Surah Al-Ahqaf

وَٱذْكُرْأَخَاعَادٍإِذْأَنذَرَقَوْمَهُۥبِٱلْأَحْقَافِوَقَدْخَلَتِٱلنُّذُرُمِنۢبَيْنِيَدَيْهِوَمِنْخَلْفِهِۦٓأَلَّاتَعْبُدُوٓا۟إِلَّاٱللَّهَإِنِّىٓأَخَافُعَلَيْكُمْعَذَابَيَوْمٍعَظِيمٍۢ

AND REMEMBER that brother of [the tribe of] Ad, how - seeing that [other] warnings had already come and gone within his own knowledge as well as in times beyond his ken - he warned his people [who lived] among those sand-dunes: “Worship none but God! Verily, I fear lest suffering befall you on an awesome day!”

قَالُوٓا۟أَجِئْتَنَالِتَأْفِكَنَاعَنْءَالِهَتِنَافَأْتِنَابِمَاتَعِدُنَآإِنكُنتَمِنَٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

They answered: “Hast thou come to seduce us away from our gods? Bring, then, upon us that [doom] with which thou threaten us, if thou art a man of truth!”

قَالَإِنَّمَاٱلْعِلْمُعِندَٱللَّهِوَأُبَلِّغُكُممَّآأُرْسِلْتُبِهِۦوَلَٰكِنِّىٓأَرَىٰكُمْقَوْمًۭاتَجْهَلُونَ

Said he: “Knowledge [of when it is to befall you] rests with God alone: I but convey unto you the message with which I have been entrusted; but I see that you are people ignorant [of right and wrong]!”

فَلَمَّارَأَوْهُعَارِضًۭامُّسْتَقْبِلَأَوْدِيَتِهِمْقَالُوا۟هَٰذَاعَارِضٌۭمُّمْطِرُنَابَلْهُوَمَاٱسْتَعْجَلْتُمبِهِۦرِيحٌۭفِيهَاعَذَابٌأَلِيمٌۭ

And so, when they beheld it in the shape of a dense cloud approaching their valleys, they exclaimed, “This is but a heavy cloud which will bring us [wel­come] rain!” [But Hud said:] “Nay, but it is the very thing which you [so contemptuously] sought to hasten - a wind bearing grievous suffering,

تُدَمِّرُكُلَّشَىْءٍۭبِأَمْرِرَبِّهَافَأَصْبَحُوا۟لَايُرَىٰٓإِلَّامَسَٰكِنُهُمْكَذَٰلِكَنَجْزِىٱلْقَوْمَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

bound to destroy everything at its Sustainer’s behest!” And then they were so utterly wiped out that nothing could be seen save their [empty] dwellings: thus do We requite people lost in sin.

وَلَقَدْمَكَّنَّٰهُمْفِيمَآإِنمَّكَّنَّٰكُمْفِيهِوَجَعَلْنَالَهُمْسَمْعًۭاوَأَبْصَٰرًۭاوَأَفْـِٔدَةًۭفَمَآأَغْنَىٰعَنْهُمْسَمْعُهُمْوَلَآأَبْصَٰرُهُمْوَلَآأَفْـِٔدَتُهُممِّنشَىْءٍإِذْكَانُوا۟يَجْحَدُونَبِـَٔايَٰتِٱللَّهِوَحَاقَبِهِممَّاكَانُوا۟بِهِۦيَسْتَهْزِءُونَ

And yet, We had established them securely in a manner in which We have never established you, [O people of later times;] and We had endowed them with hearing, and sight, and [knowledgeable] hearts: but neither their hearing, nor their sight, nor their hearts were of the least avail to them, seeing that they went on rejecting God’s messages; and [in the end] they were overwhelmed by the very thing which they had been wont to deride.

وَلَقَدْأَهْلَكْنَامَاحَوْلَكُممِّنَٱلْقُرَىٰوَصَرَّفْنَاٱلْءَايَٰتِلَعَلَّهُمْيَرْجِعُونَ

Thus have We destroyed many a [sinful] community living round about you; and yet, [before destroying them,] We had given many facets to [Our warning] messages, so that they might turn back [from their evil ways].

فَلَوْلَانَصَرَهُمُٱلَّذِينَٱتَّخَذُوا۟مِندُونِٱللَّهِقُرْبَانًاءَالِهَةًۢبَلْضَلُّوا۟عَنْهُمْوَذَٰلِكَإِفْكُهُمْوَمَاكَانُوا۟يَفْتَرُونَ

But, then, did those [beings] whom they had chosen to worship as deities beside God, hoping that they would bring them nearer [to Him], help them [in the end]? Nay, they forsook them: for that [alleged divinity] was but an outcome of their self-delusion and all their false imagery.

وَإِذْصَرَفْنَآإِلَيْكَنَفَرًۭامِّنَٱلْجِنِّيَسْتَمِعُونَٱلْقُرْءَانَفَلَمَّاحَضَرُوهُقَالُوٓا۟أَنصِتُوا۟فَلَمَّاقُضِىَوَلَّوْا۟إِلَىٰقَوْمِهِممُّنذِرِينَ

AND LO! We caused a group of unseen beings to incline towards thee, [O Muhammad,] so that they might give ear to the Qur’an; and so, as soon as they became aware of it, they said [unto one another], “Listen in silence!” And when [the recitation] was ended, they returned to their people as warners.

قَالُوا۟يَٰقَوْمَنَآإِنَّاسَمِعْنَاكِتَٰبًاأُنزِلَمِنۢبَعْدِمُوسَىٰمُصَدِّقًۭالِّمَابَيْنَيَدَيْهِيَهْدِىٓإِلَىٱلْحَقِّوَإِلَىٰطَرِيقٍۢمُّسْتَقِيمٍۢ

They said: “O our people! Behold, we have been listening to a revelation bestowed from on high after [that of] Moses, confirming the truth of what­ever there still remains [of the Torah]: it guides towards the truth, and onto a straight way.

يَٰقَوْمَنَآأَجِيبُوا۟دَاعِىَٱللَّهِوَءَامِنُوا۟بِهِۦيَغْفِرْلَكُممِّنذُنُوبِكُمْوَيُجِرْكُممِّنْعَذَابٍأَلِيمٍۢ

“O our people! Respond to God’s call, and have faith in Him: He will forgive you [whatever is past] of your sins, and deliver you from grievous suffering [in the life to come].

وَمَنلَّايُجِبْدَاعِىَٱللَّهِفَلَيْسَبِمُعْجِزٍۢفِىٱلْأَرْضِوَلَيْسَلَهُۥمِندُونِهِۦٓأَوْلِيَآءُأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَفِىضَلَٰلٍۢمُّبِينٍ

But he who does not respond to God’s call can never elude [Him] on earth, nor can he has any protector against Him [in the life to come]: all such are most obviously lost in error.”

أَوَلَمْيَرَوْا۟أَنَّٱللَّهَٱلَّذِىخَلَقَٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِوَٱلْأَرْضَوَلَمْيَعْىَبِخَلْقِهِنَّبِقَٰدِرٍعَلَىٰٓأَنيُحْۦِىَٱلْمَوْتَىٰبَلَىٰٓإِنَّهُۥعَلَىٰكُلِّشَىْءٍۢقَدِيرٌۭ

ARE, THEN, they [who deny the life to come] not aware that God, who has created the heavens and the earth and never been wearied by their creation, has [also] the power to bring the dead back to life? Yea, verily, He has the power to will anything!

وَيَوْمَيُعْرَضُٱلَّذِينَكَفَرُوا۟عَلَىٱلنَّارِأَلَيْسَهَٰذَابِٱلْحَقِّقَالُوا۟بَلَىٰوَرَبِّنَاقَالَفَذُوقُوا۟ٱلْعَذَابَبِمَاكُنتُمْتَكْفُرُونَ

And so, on the Day when those who were bent on denying the truth will be brought within sight of the fire [and will be asked], “Is not this the truth?” - they will answer, “Yea, by Our Sustainer!” [And] He will say: “Taste, then, this suffering as an outcome of your denial of the truth!”

فَٱصْبِرْكَمَاصَبَرَأُو۟لُوا۟ٱلْعَزْمِمِنَٱلرُّسُلِوَلَاتَسْتَعْجِللَّهُمْكَأَنَّهُمْيَوْمَيَرَوْنَمَايُوعَدُونَلَمْيَلْبَثُوٓا۟إِلَّاسَاعَةًۭمِّننَّهَارٍۭبَلَٰغٌۭفَهَلْيُهْلَكُإِلَّاٱلْقَوْمُٱلْفَٰسِقُونَ

REMAIN, then, [O believer,] patient in adversity, just as all of the apostles, endowed with firmness of heart, bore themselves with patience. And do not ask for a speedy doom of those [who still deny the truth]: on the Day when they see [the fulfillment of] what they were promised, [it will seem to them] as though they had dwelt [on earth] no longer than one hour of [an earthly] day! [This is Our] message. Will, then, any be [really] destroyed save iniquitous folk?”