IZQ

046

The
Sand
Dunes

By the Name

God

the Fount-of-All-Mercy
the Ever-Merciful

Ha Mim

the sending down of the Book
is from God

the All-Powerful
the Wise

We have not created
the heavens and the earth
and what is between them
except with truth
and for a decided time

but those who are
ungrateful
are turning away from
what they have been
warned of

say

"Have you thought about
those you call on
apart from God?

show me
what they have created
on the earth

or do they have
a partnership
in the heavens?

bring me a Book before this
or some scrap of knowledge
if you speak the truth"

and who is further astray
than one who calls upon
what is not God

such as will not answer them
until the Day of Rising?

those that are unaware
of their calling

and when humankind
are gathered together
they will be enemies to them

and will reject their service

and when Our Signs
are spoken to them

Clear Signs

those who are ungrateful
say to the truth
when it comes to them

"This is clearly sorcery"

or do they say

"He has made it up"?

say

"If I have made it up
you have no power
to help me against God

Hu knows very well
what you say about it

Hu is enough of a witness
between me and you

Hu is
the Most-Forgiving
the Ever-Merciful"

say

"I am nothing new
among the Messengers

and I do not know
what will be done
with me or with you

I only follow
what is revealed to me

I am only a clear warner"

say

"What do you think?
if it is from God
and you reject it

and a witness from
the Tribe of Israel
speaks as to what it is like

and believes
while you grow proud

God does not guide
those who do wrong"

those who are ungrateful
say of those who believe

"If it had been
anything good
they would not have
beaten us to it"

and since they are not
guided by it
certainly they will say

"This is an old lie"

yet before it there was
the Book of Moses
for a model and a mercy

and this is a Book
which proves that true
in Arabic language

to warn those who do evil
and give good news
to those who do good

surely those who say

"Our Liege is God"

and then go straight

will feel no fear
and know no sorrow

those are
the companions of
the Garden

living there forever
as a reward
for what they have done

We have told humans
to be kind to their parents

their mothers
carry them inside
with pain and difficulty

and with pain and difficulty
they gave birth

with carrying and feeding
taking thirty months

until when they are
fully grown
and reach forty years of age
they say

"O my Liege
keep me thankful
for Your blessing

with which you blessed me
and my father and mother

and keep me doing
what is right

what pleases You

and make my children
also do what is right

see how I turn to you
in sorrow

and I am among
those who surrender"

those are the ones
from whom We will accept
the best of
what they have done

and We shall overlook
their evil deeds

they are among those
living in the Garden

the truth of the promise
that was given to them

but whoever says
to their father and mother

"Do you promise me
that I will be brought back
when so many generations
have passed away
before me?"

they will call on God for help

"Woe to you

believe

surely God's promise is true"

but they say

"This is nothing but fairy tales
of the people of long ago"

the verdict has been passed
upon such people

along with people
that passed away
before them

jinn and humans alike

they were the losers

all will be ranked
according to what they did

so Hu may pay them in full
for what they have done

and they will not
be wronged

on the day when
those who are
ungrateful
are given to the Fire

"You wasted the good things
in your present life

and you took your fill
of pleasure there

so today you will be repaid
with the punishment
of shame

because you were proud
with no right in this world
and went beyond all limits"

and remember
the brother of Ad

when he warned his people
beside the sand dunes

and warners passed away
before him and after him
saying

"Serve no-one but God

truly I fear for you
the punishment of
a dreadful day"

they said

"Have you come
to turn us away
from our gods?

then bring us
what you promise us
if you speak the truth"

he said

"Knowledge is only with God

and I only deliver to you
the Message
with which I was sent

but I see you are
an ignorant people"

then when they saw it
as a sudden cloud
coming towards their valleys
they said

"This is a cloud
that will give us rain"

no
rather it is
what you wanted to hurry

a wind in which is
a painful punishment

destroying everything
by the command of its Liege

so in the morning
there was nothing to be seen
but the houses
in which they had lived

that is how We repay
those who do wrong

and We settled them
in a way that
We have not settled you

and We gave them hearing
and sight and hearts

yet their hearing
and sight and hearts
were of no use to them
because they denied
the Signs of God

and they were surrounded
by what they had ridiculed

and We destroyed
the cities about you

and We turned around
the Signs

so hopefully
they would return

so why did those
they had taken as gods
other than God
to bring them near to Hu
not help them?

they were lost to them

and that was their lie

and what they had
invented

and when We turned
a group of jinn
towards you
to listen to the Reading

and when they were
present for it
they said to each other

"Be quiet"

then when it was finished
they went back
to their people
warning them

they said

"Our people

we have heard a Book
that was sent down
after Moses

confirming
what was before it

guiding to the truth
and to a straight path

our people

answer God's caller

and believe in Hu

and Hu will forgive you
some of your sins

and protect you from
a painful punishment

whoever does not answer
God's caller
cannot escape
God's power in the world

and they have no protectors
apart from Hu

they have clearly taken
the wrong way"

have they not seen that

God

Hu created
the heavens and the earth
and did not tire in doing so

can bring
the dead to life?

yes indeed

Hu is powerful
over everything

on the day
when those who are
ungrateful
are given to the Fire

"Is this not the truth?"

they shall say

"Yes
by our Liege"

Hu shall say

"Then taste the punishment
for being ungrateful"

so be patient

as the Messengers
were also patient
with firm purpose

do not try to hurry it for them

on the day they see
what they are promised
it will be as if
they had not waited
for an hour of a single day

a Message delivered

and will any be destroyed
apart from the wicked?

IZQ < - > Muhammad