Surah Ornaments of Gold [Az-Zukhruf] in English

Ha. Mim.

By this luminous Book.

Verily We! We have made it an Arabic Qur'an that haply ye may reflect.

And verily it is, in the Original Book before Us, indeed exalted.

Shall We then take away from you the Admonition because ye are a people extravagant?

And how many a prophet We sent among the ancients.

And not a prophet came Unto them but him they were wont to mock.

Wherefore We destroyed peoples mightier than these in prowess; and there hath gone forth the example of the ancients.

And if thou askest them: who hath created the heavens and the earth? they will surely say: created them the Mighty, the Knower.

Who hath made for you the earth a bed, and hath made for you paths therein that haply ye may be directed.

And Who sendeth down from the heaven water in measure; then We quicken a dead land therewith: even so ye shall be brought forth.

And Who hath treated the pairs, all of them, and appointed for you from ships and cattle things whereon ye ride.

That ye mount firmly on the backs thereof, and then may remember the favour of your Lord When ye mount thereon, and may say: hallowed be He Who hath subjected this Unto us, and we for it were not fit.

And verily Unto our Lord we are to return.

And they appoint for Him from His bondmen a part! Verily man is an ingrate manifest.

Hath He taken for Himself from whatsoever He hath created daughters, and hath honoured you with sons.

And when there is announced Unto any of them the birth of that which he likeneth Unto the Compassionate, his countenance remaineth darkened the whole day and he is wroth inwardly.\"

Hath He taken to Himself that which is reared in ornaments, and is in contention not plain?

And they make the angels who are the bondmen of the Compassionate females. Have they witnessed their creation? Their testimony will be written down, and they will be questioned.

And they say: had the Compassionate willed we should not have worshipped them. They have no knowledge thereof; they are only guessing.

Have We vouchsafed Unto them any Book before this, so that they are to it holding fast?

Nay! they say: verily we have found our fathers on a certain way, and verily by their footsteps we are guided.

And in this wise We sent not before thee into any city a warner but the affluent thereof said: verily we! we found our fathers on a certain way and verily their footsteps we are following.

The warner said: What! even though bring you a better guidance than that which ye found your fathers upon They said: verily in that wherewith ye are sent we are disbelievers.

Wherefore We took revenge on them. Behold, then how hath been the end of the beliers?

And recall what time Ibrahim said Unto his father and his people: verily I am quit of that which ye worship.

Save Him Who hath created me, and then He would guide me.

And he made it a word lasting among his posterity that haply they should return.

Aye! I let these and their fathers enjoy life, until there hath come Unto them the truth and an apostle manifest.

And when the truth cometh Unto them, they say this is magic, and verily we are therein disbelievers.

And they say: wherefore hath not this Qur'an been revealed to a man of the two cities who was great.

Shall they apportion their Lord's mercy? It is We Who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the War, and raised some of them over others in degrees, so that one of them may take another as a serf; and the mercy of thy Lord is better than that which they amass.

And were it not that mankind would have become one community, We should make for those who disbelieve in the Compassionate roofs of silver for their houses and silver stair ways whereby they ascend.

And silver doors for their houses, and silver couches whereon they recline,

And ornament of gold. And yet all that would have been but a pro vision Of the life of the World; and the Hereafter with thy Lord is for the Godfearing.

And whosoever blindeth himself to the admonition of the Compassionate, We assign Unto him a Satan, and he becometh his companion.

And verily they hinder them from the way, whilst they deem that they are rightly guided.

Until when he cometh Unto Us, he will say. Ah! would that there had been between me and thee, the distance of the east and the west an evil companion

And it Will profit you not today, because ye have done wrong, that ye are in the torment sharers.

Wherefore canst thou make the deaf to hear, or canst thou guide the blind or him who is is error manifest?

And if We take thee away. We shall surely take vengeance on them.

Or if We shew thee that wherewith We threaten them, verily We are going to prevail over them.

Hold thou fast wherefore to that which is revealed Unto thee: verily thou art on the straight path. s

And verily it is an admonition Unto thee and thy people; and presently ye will be questioned.

And ask thou Our apostles whom We sent before thee: appointed We gods, beside the Compassionate, to be worshipped?

And assuredly We sent Musa with Our signs Unto Fir'awn and his chiefs, and he said: verily I am an apostle of the Lord of the worlds.

Then when he came Unto them with Our signs, behold! at them they were laughing.

And not a sign We shewed them but it was greater than the like thereof; and We laid hold of them with the torment that haply they might turn.

And they said: magician! supplicate thy Lord for us for that which He hath covenanted with thee; verily we shall let ourselves be guided.

Then When We had removed from them the torment, behold they were breaking their promise.

And Fir'awn proclaimed among his people, saying: O my people! is not mine the dominion of Mis and witness yonder rivers flowing underneath me? See ye not?

Aye! I am better than this one who is depicable, and well- nigh cannot make himself plain.

Wherefore, then, have bracelets of gold not been set upon him, and wherefore have not angels come with him accompanying

Then he incited his people and they obeyed him; verily they were ever a transgressing people.

So when they vexed Us, We took vengeance on them, and We drowned them all.

And We made them a precedent and an ensample Unto those after.

And when the son of Maryam is held up, an example, behold! thy people thereat cry out.

And they say: are our gods better, or is he? They mention him not to thee save for disputation. Aye! they are a people contentious.

He is naught but a bondman: him We favoured, and him We made an ensample Unto the Children of Israil.

And had We willed We could have appointed angels born of you in the earth to succeed each other.

And verily he is a sign of the Hour wherefore dubitate not thereof, and follow Me: this is the straight path.

And let not the Satan hinder you; verily he is Unto you an enemy manifest.

And when Isa came with; evidences, he said: of a surety I have come Unto you with Wisdom, and to expound Unto you some of that wherein ye differ; so fear Allah and obey me.

Verily Allah! He is my lord and your Lord, so worship Him: this is the straight path.

Then the sects differed among themselves. Woe then Unto those who do Wrong because of the torment of an afflictive Day.

They await but the Hour: that it should come upon them of a sudden, while they perceive not.

The intimate friends on that Day Will be hostile Unto one another save the God-fearing.

O My bondmen! no fear shall be on you Today, nor shall ye grieve

Ye who believed in Our revelations and were Muslims.

Enter the Garden, ye and your spouses, joyfully.

Passed round amongst them will be dishes of gold and goblets, and therein will be whatsoever souls desire and eyes delight in; and ye will be therein abiders.

This is the Garden which ye have been made to inherit for that which ye have been working.

For you therein will be fruits in plenty whereof ye will eat.

Verily the culprits in Hell's torment will be abiders.

It shall not be abated from off them, and they will be therein despondent.

And We wronged them not, but they have been the wrong- doers themselves.

And -they will cry: O keeper let thy Lord make an end of us. He will say: verily ye shall bide

Assuredly We brought the truth Unto you, but most Of you are to the truth averse.

Have they determined an affair? then verily We are also determining.

Bethink they that We hear not their secrets and whispers? Yea! We do, and Our messengers present with them write down.

Say thou: had the Compassionate a son, shall be the first of his worshippers.

Hallowed be the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne, from that which they ascribe!

So let them thou alone wading and sporting until hey meet the Day which they are promised.

And He it is Who is God in the heavens and God in the earth, and He is the Wise, the Knower.

And blest be He Whose is the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is in-between the twain, and with Him is knowledge of the Hour, and Unto Him ye will be made to return.

And those whom they call upon beside Him own not the power of intercession save those who have borne witness to the truth and who know.

And wert thou to ask them who created them, they will surely say: God. Witherward then are they deviating!

And We hear his saying: my Lord! verily these are a people who believe not.