A Translation that includes The Last Sermon
surah 27 the ant
(In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful)
Ta Seen. These are the recited verses of the Qur’an,
and a Clear Book,
as Guidance and Good News for the Believers:
those who establish regular prayer, and give to the needy in charity,
and are steadfast in their Belief in God, and the Hereafter.
However, for those who do not Believe in the Hereafter,
Their own souls have made their bad deeds gratifying to them,
so they wander Unseeingly from the Right Path.
They are the ones who will receive an immense punishment in Hellfire,
and they will be the greatest of losers in the end.
And, without a doubt, O Muhammad, you were given the Qur’an
from the Wise and All Knowing One, God, The Most High.
Do you remember when Moses said to his family, “I have seen a fire.
I will bring to you information from there or bring to you a
burning blaze so you can warm yourselves.”
But, when he came upon the fire, he was beckoned,
and the voice said, " Blessed whoever is at this fire, and all who
is around it. And, Exalted is God, The Sovereign Lord of all the worlds.
Moses, it is I – God, the Most Exalted in Might, the Most Wise.
Throw down your walking staff.”
But, when he saw the walking staff writhing around like a live serpent,
he turned in flight and did not look back.
And, God said, “Moses, do not fear Me.
For in My Divine Presence the Messengers of God have no fear.
He who does wrong and repents thereafter,
and replaces good with evil, without a doubt,
I am Merciful and Forgiving.
And, place your hand into your garment;
it will return purified without sin.
These are among the nine Signs you will take to Pharaoh and his people.
For, they have been a perversely rebellious people.”
However, when Our Clear Signs came to them, they said,
“This is obviously some sort of magic trick.”
And, they rebuffed the Signs outwardly unjustly and arrogantly,
but their inner selves were convinced of the Truth.
And, observe what the end was of the corrupt people.
And, God surely gave to David and his son, Solomon,
Knowledge of the Truth,
and they said, “Praise be to God,
who has blessed us over his many Servants.”
And, Solomon became heir to the kingdom of David.
He said, “O my people,
we have been given the speech of birds, and we have
received from Him all things. Without a doubt, this is Manifest Bounty.”
And his army of jinn and men and birds gathered before Solomon,
marching in a row.
Until they came upon the valley of ants,
and an ant stopped and said,
“All ants, enter into your homes so you will not be crushed
by Solomon and his army, whilst they don’t know it.”
And, Solomon smiled at the ant, amused by its speech,
(And, he said while the ant was watching,"
Solomon said, “My Lord, gather within me strength and ability
to be thankful to You for Your blessing that you have given me
and my parents, and empower me to do righteous good works
pleasing to You.
And, admit me with Your Mercy
to the ranks of Your Righteous Servants.”
And, then he took a number count of all the birds, and he said to the ant,
“Why don’t I see a hoopoe bird – or is one missing?
I will surely punish it unless it brings to me a good excuse.”
But, the hoopoe didn’t stay long and he said to him,
"I encompass in Knowledge that which you do not Understand.
And, I have come to you bearing news from Sheba.
I found a ruler governing them there,
and she has been blessed with many things, and she has a large throne.
I discovered her and her people were bowing to the Sun, instead, not to Allah,
and their souls made their bad deeds gratifying to them,
driving them from the Right Path. So, they are not Guided.
And, they do not bow down to He who Reveals what is in the Heavens
and the earth, and He who Knows what you hide,
as well as what you say publicly.
God – there is no God but Him,
He is Lord of the Supreme Throne of Authority.”
And Solomon replied, “We will see whether you are being Truthful,
or if you are among those who lie.
Take my letter and deliver it to them. Then, leave them
and see what answer they provide.”
The ant said, “O big ones, I have been delivered a noble letter.
It is from Solomon and it reads, “In God’s Holy Name,
the wholly Merciful One,
do not be arrogant with me, but rather, show me Mercy, and
come to me in submission to Allah.”
The ant replied, “O great ones, I don’t know what to do.
I won’t make a decision until you advise me.”
They said, “We are strong men and of great strength,
but the authority rests with you.
So, we will see what you order us to do.”
The ant (gave of its wisdom), it said,
“Without a doubt, nobles who enter a city destroy it
and render the honored people humbled. And that they do do.
But, maybe I will send to them a gift instead, and see
what the messengers give in return.”
Consequently, when they arrived Solomon he said,
“What did you bring me – wealth? What God has given me is
better than what He has given to you!
Instead, it is you who should rejoice in your gift.
Go back to them, for we will surely descend upon them with an army
they will be powerless to overcome, and we will certainly oust them
therefrom in disgrace.
And, they will be defeated.”
Solomon said, “O my assembled army, who can bring to
me the throne, before they come to me to surrender.”
A strong soldier from among the jinn said, “I will bring it to you before
you rise, and indeed for doing this I am strong and trustworthy.”
one with knowledge of the Scripture said,
“I will bring you defeat before you
quicker than your reflection looking back at you.”
And, when Solomon saw it set before him, he said,
“This is a blessing from my Lord God
to test me to see if I am thankful or unthankful to Him or not.
And, whoever is thankful to Him –
his thankfulness is only for the benefit of himself.
And, whoever is unthankful - then, indeed,
Know that The Sovereign Lord God is Most Generous to you,
and, He is Free of all necessity.”
He said, “Hide the throne from her. We will see if she is
Guided to the Truth, or if she is among those who are not Guided.
So, when she appeared, it was said to her, “Is your throne like this one?”
And, Solomon said, “We were bestowed with Knowledge
before her, and we have been Muslims in submission to God.
And, that which she prayed to other than Allah had turned her
away from the Right Path and the Truth.
Without a doubt, she was one of the DisBelieving ones.”
It was told to her, “Enter into the palace.”
But, when she saw the palace,
it appeared like a mirage of a body of water, and she unveiled her legs
to wade through the water.
And, he said to her, “In reality, it is a palace
whose floor is shiny and smooth like glass.
She replied, “My Lord God, I have wronged my own self by not
Believing in You. I submit, with Solomon, to You, Lord God,
Sovereign Lord of all the worlds.”
And, remember when God sent to Thamud their brethren Salih, saying,
“Worship God.”
And, all at once, they were two conflicting people.
He said to them, “Why are you people in such a hurry for evil,
instead of for good? Why don’t you ask forgiveness from God
so that you might receive of His Mercy?”
They said, “You are nothing but a bad omen, you and those
people who are with you.’
He replied, “Your fate rests with Allah. In realilty, you are a
people being tested by Him.”
And, in the city there were nine clans who caused corruption throughout
the land, who did not amend their ways.
They said, “We will surely cause him to perish in the night, he
and his family. And, we will say to the people they leave behind
that we did not witness the destruction of the family.
And, unquestionably, we will say that we are telling the truth.”
And, they plotted a plan against him. And, in return, the angels also plotted
against them, while they did not know it.
Then, look at what was the outcome of their devious plan.
They were ruined, all of them.
So, there are their desolate homes, desolate because of the
evil that they committed. And, indeed, in that is a Sign
for people who Know about the Truth.
But, the angels rescued those who Believed in God,
and who were fearful of Him.
And, do you remember Lot when he said to his people,
“Do you commit immoral sexual acts while you know
that they are wrong?
Do you really approach one of your own kind with desire
instead of what He created for you?
In reality, you are a people who are behaving foolishly.”
But, the reply of his people was nothing, and they said,
"throw Lot and his people out of the city! In reality, they
are people who keep themselves pure.”
So, the angels rescued Lot and his family, except for his spouse.
They doomed her to be left with the people left behind
(because of what her scheming.)
And, they were destroyed with a shower of stones, and how
harsh was the punishment of those who were warned.
Say, “Praise be to God, and Peace be Upon His Faithful Servants.
God is far more superior than what they associate with Him.
He who created the Heavens and the earth, and descended down rain
for you from the sky, causing life to grow thereby – gardens of
joyful splendor, which trees therein you could not have created.
Is there any other deity than God?
No, but, they were a people who ascribed others as equal to Him.
It is He who created the ground to be stable and firm, and placed
therein rivers. And, He created for it firmly set mountain ranges,
and placed a barrier between the two bodies of water.
Is there any other deity with God?
No, but most of them do not Know that.
It is He who responds to the call of one who calls upon Him,
whenever one calls upon Him.
And, He removes evil, and created you as inheritors of the earth.
Is there a deity with God? How infrequent you remember Him.
It is He who Guides you through the Darkness on the land and sea,
and carries the winds as kind blessings of His abundant Mercy.
Is there any other deity with God?
Exalted is God far above what they may associate with Him.
It is He who begins creation, and then creates another.
And, it is God who provides for you from the Heavens and the earth.
Is there any other deity with God?
Say to them, “Produce your evidence, if you are being Truthful.”
Say, “Nothing in the Heavens and the earth knows the Unseen like God.
And, no one knows other than God when they will be resurrected.”
In reality, mankind’s knowledge is limited regarding the Hereafter.
And, really, they are in doubt about its existence.
They are without insight concerning the matter.
And, the people who DisBelieve in God say, “When we have become
nothing but dust in the graves, as our ancestors did, will we really
be resurrected out of the graves on Resurrection Day?
We have been assured this, we and our ancestors before us.
In reality, some say this is nothing but legends of the former civilizations.”
Say to them, “Go throughout the land and see what was the
end of the DisBelieving, sinful people.”
And, do not grieve for them, or anguish for what they scheme or plot.
And they say, “If you are being Truthful, tell us when it is.”
Say, “Maybe it is near – that for which you are impatient for."
And, in reality, your Sovereign Lord God is full of Great Bounty
for mankind. However, many of them do not show gratitude to Him.
And, in reality, your Lord God Knows what they hide,
and what they say openly.
And, there is nothing hidden within the Heavens and the earth,
but that is recorded in a Clear Record.
And, this Qur’an really provides to the Hebrews
much information over which they dispute.
And, really, it is Guidance and Mercy for those who Believe.
Your Lord God will Judge between all of them with His Wise Judgment.
For, He is the Best of Judges, The Most Just.
And, He is the Most Exalted in Might, the All Knowing One.
So, rely upon God; undeniably, for you are gaining the Clear Truth.
However, know O Muhammad,
that you cannot make the UnHearing to Hear the Truth,
nor can you make the UnHearing hear your plea to them while
they turn their backs on you.
And, Muhammad, you cannot Guide the Unseeing to See the Light,
for only God can Guide them from their Manifest Error.
However, you will cause those to Hear those who Believe in Our
Verses, so they are Muslims in submission to God.
And, when word finally comes to some of them, the angels will cause a
being to come to them saying that the people are weak in Faith.
And, on the Day, the angels will gather from every country in the world
a group who reject God's Signs, and they will be aligned in rows,
until, they arrive at the place of Judgment, and He will say to them,
“Did you reject My Signs because you didn’t understand them,
or what?”
And, the Decree of Judgment will befall them
for all the evil they committed, and they will not be able to say anything.
Don’t they Know that God created the night so that they could rest
therein, and He created the day giving light?
And, really, in that
are Signs for a people who Believe in Him.
And, on the Final Day when the Horn will be blown, and all that is
the Heavens, and all that is on the earth will be terrified, except
for whom God Wills otherwise.
And, all creation will come before Him humbled.
And, see the firmly set mountains. You think them rigid and fixed,
but they will pass like the passing of clouds through the sky.
All that is good is the work of God, He who perfected all things.
And, undeniably, He is well Acquainted with all you do in life.
Whoever comes before Him for Judgment with a righteous good deed
will do better than without it. And, those who do righteous good
deeds in life will be spared from the terror of the Day, and will be safe.
And, whoever comes before Him for Judgment with a bad deed,
they will be turned over into the Fiery Blaze of Hellfire,
and it will be said to them, “Are you being repaid now for what
you used to do in life?”
Say, “I have only been ordered to worship
the Sovereign Lord God alone.
He who made the city of Mekkah sacred,
and He to whom belongs all creation.
And, I am commanded to be of the Muslims who bow down to Allah,
and who recite this Qur’an.”
And, whoever is Guided thereby, is Guided for the benefit of
one's own self.
And, whoever goes astray from the Right Path, say to them,
“I tried to warn you about DisBelief.”
And say, “All Praise and Glory is due to God (Allah).
And, when He demonstrates to you from His Signs, you will Know them.
For, your Lord God is not unacquainted with what you do in life.”
Amen
