26:1  Ta. Sin, Mim

26:2  THESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth

26:3  Wouldst thou, perhaps, torment thyself to death [with grief] because they [who live around thee] refuse to believe [in it]

26:4  Had We so willed, We could have sent down unto them a message from the skies, so that their necks would [be forced to] bow down before it in humility

26:5  [But We have not willed it:] and so, whenever there comes unto them any fresh reminder from the Most Gracious, they [who are blind of heart] always - turn their backs upon it

26:6  thus, indeed, have they given the lie (to this message as well). But [in time] they will come to understand what it was that they were wont to deride

26:7  Have they, then, never considered the earth - how much of every noble kind [of life] We have caused to grow thereon

26:8  In this, behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]

26:9  But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace

26:10  HENCE, [remember how it was] when thy Sustainer summoned Moses: “Go unto those evil doing people

26:11  the people of Pharaoh, who refuse to be conscious of Me!”

26:12  He answered: “O my Sustainer! Behold, I fear that they will give me the lie

26:13  and then my breast will be straitened and my tongue will not be free: send, then, [this Thy command] to Aaron

26:14  Moreover, they keep a grave charge [pending] against me, and I fear that they will slay me.”

26:15  Said He: “Not so, indeed! Go forth, then, both of you, with Our messages: verify, We shall be with you, listening [to your call]

26:16  And go, both of you, unto Pharaoh and say, ‘Behold, we bear a message from the Sustainer of all the worlds

26:17  Let the children of Israel go with us!’&rdquo

26:18  [But when Moses had delivered his message, Pharaoh] said: “Did we not bring thee up among us when thou wert a child? And didst thou not spend among us years of thy [later] life

26:19  And yet thou didst commit that [heinous] deed of thine, and [hast thus shown that] thou art one of the ingrate!”

26:20  Replied [Moses]: “I committed it while I was still going astray

26:21  and I fled from you because I feared you. But [since] then my Sustainer has endowed me with the ability to judge [between right and wrong], and has made me one of [His] message-bearers

26:22  And [as for] that favour of which thou so tauntingly remindest me - [was it not] due to thy having enslaved the children of Israel?”

26:23  Said Pharaoh: “And what [and who] is that ‘Sustainer of all the worlds’?&rdquo

26:24  [Moses] answered: “[He is] the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them: if you would but [allow yourselves to] be convinced!”

26:25  Said [Pharaoh] unto those around him: “Did you hear [what he said]?&rdquo

26:26  [And Moses] continued: “[He is] your Sustainer, [too,] as well as the Sustainer of your forefathers of old!”

26:27  [Pharaoh] exclaimed: “Behold, [this] your ‘apostle’ who [claims that he] has been sent unto you is mad indeed

26:28  [But Moses] went on: “[He of whom I speak is] the Sustainer of the east and the west and of all that is between the two”- as you would know] if you would but use your reason!”

26:29  Said [Pharaoh]: “Indeed, if thou choose to worship any deity other than me, I shall most certainly throw thee into prison

26:30  Said he: “Even if I should bring about before thee something that clearly shows the truth?”

26:31  [Pharaoh] answered: “Produce it, then, if thou art a man of truth!”

26:32  Thereupon [Moses] threw down his staff - and lo! it was a serpent, plainly visible

26:33  and he drew forth his hand - and lo! it appeared [shining] white to the beholders

26:34  Said [pharaoh] unto the great ones around him: “Verily, this is indeed a sorcerer of great knowledg

26:35  who wants to drive you out of your land by his sorcery. What, then, do you advise?”

26:36  They answered: “Let him and his brother wait a while, and send unto all cities herald

26:37  who shall assemble before thee all sorcerers of great knowledge”

26:38  And so the sorcerers were assembled at a set time on a certain day

26:39  and the people were asked: Are you all present

26:40  so that we might follow [in the footsteps of] the sorcerers if it is they who prevail?”

26:41  Now when the sorcerers came, they said unto Pharaoh: “Verily, we ought to have a great reward if it is we who prevail

26:42  Answered he: “Yea - and, verily, in that case you shall be among those who are near unto me

26:43  [And] Moses said unto them: “Throw whatever you are going to throw!”

26:44  Thereupon they threw their [magic ropes and their staffs, and said: “By Pharaoh’s might, behold, it is we indeed who have prevailed!”

26:45  [But] then Moses threw his staff - and lo! it swallowed up all their deceptions

26:46  And down fell the sorcerers, prostrating themselves in adoration

26:47  [and] exclaimed: “We have come to believe in the Sustainer of all the worlds

26:48  the Sustainer of Moses and Aaron!”

26:49  Said [Pharaoh]: “Have you come to believe in him ere I have given you permission? Verily, he must be your master who has taught you magic! But in time you shall come to know [my revenge]: most certainly shall I cut off your hands and your feet in great numbers, because of [your] perverseness, and shall most certainly crucify you in great numbers, all together!”

26:50  They answered: “No harm [canst thou do to us]: verily, unto our Sustainer do we turn

26:51  Behold, we [but] ardently desire that our Sustainer forgive us our faults in return for our having been foremost among the believers!”

26:52  AND [there came a time when] We inspired Moses thus: “Go forth with My servants by night: for, behold, you will he pursued!”

26:53  And Pharaoh sent heralds unto all cities

26:54  [bidding them to call out his troops and to proclaim:] “Behold, these [children of Israel] are but a contemptible band

26:55  but they are indeed filled with hatred of us

26:56  seeing that we are, verily, a nation united, fully prepared against danger –

26:57  and so we have [rightly] driven them out of [their] gardens and springs

26:58  and [deprived them of their erstwhile] station of honour!”

26:59  Thus it was: but [in the course of time] We were to bestow all these [things] as a heritage on the children of Israel

26:60  And so [the Egyptians] caught up with them at sunrise

26:61  and as soon as the two hosts came in sight of one another, the followers of Moses exclaimed: “Behold, we shall certainly be overtaken [and defeated]!&rdquo

26:62  He replied: Nay indeed! My Sustainer is with me, [and] He will guide me!”

26:63  Thereupon We inspired Moses thus: Strike the sea with thy staff!”- whereupon it parted, and each part appeared like a mountain vast

26:64  And We caused the pursuers to draw near unto that place

26:65  and We saved Moses and all who were with him

26:66  and then We caused the others to drown

26:67  In this [story] behold, there is a message [unto all men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]

26:68  And yet, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace

26:69  And convey unto them the story of Abraham –

26:70  [how it was] when he asked his father and his people, “What is it that you worship?”

26:71  They answered: We worship idols, and we remain ever devoted to them.”

26:72  Said he: “Do [you really think that] they hear you when you invoke them

26:73  or benefit you or do you harm?”

26:74  They exclaimed: But we found our forefathers doing the same!”

26:75  Said [Abraham]: “Have you, then, ever considered what it is that you have been worshippin

26:76  you and those ancient forebears of yours

26:77  “Now [as for me, I know that,] verily, these [false deities] are my enemies, [and that none is my helper] save the Sustainer of all the worlds

26:78  who has created me and is the One who guides me

26:79  and is the One who gives me to eat and to drink

26:80  and when I fall ill, is the One who restores me to health

26:81  and who will cause me to die and then will bring me back to life –

26:82  and who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on Judgment Day

26:83  “O my Sustainer! Endow me with the ability to judge [between right and wrong], and make me one with the righteous

26:84  and grant me the power to convey the truth unto those who will come after me

26:85  and place me among those who shall inherit the garden of bliss

26:86  “And forgive my father - for, verily, he is among those who have gone astray –

26:87  and do not put me to shame on the Day when all shall be raised from the dead

26:88  the Day on which neither wealth will be of any use, nor children

26:89  [and when] only he [will be happy] who comes before God with a heart free of evil!”

26:90  For, [on that Day,] paradise will be brought within sight of the God-conscious

26:91  whereas the blazing fire will be laid open before those who had been lost in grievous error

26:92  and they will be asked: “Where now is all that you were wont to worship

26:93  instead of God? Can these [things and beings] be of any help to you or to themselves?”

26:94  Thereupon they will be hurled into hell – they, as well as all [others] who had been lost in grievous error

26:95  and the hosts of Iblis - all together

26:96  And there and then, blaming one another, they [who had grievously sinned in life] will exclaim

26:97  “By God, we were most obviously astra

26:98  when we deemed you [false deities] equal to the Sustainer of all the worlds –

26:99  yet they who have seduced us [into believing in you] are the truly guilty ones

26:100  And now we have none to intercede for us

26:101  nor any loving friend

26:102  Would that we had a second chance [in life], so that we could be among the believers!”

26:103  In all this, behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]

26:104  But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace

26:105  The people of Noah [too] gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearer

26:106  when their brother Noah said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God

26:107  Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust

26:108  be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me

26:109  “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds

26:110  Hence, remain conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!”

26:111  They answered: “Shall we place our faith in thee, even though [only] the most abject [of people] follow thee?”

26:112  Said he: “And what knowledge could I have as to what they were doing [before they came to me]

26:113  Their reckoning rests with none but my Sustainer: if you could but understand [this]

26:114  Hence, I shall not drive away [any of] those [who profess to be] believers

26:115  I am nothing but a plain warner.”

26:116  Said they: “Indeed, if thou desist not, O Noah, thou wilt surely be stoned to death!”

26:117  [Whereupon] he prayed: “O my Sustainer! Behold, my people have given me the lie

26:118  hence, lay Thou wide open the truth between me and them, and save me and those of the believers who are with me!”

26:119  And so We saved him and those [who were] with him in the fully-laden ark

26:120  and then We caused those who stayed behind to drown

26:121  In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]

26:122  But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grac

26:123  [AND the tribe of] Ad gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearer

26:124  when their brother Hud said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God

26:125  Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust

26:126  be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me

26:127  “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds

26:128  “Will you, in your wanton folly, build [idolatrous] altars on every height

26:129  and make for yourselves mighty castles, [hoping] that you might become immortal

26:130  And will you [always], whenever you lay hand [on others], lay hand [on them] cruelly, without any restraint

26:131  “Be, then, conscious of God and pay heed unto me

26:132  and [thus] be conscious of Him who has [so] amply provided you with all [the good] that you might think o

26:133  amply provided you with flocks, and children

26:134  and gardens, and springs -

26:135  for, verily, I fear lest suffering befall you on an awesome day!”

26:136  [But] they answered. “It is all one to us whether thou preachest [something new] or art not of those who [like to] preach

26:137  This [religion of ours] is none other than that to which our forebears clung

26:138  and we are not going to be chastised [for adhering to it]!&rdquo

26:139  And so they gave him the lie: and thereupon We destroyed them. In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]

26:140  But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace

26:141  [AND the tribe of] Thamud gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-hearer

26:142  when their brother Salih said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God

26:143  Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust

26:144  be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me

26:145  “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds

26:146  “Do you think that you will be left secure [forever] in the midst of what you have here and now

26:147  amidst [these] gardens and spring

26:148  and fields, and [these] palm-trees with slender spathes? –

26:149  and that you will [always be able to] hew dwellings out of the mountains with [the same] great skill?”

26:150  “Be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me

26:151  and pay no heed to the counsel of those who are given to excesses –

26:152  those who spread corruption on earth instead of setting things to rights!”

26:153  Said they: “Thou art but one of the bewitched

26:154  Thou art nothing but a mortal like ourselves! Come, then, forward with a token [of thy mission] if thou art a man of truth!”

26:155  Replied he: “This she-camel shall have a share of water, and you shall have a share of water, on the days appointed [therefor]

26:156  and do her no harm, lest suffering befall you on an awesome day!”

26:157  But they cruelly slaughtered her - and then they had cause to regret it

26:158  for the suffering [predicted by Salih,] befell them [then and there]. In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]

26:159  But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone – is almighty, a dispenser of grace

26:160  [AND] the people of Lot gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearer

26:161  when their brother Lot said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God

26:162  Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust

26:163  be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me

26:164  “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds

26:165  “Must you, of all people, [lustfully] approach men

26:166  keeping yourselves aloof from all the [lawful] spouses whom your Sustainer has created for you? Nay, but you are people who transgress all bounds of what is right!”

26:167  Said they: “Indeed, If thou desist not, O Lot, thou wilt most certainly be expelled [from this township]!&rdquo

26:168  [Lot] exclaimed: “Behold, I am one of those who utterly abhor your doings!”

26:169  [And then he prayed:] “O my Sustainer! Save me and my household from all that they are doing!”

26:170  Thereupon We saved him and all his household –

26:171  all but an old woman, who was among those that stayed behind

26:172  and then We utterly destroyed the others

26:173  and rained down upon them a rain [of destruction]: and dire is such rain upon all who let themselves be warned [to no avail]

26:174  In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]

26:175  But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace

26:176  [AND] the dwellers of the wooded dales [of Madyan] gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearer

26:177  when their brother Shu’ayb said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God

26:178  Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust

26:179  be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me

26:180  “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds

26:181  “[Always] give full measure, and be not among those who [unjustly] cause loss [to others]

26:182  and [in all your dealings] weigh with a true balance

26:183  and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs; and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption

26:184  but be conscious of Him who has created you, just as [He created] those countless generations of old!”

26:185  Said they: “Thou art but one of the bewitched

26:186  for thou art nothing but a mortal like ourselves! And, behold, we think that thou art a consummate liar

26:187  Cause, then, fragments of the sky to fall down upon us, if thou art a man of truth!”

26:188  Answered [Shu’ayb]: “My Sustainer knows fully well what you are doing.”

26:189  But they gave him the lie. And thereupon suffering overtook them on a day dark with shadows: and, verily, it was the suffering of an awesome day

26:190  In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]

26:191  But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace

26:192  Now, behold, this [divine writ] has indeed been bestowed from on high by the Sustainer of all the worlds

26:193  trustworthy divine inspiration has alighted with it from on hig

26:194  upon thy heart, [O Muhammad] so that thou mayest be among those who preac

26:195  in the clear Arabic tongue

26:196  And, verily, [the essence of] this [revelation] is indeed found in the ancient books of divine wisdom [as well]

26:197  Is it not evidence enough for them that [so many] learned men from among the children of Israel have recognized this [as true]

26:198  But [even] had We bestowed it from on high upon any of the non-Arabs

26:199  and had he recited it unto them [in his own tongue], they would not have believed in it

26:200  Thus have We caused this [message] to pass [unheeded] through the hearts of those who are lost in sin

26:201  they will not believe in it till they behold the grievous sufferin

26:202  that will come upon them [on resurrection,] all of a sudden, without their being aware [of its approach]

26:203  and then they will exclaim, “Could we have a respite?”

26:204  Do they, then, [really] wish that Our chastisement be hastened on

26:205  But hast thou ever considered [this]: If We do allow them to enjoy [this life] for some years

26:206  and thereupon that [chastisement] which they were promised befalls them –

26:207  of what avail to them will be all their past enjoyments

26:208  And withal, never have We destroyed any community unless it had been warne

26:209  and reminded: for, never do We wrong [anyone]

26:210  And [this divine writ is such a reminder:] no evil spirits have brought it down

26:211  for, neither does it suit their ends, nor is it in their power [to impart it to man]

26:212  verily, [even] from hearing it are they utterly debarred

26:213  Hence, [O man,] do not invoke any other deity side by side with God, lest thou find thyself among those who are made to suffer [on Judgment Day]

26:214  And warn [whomever thou canst reach, beginning with] thy kinsfolk

26:215  and spread the wings of thy tenderness over all of the believers who may follow thee

26:216  but if they disobey thee, say, “I am free of responsibility for aught that you may do!” –

26:217  and place thy trust in the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace

26:218  who sees thee when thou standest [alone]

26:219  and [sees] thy behaviour among those who prostrate themselves [before Him]

26:220  for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing

26:221  [And] shall I tell you upon whom it is that those evil spirits descend

26:222  They descend upon all sinful self-deceiver

26:223  who readily lend ear [to every falsehood], and most of whom lie to others as well

26:224  And as for the poets [they, too, are prone to deceive themselves: and so, only] those who are lost in grievous error would follow them

26:225  Art thou not aware that they roam confusedly through all the valleys [of words and thoughts]

26:226  and that they [so often] say what they do not do [or feel]

26:227  [Most of them are of this kind] save those who have attained to faith, and do righteous deeds, and remember God unceasingly, and defend themselves [only] after having been wronged, and [trust in God’s promise that] those who are bent on wrongdoing will in time come to know how evil a turn their destinies are bound to take