— 60 verses
By those that scatter with a true scattering
Then carry the load
Then speed lightly along
And then distribute by Our command
Surely, that which you are promised is true
And Judgment will, surely, come to pass
And by the heaven full of tracks
Truly you at variance in what you say
He alone is turned away from the truth who is decreed to be turned away
Cursed be the liars
Who are heedless of truth in the depths of ignorance
They ask, when will the Day of Judgment be?
Say, `It will be the day when they will be tormented with the torment of the Fire.
And it will be said to them, `Taste ye your torment. This is what you asked to be hastened.
But surely, the righteous will be in the midst of gardens and springs
Taking what their Lord will bestow upon them; for they used to do good before that
They slept but a little of the night
And at dawn they prayed for divine pardon
And in their wealth was a share for those who asked for help and for those who could not
And in the earth are Signs for those who have certainty of faith
And also in your ownselves. Will you not then see
And in heaven is your sustenance, and also that which you are promised
And by the Lord of the heaven and the earth it is certainly the truth, just as it is true that you speak
Has the story of Abraham's honoured guests reached thee
When they came to him and said, `Peace !' he said in reply, `On you be peace.' He thought that they were strangers
And he went quietly to his household, and brought a fatted calf
And he placed it before them and said, `Will you not eat?
And he conceived a fear of them. They said, `Fear not.' And they gave him glad tidings of the birth of a son who would be blessed with knowledge
Then his wife came forward extremely embarrassed and smote her face and said, `I am but a barren old woman !
They said, `Even so has thy Lord said. Surely, HE is the Wise, the All-Knowing.
Abraham said, `Now what is your errand, O ye who have been sent?
They said, `We have been sent to a sinful people
That we may send down upon them stones of clay
Marked, with thy Lord, for those guilty of excesses.
And we brought forth therefrom such of the believers as were there
And WE found there only one house of those who were obedient to US
And WE left therein a Sign for those who fear painful punishment
And in the story of Moses also there was a Sign when WE sent him to Pharaoh with clear authority
But he turned away from Moses in pride of his might, and said, `A sorcerer, or a madman.
So WE seized him and his hosts and threw them into the sea; and he was to blame
And there was a Sign in the story of the tribe of AD, when WE sent against them the destructive wind
It spared nothing whatever that it came upon but made it like a rotten bone
And a Sign there was in the story of the tribe of Thamud when it was said to them, `Enjoy yourselves for a while.
But they rebelled against the command of their Lord. So the thunderbolt overtook them while they gazed
And they were not able to rise up, nor were they able to defend themselves
And WE destroyed the people of Noah before them; they were a disobedient people
And WE have built the heavens with Our own hands, and, verily, WE have vast powers
And the earth WE have spread out, and how excellently do WE spread it out
And of everything have WE created pairs that you may reflect
Flee ye, therefore, unto ALLAH. Surely, I am a plain Warner unto you from Him
And do not set up another god along with ALLAH. Surely, I am a plain Warner unto you from HIM
Even so there came no Messenger to those before them, but they said, `A sorcerer or a madman.
Have they bequeathed this attitude to one another? Nay, they are all a rebellious people
So turn away from them; and thou will not be to blame for what they do
And keep on exhorting; for, verily, exhortation benefits those who would believe
And I have not created the jinn and the men but that they may worship ME
I desire of them no provision, neither do I desire that they should feed ME
Surely, it is ALLAH Himself Who is the Great Sustainer, the Lord of Power, the Strong
So the fate of those who do wrong shall, surely, be like the fate of their fellows of old; so let them not challenge ME to hasten on the punishment
Woe, then, to those who disbelieve, because of that day of theirs which they have been promised