38:1  Sad By the Quran, full of admonition

38:2  Those who deny the truth are steeped in arrogance and hostility

38:3  How many generations We have destroyed before them! And they cried out when it was too late to escape

38:4  They are surprised that a warner should come to them from among themselves. They say, This is a magician, a great liar

38:5  Does he make all the deities out to be one God? This is indeed a strange thing

38:6  Their leaders departed, saying, Walk away! Hold fast to your deities. This is clearly a conspiracy

38:7  We have not heard of any such thing in the old religion. This is nothing but a fabrication

38:8  Was the message sent only to him out of all of us? In fact, they doubt My warning; in fact, they have not yet tasted My punishment

38:9  Do they possess the treasures of the mercy of your Lord, the Mighty, the Great Bestower

38:10  Have they control over heavens and earth and whatever [lies] between them? Then let them climb up to heaven by ropes

38:11  this host too, among other hosts, is bound to suffer defeat

38:12  Before them the people of Noah denied the truth, as did the Ad and Pharaoh of the Stakes

38:13  and the tribe of Thamud, and the people of Lot, and the dwellers of the Woodthese were the confederates

38:14  There was not one of them but treated their messengers as liars, so My punishment rightly overtook them

38:15  they have only to wait for one single blast [of punishment]: it shall not be delayed by one whit

38:16  They say: Our Lord! Hasten on for us our fate before the Day of Reckoning

38:17  Bear with their words patiently. Remember Our servant David, a man of strength who always turned to Us

38:18  We made the mountains join him in glorifying Us at sunset and sunrise

38:19  and the birds, too, in flocks, all turned to Him

38:20  We made his kingdom strong, and bestowed upon him wisdom and sagacity in judgement

38:21  Have you heard the story of the disputants who entered his chamber by climbing over the wall

38:22  When they reached David, he took fright, but they said, Do not be afraid. We are two disputants, one of whom has wronged the other: judge between us fairlydo not be unjustand guide us to the right path

38:23  This brother of mine has ninety-nine ewes and I have only one. He said, Let me have charge of it, and got the better of me with his words

38:24  David said, He has certainly wronged you by demanding that your ewe be added to his ewes! Thus many partners wrong one another [all] save those who believe [in God] and do righteous deeds: but how few are they! And [suddenly] David understood that We were only putting him to the test, and so he asked his Lord to forgive him his sins; he fell to his knees, and turned to Him in repentance

38:25  We forgave him his sins. His reward will be nearness to Us, a good place to return to

38:26  We said, David, We have given you mastery over the land. Judge fairly between people. Do not follow your desires, lest they divert you from God's path: those who wander from His path will have a severe punishment, because they ignore the Day of Reckoning

38:27  We did not create heaven and earth and all that is between them in vain. That is the opinion of those who deny the truth. Woe betide those who deny the truth, when they are cast into the Fir

38:28  shall We treat those who believe and do good works the same as those who spread corruption in the land; shall We treat the pious the same as the wicked

38:29  This is a blessed Book which We sent down to you [Muhammad], for people to ponder over its messages, and for those with understanding to take heed

38:30  We gave David Solomon. He was an excellent servant who always turned to God

38:31  When well-bred horses, which were fleet of foot were paraded before him near the close of day

38:32  he said, I have put the love of good things above the remembrance of my Lorduntil [the sun] disappeared behind its veil and the horses disappeared from sigh

38:33  Bring them back to me![he said] and began to stroke their legs and their necks

38:34  We tried Solomon by placing upon his throne a [lifeless] body; and thereupon he turned towards Us]

38:35  He prayed, Lord forgive me! Grant me such power as no one after me will haveYou are the Most Generous Provider

38:36  Then We subjected the wind to his power, so that it blew gently, at his behest, wherever he wille

38:37  and also the jinn every kind of builder and dive

38:38  and others chained in fetters

38:39  We said: This is Our gift, so give or withhold as you wish without reckoning

38:40  His reward will be nearness to Us, a good place to return to

38:41  Bring to mind Our servant Job who cried to his Lord, Satan has afflicted me with distress and suffering

38:42  We said, Stamp your foot! Here is cool water for you to wash in and drink

38:43  We restored his family to him, doubling their number as an act of grace from Us, and as a reminder to all who are endowed with insight

38:44  We said to Him, Take a handful of twigs in your hand and strike with that but do not break your oath. We found him steadfast. What an excellent servant! He turned constantly to his Lord.[35]

38:45  Remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob possessors of strength and vision

38:46  We chose them for a special [purpose]proclaiming the message of the Hereafter

38:47  and, in Our sight they were indeed among the select, the truly good

38:48  Remember [Our servants] Ishmael, Elisha, and Dhul-Kifl. Each of them was among the just

38:49  This is a Reminder. The righteous shall have a good place to return to

38:50  the Gardens of eternity with gates thrown wide open to them

38:51  They will be comfortably seated; reclining, they will call for abundant fruit and drink

38:52  with them, they will have pure, modest women of an equal age

38:53  This is what you were promised on the Day of Reckoning

38:54  Our provision for you will never be exhausted

38:55  But the arrogant will have the worst return

38:56  they will burn, in Hell, an evil resting plac

38:57  all this will be theirs; let them taste ita scalding, dark, foul fluid

38:58  and other such torments

38:59  [And they will say to one another: Do you see] this crowd of people rushing headlong to join you? No welcome to them! Indeed, they are headed for the fire

38:60  They will say to them, You are not welcome! It was you who brought this on us, an evil place to stay

38:61  adding, Our Lord, give double punishment to those who brought this upon us

38:62  And they will say, How is it that we do not see [here any of the] men whom we used to count among the wicked

38:63  [and] whom we made the target of our derision? Or are they here, and our eyes have missed them

38:64  All this is certainly truethe inhabitants of the Fire will blame one another in this way

38:65  Say, [Prophet], I am only a warner. There is no god but God, the One, the All-Powerful

38:66  Lord of the heavens and earth and everything between them, the Almighty, the Most Forgiving

38:67  Say, This is momentous news

38:68  yet you ignore it

38:69  I had no knowledge of the Exalted Assembly when they argued [against the creation of man]

38:70  it has only been revealed to me that I am a plain warner

38:71  Your Lord said to the angels, I am about to create a human being out of clay

38:72  and when I have formed him fully and breathed My spirit into him, prostrate yourselves before him

38:73  Thereupon the angels prostrated themselves, all of them together

38:74  but not Satan, who was too proud. He became one of those who deny the truth

38:75  God said, Satan, what prevented you from prostrating yourself to what I created with My own Hands? Were you overcome by arrogance, or are you of those who think [only] of themselves as exalted

38:76  Satan replied, I am better than him. You created me from fire, but You created him from clay

38:77  Begone! You are accursed

38:78  My curse will remain upon you till the Day of Judgement

38:79  But Satan said, My Lord, grant me respite until the Day of Resurrection

38:80  so He said, You are granted respit

38:81  till the Appointed Day

38:82  He said, By Your Honour, I will lead all of them astray

38:83  except for those among them who are Your chosen servants

38:84  God said, This is the truthI speak only the trut

38:85  I will fill up Hell with you and every one of them who follows you

38:86  Say, I do not ask you for any recompense for this, nor am I a man of false pretentions

38:87  this is simply an admonition to mankind

38:88  you shall before long know its truth