0 SAQ 26. The Poets 26

Then he flung down his staff and it became a serpent ... And he drew forth his hand and lo! it was white 26:32

Trivia: How did Pharaoh punish his chiefs who began to believe in the Lord of the Worlds?

Ta. Sin. Mim. - Scripture made plain
AbsurdityInjusticeIntoleranceCruelty 26:1-9

1Ta. Sin. Mim.

2These are revelations of the Scripture that maketh plain.

3 It may be that thou tormentest thyself (O Muhammad) because they believe not.

4If We will, We can send down on them from the sky a portent so that their necks would remain bowed before it.

5 Never cometh there unto them a fresh reminder from the Beneficent One, but they turn away from it.

Ta. Sin. Mim.

These revelations will make everything plain. [1]

Don't worry (Muhammad) when people don't believe you.

I we [Allah] wanted, we could send down somthing from the sky to bend their necks.

6Now they have denied (the Truth); but there will come unto them tidings of that whereat they used to scoff.

7 Have they not seen the earth, how much of every fruitful kind We make to grow therein?

8 Lo! herein is indeed a portent; yet most of them are not believers.

9 And lo! thy Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.

They deny the truth now,

but later they'll be sorry they scoffed at it.

Moses and the Pharaoh (the long version)
AbsurdityScience and HistoryCrueltyInjustice 26:10-68
Cf. 10:75-90, 20:42-78,

10 And when thy Lord called Moses, saying: Go unto the wrongdoing folk,

Thy Lord called Moses, saying:

Go to the wrongdoing folk -- Pharaoh's people.

11 The folk of Pharaoh. Will they not ward off (evil)?

12 He said: My Lord! Lo! I fear that they will deny me,

13 And I shall be embarrassed, and my tongue will not speak plainly, therefor send for Aaron (to help me).

14 And they have a crime against me, so I fear that they will kill me.

Moses said,

But my tongue doesn't speak plainly.

And I've committed a crime against them [2],

so they'll kill me.

15 He said: Nay, verily. So go ye twain with Our tokens. Lo! We shall be with you, Hearing.

16 And come together unto Pharaoh and say: Lo! we bear a message of the Lord of the Worlds,

17 (Saying): Let the Children of Israel go with us.

The Lord said,

No, you'll be fine. Take my tokens with you. And say,

We have a message from the Lord of the Worlds, saying: Let the Israelites go.

18 (Pharaoh) said (unto Moses): Did we not rear thee among us as a child? And thou didst dwell many years of thy life among us,

The Pharaoh said to Moses,

Didn't we raise you as a child? [3]

19 And thou didst that thy deed which thou didst, and thou wast one of the ingrates.

And you were one of the ingrates. [4]

20 He said: I did it then, when I was of those who are astray.

21 Then I fled from you when I feared you, and my Lord vouchsafed me a command and appointed me (of the number) of those sent (by Him).

22 And this is the past favour wherewith thou reproachest me: that thou hast enslaved the Children of Israel.

Moses said,

Yeah, but that was then.

I ran away from you and then my Lord told me to return.

And now you've paid me back by enslaving the Israelites.

23Pharaoh said: And what is the Lord of the Worlds?

Pharaoh: Who is the Lord of the Worlds?

24 (Moses) said: Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, if ye had but sure belief.

25 (Pharaoh) said unto those around him: Hear ye not?

26 He said: Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers.

Moses: The Lord of the heavens and the earth.

27(Pharaoh) said: Lo! your messenger who hath been sent unto you is indeed a madman!

28 He said: Lord of the East and the West and all that is between them, if ye did but understand.

The Pharaoh said,

You're a madman!

29 (Pharaoh) said: If thou choosest a god other than me, I assuredly shall place thee among the prisoners.

If you choose a god besides me I'll put you in prison.

30 He said: Even though I show thee something plain?

Moses: Even if I show you something plain?

31 (Pharaoh) said: Produce it then, if thou art of the truthful!

Pharaoh: Show me then.

32Then he flung down his staff and it became a serpent manifest,

So Moses threw down his staff, and it bcame a serpent. [5]

33And he drew forth his hand and lo! it was white to the beholders.

And he took out his hand and it was white.

34(Pharaoh) said unto the chiefs about him: Lo! this is verily a knowing wizard,

35 Who would drive you out of your land by his magic. Now what counsel ye?

36 They said: Put him off, (him) and his brother, and send into the cities summoners

37 Who shall bring unto thee every knowing wizard.

38 So the wizards were gathered together at a set time on a day appointed.

39 And it was said unto the people: Are ye (also) gathering?

40 (They said): Aye, so that we may follow the wizards if they are the winners.

Pharaoh said to his cheifs,

Now that's a real wizard!

41 And when the wizards came they said unto Pharaoh: Will there surely be a reward for us if we are the winners?

42 He said: Aye, and ye will then surely be of those brought near (to me).

The wizards said to Pharaoh,

Will there be a reward for us if we win the contest?

The Pharaoh said, "Yes."

43 Moses said unto them: Throw what ye are going to throw!

Moses said, "Throw down your staves."

44 Then they threw down their cords and their staves and said: By Pharaoh's might, lo! we verily are the winners.

So they threw down their staves and said, "We win!"

45Then Moses threw his staff and lo! it swallowed that which they did falsely show.

But then Moses threw down his staff and it swallowed theirs!

46 And the wizards were flung prostrate,

47Crying: We believe in the Lord of the Worlds,

48 The Lord of Moses and Aaron.

Then the wizards fell down and said,

We believe in the Lord of the Worlds.

49(Pharaoh) said: Ye put your faith in him before I give you leave. Lo! he doubtless is your chief who taught you magic! But verily ye shall come to know. Verily I will cut off your hands and your feet alternately, and verily I will crucify you every one.

50They said: It is no hurt, for lo! unto our Lord we shall return.

51 Lo! we ardently hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins because we are the first of the believers.

The Pharaoh said,

You believe in him before I gave you permission.

So I'll cut off your hands and feet on alternate sides and then crucify you. [6]

They said,

Okay, that's fine with us. We'll return to the Lord.

We hope our Lord will forgive us since we are the first believers.

52 And We inspired Moses, saying: Take away My slaves by night, for ye will be pursued.

53 Then Pharaoh sent into the cities summoners,

54 (Who said): Lo! these indeed are but a little troop,

55 And lo! they are offenders against us.

56 And lo! we are a ready host.

57 Thus did We take them away from gardens and watersprings,

58 And treasures and a fair estate.

59 Thus (were those things taken from them) and We caused the Children of Israel to inherit them.

We [Allah] said to Moses,

Leave with my slaves tonight.

60 And they overtook them at sunrise.

The Israelites left and the Egyptians overtook them at sunrise.

61 And when the two hosts saw each other, those with Moses said: Lo! we are indeed caught.

62 He said: Nay, verily! for lo! my Lord is with me. He will guide me.

Moses said, "Okay, they caught us."

63 Then We inspired Moses, saying: Smite the sea with thy staff. And it parted, and each part was as a mountain vast.

64 Then brought We near the others to that place.

65 And We saved Moses and those with him, every one;

We said to Moses, "Smite the sea with your staff."

And the waters parted, saving Moses and the Israelites.

66And We drowned the others.

67 Lo! herein is indeed a portent, yet most of them are not believers.

68 And lo, thy Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.

And we drowned all the others. [7]

Abraham (and his idol-worshiping father)
AbsurdityBoring Stuff 26:69-104
Cf. 6:74-83, 9:35-55, 19:35-33

69Recite unto them the story of Abraham:

70 When he said unto his father and his folk: What worship ye?

71They said: We worship idols, and are ever devoted unto them.

72 He said: Do they hear you when ye cry?

73 Or do they benefit or harm you?

74 They said: Nay, but we found our fathers acting on this wise.

75 He said: See now that which ye worship,

76 Ye and your forefathers!

77 Lo! they are (all) an enemy unto me, save the Lord of the Worlds,

78 Who created me, and He doth guide me,

79 And Who feedeth me and watereth me.

80 And when I sicken, then He healeth me,

Tell the story of Abraham.

Abraham said to his father and his people,

What do you worship?

They said,

We worship idols. We're really devoted to them.

Abraham said,

Do they hear you when you cry to them?

They said, "No, but our fathers worshiped them."

Abraham said,

Well, they are all my enemy,

except for the Lord of the Worlds.

81 And Who causeth me to die, then giveth me life (again),

82 And Who, I ardently hope, will forgive me my sin on the Day of Judgment.

83 My Lord! Vouchsafe me wisdom and unite me to the righteous.

84 And give unto me a good report in later generations.

85 And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of Delight,

Who causes me to die,

and then brings me back to life again.

86 And forgive my father. Lo! he is of those who err.

87 And abase me not on the day when they are raised,

88 The day when wealth and sons avail not (any man)

89 Save him who bringeth unto Allah a whole heart.

90 And the Garden will be brought nigh for those who ward off (evil).

Oh Lord, forgive my father.

91 And hell will appear plainly to the erring.

Those who err will go to hell.

92 And it will be said unto them: Where is (all) that ye used to worship

93 Instead of Allah? Can they help you or help themselves?

94Then will they be hurled therein, they and the seducers

95And the hosts of Iblis, together.

96 And they will say, when they are quarrelling therein:

97 By Allah, of a truth we were in error manifest

98 When we made you equal with the Lord of the Worlds.

99 It was but the guilty who misled us.

100 Now we have no intercessors

101 Nor any loving friend.

Where they'll be asked,

Where are the gods you worshiped?

Cant they help you now?

Then they'll be hurled in with the seducers

and the hosts of Iblis.

Then they'll say,

Yeah, we were wrong.

We shouldn't have made you equal to the Lord of the Worlds.

Now we have no intercessors or friends.

102 Oh, that we had another turn (on earth), that we might be of the believers!

103 Lo! herein is indeed a portent, yet most of them are not believers!

104 And lo, thy Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.

We wish we had another chance on earth.

Maybe then we would be believers!

Noah, the plain warner

105Noah's folk denied the messengers (of Allah),

106 When their brother Noah said unto them: Will ye not ward off (evil)?

107 Lo! I am a faithful messenger unto you,

108 So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me.

Noah's people denied the messengers or Allah,

when Noah said to them,

Won't you ward off evil?

I'm a faithful messenger, so obey me.

109 And I ask of you no wage therefore; my wage is the concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.

You don't have to pay me.

I only care about the Lord of the Worlds.

110So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me.

111 They said: Shall we put faith in thee, when the lowest (of the people) follow thee?

112 He said: And what knowledge have I of what they may have been doing (in the past)?

Just obey me.

The people said to him,

Why should we obey you?

113 Lo! their reckoning is my Lord's concern, if ye but knew;

114 And I am not (here) to repulse believers.

115I am only a plain warner.

Noah said,

I'm not here to repulse believers.

I'm just a plain warner.

116They said: If thou cease not, O Noah, thou wilt surely be among those stoned (to death).

The people said,

If you don't shut up, we'll stone you to death.

117 He said: My Lord! Lo! my own folk deny me.

118 Therefore judge Thou between us, a (conclusive) judgment, and save me and those believers who are with me.

Noah said to Allah,

Judge between them and me.

Save me and believers like me.

119And We saved him and those with him in the laden ship.

120Then afterward We drowned the others.?>

So we saved him and those on the ship.

And we drowned everyone else.

121 Lo! herein is indeed a portent, yet most of them are not believers.

122 And lo, thy Lord, He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.

The prophet Hud and the tribe of A'ad
AbsurdityCrueltyInjustice 26:123-140
Cf. 7:65-72, 11:49-60

123(The tribe of) A'ad denied the messengers (of Allah).

The tribe of A'ad denied Allah's messengers.

124When their brother Hud said unto them: Will ye not ward off (evil)?

125 Lo! I am a faithful messenger unto you,

126 So keep your duty to Allah and obey me.

127 And I ask of you no wage therefor; my wage is the concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.

128 Build ye on every high place a monument for vain delight?

129 And seek ye out strongholds, that haply ye may last for ever?

130 And if ye seize by force, seize ye as tyrants?

When Hud said to them,

Won't you ward off evil?

I'm a faithful messenger to you.

So obey me.

You don't have to pay me.

I'm only concerned with the Lord of the Worlds.

131 Rather keep your duty to Allah, and obey me.

132 Keep your duty toward Him Who hath aided you with (the good things) that ye know,

133 Hath aided you with cattle and sons.

134 And gardens and watersprings.

So obey me.

135 Lo! I fear for you the retribution of an awful day.

I fear for you on the awful day.

136 They said: It is all one to us whether thou preachest or art not of those who preach;

137This is but a fable of the men of old,

138And we shall not be doomed.

139And they denied him; therefor We destroyed them. Lo! herein is indeed a portent, yet most of them are not believers.

140 And lo! thy Lord, He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.

The people said,

Go ahead and preach.

It's nothing but old men's fables.

We won't be doomed.

So they ignored Hud, and we destroyed them.

The prophet Salih and the tribe of Thamud
AbsurdityCrueltyInjustice 26:141-154
Cf. 7:73-79, 11:49-60, 54:23-31

141(The tribe of) Thamud denied the messengers (of Allah)

The tribe of Thamud denied Allah's messengers.

142When their brother Salih said unto them: Will ye not ward off (evil)?

143 Lo! I am a faithful messenger unto you,

144 So keep your duty to Allah and obey me.

145 And I ask of you no wage therefor; my wage is the concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.

146 Will ye be left secure in that which is here before us,

147 In gardens and watersprings.

148 And tilled fields and heavy-sheathed palm-trees,

149 Though ye hew out dwellings in the mountain, being skilful?

When Salih said to them,

Won't you ward off evil?

I'm a faithful messenger to you.

So obey me.

You don't have to pay me.

I'm only concerned with the Lord of the Worlds.

150 Therefor keep your duty to Allah and obey me,

151 And obey not the command of the prodigal,

152 Who spread corruption in the earth, and reform not.

So obey me.

153 They said: Thou art but one of the bewitched;

154 Thou art but a mortal like us. So bring some token if thou art of the truthful.

The people said,

You are bewitched.

Show us some token if you're telling the truth.

Allah's she-camel
AbsurdityCrueltyInjustice 26:155-159
Cf. 7:73-79, 11:61-68,

155He said: (Behold) this she-camel. She hath the right to drink (at the well), and ye have the right to drink, (each) on an appointed day.

156 And touch her not with ill lest there come on you the retribution of an awful day.

Salih said,

Here's a she-camel.

Don't touch her or you'll be punished on an awful day.

157But they hamstrung her, and then were penitent.

But they hamstrung her, and then were penitent.

158So the retribution came on them. Lo! herein is indeed a portent, yet most of them are not believers.

159 And lo! thy Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.

So Allah destroyed them.

Lot: Do you go after the males?
HomosexualityCrueltyInjusticeIntoleranceAbsurdity 26:160-227
Cf. 7:80-84, 11:69-83, 15:44-77, 21:71-75

160The folk of Lot denied the messengers (of Allah),

161 When their brother Lot said unto them: Will ye not ward off (evil)?

162Lo! I am a faithful messenger unto you,

163 So keep your duty to Allah and obey me.

164 And I ask of you no wage therefor; my wage is the concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.

Lot's people denied the messenger of Allah.

When Lot said to them,

Won't you ward off evil?

I'm a faithful messenger to you.

So obey me.

You don't have to pay me.

I'm only concerned with the Lord of the Worlds.

165What! Of all creatures do ye come unto the males,

166And leave the wives your Lord created for you? Nay, but ye are froward folk.

167 They said: If thou cease not, O Lot, thou wilt soon be of the outcast.

What! Of all the creatures, you have sex with males?

And leave your wives alone?

You are messed up folk.

168He said: I am in truth of those who hate your conduct.

I hate your conduct.

169My Lord! Save me and my household from what they do.

Lot said to Allah,

Save me and my family from what they do.

170So We saved him and his household, every one,

171Save an old woman among those who stayed behind.

And we [Allah] saved everyone in his family,

except for an old woman who stayed behind. [8]

172Then afterward We destroyed the others.

173And We rained on them a rain. And dreadful is the rain of those who have been warned.

174 Lo! herein is indeed a portent, yet most of them are not believers.

175 And lo! thy Lord, He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.

Then we destroyed the others

by raining a dreadful rain on them.

The prophet Shu'eyb and the people of Midian
AbsurdityCrueltyInjustice 26:176-189, Cf. 7:85-95

176The dwellers in the wood (of Midian) denied the messengers (of Allah),

The people of Midian denied the messengers of Allah.

177When Shu'eyb said unto them: Will ye not ward off (evil)?

178Lo! I am a faithful messenger unto you,

179 So keep your duty to Allah and obey me.

Shu'eyb said to them,

Won't you ward off evil?

I am a faithful messenger, so obey me.

180 And I ask of you no wage for it; my wage is the concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.

181 Give full measure, and be not of those who give less (than the due).

182 And weigh with the true balance.

183 Wrong not mankind in their goods, and do not evil, making mischief, in the earth.

184 And keep your duty unto Him Who created you and the generations of the men of old.

You don't have to pay me.

I only care about the Lord of the Worlds.

185They said: Thou art but one of the bewitched;

186 Thou art but a mortal like us, and lo! we deem thee of the liars.

They said to him,

You are a bewitched liar.

187 Then make fragments of the heaven fall upon us, if thou art of the truthful.

188 He said: My Lord is Best Aware of what ye do.

If you're telling the truth,

make some piece of heaven fall on us.

189But they denied him, so there came on them the retribution of the day of gloom. Lo! it was the retribution of an awful day.

But they denied Shu'eyb,

so Allah destroyed them on an awful and gloomy day.

Don't follow poets
AbsurdityCrueltyInjustice 26:190-227

190 Lo! herein is indeed a portent; yet most of them are not believers.

191 And lo! thy Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.

192 And lo! it is a revelation of the Lord of the Worlds,

193 Which the True Spirit hath brought down

194 Upon thy heart, that thou mayst be (one) of the warners,

195In plain Arabic speech.

196 And lo! it is in the Scriptures of the men of old.

197 Is it not a token for them that the doctors of the Children of Israel know it?

198 And if We had revealed it unto one of any other nation than the Arabs,

199 And he had read it unto them, they would not have believed in it.

200 Thus do We make it traverse the hearts of the guilty.

The Quran is written in plain Arabic,

and is in the old scriptures.

201They will not believe in it till they behold the painful doom,

202 So that it will come upon them suddenly, when they perceive not.

203 Then they will say: Are we to be reprieved?

204 Would they (now) hasten on Our doom?

205 Hast thou then seen, if We content them for (long) years,

206 And then cometh that which they were promised,

207 (How) that wherewith they were contented naught availeth them?

208 And We destroyed no township but it had its warners

209 For reminder, for We never were oppressors.

210 The devils did not bring it down.

211 It is not meet for them, nor is it in their power,

212 Lo! verily they are banished from the hearing.

But disbelievers won't believe it

until the see the painful doomc

which will come upon them suddenly, when they least expect it.

213 Therefore invoke not with Allah another god, lest thou be one of the doomed.

214 And warn thy tribe of near kindred,

215 And lower thy wing (in kindness) unto those believers who follow thee.

216 And if they (thy kinsfolk) disobey thee, say: Lo! I am innocent of what they do.

217 And put thy trust in the Mighty, the Merciful.

218 Who seeth thee when thou standest up (to pray)

219 And (seeth) thine abasement among those who fall prostrate (in worship).

220 Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Knower.

Don't mention another god around Allah

or you'll be among the doomed.

221Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend?

222 They descend on every sinful, false one.

223 They listen eagerly, but most of them are liars.

Upon whom do the devils descend?

Upon sinners, that's whom.

224As for poets, the erring follow them.

225 Hast thou not seen how they stray in every valley,

226 And how they say that which they do not?

227 Save those who believe and do good works, and remember Allah much, and vindicate themselves after they have been wronged. Those who do wrong will come to know by what a (great) reverse they will be overturned!

Only those in err follow the poets.

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