What is Islam
AL SHU`ARA' (The Poets).

1 Ta Sin Mim.
2 These are Verses of the Book that makes (things) clear.
3 It may be thou frettest thy soul with grief, that they do not become Believers.
4 If (such) were Our Will, We could send down to them from the sky a Sign, to which they would bend their necks in humility.
5 But there comes not to them a newly revealed Message from (Allah) Most Gracious, but they turn away therefrom.
6 They have indeed rejected (the Message): so they will know soon (enough) the truth of what they mocked at!
7 Do they not look at the earth how many noble things of all kinds We have produced therein?
8 Verily, in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.
9 And verily, thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
10 Behold thy Lord called Moses: "Go to the people of iniquity
11 "The people of Pharaoh: will they not fear Allah?"
12 He said: "O my Lord! I do fear that they will charge me with falsehood:
13 "My breast will be straitened. And my speech may not go (smoothly): so send unto Aaron.
14 And (further), they have a charge of crime against me; and I fear they may slay me."
15 Allah said: "By no means! Proceed then, both of you, with Our Signs; We are with you, and will listen (to your call).
16 "So go forth, both of you, to Pharaoh, and say: 'We have been sent by thy Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds;
17 " 'Send thou with us the Children of Israel.' "
18 (Pharaoh) said: "Did we not cherish thee as a child among us, and didst thou not stay in our midst many years of thy life?
19 "And thou didst a deed of thine which (thou knowest) thou didst, and thou art an ungrateful (wretch)!"
20 Moses said: "I did it then, when I was in error.
21 "So I fled from you (all) when I feared you; but My Lord has (since) invested me with judgment (and wisdom) and appointed me as one of the messengers.
22 "And this is the favour with which thou dost reproach me that thou hast enslaved the Children of Israel!"
23 Pharaoh said: "And what is the 'Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds?' "
24 (Moses) said: "The Lord and Cherisher of the heavens and the earth, and all between if ye want to be quite sure."
25 (Pharaoh) said to those around: "Do ye not listen (to what he says)?"
26 (Moses) said: "Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers from the beginning!"
27 (Pharaoh) said: "Truly your messenger who has been sent to you is a veritable madman!"
28 (Moses) said: "Lord of the East and the West, and all between! If ye only had sense!"
29 (Pharaoh) said: "If thou dost put forward any god other than me, I will certainly put thee in prison!"
30 (Moses) said: "Even if I showed you something clear (and) convincing?"
31 (Pharaoh) said: "Show it then, if thou tellest the truth!"
32 So (Moses) threw his rod, and behold, it was a serpent, plain (for all to see)!
33 And he drew out his hand, and behold, it was white to all beholders!
34 (Pharaoh) said to the Chiefs around him: "This is indeed a sorcerer well versed:
35 "His plan is to get you out of your land by his sorcery; then what is it ye counsel?"
36 They said: "Keep him and his brother in suspense (for a while), and dispatch to the Cities heralds to collect
37 "And bring up to thee all (our) sorcerers well versed."
38 So the sorcerers were got together for the appointment of a day well known,
39 And the people were told: "Are ye (now) assembled?
40 "That we may follow the sorcerers (in religion) if they win?"
41 So when the sorcerers arrived, they said to Pharaoh: "Of course shall we have a (suitable) reward if we win?"
42 He said: "Yea, (and more) for ye shall in that case be (raised to posts) nearest (to my person)."
43 Moses said to them: "Throw ye that which ye are about to throw!"
44 So they threw their ropes and their rods, and said: "By the might of Pharaoh, it is we who will certainly win!"
45 Then Moses threw his rod, when, behold, it straightway swallows up all the falsehoods which they fake!
46 Then did the sorcerers fall down, prostrate in adoration,
47 Saying: "We believe in the Lord of the Worlds,
48 "The Lord of Moses and Aaron."
49 Said (Pharaoh): "Believe ye in Him before I give you permission? Surely he is your leader, who has taught you sorcery! But soon shall ye know! "Be sure I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will cause you all to die on the cross!"
50 They said: "No matter! For us, we shall but return to our Lord!
51 "Only, our desire is that our Lord will forgive us our faults, that we may become foremost among the Believers!"
52 By inspiration We told Moses: "Travel by night with My servants; for surely ye shall be pursued."
53 Then Pharaoh sent heralds to (all) the Cities,
54 (Saying): "These (Israelites) are but a small band,
55 "And they are raging furiously against us;
56 "But we are a multitude amply forewarned."
57 So We expelled them from gardens, springs,
58 Treasures, and every kind of honourable position;
59 Thus it was, but We made the Children of Israel inheritors of such things.
60 So they pursued them at sunrise.
61 And when the two bodies saw each other, the people of Moses said: "We are sure to be overtaken."
62 (Moses) said: "By no means! My Lord is with me! Soon will He guide me!"
63 Then We told Moses by inspiration: "Strike the sea with thy rod." So it divided, and each separate part became like the huge, firm mass of a mountain.
64 And We made the other party approach thither.
65 We delivered Moses and all who were with him;
66 But We drowned the others.
67 Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.
68 And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
69 And rehearse to them (something of) Abraham's story.
70 Behold, he said to his father and his people; What worship ye?
71 They said: We worship idols, and we remain constantly in attendance on them.
72 He said: "Do they listen to you when ye call (on them),
73 Or do you good or harm?"
74 They said: Nay, but we found our fathers doing thus (what we do).
75 He said: Do ye then see whom ye have been worshipping,
76 Ye and your fathers before you?
77 For they are enemies to me; not so the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds;
78 Who created me, and it is He Who guides me;
79 Who gives me food and drink,
80 And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me;
81 Who will cause me to die, and then to live (again);
82 And who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgment.
83 O my Lord! bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous;
84 Grant me honourable mention on the tongue of truth among the latest (generations);
85 Make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss;
86 Forgive my father, for that he is among those astray;
87 And let me not be in disgrace on the Day when (men) will be raised up;
88 The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail,
89 But only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart;
90 To the righteous, the Garden will be brought near,
91 And to those straying in Evil, the Fire will be placed in full view;
92 And it shall be said to them: Where are the (gods) ye worshipped
93 Besides Allah? Can they help you or help themselves?
94 Then they will be thrown headlong into the (Fire), they and those straying in Evil,
95 And the whole hosts of Iblis together.
96 They will say there in their mutual bickerings:
97 By Allah, we were truly in an error manifest,
98 When we held you as equals with the Lord of the Worlds;
99 And our seducers were only those who were steeped in guilt.
100 Now, then, we have none to intercede (for us),
101 Nor a single friend to feel (for us).
102 Now if we only had a chance of return, we shall truly be of those who believe!
103 Verily in this is a Sign but most of them do not believe.
104 And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
105 The people of Noah rejected the messengers.
106 Behold, their brother Noah said to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)?"
107 "I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust;
108 "So fear Allah, and obey me.
109 No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the Lord of the Worlds:
110 So fear Allah, and obey me.
111 They said: Shall we believe in thee when it is the meanest that follow thee?
112 He said: And what do I know as to what they do?
113 Their account is only with my Lord, if ye could (but) understand.
114 I am not one to drive away those who believe.
115 I am sent only to warn plainly in public.
116 They said: If thou desist not, O Noah! Thou shalt be stones (to death).
117 He said: O my Lord! Truly my people have rejected me.
118 Judge thou, then, between me and them openly, and deliver me and those of the Believers who are with me.
119 So We delivered him and those with him, in the Ark filled (with all creatures).
120 Thereafter We drowned those who remained behind.
121 Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.
122 And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
123 The `Ad (people) rejected the messengers.
124 Behold, their brother Hud said to them: Will ye not fear (Allah)?
125 "I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust:
126 So fear Allah and obey me.
127 No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the Lord of the Worlds.
128 Do ye build a landmark on every high place to amuse yourselves?
129 And do ye get for yourselves fine buildings in the hope of living therein (forever)?
130 And when ye exert your strong hand, do ye do it like men of absolute power?
131 Now fear Allah, and obey me.
132 Yea, fear Him Who has bestowed on you freely all that ye know.
133 Freely has He bestowed on you cattle and sons,
134 And Gardens and Springs.
135 Truly I fear for you the Penalty of a Great Day.
136 They said: It is the same to us whether thou admonish us or be not among (our) admonishers!
137 This is no other than a customary device of the ancients,
138 And we are not the ones to receive Pains and Penalties!
139 So they rejected him, and We destroyed them. Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.
140 And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
141 The Thamud (people) rejected the messengers.
142 Behold, their brother Salih said to them: Will you not fear (Allah)?
143 "I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust.
144 "So fear Allah, and obey me.
145 No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the Lord of the Worlds.
146 Will ye be left secure, in (the enjoyment of) all that ye have here?
147 Gardens and Springs,
148 And corn fields and date palms with spathes near breaking (with the weight of fruit)?
149 And ye carve houses out of (rocky) mountains with great skill.
150 But fear Allah and obey me;
151 And follow not the bidding of those who are extravagant,
152 Who make mischief in the land, and mend not (their ways).
153 They said: Thou art only one of those bewitched!
154 Thou art no more than a mortal like us: then bring us a Sign, if thou tellest the truth!
155 He said: Here is a she camel: she has a right of watering, and ye have a right of watering, (severally) on a day appointed.
156 Touch her not with harm, lest the Penalty of a Great Day seize you.
157 But they ham strung her: then did they become full of regrets.
158 But the Penalty seized them. Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.
159 And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
160 The people of Lut rejected the messengers.
161 Behold, their brother Lut said to them: Will ye not fear (Allah)?
162 "I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust.
163 So fear Allah and obey me.
164 No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the Lord of the Worlds.
165 Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males,
166 And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)!
167 They said: If thou desist not, O Lut! thou wilt assuredly be cast out!
168 He said: I do detest your doings.
169 O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such things as they do!
170 So We delivered him and his family, all
171 Except an old woman who lingered behind.
172 But the rest We destroyed utterly.
173 We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)!
174 Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.
175 And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
176 The Companions of the Wood rejected the messengers.
177 Behold, Shu'aib said to them: Will ye not fear (Allah)?
178 I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust.
179 So fear Allah and obey me.
180 No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the Lord of the Worlds.
181 Give just measure, and cause no loss (to others by fraud).
182 And weigh with scales true and upright.
183 And withhold not things justly due to men, nor do evil in the land, working mischief.
184 And fear Him Who created you and (Who created) the generations before (you).
185 They said: Thou art only one of those bewitched!
186 Thou art no more than a mortal like us, and indeed we think thou art a liar!
187 Now cause a piece of the sky to fall on us, if thou art truthful!
188 He said: My Lord knows best what ye do.
189 But they rejected him. Then the punishment of a day of overshadowing gloom seized them, and that was the Penalty of a Great Day.
190 Verily in that is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.
191 And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
192 Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds:
193 With it came down the Spirit of Faith and Truth
194 To thy heart and mind, that thou mayest admonish
195 In the perspicuous Arabic tongue.
196 Without doubt it is (announced) in the mystic Books of former peoples.
197 Is it not a Sign to them that the Learned of the Children of Israel knew it (as true)?
198 Had We revealed it to any of the non Arabs,
199 And had he recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.
200 Thus have We caused it to enter the hearts of the Sinners.
201 They will not believe in it until they see the grievous Penalty;
202 But the (Penalty) will come to them of a sudden, while they perceive it not;
203 Then they will say: Shall we be respited?
204 Do they then ask for Our Penalty to be hastened on?
205 Seest thou? If We do let them enjoy (this life) for a few years,
206 Yet there comes to them at length the (Punishment) which they were promised!
207 It will profit them not that they enjoyed (this life)!
208 Never did We destroy a population, but had its warners
209 By way of reminder; and We never are unjust.
210 No evil ones have brought down this (Revelation):
211 It would neither suit them nor would they be able (to produce it).
212 Indeed they have been removed far from even (a chance of) hearing it.
213 So call not on any other god with Allah, or thou wilt be among those under the Penalty.
214 And admonish thy nearest Kinsmen,
215 And lower thy wing to the Believers who follow thee.
216 Then if they disobey thee, say, I am free (of responsibility) for what ye do!
217 And put thy trust on the Exalted in Might, the Merciful,
218 Who seeth thee standing forth (in prayer),
219 And thy movements among those who prostrate themselves.
220 For it is He Who heareth and knoweth all things.
221 Shall I inform you, (O people!), on whom it is that the evil ones descend?
222 They descend on every lying, wicked person,
223 (Into whose ears) they pour hearsay vanities, and most of them are liars.
224 And the Poets, it is those straying in Evil, who follow them:
225 Seest thou not that they wander distracted in every valley?
226 And that they say what they practise not?
227 Except those who believe, work righteousness, engage much in the remembrance of Allah, and defend themselves only after they are unjustly attacked. And soon will the unjust assailants know what vicissitudes their affairs will take!

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Explination of the Surah


Name The Surah takes its name from verse 224 in which the word Ash-Shu`araa' occurs. Period of Revelation The subject matter and the style show, and the traditions confirm, that it was revealed during the middle Makkan period. According to Ibn Abbas, Surah Ta Ha was revealed first, then Surah Al Waqiah, and then Surah Ash-Shu'araa. (Ruh-ul-Ma'ani, Vol. xIx, p. 64). About Surah Ta Ha it is well known that it had been revealed before Hadrat Umar embraced Islam. Subject Matter and Topics The background of the Surah is that the disbelievers of Makkah were persistently refusing, on one pretext or the other, to accept the message of Islam given by the Holy Prophet. Sometimes they would say that he did not show them any sign to convince them of his Prophet-hood; sometimes they would brand him as a poet or a sorcerer and mock his message; and sometimes they would ridicule his Mission, saying that his followers were either a few foolish youth, or the poor people and slaves whereas, they argued, if his Mission had really some value for the people, the nobles and the elders would have accepted it first. Thus, while on the one hand, the Holy Prophet was becoming wearied by his efforts to show them rationally the errors of their creeds and prove the truth of the Doctrines of Tauhid and the Hereafter, the disbelievers, on the other, were never tired of adopting one kind of obduracy after the other. This state of affairs was causing great anguish and grief to the Holy Prophet. Such were the conditions when this Surah was revealed. It begins with words of consolation to the Holy Prophet, implying, "Why do you fret for their sake? If these people have not believed in you, it is not because they have not seen any Sign, but because they are obdurate. They will not listen to reason they want to see a Sign which makes them bow their heads in humility. When this Sign is shown in due course of time, they will themselves realize that what was being presented to them was the Truth. " After this introduction, till verse 191, one and the same theme has been presented continuously, and it is said: "The whole earth abounds in such Signs as can guide a seeker after truth to Reality, but the stubborn and misguided people have never believed even after seeing the Signs, whether these were the Signs of the natural phenomena or the miracles of the Prophets. These wretched people have stubbornly adhered to their erroneous creeds till the Divine scourge actually overtook them. " It is to illustrate this that the history of seven of the ancient tribes has been told, who persisted in disbelief just like the disbelievers of Makkah. In this connection, the following points have been stressed: (1) The Signs are of two kinds: (a) Those which are scattered all over the earth, and by seeing which an intelligent person can judge for himself whether what the Prophet is presenting is the Truth or not and (b) those which were seen by Pharaoh and his people, Noah's people, the Ad and the Thamud, Lot's people and the people of Aiykah. Now it is for the disbelievers to decide which kind of the Signs they are eager to see. (2) The mentality of the disbeliever has been the same throughout the ages; their arguments and their objections, and their excuses and subterfuges for not believing have been similar and ultimately the fates that they met have also been the same. Likewise, the Prophets in every age presented the same teachings, their personal character and their reasoning and arguments against their opponents were the same, and they were all similarly blessed with mercy by Allah Almighty. Both these patterns of behavior and conduct are found in history, and the disbelievers could themselves see as to which respective patterns they and the Holy Prophet belonged. (3) Allah is All Mighty, All Powerful and All Merciful at the same time. History contains instances of His Wrath as well as of His Mercy. Now, therefore, it is for the people to decide whether they would like to deserve Allah's Mercy or His Wrath. (4) Lastly, the discussion has been summed up, saying "O disbelievers, if at all you want to see the Signs, why should you insist on seeing those horrible Signs that visited the doomed communities of the past? Why don't you see the Qur'an which is being presented in your own language? Why don't you see Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and mercy) and his Companions? Can the revelations of the Qur'an be the work of a satan or a jinn? Does the recipient of the Qur'an appear to be a sorcerer? Are Muhammad and his Companions no different from a poet and his admirers? Why don't you give up disbelief and search your hearts for their judgment? When in the heart of your hearts you yourselves believe that the Revelations of the Qur'an have nothing in common with sorcery and poetry, then you should know that you are being cruel and unjust, and will certainly meet the doom meant for the cruel and unjust. "