The Hijjr Valley (Al-Hijjr)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
۞ Alif-Lam-Ra. These are the verses of the Book, and a Qur'an luminous. 1 A time will surely come when those who are bent on denying the truth will wish that they had surrendered themselves to God, 2 leave them to eat, and to take their joy, and to be bemused by hope; certainly they will soon know! 3 And never did We destroy a town but it had a term made known. 4 No nation can anticipate its term, nor delay it. 5 And they said, “O you upon whom the Qur’an has been sent, you are indeed insane.” 6 Why bringest thou not angels unto us, if thou art of the truthful? 7 But We send down the angels only to bring justice and then they will not be reprieved. 8 Indeed We have sent down the Qur’an, and indeed We Ourselves surely are its Guardians. (This is one of the miracles of the Qur’an – no one has been able to change even one letter of its text, despite every effort. It has remained in its original form since the 6th Century (A. D) and will remain so forever. Other Holy Books such as the Torah and the Bible have lost their originality.) 9 We sent Messengers to the ancient people who lived before you. 10 No Messenger went to them whom they did not mock. 11 Thus do We make it to enter into the hearts of the guilty; 12 They will not believe in it, while there has already occurred the precedent of the former peoples. 13 Had We opened a door for them in the sky through which they could easily pass, 14 they would still say, "Our eyes have been dazzled. We are bewitched." 15