The Hijjr Valley (Al-Hijjr)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
۞ Alif-Lam-Ra. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Quran, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. These are the Verses of the Book, and a plain Quran. 1 It could be that those who disbelieve will wish that they were Muslims. 2 Leave them thou to eat and to enjoy, and let vain hope divert them; presently they will know. 3 Whenever We destroyed a town, a definite term had previously been decreed for it. 4 No community precedeth the term thereof nor doth it fall behind. 5 And they said, “O you upon whom the Qur’an has been sent, you are indeed insane.” 6 Why do you not bring down the angels if what you say is true". 7 We send not down the angels, save with truth; 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 before you to the previous peoples, 10 And never came there unto them a messenger but they did mock him. 11 This is how We cause the hearts of the guilty ones to behave. 12 who do not believe in it, although the way which those [evildoers] of olden times had to go has long been within their ken. 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