The Hijjr Valley (Al-Hijjr)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ Alif. Lam. Ra'. These are the verses of the Book, and a Clear Qur'an. 1 A time will surely come when those who are bent on denying the truth will wish that they had surrendered themselves to God, 2 Leave them to eat and enjoy, and let them be preoccupied with (false) hope. They will come to know! 3 And We destroyed no township but there was a known decree for it. 4 No community precedeth the term thereof nor doth it fall behind. 5 And yet they say: "You, to whom this Exposition has been sent are surely possessed of the Devil. 6 Why do you not bring down the angels, if what you say is true' 7 But then We never send the angels down save with the purpose (of enforcing their doom), after which they will not be given more respite. 8 Indeed We have sent down the Qur’an, and indeed We Ourselves surely are its Guardians. (This is one of the miracles of the Qur’an – no one has been able to change even one letter of its text, despite every effort. It has remained in its original form since the 6th Century (A. D) and will remain so forever. Other Holy Books such as the Torah and the Bible have lost their originality.) 9 (O Muhammad), certainly We did send Messengers before you among the nations which have gone by. 10 And not an apostle came unto them but at him they were wont to mock. 11 This is how We make the mocking* enter the hearts of the guilty. (* The acts of disbelief.) 12 They believe not therein, though the example of the men of old hath gone before. 13 Even if We open a door in the heavens and they ascend through it in broad daylight, 14 they would have said, "Our eyes are bewildered and we have been affected by magic." 15