| | John Medows Rodwell rendition of Surah The Poets(ash-Shu`ara`)
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| 26:1 | | Ta. Sin. Mim |
| 26:2 | | These are the signs of the lucid Book |
| 26:3 | | Haply thou wearest thyself away with grief because they will not believe |
| 26:4 | | Were it our will we could send down to them a sign from Heaven, before which they would humbly bow |
| 26:5 | | But from each fresh warning that cometh to them from the God of Mercy they have only turned aside |
| 26:6 | | And treated it as a lie: But tidings shall reach them which they shall not laugh to scorn |
| 26:7 | | Have they not beheld the earth - how we have caused every kind of noble plant to spring up therein |
| 26:8 | | Verily, in this is a sign: but most of them believe not |
| 26:9 | | And assuredly, thy Lord! - He is the Mighty, the Merciful |
| 26:10 | | And remember when thy Lord called to Moses, "Go to the wicked people |
| 26:11 | | The people of Pharaoh. What! will they not fear me?" |
| 26:12 | | He said, "My Lord, in sooth I fear lest they treat me as a liar |
| 26:13 | | And my breast is straitened, and I am slow of speech: send therefore to Aaron to be my helpmate |
| 26:14 | | For they have a charge against me, and I fear lest they put me to death." |
| 26:15 | | He said, "Surely not. Go ye therefore with our signs: we will be with you and will hearken |
| 26:16 | | And go to Pharaoh and say: 'Verily we are the messengers of the Lord of the worlds |
| 26:17 | | Send forth with us the children of Israel." |
| 26:18 | | He said, "Did we not rear thee among us when a child? And hast thou not passed years of thy life among us |
| 26:19 | | And yet what a deed is that which thou hast done! Thou art one of the ungrateful." |
| 26:20 | | He said, "I did it indeed, and I was one of those who erred |
| 26:21 | | And I fled from you because I feared you; but my Lord hath given me wisdom and hath made me one of his Apostles |
| 26:22 | | And is this the favour thou hast conferred on me, that thou hast enslaved the children of Israel?" |
| 26:23 | | Said Pharaoh, "Who then is the Lord of the Worlds?" |
| 26:24 | | He said, "The Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth and of all that is between them, if only ye believe it." |
| 26:25 | | Said Pharaoh to those around him, "Hear ye this?" |
| 26:26 | | "Your Lord," said Moses, "and the Lord of your sires of old." |
| 26:27 | | "In sooth, your Apostle whom He hath sent to you," said Pharaoh, "is certainly possessed." |
| 26:28 | | He said, "Lord is He of the East and of the West, and of all that is between them, if ye can understand." |
| 26:29 | | He said, "If ye take any God beside me, I will surely put thee in ward." |
| 26:30 | | Said Moses, "What! if I shew thee that which shall be a proof of my mission?" |
| 26:31 | | He said, "Forth with it then, if thou speakest truth." |
| 26:32 | | Then threw he down his staff, and lo! an undoubted serpent |
| 26:33 | | And he drew out his hand, and lo! it was white to the beholders |
| 26:34 | | He said to his nobles around him. "This truly is a right cunning sorcerer |
| 26:35 | | Fain would he drive you out of your land by his Sorcery. But what do ye suggest?" |
| 26:36 | | They said, "Put him and his brother off awhile, and send summoners to all the cities |
| 26:37 | | Who shall bring to thee every cunning magician." |
| 26:38 | | So the magicians were mustered at a set time, on a solemn day |
| 26:39 | | And it was said to the people, "Are ye all assembled?" |
| 26:40 | | -"Yes! and we will follow the magicians if they gain the day." |
| 26:41 | | And when the magicians were arrived they said to Pharaoh, "Shall we have a reward if we gain the day?" |
| 26:42 | | He said, "Yes. And verily in that case ye shall be of those who are near my person." |
| 26:43 | | Moses said to them, "Throw down what ye have to throw." |
| 26:44 | | So they cast down their ropes and rods, and said, "By Pharaoh's might we shall surely win." |
| 26:45 | | Then Moses threw down his rod, and lo! it swallowed up their cheating wonders |
| 26:46 | | Then the magicians threw themselves down in worship |
| 26:47 | | They said, "We believe on the Lord of the Worlds |
| 26:48 | | The Lord of Moses and of Aaron." |
| 26:49 | | Said Pharaoh, "Have ye then believed on him ere I gave you leave? He truly is your master who hath taught you magic. But bye and bye ye shall surely know my power. I will cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will have you all crucified." |
| 26:50 | | They said, "It cannot harm us, for to our Lord shall we return |
| 26:51 | | Assuredly we trust that our Lord will forgive us our sins, since we are of the first who believe." |
| 26:52 | | Then revealed we this order to Moses: "Go forth by night with my servants, for ye will be pursued." |
| 26:53 | | And Pharaoh sent summoners through the cities: |
| 26:54 | | "These Israelites," said they, "are a scanty band |
| 26:55 | | Yet are they enraged against us |
| 26:56 | | But we truly are numerous, wary." |
| 26:57 | | Thus we caused them to quit gardens and fountains |
| 26:58 | | And treasures and splendid dwellings |
| 26:59 | | So was it; and we gave them to the children of Israel for an heritage |
| 26:60 | | Then at sunrise the Egyptians followed them |
| 26:61 | | And when the hosts came in view of one another, the comrades of Moses said, "We are surely overtaken." |
| 26:62 | | He said, "By no means: - for my Lord is with me - He will guide me." |
| 26:63 | | And we revealed this order to Moses, "Strike the sea with thy rod." And it clave asunder, and each part became like a huge mountain |
| 26:64 | | Then made we the others to draw on |
| 26:65 | | And we saved Moses, and those who were with him, all |
| 26:66 | | But we drowned the others |
| 26:67 | | Truly in this was a sign; but most of them did not believe |
| 26:68 | | But verily thy Lord, - He is the Mighty, the Merciful |
| 26:69 | | And recite to them the story of Abraha |
| 26:70 | | When he said to his Father and to his people, "What worship ye?" |
| 26:71 | | They said, "We worship idols, and constant is our devotion to them." |
| 26:72 | | He said, "Can they hear you when ye cry to them |
| 26:73 | | Or help you or do you harm?" |
| 26:74 | | They said, "But we found our Fathers do the like." |
| 26:75 | | He said, "How think ye? They whom ye worship |
| 26:76 | | Ye and your fathers of early days |
| 26:77 | | Are my foes: but not so the Lord of the Worlds |
| 26:78 | | Who hath created me, and guideth me |
| 26:79 | | Who giveth me food and drink |
| 26:80 | | And when I am sick, he healeth me |
| 26:81 | | And who will cause me to die and again quicken me |
| 26:82 | | And who, I hope, will forgive me my sins in the day of reckoning |
| 26:83 | | My Lord! bestow on me wisdom and join me to the just |
| 26:84 | | And give me a good name among posterity |
| 26:85 | | And make me one of the heirs of the garden of delight |
| 26:86 | | And forgive my father, for he was one of the erring |
| 26:87 | | And put me not to shame on the day when mankind shall be raised up |
| 26:88 | | The day when neither wealth nor children shall avail |
| 26:89 | | Save to him who shall come to God with a sound heart |
| 26:90 | | When Paradise shall be brought near the pious |
| 26:91 | | And Hell shall lay open for those who have gone astray |
| 26:92 | | And it shall be said to them, 'Where are they whom ye worshippe |
| 26:93 | | Beside God? Can they harm you or help themselves? |
| 26:94 | | And they shall be cast into it - the seducers and the seduced |
| 26:95 | | And all the host of Eblis |
| 26:96 | | They shall say, as they wrangle therein together |
| 26:97 | | 'By God, we were in a plain error |
| 26:98 | | When we equalled you with the Lord of the Worlds |
| 26:99 | | And none misled us but the wicked |
| 26:100 | | And we have none to plead for us |
| 26:101 | | Nor friend who careth for us |
| 26:102 | | Could we but return, we would be of the believers." |
| 26:103 | | Verily, in this was a sign: but most of them believed not |
| 26:104 | | And truly thy Lord! - He is the Mighty, the Merciful |
| 26:105 | | The people of Noah gainsaid the Apostles |
| 26:106 | | When their brother Noah said to them, "Will ye not fear God |
| 26:107 | | Of a truth am I your faithful Apostle |
| 26:108 | | Fear God then and obey me |
| 26:109 | | I ask of you no reward for this, for my reward is of the Lord of the Worlds alone |
| 26:110 | | Fear God then and obey me." |
| 26:111 | | They said, "Shall we believe on thee when the meanest only are thy followers?" |
| 26:112 | | He said, "But I have no knowledge of that they did |
| 26:113 | | To my Lord only must their account be given: would that ye understood this |
| 26:114 | | And I will not thrust away those who believe |
| 26:115 | | For I am only one charged with plain warnings." |
| 26:116 | | They said, "Now unless thou desist, O Noah, one of the stoned shalt thou surely be." |
| 26:117 | | He said, "Lord! my people treat me as a liar |
| 26:118 | | Decide thou therefore a decision between me and them, and rescue me and the faithful who are with me." |
| 26:119 | | So we saved him and those who were with him in the fully-laden ark |
| 26:120 | | And afterwards we drowned the rest |
| 26:121 | | Herein truly was a sign, but most of them believed not |
| 26:122 | | But thy Lord! - He is the Mighty, the Merciful |
| 26:123 | | The Adites treated their Apostles as liars |
| 26:124 | | When their brother Houd said to them, "Will ye not fear God |
| 26:125 | | I am your Apostle, worthy of all credit |
| 26:126 | | Fear God then and obey me |
| 26:127 | | I ask for no reward for this; for my reward is of the Lord of the Worlds alone |
| 26:128 | | What! build ye landmarks on all heights in mere pastime |
| 26:129 | | And raise ye structures to be your lasting abodes |
| 26:130 | | And when ye put forth your power do ye put it forth with harshness |
| 26:131 | | Fear ye God then and obey me |
| 26:132 | | And fear ye Him who hath plenteously betowed on you ye well know what |
| 26:133 | | Plenteously bestowed on you flocks and children |
| 26:134 | | And gardens and fountains |
| 26:135 | | Indeed I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous day." |
| 26:136 | | They said, "It is the same to us whether thou warn or warn us not |
| 26:137 | | This is but a tale of the ancients |
| 26:138 | | And we are not they who shall be punished." |
| 26:139 | | And they charged him with imposture; and we destroyed them. In this was a sign: but most of them believed not |
| 26:140 | | But thy Lord! - He is the Mighty, the Merciful |
| 26:141 | | The Themoudites also treated their Apostles as liars |
| 26:142 | | When their brother Saleh said to them, "Will ye not fear God |
| 26:143 | | I am your Apostle worthy of all credit |
| 26:144 | | Fear God, then, and obey me |
| 26:145 | | I ask of you no reward for this: my reward is of the Lord of the Worlds alone |
| 26:146 | | Shall ye be left secure amid these things here |
| 26:147 | | Amid gardens and fountains |
| 26:148 | | And corn-fields and palm-trees, with flower-sheathing branches |
| 26:149 | | And, insolent that ye are, will ye hew out your dwellings in the mountains |
| 26:150 | | But fear God and obey me |
| 26:151 | | And obey not the bidding of those who commit excess |
| 26:152 | | Who act disorderly on the earth and reform it not." |
| 26:153 | | They said, "Certainly thou art a person bewitched |
| 26:154 | | Thou art only a man like us: produce now a sign if thou art a man of truth." |
| 26:155 | | He said, "This she-camel, then - drink shall there be for her, and drink shall there be for you, on a several day for each |
| 26:156 | | But harm her not, lest the punishment of a tremendous day overtake you." |
| 26:157 | | But they ham-strung her, and repented of it on the morrow |
| 26:158 | | For the punishment overtook them. In this truly was a sign, but most of them believed not |
| 26:159 | | But thy Lord! - He is the Powerful, the Merciful |
| 26:160 | | The people of Lot treated their apostles as liars |
| 26:161 | | When their brother Lot said to them, "Will ye not fear God |
| 26:162 | | I am your Apostle worthy of all credit |
| 26:163 | | Fear God, then, and obey me |
| 26:164 | | For this I ask you no reward: my reward is of the Lord of the worlds alone |
| 26:165 | | What! with men, of all creatures, will ye have commerce |
| 26:166 | | And leave ye your wives whom your Lord hath created for you? Ah! ye are an erring people!" |
| 26:167 | | They said, "O Lot, if thou desist not, one of the banished shalt thou surely be." |
| 26:168 | | He said, "I utterly abhor your doings |
| 26:169 | | My Lord! deliver me and my family from what they do." |
| 26:170 | | So we delivered him and his whole family |
| 26:171 | | Save an aged one among those who tarried |
| 26:172 | | Then we destroyed the rest |
| 26:173 | | And we rained a rain upon them, and fatal was the rain to those whom we had warned |
| 26:174 | | In this truly was a sign; but most of them did not believe |
| 26:175 | | But thy Lord! He is the Powerful, the Merciful |
| 26:176 | | The dwellers in the forest of Madian treated the Apostles as liars |
| 26:177 | | When Shoaib their brother said to them, "Will ye not fear God |
| 26:178 | | I truly am your trustworthy Apostle |
| 26:179 | | Fear God, then, and obey me |
| 26:180 | | No reward ask I of you for this: my reward is of the Lord of the Worlds alone |
| 26:181 | | Fill the measure, and be not of those who minish |
| 26:182 | | Weigh with exact balance |
| 26:183 | | And defraud not men in their substance, and do no wrong on the earth by deeds of licence |
| 26:184 | | And fear Him who made you and the races of old." |
| 26:185 | | They said, "Certainly thou art a person bewitched |
| 26:186 | | Thou art but a man like us, and we deem thee liar |
| 26:187 | | Make now a part of the heaven to fall down upon us, if thou art a man of truth." |
| 26:188 | | He said, "My Lord best knoweth your doings." |
| 26:189 | | And when they treated him as a liar, the chastisement of the day of cloud overtook them. This truly was the chastisement of a dreadful day |
| 26:190 | | In this was a sign, but most of them believed not |
| 26:191 | | But thy Lord! - He is the Mighty, the Merciful |
| 26:192 | | Verily from the Lord of the Worlds hath this Book come down |
| 26:193 | | The faithful spirit hath come down with i |
| 26:194 | | Upon thy heart, that thou mightest become a warner |
| 26:195 | | In the clear Arabic tongue |
| 26:196 | | And truly it is foretold in the Scriptures of them of yore |
| 26:197 | | Was it not a sign to them that the learned among the children of Israel recognised it |
| 26:198 | | If we had sent it down unto any foreigner |
| 26:199 | | And he had recited it to them, they had not believed |
| 26:200 | | In such sort have we influenced the heart of the wicked ones |
| 26:201 | | That they will not believe it till they see the grievous chastisement |
| 26:202 | | And it shall come upon them on a sudden when they look not for it |
| 26:203 | | And they will say, "Can we be respited?" |
| 26:204 | | What! will they seek to hasten on our chastisement |
| 26:205 | | How thinkest thou? If after we have given them their fill for years |
| 26:206 | | That with which they are menaced come upon them at last |
| 26:207 | | Of what avail will their enjoyments be to them |
| 26:208 | | We never destroyed a city which had not first its warner |
| 26:209 | | With admonition; nor did we deal unjustly |
| 26:210 | | The Satans were not sent down with this Koran |
| 26:211 | | It beseemed them not, and they had not the power |
| 26:212 | | For they are far removed from hearing it |
| 26:213 | | Call not thou on any other god but God, lest thou be of those consigned to torment |
| 26:214 | | But warn thy relatives of nearer kin |
| 26:215 | | And kindly lower thy wing over the faithful who follow thee |
| 26:216 | | And if they disobey thee, then say: "I will not be answerable for your doings;" |
| 26:217 | | And put thy trust in Him that is the Mighty, the Merciful |
| 26:218 | | Who seeth thee when thou standest in prayer |
| 26:219 | | And thy demeanour amongst those who worship |
| 26:220 | | For He heareth, knoweth all |
| 26:221 | | Shall I tell you on whom Satan descend |
| 26:222 | | They descend on every lying, wicked person |
| 26:223 | | They impart what they have heard; - but most of them are liars |
| 26:224 | | It is the POETS whom the erring follow |
| 26:225 | | Seest thou not how they rove distraught in every valley |
| 26:226 | | And that they say that which they do not |
| 26:227 | | Save those who believe and do good works, and oft remember God; And who defend themselves when unjustly treated. But they who treat them unjustly shall find out what a lot awaiteth them |
