72al-JinnThe Invisible Beingsسُورَةُ الجن

Say, “It has been made known to me [from Allah] that a number of invisible beings listened [to the recitation of this Qur’an], and thereupon said [among themselves], ‘Verily, we have listened to an incredible vocalized discourse

“‘[That] guides toward maturation; and so we dedicated ourselves to it. And we will, henceforth, never ascribe divinity/authority to anyone beside our Sustainer,

“‘[For we have come to realize] that, indeed, our Sustainer’s solemnity is sublimely elevated beyond [the claim of Him] having a female companion or a [resultant] son.

“‘And [now we know] that the foolish among us were attributing outrageous things to Allah,

“‘And that [we were mistaken when] we thought that neither the human species nor the invisible species would ever tell a lie about Allah.

“‘And [now we know] that there were human persons who would seek support from invisible persons, but this [relationship] only added to the burden [of their sin of God-denial] —

“‘To such an extent that they thought, as you thought, that Allah would never [again] send forth anyone [as His prophet and apostle].

“‘And [so it happened] that we [invisible beings] tapped into the cosmic outer space, but we found it filled with intense safety measures and astronomical flares;

“‘And, indeed, it was we who used to perch ourselves in positions [we thought well-suited] to listen to [whatever auditory emanations we could detect in] it: and [we found out that] anyone who tries to listen will [similarly] find an astronomical flare intercepting him.

“‘And [now] we are not positively sure of whether evil is the fate of those on earth or whether their Sustainer will decree one of maturation:

“‘Just as [we do not know how it is] that among us [invisible beings] there are those who are virtuous and those who are inferior to that; we have always been of divergent techniques.

“‘And, withal, we have figured out that we cannot elude Allah on earth, nor can we elude Him by escaping [from a natural life].

“‘Hence, when we heard [His message of] guidance, we committed ourselves to it: and he who pledges himself to his Sustainer will never fear an undercutting [of his virtues] or a bolstering [of his sins].

“‘Even so, there are, of course, among us those who have self-surrendered [to Allah] just as there are those who have reneged [on Allah]. Now as for those who self-surrendered, it is they who have become keen on [God-favored] maturity;

“‘But as for those who reneged [on Allah], they have become the fuel of the hellfire!’”

But had they [listened to Us and] kept a steady pace in the approach [to Us] We would have offered them tremendous amounts of [life-giving] water [when they needed it most],

So as to test them by such means: for whoever turns away from a consciousness of his Sustainer shall be routed into incrementally overwhelming affliction.

And, [let it be known that] all places dedicated to [genuflection and] prostration [to Allah] belong to Allah [alone]: hence, do not call upon anyone [in devotion] side by side with Allah!

And [in the temperament of liable people] whenever a subject of Allah takes a [public] stand calling upon Allah, they [who are interested in what is being said overwhelm and] overcrowd him.

Say [O Prophet], “I invoke my Sustainer alone, for I do not compare anyone to Him [in matters of divinity and authority].”

Say, “Verily, it is not within my control to manage any impairment or enhancement for or against you.”

Say, “Verily, there is no one who can protect me when it comes to Allah [and His decree], nor will I find a shelter in exclusion of Him,

“Except the communication [that comes to me] from Allah through His scriptures: for whoever disobeys Allah and His Apostle, he indeed shall have the fire of Hell, therein to abide forever.”

[This interchange will continue] until they see what they have been promised: for, at that time, they will come to know who has the flimsiest supporter and who is the minority!

Say [O Prophet], “I do not know whether what you are promised [of chastisement] is about to happen, or whether my Sustainer shall cause it to occur at a point in the distant future.”

He [alone] knows [what intelligent beings consider to be] unidentified, [undetermined, and undetected], and He does not disclose this type of His knowledge to anyone,

Other than to an apostle whom He has sanctioned [to have such knowledge]: in that case, He sends [forces from heaven] that conduct themselves in forward and rearward positions as a matter of reconnoitering [reconnaissance in the world of intelligent species] —

So as to verify [substantiate] that it is indeed the messages of their Sustainer these apostles delivered: for it is He who engrosses all that they have in their possession just as it is He who computes everything [beyond intelligent beings’ arithmetic, mathematics, and statistics].