Sūra X. Yūnus, or Jonah

The Holy Quran, tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934], at sacred-texts.com

p. 483

Sūra X.

Yūnus, or Jonah.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful

1. A. L. R.
These are the Āyats
Of the Book of Wisdom.

2. Is it a matter
Of wonderment to men
That We have sent
Our inspiration to a man
From among themselves?—
That he should warn mankind
(Of their danger), and give
The good news to the Believers
That they have before their Lord
The lofty rank of Truth.
(But) say the Unbelievers:
"This is indeed
An evident sorcerer!"

3. Verily your Lord is God,
Who created the heavens
And the earth in six Days,

p. 484

And is firmly established
On the Throne (of authority),
Regulating and governing all things.
No intercessor (can plead with Him)
Except after His leave
(Hath been obtained). This
Is God your Lord; Him therefore
Serve ye: will ye not
Receive admonition?

4. To Him will be your return—
Of all of you. The promise
Of God is true and sure.
It is He who beginneth
The process of creation,
And repeateth it, that He
May reward with justice
Those who believe
And work righteousness;
But those who reject Him
Will have draughts
Of boiling fluids,
And a Penalty grievous,
Because they did reject Him.

5. It is He who made the sun
To be a shining glory

p. 485

And the moon to be a light
(Of beauty), and measured out
Stages for her; that ye might
Know the number of years
And the count (of time).
Nowise did God create this
But in truth and righteousness.
(Thus) doth He explain His Signs
In detail, for those who understand.

6. Verily, in the alternation
Of the Night and the Day,
And in all that God
Hath created, in the heavens
And the earth, are Signs
For those who fear Him.

7. Those who rest not their hope
On their meeting with Us,
But are pleased and satisfied
With the life of the Present,
And those who heed not
Our Signs,—

8. Their abode is the Fire,
Because of the (evil)
They earned.

9. Those who believe,
And work righteousness,—
Their Lord will guide them
Because of their Faith:

p. 486

Beneath them will flow
Rivers in Gardens of Bliss.

10. (This will be) their cry therein:
"Glory to Thee, O God!"
And "Peace" will be their greeting therein!
And the close of their cry
Will be: "Praise be to God,
The Cherisher and Sustainer.
Of the Worlds!"

SECTION 2.

11. If God were to hasten for men
The ill (they have earned)
As they would fain hasten on
The good,—then would
Their respite be settled at once.
But We leave those
Who rest not their hope
On their meeting with Us,
In their trespasses, wandering
In distraction to and fro.

12. When trouble toucheth a man,
He crieth unto Us
(In all postures)—lying down
On his side, or sitting,
Or standing. But when We
Have solved his trouble,
He passeth on his way as if
He had never cried to Us
For a trouble that touched him!
Thus do the deeds of transgressors
Seem fair in their eyes!

p. 487

13. Generations before you
We destroyed when they
Did wrong: their Apostles
Came to them with Clear Signs,
But they would not believe!
Thus do We requite
Those who sin!

14. Then We made you heirs
In the land after them,
To see how ye would behave!

15. But when Our Clear Signs
Are rehearsed unto them,
Those who rest not their hope
On their meeting with Us,
Say: "Bring us a Reading
Other than this, or change this,"
Say: "It is not for me,
Of my own accord,
To change it: I follow
Naught but what is revealed
Unto me: if I were
To disobey my Lord,
I should myself fear the Penalty
Of a Great Day (to come)."

16. Say: "If God had so willed,
I should not have rehearsed it
To you, nor whould He
Have made it known to you.
A whole life-time before this
Have I tarried amongst you:
Will ye not then understand?

p. 488

17. Who doth more wrong
Than such as forge a lie
Against God, or deny
His Signs? But never
Will prosper those who sin.

18. They serve, besides God,
Things that hurt them not
Nor profit them, and they say:
"These are our intercessors
With God." Say: "Do ye
Indeed inform God of something
He knows not, in the heavens
Or on earth?—Glory to Him!
And far is He above the partners
They ascribe (to Him)!"

19. Mankind was but one nation,
But differed (later). Had it not
Been for a Word
That went forth before
From thy Lord, their differences
Would have been settled
Between them.

20. They say: "Why is not
A Sign sent down to him
From his Lord?" Say:
"The Unseen is only
For God (to know).
Then wait ye: I too

p. 489

Will wait with you.

SECTION 3.

21. When We make mankind
Taste of some mercy after
Adversity hath touched them,
Behold! they take to plotting
Against Our Signs! Say:
"Swifter to plan is God!"
Verily, Our messengers record
All the plots that ye make!

22. He it is who enableth you
To traverse through land
And sea; so that ye even board
Ships;—they sail with them
With a favourable wind,
And they rejoice thereat;
Then comes a stormy wind
And the waves come to them
From all sides, and they think
They are being overwhelmed:
They cry unto God, sincerely
Offering (their) duty unto Him,
Saying, "If Thou dost deliver us
From this, we shall truly

p. 490

Show our gratitude!"

23. But when he delivereth them,
Behold! they transgress
Insolently through the earth
In defiance of right!
O mankind! your insolence
Is against your own souls,—
An enjoyment of the life
Of the Present: in the end,
To Us is your return,
And We shall show you
The truth of all that ye did.

24. The likeness of the life
Of the Present is
As the rain which We
Send down from the skies:
By its mingling arises
The produce of the earth—
Which provides food
For men and animals:
(It grows) till the earth
Is clad with its golden
Ornaments and is decked out
(In beauty): the people to whom
It belongs think they have
All powers of disposal over it:
There reaches it Our command
By night or by day,
And We make it
Like a harvest clean-mown,
As if it had not flourished

p. 491

Only the day before!
Thus do We explain
The Signs in detail
For those who reflect.

25. But God doth call
To the Home of Peace:
He doth guide whom He pleaseth
To a Way that is straight.

26. To those who do right
Is a goodly (reward)—
Yea, more (than in measure)!
No darkness nor shame
Shall cover their faces!
They are Companions of the Garden;
They will abide therein
(For aye)!

27. But those who have earned
Evil will have a reward
Of like evil: ignominy
Will cover their (faces):
No defender will they have
From (the wrath of) God:
Their faces will be covered,
As it were, with pieces
From the depth of the darkness
Of Night: they are Companions

p. 492

Of the Fire: they will
Abide therein (for aye)!

28. One Day shall We gather them
All together. Then shall We say
To those who joined gods (with Us):
"To your place! ye and those
Ye joined as "partners"."
We shall separate them,
And their "partners" shall say:
"It was not us
That ye worshipped!

29. "Enough is God for a witness
Between us and you: we
Certainly knew nothing
Of your worship of us!"

30. There will every soul prove
(The fruits of) the deeds
It sent before : they will
Be brought back to God
Their rightful Lord,
And their invented falsehoods
Will leave them in the lurch.

SECTION 4.

31. Say: "Who is it that
Sustains you (in life)
From the sky and from the earth?

p. 493

Or who is it that
Has power over hearing
And sight? And who
Is it that brings out
The living from the dead
And the dead from the living?
And who is it that
Rules and regulates all affairs?"
They will soon say, "God".
Say, "Will ye not then
Show piety (to Him)?"

32. Such is God, your real
Cherisher and Sustainer:
Apart from Truth,
What (remains) but error?
How then are ye turned away?

33. Thus is the Word
Of thy Lord proved true
Against those who rebel:
Verily they will not believe.

34. Say: "Of your 'partners',
Can any originate creation
And repeat it?" Say:
"It is God Who originates
Creation and repeats it:
Then how are ye deluded
Away (from the truth)?"

p. 494

35. Say: "Of your "partners"
Is there any that
Can give any guidance
Towards Truth?" Say: "It is God
Who gives guidance
Towards Truth. Is then He
Who gives guidance to Truth
More worthy to be followed,
Or he who finds not guidance
(Himself) unless he is guided?
What then is the matter
With you? How judge ye?"

36. But most of them follow
Nothing but fancy: truly
Fancy can be of no avail
Against Truth. Verily God
Is well aware of all
That they do.

37. This Qur-ān is not such
As can be produced
By other than God;
On the contrary it is
A confirmation of (revelations)
That went before it,
And a fuller explanation
Of the Book—wherein
There is no doubt
From the Lord of the Worlds.

38. Or do they say,
"He forged it"?
Say: "Bring then
A Sūra like unto it,
And call (to your aid)
Anyone you can,
Besides God, if it be
Ye speak the truth!"

p. 495

39. Nay, they charge with falsehood
That whose knowledge they
Cannot compass, even before
The elucidation thereof"
Hath reached them: thus
Did those before them
Make charges of falsehood:
But see what was the end
Of those who did wrong!

40. Of them there are some
Who believe therein,
And some who do not:
And thy Lord knoweth best
Those who are out for mischief.

SECTION 5.

41. If they charge thee
With falsehood, say:
"My work to me,
And yours to you!

p. 496

Ye are free from responsibility
For what I do, and I
For what ye do!"

42. Among them are some who
(Pretend to) listen to thee:
But canst thou make the deaf
To hear,—even though
They are without understanding?

43. And among them are some
Who look at thee:
But canst thou guide
The blind,—even though
They will not see?

44. Verily God will not deal
Unjustly with man in aught:
It is man that wrongs
His own soul.

45. One day He will
Gather them together:
(It will be) as if
They had tarried
But an hour of a day:
They will recognise each other:
Assuredly those will be lost
Who denied the meeting
With God and refused
To receive true guidance.

46. Whether We show thee
(Realised in thy life-time)
Some part of what We
Promise them,—or We

p. 497

Take thy soul (to Our Mercy)
(Before that),—in any case,
To Us is their return:
Ultimately God is witness.
To all that they do.

47. To every people (was sent)
An Apostle: when their Apostle
Comes (before them), the matter
Will be judged between them
With justice, and they
Will not be wronged.

48. They say: "When
Will this promise
Come to pass,
If ye speak the truth?"

49. Say: "I have no power
Over any harm or profit
To myself except as God
Willeth. To every People
Is a term appointed:
When their term is reached,
Not an hour can they cause
Delay, nor (an hour) can they
Advance (it in anticipation)."

p. 498

50. Say: "Do ye see,
If His punishment should come
To you by night or by day,—
What portion of it
Would the Sinners
Wish to hasten?

51. "Would ye then believe in it
At last, when it actually cometh
To pass? (It will then be said:)
'Ah! now? and ye wanted
(Aforetime) to hasten it on!'

52. "At length will be said
To the wrong-doers: 'Taste ye
The enduring punishment!
Ye get but the recompense
Of what ye earned!'"

53. They seek to be informed
By thee: "Is that true?"
Say: "Aye! by my Lord!
It is the very truth!
And ye cannot frustrate it!"

SECTION 6.

54. Every soul that hath sinned,
If it possessed all
That is on earth,
Would fain give it in ransom:

p. 499

They would declare (their) repentance
When they see the Penalty:
But the judgment between them
Will be with justice,
And no wrong will be done
Unto them.

55. Is it not (the case) that to God
Belongeth whatever is
In the heavens and on earth?
Is it not (the case) that
God's promise is assuredly true?
Yet most of them understand not.

56. It is He who giveth life
And who taketh it,
And to Him shall ye
All be brought back.

57. O mankind! there hath come
To you a direction from your Lord
And a healing for the (diseases)
In your hearts,—and for those
Who believe, a Guidance
And a Mercy.

58. Say: "In the Bounty of God.
And in His Mercy,—in that
Let them rejoice": that is better
Than the (wealth) they hoard.

59. Say: "See ye what things
God hath sent down to you

p. 500

For sustenance? Yet ye
Hold forbidden some things
Thereof and (some things) lawful."
Say: "Hath God indeed
Permitted you, or do ye invent
(Things) to attribute to God?"

60. And what think those
Who invent lies against God,
Of the Day of Judgment?
Verily God is full of Bounty
To mankind, but most
Of them are ungrateful!"

SECTION 7.

61. In whatever business thou
Mayest be, and whatever portion
Thou mayest be reciting
From the Qur-ān,—and whatever
Deed ye (mankind) may be doing,—
We are Witnesses thereof
When ye are deeply engrossed
Therein. Nor is hidden
From thy Lord (so much as)
The weight of an atom
On the earth or in heaven.
And not the least
And not the greatest
Of these things but are recorded
In a clear Record.

62. Behold! verily on the friends
Of God there is no fear,

p. 501

Nor shall they grieve;

63. Those who believe
And (constantly) guard
Against evil;—

64. For them are Glad Tidings,
In the life of the Present
And in the Hereafter:
No change can there be
In the Words of God.
This is indeed
The supreme Felicity.

65. Let not their speech
Grieve thee: for all power
And honour belong to God:
It is He Who heareth
And knoweth (all things).

66. Behold! verily to God
Belong all creatures,
In the heavens and on earth.
What do they follow
Who worship as His "partners"
Other than God? They follow
Nothing but fancy, and
They do nothing but lie.

67. He it is that hath
Made you the Night
That ye may rest therein,
And the Day to make
Things visible (to you).
Verily in this are Signs
For those who listen
(To His Message).

p. 502

68. They say, "God hath begotten
A son!"—Glory be to Him!
He is Self-Sufficient! His
Are all things in the heavens
And on earth! No warrant
Have ye for this! Say ye
About God what ye know not?

69. Say: "Those who invent
A lie against God
Will never prosper."

70. A little enjoyment
In this world!—
And then, to Us
Will be their return.
Then shall We make them
Taste the severest Penalty
For their blasphemies.

SECTION 8.

71. Relate to them the story
Of Noah. Behold! he said
To his People: "O my People,
If it be hard on your (mind)

p. 503

That I should stay (with you)
And commemorate the Signs
Of God,—yet I put
My trust in God.
Get ye then an agreement
About your plan and among
Your Partners, so your plan
Be not to you dark and dubious.
Then pass your sentence on me,
And give me no respite.

72. "But if ye turn back, (consider):
No reward have I asked
Of you: my reward is only
Due from God, and I
Have been commanded to be
Of those who submit
To God's Will (in Islam)."

73. They rejected him,
But We delivered him,
And those with him,
In the Ark, and We made
Them inherit (the earth),
While We overwhelmed
In the Flood those
Who rejected Our Signs.
Then see what was the end
Of those who were warned
(But heeded not)!

74. Then after him We sent
(Many) apostles to their Peoples:
They brought them Clear Signs,
But they would not believe
What they had already rejected

p. 504

Beforehand. Thus do We seal
The hearts of the transgressors.

75. Then after them sent We
Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh
And his chiefs with Our Signs.
But they were arrogant:
They were a people in sin.

76. When the Truth did come
To them from Us, they said:
"This is indeed evident sorcery!"

77. Said Moses: "Say ye (this)
About the Truth when
It hath (actually) reached you?
Is sorcery (like) this?
But sorcerers will not prosper."

78. They said: "Hast thou
Come to us to turn us
Away from the ways
We found our fathers following,—
In order that thou and thy brother
May have greatness in the land?
But not we shall believe in you!"

79. Said Pharaoh: "Bring me
Every sorcerer well versed."

80. When the sorcerers came,
Moses said to them:
"Throw ye what ye (wish)
To throw!"

p. 505

81. When they had had their throw,
Moses said: "What ye
Have brought is sorcery:
God will surely make it
Of no effect: for God
Prospereth not the work
Of those who make mischief.

82. "And God by His Words
Doth prove and establish
His Truth, however much
The Sinners may hate it!"

SECTION 9.

83. But none believed in Moses
Except some children of his People,
Because of the fear of Pharaoh
And his chiefs, lest they
Should persecute them; and certainly
Pharaoh was mighty on the earth
And one who transgressed all bounds.

84. Moses said: "O my People!
If ye do (really) believe
In God, then in Him
Put your trust if ye
Submit (your will to His)."

85. They said: "In God
Do we put our trust.

p. 506

Our Lord! make us not
A trial for those
Who practise oppression;

86."And deliver us by Thy Mercy
From those who reject (Thee)."

87. We inspired Moses and his brother
With this Message: "Provide
Dwellings for your People
In Egypt, make your dwellings
Into places of worship,
And establish regular prayers:
And give Glad Tidings
To those who believe!"

88. Moses prayed: "Our Lord!
Thou hast indeed bestowed
On Pharaoh and his Chiefs
Splendour and wealth in the life
Of the Present, and so,
Our Lord, they mislead (men)
From Thy Path. Deface.
Our Lord, the features of their wealth,
And send hardness to their hearts,
So they will not believe

p. 507

Until they see
The grievous Penalty."

89. God said: "Accepted is
Your prayer (O Moses and Aaron)
So stand ye straight,
And follow not the path
Of those who know not.

90. We took the Children
Of Israel across the sea:
Pharaoh and his hosts followed them
In insolence and spite.
At length, when overwhelmed
With the flood, he said:
"I believe that there is no god
Except Him Whom the Children
Of Israel believe in:
I am of those who submit
(To God in Islām)."

91. (It was said to him:)
"Ah now!—But a little while
Before, wast thou in rebellion!—
And thou didst mischief (and violence)!

92. "This day shall We save thee
In thy body, that thou
Mayest be a Sign to those
Who come after thee!
But verily, many among mankind
Are heedless of Our Signs!"

p. 508

SECTION 10.

93. We settled the Children
Of Israel in a beautiful
Dwelling-place, and provided
For them sustenance of the best:
It was after knowledge had been
Granted to them, that they
Fell into schisms. Verily
God will judge between them
As to the schisms amongst them,
On the Day of Judgment.

94. If thou wert in doubt
As to what We have revealed
Unto thee, then ask those
Who have been reading
The Book from before thee:
The Truth hath indeed come
To thee from thy Lord:
So be in no wise
Of those in doubt.

95. Nor be of those who reject
The Signs of God,
Or thou shalt be of those
Who perish.

96. Whose against whom the Word
Of thy Lord hath been verified

p. 509

Would not believe—

97. Even if every Sign was brought
Unto them,—until they see
(For themselves) the Penalty Grievous.

98. Why was there not
A single township (among those
We warned), which believed,—
So its Faith should have
Profited it,—except the People
Of Jonah? When they believed,
We removed from them
The Penalty of Ignominy
In the life of the Present,
And permitted them to enjoy
(Their life) for a while.

99. If it had been thy Lord's Will,
They would all have believed,—
All who are on earth!
Wilt thou then compel mankind,

p. 510

Against their will, to believe!

100. No soul can believe, except
By the Will of God,
And He will place Doubt
(Or obscurity) on those
Who will not understand.

101. Say: "Behold all that is
In the heavens and on earth ";
But neither Signs nor Warners
Profit those who believe not.

102. Do they then expect
(Any thing) but (what happened
In) the days of the men
Who passed away before them?
Say: "Wait ye then:
For I, too, will wait with you."

p. 511

103. In the end We deliver
Our apostles and those who believe:
Thus is it fitting on Our part
That We should deliver
Those who believe!

SECTION 11.

104. Say: "O ye men!
If ye are in doubt
As to my religion, (behold!)
I worship not what ye
Worship, other than God!
But I worship God
Who will take your souls
(At death): I am commanded
To be (in the ranks)
Of the Believers,

105. "And further (thus), "set thy face
Towards Religion with true piety,
And never in any wise
Be of the Unbelievers;

106. "Nor call on any,
Other than God;—
Such will neither profit thee
Nor hurt thee: if thou dost,
Behold! thou shalt certainly
Be of those who do wrong."

107. If God do touch thee
With hurt, there is none
Can remove it but He:
If He do design some benefit

p. 512

For thee, there is none
Can keep back His favour:
He causeth it to reach
Whomsoever of His servants
He pleaseth. And He is
The Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

108. Say: "O ye men! Now
Truth hath reached you
From your Lord! Those who receive
Guidance, do so for the good
Of their own souls; those
Who stray, do so to their own loss:
And I am not (set) over you
To arrange your affairs."

109. Follow thou the inspiration
Sent unto thee, and be
Patient and constant, till God
Do decide: for He
Is the Best to decide.