Hizb 17

88. Said the eminent ones who were arrogant among his people, "We will surely evict you, O Shuʿayb, and those who have believed with you from our city, or you must return to our religion." He said, "Even if we were unwilling?

89. We would have invented against Allāh a lie if we returned to your religion after Allāh had saved us from it. And it is not for us to return to it except that Allāh, our Lord, should will. Our Lord has encompassed all things in knowledge. Upon Allāh we have relied. Our Lord, decide between us and our people in truth, and You are the best of those who give decision."

90. Said the eminent ones who disbelieved among his people, "If you should follow Shuʿayb, indeed, you would then be losers."

91. So the earthquake seized them, and they became within their home [corpses] fallen prone.

92. Those who denied Shuʿayb - it was as though they had never resided there. Those who denied Shuʿayb - it was they who were the losers.

93. And he [i.e., Shuʿayb] turned away from them and said, "O my people, I had certainly conveyed to you the messages of my Lord and advised you, so how could I grieve for a disbelieving people?"

94. And We sent to no city a prophet [who was denied] except that We seized its people with poverty and hardship that they might humble themselves [to Allāh].

95. Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease."³⁸³ So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.³⁸⁴

96. And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allāh, We would have opened [i.e., bestowed] upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning.³⁸⁵

97. Then, did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them at night while they were asleep?

98. Or did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them in the morning while they were at play?³⁸⁶

99. Then, did they feel secure from the plan of Allāh? But no one feels secure from the plan of Allāh except the losing people.

100. Has it not become clear to those who inherited the earth after its [previous] people that if We willed, We could afflict them for their sins? But We seal over their hearts so they do not hear.³⁸⁷

101. Those cities - We relate to you, [O Muḥammad], some of their news. And certainly did their messengers come to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe in that which they had denied before.³⁸⁸ Thus does Allāh seal over the hearts of the disbelievers.

102. And We did not find for most of them any covenant;³⁸⁹ but indeed, We found most of them defiantly disobedient.

103. Then We sent after them Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his establishment, but they were unjust toward them.³⁹⁰ So see how was the end of the corrupters.

104. And Moses said, "O Pharaoh, I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds

105. [Who is] obligated not to say about Allāh except the truth. I have come to you with clear evidence from your Lord, so send with me the Children of Israel."³⁹¹

106. [Pharaoh] said, "If you have come with a sign, then bring it forth, if you should be of the truthful."

107. So he [i.e., Moses] threw his staff, and suddenly it was a serpent, manifest.³⁹²

108. And he drew out his hand; thereupon it was white [with radiance] for the observers.

109. Said the eminent among the people of Pharaoh, "Indeed, this is a learned magician

110. Who wants to expel you from your land [through magic], so what do you instruct?"

111. They said,³⁹³ "Postpone [the matter of] him and his brother and send among the cities gatherers

112. Who will bring you every learned magician."

113. And the magicians came to Pharaoh. They said, "Indeed for us is a reward if we are the predominant."

114. He said, "Yes, and, [moreover], you will be among those made near [to me]."

115. They said, "O Moses, either you throw [your staff], or we will be the ones to throw [first]."

116. He said, "Throw," and when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people and struck terror into them, and they presented a great [feat of] magic.³⁹⁴

117. And We inspired to Moses, "Throw your staff," and at once it devoured what they were falsifying.

118. So the truth was established, and abolished was what they were doing.

119. And they [i.e., Pharaoh and his people] were overcome right there and became debased.

120. And the magicians fell down in prostration [to Allāh].

121. They said, "We have believed in the Lord of the worlds,

122. The Lord of Moses and Aaron."

123. Said Pharaoh, "You believed in him³⁹⁵ before I gave you permission. Indeed, this is a conspiracy which you conspired in the city to expel therefrom its people. But you are going to know.

124. I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides; then I will surely crucify you all."

125. They said, "Indeed, to our Lord we will return.

126. And you do not resent us except because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to us. Our Lord, pour upon us patience³⁹⁶ and let us die as Muslims [in submission to You]."

127. And the eminent among the people of Pharaoh said, "Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?" [Pharaoh] said, "We will kill their sons and keep their women alive; and indeed, we are subjugators over them."

128. Said Moses to his people, "Seek help through Allāh and be patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to Allāh. He causes to inherit it whom He wills of His servants. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous."

129. They said, "We have been harmed before you came to us and after you have come to us." He said, "Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and grant you succession in the land and see how you will do."

130. And We certainly seized³⁹⁷ the people of Pharaoh with years of famine and a deficiency in fruits that perhaps they would be reminded.

131. But when good [i.e., provision] came to them, they said, "This is ours [by right]." And if a bad [condition] struck them, they saw an evil omen in Moses and those with him. Unquestionably, their fortune is with Allāh, but most of them do not know.

132. And they said, "No matter what sign you bring us with which to bewitch us, we will not be believers in you."

133. So We sent upon them the flood and locusts and lice and frogs and blood as distinct signs, but they were arrogant and were a criminal people.

134. And when the punishment descended upon them, they said, "O Moses, invoke for us your Lord by what He has promised you. If you [can] remove the punishment from us, we will surely believe you, and we will send with you the Children of Israel."

135. But when We removed the punishment from them until a term which they were to reach,³⁹⁸ then at once they broke their word.

136. So We took retribution from them, and We drowned them in the sea because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them.

137. And We caused the people who had been oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the land and the western ones, which We had blessed. And the good word [i.e., decree] of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of what they had patiently endured. And We destroyed [all] that Pharaoh and his people were producing and what they had been building.

138. And We took the Children of Israel across the sea; then they came upon a people intent in devotion to [some] idols of theirs. They [the Children of Israel] said, "O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods." He said, "Indeed, you are a people behaving ignorantly.

139. Indeed, those [worshippers] - destroyed is that in which they are [engaged], and worthless is whatever they were doing."

140. He said, "Is it other than Allāh I should desire for you as a god³⁹⁹ while He has preferred you over the worlds?"

141. And [recall, O Children of Israel], when We saved you from the people of Pharaoh, [who were] afflicting you with the worst torment - killing your sons and keeping your women alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord.

142. And We made an appointment with Moses for thirty nights and perfected them by [the addition of] ten; so the term of his Lord was completed as forty nights. And Moses said to his brother Aaron, "Take my place among my people, do right [by them],⁴⁰⁰ and do not follow the way of the corrupters."

143. And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You." [Allāh] said, "You will not see Me,⁴⁰¹ but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me." But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level,⁴⁰² and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first [among my people] of the believers."⁴⁰³

144. [Allāh] said, "O Moses, I have chosen you over the people with My messages and My words [to you]. So take what I have given you and be among the grateful."

145. And We wrote for him on the tablets [something] of all things - instruction and explanation for all things, [saying], "Take them with determination and order your people to take the best of it. I will show you the home of the defiantly disobedient."⁴⁰⁴

146. I will turn away from My signs those who are arrogant upon the earth without right; and if they should see every sign, they will not believe in it. And if they see the way of consciousness,⁴⁰⁵ they will not adopt it as a way; but if they see the way of error, they will adopt it as a way. That is because they have denied Our signs and they were heedless of them.

147. Those who denied Our signs and the meeting of the Hereafter - their deeds have become worthless. Are they recompensed except for what they used to do?

148. And the people of Moses made, after [his departure], from their ornaments a calf - an image having a lowing sound. Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them to a way? They took it [for worship], and they were wrongdoers.

149. And when regret overcame them⁴⁰⁶ and they saw that they had gone astray, they said, "If our Lord does not have mercy upon us and forgive us, we will surely be among the losers."

150. And when Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved, he said, "How wretched is that by which you have replaced me after [my departure]. Were you impatient over the matter of your Lord?" And he threw down the tablets and seized his brother by [the hair of] his head, pulling him toward him. [Aaron] said, "O son of my mother, indeed the people overpowered me and were about to kill me, so let not the enemies rejoice over me⁴⁰⁷ and do not place me among the wrongdoing people."

151. [Moses] said, "My Lord, forgive me and my brother and admit us into Your mercy, for You are the most merciful of the merciful."

152. Indeed, those who took the calf [for worship] will obtain anger from their Lord and humiliation in the life of this world, and thus do We recompense the inventors [of falsehood].

153. But those who committed misdeeds and then repented after them and believed - indeed your Lord, thereafter, is Forgiving and Merciful.

154. And when the anger subsided in Moses, he took up the tablets; and in their inscription was guidance and mercy for those who are fearful of their Lord.

155. And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment.⁴⁰⁸ And when the earthquake seized them,⁴⁰⁹ he said, "My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before and me [as well]. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is not but Your trial by which You send astray whom You will and guide whom You will. You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us; and You are the best of forgivers.

156. And decree for us in this world [that which is] good and [also] in the Hereafter; indeed, we have turned back to You." [Allāh] said, "My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will, but My mercy encompasses all things." So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakāh and those who believe in Our verses-

157. Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written [i.e., described] in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and prohibits them from what is wrong and makes lawful for them what is good and forbids them from what is evil and relieves them of their burden⁴¹⁰ and the shackles which were upon them.⁴¹¹ So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the successful.

158. Say, [O Muḥammad], "O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allāh to you all, [from Him] to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death." So believe in Allāh and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allāh and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.

159. And among the people of Moses is a community⁴¹² which guides by truth and by it establishes justice.

160. And We divided them into twelve descendant tribes⁴¹³ [as distinct] nations. And We inspired to Moses when his people implored him for water, "Strike with your staff the stone," and there gushed forth from it twelve springs. Every people [i.e., tribe] knew its watering place. And We shaded them with clouds and sent down upon them manna and quails, [saying], "Eat from the good things with which We have provided you." And they wronged Us not, but they were [only] wronging themselves.

161. And [mention, O Muḥammad], when it was said to them, "Dwell in this city [i.e., Jerusalem] and eat from it wherever you will and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins],' and enter the gate bowing humbly; We will [then] forgive you your sins. We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]."

162. But those who wronged among them changed [the words] to a statement other than that which had been said to them. So We sent upon them a punishment from the sky for the wrong that they were doing.

163. And ask them about the town that was by the sea - when they transgressed in [the matter of] the sabbath - when their fish came to them openly on their sabbath day, and the day they had no sabbath they did not come to them. Thus did We give them trial because they were defiantly disobedient.

164. And when a community among them said, "Why do you advise [or warn] a people whom Allāh is [about] to destroy or to punish with a severe punishment?" they [the advisors] said, "To be absolved before your Lord and perhaps they may fear Him."

165. And when they [i.e., those advised] forgot that by which they had been reminded, We saved those who had forbidden evil and seized those who wronged, with a wretched punishment, because they were defiantly disobeying.

166. So when they were insolent about that which they had been forbidden, We said to them, "Be apes, despised."

167. And [mention] when your Lord declared that He would surely [continue to] send upon them until the Day of Resurrection those who would afflict them with the worst torment. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.

168. And We divided them throughout the earth into nations. Of them some were righteous, and of them some were otherwise. And We tested them with good [times] and bad that perhaps they would return [to obedience].

169. And there followed them successors who inherited the Scripture [while] taking the commodities⁴¹⁴ of this lower life and saying, "It will be forgiven for us." And if an offer like it⁴¹⁵ comes to them, they will [again] take it. Was not the covenant of the Scripture [i.e., the Torah] taken from them that they would not say about Allāh except the truth, and they studied what was in it? And the home of the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allāh, so will you not use reason?

170. But those who hold fast to the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] and establish prayer - indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of the reformers.