AL ZUKHRUF (The Gold Adornments)
In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
1 Ha Mim.
2 By Al-Kitab that makes things clear,
3 We have made it a Quran in Arabic, that you may be able to understand.
4 And truly, it is in the mother of Al-Kitab, in our presence, high and full of wisdom.
5 Shall we then take away the message from you and repel you, for that you are a people transgressing beyond bounds?
6 But how many were the prophets we sent among the peoples of old?
7 And never came there a prophet to them but they mocked him.
8 So we destroyed people stronger in power than these; and passed on the parable of the peoples of old.
9 If you were to question them, Who created the heavens and the earth? They would be sure to reply, They were created by the one who is exalted in power, full of knowledge;
10 He is the one who has made for you the earth spread out, and paths in it, in order that you may find guidance;
11 He sends down rain from the sky in due measure; and we raise to life therewith a land that is dead; even so will you be raised from the dead;
12 He has created pairs in all things, and has made for you ships and cattle on which you ride,
13 In order that you may sit firm and square on their backs, and when so seated, you may celebrate the favour of your Lord, and say, Glory to him who has subjected these to our use, for we could never have accomplished this,
14 And to our Lord, surely, must we turn back!
15 Yet they attribute to some of his servants a share with him! Truly is man a blasphemous ingrate avowed!
16 What! Has he taken daughters out of what he himself creates, and granted to you sons for choice?
17 When news is brought to one of them of what he sets up as a likeness to the most gracious, his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief!
18 Is then one brought up among trinkets, and unable to give a clear account in a dispute?
19 And they make into females, angels who themselves serve Allah. Did they witness their creation? Their evidence will be recorded, and they will be called to account!
20 They say, If it had been the will of the most gracious, we would not have worshipped such! Of that they have no knowledge! They do nothing but lie!
21 Have we given them a book before this, to which they are holding fast?
22 No, they say: We found our fathers following a certain religion, and we guide ourselves by their footsteps.
23 Just in the same way, whenever we sent a warner before you to any people, the wealthy ones among them said: We found our fathers following a certain religion, and we will certainly follow in their footsteps.
24 He said: What! Even if I brought you better guidance than that which you found your fathers following? They said: We deny that you are sent for us.
25 So we exacted retribution from them: now see what was the end of those who rejected!
26 Behold! Ibrahim said to his father and his people: I do indeed clear myself of what you worship:
27 I worship only him who made me, and he will certainly guide me.
28 And he left it as a word to endure among those who came after him, that they may turn back to Allah.
29 Yes, I have given the good things of this life to these men and their fathers, until the truth has come to them, and a messenger making things clear.
30 But when the truth came to them, they said: This is sorcery, and we do reject it.
31 Also, they say: Why is not his Quran sent down to some leading man in either of the two chief cities?
32 Is it they who would portion out the mercy of your Lord? It is we who portion out between them their livelihood in the life of this world: and we raise some of them above others in ranks, so that some may command work from others. But the mercy of your Lord is better than the wealth which they amass.
33 And were it not that men might become of one way of life, we would provide, for everyone that blasphemes against the most gracious, silver roofs for their houses, and silver stairways on which to go up.
34 And silver doors to their houses, and thrones of silver on which they could recline,
35 And also adornments of gold. But all this were nothing but conveniences of the present life: the hereafter, in the sight of your Lord, is for the righteous.
36 If anyone withdraws himself from remembrance of the most gracious, we appoint for him a demon, to be an intimate companion to him.
37 Such demons really hinder them from the path, but they think that they are being guided aright!
38 At length, when such a one comes to us, he says to his evil companion: Would that between me and you were the distance of east and west! Ah! Evil is the companion indeed!
39 When you have done wrong, it will avail you nothing, that day, that you shall be partners in punishment!
40 Can you then make the deaf to hear, or give direction to the blind or to such as wander in clear error?
41 Even if we take you away, we shall be sure to exact retribution from them,
42 Or we shall show you that which we have promised them. For truly we shall prevail over them.
43 So hold you fast to the revelation sent down to you: truly you are on a straight way.
44 This is indeed the message, for you and for your people; and soon shall you be brought to account.
45 And question you our messengers whom we sent before you; did we appoint any deities other than the most gracious, to be worshipped?
46 We did send Musa aforetime, with our signs, to Firaun and his chiefs: he said, “I am a messenger of the Lord of the universe.”
47 But when he came to them with our signs, behold, they ridiculed them.
48 We showed them sign after sign, each greater than, its fellow, and we seized them with punishment, in order that they might turn to us.
49 And they said, O you sorcerer! Invoke your Lord for us according to his covenant with you; for we shall truly accept guidance.
50 But when we removed the penalty from them, behold, they broke their word.
51 And Firaun proclaimed among his people, saying: O my people! Does not the dominion of Egypt belong to me, these streams flowing underneath me? What! Don’t you see then?
52 Am I not better than this Musa, who is a contemptible wretch and can scarcely express himself clearly?
53 Then why are not gold bracelets bestowed on him, or why are no angels accompanying him in procession?
54 Thus did he make fools of his people, and they obeyed him. Truly were they a rebellious people.
55 When at length they provoked us, we exacted retribution from them, and we drowned them all.
56 And we made them a precedent and an example to later ages.
57 When ‘Isa Ibn Maryam is held up as an example, behold, your people turned away from it!
58 And they say, Are our gods best, or he? This they set forth to you, only by way of disputation: yes, they are a contentious people.
59 He was no more than a servant to whom we granted our favour. And we made him an example to Bani-Israel.
60 And if it were our will, we could make angels from among you, succeeding each other on the earth.
61 And ‘Isa shall be the Sign of the Hour. “Therefore have no doubt about it, but follow me: this is a straight way.”
62 “Let not Iblis hinder you: for he is to you an enemy avowed.”
63 When ‘Isa came with clear signs, he said: “Now have I come to you with wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the points on which you dispute: therefore fear Allah and obey me.”
64 “For Allah, he is my Lord and your Lord: so worship him: this is a straight way.”
65 But sects from among themselves fell into disagreement: then woe to the wrongdoers, from the penalty of a grievous day!
66 Do they only wait for the Hour that it should come on them all of a sudden, while they perceive not?
67 Friends on that day will be foes, one to another, except the righteous.
68 My devotees! No fear shall be on you that day, nor shall you grieve,
69 They are the ones who have believed in our signs and submitted.
70 Enter the garden, you and your wives, in rejoicing.
71 To them will be passed round, dishes and goblets of gold: there will be there all that the soul could desire, all that the eyes could delight in: and you shall abide in it forever.
72 Such will be the garden of which you are made heirs for your deeds.
73 You shall have in it abundance of fruit, from which you shall have satisfaction.
74 The sinners will be in the punishment of hell, to dwell in it forever:
75 Never will the punishment be lightened for them, and in despair will they be there overwhelmed.
76 Never shall we be unjust to them: but it is they who have been unjust themselves.
77 They will cry: O Malik! Would that your Lord put an end to us! He will say, No, but you shall abide!
78 Truly we have brought the truth to you: but most of you have a hatred for truth.
79 What! Have they settled some plan among themselves? But it is we who settle things.
80 Or do they think that we do not hear their secrets and their private counsels? Indeed we do, and our messengers are by them, to record.
81 Say: If the most gracious had a son, I would be the first to worship.
82 Glory to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the throne! He is free from the things they attribute to him!
83 So leave them to babble and play until they meet that day of theirs, which they have been promised.
84 It is he who is God in heaven and God on earth; and he is full of wisdom and knowledge.
85 And blessed is he to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all between them: with him is the knowledge of the Hour: and to him shall you be brought back.
86 And those whom they invoke besides Allah have no power of intercession, except for the one[1] who bears witness to the truth, and they know him.
87 If you ask them, Who created them, they will certainly say, Allah: how then are they deluded away from the truth?
88 And he will say, O my Lord! Truly these are a people who will not believe!
89 But turn away from them, and say, Peace! But soon shall they know!
[1] Al-Kitab identifies only one person as having the power of intercession–Prophet ‘Isa al-Masih. The Taurat says prophetically that ‘Isa “bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Shaya 53:12). The Injil plainly teaches that ‘Isa “is also able to save completely those who draw near to Allah through him, seeing he lives forever to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).