Hizb 26

Is someone who knows that what has been sent down to you from your Lord is the truth, like someone who is blind? Only those who possess intellect take admonition

—those who fulfill Allah’s covenant and do not break the pledge solemnly made,

and those who join what Allah has commanded to be joined, and fear their Lord, and are afraid of an adverse reckoning

—those who are patient for the sake of their Lord’s pleasure, maintain the prayer, and spend secretly and openly out of what We have provided them, and repel evil [conduct] with good. For such will be the reward of the [ultimate] abode:

the Gardens of Eden, which they will enter along with whoever is righteous from among their forebears, their spouses, and their descendants, and the angels will call on them from every door:

‘Peace be to you, for your patience.’ How excellent is the reward of the [ultimate] abode!

But as for those who break Allah’s compact after having pledged it solemnly, and sever what Allah has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption in the earth—it is such on whom the curse will lie, and for them will be the ills of the [ultimate] abode.

Allah expands the provision for whomever He wishes, and tightens it. They boast of the life of this world, but compared with the Hereafter the life of this world is but a [trifling] enjoyment.

The faithless say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say, ‘Indeed Allah leads astray whomever He wishes, and guides to Himself those who turn penitently [to Him]

—those who have faith and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah.’ Behold! The hearts find rest in Allah’s remembrance!

Those who have faith and do righteous deeds—happy are they and good is their [ultimate] destination.

Thus have We sent you to a nation before which many nations have passed away, that you may recite to them what We have revealed to you. Yet they defy the All-beneficent. Say, ‘He is my Lord; there is no god except Him; in Him I have put my trust, and to Him will be my return.’

If only it were a Quran whereby the mountains could be moved, or the earth could be toured, or the dead could be spoken to.... Indeed, all dispensation belongs to Allah. Have not the faithful yet realised that had Allah wished He would have guided mankind all together? The faithless will continue to be visited by catastrophes because of their doings—or they will land near their habitations—until Allah’s promise comes to pass. Indeed Allah does not break His promise.

Apostles were certainly derided before you. But then I gave respite to those who were faithless, then I seized them; so how was My retribution?

Is He who sustains every soul in spite of what it earns [comparable to the idols]? Yet they ascribe partners to Allah! Say, ‘Name them!’ Will you inform Him concerning something He does not know about on the earth, or concerning [what are] mere words? Indeed, to the faithless, their scheming is presented as decorous, and they have been barred from the [right] way; and whomever Allah leads astray, has no guide.

There is a punishment for them in the life of this world, and the punishment of the Hereafter will surely be harder, and they have no defender against Allah.

A description of the paradise promised to the Godwary: streams run in it, its fruits and shade are everlasting. Such is the requital of those who are Godwary; and the requital of the faithless is the Fire.

Those whom We have given the Book rejoice in what has been sent down to you. Some of the factions deny a part of it. Say, ‘Indeed I have been commanded to worship Allah and not to ascribe any partner to Him. To Him do I summon [all mankind] and to Him will be my return.’

Thus We have sent it down as a dispensation in Arabic; and should you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you shall have against Allah neither any guardian nor defender.

Certainly We have sent apostles before you, and We appointed for them wives and descendants; and an apostle may not bring a sign except by Allah’s leave. There is a written [ordinance] for every term:

Allah effaces and confirms whatever He wishes and with Him is the Mother Book.

Whether We show you a part of what We promise them, or take you away [before that], your duty is only to communicate, and it is for Us to do the reckoning.

Have they not seen how We visit the land diminishing it at its edges? Allah judges, and there is none who may repeal His judgement, and He is swift at reckoning.

Those who were before them [also] schemed; yet all devising belongs to Allah. He knows what every soul earns. Soon the faithless will know in whose favour the outcome of that abode will be.

The faithless say, ‘You have not been sent [by Allah].’ Say, ‘Allah suffices as a witness between me and you, and he who possesses the knowledge of the Book.’

Alif, Lam, Ra. [This is] a Book We have sent down to you that you may bring mankind out from darkness into light, by the command of their Lord, to the path of the All-mighty, the All-laudable

—Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Woe to the faithless for a severe punishment

—those who prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter, and bar [others] from the way of Allah, and seek to make it crooked. They are in extreme error.

We did not send any apostle except with the language of his people, so that he might make [Our messages] clear to them. Then Allah leads astray whomever He wishes, and He guides whomsoever He wishes, and He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.

Certainly We sent Moses with Our signs: ‘Bring your people out from darkness into light and remind them of Allah’s [holy] days. There are indeed signs in that for every patient and grateful [servant].’

When Moses said to his people, ‘Remember Allah’s blessing upon you when He delivered you from Pharaoh’s clan who inflicted a terrible torment on you, and slaughtered your sons and spared your women, and in that there was a great test from your Lord.

And when your Lord proclaimed, “If you are grateful, I will surely enhance you [in blessing], but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is indeed severe.” ’

And Moses said, ‘Should you be faithless,—you and everyone on the earth, all together—indeed Allah is all-sufficient, all-laudable.’

Has there not come to you the account of those who were before you—the people of Noah, ‘Ad and Thamud, and those who were after them, whom no one knows [well] except Allah? Their apostles brought them manifest proofs, but they did not respond to them, and said, ‘We disbelieve in what you have been sent with. Indeed we have grave doubts concerning that to which you invite us.’

Their apostles said, ‘Is there any doubt about Allah, the originator of the heavens and the earth?! He calls you to forgive you a part of your sins, and grants you respite until a specified time.’ They said, ‘You are nothing but humans like us who desire to bar us from what our fathers used to worship. So bring us a manifest authority.’

Their apostles said to them, ‘Indeed we are just human beings like yourselves; but Allah favours whomever of His servants that He wishes. We may not bring you an authority except by Allah’s leave, and in Allah let all the faithful put their trust.

And why should we not put our trust in Allah, seeing that He has guided us in our ways? Surely, we will put up patiently with whatever torment you may inflict upon us, and in Allah let all the trusting put their trust.’

But the faithless said to their apostles, ‘Surely we will expel you from our land, or you shall revert to our creed.’ Thereat their Lord revealed to them: ‘We will surely destroy the wrongdoers,

and surely We will settle you in the land after them. This [promise] is for someone who is awed to stand before Me and fears My threat.’

They prayed for victory [against the infidels], and every obstinate tyrant was defeated,

with hell lying ahead of him, [where] he shall be given to drink of a purulent fluid,

gulping it down, but hardly swallowing it: death will assail him from every side, but he will not die, and there is [yet] a harsh punishment ahead of him.

A parable of those who defy their Lord: their deeds are like ashes over which the wind blows hard on a tempestuous day: they have no power over anything they have earned. That is extreme error.

Have you not regarded that Allah created the heavens and the earth with justice? If He wishes, He will take you away, and bring about a new creation,

and that is not a formidable thing for Allah.

Together they will be presented before Allah. Then those who were weak will say to the arrogant [leaders], ‘Indeed we were your followers. So will you avail us against Allah’s punishment in any wise?’ They will say, ‘Had Allah guided us, surely we would have guided you. It is the same to us whether we are restless or patient: there is no escape for us.’

When the matter is all over, Satan will say, ‘Indeed Allah made you a promise that was true and I [too] made you a promise, but I failed you. I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot respond to your distress calls, neither can you respond to my distress calls. Indeed I disavow your taking me for [Allah’s] partner aforetime. There is indeed a painful punishment for the wrongdoers.’

Those who have faith and do righteous deeds will be admitted into gardens with streams running in them, to remain in them [forever], by the leave of their Lord. Their greeting therein will be ‘Peace!’

Have you not regarded how Allah has drawn a parable? A good word is like a good tree: its roots are steady and its branches are in the sky.

It gives its fruit every season by the leave of its Lord. Allah draws these parables for mankind so that they may take admonition.

And the parable of a bad word is that of a bad tree: uprooted from the ground, it has no stability.

Allah fortifies those who have faith with a constant creed in the life of this world and in the Hereafter, and Allah leads astray the wrongdoers, and Allah does whatever He wishes.

Have you not regarded those who have changed Allah’s blessing with ingratitude, and landed their people in the house of ruin?

—hell, which they shall enter, and it is an evil abode!

They have set up equals to Allah, to lead [people] astray from His way. Say, ‘Enjoy [for a while], for indeed your destination is hellfire!’

Tell My servants who have faith to maintain the prayer and to spend out of what We have provided them with, secretly and openly, before there comes a day on which there will be neither any bargaining nor friendship.

It is Allah who created the heavens and the earth, and He sends down water from the sky and with it He brings forth crops for your sustenance. And He disposed the ships for you[r benefit] so that they may sail at sea by His command, and He disposed the rivers for you.

He disposed the sun and the moon for you, constant [in their courses], and He disposed the night and the day,

and He gave you all that you had asked Him. If you enumerate Allah’s blessings, you will not be able to count them. Indeed man is most unfair and ungrateful!

When Abraham said, ‘My Lord! Make this city a sanctuary, and save me and my children from worshiping idols.

My Lord! Indeed they have misled many people. So whoever follows me indeed belongs to me, and as for those who disobey me, well, You are indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful.

Our Lord! I have settled part of my descendants in a barren valley, by Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may maintain the prayer. So make the hearts of a part of the people fond of them, and provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks.

Our Lord! Indeed You know whatever we hide and whatever we disclose, and nothing is hidden from Allah on the earth or in the sky.

All praise belongs to Allah, who gave me Ishmael and Isaac despite [my] old age. Indeed my Lord hears all supplications.

My Lord! Make me a maintainer of prayer, and my descendants [as well]. Our Lord, accept my supplication.

Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and all the faithful, on the day when the reckoning is held.’

Do not suppose that Allah is oblivious of what the wrongdoers are doing. He is only granting them respite until the day when the eyes will be glazed.

Scrambling with their heads upturned, there will be a fixed gaze in their eyes, and their hearts will be vacant.

Warn the people of the day when the punishment will overtake them, whereat the wrongdoers will say, ‘Our Lord! Respite us for a short time so that we may respond to Your call and follow the apostles.’ [They will be told,] ‘Did you not use to swear earlier that there would be no reverse for you,

while you dwelt in the dwellings of those who had wronged themselves [before], and it had been made clear to you how We had dealt with them [before you], and We had [also] cited examples for you?’

They certainly devised their plots, but their plots are known to Allah, and their plots are not such as to dislodge the mountains.

So do not suppose that Allah will break His promise to His apostles. Indeed Allah is all-mighty, avenger.

The day when the earth is turned into another earth and the heavens [as well], and they are presented before Allah, the One, the All-paramount

—on that day you will see the guilty bound together in chains,

their garments made of pitch, and the Fire covering their faces,

so that Allah may reward every soul for what it has earned. Indeed Allah is swift at reckoning.

This is a proclamation for mankind, so that they may be warned thereby and know that He is indeed the One God, and those who possess intellect may take admonition.