Sūra XLVI.: Aḥqāf, or Winding Sand-tracts.

Section 3

21. Waothkur akha AAadin ith anthara qawmahu bial-ahqafi waqad khalati alnnuthuru min bayni yadayhi wamin khalfihi alla taAAbudoo illa Allaha innee akhafu AAalaykum AAathaba yawmin AAatheemin

21. Mention (Hūd)
One of ‘Ād's (own) brethren:
Behold, he warned his people
About the winding Sand-tracts:
But there have been Warners
Before him and after him:
"Worship ye none other
Than God: truly I fear
For you the Penalty
Of a Mighty Day."

22. Qaloo aji/tana lita/fikana AAan alihatina fa/tina bima taAAiduna in kunta mina alssadiqeena

22. They said: "Hast thou come
In order to turn us aside
From our gods? Then bring
Upon us the (calamity)
With which thou dost
Threaten us, if thou
Art telling the truth!"

23. Qala innama alAAilmu AAinda Allahi waoballighukum ma orsiltu bihi walakinnee arakum qawman tajhaloona

23. He said: "The Knowledge
(Of when it will come)
Is only with God: I
Proclaim to you the mission
On which I have been sent:
But I see that ye
Are a people in ignorance!"…

24. Falamma raawhu AAaridan mustaqbila awdiyatihim qaloo hatha AAaridun mumtiruna bal huwa ma istaAAjaltum bihi reehun feeha AAathabun aleemun

24. Then, when they saw
The (Penalty in the shape of)
A cloud traversing the sky,
Corning to meet their valleys,
They said, "This cloud
Will give us rain!"
"Nay, it is the (calamity)
Ye were asking to be
Hastened!—a wind
Wherein is a Grievous Penalty!

25. Tudammiru kulla shay-in bi-amri rabbiha faasbahoo la yura illa masakinuhum kathalika najzee alqawma almujrimeena

25. "Everything will it destroy
By the command of its Lord!"
Then by the morning they—
Nothing was to be seen
But (the ruins of) their houses!
Thus do We recompense
Those given to sin!

26. Walaqad makkannahum feema in makkannakum feehi wajaAAalna lahum samAAan waabsaran waaf-idatan fama aghna AAanhum samAAuhum wala absaruhum wala af-idatuhum min shay-in ith kanoo yajhadoona bi-ayati Allahi wahaqa bihim ma kanoo bihi yastahzi-oona

26. And We had firmly established
Them in a (prosperity and) power
Which We have not given
To you (ye Quraish!)
And We had endowed them
With (faculties of)
Hearing, seeing, heart and intellect
But of no profit to them
Were their (faculties of)
Hearing, sight, and heart
And intellect, when they
Went on rejecting the Signs
Of God; and they were
(Completely) encircled
By that which they
Used to mock at!

Next: Section 4 (27-35)