| | John Medows Rodwell rendition of Surah Those Who Set The Ranks, Drawn up in Ranks, The Rangers(as-Saffat)
--- |
|---|
| 37:1 | | By the angels ranged in order for Songs of Praise |
| 37:2 | | And by those who repel demons |
| 37:3 | | And by those who recite the Koran for warning |
| 37:4 | | Truly your God is but one |
| 37:5 | | Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth, and of all that is between them, and Lord of the East |
| 37:6 | | We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars |
| 37:7 | | They serve also as a guard against every rebellious Satan |
| 37:8 | | That they overhear not what passeth in the assembly on high, for they are darted at from every side |
| 37:9 | | Driven off and consigned to a lasting torment |
| 37:10 | | While, if one steal a word by stealth, a glistening flame pursueth him |
| 37:11 | | Ask the Meccans then, Are they, or the angels whom we have made, the stronger creation? Aye, of coarse clay have we created them |
| 37:12 | | But while thou marvellest they mock |
| 37:13 | | When they are warned, no warning do they take |
| 37:14 | | And when they see a sign, they fall to mocking |
| 37:15 | | And say, "This is no other than clear sorcery |
| 37:16 | | What! when dead, and turned to dust and bones, shall we indeed be raised |
| 37:17 | | Our sires also of olden times?" |
| 37:18 | | Say, Yes; and ye shall be covered with disgrace |
| 37:19 | | For, one blast only, and lo! they shall gaze around them |
| 37:20 | | And shall say, "Oh! woe to us! this is the day of reckoning |
| 37:21 | | This is the day of decision which ye gainsaid as an untruth." |
| 37:22 | | Gather together those who have acted unjustly, and their consorts, and the gods whom they adore |
| 37:23 | | Beside God; and guide them to the road for Hell |
| 37:24 | | Set them forth: they shall be questioned |
| 37:25 | | "How now, that ye help not one another?" |
| 37:26 | | But on this day they shall submit themselves to God |
| 37:27 | | And shall address one another with mutual reproaches |
| 37:28 | | They shall say, "In sooth, ye came to us in well-omened sort:" |
| 37:29 | | But they will answer, "Nay, it was ye who would not believe |
| 37:30 | | and we had no power whatever over you. Nay, ye were people given to transgress |
| 37:31 | | Just, therefore, is the doom which our Lord hath passed upon us. We shall surely taste it |
| 37:32 | | We made you err, for we had erred ourselves." |
| 37:33 | | Partners therefore shall they be in punishment on that day |
| 37:34 | | Truly, thus will we deal with the wicked |
| 37:35 | | Because when it was said to them, There is no God but God, they swelled with pride |
| 37:36 | | And said, "Shall we then abandon our gods for a crazed poet?" |
| 37:37 | | Nay, he cometh with truth and confirmeth the Sent Ones of old |
| 37:38 | | Ye shall surely taste the painful punishment |
| 37:39 | | And ye shall not be rewarded but as ye have wrought |
| 37:40 | | Save the sincere servants of God |
| 37:41 | | A stated banquet shall they hav |
| 37:42 | | Of fruits; and honoured shall they b |
| 37:43 | | In the gardens of delight |
| 37:44 | | Upon couches face to face |
| 37:45 | | A cup shall be borne round among them from a fountain |
| 37:46 | | Limpid, delicious to those who drink |
| 37:47 | | It shall not oppress the sense, nor shall they therewith be drunken |
| 37:48 | | And with them are the large-eyed ones with modest refraining glances |
| 37:49 | | fair like the sheltered egg |
| 37:50 | | And they shall address one another with mutual questions |
| 37:51 | | Saith one of them, "I truly had a bosom friend |
| 37:52 | | Who said, 'Art thou of those who credit it |
| 37:53 | | What! when we shall have died, and become dust and bones, shall we indeed be judged?" |
| 37:54 | | He shall say to those around him, "Will ye look?" |
| 37:55 | | And he shall look and see him in the midst of Hell |
| 37:56 | | And he shall say to him, "By God, thou hadst almost caused me to perish |
| 37:57 | | And, but for the favour of my Lord, I had surely been of those who have been brought with thee into torment." |
| 37:58 | | "But do we not die," say the blessed |
| 37:59 | | "Any other than our first death? and have we escaped the torment?" |
| 37:60 | | This truly is the great felicity |
| 37:61 | | For the like of this should the travailers travail |
| 37:62 | | Is this the better repast or the tree Ez-zakkoum |
| 37:63 | | Verily, we have made it for a subject of discord to the wicked |
| 37:64 | | It is a tree which cometh up from the bottom of hell |
| 37:65 | | Its fruits is as it were the heads of Satans |
| 37:66 | | And, lo! the damned shall surely eat of it and fill their bellies with it |
| 37:67 | | Then shall they have, thereon, a mixture of boiling water |
| 37:68 | | Then shall they return to hell |
| 37:69 | | They found their fathers erring |
| 37:70 | | And they hastened on in their footsteps |
| 37:71 | | Also before them the greater number of the ancients had erred |
| 37:72 | | Though we had sent warners among them |
| 37:73 | | But see what was the end of these warned ones |
| 37:74 | | Except of God's true servants |
| 37:75 | | Noah called on us of old, and right prompt were we to hear him |
| 37:76 | | And we saved him and his family out of the great distress |
| 37:77 | | And we made his offspring the survivors |
| 37:78 | | And we left for him with posterity |
| 37:79 | | "Peace be on Noah throughout the worlds!" |
| 37:80 | | Thus do we reward the well-doers |
| 37:81 | | For he was one of our believing servants; |
| 37:82 | | And the rest we drowned |
| 37:83 | | And truly, of his faith was Abraham |
| 37:84 | | When he brought to his Lord a perfect heart |
| 37:85 | | When he said to his father and to his people, "What is this ye worship |
| 37:86 | | Prefer ye with falsehood gods to God |
| 37:87 | | And what deem ye of the Lord of the worlds?" |
| 37:88 | | So gazing he gazed towards the stars |
| 37:89 | | And said, "In sooth I am ill |
| 37:90 | | And they turned their back on him and departed |
| 37:91 | | He went aside to their gods and said, "Do ye not eat |
| 37:92 | | What aileth you that ye do not speak?" |
| 37:93 | | He broke out upon them, with the right hand striking |
| 37:94 | | When his tribesmen came back to him with hasty step |
| 37:95 | | He said, "Worship ye what ye carve |
| 37:96 | | When God hath created you, and that ye make?" |
| 37:97 | | They said, "Build up a pyre for him and cast him into the glowing flame." |
| 37:98 | | Fain would they plot against him, but we brought them low |
| 37:99 | | And he said, "Verily, I repair to my Lord who will guide me |
| 37:100 | | O Lord give me a son, of the righteous." |
| 37:101 | | We announced to him a youth of meekness |
| 37:102 | | And when he became a full-grown youth, His father said to him, "My son, I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice thee; therefore, consider what thou seest right." He said, "My father, do what thou art bidden; of the patient, if God please, shalt thou find me." |
| 37:103 | | And when they had surrendered them to the will of God, he laid him down upon his forehead |
| 37:104 | | We cried unto him, "O Abraham |
| 37:105 | | Now hast thou satisfied the vision." See how we recompense the righteous |
| 37:106 | | This was indeed a decisive test |
| 37:107 | | And we ransomed his son with a costly victim |
| 37:108 | | And we left this for him among posterity |
| 37:109 | | "PEACE BE ON ABRAHAM!" |
| 37:110 | | Thus do we reward the well-doers |
| 37:111 | | For he was of our believing servants |
| 37:112 | | And we announced Isaac to him - a righteous Prophet |
| 37:113 | | And on him and on Isaac we bestowed our blessing. And among their offspring were well-doers, and others, to their own hurt undoubted sinners |
| 37:114 | | And of old, to Moses and to Aaron shewed we favours |
| 37:115 | | And both of them, and their people, we rescued from the great distress |
| 37:116 | | And we succoured them, and they became the conquerors |
| 37:117 | | And we gave them (Moses and Aaron) each the lucid book |
| 37:118 | | And we guided them each into the right way |
| 37:119 | | And we left this for each among posterity |
| 37:120 | | "PEACE BE ON MOSES AND AARON." |
| 37:121 | | Thus do we reward the well-doers |
| 37:122 | | For they were two of our believing servants |
| 37:123 | | And Elias truly was of our Sent Ones |
| 37:124 | | When he said to his people, "Fear ye not God |
| 37:125 | | Invoke ye Baal and forsake ye the most skilful Creator |
| 37:126 | | God is your Lord, and the Lord of your sires of old?" |
| 37:127 | | But they treated him as a liar, and shall therefore be consigned to punishment |
| 37:128 | | Except God's faithful servants |
| 37:129 | | And we left this for him among posterity |
| 37:130 | | "PEACE BE ON ELIASIN!" |
| 37:131 | | Thus do we reward the well-doers |
| 37:132 | | For he was one of our believing servants |
| 37:133 | | And Lot truly was of our Sent Ones |
| 37:134 | | When we rescued him and all his family |
| 37:135 | | Save an aged woman among those who tarried |
| 37:136 | | Afterward we destroyed the others |
| 37:137 | | And ye indeed pass by their ruined dwellings at mor |
| 37:138 | | And night: will ye not then reflect |
| 37:139 | | Jonas, too, was one of the Apostles |
| 37:140 | | When he fled unto the laden ship |
| 37:141 | | And lots were cast, and he was doomed |
| 37:142 | | And the fish swallowed him, for he was blameworthy |
| 37:143 | | But had he not been of those who praise Us |
| 37:144 | | In its belly had he surely remained, till the day of resurrection |
| 37:145 | | And we cast him on the bare shore - and he was sick; |
| 37:146 | | And we caused a gourd-plant to grow up over him |
| 37:147 | | And we sent him to a hundred thousand persons, or even more |
| 37:148 | | And because they believed, we continued their enjoyments for a season |
| 37:149 | | Inquire then of the Meccans whether thy Lord hath daughters, and they, sons |
| 37:150 | | Have we created the angels females? and did they witness it |
| 37:151 | | Is it not a falsehood of their own devising, when they say |
| 37:152 | | "God hath begotten"? They are indeed liars |
| 37:153 | | Would he have preferred daughters to sons |
| 37:154 | | What reason have ye for thus judging |
| 37:155 | | Will ye not then receive this warning |
| 37:156 | | Have ye a clear proof for them |
| 37:157 | | Produce your Book if ye speak truth |
| 37:158 | | And they make him to be of kin with the Djinn: but the Djinn have long known that these idolaters shall be brought up before God |
| 37:159 | | Far be the glory of God from what they impute to him |
| 37:160 | | "His faithful servants do not thus |
| 37:161 | | Moreover, ye and what ye worshi |
| 37:162 | | Shall not stir up any against God |
| 37:163 | | Save him who shall burn in Hell |
| 37:164 | | And verily each one of us hath his appointed place |
| 37:165 | | And we range ourselves in order |
| 37:166 | | And we celebrate His praises." |
| 37:167 | | And if those infidels say |
| 37:168 | | "Had we a revelation transmitted to us from those of old |
| 37:169 | | We had surely been God's faithful servants." |
| 37:170 | | Yet they believe not the Koran. But they shall know its truth at last |
| 37:171 | | Our word came of old to our servants the apostles |
| 37:172 | | That they should surely be the succoured |
| 37:173 | | And that our armies should procure the victory for them |
| 37:174 | | Turn aside therefore from them for a time |
| 37:175 | | And behold them, for they too shall in the end behold their doom |
| 37:176 | | Would they then hasten our vengeance |
| 37:177 | | But when it shall come down into their courts, an evil morning shall it be to those who have had their warning |
| 37:178 | | Turn aside from them therefore for a time |
| 37:179 | | And behold; for they too shall in the end behold their doom |
| 37:180 | | Far be the glory of thy Lord, the Lord of all greatness, from what they impute to him |
| 37:181 | | And peace be on his Apostles |
| 37:182 | | And praise be to God the Lord of the worlds |
