Az-Zukhruf

Ḥā, Meem.

By the clear Book,

Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’ān that you might understand.

And indeed it is, in the Mother of the Book with Us, exalted and full of wisdom.

Then should We turn the message away, disregarding you, because you are a transgressing people?

And how many a prophet We sent among the former peoples,

But there would not come to them a prophet except that they used to ridicule him.

And We destroyed greater than them in [striking] power, and the example of the former peoples has preceded.

And if you should ask them, "Who has created the heavens and the earth?" they would surely say, "They were created by the Exalted in Might, the Knowing,"

[The one] who has made for you the earth a bed and made for you upon it roads that you might be guided

And who sends down rain from the sky in measured amounts, and We revive thereby a dead land - thus will you be brought forth -

And who created the species, all of them, and has made for you of ships and animals those which you mount

That you may settle yourselves upon their backs and then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled upon them and say, "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have [otherwise] subdued it.

And indeed we, to our Lord, will [surely] return."

But they have attributed to Him from His servants a portion. Indeed, man is clearly ungrateful.

Or has He taken, out of what He has created, daughters and chosen you for [having] sons?

And when one of them is given good tidings of that which he attributes to the Most Merciful in comparison [i.e., a daughter], his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief.

So is one brought up in ornaments while being during conflict unevident [attributed to Allāh]?

And they described the angels, who are servants of the Most Merciful, as females. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned.

And they said, "If the Most Merciful had willed, we would not have worshipped them." They have of that no knowledge. They are not but misjudging.

Or have We given them a book before it [i.e., the Qur’ān] to which they are adhering?

Rather, they say, "Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are in their footsteps [rightly] guided."

And similarly, We did not send before you any warner into a city except that its affluent said, "Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are, in their footsteps, following."

[Each warner] said, "Even if I brought you better guidance than that [religion] upon which you found your fathers?" They said, "Indeed we, in that with which you were sent, are disbelievers."

So We took retribution from them; then see how was the end of the deniers.