Vanity (Al-Zukhruf)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Ha-Meem. (Alphabets of the Arabic language – Allah, and to whomever He reveals, know their precise meanings.) 1 CONSIDER this divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth: 2 Lo! We have appointed it a Lecture, in Arabic that haply ye may understand. 3 It (the Quran) exists in the original Book with Us which is certainly Most Exalted, full of wisdom and (beyond linguistic structures). 4 Shall We then take away from you the admonition because ye are a people extravagant? 5 How many Messengers did We send to the ancient people? 6 But never yet came a prophet to them without their deriding him 7 Wherefore We destroyed peoples mightier than these in prowess; and there hath gone forth the example of the ancients. 8 If you ask them, "Who has created the heavens and the earth?", they will surely answer, "The Almighty, the All Knowing One has created them." 9 Who made the earth a resting-place for you, and placed roads for you therein, that haply ye may find your way; 10 And He it is who sends down, again and again, waters from the sky in due measure: and [as] We raise therewith dead land to life, even thus will you be brought forth [from the dead]. 11 it is He who created all living things in pairs and gave you ships to sail in and beasts to ride upon 12 In order that ye may sit firm and square on their backs, and when so seated, ye may celebrate the (kind) favour of your Lord, and say, "Glory to Him Who has subjected these to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves), 13 Surely we have to go back to our Lord." 14 And they assign to Him a part of His servants; man, to be sure, is clearly ungrateful. 15