Surah Ash-Shuara

Ta, Seen, Meem.

These are the signs of the Manifest Book.

You are liable to imperil your life [out of distress] that they will not have faith.

If We wish We will send down to them a sign from the sky before which their heads will remain bowed in humility.

There does not come to them any new reminder from the All-beneficent but that they disregard it.

They have already denied [the truth], but soon there will come to them the news of what they have been deriding.

Have they not regarded the earth, how many of every splendid kind [of vegetation] We have caused to grow in it?

There is indeed a sign in that; but most of them do not have faith.

Indeed your Lord is the All-mighty, the All-merciful.

When your Lord called out to Moses: [saying,] ‘Go to those wrongdoing people,

the people of Pharaoh. Will they not be wary [of Allah]?’

He said, ‘My Lord! I fear they will impugn me,

and I will become upset and my tongue will fail me. So send for Aaron [to join me].

Besides, they have a charge against me, and I fear they will kill me.’

He said, ‘Certainly not! Let both of you go with Our signs: We will indeed be with you, hearing [everything].

So approach Pharaoh and say, ‘‘We are indeed envoys of the Lord of the worlds

that you let the Children of Israel leave with us.’’ ’

He [i.e. Pharaoh] said, ‘Did we not rear you as a child among us, and did you not stay with us for years of your life?

Then you committed that deed of yours, and you are an ingrate.’

He said, ‘I did that when I was astray.

So I fled from you, as I was afraid of you. Then my Lord gave me sound judgement and made me one of the apostles.

That you have enslaved the Children of Israel—is that the favour with which you reproach me?’

He said, ‘And what is ‘‘the Lord of all the worlds?’’ ’

He said, ‘The Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them,—should you have conviction.’

He said to those who were around him, ‘Don’t you hear?!’

He said, ‘Your Lord, and the Lord of your forefathers!’

He said, ‘Indeed your messenger, who has been sent to you, is surely crazy!’

He said, ‘The Lord of the east and the west and whatever is between them—should you exercise your reason.’

He said, ‘If you take up any god other than me, I will surely make you a prisoner!’

He said, ‘What if I bring you something [as an] unmistakable [proof]?’

He said, ‘Then bring it, should you be truthful.’

Thereat he threw down his staff, and behold, it was a manifest python.

Then he drew out his hand, and behold, it was white and bright to the onlookers.

He said to the elite [who stood] around him, ‘This is indeed an expert magician

who seeks to expel you from your land with his magic. So what do you advise?’

They said, ‘Put him and his brother off for a while, and send heralds to the cities

to bring you every expert magician.’

So the magicians were gathered for the tryst of a known day,

and the people were told: ‘Will you all gather?!’

‘Maybe we will follow the magicians, if they are victors!’

So when the magicians came, they said to Pharaoh, ‘Shall we have a reward if we were to be the victors?’

He said, ‘Of course; and you will be among members of my inner circle.’

Moses said to them, ‘Throw down whatever you have to throw!’

So they threw down their sticks and ropes, and said, ‘By the might of Pharaoh, we shall surely be victorious!’

Thereat Moses threw down his staff, and behold, it was swallowing what they had faked.

Thereat the magicians fell down prostrating.

They said, ‘We believe in the Lord of all the worlds,

the Lord of Moses and Aaron.’

He [i.e. Pharaoh] said, ‘Do you profess faith in Him before I should permit you? He is indeed your chief who has taught you magic! Soon you will know! I will cut off your hands and feet from opposite sides, and I will crucify you all.’

They said, ‘[There is] no harm [in that]! Indeed, we shall return to our Lord.

Indeed we hope our Lord will forgive us our offences for being the first to believe.’

Then We revealed to Moses, [saying],‘Set out with My servants at night, for you will be pursued.’

Then Pharaoh sent heralds to the cities,

[proclaiming:] ‘These are indeed a small band.

They have aroused our wrath,

and we are alert and fully prepared.’

So We took them out of gardens and springs,

and [made them leave behind] treasures and stately homes.

So it was; and We bequeathed them to the Children of Israel.

Then they pursued them at sunrise.

When the two hosts sighted each other, the companions of Moses said, ‘Indeed we have been caught up.’

He said, ‘Certainly not! Indeed my Lord is with me. He will guide me.’

Thereupon We revealed to Moses: ‘Strike the sea with your staff!’ Whereupon it parted, and each part was as if it were a great mountain.

There, We brought the others near,

and We delivered Moses and all those who were with him.

Then We drowned the rest.

There is indeed a sign in that, but most of them do not have faith.

Indeed your Lord is the All-mighty, the All-merciful.

Relate to them the account of Abraham

when he said to his father and his people, ‘What is it that you are worshiping?!’

They said, ‘We worship idols, and are constant in our devotion to them.’

He said, ‘Do they hear you when you call them?

Or do they bring you any benefit, or cause you any harm?’

They said, ‘Indeed, we found our fathers doing likewise.’

He said, ‘Have you regarded what you have been worshipping,

you and your ancestors?

They are indeed enemies to me, but the Lord of all the worlds,

who created me, it is He who guides me,

and provides me with food and drink,

and when I get sick, it is He who cures me;

who will make me die, then He will bring me to life,

and who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Retribution.’

‘My Lord! Grant me [unerring] judgement, and unite me with the Righteous.

Confer on me a worthy repute among the posterity,

and make me one of the heirs to the paradise of bliss.

Forgive my father, for he is one of those who are astray.

Do not disgrace me on the day that they will be resurrected,

the day when neither wealth nor children will avail,

except him who comes to Allah with a sound heart,’

and paradise will be brought near for the Godwary,

and hell will be brought into view for the perverse,

and they shall be told: ‘Where is that which you used to worship

besides Allah? Do they help you, or do they help each other?’

Then they will be cast into it on their faces—they and the perverse,

and the hosts of Iblis all together.

They will say, as they wrangle in it [together],

‘By Allah, we had indeed been in manifest error

when we equated you with the Lord of all the worlds!

No one led us astray except the guilty.

Now we have no intercessors,

nor do we have any sympathetic friend.

Had there been another turn for us, we would be among the faithful.’

There is indeed a sign in that; but most of them do not have faith.

Indeed your Lord is the All-mighty, the All-merciful.

The people of Noah impugned the apostles

when Noah, their brother, said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]?

Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you.

So be wary of Allah and obey me.

I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward lies only with the Lord of all the worlds.

So be wary of Allah and obey me.’

They said, ‘Shall we believe in you, when it is the riffraff who follow you?’

He said, ‘What do I know as to what they used to do?

Their reckoning is only with my Lord, should you be aware.

I will not drive away the faithful.

I am just a manifest warner.’

They said, ‘Noah, if you do not desist, you will certainly be stoned [to death].’

He said, ‘My Lord! Indeed my people have impugned me.

So judge conclusively between me and them, and deliver me and the faithful who are with me.’

Thereupon We delivered him and those who were with him in the laden ark.

Then We drowned the rest.

There is indeed a sign in that; but most of them do not have faith.

Indeed your Lord is the All-mighty, the All-merciful.

[The people of] ‘Ad impugned the apostles,

when Hud, their brother, said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]?

Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you.

So be wary of Allah and obey me.

I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward lies only with the Lord of all the worlds.

Do you build futile a sign on every prominence?

You set up structures as if you will be immortal,

and when you seize [someone for punishment], you seize [him] like tyrants.

So be wary of Allah and obey me.

Be wary of Him who has provided you with whatever you know,

and aided you with sons and with cattle,

gardens and springs.

Indeed I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous day.’

They said, ‘It is the same to us whether you exhort us or not.

These are nothing but the traditions of the ancients,

and we will not be punished.’

So they impugned him, whereupon We destroyed them. There is indeed a sign in that; but most of them do not have faith.

Indeed your Lord is the All-mighty, the All-merciful.

[The people of] Thamud impugned the apostles

when Salih, their brother, said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]?

Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you.

So be wary of Allah and obey me.

I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward lies only with the Lord of all the worlds.

Will you be left secure in that which is here

—amid gardens and springs,

farms and date palms with dainty spathes

—while you skillfully hew out houses from the mountains?

So be wary of Allah and obey me,

and do not obey the dictates of the transgressors,

who cause corruption in the land and do not bring about reform.’

They said, ‘Indeed you are one of the bewitched.

You are just a human being like us. So bring us a sign, should you be truthful.’

He said, ‘This is a she-camel; she shall drink and you shall drink on known days.

Do not cause her any harm, for then you shall be seized by the punishment of a terrible day.’

But they hamstrung her, whereupon they became regretful.

So the punishment seized them. There is indeed a sign in that; but most of them do not have faith.

Indeed your Lord is the All-mighty, the All-merciful.

The people of Lot impugned the apostles

when Lot, their brother, said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]?

Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you.

So be wary of Allah and obey me.

I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward lies only with the Lord of all the worlds.

What! Of all people do you come to males,

abandoning your wives your Lord has created for you? Indeed, you are a transgressing lot.’

They said, ‘Lot, if you do not desist, you will surely be banished.’

He said, ‘Indeed I detest your conduct.’

‘My Lord! Deliver me and my family from what they do.’

So We delivered him and all his family,

except an old woman who remained behind.

Then We destroyed [all] the rest,

and rained down upon them a rain [of stones]. Evil was the rain of those who were warned!

There is indeed a sign in that; but most of them do not have faith.

Indeed your Lord is the All-mighty, the All-merciful.

The inhabitants of Aykah impugned the apostles,

when Shu‘ayb said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]?

Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you.

So be wary of Allah and obey me.

I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward lies only with the Lord of all the worlds.

Observe the full measure, and do not be of those who give short measure.

Weigh with an even balance,

and do not cheat the people of their goods. Do not act wickedly on the earth, causing corruption.

Be wary of Him who created you and the earlier generations.’

They said, ‘Indeed you are one of the bewitched.

You are just a human being like us, and we indeed consider you to be a liar.

Make a fragment of the sky falls upon us, should you be truthful.’

He said, ‘My Lord knows best what you are doing.’

So they impugned him, and then they were overtaken by the punishment of the day of the overshadowing cloud. It was indeed the punishment of a terrible day.

There is indeed a sign in that; but most of them do not have faith.

Indeed your Lord is the All-mighty, the All-merciful.

This is indeed [a Book] sent down by the Lord of all the worlds,

brought down by the Trustworthy Spirit

upon your heart (so that you may be one of the warners),

in a clear Arabic language.

It is indeed [foretold] in the scriptures of the ancients.

Is it not a sign for them that the learned of the Children of Israel recognize it?

Had We sent it down upon some non-Arab

and had he recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.

This is how We let it pass through the hearts of the guilty:

they do not believe in it until they sight the painful punishment.

It will overtake them suddenly while they are unaware.

Thereupon they will say, ‘Shall we be granted any respite?’

So do they seek to hasten on Our punishment?

Tell me, should We let them enjoy for some years,

then there comes to them what they have been promised,

of what avail to them will be that which they were given to enjoy?

We have not destroyed any town without its having warners,

for the sake of admonition, and We were not unjust.

It has not been brought down by the devils.

Neither does it behoove them, nor are they capable [of doing that].

Indeed, they are kept at bay [even] from hearing it.

So do not invoke any god besides Allah, lest you should be among the punished.

Warn the nearest of your kinsfolk,

and lower your wing to the faithful who follow you.

But if they disobey you, say, ‘I am absolved of what you do.’

And put your trust in the All-mighty, the All-merciful,

who sees you when you stand [for prayer],

and your going about among those who prostrate.

Indeed He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.

Should I inform you on whom the devils descend?

They descend on every sinful liar.

They eavesdrop, and most of them are liars.

As for the poets, [only] the perverse follow them.

Have you not regarded that they rove in every valley,

and that they say what they do not do?

Barring those who have faith, do righteous deeds, and remember Allah much often, and vindicate themselves after they have been wronged. And the wrongdoers will soon know at what goal they will end up.