الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ
ALL PRAISE is due to God, who has created the heavens and the earth, and brought into being deep darkness as well as light: and yet, those who are bent on denying the truth regard other powers as their Sustainer's equals! (1)
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَىٰ أَجَلًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى عِنْدَهُ ثُمَّ أَنْتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ
He it is who has created you out of clay, and then has decreed a term [for you] – a term known [only] to Him. And yet you doubt – (2)
وَهُوَ اللَّهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ يَعْلَمُ سِرَّكُمْ وَجَهْرَكُمْ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْسِبُونَ
although He is God in the heavens and on earth, knowing all that you keep secret as well as all that you do openly, and knowing what you deserve. (3)
وَمَا تَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ
Yet whenever any of their Sustainer's messages comes unto them, they [who are bent on denying the truth] turn their backs upon it: (4)
فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِيهِمْ أَنْبَاءُ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
and so they give the lie to this truth now that it has come unto them. In time, however, they will come to understand what it was that they were wont to deride. (5)
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّنْ لَكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ
Do they not see how many a generation We have destroyed before their time – [people] whom We had given a [bountiful] place on earth, the like of which We never gave unto you, and upon whom We showered heavenly blessings abundant, and at whose feet We made running waters flow? And yet We destroyed them for their sins, and gave rise to other people in their stead. (6)
وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ كِتَابًا فِي قِرْطَاسٍ فَلَمَسُوهُ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ لَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ
But even if We had sent down unto thee [O Prophet] a writing on paper, and they had touched it with their own hands – those who are bent on denying the truth would indeed have said, "This is clearly nothing but a deception!" (7)
وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ وَلَوْ أَنْزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لَا يُنْظَرُونَ
They are saying, too, "Why has not an angel [visibly] been sent down unto him?" But had We sent down an angel, all would indeed have been decided, and they would have been allowed no further respite [for repentance]. (8)
وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ مَلَكًا لَجَعَلْنَاهُ رَجُلًا وَلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَا يَلْبِسُونَ
And [even] if We had appointed an angel as Our message-bearer, We would certainly have made him [appear as] a man – and thus We would only have confused them in the same way as they are now confusing themselves. (9)
وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
And, indeed, [even] before thy time have apostles been derided – but those who scoffed at them were [in the end] overwhelmed by the very thing which they were wont to deride. (10)
- If We had sent unto thee a written (message) on parchment,839-A so that they could touch it with their hands, the Unbelievers would have been sure to say: "This is nothing but obvious magic!"840
- 840 The materialists want to see actual physical material things before them, but if such a thing came from an unusual source or expressed things they cannot understand, they give it some name like magic, or superstition, or whatever name is in fashion, and they are not helped at all in attaining faith, because their "hearts are diseased" (2:10).
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If We had sent unto thee a written (message) on parchment, so that they could touch it with their hands, the Unbelievers would have been sure to say: "This is nothing but obvious magic!"
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
Had we sent down unto thee (Muhammad) (actual) writing upon parchment, so that they could feel it with their hands, those who disbelieve would have said: This is naught else than mere magic.
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
And if We had sent to you a writing on a paper, then they had touched it with their hands, certainly those who disbelieve would have said: This is nothing but clear enchantment.
— M. Habib Shakir -
And even if We had sent down unto you (O Muhammad SAW) a Message written on paper so that they could touch it with their hands, the disbelievers would have said: "This is nothing but obvious magic!"
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
And had We sent down unto thee a Book written upon parchment so that they could have touched it with their hands, those who disbelieve would have said: this is naught but magic manifest.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
Had We sent down to you a Book on parchment and they touched it with their own hands, those who disbelieved would say: 'This is nothing but plain magic. '
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
And had We sent down on thee a writing on paper and had they touched it with their hands, yet the unbelievers would have said, `this is not but clear sorcery.'
— Ayub Khan -
And if We had sent down to thee a writing upon the parchment and they had felt it with their hands even then the disbelievers would have surely said, 'This is nothing but manifest sorcery.'
— Sher Ali -
But even if We had sent down unto thee [O Prophet] a writing on paper, and they had touched it with their own hands – those who are bent on denying the truth would indeed have said, "This is clearly nothing but a deception!"
— Muhammad Asad -
Had We sent down on thee a Book on parchment and so they touched it with their hands, yet the unbelievers would have said, This is naught but manifest sorcery.
— Arthur Arberry -
(O Messenger!) Had We sent down to you a book inscribed on parchment, and had they even touched it with their own hands, the unbelievers would still have said: 'This is nothing but plain magic.'
— Abu'l Ala Maududi