By the star when it sets
Your companion has not strayed; he is not deluded
he does not speak from his own desire
The Quran is nothing less than a revelation that is sent to him
It was taught to him by [an angel] with mighty power
and great strength, who stood
on the highest horizon
and then approached––coming down
until he was two bow-lengths away or even closer––
and revealed to God’s servant what He revealed
[The Prophet’s] own heart did not distort what he saw
Are you going to dispute with him what he saw with his own eyes
A second time he saw him
by the lote tree beyond which none may pas
near the Garden of Restfulness
when the tree was covered in nameless [splendour]
His sight never wavered, nor was it too bold
and he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord
[Disbelievers], consider al-Lat and al-Uzza
and the third one, Manat–&ndash
are you to have the male and He the female
That would be a most unjust distribution!––
these are nothing but names you have invented yourselves, you and your forefathers. God has sent no authority for them. These people merely follow guesswork and the whims of their souls, even though guidance has come to them from their Lord
Is man to have everything he wishes for
when the present life and the life to come belong only to God
There are many angels in heaven whose intercession will be of no use until God gives permission to those He will, whose words He will accept
Those who deny the life to come give the angels female names
They have no knowledge to base this on: they merely follow guesswork. Guesswork is of no value against the Truth
So [Prophet] ignore those who turn away from Our revelation, who want only the life of this world
Their knowledge does not go beyond that. Your Lord knows best who strays from His path and who follows guidance
Everything in the heavens and earth belongs to God. He will repay those who do evil according to their deeds, and reward, with what is best, those who do good
As for those who avoid grave sins and foul acts, though they may commit small sins, your Lord is ample in forgiveness. He has been aware of you from the time He produced you from the earth and from your hiding places in your mothers’ wombs, so do not assert your own goodness:He knows best who is mindful of Him
[Prophet], consider that man who turned away
he only gave a little and then he stopped
Does he have knowledge of the Unseen? Can he see [the Hereafter]
Has he not been told what was written in the Scriptures of Mose
and of Abraham, who fulfilled his duty
that no soul shall bear the burden of another
that man will only have what he has worked towards
that his labour will be see
and that in the end he will be repaid in full for it
that the final goal is your Lord
that it is He who makes people laugh and weep
that it is He who gives death and life
that He Himself created the two sexes, male and female
from an ejected drop of sperm
that He will undertake the second Creation
that it is He who gives wealth and possessions
that He is the Lord of Sirius
that it was He who destroyed, in their entirety, ancient Aad
and Thamud
and before them the people of Noah who were even more unjust and insolent
that it was He who brought down the ruined cities
and enveloped them in the punishment He ordained for them
Which then of your Lord’s blessings do you deny
This is a warning just like the warnings sent in former times
The imminent Hour draws nea
and only God can disclose it
Do you [people] marvel at this
Why do you laugh instead of weeping
Why do you pay no heed
Bow down before God and worship