The Qur'ân, part II (Sacred Books of the East volume 9), Palmer edition [1880]; at sacred-texts.com
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the scatterers 1 who scatter! and by those pregnant 2 with their burden! and by those running on 3 easily! and by the distributors 4 of affairs!--[5] verily, what ye are threatened with is surely true!
And, verily, the judgment will surely take place!
By the heaven possessed of paths; verily, ye are at variance in what ye say!
He is turned from it who is turned.
[10] Slain be the liars, who are heedless in a flood (of ignorance).
They will ask, 'When is the day of judgment?' The day when at the fire they shall be tried.--'Taste your trial! this is what ye wished to hasten on!'
[15] Verily, the pious are in gardens and springs, taking what their Lord brings them. Verily, they before that did well. But little of the night they slept; and at the dawn they asked forgiveness.
[paragraph continues] And in their wealth was what was due to him who asked, and him who was kept back from asking.
[20] And in the earth are signs to those who are sure, and in yourselves,--what! do ye not then see?
And in the heaven is your provision and that which ye are promised 1.
But by the Lord of the heaven and the earth! verily, it is the truth,--like that which ye do utter 2!
Has the tale of Abraham's honoured guests reached thee 3? [25] When they entered in unto him and said, 'Peace!' he said, Peace!--a people unrecognised.'
And he went aside unto his people and fetched a fat calf, and brought it nigh unto them; said he, 'Will ye then not eat?'
And he felt a secret fear of them: said they, 'Fear not.' And they gave him glad tidings of a knowing boy.
And his wife approached with a noise, and smote her face, and said, 'An old woman, barren!'
[30] Said they, 'Thus says thy Lord, He is knowing, wise.' Said he, 'And about what is your errand, O ye messengers?'
They said, 'Verily, we are sent unto a sinful people, to send upon them stones of clay, marked from thy Lord for the extravagant 4.'
[35] And we sent out therefrom such as were in it of the believers; but we only found therein one house of Muslims.
And we left therein a sign to those who fear the grievous woe.
And in Moses; when we sent him to Pharaoh with obvious authority.
But he turned his back towards his column 1, and said, 'A sorcerer or mad!'
[40] And we seized him and his hosts and hurled them into the sea; for he was to be blamed.
And in ‘Âd, when we sent against them a desolating wind, that left naught on which it came without making it ashes!
And in Thamûd, when it was said to them, 'Enjoy yourselves for a season.' But they revolted against the bidding of their Lord; and the noise caught them as they looked on. [45] And they could not stand upright, and they were not helped!
And the people of Noah of yore; verily, they were an abominable people.
And the heaven--we have built it with might, and, verily, we do surely give it ample space!
And the earth--we have spread it out; and how well we lay it out!
And of everything have we created pairs, haply ye may be mindful.
[50] Flee then to God; verily, I am a plain warner from Him to you!
And do not set with God another god; verily, I am a plain warner from Him to you!
Thus there came no apostle to those before them, but they said, 'A sorcerer, mad!'
Do they bequeath it 1 to each other?
Yea, they are an outrageous people!
So turn thy back upon them, so thou wilt not be to blame.
[55] And remind; for, verily, the reminder shall profit the believers.
And I have not created the ginn and mankind save that they may worship me.
I do not desire any provision from them, and I do not wish them to feed me.
Verily, God, He is the provider, endowed with steady might.
Verily, for those who injure (the Apostle) shall be a portion like the portion of their fellows 2, but let them not hurry Me!
[60] Then woe to those who misbelieve from their day which they are threatened.
245:1 The winds.
245:2 The clouds.
245:3 The ships.
245:4 Angels or winds.
246:1 I.e. rain, which produces material sustenance, and there too is the promise of the future life.
246:2 I.e. unreserved and plain as ye yourselves affirm truths to each other.
246:3 See Part I, pp. 212-214.
246:4 See Part I, p. 214, note 1.
247:1 Either Pharaoh's forces, or one of his nobles, or something else on which he relied. See Part I, p. 214, first line, and note 1.
248:1 I.e. this taunt.
248:2 I.e. like the fate of those who wronged the apostles of old.