The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

c
who brought down this Qur
an: 211it is
neither in their interests nor in their power, 
212indeed they are pre-
vented from overhearing it. 
213So [Prophet] do not invoke any gods
beside God, or you will incur punishment. 
214Warn your nearest
kinsfolk 
215and lower your wing tenderly over the believers who
a
Generally understood to mean the Angel Gabriel.
b
This alludes to the refusal of many Meccan Arabs to believe that revelation could
come to a man from among themselves.
c
Cf. 
72: 8–9; 37: 7–10.
The Poets
237
26: 215

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follow you. 
216If they disobey you, say, ‘I bear no responsibility for
your actions.’
217Put your trust in the Almighty, the Merciful, 218who
sees you when you stand up [for prayer] 
219and sees your movements
among the worshippers: 
220He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.
221Shall I tell you who the jinn come down to? 222They come down to
every lying sinner 
223who readily lends an ear to them, and most of
them are liars: 
224only those who are lost in error follow the poets.
a
225Do you not see how they rove aimlessly in every valley; 226how
they say what they do not do?
b
227Not so those [poets] who believe, do
good deeds, remember God often, and defend themselves after
they have been wronged. The evildoers will 
find out what they will
return to.
a
The Meccans dismissed the Qur
an as poetry. After the Prophet moved to Medina,
the Meccans commissioned poets to satirize the Muslims, and some Muslim poets
counter-attacked.
b
Poets used to boast and exaggerate in their praise-poems and satires.
The Qur
an
26: 216
238

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27. THE ANTS
A Meccan sura which takes its title from the ants mentioned in the Solomon
story (verses 
18–19). It both opens and closes by describing the Quran as joyful
news for the believers and a warning for others. It gives stories of past prophets
and the destruction of the communities that disbelieved in them. Illustrations
are given of the nature of God’s power, contrasted with the total lack of power
of the ‘partners’ they worship beside Him, and descriptions are given of the
Day of Judgement for those who deny it.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1Ta Sin
These are the verses of the Qur
an––a scripture that makes things
clear; 
2a guide and joyful news for the believers 3who keep up the
prayer, pay the prescribed alms, and believe 
firmly in the life to
come. 
4As for those who do not believe in the life to come, We have
made their deeds seem alluring to them, so they wander blindly: 
5it
is they who will have the worst su
ffering, and will be the ones to lose
most in the life to come. 
6You [Prophet] receive the Quran from One
who is all wise, all knowing.
7Moses said to his family, ‘I have seen a fire. I will bring you news
from there, or a burning stick for you to warm yourselves.’ 
8When he
reached the 
fire, a voice called: ‘Blessed is the person near this fire
a
and those around it;
b
may God be exalted, the Lord of the Worlds.
9Moses, I am God, the Mighty, the Wise. 10Throw down your staff,’
but when he saw it moving like a snake, he turned and 
fled. ‘Moses,
do not be afraid! The messengers need have no fear in My presence,
11I am truly most forgiving and merciful to those who do wrong,
c
and then replace their evil with good. 
12Put your hand inside your
cloak and it will come out white, but unharmed. These are among