⁵⁰ And when We said to the angels: “Submit¹ to Adam,” then they submitted.² Not so³ Iblīs; he was of the domini⁴ and was perfidious⁵ towards the command of his Lord; take you him and his progeny as allies instead of⁶ Me? And they are an enemy to you; evil an exchange for the wrongdoers!⁷

⁵¹ I made them not witness to the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor to the creation of themselves; and I take not those who lead astray as support.¹

⁵² And the day He says: “Call My partners¹ whom you claimed,” then they will call them, but they will not respond to them; and We will make between them a place of ruin.²

⁵³ And the lawbreakers will see the Fire and realise that they are to fall therein; and they will not find an escape therefrom.

⁵⁴ And We have expounded¹ for men in this Qur’an² every³ similitude,⁴ but man is, more than anything, contentious.

⁵⁵ And there prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, and from asking forgiveness of their Lord, only that the practice¹ of the former peoples should come to them,² or the punishment should come to them face to face.

⁵⁶ And We send the emissaries only as bearers of glad tidings and warners. And those who ignore warning¹ contend in vanity to refute the truth² thereby, and have taken My proofs³ and that whereof they are warned in mockery.

⁵⁷ And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of the proofs¹ of his Lord, then turns away therefrom and forgets what his hands have sent ahead? We have placed upon their hearts coverings lest they should understand it, and in their ears deafness.² And though thou invitest them to the guidance, they will not be guided then ever.

⁵⁸ But thy Lord is the Forgiver, the Possessor of Mercy; were He to take them to task for what they have earned, He would hasten for them the punishment. But¹ they have an appointment; they will not find, besides² it,³ an escape.

⁵⁹ And those cities: We destroyed them when they did wrong; and We made for their destruction an appointment.

⁶⁰ And when¹ Moses said to his servant:² “I will not cease until I reach the confluence of the two seas, though I continue for an age,”

⁶¹ Then when they¹ reached their² meeting³ between them,⁴ they⁵ forgot their fish; and it took its path into the sea, tunnelling.

⁶² And when they had passed on, he said to his servant: “Bring thou us our meal; we have met from this our journey with fatigue.”

⁶³ Said he: “Hast thou considered?¹ When we took shelter at the rock, then I forgot the fish — and there caused me to forget it only the satan,² lest I should remember it — and it took its path into the sea, amazingly.”

⁶⁴ He said: “That is what we were seeking,” and they turned back, in their¹ footsteps, retracing.²

⁶⁵ And they found a servant from among Our servants to whom We had given mercy from Us, and taught knowledge from Us.

⁶⁶ Moses said to him: “Shall I follow thee, that thou teach me something of what thou hast been taught of sound judgment?”

⁶⁷ Said he: “Thou canst never be patient with me.

⁶⁸ “And how canst thou be patient with what thou hast not encompassed in knowledge?”¹

⁶⁹ He said: “Thou wilt find me, if God wills, patient; and I will not disobey thee in any matter.”¹

⁷⁰ Said he: “If thou followest me, ask thou me not about anything until I make mention¹ of it to thee.”

⁷¹ So they¹ went forth. When² they³ had embarked on the boat, he made a hole therein. He said: “Hast thou made a hole therein to drown its people? Thou hast done a grievous thing.”

⁷² Said he: “Said I not that thou canst never be patient with me?”

⁷³ He said: “Take thou me not to task for what I forgot, nor burden thou me in my affair with difficulty.”

⁷⁴ So they¹ went forth. When² they³ had met a lad, he killed him. He said: “Hast thou killed a pure⁴ soul for other than a soul?⁵ Thou hast done a terrible thing.”

⁷⁵ Said he: “Said I not to thee that thou canst never be patient with me?”

⁷⁶ He said: “If I ask thee about anything after this, then keep thou not company with me; thou hast attained from me an excuse.”

⁷⁷ So they¹ went forth. When² they³ had come to the people of a city, they⁴ asked its people for food, but they refused them⁵ hospitality. And they⁶ found therein a wall upon the point of⁷ collapse, and he set it upright. He said: “If thou hadst wished, thou couldst have taken for it recompense.”

⁷⁸ Said he: “This is the parting between me and thee. I will inform thee of the interpretation of that with which thou couldst not be patient:

⁷⁹ “As for the boat: it belonged to poor people working on the sea, and I desired to damage it, for there was behind them a king taking every boat by force.

⁸⁰ “And as for the lad: his parents were believers,¹ and we feared he would burden them with inordinacy and denial.

⁸¹ “And we desired that their Lord should give them in exchange one better than him in purity,¹ and nearer in affection.

⁸² “And as for the wall: it belonged to two fatherless¹ lads in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them. And their father had been righteous, and thy Lord desired that they should reach maturity, and to bring forth their treasure as a mercy from thy Lord; and I did it not by my command. That is the interpretation of what thou couldst not be patient in.”

⁸³ And they ask thee about Dhūl-Qarnayn.¹ Say thou: “I will recite to you a remembrance² of him: —”

⁸⁴ We established him in the earth, and gave him to¹ everything a way;²

⁸⁵ So he went his way.¹

⁸⁶ When¹ he had reached the setting of the sun,² and found it setting in a murky spring,³ and found a people nearby, We said: “O Dhūl-Qarnayn: thou shalt either punish, or take concerning them good.”

⁸⁷ He said: “As for him who does wrong: we will punish him; then will he be brought back to his Lord, and He will punish him with a terrible punishment.

⁸⁸ “And as for him who believes and works righteousness: for him is the best reward;¹ and we will speak lightly² to him from our command.”³

⁸⁹ Then he went his way.¹

⁹⁰ When¹ he had reached the rising of the sun,² he found it rising upon a people for whom We had not appointed besides³ it⁴ any cover.

⁹¹ Thus!¹ — and We have encompassed what is with it² in knowledge —

⁹² Then he went his way.¹

⁹³ When¹ he had reached between the two barriers,² and found besides³ them⁴ a people scarcely understanding speech,

⁹⁴ They said: “O Dhūl-Qarnayn: Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj¹ are workers of corruption in the land; so may we appoint for thee payment, that thou make between us and them a barrier?”

⁹⁵ He said: “That wherein my Lord has established me is better;¹ but assist me with strength: I will make between you and them a dam.

⁹⁶ “Give me sheets of iron.” When¹ he had made level between the two openings,² he said: “Blow.” When³ he had made it a fire, he said: “Bring me to pour thereon molten brass.”

⁹⁷ And they could not pass over it, and they could not pierce it.

⁹⁸ He said: “This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord¹ comes to pass, He will make it level;² and the promise of my Lord is true.”³

⁹⁹ And We will leave them, that day,¹ to surge one upon another; and the Trumpet will be blown, and We will gather them together