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19. Thus they will give you the lie regarding what you say, then
you can neither avert [the doom] nor obtain help. And
whoso among you does wrong, We shall make him taste
great doom.
20. We never sent before you any messengers but lo! they ate
food and walked in the markets. And We have made some
of you a trial for others: Will you have patience? And your
Lord is ever Seer.
? . 21 And those who look not for a meeting with Us say: Why
are angels not sent down to us and [why] do we not see
our Lord? Assuredly they think too highly of themselves
and are scornful with great pride.
22. On the day when they see the angels, on that day there will
be no good tidings for the criminals; and they [angels] will
say: Prevented and inaccessible!
23. And We shall turn to the work they did and make it
scattered dust.
24. Those who have earned the Paradise on that day will be
better in their home and happier in their place of noonday
rest;
25. A day when the heaven with the clouds will be rent asunder
and the angels will be sent down, a successive descent.
26. The Sovereignty on that day will be the True [Sovereignty]
belonging to the Beneficent One, and it will be a hard day
for disbelievers.
27. On the day when the wrong-doer bites his hands, he will
say: Ah, would that I had taken a way together with the
messenger [of Allah]!
28. Alas for me! Ah, would that I had never taken that one as
a friend!
29. He verily led me astray from the Reminder after it had
reached me. Satan was ever man’s deserter in the hour
of need.
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30. And the messenger has said: O my Lord! Lo! my folk have
taken this Qur’ân as [a thing] abandoned.
31. Even so have We appointed to every Prophet an opponent
from among the criminals; but Allah suffices for a Guide
and Helper.
32. And those who disbelieve say: Why is the Qur’ân not
revealed to him all at once? [It is revealed] thus that
We may strengthen your heart therewith; and We have
arranged it in right order.
33. And they bring you no similitude but We bring you the
Truth [as against it], and better [than their similitude] as
argument.
34. Those who will be gathered on their faces to Hell:
such are worse in position and furthest astray from the
[straight] path.
35. We verily gave Moses the Scripture and appointed with
him his brother Aaron as helper.
36. Then We said: Go together to the folk who have denied Our
signs. Then We destroyed them, a complete destruction.
37. And Noah’s folk, when they denied the messengers, We
drowned them and made of them a sign for mankind We
have prepared a painful doom for wrong-doers.
38. And [the tribes of] A’âd and Thamûd, and the dwellers in
Ar-Rass,[1] and many generations in between.
39. Each [of them] We warned by examples, and each [of
them] We brought to utter ruin.
40. And indeed they have passed by the township whereon
was rained the evil rain.[2] Can it be that they have not seen
it? Nay, but they hope for no resurrection.
[1] Said to have been a town in Yamâmah.
[2] The great trade caravans from Mecca into Syria passed by the Dead
Sea.
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41. And when they see you [O Muhammad] they treat you
only as a jest [saying]: Is this he whom Allah has sent as
a messenger?
42. He would have led us far away from our gods if we had not
been steadfast [worship of] them. They will know, when
they see the doom, who is farthest astray as to the way.
43. Have you seen him who takes for his god his own lust?
Would you then be guardian over him?
44. Or deem you that most of them hear or understand? They
are but as the cattle, nay– but they are farther astray!
45. Have you not seen how your Lord has spread the shade–
And if He willed He could have made it still- then We
have made the sun its pilot;
46. Then We withdraw it to Us, a gradual withdrawal?
47. And He it is Who makes night a covering for you, and
sleep repose, and makes day a resurrection.
48. And He it is Who sends the winds, glad tidings before His
mercy, and We send down purifying water from the sky.
49. That We may give life thereby to a dead land, and We
give many beasts and men that We have created to drink
thereof.
50. And verily We have distributed it among them that
they may remember, but most of mankind refuse save
ingratitude.
51. If We willed, We could raise up a warner in every village.
52. So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them with
the Qur’ân a great striving.
53. And He it is Who has given independence to the two
seas [though they meet]; one palatable, sweet, and the
other saltish, bitter; and has set a bar and a forbidding
ban between them.
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54. And He it is Who has created man from water, and has
appointed for him kindred by blood and kindred by
marriage; for your Lord is ever Powerful.
55. Yet they worship instead of Allah that which can neither
benefit them nor hurt them. The disbeliever was ever a
partisan against his Lord.
56. And We have sent you [O Muhammad] only as a bearer of
good tidings and a warner.
57. Say: I ask of you no reward for this, save that whoso will
may take a way to his Lord.
58. And rely upon the Living One Who dies not, and exalt His
praise. He suffices as the Knower of His bondmen’s sins,
59. Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is
between them in six Days, then He established Himself
above the Throne. The Beneficent! Ask any one informed
concerning Him!
60. And when it is said to them: Prostrate to the Beneficent!
they say: And what is the Beneficent? Are we to prostrate
whatever you [Muhammad] bid us? And it increases
aversion in them.
61. Blessed be He Who has placed in the heaven great stars,
and has placed therein a burning lamp and a luminous
moon!
62. And He it is Who has appointed night and day in succession,
for him who desires to remember, or desires thankfulness.
63. The [faithful] slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk
upon the earth modestly, and when the ignorant address
them [harshly] they say: Peace;
64. And who spend the night before their Lord, prostrate and
standing,
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65. And those who say: Our Lord! Avert from us the doom
of Hell; lo! the doom thereof is inseparable;
66. Lo! it is wretched as abode and station;
67. And those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor
grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two;
68. And those who invoke not to any other god along with
Allah, nor take the life which Allah has forbidden save in
[course of] justice, nor commit adultery– and whoso does
this shall meet the penalty;
69. The doom will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection,
and he will abide therein disdained for ever;
70. Save him who repents and believes and does righteous
deeds; as for such, Allah will change their misdeeds to
good deeds. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.
71. And whosoever repents and does good, he verily repents
toward Allah with true repentance–
72. And those who will not witness falsehood, but when they
pass near ill speech, pass by with dignity.
73. And those who, when they are reminded of the verses of
their Lord, they fall not upon them deaf and blind.
74. And who say: Our Lord! Grant us comfort of our wives
and of our offspring, and make us patterns for the
righteous.
75. They will be awarded the Chamber for what they patiently
endured, and they will be received therein with greetings
and the word of peace,
76. Abiding there for ever. Happy is it as abode and station!
77. Say [O Muhammad, to the disbelievers]: My Lord would
not concern Himself with you but for your supplication.
But now you have denied [the Truth], therefor there will
be judgment.
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26- THE POETS [ASH-SHU’ARA]
Revealed at Mecca, [227 verses]
Asl-Sh’ara, “The Poets,” takes its title from v. 224 ff.,
where the difference between poets and a Prophet is tersely
pointed out; poets being those who say what they do not
mean, while a Prophet always practises what he preaches. The
pagan Arabs and their poets believed the poetic inspiration to
be the work of Jinn.
The story of a number of former Prophets is here given
to console the believers at a time of persecution, with the
assurance that it is no new thing for a messenger of God
to be persecuted, but that the persecutors always suffer in
the end. It shows also that all the messengers of God came
with the same message. It belongs to the middle group of
Meccan Sûrahs, with the exception of vv. 224-227, which
were revealed at Al-Madînah.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Ta. Sin. Mîm.[1]
2. These are verses of the Book that makes plain.
3. It may be that you kill yourself [O Muhammad] with grief
because they believe not.
4. If We will, We can send down on them from the sky a
sign so that their necks would remain bowed in humility
before it.
5. Never comes there to them a fresh reminder from the
Beneficent One, but they turn away from it.
[1] See Sûr. [2], v.1, footnote.
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6. Now they have denied [the Truth]; but there will come to
them tidings of that whereat they used to scoff.
7. Have they not seen the earth, how much of every fruitful
kind We make to grow therein?
8. Lo! herein is indeed a sign; yet most of them are not
believers.
9. And lo! your Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
10. And when your Lord called Moses, saying: Go to the
wrong-doing folk,
11. The folk of Pharaoh. Will they not fear Allah?
12. He said: My Lord! Lo! I fear that they will belie me,
13. And my breast will tighten, and my tongue will not speak
plainly, therefor send for Aaron [to help me].
14. And they have a crime against me, so I fear that they will
kill me.
15. He said: Nay, verily. So go both of you with Our signs. Lo!
We shall be with you, Hearing.
16. And come together to Pharaoh and say: Lo! we are the
messengers of the Lord of the Worlds,
17. [Saying]: Let the Children of Israel go with us.
18. [Pharaoh] said [to Moses]: Did we not raise you among
us as a child? And you did dwell many years of your life
among us,
19. And you did that your deed which you did, and you were
one of the ingrates,
20. He said: I did it then, when I was of those who are astray.
21. Then I fled from you when I feared you, and my Lord
granted me a command and appointed me [as one] of
messengers.
22. And this is the past favour wherewith you reproaches me:
that you have enslaved the Children of Israel.
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23. Pharaoh said: And what is the Lord of the Worlds?
24. [Moses] said: Lord of the heavens and the earth and all
that is between them, if you had but sure belief.
25. [Pharaoh] said to those around him: Hear you not?
26. He said: Your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers.
27. [Pharaoh] said: Lo! your messenger who has been sent to
you is indeed a madman!
28. He said: Lord of the East and the West and all that is
between them, if you did but understand.
29. [Pharaoh] said: If you take a god other than me, I assuredly
shall place you among the prisoners.
30. He said: Even though I brought you something manifest?
31. [Pharaoh] said: Bring it then, if you are of the truthful!
32. Then he threw down his staff and it became a serpent
manifest,
33. And he drew forth his hand and lo! it was white to the
beholders.
34. [Pharaoh] said to the chiefs about him: Lo, this is verily a
learned magician,
35. Who would drive you out of your land by his magic. Now
what do you advise?
36. They said: Put him off, [him] and his brother, and send
them into the cities summoners
37. Who shall bring to you every skilled magician.
38. So the magicians were gathered together at a set time on
a day appointed.
39. And it was said to the people: Are you [also] gathering?
40. [They said]: Yes, so that we may follow the magicians if
they are the winners.
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41. And when the magicians came they said to Pharaoh: Will
there surely be a reward for us if we are the winners?
42. He said: Aye, and you will then surely be of those brought
near [to me].
43. Moses said to them: Throw what you are going to throw!
44. Then they threw down their cords and their staves and
said: By Pharaoh’s might, lo! we verily are the winners.
45. Then Moses threw his staff and lo! it swallowed that
which they did falsely show.
46. And the magicians fell down in prostration,
47. They said: We believe in the Lord of the Worlds,
48. The Lord of Moses and Aaron.
49. [Pharaoh] said: You put your faith in him before I give
you leave. Lo! he doubtless is your chief who taught you
magic! But verily you shall come to know. Verily I will cut
off your hands and your feet alternately, and verily I will
crucify you every one.
50. They said: It is no hurt, for lo! to our Lord we shall return.
51. Lo! we really hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins
because we are the first of the believers.
52. And We inspired Moses, saying: Take away My slaves by
night, for you will be pursued.
53. Then Pharaoh sent into the cities summoners,
54. [Who said]: Lo! these indeed are but a little troop,
55. And lo! they are enraging us.
56. And lo! we are host all assembled, amply fore-warned.
57. Thus did We take them away from gardens and water
springs,
58. And treasures and an honourable place.
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59. Thus [were those things taken from them] and We caused
the Children of Israel to inherit them.
60. And they pursued them at sunrise.
61. And when the two hosts saw each other, the companions
of Moses said: Lo! we are indeed to be overtaken.
62. He said: Nay, verily! for lo! my Lord is with me. He will
guide me.
63. Then We inspired Moses, saying: Smite the sea with your
staff. And it parted, and each part was as a mountain vast.
64. Then We brought near the others to that place.
65. And We saved Moses and those with him, every one;
66. We drowned the others.
67. Lo! herein is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not
believers.
68. And lo, your Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
69. Recite to them the story of Abraham:
70. When he said to his father and his folk: What do you
worship?
71. They said: We worship idols, and are ever devoted to them.
72. He said: Do they hear you when you supplicate?
73. Or do they benefit or harm you?
74. They said: Nay, but we found our fathers acting on this
wise.
75. He said: See now that which you worship,
76. You and your forefathers!
77. Lo! they are [all] an enemy to me, save the Lord of the
Worlds.
78. Who created me, and He [it is who] guides me,
79. And Who feeds me and waters me.
80. And when I sicken, then He heals me,
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81. And Who causes me to die, the gives me life [again],
82. And Who, I hope, will forgive me my sin on the Day of
Judgement.
83. My Lord! Grant me authority and join me with the
righteous.
84. And grant unto me a good mention in later generations.
85. And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of
Delight,
86. And forgive my father. Lo! he has been of those astray.
87. And abase me not on the day when they are resurrected,
88. The day when wealth and sons avail not [any man]
89. Save him who brings to Allah a whole heart.
90. And the Garden will be brought near to the righteous.
91. And Hell will appear plainly to the erring.
92. And it will be said to them: Where is [all] that you used to
worship
93. Instead of Allah? Can they help you or help themselves?
94. Then they will be overturned therein, they and the seducers
95. And the hosts of Iblîs, together.
96. And they will say, when they are quarrelling therein:
97. By Allah, of a truth we were in manifest error
98. When we made you equal with the Lord of the Worlds.
99. It was but the criminals who misled us.
100. Now we have no intercessors
101. Nor any devouted friend.
102. Oh, that we had another turn [on earth], that we might
be of the believers!
103. Lo! herein is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not
believers!
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104. And lo, your Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
105. Noah’s folk denied the messengers [of Allah],
106. When their brother Noah said to them: Will you not fear
Allah?
107. Lo! I am a faithful messenger to you,
108. So fear Allah, and obey me.
109. And I ask of you no wage therefor; my wage is the
concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.
110. So fear Allah, and obey me.
111. They said: Shall we put faith in you, when the lowest [of
the people] follow you?
112. He said: And what knowledge have I of what they may
have been doing [in the past]?
113. Lo! their reckoning is my Lord’s concern, if you but
perceived;
114. And I am not [here] to repulse believers.
115. I am only a plain warner.
116. They said: If you cease not, O Noah, you will surely be
among those stoned [to death].
117. He said: My Lord! Lo! my own folk deny me.
118. Therefor judge You between us, a [conclusive] judgment,
and save me and those believers who are with me.
119. And We saved him and those with him in the laden ship.
120. Then afterward We drowned the others.
121. Lo! herein is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not
believers.
122. And lo, your Lord, He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
123. [The tribe of] A’âd denied the messengers [of Allah],
124. When their brother Hûd said to them: Will you not fear
Allah?
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125. Lo! I am a trustworthy messenger to you,
126. So fear Allah and obey me.
127. And I ask of you no wage therefor; my wage is the
concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.
128. Build you on every high place a monument for vain
delight?
129. And seek you out strongholds, that perhaps you may last
for ever?
130. And if you seize by force, you seize as tyrants?
131. Rather fear Allah, and obey me.
132. Fear Him who has aided you with [the good things] that
you know,
133. Has aided you with cattle and sons.
134. And gardens and water springs.
135. Lo! I fear for you the retribution of an awful day.
136. They said: It is all one to us whether you preach or are
not of those who preach;
137. This is but a fable of the men of old,
138. And we shall not be doomed.
139. And they denied him; therefor We destroyed them. Lo!
herein is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers.
140. And lo! your Lord, He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
141. [The tribe of] Thamûd denied the messengers [of Allah]
142. When their brother Salih said to them: Will you not fear
Allah?
143. Lo! I am a faithful messenger to you,
144. So fear Allah and obey me.
145. And I ask of you no wage therefor; my wage is the
concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.
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146. Will you be left secure in that which is here before us,
147. In gardens and water springs
148. And tilled fields and heavy-sheathed palm trees,
149. Though you carve out dwellings in the mountain, being
skilful?
150. Therefor fear Allah and obey me,
151. And obey not the command of the prodigal,
152. Who spread corruption in the earth, and reform not.
153. They said: You are but one of the bewitched;
154. You are but a mortal like us. So bring some sign if you
are of the truthful.
155. He said: [Behold] this she-camel. She has the right to
drink [at the well], and you have the right to drink, [each]
on an appointed day.
156. And touch her not with ill lest there come on you the
retribution of an awful day.
157. But they hamstrung her, and then were penitent.
158. So the retribution came on them. Lo! herein is indeed a
sign, yet most of them are not believers.
159. And lo! your Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
160. The folk of Lot denied the messengers [of Allah],
161. When their brother Lot said to them: Will you not fear
Allah?
162. Lo! I am a trustworthy messenger to you,
163. So fear Allah and obey me.
164. And I ask of you no wage therefor; my wage is the
concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.
165. What! Of all creatures do you come to the males,
166. And leave the wives your Lord created for you? Nay, but
you are transgressing folk.
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167. They said: If you cease not, O Lot, you will soon be of
the outcast.
168. He said: I am in truth of those who hate your conduct.
169. My Lord! Save me and my household from what they do.
170. So We saved him and his household, every one,
171. Save an old woman among those who stayed behind.
172. Then afterward We destroyed the others.
173. And We rained on them a rain. And dreadful is the rain
of those who have been warned.
174. Lo! herein is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not
believers.
175. And lo! your Lord, He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
176. The dwellers in the wood [of Midian] denied the
messengers [of Allah],
177. When Shu’eyb said to them: Will you not fear Allah?
178. Lo! I am a faithful messenger to you,
179. So fear Allah and obey me.
180. And I ask of you no wage for it; my wage is the concern
only of the Lord of the Worlds.
181. Give full measure, and be not of those who give less
[than the due].
182. And weigh with the true balance.
183. Wrong not mankind in their goods, and do not evil,
making mischief, in the earth.
184. And fear He Who created you and the generations of
the men of old.
185. They said: You are but one of the bewitched;
186. You are but a mortal like us, and lo! we deem you of the
liars.
187. Then make fragments of the heaven fall upon us, if you
are of the truthful.
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188. He said: My Lord is best aware of what you do.
189. But they denied him, so there came on them the retribution
of the day of gloom. Lo! it was the retribution of an
awful day.
190. Lo! herein is indeed a sign; yet most of them are not
believers.
191. And lo! your Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
192. And lo! it [Qur’ân] is a revelation of the Lord of the
Worlds,
193. Which the Trustworthy Spirit has brought down
194. Upon your heart, that you may be [one] of the warners,
195. In plain Arabic speech.
196. And lo, it is [mentioned] in the Scriptures of the men of
old.
197. Is it not a sign for them that the learned of the Children
of Israel [1] know it?
198. And if We had revealed it to one among the foreigners,
199. And he had read it to them, they would not have believed
in it.
200. Thus do We make it [the denial of the Qur’ân] traverse
the hearts of the criminals.
201. They will not believe in it till they see the painful doom,
202. So that it will come upon them suddenly, when they
perceive not.
203. Then they will say: Are we to be reprieved?
204. Would they [now] hasten on Our doom?
205. Have you then seen, We content them for [long] years,
206. And then comes that which they were promised,
[1] The Jews knew, from their Scripture, that a Prophet had been
promised to the Arabs.
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207. [How] that wherewith they were contented nothing
avails them?
208. And We destroyed no township but it had its warners.[1]
209. For reminder, for We never were oppressors.
210. The devils did not bring it down.
211. It is not allowable for them, nor is it in their power,
212. Lo! verily they are banished from the hearing.
213. Therefor invoke not with Allah another god, lest you be
one of the doomed.
214. And warn your tribe of near kindred,
215. And lower your wing [in kindness] to those believers
who follow you.
216. And if they [your kinsfolk] disobey you, say: Lo! I am
innocent of what they do.
217. And put your trust in the Mighty, the Merciful.
218. Who sees you when you stand up [to pray]
219. And [sees] your abasement among those who fall
prostrate [in worship].
220. Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Knower.
221. Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend?
222. They descend on every sinful, false one.
223. They listen eagerly, but most of them are liars.
224. As for poets, the erring follow them.
225. Have you not seen how they stray in every valley,
226. And how they say that which they do not?
227. Save those who believe and do righteous deeds, and
remember Allah much, and vindicate themselves after
they have been wronged. Those who do wrong will come
to know by what a [great] reverse they will be overturned!
[1] The Jews knew, from their Scripture, that a prophet had been promised
to the Arabs.
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27- THE ANTS [AN-NAML]
Revealed at Mecca, [93 verses]
An-Naml, “The Ant” takes its name from the ant
mentioned in v. 18. Some commentators, objecting to the
miraculous, seek to explain the ants, in the story of Solomon,
as an old Arab tribe, the birds as cavalry, Hûd Hûd (the
hoopoe) as a man’s name, and the Jinn as foreign troops. It
belongs to the middle group of Meccan Sûrahs.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Tâ. Sîn.[1] These are verses of the Qur’ân and a Book that
makes plain;
2. A guidance and good tidings for believers
3. Who establish prayer and pay the poor-due and are certain
of the Hereafter.
4. Lo! as for those who believe not in the Hereafter, We have
made their deeds fair-seeming to them so they wander
blindly.
5. Those are they for whom is the worst of punishment, and
in the Hereafter they will be the greatest losers.
6. Lo! as for you [Muhammad], you verily receive the Qur’ân
from the One Wise, Knowing.
7. [Remember] when Moses said to his household: Lo! I
perceive afar off a fire; I will bring you tidings thence,
or bring to you a borrowed flame that you may warm
yourselves.
8. But when he reached it, he was called, saying: Blessed is
whosoever is in the fire and whosoever is round about it!
And glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!
[1] See Sûr. [2], v.1, footnote.
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9. O Moses! Lo! it is I, Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.
10. And throw down your staff! But when he saw it writhing
as it were a snake, he turned to flee headlong; [Allah said:
O Moses! Fear not! Lo! the messengers fear not in My
presence,
11. Save him who has done wrong and afterward has changed
evil for good. [1] And lo! I am Forgiving, Merciful.
12. And put your hand into the bosom of your robe, it will
come forth white but unhurt. [This will be one] among
nine signs to Pharaoh and his people. Lo! they were ever
evil-living folk.
13. But when Our signs came to them, plain to see, they said:
This is mere magic,
14. And they denied them, though their souls acknowledged
them, for spite and arrogance. Then see the nature of the
consequence for the corrupters!
15. And We verily gave knowledge to David and Solomon,
and they said: Praise be to Allah, Who has preferred us
above many of His believing slaves!
16. And Solomon was David’s heir. And he said: O mankind!
Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have
been given [abundance] of all things. This surely is evident
favour.
17. And there were gathered together to Solomon his armies
of the jinn and men, and of the birds, and they were set
in battle order;
18. Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant
exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and
his armies crush you, unperceiving.
19. And [Solomon] smiled, laughing at her speech, and said:
My Lord, arouse me to be thankful for Your favour
[1] Moses had been guilty of a crime in Egypt.
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wherewith You have favoured me and my parents, and to
do good that shall be pleasing to You, and include me in
[the number of] Your righteous slaves.
20. And he sought among the birds and said: How is it that I
see not the hoopoe, or is he among the absent?
21. I verily will punish him with hard punishment or I verily
will slaughter him, or he verily shall bring me a plain
excuse.
22. But he was not long in coming, and he said: I have found
out [a thing] that you apprehend not, and I come to you
from Sheba with certain tidings.
23. Lo! I found a woman ruling over them, and she has been
given [abundance] of all things, and hers is a great throne.
24. I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead
of Allah; and Satan makes their deeds fair-seeming to
them, and debars them from the way [of Truth], so that
they go not guided:
25. So they do not prostrate themselves before Allah, Who
brings forth the hidden in the heavens and the earth, and
knows what you hide and what you proclaim,
26. Allah; there is no deity save Him, the Lord of the
Tremendous Throne.
27. [Solomon] said: We shall see whether you speak truth or
whether you are of the liars.
28. Go with this my letter and throw it down to them; then
turn away and see what [answer] they return,
29. [The Queen of Sheba] said [when she received the letter]:
O chieftains! Lo! there has been thrown unto me a noble
letter.
30. Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah
the Beneficent, the Merciful;
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31. Exalt not yourselves against me, but come to me as those
who surrender [as Muslims].
32. She said: O chieftains! Pronounce for me in my case. I
decide no matter till you are witness with me.
33. They said: We are men of might and of great prowess,
but it is for you to command; so consider what you will
command.
34. She said: Lo! kings, when they enter a township, ruin it and
make the honour of its people shame. And thus they do.
35. But lo! I am going to send a present to them, and to see
with what [answer] the messengers return.
36. So when [the envoy] came to Solomon, [the King] said:
What! Would you help me with wealth? But that which
Allah has given me is better than that which He has given
you. Nay it is you [and not I] who rejoice in your gift.
37. Return to them. We verily shall come to them with hosts
that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out from
thence with humiliation, and they will be abased.
38. He said: O assembly [of jinn]! Which of you will bring me
her throne before they come to me, surrendering?
39. A stalwart of the jinn said: I will bring it to you before you
can rise from your place. Lo! I verily am strong and trusty
for such work.
40. One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said:
I will bring it to you before your gaze returns to you.
And when he saw it set in his presence, [Solomon] said:
This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me
whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever
gives thanks he only gives thanks for [the good of] his
own soul: and whosoever is ungrateful [is ungrateful
only to his own soul’s hurt], for lo! my Lord is Absolute
in independence, Bountiful.
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41. He said: Disguise her throne for her that we may see
whether she will be guided or be of those not rightly
guided.
42. So, when she came, it was said [to her]: Is your throne like
this? She said: [It is] as though it were the very one. And
[Solomon said]: We were given the knowledge before her
and we had been Muslims [in submission to Allah].
43. And [all] that she was used to worship instead of Allah
hindered her, for she came of disbelieving folk.
44. It was said to her: Enter the hall. And when she saw it she
deemed it a pool and bared her legs. [Solomon] said: Lo!
it is a hall, made smooth, of glass. She said: My Lord! Lo!
I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to
Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
45. And We verily sent unto Thamûd their brother Salih,
saying: Worship Allah. And lo! they [then] became two
parties quarrelling.
46. He said: O my people! Why will you hasten on the evil
rather than the good? Why will you not ask pardon of
Allah, that you may receive mercy.
47. They said: We augur evil of you and those with you. He
said: Your evil augury is with Allah. Nay, but you are folk
that are being tested.
48. And there were in the city nine persons who made mischief
in the land and reformed not.
49. They said: Swear one to another by Allah that we verily
will attack him and his household by night, and afterward
we will surely say to his executor: We witnessed not the
destruction of his household. And lo! we are truthtellers.
50. So they planned a plan: and We planned a plan, while they
perceived not.
51. Then see the nature of the consequence of their planning,
for lo! We destroyed them and their people, every one.
