The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

308
The Quran 41: 13
illuminated and secure. Such is the design of the Almighty, the All
Knowing.
13 If they turn away, say, ‘I have warned you about a blast like the
one which struck Ad and Thamud: 14 when their messengers came to
them, from all angles, a saying, “Serve no one but God,” they said,
“If our Lord had wished, He would have sent down angels. We do
not believe in the message with which you have been sent.” 15 The
people of Ad behaved arrogantly throughout the land without any
right, saying, “Who could be stronger than us?” Did they not realize
that God, who created them, was stronger than them?’ They continued
to reject Our message, 16 so We let a roaring wind loose on
them for a few disastrous days to make them taste the punishment of
shame in this world; more shameful still will be the punishment of
the life to come, and they will not be helped. 17 As for Thamud, We
gave them guidance but they preferred blindness, so they were
struck by a blast of humiliating punishment for their misdeeds. 18 We
saved those who believed and were mindful of God.
19 On the Day when God’s enemies are gathered up for the Fire
and driven onward, 20 their ears, eyes, and skins will, when they reach
it, testify against them for their misdeeds. 21 They will say to their
skins, ‘Why did you testify against us?’ and their skins will reply,
‘God, who gave speech to everything, has given us speech – it was
He who created you the first time and to Him you have been
returned – 22 yet you did not try to hide yourselves from your ears,
eyes, and skin to prevent them from testifying against you. You
thought that God did not know about much of what you were doing,
23 so it was the thoughts you entertained about your Lord that led to
your ruin, and you became losers.’ 24 The Fire will still be their home,
even if they resign themselves to patience, and if they pray to be
allowed to make amends, they will not be given permission to do so.
25 We have appointed, for the disbelievers, companions b who make
their past and present seem fair and right to them, but the sentence
has already been passed on them, along with generations of jinn and
men before them: they were losers. 26 The disbelievers say, ‘Do not
listen to this Quran; drown it in frivolous talk: you may gain the
a Literally ‘from before and from behind’, i.e. using all angles of argument. The
messengers tried every method to persuade their people of the truth of their message.
b See 43: 36; 50: 27 ff.