Surah Ash-Shu'ara

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

✦

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The Surah · Verses 141 to 227

﴾١٤١﴿ كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kazzabat Samudul mursalin

Thamud denied the messengers,

﴾١٤٢﴿ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ صَٰلِحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Iz qaala lahum akhuhum Saalihun alaa tattaqun

when their brother Salih said to them, "Will you not be mindful of Allah?

﴾١٤٣﴿ إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌۭ

Inni lakum Rasulun amin

I am a trustworthy messenger to you,

﴾١٤٤﴿ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fattaqul laaha wa ati'un

so be mindful of Allah and obey me.

﴾١٤٥﴿ وَمَآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Wa maaa as'alukum 'alaihi min ajrin in ajriya illaa 'alaa Rabbil 'aalamin

I ask you no reward for it. My reward is only from the Lord of the worlds.

﴾١٤٦﴿ أَتُتْرَكُونَ فِى مَا هَٰهُنَآ ءَامِنِينَ

Atutrakuna fi maa haahunnaaa aaminin

Will you be left secure in what is here,

﴾١٤٧﴿ فِى جَنَّٰتٍۢ وَعُيُونٍۢ

Fi jannaatinw wa 'uyun

in gardens and springs,

﴾١٤٨﴿ وَزُرُوعٍۢ وَنَخْلٍۢ طَلْعُهَا هَضِيمٌۭ

Wa zuru inw wa nakhlin tal 'uhaa hadim

and crops and date palms with tender fruit?

﴾١٤٩﴿ وَتَنْحِتُونَ مِنَ ٱلْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًۭا فَٰرِهِينَ

Wa tanhituna minal jibaali buyutan faarihin

And you carve houses out of the mountains with skill.

﴾١٥٠﴿ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fattaqul laaha wa ati'un

So be mindful of Allah and obey me,

﴾١٥١﴿ وَلَا تُطِيعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ

Wa laa tuti'uo amral musrifin

and do not obey the command of those who go to excess,

﴾١٥٢﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا يُصْلِحُونَ

Allazina yufsiduna fil ardi wa laa yuslihun

who spread corruption in the earth and do not set anything right."

﴾١٥٣﴿ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسَحَّرِينَ

Qaaluo innamaa anta minal musahharin

They said, "You are only one of the bewitched.

﴾١٥٤﴿ مَآ أَنتَ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُنَا فَأْتِ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

Maaa anta illaa basharum mislunaa faati bi Aayatin in kunta minas saadiqin

You are only a human being like us, so bring a sign, if you are truthful."

﴾١٥٥﴿ قَالَ هَٰذِهِۦ نَاقَةٌۭ لَّهَا شِرْبٌۭ وَلَكُمْ شِرْبُ يَوْمٍۢ مَّعْلُومٍۢ

Qaala haazihi naaqatul lahaa shirbunw w alakum shirbu yawmim ma'lum

He said, "This is a she-camel. She has a share of the water, and you have a share on a known day.

﴾١٥٦﴿ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوٓءٍۢ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍۢ

Wa laa tamassuhaa bisuo'in fa yaakhuzakum 'azaabu Yawmin 'Azim

Do not touch her with harm, or the punishment of a great Day will seize you."

﴾١٥٧﴿ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ نَٰدِمِينَ

Fa'aqaruhaa fa asbahu naadimin

But they hamstrung her, and became regretful.

﴾١٥٨﴿ فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Fa akhazahumul 'azaab; inna fi zaalika la Aayah; wa maa kaana aksaruhum m'minin

So the punishment seized them. In that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

﴾١٥٩﴿ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

Wa inna Rabbaka la Huwal 'Azizur Rahim

Your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.

﴾١٦٠﴿ كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ لُوطٍ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kazzabat qawmu Lutinil mursalin

The people of Lut denied the messengers,

﴾١٦١﴿ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ لُوطٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Iz qaala lahum akhuhum Lutun alaa tattaqun

when their brother Lut said to them, "Will you not be mindful of Allah?

﴾١٦٢﴿ إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌۭ

Inni lakum rasulun amin

I am a trustworthy messenger to you,

﴾١٦٣﴿ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fattaqul laaha wa ati'un

so be mindful of Allah and obey me.

﴾١٦٤﴿ وَمَآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Wa maaa as'alukum 'alaihi min ajrin in ajriya illaa 'alaa Rabbil 'aalamin

I ask you no reward for it. My reward is only from the Lord of the worlds.

﴾١٦٥﴿ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلذُّكْرَانَ مِنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Ataatunaz zukraana minal 'aalamin

Do you approach the males among the worlds

﴾١٦٦﴿ وَتَذَرُونَ مَا خَلَقَ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّنْ أَزْوَٰجِكُم ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ عَادُونَ

Wa tazaruna maa khalaqa lakum Rabbukum min azwaajikum; bal antum qawmun 'aadun

and leave what your Lord created for you of your mates? You are a transgressing people."

﴾١٦٧﴿ قَالُوا۟ لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهِ يَٰلُوطُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُخْرَجِينَ

Qalu la'il lam tantahi yaa Lutu latakunanna minal mukhrajin

They said, "Lut, if you do not stop, you will be among those driven out."

﴾١٦٨﴿ قَالَ إِنِّى لِعَمَلِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْقَالِينَ

Qaala inni li'amalikum minal qaalin

He said, "I am among those who detest what you do.

﴾١٦٩﴿ رَبِّ نَجِّنِى وَأَهْلِى مِمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ

Rabbi najjjini wa ahli mimmmaa ya'malun

My Lord, save me and my family from what they do."

﴾١٧٠﴿ فَنَجَّيْنَٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥٓ أَجْمَعِينَ

Fanajjainaahu wa ahlahuo ajma'in

So We saved him and his family, all of them,

﴾١٧١﴿ إِلَّا عَجُوزًۭا فِى ٱلْغَٰبِرِينَ

Illaa 'ajuzan filghaabirin

except an old woman among those who stayed behind.

﴾١٧٢﴿ ثُمَّ دَمَّرْنَا ٱلْءَاخَرِينَ

Summa dammarnal aa kharin

Then We destroyed the others,

﴾١٧٣﴿ وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّطَرًۭا ۖ فَسَآءَ مَطَرُ ٱلْمُنذَرِينَ

Wa amtarnaa 'alaihim mataran fasaaa'a matarul munzarin

and We rained upon them a rain. Evil was the rain of those who had been warned.

﴾١٧٤﴿ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fi zaalika la Aayah; wa maa kaana aksaruhum mu'minin

In that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

﴾١٧٥﴿ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

Wa inna Rabbaka la Huwal 'Azizur Rahim

Your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.

﴾١٧٦﴿ كَذَّبَ أَصْحَٰبُ لْـَٔيْكَةِ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kazzaba As haabul Aykatil mursalin

The people of the thicket denied the messengers,

﴾١٧٧﴿ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ شُعَيْبٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Iz qaala lahum Shu'aybun alaa tattaqun

when Shu'ayb said to them, "Will you not be mindful of Allah?

﴾١٧٨﴿ إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌۭ

Inni lakum Rasulun amin

I am a trustworthy messenger to you,

﴾١٧٩﴿ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fattaqul laaha wa ati'un

so be mindful of Allah and obey me.

﴾١٨٠﴿ وَمَآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Wa maaa as'alukum 'alaihi min ajrin in ajriya illaa 'alaa Rabbil 'aalamin

I ask you no reward for it. My reward is only from the Lord of the worlds.

﴾١٨١﴿ ۞ أَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْكَيْلَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْمُخْسِرِينَ

Awful kaila wa laa takunu minal mukhsirin

Give full measure, and do not be among those who cause loss.

﴾١٨٢﴿ وَزِنُوا۟ بِٱلْقِسْطَاسِ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمِ

Wa zinu bilqistaasil mustaqim

Weigh with an even balance.

﴾١٨٣﴿ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا۟ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشْيَآءَهُمْ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

Wa laa tabkhasun naasa ashyaaa 'ahum wa laa ta'saw fil ardi mufsidin

Do not shortchange people in their goods, and do not go about the earth spreading corruption.

﴾١٨٤﴿ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ وَٱلْجِبِلَّةَ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Wattaqul lazi khalaqakum waljibillatal awwalin

Be mindful of the One who created you and the earlier generations."

﴾١٨٥﴿ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسَحَّرِينَ

Qaaluo innamaa anta minal musahharin

They said, "You are only one of the bewitched.

﴾١٨٦﴿ وَمَآ أَنتَ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُنَا وَإِن نَّظُنُّكَ لَمِنَ ٱلْكَٰذِبِينَ

Wa maaa anta illaa basharum mislunaa wa innazunnuka laminal kaazibin

You are only a human being like us, and we think you are one of the liars.

﴾١٨٧﴿ فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًۭا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

Fa asqit 'alainaa kisafam minas samaaa'i in kunta minas saadiqin

So drop upon us fragments from the sky, if you are truthful."

﴾١٨٨﴿ قَالَ رَبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

Qaala Rabbie a'lamu bimaa ta'malun

He said, "My Lord knows best what you do."

﴾١٨٩﴿ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ ٱلظُّلَّةِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

Fakazzabuhu fa akhazahum 'azaabu Yawmiz zullah; innahu kaana 'azaaba Yawmin 'Azim

So they denied him, and the punishment of the Day of the Shadow seized them. It was the punishment of a great Day.

﴾١٩٠﴿ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fi zaalika la Aayah; wa maa kaana aksaruhum mu'minin

In that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

﴾١٩١﴿ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

Wa inna Rabbaka la huwal 'Azizur Rahim

Your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.

﴾١٩٢﴿ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Wa innahu latanzilu Rabbil 'aalamin

This is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

﴾١٩٣﴿ نَزَلَ بِهِ ٱلرُّوحُ ٱلْأَمِينُ

Nazala bihir Ruhul Amin

The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down

﴾١٩٤﴿ عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنذِرِينَ

'Alaa qalbika litakuna minal munzirin

upon your heart, so that you may be among the warners,

﴾١٩٥﴿ بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِىٍّۢ مُّبِينٍۢ

Bilisaanin 'Arabiyyim mubin

in a clear Arabic tongue.

﴾١٩٦﴿ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَفِى زُبُرِ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Wa innahu lafi Zuburil awwalin

It is in the scriptures of the earlier peoples.

﴾١٩٧﴿ أَوَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ ءَايَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُۥ عُلَمَٰٓؤُا۟ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ

Awalam yakul lahum Aayatan ai ya'lamahu 'ulamaaa'u Banie Israaa'il

Is it not a sign for them that the scholars of the Children of Israel know it?

﴾١٩٨﴿ وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَٰهُ عَلَىٰ بَعْضِ ٱلْأَعْجَمِينَ

Wa law nazzalnaahu 'alaa ba'dil a'jamin

If We had sent it down upon one of the non-Arabs,

﴾١٩٩﴿ فَقَرَأَهُۥ عَلَيْهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنِينَ

Faqara ahu 'alaihim maa kaanu bihi mu'minin

and he had recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.

﴾٢٠٠﴿ كَذَٰلِكَ سَلَكْنَٰهُ فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

Kazaalika salaknaahu fi qulubil mujrimin

That is how We let it pass through the hearts of the criminals.

﴾٢٠١﴿ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ حَتَّىٰ يَرَوُا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ ٱلْأَلِيمَ

Laa yu'minuna bihi hattaa yarawul 'azaabal alim

They will not believe in it until they see the painful punishment,

﴾٢٠٢﴿ فَيَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةًۭ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

Fayaatiyahum baghtatanw wa hum laa yash'urun

and it comes to them suddenly, while they do not perceive.

﴾٢٠٣﴿ فَيَقُولُوا۟ هَلْ نَحْنُ مُنظَرُونَ

Fa yaqulu hal nahnu munzarun

Then they will say, "Are we given any respite?"

﴾٢٠٤﴿ أَفَبِعَذَابِنَا يَسْتَعْجِلُونَ

Aafabi 'azaabinaa yasta'jilun

Do they seek to hasten Our punishment?

﴾٢٠٥﴿ أَفَرَءَيْتَ إِن مَّتَّعْنَٰهُمْ سِنِينَ

Aara'aita im matta'naahum sinin

Have you considered, if We gave them enjoyment for years,

﴾٢٠٦﴿ ثُمَّ جَآءَهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ

Summa jaaa'ahum maa kaanu yu'adun

and then what they were promised came to them,

﴾٢٠٧﴿ مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يُمَتَّعُونَ

Maaa aghnaaa 'anhum maa kaanu yumaatu'un

what would the enjoyment they were given avail them?

﴾٢٠٨﴿ وَمَآ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا لَهَا مُنذِرُونَ

Wa maaa ahlaknaa min qaryatin illaa lahaa munzirun

We never destroyed a town without warners for it,

﴾٢٠٩﴿ ذِكْرَىٰ وَمَا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ

Zikraa wa maa kunnaa zaalimin

as a reminder. We have never been unjust.

﴾٢١٠﴿ وَمَا تَنَزَّلَتْ بِهِ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينُ

Wa maa tanazzalat bihish Shayaatin

The satans did not bring it down.

﴾٢١١﴿ وَمَا يَنۢبَغِى لَهُمْ وَمَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

Wa maa yambaghi lahum wa maa yastati'un

It is not for them, and they are not able.

﴾٢١٢﴿ إِنَّهُمْ عَنِ ٱلسَّمْعِ لَمَعْزُولُونَ

Innahum 'anis sam'i lama'zulun

They are kept far from hearing.

﴾٢١٣﴿ فَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُعَذَّبِينَ

Falaa tad'u ma'al laahi ilaahan aakhara fatakuna minal mu'azzabin

So do not call upon another god with Allah, or you will be among the punished.

﴾٢١٤﴿ وَأَنذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ ٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ

Wa anzir 'ashiratakal aqrabin

And warn your nearest kin,

﴾٢١٥﴿ وَٱخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Wakhfid janaahaka limanit taba 'aka minal mu'minin

and lower your wing to the believers who follow you.

﴾٢١٦﴿ فَإِنْ عَصَوْكَ فَقُلْ إِنِّى بَرِىٓءٌۭ مِّمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

Fa in asawka faqul inni barie'um mimmmaa ta'malun

If they disobey you, say, "I am free of what you do."

﴾٢١٧﴿ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Wa tawakkal alal 'Azizir Rahim

And rely upon the Mighty, the Merciful,

﴾٢١٨﴿ ٱلَّذِى يَرَىٰكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ

Allazi yaraaka hina taqum

who sees you when you stand,

﴾٢١٩﴿ وَتَقَلُّبَكَ فِى ٱلسَّٰجِدِينَ

Wa taqallubaka fis saajidin

and your movement among those who prostrate.

﴾٢٢٠﴿ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

Innahu Huwas Sami'ul 'Alim

He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

﴾٢٢١﴿ هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَن تَنَزَّلُ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينُ

Hal unabbi'ukum 'alaa man tanazzalush Shayaatin

Shall I tell you upon whom the satans descend?

﴾٢٢٢﴿ تَنَزَّلُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍۢ

Tanazzalu 'alaa kulli affaakin asim

They descend upon every sinful liar.

﴾٢٢٣﴿ يُلْقُونَ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ كَٰذِبُونَ

Yulqunas sam'a wa aksaruhum aazibun

They pass on what they hear, and most of them are liars.

﴾٢٢٤﴿ وَٱلشُّعَرَآءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ ٱلْغَاوُۥنَ

Washshu 'araaa'u yattabi 'uhumul ghaawun

As for the poets, those who go astray follow them.

﴾٢٢٥﴿ أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهُمْ فِى كُلِّ وَادٍۢ يَهِيمُونَ

Alam tara annahum fi kulli waadiny yahimun

Do you not see that they wander in every valley,

﴾٢٢٦﴿ وَأَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ مَا لَا يَفْعَلُونَ

Wa annahum yaquluna ma laa yaf'alun

and that they say what they do not do?

﴾٢٢٧﴿ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًۭا وَٱنتَصَرُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوا۟ ۗ وَسَيَعْلَمُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَىَّ مُنقَلَبٍۢ يَنقَلِبُونَ

Illal lazina aamanu w a'amilus saalihaati wa zakarul laaha kasiranw wantasaru mim ba'di maa zulimu; wa saya'lamul lazina zalamuo aiya munqalbiny yanqalibun

Except those who believe, do righteous deeds, remember Allah much, and defend themselves after they have been wronged. Those who do wrong will come to know by what turning they will be turned.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What This Part Means

Overview

Three More, Then the Surah Turns on Itself.

Part Three finishes the roll call with Salih, Lut and Shu'ayb, each opening with the same two credentials the earlier messengers gave, and each closing with the same two verses. Then, at verse 192, the surah stops narrating and explains itself. It says how the revelation arrived, who carried it, where it landed, and who could not possibly have produced it. And then it does something no reader expects from a chapter with this title. It defines the poets, verse 224 through verse 227, and the charge against them is not their craft. It is verse 226. They say what they do not do. The surah named after them ends by drawing the line between a man's speech and his conduct, and by naming the four things that put a man on the right side of it.

Verses 141 to 175

Secure in What Is Here.

Verse 146 is the question to ask a comfortable man, and Salih asks it before he asks for anything else. Will you be left secure in what is here? Then he lists what here consists of, in verses 147 through 149. Gardens and springs. Crops and date palms with tender fruit. And houses carved out of the mountains with skill. Farihin, with pleasure in the craft. He is not accusing them of building badly. He is naming the assumption underneath all of it, which is permanence, and asking whether they were promised it. Verse 151 and verse 152 then give an instruction most men never receive. Do not obey the command of those who go to excess, who spread corruption in the earth and do not set anything right. That is a test for whose orders a man should take, and it is behavioral rather than titular. Not whether they hold authority. Whether anything gets repaired where they operate. Verse 155 sets up the trial with a schedule anyone could keep. She has a share of the water, and you have a share on a known day. The test was a rota. Verse 157 records the failure in five words and then adds the detail that matters most. They hamstrung her, and became regretful. The regret arrived, and it arrived after. That is the ordinary shape of it. Then Lut, and verse 168 is the line worth taking. I am among those who detest what you do. Qalin, plainly stated, in public, to men who had just threatened to expel him. He states his position about the act and asks Allah to save him and his family from it. He does not moderate it and he does not take it further than words.

Verses 176 to 191

Full Measure.

Shu'ayb gives the same two credentials, and then his content is entirely commercial. Verse 181, give full measure, and do not be among those who cause loss. Verse 182, weigh with an even balance. Verse 183, do not shortchange people in their goods, and do not go about the earth spreading corruption. Three instructions about trade, delivered by a messenger, in a surah otherwise about tawhid and the destruction of nations. That placement is the argument. Shortchanging a customer is being addressed at the same level as idolatry, by the same messenger, in the same breath as be mindful of the One who created you. A man who prays and shaves his scales is being spoken to directly here. Verse 186 records their answer, and it is the same answer Salih received in verse 154 and the same one every messenger in this surah receives. You are only a human being like us. Verse 187 escalates it to a dare. Drop upon us fragments from the sky, if you are truthful. Verse 188 is Shu'ayb's entire reply, and it is five words. My Lord knows best what you do. He does not take the dare, does not defend himself, and does not call for anything. He hands it over.

Verses 192 to 227

They Say What They Do Not Do.

Verses 193 through 195 give the delivery chain in three lines. The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down, upon your heart, in a clear Arabic tongue. Ar-Ruh al-Amin, the same word ameen that every messenger in this surah used to describe himself. The carrier and the carriers share the one qualification. And note the destination named in verse 194. Not upon your ears or your tongue. Upon your heart. Verses 210 through 212 close off the alternative explanation being circulated at the time. The satans did not bring it down. It is not for them, and they are not able. They are kept far from hearing. Three separate denials: not their intention, not their capacity, not their access. Verse 214 is the command that reorders every caller's priorities. Warn your nearest kin. Al-Bukhari records that when this verse came down the Prophet, peace be upon him, climbed Safa and called out to his clans by name, one after another. The nearest people are the hardest audience and they are named first. Verse 215 attaches the manner. Lower your wing to the believers who follow you. Softness toward the ones who came, in the same breath as the warning to the ones who have not. Verses 218 and 219 give a man something to carry into any room. He sees you when you stand, and your movement among those who prostrate. Then the closing. Verse 222 says the satans descend upon every sinful liar, affakin atheem, and verse 223 that most of them are liars, which locates the problem in the receiver rather than in inspiration as such. Verse 224 turns to the poets, and the charge in verse 225 and verse 226 is precise. They wander in every valley, and they say what they do not do. Two failures. No fixed direction, and no correspondence between the mouth and the life. The Quran had been accused of being poetry, and the answer given is not about meter. It is about whether the speaker does what he says. Verse 227 then names the exception in four conditions, and it is the closing standard of the whole surah. Those who believe, do righteous deeds, remember Allah much, and defend themselves after they have been wronged. Belief, then action, then heavy remembrance, then a defense that comes only after the wrong, never before it. A man whose speech is backed by those four is not in the category being condemned, whatever he writes.

Structural Summary

Verses One Hundred Forty-One to Two Hundred Twenty-Seven. They Say What They Do Not Do.

Salih asks whether comfort was ever promised to be permanent and gives a test for whose orders to take. Lut states his position on an act in public, in words, and asks to be saved from it. Shu'ayb delivers full measure and an even balance as revelation, placing honest trade at the level of tawhid. Then the surah explains its own arrival, closes off the claim that satans could have produced it, orders the nearest kin warned first and the followers treated gently, and ends by defining the poets not by their craft but by the gap between what they say and what they do, with four conditions that close the gap.

The Practice

Take It Into the Week

Verse 151. Look at whose instructions you have been following. Ask one question about each: does anything get repaired where they operate.

Verses 181 to 183. Audit one transaction this week for full measure. Fix any place you have been rounding in your own favor.

Verse 226. Write down one thing you have been saying and not doing. Close it this week, or stop saying it.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 1461 / 12

The Verse

What does Salih ask his people in verse 146?