The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

a
See
11: 72.
The Qur
an
51: 30
344

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52. THE MOUNTAIN
A Meccan sura which addresses many of the arguments put to the Prophet by
the disbelievers of Mecca (verses 
29–49). The bliss that will be enjoyed by the
believers is contrasted to the torments of Hell, and the Prophet is urged to bide
his time, to continue to deliver his message, and to wait with con
fidence for
God’s judgement. God swears by, among other things, Mount Sinai, from which
the sura takes its title, that the Day of Judgement is inevitable.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1By the mountain,
a
2by a Scripture inscribed 3in unrolled parch-
ment,
4by the much-visited House,
b
5by the raised canopy,
c
6by the
ocean ever 
filled, 7[Prophet], your Lord’s punishment is coming––
8it cannot be put off––9on the Day when the sky sways back and
forth 
10and the mountains float away.
d
11Woe on that Day to those
who deny the Truth, 
12who amuse themselves with idle chatter: 13on
that Day they will be thrust into the Fire of Hell. 
14‘This is the Fire
you used to deny. 
15So is this sorcery? Do you still not see it? 16Burn
in it –– it makes no di
fference whether you bear it patiently or not––
you are only being repaid for what you have done.’
17Those who were mindful of God are in Gardens and in bliss,
18rejoicing in their Lord’s gifts: He has saved them from the torment
of the Blaze, 
19‘Eat and drink with healthy enjoyment as a reward for
what you have done.’ 
20They are comfortably seated
e
on couches
arranged in rows; We pair them with beautiful-eyed maidens; 
21We
unite the believers with their o
ffspring who followed them in faith––
We do not deny them any of the rewards for their deeds: each person
is in pledge for his own deeds ––
22We provide them with any fruit or
meat they desire. 
23They pass around a cup which does not lead to
any idle talk or sin. 
24Devoted youths like hidden pearls
f
wait on
a
Mount Sinai, see 
95: 2; 23: 20.
b
Understood to refer to the Ka
 ba in Mecca.
c
The sky.
d
See
27: 88.
e
Ittaka
a means ‘to sit, well supported’ (al-Mu jam al-Wasit) (cf. 55: 54, 76).
f
The choicest pearls were kept hidden for their protection and only removed from
safekeeping on very special occasions.

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them.
25They turn to one another and say, 26‘When we were still with
our families [on earth] we used to live in fear ––
27God has been
gracious to us and saved us from the torment of intense heat –
–
28We
used to pray to Him: He is the Good, the Merciful One.’
29So
[Prophet] remind [people].
By the grace of your Lord [Prophet], you are neither oracle nor
madman.
30If
a
they say, ‘He is only a poet: we shall await his fate,’
31say, ‘Wait if you wish; I too am waiting’–– 32does their reason really
tell them to do this, or are they simply insolent people? 
33If they say,
‘He has made it up himself ’–
– they certainly do not believe –
–
34let
them produce one like it, if what they say is true. 
35Were they created
without any agent? Were they the creators? 
36Did they create the
heavens and the earth? No! They do not have faith. 
37Do they pos-
sess your Lord’s treasures or have control over them? 
38Do they have
a ladder to climb, in order to eavesdrop [on Heaven’s secrets]? Let
their eavesdropper produce clear proof. 
39Does God have daughters
while you have sons?
b
40Do you [Prophet] demand a payment from
them that would burden them with debt? 
41Do they have [access to]
the unseen? Could they write it down? 
42Do they think they can
ensnare you? It is the disbelievers who have been ensnared. 
43Do
they really have another god besides God? God is far above anything
they set alongside Him.
44Even if they saw a piece of heaven falling down on them,
c
they
would say, ‘Just a heap of clouds,’
45so leave them, Prophet, until
they face the Day when they will be thunderstruck, 
46the Day when
their snares will be of no use to them, when they will get no help.
47Another punishment awaits the evildoers, though most of them do
not realize it. 
48Wait patiently [Prophet] for your Lord’s judgement:
you are under Our watchful eye. Celebrate the praise of your Lord
when you rise. 
49Glorify Him at night and at the fading of the stars.