Surah Al-Anbiya English Translation & Transliteration

¹The day on which people will be called to account has drawn near. Yet they turn away from this truth/the Quran in indifference.

²Whenever a new reminder/admonition comes to them from their Lord, they listen to it only in mockery.

³They whisper secretly among themselves, saying: "Is this not a human being like you? Will you now fall under his sorcery with your eyes wide open?"

⁴Say: —My Lord knows every word spoken in the heaven and on the earth, for it is He who hears all and knows all.

⁵—No, they said, these are jumbled dreams. No, he has invented this Quran in Allah's name. No, at most he is a poet! Then let him bring us a miracle like those of the messengers sent to the earlier peoples!

⁶Before them, the people of the towns We destroyed did not believe either. Are these, then, going to believe?

⁷Yet those We charged with messengership before you, giving them revelation, were only human beings like you. If you do not know, ask the People of the Book!

⁸We did not make them beings with no need of food and drink, nor were they immortal.

⁹In the end We kept the promise We had made them; We saved them and those who deserved it, and destroyed those who went to excess.

¹⁰To you, too, We have sent down a Book/the Quran in which there is admonition for you. Will you still not use your reason?

¹¹How many towns whose people were wrongdoers who opposed the messengers have We devastated! And after them We brought into being another people.

¹²When they felt Our severe punishment, they began fleeing from there in haste.

¹³Stop, do not run! Go back to the comfortable life in which you were insolently pampered, and to your mansions; perhaps people will come looking for you.

¹⁴—Woe to us! they said. We truly have been wrongdoers who persisted in error.

¹⁵While they kept up these cries, We turned them into a harvested crop, into what has been burned to ashes.

¹⁶For We did not create the heaven and the earth and what lies between them for play and amusement.

¹⁷Had We wished to take up some play and amusement, We would certainly have taken it in a manner befitting Our majesty; yes, had We done so, that is how We would have done it, but We did not.

¹⁸On the contrary, We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it smashes its skull, and so falsehood vanishes. Woe to you for the ugly things you ascribe to Allah!

¹⁹For everything in the heavens and on the earth, animate or inanimate, belongs to Him. Those who are with Him never consider themselves too great to serve Him, nor do they ever tire of it.

²⁰Night and day they proclaim Allah's glory without ceasing.

²¹Say: "Have they, then, taken as gods certain beings from the earth/of stone and soil?" Will those raise the dead to life?

²²Had there been gods other than Allah in the heavens and on the earth, there would have been chaos in both and their order would have broken down. Far be it! Allah, Owner of the exalted seat of sovereignty, is free from the ugly things they ascribe to Him.

²³He cannot be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.

²⁴Or have they taken other gods besides Allah? Say to them: —Come on, bring your conclusive proof! This belief in Allah's oneness (tawhid) is the common message voiced both by those who are with me and by those before me. But most of them do not know this truth/the Quran, and therefore they turn away from it.

²⁵Yet to every messenger We sent before you, We revealed only this: —There is no god but Me, so serve Me alone!

²⁶Even so, they said: "The Most Merciful (ar-Rahman) has taken a child." Far be it! He is free from such things. In fact, they (the angels) are honored servants of Allah.

²⁷They never speak ahead of Him, and they act by His command.

²⁸Allah knows what they have done and what they will do, and they cannot intercede for anyone except one with whom Allah is pleased. For they tremble with the deep reverence they feel for Allah.

²⁹Were any of the angels to claim, "I too am a god besides Allah," We would punish him with Hell. That is how We punish those who lay claim to divinity.

³⁰Do the disbelievers who cover up the truth not see that the heavens and the earth were joined together in the beginning and We separated them, and that We made every living thing from water? Will they still not believe?

³¹And We placed weights on the earth lest they be shaken, and We made valleys and passes in it so that they might easily find their way.

³²And We made the sky a well-protected roof. Yet they turn away from all the proofs in the sky.

³³It is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, each gliding along in its own orbit.

³⁴We granted immortality to no human being who lived before you. So if you die, will they live forever?

³⁵For every living being will taste death. We are testing you with good and with evil. And in the end you will be returned to Us.

³⁶When the disbelievers who cover up the truths see you, they say, only to mock you: "Is this the one who keeps disparaging your gods?" Yet it is not you they disbelieve in, but the Reminder of the Most Merciful, the Quran.

³⁷Humankind has been created most hasty. There is no need for you to be in a hurry; when the time comes, I will show you My signs.

³⁸And they even go so far as to ask: "If you are truthful in your claim, when is this promised threat to come?"

³⁹If only those disbelievers who cover up the truth knew the moment when they will be unable to shield their faces and their backs from the Fire, and will find no help at all!

⁴⁰No, it will come upon them suddenly and strike them with terror. Then they will neither be able to turn it back, nor will they be given any respite.

⁴¹Have no doubt that messengers before you were mocked as well, but the very truth they mocked closed in on them from every side.

⁴²Say: —Who can protect you, by night or by day, from a punishment coming from the Most Merciful? Yet they still turn away from their Lord's Reminder/the Quran.

⁴³Or do they have gods that can defend them against Us? Yet those gods lack the power even to help themselves; moreover, they will receive no protection from Us either.

⁴⁴Besides, We let them and their forefathers live a life of ease, so much so that with this comfort they lived long lives. But do they not now see how We are gradually narrowing their means and influence from every side? In that case, is it they who will prevail?

⁴⁵Say: —I warn you only by revelation/the Quran. But the deaf, who do not want to hear this call, do not hear it when they are warned.

⁴⁶If even a breath of your Lord's punishment were to touch them, they would at once say: —Woe to us! By turning a deaf ear to this call, we truly did wrong and persisted in error.

⁴⁷And on the Day of Resurrection We will set up precise scales of justice. No one will be wronged in the least. Even if it is something the weight of a mustard seed, We will take it into account. For We are sufficient as reckoners.

⁴⁸Indeed, We gave Moses and Aaron the message that distinguishes truth from falsehood, illuminates the darkness, and is an admonition for the God-conscious (muttaqin), who guard themselves.

⁴⁹They are the ones who hold their Lord in deep, heartfelt reverence, and who tremble at the terror of the Hour, the end of this world.

⁵⁰And this is a blessed reminder that We have sent down to him. Will you now deny it?

⁵¹Indeed, before this We had given Abraham the ability to find what is right; We knew that he was worthy of it.

⁵²He had said to his father and his people: —What are these statues before which you stand in reverence?

⁵³They said: —We found our forefathers serving them.

⁵⁴Abraham said: —Truly, you and your forefathers have been in manifest error all along.

⁵⁵They said: —Are you serious, or are you playing games with us?

⁵⁶Abraham said: —No, the truth is that your Lord is the Lord/Owner of the heavens and the earth, and the One who created all beings. And I bear witness with my whole being that this is so.

⁵⁷Abraham said: I swear by Allah that once you have gone, I will play a trick on your idols.

⁵⁸When they had left the city, Abraham smashed them all to pieces, except the one they considered the chief idol, which he left untouched so that they might turn to it.

⁵⁹The people said: —Who has done this to our gods? He must truly be someone who does not know his limits.

⁶⁰Others said: —We heard a young man called Abraham speaking ill of them.

⁶¹—Then let us bring him before the people; perhaps someone will testify to what he has done, they said.

⁶²They said: —Was it you who did this to our gods, O Abraham?

⁶³Abraham said: —No; if anyone did it, it was this big one of theirs. You had best ask him yourselves, that is, if he can speak.

⁶⁴Thereupon they turned to one another and blamed each other, saying: —We have truly gone astray by serving beings that cannot speak.

⁶⁵Then they reverted to their old beliefs and said: —You know very well that these cannot speak.

⁶⁶Abraham said: —Then why do you abandon Allah and serve beings that can neither benefit you nor harm you at all?

⁶⁷Shame on you and on what you serve besides Allah! Will you never use your reason?

⁶⁸They said: "If you are going to do something, burn him, and so stand up for your gods."

⁶⁹We said: —O fire! Be cool and safe for Abraham!

⁷⁰They wanted to do away with Abraham, but We made them the losers.

⁷¹We saved him and Lot and brought them to the land We had made blessed for all peoples.

⁷²And We granted him Isaac, and Jacob besides. And We made both of them among the righteous.

⁷³We made them leaders who guide by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good and beneficial deeds, the performing of the prayer, and the giving of zakat. They were all people who served Us alone.

⁷⁴Mention Lot too in this Book. We gave him the ability to judge rightly, and knowledge. And We saved him from the town whose people committed vile deeds. They were truly a very evil people, transgressors who had strayed from the path.

⁷⁵We immersed him in Our compassion and mercy. For he was one of the good and honest.

⁷⁶And mention Noah! Recall how he had prayed for the destruction of his wrongdoing people, who turned a deaf ear to their messengers, and We answered his prayer. We saved him and his family from the great calamity.

⁷⁷We had supported Noah against his people, who rejected Our verses as lies. For they were truly an evil people. And We drowned them all.

⁷⁸And mention David and Solomon! Recall how the two of them gathered and governed, with order and discipline, a people who were scattered like a flock of sheep grazing in the pastures. And We were witness to their rule.

⁷⁹In matters of government We had made Solomon more skilled, though We gave each of them the ability to judge soundly, and knowledge. We placed the mountains at David's command; the mountains and the birds joined David in proclaiming Allah's glory. It was We who did all this.

⁸⁰We also taught David the craft of making coats of mail for you to use to protect yourselves from sword blows in war. Well, then, are you giving these blessings their due?

⁸¹We had also placed the strongly blowing winds at Solomon's service. By his command the wind blew toward the land We had blessed. Everything happened within the bounds of Our knowledge.

⁸²We had also placed under his command certain skilled people as rebellious as devils. They dived for Solomon and did other work besides; and it was We who kept all these people under guard.

⁸³And mention Job, who implored: —This affliction has befallen me. And You are the Most Merciful of the merciful!

⁸⁴We answered his prayer and delivered him from that affliction. As a sign of Our mercy from Us, and as a lesson and a reminder for those who serve Us, We gave him back his family and what he had lost, and as much again.

⁸⁵And remember Ishmael, Idris, and Dhu al-Kifl, who were patient people!

⁸⁶We had counted them among those who attained Our love and mercy. For they were among the good and virtuous.

⁸⁷And mention Jonah, who went off in anger, thinking that We would never put him in straits, and who at last implored in the darkness: "There is no god but You; glory be to You! Truly, I have been one of the wrongdoers who brought ruin upon themselves!"

⁸⁸We answered his prayer and delivered him from the distress he was in. That is how We deliver the believers who believe and trust.

⁸⁹And mention Zechariah, who implored his Lord: "My Lord, do not leave me alone! You are the best of heirs."

⁹⁰We answered his prayer too, granted him John, and made his wife fit to bear a child. For they used to vie with one another in doing good deeds, and called upon Us in fear and hope, and they were deeply reverent toward Us.

⁹¹And mention Mary, who guarded her chastity and honor, into whom We breathed of Our spirit, and whom, together with her son, We made a lesson for all the worlds!

⁹²This community of yours is one single community (ummah). And I am your Owner/your Lord. So serve Me alone.

⁹³But they tore their religion to pieces; in the end, all of them will return to Us.

⁹⁴But whoever does good and beautiful deeds as a believer, his effort will never be disregarded. For We are recording what he does.

⁹⁵There is no return for a community whose destruction We have decreed.

⁹⁶At last, for the destruction of that community, Gog and Magog (Ya'juj and Ma'juj) are let loose, and they spread out in waves from every height.

⁹⁷The promise that is to be fulfilled has drawn near. Then the eyes of those who do not believe will stare wide open in fear and terror, and they will say: —Woe to us! Before this we paid no heed to it at all; in truth we wronged ourselves and brought ruin upon ourselves.

⁹⁸There is no doubt that you and those you place between yourselves and Allah and serve are the firewood of Hell. Yes, you will all end up there.

⁹⁹Had these things you serve truly been gods, they would certainly not have entered it; but all of them will remain there.

¹⁰⁰There they will groan and moan, and will hear nothing but groaning.

¹⁰¹But those who have received from Us a promise of good in return for what they did, they will be kept far away from Hell.

¹⁰²They will not hear even the roar of Hell; on the contrary, they will abide among the blessings their souls desire.

¹⁰³Even the most dreadful terrors will not trouble them, and the angels will greet them, saying: —This is the day you were promised.

¹⁰⁴On that day We will roll up the sky as one rolls up the pages of a book into a scroll. Just as We began the first creation, We will do the same again. This is a promise We have undertaken to fulfill; We will certainly do it.

¹⁰⁵Indeed, after (the Torah) We also wrote in the Psalms (Zabur): "My good servants will inherit the earth."

¹⁰⁶There is no doubt that in this Quran the same message is there for a people who serve Allah.

¹⁰⁷We have sent you only as a mercy to all peoples.

¹⁰⁸Say: —What is revealed to me is only this: your God is one God. So have you now accepted this truth and become Muslims?

¹⁰⁹If they turn away, say: —I have made this truth, the Quran, known to all of you, and we have come to the same level/become equal. Now I do not know whether what you are promised is near or far.

¹¹⁰Surely Allah knows what is said openly just as He knows what is kept hidden.

¹¹¹Nor do I know whether the delay of the punishment is a test for you, or a respite granted for a short while.

¹¹²He said: My Lord, judge between us with truth. Against these ugly things you ascribe, the only One in whom refuge is to be sought is our Lord, the Most Merciful.