Ever closer to people draws their reckoning, while they turn away, heedless.

Whenever any fresh revelation comes to them from their Lord, they listen to it playfully

with frivolous hearts. The evildoers conferred in secret: ‘Is this man anything but a mortal like yourselves? Are you going to fall under his spell with your eyes wide open?’

He said, ‘My Lord knows everything that is said in the heavens and the earth: He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.’

Some say, ‘Muddled dreams’; others, ‘He made it up’; yet others, ‘He is just a poet, let him show us a sign as previous messengers did.’

But of the communities We destroyed before them not a single one believed. Will these now believe?

And even before your time [Prophet], all the messengers We sent were only men We inspired–– if you [disbelievers] do not know, ask people who know the Scripture––

We did not give them bodies that ate no food, nor were they immortal.

We fulfilled Our promise to them in the end: We saved them and those We wished to save, and We destroyed those who exceeded all bounds.

And now We have sent down to you [people] a Scripture to remind you. Will you not use your reason?

ٱقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةࣲ مُّعْرِضُونَ

مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرࣲ مِّن رَّبِّهِم مُّحْدَثٍ إِلَّا ٱسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ

لَاهِيَةࣰ قُلُوبُهُمْۗ وَأَسَرُّوا۟ ٱلنَّجْوَى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ هَلْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرࣱ مِّثْلُكُمْۖ أَفَتَأْتُونَ ٱلسِّحْرَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ

قَالَ رَبِّي يَعْلَمُ ٱلْقَوْلَ فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

بَلْ قَالُوٓا۟ أَضْغَٰثُ أَحْلَٰمِۭ بَلِ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ بَلْ هُوَ شَاعِرࣱ فَلْيَأْتِنَا بِـَٔايَةࣲ كَمَآ أُرْسِلَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ

مَآ ءَامَنَتْ قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَٰهَآۖ أَفَهُمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالࣰا نُّوحِيٓ إِلَيْهِمْۖ فَسْـَٔلُوٓا۟ أَهْلَ ٱلذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

وَمَا جَعَلْنَٰهُمْ جَسَدࣰا لَّا يَأْكُلُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ خَٰلِدِينَ

ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَٰهُمُ ٱلْوَعْدَ فَأَنجَيْنَٰهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَآءُ وَأَهْلَكْنَا ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ

لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَٰبࣰا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

How many communities of evildoers We have destroyed! How many others We have raised up in their places!

When they felt Our might coming upon them, see how they tried to escape it!

‘Do not try to escape. Go back to your homes and the pleasure you revelled in: you may be questioned.’

They said, ‘Woe to us! We were wrong!’

and that cry of theirs did not cease until We made them burnt-offstubble.

وَكَمْ قَصَمْنَا مِن قَرْيَةࣲ كَانَتْ ظَالِمَةࣰ وَأَنشَأْنَا بَعْدَهَا قَوْمًا ءَاخَرِينَ

فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّوا۟ بَأْسَنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ

لَا تَرْكُضُوا۟ وَٱرْجِعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَآ أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِيهِ وَمَسَٰكِنِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْـَٔلُونَ

قَالُوا۟ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ

فَمَا زَالَت تِّلْكَ دَعْوَىٰهُمْ حَتَّىٰ جَعَلْنَٰهُمْ حَصِيدًا خَٰمِدِينَ

We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them playfully.

If We had wished for a pastime, We could have found it within Us- if We had wished for any such thing.

وَمَا خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَٰعِبِينَ

لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْوࣰا لَّٱتَّخَذْنَٰهُ مِن لَّدُنَّآ إِن كُنَّا فَٰعِلِينَ

Everyone in the heavens and earth belongs to Him, and those that are with Him are never too proud to worship Him, nor do they grow weary;

they glorify Him tirelessly night and day.

Have they chosen any gods from the earth who can give life to the dead?

If there had been in the heavens or earth any gods but Him, both heavens and earth would be in ruins: God, Lord of the Throne, is far above the things they say:

He cannot be called to account for anything He does, whereas they will be called to account.

Have they chosen to worship other gods instead of Him? Say, ‘Bring your proof. This is the Scripture for those who are with me and the Scripture for those who went before me.’ But most of them do not recognize the truth, so they pay no heed.

وَلَهُۥ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِۚ وَمَنْ عِندَهُۥ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِۦ وَلَا يَسْتَحْسِرُونَ

يُسَبِّحُونَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ لَا يَفْتُرُونَ

أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَالِهَةࣰ مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ

لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَآ ءَالِهَةٌ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَاۚ فَسُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَٔلُونَ

أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةࣰۖ قُلْ هَاتُوا۟ بُرْهَٰنَكُمْۖ هَٰذَا ذِكْرُ مَن مَّعِيَ وَذِكْرُ مَن قَبْلِيۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْحَقَّۖ فَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ

We never sent any messenger before you [Muhammad] without revealing to him: ‘There is no god but Me, so serve Me.’

And they say, ‘The Lord of Mercy has taken offspring for Himself.’ May He be exalted! No! They are only His honoured servants:

they do not speak before He speaks and they act by His command.

He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot intercede without His permission––indeed they themselves stand in awe of Him.

If any of them were to claim, ‘I am a god beside Him,’ We would reward them with Hell: this is how We reward evildoers.

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِيٓ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدُونِ

وَقَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ وَلَدࣰاۗ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥۚ بَلْ عِبَادࣱ مُّكْرَمُونَ

لَا يَسْبِقُونَهُۥ بِٱلْقَوْلِ وَهُم بِأَمْرِهِۦ يَعْمَلُونَ

يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ٱرْتَضَىٰ وَهُم مِّنْ خَشْيَتِهِۦ مُشْفِقُونَ

۞ وَمَن يَقُلْ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّيٓ إِلَٰهࣱ مِّن دُونِهِۦ فَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِيهِ جَهَنَّمَۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ