7

And when Our verses, in other words, [in] the Qur'ān, are recited to such [a one] he turns away disdainfully as though he never heard them, as though there were a deafness in his ears (both comparisons constitute two circumstantial qualifiers referring to the subject of [the verb] wallā, 'turns away'; or it is that the second [comparison] is an explication of the first). So give him tidings of, inform him of, a painful chastisement. The use of [the expression] 'good tidings' meant derisively against such [a person] - this was al-Nadr b. al-Hārith. He used to visit al-Hīra for commerce and purchase books containing the stories of the non-Arab peoples and then recount these to the people of Mecca. He would say, 'Muhammad recounts to you the stories of 'ād and Thamūd, whereas I relate to you the stories of the Persians and the Byzantines!' They would thus [go to] enjoy his stories and neglect to listen to the Qur'ān