City

Or [consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, "How will Allāh bring this to life after its death?" So Allāh caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him. He said, "How long have you remained?" He [the man] said, "I have remained a day or part of a day." He said, "Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time. And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones [of this donkey] - how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh." And when it became clear to him, he said, "I know that Allāh is over all things competent."

And [recall] when We said, "Enter this city [i.e., Jerusalem] and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance, and enter the gate bowing humbly¹ and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins].' We will [then] forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]."

And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allāh and [for] the oppressed among men, women and children who say, "Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper"?

And thus We have placed within every city the greatest of its criminals to conspire therein. But they conspire not except against themselves, and they perceive [it] not.

That is because your Lord would not destroy the cities for wrongdoing¹ while their people were unaware.

And this is a Book which We have sent down, blessed and confirming what was before it, that you may warn the Mother of Cities [i.e., Makkah] and those around it.¹ Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it, and they are maintaining their prayers.

Those cities - We relate to you, [O Muḥammad], some of their news. And certainly did their messengers come to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe in that which they had denied before.¹ Thus does Allāh seal over the hearts of the disbelievers.

They said,¹ "Postpone [the matter of] him and his brother and send among the cities gatherers

Said Pharaoh, "You believed in him¹ before I gave you permission. Indeed, this is a conspiracy which you conspired in the city to expel therefrom its people. But you are going to know.

And [mention, O Muḥammad], when it was said to them, "Dwell in this city [i.e., Jerusalem] and eat from it wherever you will and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins],' and enter the gate bowing humbly; We will [then] forgive you your sins. We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]."

And ask them about the town that was by the sea - when they transgressed in [the matter of] the sabbath - when their fish came to them openly on their sabbath day, and the day they had no sabbath they did not come to them. Thus did We give them trial because they were defiantly disobedient.

And how many cities have We destroyed, and Our punishment came to them at night or while they were sleeping at noon.

Said the eminent ones who were arrogant among his people, "We will surely evict you, O Shuʿayb, and those who have believed with you from our city, or you must return to our religion." He said, "Even if we were unwilling?

And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allāh, We would have opened [i.e., bestowed] upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning.¹

Then, did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them at night while they were asleep?

Or did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them in the morning while they were at play?¹

Has there not reached them the news of those before them - the people of Noah and [the tribes of] ʿAad and Thamūd and the people of Abraham and the companions [i.e., dwellers] of Madyan and the towns overturned?¹ Their messengers came to them with clear proofs. And Allāh would never have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves.

Then has there not been a [single] city that believed so its faith benefited it except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in worldly life and gave them enjoyment [i.e., provision] for a time.

That is from the news of the cities, which We relate to you; of them, some are [still] standing and some are [as] a harvest [mowed down].¹

And thus is the seizure of your Lord when He seizes the cities while they are committing wrong. Indeed, His seizure is painful and severe.

And your Lord would not have destroyed the cities unjustly while their people were reformers.

And We sent not before you [as messengers] except men to whom We revealed from among the people of cities. So have they¹ not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those before them? And the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allāh; then will you not reason?

And women in the city said, "The wife of al-ʿAzeez is seeking to seduce her slave boy; he has impassioned her with love. Indeed, we see her [to be] in clear error."

And We did not destroy any city but that for it was a known decree.

And the people of the city came rejoicing.¹

And Allāh presents an example: a city [i.e., Makkah] which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favors of Allāh. So Allāh made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing.

And when We intend to destroy a city, We command its affluent¹ but they defiantly disobey therein; so the word [i.e., deserved decree] comes into effect upon it, and We destroy it with [complete] destruction.

And there is no city but that We will destroy it¹ before the Day of Resurrection or punish it with a severe punishment. That has ever been in the Register² inscribed.

And similarly,¹ We awakened them that they might question one another. Said a speaker from among them, "How long have you remained [here]?" They said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." They said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you.

And those cities - We destroyed them when they wronged, and We made for their destruction an appointed time.

So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so he [i.e., al-Khiḍr] restored it. [Moses] said, "If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment."

And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience."

And how many a city which was unjust¹ have We shattered and produced after it another people.

Not a [single] city which We destroyed believed before them,¹ so will they believe?

And to Lot We gave judgement and knowledge, and We saved him from the city that was committing wicked deeds. Indeed, they were a people of evil, defiantly disobedient.

And it is prohibited to [the people of] a city which We have destroyed that they will [ever] return¹

And how many a city did We destroy while it was committing wrong - so it is [now] fallen into ruin¹ - and [how many] an abandoned well and [how many] a lofty palace.²

And for how many a city did I prolong enjoyment while it was committing wrong. Then I seized it, and to Me is the [final] destination.

And they have already come upon the town which was showered with a rain of evil [i.e., stones]. So have they not seen it? But they are not expecting resurrection.¹

And if We had willed, We could have sent into every city a warner.¹

And We did not destroy any city except that it had warners

They said, "Postpone [the matter of] him and his brother and send among the cities gatherers

Then Pharaoh sent among the cities gatherers¹

She said, "Indeed kings - when they enter a city, they ruin it and render the honored of its people humbled. And thus do they do.

And there were in the city nine family heads causing corruption in the land and not amending [its affairs].

But the answer of his people was not except that they said, "Expel the family of Lot from your city. Indeed, they are people who keep themselves pure."

And he entered the city at a time of inattention by its people¹ and found therein two men fighting: one from his faction and one from among his enemy. And the one from his faction called for help to him against the one from his enemy, so Moses struck him and [unintentionally] killed him. [Moses] said, "This is from the work of Satan. Indeed, he is a manifest, misleading enemy."

And he became inside the city fearful and anticipating [exposure], when suddenly the one who sought his help the previous day cried out to him [once again]. Moses said to him, "Indeed, you are an evident, [persistent] deviator."

And a man came from the farthest end of the city, running. He said, "O Moses, indeed the eminent ones are conferring over you [intending] to kill you, so leave [the city]; indeed, I am to you of the sincere advisors."

And how many a city have We destroyed that was insolent in its [way of] living, and those are their dwellings which have not been inhabited after them except briefly.¹ And it is We who were the inheritors.

And never would your Lord have destroyed the cities until He had sent to their mother [i.e., principal city] a messenger reciting to them Our verses. And We would not destroy the cities except while their people were wrongdoers.

And when Our messengers [i.e., angels] came to Abraham with the good tidings,¹ they said, "Indeed, we will destroy the people of that [i.e., Lot's] city. Indeed, its people have been wrongdoers."

Indeed, we will bring down on the people of this city punishment from the sky because they have been defiantly disobedient."

And We placed between them and the cities which We had blessed¹ [many] visible cities. And We determined between them the [distances of] journey,² [saying], "Travel between them by night or by day in safety."

And We did not send into a city any warner except that its affluent said, "Indeed we, in that with which you were sent, are disbelievers."

And present to them an example: the people of the city, when the messengers came to it -

And there came from the farthest end of the city a man, running. He said, "O my people, follow the messengers.

And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur’ān that you may warn the Mother of Cities [i.e., Makkah] and those around it¹ and warn of the Day of Assembly, about which there is no doubt. A party will be in Paradise and a party in the Blaze.

And they said, "Why was this Qur’ān not sent down upon a great man from [one of] the two cities?"¹

And We have already destroyed what surrounds you of [those] cities, and We have diversified the signs [or verses] that perhaps they might return [from disbelief].

And the overturned towns¹ He hurled down

They will not fight you all except within fortified cities or from behind walls. Their violence [i.e., enmity] among themselves is severe. You think they are together, but their hearts are diverse. That is because they are a people who do not reason.

And what Allāh restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns - it is for Allāh and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives¹ and orphans and the needy and the [stranded] traveler² - so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you. And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allāh; indeed, Allāh is severe in penalty.

And how many a city was insolent toward the command of its Lord and His messengers, so We took it to severe account and punished it with a terrible punishment.

I swear by this city [i.e., Makkah] –

And you, [O Muḥammad], are free of restriction in this city –