سورة الشعراء، الآية ١٢٨
أَتَبْنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ ءَايَةً تَعْبَثُونَ ١٢٨
atabnūna bikulli rīʿin āyatan taʿbathūna
Do you construct on every elevation a sign,1055 amusing yourselves,
[1055] i.e., a symbol or indication of their wealth and power. They used to build lofty structures along the road to be seen by all who passed by.
Verse 128 of Surah Ash-Shu’ara (26:128), a Meccan surah, is in juz 19, on page 372 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.
80 recitations by 74 reciters: pick one and it plays in the player.
“Why are you building upon every elevated, overlooking place a building as a marker, unnecessarily, without any benefit in it for you in the world or the afterlife?”
Do you build a landmark17 on every high place for no purpose?
[17] They used to build lofty structures along the road to be seen by passersby, as a symbol of their wealth and power.
"Do you build high palaces on every high place, while you do not live in them?
Build ye on every high place a monument for vain delight?
"Do ye build a landmark on every high place to amuse yourselves?
Do you build on every height a monument? Vain is it that you do:
Do you build on every prominence a sign, sporting? (i.e., huge prominence inspiring fear)
