The Hijjr Valley (Al-Hijjr)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ Alif. Lam. Ra. These are verses of the Scripture and a plain Reading. 1 How strongly the unbelievers will wish that they had been Muslims. 2 leave them to eat, and to take their joy, and to be bemused by hope; certainly they will soon know! 3 And never have We destroyed any community [for its wrongdoing] unless a divine writ had [previously] been made known to it; 4 No people can outstrip the term for its destruction nor can it delay it. 5 And they say, "O you upon whom the message has been sent down, indeed you are mad. 6 Why do you not bring down the angels upon us, if you are truthful?" 7 We do not send down angels except for a genuine purpose, at which time none will be given any further respite. 8 Behold, it is We Ourselves who have bestowed from on high, step by step, this reminder; and behold, it is We who shall truly guard it [from all corruption]. 9 We sent Messengers to the ancient people who lived before you. 10 And there never came an apostle to them but they mocked him. 11 Even so do We [now] cause this [scorn of Our message] to pervade the hearts of those who are lost in sin, 12 They do not believe in the Truth and they exactly follow the tradition of the ancient (unbelievers) 13 And if We opened upon them a door of the heaven, and they passed the day mounting thereto. 14 they would have said, "Our eyes are bewildered and we have been affected by magic." 15