The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

a
The Meccan polytheists claimed the angels were God’s daughters.
b
See
20: 109.
The Qur
an
21: 16
204

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35Every soul is certain to taste death: We test you all through the bad
and the good, and to Us you will all return. 
36When the disbelievers
see you, they laugh at you: ‘Is this the one who talks about your
gods?’ They reject any talk of the Lord of Mercy.
37Man was created hasty: I will show you My signs soon, so do not
ask Me to hasten them. 
38They say, ‘When will this promise be
ful
filled, if what you say is true?’ 39If the disbelievers only knew, the
time will arrive when they will not be able to ward o
ff the Fire from
their faces or their backs, and they will get no help. 
40It will come
upon them suddenly and stupefy them; they will be powerless to
push it away; they will not be reprieved.
41Messengers before you [Muhammad] were also ridiculed, but
those who mocked them were overwhelmed in the end by the very
thing they had mocked. 
42Say, ‘Who could protect you night and day
from the Lord of Mercy?’ Yet they turn away when their Lord is
mentioned. 
43Do they have gods who can defend them against Us?
Their gods have no power to help themselves, nor can they be pro-
tected from Us. 
44We have allowed these sinners and their fore-
fathers to enjoy life for a long time. But do they not see how We are
shrinking their borders? Is it they who will prevail? 
45Say, ‘I warn
you only through the Revelation.’ The deaf will not hear the warning
call,
46yet if a mere breath of your Lord’s punishment touches
them, they will be sure to cry, ‘Woe to us! We were wrong!’
47We
will set up scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection so that no
one can be wronged in the least, and if there should be even the
weight of a mustard seed, We shall bring it out –
– We take excellent
account.
48We gave Moses and Aaron [the Scripture] that distinguishes
right from wrong, a light and a reminder for those who are mindful
of God, 
49those who stand in awe of their Lord, though He is
unseen, and who fear the Hour. 
50This [Quran] too is a blessed
message We have sent down –
– are you [people] going to deny it?
51Long ago We bestowed right judgement on Abraham and We knew
him well. 
52He said to his father and his people, ‘What are these
images to which you are so devoted?’
53They replied, ‘We found our
fathers worshipping them.’
54He said, ‘You and your fathers have
clearly gone astray.’
55They asked, ‘Have you brought us the truth or
are you just playing about?’
56He said, ‘Listen! Your true Lord is the
Lord of the heavens and the earth, He who created them, and I am a
The Prophets
205
21: 56

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witness to this. 
57By God I shall certainly plot against your idols as
soon as you have turned your backs!’
58He broke them all into pieces,
but left the biggest one for them to return to. 
59They said, ‘Who has
done this to our gods? How wicked he must be!’
60Some said, ‘We
heard a youth called Abraham talking about them.’
61They said,
‘Bring him before the eyes of the people, so that they may witness
[his trial].’
62They asked, ‘Was it you, Abraham, who did this to our
gods?’
63He said, ‘No, it was done by the biggest of them–– this one.
Ask them, if they can talk.’
64They turned to one another, saying, ‘It
is you who are in the wrong,’
65but then they lapsed again and said,
‘You know very well these gods cannot speak.’
66Abraham said, ‘How
can you worship what can neither bene
fit nor harm you, instead of
God?
67Shame on you and on the things you worship instead of God.
Have you no sense?’
68They said, ‘Burn him and avenge your gods, if
you are going to do the right thing.’
69But We said, ‘Fire, be cool and
safe for Abraham.’
70They planned to harm him, but We made them
su
ffer the greatest loss. 71We saved him and Lot [and sent them] to
the land We blessed for all people, 
72and We gave him Isaac and Jacob
as an additional gift, and made each of them righteous. 
73We made all
of them leaders, guiding others by Our command, and We inspired
them to do good works, to keep up the prayer, and to give alms: they
were Our true worshippers. 
74We gave Lot sound judgement and
knowledge and saved him from the community who practised
obscenities –
– they were shameless people who broke God’s law! 
75We
admitted him to Our mercy; he was a righteous man.
76Long before that, We answered Noah when he cried out to Us:
We saved him and his family from the great calamity 
77and We
helped him against the people who rejected Our signs –
– they were
evil people, so We drowned them all.
78And remember David and Solomon, when they gave judgement
regarding the 
field into which sheep strayed by night and grazed. We
witnessed their judgement 
79and made Solomon understand the case
[better], though We gave sound judgement and knowledge to both of
them. We made the mountains and the birds celebrate Our praises
with David –
– We did all these things –
–
80We taught him how to make
coats of mail for the bene
fit of you [people], to protect you in your
wars, but are you grateful for this? 
81We harnessed the stormy wind
for Solomon, so that it sped by his command to the land We had
blessed –
– We have knowledge of all things –
–
82and We made some of