Sura XXVI (26)
The Poets
(
________________________________________
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Ta.
Sin Mim. These are the signs of the lucid Book.
Haply
thou wearest thyself away with grief because they will not believe.
Were
it our will we could send down to them a sign from Heaven, before which they
would humbly bow.
But
from each fresh warning that cometh to them from the God of Mercy they have
only turned aside,
And
treated it as a lie: But tidings shall reach
them which they shall not laugh to scorn.
Have
they not beheld the earth -- how we have caused every kind of noble plant to
spring up therein?
Verily,
in this is a sign: but most of them believe
not.
And
assuredly, thy Lord! -- He is the Mighty, the Merciful.
And
remember when thy Lord called to Moses, "Go to the wicked people,
26:10 The people of Pharoah. What! will they
not fear me?"
He
said, "My Lord, in sooth I fear lest they treat me as a liar:
And my
breast is straitened, and I am slow of speech:
send therefore to Aaron to be my helpmate.
For
they have a charge against me, and I fear lest they put me to death."
He
said, "Surely not. Go you therefore with our signs:
we will be with you and will hearken.
And go
to Pharaoh and say: 'Verily we are the
messengers of the Lord of the words --
Send
forth with us the children of Israel.'"
He
said, "Did we not rear thee among us when a a child? And hast thou not
passed years of thy life among us?
And
yet what a deed is that which thou hast done! Thou art one of the
ungrateful."
He
said, "I did it indeed, and I was one of those who erred:
26:20 And I fled from you because I feared
you; but my Lord hath given me wisdom and hath made me one of his Apostles.
And is
this the favour thou has conferred on me, that thou hast enslaved the children
of Israel?"
Said
Pharaoh, "Who then is the Lord of the Worlds?"
He
said, "The Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth and of all that is between
them, if only you believe it."
Said
Pharaoh to those around him, "Hear you this?"
"Your
Lord," said Moses, "and the Lord of your sires of old."
"In
sooth, your Apostle whom He hath sent to you, " said Pharaoh, "is
certainly possessed."
He
said, "Lord is He of the East and of the West, and of all that is between
them, if you can understand."
He
said, "If you take any God beside me, I will surely put thee in
ward."
Said
Moses, "What! if I shew thee that which shall be a proof of my
mission?"
26:30 He said, "Forth with it then, if
thou speakest truth."
Then
threw he down his staff, and lo! and undoubted serpent:
And he
drew out his hand, and lo! if was white to the beholders,
He
said to his nobles around him, "This truly is a right cunning sorcerer:
Fain
would he drive you out of your land by his sorcery. But what do you
suggest?"
They
said, "Put him and his brother off awhile, and send summoners to all the
cities,
Who
shall bring to thee every cunning magician."
So the
magicians were mustered at a set time, on a solemn day:
And it
was said ot the people, "Are you all assembled?"
-
"Yes! and we will follow the magicians if they gain the day."
26:40 And when the magicians were arrived
they said to Pharaoh, "Shall we have a reward if we gain the day?"
He
said, "Yes. And verily in that case you shall be of those who are near my
person."
Moses
said to them, "Throw down what you have to throw."
So
they cast down their ropes and rods, and said, "By Pharaoh's might we
shall surely win."
Then
Moses threw down his rod, and lo! it swallowed up their cheating wonders.
Then
the magicians threw themselves down in worship:
They
said, "We believe on the Lord of the Worlds,
The
Lord of Moses and of Aaron."
Said
Pharaoh, "Have you then believe on him ere I gave you leave? He truly is
your master who hath taught you magic. But bye and bye you shall surely know my
power.
I will
cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will have you all
crucified."
26:50 They said, "It cannot harm us,
for to our Lord shall we return:
Assuredly
we trust that our Lord will forgive us our sins, since we are of the first who
believe."
Then
revealed we this order to Moses: "Go
forth by night with my servants, for you will be pursued."
And Pharaoh
sent summoners through the cities: --
"These
Israelites," said they, "are a scanty band;
Yet
are they enraged against us --
But we
truly are numerous, wary."
Thus
we caused them to quit gardens and fountains,
And
treasures and splendid dwellings;
So was
it; and we gave them to the children of Israel for an heritage.
26:60 Then at sunrise the Egyptians followed
them:
And
when the hosts came in view of one another, the comrades of Moses said,
"We are surely overtaken."
He
said, "By no means: -- for my Lord is
with me -- He will guide me."
And we
revealed this order to Moses, "Strike the sea with thy rod." And it
clave asunder, and each part became like a huge mountain.
Then
made we the others to draw on;
And we
saved Moses, and those who were with him, all;
But we
drowned the others.
Truly
in this was a sign; but most of them did not believe.
But
verily thy Lord, -- He is the Mighty, the Merciful!
And
recite to them the story of Abraham
26:70 When he said to his Father and to his
people, "What worship you?"
They
said, "We worship idols, and constant is our devotion to them."
He
said, "Can they hear you when you cry to them?
Or
help you or do you harm?"
They
said, "But we found our Fathers do the like."
He
said, "How think you? Them whom you worship,
You
and your fathers of early days,
Are my
foes: not not so the Lord of the Worlds,
Who
hath created me, and guideth me,
Who
giveth me food and drink;
26:80 And when I am sick, he healeth me,
And
who will cause me to die and again quicken me,
And
who, I hope, will forgive me my sins in the day of reckoning.
My
Lord! bestow on me wisdom and join me to the just,
And
give me a good name among posterity,
And
make we one of the heirs of the garden of delight,
And
forgive my father, for he was one of the erring,
And
put me not to shame on the day when mankind shall be raised up,
The
day when neither wealth nor children shall avail,
Save
to him who shall come to God with a sound heart:
26:90 When Paradise shall be brought near
the pious,
And
Hell shall lay open for those who have gone astray.
And it
shall be said to them, 'Where are they whom you worshipped
Beside
God? Can they harm you or help themselves?'
And
they shall be cast into it -- the seducers and the seduced,
And
all the host of Eblis.
They
shall say, as they wrangle therein together,
'By
God, we were in a plain error,
When
we equalled you with the Lord of the Words:
And
none misled us by the wicked,
26:100 And we have none to plead for us,
Nor
friend who careth for us.
Could
we but return, we would be of the believers'"
Verily,
in this was a sign: but most of them believed
not.
And
truly thy Lord! -- He is the Mighty, the Merciful!
The
people of Noah gainsaid the Apostles,
When
their brother Noah said to hem, "Will you not fear God?
Of a
truth am I your faithful Apostle;
Fear
God then and obey me.
I ask
of you no reward for this, for my reward is of the Lord of the Worlds alone:
26:110 Fear God then and obey me."
They
said, "Shall we believe on thee when the meanest only are thy
followers?"
He
said, "But I have no knowledge of that they did:P
To my
Lord only must their account be given: would
that you understood this!
And I
will not thrust away those who believe,
For I
am only one charged with plain warnings."
They
said, "Now unless thou desist, O Noah, one of the stoned shalt thou surely
be."
He
said, "Lord! my people treat me as a liar:
Decide
thou therefore a decision between me and them, and rescue me and the faithful
who are with me."
So we
saved him and those who were with him in the fully-laden ark,
26:120 And afterwards we drowned the rest.
Herein
truly was a sign, but most of them believed not.
But
thy Lord! -- He is the Mighty, the Merciful.
The
Adites treated their Apostles as liars,
When
their brother Houd said to them, "Will you not fear God?
I am
your Apostle, worthy of all credit;
Fear
God then and obey me:
I ask
for no reward for this; for my reward is of the Lord of the World alone.
What!
built you landmarks on all heights in mere pastime?
And
raise you structures to be your lasting abodes?
26:130 And when you put forth your power do
you put it forth with harshness?
Fear
you God then and obey me;
And
fear you Him who hath plenteously bestowed on you you well know what:
Plenteously
bestowed on you flocks and children,
And
gardens and fountains;
Indeed
I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous day."
They
said, "It is the same to us whether thou warn or warn us not.
This
is but a tale of the ancients,
And we
are not they who shall be punished."
And
they charged him with imposture; and we destroyed them. In this was a sign: but most of them believed not.
26:140 But thy Lord! -- He is the Mighty, the
Merciful!
The
Themoudites also treated their Apostles as liars,
When
their brother Saleh said to them, "Will you not fear God?
I am
your Apostle worthy of all credit:
Fear
God, then, and obey me.
I ask
of you no reward for this: my reward is of the
Lord of the Worlds alone.
She
you be left secure amid these things here?
Amid
gardens and fountains,
And
corn-fields and palm-trees, with flower-sheating branches?
And,
insolent that you are, will you hew out your dwellings in the mountains?
26:150 But fear God and obey me,
And
obey not the bidding of those who commit excess,
Who
act disorderly on the earth and reform it not."
They
said, "Certainly thou art a person bewitched;
Thou
art only a man like us: produce now a sign if
thou art a man of truth."
He
said, "This she-camel, then -- drink shall there be for her, and drink
shall there be for you, on a several day for each.
But
harm her not, lest the punishment of a tremendous day overtake you."
But
they ham-strung her, and repented of it on the morrow;
For
the punishment overtook them. In this truly was a sign, but most of them
believed not.
But
thy Lord! -- He is the Powerful, the Merciful!
26:160 The people of Lot treated their
apostles as lairs,
When
their brother Lot said to them, "Will you not fear God?
I am
your Apostle worthy of all credit:
Fear
God, then, and obey me.
For
this I ask you no reward: my reward is of the
Lord of the worlds alone.
What!
with men, of all creatures, will you have commerce?
And
leave you your wives whom your Lord hath created for you? Ah! you are an erring
people!"
They said,
"O Lot, if thou desist not, one of the banished shalt thou surely
be."
He
said, "I utterly abhor your doings:
My
Lord! deliver me and my family from what they do."
26:170 So we delivered him and his whole
family --
Save
an aged one among those who tarried --
Then
we destroyed the rest --
And we
rained down a rain upon them, and fatal was the rain to those whom we had
warned.
In
this truly was a sign; but most of them did not believe.
But
thy Lord! He is the Powerful, the Merciful!
The
dwellers in the forest of Madian treated the Apostles as liars.
When
Shoaib their brother said to them, "Will you not fear God?
I
truly ma your trustworthy Apostle.
Fear
God, then, and obey me:
26:180 No reward ask I of you for this: my reward is of the Lord of the Worlds alone.
Fill
the measure, and be not of those who minish:
Weigh
with exact balance:
And
defraud not men in their substance, and do no wrong on the earth by deeds of
license;
And
fear Him who made you and the races of old?
Then
said, "Certainly thou art a person bewitched.
Thou
art but a man like us, and we deem thee liar --
Make
now a part of the heaven to fall down upon us, if thou art a man of
truth."
He
said, "My Lord best knoweth your doings."
And
when they treated him as a liar, the chastisement of the day of cloud overtook
them. This truly was the chastisement of a dreadful day!
26:190 In this was a sign, but most of them
believed not.
But
thy Lord! -- He is the Mighty, the Mercilful!
Verily
from the Lord of the Worlds hath this Book come down;
The
faithful spirit hath come down with it
Upon
thy heart, that thou mightest become a warner --
In the
clear Arabic tongue:
And
truly it is foretold in the Scriptures of them of yore.
Was it
not a sign to them that the learned among the children of Israel recognised it?
If we
had sent it down unto any foreigner,
And he
had recited it to them, they had not believed.
26:200 In such sort have we influenced the
heart of the wicked ones,
That
they will not believe it till they see the grievous chastisement?
And it
shall come upon them on a sudden when they look not for it:
And
they will say, "Can we be respited?"
What!
will they seek to hasten on our chastisement?
How
thinkest thou? If after we have given them their fill for years,
That
with which they are menaced come upon them at last,
Of
what avail will their enjoyments be to them?
We
never destroyed a city which had not first its warners
With
admonition; nor did we deal unjustly.
26:210 The Satans were not sent down with this
Koran:
It
beseemed them not, and they had not the power,
For
they are far removed from hearing it.
Call
not thou on any other god but God, lest thou be of those consigned to torment:
But
warn thy relatives of nearer kind,
And
kindly lower thy wing over the faithful who follow thee.
And if
they disobey thee, then say: "I will not
be answerable for your doings;" --
And
put thy trust in Him that is the Mighty, the Merciful,
Who
seeth thee when thou standest in prayer,
And
thy demeanour amongst those who worship;
26:220 For He heareth, knoweth all.
Shall
I tell you on whom Satan descend?
They
descend on every lying, wicked person:
They
impart what they have heard; -- but most of them are liars,
It is
the poets whom the erring follow:
See
thou not how they rove distraught in every valley?
And
that they say that which they do not?
Save
those who believe and do good works, and oft remember God;
And
who defend themselves when unjustly treated. But they who treat them unjustly
shall find out what a lot awaiteth them.