Sura 38 of the Qur'an

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

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FB, LJ

¹	Sad. By the Koran, containing the Remembrance --
²	nay, but the unbelievers glory in their schism.
³	How many a generation We destroyed before them, and they called, but time was none to escape.
⁴	Now they marvel that a warner has come to them from among them; and the unbelievers say, 'This is a lying sorcerer.
⁵	What, has he made the gods One God? This is indeed a marvellous thing.'
⁶	And the Council of them depart, saying 'Go! Be steadfast to your gods; this is a thing to be desired.
⁷	We have not heard of this in the last religion; this is surely an invention.
⁸	What, has the Remembrance been sent down on him out of us all?' Nay, but they are in doubt of My Remembrance; nay, they have not yet tasted My chastisement.
⁹	Or have they the treasuries of thy Lord's mercy, the All-mighty, the All-giving?
¹⁰	Or is theirs the kingdom of the heavens and earth and of what between them is? Why, then let them ascend the cords!
¹¹	A very host of parties is routed there!
¹²	Cried lies before them the people of Noah, and Ad, and Pharaoh, he of the tent-pegs,
¹³	and Thamood, and the people of Lot, and the men of the Thicket - those were the parties;
¹⁴	not one, that cried not lies to the Messengers, so My retribution was just.
¹⁵	These are only awaiting for a single Cry, to which there is no delay.
¹⁶	They say, 'Our Lord, hasten to us our share before the Day of Reckoning.'
¹⁷	Bear patiently what they say, and remember Our servant David, the man of might; he was a penitent.
¹⁸	With him We subjected the mountains to give glory at evening and sunrise,
¹⁹	and the birds, duly mustered, every one to him reverting;
²⁰	We strengthened his kingdom, and gave him wisdom and speech decisive.
²¹	Has the tiding of the dispute come to thee? When they scaled the Sanctuary,
²²	when they entered upon David, and he took fright at them; and they said, 'Fear not; two disputants we are -- one of us has injured the other; so judge between us justly, and transgress not, and guide us to the right path.'
²³	'Behold, this my brother has ninety-nine ewes, and I have one ewe. So he said, "Give her into my charge"; and he overcame me in the argument.'
²⁴	Said he, 'Assuredly he has wronged thee in asking for thy ewe in addition to his sheep; and indeed many intermixers do injury one against the other, save those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness -- and how few they are!' And David thought that We had only tried him; therefore he sought forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down, bowing, and he repented.
²⁵	Accordingly We forgave him that, and he has a near place in Our presence and a fair resort.
²⁶	'David, behold, We have appointed thee a viceroy in the earth; therefore judge between men justly, and follow not caprice, lest it lead thee astray from the way of God. Surely those who go astray from the way of God -- there awaits them a terrible chastisement, for that they have forgotten the Day of Reckoning.'
²⁷	We have not created the heavens and earth, and what between them is, for vanity; such is the thought of the unbelievers, wherefore woe unto the unbelievers because of the Fire!
²⁸	Or shall We make those who believe and do righteous deeds as the workers of corruption in the earth, or shall We make the godfearing as the transgressors?
²⁹	A Book We have sent down to thee, Blessed, that men possessed of minds may ponder its signs and so remember.
³⁰	And We gave unto David Solomon; how excellent a servant he was! He was a penitent.
³¹	When in the evening were presented to him the standing steeds,
³²	he said, 'Lo, I have loved the love of good things better than the remembrance of my Lord, until the sun was bidden behind the veil.
³³	Return them to me!' And he began to stroke their shanks and necks.
³⁴	Certainly We tried Solomon, and We cast upon his throne a mere body; then he repented.
³⁵	He said, 'My Lord, forgive me, and give me a kingdom such as may not befall anyone after me; surely Thou art the All-giver.'
³⁶	So We subjected to him the wind, that ran at his commandment, softly, wherever he might light on,
³⁷	and the Satans, every builder and diver
³⁸	and others also, coupled in fetters:
³⁹	'This is Our gift; bestow or withhold without reckoning.'
⁴⁰	And he had a near place in Our presence and a fair resort.
⁴¹	Remember also Our servant Job; when he called to his Lord, 'Behold, Satan has visited me with weariness and chastisement.'
⁴²	'Stamp thy foot! This is a laving-place cool, and a drink.'
⁴³	And We gave to him his family, and the like of them with them, as a mercy from us, and a reminder unto men possessed of minds;
⁴⁴	and, 'Take in thy hand a bundle of rushes, and strike therewith, and do not fail in thy oath.' Surely We found him a steadfast man. How excellent a servant he was! He was a penitent.
⁴⁵	Remember also Our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob -- men of might they and of vision.
⁴⁶	Assuredly We purified them with a quality most pure, the remembrance of the Abode,
⁴⁷	and in Our sight they are of the chosen, the excellent.
⁴⁸	Remember also Our servants Ishmael, Elisha, and Dhul Kifl; each is among the excellent.
⁴⁹	This is a Remembrance; and for the godfearing is a fair resort,
⁵⁰	Gardens of Eden, whereof the gates are open to them,
⁵¹	wherein they recline, and wherein they call for fruits abundant, and sweet potions,
⁵²	and with them maidens restraining their glances of equal age.
⁵³	'This is what you were promised for the Day of Reckoning;
⁵⁴	this is Our provision, unto which there is no end.'
⁵⁵	All this; but for the insolent awaits an ill resort,
⁵⁶	Gehenna, wherein they are roasted - an evil cradling!
⁵⁷	All this; so let them taste it - boiling water and pus,
⁵⁸	and other torments of the like kind coupled together.
⁵⁹	'This is a troop rushing in with you; there is no Welcome for them; they shall roast in the Fire.'
⁶⁰	They say, 'No, it is you have no Welcome; you forwarded it for us; how evil a stablishment!'
⁶¹	They say, 'Our Lord, whoso forwarded this for us, give him a double chastisement in the Fire!'
⁶²	They say, 'How is it with us, that we do not see men here that we counted among the wicked?
⁶³	What, did we take them for a laughing-stock? Or have our eyes swerved away from them?'
⁶⁴	Surely that is true -- the disputing of the inhabitants of the Fire.
⁶⁵	Say: 'I am only a warner. There is not any god but God, the One, the Omnipotent,
⁶⁶	Lord of the heavens and earth, and of what between them is, the All-mighty, the All-forgiving.'
⁶⁷	Say: 'It is a mighty tiding
⁶⁸	from which you are turning away.
⁶⁹	I had no knowledge of the High Council when they disputed.
⁷⁰	This alone is revealed to me, that I am only a clear warner.'
⁷¹	When thy Lord said to the angels, 'See, I am creating a mortal of a clay.
⁷²	When I have shaped him, and breathed My spirit in him, fall you down, bowing before him!'
⁷³	Then the angels bowed themselves all together,
⁷⁴	save Iblis; he waxed proud, and was one of the unbelievers.
⁷⁵	Said He, 'Iblis, what prevented thee to bow thyself before that I created with My own hands? Hast thou waxed proud, or art thou of the lofty ones?'
⁷⁶	Said he, 'I am better than he; Thou createdst me of tire, and him Thou createdst of clay.'
⁷⁷	Said He, 'Then go thou forth hence; thou art accursed.
⁷⁸	Upon thee shall rest My curse, till the Day of Doom.'
⁷⁹	Said he, 'My Lord, respite me till the day they shall be raised.'
⁸⁰	Said He, 'Thou art among the ones that are respited
⁸¹	until the day of the known time.'
⁸²	Said he, 'Now, by Thy glory, I shall pervert them all together,
⁸³	excepting those Thy servants among them that are sincere.'
⁸⁴	Said He, 'This is the truth, and the truth I say;
⁸⁵	I shall assuredly fill Gehenna with thee, and with whosoever of them follows thee, all together.'
⁸⁶	Say: 'I ask of you no wage for it, neither am I of those who take things upon themselves.
⁸⁷	It is nothing but a reminder unto all beings,
⁸⁸	and you shall surely know its tiding after a while.'

Current edition: 2013 Feb 17
http://www.holybooks.info/sura_38.html
Parent page: The Qur'an

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