In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.
1. Say: It has been
Revealed to me that
A company of Jinns
Listened (to the Qur-ān).
They said, 'We have
Really heard a wonderful Recital!
2. 'It gives guidance
To the Right,
And we have believed therein:
We shall not join (in worship)
Any (gods) with our Lord.
3. 'And exalted is the Majesty
Of our Lord: He has
Taken neither a wife
Nor a son.
4. 'There were some foolish ones
Among us, who used
To utter extravagant lies
Against God;
5. 'But we do think
That no man or spirit
Should say aught that is
Untrue against God.
6. 'True, there were persons
Among mankind who took shelter
With persons among the Jinns,
But they increased them
In folly.
7. 'And they (came to) think
As ye thought, that God
Would not raise up
Any one (to Judgment).
8. 'And we pried into
The secrets of heaven;
But we found it filled
With stern guards
And flaming fires.
9. 'We used, indeed, to sit there
In (hidden) stations, to (steal)
A hearing; but any
Who listens now
Will find a flaming fire
Watching him in ambush.
10. 'And we understand not
Whether ill is intended
To those on earth,
Or whether their Lord
(Really) intends to guide
Them to right conduct.
11. 'There are among us
Some that are righteous,
And some the contrary:
We follow divergent paths.
12. 'But we think that we
Can by no means frustrate
God throughout the earth,
Nor can we frustrate Him
By flight.
13. 'And as for us,
Since we have listened
To the Guidance, we have
Accepted it: and any
Who believes in his Lord
Has no fear, either
Of a short (account)
Or of any injustice.
14. 'Amongst us are some
That submit their wills
(To God), and some
That swerve from justice.
Now those who submit
Their wills—they have
Sought out (the path)
Of right conduct:
15. 'But those who swerve,—
They are (but) fuel
For Hell-fire'—
16. (And God's Message is):
"If they (the Pagans)
Had (only) remained
On the (right) Way,
We should certainly have
Bestowed on them Rain
In abundance.
17. "That We might try them
By that (means).
But if any turns away
From the remembrance
Of his Lord, He will
Cause him to undergo
A severe Penalty.
18. "And the places of worship
Are for God (alone):
So invoke not any one
Along with God;
19. "Yet when the Devotee
Of God stands forth
To invoke Him, they just
Make round him a dense crowd."
20. Say: "I do
No more than invoke
My Lord, and I join not
With Him any (false god)."
21. Say: "It is not
In my power to cause
You harm, or to bring
You to right conduct."
22. Say: "No one can
Deliver me from God
(If I were to disobey Him),
Nor should I find refuge
Except in Him,
23. "Unless I proclaim what
I receive from God
And His Messages:
For any that disobey God
And His Apostle,—for them
Is Hell: they shall dwell
Therein for ever."
24. At length, when they
See (with their own eyes)
That which they are promised,—
Then will they know
Who it is that is
Weakest in (his) helper
And least important
In point of numbers.
25. Say: "I know not whether
The (Punishment) which ye
Are promised is near,
Or whether my Lord
Will appoint for it
A distant term.
26. "He (alone) knows the Unseen,
Nor does He make any one
Acquainted with his Mysteries,—
27. "Except an apostle
Whom He has chosen:
And then He makes
A band of watchers
March before him
And behind him,
28. "That he may know
That they have (truly)
Brought and delivered
The Messages of their Lord:
And He surrounds
(All the mysteries) that are
With them, and takes account
Of every single thing."
