To us! we did wrong indeed!"

47.
We shall set up scales

Of justice for the day

Of Judgment, so that

Not a soul will be dealt with

Unjustly in the least.

And if there be

(No more than) the weight

Of a mustard seed,

We will bring it (to account):


And enough are We

To take account.

48.
In the past We granted

To Moses and Aaron

p. 833

The Criterion (for judgment),

And a Light and a Message

For those who would do right,--

49.
Those who fear their Lord

In their most secret thoughts,

And who hold the Hour

(Of Judgment) in awe.

50.
And this is a blessed

Message which We have

Sent down: will ye then

Reject it?

p. 834

51.
We bestowed aforetime

On Abraham his rectitude

Of conduct, and well were we

Acquainted with him.

52.
Behold! he said

To his father and his people

"What are these images,

To which ye are

(So assiduously) devoted?"

53.
They said, "We found

Our fathers worshipping them."

54.
He said, "Indeed ye

Have been made in manifest

Error--ye and your fathers."

55.
They said, "Have you

Brought us the Truth,

Or are you one

Of those who jest?"

56.
He said, "Nay, your Lord

Is the Lord of the heavens

And the earth, He Who

Created them (from nothing):


And I am a witness

To this (truth).

p. 835

57.
\"And by god, I have

A plan for your idols--

After ye go away

And turn your backs"

58.
So he broke them to pieces,

(All) but the biggest of them,

That they might turn

(And address themselves) to it.

59.
They said, "Who has

Done this to our gods?

He must indeed be

Some man of impiety!"

60. They said, "We heard

A youth talk of them:


He is called Abraham."

61.
They said, "Then bring him

Before the eyes of the people,

That they may bear witness:"

62.
They said, "Art thou

The one that did this

With our gods, O Abraham?
"

p. 836

63.
He said: "Nay, this

Was done by --

This is their biggest one!

Ask them, if they

Can speak intelligently!"

64.
So they turned to themselves

And said, "Surely ye

Are the ones in the wrong!

65.
Then were they confounded

With shame: (they said),

"Thou knowest full well that

These (idols) do not speak!"

66.
(Abraham) said, "Do ye then

Worship, besides God,

Things that can neither

Be of any good to you

Nor do you harm?

67.
\"Fie upon you, and upon

The things that ye worship

Besides God! Have ye

No sense?"

68.
They said, "Burn him

And protect your gods,

If ye do (anything at all)!
"

p. 837

69.
We said, "O Fire!

Be thou cool,

And (a means of) safety

For Abraham!"

70.
Then they sought a stratagem

Against him: but We

Made them the ones

That lost most!

71.
But We delivered him

And (his nephew) Lt

(And directed them) to the land

Which We have blessed

For the nations.

72.
And We bestowed on him Isaac

p. 838

And, as an additional gift,

(A grandson), Jacob, and We

Made righteous men of every one

(Of them).

73.
And We made them

Leaders, guiding (men) by

Our Command, and We

Sent them inspiration

To do good deeds,

To establish regular prayers,

And to practise regular charity;

And they constantly served

Us (and Us only).

74.
And to Lt, too,

We gave Judgment and Knowledge,

And We saved him

From the town which practised

Abominations: truly they were

A people given to Evil,

A rebellious people.

75.
And We admitted him

To Our Mercy: for he

Was one of the Righteous.

Section 6.

76.
(Remember) Noah, when

He cried (to Us) aforetime:

We listened to his (prayer)

And delivered him and his

Family from great distress.

p. 839

77.
We helped him against

People who rejected Our Signs:

Truly they were a people

Given to Evil: so We

Drowned them (in the Flood)

All together.

78.
And remember David

And Solomon, when they

Gave judgment in the matter

Of the field into which

The sheep of certain people

Had strayed by night:


We did witness their judgment.

79.
To Solomon We inspired

The (right) understanding

Of the matter: to each

(Of them) We gave Judgment

And Knowledge; it was

Our power that made

The hills and the birds

Celebrate Our praises,

With David: it was We

Who did (all these things).

80.
It was We Who taught him

The making of coats of mail

p. 840

For your benefit, to guard

You from each other's violence:

Will ye then be grateful?

81.
(It was Our power that

Made) the violent (unruly)

Wind flow (tamely) for Solomon,

To his order, to the land

Which We had blessed:


For We do know all things.

82.
And of the evil ones,

Were some who dived

For him, and did other work

Besides; and it was We

Who guarded them.

83.
And (remember) Job, when

He cried to his Lord,

"Truly distress has seized me,

But Thou art the Most

p. 841

Merciful of those that are

Merciful."

84.
So We listened to him:


We removed the distress

That was on him,

And We restored his people

To him, and doubled

Their number,--as a Grace

From Ourselves, and a thing

For commemoration, for all

Who serve Us.

85.
And (remember) Ism'l,

Idrs, and ul-kifl, all

(Men) of constancy and patience;

86.
We admitted them to

Our Mercy: for they

Were of the Righteous ones.

p. 842

87. And remember un-nn,

When he departed in wrath:


He imagined that We

Had no power over him!

But he cried through the depths

Of darkness, "There is

No god but Thou:


Glory to Thee: I was

Indeed wrong!"

88.
So We listened to him:


And delivered him from

Distress: and thus do We

Deliver those who have faith.

89.
And (remember) Zakary,

When he cried to his Lord:

"O my Lord! leave me not

Without offspring, though Thou

Art the best of inheritors."

90. So We listened to him:


And We granted him

p. 843

Yabya: We cured his wife's

(Barrenness) for him. These (three)

Were ever quick in emulation

In good works: they used

To call on Us with love

And reverence, and humble themselves

Before Us.

91. And (remember) her who

Guarded her chastity:


We breathed into her

Of Our Spirit, and We

Made her and her son

A Sign for all peoples.

92.
Verily, this Brotherhood

Of yours is a single Brotherhood,

And I am your Lord

And Cherisher: therefore

Serve Me (and no other).

93.
But (later generations) cut off

Their affair (of unity),

One from another: (yet)

Will they all return to Us.

p. 844

Section 7.

94.
Whoever works any act

Of Righteousness and has Faith,--

His endeavour will not

Be rejected: We shall

Record it in his favour.

95.
But there is a ban

On any population which

We have destroyed: that they

Shall not return,

96.
Until the Gog and Magog (people)

Are let through (their barrier),

And they swiftly swarm

From every hill.

97.
Then will the True Promise

Draw nigh (of fulfilment):

Then behold! the eyes

Of the Unbelievers will

Fixedly stare in horror: "Ah!

Woe to us! we were indeed

Heedless of this; nay, we

Truly did wrong!
"

p. 845

98.
Verily ye, (Unbelievers),

And the (false) gods that

Ye worship besides God,

Are (but) fuel for Hell!

To it will ye (surely) come!

99.
If these had been gods,

They would not have got there!

But each one will abide

Therein.

100.
There, sobbing will be

Their lot, nor will they

There hear (aught else).

101.
Whose hose for whom

The Good (Record) from Us

Has gone before, will be

Removed far therefrom.

102.
Not the slightest sound

Will they hear of Hell:

What their souls desired,

In that will they dwell.

103. The Great Terror will

Bring them no grief:


But the angels will meet them

(With mutual greetings):

"This is your Day,--

(The Day) that ye were promised.
"

p. 846

104.
The Day that We roll up

The heavens like a scroll

Rolled up for books (completed),--

Even as We produced

The first Creation, so

Shall We produce

A new one: a promise

We have undertaken:


Truly shall We fulfil it.

105.
Before this We wrote

In the Psalms, after the Message

(Given to Moses): "My servants,

The righteous, shall inherit

The earth."

106.
Verily in this (Qur-n)

Is a Message for people

Who would (truly) worship God.

107.
We sent thee not, but

As a Mercy for all creatures.

p. 847

108.
Say: "What has come to me

By inspiration is that

Your God is One God:


Will ye therefore bow

To His Will (in Islm)?"

109.
But if they turn back,

Say: "I have proclaimed

The Message to you all alike

And in truth; but I

Know not whether that

Which ye are promised

Is near or far.

110.
\"It is He Who knows

What is open in speech

And what ye hide

(In your hearts).

111.
\"I know not but that

It may be a trial

For you, and a grant

Of (worldly) livelihood

(To you) for a time."

p. 848

112.
Say: "O my Lord!

Judge Thou in truth!

"Our Lord Most Gracious

Is the One Whose assistance

Should be sought against

The blasphemies ye utter!

p. 849

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