43al-ZukhrufThe Gildedسُورَةُ الزخرف

Ḥā-Mīm [Ḥ-M].

By [avowing and affirming] the elucidating Scripture [this Qur’an]:

Behold, We have rendered it an Arabic Qur’an so that you may discipline your thoughts.

And it [the Qur’anic scripture] — emanating [as it does] from the upwelling of divine writ, issuing from Us — is absolutely sublime, intensely informed.

[You who are addressed by this Qur’an!] Do you think We should bypass you and not offer you the godly consciousness [herein], seeing that you have been a profligate people?

And how many a prophet did We send forth to those antecedents [in ancient times]?

And never was there a prophet who came to them except that they made fun of him:

And so, We destroyed [even] those who had more firepower than these [Arabians] — and thus a paradigm precedent was set down.

And if you [O Muhammad] were to ask them [the majority people of Makkah], “Who created the heavens and the earth?” — they will most definitely reply, “They were created by [Allah] the Dearly Grand, the Extremely Informed.”

[Know then that it is He] who made the earth an expedient place for you and made courses/ methods of movement [possible] for you so that you may find your way [eventually to Him].

And it is He who brought down rain [cycles after cycles] from the sky in due measure: and [just as] We revitalize a territorial dead zone [back to life], likewise you will be pulled out [of death back to life].

And it is He who created all complements; and made for you of ships and animals something to ride,

So that you may find a sense of balance to operate [that which makes it possible for you to sail and steer] and then, when you are in command and control, you might be mindful of your Sustainer’s blessing and say, “Uniquely exalted is He who made this [means of transportation] a utility for us — for we would never be able to match Him [in providing such things];

“And truly we are [eventually] going back to our Sustainer.”

And yet, they [the mushriks, having God-ordained freedom of choice] attribute to Him [contrived] deities [saying that they are] a part of Him — [deities] who [in reality] are His subjects. Verily, a social being is [often] extremely and clearly unappreciative [of Allah].

Or [do you think that] out of all His creation, He attributed to Himself girls and esteemed you with sons [within your culture that demeans girls and glorifies sons]?

And if anyone of them [the mushriks] is given the glad tiding of [the birth of] what he is proud of attributing to the Mercy-Giver [that is, a girl], his face turns dim and he is filled with suppressed fury,

“What! [Am I to have a daughter] — one who is to be reared [only] for the sake of cosmetics?” and thereafter his inner self remains for all intents and purposes conflicted.

And [not stopping there] they [who have God-sanctioned freedom of choice] made the malā’ikah — who in reality are but the Mercy-Giver’s subjects — out to be females! [But] did they witness their [the malā’ikah’s] creation? Their [false] testimony will be recorded, and they will be summoned to account [for such allegations on Judgement Day]!

And they go on to argue, “Had the Mercy-Giver willed it, we would not have worshiped them [the malā’ikah]. [But] they cannot have any knowledge of [Allah willing] such: they can only but guess.

Or have We provided them, before this [Qur’an], with a scripture [corroborating their contentions] to which they are holding on tightly?

Rather, they [justified their position by] saying, “Behold, we found our founding fathers aggregated on a direction [and worshiping what we worship nowadays] — and certainly we, in following in their tracks, shall be guided!”

And that’s the way it is: We have never sent before you [O Muhammad] a warner to a civil society except that its wealthy elites would say, “Behold, we found our founding fathers aggregated on a direction [and worshiping what we worship nowadays] — and we certainly shall trace their tracks!”

[Whereupon each warner] would say, “Even if I come to you with guidance superseding what you found your founding fathers doing?” — [to which the wealthy elites] would respond, “Behold, we deny there is any truth in [what you claim to be] sent [and revealed] to you!”

Consequently, We got back at them: so look and see what the consequences were for those [lying] contrarians.

And bear in mind Ibrāhīm as he said to his father [or uncle] and his people, “Indeed, I release myself from [the guilt] of what you worship and comply with!

“[None do I worship and comply with] except He who unyoked me [into existence] and it is He who will truly guide me!”

And he [Ibrāhīm] uttered this as a pledge that would become binding upon his posterity, in the hope they will return [to it as a reference].

To be more precise, [as for those who did come after him], I gave them and their forefathers some time to enjoy life until [eventually] truth and justice as well as an obvious apostle came to them [after their deviation].

And when truth and justice came to them [from Us] they said, “This is an illusion and we are definitely in defiance of it.”

And they said, “If only this Qur’an was delivered to a man belonging to one of the two magnificent urban [and civilized] social orders!”

Do they think they are the ones who apportion your Sustainer’s grace? [Why], it is We who allocated among them their livelihood in the life of this world, and it is We who raised some of them above others by varying degrees so that some of them are interdependent on others: and Allah’s grace is much better than what they amass [of material and worldly possessions].

And were it not for people wanting to become one nation [of affluent and successful kāfirs], We would have decreed for those who [now] reject the Mercy-Giver homes with silver ceilings and [silver] stairways whereon to ascend,

And gates [of precious metals] for their homes and [luxurious] couches to recline upon,

And [structures] covered with gold — but all that would have amounted to nothing but a [fleeting] enjoyment of worldly life, whereas the Enduring Life is situated with your Sustainer [reserved] for those who are on guard [pertaining to Allah’s “power for justice”].

And whoever is blind-sighted concerning the [human] consciousness of the Mercy-Giver, We will dish out to him a demon who will become his alter self.

Whereupon, surely, these [demons] will distract them from the passage [to Allah], making them [the blind-sighted] believe they are indeed guided [when in reality they are on the wrong course in life].

[And this will go on] until he [the hapless demon-victim] comes to Us [on the Day of Judgement] and says [to his alter self], “O how I wish that between me and you [demon], there would have been the distance between the two daybreaks!” — for, malevolent a [demonic] alter self he has been!

And today [the Day of Justice] it will do you no good to [finally] acknowledge that you all are sharing the torment because all of you [together] are [guilty] of injustice.

Can you [O Muhammad] make those who are tone-deaf capable of listening, or can you usher around the visionless as well as he who is in obvious misleading error?

So if We take you [O Muhammad] away [before the successful climax of your mission], We certainly shall mete out Our certain reprisal upon them [the mushriks];

Otherwise We shall surely show you what We promised them as, indeed, We are of overwhelming power over them.

So hold firmly to that which We have revealed to you: surely you are on a straightforward path;

And, verily, it [the Qur’an] is a consciousness [of godly attachment] for you [O Muhammad] and for your people. And, in time, all of you will be held answerable [on the Day of Accountability for what you did with it].

And inquire about those We commissioned as apostles before your time: [in any of their missions] did We ever designate deities/authorities for [human] compliance to the exclusion of the Mercy-Giver?

And [as one of those historical missions] We sent Mūsā [supplemented] with Our demonstrations of power and authority to Pharaoh and his elite; and he [Mūsā] said, “In truth, I am an apostle from the Sustainer of [all the] worlds.”

So when he [Mūsā] came to them with Our illustrations of power and authority, lo and behold, they made fun of him;

And every time We showed them a demonstration of Our power and authority it became more serious than its preceding complement: for [in this manner], We took them to task by subjecting them to suffering, so that they may return [to Us].

And they said [after being inflicted with each installment of suffering], “O you [Mūsā] the magician! Call upon your Sustainer as He has a covenant with you, for, verily, we shall now be guided!”

So whenever We removed the suffering from them, they reneged and broke their word.

And Pharaoh made a public announcement to his people, saying, “O my people! Doesn’t Egypt belong to me — as these rivers that flow below me [are proof thereof]!? Can you not, then, see [who the lord is, and who the authority is]?

“Am I not better than this contemptible creature [Mūsā] who can hardly express [himself] clearly?

“And then, why has he [Mūsā] not been presented with a golden armlet from on high, or why are there no angels beside him, escorting him?”

And so, he [Pharaoh] belittled his people and took them lightly, and they went along with him [in order to get along]: indeed, they were a people [socially] dysfunctional!

But when they continued to defy and dare Us, We took revenge against them, drowning them — one and all:

Thus did We make them a relic of the past and an example to those who would come after them.

And when the son of Maryam [Jesus] is presented as an exemplary public figure [by you, O Muhammad, to your people], lo! your people begin to distract [from this issue],

Saying, “Are you [O Muhammad] more fond of him [‘Īsā] than our deities?” They only devised this contention but to argue with you — for they are a contentious people!

He [Jesus] was but a devout subject [of Ours] whom We blessed and made a model for the Children of Israel.

And had We willed it, We would have made of you [who hold angels as deities] malā’ikah [living] on earth in [generational] succession [while doing away with the actual malā’ikah]!

And, behold, it [the revelation of the Qur’an or the advent of ‘Īsā] is indeed an indicator of the inevitability of the Final Hour; therefore, do not squabble about it [when or if it will come], but follow me: this approach is a straight path.

And do not let Satan bar you from it — for, verily, he is your obvious enemy.

Now when ‘Īsā came [to the Children of Israel] with clear evidence, he said, “I have indeed come to you with wisdom and to clarify some issues about which you are in disagreement; so safeguard yourselves against Allah [His power presence] and obey me.

“Verily, Allah is my Sustainer and your Sustainer, so conform to Him: this is a straight way [forward].”

But then the [different] parties among them disagreed [and diverged]: [and so] woe unto those who are dealing in injustice for the torment [they will endure] on a painful Day!

Are they [the mushriks] loitering around for the Final Hour to come upon them all of a sudden while they are in suspension of their senses?

On that Day, day-to-day friends [in worldly life] will be enemies of each other — except for those who were actively on guard [against Allah’s ultimate justice].

[And Allah will say], “O My devout subjects! Today, no fear shall come your way, nor will you grieve,

“[O you] who have affirmed Our demonstrations of power and authority and self-surrendered [unto Us].

“Enter Paradise, you and your spouses, in joy and honor!”

[And in Paradise], they will be attended to with trays and cups of gold; and in there will be everything human nature could desire and [all that] the eyes could covet. And you [who earned this] will be there forever:

That is the garden of Paradise you have inherited because of what you did [back in the world];

In it [Paradise] will you have a cornucopia of the fruit [you harvested from your deeds] — from which you will dine.

[Whereas], verily, the [divinely designated] cri- minals will be in the torment of Hell forever:

It will not be eased for them and therein they will dwell in desperate despair.

And We did not do injustice to them, rather they were the ones who did injustice [to themselves].

And they will call out, “O Mālik [the keeper of Hell]! Have your Sustainer put an end to us [by any means]!” — [whereupon] he will reply, “You are to dwell there as you are [in all your misery and agony].”

Indeed, [O sinners and criminals], We did convey [the message of] truth and justice to you; but most of you are averse to truth and justice.

Or did they [believe they could] determine the outcome [of their clash with prophet and scripture]? [Let them know that], indeed, it is We who determine the outcome.

Or do they figure that We do not hear their secrets and their confidential meetings? Of course [We listen to them] and Our [angelic] envoys are in their presence recording [what they say and do].

Say [O Prophet], “If the Mercy-Giver had [begotten] a son, then I would be the first to [confirm and] conform.”

Uniquely exalted is the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the [heavenly] seat of power, above all that they [the contrarian kāfirs] attribute to Him by way of description!

So leave them be — as they muddle [through their falsifications] and fool around — until they reach that Day of theirs, which they have been promised:

For [at that time, they will realize that] it is He who is a deity/authority in heaven, and on earth a deity/authority, and [that] He is the Forever Wise, the Always Knowledgeable.

Highly extolled is He who has dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, and who has [precise] knowledge of [the onset of] the Final Hour, and unto whom you all shall return.

And those who call on deities/authorities besides Him [should know that such deities/ authorities] do not have it within their power to be mediators [between God and people] except for those whom through their lifetime were witnesses to truth and justice and were aware [of what they stood for].

And if you [O Muhammad] were to ask them [the mushriks] as to who it was that created them, they would certainly answer, “Allah!” So how do they concoct counter-truths [about Him]?

[And He is aware of] his [Muhammad’s] plea, “O my Sustainer! Indeed, these are people who do not commit [themselves to Your power and authority]!”

So turn away forgivingly from them, and say, “Peace [be upon you]!” — for, with the passage of time, they will come to realize [the meaning and the objective of truth and justice].