21 Mention [Hud] of the tribe of Ad: he warned his people among the sand dunes– other warners have come and gone both before and after him–‘ Worship no one but God: I fear for you, that you will be punished on a terrible Day,’ 22 but they said, ‘Have you come to turn us away from our gods? If what you say is true, bring down that punishment you threaten us with!’ 23 He said, ‘Only God knows when it will come: I simply convey to you the message I am sent with but I can see you are an insolent people.’ 24 When they saw a cloud approaching their valley, they said, ‘This cloud will give us rain!’ ‘No indeed! It is what you wanted to hasten: a storm-wind bearing a painful punishment 25 which will destroy everything by its Lord’s command.’ In the morning there was nothing to see except their [ruined] dwellings: this is how We repay the guilty.
26 We had established them in a way we have not established you [people of Mecca]; We gave them hearing, sight, and hearts, yet their hearing, sight, and hearts were of no use to them, since they denied God’s revelations. They were overwhelmed by the punishment they had mocked. 27 We have also destroyed other communities that once flourished around you– We had given them various signs so that they might return to the right way– 28 so why did their gods not help them, those they set up as gods besides God to bring them nearer to Him? No indeed! They failed them utterly: it was all a lie of their own making.
Unseen Spirits
29 We sent a group of jinn to you [Prophet] to listen to the Quran. When they heard it, they said to one another, ‘Be quiet!’ Then when it was finished they turned to their community and gave them warning. 30 They said, ‘Our people, we have been listening to a Scripture that came after Moses, confirming previous scriptures, giving guidance to the truth and the straight path. 31 Our people, respond to the one who calls you to God. Believe in Him: He will forgive you your sins and protect you from a painful torment.’ 32 Those who fail to respond to God’s call cannot escape God’s power anywhere on earth, nor will they have any protector against Him: such people have clearly gone far astray.
33 Do the disbelievers not understand that God, who created the heavens and earth and did not tire in doing so, has the power to bring the dead back to life? Yes indeed! He has power over everything. 34 On the Day the disbelievers are brought before Hell [it will be said to them], ‘Is this not real?’ ‘Yes, by our Lord,’ they will reply and He will say, ‘Then taste the punishment for having denied the truth.’
35 Be steadfast [Muhammad], like those messengers of firm resolve. [a] Do not seek to hasten the punishment for the disbelievers: on the Day they see what they had been warned about, it will seem to them that they lingered no more than a single hour of a single day [in this life]. This is a warning. Shall any be destroyed except the defiant?
Footnotes
a. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad are traditionally termed ‘the messengers of firm resolve’ for their tenacity in preaching God’s message.
The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)
The Qur'an / a new translation by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, copyright © 2004 Oxford World's Classics (Oxford University Press). Used by permission. All rights reserved.