LI. The Chapter of the Scatterers

The Qur'ân, part II (Sacred Books of the East volume 9), Palmer edition [1880]; at sacred-texts.com

THE CHAPTER OF THE SCATTERERS.

(LI. Mecca.)

IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.

By the scatterers ¹ who scatter! and by those pregnant ² with their burden! and by those running on ³ easily! and by the distributors ⁴ of affairs!--[5] verily, what ye are threatened with is surely true!

And, verily, the judgment will surely take place!

By the heaven possessed of paths; verily, ye are at variance in what ye say!

He is turned from it who is turned.

[10] Slain be the liars, who are heedless in a flood (of ignorance).

They will ask, 'When is the day of judgment?' The day when at the fire they shall be tried.--'Taste your trial! this is what ye wished to hasten on!'

[15] Verily, the pious are in gardens and springs, taking what their Lord brings them. Verily, they before that did well. But little of the night they slept; and at the dawn they asked forgiveness.

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[paragraph continues] And in their wealth was what was due to him who asked, and him who was kept back from asking.

[20] And in the earth are signs to those who are sure, and in yourselves,--what! do ye not then see?

And in the heaven is your provision and that which ye are promised ¹.

But by the Lord of the heaven and the earth! verily, it is the truth,--like that which ye do utter ²!

Has the tale of Abraham's honoured guests reached thee ³? [25] When they entered in unto him and said, 'Peace!' he said, Peace!--a people unrecognised.'

And he went aside unto his people and fetched a fat calf, and brought it nigh unto them; said he, 'Will ye then not eat?'

And he felt a secret fear of them: said they, 'Fear not.' And they gave him glad tidings of a knowing boy.

And his wife approached with a noise, and smote her face, and said, 'An old woman, barren!'

[30] Said they, 'Thus says thy Lord, He is knowing, wise.' Said he, 'And about what is your errand, O ye messengers?'

They said, 'Verily, we are sent unto a sinful people, to send upon them stones of clay, marked from thy Lord for the extravagant ⁴.'

[35] And we sent out therefrom such as were in it of the believers; but we only found therein one house of Muslims.

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And we left therein a sign to those who fear the grievous woe.

And in Moses; when we sent him to Pharaoh with obvious authority.

But he turned his back towards his column ¹, and said, 'A sorcerer or mad!'

[40] And we seized him and his hosts and hurled them into the sea; for he was to be blamed.

And in ‘Âd, when we sent against them a desolating wind, that left naught on which it came without making it ashes!

And in Thamûd, when it was said to them, 'Enjoy yourselves for a season.' But they revolted against the bidding of their Lord; and the noise caught them as they looked on. [45] And they could not stand upright, and they were not helped!

And the people of Noah of yore; verily, they were an abominable people.

And the heaven--we have built it with might, and, verily, we do surely give it ample space!

And the earth--we have spread it out; and how well we lay it out!

And of everything have we created pairs, haply ye may be mindful.

[50] Flee then to God; verily, I am a plain warner from Him to you!

And do not set with God another god; verily, I am a plain warner from Him to you!

Thus there came no apostle to those before them, but they said, 'A sorcerer, mad!'

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Do they bequeath it ¹ to each other?

Yea, they are an outrageous people!

So turn thy back upon them, so thou wilt not be to blame.

[55] And remind; for, verily, the reminder shall profit the believers.

And I have not created the ginn and mankind save that they may worship me.

I do not desire any provision from them, and I do not wish them to feed me.

Verily, God, He is the provider, endowed with steady might.

Verily, for those who injure (the Apostle) shall be a portion like the portion of their fellows ², but let them not hurry Me!

[60] Then woe to those who misbelieve from their day which they are threatened.

Footnotes

245:1 The winds.

245:2 The clouds.

245:3 The ships.

245:4 Angels or winds.

246:1 I.e. rain, which produces material sustenance, and there too is the promise of the future life.

246:2 I.e. unreserved and plain as ye yourselves affirm truths to each other.

246:3 See Part I, pp. 212-214.

246:4 See Part I, p. 214, note 1.

247:1 Either Pharaoh's forces, or one of his nobles, or something else on which he relied. See Part I, p. 214, first line, and note 1.

248:1 I.e. this taunt.

248:2 I.e. like the fate of those who wronged the apostles of old.