Vanity (Al-Zukhruf)
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Ha. Mim. 1 I call to witness the lucent Book, 2 Lo! We have appointed it a Lecture, in Arabic that haply ye may understand. 3 It (the Quran) exists in the original Book with Us which is certainly Most Exalted, full of wisdom and (beyond linguistic structures). 4 So shall We divert the advice away from you, because you are a nation that exceeds the limits? 5 And how many a prophet We sent among the former peoples, 6 And never came there unto them a prophet but they used to mock him. 7 and so, [in the end,] We destroyed them [even though they were] of greater might than these: and the [very] image of those people of old became a thing of the past. 8 And if thou askest them: who hath created the heavens and the earth? they will surely say: created them the Mighty, the Knower. 9 It is He who has made the earth for you as a cradle and has made roads therein so that you will perhaps seek guidance. 10 And He Who sends down water from the cloud according to a measure, then We raise to life thereby a dead country, even thus shall you be brought forth; 11 He who created pairs of everything, and fashioned for you boats and beasts on which you ride, 12 In order that ye may sit firm and square on their backs, and when so seated, ye may celebrate the (kind) favour of your Lord, and say, "Glory to Him Who has subjected these to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves), 13 It is to our Lord that we shall eventually return.” 14 Yet they have assigned to Him a part of His own servants! Man is dearly unthankful. 15