Ash-Shu'ara 26
The PoetsHow to read the Hangul
الرَّحْمَٰنِ르r라흐마니 بِسْمِ비스밀
- Bold = the stressed syllable of the word; a little stronger.
- Overline = long vowel (madd): hold it about two beats. Length matters most in recitation.
- Tiny = no vowel in the Arabic here — just the consonant, short.
- Small Latin letter = a sound Korean lacks, on the next syllable: f upper teeth on lower lip · θ/ð tongue tip between the teeth · r rolled tongue tip (a bare ㄹ is l).
How to read the Hangul
beginning the Christ salvation
- Bold, larger (ˈ) = say it strong and a little longer — the stressed syllable.
- Faint = weak and short (a reduced vowel). Don't give every syllable equal weight.
- Tiny 으 · 트 · 스 = barely voiced. English has no vowel there — stop on the consonant.
- Whole word faint (the, of, and, to…) = light and quick in a sentence; stress the content words.
- Small f v θ ð r = sounds Korean doesn't have — f: upper teeth on the lower lip; v: the same, voiced; θ/ð: tongue tip between the teeth; r: tongue curled back, touching nothing.
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Surah
About this surah
Classed as a Meccan sura, it opens by consoling the Messenger, who grieves that people will not believe. Seven prophets' stories then follow, told in a shared pattern. Moses argues with Pharaoh about the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the magicians come to believe, and the sea is parted. Abraham questions his father's idols and describes the Lord who created him, feeds him and heals him when he is ill. Noah, Hud to 'Ad, Salih to Thamud, Lot, and Shu'ayb to the people of the Thicket each say, 'I am a trustworthy messenger to you, so be mindful of God and obey me,' and each is rejected. Every story closes with the same refrain: in that is a sign, yet most of them were not believers, and your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. The final section says the Quran was brought down by the Trustworthy Spirit in clear Arabic, not by devils, and distinguishes the Messenger from the poets.
- Moses debates Pharaoh
- Abraham's confession of faith
- A repeated refrain
- Revelation of the Quran
- Poets and the Messenger
The name The name comes from verses 224–227, which say that the poets are followed by those who stray, setting them apart from the Messenger.
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1
Ta Sin Mim.
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These are the verses of the clear Book.
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Perhaps you will destroy yourself with grief because they do not become believers.
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If We willed, We could send down upon them a sign from the sky, before which their necks would remain bowed in humility.
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No fresh reminder comes to them from the Most Gracious but they turn away from it.
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They have denied, so there will come to them the news of what they used to mock.
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Do they not look at the earth, how many of every noble kind We have caused to grow in it?
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In that is a sign, yet most of them were not believers.
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And your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.
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And [remember] when your Lord called Moses, [saying,] “Go to the wrongdoing people,
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the people of Pharaoh. Will they not be mindful [of God]?”
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He said, “My Lord, I fear that they will deny me,
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and my breast will tighten, and my tongue will not be fluent, so send for Aaron.
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Besides, they hold an offence against me, and I am afraid they will kill me.”
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He said, “No indeed! Go, both of you, with Our signs. We are with you, listening.
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Go to Pharaoh and say, ‘We are the messengers of the Lord of all the worlds:
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send the Children of Israel with us.’”
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[Pharaoh] said, “Did we not raise you among us as a child, and did you not stay among us for years of your life?
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And you did that deed of yours which you did, and you are one of the ungrateful.”
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He said, “I did it then, when I was one of those who erred.
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So I fled from you when I feared you. Then my Lord granted me wisdom and made me one of the messengers.
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And is that a favour you remind me of, that you have enslaved the Children of Israel?”
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“And what,” asked Pharaoh, “is the Lord of all the worlds?”
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He replied, “Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, if only you would be convinced.”
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[Pharaoh] said to those around him, “Do you not hear?”
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He said, “Your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers of old.”
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[Pharaoh] said, “This messenger of yours who has been sent to you is surely mad.”
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He said, “The Lord of the east and the west and all that is between them, if you use your reason.”
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[Pharaoh] said, “If you take a god other than me, I will surely make you one of the imprisoned.”
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He said, “Even if I bring you something clear?”
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[Pharaoh] said, “Then bring it, if you are truthful.”
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So he threw down his staff, and at once it was a serpent, plain to see.
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And he drew out his hand, and at once it was white to the onlookers.
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[Pharaoh] said to the chiefs around him, “This is surely a skilled magician
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He wants to expel you from your land with his sorcery. What, then, do you recommend?”
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They said, “Put him and his brother off, and send gatherers to the cities
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to bring you every skilled magician.”
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So the magicians were assembled for the appointment of a known day,
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and it was said to the people, “Will you assemble,
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so that, if the magicians win, we may follow them?”
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When the magicians arrived, they asked Pharaoh, “Shall we be rewarded if it is we who win?”
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He said, “Yes, and you will then be among those brought near [to me].”
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Moses said to them, “Throw what you are going to throw.”
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So they threw their ropes and their staffs and said, “By the might of Pharaoh, it is we who will surely be the victors.”
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Then Moses threw his staff, and at once it swallowed up what they had falsely contrived.
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So the magicians were thrown down in prostration.
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They declared, “We have come to believe in the Lord of all the worlds,
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the Lord of Moses and Aaron.”
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[Pharaoh] said, “You believed in him before I gave you permission? He must be your chief who taught you magic. You will soon know! I will surely cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you all.”
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They said, “No harm [in that]. We will return to our Lord.
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We hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins, because we were the first of the believers.”
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And We revealed to Moses, “Travel by night with My servants; you will be pursued.”
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Then Pharaoh sent gatherers to the cities,
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[saying,] “These are only a small band,
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and they are enraging us,
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and we are all on our guard.”
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So We drove them out of gardens and springs,
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and treasures and an honourable station.
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So it was; and We gave those things to the Children of Israel as their inheritance.
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So they pursued them at sunrise.
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When the two hosts saw each other, the companions of Moses said, “We are surely overtaken!”
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He said, “No indeed! My Lord is with me; He will guide me.”
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Then We revealed to Moses, “Strike the sea with your staff.” And it parted, and each part was like a great mountain.
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And We brought the others near to that place.
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We saved Moses and all who were with him.
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Then We drowned the others.
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In that is a sign, yet most of them were not believers.
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And your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.
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And recite to them the story of Abraham,
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when he questioned his father and his people: “What is the object of your worship?”
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They replied, “Idols are what we worship, and we keep constant devotion to them.”
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He said, “Do they hear you when you call?
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Or do they benefit you or harm [you]?”
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They said, “Not so, but this is what we found our fathers doing.”
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He said, “Consider, then, the things you have been worshipping—
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you and your ancient forefathers?
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Every one of them is an enemy to me, apart from the Lord of all the worlds,
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who created me, and it is He who guides me;
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and it is He who feeds me and gives me drink;
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and when I am ill, it is He who cures me;
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and who will cause me to die and then bring me to life;
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and from whom I hope for forgiveness of my sins on the Day of Judgement.
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My Lord, grant me wisdom and join me with the righteous,
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and grant me a truthful reputation among later generations,
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and make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss,
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and forgive my father; he has been one of those astray,
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and do not put me to shame on the Day when [all people] are resurrected,
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a Day when neither riches nor sons will avail anyone,
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except to one who comes to God with a sound heart.”
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And the Garden will be brought near to the God-fearing,
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and the Blazing Fire will be displayed to those who went astray,
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and it will be said to them, “Where are those you used to worship
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besides God? Can they help you or help themselves?”
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Then they will be thrown headlong into it, they and those who went astray,
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and the soldiers of Iblis, all together.
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They will say, while disputing in it,
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“By God, we were indeed in clear error
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when we made you equal to the Lord of all the worlds.
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And no one led us astray but the guilty.
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So now we have no intercessors,
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nor any devoted friend.
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If only we had another chance, we would be among the believers!”
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In that is a sign, yet most of them were not believers.
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And your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.
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The people of Noah denied the messengers,
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when Noah, their brother, asked them, “Will you not fear [God]?
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I am a trustworthy messenger to you.
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So be mindful of God and obey me.
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I ask you no payment for this; my payment is only from the Lord of all the worlds.
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So be mindful of God and obey me.
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They said, “Shall we believe you when the lowliest people follow you?”
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He said, “What knowledge do I have of what they used to do?
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Their account is only with my Lord, if you only perceived.
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And I am not one to drive away the believers.
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I am only a clear warner.”
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They said, “If you do not stop, Noah, you will surely be one of those stoned.”
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He said, “My Lord, my people have denied me.
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Judge, then, between me and them with a clear verdict, and deliver me and the believers alongside me.”
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Then We rescued him and those who were with him in the fully loaded Ark.
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Then afterwards We drowned the rest.
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In that is a sign, yet most of them were not believers.
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And your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.
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Ad denied the messengers,
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when Hud, their brother, asked them, “Will you not fear [God]?
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I am a trustworthy messenger to you.
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So be mindful of God and obey me.
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I ask you no payment for this; my payment is only from the Lord of all the worlds.
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Do you build a landmark on every height, amusing yourselves?
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And do you take for yourselves strongholds, as if you might live forever?
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And when you strike, you strike as tyrants.
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So be mindful of God and obey me.
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Be mindful of Him who has supplied you with what you know:
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He supplied you with livestock and children,
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and gardens and springs.
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I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day.”
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They said, “It is all the same to us whether you admonish us or are not one of those who admonish.
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This is nothing but the custom of the ancients,
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and we will not be punished.”
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So they denied him, and We destroyed them. In that is a sign, yet most of them were not believers.
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And your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.
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Thamud denied the messengers,
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when Salih, their brother, asked them, “Will you not fear [God]?
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I am a trustworthy messenger to you.
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So be mindful of God and obey me.
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I ask you no payment for this; my payment is only from the Lord of all the worlds.
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Will you be left secure in what is here,
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among gardens and springs,
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and crops and date palms with tender spathes?
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And you skilfully carve houses out of the mountains.
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So be mindful of God and obey me.
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and do not obey the command of those who go beyond all bounds,
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who spread corruption in the land and do not set things right.”
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They said, “You are only one of the bewitched.
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You are only a human being like us. So bring a sign, if you are truthful.”
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He said, “This is a she-camel. She has a [turn to] drink, and you have a [turn to] drink on a known day.
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And do not touch her with harm, or the punishment of a tremendous Day will seize you.”
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But they hamstrung her, and then they became regretful.
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So the punishment seized them. In that is a sign, yet most of them were not believers.
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And your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.
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The people of Lot denied the messengers,
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when Lot, their brother, asked them, “Will you not fear [God]?
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I am a trustworthy messenger to you.
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So be mindful of God and obey me.
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I ask you no payment for this; my payment is only from the Lord of all the worlds.
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Of all the people of the world, do you approach males,
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and leave what your Lord has created for you as your wives? No, you are a people transgressing all limits.”
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They said, “If you do not stop, Lot, you will surely be one of those driven out.”
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He said, “I am one of those who detest your deed.
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My Lord, save me and my family from what they do.”
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So We saved him and his family, all of them,
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except an old woman among those who stayed behind.
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Then We destroyed the others.
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And We rained down upon them a rain [of stones]. How evil was the rain of those who had been warned!
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In that is a sign, yet most of them were not believers.
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And your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.
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The companions of the Thicket denied the messengers,
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when Shuayb said to them, “Will you not be mindful [of God]?
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I am a trustworthy messenger to you.
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So be mindful of God and obey me.
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I ask you no payment for this; my payment is only from the Lord of all the worlds.
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Give full measure, and do not be among those who give short.
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And weigh with a straight balance.
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Do not deprive people of their things, and do not go about the land spreading corruption.
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And be mindful of Him who created you and the former generations.”
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They said, “You are only one of the bewitched.
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You are only a human being like us, and we think you are one of the liars.
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So cause pieces of the sky to fall upon us, if you are truthful.”
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He said, “My Lord knows best what you do.”
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But they denied him, so the punishment of the Day of the Shadow seized them. It was the punishment of a tremendous Day.
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In that is a sign, yet most of them were not believers.
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And your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.
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Truly this has been sent down by the Lord of all the worlds.
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The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down
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upon your heart, so that you may be one of the warners,
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in a clear Arabic tongue.
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And it is indeed [mentioned] in the scriptures of the former peoples.
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Is it not a sign for them that the learned among the Children of Israel know it?
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Had We sent it down upon one of the non-Arabs,
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and he had recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.
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Thus have We inserted it into the hearts of the guilty.
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Belief in it will not come to them until they witness the agonising torment,
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and it will come upon them suddenly while they do not perceive.
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Then they will say, “Will we be given respite?”
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Do they then seek to hasten Our punishment?
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Have you considered: if We let them enjoy [life] for years,
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and then there comes to them what they were promised,
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what they used to enjoy would be of no avail to them.
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We never destroyed any town without its having warners
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as a reminder, and We were never unjust.
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It was not the devils who brought it down.
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It is not fitting for them, nor are they able.
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They are indeed barred from hearing.
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So do not call upon another god along with God, or you will be among the punished.
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And warn your nearest kinsfolk,
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and lower your wing [in kindness] to the believers who follow you.
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But if they disobey you, say, “I am free of what you do.”
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And put your trust in the Almighty, the Most Merciful,
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who sees you when you stand [in prayer],
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and your movements among those who prostrate.
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He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
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Shall I tell you upon whom the devils descend?
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They descend upon every sinful liar.
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They pass on what they hear, and most of them are liars.
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The poets are followed by those who have lost their way.
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Do you not see that they wander in every valley,
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and that they say what they do not do?
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Except those who believe, do good deeds, remember God often, and defend themselves after they have been wronged. And those who do wrong will come to know by what overturning they will be overturned.