قالَ يا قَومِ أَرَهطي أَعَزُّ عَلَيكُم مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاتَّخَذتُموهُ وَراءَكُم ظِهرِيًّا ۖ إِنَّ رَبّي بِما تَعمَلونَ مُحيطٌ
He replied, “Is my family more esteemed to you than God, and you’ve pushed Him behind your backs? My Lord is fully aware of what you do.”
وَيا قَومِ اعمَلوا عَلىٰ مَكانَتِكُم إِنّي عامِلٌ ۖ سَوفَ تَعلَمونَ مَن يَأتيهِ عَذابٌ يُخزيهِ وَمَن هُوَ كاذِبٌ ۖ وَارتَقِبوا إِنّي مَعَكُم رَقيبٌ
“O my people, do as you will, and I will act. You will then know who will face a humiliating punishment and who is a liar. Wait; I am waiting with you.”
وَلَمّا جاءَ أَمرُنا نَجَّينا شُعَيبًا وَالَّذينَ آمَنوا مَعَهُ بِرَحمَةٍ مِنّا وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيحَةُ فَأَصبَحوا في دِيارِهِم جاثِمينَ
When Our decree came, We saved Shuaib and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us. And the shriek overtook the wrongdoers, and they became corpses in their homes.
كَأَن لَم يَغنَوا فيها ۗ أَلا بُعدًا لِمَديَنَ كَما بَعِدَت ثَمودُ
As if they had never flourished there. So, away with Midian, just as Thamud was done away with.
وَلَقَد أَرسَلنا موسىٰ بِآياتِنا وَسُلطانٍ مُبينٍ
We sent Moses with Our signs and a clear mandate.
إِلىٰ فِرعَونَ وَمَلَئِهِ فَاتَّبَعوا أَمرَ فِرعَونَ ۖ وَما أَمرُ فِرعَونَ بِرَشيدٍ
To Pharaoh and his nobility, but they followed Pharaoh’s dictates, although Pharoah’s dictates weren’t rational.
يَقدُمُ قَومَهُ يَومَ القِيامَةِ فَأَورَدَهُمُ النّارَ ۖ وَبِئسَ الوِردُ المَورودُ
On the Day of Resurrection, he will lead his people into the Fire—a horrendous place to be led to.
وَأُتبِعوا في هـٰذِهِ لَعنَةً وَيَومَ القِيامَةِ ۚ بِئسَ الرِّفدُ المَرفودُ
They were pursued by a curse in this life—and on Resurrection Day. What a horrid gift they chose!
ذٰلِكَ مِن أَنباءِ القُرىٰ نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيكَ ۖ مِنها قائِمٌ وَحَصيدٌ
These are some of the stories of the communities that We narrate to you. Some of them are still standing, others are stubble.
وَما ظَلَمناهُم وَلـٰكِن ظَلَموا أَنفُسَهُم ۖ فَما أَغنَت عَنهُم آلِهَتُهُمُ الَّتي يَدعونَ مِن دونِ اللَّهِ مِن شَيءٍ لَمّا جاءَ أَمرُ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَما زادوهُم غَيرَ تَتبيبٍ
We didn’t wrong them, but they wronged themselves. Their gods, which they invoked besides God, availed them nothing when your Lord’s command arrived; they only added to their ruin.
وَكَذٰلِكَ أَخذُ رَبِّكَ إِذا أَخَذَ القُرىٰ وَهِيَ ظالِمَةٌ ۚ إِنَّ أَخذَهُ أَليمٌ شَديدٌ
Such is your Lord’s grip when He seizes the communities while they are immersed in wrongdoing. Indeed, His grip is painful and severe.