11 Thereupon the keepers of the fathomless abyss called unto him: “The
gates of Hell have opened wide to receive thee, O thou who hast turned
away from thy Lord, the Unconstrained! Repair unto its fire, for it
yearneth after thee. Hast thou forgotten, O rejected one, when thou wert
the Nimrod of the age, how thy tyranny eclipsed the very cruelties of
Pharaoh, the Lord of the Stakes?(79) By God! Thine iniquity hath rent
asunder the veil of sanctity and caused the pillars of heaven to tremble.
Where canst thou find refuge now? Who shall protect thee from the dreadful
scourge of thy Lord, the All-Compelling? There is no haven for thee in
this Day, O ungodly doubter!” Whereupon the agony of death seized him and
he saw no more. Thus did We lay hold on him in Our wrathful anger, and
severe is thy Lord in His punishment.
12 Then an angel from the right hand of the Throne summoned him: “Behold
the angel of affliction. Is there any place to flee to save hell, wherein
the heart(80) boileth?” And the angel of chastisement received his spirit,
and a voice proclaimed: “Enter the bottomless pit which hath been promised
in the Book, and whose existence thou didst day and night deny!”
13 Soon will We dismiss the one who was like unto him,(81) and will lay
hold on their Chief who ruleth the land,(82) and I, verily, am the
Almighty, the All-Compelling. Be thou steadfast in the Cause of God and
extol thy Lord morn and eve. Suffer not the light of thy soul to be
quenched by the calumnies of the one who was so blinded by Our bestowals
as to turn away from God, the Lord of all names. He inspireth his devoted
followers even as the Evil One prompteth his own. Erelong shalt thou
behold him in evident loss both in this world and in the world to come.
He, indeed, is among those whom an afflictive torment doth await. He
dispatched an epistle to someone in that land, a writ of the workers of
iniquity, in which he mocked God and recorded that which filled all
created things with dismay. Say: Canst thou find anyone to protect thee
when the wrath of God, the All-Powerful, the Unconstrained, is visited
upon thee?
14 Thus have We informed thee of that which lieth concealed within the
hearts of men. Verily, thy Lord is the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Arise
for the triumph of this Cause, and gather together My loved ones. Help
them to see the truth in this Day when the feet of men have slipped. Say:
It behoveth every true believer to assist his Lord. He, verily, is your
helper, while the people have no one to turn to in this Day.
15 Then We seized Mihdí,(83) to whom We had promised divine chastisement
in Our Books and Scriptures. When Our awful majesty encompassed him, he
entreated: “May I not retrace my steps?”
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