Surah Ornaments of Gold [Az-Zukhruf] in English

Ha. Mim.

I swear by the illustrious Book.

We have made it an Arabic reading text so that perhaps you may understand.

It (the Quran) exists in the original Book with Us which is certainly Most Exalted, full of wisdom and (beyond linguistic structures).

Can We ignore sending you the Quran just because you are a transgressing people?

How many Messengers did We send to the ancient people?

No Prophet came to them whom they did not mock.

We destroyed the strongest among them in power. The stories of the ancient people have already been mentioned.

(Muhammad), if you ask them, \"Who has created the heavens and the earth?\" They will certainly say, \"The Majestic and All-knowing God has created them\".

It is He who has made the earth for you as a cradle and has made roads therein so that you will perhaps seek guidance.

It is He who has sent down water from the sky in a known measure by which He has given life to the dead earth. In the same way will you also be resurrected.

It is He who has created everything in pairs and the ships and cattle for you to ride,

so that perhaps when you ride them, you will recall the bounties of your Lord and when you establish your control over it you would say, \"Glory belongs to Him who has made it subservient to us when we would not have been able to do so ourselves.

To our Lord we shall all return\".

The pagans have considered some of His servants as His children. There is no doubt that the human being is simply ungrateful.

Has God chosen some of His own creatures as daughters for Himself and has given you the preference of having sons?

When one of them is given the glad news of the birth of a daughter, which they believe to be the only kind of child that the Beneficent God can have, his face blackens with anger.

Does God choose for Himself the kind of children who grow up wearing ornaments and who are not strong enough to defend their rights?

Do they say that the angels, who are the servants of the Beneficent God, are females? Have they witnessed their creation? Their words as such will be recorded and they will be questioned for it.

The pagans say, \"Had the Beneficent God wanted, we would not have worshipped them (idols).\" Whatever they say is not based on knowledge. It is only a false conjecture.

Had We, before sending the Quran, given them a book to which they now refer as an authority?

In fact, they say, \"We found our fathers following a certain belief and we now follow in their footsteps for our guidance\".

In the same way, whenever We had sent a Messenger before you to warn a town, the rich ones therein said, \"We found our fathers following a certain belief and we follow in their footsteps.

The Messengers would say, \"Would you still follow in the footsteps of your fathers even if I was to bring you better guidance?\" They would say, \"We have no faith in your message\".

We took revenge on them. See how terrible the end of those who rejected (Or revelations) was!

When Abraham said to his father and his people, \"I boldly renounce what you worship

except for the One who has created me and will guide me\".

God made (belief in one God) an everlasting task for his successors, so that perhaps they would return (to Him).

In fact, We allowed them and their fathers to enjoy themselves until the truth and a strong Messenger came to them.

When the truth came to them, they said, \"This is magic and we have no faith in it\".

Then they said, \"Why this Quran had not been revealed to a man from either of the two great towns\".

Do they distribute the mercy of your Lord? It is We who have distributed their sustenance in this world and raised the positions of some of them above the others so that they would mock each other. The mercy of your Lord is better than what they can amass.

Were it not for the fear that all people would become one in disbelief, We would have made for the disbelievers in the Beneficent God ceilings out of silver and ladders by which they would climb up,

doors for their houses, couches on which to recline,

and other ornament of gold. All these are only the means of enjoyment in this world, but the pious will receive their reward from your Lord in the life hereafter.

We shall make satan the companion of whoever ignores the remembrance of the Beneficent God.

Satan will prevent them from the right path while they think that they have the right guidance.

When he returns to us, he will say (to satan), \"Would that there had been as long a distance between me and you as that between the East and West. What a terrible companion you have been\".

They will be told on the Day of Judgment, \"Regret will never be of any benefit to you. You have done injustice to your souls and you will share the torment\".

(Muhammad), can you make the deaf hear or guide the blind or the one who is clearly in error?

We shall revenge them either after your death

or show them to you suffering the torment with which We had threatened them. We are certainly dominant over them all.

Follow devotedly that which is revealed to you. You are certainly on the right path.

The Quran is a reminder to you and to your people and you will soon be questioned about it.

You can ask Our Messengers whom We sent before you if We had commanded them to worship other gods besides the Beneficent God?\"

We sent Moses to the Pharaoh and his nobles with Our miracles and he said, \"I am the Messenger of the Lord of the Universe\".

When he showed them Our miracles, they started to laugh at them.

Of all the miracles which We showed to them the latter ones were greater than the former. We struck them with torment so that perhaps they would return to Us.

They said, \"Magician, pray to your Lord for us through your covenant with Him (If he saves us from the torment), we shall certainly seek guidance\".

When We relieved them from the torment they suddenly turned back on their heels.

The Pharaoh shouted to his people, \"My people, is the kingdom of Egypt not mine? and can you not see that the streams flow from beneath my palace?

Am I not better than this lowly man who can barely express himself?

Why have bracelets of gold not been given to him and why have some angels not accompanied him?\"

Thus, he made dimwits out of his people and they followed him. They, certainly, were a sinful people. When they invoked Our anger,

We took revenge on them by drowning them all together.

We made them become of the people of the past and an example for the coming generations.

When the son of Mary was mentioned as an example, you people cried out in protest, saying,

\"Are our gods any better than Jesus (for according to Muhammad), if our gods go to hell so too will Jesus. What they say is only a false argument. In fact, they are a quarrelsome people.

Jesus was a servant of Ours to whom We had granted favors and whom We made as an example for the Israelites.

Had We wanted, We could have made the angels as your successors on the earth.

(Muhammad), tell them, \"Jesus is a sign of the Hour of Doom. Have no doubt about it and follow me; this is the straight path.

Let satan not prevent you from the right path. He is your sworn enemy\".

When Jesus came with clear proof (in support of his truthfulness), he said, \"I have come to you with wisdom to clarify for you some of the matters in which you have disputes. Have fear of God and obey me.

God is your Lord and my Lord, so worship Him. This is the right path\".

But certain groups created differences among themselves. Woe to the unjust. They will face a painful torment.

Are they waiting for the Hour of Doom when the torment will suddenly strike them and they will not even realize from where it came?

All intimate friends on that day will become each others enemies except for the pious,

whom God will tell, \"My servants, you need have no fear on this day, nor will you be grieved\".

Those who have faith in Our revelations and have submitted themselves to Our will,

will be told, \"Enter Paradise with your spouses in delight.

Golden dishes and cups will be passed among them. All that the souls may desire and that may delight their eyes will be available therein. You will live therein forever.

This is the Paradise which you have received as your inheritance by virtue of what you have done.

You will have abundant fruits therein to consume\".

The criminals will live forever in the torment of hell. Their torment will not be relieved and they will despair of escaping.

We had not done any injustice to them but they had wronged themselves.

They will cry out, \"Guard, let your Lord destroy us\".

The angelic guard will say, \"You will have to stay.

We brought you the truth but most of you disliked it\".

If the disbelievers persist in their disbelief, We shall also persist in punishing them.

Do they think that We do not hear their secrets and whispers? We certainly can hear them and Our Messengers record it all.

(Muhammad), say, \"Had the Beneficent God really had a son, I would certainly have been the first one to worship him.

The Lord of the heavens and the earth and the Throne is too glorious to be described in the way they describe Him.

Leave them (to indulge) in their desires and play around until they face that day which has been promised to them.

It is God who is the Lord of the heavens and is the Lord on earth. He is All-wise and All-knowing.

Blessed is He to whom belongs the heavens, the earth and all that is between them and who has the knowledge of the Hour of Doom. To Him you will all return.

Those whom they worship besides God are not able to intercede, except for those among them who believe in the Truth (God) and who know whom to intercede for.

(Muhammad), if you ask them, \"Who had created the idols?\" They will certainly say, \"God has created them.\" Why do you then turn away from God?

(God has knowledge of Muhammad's words when he complains to Him), \"My Lord, these, my people, do not believe\".