فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعدِهِم خَلفٌ وَرِثُوا الكِتابَ يَأخُذونَ عَرَضَ هـٰذَا الأَدنىٰ وَيَقولونَ سَيُغفَرُ لَنا وَإِن يَأتِهِم عَرَضٌ مِثلُهُ يَأخُذوهُ ۚ أَلَم يُؤخَذ عَلَيهِم ميثاقُ الكِتابِ أَن لا يَقولوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّا الحَقَّ وَدَرَسوا ما فيهِ ۗ وَالدّارُ الآخِرَةُ خَيرٌ لِلَّذينَ يَتَّقونَ ۗ أَفَلا تَعقِلونَ

After them, succeeded generations who inherited the Scripture, they chose the fleeting pleasures of this world, saying, “We will be forgiven.” And if similar pleasures came their way, they would again seize them. Weren’t they bound by a covenant to uphold the Scripture and to speak nothing but the truth about God? Didn’t they study what was in it? The home of the Hereafter is better for the righteous. Don’t you understand?

وَالَّذينَ يُمَسِّكونَ بِالكِتابِ وَأَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ إِنّا لا نُضيعُ أَجرَ المُصلِحينَ

Those who adhere to the Scripture and perform prayers—We won’t let the reward of the reformers be lost.

وَإِذ نَتَقنَا الجَبَلَ فَوقَهُم كَأَنَّهُ ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنّوا أَنَّهُ واقِعٌ بِهِم خُذوا ما آتَيناكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذكُروا ما فيهِ لَعَلَّكُم تَتَّقونَ

We held the mountain over them like a canopy, and they feared it would fall upon them. “Hold firmly to what We’ve given you, and remember what’s in it, so you may be protected.”

وَإِذ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَني آدَمَ مِن ظُهورِهِم ذُرِّيَّتَهُم وَأَشهَدَهُم عَلىٰ أَنفُسِهِم أَلَستُ بِرَبِّكُم ۖ قالوا بَلىٰ ۛ شَهِدنا ۛ أَن تَقولوا يَومَ القِيامَةِ إِنّا كُنّا عَن هـٰذا غافِلينَ

And when your Lord took out from the children of Adam—from their loins—their descendants and made them testify of themselves: “Am I not your Lord?” They responded, “Yes, we testify.” Lest you should say on the Resurrection Day, “We were unaware of this.”

أَو تَقولوا إِنَّما أَشرَكَ آباؤُنا مِن قَبلُ وَكُنّا ذُرِّيَّةً مِن بَعدِهِم ۖ أَفَتُهلِكُنا بِما فَعَلَ المُبطِلونَ

Or lest you say, “It was only that our ancestors associated before, and we were but descendants after them. Will You destroy us because of the deeds of the fabricators?”

وَاتلُ عَلَيهِم نَبَأَ الَّذي آتَيناهُ آياتِنا فَانسَلَخَ مِنها فَأَتبَعَهُ الشَّيطانُ فَكانَ مِنَ الغاوينَ

Tell them the story of the one to whom We presented Our signs, but he shrugged them off; thus, Satan followed him, and he became one of the deviants.

وَلَو شِئنا لَرَفَعناهُ بِها وَلـٰكِنَّهُ أَخلَدَ إِلَى الأَرضِ وَاتَّبَعَ هَواهُ ۚ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الكَلبِ إِن تَحمِل عَلَيهِ يَلهَث أَو تَترُكهُ يَلهَث ۚ ذٰلِكَ مَثَلُ القَومِ الَّذينَ كَذَّبوا بِآياتِنا ۚ فَاقصُصِ القَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُم يَتَفَكَّرونَ

Had We willed, We could’ve raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and pursued his desires. His example is that of a dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he still pants. That’s the likeness of the people who deny Our verses. So, tell the stories so they may reflect.

ساءَ مَثَلًا القَومُ الَّذينَ كَذَّبوا بِآياتِنا وَأَنفُسَهُم كانوا يَظلِمونَ

How terrible is the example of the people who deny Our revelations and wrong themselves!

مَن يَهدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ المُهتَدي ۖ وَمَن يُضلِل فَأُولـٰئِكَ هُمُ الخاسِرونَ

Whomever God guides—he is the guided; and whomever He sends astray—those are the ones who are the losers.

وَلَقَد ذَرَأنا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثيرًا مِنَ الجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ ۖ لَهُم قُلوبٌ لا يَفقَهونَ بِها وَلَهُم أَعيُنٌ لا يُبصِرونَ بِها وَلَهُم آذانٌ لا يَسمَعونَ بِها ۚ أُولـٰئِكَ كَالأَنعامِ بَل هُم أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولـٰئِكَ هُمُ الغافِلونَ

We’ve destined for Hell many jinns and humans. They have hearts with which they don’t understand, eyes with which they don’t see, and ears with which they don’t hear. They are like cattle; rather, they are more astray. These are the heedless ones.