The Hijjr Valley (Al-Hijjr)
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
۞ Alif. Lam. Ra'. These are the verses of the Book, and a Clear Qur'an. 1 Perchance the unbelievers will wish that they had surrendered: 2 Let them eat and enjoy; and let their hopes deceive them, soon they shall know. 3 Whenever We destroyed a town, a definite term had previously been decreed for it. 4 Neither can a people anticipate its term, nor delay it. 5 They say, "You to whom the Reminder [the Quran] has been sent down, you are surely possessed. 6 Why do you not bring down angels upon us if you are indeed truthful?" 7 But then We never send the angels down save with the purpose (of enforcing their doom), after which they will not be given more respite. 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 And indeed We sent Noble Messengers before you, to the former nations. 10 And there never came an apostle to them but they mocked him. 11 Thus do We insert denial into the hearts of the criminals. 12 They would not believe in it (the Quran), and already the example of (Allah's punishment of) the ancients (who disbelieved) has gone forth. 13 And if We opened upon them a door of the heaven, and they passed the day mounting thereto. 14 yet would they say, 'Our eyes have been dazzled; nay, we are a people bewitched!' 15