Or (take) the similitude
Of one who passed
By a hamlet, all in ruins
To its roofs. He said:
"Oh! how shall God
Bring it (ever) to life,
After (this) its death?"
But God caused him
To die for a hundred years,
Then raised him up (again).
He said: "How long
Didst thou tarry (thus)?"
He said: "(Perhaps) a day
Or part of a day." He said:
"Nay, thou hast tarried
Thus a hundred years;
But look at thy food
And thy drink; they show
No signs of age; and look
At thy donkey: and that
We may make of thee
A Sign unto the people,
Look further at the bones,
How We bring them together
And clothe them with flesh."
When this was shown clearly
To him, he said: "I know
That God hath power
Over all things."
Say: "If God had so willed,
I should not have rehearsed it
To you, nor would He
Have made it known to you.
A whole life-time before this
Have I tarried amongst you:
Will ye not then understand?
One day He will
Gather them together:
(It will be) as if
They had tarried
But an hour of a day:
They will recognise each other:
Assuredly those will be lost
Who denied the meeting
With God and refused
To receive true guidance.
And of the two,
To that one whom he considered
About to be saved, he said:
"Mention me to thy lord."
But Satan made him forget
To mention him to his lord:
And (Joseph) lingered in prison
A few (more) years.
"It will be on a Day
When He will call you,
And ye will answer
(His call) with (words
Of) His praise, and ye
Will think that ye tarried
But a little while!
Their purpose was to scare
Thee off the land,
In order to expel thee;
But in that case they
Would not have stayed
(Therein) after thee,
Except for a little while.
Such (being their state),
We raised them up (from sleep),
That they might question
Each other. Said one of them,
"How long have ye stayed (here)?"
They said, "We have stayed
(Perhaps) a day, or part
Of a day." (At length)
They (all) said, "God (alone)
Knows best how long
Ye have stayed here…
Now send ye then one of you
With this money of yours
To the town: let him
Find out which is the best
Food (to be had) and bring some
To you, that (ye may)
Satisfy your hunger therewith:
And let him behave
With care and courtesy,
And let him not inform
Any one about you.
Say: "God knows best
How long they stayed:
With Him is (the knowledge
Of) the secrets of the heavens
And the earth: how clearly
He sees, how finely He hears
(Everything)! They have no protector
Other than Him; nor does
He share His Command
With any person whatsoever.
"Behold! thy sister goeth forth
And saith, "Shall I show you
One who will nurse
And rear the (child)?
So We brought thee back
To thy mother, that her eye
Might be cooled and she
Should not grieve.
Then thou didst slay
A man, but We saved thee
From trouble, and We tried
Thee in various ways.
Then didst thou tarry
A number of years
With the people of Midian.
Then didst thou come hither
As ordained, O Moses!
We (once) sent Noah
To his people, and he tarried
Among them a thousand years
Less fifty: but the Deluge
Overwhelmed them while they
(Persisted in) sin.
On the Day that
The Hour (of reckoning)
Will be established,
The transgressors will swear
That they tarried not
But an hour: thus were
They used to being deluded!