Sura 37 of the Qur'an

http://www.humanreligions.info/sura_37.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Title: As-Saaffat
English: Those Who Set the Ranks
Location: Makkah

Traditional Order:
< Sura 36 (Ya Seen - Ya Seen)
> Sura 38 (Sad - Sad)

Chronological Order:
< Sura 6 (Al-Anaam - The Cow)
> Sura 31 (Luqman - Luqman)

Verses: 182

¹	By the rangers ranging	For more on Sura 37:6-8 see Christianity v. Astronomy: The Earth Orbits the Sun!: 7. Islam and the Qur'an. Sura 37:6-8 comments: Islam and Science: Errors in the Qur'an and Arab Education: 1. Astronomy Mistakes. Sura 37:10 is referenced on Christianity v. Astronomy: The Earth Orbits the Sun!: 7. Islam and the Qur'an. Sura 37:10 is referenced on Islam and Science: Errors in the Qur'an and Arab Education: 1. Astronomy Mistakes.
²	and the scarers scaring
³	and the reciters of a Remembrance,
⁴	surely your God is One,
⁵	Lord of the heavens and the earth, and of what between them is Lord of the Easts.
⁶	We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars
⁷	and to preserve against every rebel Satan;
⁸	they listen not to the High Council, for they are pelted from every side,
⁹	rejected, and theirs is an everlasting chastisement,
¹⁰	except such as snatches a fragment, and he is pursued by a piercing flame.
¹¹	So ask them for a pronouncement -- Are they stronger in constitution, or those We created? We created them of clinging clay.
¹²	Nay, thou marvellest; and they scoff
¹³	and, when reminded, do not remember
¹⁴	and, when they see a sign, would scoff;
¹⁵	and they say, 'This is nothing but manifest sorcery.
¹⁶	What, when we are dead and become dust and bones, shall we indeed be raised up?
¹⁷	What, and our fathers, the ancients?'
¹⁸	Say: 'Yes, and in all lowliness.'
¹⁹	For it is only a single scaring, then behold, they are watching
²⁰	and they say, 'Woe, alas for us! This is the Day of Doom.'
²¹	'This is the Day of Decision, even that you cried lies to.
²²	Muster those who did evil, their wives, and that they were serving,
²³	apart from God, and guide them unto the path of Hell!
²⁴	And halt them, to be questioned:
²⁵	"Why help you not one another?"
²⁶	No indeed; but today they resign themselves in submission
²⁷	and advance one upon another, asking each other questions.
²⁸	These say, 'Why, you of old would come to us from the right hand.'
²⁹	Those say, 'No; on the contrary, you were not believers;
³⁰	we had no authority over you; no, you were an insolent people.
³¹	So our Lord's Word is realised against us; we are tasting it.
³²	Therefore we perverted you, and we ourselves were perverts.'
³³	So all of them on that day are sharers in the chastisement.
³⁴	Even so We do with the sinners;
³⁵	for when it was said to them, 'There is no god but God, ' they were ever waxing proud,
³⁶	saying, 'What, shall we forsake our gods for a poet possessed?'
³⁷	'No indeed; but he brought the truth, and confirmed the Envoys.
³⁸	Now certainly you shall be tasting the painful chastisement,
³⁹	and not be recompensed, except according to what you were doing.'
⁴⁰	Except for God's sincere servants;
⁴¹	for them awaits a known provision,
⁴²	fruits -- and they high-honoured
⁴³	in the Gardens of Bliss
⁴⁴	upon couches, set face to face,
⁴⁵	a cup from a spring being passed round to them,
⁴⁶	white, a delight to the drinkers,
⁴⁷	wherein no sickness is, neither intoxication;
⁴⁸	and with them wide-eyed maidens restraining their glances
⁴⁹	as if they were hidden pearls.
⁵⁰	They advance one upon another, asking each other questions.
⁵¹	One of them says, 'I had a comrade
⁵²	who would say, "Are you a confirmer?
⁵³	What, when we are dead and become dust and bones, shall we indeed be requited?"
⁵⁴	He says, 'Are you looking down?'
⁵⁵	Then he looks, and sees him in the midst of Hell.
⁵⁶	He says, 'By God, wellnigh thou didst destroy me;
⁵⁷	But for my Lord's blessing, I were one of the arraigned.
⁵⁸	What, do we then not die
⁵⁹	except for our first death, and are we not chastised?
⁶⁰	This is indeed the mighty triumph,
⁶¹	for the like of this let the workers work.'
⁶²	Is that better as a hospitality, or the Tree of Ez-Zakkoum?
⁶³	We have appointed it as a trial for the evildoers.
⁶⁴	It is a tree that comes forth in the root of Hell;
⁶⁵	its spathes are as the heads of Satans,
⁶⁶	and they eat of it, and of it fill their bellies,
⁶⁷	then on top of it they have a brew of boiling water,
⁶⁸	then their return is unto Hell.
⁶⁹	They found their fathers erring,
⁷⁰	and they run in their footsteps.
⁷¹	Before them erred most of the ancients,
⁷²	and We sent among them warners;
⁷³	and behold, how was the end of them that were warned,
⁷⁴	except for God's sincere servants.
⁷⁵	Noah called to Us; and how excellent were the Answerers!
⁷⁶	And We delivered him and his people from the great distress,
⁷⁷	and We made his seed the survivors,
⁷⁸	and left for him among the later folk
⁷⁹	'Peace be upon Noah among all beings!'
⁸⁰	Even so We recompense the good-doers;
⁸¹	he was among Our believing servants.
⁸²	Then afterwards We drowned the rest.
⁸³	Of his party was also Abraham;
⁸⁴	when he came unto his Lord with a pure heart,
⁸⁵	when he said to his father and his folk, 'What do you serve?
⁸⁶	Is it a calumny, gods apart from God, that you desire?
⁸⁷	What think you then of the Lord of all Being?'
⁸⁸	And he cast a glance at the stars,
⁸⁹	and he said, 'Surely I am sick.'
⁹⁰	But they went away from him, turning their backs.
⁹¹	Then he turned to their gods, and said, 'What do you eat?
⁹²	What ails you, that you speak not?'
⁹³	And he turned upon them smiting them with his right hand.
⁹⁴	Then came the others to him hastening.
⁹⁵	He said, 'Do you serve what you hew,
⁹⁶	and God created you and what you make?'
⁹⁷	They said, 'Build him a building, and cast him into the furnace!'
⁹⁸	They desired to outwit him; so We made them the lower ones.
⁹⁹	He said, 'I am going to my Lord; He will guide me.
¹⁰⁰	My Lord, give me one of the righteous.'
¹⁰¹	Then We gave him the good tidings of a prudent boy;
¹⁰²	and when he had reached the age of running with him, he said, 'My son, I see in a dream that I shall sacrifice thee; consider, what thinkest thou?' He said, 'My father, do as thou art bidden; thou shalt find
¹⁰³	When they had surrendered, and he flung him upon his brow,
¹⁰⁴	We called unto him, 'Abraham,
¹⁰⁵	thou hast confirmed the vision; even so We recompense the good-doers.
¹⁰⁶	This is indeed the manifest trial.'
¹⁰⁷	And We ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice,
¹⁰⁸	and left for him among the later folk
¹⁰⁹	'Peace be upon Abraham!'
¹¹⁰	Even so We recompense the good-doers;
¹¹¹	he was among Our believing servants.
¹¹²	Then We gave him the good tidings of Isaac, a Prophet, one of the righteous.
¹¹³	And We blessed him, and Isaac; and of their seed some are good-doers, and some manifest self-wrongers.
¹¹⁴	We also favoured Moses and Aaron,
¹¹⁵	and We delivered them and their people from the great distress.
¹¹⁶	And We helped them, so that they were the victors;
¹¹⁷	and We gave them the Manifesting Book,
¹¹⁸	and guided them in the straight path,
¹¹⁹	and left for them among the later folk
¹²⁰	'Peace be upon Moses and, Aaron!'
¹²¹	Even so We recompense the good-doers;
¹²²	they were among Our believing servants.
¹²³	Elias too was one of the Envoys;
¹²⁴	when he said to his people, 'Will you not be godfearing?
¹²⁵	Do you call on Baal, and abandon the Best of creators?
¹²⁶	God, your Lord, and the Lord of your fathers, the ancients?'
¹²⁷	But they cried him lies; so they will be among the arraigned,
¹²⁸	except for God's sincere servants;
¹²⁹	and We left for him among the later folk
¹³⁰	'Peace be upon Elias!'
¹³¹	Even so We recompense the good-doers;
¹³²	he was among Our believing servants.
¹³³	Lot too was one of the Envoys;
¹³⁴	when We delivered him and his people all together,
¹³⁵	save an old woman among those that tarried;
¹³⁶	then We destroyed the others,
¹³⁷	and you pass by them in the morning
¹³⁸	and in the night; will you not understand?
¹³⁹	Jonah too was one of the Envoys;
¹⁴⁰	when he ran away to the laden ship
¹⁴¹	and cast lots, and was of the rebutted,
¹⁴²	then the whale swallowed him down, and he blameworthy.
¹⁴³	Now had he not been of those that glorify God,
¹⁴⁴	he would have tarried in its belly until the day they shall be raised;
¹⁴⁵	but We cast him upon the wilderness, and he was sick,
¹⁴⁶	and We caused to grow over him a tree of gourds.
¹⁴⁷	Then We sent him unto a hundred thousand, or more,
¹⁴⁸	and they believed; so We gave them enjoyment for a while.
¹⁴⁹	So ask them for a pronouncement -- Has thy Lord daughters, and they sons?
¹⁵⁰	Or did We create the angels females, while they were witnesses?
¹⁵¹	Is it not of their own calumny that they say,
¹⁵²	'God has begotten?' They are truly liars.
¹⁵³	Has He chosen daughters above sons?
¹⁵⁴	What ails you then, how you judge?
¹⁵⁵	What, and will you not remember?
¹⁵⁶	Or have you a clear authority?
¹⁵⁷	Bring your Book, if you speak truly!
¹⁵⁸	They have set up a kinship between Him and the jinn; and the jinn know that they shall be arraigned.
¹⁵⁹	Glory be to God above that they describe,
¹⁶⁰	except for God's sincere servants.
¹⁶¹	But as for you, and that you serve,
¹⁶²	you shall not tempt any against Him
¹⁶³	except him who shall roast in Hell.
¹⁶⁴	None of us is there, but has a known station;
¹⁶⁵	we are the rangers,
¹⁶⁶	we are they that give glory.
¹⁶⁷	What though they would say,
¹⁶⁸	'If only we had had a Reminder from the ancients,
¹⁶⁹	then were we God's sincere servants.'
¹⁷⁰	But they disbelieved in it; soon they shall know!
¹⁷¹	Already Our Word has preceded to Our servants, the Envoys;
¹⁷²	assuredly they shall be helped,
¹⁷³	and Our host -- they are the victors.
¹⁷⁴	So turn thou from them for a while,
¹⁷⁵	and see them; soon they shall see!
¹⁷⁶	What, do they seek to hasten Our chastisement?
¹⁷⁷	When it lights in their courtyard, how evil will be the morning of them that are warned!
¹⁷⁸	So turn thou from them for a while,
¹⁷⁹	and see; soon they shall see!
¹⁸⁰	Glory be to thy Lord, the Lord of Glory, above that they describe!
¹⁸¹	And peace be upon the Envoys;
¹⁸²	and praise belongs to God, the Lord of all Being.