The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

an, they would not have believed in it before we did,’
a
and, since they refuse to be guided by it, they say, ‘This is an ancient
fabrication.’
12Yet the scripture of Moses was revealed before it as a
guide and a mercy, and this is a scripture con
firming it in the Arabic
language to warn those who do evil and bring good news for those
who do good. 
13For those who say, ‘Our lord is God,’ and then follow
the straight path there is no fear, nor shall they grieve: 
14they are the
people of Paradise, there to remain as a reward for what they were
doing.
15We have commanded man to be good to his parents: his mother
struggled to carry him and struggled to give birth to him –
– his bear-
ing and weaning took a full thirty months. When he has grown to
manhood and reached the age of forty he [may] say, ‘Lord, help me
to be truly grateful for Your favours to me and to my parents; help
me to do good work that pleases You; make my o
ffspring good. I turn
to You; I am one of those who devote themselves to You.’
16We
accept from such people the best of what they do and We overlook
their bad deeds. They will be among the people of Paradise –
– the
true promise that has been given to them.
17But some say to their parents, ‘What? Are you really warning me
that I shall be raised alive from my grave, when so many generations
have already passed and gone before me?’ His parents implore God
for help; they say, ‘Alas for you! Believe! God’s promise is true,’ but
still he replies, ‘These are nothing but ancient fables.’
18The verdict
has been passed on such people, along with all the communities that
went before them, jinn and human: they are lost. 
19Everyone will be
ranked according to their deeds and God will repay them in full for
what they have done: they will not be wronged. 
20On the Day when
those who deny the truth are brought before the Fire, it will be said
to them, ‘You squandered the good things you were given in your
earthly life, you took your 
fill of pleasure there, so on this Day a
punishment of shame is yours: you were arrogant on earth without
any right, and exceeded all limits.’
a
The disbelievers had particular di
fficulty in accepting the fact that some of those
who believed in Islam were people they considered to be humble ri
ff-raff.
The Qur
an
46: 11
328

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21Mention [Hud] of the tribe of  Ad: he warned his people among
the sand dunes –
– other warners have come and gone both before and
after him –
–‘ Worship no one but God: I fear for you, that you will be
punished on a terrible Day,’
22but they said, ‘Have you come to turn
us away from our gods? If what you say is true, bring down that
punishment you threaten us with!’
23He said, ‘Only God knows
when it will come: I simply convey to you the message I am sent with
but I can see you are an insolent people.’
24When they saw a cloud
approaching their valley, they said, ‘This cloud will give us rain!’ ‘No
indeed! It is what you wanted to hasten: a storm-wind bearing a
painful punishment 
25which will destroy everything by its Lord’s
command.’ In the morning there was nothing to see except their
[ruined] dwellings: this is how We repay the guilty.
26We had established them in a way we have not established you
[people of Mecca]; We gave them hearing, sight, and hearts, yet their
hearing, sight, and hearts were of no use to them, since they denied
God’s revelations. They were overwhelmed by the punishment they
had mocked. 
27We have also destroyed other communities that once
flourished around you–– We had given them various signs so that
they might return to the right way –
–
28so why did their gods not help
them, those they set up as gods besides God to bring them nearer to
Him? No indeed! They failed them utterly: it was all a lie of their
own making.
29We sent a group of jinn to you [Prophet] to listen to the Quran.
When they heard it, they said to one another, ‘Be quiet!’ Then when
it was 
finished they turned to their community and gave them
warning. 
30They said, ‘Our people, we have been listening to a
Scripture that came after Moses, con
firming previous scriptures,
giving guidance to the truth and the straight path. 
31Our people,
respond to the one who calls you to God. Believe in Him: He will
forgive you your sins and protect you from a painful torment.’
32Those who fail to respond to God’s call cannot escape God’s power
anywhere on earth, nor will they have any protector against Him:
such people have clearly gone far astray.
33Do the disbelievers not understand that God, who created the
heavens and earth and did not tire in doing so, has the power to
bring the dead back to life? Yes indeed! He has power over every-
thing. 
34On the Day the disbelievers are brought before Hell [it will
be said to them], ‘Is this not real?’ ‘Yes, by our Lord,’ they will reply