The Hijjr Valley (Al-Hijjr)
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
۞ Alif. Lam. Ra'. These are the verses of the Book, and a Clear Qur'an. 1 The disbelievers will ardently wish that if only they had been Muslims! (At the time of death / in their graves / on the Day of Resurrection.) 2 leave them to eat, and to take their joy, and to be bemused by hope; certainly they will soon know! 3 We never destroyed any town without pre-ordaining the fate of its people. 4 No people can outstrip the term for its destruction nor can it delay it. 5 They say: 'You to whom the Remembrance is sent down, you are indeed mad. 6 Why do you not bring down the angels if what you say is true". 7 We send not the angels down except for just cause: if they came (to the ungodly), behold! no respite would they have! 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 We did send messengers before thee amongst the religious sects of old: 10 And there never came an apostle to them but they mocked him. 11 even so We cause it to enter into the hearts of the sinners -- 12 They will not believe in it, while there has already occurred the precedent of the former peoples. 13 And if We opened upon them a door of the heaven, and they passed the day mounting thereto. 14 yet would they say, 'Our eyes have been dazzled; nay, we are a people bewitched!' 15