The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

 Ad and Thamud: 14when their messengers came to
them, from all angles,
a
saying, “Serve no one but God,” they said,
“If our Lord had wished, He would have sent down angels. We do
not believe in the message with which you have been sent.”
15The
people of 
 Ad behaved arrogantly throughout the land without any
right, saying, “Who could be stronger than us?” Did they not realize
that God, who created them, was stronger than them?’ They con-
tinued to reject Our message, 
16so We let a roaring wind loose on
them for a few disastrous days to make them taste the punishment of
shame in this world; more shameful still will be the punishment of
the life to come, and they will not be helped. 
17As for Thamud, We
gave them guidance but they preferred blindness, so they were
struck by a blast of humiliating punishment for their misdeeds. 
18We
saved those who believed and were mindful of God.
19On the Day when God’s enemies are gathered up for the Fire
and driven onward, 
20their ears, eyes, and skins will, when they reach
it, testify against them for their misdeeds. 
21They will say to their
skins, ‘Why did you testify against us?’ and their skins will reply,
‘God, who gave speech to everything, has given us speech –
– it was
He who created you the 
first time and to Him you have been
returned –
–
22yet you did not try to hide yourselves from your ears,
eyes, and skin to prevent them from testifying against you. You
thought that God did not know about much of what you were doing,
23so it was the thoughts you entertained about your Lord that led to
your ruin, and you became losers.’
24The Fire will still be their home,
even if they resign themselves to patience, and if they pray to be
allowed to make amends, they will not be given permission to do so.
25We have appointed, for the disbelievers, companions
b
who make
their past and present seem fair and right to them, but the sentence
has already been passed on them, along with generations of jinn and
men before them: they were losers. 
26The disbelievers say, ‘Do not
listen to this Qur
an; drown it in frivolous talk: you may gain the
a
Literally ‘from before and from behind’, i.e. using all angles of argument. The
messengers tried every method to persuade their people of the truth of their message.
b
See
43: 36; 50: 27 ff.
The Qur
an
41: 13
308

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upper hand.’
27We shall certainly give the disbelievers a taste of
severe punishment. We shall repay them according to their worst
deeds –
–
28that is the reward of the enemies of God–– the Fire will be
their lasting home, a payment for their rejection of Our revelations.
29The disbelievers will say, ‘Our Lord, show us those jinn and men
who misled us and we shall trample them underfoot, so that they
may be among the lowest of the low.’
30As for those who say, ‘Our
Lord is God,’ and take the straight path towards Him, the angels
come down to them and say, ‘Have no fear or grief, but rejoice in the
good news of Paradise, which you have been promised. 
31We are your
allies in this world and in the world to come, where you will have
everything you desire and ask for 
32as a welcoming gift from the
Most Forgiving, Most Merciful One.’
33Who speaks better than someone who calls people to God, does
what is right, and says, ‘I am one of those devoted to God’?
34Good
and evil cannot be equal. [Prophet], repel evil with what is better and
your enemy will become as close as an old and valued friend, 
35but
only those who are steadfast in patience, only those who are blessed
with great righteousness, will attain to such goodness. 
36If a prompt-
ing from Satan should stir you, seek refuge with God: He is the All
Hearing and the All Knowing.
37The night, the day, the sun, the moon, are only a few of His
signs. Do not bow down in worship to the sun or the moon, but bow
down to God who created them, if it is truly Him that you worship.
38If the disbelievers are too arrogant, [remember, Prophet, that]
those who are with your Lord glorify Him tirelessly night and day.
39Another of His signs is this: you see the earth lying desolate, but
when We send water down on to it, it stirs and grows. He who gives it
life will certainly give life to the dead. He has power over everything.
40Those who distort the meaning of Our message are not hidden
from Us. Is he who is hurled into the Fire better, or he who comes
through safely on the Day of Resurrection? Do whatever you want,
God certainly sees everything you do. 
41Those who reject the Quran
when it comes to them –
– though it is an unassailable Scripture
42which falsehood cannot touch from any angle, a Revelation
sent down from the Wise One, Worthy of All Praise –
–
43[should
remember that] you [Prophet] are not told anything that the
previous messengers were not told: your Lord is a Lord of forgive-
ness, but also of painful punishment. 
44If We had made it a foreign