Surah Az-Zumar

أَلَمْتَرَأَنَّٱللَّهَأَنزَلَمِنَٱلسَّمَآءِمَآءًۭفَسَلَكَهُۥيَنَٰبِيعَفِىٱلْأَرْضِثُمَّيُخْرِجُبِهِۦزَرْعًۭامُّخْتَلِفًاأَلْوَٰنُهُۥثُمَّيَهِيجُفَتَرَىٰهُمُصْفَرًّۭاثُمَّيَجْعَلُهُۥحُطَٰمًاإِنَّفِىذَٰلِكَلَذِكْرَىٰلِأُو۟لِىٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ

ART THOU NOT aware that it is God who sends down water from the skies, and then causes it to travel through the earth in the shape of springs? And then He brings forth thereby herbage of various hues; and then it withers, and thou canst see it turn yellow; and in the end He causes it to crumble to dust. Verily, in [all] this there is indeed a reminder to those who are endowed with insight!

أَفَمَنشَرَحَٱللَّهُصَدْرَهُۥلِلْإِسْلَٰمِفَهُوَعَلَىٰنُورٍۢمِّنرَّبِّهِۦفَوَيْلٌۭلِّلْقَٰسِيَةِقُلُوبُهُممِّنذِكْرِٱللَّهِأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَفِىضَلَٰلٍۢمُّبِينٍ

Could, then, one whose bosom God has opened wide with willingness towards self-surrender unto Him, so that he is illumined by a light [that flows] from his Sustainer, [be likened to the blind and deaf of heart]? Woe, then, unto those whose hearts are hardened against all remembrance of God! They are most obviously lost in error!

ٱللَّهُنَزَّلَأَحْسَنَٱلْحَدِيثِكِتَٰبًۭامُّتَشَٰبِهًۭامَّثَانِىَتَقْشَعِرُّمِنْهُجُلُودُٱلَّذِينَيَخْشَوْنَرَبَّهُمْثُمَّتَلِينُجُلُودُهُمْوَقُلُوبُهُمْإِلَىٰذِكْرِٱللَّهِذَٰلِكَهُدَىٱللَّهِيَهْدِىبِهِۦمَنيَشَآءُوَمَنيُضْلِلِٱللَّهُفَمَالَهُۥمِنْهَادٍ

God bestows from on high the best of all teachings in the shape of a divine writ fully consistent within itself, repeating each statement [of the truth] in manifold forms [a divine writ] whereat shiver the skins of all who of their Sustainer stand in awe: [but] in the end their skins and their hearts do soften at the remembrance of [the grace of] God. Such is God’s guidance: He guides therewith him that wills [to be guided] whereas he whom God lets go astray can never find any guide

أَفَمَنيَتَّقِىبِوَجْهِهِۦسُوٓءَٱلْعَذَابِيَوْمَٱلْقِيَٰمَةِوَقِيلَلِلظَّٰلِمِينَذُوقُوا۟مَاكُنتُمْتَكْسِبُونَ

Could, then, one who shall have nothing but is [bare] face to protect him from the awful suffering [that will befall him] on Resurrection Day [be likened to the God-conscious]? [On that Day,] the evildoers will be told: “Taste [now] what you have earned [in life]!”

كَذَّبَٱلَّذِينَمِنقَبْلِهِمْفَأَتَىٰهُمُٱلْعَذَابُمِنْحَيْثُلَايَشْعُرُونَ

Those who lived before them did [too] give the lie to the truth - whereupon suffering befell them without their having perceived whence it came:

فَأَذَاقَهُمُٱللَّهُٱلْخِزْىَفِىٱلْحَيَوٰةِٱلدُّنْيَاوَلَعَذَابُٱلْءَاخِرَةِأَكْبَرُلَوْكَانُوا۟يَعْلَمُونَ

and thus God let them taste ignominy [even] in the life of this world. Yet [how] much greater will be the [sinners’] suffering in the life to come - if they [who now deny the truth] but knew it!

وَلَقَدْضَرَبْنَالِلنَّاسِفِىهَٰذَاٱلْقُرْءَانِمِنكُلِّمَثَلٍۢلَّعَلَّهُمْيَتَذَكَّرُونَ

THUS, INDEED, have We propounded unto men all kinds of parables in this Qur’an, so that they might bethink themselves; [and We have revealed it]

قُرْءَانًاعَرَبِيًّاغَيْرَذِىعِوَجٍۢلَّعَلَّهُمْيَتَّقُونَ

as a discourse in the Arabic tongue, free of all devious­ness, so that they might become conscious of God.

ضَرَبَٱللَّهُمَثَلًۭارَّجُلًۭافِيهِشُرَكَآءُمُتَشَٰكِسُونَوَرَجُلًۭاسَلَمًۭالِّرَجُلٍهَلْيَسْتَوِيَانِمَثَلًاٱلْحَمْدُلِلَّهِبَلْأَكْثَرُهُمْلَايَعْلَمُونَ

[To this end,] God sets forth a parable: A man who has for his masters several partners, [all of them] at variance with one another, and a man depending wholly on one person: can these two be deemed equal as regards their condition? [Nay,] all praise is due to God [alone]: but most of them do not understand this.

إِنَّكَمَيِّتٌۭوَإِنَّهُممَّيِّتُونَ

Yet, verily, thou art bound to die, [O Muhammad,] and, verily, they, too, are bound to die:

ثُمَّإِنَّكُمْيَوْمَٱلْقِيَٰمَةِعِندَرَبِّكُمْتَخْتَصِمُونَ

and then, behold, on the Day of Resurrection you all shall place your dispute before your Sustainer.

فَمَنْأَظْلَمُمِمَّنكَذَبَعَلَىٱللَّهِوَكَذَّبَبِٱلصِّدْقِإِذْجَآءَهُۥٓأَلَيْسَفِىجَهَنَّمَمَثْوًۭىلِّلْكَٰفِرِينَ

And who could be more wicked than he who invents lies about God? and gives the lie to the truth as soon as it has been placed before him? Is not hell the [proper] abode for all who deny the truth?

وَٱلَّذِىجَآءَبِٱلصِّدْقِوَصَدَّقَبِهِۦٓأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَهُمُٱلْمُتَّقُونَ

But he who brings the truth, and he who wholeheartedly accepts it as true - it is they, they, who are [truly] conscious of Him!

لَهُممَّايَشَآءُونَعِندَرَبِّهِمْذَٰلِكَجَزَآءُٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

All that they have ever yearned for awaits them with their Sustainer: such will be the reward of the doers of good.

لِيُكَفِّرَٱللَّهُعَنْهُمْأَسْوَأَٱلَّذِىعَمِلُوا۟وَيَجْزِيَهُمْأَجْرَهُمبِأَحْسَنِٱلَّذِىكَانُوا۟يَعْمَلُونَ

And to this end, God will efface from their record the worst that they ever did, and give them their reward in accordance with the best that they were doing [in life].

أَلَيْسَٱللَّهُبِكَافٍعَبْدَهُۥوَيُخَوِّفُونَكَبِٱلَّذِينَمِندُونِهِۦوَمَنيُضْلِلِٱللَّهُفَمَالَهُۥمِنْهَادٍۢ

IS NOT God enough for His servant? And yet, they would frighten thee with those [imaginary divine powers which they worship] beside Him! But he whom God lets go astray can never find any guide,

وَمَنيَهْدِٱللَّهُفَمَالَهُۥمِنمُّضِلٍّأَلَيْسَٱللَّهُبِعَزِيزٍۢذِىٱنتِقَامٍۢ

whereas he whom God guides aright can never be led astray. Is not God almighty, an avenger of evil?

وَلَئِنسَأَلْتَهُممَّنْخَلَقَٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِوَٱلْأَرْضَلَيَقُولُنَّٱللَّهُقُلْأَفَرَءَيْتُممَّاتَدْعُونَمِندُونِٱللَّهِإِنْأَرَادَنِىَٱللَّهُبِضُرٍّهَلْهُنَّكَٰشِفَٰتُضُرِّهِۦٓأَوْأَرَادَنِىبِرَحْمَةٍهَلْهُنَّمُمْسِكَٰتُرَحْمَتِهِۦقُلْحَسْبِىَٱللَّهُعَلَيْهِيَتَوَكَّلُٱلْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ

And thus it is [with most people]: if thou ask them, “Who is it that has created the heavens and the earth?” - they will surely answer, “God.” Say: “Have you, then, ever considered what it is that you invoke instead of God? If God wills that harm should befall me, could those [imaginary powers] remove the harm inflicted by Him? Or, if He wills that grace should alight on me, could they withhold His grace [from me]?” Say: “God is enough for me! In Him [alone] place their trust all who have trust [in His existence].”

قُلْيَٰقَوْمِٱعْمَلُوا۟عَلَىٰمَكَانَتِكُمْإِنِّىعَٰمِلٌۭفَسَوْفَتَعْلَمُونَ

Say: “O my [truth-denying] people! Do yet all that may be within your power, [whereas] I, behold, shall labour [in God’s way]: in time you will come to know

مَنيَأْتِيهِعَذَابٌۭيُخْزِيهِوَيَحِلُّعَلَيْهِعَذَابٌۭمُّقِيمٌ

who it is that shall be visited [in this world] by suffering which will cover him with ignominy, and upon whom long-lasting suffering shall alight [in the life to come]!”