The Criterion

Blessed is the One Who sent down the Standard to His servant, so that he may be a warner to the whole world.

˹Allah is˺ the One to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, Who has never had ˹any˺ offspring, nor does He have a partner in ˹governing˺ the kingdom. He has created everything, ordaining it precisely.

Yet they have taken besides Him gods who cannot create anything but are themselves created. Nor can they protect or benefit themselves. Nor can they control life, death, or resurrection.

The disbelievers say, “This ˹Quran˺ is nothing but a fabrication which he made up with the help of others.” Their claim is totally unjustified and untrue!

And they say, “˹These revelations are only˺ ancient fables which he has had written down, and they are rehearsed to him morning and evening.”

Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “This ˹Quran˺ has been revealed by the One Who knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth. Surely He is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

And they say ˹mockingly˺, “What kind of messenger is this who eats food and goes about in market-places ˹for a living˺? If only an angel had been sent down with him to be his co-warner

or a treasure had been cast down to him, or he had had a garden from which he may eat!” And the wrongdoers say ˹to the believers˺, “You are only following a bewitched man.”

See ˹O Prophet˺ how they call you names! So they have gone so ˹far˺ astray that they cannot find the ˹Right˺ Way.

Blessed is the One Who—if He wills—can give you far better than ˹all˺ that: gardens under which rivers flow, and palaces as well.

In fact, they deny the Hour. And for the deniers of the Hour, We have prepared a blazing Fire.

Once it sees them from a distance, they will hear it fuming and growling.

And when they are tossed into a narrow place inside ˹Hell˺, chained together, then and there they will cry out for ˹instant˺ destruction.

˹They will be told,˺ “Do not cry only once for destruction, but cry many times over!”

Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Is this better or the Garden of Eternity which the righteous have been promised, as a reward and ˹an ultimate˺ destination?

There they will have whatever they wish for, forever. That is a promise ˹to be sought after˺, binding on your Lord.”

˹Watch for˺ the Day He will gather them along with what they used to worship besides Allah, and ask ˹the objects of worship˺, “Was it you who misled these servants of Mine, or did they stray from the Way ˹on their own˺?”

They will say, “Glory be to You! It was not right for ˹others like˺ us to take any lords besides You, but You allowed enjoyment for them and their forefathers ˹for so long˺ that they forgot ˹Your˺ remembrance and became a doomed people.”

˹The doomed will be told˺, “Your gods have clearly denied your claims. So now you can neither ward off ˹the punishment˺ nor get any help.” And whoever of you does wrong, We will make them taste a horrible punishment.

We never sent any messenger before you ˹O Prophet˺, who did not eat food and go about in market-places. We have made some of you a trial for others. Will you ˹not then˺ be patient? And your Lord is All-Seeing.