THE HOLY QUR-AN

Text, Translation and Commentary

ABDULLAH YUSUF ALI

Lahore, Pakistan

[1934]

English translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1934 edition), from Sacred-Texts.com. Page numbers removed for better readability. No alterations made to the translation text.

The Holy Qur'an in its original Arabic version can be seen here.

Sura I.
Sura II.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
SECTION 12.
SECTION 13
SECTION 14.
SECTION 15.
SECTION 16.
SECTION 17.
SECTION 18.
SECTION 19.
SECTION 20.
SECTION 21.
SECTION 22.
SECTION 23.
SECTION 24.
SECTION 25.
SECTION 26.
SECTION 27.
SECTION 28.
SECTION 29.
SECTION 30.
SECTION 31.
SECTION 32.
SECTION 33.
SECTION 34.
SECTION 35.
SECTION 36.
SECTION 37.
SECTION 38.
SECTION 39.
SECTION 40.
Sura III.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
SECTION 12.
SECTION 13.
SECTION 14.
SECTION 15.
SECTION 16.
SECTION 17.
SECTION 18.
SECTION 19.
SECTION 20.
Sura IV.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
SECTION 12.
SECTION 13.
SECTION 14.
SECTION 15.
SECTION 16.
SECTION 17.
SECTION 18.
SECTION 19.
SECTION 20.
SECTION 21.
SECTION 22.
SECTION 23.
SECTION 24.
Sura V.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
SECTION 12.
SECTION 13.
SECTION 14.
SECTION 15.
SECTION 16.
Sura VI.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
SECTION 12.
SECTION 13.
SECTION 14.
SECTION 15.
SECTION 16.
SECTION 17.
SECTION 18.
SECTION 19.
SECTION 20.
Sura VII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
SECTION 12.
SECTION 13.
SECTION 14.
SECTION 15.
SECTION 16.
SECTION 17.
SECTION 18.
SECTION 19.
SECTION 20.
SECTION 21.
SECTION 22.
SECTION 23.
SECTION 24.
Sura VIII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
Sura IX.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
SECTION 12.
SECTION 13.
SECTION 14.
SECTION 15.
SECTION 16.
Sura X.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
Sura XI.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
Sura XII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
SECTION 12.
Sura XIII.
SECTION 2.
Sura XIV.
SECTION 2.
Sura XV.
SECTION 2.
Sura XVI.
SECTION 2.
Sura XVII.
SECTION 2.
Sura XVIII.
SECTION 2.
Sura XIX.
SECTION 2.
Sura XX.
SECTION 2.
Sura XXI.
SECTION 2.
Sura XXII.
SECTION 2.
Sura XXIII.
SECTION 2.
Sura XXIV.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
Sura XXV.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6
Sura XXVI.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9
SECTION 10.
SECTION 11.
Sura XXVII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
Sura XXVIII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
Sura XXIX.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
Sura XXX.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
Sura XXXI.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
Sura XXXII
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura XXXIII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
Sura XXXIV.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
Sura XXXV.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
Sura XXXVI.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
Sura XXXVII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
Sura XXXVIII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
Sura XXXIX.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
Sura XL.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
SECTION 8.
SECTION 9.
Sura XLI.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
Sura XLII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
Sura XLIII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
SECTION 5.
SECTION 6.
SECTION 7.
Sura XLIV.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura XLV.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
Sura XLVI.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
Sura XLVII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
Sura XLVIII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
Sura XLIX.
SECTION 2.
Sura L.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura LI.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura LII.
SECTION 2.
Sura LIII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura LIV.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura LV.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura LVI.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura LVII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
SECTION 4.
Sura LVIII.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura LIX.
SECTION 2.
SECTION 3.
Sura LX.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXI.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXII.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXIII.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXIV.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXV.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXVI.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXVII.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXVIII.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXIX.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXX.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXI.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXII.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXIII.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXIV.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXV.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXVI.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXVII.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXVIII.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXIX.
SECTION 2.
Sura LXXX.
Sura LXXXI.
Sura LXXXII.
Sura LXXXIII.
Sura LXXXIV.
Sura LXXXV.
Sura LXXXVI.
Sura LXXXVII.
Sura LXXXVIII.
Sura LXXXIX.
Sura XC.
Sura XCI.
Sura XCII.
Sura XCIII.
Sura XCIV.
Sura XCV.
Sura XCVI.
Sura XCVII.
Sura XCVIII.
Sura XCIX.
Sura C.
Sura CI.
Sura CII.
Sura CIII.
Sura CIV.
Sura CV.
Sura CVI.
Sura CVII.
Sura CVIII.
Sura CIX
Sura CX.
Sura CXI.
Sura CXII.
Sura CXIII
Sura CXIV.

Sura I.

Fatiha, or the Opening Chapter.

1. In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

2. Praise be to God,

The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;

3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

4. Master of the Day of Judgment.

5. Thee do we worship,

And Thine aid we seek.

6. Show us the straight way,

7. The way of those on whom

Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,

Those whose (portion)

Is not wrath,

And who go not astray.

Sura II.

Baqara, or the Heifer.

In the name of God, most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. A. L. M.

2. This is the Book;

In it is guidance sure, without doubt,

To those who fear God;

3. Who believe in the Unseen,

Are steadfast in prayer,

And spend out of what We

Have provided for them;

4. And who believe in the Revelation

Sent to thee,

And sent before thy time,

And (in their hearts)

Have the assurance of the Hereafter.

5. They are on (true) guidance,

From their Lord, and it is

These who will prosper.

6. As to those who reject Faith,

It is the same to them

Whether thou warn them

Or do not warn them;

They will not believe.

7. God hath set a seal

On their hearts and on their hearing,

And on their eyes is a veil;

Great is the penalty they (incur).

SECTION 2.

8. Of the people there are some who say:

"We believe in God and the Last Day;"

But they do not (really) believe.

9. Fain would they deceive

God and those who believe,

But they only deceive themselves,

And realize (it) not!

10. In their hearts is a disease;

And God has increased their disease:

And grievous is the penalty they (incur),

Because they are false (to themselves).

11. When it is said to them:

"Make not mischief on the earth,"

They say: "Why, we only

Want to make peace!"

12. Of a surety, they are the ones

Who make mischief,

But they realize (it) not.

13. When it is said to them:

"Believe as the others believe:"

They say: "Shall we believe

As the fools believe?"

Nay, of a surety they are the fools,

But they do not know."

14. When they meet those who believe,

They say: "We believe;"

But when they are alone

With their evil ones,

They say: "We are really with you:

We (were) only jesting."

15. God will throw back

Their mockery on them,

And give them rope in their trespasses;

So they will wander like blind ones

(To and fro).

16. These are they who have bartered

Guidance for error:

But their traffic is profitless,

And they have lost true direction,

17. Their similitude is that of a man

Who kindled a fire;

When it lighted all around him,

God took away their light

And left them in utter darkness.

So they could not see.

18. Deaf, dumb, and blind,

They will not return (to the path).

19. Or (another similitude)

Is that of a rain-laden cloud

From the sky: in it are zones

Of darkness, and thunder and lightning:

They press their fingers in their ears

To keep out the stunning thunder-clap,

The while they are in terror of death.

But God is ever round

The rejecters of Faith!

20. The lightning all but snatches away

Their sight; every time the light

(Helps) them, they walk therein,

And when the darkness grows on them,

They stand still.

And if God willed, He could take away

Their faculty of hearing and seeing;

For God hath power over all things

SECTION 3.

21. O ye people!

Adore your Guardian-Lord,

Who created you

And those who came before you,

That ye may have the chance

To learn righteousness;

22. Who has made the earth your couch,

And the heavens your canopy;

And sent down rain from the heavens;

And brought forth therewith

Fruits for your sustenance;

Then set not up rivals unto God

When ye know (the truth).

23. And if ye are in doubt

As to what We have revealed

From time to time to Our servant,

Then produce a Sura

Like thereunto;

And call your witnesses or helpers

(If there are any) besides God,

If your (doubts) are true.

24. But if ye cannot

And of a surety ye cannot--

Then fear the Fire

Whose fuel is Men and Stones,--

Which is prepared for those

Who reject Faith.

25. But give glad tidings

To those who believe

And work righteousness,

That their portion is Gardens,

Beneath which rivers flow.

Every time they are fed

With fruits therefrom,

They say: "Why, this is

What we were fed with before,"

For they are given things in similitude;

And they have therein

Companions pure (and holy);

And they abide therein (for ever).

26. God disdains not to use

The similitude of things,

Lowest as well as highest.

Those who believe know

That it is truth from their Lord;

But those who reject Faith say:

"What means God by this similitude?"

By it He causes many to stray,

And many He leads into the right path;

But He causes not to stray,

Except those who forsake (the path),--

27. Those who break God's Covenant

After it is ratified,

And who sunder what God

Has ordered to be joined,

And do mischief on earth:

These cause loss (only) to themselves.

28. How can ye reject

The faith in God?--

Seeing that ye were without life,

And He gave you life

Then will He cause you to die,

And will again bring you to life;

And again to Him will ye return.

29. It is He Who hath created for you

All things that are on earth;

Moreover His design comprehended the heavens,

For He gave order and perfection

To the seven firmaments;

And of all things

He hath perfect knowledge.

SECTION 4.

30. Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create

A vicegerent on earth." They said:

"Wilt Thou place therein one who will make

Mischief therein and shed blood?--

Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises

And glorify Thy holy (name)?"

He said: "I know what ye know not."

31. And He taught Adam the nature

Of all things; then He placed them

Before the angels, and said: "Tell Me

The nature of these if ye are right."

32. They said: "Glory to Thee: of knowledge

We have none, save what Thou

Hast taught us: in truth it is Thou

Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."

33. He said: "O Adam! tell them

Their natures." When he had told them,

God said: "Did I not tell you

That I know the secrets of heaven

And earth, and I know what ye reveal

And what ye conceal?"

34. And behold, We said to the angels:

"Bow down to Adam: "and they bowed down:

Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty:

He was of those who reject Faith.

35. We said: "O Adam! dwell thou

And thy wife in the Garden;

And eat of the bountiful things therein

As (where and when) ye will; but approach not this tree,

Or ye run into harm and transgression."

36. Then did Satan make them slip

From the (Garden), and get them out

Of the state (of felicity) in which

They had been. We said:

"Get ye down, all (ye people),

With enmity between yourselves.

On earth will be your dwelling-place

And your means of livelihood--

For a time."

37. Then learnt Adam from his Lord

Words of inspiration, and his Lord

Turned towards him; for He

Is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

38. We said: "Get ye down all from here;

And if, as is sure, there comes to you

Guidance from Me, whosoever

Follows My guidance, on them

Shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

39. "But those who reject Faith

And belie Our Signs,

They shall be Companions of the Fire;

They shall abide therein."

SECTION 5.

40. O Children of Israel! call to mind

The (special) favour which I bestowed

Upon you, and fulfil your Covenants

With Me as I fulfil My Covenant

With you, and fear none but Me.

41. And believe in what I reveal,

Confirming the revelation

Which is with you,

And be not the first to reject

Faith therein, nor sell My Signs

For a small price; and fear Me,

And Me alone.

42. And cover not Truth

With falsehood, nor conceal

The Truth when ye know (what it is).

43. And be steadfast in prayer;

Practise regular charity;

And bow down your heads

With those who bow down (in worship).

44. Do ye enjoin right conduct

On the people, and forget

(To practise it) yourselves,

And yet ye study the Scripture?

Will ye not understand?

45. Nay, seek (God's) help

With patient perseverance

And prayer:

It is indeed hard, except

To those who bring a lowly spirit,--

46. Who bear in mind the certainty

That they are to meet their Lord,

And that they are to return to Him.

SECTION 6.

47. O Children of Israel! call to mind

The (special) favour which I bestowed

Upon you, and that I preferred you

To all others (for My Message).

48. Then guard yourselves against a day

When one soul shall not avail another

Nor shall intercession be accepted for her,

Nor shall compensation be taken from her,

Nor shall anyone be helped (from outside).

49. And remember, We delivered you

From the people of Pharaoh: they set you

Hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered

Your sons and let your women-folk live;

Therein was a tremendous trial from your Lord.

50. And remember We divided

The Sea for you and saved you

And drowned Pharaoh's people

Within your very sight.

51. And remember We appointed

Forty nights for Moses,

And in his absence ye took

The calf (for worship),

And ye did grievous wrong.

52. Even then We did forgive you;

There was a chance for you

To be grateful.

53. And remember We gave

Moses the Scripture and the Criterion

(Between right and wrong): there was

A chance for you to be guided aright.

54. And remember Moses said

To his people: "O my people!

Ye have indeed wronged

Yourselves by your worship of the calf:

So turn (in repentance) to your Maker,

And slay yourselves (the wrong-doers);

That will be better for you

In the sight of your Maker."

Then He turned towards you (in forgiveness):

For He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

55. And remember ye said: "O Moses!

We shall never believe in thee

Until we see God manifestly,"

But ye were dazed

With thunder and lightning

Even as ye looked on.

56. Then We raised you up

After your death:

Ye had the chance

To be grateful.

57. And We gave you the shade of clouds

And sent down to you

Manna and quails, saying:

"Eat of the good things

We have provided fcr you:"

(But they rebelled);

To Us they did no harm,

But they harmed their own souls.

58. And remember We said:

"Enter this town, and eat

Of the plenty therein

As ye wish; but enter

The gate with humility,

In posture and in words,

And We shall forgive you your faults

And increase (the portion of)

Those who do good."

59. But the transgressors

Changed the word from that

Which had been given them;

So We sent on the transgt essors

A plague from heaven,

For that they infringed

(Our command) repeatedly.

SECTION 7.

60. And remember Moses prayed

For water for his people;

We said: "Strike the rock

With thy staff." Then gushed forth

Therefrom twelve springs.

Each group knew its own place

For water. So eat and drink

Of the sustenance provided by God,

And do no evil nor mischief

On the (face of the) earth.

61. And remember ye said:

"O Moses! we cannot endure

One kind of food (always);

So beseech thy Lord for us

To produce for us of what the earth

Groweth,--its pot-herbs, and cucumbers,

Its garlic, lentils, and onions."

He said: "Will ye exchange

The better for the worse?

Go ye down to any town,"

And ye shall find what ye want!"

They were covered with humiliation

And misery; they drew

On themselves the wrath of God.

This because they went on

Rejecting the Signs of God

And slaying His Messengers

Without just cause.

This because they rebelled

And went on transgressing.

SECTION 8.

62. Those who believe (in the Qur-an),

And those who follow the Jewish (scriptures),

And the Christians and the Sabians,--

Any who believe in God

And the Last Day,

And work righteousness,

Shall have their reward

With their Lord: on them

Shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

63. And remember We took

Your Covenant

And We raised above you

(The towering height)

Of Mount (Sinai):

(Saying): "Hold firmly

To what We have given you

And bring (ever) to remembrance

What is therein:

Perchance ye may fear God."

64. But ye turned back thereafter:

Had it not been for the Grace

And Mercy of God to you,

Ye had surely been

Among the lost.

65. And well ye knew

Those amongst you

Who transgressed

In the matter of the Sabbath:

We said to them:

"Be ye apes,

Despised and rejected."

66. So We made it an example

To their own time

And to their posterity,

And a lesson

To those who fear God.

67. And remember Moses said

To his people: "God commands

That ye sacrifice a heifer."

They said: "Makest thou

A laughing-stock of us?"

He said: "God save me

From being an ignorant (fool)!"

68. They said: "Beseech on our behalf

Thy Lord to make plain to us

What (heifer) it is!"

He said: "He says: the heifer

Should be neither too old

Nor too young, but of middling

Age: now do what ye are commanded!"

69. They said: "Beseech on our behalf

Thy Lord to make plain to us

Her colour." He said: "He says:

A fawn-coloured heifer,

Pure and rich in tone,

The admiration of beholders!"

70. They said: "Beseech on our behalf

Thy Lord to make plain to us

What she is: to us are all heifers

Alike: we wish indeed for guidance,

If God wills."

71. He said: "He says: a heifer

Not trained to till the soil

Or water the fields: sound

And without blemish." They said:

"Now hast thou brought

The truth." Then they offered

Her in sacrifice,

But not with good-will.

SECTION 9.

72. Remember ye slew a man

And fell into a dispute

Among yourselves as to the crime:

But God was to bring forth

What ye did hide.

73. So We said: "Strike the (body)

With a piece of the (heifer)."

Thus God bringeth the dead

To life and showeth you His Signs:

Perchance ye may understand.

74. Thenceforth were your hearts

Hardened: they became

Like a rock and even worse

In hardness. For among rocks

There are some from which

Rivers gush forth; others

There are which when split

Asunder send forth water;

And others which sink

For fear of God. And God is

Not unmindful of what ye do.

75. Can ye (O ye men of Faith)

Entertain the hope that they

Will believe in you?--

Seeing that a party of them

Heard the Word of God,

And perverted it knowingly

After they understood it.

76. Behold! when they meet

The men of Faith, they say:

"We believe": but when

They meet each other in private,

They say: "Shall you tell them

What God hath revealed to you,

That they may engage you

In argument about it

Before your Lord?"--

Do ye not understand (their aim)?

77. Know they not that God

Knoweth what they conceal

And what they reveal?

78. And there are among them

Illiterates, who know not the Book,

But (see therein their own) desires,

And they do nothing but conjecture.

79. Then woe to those who write

The Book with their own hands,

And then say: "This is from God,"

To traffic with it

For a miserable price!--

Woe to them for what their hands

Do write, and for the gain

They make thereby.

80. And they say: "The Fire

Shall not touch us

But for a few numbered days:"

Say: "Have ye taken a promise

From God, for He never

Breaks His promise?

Or is it that ye say of God

What ye do not know?"

81. Nay, those who seek gain

In Evil, and are girt round

By their sins,

They are Companions of the Fire:

Therein shall they abide

(For ever).

82. But those who have faith

And work righteousness,

They are Companions of the Garden:

Therein shall they abide

(For ever).

SECTION 10.

83. And remember We took

A Covenant from the Children

Of Israel (to this effect):

Worship none but God;

Treat with kindness

Your parents and kindred,

And orphans and those in need;

Speak fair to the people;

Be steadfast in prayer;

And practise regular charity.

Then did ye turn back,

Except a few among you,

And ye backslide (even now).

84. And remember We took

Your Covenant (to this effect):

Shed no blood amongst you,

Nor turn out your own people

From your homes: and this

Ye solemnly ratified,

And to this ye can bear witness.

85. After this it is ye, the same people,

Who slay among yourselves,

And banish a party of you

From their homes; assist

(Their enemies) against them,

In guilt and rancour;

And if they come to you

As captives, ye ransom them,

Though it was not lawful

For you to banish them.

Then is it only a part of the Book

That ye believe in,

And do ye reject the rest?

But what is the reward for those

Among you who behave like this

But disgrace in this life?--

And on the Day of Judgment

They shall be consigned

To the most grievous penalty.

For God is not unmindful

Of what ye do.

86. These are the people who buy

The life of this world at the price

Of the Hereafter: their penalty

Shall not be lightened

Nor shall they be helped.

SECTION 11.

87. We gave Moses the Book

And followed him up

With a succession of Apostles;

We gave Jesus the son of Mary

Clear (Signs) and strengthened him

With the holy spirit. Is it

That whenever there comes to you

An Apostle with what ye

Yourselves desire not, ye are

Puffed up with pride?--

Some ye called impostors,

And others ye slay!

88. They say, "Our hearts

Are the wrappings (which preserve

God's Word: we need no more)."

Nay, God's curse is on them

For their blasphemy:

Little is it they believe.

89. And when there comes to them

A Book from God, confirming

What is with them,--although

From of old they had prayed

For victory against those

Without Faith,--when there comes.

To them that which they

(Should) have recognized,

They refuse to believe in it

But the curse of God

Is on those without Faith.

90. Miserable is the price

For which they have sold

Their souls, in that they

Deny (the revelation)

Which God has sent down,

In insolent envy that God

Of His Grace should send it

To any of His servants He pleases:

Thus have they drawn

On themselves Wrath upon Wrath.

And humiliating is the punishment

Of those who reject Faith.

91. When it is said to them,

"Believe in what God

Hath sent down," they say,

"We believe in what was sent down

To us": yet they reject

All besides, even if it be Truth

Confirming what is with them.

Say: "Why then have ye slain

The prophets of God in times

Gone by, if ye did indeed

Believe?"

92. There came to you Moses

With clear (Signs); yet

Ye worshipped the Calf

(Even) after that, and ye

Did behave wrongfully.

93. And remember We took

Your Covenant and We raised

Above you (the towering height)

Of Mount (Sinai):

(Saying): "Hold firmly

To what We have given you,

And hearken (to the Law)"

They said: "We hear,

And we disobey"

And they had to drink

Into their hearts

(Of the taint) of the Calf

Because of their Faithlessness.

Say: "Vile indeed

Are the behests of your Faith

If ye have any faith!"

94. Say: "If the last Home,

With God, be for you specially,

And not for anyone else,

Then seek ye for death,

If ye are sincere."

95. But they will never seek

For death, on account of the (sins)

Which their hands have sent

On before them.

And God is well-acquainted

With the wrong-doers.

96. Thou wilt indeed find them,

Of all people, most greedy

Of life,--even more

Than the idolaters:

Each one of them wishes

He could be given a life

Of a thousand years:

But the grant of such life

Will not save him

From (due) punishment.

For God sees well

All that they do.

SECTION 12.

97. Say: Whoever is an enemy

To Gabriel--for he brings down

The (revelation) to thy heart

By God's will, a confirmation

Of what went before,

And guidance and glad tidings

For those who believe,--

98. Whoever is an enemy to God

And His angels and apostles,

To Gabriel and Michael,--

Lo! God is an enemy to those

Who reject Faith.

99. We have sent down to thee

Manifest Signs (ayat);

And none reject them

But those who are perverse.

100. Is it not (the case) that

Every time they make a Covenant,

Some party among them

Throw it aside?--Nay,

Most of them are faithless.

101. And when there came to them

An Apostle from God,

Confirming what was with them,

A party of the People of the Book

Threw away the Book of God

Behind their backs,

As if (it had been something)

They did not know!

102. They followed what the evil ones

Gave out (falsely)

Against the power

Of Solomon: the blasphemers

Were, not Solomon, but

The evil ones, teaching men

Magic, and such things

As came down at Babylon

To the angels Harut and Marut.

But neither of these taught anyone

(Such things) without saying:

"We are only for trial;

So do not blaspheme."

They learned from them

The means to sow discord

Between man and wife.

But they could not thus

Harm anyone except

By God's permission.

And they learned what harmed them,

Not what profited them.

And they knew that the buyers

Of (magic) would have

No share in the happiness

Of the Hereafter. And vile

Was the price for which

They did sell their souls,

If they but knew!

103. If they had kept their Faith

And guarded themselves from evil,

Far better had been

The reward from their Lord,

If they but knew!

SECTION 13

104. ye of Faith!

Say not (to the Apostle)

Words of ambiguous import,

But words of respect;

And hearken (to him):

To those without Faith

Is a grievous punishment.

105. It is never the wish

Of those without Faith

Among the People of the Book,

Nor of the Pagans,

That anything good

Should come down to you

From your Lord.

But God will choose

For His special Mercy

Whom He will--for God is

Lord of grace abounding.

106. None of Our revelations

Do We abrogate

Or cause to be forgotten,

But We substitute

Something better or similar:

Knowest thou not that God

Hath power over all things?

107. Knowest thou not

That to God belongeth

The dominion of the heavens

And the earth?

And besides Him ye have

Neither patron nor helper.

108. Would ye question

Your Apostle as Moses's

Was questioned of old?

But whoever changeth

From Faith to Unbelief,

Hath strayed without doubt

From the even way.

109. Quite a number of the People

Of the Book wish they could

Turn you (people) back

To infidelity after ye have believed,

From selfish envy,

After the Truth hath become

Manifest unto them:

But forgive and overlook,

Till God accomplish

His purpose; for God

Hath power over all things.'

110. And be steadfast in prayer

And regular in charity:

And whatever good

Ye send forth for your souls

Before you, ye shall find it

With God: for God sees

Well all that ye do.

111. And they say: "None

Shall enter Paradise unless

He be a Jew or a Christian."

Those are their (vain) desires.

Say: "Produce your proof

If ye are truthful."

112. Nay,--whoever submits

His whole self to God

And is a doer of good,

He will get his reward

With his Lord;

On such shall be no fear,

Nor shall they grieve.

SECTION 14.

113. The Jews say: "The Christians

Have naught (to stand) upon;

And the Christians say:

"The Jews have naught

(To stand) upon." Yet they

(Profess to) study the (same) Book.

Like unto their word

Is what those say who know not;

But God will judge

Between them in their quarrel

On the Day of Judgment.

114. And who is more unjust

Than he who forbids

That in places for the worship

Of God, God's name should be

Celebrated?--whose zeal

Is (in fact) to ruin them?

It was not fitting that such

Should themselves enter them

Except in fear. For them

There is nothing but disgrace

In this world, and in the world

To come, an exceeding torment.

115. To God belong the East

And the West: whithersoever

Ye turn, there is the Presence

Of God. For God is All-Pervading,

All-Knowing.

116. They say: "God hath begotten

A son": Glory be to Him.--Nay,

To Him belongs all

That is in the heavens

And on earth: everything

Renders worship to Him.'"

117. To Him is due

The primal origin

Of the heavens and the earth:

When He decreeth a matter,

He saith to it: "Be,"

And it is.

118. Say those without knowledge:

"Why speaketh not God

Unto us? Or why cometh not

Unto us a Sign?"

So said the people before them

Words of similar import.

Their hearts are alike.

We have indeed made clear

The Signs unto any people

Who hold firmly

To Faith (in their hearts).

119. Verily We have sent thee

In truth as a bearer

Of glad tidings and a warner:

But of thee no question

Shall be asked of the Companions

Of the Blazing Fire.

120. Never will the Jews

Or the Christians be satisfied

With thee unless thou follow

Their form of religion. Say:

"The Guidance of God,--that

Is the (only) Guidance."

Wert thou to follow their desires

After the knowledge

Which hath reached thee,

Then wouldst thou find

Neither Protector nor Helper

Against God.

121. Those to whom We have sent

The Book study it as it

Should be studied: they are

The ones that believe therein:

Those who reject faith therein,--

The loss is their own.

SECTION 15.

122. O Children of Israel! call to mind

The special favour which I bestowed

Upon you, and that I preferred you

To all others (for My Message).

123. Then guard yourselves against a Day

When one soul shall not avail another,

Nor shall compensation be

accepted from her

Nor shall intercession profit her

Nor shall anyone be helped (from outside).

124. And remember that Abraham

Was tried by his Lord

With certain Commands,

Which he fulfilled:

He said: "I will make thee

An Imam to the Nations."

He pleaded: "And also

(Imams) from my offspring!"

He answered: "But My Promise

Is not within the reach

Of evil-doers."

125. Remember We made the House

A place of assembly for men

And a place of safety;

And take ye the Station

Of Abraham as a place

Of prayer; and We covenanted

With Abraham and lsma'il,

That they should sanctify

My House for those who

Compass it round, or use it

As a retreat, or bow, or

Prostrate themselves (therein

In prayer).

126. And remember Abraham said:

"My Lord, make this a City

Of Peace, and feed its People

With fruits,--such of them

As believe in God and the Last Day."

He said: "(Yea), and such as

Reject Faith,--for a while

Will I grant them their pleasure,

But will soon drive them

To the torment of Fire,--

An evil destination (indeed)!"

127. And remember Abraham

And Isma'il raised

The foundations of the House

(With this prayer): "Our Lord!

Accept (this service) from us:

For Thou art the All-Hearing,

The All-Knowing.

128. "Our Lord! make of us

Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will),

And of our progeny a people

Muslim, bowing to Thy (Will);

And show us our places for

The celebration of (due) rites;

And turn unto us (in Mercy);

For Thou art the Oft-Returning,

Most Merciful.

129. "Our Lord! send amongst them

An Apostle of their own,

Who shall rehearse Thy Signs

To them and instruct them

In Scripture and Wisdom,

And sanctify them:

For Thou art the Exalted in Might,

The Wise."

SECTION 16.

130. And who turns away

From the religion of Abraham

But such as debase their souls

With folly? Him We chose

And rendered pure in this world:

And he will be in the Hereafter

In the ranks of the Righteous.

131. Behold! his Lord said

To him: "Bow (thy will to Me):"

He said: "I bow (my will)

To the Lord and Cherisher

Of the Universe."

132. And this was the legacy

That Abraham left to his sons,

And so did Jacob;

"Oh my sons! God hath chosen

The Faith for you; then die not

Except in the Faith of Islam."

133. Were ye witnesses

When Death appeared before Jacob?

Behold, he said to his sons:

"What will ye worship after me?"

They said: "We shall worship

Thy God and the God of thy fathers,--

Of Abraham, Isma'il, and Isaac,--

The One (True) God:

To Him we bow (in Islam)."

134. That was a People that hath

Passed away. They shall reap

The fruit of what they did,

And ye of what ye do!

Of their merits

There is no question in your case!

135. They say: "Become Jews

Or Christians if ye would be guided

(To salvation)." Say thou:

"Nay! (I would rather) the Religion

Of Abraham the True,

And he joined not gods with God."

136. Say ye: "We believe

In God, and the revelation

Given to us, and to Abraham,

Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob,

And the Tribes, and that given

To Moses and Jesus, and that given

To (all) Prophets from their Lord:

We make no difference

Between one and another of them:

And we bow to God (in Islam)."

137. So if they believe

As ye believe, they are indeed

On the right path; but if

They turn back, it is they

Who are in schism; but God will

Suffice thee as against them,

And He is the All-Hearing,

The All-Knowing.

138. (Our religion is)

The Baptism of God:

And who can baptize better

Than God? And it is He

Whom we worship.

139. Say: Will ye dispute

With us about God, seeing

That He is our Lord

And your Lord; that we

Are responsible for our doings

And ye for yours; and that

We are sincere (in our faith) In him?

140. Or do ye say that

Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac,

Jacob and the Tribes were

Jews or Christians?

Say: Do ye know better

Than God? Ah! who

Is more unjust than those

Who conceal the testimony

They have from God?

But God is not unmindful

Of what ye do!

141. That was a people that hath

Passed away. They shall reap

The fruit of what they did,

And ye of what ye do!

Of their merits

There is no question in your case:

SECTION 17.

142. The Fools among the people

Will say: "What hath turned

Them from the Qibla to which

They were used?" Say:

To God belong both East and West:

He guideth whom He will

To a Way that is straight.

143. Thus have We made of you

An Ummat justly balanced,

That ye might be witnesses

Over the nations,

And the Apostle a witness

Over yourselves;

And We appointed the Qibla

To which thou wast used,

Only to test those who followed

The Apostle from those

Who would turn on their heels

(From the Faith). Indeed it was

(A change) momentous, except

To those guided by God.

And never would God

Make your faith of no effect.

For God is to all people

Most surely full of kindness,

Most Merciful.

144. We see the turning

Of thy face (for guidance)

To the heavens: now

Shall We turn thee

To a Qibla that shall

Please thee. Turn then

Thy face in the direction

Of the sacred Mosque:

Wherever ye are, turn

Your faces in that direction.

The people of the Book

Know well that that is

The truth from their Lord.

Nor is God unmindful

Of what they do.

145. Even if thou wert to bring

To the people of the Book

All the Signs (together),

They would not follow

Thy Qibla; nor art thou

Going to follow their Qibla;

Nor indeed will they follow

Each other's Qibla. If thou

After the knowledge hath reached thee,

Wert to follow their (vain)

Desires,--then wert thou

Indeed (clearly) in the wrong.

146. The people of the Book

Know this as they know

Their own sons; but some

Of them conceal the truth

Which they themselves know.

147. The Truth is from thy Lord;

So be not at all in doubt.

SECTION 18.

148. To each is a goal

To which God turns him;

Then strive together (as in a race)

Towards all that is good.

Wheresoever ye are,

God will bring you

Together, For God

Hath power over all things.

149. From whencesoever

Thou startest forth, turn

Thy face in the direction

Of the Sacred Mosque;

That is indeed the truth

From thy Lord. And God

Is not unmindful

Of what ye do.

150. So from whencesoever

Thou startest forth, turn

Thy face in the direction

Of the Sacred Mosque;

And wheresoever ye are,

Turn your face thither:

That there be no ground

Of dispute against you

Among the people,

Except those of them that are

Bent on wickedness; so fear

Them not, but fear Me;

And that I may complete

My favours on you, and ye

May (consent to) be guided;

151. A similar (favour

Have ye already received)

In that We have sent

Among you an Apostle

Of your own, rehearsing to you

Our Signs, and sanctifying

You, and instructing you

In Scripture and Wisdom,

And in new Knowledge.

152. Then do ye remember

Me; I will remember

You. Be grateful to Me,

And reject not Faith.

SECTION 19.

153. O ye who believe! seek help

With patient Perseverance

And Prayer: for God is with those

Who patiently persevere.

154. And say not of those

Who are slain in the way

Of God: "They are dead."

Nay, they are living,

Though ye perceive (it) not.

155. Be sure we shall test you

With something of fear

And hunger, some loss

In goods or lives or the fruits

(Of your toil), but give

Glad tidings to those

Who patiently persevere,--

156. Who say, when afflicted

With calamity: "To God

We belong, and to Him

Is our return":--

157. They are those on whom

(Descend) blessings from God,

And Mercy,

And they are the ones

That receive guidance.

158. Behold! Safa and Marwa

Are among the Symbols

Of God. So if those who visit

The House in the Season

Or at other times,

Should compass them round,

It is no sin in them.

And if any one obeyeth his own

Impulse to Good,--

Be sure that God

Is He Who recogniseth

And knoweth.

159. Those who conceal

The clear (Signs) We have

Sent down, and the Guidance,

After We have made it

Clear for the People

In the Book,--on them

Shall be God's curse,

And the curse of those

Entitled to curse,--

160. Except those who repent

And make amends

And openly declare (the Truth):

To them I turn;

For I am Oft-returning,

Most Merciful.

161. Those who reject Faith,

And die rejecting,--

On them is God's curse,

And the curse of angels,

And of all mankind;

162. They will abide therein:

Their penalty will not

Be lightened, nor will

Respite be their (lot).

163. And your God

Is One God:

There is no god

But He,

Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

SECTION 20.

164. Behold! In the creation

Of the heavens and the earth;

In the alternation

Of the Night and the Day;

In the sailing of the ships

Through the Ocean

For the profit of mankind;

In the rain which God

Sends down from the skies,

And the life which He gives therewith

To an earth that is dead;

In the beasts of all kinds

That He scatters

Through the earth;

In the change of the winds,

And the clouds which they

Trail like their slaves

Between the sky and the earth;--

(Here) indeed are Signs

For a people that are wise.

165. Yet there are men

Who take (for worship)

Others besides God,

As equal (with God):

They love them

As they should love God.

But those of Faith are

Overflowing in their love

For God. If only

The unrighteous could see,

Behold, they would see

The Penalty: that to God

Belongs all power, and God

Will strongly enforce

The Penalty.

166 Then would those

Who are followed

Clear themselves of those

Who follow (them):

They would see the Penalty,

And all relations

Between them would be cut off.

167. And those who followed

Would say: "If only

We had one more chance,

We would clear ourselves

Of them, as they have

Cleared themselves of us."

Thus will God show them

(The fruits of) their deeds

As (nothing but) regrets.

Nor will there be a way

For them out of the Fire.

SECTION 21.

168. O ye people!

Eat of what is on earth,

Lawful and good;

And do not follow

The footsteps of the Evil One,

For he is to you

An avowed enemy.

169. For he commands you

What is evil

And shameful,

And that ye should say

Of God that of which

Ye have no knowledge.

170. When it is said to them:

"Follow what God hath revealed:"

They say: "Nay! we shall follow

The ways of our fathers."

What! even though their fathers

Were void of wisdom and guidance?

171. The parable of those

Who reject Faith is

As if one were to shout

Like a goat-herd, to things

That listen to nothing

But calls and cries:

Deaf, dumb, and blind,

They are void of wisdom.

172 O ye who believe!

Eat of the good things

That We have provided for you,

And be grateful to God,

If it is Him ye worship.

173. He hath only forbidden you

Dead meat, and blood,

And the flesh of swine,

And that on which

Any other name hath been invoked

Besides that of God.

But if one is forced by necessity,

Without wilful disobedience,

Nor transgressing due limits,--

Then is he guiltless.

For God is Oft-forgiving

Most Merciful.

174. Those who conceal

God's revelations in the Book,

And purchase for them

A miserable profit,--

They swallow into themselves

Naught but Fire;

God will not address them

On the Day of Resurrection,

Nor purify them:

Grievous will be

Their Penalty.

175. They are the ones

Who buy Error

In place of Guidance

And Torment in place

Of Forgiveness.

Ah! what boldness

(They show) for the Fire!

176. (Their doom is) because

God sent down the Book

In truth but those who seek

Causes of dispute in the Book

Are in a schism

Far (from the purpose).

SECTION 22.

177. It is not righteousness

That ye turn your faces

Towards East or West;

But it is righteousness--

To believe in God

And the Last Day,

And the Angels,

And the Book,

And the Messengers;

To spend of your substance,

Out of love for Him,

For your kin,

For orphans,

For the needy,

For the wayfarer,

For those who ask,

And for the ransom of slaves;

To be steadfast in prayer,

And practice regular charity;

To fulfil the contracts

Which ye have made;

And to be firm and patient,

In pain (or suffering)

And adversity,

And throughout

All periods of panic.

Such are the people

Of truth, the God-fearing.

178. O ye who believe!

The law of equality

Is prescribed to you

In cases of murder:

The free for the free,

The slave for the slave,

The woman for the woman.

But if any remission

Is made by the brother

Of the slain, then grant

Any reasonable demand,

And compensate him

With handsome gratitude.

This is a concession

And a Mercy

From your Lord.

After this whoever

Exceeds the limits

Shall be in grave penalty.

179. In the Law of Equality

There is (saving of) Life

To you, O ye men of understanding;

That ye may

Restrain yourselves.

180. It is prescribed,

When death approaches

Any of you, if he leave

Any goods, that he make a bequest

To parents and next of kin,

According to reasonable usage;

This is due

From the God-fearing.

181. If anyone changes the bequest

After hearing it,

The guilt shall be on those

Who make the change.

For God hears and knows

(All things).

182. But if anyone fears

Partiality or wrong-doing

On the part of the testator,

And makes peace between

(The parties concerned),

There is no wrong in him:

For God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

SECTION 23.

183. O ye who believe!

Fasting is prescribed to you

As it was prescribed

To those before you,

That ye may (learn)

Self-restraint,--

184. (Fasting) for a fixed

Number of days;

But if any of you is ill,

Or on a journey,

The prescribed number

(Should be made up)

From days later.

For those who can do it

(With hardship), is a ransom,

The feeding of one

That is indigent.

But he that will give

More, of his own free will,--

It is better for him.

And it is better for you

That ye fast,

If ye only knew.

185. Ramadhan is the (month)

In which was sent down

The Qur-an, as a guide

To mankind, also clear (Signs)

For guidance and judgment

(Between right and wrong).

So every one of you

Who is present (at his home)

During that month

Should spend it in fasting,

But if any one is ill,

Or on a journey,

The prescribed period

(Should be made up)

By days later.

God intends every facility

For you; He does not want

To put you to difficulties.

(He wants you) to complete

The prescribed period,

And to glorify Him

In that He has guided you;

And perchance ye shall be grateful.

186. When My servants

Ask thee concerning Me,

I am indeed

Close (to them): I listen

To the prayer of every

Suppliant when he calleth on Me:

Let them also, with a will,

Listen to My call,

And believe in Me:

That they may walk

In the right way.

187. Permitted to you,

On the night of the fasts,

Is the approach to your wives.

They are your garments

And ye are their garments.

God knoweth what ye

Used to do secretly among yourselves;

But He turned to you

And forgave you;

So now associate with them,

And seek what God

Hath ordained for you,

And eat and drink,

Until the white thread

Of dawn appear to you

Distinct from its black thread;

Then complete your fast

Till the night appears;

But do not associate

With your wives

While ye are in retreat

In the mosques. Those are

Limits (set by) God:

Approach not nigh thereto.

Thus doth God make clear

His Signs to men: that

They may learn self-restraint.

188. And do not eat up

Your property among yourselves

For vanities, nor use it

As bait for the judges,

With intent that ye may

Eat up wrongfully and knowingly

A little of (other) people's property.

SECTION 24.

189. They ask thee

Concerning the New Moons.

Say: They are but signs

To mark fixed periods of time

In (the affairs of) men,

And for Pilgrimage.

It is no virtue if ye enter

Your houses from the back:

It is virtue if ye fear God.

Enter houses

Through the proper doors:

And fear God:

That ye may prosper.

190. Fight in the cause of God

Those who fight you,

But do not transgress limits;

For God loveth not transgressors.

191. And slay them

Wherever ye catch them,

And turn them out

From where they have

Turned you out;

For tumult and oppression

Are worse than slaughter;

But fight them not

At the Sacred Mosque,

Unless they (first)

Fight you there;

But if they fight you,

Slay them.

Such is the reward

Of those who suppress faith.

192. But if they cease,

God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

193. And fight them on

Until there is no more

Tumult or oppression,

And there prevail

Justice and faith in God;

But if they cease,

Let there be no hostility

Except to those

Who practise oppression.

194. The prohibited month

For the prohibited month,--

And so for all things prohibited,--

There is the law of equality.

If then any one transgresses

The prohibition against you,

Transgress ye likewise

Against him.

But fear God, and know

That God is with those

Who restrain themselves.

195. And spend of your substance

In the cause of God,

And make not your own hands

Contribute to (your) destruction;

But do good;

For God loveth those

Who do good.

196. And complete

The .Hajj or 'umra

In the service of God.

But if ye are prevented

(From completing it),

Send an offering

For sacrifice,

Such as ye may find,

And do not shave your heads

Until the offering reaches

The place of sacrifice.

And if any of you is ill,

Or has an ailment in his scalp,

(Necessitating shaving),

(He should) in compensation

Either fast, or feed the poor,

Or offer sacrifice;

And when ye are

In peaceful conditions (again),

If any one wishes

To continue the 'umra

On to the hajj,

He must make an offering,

Such as he can afford,

But if he cannot afford it,

He should fast

Three days during the hajj

And seven days on his return,

Making ten days in all.

This is for those

Whose household

Is not in (the precincts

Of) the Sacred Mosque.

And fear God,

And know that God.

Is strict in punishment?

SECTION 25.

197. For Hajj

Are the months well known.

If any one undertakes

That duty therein,

Let there be no obscenity,

Nor wickedness,

Nor wrangling

In the Hajj.

And whatever good

Ye do, (be sure)

God knoweth it.

And take a provision

(With you) for the journey,

But the best of provisions

Is right conduct.

So fear Me,

O ye that are wise.

198. It is no crime in you

If ye seek of the bounty

Of your Lord (during pilgrimage).

Then when ye pour down

From (Mount) 'Arafat,

Celebrate the praises of God

At the Sacred Monument,

And celebrate His praises

As He has directed you,

Even though, before this,

Ye went astray.

199. Then pass on

At a quick pace from the place

Whence it is usual

For the multitude

So to do, and ask

For God's forgiveness.

For God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

200. So when ye have

Accomplished your holy rites,

Celebrate the praises of God,

As ye used to celebrate

The praises of your fathers,--

Yea, with far more

Heart and soul.

There are men who say:

"Our ! Give us

(Thy bounties) in this world!"

But they will have

No portion in the Hereafter.

201. And there are men who say:

"Our Lord! Give us

Good in this world

And good in the Hereafter,

And defend us

From the torment

Of the Fire!"

202. To these will be allotted

What they have earned;

And God is quick in account.

203. Celebrate the praises of God

During the Appointed Days.

But if any one hastens

To leave in two days,

There is no blame on him,

And if any one stays on,

There is no blame on him,

If his aim is to do right.

Then fear God, and know

That ye will surely

Be gathered unto Him.

204. There is the type of man

Whose speech

About this world's life

May dazzle thee,

And he calls God to witness

About what is in his heart;

Yet is he the most contentious

Of enemies.

205. When he turns his back,

His aim everywhere

Is to spread mischief

Through the earth and destroy

Crops and cattle.

But God loveth not mischief.

206. When it is said to him,

"Fear God,"

He is led by arrogance

To (more) crime.

Enough for him is Hell;--

An evil bed indeed

(To lie on)!

207. And there is the type of man

Who gives his life

To earn the pleasure of God;

And God is full of kindness

To (His) devotees.

208. O ye who believe!

Enter into Islam

Whole-heartedly;

And follow not

The footsteps

Of the Evil One;

For he is to you

An avowed enemy.

209. If ye backslide

After the clear (Signs)

Have come to you,

Then know that God

Is Exalted in Power, Wise.

210. Will they wait

Until God comes to them

In canopies of clouds,

With angels (in His train)

And the question

Is (thus) settled?

But to God

Do all questions

Go back (for decision).

SECTION 26.

211. Ask the Children of Israel

How many Clear (Signs)

We have sent them.

But if any one,

After God's favour

Has come to him,

Substitutes (something else),

God is strict in punishment.

212. The life of this world

Is alluring to those

Who reject faith,

And they scoff at those

Who believe.

But the righteous

Will be above them

On the Day of Resurrection;

For God bestows His abundance

Without measure

On whom He will.

213. Mankind was one single nation,

And God sent Messengers

With glad tidings and warnings;

And with them He sent

The Book in truth,

To judge between people

In matters wherein

They differed;

But the People of the Book,

After the clear Signs

Came to them, did not differ

Among themselves,

Except through selfish contumacy.

God by His Grace

Guided the Believers

To the Truth,

Concerning that

Wherein they differed.

For God guides

Whom He will

To a path

That is straight.

214. Or do ye think

That ye shall enter

The Garden (of Bliss)

Without such (trials)

As came to those

Who passed away

Before you?

They encountered

Suffering and adversity,

And were so shaken in spirit

That even the Apostle

And those of faith

Who were with him

Cried: "When (will come)

The help of God?"

Ah! Verily, the help of God

Is (always) near!

215. They ask thee

What they should spend

(In charity). Say: Whatever

Ye spend that is good,

Is for parents and kindred

And orphans

And those in want

And for wayfarers.

And whatever ye do

That is good,--God

Knoweth it well.

216. Fighting is prescribed

For you, and ye dislike it.

But it is possible

That ye dislike a thing

Which is good for you,

And that ye love a thing

Which is bad for you.

But God knoweth,

And ye know not.

SECTION 27.

217. They ask thee

Concerning fighting

In the Prohibited Month.

Say: "Fighting therein

Is a grave (offence);

But graver is it

In the sight of God

To prevent access

To the path of God,

To deny Him,

To prevent access

To the Sacred Mosque,

And drive out its members.

Tumult and oppression

Are worse than slaughter.

Nor will they cease

Fighting you until

They turn you back

From your faith

If they can.

And if any of you

Turn back from their faith

And die in unbelief,

Their works will bear no fruit

In this life

And in the Hereafter;

They will be

Companions of the Fire

And will abide therein.

218. Those who believed

And those who suffered exile

And fought (and strove and struggled)

In the path of God,--

They have the hope

Of the Mercy of God;

And God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

219. They ask thee

Concerning wine and gambling.

Say: "In them is great sin,

And some profit, for men;

But the sin is greater

Than the profit."

Whey ask thee how much

They are to spend;

Say: "What is beyond

Your needs."

Thus doth God

Make clear to you

His Signs: in order that

Ye may consider--

220. (Their bearings) on

This life and the Hereafter.

They ask thee

Concerning orphans.

Say: "The best thing to do

Is what is for their good;

If ye mix

Their affairs with yours,

They are your brethren;

But God knows

The man who means mischief

From the man who means good.

And if God had wished,

He could have put you

Into difficulties: He is indeed

Exalted in Power, Wise.

221. Do not marry

Unbelieving women (idolaters),

Until they believe:

A slave woman who believes

Is better than an unbelieving woman,

Even though she allure you.

Nor marry (your girls)

To unbelievers until

They believe:

A man slave who believes

Is better than an unbeliever,

Even though he allure you.

Unbelievers do (but)

Beckon you to the Fire.

But God beckons by His Grace

To the Garden (of Bliss)

And forgiveness,

And makes His Signs

Clear to mankind:

That they may

Celebrate His praise.

SECTION 28.

222. They ask thee

Concerning women's courses.

Say: They are

A hurt and a pollution:

So keep away from women

In their courses, and do not

Approach them until

They are clean.

But when they have

Purified themselves,

Ye may approach them

In any manner, time, or place

Ordained for you by God.

For God loves those

Who turn to Him constantly

And He loves those

Who keep themselves pure and clean,

223. Your wives are

As a tilth unto you;

So approach your tilth

When or how ye will;

But do some good act

For your souls beforehand;

And fear God,

And know that ye are

To meet Him (in the Hereafter),

And give (these) good tidings

To those who believe.

224. And make not

God's (name) an excuse

In your oaths against

Doing good, or acting rightly,

Or making peace

Between persons;

For God is One

Who heareth and knoweth

All things.

225. God will not

Call you to account

For thoughtlessness

In your oaths,

But for the intention

In your hearts;

And He is

Oft-forgiving

Most Forbearing.

226. For those who take

An oath for abstention

From their wives,

A waiting for four months

Is ordained;

If then they return,

God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

227. But if their intention

Is firm for divorce,

God heareth

And knoweth all things.

228. Divorced women

Shall wait concerning themselves

For three monthly periods.

Nor is it lawful for them

To hide what God

Hath created in their wombs,

If they have faith

In God and the Last Day.

And their husbands

Have the better right

To take them back

In that period, if

They wish for reconciliation.

And women shall have rights

Similar to the rights

Against them, according

To what is equitable;

But men have a degree

(Of advantage) over them.

And God is Exalted in Power, Wise.

SECTION 29.

229. A divorce is only

Permissible twice: after that,

The parties should either hold

Together on equitable terms,

Or separate with kindness.

It is not lawful for you,

(Men), to take back

Any of your gifts (from your wives)

Except when both parties

Fear that they would be

Unable to keep the limits

Ordained by God.

If ye (judges) do indeed

Fear that they would be

Unable to keep the limits

Ordained by God,

There is no blame on either

Of them if she give

Something for her freedom.

These are the limits

Ordained by God;

So do not transgress them

If any do transgress

The limits ordained by God,

Such persons wrong

(Themselves as well as others).

230. So if a husband

Divorces his wife (irrevocably),

He cannot, after that,

Re-marry her until

After she has married

Another husband and

He has divorced her.

In that case there is

No blame on either of them

If they re-unite, provided

They feel that they

Can keep the limits

Ordained by God.

Such are the limits

Ordained by God,

Which He makes plain

To those who understand.

231. When ye divorce

Women, and they fulfil

The term of their ('Iddat),

Either take them back

On equitable terms

Or set them free

On equitable terms;

But do not take them back

To injure them, (or) to take

Undue advantage;

If any one does that,

He wrongs his own soul.

Do not treat God's Signs

As a jest,

But solemnly rehearse

God's favours on you,

And the fact that He

Sent down to you

The Book

And Wisdom,

For your instruction.

And fear God,

And know that God

Is well acquainted

With all things.

SECTION 30.

232. When ye divorce

Women, and they fulfil

The term of their ('Iddat),

Do not prevent them

From marrying

Their (former) husbands,

If they mutually agree

On equitable terms.

This instruction

Is for all amongst you,

Who believe in God

And the Last Day.

That is (the course

Making for) most virtue

And purity amongst you,

And God knows,

And ye know not.

233. The mothers shall give suck

To their offspring

For two whole years,

If the father desires

To complete the term.

But he shall bear the cost

Of their food and clothing

On equitable terms.

No soul shall have

A burden laid on it

Greater than it can bear.

No mother shall be

Treated unfairly

On account of her child.

Nor father

On account of his child,

An heir shall be chargeable

In the same way.

If they both decide

On weaning,

By mutual consent,

And after due consultation,

There is no blame on them.

If ye decide

On a foster-mother

For your offspring,

There is no blame on you,

Provided ye pay (the mother)

What ye offered,

On equitable terms.

But fear God and know

That God sees well

What ye do.

234. If any of you die

And leave widows behind,

They shall wait concerning themselves

Four months and ten days:

When they have fulfilled

Their term, there is no blame

On you if they dispose

Of themselves in a just

And reasonable manner.

And God is well acquainted

With what ye do.

235. There is no blame

On you if ye make

An offer of betrothal

Or hold it in your hearts.

God knows that ye

Cherish them in your hearts:

But do not make a secret contract

With them except in terms

Honourable, nor resolve on the tie

Of marriage till the term

Prescribed is fulfilled.

And know that God

Knoweth what is in your hearts,

And take heed of Him;

And know that God is

Oft-forgiving, Most Forbearing.

SECTION 31.

236. There is no blame on you

If ye divorce women

Before consummation

Or the fixation of their dower;

But bestow on them

(A suitable gift),

The wealthy

According to his means,

And the poor

According to his means;--

A gift of a reasonable amount

Is due from those

Who wish to do the right thing.

237. And if ye divorce them

Before consummation,

But after the fixation

Of a dower for them,

Then the half of the dower

(Is due to them), unless

They remit it

Or (the man's half) is remitted

By him in whose hands

Is the marriage tie;

And the remission

(Of the man's half)

Is the nearest to righteousness.

And do not forget

Liberality between yourselves.

For God sees well

All that ye do.

238. Guard strictly

Your (habit of) prayers,

Especially the Middle Prayer;

And stand before God

In a devout (frame of mind).

239. If ye fear (an enemy),

Pray on foot, or riding,

(As may be most convenient),

But when ye are

In security, celebrate

God's praises in the manner

He has taught you,

Which ye knew not (before).

240. Those of you

Who die and leave widows

Should bequeath

For their widows

A year's maintenance

And residence;

But if they leave

(The residence),

There is no blame on you

For what they do

With themselves,

Provided it is reasonable.

And God is Exalted in Power, Wise.

241. For divorced women

Maintenance (should be provided)

On a reasonable (scale).

This is a duty

On the righteous.

242. Thus doth God

Make clear His Signs

To you: in order that

Ye may understand.

SECTION 32.

243. Didst thou not

Turn by vision to those

Who abandoned their homes,

Though they were thousands

(In number), for fear of death?

God said to them: "Die":

Then He restored them to life.

For God is full of bounty

To mankind, but

Most of them are ungrateful.

244. Then fight in the cause

Of God, and know that God

Heareth and knoweth all things.

245. Who is he

That will loan to God

A beautiful loan, which God

Will double unto his credit

And multiply many times?

It is God that giveth (you)

Want or Plenty,

And to Him shall be

Your return.

246. Hast thou not

Turned thy vision to the Chiefs

Of the Children of Israel

After (the time of) Moses?

They said to a Prophet

(That was) among them:

"Appoint for us a King, that we

May fight in the cause of God."

He said: "Is it not possible,

If ye were commanded

To fight, that that ye

Will not fight?" They said:

"How could we refuse

To fight in the cause of God,

Seeing that we were turned out

Of our homes and our families?"

But when they were commanded

To fight, they turned back,

Except a small band

Among them. But God

Has full knowledge of those

Who do wrong.

247. Their Prophet said to them:

"God hath appointed

Talut as king over you."

They said: "How can he

Exercise authority over us

When we are better fitted

Than he to exercise authority,

And he is not even gifted,

With wealth in abundance?"

He said: "God hath

Chosen him above you,

And hath gifted him

Abundantly with knowledge

And bodily prowess: God

Granteth His authority to whom

He pleaseth. God careth

For all, and He knoweth

All things."

248. And (further) their Prophet

Said to them: "A Sign

Of his authority

Is that there shall come

To you the Ark of the Covenant,

With (an assurance) therein

Of security from your Lord,

And the relics left

By the family of Moses

And the family of Aaron,

Carried by angels.

In this is a Symbol

For you if ye indeed

Have faith."

SECTION 33.

249. When Talut set forth

With the armies, he said:

"God will test you

At the stream: if any

Drinks of its water,

He goes not with my army:

Only those who taste not

Of it go with me:

A mere sip out of the hand

Is excused." But they all

Drank of it, except a few.

When they crossed the river,--

He and the faithful ones with him,

They said: "This day

We cannot cope

With Goliath and his forces."

But those who were convinced

That they must meet God,

Said: "How oft, by God's will,

Hath a small force

Vanquished a big one?

God is with those

Who steadfastly persevere."

250. When they advanced

To meet Goliath and his forces,

They prayed: "Our Lord

Pour out constancy on us

And make our steps firm:

Help us against those

That reject faith."

251. By God's will,

They routed them;

And David slew Goliath;

And God gave him

Power and wisdom

And taught him

Whatever (else) He willed,

And did not God

Check one set of people

By means of another,

The earth would indeed

Be full of mischief:

But God is full of bounty

To all the worlds.

252. These are the Signs

Of God: we rehearse them

To thee in truth: verily

Thou art one of the Apostles.

253. Those apostles

Were endowed with gifts,

Some above others

To one of them God spoke;

Others He raised

To degrees (of honour);

To Jesus the son of Mary

We gave Clear (Signs),

And strengthened him

With the holy spirit.

If God had so willed,

Succeeding generations

Would not have fought

Among each other, after

Clear (Signs) had come to them,

But they (chose) to wrangle,

Some believing and Others

Rejecting. If God had so willed,

They would not have fought

Each other; but God

Fulfilleth His plan.

SECTION 34.

254. O ye who believe!

Spend out of (the bounties)

We have provided for you,

Before the Day comes

When no bargaining

(Will avail), nor friendship

Nor intercession.

Those who reject Faith--they

Are the wrong-doers.

255. God! There is no god

But He,--the Living,

The Self-subsisting, Eternal.

No slumber can seize Him

Nor sleep. His are all things

In the heavens and on earth.

Who is there can intercede

In His presence except

As He permitteth? He knoweth

What (appeareth to His creatures

As) Before or After

Or Behind them.

Nor shall they compass

Aught of His knowledge

Except as He willeth.

His Throne doth extend

Over the heavens

And the earth, and He feeleth

No fatigue in guarding,

And preserving them

For He is the Most High,

The Supreme (in glory).

256. Let there be no compulsion

In religion: Truth stands out

Clear from Error: whoever

Rejects Evil and believes

In God hath grasped

The most trustworthy

Hand-hold, that never breaks.

And God heareth

And knoweth all things.

257. God is the Protector

Of those who have faith:

From the depths of darkness

He will lead them forth

Into light. Of those

Who reject faith the patrons

Are the Evil Ones: from light

They will lead them forth

Into the depths of darkness.

They will be Companions

Of the fire, to dwell therein

(For ever).

SECTION 35.

258. Hast thou not

Turned thy vision to one

Who disputed with Abraham

About his Lord, because

God had granted him

Power? Abraham said:

"My Lord is He Who

Giveth life and death."

He said: "I give life and death."

Said Abraham: "But it is God

That causeth the sun

To rise from the East:

Do thou then cause him

To rise from the West."

Thus was he confounded

Who (in arrogance) rejected

Faith. Nor doth God

Give guidance

To a people unjust.

259. 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."

260. Behold! Abraham said:

"My Lord! Show me how

Thou givest life to the dead."

He said: "Dost thou not

Then believe?" He said:

"Yea! but to satisfy

My own understanding."

He said: "Take four birds;

Tame them to turn to thee;

Put a portion of them

On every hill, and call to them:

They will come to thee

(Flying) with speed.

Then know that God

Is Exalted in Power, Wise."

SECTION 36.

261. The parable of those

Who spend their substance

In the way of God is that

Of a grain of corn: it groweth

Seven ears, and each ear

Hath a hundred grains.

God giveth manifold increase

To whom He pleaseth:

And God careth for all

And He knoweth all things

262. Those who spend

Their substance in the cause

Of God, and follow not up

Their gifts with reminders

Of their generosity

Or with injury,--for them

Their reward is with their Lord:

On them shall be no fear,

Nor shall they grieve.

263. Kind words

And the covering of faults

Are better than charity

Followed by injury.

God is Free of all wants,

And He is most Forbearing.

264. O ye who believe!

Cancel not your charity

By reminders of your generosity

Or by injury,--like those

Who spend their substance

To be seen of men,

But believe neither

In God nor in the Last Day.

They are in Parable like a hard,

Barren rock, on which

Is a little soil: on it

Falls heavy rain,

Which leaves it

(Just) a bare stone.

They will be able to do nothing

With aught they have earned.

And God guideth not

Those who reject faith.

265. And the likeness of those

Who spend their substance,

Seeking to please God

And to strengthen their souls,

Is as a garden, high

And fertile: heavy rain

Falls on it but makes it yield

A double increase

Of harvest, and if it receives not

Heavy rain, light moisture

Sufficeth it. God seeth well

Whatever ye do.

266. Does any of you wish

That he should have a garden

With date-palms and vines

And streams flowing

Underneath, and all kinds

Of fruit, while he is stricken

With old age, and his children

Are not strong (enough

To look after themselves)--

That it should be caught

In a whirlwind,

With fire therein,

And be burnt up?

Thus doth God make clear

To you (His) Signs;

That ye may consider.

SECTION 37.

267. O ye who believe!

Give of the good things

Which ye have (honourably) earned,

And of the fruits of the earth

Which We have produced

For you, and do not even aim

At getting anything

Which is bad, in order that

Out of it ye may give away

Something, when ye yourselves

Would not receive it

Except with closed eyes.

And know that God

Is Free of all wants,

And Worthy of all praise.

268. The Evil One threatens

You with poverty

And bids you to conduct

Unseemly. God promiseth

You His forgiveness

And bounties.

And God careth for all

And He knoweth all things.

269. He granteth wisdom

To whom He pleaseth;

And he to whom wisdom

Is granted receiveth

Indeed a benefit overflowing;

But none will grasp the Message

But men of understanding.

270. And whatever ye spend

In charity or devotion,

Be sure God knows it all.

But the wrong-doers

Have no helpers.

271. If ye disclose (acts

Of) charity, even so

It is well,

But if ye conceal them,

And make them reach

Those (really) in need,

That is best for you:

It will remove from you

Some of your (stains

Of) evil. And God

Is well acquainted

With what ye do.

272. It is not required

Of thee (O Apostle),

To set them on the right path,

But God sets on the right path

Whom He pleaseth.

Whatever of good ye give

Benefits your own souls,

And ye shall only do so

Seeking the "Face"

Of God. Whatever good

Ye give, shall be

Rendered back to you,

And ye shall not

Be dealt with unjustly.

273. (Charity is) for those

In need, who, in God's cause

Are restricted (from travel),

And cannot move about

In the land, seeking

(For trade or work):

The ignorant man thinks,

Because of their modesty,

That they are free from want.

Thou shaltknow them

By their (unfailing) mark:

They beg not importunately

From all and sundry.

And whatever of good

Ye give, be assured

God knoweth it well.

SECTION 38.

274. Whose who (in charity)

Spend of their goods

By night and by day,

In secret and in public,

Have their reward

With their Lord:

On them shall be no fear,

Nor shall they grieve.

275. Those who devour usury

Will not stand except

As stands one whom

The Evil One by his touch

Hath driven to madness.

That is because they say:

"Trade is like usury,"

But God hath permitted trade

And forbidden usury.

Those who after receiving

Direction from their Lord,

Desist, shall be pardoned

For the past; their case

Is for God (to judge);

But those who repeat

(The offence) are Companions

Of the Fire: they will

Abide therein (for ever).

276. God will deprive

Usury of all blessing,

But will give increase

For deeds of charity:

For He loveth not

Creatures ungrateful

And wicked.

277. Those who believe,

And do deeds of righteousness,

And establish regular prayers

And regular charity,

Will have their reward

With their Lord:

On them shall be no fear,

Nor shall they grieve.

278. O ye who believe!

Fear God, and give up

What remains of your demand

For usury, if ye are

Indeed believers.

279. If ye do it not,

Take notice of war

From God and His Apostle:

But if ye turn back,

Ye shall have

Your capital sums:

Deal not unjustly,

And ye shall not

Be dealt with unjustly.

280. If the debtor is

In a difficulty,

Grant him time

Till it is easy

For him to repay.

But if ye remit it

By way of charity,

That is best for you

If ye only knew.

281. And fear the Day

When ye shall be

Brought back to God.

Then shall every soul

Be paid what it earned,

And none shall be

Dealt with unjustly.

SECTION 39.

282. O ye who believe!

When ye deal with each other,

In transactions involving

Future obligations

In a fixed period of time,

Reduce them to writing

Let a scribe write down

Faithfully as between

The parties: let not the scribe

Refuse to write: as God

Has taught him,

So let him write.

Let him who incurs

The liability dictate,

But let him fear

His Lord God,

And not diminish

Aught of what he owes.

If the party liable

Is mentally deficient,

Or weak, or unable

Himself to dictate,

Let his guardian

Dictate faithfully.

And get two witnesses,

Out of your own men,

And if there are not two men,

Then a man and two women,

Such as ye choose,

For witnesses,

So that if one of them errs,

The other can remind her.

The witnesses

Should not refuse

When they are called on

(For evidence).

Disdain not to reduce

To writing (your contract)

For a future period,

Whether it be small

Or big: it is juster

In the sight of God,

More suitable as evidence,

And more convenient

To prevent doubts

Among yourselves

But if it be a transaction

Which ye carry out

On the spot among yourselves,

There is no blame on you

If ye reduce it not

To writing.

But take witnesses

Whenever ye make

A commercial contract;

And let neither scribe

Nor witness suffer harm.

If ye do (such harm),

It would be wickedness

In you. So fear God;

For it is God

That teaches you.

And God is well acquainted

With all things.

283. If ye are on a journey,

And cannot find

A scribe, a pledge

With possession (may serve

The purpose).

And if one of you

Deposits a thing

On trust with another,

Let the trustee

(Faithfully) discharge

His trust, and let him

Fear his Lord.

Conceal not evidence;

For whoever conceals it,--

His heart is tainted

With sin. And God

Knoweth all that ye do.

SECTION 40.

284. To God belongeth all

That is in the heavens

And on earth. Whether

Ye show what is in your minds

Or conceal it, God

Calleth you to account for it.

He forgiveth whom He pleaseth,

And punishefh whom He pleaseth.

For God hath power

Over all things.

285. The Apostle believeth

In what hath been revealed

To him from his Lord,

As do the men of faith.

Each one (of them) believeth

In God, His angels,

His books, and His apostles.

"We make no distinction (they say)

Between one and another

Of His apostles." And they say:

"We hear, and we obey:

(We seek) Thy forgiveness,

Our Lord, and to Thee

Is the end of all journeys."

286. On no soul doth God

Place a burden greater

Than it can bear.

It gets every good that it earns,

And it suffers every ill that if earns.

(Pray:) "Our Lord!

Condemn us not

If we forget or fall

Into error; our Lord!

Lay not on us a burden

Like that which Thou

Didst lay on those before us;

Our Lord! lay not on us

A burden greater than we

Have strength to bear.

Blot out our sins,

And grant us forgiveness,

Have mercy on us.

Thou art our Protector;

Help us against those

Who stand against Faith"

Sura III.

Al-i-'Imran, or The Family of 'Imran.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. A. L. M.

2. God! There is no god

But He,--the Living,

The Self-Subsisting, Eternal.

3. It is He Who sent down

To thee (step by step),

In truth, the Book,

Confirming what went before it;

And He sent down the Law

(Of Moses) and the Gospel

(Of Jesus) before this,

As a guide to mankind,

And He sent down the Criterion

(Of judgment between right and wrong).

4. Then those who reject

Faith in the Signs of God

Will suffer the severest

Penalty, and God

Is Exalted in Might,

Lord of Retribution.

5. From God, verily

Nothing is hidden

On earth or in the heavens.

6. He it is Who shapes you

In the wombs as He pleases.

There is no god but He,

The Exalted in Might,

The Wise.

7. He it is Who has sent down

To thee the Book:

In it are verses

Basic or fundamental

(Of established meaning);

They are the foundation

Of the Book: others

Are allegorical. But those

In whose hearts is perversity follow

The part thereof that is allegorical,

Seeking discord, and searching

For its hidden meanings,

But to one knows

Its hidden meanings except God.

And those who are firmly grounded

In knowledge say: "We believe

In the Book; the whole of it

Is from our Lord:" and none

Will grasp the Message

Except men of understanding.

8. "Our Lord!" (they say),

"Let not our hearts deviate

Now after Thou hast guided us,

But grant us mercy

From Thine own Presence;

For Thou art the Grantor

Of bounties without measure.

9. "Our Lord! Thou art He

That will gather mankind

Together against a Day about which

There is no doubt; for God

Never fails in His promise."

SECTION 2.

10. Whose who reject Faith,--

Neither their possessions

Nor their (numerous) progeny

Will avail them aught

Against God: they are themselves

But fuel for the Fire.

11. (Their plight will be)

No better than that

Of the people of Pharaoh,

And their predecessors:

They denied our Signs,

And God called them to account

For their sins.

For God is strict

In punishment.

12. Say to those who reject Faith:

"Soon will ye be vanquished

And gathered together

To Hell,--an evil bed

Indeed (to lie on)!

13. "There has already been

For you a Sign

In the two armies

That met (in combat):

One was fighting in the Cause

Of God, the other

Resisting God; these saw

With their own eyes

Twice their number.

But God doth support

With His aid whom He pleaseth.

In this is a warning

For such as have eyes to see."

14. Fair in the eyes of men

Is the love of things they covet:

Women and sons;

Heaped-up hoards

Of gold and silver; horses

Branded (for blood and excellence);

And (wealth of) cattle

And well-tilled land.

Such are the possessions

Of this world's life;

But in nearness to God

Is the best of the goals

(To return to).

15. Say: Shall I give you

Glad tidings of things

Far better than those?

For the righteous are Gardens

In nearness to their Lord,

With rivers flowing beneath;

Therein is their eternal home;

With Companions pure (and holy);

And the good pleasure of God.

For in God's sight

Are (all) His servants,--

16. (Namely), those who say:

"Our Lord! we have indeed

Believed: forgive us, then,

Our sins, and save us

From the agony of the Fire;"--

17. Those who show patience,

Firmness and self control;

Who are true (in word and deed);

Who worship devoutly;

Who spend (in the way of God);

And who pray for forgiveness

In the early hours of the morning.

18. There is no god but He

That is the witness of God,

His angels, and those endued

With knowledge, standing firm

On justice. There is no god but He,

The Exalted in Power,

The Wise.

19. The Religion before God

Is Islam (submission to His Will):

Nor did the People of the Book

Dissent therefrom except

Through envy of each other,

After knowledge had come to them.

But if any deny the Signs of God,

God is swift in calling to account.

20. So if they dispute with thee,

Say: "I have submitted

My whole self to God

And so have those

Who follow me."

And say to the People of the Book

And to those who are unlearned:

"Do ye (also) submit yourselves?"

If they do, they are in right guidance,

But if they turn back,

Thy duty is to convey the Message;

And in God's sight

Are (all) His servants.

SECTION 3.

21. As to those who deny

The Signs of God, and in defiance

Of right, slay the prophets,

And slay those who teach

Just dealing whith mankind,

Announce to them a grievous penalty.

22. They are those whose works

Will bear no fruit

In this world

And in the Hereafter,

Nor will they have

Anyone to help.

23. Hast thou not turned

Thy vision to those

Who have been given a portion

Of the Book? They are

Invited to the Book of God,

To settle their dispute,

But a party of them

Turn back and decline

(The arbitration).

24. This because they say:

"The Fire shall not touch us

But for a few numbered days":

For their forgeries deceive them

As to their own religion.

25. But how (will they fare)

When We gather them together

Against a Day about which

There is no doubt,

And each soul will be paid out

Just what it has earned,

Without (favour or) injustice?

26. Say: "O God!

Lord of Power (and Rule),

Thou givest Power

To whom Thou pleasest,

And Thou strippest off Power

From whom Thou pleasest:

Thou enduest with honour

Whom Thou pleasest,

And Thou bringest low

Whom Thou pleasest:

In Thy hand is all Good."

Verily, over all things

Thou hast power.

27. "Thou causest the Night

To gain on the Day,

And Thou causest the Day

To gain on the Night;

Thou bringest the Living

Out of the Dead,

And Thou bringest the Dead

Out of the Living;

And Thou givest sustenance

To whom Thou pleasest,

Without measure."

28. let not the Believers

Take for friends or helpers

Unbelievers rather than

Believers: if any do that,

In nothing will there be help

From God: except by way

Of precaution, that ye may

Guard yourselves from them,

But God cautions you

(To remember) Himself;

For the final goal

Is to God.

29. Say: "Whether ye hide

What is in your hearts

Or reveal it,

God knows it all:

He knows what is

In the heavens,

And what is on earth.

And God has power

Over all things.

30. "On the Day when every soul

Will be confronted

With all the good it has done,

And all the evil it has done,

It will wish there were

A great distance

Between it and its evil.

But God cautions you

(To remember) Himself.

And God is full of kindness

To those that serve Him."

SECTION 4.

31. Say: "If ye do love God,

Follow me: God will love you

And forgive you your sins:

For God is Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful."

32. Say: "Obey God

And His Apostle":

But if they turn back,

God loveth not those

Who reject Faith.

33. God did choose

Adam and Noah, the family

Of Abraham, and the family

Of 'Imran above all people,--

34. Offspring, one of the other:

And God heareth

And knoweth all things.

35. Behold! a woman of 'Imran

Said: "O my Lord! I do

Dedicate unto Thee

What is in my womb

For Thy special service:

So accept this of me:

For Thou hearest

And knowest all things."

36. When she was delivered,

She said: "O my Lord!

Behold! I am delivered

Of a female child!"--

And God knew best

What she brought forth--

"And nowise is the male

Like the female.

I have named her Mary,

And I commend her

And her offspring

To Thy protection

From the Evil One,

The Rejected."

37. Right graciously

Did her Lord accept her:

He made her grow

In purity and beauty:

To the care of Zakariya

Was she assigned.

Every time that he entered

(Her) chamber to see her,

He found her supplied

With sustenance. He said:

"O Mary! Whence (comes) this

To you?" She said:

"From God: for God

Provides sustenance

To whom He pleases,

Without measure."

38. There here did Zakariya

Pray to his Lord, saying:

"O my Lord! Grant unto me

From Thee a progeny

That is pure: for Thou

Art He that heareth prayer!

39. While he was standing

In prayer in the chamber,

The angels called unto him:

"God doth give thee

Glad tidings of Yahya,

Witnessing the truth

Of a Word from God, and (be

Besides) noble, chaste,

And a Prophet,

Of the (goodly) company

Of the righteous."

40. He said: "O my Lord!

How shall I have a son,

Seeing I am very old,

And my wife is barren?"

"Thus, "was the answer,

"Doth God accomplish

What He willeth,"

41. He said: "O my Lord!

Give me a Sign!"

"Thy Sign, "was the answer,

"Shall be that thou

Shalt speak to no man

For three days

But with signals.

Then celebrate

The praises of thy Lord

Again and again,

And glorify Him

In the evening

And in the morning."

SECTION 5.

42. Behold! the angels said:

"O Mary! God hath chosen thee

And purified thee--chosen thee

Above the women of all nations.

43. "O Mary! worship

Thy Lord devoutly:

Prostrate thyself,

And bow down (in prayer)

With those who bow down."

44. This is part of the tidings

Of the things unseen,

Which We reveal unto thee

(O Apostle!) by inspiration:

Thou wast not with them

When they cast lots

With arrows, as to which

Of them should be charged

With the care of Mary:

Nor wast thou with them

When they disputed (the point).

45. Behold! the angels said:

"O Mary! God giveth thee

Glad tidings of a Word

From Him: his name

Will be Christ Jesus,

The son of Mary, held in honour

In this world and the Hereafter

And of (the company of) those

Nearest to God;

46. "He shall speak to the people

In childhood and in maturity.

And he shall be (of the company)

Of the righteous."

47. She said: "O my Lord!

How shall I have a son

When no man hath touched me?"

He said: "Even so:

God createth

What He willeth:

When He hath decreed

A Plan, He but saith

To it, 'Be,' and it is!

48. "And God will teach him

The Book and Wisdom,

The Law and the Gospel,

49. "And (appoint him)

An apostle to the Children

Of Israel, (with this message):

"'I have come to you,

With a Sign from your Lord,

In that I make for you

Out of clay, as it were,

The figure of a bird,

And breathe into it,

And it becomes a bird

By God's leave:

And I heal those

Born blind, and the lepers,

And I quicken the dead,

By God's leave;

And I declare to you

What ye eat, and what ye store

In your houses. Surely

Therein is a Sign for you

If ye did believe;

50. "'(I have come to you),

To attest the Law

Which was before me.

And to make lawful

To you part of what was

(Before) forbidden to you;

I have come to you

With a Sign from your Lord.

So fear God,

And obey me.

51. "'It is God

Who is my Lord

And your Lord;

Then worship Him.

This is a Way

That is straight.'"

52. When Jesus found

Unbelief on their part

He said: "Who will be

My helpers to (the work

Of) God?" Said the Disciples:

"We are God's helpers:

We believe in God,

And do thou bear witness

That we are Muslims.

53. "Our Lord! we believe

In what Thou hast revealed,

And we follow the Apostle;

Then write us down

Among those who bear witness."

54. And (the unbelievers)

Plotted and planned,

And God too planned,

And the best of planners

Is God.

SECTION 6.

55. Behold! God said:

"O Jesus! I will take thee

And raise thee to Myself

And clear thee (of the falsehoods)

Of those who blaspheme;

I will make those

Who follow thee superior

To those who reject faith,

To the Day of Resurrection:

Then shall ye all

Return unto me,

And I will judge

Between you of the matters

Wherein ye dispute.

56. "As to those who reject faith,

I will punish them

With terrible agony

In this world and in the Hereafter,

Nor will they have

Anyone to help.

57. "As to those who believe

And work righteousness,

God will pay them (in full)

Their reward;

But God loveth not

Those who do wrong.

58. "This is what we rehearse

Unto thee of the Signs

And the Message

Of Wisdom."

59. The similitude of Jesus

Before God is as that of Adam;

He created him from dust,

Then said to him, "Be":

And he was.

60. The Truth (comes)

From God alone;

So be not of those

Who doubt.

61. If any one disputes

In this matter with thee,

Now after (full) knowledge

Hath come to thee,

Say: "Come! let us

Gather together,

Our sons and your sons,

Our women and your women,

Ourselves and yourselves:

Then let us earnestly pray,

And invoke the curse

Of God on those who lie!"

62. This is the true account:

There is no god

Except God;

And God--He is indeed

The Exalted in Power,

The Wise.

63. But if they turn back,

God hath full knowledge

Of those who do mischief.

SECTION 7.

64. Say: "O People

Of the Book! come

To common terms

As between us and you:

That we worship

None but God;

That we associate

No partners with Him;

That we erect not,

From among ourselves,

Lords and patrons

Other than God."

If then they turn back,

Say ye: "Bear witness

That we (at least)

Are Muslims (bowing

To God's Will)."

65. Ye People of the Book!

Why dispute ye

About Abraham,

When the Law and the Gospel

Were not revealed

Till after him?

Have ye no understanding?

66. Ah! Ye are those

Who fell to disputing

(Even) in matters of which

Ye had some knowledge!

But why dispute ye

In matters of which

Ye have no knowledge?

It is God Who knows,

And ye who know not!

67. Abraham was not a Jew

Nor yet a Christian;

But he was true in Faith,

And bowed his will to God's,

(Which is Islam),

And he joined not gods with God.

68. Without doubt, among men,

The nearest of kin to Abraham,

Are those who follow him,

As are also this Apostle

And those who believe:

And God is the Protector

Of those who have faith.

69. It is the wish of a section

Of the People of the Book

To lead you astray.

But they shall lead astray

(Not you), but themselves,

And they do not perceive!

70. Ye People of the Book!

Why reject ye

The Signs of God,

Of which ye are

(Yourselves) witnesses?

71. Ye People of the Book!

Why do ye clothe

Truth with falsehood,

And conceal the Truth,

While ye have knowledge?

SECTION 8.

72. A section of the People

Of the Book say:

"Believe in the morning

What is revealed

To the Believers,

But reject it at the end

Of the day; perchance

They may (themselves)

Turn back;

73. "And believe no one

Unless he follows

Your religion."

Say: "True guidance

Is the guidance of God:

(Fear ye) lest a revelation

Be sent to someone (else)

Like unto that which was sent

Unto you? Or that those

(Receiving such revelation)

Should engage you in argument

Before your Lord?"

Say: "All bounties

Are in the hand of God:

He granteth them

To whom He pleaseth:

And God careth for all,

And He knoweth all things."

74. For His Mercy He specially chooseth

Whom He pleaseth;

For God is the Lord

Of bounties unbounded.

75. Among the People of the Book

Are some who, if entrusted

With a hoard of gold,

Will (readily) pay it back;

Others, who, if entrusted

With a single silver coin,

Will not repay it unless

Thou constantly stoodest

Demanding, because,

They say, "there is no call

On us (to keep faith)

With these ignorant (Pagans)."

But they tell a lie against God,

And (well) they know it.

76. Nay.--Those that keep

Their plighted faith

And act aright,--verily

God loves those

Who act aright.

77. As for those who sell

The faith they owe to God

And their own plighted word

For a small price,

They shall have no portion

In the Hereafter:

Nor will God

(Deign to) speak to them

Or look at them

On the Day of Judgment,

Nor will He cleanse them

(Of sin): they shall have

A grievous Penalty.

78. There is among them

A section who distort

The Book with their tongues

(As they read) you would think

It is a part of the Book,

But it is no part

Of the Book; and they say,

That is from God,"

But it is not from God:

It is they who tell

A lie against God,

And (well) they know it!

79. It is not (possible)

That a man, to whom

Is given the Book,

And Wisdom,

And the Prophetic Office,

Should say to people:

"Be ye my worshippers

Rather than God's":

On the contrary

(He would say):

"Be ye worshippers

Of Him Who is truly

The Cherisher of all:

For ye have taught

The Book and ye

Have studied it earnestly."

80. Nor would he instruct you

To take angels and prophets

For Lords and Patrons.

What! would he bid you

To unbelief after ye have

Bowed your will

(To God in Islam)?

SECTION 9.

81. Behold! God took

The Covenant of the Prophets,

Saying: "I give you

A Book and Wisdom;

Then comes to you

An Apostle, confirming

What is with you;

Do ye believe in him

And render him help."

God said: "Do ye agree,

And take this my Covenant

As binding on you?"

They said: "We agree."

He said: "Then bear witness,

And I am with you

Among the witnesses."

82. If any turn back

After this, they are

Perverted transgressors.

83. Do they seek

For other than the Religion

Of God?--while all creatures

In the heavens and on earth

Have, willing or unwilling,

Bowed to His Will

(Accepted Islam),

And to Him shall they

All be brought back.

84. Say: "We believe

In God, and in what

Has been revealed to us

And what was revealed

To Abraham, Isma'il;

Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes,

And in (the Books)

Given to Moses, Jesus,

And the Prophets,

From their Lord:

We make no distinction

Between one and another

Among them, and to God do we

Bow our will (in Islam)."

85. If anyone desires

A religion other than

Islam (submission to God),

Never will it be accepted

Of him; and in the Hereafter

He will be in the ranks

Of those who have lost

(All spiritual good).

86. How shall God

Guide those who reject

Faith after they accepted it

And bore witness

That the Apostle was true

And that Clear Signs

Had come unto them?

But God guides not

A people unjust.

87. Of such the reward

Is that on them (rests)

The curse of God,

Of His angels,

And of all mankind;--

88. In that will they dwell;

Nor will their penalty

Be lightened, nor respite

Be their (lot);--

89. Except for those that repent

(Even) after that,

And make amends;

For verily God

Is Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful.

90. But those who reject

Faith after they accepted it,

And then go on adding

To their defiance of Faith,--

Never will their repentance

Be accepted; for they

Are those who have

(Of set purpose) gone astray.

91. As to those who reject

Faith, and die rejecting,--

Never would be accepted

From any such as much

Gold as the earth contains,

Though they should offer it

For ransom. For such

Is (in store) a penalty grievous,

And they will find no helpers.

SECTION 10.

92. By no means shall ye

Attain righteousness unless

Ye give (freely) of that

Which ye love; and whatever

Ye give, of a truth

God knoweth it well.

93. All food was lawful

To the Children of Israel,

Except what Israel

Made unlawful for itself,

Before the Law (of Moses)

Was revealed. Say:

"Bring ye the Law

And study it,

If ye be men of truth."

94. If any, after this, invent

A lie and attribute it

To God, they are indeed

Unjust wrong-doers.

95. Say: "God speaketh

The Truth: follow

The religion of Abraham,

The sane in faith; he

Was not of the Pagans."

96. The first House (of worship)

Appointed for men

Was that at Bakka:

Full of blessing

And of guidance

For all kinds of beings:

97. In it are Signs

Manifest; (for example),

The Station of Abraham;

Whoever enters it

Attains security;

Pilgrimage thereto is a duty

Men owe to God,

Those who can afford

The journey; but if any

Deny faith, God stands not

In need of any of His creatures.

98. Say: "O People of the Book!

Why reject ye the Signs

Of God, when God

Is Himself witness

To all ye do?"

99. Say: "O ye People of the Book!

Why obstruct ye

Those who believe,

From the Path of God,

Seeking to make it crooked,

While ye were yourselves

Witnesses (to God's Covenant)?'

But God is not unmindful

Of all that ye do."

100. O ye who believe!

If ye listen

To a faction

Among the People of the Book,

They would (indeed)

Render you apostates

After ye have believed!

101. And how would ye

Deny Faith while unto you

Are rehearsed the Signs

Of God, and among you

Lives the Apostle?

Whoever holds

Firmly to God

Will be shown

A Way that is straight.

SECTION 11.

102. O ye who believe!

Fear God as He should be

Feared, and die not

Except in a state

Of Islam.

103. And hold fast,

All together, by the Rope

Which God (stretches out

For you), and be not divided

Among yourselves;

And remember with gratitude

God's favour on you;

For ye were enemies

And He joined your hearts

In love, so that by His Grace,

Ye became brethren;

And ye were on the brink

Of the Pit of Fire,

And He saved you from it.

Thus doth God make

His Signs clear to you:

That ye may be guided.

104. Let there arise out of you

A band of people

Inviting to all that is good,

Enjoining what is right,

And forbidding what is wrong:

They are the ones

To attain felicity.

105. Be not like those

Who are divided

Amongst themselves

And fall into disputations

After receiving

Clear Signs:

For them

Is a dreadful Penalty,--

106. On the Day when

Some faces will be (lit up

With) white, and some faces

Will be (in the gloom of) black:

To those whose faces

Will be black, (will be said):

"Did ye reject Faith

After accepting it?

Taste then the Penalty

For rejecting Faith."

107. But those whose faces

Will be (lit with) white,--

They will be in (the light

Of) God's mercy: therein

To dwell (for ever).

108. These are the Signs

Of God: We rehearse them

To thee in Truth:

And God means

No injustice to any

Of His creatures.

109. To God belongs all

That is in the heavens

And on earth: to Him

Do all questions

Go back (for decision).

SECTION 12.

110. Ye are the best

Of Peoples, evolved

For mankind,

Enjoining what is right,

Forbidding what is wrong,

And believing in God.

If only the People of the Book

Had faith, it were best

For them: among them

Are some who have faith,

But most of them

Are perverted transgressors.

111: They will do you no harm,

Barring a trifling annoyance;

If they come out to fight you,

They will show you their backs,

And no help shall they get.

112. Shame is pitched over them

(Like a tent) wherever

They are found,

Except when under a covenant

(Of protection) from God

And from men; they draw

On themselves wrath from God,

And pitched over them

Is (the tent of) destitution.

This because they rejected

The Signs of God, and slew

The Prophets in defiance of right;

This because they rebelled

And transgressed beyond bounds.

113. Not all of them are alike:

Of the People of the Book

Are a portion that stand

(For the right); they rehearse

The Signs of God all night long,

And they prostrate themselves

In adoration.

114. They believe in God

And the Last Day;

They enjoin what is right,

And forbid what is wrong;

And they hasten (in emulation)

In (all) good works:

They are in the ranks

Of the righteous.

115. Of the good that they do,

Nothing will be rejected

Of them; for God knoweth well

Those that do right.

116. Those who reject Faith,--

Neither their possessions

Nor their (numerous) progeny

Will avail them aught against God:

They will be Companions

Of the Fire,--dwelling

Therein (for ever).

117. What they spend

In the life

Of this (material) world

May be likened to a Wind

Which brings a nipping frost:

It strikes and destroys the harvest

Of men who have wronged

Their own souls: it is not God

That hath wronged them, but

They wrong themselves.

118. O ye who believe!

Take not into your intimacy

Those outside your ranks:

They will not fail

To corrupt you. They

Only desire your ruin:

Rank hatred has already

Appeared from their mouths:

What their hearts conceal

Is far worse.

We have made plain

To you the Signs,

If ye have wisdom.

119. Ah! ye are those

Who love them,

But they love you not,

Though ye believe

In the whole of the Book,

When they meet you,

They say, "We believe":

But when they are alone,

They bite off the very tips

Of their fingers at you

In their rage. Say:

"Perish in your rage;

God knoweth well

All the secrets of the heart."

120. If aught that is good

Befalls you, it grieves them;

But if some misfortune

Overtakes you, they rejoice

At it. But if ye are constant

And do right,

Not the least harm

Will their cunning

Do to you; for God

Compasseth round about

All that they do.

SECTION 13.

121. Remember that morning

Thou didst leave

Thy household (early)

To post the Faithful

At their stations for battle:

And God heareth

And knoweth all things:

122. Rememer two of your parties

Meditated cowardice;

But God was their protector,

And in God should the Faithful

(Ever) put their trust.

123. God had helped you

At Badr, when ye were

A contemptible little force;

Then fear God; thus

May ye show your gratitude.

124. Remember thou saidst

To the Faithful: "Is it not enough

For you that God should help you

With three thousand angels

(Specially) sent down?

125. "Yea,--if ye remain firm,

And act aright, even if

The enemy should rush here

On you in hot haste,

Your Lord would help you

With five thousand angels

Making a terrific onslaught."

126. God made it but a message

Of hope for you, and an assurance

To your hearts: (in any case)

There is no help

Except from God,

The Exalted, the Wise:

127. That He might cut off

A fringe of the Unbelievers

Or expose them to infamy,

And they should then

Be turned back,

Frustrated of their purpose.

128. Not for thee, (but for God),

Is the decision:

Whether He turn in mercy

To them, or punish them;

For they are indeed wrong-doers.

129. To God belongeth all

That is in the heavens

And on earth.

He forgiveth whom He pleaseth

And punisheth whom He pleaseth

But God is Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful.

SECTION 14.

130. ye who believe!

Devour not Usury,

Doubled and multiplied;

But fear God; that

Ye may (really) prosper.

131. Fear the Fire, which is prepared

For those who reject Faith:

132. And obey God

And the Apostle;

That ye may obtain mercy.

133. Be quick in the race

For forgiveness from your Lord,

And for a Garden whose width

Is that (of the whole)

Of the heavens

And of the earth,

Prepared for the righteous,--

134. Those who spend (freely),

Whether in prosperity,

Or in adversity;

Who restrain anger,

And pardon (all) men;--

For God loves those

Who do good;--

135. And those who,

Having done something

To be ashamed of,

Or wronged their own souls,

Earnestly bring God to mind,

And ask for forgiveness

For their sins,

And who can forgive

Sins except God?--

And are never obstinate

In persisting knowingly

In (the wrong) they have done

136. For such the reward

Is forgiveness from their Lord,

And Gardens with rivers

Flowing underneath,--

An eternal dwelling:

How excellent a recompense

For those who work (and strive)!

137. Many were the Ways of Life

That have passed away

Before you: travel through

The earth, and see what was

The end of those

Who rejected Truth.

138. Here is a plain statement

To men, a guidance

And instruction to those

Who fear God!

139. So lose not heart,

Nor fall into despair:

For ye must gain mastery

If ye are true in Faith.

140. If a wound hath touched you,

Be sure a similar wound

Hath touched the others.

Such days (of varying fortunes)

We give to men and men

By turns: that God may know

Those that believe,

And that He may take

To Himself from your ranks

Martyr-witnesses (to Truth).

And God loveth not

Those that do wrong.

141. God's object also is to purge

Those that are true in Faith

And to deprive of blessing

Those that resist Faith.

142. Did ye think that ye

Would enter Heaven

Without God testing

Those of you who fought hard

(In His Cause) and

Remained steadfast?

143. Ye did indeed

Wish for Death

Before ye met him:

Now ye have seen him

With your own eyes,

(And ye flinch!)

SECTION 15.

144. Muhammad is no more

Than an Apostle: many

Were the Apostles that passed away

Before him. If he died

Or were slain, will ye then

Turn back on your heels?

If any did turn back

On his heels, not the least

Harm will he do to God;

But God (on the other hand)

Will swiftly reward those

Who (serve him) with gratitude.

145. Nor can a soul die

Except by God's leave,

The term being fixed

As by writing. If any

Do desire a reward

In this life, We shall give it

To him; and if any

Do desire a reward

In the Hereafter, We shall

Give it to him.

And swiftly shall We reward

Those that (serve us with) gratitude.

146. How many of the Prophets

Fought (in God's way),

And with them (fought)

Large bands of godly men?

But they never lost heart

If they met with disaster

In God's way, nor did

They weaken (in will)

Nor give in. And God

Loves those who are

Firm and steadfast.

147. All that they said was:

"Our Lord! forgive us

Our sins and anything

We may have done

That transgressed our duty:

Establish our feet firmly,

And help us against

Those that resist

Faith."

148. And God gave them

A reward in this world,

And the excellent reward

Of the Hereafter. For God

Loveth those who do good.

SECTION 16.

149. O ye who believe!

If ye obey the Unbelievers,

They will drive you back

On your heels, and ye

Will turn back (from Faith)

To your own loss.

150. Nay, God is your Protector,

And He is the best of helpers.

151. Soon shall We cast terror

Into the hearts of the Unbelievers

For that they joined companions

With God, for which He had sew

No authority: their abode

Will be the Fire: and evil

Is the home of the wrong-doers!

152. God did indeed fulfil

His promise to you

When ye with His permission

Were about to annihilate

Your enemy,--until ye flinched

And fell to disputing

About the order,

And disobeyed it

After He brought you in sight

(Of the Booty) which ye covet.

Among you are some

That hanker after this world

And some that desire

The Hereafter. Then did He

Divert you from your foes

In order to test you.

But He forgave you:

For God is full of grace

To those who believe.

153. Behold! ye were climbing up

The high ground, without even

Casting a side glance

At any one, and the Apostle

In your rear was calling you

Back. There did God give you

One distress after another

By way of requital,

To teach you not to grieve

For (the booty) that had escaped you

And for (the ill) that had befallen you.

For God is well aware

Of all that ye do.

154. After (the excitement)

Of the distress, He sent down

Calm on a band of you

Overcome with slumber,

While another band

Was stirred to anxiety

By their own feelings,

Moved by wrong suspicions

Of God--suspicions due

To Ignorance. They said:

"What affair is this of ours?"

Say thou: "Indeed, this affair

Is wholly God's." They hide

In their minds what they

Dare not reveal to thee.

They say (to themselves):

"If we had had anything

To do with this affair,

We should not have been

In the slaughter here."

Say: "Even if you had remained

In your homes, those

For whom death was decreed

Would certainly have gone forth

To the place of their death";

But (all this was)

That God might test

What is in your breasts

And purge what is

In your hearts.

For God knoweth well

The secrets of your hearts.

155. Those of you

Who turned back

On the day the two hosts

Met,--it was Satan

Who caused them to fail,

Because of some (evil)

They had done. But God

Has blotted out (their fault):

For God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Forbearing.

SECTION 17.

156. O ye who believe!

Be not like the Unbelievers,

Who say of their brethren,

When they are travelling

Through the earth or engaged

In fighting: "If they had stayed

With us, they would not

Have died, or been slain."

This that God may make it

A cause of sighs and regrets

In their hearts. It is God

That gives Life and Death,

And God sees well

All that ye do.

157. And if ye are slain, or die,

In the way of God,

Forgiveness and mercy

From God are far better

Than all they could amass.

158. And if ye die, or are slain,

Lo! it is-unto God

That ye are brought together.

159. It is part of the Mercy

Of God that thou dost deal

Gently with them.

Wert thou severe

Or harsh-hearted,

They would have broken away

From about thee: so pass over

(Their faults), and ask

For (God's) forgiveness

For them; and consult

Them in affairs (of moment).

Then, when thou hast

Taken a decision,

Put thy trust in God.

For God loves those

Who put their trust (in Him).

160. If God helps you,

Non can overcome you:

If He forsakes you,

Who is there, after that,

That can help you?

In God, then,

Let Believers put their trust.

161. No prophet could (ever)

Be false to his trust.

If any person is so false,

He shall, on the Day

Of Judgment, restore

What he misappropriated;

Then shall every soul

Receive its due,--

Whatever it earned,--

And none shall be

Dealt with unjustly.

162. Is the man who follows

The good pleasure of God

Like the man who draws

On himself the wrath

Of God, and whose abode

Is in Hell?--

A woeful refuge!

163. They are in varying grades

In the sight of God,

And God sees well

All that they do.

164. God did confer

A great favour

On the Believers

When He sent among them

An Apostle from among

Themselves, rehearsing

Unto them the Signs

Of God, sanctifying them,

And instructing them

In Scripture and Wisdom,

While, before that,

They had been

In manifest error.

165. What! When a single

Disaster smites you,

Although ye smote (your enemies)

With one twice as great,

Do ye say?--

"Whence is this?"

Say (to them):

"It is from yourselves:

For God hath power

Over all things."

166. What ye suffered

On the day the two armies

Met, was with the leave

Of God, in order that

He might test the Believers,--

167. And the Hypocrites also.

These were told: "Come,

Fight in the way of God,

Or (at least) drive

(The foe from Your city)."

They said: "Had we known

How to fight, we should

Certainly have followed you."

They were that day

Nearer to Unbelief

Than to Faith,

Saying with their lips

What was not in their hearts.

But God hath full knowledge

Of all they conceal.

168. (They are) the ones that say,

(Of their brethren slain),

While they themselves

Sit (at ease): "If only

They had listened to us,

They would not have been slain."

Say: "Avert death

From your own selves,

If ye speak the truth."

169. Think not of those

Who are slain in God's way

As dead. Nay, they live,

Finding their sustenance

In the Presence of their Lord;

170. They rejoice in the Bounty

Provided by God:

And with regard to those

Left behind, who have not

Yet joined them (in their bliss),

The (Martyrs) glory in the fact

That on them is no fear,

Nor have they (cause to) grieve.

171. They glory in the Grace

And the Bounty from God,

And in the fact that

God suffereth not

The reward of the Faithful

To be lost (in the least).

SECTION 18.

172. Of those who answered

The call of God

And the Apostle,

Even after being wounded,

Those who do right

And refrain from wrong

Have a great reward;--

173. Men said to them:

"A great army is gathering

Against you":

And frightened them:

But it (only) increased

Their Faith: they said:

"For us God sufficeth,

And He is the best

Disposer of affairs."

174. And they returned

With Grace and Bounty

From God: no harm

Ever touched them:

For they followed

The good pleasure of God:

And God is the Lord

Of bounties unbounded.

175. It is only the Evil One

That suggests to you

The fear of his votaries:

Be ye not afraid

Of them, but fear Me,

If ye have Faith.

176. Let not those grieve thee

Who rush headlong

Into Unbelief:

Not the least harm

Will they do to God:

God's Plan is that He

Will give them no portion

In the Hereafter,

But a severe punishment.

177. Those who purchase

Unbelief at the price

Of faith,

Not the least harm

Will they do to God,

But they will have

A grievous punishment.

178. Let not the Unbelievers

Think that Our respite

To them is good for themselves:

We grant them respite

That they may grow

In their iniquity:

But they will have

A shameful punishment.

179. God will not leave

The Believers in the state

In which ye are now,

Until He separates

What is evil

From what is good.

Nor will He disclose

To you the secrets

Of the Unseen,

But He chooses

Of His Apostles

(For the purpose)

Whom He pleases.

So believe in God

And His Apostles:

And if ye believe

And do right,

Ye have a reward

Without measure.

180. And let not those

Who covetously withhold

Of the gifts which God

Hath given them of His Grace,

Think that it is good for them:

Nay, it will be the worse

For them: soon shall the things

Which they covetously withheld

Be tied to their necks

Like a twisted collar,

On the Day of Judgment.

To God belongs the heritage

Of the heavens and the earth;

And God is well-acquainted

With all that ye do.

SECTION 19.

181. God hath heard

The taunt of those

Who say: "Truly, God

Is indigent and we

Are rich!"--We shall

Certainly record their word

And (their act) of slaying

The Prophets in defiance

Of right, and We shall say:

"Taste ye the Penalty

Of the Scorching Fire!

182. "This is because

Of the (unrighteous deeds)

Which your hands

Sent on before ye:

For God never harms

Those who serve Him."

183. They (also) said: "God took

Our promise not to believe

In an apostle unless

He showed us a sacrifice

Consumed by fire

(From heaven)." Say:

"There came to you

Apostles before me,

With Clear Signs

And even with what

Ye ask for: why then

Did ye slay them,

If ye speak the truth?"

184. Then if they reject thee,

So were rejected apostles

Before thee, who came

With Clear Signs,

Books of dark prophecies,

And the Book of Enlightenment.

185. Every soul shall have

A taste of death:

And only on the Day

Of Judgment shall you

Be paid your full recompense.

Only he who is saved

Far from the Fire

And admitted to the Garden

Will have attained

The object (of Life):

For the life of this world

Is but goods and chattels

Of deception.

186. Ye shall certainly

Be tried and tested

In your possessions

And in your personal selves;

And ye shall certainly

Hear much that will grieve you,

From those who received

The Book before yot:

And from those who

Worship many gods.

But if ye persevere

Patiently, and guard

Against evil,--then

That will be

A determining factor

In all affairs.

187. And remember

God took a Covenant

From the People of the Book,

To make it known

And clear to mankind,

And not to hide it;

But they threw it away

Behind their backs,

And purchased with it

Some miserable gain!

And vile was the bargain

They made!

188. Think not that those

Who exult in what they

Have brought about, and love

To be praised for what

They have not done,--

Think not that they

Can escape the Penalty.

For them is a Penalty

Grievous indeed.

189. To God belongeth

The dominion

Of the heavens

And the earth;

And God hath power

Over all things.

SECTION 20.

190. Behold! In the creation

Of the heavens and the earth,

And the alternation

Of Night and Day,--

There are indeed Signs

For men of understanding,--

191. Men who celebrate

The praises of God,

Standing, sitting,

And lying down on their sides,

And contemplate

The (wonders of) creation

In the heavens and the earth,

(With the thought):

"Our Lord! not for naught

Hast Thou created (all) this!

Glory to Thee! Give us

Salvation from the Penalty

Of the Fire.

192. "Our Lord! any whom Thou

Dost admit to the Fire,

Truly Thou coverest with shame,

And never will wrong-doers

Find any helpers!

193. "Our Lord! we have heard

The call of one calling

(Us) to Faith, 'Believe ye

In the Lord,' and we

Have believed. Our Lord!

Forgive us our sins,

Blot out from us

Our iniquities, and take

To Thyself our souls

In the company of the righteous.

194. "Our Lord! Grant us

What Thou didst promise

Unto us through Thine Apostles,

And save us from shame

On the Day of Judgment:

For Thou never breakest

Thy promise."

195. And their Lord hath accepted

Of them, and answered them:

"Never will I suffer to be lost

The work of any of you,

Be he male or female:

Ye are members, one of another:

Those who have left their homes,

Or been driven out therefrom,

Or suffered harm in My Cause,

Or fought or been slain,--

Verily, I will blot out

From them their iniquities,

And admit them into Gardens

With rivers flowing beneath;--

A reward from the Presence

Of God, and from His Presence

Is the best of rewards."

196. Let not the strutting about

Of the Unbelievers

Through the land

Deceive thee:

197. Little is it for enjoyment:

Their ultimate abode

Is Hell: what an evil bed

(To lie on)!

198. On the other hand, for those

Who fear their Lord,

Are Gardens, with rivers

Flowing beneath; therein

Are they to dwell (for ever),--

A gift from the Presence

Of God; and that which is

In the Presence of God

Is the best (bliss)

For the righteous.

199. And there are, certainly,

Among the People of the Book,

Those who believe in God,

In the revelation to you,

And in the revelation to them,

Bowing in humility to God:

They will not sell

The Signs of God

For a miserable gain!

For them is a reward

With their Lord,

And God is swift in account.

200. O ye who believe!

Persevere in patience

And constancy; vie

In such perseverance;

Strengthen each other;

And fear God;

That ye may prosper.

Sura IV.

Nisaa, or The Women.

In the name of God, Most Gracious

Most Merciful.

1. O mankind! reverence

Your Guardian-Lord,

Who created you

From a single Person,

Created, of like nature,

His mate, and from them twain

Scattered (like seeds)

Countless men and women;--

Reverence God, through Whom

Ye demand your mutual (rights),

And (reverence) the wombs

(That bore you): for God

Ever watches over you.

2. To orphans restore their property

(When they reach their age),

Nor substitute (your) worthless things

For (their) good ones; and devour not

Their substance (by mixing it up)

With your own. For this is

I ndeed a great sin.

3. If ye fear that ye shall not

Be able to deal justly

With the orphans,

Marry women of your choice,

Two, or three, or four;

But if ye fear that ye shall not

Be able to deal justly (with them),

Then only one, or (a captive)

That your right hands possess.

That will be more suitable,

To prevent you

From doing injustice.

4. And give the women

(On marriage) their dower

As a free gift; but if they,

Of their own good pleasure,

Remit any part of it to you,

Take it and enjoy it

With right good cheer.

5. To those weak of understanding

Make not over your property,

Which God hath made

A means of support for you,

But feed and clothe them

Therewith, and speak to them

Words of kindness and justice.

6. Make trial of orphans

Until they reach the age

Of marriage; if then ye find

Sound judgment in them,

Release their property to them;

But consume it not wastefully,

Nor in haste against their growing up.

If the guardian is well-off,

Let him claim no remuneration,

But if he is poor, let him

Have for himself what is

Just and reasonable.

When ye release their property

To them, take witnesses

In their presence:

But all-sufficient

Is God in taking account.

7. From what is left by parents

And those nearest relateds,

There is a share for men

And a share for women,

Whether the property be small

Or large,--a determinate share.

8. But if at the time of division

Other relatives, or orphans,

Or poor, are present,

Feed them out of the (property),

And speak to them

Words of kindness and justice.

9. Let those (disposing of an estate)

Have the same fear in their minds

As they would have for their own

If they had left a helpless family behind:

Let them fear God, and speak

Words of appropriate (comfort),

10. Those who unjustly

Eat up the property

Of orphans, eat up

A Fire into their own

Bodies: they will soon

Be enduring a blazing Fire!

SECTION 2.

11. God (thus) directs you

As regards your children's

(Inheritance): to the male,

A portion equal to that

Of two females: if only

Daughters, two or more,

Their share is two-thirds

Of the inheritance;

If only one, her share

Is a half.

For parents, a sixth share

Of the inheritance to each,

If the deceased left children;

If no children, and the parents

Are the (only) heirs, the mother

Has a third; if the deceased

Left brothers (or sisters)

The mother has a sixth.

(The distribution in all cases

Is) after the payment

Of legacies and debts.

Ye know not whether

Your parents or your children

Are nearest to you

In benefit. These are

Settled portions ordained

By God; and God is

All-knowing, All-wise.

12. In what your wives leave,

Your share is a half,

1f they leave no child;

But if they leave a child,

Ye get a fourth; after payment

Of legacies and debts.

In what ye leave,

Their share is a fourth,

If ye leave no child;

But if ye leave a child,

They get an eighth; after payment

Of legacies and debts.

If the man or woman

Whose inheritance is in question,

Has left neither ascendants nor descendants,

But has left a brother

Or a sister, each one of the two

Gets a sixth; but if more

Than two, they share in a third;

After payment of legacies

And debts; so that no loss

Is caused (to any one).

Thus is it ordained by God;

And God is All-knowing,

Most Forbearing.

13. Those are limits

Set by God: those who

Obey God and His Apostle

Will be admitted to Gardens

With rivers flowing beneath,

To abide therein (for ever)

And that will be

The Supreme achievement.

14. But those who disobey

God and His Apostle

And transgress His limits

Will be admitted

To a Fire, to abide therein:

And they shall have

A humiliating punishment.

SECTION 3.

15. If any of your women

Are guilty of lewdness,

Take the evidence of four

(Reliable) witnesses from amongst you

Against them; and if they testify,

Confine them to houses until

Death do claim them,

Or God ordain for them

Some (other) way.

16. If two men among you

Are guilty of lewdness,

Punish them both.

If they repent and amend,

Leave them alone; for God

Is Oft-returning, Most Merciful.

17. God accepts the repentance

Of those who do evil

In ignorance and repent

Soon afterwards; to them

Will God turn in mercy:

For God is full of knowledge

And wisdom.

18. Of no effect is the repentance

Of those who continue

To do evil, until Death

Faces one of them, and he says,

"Now have I repented indeed;"

Nor of those who die

Rejecting Faith: for them

Have we prepared

A punishment most grievous.

19. O ye who believe!

Ye are forbidden to inherit

Women against their will.

Nor should ye treat them

With harshness, that ye may

Take away part of the dower

Ye have given them,--except

Where they have been guilty

Of open lewdness;

On the contrary live with them

On a footing of kindness and equity.

If ye take a dislike to them

It may be that ye dislike

A thing, and God brings about

Through it a great deal of good.

20. But if ye decide to take

One wife in place of another,

Even if ye had given the latter

A whole treasure for dower,

Take not the least bit of it back:

Would ye take it by slander

And a manifest wrong?

21. And how could ye take it

When ye have gone in

Unto each other, and they have

Taken from you a solemn covenant?

22. And marry not women

Whom your fathers married,--

Except what is past:

It was shameful and odious,--

An abominable custom indeed.

SECTION 4.

23. Prohibited to you

(For marriage) are:--

Your mothers, daughters,

Sisters; father's sisters,

Mother's sisters; brother's daughters,

Sister's daugters; foster-mothers

(Who gave you suck), foster-sisters;

Your wives' mothers;

Your step-daughters under your

Guardianship, born of your wives

To whom ye have gone in,

No prohibition if ye have not gone in;--

(Those who have been)

Wives of your sons proceeding

From your loins;

And two sisters in wedlock

At one and the same time,

Except for what is past;

For God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful;--

24. Also (prohibited are)

Women already married,

Except those

Whom your right hands possess:

Thus hath God ordained

(Prohibitions) against you:

Except for these, all others

Are lawful, provided

Ye seek (them in marriage)

With gifts from your property,--

Desiring chastity, not lust.

Seeing that ye derive

Benefit from them, give them

Their dowers (at least)

As prescribed; but if,

After a dower is prescribed, ye agree

Mutually (to vary it),

There is no blame on you,

And God is All-knowing

All-wise.

25. If any of you have not

The means wherewith

To wed free believing women,

They may wed believing

Girls from among those

Whom your right hands possess:

God hath full knowledge

About your Faith.

Ye are one from another:

Wed them with the leave

Of their owners, and give them

Their dowers, according to what

Is reasonable: they should be

Chaste, not lustful, nor taking

Paramours: when they

Are taken in wedlock,

If they fall into shame,

Their punishment is half

That for free women.

This (permission) is for those

Among you who fear sin;

But it is better for you

That ye practise self-restraint.

And God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

SECTION 5.

26. God doth wish

To make clear to you

And to show you

The ordinances of those

Before you; and (He

Doth wish to) turn to you

(In Mercy): and God

Is All-knowing, All-wise.

27. God doth wish

To turn to you,

But the wish of those

Who follow their lusts

Is that ye should turn

Away (from Him),

Far, far away.

28. God doth wish

To lighten your (difficulties);

For man was created

Weak (in flesh).

29. O ye who believe! sot

Eat not up your property

Among yourselves in vanities:

But let there be amongst you

Traffic and trade

By mutual good-will:

Nor kill (or destroy)

Yourselves: for verily

God hath been to you

Most Merciful!

30. If any do that

In rancour and injustice,--

Soon shall We cast them

Into the Fire: and easy

It is for God.

31. If ye (but) eschew

The most heinous

Of the things

Which ye are forbidden to do,

We shall expel

Out of you

All the evil in you,

And admit you to a Gate

Of great honour.

32. And in no wise covet

Those things in which God

Hath bestowed His gifts

More freely on some of you

Than on others: to men

Is allotted what they earn,

And to women what they earn:

But ask God of His bounty.

For God hath full knowledge

Of all things.

33. To (benefit) every one,

We have appointed

Sharers and heirs

To property left

By parents and relatives.

To those, also, to whom

Your right hand was pledged,

Give their due portion.

For truly God is witness

To all things.

SECTION 6.

34. Men are the protectors

And maintainers of women,

Because God has given

The one more (strength)

Than the other, and because

They support them

From their means.

Therefore the righteous women

Are devoutly obedient, and guard

In (the husband's) absence

What God would have them guard.

As to those women

On whose part ye fear

Disloyalty and ill-conduct,

Admonish them (first),

(Next), refuse to share their beds,

(And last) beat them (lightly);

But if they return to obedience,

Seek not against them

Means (of annoyance):

For God is Most High,

Great (above you all).

35. If ye fear a breach

Between them twain,

Appoint (two) arbiters,

One from his family,

And the other from hers;

If they wish for peace,

God will cause

Their reconciliation:

For God hath full knowledge,

And is acquainted

With all things.

36. serve God, and join not

Any partners with Him;

And do good

To parents, kinsfolk,

Orphans, those in need,

Neighbours who are near,

Neighbours who are strangers,

The Companion by your side,

The way-farer (ye meet),

And what your right hands possess:

For God loveth not

The arrogant, the vainglorious;--

37. (Nor) those who are niggardly

Or enjoin niggardliness on others,

Or hide the bounties

Which God hath bestowed

On them; for We have prepared,

For those who resist Faith,

A Punishment that steeps

Them in contempt;--

38. Not those who spend

Of their substance, to be seen

Of men, but have no faith

In God and the Last Day:

If any take the Evil One

For their intimate,

What a dreadful intimate he is!

39. And what burden

Were it on them if they

Had faith in God

And in the Last Day,

And they spent

Out of what God hath

Given them for sustenance?

For God hath full

Knowledge of them.

40. God is never unjust

In the least degree:

If there is any good (done),

He doubleth it,

And giveth from His own

Presence a great reward.

41. How then if We brought

From each People a witness,

And We brought thee

As a witness against

These People!

42. On that day

Those who reject Faith

And disobey the Apostle

Will wish that the earth

Were made one with them:

But never will they hide

A single fact from God!

SECTION 7.

43. O ye who believe!

Approach not prayers

With a mind befogged,

Until ye can understand

All that ye say,

Nor in a state

Of ceremonial impurity

(Except when travelling on the road),

Until after washing

Your whole body.

If ye are ill,

Or on a journey,

Or one of you cometh

From offices of nature,

Or ye have been

In contact with women,

And ye find no water,

Then take for yourselves

Clean sand or earth,

And rub therewith

Your faces and hands.

For God doth blot out sins

And forgive again and again.

44. Hast thou not turned

Thy vision to those

Who were given a portion

Of the Book? They traffic

In error, and wish that ye

Should lose the right path.

45. But God hath full knowledge

Of your enemies:

God is enough for a Protector,

And God is enough for a Helper.

46. Of the Jews there are those

Who displace words

From their (right) places,

And say: "We hear

And we disobey";

And "Hear what is not

Heard"; and "Ra'ina";--

With a twist of their tongues

And a slander to Faith.

If only they had said:

"We hear and we obey;

And "Do hear";

And "Do look at us":

It would have been better

For them, and more proper;

But God hath cursed them

For their Unbelief; and but few

Of them will believe.

47. O ye People of the Book!

Believe in what We

Have (now) revealed, confirming

What was (already) with you,

Before We change the face and fame

Of some (of you) beyond all recognition,

And turn them hindwards,

Or curse them as We cursed

The Sabbath-breakers,

For the decision of God

Must be carried out.

48. God forgiveth not

That partners should be set up

With Him; but He forgiveth

Anything else, to whom

He pleaseth; to set up

Partners with God

Is to devise a sin

Most heinous indeed.

49. Hast thou not turned

Thy vision to those

Who claim sanctity

For themselves?

Nay--but God

Doth sanctify

Whom He pleaseth.

But never will they

Fail to receive justice

In the least little thing.

50. Behold! how they invent

A lie against God!

But that by itself

Is a manifest sin!

SECTION 8.

51. Hast thou not turned

Thy vision to those

Who were given a portion

Of the Book? They believe

In Sorcery and Evil,

And say to the Unbelievers

That they are better guided

In the (right) way

Than the Believers!

52. They are (men) whom

God hath cursed:

And those whom God

Hath cursed, thou wilt find,

Have no one to help.

53. Have they a share

In dominion or power?

Behold, they give not a farthing

To their fellow-men?

54. Or do they envy mankind

For what God hath given them

Of his bounty? But We

Had already given the people

Of Abraham the Book

And Wisdom, and conferred

Upon them a great kingdom.

55. Some of them believed,

And some of them averted

Their faces from him: and enough

Is Hell for a burning fire.

56. Those who reject

Our Signs, We shall soon

Cast into the Fire:

As often as their skins

Are roasted through,

We shall change them

For fresh skins,

That they may taste

The Penalty: for God

Is Exalted in Power, Wise.

57. But those who believe

And do deeds of righteousness,

We shall soon admit to Gardens,

With rivers flowing beneath,--

Their eternal home:

Therein shall they have

Companions pure and holy: ye

We shall admit them

To shades, cool and ever deepening.

58. God doth command you

To render back your Trusts

To those to whom they are due;

And when ye judge

Between man and man,

That ye judge with justice:

Verily how excellent

Is the teaching which He giveth you!

For God is He Who heareth

And seeth all things.

59. O ye who believe!

Obey God, and obey the Apostle,

And those charged

With authority among you.

If ye differ in anything

Among yourselves, refer it

To God and His Apostle,

If ye do believe in God

And the Last Day:

That is best, and most suitable

For final determination.

SECTION 9.

60. Hast thou not turned

Thy vision to those

Who declare that they believe

In the revelations

That have come to thee

And to those before thee?

Their (real) wish is

To resort together for judgment

(In their disputes)

To the Evil One,

Though they were ordered

To reject him.

But Satan's wish

Is to lead them astray

Far away (from the Right).

61. When it is said to them:

"Come to what God hath revealed,

And to the Apostle":

Thou seest the Hypocrites avert

Their faces from thee in disgust.

62. How then, when they are

Seized by misfortune,

Because of the deeds

Which their hands have sent forth?

Then they come to thee,

Swearing by God:

"We meant no more

Than good-will and conciliation!"

63. Those men,--God knows

What is in their hearts;

So keep clear of them,ss:

But admonish them,

And speak to them a word

To reach their very souls.

64. We sent not an Apostle,

But to be obeyed, in accordance

With the Will of God.

If they had only,

When they were unjust

To themselves,

Come unto thee

And asked God's forgiveness,

And the Apostle had asked

Forgiveness for them,

They would have found

God indeed Oft-returning,

Most Merciful.

65. But no, by thy Lord,

They can have

No (real) Faith,

Until they make thee judge

In all disputes between them,

And find in their souls

No resistance against

Thy decisions, but accept

Them with the fullest conviction.

66. If We had ordered them

To sacrifice their lives

Or to leave their homes,

Very few of them

Would have done it:

But if they had done

What they were (actually) told,

It would have been best

For them, and would have gone

Farthest to strengthen their (faith);

67. And We should then have

Given them from Our Presence

A great reward;

68. And We should have

Shown them the Straight Way.

69. All who obey God

And the Apostle

Are in the company

Of those on whom

Is the Grace of God,--

Of the Prophets (who teach),

The Sincere (lovers of Truth),

The Witnesses (who testify),

And the Righteous (who do good):

Ah! what a beautiful Fellowship!

70. Such is the Bounty

From God: and sufficient

Is it that God knoweth all.

SECTION 10.

71. O ye who believe!

Take your precautions,

And either go forth in parties

Or go forth all together.

72. There are certainly among you

Men who would tarry behind:

If a misfortune befalls you,

They say: "God did favour us

In that we were not

Present among them."

73. But if good fortune comes to you

From God, they would be sure

To say--as if there had never been

Ties of affection between you and them--

"Oh! I wish I had been with them;

A fine thing should I then

Have made of it!"

74. Let those fight

In the cause of God

Who sell the life of this world

For the Hereafter.

To him who fighteth

In the cause of God,--

Whether he is slain

Or gets victory

Soon shall We give him

A reward of great (value).

75. And why should ye not

Fight in the cause of God

And of those who, being weak,

Are ill-treated (and oppressed)?--

Men, women, and children,

Whose cry is: "Our Lord!

Rescue us from this town,

Whose people are oppressors;

And raise for us from Thee

One who will protect;

And raise for us from Thee

One who will help!"

76. Those who believe

Fight in the cause of God,

And those who reject Faith

Fight in the cause of Evil:

So fight ye against the

Friends of Satan: feeble indeed

Is the cunning of Satan.

SECTION 11.

77. Hast thou not turned

Thy vision to those

Who were told to hold back

Their hands (from fight)

But establish regular prayers

And spend in regular Charity?

When (at length) the order

For fighting was issued to them,

Behold! a section of them

Feared men as

Or even more than

They should have feared God:

They said: "Our Lord!

Why hast Thou ordered us

To fight? Wouldst Thou not

Grant us respite

To our (natural) term,

Near (enough)?" Say: "Short

Is the enjoyment of this world:

The Hereafter is the best

For those who do right:

Never will ye be

Dealt with unjustly

In the very least!

78. "Wherever ye are,

Death will find you out,

Even if ye are in towers

Built up strong and high!"

If some good befalls them,

They say, "This is from God";

But if evil, they say,

"This is from thee" (O Prophet).

Say: "All things are from God."

But what hath come

To these people,

That they fail

To understand

A single fact?

79. Whatever good, (O man!)

Happens to thee, is from God;

But whatever evil happens

To thee, is from thy (own) soul.

And We have sent thee

As an Apostle

To (instruct) mankind.

And enough is God

For a witness.

80 He who obeys

The Apostle, obeys God:

But if any turn away,

We have not sent thee

To watch over

Their (evil deeds).

81. They have "Obedience"

On their lips; but

When they leave thee,

A section of them

Meditate all night

On things very different

From what thou tellest them.

But God records

Their nightly (plots):

So keep clear of them,

And put thy trust in God,

And enough is God

As a disposer of affairs.

82. Do they not consider

The Qur-an (with care)?

Had it been from other

Than God, they would surely

Have found therein

Much discrepancy.

83. When there comes to them

Some matter touching

(Public) safety or fear,

They divulge it.

If they had only referred it

To the Apostle, or to those

Charged with authority

Among them, the proper

Investigators would have

Tested it from them (direct).

Were it not for the Grace

And Mercy of God unto you,

All but a few of you

Would have fallen

Into the clutches of Satan.

84. Then fight in God's cause--

Thou art held responsible

Only for thyself--

And rouse the Believers.

It may be that God

Will restrain the fury

Of the Unbelievers;

For God is the strongest

In might and in punishment.

85. Whoever recommends

And helps a good cause

Becomes a partner therein:

And whoever recommends

And helps an evil cause,

Shares in its burden:

And God hath power

Over all things.

86. When a (courteous) greeting

Is offered you, meet it

With a greeting still more

Courteous, or (at least)

Of equal courtesy.

God takes careful account

Of all things.

87. God! There is no god

But He: of a surety

He will gather you together

Against the Day of Judgment,

About which there is no doubt.

And whose word can be

Truer than God's?

SECTION 12.

88. Why should ye be

Divided into two parties

About the Hypocrites?

God hath upset them

For their (evil) deeds.

Would ye guide those

Whom God hath thrown

Out of the Way? For those

Whom God hath thrown

Out of the Way, never

Shalt thou find the Way.

89. They but wish that ye

Should reject Faith,

As they do, and thus be

On the same footing (as they):

But take not friends

From their ranks

Until they flee

In the way of God

(From what is forbidden).

But if they turn renegades,

Seize them and slay them

Wherever ye find them;

And (in any case) take

No friends or helpers

From their ranks:--

90. Except those who join

A group between whom

And you there is a treaty

(Of peace), or those who approach

You with hearts restraining

Them from fighting you

As well as fighting their own

People. If God had pleased,

He could have given them

Power over you, and they

Would have fought you:

Therefore if they withdraw

From you but fight you not,

And (instead) send you

(Guarantees of) peace, then God

Hath opened no way

For you (to war against them).

91. Others you will find

That wish to gain

Your confidence as well

As that of their people:

Every time they are sent back

To temptation, they succumb

Thereto: if they withdraw not

From you nor give you (guarantees)

Of peace besides

Restraining their hands,

Seize them and slay them

Wherever ye get them:

In their case

We have provided you

With a clear argument

Against them.

SECTION 13.

92. Never should a Believer

Kill a Believer; but

(If it so happens) by mistake,

(Compensation is due):

If one (so) kills a Believer,

It is ordained that he

Should free a believing slave,

And pay compensation

To the deceased's family,

Unless they remit it freely.

If the deceased belonged

To a people at war with you,

And he was a Believer,

The freeing of a believing slave

(Is enough). If he belonged

To a people with whom

Ye have a treaty of mutual

Alliance, compensation should

Be paid to his family,

And a believing slave be freed.

For those who find this

Beyond their means, (is prescribed)

A fast for two months

Running: by way of repentance

To God: for God hath

All knowledge and all wisdom.

93.1f a man kills a Believer

Intentionally, his recompense

Is Hell, to abide therein

(For ever): and the wrath

And the curse of God

Are upon him, and

A dreadful penalty

Is prepared for him.

94. O ye who believe!

When ye go abroad

In the cause of God,

Investigate carefully,

And say not to any one

Who offers you a salutation:

"Thou art none of a Believer!"

Coveting the perishable goods

Of this life: with God

Are profits and spoils abundant.

Even thus were ye yourselves

Before, till God conferred

On you His favours: therefore

Carefully investigate.

For God is well aware

Of all that ye do.

95. Not equal are those

Believers who sit (at home)

And receive no hurt,

And those who strive

And fight in the cause

Of God with their goods

And their persons.

God hath granted

A grade higher to those

Who strive and fight

With their goods and persons

Than to those who sit (at home).

Unto all (in Faith)

Hath God promised good:

But those who strive and fight

Hath He distinguished

Above those who sit (at home)

By a special reward,--

96. Ranks specially bestowed

By Him. And Forgiveness

And Mercy. For God is

Oft forgiving, Most Merciful.

SECTION 14.

97. When angels take

The souls of those

Who die in sin

Against their souls,

They say: "In what (plight)

Were ye?" They reply:

"Weak and oppressed

Were we in the earth."

They say: "Was not

The earth of God

Spacious enough for you

To move yourselves away

(From evil)?" Such men

Will find their abode

In Hell,--What an evil

Refuge!--

98. Except those who are

(Really) weak and oppressed--

Men, women, and children--

Who have no means

In their power, nor (a guide-post)

To direct their way.

99. For these, there is hope

That God will forgive:

For God doth blot out (sins)

And forgive again and again.

100. He who forsakes his home

In the cause of God,

Finds in the earth

Many a refuge,

Wide and spacious:

Should he die

As a refugee from home

For God and His Apostle,

His reward becomes due

And sure with God:

And God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

SECTION 15.

101. When ye travel

Through the earth,

There is no blame on you

If ye shorten your prayers,

For fear the Unbelievers

May attack you:

For the Unbelievers are

Unto you open enemies.

102. When thou (O Apostle)

Art with them, and standest

To lead them in prayer,

Let one party of them

Stand up (in prayer) with thee,

Taking their arms with them:

When they finish

Their prostrations, let them

Take their position in the rear.

And let the other party come up

Which hath not yet prayed--

And let them pray with thee,

Taking all precautions,

And bearing arms:

The Unbelievers wish,

If ye were negligent

Of your arms and your baggage,

To assault you in a single rush.

But there is no blame on you

If ye put away your arms

Because of the inconvenience

Of rain or because ye are ill;

But take (every) precaution

For yourselves. For the

Unbelievers

God hath prepared

A humiliating punishment.

103. When ye pass

(Congregational) prayers,

Celebrate God's praises,

Standing, sitting down,

Or lying down on your sides;

But when ye are free

From danger, set up

Regular Prayers:

For such prayers

Are enjoined on Believers

At stated times.

104. And slacken not

In following up the enemy:

If ye are suffering hardships,

They are suffering similar

Hardships; but ye have

Hope from God, while they

Have none. And God

Is full of knowledge and wisdom.

SECTION 16.

105. We have sent down

To thee the Book in truth,

That thou might test judge

Between men, as guided

By God: so be not (used)

As an advocate by those

Who betray their trust;

106. But seek the forgiveness

Of God; for God is

Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

107. Contend not on behalf

Of such as betray

Their own souls;

For God loveth not

One given to perfidy

And crime;

108. They may hide

(Their crimes) from men,

But they cannot hide

(Them) from God, seeing that

He is in their midst

When they plot by night,

In words that He cannot

Approve: and God

Doth compass round

All that they do.

109. Ah! these are the sort

Of men on whose behalf

Ye may contend in this world;

But who will contend with God

On their behalf on the Day

Of Judgment, or who

Will carry their affairs through?

110. If any one does evil

Or wrongs his own soul

But afterwards seeks

God's forgiveness, he will find

God Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

111. And if any one earns

Sin, he earns it against

His own soul: for God

Is full of knowledge and wisdom.

112. But if any one earns

A fault or a sin

And throws it on to one

That is innocent,

He carries (on himself)

(Both) a falsehood

And a flagrant sin.

SECTION 17.

113. But for the Grace of God

To thee and His Mercy,

A party of them would

Certainly have plotted

To lead thee astray.

But (in fact) they will only

Lead their own souls astray,

And to thee they can do

No harm in the least.

For God hath sent down

To thee the Book and Wisdom

And taught thee what thou

Knewest not (before):

And great is the Grace

Of God unto thee.

114. In most of their secret talks

There is no good: but if

One exhorts to a deed

Of charity or justice

Or conciliation between men,

(Secrecy is permissible):

To him who does this,

Seeking the good pleasure

Of God, We shall soon give

A reward of the highest (value).

115. If anyone contends with

The Apostle even after

Guidance has been plainly

Conveyed to him, and follows

A path other than that

Becoming to men of Faith,

We shall leave him

In the path he has chosen,

And land him in Hell,--

What an evil refuge!

SECTION 18.

116. God forgiveth not

(The sin of) joining other gods

With Him; but He forgiveth

Whom He pleaseth other sins

Than this: one who joins

Other gods with God,

Hath strayed far, far away

(From the Right).

117. (The Pagans), leaving Him,

Call but upon female deities:

They call but upon Satan

The persistent rebel!

118. God did curse him,

But he said: "I will take

Of Thy servants a portion

Marked off;

119. "I will mislead them,

And I will create

In them false desires; I will

Order them to slit the ears

Of cattle, and to deface

The (fair) nature created

By God." Whoever,

Forsaking God, takes Satan

For a friend, hath

Of a surety suffered

A loss that is manifest.

120. Satan makes them promises,

And creates in them false desires;

But Satan's promises

Are nothing but deception.

121. They (his dupes)

Will have their dwelling

In Hell, and from it

They will find no way

Of escape.

122. But those who believe

And do deeds of righteousness,--

We shall soon admit them

To Gardens, with rivers

Flowing beneath,--to dwell

Therein for ever.

God's promise is the truth,

And whose word can be

Truer than God's?

123. Not your desires, nor those

Of the People of the Book

(Can prevail): whoever

Works evil, will be

Requited accordingly.

Nor will he find, besides God,

Any protector or helper.

124. If any do deeds

Of righteousness,

Be they male or female--

And have faith,

They will enter Heaven,

And not the least injustice

Will be done to them.

125. Who can be better

In religion than one

Who submits his whole self

To God, does good,

And follows the way

Of Abraham the true in faith?

For God did take

Abraham for a friend.

126. But to God belong all things

In the heavens and on earth:

And He it is that

Encompasseth all things.

SECTION 19.

127. They ask thy instruction

Concerning the Women

Say: God doth

Instruct you about them:

And (remember) what hath

Been rehearsed unto you

In the Book, concerning

The orphans of women to whom

Ye give not the portions

Prescribed, and yet whom ye

Desire to marry, as also

Concerning the children

Who are weak and oppressed:

That ye stand firm

For justice to orphans.

There is not a good deed

Which ye do, but God

Is well-acquainted therewith.

128. If a wife fears

Cruelty or desertion

On her husband's part,

There is no blame on them

If they arrange

An amicable settlement

Between themselves;

And such settlement is best;

Even though men's souls

Are swayed by greed.

But if ye do good

And practise self-restraint,

God is well-acquainted

With all that ye do.

129. Ye are never able

To be fair and just

As between women,

Even if it is

Your ardent desire:

But turn not away

(From a woman) altogether,

So as to leave her (as it were)

Hanging (in the air).

If ye come to a friendly

Understanding, and practise

Self-restraint, God is

Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

130. But if they disagree

(And must part), God

Will provide abundance

For all from His

All-reaching bounty:

For God is He

That careth for all

And is Wise.

131. To God belong all things

In the heavens and on earth.

Verily We have directed

The People of the Book

Before you, and you (O Muslims).

To fear God. But if ye

Deny Him, to! unto God

Belong all things

In the heavens and on earth,

And God is free

Of all wants, worthy

Of all praise.

132. Yea, unto God belong

All things in the heavens

And on earth, and enough

Is God to carry through

All affairs.

133. If it were His Will,

He could destroy you,

O mankind, and create

Another race; for He

Hath power this to do.

134. If any one desires

A reward in this life,

In God's (gift) is the reward

(Both) of this life

And of the Hereafter:

For God is He that heareth

And seeth (all things).

SECTION 20.

135. O ye who believe!

Stand out firmly

For justice, as witnesses

To God, even as against

Yourselves, or your parents,

Or your kin, and whether

It be (against) rich or poor:

For God can best protect both.

Follow not the lusts

(Of your hearts), lest ye

Swerve, and if ye

Distort (justice) or decline

To do justice, verily

God is well-acquainted

With all that ye do.

136. O ye who believe!

Believe in God

And His Apostle,

And the scripture which He

Hath sent to His Apostle

And the scripture which He sent

To those before (him)

Any who denieth God,

His angels, His Books,

His Apostles, and the Day

Of Judgment, hath gone

Far, far astray.

137. Those who believe,

Then reject Faith,

Then believe (again)

And (again) reject Faith,

And go on increasing

In Unbelief,--God

Will not forgive them

Nor guide them on the Way.

138. To the Hypocrites give

The glad tidings that

There is for them

(But) a grievous Penalty;--

139. Yea, to those who take

For friends Unbelievers

Rather than Believers:

Is it honour they seek

Among them? Nay,--

All honour is with God.

140. Already has He sent you

Word in the Book, that when

Ye hear the Signs of God

Held in defiance and ridicule,

Ye are not to sit with them

Unless they turn to a different

Theme: if ye did, ye would be

Like them. For God will

Collect the Hypocrites and those

Who defy Faith--all in Hell;--

141. (These are) the ones who

Wait and watch about you:

If ye do gain

A victory from God,

They say: "Were we not

With you?"--but if

The Unbelievers gain

A success, they say

(To them): "Did we not

Gain an advantage over you,

And did we not guard

You from the Believers?"

But God will judge

Betwixt you on the Day

Of Judgment. And never

Will God grant

To the Unbelievers

A way (to Triumph)

Over the Believers.

SECTION 21.

142. The Hypocrites--they think

They are over-reaching God,

But He will over-reach them:

When they stand up to prayer,

They stand without earnestness,

To be seen of men,

But little do they hold

God in remembrance;

143. (They are) distracted in mind

Even in the midst of it,--

Being (sincerely) for neither

One group nor for another.

Whom God leaves straying,--

Never wilt thou find

For him the Way.

144. O ye who believe!

Take not for friends

Unbelievers rather than

Believers: do ye wish

To offer God an open

Proof against yourselves?

145. The Hypocrites will be

In the lowest depths

Of the Fire: no helper

Wilt thou find for them;--

146. Except for those who repent,

Mend (their life), hold fast

To God, and purify their religion

As in God's sight: if so

They will be (numbered)

With the Believers.

And soon will God

Grant to the Believers

A reward of immense value.

147. What can God gain

By your punishment,

If ye are grateful

And ye believe?

Nay, it is God

That recogniseth

(All good), and knoweth

All things.

148. God loveth not that evil

Should be noised abroad

In public speech, except

Where injustice hath been

Done; for God

Is He who heareth

And knoweth all things.

149. Whether ye publish

A good deed or conceal it

Or cover evil with pardon,

Verily God doth blot out

(Sins) and hath power

(In the judgment of values),

150. Those who deny God

And His apostles, and (those

Who) wish to separate

God from His apostles,

Saying: "We believe in some

But reject others":

And (those who) wish

To take a course midway,--

151. They are in truth

(Equally) Unbelievers;

And We have prepared

For Unbelievers a humiliating

Punishment.

152. To those who believe

In God and His apostles

And make no distinction

Between any of the apostles,

We shall soon give

Their (due) rewards:

For God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

SECTION 22.

153. The People of the Book

Ask thee to cause

A book to descend to them

From heaven: indeed

They asked Moses

For an even greater

(Miracle), for they said:

"Show us God in public,"

But they were dazed

For their presumption,

With thunder and lightning.

Yet they worshipped the calf

Even after Clear Signs

Had come to them;

Even so We forgave them;

And gave Moses manifest

Proofs of authority.

154. And for their Covenant

We raised over them

(The towering height)

Of Mount (Sinai);

And (on another occasion)

We said: "Enter the gate

With humility"; and (once again)

We commanded them:

"Transgress not in the matter

Of the Sabbath."

And We took from them

A solemn Covenant.

155. (They have incurred divine

Displeasure): in that they

Broke their Covenant;

That they rejected the Signs

Of God; that they slew

The Messengers in defiance

Of right; that they said,

"Our hearts are the wrappings

(Which preserve God's Word;

We need no more)";--nay,

God hath set the seal on their hearts

For their blasphemy,

And little is it they believe;--

156. That they rejected Faith;

That they uttered against Mary

A grave false charge;

157. That they said (in boast),

"We killed Christ Jesus

The son of Mary,

The Apostle of God";--

But they killed him not,

Nor crucified him,

But so it was made

To appear to them,

And those who differ

Therein are full of doubts,

With no (certain) knowledge,

But only conjecture to follow,

For of a surety

They killed him not:--

158. Nay, God raised him up

Unto Himself; and God

Is Exalted in Power, Wise;--

159. And there is none

Of the People of the Book

But must believe in him

Before his death;

And on the Day of Judgment

He will be a witness

Against them;--

160. For the iniquity of the Jews

We made unlawful for them

Certain (foods) good and wholesome

Which had been lawful for them;--

In that they hindered many

From God's Way;--

161. That they took usury,

Though they were forbidden;

And that they devoured

Men's substance wrongfully;--

We have prepared for those

Among them who reject Faith

A grievous punishment.

162. But those among them

Who are well-grounded in knowledge,

And the Believers,

Believe in what hath been

Revealed to thee and what was

Revealed before thee:

And (especially) those

Who establish regular prayer

And practise regular charity

And believe in God

And in the Last Day:

To them shall We soon

Give a great reward.

SECTION 23.

163. We have sent thee

Inspiration, as We sent it

To Noah and the Messengers

After him: We sent

Inspiration to Abraham,

Ismail, Isaac, Jacob

And the Tribes, to Jesus,

Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon,

And to David We gave

The Psalms.

164. Of some apostles We have

Already told thee the story;

Of others we have not;--

And to Moses God spoke direct;--

165. Apostles who gave good news

As well as warning,

That mankind, after (the coming)

Of the apostles, should have

No plea against God:

For God is Exalted in Power,

Wise.

166. But God beareth witness

That what He hath sent

Unto thee He hath sent

From His (own) knowledge,

And the angels bear witness:

But enough is God for a witness.

167. Those who reject Faith

And keep off (men)

From the Way of God,

Have verily strayed far,

Far away from the Path.

168. Those who reject Faith

And do wrong,--God

Will not forgive them

Nor guide them

To any way--

169. Except the way of Hell,

To dwell therein for ever.

And this to God is easy.

170. O mankind! the Apostle

Hath come to you in truth

From God: believe in him:

It is best for you. But if

Ye reject Faith, to God

Belong all things in the heavens

And on earth: and God

Is All-knowing, All-wise.

171. O People of the Book!

Commit no excesses

In your religion: nor say

Of God aught but the truth.

Christ Jesus the son of Mary

Was (no more than)

An apostle of God,

And His Word,

Which He bestowed on Mary,

And a Spirit proceeding

From Him: so believe

In God and His apostles.

Say not "Trinity": desist:

It will be better for you:

For God is One God:

Glory be to Him:

(Far Exalted is He) above

Having a son, To Him

Belong all things in the heavens

And on earth. And enough

Is God as a Disposer of affairs.

SECTION 24.

172. Christ disdaineth not

To serve and worship God,

Nor do the angels, those

Nearest (to God):

Those who disdain

His worship and are arrogant,--

He will gather them all

Together unto Himself

To (answer).

173. But to those who believe

And do deeds of righteousness,

He will give their (due)

Rewards,--and more,

Out of His bounty:

But those who are

Disdainful and arrogant,

He will punish

With a grievous penalty;

Nor will they find,

Besides God, any

To protect or help them.

174. O mankind! Verily

There hath come to you

A convincing proof

From your Lord:

For We have sent unto you

A light (that is) manifest.

175. Then those who believe

In God, and hold fast

To Him,--soon will He

Admit them to Mercy

And Grace from Himself,

And guide them to Himself

By a straight Way.

176. They ask thee

For a legal decision.

Say: God directs (thus)

About those who leave

No descendants or ascendants

As heirs. If it is a man

That dies, leaving a sister

But no child, she shall

Have half the inheritance:

If (such a deceased was)

A woman, who left no child,

Her brother takes her inheritance:

If there are two sisters,

They shall have two-thirds

Of the inheritance

(Between them): if there are

Brothers and sisters, (they share),

The male having twice

The share of the female.

Thus doth God make clear

To you (His law), lest

Ye err. And God

Hath knowledge of all things.

Sura V.

Maida, or The Table Spread.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. O ye who believe!

Fulfil (all) obligations

Lawful unto you (for food)

Are all four-footed animals,

With the exceptions named:

But animals of the chase

Are forbidden while ye

Are in the Sacred Precincts

Or in pilgrim garb:

For God doth command

According to His Will and Plan

2. O ye who believe!

Violate not the sanctity

Of the Symbols of God,

Nor of the Sacred Month,

Nor of the animals brought

For sacrifice, nor the garlands

That mark out such animals,

Nor the people resorting

To the Sacred House,

Seeking of the bounty

And good pleasure

Of their Lord.

But when ye are clear

Of the Sacred Precincts

And of pilgrim garb,

Ye may hunt

And let not the hatred

Of some people

In (once) shutting you out

Of the Sacred Mosque

Lead you to transgression

(And hostility on your part).

Help ye one another

In righteousness and piety,

But help ye not one another

In sin and rancour:

Fear God: for God

Is strict in punishment.

3. Forbidden to you (for food)

Are: dead meat, blood,

The flesh of swine, and that

On which hath been invoked

The name of other than God;

That which hath been

Killed by strangling,

Or by a violent blow,

Or by a headlong fall,

Or by being gored to death;

That which hath been (partly)

Eaten by a wild animal;

Unless ye are able

To slaughter it (in due form);

That which is sacrificed

On stone (altars);

(Forbidden) also is the division

(Of meat) by raffling

With arrows: that is impiety.

This day have those who

Reject Faith given up

All hope of your religion:

Yet fear them not

But fear Me.

This day have I

Perfected your religion

For you, completed

My favour upon you,

And have chosen for you

Islam as your religion.

But if any is forced

By hunger, with no inclination

To transgression, God is

Indeed Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

4. They ask thee what is

Lawful to them (as food)

Say: Lawful unto you

Are (all) things good and pure:

And what ye have taught

Your trained hunting animals

(To catch) in the manner

Directed to you by God:

Eat what they catch for you,

But pronounce the name

Of God over it: and fear

God; for God is swift

In taking account.

5. This day are (all) things

Good and pure made lawful

Unto you. The food

Of the People of the Book

Is lawful unto you

And yours is lawful

Unto them.

(Lawful unto you in marriage)

Are (not only) chaste women

Who are believers, but

Chaste women among

The People of the Book,

Revealed before your time,--

When ye give them

Their due dowers, and desire

Chastity, not lewdness,

Nor secret intrigues.

If any one rejects faith,

Fruitless is his work,

And in the Hereafter

He will be in the ranks

Of those who have lost

(All spiritual good).

SECTION 2.

6. O ye who believe!

When ye prepare

For prayer, wash

Your faces, and your hands

(And arms) to the elbows;

Rub your heads (with water);

And (wash) your feet

To the ankles.

If ye are in a state

Of ceremonial impurity,

Bathe your whole body.

But if ye are ill,

Or on a journey,

Or one of you cometh

From offices of nature,

Or ye have been

In contact with women,

And ye find no water,

Then take for yourselves

Clean sand or earth,

And rub therewith

Your faces and hands.

God doth not wish

To place you in a difficulty,

But to make you clean,

And to complete

His favour to you,

That ye may be grateful.

7. And call in remembrance

The favour of God

Unto you, and His Covenant,

Which He ratified

With you, when ye said:

"We hear and we obey":

And fear God, for God

Knoweth well

The secrets of your hearts.

8. O ye who believe!

Stand out firmly

For God, as witnesses

To fair dealing, and let not

The hatred of others

To you make you swerve

To wrong and depart from

Justice. Be just: that is

Next to Piety: and fear God.

For God is well-acquainted

With all that ye do.

9. To those who believe

And do deeds of righteousness

Hath God promised forgiveness

And a great reward.

10. Those who reject faith

And deny Our Signs

Will be Companions

Of Hell-fire.

11. O ye who believe

Call in remembrance

The favour of God

Unto you when

Certain men formed the design

To stretch out

Their hands against you,

But (God) held back

Their hands from you:

So fear God. And on God

Let Believers put

(All) their trust.

SECTION 3.

12. God did aforetime

Take a Covenant from

The Children of Israel,

And We appointed twelve

Captains among them.

And God said: "I am

With you: if ye (but)

Establish regular Prayers,

Practise regular Charity,

Believe in My apostles,

Honour and assist them,

And loan to God

A beautiful loan,

Verily I will wipe out

From you your evils,

And admit you to Gardens

With rivers flowing beneath;

But if any of you, after this,

Resisteth faith, he hath truly

Wandered from the path

Of rectitude."

13. But because of their breach

Of their Covenant, We

Cursed them, and made

Their hearts grow hard:

They change the words

From their (right) places

And forget a good part

Of the Message that was

Sent them, nor wilt thou

Cease to find them

Barring a few--ever

Bent on (new) deceits:

But forgive them, and overlook

(Their misdeeds): for God

Loveth those who are kind.

14. From those, too, who call

Themselves Christians,

We did take a Covenant,

But they forgot a good part

Of the Message that was

Sent them: so We estranged

Them, with enmity and hatred

Between the one and the other,

To the Day of Judgment.

And soon will God show

Them what it is

They have done.

15. O People of the Book!

There hath come to you

Our Apostle, revealing

To you much that ye

Used to hide in the Book,

And passing over much

(That is now unnecessary):

There hath come to you

From God a (new) light

And a perspicuous Book,--

16. Wherewith God guideth all

Who seek His good pleasure

To ways of peace and safety,

And leadeth them out

Of darkness, by His Will,

Unto the light,--guideth them

To a Path that is Straight.

17. In blasphemy indeed

Are those that say

That God is Christ

The son of Mary.

Say: "Who then

Hath the least power

Against God, if His Will

Were to destroy Christ

The son of Mary, his mother,

And all--every one

That is on the earth?

For to God belongeth

The dominion of the heavens

And the earth, and all

That is between. He createth

What He pleaseth. For God

Hath power over all things."

18. (Both) the Jews and the Christians

Say: "We are sons

Of God, and His beloved."

Say: "Why then doth He

Punish you for your sins?

Nay, ye are but men,

Of the men He hath created:

He forgiveth whom He pleaseth,

And He punisheth whom He pleaseth:

And to God belongeth

The dominion of the heavens

And the earth, and all

That is between:

And unto Him

Is the final goal (of all)"

19. O People of the Book!

Now hath come unto you,

Making (things) clear unto you,

Our Apostle, after the break

In (the series of) our apostles,

Lest ye should say:

"There came unto us

No bringer of glad tidings

And no warner (from evil)":

But now hath come

Unto you a bringer

Of glad tidings

And a warner (from evil).

And God hath power

Over all things.

SECTION 4.

20. Remember Moses said

To his people: "O my People!

Call in remembrance the favour

Of God unto you, when He

Produced prophets among you,

Made you kings, and gave

You what He had not given

To any other among the peoples.

21. "O my people! enter

The holy land which

God hath assigned unto you,

And turn not back

Ignominiously, for then

Will ye be overthrown,

To your own ruin."

22. They said: "O Moses!

In this land are a people

Of exceeding strength:

Never shall we enter it

Until they leave it:

If (once) they leave,

Then shall we enter."

23. (But) among (their) God-fearing men

Were two on whom

God had bestowed His grace:

They said: "Assault them

At the (proper) Gate:

When once ye are in,

Victory will be yours;

But on God put your trust

If ye have faith."

24. They said: "O Moses!

While they remain there,

Never shall we be able

To enter, to the end of time.

Go thou, and thy Lord,

And fight ye two,

While we sit here"

(And watch)."

25. He said: "O my Lord!

I have power only

Over myself and my brother:

So separate us from this

Rebellious people!"

26. God said: "Therefore

Will the land be out

Of their reach for forty years:

In distraction will they

Wander through the land:

But sorrow thou not

Over these rebellious people.

SECTION 5.

27. Recite to them the truth

Of the story of the two sons

Of Adam. Behold! they each

Presented a sacrifice (to God):

It was accepted from one,

But not from the other.

Said the latter: "Be sure

I will slay thee." "Surely,"

Said the former, "God

Doth accept of the sacrifice

Of those who are righteous.

28. "If thou dost stretch thy hand

Against me, to slay me,

It is not for me to stretch

My hand against thee

To slay thee: for I do fear

God, the Cherisher of the Worlds.

29. "For me, I intend to let

Thee draw on thyself

My sin as well as thine,

For thou wilt be among

The Companions of the Fire,

And that is the reward

Of those who do wrong."

30. The (selfish) soul of the other

Led him to the murder

Of his brother: he murdered

Him, and became (himself)

One of the lost ones.

31. Then God sent a raven,

Who scratched the ground,

To show him how to hide

The shame of his brother.

"Woe is me!" said he;

"Was I not even able

To be as this raven,

And to hide the shame

Of my brother?" Then he became

Full of regrets--

32. On that account: We ordained

For the Children of Israel

That if any one slew

A person--unless it be

For murder or for spreading

Mischief in the land--

It would be as if

He slew the whole people:

And if any one saved a life,

It would be as if he saved

The life of the whole people.

Then although there came

To them Our Apostles

With Clear Signs, yet,

Even after that, many

Of them continued to commit

Excesses in the land.

33. The punishment of those

Who wage war against God

And His Apostle, and strive

With might and main

For mischief through the land

Is: execution, or crucifixion,

Or the cutting off of hands

And feet from opposite sides,

Or exile from the land:

That is their disgrace

In this world, and

A heavy punishment is theirs

In the Hereafter;

34. Except for those who repent

Before they fall

Into your power:

In that case, know

That God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

SECTION 6.

35. O ye who believe!

Do your duty to God,

Seek the means

Of approach unto Him,

And strive with might

And main in His cause:

That ye may presper.

36. As to those who reject

Faith,--if they had

Everything on earth,

And twice repeated,

To give as ransom

For the penalty of the Day

Of Judgment, it would

Never be accepted of them.

Theirs would be

A grievous Penalty.

37. Their wish will be

To get out of the Fire,

But never will they

Get out therefrom:

Their Penalty will be

One that endures.

38. As to the thief,

Male or female,

Cut off his or her hands:

A punishment by way

Of example, from God,

For their crime:

And God is Exalted in Power.

39. But if the thief repent

After his crime,

And amend his conduct,

God turneth to him

In forgiveness; for God

Is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

40. Knowest thou not

That to God (alone)

Belongeth the dominion

Of the heavens and the earth?

He punisheth whom He pleaseth,

And He forgiveth whom He pleaseth:

And God hath power

Over all things.

41. O Apostle! let not

Those grieve thee, who race

Each other into Unbelief:

(Whether it be) among those

Who say "We believe"

With their lips but

Whose hearts have no faith;

Or it be among the Jews,--

Men who will listen

To any lie,--will listen

Even to others who have

Never so much as come

To thee. They change the words

From their (right) times

And places; they say,

"If ye are given this,

Take it, but if not,

Beware!" If any one's trial

Is intended by God, thou hast

No authority in the least

For him against God.

For such--it is not

God's will to purify

Their hearts. For them

There is disgrace

In this world, and

In the Hereafter

A heavy punishment.

42. (They are fond of) listening

To falsehood, of devouring

Anything forbidden.

If they do come to thee,

Either judge between them,

Or decline to interfere.

If thou decline, they cannot

Hurt thee in the least.

If thou judge, judge

In equity between them.

For God loveth those

Who judge in equity.

43. But why do they come

To thee for decision,

When they have (their own)

Law before them?

Therein is the (plain)

Command of God; yet

Even after that, they would

Turn away. For they

Are not (really)

People of Faith.

SECTION 7.

44. It was We who revealed

The Law (to Moses): therein

Was guidance and light.'

By its standard have been judged

The Jews, by the Prophets

Who bowed (as in Islam)

To God's Will, by the Rabbis

And the Doctors of Law:

For to them was entrusted

The protection of God's Book,

And they were witnesses thereto:

Therefore fear not men,

But fear Me, and sell not

My Signs for a miserable price.

If any do fail to judge

By (the light of) what God

Hath revealed, they are

(No better than) Unbelievers.

45. We ordained therein for them:

"Life for life, eye for eye,

Nose for nose, ear for ear,

Tooth for tooth, and wounds

Equal for equal." But if

Any one remits the retaliation

Byway of charity, it is

An act of atonement for himself.

And if any fail to judge

By (the light of) what God

Hath revealed, they are

(No better than) wrong-doers.

46. And in their footsteps

We sent Jesus the son

Of Mary, confirming

The Law that had come

Before him: We sent him

The Gospel: therein

Was guidance and light,

And confirmation of the Law

That had come before him:

A guidance and an admonition

To those who fear God.

47. Let the People of the Gospel

Judge by what God hath revealed

Therein. If any do fail

To judge by (the light of)

What God hath revealed,

They are (no better than)

Those who rebel.

48. To thee We sent the Scripture

In truth, confirming

The scripture that came

Before it, and guarding it's

In safety: so judge

Between them by what

God hath revealed,

And follow not their vain

Desires, diverging

From the Truth that hath come

To thee. To each among you

Have We prescribed a Law

And an Open Way.

If God had so willed.

He would have made you

A single People, but (His

Plan is) to test you in what

He hath given you: so strive

As in a race in all virtues.

The goal of you all is to God;

It is He that will show you

The truth of the matters

In which ye dispute;

49. And this (He commands):

Judge thou between them

By what God hath revealed,

And follow not their vain

Desires, but beware of them

Lest they beguile thee

From any of that (teaching)

Which God hath sent down

To thee. And if they turn

Away, be assured that

For some of their crimes

It is God's purpose to punish

Them. And truly most men

Are rebellious.

50. Do they then seek after

A judgment of (the Days

Of) Ignorance? But who,

For a people whose faith

Is assured, can give

Better judgment than God?

SECTION 8.

51. O ye who believe!

Take not the Jews

And the Christians

For your friends and protectors:

They are but friends and protectors)

To each other. And he

Amongst you that turns to them

(For friendship) is of them.

Verily God guideth not

A people unjust.

52. Those in whose hearts

Is a disease--thou seest

How eagerly they run about

Amongst them, saying:

"We do fear lest a change

Of fortune bring us disaster."

Ah! perhaps God will give

(Thee) victory, or a decision

According to His Will.

Then will they repent

Of the thoughts which they secretly

Harboured in their hearts.

53. And those who believe

Will say: "Are these

The men who swore

Their strongest oaths by God,

That they were with you?"

All that they do

Will be in vain,

And they will fall

Into (nothing but) ruin.

54. O ye who believe!

If any from among you

Turn back from his Faith,

Soon will God produce

A people whom He will love

As they will love Him,--

Lowly with the Believers,

Mighty against the Rejecters,

Fighting in the Way of God,

And never afraid

Of the reproaches

Of such as find fault.

That is the Grace of God,

Which He will bestow

On whom He pleaseth.

And God encompasseth all,

And He knoweth all things.

55. Your (real) friends are

(No less than) God,

His Apostle, and the (Fellowship

Of) Believers,--those who

Establish regular prayers

And regular charity,

And they bow

Down humbly (in worship).

56. As to those who turn

(For friendship) to God,

His Apostle, and the (Fellowship

Of) Believers,--it is

The Fellowship of God

That must certainly triumph.

SECTION 9.

57. O ye who believe!

Take not for friends

And protectors those

Who take your religion

For a mockery or sport,--

Whether among those

Who received the Scripture

Before you, or among those

Who reject Faith;

But fear ye God,

If ye have Faith (indeed).

58. When ye proclaim

Your call to prayer,

They take it (but)

As mockery and sport;

That is because they are

A people without understanding.

59. Say: "O People of the Book!

Do ye disapprove of us

For no other reason than

That we believe in God,

And the revelation

That hath come to us

And that which came

Before (us), and (perhaps)

That most of you

Are rebellious and disobedient?

60. Say: "Shall I point out

To you something much worse

Than this, (as judged)

By the treatment it received

From God? Those who

Incurred the curse of God

And His wrath, those of whom some

He transformed into apes and swine,

Those who worshipped Evil;--

These are (many times) worse

In rank, and far more astray

From the even Path!"

61. When they come to thee,

They say: "We believe":

But in fact they enter

With a mind against Faith,

And they go out

With the same.

But God knoweth fully

All that they hide.

62. Many of them dost thou

See, racing each other

In sin and rancour,

And their eating of things

Forbidden. Evil indeed

Are the things that they do.

63. Why do not the Rabbis

And the doctors of law forbid

Them from their (habit

Of) uttering sinful words

And eating things forbidden?

Evil indeed are their works.

64. The Jews say: "God's hand

Is tied up." Be their hands

Tied up and be they accursed

For the (blasphemy) they utter.

Nay, both His hands

Are widely outstretched:

He giveth and spendeth

(Of His bounty) as He pleaseth.

But the revelation that

Cometh to thee from God

Increaseth in most of them

Their obstinate rebellion

And blasphemy. Amongst them

We have placed enmity

And hatred till the Day

Of Judgment. Every time

They kindle the fire of war,

God doth extinguish it;

But they (ever) strive

To do mischief on earth.

And God loveth not

Those who do mischief.

65. If only the People of the Book

Had believed and been righteous,

We should indeed have

Blotted out their iniquities

And admitted them

To Gardens of Bliss.

66. If only they had stood fast

By the Law, the Gospel,

And all the revelation that was sent

To them from their Lord,

They would have enjoyed

Happiness from every side.'

There is from among them

A party on the right course:

But many of them

Follow a course that is evil.

SECTION 10.

67. O Apostle! proclaim

The (Message) which hath been

Sent to thee from thy Lord.

If thou didst not, thou

Wouldst not have fulfilled

And proclaimed His Mission.

And God will defend thee

From men (who mean mischief).

For God guideth not

Those who reject Faith.

68. Say: "O People of the Book!

Ye have no ground

To stand upon unless

Ye stand fast by the Law,

The Gospel, and all the revelation

That has come to you from

Your Lord." It is the revelation

That cometh to thee from

Thy Lord, that increaseth in most

Of them their obstinate

Rebellion and blasphemy.

But sorrow thou not

Over (these) people without Faith.

69. Those who believe (in the Qur-an),

Those who follow the Jewish (scriptures),

And the Sabians and the Christians,--

Any who believe in God

And the Last Day,

And work righteousness,--

On them shall be no fear,

Nor shall they grieve.

70. We took the Covenant

Of the Children of Israel

And sent them apostles.

Every time there came

To them an apostle

With what they themselves

Desired not--some

(Of these) they called

Impostors, and some they

(Go so far as to) slay.

71. They thought there would be

No trial (or punishment);

So they became blind and deaf;

Yet God (in mercy) turned

To them; yet again many

Of them became blind and deaf.

But God sees well

All that they do.

72. They do blaspheme who say:

"God is Christ the son

Of Mary" But said Christ:

"O Children of Israel!

Worship God, my Lord

And your Lord." Whoever

Joins other gods with God,--

God will forbid him

The Garden, and the Fire

Will be his abode. There will

For the wrong-doers

Be no one to help.

73. They do blaspheme who say:

God is one of three

In a Trinity: for there is

No god except One God.

If they desist not

From their word (of blasphemy),

Verily a grievous penalty

Will befall the blasphemers

Among them.

74. Why turn they not to God,

And seek His forgiveness?

For God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

75. Christ the son of Mary

Was no more than

An Apostle; many were

The apostles that passed away

Before him. His mother

Was a woman of truth.

They had both to eat

Their (daily) food.

See how God doth make

His Signs clear to them;

Yet see in what ways

They are deluded

Away from the truth!

76. Say: "Will ye worship,

Besides God, something

Which hath no power either

To harm or benefit you?

But God,--He it is

That heareth and knoweth

All things."

77. Say: "O People of the Book!

Exceed not in your religion

The bounds (of what is proper),

Trespassing beyond the truth,

Nor follow the vain desires

Of people who went wrong

In times gone by,--who misled

Many, and strayed (themselves)

From the even Way.

SECTION 11.

78. Curses were pronounced

On those among the Children

Of Israel who rejected Faith,

By the tongue of David

And of Jesus the son of Mary:

Because they disobeyed

And persisted in Excesses.

79. Nor did they (usually)

Forbid one another

The iniquities which they

Committed: evil indeed

Were the deeds which they did.

80. Thou seest many of them

Turning in friendship

To the Unbelievers.

Evil indeed are (the works) which

Their souls have sent forward

Before them (with the result),

That God's wrath

Is on them,

And in torment

Will they abide.

81. If only they had believed

In God, in the Apostle,

And in what hath been

Revealed to him, never

Would they have taken

Them for friends and protectors,

But most of them are

Rebellious wrong-doers.

82. Strongest among men in enmity

To the Believers wilt thou

Find the Jews and Pagans;

And nearest among them in love

To the Believers wilt thou

Find those who say,

"We are Christians":

Because amongst these are

Men devoted to learning

And men who have renounced

The world, and they

Are not arrogant.

83. And when they listen

To the revelation received

By the Apostle, thou wilt

See their eyes overflowing

With tears, for they

Recognise the truth:

They pray: "Our Lord!

We believe; write us

Down among the witnesses.

84. "What cause can we have

Not to believe in God

And the truth which has

Come to us, seeing that

We long for our Lord

To admit us to the company

Of the righteous?"

85. And for this their prayer

Hath God rewarded them

With Gardens, with rivers

Flowing underneath,--their eternal

Home. Such is the recompense

Of those who do good.

86. But those who reject Faith

And belie Our Signs,--

They shall be Companions

Of Hell-fire.

SECTION 12.

87. O ye who believe!

Make not unlawful

The good things which God

Hath made lawful for you,

But commit no excess:

For God loveth not

Those given to excess.

88. Eat of the things which

God hath provided for you,

Lawful and good; but fear

God, in Whom ye believe.

89. God will not call you

To account for what is

Futile in your oaths,

But He will call you

To account for your deliberate

Oaths: for expiation, feed

Ten indigent persons,

On a scale of the average

For the food of your families;

Or clothe them; or give

A slave his freedom.

If that is beyond your means,

Fast for three days.

That is the expiation

For the oaths ye have sworn.

But keep to your oaths.

Thus doth God make clear

To you His Signs, that ye

May be grateful.

90. O ye who believe!

Intoxicants and gambling,

(Dedication of) stones,

And (divination by) arrows,

Are an abomination,--

Of Satan's handiwork:

Eschew such (abomination),

That ye may prosper.

91. Satan's plan is (but)

To excite enmity and hatred

Between you, with intoxicants

And gambling, and hinder you

From the remembrance

Of God, and from prayer:

Will ye not then abstain?

92. Obey God, and obey the Apostle,

And beware (of evil):

If ye do turn back,

Know ye that it is

Our Apostle's duty

To proclaim (the Message)

In the clearest manner.

93. On those who believe

And do deeds of righteousness

There is no blame

For what they ate (in the past),

When they guard themselves

From evil, and believe,

And do deeds of righteousness,--

(Or) again, guard themselves

From evil and believe,--

(Or) again, guard themselves

From evil and do good.

For God loveth those

Who do good.

SECTION 13.

94. O ye who believe!

God doth but make a trial of you

In a little matter

Of game well within reach

Of your hands and your lances,

That He may test

Who feareth Him unseen:

Any who transgress

Thereafter, will have

A grievous penalty.

95. O ye who believe!

Kill not game

While in the Sacred

Precincts or in pilgrim garb.

If any of you doth so

Intentionally, the compensation

Is an offering, brought

To the Ka'ba, of a domestic animal

Equivalent to the one he killed,

As adjudged by two just men

Among you; or by way

Of atonement, the feeding

Of the indigent; or its

Equivalent in fasts: that he

May taste of the penalty

Of his deed. God

Forgives what is past:

For repetition God will

Exact from him the penalty.

For God is Exalted,

And Lord of Retribution.

96. Lawful to you is the pursuit

Of water-game and its use

For food,--for the benefit

Of yourselves and those who

Travel; but forbidden

Is the pursuit of land-game;--

As long as ye are

In the Sacred Precincts

Or in pilgrim garb.

And fear God, to Whom

Ye shall be gathered back.

97. God made the Ka'ba,

The Sacred House, an asylum

Of security for men, as

Also the Sacred Months,

The animals for offerings,

And the garlands that mark them:

That ye may know

That God hath knowledge

Of what is in the heavens

And on earth and that God

Is well acquainted

With all things.

98. Know ye that God

Is strict in punishment

And that God is

Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

99. The Apostle's duty is

But to proclaim (the Message).

But God knoweth all

That ye reveal and ye conceal.

100. Say: "Not equal are things

That are bad and things

That are good, even though

The abundance of the bad

May dazzle thee;

So fear God, O ye

That understand;

That (so) ye may prosper."

SECTION 14.

101. O ye who believe!

Ask not questions

About things which,

If made plain to you,

May cause you trouble.

But if ye ask about things

When the Qur-an is being

Revealed, they will be

Made plain to you,

God will forgive those:

For God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Forbearing.

102. Some people before you

Did ask such questions,

And on that account

Lost their faith.

103. It was not God

Who instituted (superstitions

Like those of) a slit-ear

She-camel, or a she-camel

Let loose for free pasture,

Or idol sacrifices for

Twin-births in animals,

Or stallion-camels

Freed from work

It is blasphemers

Who Invent a lie

Against God; but most

Of them lack wisdom.

104. When it is said to them:

"Come to what God

Hath revealed; come

To the Apostle":

They say: "Enough for us

Are the ways we found

Our fathers following."

What! even though their fathers

Were void of knowledge

And guidance?

105. O ye who believe!

Guard your own souls:

If ye follow (right) guidance,

No hurt can come to you

From those who stray.

The goal of you all

Is to God: it is He

That will show you

The truth of all

That ye do.

106. O ye who believe!

When death approaches

Any of you, (take) witnesses

Among yourselves when making

Bequests,--two just men

Of your own (brotherhood)

Or others from outside

If ye are journeying

Through the earth,

And the chance of death

Befalls you (thus).

If ye doubt (their truth),

Detain them both

After prayer, and let them both

Swear by God:

"We wish not in this

For any worldly gain,

Even though the (beneficiary)

Be our near relation:

We shall hide not

The evidence before God:

If we do, then behold!

The sin be upon us!"

107. But if it gets known

That these two were guilty

Of the sin (of perjury),

Let two others stand forth

In their places,--nearest

In kin from among those

Who claim a lawful right:

Let them swear by God:

"We affirm that our witness

Is truer than that

Of those two, and that we

Have not trespassed (beyond

The truth): if we did,

Behold! the wrong be

Upon us!"

108. That is most suitable:

That they may give the evidence

In its true nature and shape,

Or else they would fear

That other oaths would be

Taken after their oaths.

Hut fear God, and listen

(To His counsel): for God

Guideth not a rebellious people:

SECTION 15.

109. One day will God

Gather the apostles together,

And ask: "What was

The response ye received

(From men to your teaching)?"

They will say: "We

Have no knowledge: it is Thou

Who knowest in full

All that is hidden."

110. When will God say:

"O Jesus the son of Mary!

Recount My favour"'

To thee and to thy mother.

Behold! I strengthened thee

With the holy spirit,

So that thou didst speak

To the people in childhood

And in maturity.

Behold! I taught thee

The Book and Wisdom,

The Law and the Gospel.

And behold! thou makest

Out of clay, as it were,

The figure of a bird,

By My leave,

And thou breathest into it,

And it becometh a bird

By My leave,

And thou healest those

Born blind, and the lepers,

By My leave.

And behold! thou

Bringest forth the dead

By My leave ego

And behold! I did

Restrain the Children of Israel

From (violence to) thee

When thou didst show them

The Clear Signs,

And the unbelievers among them

Said: 'This is nothing

But evident magic.

111. "And behold! I inspired

The Disciples to have faith

In Me and Mine Apostle:

They said, 'We have faith,

And do thou bear witness

That we bow to God

As Muslims'."

112. Behold! the Disciples said:

"O Jesus the son of Mary!

Can thy Lord send down to us

A Table set (with viands)

From heaven?" Said Jesus:

"Fear God, if ye have faith."

113. They said: "We only wish

To eat thereof and satisfy

Our hearts, and to know

That thou hast indeed

Told us the truth; and

That we ourselves may be

Witnesses to the miracle."

114. Said Jesus the son of Mary:

"O God our Lord!

Send us from heaven

A Table set (with viands),

That there may be for us

For the first and the last of us--

A solemn festival

And a. Sign from Thee;

And provide for our sustenance,

For Thou art the best

Sustainer (of our needs)."

115. God said: "I will

Send it down unto you:

But if any of you

After that resisteth faith,

I will punish him

With a penalty such

As I have not inflicted

On any one among

All the peoples."

SECTION 16.

116. And behold! God will say:

"O Jesus the son of Mary!

Didst thou say unto men,

Worship me and my mother

As gods in derogation of God'?"

He will say: "Glory to Thee!

Never could I say

What I had no right

(To say). Had I said

Such a thing, Thou wouldst

Indeed have known it.

Thou knowest what is

In my heart, though I

Know not what is

In Thine. For Thou

Knowest in full

All that is hidden.

117. "Never said I to them

Aught except what Thou

Didst command me

To say, to wit, 'Worship

God, my Lord and your Lord';

And I was a witness

Over them whilst I dwelt

Amongst them; when thou

Didst take me up

Thou wast the Watcher

Over them, and Thou

Art a witness to all things.

118. "If Thou dost punish them,

They are Thy servants:

If Thou dost forgive them,

Thou art the Exalted in power,

The Wise."

119. God will say: "This is

A day on which

The truthful will profit

From their truth: theirs

Are Gardens, with rivers

Flowing beneath,--their eternal

Home: God well-pleased

With them, and they with God:

That is the great Salvation,

(The fulfilment of all desires).

120. To God doth belong the dominion

Of the heavens and the earth,

And all that is therein,

And it is He who hath power

Over all things.

Sura VI.

An'am, or Cattle.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. Praise be to God,

Who created the heavens

And the earth,

And made the Darkness

And the Light.

Yet those who reject Faith

Hold (others) as equal.

With their Guardian-Lord.

2. He it is Who created

You from clay, and then

Decreed a stated term

(For you). And there is

In His Presence another

Determined term; yet

Ye doubt within yourselves!

3. And He is God

In the heavens

And on earth.

He knoweth what ye

Hide, and what ye reveal,

And He knoweth

The (recompense) which

Ye earn (by your deeds)

4. But never did a single

One of the Signs

Of their Lord reach them,

But they turned

Away therefrom.

5. And now they reject

The truth when it reaches

Them: but soon shall they

Learn the reality of what

They used to mock at.

6. See they not how many

Of those before them

We did destroy?--

Generations We had established

On the earth, in strength

Such as We have not given

To you--for whom

We poured out rain

From the skies in abundance,

And gave (fertile) streams

Flowing beneath their (feet):

Yet for their sins

We destroyed them,

And raised in their wake

Fresh generations

(To succeed them).

7. If We had sent

Unto thee a written

(Message) on parchment,

So that they could

Touch it with their hands,

The Unbelievers would

Have been sure to say:

"This is nothing but

Obvious magic!"

8. They say: "Why is not

An angel sent down to him?"

If We did send down

An angel, the matter

Would be settled at once,

And no respite

Would be granted them.

9. If We had made it

An angel, We should

Have sent him as a man,

And We should certainly

Have caused them confusion

In a matter which they have

Already covered with confusion.

10. Mocked were (many)

Apostles before thee;

But their scoffers

Were hemmed in

By the thing that they mocked.

SECTION 2.

11. Say: "Travel through the earth

And see what was the end

Of those who rejected Truth".

12. Say: "To whom I elongeth

All that is in the heavens

And on earth?" Say:

"To God. He hath inscribed

For Himself (the rule of) Mercy.

That He will gather you

Together for the Day of Judgment,

There is no doubt whatever.

It is they who have lost

Their own souls, that will

Not believe.

13. To him belongeth all

That dwelleth (or lurketh)

In the Night and the Day.

For He is the One

Who heareth and knoweth

All things."

14. Say: "Shall I take

For my protector

Any other than God,

The Maker of the heavens

And the earth?

And He it is that

Feedeth but is not fed."

Say: "Nay! but I am

Commanded to be the first

Of those who bow

To God (in Islam),

And be not thou

Of the company of those

Who join gods with God."

15. Say: "I would, if I

Disobeyed my Lord,

Indeed have fear

Of the Penalty

Of a Mighty Day.

16. "On that day, if the Penalty

Is averted from any,

It is due to God's Mercy;

And that would be (Salvation),

The obvious fulfilment

Of all desire.

17. "If God touch thee

With affliction, none

Can remove it but He;

If He touch thee with happiness,

He hath power over all things.

18. "He is the Irresistible, (watching)

From above over His worshippers;

And He is the Wise,

Acquainted with all things."

19. Say: "What thing is most

Weighty in evidence?"

Say: "God is witness

Between me and you;

This Qur-an hath been

Revealed to me by inspiration,

That I may warn you

And all whom it reaches.

Can ye possibly bear witness

That besides God there is

Another God?" Say:

"Nay! I cannot bear witness!"

Say: But in truth

He is the One God,

And I truly am innocent

Of (your blasphemy of) joining

Others with Him."

20. Those to whom

We have given the Book

Know this as they know

Their own sons.

Those who have lost

Their own souls

Refuse therefore to believe.

SECTION 3.

21. Who doth more wrong

Than he who inventeth

A lie against God

Or rejecteth His Signs?

But verily the wrong-doers

Never shall prosper.

22. One day shall We gather

Them all together: We

Shall say to those

Who ascribed partners (to Us):

"Where are the partners

Whom ye (invented

And) talked about?"

23. There will then be (left)

No subterfuge for them

But to say: "By God

Our Lord, we were not

Those who joined gods

With God."

24. Behold! how they lie

Against their own souls!

But the (lie) which they

Invented will leave themes:

In the lurch.

25. Of them there are some

Who (pretend to) listen to thee;

But We have thrown

Veils on their hearts,

So they understand it not,

And deafness in their ears;

If they saw every one

Of the Signs, not they

Will believe in them;

In so much that

When they come to thee,

They (but) dispute with thee;

The Unbelievers say:

"These are nothing

But tales of the ancients."

26. Others they keep away from it,

And themselves they keep away;

But they only destroy

Their own souls,

And they perceive it not.

27. If thou couldst but see

When they are confronted

With the Fire!

They will say:

"Would that we were

But sent back!

Then would we not reject

The Signs of our Lord,

But would be amongst those

Who believe!"

28. Yea, in their own (eyes)

Will become manifest

What before they concealed.

But if they were returned,

They would certainly relapse

To the things they were forbidden,

For they are indeed liars.

29. And they (sometimes) say:

"There is nothing except

Our life on this earth,

And never shall we be

Raised up again."

30. If thou couldst but see

When they are confronted

With their Lord!

He will say:

"Is not this the truth?"

They will say:

"Yea, by our Lord!"

He will say:

"Taste ye then the Penalty,

Because ye rejected Faith."

SECTION 4.

31. Lost indeed are they

Who treat it as a falsehood

That they must meet God,

Until on a sudden

The hour is on them,

And they say: "Ah! woe

Unto us that we took

No thought of it";

For they bear their burdens

On their backs,

And evil indeed are

The burdens that they bear?

32. What is the life of this world

But play and amusement? ess

But best is the Home

In the Hereafter, for those

Who are righteous.

Will ye not then understand?

33. We know indeed the grief

Which their words do cause thee:

It is not thee they reject:

It is the Signs of God,

Which the wicked contemn.

34. Rejected were the Apostles

Before thee: with patience

And constancy they bore

Their rejection and their wrongs,

Until Our aid did reach

Them: there is none

That can alter the Words

(And Decrees) of God.

Already hast thou received

Some account of those Apostles.

35. If their spurning is hard

On thy mind, yet if

Thou wert able to seek

A tunnel in the ground

Or a ladder to the skies

And bring them a Sign,--

(What good?). If it were

God's Will, He could

Gather them together

Unto true guidance:

So be not thou

Amongst those who are swayed

By ignorance (and impatience)!

36. Those who listen (in truth),

Be sure, will accept:

As to the dead, God will

Raise them up; then will they

Be turned unto Him.

37. Whey say: "Why is not

A Sign sent down

To him from his Lord?"

Say: "God hath certainly

Power to send down a Sign:

But most of them

Understand not."

38. There is not an animal

(That lives) on the earth,

Nor a being that flies

On its wings, but (forms

Part of) communities like you.

Nothing have we omitted

From the Book, and they (all)

Shall be gathered to their Lord

In the end.

39. Those who reject our Signs

Are deaf and dumb,--

In the midst of darkness

Profound: whom God willeth,

He leaveth to wander:

Whom He willeth, He placeth

On the Way that is Straight.

40. Say: "Think ye to yourselves,

If there come upon you

The Wrath of God,

Or the Hour (that ye dread),

Would ye then call upon

Other than God?--

(Reply) if ye are truthful!

41. "Nay,--On Him would ye

Call, and if it be

His Will, He would remove

(The distress) which occasioned

Your call upon Him,

And ye would forget

(The false gods) which ye

Join with Him!"

SECTION 5.

42. Before thee We sent

(Apostles) to many nations,

And We afflicted the nations

With suffering and adversity,

That they might learn humility.

43. When the suffering reached

Them from Us, why then

Did they not learn humility?

On the contrary their hearts

Became hardened, and Satan

Made their (sinful) acts

Seem alluring to them.

44. But when they forgot

The warning they had received,

We opened to them the gates

Of all (good) things,

Until, in the midst

Of their enjoyment

Of our gifts,

On a sudden, We called

Them to account, when lo!

They were plunged in despair!

45. Of the wrong-doers the last

Remnant was cut off.

Praise be to God,

The Cherisher of the Worlds.

46. Say:"Think ye, if God

Took away your hearing

And your sight, and sealed up

Your hearts, who--a god

Other than God--could

Restore them to you?"

See how We explain

The Signs by various (symbols);

Yet they turn aside.

47. Say:"Think ye, if

The Punishment of God

Comes to you,

Whether suddenly or openly,

Will any be destroyed

Except those who do wrong?

48. We send the apostles

Only to give good news

And to warn: so those

Who believe and mend

(Their lives),--upon them

Shall be no fear,

Nor shall they grieve.

49. But those who reject

Our Signs,--them

Shall punishment touch,

For that they ceased not

From transgressing.

50. Say:"I tell you not

That with me

Are the Treasures of God,

Nor do I know

What is hidden,

Nor do I tell you I am

An angel. I but follow

What is revealed to me."

Say:"Can the blind

Be held equal to the seeing?"

Will ye then consider not?

SECTION 6.

51. Give this warning to those

In whose (hearts) is the fear

That they will be brought

(To Judgment) before their Lord:

Except for Him

They will have no protector

Nor intercessor:

That they may guard

(Against evil).

52. Send not away those

Who call on their Lord

Morning and evening,

Seeking His Face.

In naught art thou accountable

For them, and in naught are they

Accountable for thee,

That thou shouldst turn

Them away, and thus be

(One) of the unjust.

53. Thus did We try

Some of them by comparison

With others, that they

Should say:"Is it these

Then that God hath

Favoured from amongst us?"

Doth not God know best

Those who are grateful?

54. When those come to thee

Who believe in Our Signs,

Say: "Peace be on you:

Your Lord hath inscribed

For Himself (the rule

Of) Mercy: verily,

If any of you did evil

In ignorance, and thereafter

Repented, and amended

(His conduct), lo! He is

Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

55. Thus do We explain

The Signs in detail:

That the way of the sinners

May be shown up.

SECTION 7.

56. Say: "I am forbidden

To worship those--others

Than God--whom ye

Call upon." Say: "I will

Not follow your vain desires:

If I did, I would stray

From the path, and be not

Of the company of those

Who receive guidance."

57. Say; "For me, I (work)

On a clear Sign from my Lord,

But ye reject Him. What ye

Would see hastened, is not

In my power. The Command

Rests with none but God:

He declares the Truth,

And He is the best of judges."

58. Say: "If what ye would see

Hastened were in my power,

The matter would be settled

At once between you and me.

But God knoweth best

Those who do wrong."

59. With Him are the keys

Of the Unseen, the treasures

That none knoweth but He.

He knoweth whatever there is

On the earth and in the sea.

Not a leaf doth fall

But with His knowledge:

There is not a grain

In the darkness (or depths)

Of the earth, nor anything

Fresh or dry (green or withered),

But is (inscribed) in a Record

Clear (to those who can read).

60. It is He Who doth take

Your souls by night,

And hath knowledge of all

That ye have done by day:

By day doth He raise

You up again; that a term

Appointed be fulfilled;

In the end unto Him

Will be your return;

Then will He show you

The truth of all

That ye did.

SECTION 8.

61He is the Irresistible, (watching)

From above over His worshippers,

And He sets guardians

Over you. At length,

When death approaches

One of you, Our angels

Take his soul, and they

Never fail in their duty.

62. Then are men returned

Unto God, their Protector,

The (only) Reality:

Is not His the Command?

And He is the Swiftest

In taking account.

63. Say: "Who is it

That delivereth you

From the dark recesses

Of land and sea,

When ye call upon Him

In humility

And silent terror:

If He only delivers us

From these (dangers),

(We vow) we shall truly

Show our gratitude?"

64. Say: "It is God

That delivereth you

From these and all (other)

Distresses: and yet

Ye worship false gods!"

65. Say: "He hath power

To send calamities

On you, from above

And below, or to cover

You with confusion

In party strife,

Giving you a taste

Of mutual vengeance--

Each from the other."

See how We explain

The Signs by various (symbols);

That they may understand.

66. But thy people reject

This, though it is

The Truth. Say: "Not mine

Is the responsibility

For arranging your affairs;

67. For every Message

Is a limit of time,

And soon shall ye

Know it."

68. When thou seest men

Engaged in vain discourse

About Our Signs, turn

Away from them unless

They turn to a different

Theme. If Satan ever

Makes thee forget, then

After recollection, sit not

Thou in the company

Of those who do wrong.

69. On their account

No responsibility

Falls on the righteous,

But (their duty)

Is to remind them,

That they may (learn

To) fear God.

70. Leave alone those

Who take their religion

To be mere play

And amusement,

And are deceived

By the life of this world.

But proclaim (to them)

This (truth): that every soul

Delivers itself to ruin

By its own acts:

It will find for itself

No protector or intercessor

Except God: if it offered

Every ransom, (or

Reparation), none

Will be accepted: such is

(The end of) those who

Deliver themselves to ruin

By their own acts:

They will have for drink

(Only) boiling water,

And for punishment,

One most grievous:

For they persisted

In rejecting God.

SECTION 9.

71. Say: "Shall we indeed

Call on others besides God,

Things that can do us

Neither good nor harm,--

And turn on our heels

After receiving guidance

From God?--like one

Whom the evil ones

Have made into a fool,

Wandering bewildered

Through the earth, his friends

Calling 'Come to us',

(Vainly) guiding him to the Path."

Say: "God's guidance

Is the (only) guidance,

And we have been directed

To submit ourselves

To the Lord of the worlds;--

72. "To establish regular prayers

And to fear God:

For it is to Him

That we shall be

Gathered together."

73. It is He Who created

The heavens and the earth

In true (proportions):

The day He saith, "Be,"

Behold! it is. His Word

Is the Truth. His will be

The dominion the day

The trumpet will be blown.

He knoweth the Unseen

As well as that which is

Open. For He

Is the Wise, well acquainted

(With all things).

74. Lo! Abraham said

To his father Azar:

"Takest thou idols for gods?

For I see thee

And thy people

In manifest error."

75. So also did We show

Abraham the power

And the laws of the heavens

And the earth, that he

Might (with understanding)

Have certitude.

76. When the night

Covered him over,

He saw a star:

He said: "This is my Lord."

But when it set,

He said: "I love not

Those that set."

77. When he saw the moon

Rising in splendour,

He said: "This is my Lord."

But when the moon set,

He said: "Unless my Lord

Guide me, I shall surely

Be among those

Who go astray.

78. When he saw the sun

Rising in splendour,

He said: "This is my Lord;

This is the greatest (of all)."

But when the sun set,

He said: "O my people!

I am indeed free

From your (guilt)

Of giving partners to God.

79. "For me, I have set

My face, firmly and truly,

Towards Him Who created

The heavens and the earth,

And never shall I give

Partners to God."

80. His people disputed

With him. He said:

"(Come) ye to dispute

With me, about God,

When He (Himself)

Hath guided me?

I fear not (the beings)

Ye associate with God:

Unless my Lord willeth,

(Nothing can happen).

My Lord comprehendeth

In His knowledge all things.

Will ye not (yourselves)

Be admonished?

81. "How should I fear

(The beings) ye associate

With God, when ye

Fear not to give partners

To God without any warrant

Having been given to you?

Which of (us) two parties

Hath more right to security?

(Tell me) if ye know.

82. "It is those who believe

And confuse not their beliefs

With wrong--that are

(Truly) in security, for they

Are on (right) guidance."

SECTION 10.

83. That was the reasoning

About Us, which

We gave to Abraham

(To use) against his people:

We raise whom We will,

Degree after degree:

For thy Lord is full

Of wisdom and knowledge.

84. We gave him Isaac

And Jacob: all (three)

We guided:

And before him,

We guided Noah,

And among his progeny,

David, Solomon, Job,

Joseph, Moses, and Aaron:

Thus do We reward

Those who do good:

85. And Zakariya and John,

And Jesus and Elias:

All in the ranks

Of the Righteous:

86. And Isma'il and Elisha,

And Jonas, and Lot:

And to all We gave

Favour above the nations:

87. (To them) and to their fathers,

And progeny and brethren:

We chose them,

And We guided them

To a straight Way.

88. This is the Guidance

Of God: He giveth

That guidance to whom

He pleaseth, of His worshippers.

If they were to join

Other gods with Him,

All that they did

Would be vain for them,

89. These were the men

To whom We gave

The Book, and Authority,

And Prophethood: if these

(Their descendants) reject them,

Behold! We shall entrust

Their charge to a new People

Who reject them not.

90. Those were the (prophets)

Who received God's guidance:

Copy the guidance they received;

Say: "No reward for this

Do I ask of you:

This is no less than

A Message for the nations."

SECTION 11.

91. No just estimate of God

Do they make when they say:

"Nothing doth God send down

To man (by way of revelation)":

Say: "Who then sent down

The Book which Moses brought?--

A light and guidance to man:

But ye make it into

(Separate) sheets for show,

While ye conceal much

(Of its contents): therein

Were ye taught that

Which ye knew not

Neither ye nor your fathers."

Say: "God (sent it down)":

Then leave them to plunge

In vain discourse and trifling.

92. And this is a Book

Which We have sent down,

Bringing blessings, and confirming

(The revelations) which came

Before it: that thou

Mayest warn the Mother

Of Cities and all around her.

Those who believe

In the Hereafter

Believe in this (Book),

And they are constant

In guarding their Prayers.

93. Who can be more wicked

Than one who inventeth

A lie against God,

Or saith, "I have

Received inspiration,"

When he hath received

None, or (again) who saith,

"I can reveal the like

Of what God hath revealed"?

If thou couldst but see

How the wicked (do fare)

In the flood of confusion

At death!--the angels

Stretch forth their hands,

(Saying), "Yield up your souls:

This day shall ye receive

Your reward,--a penalty

Of shame, for that ye used

To tell lies against God,

And scornfully to reject

Of His Signs!"

94. "And behold! ye come

To Us bare and alone

As We created you

For the first time:

Ye have left behind you

All (the favours) which

We bestowed on you:

We see not with you

Your intercessors

Whom ye thought to be

Partners in your affairs:

So now all relations

Between you have been

Cut off, and your (pet) fancies

Have left you in the lurch!

SECTION 12.

95. It is God Who causeth

The seed-grain

And the date-stone

To split and sprout.

He causeth the living

To issue from the dead,

And He is the One

To cause the dead

To issue from the living.

That is God: then how

Are ye deluded

Away from the truth?

96. He it is that cleaveth

The day-break (from the dark):

He makes the night

For rest and tranquillity,

And the sun and moon

For the reckoning (of time):

Such is the judgment

And ordering of (Him),

The Exalted in Power,

The Omniscient.

97. It is He Who maketh

The stars (as beacons) for you,

That ye may guide yourselves,

With their help,

Through the dark spaces

Of land and sea:

We detail Our Signs

For people who know.

98. It is He Who hath

Produced you

From a single person:

Here is a place of sojourn

And a place of departure:

We detail Our signs

For people who understand.

99. It is He Who sendeth down

Rain from the skies:

With it We produce

Vegetation of all kinds:

From some We produce

Green (crops), out of which

We produce grain,

Heaped up (at harvest);

Out of the date-palm

And its sheaths (or spathes)

(Come) clusters of dates

Hanging low and near:

And (then there are) gardens

Of grapes, and olives,

And pomegranates,

Each similar (in kind)

Yet different (in variety):

When they begin to bear fruit,

Feast your eyes with the fruit

And the ripeness thereof.

Behold! in these things

There are Signs for people

Who believe.

100.Yet they make

The Jinns equals

With God, though God

Did create the Jinns;

And they falsely,

Having no knowledge,

Attribute to Him

Sons and daughters.

Praise and glory be

To Him! (for He is) above

What they attribute to Him!

SECTION 13.

101. To Him is due

The primal origin

Of the heavens and the earth:

How can He have a son

When He hath no consort?

He created all things,

And He hath full knowledge

Of all things.

102. That is God, your Lord!

There is no god but He,

The Creator of all things:

Then worship ye Him:

And He hath power

To dispose of all affairs.

103. No vision can grasp Him,

But His grasp is over

All vision: He is

Above all comprehension,

Yet is acquainted with all things.

104. "Now have come to you,

From your Lord, proofs

(To open your eyes):

If any will see,

It will be for (the good

Of) his own soul;

If any will be blind,

It will be to his own

(Harm): I am not (here)

To watch over your doings.

105. Thus do We explain

The Signs by various (symbols):

That they may say,

"Thou hast taught (us) diligently,"

And that We may make

The matter clear

To those who know.

106. Follow what thou art taught

By inspiration from thy Lord:

There is no god but He:

And turn aside from those

Who join gods with God.

107. If it had been God's Plan,

They would not have taken

False gods: but We

Made thee not one

To watch over their doings,

Nor art thou set

Over them to dispose

Of their affairs.

108. Revile not ye

Those whom they call upon

Besides God, lest

They out of spite

Revile God

In their ignorance.

Thus have We made

Alluring to each people'

Its own doings.

In the end will they

Return to their Lord,

And We shall then

Tell them the truth

Of all that they did.

109. They swear their strongest

Oaths by God, that if

A (special) Sign came

To them, by it they would

Believe. Say: "Certainly

(All) Signs are in the power

Of God: but what will

Make you (Muslims) realise

That (even) if (special) Signs

Came, they will not believe."?

110. We (too) shall turn

To (confusion) their hearts

And their eyes, even as they

Refused to believe in this

In the first instance:

We shall leave them

In their trespasses,

To wander in distraction.

SECTION 14.

111. Even if We did send

Unto them angels,

And the dead did speak

Unto them, and We gathered

Together all things before

Their very eyes, they are not

The ones to believe,

Unless it is in God's Plan.

But most of them

Ignore (the truth).

112. Likewise did We make

For every Messenger

An enemy,--evil ones

Among men and Jinns,

Inspiring each other

With flowery discourses

By way of deception.

If thy Lord had so planned,

They would not have

Done it: so leave them

And their inventions alone.

113. To such (deceit)

Let the hearts of those

Incline, who have no faith

In the Hereafter: let them

Delight in it, and let them

Earn from it what they may

114. Say: "Shall I seek

For judge other than God?--

When He it is

Who hath sent unto you

The Book, explained in detail."

They know full well,

To whom We have given

The Book, that it hath been

Sent down from thy Lord

In truth. Never be then

Of those who doubt.

115. The Word of thy Lord

Doth find its fulfilment

In truth and in justice:

None can change His Words:

For He is the one Who

Heareth and knoweth all.

116. Wert thou to follow

The common run of those

On earth, they will lead

Thee away from the Way

Of God. They follow

Nothing but conjecture: they

Do nothing but lie.

117. Thy Lord knoweth best

Who strayeth from His Way:

He knoweth best

Who they are that receive

His guidance.

118. So eat of (meats)

On which God's name

Hath been pronounced,

If ye have faith

In His Signs.

119. Why should ye not

Eat of (meats) on which

God's name hath been

Pronounced, when He hath

Explained to you in detail

What is forbidden to you--

Except under compulsion

Of necessity?

But many do mislead (men)

By their appetites unchecked

By knowledge. Thy Lord

Knoweth best those who transgress

120. Eschew all sin,

Open or secret:

Those who earn sin

Will get due recompense

For their "earnings."

121. Eat not of (meats)

On which God's name

Hath not been pronounced:

That would be impiety.

But the evil ones

Ever inspire their friends

To contend with you

If ye were to obey them,

Ye would indeed be Pagans.

SECTION 15.

122. Can he who was dead,

To whom We gave life,

And a Light whereby

He can walk amongst men,

Be like him who is

In the depths of darkness,

From which he can

Never come out?

Thus to those without Faith

Their own deeds seem pleasing.

123. Thus have We placed

Leaders in every town,

Its wicked men, to plot

(And burrow) therein:

But they only plot

Against their own souls,

And they perceive it not.

124. When there comes to them

A Sign (from God),

They say: "We shall not

Believe until we receive

One (exactly) like those

Received by God's apostles."

God knoweth best where

(And how) to carry out

His mission. Soon

Will the wicked

Be overtaken by

Humiliation before God,

And a severe punishment,

For all their plots.

125. Those whom God (in His Plan)

Willeth to guide,--He openeth

Their breast to Islam;

Those whom He willeth

To leave straying,--He maketh

Their breast close and constricted,

As if they had to climb

Up to the skies: thus

Doth God (heap) the penalty

On those who refuse to believe.

126. This is the Way

Of thy Lord, leading straight:

We have detailed the Signs

For those who

Receive admonition.

127. For them will be a Home

Of Peace in the presence

Of their Lord: He will be

Their Friend, because

They practised (righteousness).

128. One day will He gather

Them all together, (and say):

"O ye assembly of Jinns!

Much (toll) did ye take

Of men." Their friends

Amongst men will say:

"Our Lord! we made profit no

From each other: but (alas!)

We reached our term--

Which Thou didst appoint

For us." He will say:

"The Fire be your dwelling-place:

You will dwell therein for ever,

Except as God willeth."

For thy Lord is full

Of wisdom and knowledge.

129. Thus do We make

The wrong-doers turn

To each other, because

Of what they earn.

SECTION 16.

130. "O ye assembly of Jinns

And men! came there not

Unto you apostles from amongst you

Setting forth unto you

My Signs, and warning you

Of the meeting of this Day

Of yours?" They will say:

"We bear witness against

Ourselves." It was

The life of this world

That deceived them. So

Against themselves will they

Bear witness that they

Rejected Faith.

131. (The apostles were sent) thus,

For thy Lord would not

Destroy for their wrong-doing

Men's habitations whilst

Their occupants were unwarned.

132. To all are degrees (or ranks)

According to their deeds:

For thy Lord

Is not unmindful

Of anything that they do.

133. Thy Lord is Self-sufficient,

Full of Mercy: if it were

His Will, He could destroy

You, and in your place

Appoint whom He will

As your successors, even as

He raised you up

From the posterity

Of other people.

134. All that hath been

Promised unto you

Will come to pass:

Nor can ye frustrate it

(In the least bit).

135. Say: "O my people!

Do whatever ye can:

I will do (my part):

Soon will ye know

Who it is whose end

Will be (best) in the Hereafter:

Certain it is that

The wrong-doers will not prosper."

136. Out of what God

Hath produced in abundance

In tilth and in cattle,

They assigned Him a share:

They say, according to their fancies:

"This is for God, and this"--

For Our "partners"!

But the share of their "partners"

Reacheth not God, whilst

The share of God reacheth

Their "partners"! Evil

(And unjust) is their assignment!

137. Even so, in the eyes

Of most of the Pagans,

Their "partners" made alluring

The slaughter of their children,

In order to lead them

To their own destruction,

And cause confusion

In their religion.

If God had willed,

They would not have done so:

But leave alone

Them and their inventions.

138. And they say that

Such and such cattle and crops

Are taboo, and none should

Eat of them except those

Whom--so they say--We

Wish; further, there are

Cattle forbidden to yoke

Or burden, and cattle

On which, (at slaughter),

The name of God is not

Pronounced;--inventions

Against God's name: soon

Will He requite them

For their inventions.

139. They say: "What is

In the wombs of

Such and such cattle

Is specially reserved

(For food) for our men,

And forbidden to our women;

But if it is still-born,

Then all have shares therein.

For their (false) attribution

(Of superstitions to God),

He will soon punish them:

For He is full

Of wisdom and knowledge.

140. Lost are those who slay

Their children, from folly,

Without knowledge, and forbid

Food which God hath provided

For them, inventing (lies)

Against God. They have

Indeed gone astray

And heeded no guidance.

SECTION 17.

141. It is He who produceth

Gardens, with trellises

And without, and dates,

And tilth with produce

Of all kinds, and olives

And pomegranates,

Similar (in kind)

And different (in variety):

Eat of their fruit

In their season, but render

The dues that are proper

On the day that the harvest

Is gathered. But waste not

By excess: for God

Loveth not the wasters.

142. Of the cattle are some

For burden and some for meat:

Eat what God hath provided

For you, and follow not

The footsteps of Satan:

For he is to you

An avowed enemy.

143. (Take) eight (head of cattle)

In (four) pairs:

Of sheep a pair,

And of goats a pair;

Say, hath He forbidden

The two males,

Or the two females,

Or (the young) which the wombs

Of the two females enclose?

Tell me with knowledge

If ye are truthful:

144. Of camels a pair,

And of oxen a pair;

Say, hath He forbidden

The two males,

Or the two females,

Or (the young) which the wombs

Of the two females enclose?--

Were ye present when God

Ordered you such a thing?

But who doth more wrong

Than one who invents

A lie against God,

To lead astray men

Without knowledge?

For God guideth not

People who do wrong

SECTION 18.

145. Say: "I find not

In the Message received

By me by inspiration

Any (meat) forbidden

To be eaten by one

Who wishes to eat it,

Unless it be dead meat,

Or blood poured forth,

Or the flesh of swine,--

For it is an abomination--

Or, what is impious, (meat)

On which a name has been

Invoked, other than God's."

But (even so), if a person

Is forced by necessity,

Without wilful disobedience,

Nor transgressing due limits,--

Thy Lord is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

146. For those who followed

The Jewish Law, We forbade

Every (animal) with

Undivided hoof,

And We forbade them

The fat of the ox

And the sheep, except

What adheres to their backs

Or their entrails,

Or is mixed up

With a bone:

This in recompense

For their wilful disobedience:

For We are True

(In Our ordinances).

147. If they accuse thee

Of falsehood, say:

"Your Lord is full

Of mercy all-embracing;

But from people in guilt

Never will His wrath

Be turned back.

148. Those who give partners

(To God) will say:

"If God had wished,

We should not have

Given partners to Him,

Nor would our fathers;

Nor should we have had

Any taboos." So did

Their ancestors argue

Falsely, until they tasted

Of Our wrath. Say:

"Have ye any (certain)

Knowledge? If so, produce

It before us. Ye follow

Nothing but conjecture:

Ye do nothing but lie."

149. Say: "With God is the argument

That reaches home: if it had

Been His Will, He could

Indeed have guided you all."

150. Say: "Bring forward your witnesses

To prove that God did

Forbid so and so." If they

Bring such witnesses,

Be not thou amongst them:

Nor follow thou the vain

Desires of such as treat

Our Signs as falsehoods,

And such as believe not

In the Hereafter: for they

Hold others as equal

With their Guardian-Lord.

SECTION 19.

151. Say: "Come, I will rehearse

What God hath (really)

Prohibited you from": join not

Anything as equal with Him;

Be good to your parents;

Kill not your children

On a plea of want;--We

Provide sustenance for you

And for them;--come not

Nigh to shameful deeds,

Whether open or secret;

Take not life, which God

Hath made sacred, except

By way of justice and law:

Thus doth He command you,

That ye may learn wisdom.

152. And come not nigh

To the orphan's property,

Except to improve it,

Until he attain the age

Of full strength; give measure

And weight with (full) justice;--

No burden do We place

On any soul, but that

Which it can bear;--

Whenever ye speak, speak justly,

Even if a near relative

Is concerned; and fulfil

The Covenant of God:

Thus doth He command you,

That ye may remember.

153. Verily, this is My Way,

Leading straight: follow it:

Follow not (other) paths:

They will scatter you about

From His (great) Path:

Thus doth He command you,

That ye may be righteous.

154. Moreover, We gave Moses

The Book, completing

(Our favour) to those

Who would do right,

And explaining all things

In detail,--and a guide

And a mercy, that they

Might believe in the meeting

With their Lord.

SECTION 20.

155. And this is a Book

Which We have revealed

As a blessing: so follow it

And be righteous, that ye

May receive mercy:

156. Lest ye should say:

"The Book was sent down

To two Peoples before us,

And for our part, we

Remained unacquainted

With all that they learned

By assiduous study;"

157. Or lest ye should say:

"If the Book had only

Been sent down to us,

We should have followed

Its guidance better than they."

Now then hath come

Unto you a Clear (Sign)

From your Lord,--and a guide

And a mercy: then who

Could do more wrong

Than one who rejecteth

God's Signs, and turneth

Away therefrom? In good time

Shall We requite those

Who turn away from Our Signs,

With a dreadful penalty,

For their turning away.

158. Are they waiting to see

If the angels come to them,

Or thy Lord (Himself),

Or certain of the Signs

Of thy Lord!

The day that certain

Of the Signs of thy Lord

Do come, no good

Will it do to a soul

To believe in them then,

If it believed not before

Nor earned righteousness

Through its Faith. Say:

"Wait ye: we too

Are waiting."

159. As for those who divide

Their religion and break up

Into sects, thou hast

No part in them in the least:

Their affair is with God:

He will in the end

Tell them the truth

Of all that they did.

160. He that doeth good

Shall have ten times

As much to his credit:

He that doeth evil

Shall only be recompensed

According to his evil:

No wrong shall be done

Unto (any of) them.

161. Say: "Verily, my Lord

Hath guided me to

A Way that is straight,--

A religion of right,

The Path (trod) by Abraham

The true in faith,

And he (certainly)

Joined not gods with God."

162. Say: "Truly, my prayer

And my service of sacrifice,

My life and my death,

Are (all) for God,

The Cherisher of the Worlds:

163. No partner hath He:

This am I commanded,

And I am the first

Of those who bow

To His Will.

164. Say: "Shall I seek

For (my) Cherisher

Other than God,

When He is the Cherisher

Of all things (that exist)?

Every soul draws the meed

Of its acts on none

But itself: no bearer

Of burdens can bear

The burden of another.

Your goal in the end

Is towards God: He will tell

You the truth of the things

Wherein ye disputed."

165. It is He Who hath made

You (His) agents, inheritors

Of the earth: He hath raised

You in ranks, some above

Others: that He may try you

In the gifts He hath given you:

For thy Lord is quick

In punishment: yet He

Is indeed Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

Sura VII.

A'raf, or the Heights

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful

1. Alif, Lam, Mim, Sad.

2. A Book revealed unto thee,--

So let thy heart be oppressed'

No more by any difficulty

On that account,

That with it thou mightest

Warn (the erring) and teach

The Believers.

3. Follow (O men!) the revelation

Given unto you from your Lord,

And follow not, as friends

Or protectors, other than Him.

Little it is ye remember

Of admonition.

4. How many towns have We

Destroyed (for their sins)?

Our punishment took them

On a sudden by night

Or while they slept

For their afternoon rest.

5. When (thus) Our punishment

Took them, no cry

Did they utter but this:

"Indeed we did wrong."

6. When shall we question

Those to whom Our Message

Was sent and those by whom

We sent it.

7. And verily We shall recount

Their whole story

With knowledge, for We

Were never absent

(At any time or place).

8. The balance that day

Will be true (to a nicety):

Those whose scale (of good)

Will be heavy, will prosper:

9. Those whose scale will be light,

Will find their souls

In perdition, for that they

Wrongfully treated Our Signs.

10. It is We Who have

Placed you with authority

On earth, and provided

You therein with means

For the fulfilment of your life:

Small are the thanks

That ye give!

SECTION 2.

11. It is We Who created you

And gave you shape;

Then We bade the angels

Bow down to Adam, and they

Bowed down; not so Iblis;

He refused to be of those

Who bow down.

12. (God) said: "What prevented

Thee from bowing down

When I commanded thee?"

He said: "I am better

Than he: Thou didst create

Me from fire, and him from clay."

13. (God) said: "Get thee down

From this: it is not

For thee to be arrogant

Here: get out, for thou

Art of the meanest (of creatures)."

14. He said: "Give me respite

Till the day they are

Raised up."

15. (God) said: "Be thou

Among those who have respite."

16. He said: "Because thou

Hast thrown me out

Of the Way, lo! I will

Lie in wait for them

On Thy Straight Way:

17. "Then will I assault them

From before them and behind them,

From their right and their left:

Nor wilt Thou find,

In most of them,

Gratitude (for Thy mercies).

18. (God) said: "Get out

From this, disgraced

And expelled. If any

Of them follow thee,--

Hell will I fill

With you all.

19. "O Adam! dwell thou

And thy wife in the Garden,

And enjoy (its good things)

As ye wish: but approach not

This tree, or ye run

Into harm and transgression."

20. Then began Satan to whisper

Suggestions to them, bringing

Openly before their minds

All their shame

That was hidden from them

(Before): he said: "Your Lord

Only forbade you this tree,

Lest ye should become angels

Or such beings as live for ever."

21. And he swore to them

Both, that he was

Their sincere adviser.

22. So by deceit he brought about

Their fall: when they

Tasted of the tree,

Their shame became manifest

To them, and they began

To sew together the leaves

Of the Garden over their bodies.

And their Lord called

Unto them: "Did I not

Forbid you that tree,

And tell you that Satan

Was an avowed

Enemy unto you?"

23. They said: "Our Lord!

We have wronged our own souls:

If Thou forgive us not

And bestow not upon us

Thy Mercy, we shall

Certainly be lost."

24. (God) said: "Get ye down,

With enmity between yourselves.

On earth will be your dwelling-place

And your means of livelihood,--

For a time."

25. He said: "Therein shall ye

Live, and therein shall ye

Die; but from it shall ye

Be taken out (at last)."

SECTION 3.

26. O ye Children of Adam!

We have bestowed raiment

Upon you to cover

Your shame, as well as

To be an adornment to you.

But the raiment of righteousness,--

That is the best.

Such are among the Signs

Of God, that they

May receive admonition!

27. O ye Children of Adam!

Let not Satan seduce you,

In the same manner as

He got your parents out

Of the Garden, stripping them

Of their raiment, to expose

Their shame: for he

And his tribe watch you

From a position where ye

Cannot see them: We made

The Evil Ones friends

(Only) to those without Faith.

28. When they do aught

That is shameful, they say:

"We found our fathers

Doing so"; and "God

Commanded us thus":

Say: "Nay, God never

Commands what is shameful:

Do ye say of God

What ye know not?"

29. Say: "My Lord hath commanded

Justice; and that ye set

Your whole selves (to Him)

At every time and place

Of prayer, and call upon Him,

Making your devotion sincere

As in His sight:

Such as He created you

In the beginning, so

Shall ye return."

30. Some He hath guided:

Others have (by their choice)

Deserved the loss of their way;

In that they took

The Evil Ones, in preference

To God, for their friends

And protectors, and think

That they receive guidance.

31. O Children of Adam!

Wear your beautiful apparel

At every time and place

Of prayer: eat and drink:

But waste not by excess,

For God loveth not the wasters.

SECTION 4.

32. Say: Who hath forbidden

The beautiful (gifts) of God,

Which He hath produced

For His servants,

And the things, clean and pure,

(Which He hath provided)

For sustenance?

Say: They are, in the life

Of this world, for those

Who believe, (and) purely

For them on the Day

Of Judgment. Thus do We

Explain the Signs in detail

For those who understand.

33. Say: The things that my Lord

Hath indeed forbidden are:

Shameful deeds, whether open

Or secret; sins and trespasses

Against truth or reason; assigning

Of partners to God, for which

He hath given no authority;

And saying things about God

Of which ye have no knowledge.

34. To every People is a term.

Appointed: when their term

Is reached, not an hour

Can they cause delay,

Nor (an hour) can they

Advance (it in anticipation).

35. O ye Children of Adam!

Whenever there come to you

Apostles from amongst you,

Rehearsing My Signs unto you,

Those who are righteous

And mend (their lives),--

On them shall be no fear

Nor shall they grieve.

36. But those who reject

Our Signs and treat them

With arrogance,--they

Are Companions of the Fire,

To dwell therein (for ever).

37. Who is more unjust

Than one who invents

A lie against God

Or rejects His Signs?

For such, their portion

Appointed must reach them

From the Book (of Decrees):

Until, when Our messengers

(Of death) arrive and take

Their souls, they say:

"Where are the things

That ye used to invoke

Besides God?"

They will reply, "They

Have left us in the lurch,"

And they will bear witness

Against themselves, that they

Had rejected God.

38. He will say: "Enter ye

In the company of

The Peoples who passed away

Before you--men and Jinns,--

Into the Fire. Every time

A new People enters,

It curses its sister-People

(That went before), until

They follow each other, all

Into the Fire. Saith the last

About the first: "Our Lord!

It is these that misled us:

So give them a double

Penalty in the Fire."

He will say: "Doubled

For all": but this

Ye do not understand.

39. Then the first will say

To the last: "See then!

No advantage have ye

Over us; so taste ye

Of the Penalty for all

That ye did!"

SECTION 5.

40. To those who reject

Our Signs and treat them

With arrogance, no opening

Will there be of the gates

Of heaven, nor will they

Enter the Garden, until

The camel can pass

Through the eye of the needle:

Such is Our reward

For those in sin.

41. For them there is

Hell, as a couch

(Below) and folds and folds

Of covering above: such

Is Our requital of those

Who do wrong.

42. But those who believe

And work righteousness,--

No burden do We place

On any soul, but that

Which it can bear,

They will be Companions

Of the Garden, therein

To dwell (for ever).

43. And We shall remove

From their hearts any

Lurking sense of injury;--

Beneath them will be

Rivers flowing;--and they

Shall say: "Praise be, to God,

Who hath guided us

To this (felicity): never

Could we have found

Guidance, had it not been

For the guidance of God:

Indeed it was the truth.

That the Apostles of our Lord

Brought unto us." And they

Shall hear the cry:

"Behold! the Garden before you!

Ye have been made

Its inheritors, for your

Deeds (of righteousness)."

44. The Companions of the Garden

Will call out to the Companions

Of the Fire: "We have

Indeed found the promises

Of our Lord to us true:

Have you also found

Your Lord's promises true?"

They shall say, "Yes"; but

A Crier shall proclaim

Between them: "The curse

Of God is on the wrong-doers;--

45. "Those who would hinder (men)

From the path of God

And would seek in it

Something crooked:

They were those who

Denied the Hereafter."

46. Between them shall be

A veil, and on the Heights

Will be men

Who would know every one

By his marks: they will call

Out to the Companions

Of the Garden, "Peace on you":

They will not have entered,

But they will have

An assurance (thereof.)

47. When their eyes shall be turned

Towards the Companions

Of the Fire, they will say:

"Our Lord! send us not

To the company

Of the wrong-doers."

SECTION 6.

48. The men on the Heights

Will call to certain men

Whom they will know

From their m arks, saying:

"Of what profit to you

Were your hoards and your

Arrogant ways?

49. "Behold! are these not

The men whom you swore

That God with His Mercy

Would never bless?

Enter ye the Garden:

No fear shall be on you,

Nor shall ye grieve."

50. The Companions of the Fire

Will call to the Companions

Of the Garden: "Pour down

To us water or anything

That God doth provide

For your sustenance."

They will say: "Both

These things hath God forbidden

To those who rejected Him;--

51. "Such as took their religion

To be mere amusement

And play, and were deceived

By the life of the world."

That day shall We forget them

As they forgot the meeting

Of this day of theirs,

And as they were wont

To reject Our Signs.

52. For We had certainly

Sent unto them a Book,

Based on knowledge,

Which We explained

In detail,--a guide

And a mercy

To all who believe.

53. Do they just wait

For the final fulfilment

Of the event? On the day

The event is finally fulfilled,

Those who disregarded it

Before will say: "The apostles

Of our Lord did indeed

Bring true (tidings). Have we

No intercessors now to intercede

On our behalf? Or could we

Be sent back? Then should eve

Behave differently from our

Behaviour in the past."

In fact they will have lost

Their souls, and the things

They invented will leave

Them in the lurch.

SECTION 7.

54. Your Guardian-Lord

Is God, Who created

The heavens and the earth

In six Days, and is firmly

Established on the Throne

(Of authority): He draweth

The night as a veil

O'er the day, each seeking

The other in rapid succession:

He created the sun,

The moon, and the stars,

(All) governed by laws

Under His Command.

Is it not His to create

And to govern? Blessed

Be God, the Cherisher

And Sustainer of the Worlds!

55. Call on your Lord

With humility and in private:

For God loveth not

Those who trespass beyond bounds.

56. Do no mischief on the earth,

After it hath been

Set in order, but call

On Him with fear

And longing (in your hearts):

For the Mercy of God

Is (always) near

To those who do good.

57. It is He Who sendeth

The Winds like heralds

Of glad tidings, going before

His Mercy: when they have

Carried the heavy-laden

Clouds, We drive them

To a land that is dead,

Make rain to descend thereon,

And produce every kind

Of harvest therewith: thus

Shall We raise up the dead:

Perchance ye may remember.

58. From the land that is clean

And good, by the Will

Of its Cherisher, springs up

Produce, (rich) after its kind:

But from the land that is

Bad, springs up nothing

But that which is niggardly:

Thus do we explain the Signs

By various (symbols) to those

Who are grateful.

SECTION 8.

59. We sent Noah to his people.

He said: "O my people!

Worship God! ye have

No other god but Him.

I fear for you the Punishment

Of a dreadful Day!

60. The leaders of his people

Said: "Ah! we see thee

Evidently wandering (in mind)."

61. He said: "O my people!

No wandering is there

In my (mind): on the contrary

I am an apostle from

The Lord and Cherisher

Of the Worlds!

62."I but fulfil towards you

The duties of my Lord's mission:

Sincere is my advice to you,

And I know from God

Something that ye know not.

63. "Do ye wonder that

There hath come to you

A message from your Lord,

Through a man of your own

People, to warn you,--

So that ye may fear God

And haply receive His Mercy?"

64. But they rejected him,

And We delivered him,

And those with him,

In the Ark:

But We overwhelmed

In the Flood those

Who rejected Our Signs.

They were indeed

A blind people!

SECTION 9.

65. To the 'Ad people,

(We sent) Hud, one

Of their (own) brethren:

He said: "O my people!

Worship God! ye have

No other god but Him.

Will ye not fear (God)?

66. The leaders of the unbelievers

Among his people said:

"Ah! we see thou art

An imbecile!" and "We think

Thou art a liar!"

67. He said: "O my people!

I am no imbecile, but

(I am) an apostle from

The Lord and Cherisher

Of the Worlds!

68. "I but fulfil towards you

The duties of my Lord's mission:

I am to you a sincere

And trustworthy adviser.

69. "Do ye wonder that

There hath come to you

A message from your Lord

Through a man of your own

People, to warn you?

Call in remembrance

That He made you

Inheritors after the people

Of Noah, and gave you

A stature tall among the nations.

Call in remembrance

The benefits (ye have received)

From God: that so

Ye may prosper."

70. They said: "Comest thou

To us, that we may worship

God alone, and give up

The cult of our fathers?

Bring us what thou

Threatenest us with,

If so be that thou

Tellest the truth!"

71. He said: "Punishment

And wrath have already

Come upon you from your Lord

Dispute ye with me

Over names which ye

Have devised--ye

And your fathers,

Without authority from God?

Then wait: I am

Amongst you, also waiting."

72. We saved him and those

Who adhered to him,

By Our Mercy, and We

Cut off the roots of those

Who rejected Our Signs

And did not believe.

SECTION 10.

73. To the Thamud people

(We sent) Salih, one

Of their own brethren:

He said: "O my people!

Worship God; ye have

No other god but Him.

Now hath come unto you

A clear (Sign) from your Lord!

This she-camel of God

Is a Sign unto you:

So leave her to graze

In God's earth, and let her

Come to no harm,

Or ye shall be seized

With a grievous punishment.

74. "And remember how He

Made you inheritors

After the 'Ad people

And gave you habitations

In the land: ye build

For yourselves palaces and castles

In (open) plains, and carve out

Homes in the mountains;

So bring to remembrance

The benefits (ye have received)

From God, and refrain

From evil and mischief

On the earth."

75. The leaders of the arrogant

Party among his people said

To those who were reckoned

Powerless--those among them

Who believed: "Know ye

Indeed that Salih is

An apostle from his Lord?"

They said: "We do indeed

Believe in the revelation

Which hath been sent

Through him."

76. The arrogant party said:

"For our part, we reject

What ye believe in."

77. Then they ham-strung

The she-camel, and insolently

Defied the order of their Lord,

Saying: "O Salih! bring about

Thy threats, if thou art

An apostle (of God)!"

78. So the earthquake took them

Unawares, and they lay

Prostrate in their homes

In the morning!

79. So Salih left them,

Saying: "O my people!

I did indeed convey to you

The message for which

I was sent by my Lord:

I gave you good counsel,

But ye love not good counsellors!"

80. We also (sent) Lut:

He said to his people:

"Do ye commit lewdness

Such as no people

In creation (ever) committed

Before you?

81. "For ye practise your lusts

On men in preference

To women: ye are indeed

A people transgressing

Beyond bounds."

82. And his people gave

No answer but this:

They said, "Drive them out

Of your city: these are

Indeed men who want

To be clean and pure!"

83. But we saved him

And his family, except

His wife: she was

Of those who lagged behind

84. And we rained down on them

A shower (of brimstone):

Then see what was the end

Of those who indulged

In sin and crime!

SECTION 11.

85. To the Madyan people

We sent Shu'aib, one

Of their own brethren: he said:

"O my people! worship God;

Ye have no other god

But Him. Now hath come

Unto you a clear (Sign)

From your Lord! Give just

Measure and weight, nor withhold

From the people the things

That are their due; and do

No mischief on the earth

After it has been set

In order: that will be best

For you, if ye have Faith.

86. "And squat not on every road,

Breathing threats, hindering

From the path of God

Those who believe in Him,

And seeking in it

Something crooked;

But remember how ye were

Little, and He gave you increase.

And hold in your mind's eye

What was the end

Of those who did mischief.

87. "And if there is a party

Among you who believes

In the Message with which

I have been sent, and a party

Which does not believe,

Hold yourselves in patience

Until God doth decide

Between us: for He

Is the best to decide."

88. The leaders, the arrogant

Party among his people, said:

"O Shu'aib! we shall

Certainly drive thee out

Of our city--(thee) and those

Who believe with thee;

Or else ye (thou and they)

Shall have to return

To our ways and religion."

He said: "What! even

Though we do detest (them)?

89. "We should indeed invent

A lie against God,

If we returned to your ways

After God hath rescued

Us therefrom; nor could we

By any manner of means

Return thereto unless it be

As in the will and plan of God,

Our Lord. Our Lord

Can reach out to the utmost

Recesses of things by His

knowledge.

In God is our trust.

Our Lord! Decide thou

Between us and our people

In truth, for thou

Art the best to decide."

90. The leaders, the Unbelievers

Among his people, said:

"If ye follow Shu'aib,

Be sure then ye are ruined!"

91. But the earthquake took them

Unawares, and they lay

Prostrate in their homes

Before the morning!"

92. The men who rejected

Shu'aib became as if

They had never been

In the homes where they

Had flourished: the men

Who rejected Shu'aib--

It was they who were ruined!

93. So Shu'aib left them,

Saying: "O my people!

I did indeed convey to you

The Messages for which

I was sent by my Lord:

I gave you good counsel,

But how shall I lament

Over a people who refuse

To believe!"

SECTION 12.

94. Whenever We sent a prophet

To a town, We took up

Its people in suffering

And adversity, in order

That they might learn humility.

95. Then We changed their suffering

Into prosperity, until they grew

And multiplied, and began

To say: "Our fathers (too)

Were touched by suffering

And affluence"... Behold!

We called them to account

Of a sudden, while they

Realised not (their peril).

96. If the people of the towns

Had but believed and feared

God, We should indeed

Have opened out to them

(All kinds of) blessings

From heaven and earth;

But they rejected (the truth),

And We brought them

To book for their misdeeds.

97. Did the people of the towns

Feel secure against the coming

Of Our wrath by night

While they were asleep?

98. Or else did they feel

Secure against its coming

In broad daylight while they

Played about (care-free)?

99. Did they then feel secure

Against the Plan of God?--

But no one can feel

Secure from the Plan

Of God, except those

(Doomed) to ruin!

SECTION 13.

100. To those who inherit

The earth in succession

To its (previous) possessors,

Is it not a guiding (lesson)

That, if We so willed,

We could punish them (too)

For their sins, and seal up

Their hearts so that they

Could not hear?

101. Such were the towns

Whose story We (thus)

Relate unto thee:

There came indeed to them

Their apostles with clear (Signs):

But they would not believe

What they had rejected before.

Thus doth God seal up

The hearts of those

Who reject Faith.

102. Most of them We found not

Men (true) to their covenant:

But most of them We found

Rebellious and disobedient.

103. Then after them We sent

Moses with Our Signs

To Pharaoh and his chiefs,

But they wrongfully rejected them:

So see what was the end

Of those who made mischief.

104. Moses said: "O Pharaoh!

I am an apostle from

The Lord of the Worlds,--

105. One for whom it is right

To say nothing but truth

About God. Now have I

Come unto you (people), from

Your Lord, with a clear (Sign):

So let the Children of Israel

Depart along with me."

106. (Pharaoh) said: "If indeed

Thou hast come with a Sign,

Show it forth,

If thou tellest the truth."

107. Then (Moses) threw his rod,

And behold! it was

A serpent, plain (for all to see)!

108. And he drew out his hand,

And behold! it was white

To all beholders!

SECTION 14.

109. Said the Chiefs of the people

Of Pharaoh: "This is indeed

A sorcerer well-versed.

110. "His plan is to get you out

Of your land: then

What is it ye counsel?"

111. They said: "Keep him

And his brother in suspense

(For a while); and send

To the cities men to collect--

112. And bring up to thee

All (our) sorcerers well-versed.

113. So there came

The sorcerers to Pharaoh:

They said, "Of course

We shall have a (suitable)

Reward if we win!"

114. He said: "Yea, (and more),--

For ye shall in that case

Be (raised to posts)

Nearest (to my person)."

115. They said: "O Moses!

Wilt thou throw (first),

Or shall we have

The (first) throw?"

116. Said Moses: "Throw ye (first)."

So when they threw,

They bewitched the eyes

Of the people, and struck

Terror into them: for they

Showed a great (feat of) magic.

117. We put it into Moses's mind

By inspiration: "Throw (now)

Thy rod": and behold!

It swallows up straightway

All the falsehoods

Which they fake!

118. Thus truth was confirmed.

And all that they did

Was made of no effect.

119. So the (great ones) were vanquished

There and then, and were

Made to look small.

120. But the sorcerers fell down

Prostrate in adoration,

121. Saying: "We believe

In the Lord of the Worlds,--

122. "The Lord of Moses and Aaron.

123. Said Pharaoh: "Believe ye

In Him before I give

You permission? Surely

This is a trick which ye

Have planned in the City

To drive out its people:

But soon shall ye know

(The consequences).

124. "Be sure I will cut off

Your hands and your feet

On opposite sides, and I

Will cause you all

To die on the cross."

125. They said: "For us,

We are but sent back

Unto our Lord:

126. "But thou dost wreak

Thy vengeance on us

Simply because we believed

In the Signs of our Lord

When they reached us!

Our Lord! pour out on us

Patience and constancy, and take

Our souls unto Thee

As Muslims (who bow

To Thy Will)!

SECTION 15.

127. Said the chiefs of Pharaoh's

People: "Wilt thou leave

Moses and his people,

To spread mischief in the land,

And to abandon thee

And thy gods?" He said:

"Their male children will we

Slay; (only) their females

Will we save alive;

And we have over them

(Power) irresistible."

128. Said Moses to his people:

"Pray for help from God,.

And (wait) in patience and

constancy:

For the earth is God's,

To give as a heritage

To such of His servants

As He pleaseth; and the end

Is (best) for the righteous.

129. They said: "We have had

(Nothing but) trouble, both before

And after thou camest

To us." He said:

"It may be that your Lord

Will destroy your enemy

And make you inheritors

In the earth; that so

He may try you

By your deeds."

SECTION 16.

130. We punished the people

Of Pharaoh with years

(Of drought) and shortness

Of crops; that they might

Receive admonition.

131. But when good (times) came,

They said, "This is due

To us;" when gripped

By calamity, they ascribed it

To evil omens connected

With Moses and those with him!

Behold! in truth the omens

Of evil are theirs

In God's sight, but most

Of them do not understand!

132. They said (to Moses):

"Whatever be the Signs

Thou bringest, to work

Therewith thy sorcery on us,"

We shall never believe

In thee."

133. So We sent (plagues) on them:

Wholesale Death,

Locusts, Lice, Frogs,

And Blood: Signs openly

Self-explained: but they

Were steeped in arrogance,--

A people given to sin.

134. Every time the Penalty

Fell on them, they said:

"O Moses! on our behalf

Call on thy Lord in virtue

Of his promise to thee:

If thou wilt remove

The Penalty from us,

We shall truly believe in thee,

And we shall send away

The Children of Israel

With thee."

135. But every tune We removed

The Penalty from them

According to a fixed term

Which they had to fulfil,--

Behold! they broke their word!

136. So We exacted retribution

From them: We drowned them

In the sea, because they

Rejected Our Signs, and failed

To take warning from them.

137. And We made a people,

Considered weak (and of no account),

Inheritors of lands

In both East and West,--

Lands whereon We sent

Down Our blessings.

The fair promise of thy Lord

Was fulfilled for the Children

Of Israel, because they had

Patience and constancy,

And We levelled to the ground

The great Works and fine Buildings

Which Pharaoh and his people

Erected (with such pride).

138. We took the Children of Israel

(With safety) across the sea.

They came upon a people

Devoted entirely to some idols

They had. They said:

"O Moses! fashion for us

A god like unto the gods

They have." He said:

"Surely ye are a people

Without knowledge.

139. "As to these folk,--

The cult they are in

Is (but) a fragment of a ruin,

And vain is the (worship)

Which they practise."

140. He said: "Shall I seek for you

A god other than the (true)

God, when it is God

Who hath endowed you

With gifts above the nations?"

141. And remember We rescued you

From Pharaoh's people,

Who afflicted you with

The worst of penalties,

Who slew your male children

And saved alive your females:

In that was a momentous

Trial from your Lord.

SECTION 17.

142. We appointed for Moses

Thirty nights, and completed

(The period) with ten (more):

Thus was completed the term

(Of communion) with his Lord,

Forty nights. And Moses

Had charged his brother Aaron

(Before he went up):

"Act for me amongst my people:

Do right, and follow not

The way of those

Who do mischief."

143. When Moses came

To the place appointed by Us,

And his Lord addressed him,

He said: "O my Lord!

Show (Thyself) to me,

That I may look upon Thee."

God said, "By no means

Canst thou see Me (direct);

But look upon the mount;

If it abide

In its place, then

Shalt thou see Me."

When his Lord manifested

His glory on the Mount,

He made it as dust,

And Moses fell down

In a swoon. When he

Recovered his senses he said:

"Glory be to Thee! To Thee

I turn in repentance, and I

Am the first to believe."

144. (God) said: "O Moses!

I have chosen thee

Above (other) men,

By the mission I (have

Given thee) and the words

I (have spoken to thee):

Take then the (revelation)

Which I give thee,

And be of those

Who give thanks."

145. And We ordained laws

For him in the Tablets

In all matters, both

Commanding and explaining

All things, (and said):

"Take and hold these

With firmness, and enjoin

Thy people to hold fast

By the best in the precepts:

Soon shall I show you

The homes of the wicked,--

(How they lie desolate)."

146. Those who behave arrogantly

On the earth in defiance

Of right--them will I

Turn away from My Signs:

Even if they see all the Signs,

They will not believe in them;

And if they see the way

Of right conduct, they will

Not adopt it as the Way;

But if they see the way

Of error, that is

The Way they will adopt.

For they have rejected

Our Signs, and failed

To take warning from them.

147. Those who reject Our Signs

And the Meeting in the Hereafter,--

Vain are their deeds:

Can they expect to be rewarded

Except as they have wrought?

SECTION 18.

148. The people of Moses made,

In his absence, out of their ornaments,

The image of a calf,

(for worship):

It seemed to low: did they

Not see that it could

Neither speak to them, nor

Show them the Way?

They took it for worship

And they did wrong.

149. When they repented, and saw

That they had erred,

They said: "if our Lord

Have not mercy upon us

And forgive us, we shall

Indeed be of those who perish."

150. When Moses came back

To his people, angry and grieved,

He said: "Evil it is that ye

Have done in my place

In my absence: did ye

Make haste to bring on

The judgment of your Lord?"

He put down the Tablets,

Seized his brother by (the hair

Of) his head, and dragged him

To him. Aaron said:

"Son of my mother! The people

Did indeed reckon me

As naught, and went near

To slaying me! Make not

The enemies rejoice over

My misfortune, nor count thou

Me amongst the people

Of sin."

151. Moses prayed: "O my Lord!

Forgive me and my brother!

Admit us to Thy mercy!

For Thou art the Most Merciful

Of those who show mercy!"

SECTION 19.

152. Those who took the calf

(For worship) will indeed

Be overwhelmed with wrath

From their Lord, and with

Shame in this life:

Thus do We recompense

Those who invent (falsehoods).

153. But those who do wrong

But repent thereafter and

(Truly) believe,--verily

Thy Lord is thereafter

Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

154. When the anger of Moses

Was appeased, he took up

The Tablets: in the writing

Thereon was Guidance and Mercy

For such as fear their Lord.

155. And Moses chose seventy

Of his people for Our place

Of meeting: when they

Were seized with violent quaking,

He prayed: "O my Lord!

If it had been Thy Will

Thou couldst have destroyed,

Long before, both them

And me: wouldst Thou

Destroy us for the deeds

Of the foolish ones among us?

This is no more than

Thy trial: by it Thou causest

Whom Thou wilt to stray,

And Thou leadest whom

Thou wilt into the right path.

Thou art our Protector:

So forgive us and give us

Thy mercy; for Thou art

The Best of those who forgive.

156. "And ordain for us

That which is good,

In this life

And in the Hereafter:

For we have turned unto Thee."

He said: "With My Punishment

I visit whom I will;

But My Mercy extendeth

To all things. That (Mercy)

I shall ordain for those

Who do right, and practise

Regular charity, and those

Who believe in Our Signs;--

157. "Those who follow the Apostle,

The unlettered Prophet,

Whom they find mentioned

In their own (Scriptures),--

In the Law and the Gospel;--

For he commands them

What is just and forbids them

What is evil; he allows

Them as lawful what is good

(And pure) and prohibits them

From what is bad (and impure);

He releases them

From their heavy burdens

And from the yokes

That are upon them.

So it is those who believe

In him, honour him,

Help him, and follow the Light

Which is sent down with him,--

It is they who will prosper."

SECTION 20.

158. Say: "O men! I am sent

Unto you all, as the Apostle

Of God, to Whom belongeth

The dominion of the heavens

And the earth: there is no god

But He: it is He that giveth

Both life and death. So believe

In God and His Apostle,

The unlettered Prophet,

Who believeth in God

And His Words: follow him

That (so) ye may be guided."

159. Of the people of Moses

There is a section

Who guide and do justice

In the light of truth.

160. We divided them into twelve Tribes

Or nations. We directed

Moses by inspiration,

When his (thirsty) people asked

Him for water: "Strike the rock

With thy staff": out of it

There gushed forth twelve springs:

Each group knew its own place

For water. We gave them

The shade of clouds, and sent

Down to them manna and quails,

(Saying): "Eat of the good things

We have provided for you":

(But they rebelled); to Us

They did no harm, but

They harmed their own souls.

161. And remember it was

Said to them:

"Dwell in this town

And eat therein as ye wish,

But say the word of humility

And enter the gate

In a posture of humility:

We shall forgive you

Your faults; We shall increase

(The portion of) those who do good."

162. But the transgressors among them

Changed the word from that

Which had been given them

So we sent on them

A plague from heaven.

For that they repeatedly transgressed.

SECTION 21.

163. Ask them concerning the town

Standing close by the sea.

Behold! they transgressed

In the matter of the Sabbath.

For on the day of their Sabbath

Their fish did come to them,

Openly holding up their heads,

But on the day they had

No Sabbath, they came not:

Thus did We make a trial

Of them, for they were

Given to transgression.

164. When some of them said:

"Why do ye preach

To a people whom God

Will destroy or visit

With a terrible punishment?"--

Said the preachers: "To discharge

Our duty to your Lord,

And perchance they may fear Him."

165. When they disregarded the warnings

That had been given them,

We rescued those who forbade

Evil; but We visited

The wrong-doers with a

Grievous , because

They were given to transgression.

166. When in their insolence

They transgressed (all) prohibitions,

We said to them:

"Be ye apes,

Despised and rejected."

167. Behold! thy Lord did declare

That He would send

Against them, to the Day

Of Judgment, those who would

Afflict them with grievous

Penalty. Thy Lord is quick

In retribution, but He is also

Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

168. We broke them up

Into sections on this earth.

There are among them some

That are the righteous, and some

That are the opposite.

We have tried them

With both prosperity and adversity:

In order that they

Might turn (to Us).

169. After them succeeded

An (evil) generation: they

Inherited the Book, but

They chose (for themselves)

The vanities of this world,

Saying (for excuse): "(Everything)

Will be forgiven us."

(Even so), if similar vanities

Came their way, they would

(Again) seize them.

Was not the Covenant

Of the Book taken from them,

That they would not

Ascribe to God anything

But the truth? And they

Study what is in the Book.

But best for the righteous

Is the Home in the Hereafter.

Will ye not understand?

170. As to those who hold fast

By the Book and establish

Regular Prayer,--never

Shall we suffer the reward

Of the righteous to perish.

171. When We shook the Mount

Over them, as if it had been

A canopy, and they thought

It was going to fall on them

(We said): "Hold firmly

To what We have given you,

And bring (ever) to remembrance

What is therein;

Perchance ye may fear God."

SECTION 22.

172. When thy Lord drew forth

From the Children of Adam--

From their loins--

Their descendants, and made them

Testify concerning themselves, (saying):

"Am I not your Lord

(Who cherishes and sustains you)?"--

They said: "Yea!

We do testify!" (This), lest

Ye should say on the Day

Of Judgment: "Of this we

Were never mindful":

173. Or lest ye should say:

"Our fathers before us

May have taken false gods,

But we are (their) descendants

After them: wilt Thou then

Destroy us because of the deeds

Of men who were futile?"

174. Thus do We explain

The Signs in detail;

And perchance they may turn

(Unto Us).

175. Relate to them the story

Of the man to whom

We sent Our Signs,

But he passed them by:

So Satan followed him up,

And he went astray.

176. If it had been Our Will,

We should have elevated him

With Our Signs; but he

Inclined to the earth,

And followed his own vain desires.

His similitude is that

Of a dog: if you attack

Him, he lolls out his tongue,

Or if you leave him alone,

He (still) lolls out his tongue.

That is the similitude

Of those who reject Our Signs;

So relate the story;

Perchance they may reflect.

177. Evil as an example are

People who reject Our Signs

And wrong their own souls.

178. Whom God doth guide,

He is on the right path:

Whom He rejects from His guidance,--

Such are the persons who perish.

179. Many are the Jinns and men

We have made for Hell:

They have hearts wherewith they

Understand not, eyes wherewith

They see not, and ears wherewith

They hear not. They are

Like cattle,--nay more

Misguided: for they

Are heedless (of warning).

180. The most beautiful names

Belong to God:

So call on him by them;

But shun such men as

Use profanity in His names:

For what they do, they will

Soon be requited.

181. Of those We have created

Are people who direct

(Others) with truth.

And dispense justice therewith,

SECTION 23.

182. Those who reject Our Signs,

We shall gradually visit

With punishment, in ways

They perceive not;

183. Respite will I grant

Unto them: for My scheme

Is strong (and unfailing).

184. Do they not reflect?

Their Companion is not seized

With madness: he is but

A perspicuous warner.

185. Do they see nothing

In the government of the heavens

And the earth and all

That God hath created?

(Do they not see) that

It may well be that

Their term is nigh

Drawing to an end?

In what Message after this

Will they then believe?

186. To such as God rejects

From His guidance, there can be

No guide: He will

Leave them in their trespasses,

Wandering in distraction.

187. Whey ask thee about

The (final) Hour--when

Will be its appointed time?

Say: "The knowledge thereof

Is with my Lord (alone):

None but He can reveal

As to when it will occur.

Heavy were its burden through

The heavens and the earth.

Only, all of a sudden

Will it come to you."

They ask thee as if thou

Wert eager in search thereof:

Say: "The knowledge thereof

Is with God (alone),

But most men know not."

188. Say: "I have no power

Over any good or harm

To myself except as God

Willeth. If I had knowledge

Of the unseen, I should have

Multiplied all good, and no evil

Should have touched me:

I am but a warner,

And a bringer of glad tidings

To those who have faith."

SECTION 24.

189. It is He Who created

You from a single person,

And made his mate

Of like nature, in order

That he might dwell with her

(In love). When they are

United, she bears a light

Burden and carries it about

(Unnoticed). When she grows

Heavy, they both pray

To God their Lord, (saying):

"If Thou givest us

A goodly child,

We vow we shall

(Ever) be grateful."

190. But when He giveth them

A goodly child, they ascribe

To others a share in the gift

They have received:

But God is exalted

High above the partners

They ascribe to Him.

191. Do they indeed ascribe

To Him as partners things

That can create nothing,

But are themselves created?

192. No aid can they give them,

Nor can they aid themselves!

193. If ye call them to guidance,

They will not obey:

For you it is the same

Whether ye call them

Or ye hold your peace!

194. Verily those whom ye

Call upon besides God

Are servants like unto you:

Call upon them, and let them

Listen to your prayer,

If ye are (indeed) truthful!

195. Have they feet to walk with?

Or hands to lay hold with?

Or eyes to see with?

Or ears to hear with?

Say: "Call your 'god-partners',

Scheme (your worst) against me,

And give me no respite!

196. "For my Protector is God,

Who revealed the Book

(From time to time),

And He will choose

And befriend the righteous.

197. "But those ye call upon

Besides Him, are unable

To help you, and indeed

To help themselves."

198. If thou callest them

To guidance, they hear not.

Thou wilt see them

Looking at thee, but

They see not.

199. Hold to forgiveness;

Command what is right;

But turn away from the ignorant.

200. If a suggestion from Satan

Assail thy (mind)

Seek refuge with God;

For He heareth and knoweth

(All things).

201. Those who fear God,

When a thought of evil

From Satan assaults them,

Bring God to remembrance,

When lo! they see (aright)!

202. But their brethren (the evil ones)

Plunge them deeper into error,

And never relax (their efforts).

203. If thou bring them not

A revelation, they say:

"Why hast thou not

Got it together?"

Say: "I but follow

What is revealed to me

From my Lord:

This is (nothing but)

Lights from your Lord,

And Guidance, and Mercy,

For any who have Faith."

204. When the Qur-an is read,

Listen to it with attention,

And hold your peace:

That ye may receive Mercy.

205. And do thou (O reader!)

Bring thy Lord to remembrance

In thy (very) soul,

With humility and in reverence,

Without loudness in words,

In the mornings and evenings;

And be not thou

Of those who are unheedful.

206. Those who are near

To thy Lord, disdain not

To do Him worship:

They celebrate His praises,

And bow down before Him.

Sura VIII.

Anfal, or the Spoils of War.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. They ask thee concerning

(Things taken as) spoils of war.

Say: "(Such) spoils are

At the disposal of God

And the Apostle: so fear

God, and keep straight

The relations between yourselves:

Obey God and His Apostle,

If ye do believe."

2. For, Believers are those

Who, when God is mentioned,

Feel a tremor in their hearts,

And when they hear

His Signs rehearsed, find

Their faith strengthened,

And put (all) their trust

In their Lord;

3. Who establish regular prayers

And spend (freely) out of

The gifts We have given

Them for sustenance:

4. Such in truth are the Believers:

They have grades of dignity

With their Lord, and forgiveness,

And generous sustenance:

5. Just as thy Lord ordered thee

Out of thy house in truth,

Even though a party among

The Believers disliked it,

6. Disputing with thee concerning

The truth after it was made

Manifest, as if they were

Being driven to death

And they (actually) saw it.

7. Behold! God promised you

One of the two (enemy) parties,

That it should be yours:

Ye wished that the one

Unarmed should be yours,

But God willed

To justify the Truth

According to His words,

And to cut off the roots

Of the Unbelievers;--

8. That He might justify Truth

And prove Falsehood false,

Distasteful though it be

To those in guilt.

9. Remember ye implored

The assistance of your Lord,

And He answered you:

"I will assist you

With a thousand of the angels,

Ranks on ranks."

10. God made it but a message

Of hope, and an assurance

To your hearts: (in any case)

There is no help.

Except from God:

And God is Exalted in Power,

Wise.

SECTION 2.

11. Remember He covered you

With a sort of drowsiness,

To give you calm as from

Himself, and he caused

Rain to descend on you

From heaven, to clean you

Therewith, to remove from you

The stain of Satan,

To strengthen your hearts,

And to plant your feet

Firmly therewith.

12. Remember thy Lord inspired

The angels (with the message):

"I am with you: give

Firmness to the Believers:

I will instil terror

Into the hearts of the Unbelievers:

Smite ye above their necks

And smite all their

Finger-tips off them.

13. This because they contended

Against God and His Apostle:

If any contend against God

And His Apostle, God

Is strict in punishment.

14. Thus (will it be said): "Taste ye

Then of the (punishment):

For those who resist God,

Is the penalty of the Fire."

15. O ye who believe!

When ye meet

The Unbelievers

In hostile array,

Never turn your backs

To them.

16. If any do turn his back

To them on such a day--

Unless it be in a stratagem

Of war, or to retreat

To a troop (of his own)--

He draws on himself

The wrath of God,

And his abode is Hell,--

An evil refuge (indeed)!

17. It is not ye who

Slew them; it was God:

When thou threwest (a handful

Of dust), it was not

Thy act, but God's:

In order that He might

Test the Believers

By a gracious trial

From Himself: for God

Is He Who heareth

And knoweth (all things).

18. That, and also because

God is He Who makes feeble

The plans and stratagems

Of the Unbelievers.

19. (O Unbelievers!) if ye prayed

For victory and judgment,

Now hath the judgment

Come to you: if ye desist

(From wrong), it will be

Best for you: if ye return

(To the attack), so shall We.

Not the least good

Will your forces be to you

Even if they were multiplied:

For verily God

Is with those who believe!

SECTION 3.

20. O ye who believe!

Obey God and His Apostle,

And turn not away from him

When ye hear (him speak).

21. Nor be like those who say,

"We hear," but listen not:

22. For the worst of beasts

In the sight of God

Are the deaf and the dumb,--

Those who understand not.

23. If God had found in them

Any good, He would indeed

Have made them listen:

(As it is), if He had made them

Listen, they would but have

Turned back and declined (faith).

24. O ye who believe!

Give your response to God

And His Apostle, when He

Calleth you to that which

Will give you life;

And know that God

Cometh in between a man

And his heart, and that

It is He to Whom

Ye shall (all) be gathered.

25. And fear tumult or oppression,

Which affecteth not in particular

(Only) those of you who do wrong:

And know that God

Is strict in punishment.

26. Call to mind when ye

Were a small (band),

Despised through the land,

And afraid that men might

Despoil and kidnap you;

But He provided a safe asylum

For you, strengthened you

With His aid, and gave you

Good things for sustenance:

That ye might be grateful.

27. O ye that believe!

Betray not the trust

Of God and the Apostle,

Nor misappropriate knowingly

Things entrusted to you.

28. And know ye

That your possessions

And your progeny

Are but a trial;

And that it is God

With whom lies

Your highest reward.

SECTION 4

29. O ye who believe!

If ye fear God,

He will grant you a Criterion

(To judge between right and wrong),

Remove from you (all) evil

(That may afflict) you,

And forgive you:

For God is the Lord

Of grace unbounded.

30. Remember how the Unbelievers

Plotted against thee, to keep

Thee in bonds, or slay thee,

Or get thee out (of thy home).

They plot and plan,

And God too plans,

But the best of planners

Is God.

31. When Our Signs are rehearsed

To them, they say: "We

Have heard this (before):

If we wished, we could

Say (words) like these:

These are nothing

But tales of the ancients."

32. Remember how they said:

"O God! if this is indeed

The Truth from Thee,

Rain down on as a shower

Of stones from the sky,

Or send us a grievous Penalty.

33. But God was not going

To send them a Penalty

Whilst thou wast amongst them;

Nor was He going to send it

Whilst they could ask for pardon

34. But what plea have they

That God should not punish

Them, when they keep out

(Men) from the Sacred Mosque--

And they are not its guardians?

No men can be its guardians

Except the righteous; but most

Of them do not understand.

35. Their prayer at the House

(Of God) is nothing but

Whistling and clapping of hands:

(Its only answer can be),

"Taste ye the Penalty

Because ye blasphemed."

36. The Unbelievers spend their wealth

To hinder (men) from the path

Of God, and so will they

Continue to spend; but

In the end they will have

(Only) regrets and sighs;

At length they will be overcome:

And the Unbelievers will be

Gathered together to Hell;--

37. In order that God may separate

The impure from the pure,

Put the impure, one on another,

Heap them together, and cast them

Into Hell. They will be

The ones to have lost.

SECTION 5.

38. Say to the Unbelievers,

If (now) they desist (from Unbelief),

Their past would be forgiven them;

But if they persist, the punishment

Of those before them is already

(A matter of warning for them).

39. And fight them on

Until there is no

Tumult or oppression,

And there prevail

Justice and faith in God

Altogether and everywhere;

But if they cease, verily God

Doth see all that they do.

40. If they refuse, be sure

That God is your Protector--

The Best to protect

And the Best to help.

41. And know that out of

All the booty that ye

May acquire (in war),

A fifth share is assigned

To God,--and to the Apostle,

And to near relatives,

Orphans, the needy,

And the wayfarer,

If ye do believe in God

And in the revelation

We sent down to Our Servant

On the Day of Testing,--

The Day of the meeting

Of the two forces.

For God hath power

Over all things.

42. Remember ye were

On the hither side

Of the valley, and they

On the farther side,

And the caravan

On lower ground than ye.

Even if ye had made

A mutual appointment

To meet, ye would certainly:

Have failed in the appointment:

But (thus ye met),

That God might accomplish

A matter already enacted;

That those who died might

Die after a clear Sign

(Had been given), and those who lived

Might live after a Clear Sign

(Had been given). And verily

God is He who heareth

And knoweth (all things).

43. Remember in thy dream

God showed them to thee

As few: if He had shown

Them to thee as many,

Ye would surely have been

Discouraged, and ye would

Surely have disputed

In (your) decision: but God

Saved (you): for He knoweth

Well the (secrets) of (all) hearts.

44. And remember when ye met,

He showed them to you

As few in your eyes,

And He made you appear

As contemptible in their eyes:

That God might accomplish

A matter already enacted.

For to God do all questions

Go back (for decision).

SECTION 6.

45. O ye who believe!

When ye meet a force,

Be firm, and call God

In remembrance much (and often);

That ye may prosper:

46. And obey God and His Apostle;

And fall into no disputes,

Lest ye lose heart

And your power depart;

And be patient and persevering:

For God is with those

Who patiently persevere:

47. And be not like those

Who started from their homes

Insolently and to be seen of men,

And to hinder (men)

From the path of God:

For God compasseth round about

All that they do.

48. Remember Satan made

Their (sinful) acts seem

Alluring to them, and said:

"No one among men

Can overcome you this day,

While I am near to you":

But when the two forces

Came in sight of each other,

He turned on his heels,

And said: "Lo! I am clear

Of you; to! I see

What ye see not;

Lo! I fear God; for God

Is strict in punishment.

SECTION 7.

49. Lo! the Hypocrites say, and those

In whose hearts is a disease:

"These people,--their religion

Has misled them." But

If any trust in God, behold!

God is Exalted in might, Wise.

50. If thou couldst see,

When the angels take the souls

Of the Unbelievers (at death),

(How) they smite their faces

And their backs, (saying):

"Taste the Penalty of the blazing Fire--

51. "Because of (the deeds) which

Your (own) hands sent forth:

For God is never unjust

To His servants:

52. "(Deeds) after the manner

Of the People of Pharaoh

And of those before them:

They rejected the Signs of God,

And God punished them

For their crimes: for God

Is Strong, and Strict in punishment:

53. "Because God will never change

The Grace which He hath bestowed

On a people until they change

What is in their (own) souls:

And verily God is He

Who heareth and knoweth (all things)."

54. "(Deeds) after the manner

Of the People of Pharaoh

And those before them":

They treated as false the Signs

Of their Lord: so We

Destroyed them for their crimes,

And We drowned the People

Of Pharaoh: for they were all

Oppressors and wrong-doers.

55. For the worst of beasts

In the sight of God

Are those who reject Him:

They will not believe.

56. They are those with whom

Thou didst make a covenant,

But they break their covenant

Every time, and they have not

The fear (of God).

57. If ye gain the mastery

Over them in war,

Disperse, with them, those

Who follow them,

That they may remember.

58. If thou fearest treachery

From any group, throw back

(Their Covenant) to them, (so as

To be) on equal terms:

For God loveth not the treacherous.

SECTION 8.

59. Let not the Unbelievers

Think that they can

Get the better (of the godly):

They will never frustrate (them).

60. Against them make ready

Your strength to the utmost

Of your power, including

Steeds of war, to strike terror

Into (the hearts of) the enemies,

Of God and your enemies,

And others besides, whom

Ye may not know, but whom

God doth know. Whatever

Ye shall spend in the Cause

Of God, shall be repaid

Unto you, and ye shall not

Be treated unjustly.

61. But if the enemy

Incline towards peace,

Do thou (also) incline

Towards peace, and trust

In God: for He is the One

That heareth and knoweth

(All things).

62. Should they intend

To deceive thee,--verily God

Sufficeth thee: He it is

That hath strengthened thee

With his aid and

With (the company of)

The Believers;

63. And (moreover) He hath put

Affection between their hearts:

Not if thou hadst spent

All that is in the earth,

Couldst thou have produced

That affection, but God

Hath done it: for He

Is Exalted in might, Wise.

64. O Apostle! Sufficient

Unto thee is God,--

(Unto thee) and unto those

Who follow thee

Among the Believers.

SECTION 9.

65. O Apostle! rouse the Believers

To the fight. If there are

Twenty amongst you, patient

And persevering, they will

Vanquish two hundred: if a hundred,

They will vanquish a thousand

Of the Unbelievers: for these

Are a people without understanding.

66. For the present, God

Hath lightened your (task),

For He knoweth that there is

A weak spot in you:

But (even so), if there are

A hundred of you, patient

And persevering, they will

Vanquish two hundred, and if

A thousand, they will vanquish

Two thousand, with the leave

Of God: for God is with those

Who patiently persevere.

67. It is not fitting

For an Apostle

That he should have

Prisoners of war until

He hath thoroughly subdued

The land. Ye look

For the temporal goods

Of this world; but God

Looketh to the Hereafter:

And God is Exalted in might, Wise.

68. Had it not been for

A previous ordainment

From God, a severe penalty

Would have reached you

For the (ransom) that ye took.

69. But (now) enjoy what ye took

In war, lawful and good:

But fear God: for God

Is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

SECTION 10.

70, O Apostle! say to those

Who are captives in your hands:

"If God findeth any good

In your hearts, He will

Give you something better

Than what has been taken

From you, and He will

Forgive you: for God

Is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."

71. But if they have

Treacherous designs against thee,

(O Apostle!), they have already

Been in treason against God,

And so hath He given

(Thee) power over them.

And God is He who hath

(Full) knowledge and wisdom.

72. Those who believed,

And adopted exile,

And fought for the Faith,

With their property

And their persons,

In the cause of God,

As well as those

Who gave (them) asylum

And aid,--these are (all)

Friends and protectors,

One of another.

As to those who believed

But came not into exile,

Ye owe no duty

Of protection to them

Until they come into exile;

But if they seek

Your aid in religion,

It is your duty

To help them,

Except against a people

With whom ye have

A treaty of mutual alliance.

And (remember) God

Seeth all that ye do.

73. The Unbelievers are

Protectors, one of another:

Unless ye do this,

(Protect each other),

There would be

Tumult and oppression

On earth, and great mischief.

74. Those who believe,

And adopt exile,

And tight for the Faith,

In the cause of God,

As well as those

Who give (them) asylum

And aid,--these are (all)

In very truth the Believers:

For them is the forgiveness

Of sins and a provision

Most generous.

75. And those who

Accept Faith subsequently,

And adopt exile,

And fight for the Faith

In your company,

They are of you.

But kindred by blood

Have prior rights

Against each other

In the Book of God.

Verily God is well-acquainted

With all things.

Sura IX.

Tauba (Repentance) or Baraat (Immunity).

1. A (declaration) of immunity

From God and His Apostle,

To those of the Pagans

With whom ye have contracted

Mutual alliances:--

2. Go ye, then, for four months,

Backwards and forwards,

(As ye will), throughout the land,

But know ye that ye cannot

Frustrate God (lay your falsehood)

But that God will cover

With shame those who reject Him.

3. And an announcement from God

And His Apostle, to the people

(Assembled) on the day

Of the Great Pilgrimage,--

That God and His Apostle

Dissolve (treaty) obligations

With the Pagans.

If, then, ye repent,

It were best for you;

But if ye turn away,

Know ye that ye cannot

Frustrate God. And proclaim

A grievous penalty to those

Who reject Faith.

4. (But the treaties are)not dissolved

With those Pagans with whom

Ye have entered into alliance

And who have not subsequently

Failed you in aught,

Nor aided any one against you.

So fulfil your engagements

With them to the end

Of their term: for God

Loveth the righteous.

5. But when the forbidden months

Are past, then fight and slay

The Pagans wherever ye find them,

And seize them, beleaguer them,

And lie in wait for them

In every stratagem (of war);

But if they repent,

And establish regular prayers

And practise regular charity,

Then open the way for them:

For God is Oft-forgiving,

Most Merciful.

6. If one amongst the Pagans

Ask thee for asylum,

Grant it to him,

So that he may hear the Word

Of God; and then escort him

To where he can be secure.

That is because they are

Men without knowledge.

SECTION 2.

7. How can there be a league,

Before God and His Apostle,

With the Pagans, except those

With whom ye made a treaty

Near the Sacred Mosque?

As long as these stand true

To you, stand ye true to them:

For God doth love the righteous.

8. How (can there be such a league),

Seeing that if they get an advantage

Over you, they respect not

In you the ties either of kinship

Or of covenant? With (fair words

From) their mouths they entice you,

But their hearts are averse

From you; and most of them

Are rebellious and wicked.

9. The Signs of God have they sold

For a miserable price,

And (many) have they hindered

From His Way: evil indeed

Are the deeds they have done.

10. In a Believer they respect not

The ties either of kinship

Or of covenant! It is they

Who have transgressed all bounds.

11. But (even so), if they repent,

Establish regular prayers,

And practise regular charity,--

They are your brethren in Faith:

(Thus) do We explain the Signs

in detail, for those who understand.

12. But if they violate their oaths

After their covenant,

And taunt you for your Faith,--

Fight ye the chiefs of Unfaith:

For their oaths are nothing to them:

That thus they may be restrained.

13. Will ye not fight people

Who violated their oaths,

Plotted to expel the Apostle,

And took the aggressive

By being the first (to assault) you?

Do ye fear them? Nay,

It is God Whom ye should

More justly fear, if ye believe!

14. Fight them, and God will

Punish them by your hands,

Cover them with shame,

Help you (to victory) over them,

Heal the breasts of Believers,

15. And still the indignation of their hearts!

For God will turn (in mercy)

To whom He will; and God

Is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

16. Or think ye that ye

Shall be abandoned,

As though God did not know'

Those among you who strive

With might and main, and take

None for friends and protectors

Except God, His Apostle,

And the (community of) Believers?

But God is well-acquainted

With (all) that ye do.

SECTION 3.

17. It is not for such

As join gods with God,

To visit or maintain

The mosques of God

While they witness

Against their own souls

To infidelity. The works

Of such bear no fruit:

In Fire shall they dwell.

18. The mosques of God

Shall be visited and maintained

By such as believe in God

And the Last Day, establish

Regular prayers, and practise

Regular charity, and fear

None (at all) except God.

It is they who are expected

To be on true guidance!

19. Do ye make the giving

Of drink to pilgrims,

Or the maintenance of

The Sacred Mosque, equal

To (the pious service of) those

Who believe in God

And the Last Day, and strive

With might and main

In the cause of God?

They are not comparable

In the sight of God:

And God guides not

Those who do wrong.

20. Those who believe, and suffer

Exile and strive with might

And main, in God's cause,

With their goods and their persons,

Have the highest rank

In the sight of God:

They are the people

Who will achieve (salvation).

21. Their Lord doth give them

Glad tidings of a Mercy

From Himself, of His good pleasure,

And of Gardens for them,

Wherein are delights

That endure:

22. They will dwell therein

For ever. Verily in God's presence

Is a reward, the greatest (of all).

23. O ye who believe! Take not

For protectors your fathers

And your brothers if they love

Infidelity above Faith:

If any of you do so,

They do wrong.

24. Say; If it be that your fathers,

Your sons, your brothers,

Your mates, or your kindred;

The wealth that ye have gained;

The commerce in which ye fear

A decline: or the dwellings

In which ye delight--

Are dearer to you than God,

Or His Apostle, or the striving

In His cause;--then wait

Until God brings about

His Decision: and God

Guides not the rebellious.

SECTION 4.

25. Assuredly God did help you

In many battle-fields

And on the day of Hunain:

Behold! your great numbers

Elated you, but they availed

You naught: the land,

For all that it is wide,

Did. constrain you, and ye

Turned back in retreat.

26. But God did pour His calm

On the Apostle and on the Believers,

And sent down forces which ye

Saw not: He punished

The Unbelievers: thus doth He

Reward those without Faith.

27. Again will God, after this,

Turn (in mercy) to whom

He will: for God

Is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

28. O ye who believe! Truly

The Pagans are unclean;

So let them not,

After this year of theirs,

Approach the Sacred Mosque.

And if ye fear poverty,

Soon will God enrich you,

If He wills, out of His bounty,

For God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

29. Fight those who believe not

In God nor the Last Day,

Nor hold that forbidden

Which hath been forbidden

By God and His Apostle,

Nor acknowledge the Religion

Of Truth, (even if they are)

Of the People of the Book,

Until they pay the Jizya

With willing submission,

And feel themselves subdued.

SECTION 5.

30. The Jews call 'Uzair a son

Of God, and the Christians

Call Christ the Son of God.

That is a saying from their mouth;

(In this) they but imitate

What the Unbelievers of old

Used to say. God's curse

Be on them: how they are deluded

Away from the Truth!

31. They take their priests

And their anchorites to be

Their lords in derogation of God,

And (they take as their Lord)

Christ the son of Mary;

Yet they were commanded

To worship but One God:

There is no god but He.

Praise and glory to Him

(Far is He) from having

The partners they associate

(With Him).

32. Fain would they extinguish

God's Light with their mouths,

But God will not allow

But that His Light should be

Perfected, even though the Unbelievers

May detest (it).

33. It is He Who hath sent

His Apostle with Guidance

And the Religion of Truth,

To proclaim it

Over all religion,

Even though the Pagans

May detest (it).

34. O ye who believe! There are

Indeed many among the priests

And anchorites, who in falsehood

Devour the substance of men

And hinder (them) from the Way

Of God. And there are those

Who bury gold and silver

And spend it not in the Way.

Of God: announce unto them

A most grievous penalty--

35. On the Day when heat

Will be produced out of

That (wealth) in the fire

Of Hell, and with it will be

Branded their foreheads,

Their flanks, and their backs.

--"This is the (treasure) which ye

Buried for yourselves: taste ye,

Then, the (treasures) ye buried!"

36. The number of months

In the sight of God

Is twelve (in a year)

So ordained by Him

The day He created

The heavens and the earth;

Of them four are sacred:

That is the straight usage.

So wrong not yourselves

Therein, and fight the Pagans

All together as they

Fight you all together.

But know that God

Is with those who restrain

Themselves.

37. Verily the transposing

(Of a prohibited month)

Is an addition to Unbelief:

The Unbelievers are led

To wrong thereby: for they make

It lawful one year,

And forbidden another year,

In order to adjust the number

Of months forbidden by God

And make such forbidden ones

Lawful. The evil of their course

Seems pleasing to them.

But God guideth not

Those who reject Faith.

SECTION 6.

38. O ye who believe! what

Is the matter with you,

That, when ye are asked

To go forth in the Cause of God,

Ye cling heavily to the earth?

Do ye prefer the life

Of this world to the Hereafter?

But little is the comfort

Of this life, as compared

With the Hereafter.

39. Unless ye go forth,

He will punish you

With a grievous penalty,

And put others in your place;

But Him ye would not harm

In the least. For God

Hath power over all things.

40. If ye help not (your Leader),

(it is no matter): for God

Did indeed help him,

When the Unbelievers

Drove him out: he had

No more than one companion:

They two were in the Cave,

And he said to his companion,

"Have no fear, for God

Is with us": then God

Sent down His peace upon him,

And strengthened him with forces

Which ye saw not, and humbled

To the depths the word

Of the Unbelievers.

But the word of God

Is exalted to the heights:

For God is Exalted in might, Wise

41. Go ye forth, (whether equipped)

Lightly or heavily, and strive

And struggle, with your goods

And your persons, in the Cause

Of God. That is best

For you, if ye (but) knew.

42. If there had been

Immediate gain (in sight),

And the journey easy,

They would (all) without doubt

Have followed thee, but

The distance was long,

(And weighed) on them.

They would indeed swear

By God, "If we only could,

We should certainly

Have come out with you:"

They would destroy their own souls;

For God doth know

That they are certainly lying.

SECTION 7.

43. God give thee grace! Why

Didst thou grant them exemption

Until those who told the truth

Were seen by thee in a clear light,

And thou hadst proved the liars?

44. Those who believe in God

And the Last Day ask thee

For no exemption from fighting

With their goods and persons.

And God knoweth well

Those who do their duty.

45. Only those ask thee for exemption

Who believe not in God

And the Last Day, and

Whose hearts are in doubt,

So that they are tossed

In their doubts to and fro.

46. If they had intended

To come out, they would

Certainly have made

Some preparation therefor;

But God was averse

To their being sent forth;

So He made them lag behind,

And they were told,

"Sit ye among those

Who sit (inactive)."

47. If they had come out

With you, they would not

Have added to your (strength)

But only (made for) disorder,

Hurrying to and fro in your midst

And sowing sedition among you,

And there would have been

Some among you

Who would have listened to them.

But God knoweth well

Those who do wrong.

48. Indeed they had plotted

Sedition before, and upset

Matters for thee,--until

The Truth arrived, and the Decree

Of God became manifest,

Much to their disgust.

49. Among them is (many) a man

Who says: "Grant me exemption

And draw me not.

Into trial." Have they not

Fallen into trial already?

And indeed Hell surrounds

The Unbelievers (on all sides).

50. If good befalls thee,

It grieves them; but if

A misfortune befalls thee,

They say, "We took indeed

Our precautions beforehand,"

And they turn away rejoicing.

51. Say: "Nothing will happen to us

Except what God has decreed

For us: He is our Protector":

And on God let the Believers

Put their trust.

52. Say: "Can you expect for us

(Any fate) other than one

Of two glorious things--

(Martyrdom or victory)?

But we can expect for you

Either that God will send

His punishment from Himself,

Or by our hands. So wait

(Expectant); we too

Will wait with you."

53. Say: "Spend (for the Cause)

Willingly or unwillingly:

Not from you will it be

Accepted: for ye are indeed

A people rebellious and wicked."

54. The only reasons why

Their contributions are not

Accepted are: that they reject

God and His Apostle;

That they come to prayer

Without earnestness; and that

They offer contributions unwillingly.

55. Let not their wealth rats

Nor their (following in) sons

Dazzle thee: in reality

God's Plan is to punish them

With these things in this life,

And that their souls may perish

In their (very) denial of God.

56. They swear by God

That they are indeed

Of you; but they are not

Of you: yet they are afraid

(To appear in their true colours).

57. If they could find

A place to flee to,

Or caves, or a place

Of concealment, they would

Turn straightway thereto,

With an obstinate rush.

58. And among them are men

Who slander thee in the matter

Of (the distribution of) the alms:

If they are given part thereof,

They are pleased, but if not,

Behold! they are indignant!

59. If only they had been content

With what God and His Apostle

Gave them, and had said,

"Sufficient unto us is God!

God and His Apostle will soon

Give us of His bounty:

To God do we turn our hopes!"

(That would have been the right course).

SECTION 8.

60. Alms are for the poor

And the needy, and those

Employed to administer the (funds);

For those whose hearts

Have been (recently) reconciled

(To Truth); for those in bondage

And in debt; in the cause

Of God; and for the wayfarer:

(Thus is it) ordained by God,

And God is full of knowledge

And wisdom.

61. Among them are men

Who molest the Prophet

And say, "He is (all) ear."

Say, "He listens to what is

Best for you: he believes

In God, has faith

In the Believers, and is a Mercy

To those of you who believe."

But those who molest the Apostle

Will have a grievous penalty.

62. To you they swear by God.

In order to please you:

But it is more fitting

That they should please

God and His Apostle,

If they are Believers.

63. Know they not that for those

Who oppose God and His Apostle,

Is the Fire of Hell?--

Wherein they shall dwell.

That is the supreme disgrace.

64. The Hypocrites are afraid

Lest a Sura should be sent down

About them, showing them what

Is (really passing) in their hearts.

Say: "Mock ye! But verily

God will bring to light all

That ye fear (should be revealed).

65. If thou dost question them,

They declare (with emphasis):

"We were only talking idly

And in play." Say: "Was it

At God, and His Signs,

And His Apostle, that ye

Were mocking?"

66. Make ye no excuses:

Ye have rejected Faith

After ye had accepted it.

If We pardon some of you,

We will punish others amongst you,

For that they are in sin.

SECTION 9.

67. The Hypocrites, men and women,

(Have an understanding) with each other:

They enjoin evil, and forbid

What is just, and are close

With their hands. They have

Forgotten God; so He

Hath forgotten them. Verily

The Hypocrites are rebellious

And perverse.

68. God hath promised the Hypocrites

Men and women, and the rejecters,

Of Faith, the fire of Hell:

Therein shall they dwell:

Sufficient is it for them:

For them is the curse of God,

And an enduring punishment,--

69. As in the case of those

Before you: they were

Mightier than you in power,

And more flourishing in wealth

And children. They had

Their enjoyment of their portion:

And ye have of yours, as did

Those before you; and ye

Indulge in idle talk

As they did. They!--

Their works are fruitless

In this world and in the Hereafter,

And they will lose

(All spiritual good).

70. Hath not the story reached them

Of those before them?--

The people of Noah, and 'Ad,

And Thamud; the people

Of Abraham, the men

Of Midian, and the Cities overthrown.

To them came their apostles

With Clear Signs. It is

Not God Who wrongs them,

But they wrong their own souls.

71. The Believers, men

And women, are protectors,

One of another: they enjoin

What is just, and forbid

What is evil: they observe

Regular prayers, practise

Regular charity, and obey

God and His Apostle.

On them will God pour

His mercy: for God

Is Exalted in power, Wise:

72. God hath promised to Believers,

Men and women, Gardens

Under which rivers flow,

To dwell therein,

And beautiful mansions

In Gardens of everlasting bliss.

But the greatest bliss

Is the Good Pleasure of God:

That is the supreme felicity.

SECTION 10.

73. O Prophet! strive hard against

The Unbelievers and the Hypocrites,

And be firm against them.

Their abode is Hell,--

An evil refuge indeed.

74. They swear by God that they

Said nothing (evil), but indeed

They uttered blasphemy,

And they did it after accepting

Islam; and they meditated

A plot which they were unable

To carry out: this revenge

Of theirs was (their) only return

For the bounty with which

God and His Apostle had enriched

Them! If they repent,

It will be best for them;

But if they turn back

(To their evil ways),

God will punish them

With a grievous penalty

In this life and in the Hereafter:

They shall have none on earth

To protect or help them.

75. Amongst them are men

Who made a Covenant with God,

That if He bestowed on them

Of His bounty, they would give

(Largely) in charity, and be truly

Amongst those who are righteous.

76. But when He did bestow

Of His bounty, they became

Covetous, and turned back

(From their Covenant), averse

(From its fulfilment).

77. So He hath put as a consequence

Hypocrisy into their hearts,

(To last) till the Day whereon

They shall meet Him: because

They broke their Covenant

With God, and because they

Lied (again and again).

78. Know they not that God

Doth know their secret (thoughts)

And their secret counsels,

And that God knoweth well

All things unseen?

79. Those who slander such

Of the Believers as give themselves

Freely to (deeds of) charity,

As well as such as can find

Nothing to give except

The fruits of their labour,--

And throw ridicule on them,--

God will throw back

Their ridicule on them:

And they shall have

A grievous penalty.

80. Whether thou ask

For their forgiveness,

Or not, (their sin is unforgivable):

If thou ask seventy times

For their forgiveness, God

Will not forgive them:

Because they have rejected

God and His Apostle: and God

Guideth not those

Who are perversely rebellious.

SECTION 11.

81. Those who were left behind

(In the Tabuk expedition)

Rejoiced in their inaction

Behind the back of the Apostle

Of God: they hated to strive

And fight, with their goods

And their persons, in the Cause

Of God: they said,

"Go not forth in the heat."

Say, "The fire of Hell

Is fiercer in heat." If

Only they could understand!

82. Let them laugh a little:

Much will they weep:

A recompense for the (evil)

That they do.

83. If, then, God bring thee back

To any of them, and they ask

Thy permission to come out

(With thee), say: "Never shall ye

Come out with me, nor fight

An enemy with me:

For ye preferred to sit

Inactive on the first occasion:

Then sit ye (now)

With those who lag behind."

84. Nor do thou ever pray

For any of them that dies,

Nor stand at his grave;

For they rejected God

And His Apostle, and died

In a state of perverse rebellion.

85. Nor let their wealth

Nor their (following in) sons

Dazzle thee: God's Plan

Is to punish them

With these things in this world,

And that their souls may perish

In their (very) denial of God.

86. When a Sura comes down,

Enjoining them to believe

In God and to strive and fight

Along with His Apostle,

Those with wealth and influence

Among them ask thee

For exemption, and say:

"Leave us (behind): we

Would be with those

Who sit (at home)."

87. They prefer to be with (the women),

Who remain behind (at home):

Their hearts are sealed

And so they understand not.

88. But the Apostle, and those

Who believe with him,

Strive and fight with their wealth

And their persons: for them

Are (all) good things:

And it is they

Who will prosper.

89. God hath prepared for them

Gardens under which rivers flow,

To dwell therein:

That is the supreme felicity.

SECTION 12.

90. And there were, among

The desert Arabs (also),

Men who made excuses

And came to claim exemption;

And those who were false

To God and His Apostle

(Merely) sat inactive.

Soon will a grievous penalty

Seize the Unbelievers

Among them.

91. There is no blame

On those who are infirm,

Or ill, or who find

No resources to spend

(On the Cause), if they

Are sincere (in duty) to God

And His Apostle:

No ground (of complaint)

Can there be against such

As do right: and God

Is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

92. Nor (is there blame)

On those who came to thee

To be provided with mounts,

And when thou saidst,

"I can find no mounts

For you, "they turned back,

Their eyes streaming with tears

Of grief that they had

No resources wherewith

To provide the expenses.

93. The ground (of complaint)

Is against such as claim

Exemption while they are rich.

They prefer to stay

With the (women) who remain

Behind: God hath sealed

Their hearts; so they know not

(What they miss).

94. They will present their excuses

To you when ye return

To them. Say thou: "Present

No excuses: we shall not

Believe you: God hath already

Informed us of the true state

Of matters concerning you:

It is your actions that God

And His Apostle will observe:

In the end will ye

Be brought back to Him

Who knoweth what is hidden

And what is open:

Then will He show you

The truth of all

That ye did."

95. They will swear to you by God,

When ye return to them,

That ye may leave them alone.

So leave them alone:

For they are an abomination,

And Hell is their dwelling-place,--

A fitting recompense

For the (evil) that they did.

96. They will swear unto you,

That ye may be pleased with them,

But if ye are pleased with them,

God is not pleased

With those who disobey.

97. The Arabs of the desert

Are the worst in unbelief

And hypocrisy, and most fitted

To be in ignorance

Of the command which God

Hath sent down to His Apostle:

But God is All-Knowing,

All-Wise.

98. Some of the desert Arabs

Look upon their payments

As a fine, and watch

For disasters for you: on them

Be the disaster of Evil:

For God is He that heareth

And knoweth (all things).

99. But some of the desert Arabs

Believe in God and the Last Day,

And look on their payments

As pious gifts bringing them

Nearer to God and obtaining

The prayers of the Apostle.

Aye, indeed they bring them

Nearer (to Him): soon will God

Admit them to His Mercy:

For God is Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful.

SECTION 13.

100. The vanguard (of Islam)--

The first of those who forsook

(Their homes) and of those

Who gave them aid, and (also)

Those who follow them

In (all) good deeds,--

Well-pleased is God with them,

As are they with Him:

For them hath He prepared

Gardens under which rivers flow,

To dwell therein for ever:

That is the supreme Felicity.

101. Certain of the desert Arabs

Round about you are Hypocrites,

As well as (desert Arabs) among

The Medina folk: they are

Obstinate in hypocrisy: thou

Knowest them not: We know them:

Twice shall We punish them:

And in addition shall they be

Sent to a grievous Penalty.

102. Others (there are who) have

Acknowledged their wrong-doings:

They have mixed an act

That was good with another

That was evil. Perhaps God

Will turn unto them (in mercy):

For God is Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful.

103. Of their goods take alms,

That so thou mightest

Purify and sanctify them;

And pray on their behalf.

Verily thy prayers are a source

Of security for them:

And God is One

Who heareth and knoweth.

104. Know they not that God

Doth accept repentance from

His votaries and receives

Their gifts of charity, and that

God is verily He,

The Oft-Returning, Most Merciful?

105. And say: "Work (righteousness):

Soon will God observe your work,

And His Apostle, and the Believers:

Soon will ye be brought back

To the Knower of what is

Hidden and what is open:

Then will He show you

The truth of all that ye did."

106. There are (yet) others,

Held in suspense for the command

Of God, whether He will

Punish them, or turn in mercy

To them: and God

Is All-Knowing, Wise.

107. And there are those

Who put up a mosque

By way of mischief and infidelity--

To disunite the Believers

And in preparation for one

Who warred against God

And His Apostle aforetime.

They will indeed swear

That their intention is nothing

But good; but God doth declare

That they are certainly liars.

108. Never stand thou forth therein.

There is a mosque whose foundation

Was laid from the first day

On piety; it is more worthy

Of thy standing forth (for prayer)

Therein. In it are men who

Love to be purified; and God

Loveth those who make themselves pure.

109. Which then is best?--he that

Layeth his foundation

On piety to God

And His Good Pleasure?--or he

That layeth his foundation

On an undermined sand-cliff

Ready to crumble to pieces?

And it doth crumble to pieces

With him, into the fire

Of Hell. And God guideth not

People that do wrong.

110. The foundation of those

Who so build is never free

From suspicion and shakiness

In their hearts, until

Their hearts are cut to pieces.

And God is All-Knowing, Wise.

SECTION 14.

111. God hath purchased of the Believers

Their persons and their goods;

For theirs (in return)

Is the Garden (of Paradise):

They fight in His Cause,

And slay and are slain:

A promise binding on Him

In Truth, through the Law,

The Gospel, and the Qur-an:

And who is more faithful

To his Covenant than God?

Then rejoice in the bargain

Which ye have concluded:

That is the achievement supreme.

112. Those that turn (to God)

In repentance; that serve Him,

And praise Him; that wander

In devotion to the Cause of God;

That bow down and prostrate themselves

In prayer; that enjoin good

And forbid evil; and observe

The limits set by God;--

(These do rejoice). So proclaim

The glad tidings to the Believers.

113. It is not fitting,

For the Prophet and those

Who believe, that they should

Pray for forgiveness

For Pagans, even though

They be of kin, after it is

Clear to them that they

Are companions of the Fire.

114. And Abraham prayed

For his father's forgiveness

Only because of a promise

He had made to him.

But when it became clear

To him that he was

An enemy to God, he

Dissociated himself from him:

For Abraham was most

Tender-hearted, forbearing.

115. And God will not mislead

A people after He hath

Guided them, in order that

He may make clear to them

What to fear (and avoid)--

For God hath knowledge

Of all things.

116. Unto God belongeth

The dominion of the heavens

And the earth. He giveth life

And He taketh it. Except for Him

Ye have no protector

Nor helper.

117. God turned with favour

To the Prophet, the Muhajirs,

And the Ansar,--who followed

Him in a time of distress,

After that the hearts of a part

Of them had nearly swerved

(From duty); but He turned

To them (also): for He is

Unto them Most Kind,

Most Merciful.

118. (He turned in mercy also)

To the three who were left

Behind; (they felt guilty)

To such a degree that the earth

Seemed constrained to them,

For all its speciousness,

And their (very) Souls seemed

Straitened to them,

And they perceived that

There is no fleeing from God

(And no refuge) but to Himself.

Then He turned to them,

That they might repent:

For God is Oft-Returning,

Most Merciful.

SECTION 15.

119. O ye who believe! Fear God

And be with those

Who are true (in word and deed).

120. It was not fitting

For the people of Medina

And the Bedouin Arabs

Of the neighbourhood, to refuse

To follow God's Apostle,

Nor to prefer their own lives

To his: because nothing

Could they suffer or do,

But was reckoned to their credit

As a deed of righteousness,--

Whether they suffered thirst,

Or fatigue, or hunger, in the Cause

Of God, or trod paths

To raise the ire of the Unbelievers,

Or received any injury

Whatever from an enemy:

For God suffereth not

The reward to be lost

Of those who do good;--

121, Nor could they spend anything

(For the Cause)--small or great--

Nor cut across a valley,

But the deed is inscribed

To their credit; that God

May requite their deed

With the best (possible reward).

122. Nor should the Believers

All go forth together:

If a contingent

From every expedition

Remained behind,

They could devote themselves

To studies in religion,

And admonish the people

When they return to them,--

That thus they (may learn)

To guard themselves (against evil)

SECTION 16.

123. O ye who believe! Fight

The Unbelievers who gird you about,

And let them find firmness

In you: and know that God

Is with those who fear Him.

124. Whenever there cometh down'

A Sura, some of them say:

"Which of you has had

His faith increased by it?"

Yea, those who believe,--

Their faith is increased,

And they do rejoice.

125. But those in whose hearts

Is a disease,--it will add doubt

To their doubt, and they will die

In a state of Unbelief.

126. See they not that they

Are tried every year

Once or twice? Yet they

Turn not in repentance,

And they take no heed.

127. Whenever there cometh down

A Sura, they look at each other,

(Saying), "Doth anyone see you?"

Then they turn aside:

God hath turned their hearts

(From the light); for they

Are a people that understand not.

128. Now hath come unto you

An Apostle from amongst

Yourselves: it grieves him

That ye should perish:

Ardently anxious is he

Over you: to the Believers

Is he most kind and merciful.

129. But if they turn away,

Say: "God sufficeth me:

There is no god but He:

On Him is my trust,

He the Lord of the Throne

(Of Glory) Supreme!

Sura X.

Yunus, or Jonah.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful

1. A. L. R.

These are the Ayats

Of the Book of Wisdom.

2. Is it a matter

Of wonderment to men

That We have sent

Our inspiration to a man

From among themselves?--

That he should warn mankind

(Of their danger), and give

The good news to the Believers

That they have before their Lord

The lofty rank of Truth.

(But) say the Unbelievers:

"This is indeed

An evident sorcerer!"

3. Verily your Lord is God,

Who created the heavens

And the earth in six Days,

And is firmly established

On the Throne (of authority),

Regulating and governing all things.

No intercessor (can plead with Him)

Except after His leave

(Hath been obtained). This

Is God your Lord; Him therefore

Serve ye: will ye not

Receive admonition?

4. To Him will be your return--

Of all of you. The promise

Of God is true and sure.

It is He who beginneth

The process of creation,

And repeateth it, that He

May reward with justice

Those who believe

And work righteousness;

But those who reject Him

Will have draughts

Of boiling fluids,

And a Penalty grievous,

Because they did reject Him.

5. It is He who made the sun

To be a shining glory

And the moon to be a light

(Of beauty), and measured out

Stages for her; that ye might

Know the number of years

And the count (of time).

Nowise did God create this

But in truth and righteousness.

(Thus) doth He explain His Signs

In detail, for those who understand.

6. Verily, in the alternation

Of the Night and the Day,

And in all that God

Hath created, in the heavens

And the earth, are Signs

For those who fear Him.

7. Those who rest not their hope

On their meeting with Us,

But are pleased and satisfied

With the life of the Present,

And those who heed not

Our Signs,--

8. Their abode is the Fire,

Because of the (evil)

They earned.

9. Those who believe,

And work righteousness,--

Their Lord will guide them

Because of their Faith:

Beneath them will flow

Rivers in Gardens of Bliss.

10. (This will be) their cry therein:

"Glory to Thee, O God!"

And "Peace" will be their greeting therein!

And the close of their cry

Will be: "Praise be to God,

The Cherisher and Sustainer.

Of the Worlds!"

SECTION 2.

11. If God were to hasten for men

The ill (they have earned)

As they would fain hasten on

The good,--then would

Their respite be settled at once.

But We leave those

Who rest not their hope

On their meeting with Us,

In their trespasses, wandering

In distraction to and fro.

12. When trouble toucheth a man,

He crieth unto Us

(In all postures)--lying down

On his side, or sitting,

Or standing. But when We

Have solved his trouble,

He passeth on his way as if

He had never cried to Us

For a trouble that touched him!

Thus do the deeds of transgressors

Seem fair in their eyes!

13. Generations before you

We destroyed when they

Did wrong: their Apostles

Came to them with Clear Signs,

But they would not believe!

Thus do We requite

Those who sin!

14. Then We made you heirs

In the land after them,

To see how ye would behave!

15. But when Our Clear Signs

Are rehearsed unto them,

Those who rest not their hope

On their meeting with Us,

Say: "Bring us a Reading

Other than this, or change this,"

Say: "It is not for me,

Of my own accord,

To change it: I follow

Naught but what is revealed

Unto me: if I were

To disobey my Lord,

I should myself fear the Penalty

Of a Great Day (to come)."

16. Say: "If God had so willed,

I should not have rehearsed it

To you, nor whould He

Have made it known to you.

A whole life-time before this

Have I tarried amongst you:

Will ye not then understand?

17. Who doth more wrong

Than such as forge a lie

Against God, or deny

His Signs? But never

Will prosper those who sin.

18. They serve, besides God,

Things that hurt them not

Nor profit them, and they say:

"These are our intercessors

With God." Say: "Do ye

Indeed inform God of something

He knows not, in the heavens

Or on earth?--Glory to Him!

And far is He above the partners

They ascribe (to Him)!"

19. Mankind was but one nation,

But differed (later). Had it not

Been for a Word

That went forth before

From thy Lord, their differences

Would have been settled

Between them.

20. They say: "Why is not

A Sign sent down to him

From his Lord?" Say:

"The Unseen is only

For God (to know).

Then wait ye: I too

Will wait with you.

SECTION 3.

21. When We make mankind

Taste of some mercy after

Adversity hath touched them,

Behold! they take to plotting

Against Our Signs! Say:

"Swifter to plan is God!"

Verily, Our messengers record

All the plots that ye make!

22. He it is who enableth you

To traverse through land

And sea; so that ye even board

Ships;--they sail with them

With a favourable wind,

And they rejoice thereat;

Then comes a stormy wind

And the waves come to them

From all sides, and they think

They are being overwhelmed:

They cry unto God, sincerely

Offering (their) duty unto Him,

Saying, "If Thou dost deliver us

From this, we shall truly

Show our gratitude!"

23. But when he delivereth them,

Behold! they transgress

Insolently through the earth

In defiance of right!

O mankind! your insolence

Is against your own souls,--

An enjoyment of the life

Of the Present: in the end,

To Us is your return,

And We shall show you

The truth of all that ye did.

24. The likeness of the life

Of the Present is

As the rain which We

Send down from the skies:

By its mingling arises

The produce of the earth--

Which provides food

For men and animals:

(It grows) till the earth

Is clad with its golden

Ornaments and is decked out

(In beauty): the people to whom

It belongs think they have

All powers of disposal over it:

There reaches it Our command

By night or by day,

And We make it

Like a harvest clean-mown,

As if it had not flourished

Only the day before!

Thus do We explain

The Signs in detail

For those who reflect.

25. But God doth call

To the Home of Peace:

He doth guide whom He pleaseth

To a Way that is straight.

26. To those who do right

Is a goodly (reward)--

Yea, more (than in measure)!

No darkness nor shame

Shall cover their faces!

They are Companions of the Garden;

They will abide therein

(For aye)!

27. But those who have earned

Evil will have a reward

Of like evil: ignominy

Will cover their (faces):

No defender will they have

From (the wrath of) God:

Their faces will be covered,

As it were, with pieces

From the depth of the darkness

Of Night: they are Companions

Of the Fire: they will

Abide therein (for aye)!

28. One Day shall We gather them

All together. Then shall We say

To those who joined gods (with Us):

"To your place! ye and those

Ye joined as "partners"."

We shall separate them,

And their "partners" shall say:

"It was not us

That ye worshipped!

29. "Enough is God for a witness

Between us and you: we

Certainly knew nothing

Of your worship of us!"

30. There will every soul prove

(The fruits of) the deeds

It sent before : they will

Be brought back to God

Their rightful Lord,

And their invented falsehoods

Will leave them in the lurch.

SECTION 4.

31. Say: "Who is it that

Sustains you (in life)

From the sky and from the earth?

Or who is it that

Has power over hearing

And sight? And who

Is it that brings out

The living from the dead

And the dead from the living?

And who is it that

Rules and regulates all affairs?"

They will soon say, "God".

Say, "Will ye not then

Show piety (to Him)?"

32. Such is God, your real

Cherisher and Sustainer:

Apart from Truth,

What (remains) but error?

How then are ye turned away?

33. Thus is the Word

Of thy Lord proved true

Against those who rebel:

Verily they will not believe.

34. Say: "Of your 'partners',

Can any originate creation

And repeat it?" Say:

"It is God Who originates

Creation and repeats it:

Then how are ye deluded

Away (from the truth)?"

35. Say: "Of your "partners"

Is there any that

Can give any guidance

Towards Truth?" Say: "It is God

Who gives guidance

Towards Truth. Is then He

Who gives guidance to Truth

More worthy to be followed,

Or he who finds not guidance

(Himself) unless he is guided?

What then is the matter

With you? How judge ye?"

36. But most of them follow

Nothing but fancy: truly

Fancy can be of no avail

Against Truth. Verily God

Is well aware of all

That they do.

37. This Qur-an is not such

As can be produced

By other than God;

On the contrary it is

A confirmation of (revelations)

That went before it,

And a fuller explanation

Of the Book--wherein

There is no doubt

From the Lord of the Worlds.

38. Or do they say,

"He forged it"?

Say: "Bring then

A Sura like unto it,

And call (to your aid)

Anyone you can,

Besides God, if it be

Ye speak the truth!"

39. Nay, they charge with falsehood

That whose knowledge they

Cannot compass, even before

The elucidation thereof"

Hath reached them: thus

Did those before them

Make charges of falsehood:

But see what was the end

Of those who did wrong!

40. Of them there are some

Who believe therein,

And some who do not:

And thy Lord knoweth best

Those who are out for mischief.

SECTION 5.

41. If they charge thee

With falsehood, say:

"My work to me,

And yours to you!

Ye are free from responsibility

For what I do, and I

For what ye do!"

42. Among them are some who

(Pretend to) listen to thee:

But canst thou make the deaf

To hear,--even though

They are without understanding?

43. And among them are some

Who look at thee:

But canst thou guide

The blind,--even though

They will not see?

44. Verily God will not deal

Unjustly with man in aught:

It is man that wrongs

His own soul.

45. 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.

46. Whether We show thee

(Realised in thy life-time)

Some part of what We

Promise them,--or We

Take thy soul (to Our Mercy)

(Before that),--in any case,

To Us is their return:

Ultimately God is witness.

To all that they do.

47. To every people (was sent)

An Apostle: when their Apostle

Comes (before them), the matter

Will be judged between them

With justice, and they

Will not be wronged.

48. They say: "When

Will this promise

Come to pass,

If ye speak the truth?"

49. Say: "I have no power

Over any harm or profit

To myself except as God

Willeth. To every People

Is a term appointed:

When their term is reached,

Not an hour can they cause

Delay, nor (an hour) can they

Advance (it in anticipation)."

50. Say: "Do ye see,

If His punishment should come

To you by night or by day,--

What portion of it

Would the Sinners

Wish to hasten?

51. "Would ye then believe in it

At last, when it actually cometh

To pass? (It will then be said:)

'Ah! now? and ye wanted

(Aforetime) to hasten it on!'

52. "At length will be said

To the wrong-doers: 'Taste ye

The enduring punishment!

Ye get but the recompense

Of what ye earned!'"

53. They seek to be informed

By thee: "Is that true?"

Say: "Aye! by my Lord!

It is the very truth!

And ye cannot frustrate it!"

SECTION 6.

54. Every soul that hath sinned,

If it possessed all

That is on earth,

Would fain give it in ransom:

They would declare (their) repentance

When they see the Penalty:

But the judgment between them

Will be with justice,

And no wrong will be done

Unto them.

55. Is it not (the case) that to God

Belongeth whatever is

In the heavens and on earth?

Is it not (the case) that

God's promise is assuredly true?

Yet most of them understand not.

56. It is He who giveth life

And who taketh it,

And to Him shall ye

All be brought back.

57. O mankind! there hath come

To you a direction from your Lord

And a healing for the (diseases)

In your hearts,--and for those

Who believe, a Guidance

And a Mercy.

58. Say: "In the Bounty of God.

And in His Mercy,--in that

Let them rejoice": that is better

Than the (wealth) they hoard.

59. Say: "See ye what things

God hath sent down to you

For sustenance? Yet ye

Hold forbidden some things

Thereof and (some things) lawful."

Say: "Hath God indeed

Permitted you, or do ye invent

(Things) to attribute to God?"

60. And what think those

Who invent lies against God,

Of the Day of Judgment?

Verily God is full of Bounty

To mankind, but most

Of them are ungrateful!"

SECTION 7.

61. In whatever business thou

Mayest be, and whatever portion

Thou mayest be reciting

From the Qur-an,--and whatever

Deed ye (mankind) may be doing,--

We are Witnesses thereof

When ye are deeply engrossed

Therein. Nor is hidden

From thy Lord (so much as)

The weight of an atom

On the earth or in heaven.

And not the least

And not the greatest

Of these things but are recorded

In a clear Record.

62. Behold! verily on the friends

Of God there is no fear,

Nor shall they grieve;

63. Those who believe

And (constantly) guard

Against evil;--

64. For them are Glad Tidings,

In the life of the Present

And in the Hereafter:

No change can there be

In the Words of God.

This is indeed

The supreme Felicity.

65. Let not their speech

Grieve thee: for all power

And honour belong to God:

It is He Who heareth

And knoweth (all things).

66. Behold! verily to God

Belong all creatures,

In the heavens and on earth.

What do they follow

Who worship as His "partners"

Other than God? They follow

Nothing but fancy, and

They do nothing but lie.

67. He it is that hath

Made you the Night

That ye may rest therein,

And the Day to make

Things visible (to you).

Verily in this are Signs

For those who listen

(To His Message).

68. They say, "God hath begotten

A son!"--Glory be to Him!

He is Self-Sufficient! His

Are all things in the heavens

And on earth! No warrant

Have ye for this! Say ye

About God what ye know not?

69. Say: "Those who invent

A lie against God

Will never prosper."

70. A little enjoyment

In this world!--

And then, to Us

Will be their return.

Then shall We make them

Taste the severest Penalty

For their blasphemies.

SECTION 8.

71. Relate to them the story

Of Noah. Behold! he said

To his People: "O my People,

If it be hard on your (mind)

That I should stay (with you)

And commemorate the Signs

Of God,--yet I put

My trust in God.

Get ye then an agreement

About your plan and among

Your Partners, so your plan

Be not to you dark and dubious.

Then pass your sentence on me,

And give me no respite.

72. "But if ye turn back, (consider):

No reward have I asked

Of you: my reward is only

Due from God, and I

Have been commanded to be

Of those who submit

To God's Will (in Islam)."

73. They rejected him,

But We delivered him,

And those with him,

In the Ark, and We made

Them inherit (the earth),

While We overwhelmed

In the Flood those

Who rejected Our Signs.

Then see what was the end

Of those who were warned

(But heeded not)!

74. Then after him We sent

(Many) apostles to their Peoples:

They brought them Clear Signs,

But they would not believe

What they had already rejected

Beforehand. Thus do We seal

The hearts of the transgressors.

75. Then after them sent We

Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh

And his chiefs with Our Signs.

But they were arrogant:

They were a people in sin.

76. When the Truth did come

To them from Us, they said:

"This is indeed evident sorcery!"

77. Said Moses: "Say ye (this)

About the Truth when

It hath (actually) reached you?

Is sorcery (like) this?

But sorcerers will not prosper."

78. They said: "Hast thou

Come to us to turn us

Away from the ways

We found our fathers following,--

In order that thou and thy brother

May have greatness in the land?

But not we shall believe in you!"

79. Said Pharaoh: "Bring me

Every sorcerer well versed."

80. When the sorcerers came,

Moses said to them:

"Throw ye what ye (wish)

To throw!"

81. When they had had their throw,

Moses said: "What ye

Have brought is sorcery:

God will surely make it

Of no effect: for God

Prospereth not the work

Of those who make mischief.

82. "And God by His Words

Doth prove and establish

His Truth, however much

The Sinners may hate it!"

SECTION 9.

83. But none believed in Moses

Except some children of his People,

Because of the fear of Pharaoh

And his chiefs, lest they

Should persecute them; and certainly

Pharaoh was mighty on the earth

And one who transgressed all bounds.

84. Moses said: "O my People!

If ye do (really) believe

In God, then in Him

Put your trust if ye

Submit (your will to His)."

85. They said: "In God

Do we put our trust.

Our Lord! make us not

A trial for those

Who practise oppression;

86."And deliver us by Thy Mercy

From those who reject (Thee)."

87. We inspired Moses and his brother

With this Message: "Provide

Dwellings for your People

In Egypt, make your dwellings

Into places of worship,

And establish regular prayers:

And give Glad Tidings

To those who believe!"

88. Moses prayed: "Our Lord!

Thou hast indeed bestowed

On Pharaoh and his Chiefs

Splendour and wealth in the life

Of the Present, and so,

Our Lord, they mislead (men)

From Thy Path. Deface.

Our Lord, the features of their wealth,

And send hardness to their hearts,

So they will not believe

Until they see

The grievous Penalty."

89. God said: "Accepted is

Your prayer (O Moses and Aaron)

So stand ye straight,

And follow not the path

Of those who know not.

90. We took the Children

Of Israel across the sea:

Pharaoh and his hosts followed them

In insolence and spite.

At length, when overwhelmed

With the flood, he said:

"I believe that there is no god

Except Him Whom the Children

Of Israel believe in:

I am of those who submit

(To God in Islam)."

91. (It was said to him:)

"Ah now!--But a little while

Before, wast thou in rebellion!--

And thou didst mischief (and violence)!

92. "This day shall We save thee

In thy body, that thou

Mayest be a Sign to those

Who come after thee!

But verily, many among mankind

Are heedless of Our Signs!"

SECTION 10.

93. We settled the Children

Of Israel in a beautiful

Dwelling-place, and provided

For them sustenance of the best:

It was after knowledge had been

Granted to them, that they

Fell into schisms. Verily

God will judge between them

As to the schisms amongst them,

On the Day of Judgment.

94. If thou wert in doubt

As to what We have revealed

Unto thee, then ask those

Who have been reading

The Book from before thee:

The Truth hath indeed come

To thee from thy Lord:

So be in no wise

Of those in doubt.

95. Nor be of those who reject

The Signs of God,

Or thou shalt be of those

Who perish.

96. Whose against whom the Word

Of thy Lord hath been verified

Would not believe--

97. Even if every Sign was brought

Unto them,--until they see

(For themselves) the Penalty Grievous.

98. Why was there not

A single township (among those

We warned), which believed,--

So its Faith should have

Profited it,--except the People

Of Jonah? When they believed,

We removed from them

The Penalty of Ignominy

In the life of the Present,

And permitted them to enjoy

(Their life) for a while.

99. If it had been thy Lord's Will,

They would all have believed,--

All who are on earth!

Wilt thou then compel mankind,

Against their will, to believe!

100. No soul can believe, except

By the Will of God,

And He will place Doubt

(Or obscurity) on those

Who will not understand.

101. Say: "Behold all that is

In the heavens and on earth ";

But neither Signs nor Warners

Profit those who believe not.

102. Do they then expect

(Any thing) but (what happened

In) the days of the men

Who passed away before them?

Say: "Wait ye then:

For I, too, will wait with you."

103. In the end We deliver

Our apostles and those who believe:

Thus is it fitting on Our part

That We should deliver

Those who believe!

SECTION 11.

104. Say: "O ye men!

If ye are in doubt

As to my religion, (behold!)

I worship not what ye

Worship, other than God!

But I worship God

Who will take your souls

(At death): I am commanded

To be (in the ranks)

Of the Believers,

105. "And further (thus), "set thy face

Towards Religion with true piety,

And never in any wise

Be of the Unbelievers;

106. "Nor call on any,

Other than God;--

Such will neither profit thee

Nor hurt thee: if thou dost,

Behold! thou shalt certainly

Be of those who do wrong."

107. If God do touch thee

With hurt, there is none

Can remove it but He:

If He do design some benefit

For thee, there is none

Can keep back His favour:

He causeth it to reach

Whomsoever of His servants

He pleaseth. And He is

The Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

108. Say: "O ye men! Now

Truth hath reached you

From your Lord! Those who receive

Guidance, do so for the good

Of their own souls; those

Who stray, do so to their own loss:

And I am not (set) over you

To arrange your affairs."

109. Follow thou the inspiration

Sent unto thee, and be

Patient and constant, till God

Do decide: for He

Is the Best to decide.

Sura XI.

Hud (The Prophet Hud).

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. A. L. R.

(This is) a Book,

With verses basic or fundamental

(Of established meaning),

Further explained in detail,--

From One Who is Wise

And Well-Acquainted (with al] things):

2. (It teacheth) that ye should

Worship none but God.

(Say:) "Verily I am

(Sent) unto you from Him

To warn and to bring

Glad tidings:

3. "(And to preach thus), "Seek ye

The forgiveness of your Lord,

And turn to Him in repentance;

That He may grant you

Enjoyment, good (and true),

For a term appointed,

And bestow His abounding grace

On all who abound in merit!

But if ye turn away,

Then I fear for you

The Penalty of a Great Day:

4. "'To God is your return,

And He hath power

Over all things.'"

5. Behold! they fold up

Their hearts, that they may lie

Hid from Him! Ah! even

When they cover themselves

With their garments, He knoweth

What they conceal, and what

They reveal: for He knoweth

Well the (inmost secrets)

Of the hearts

6. Where is no moving creature

On earth but its sustenance

Dependeth on God: He knoweth

The time and place of its

Definite abode and its

Temporary deposit:

All is in a clear Record.

7. He it is Who created

The heavens and the earth

In six Days--and His Throne

Was over the Waters--

That He might try you,

Which of you is best

In conduct. But if

Thou wert to say to them,

"Ye shall indeed be raised up

After death", the Unbelievers

Would be sure to say,

"This is nothing but

Obvious sorcery!"

8. If We delay the penalty

For them for a definite term,

They are sure to say,

"What keeps it back?"

Ah! On the day it (actually)

Reaches them, nothing will.

Turn it away from them,

And they will be completely

Encircled by that which

They used to mock at!

SECTION 2.

9. If We give man a taste

Of Mercy from Ourselves,

And then withdraw it from him,

Behold! he is in despair

And (falls into) blasphemy.

10. But if We give hint a taste

Of (Our) favours after

Adversity hath touched him,

He is sure to say,

"All evil has departed from me:

Behold! he falls into exultation

And pride.

11. Not so do those who show

Patience and constancy, and work

Righteousness; for them

Is forgiveness (of sins)

And a great reward.

12. Perchance thou mayest (feel

The inclination) to give up

A part of what is revealed

Unto thee, and thy heart

Feeleth straitened lest they say,

"Why is not a treasure sent down

Unto him, or why does not

An angel come down with him?"

But thou art there only to warn!

It is God that arrangeth

All affairs!

13. Or they may say, "He forged it."

Say, "Bring ye then ten Suras

Forged, like unto it, and call

(To your aid) whomsoever

Ye can, other than God!--

If ye speak the truth!

14. "If then they (your false gods)

Answer not your (call),

Know ye that this Revelation

Is sent down (replete) with the knowledge

Of God, and that there is

No god but He! Will ye

Even then submit (to Islam)?"

15. Those who desire

The life of the Present

And its glitter,--to them

We shall pay (the price

Of) their deeds therein,--

Without diminution.

16. They are those for whom

There is nothing in the Hereafter

But the Fire: vain

Are the designs they frame therein,

And of no effect

Are the deeds that they do!

17. Can they be (like) those

Who accept a Clear (Sign)

From their Lord, and whom

A witness from Himself

Doth teach, as did the Book

Of Moses before it,--a guide

And a mercy? They believe

Therein; but those of the Sects

That reject it,--the Fire

Will be their promised

Meeting-place. Be not then

In doubt thereon: for it is

The Truth from thy Lord:

Yet many among men

Do not believe!

18. Who doth more wrong

Than those who invent a lie

Against God? They will be

Turned back to the presence

Of their Lord, and the witnesses

Will say, "These are the ones

Who lied against their Lord!

Behold! the Curse of God

Is on those who do wrong!--

19. "Those who would hinder (men)

From the path of God

And would seek in it

Something crooked: these were

They who denied the Hereafter!"

20. They will in no wise

Frustrate (His design) on earth,

Nor have they protectors

Besides God! Their penalty

Will be doubled! They lost

The power to hear,

And they did not see!

21. They are the ones who

Have lost their own souls:

And the (fancies) they invented

Have left them in the lurch!

22. Without a doubt, these

Are the very ones who

Will lose most in the Hereafter!

23. But those who believe

And work righteousness,

And humble themselves

Before their Lord,--

They will be Companions

Of the Garden, to dwell

Therein for aye!

24. These two kinds (of men)

May be compared to

The blind and deaf,

And those who can see

And hear well. Are they

Equal when compared?

Will ye not then take heed?

SECTION 3.

25. We sent Noah to his People

(With a mission): "I have come

To you with a Clear Warning:

26. "That ye serve none but God:

Verily I do fear for you

The Penalty of a Grievous Day."

27. But the Chiefs of the Unbelievers

Among his People said:

"We see (in) thee nothing

But a man like ourselves:

Nor do we see that any

Follow thee but the meanest

Among us, in judgment immature:

Nor do we see in you (all)

Any merit above us:

In fact we think ye are liars!"

28. He said: "O my People!

See ye if (it be that)

I have a Clear Sign

From my Lord, and that He

Hath sent Mercy unto me

From His own Presence, but

That the Mercy hath been

Obscured from your sight?

Shall we compel you

To accept it when ye

Are averse to it?

29. "And O my People!

I ask you for no wealth

In return: my reward

Is from none but God:

But I will not drive away

(In contempt) those who believe:

For verily they are

To meet their Lord, and ye

I see are the ignorant ones!

30. "And O my People!

Who would help me against God

If I drove them away?

Will ye not then take heed?

31. "I tell you not that

With me are the Treasures

Of God, nor do I know

What is hidden,

Nor claim I to be

An angel. Nor yet

Do I say, of those whom

Your eyes do despise

That God will not grant them

(All) that is good:

God knoweth best

What is in their souls:

I should, if I did,

Indeed be a wrong-doer."

32. They said: "O Noah!

Thou hast disputed with us,

And (much) hast thou prolonged

The dispute with us: now

Bring upon us what thou

Threatenest us with, if thou

Speakest the truth!?"

33. He said: "Truly, God

Will bring it on you

If He wills,--and then,

Ye will not be able

To frustrate it!

34. "Of no profit will be

My counsel to you,

Much as I desire

To give you (good) counsel,

If it be that God

Willeth to leave you astray:

He is your Lord!

And to Him will ye return!"

35. Or do they say,

"He has forged it "? Say:

"If I had forged it,

On me were my sin!

And I am free

Of the sins of which

Ye are guilty!

SECTION 4.

36. It was revealed to Noah:

"None of thy People will believe

Except those who have believed

Already! So grieve no longer

Over their (evil) deeds.

37. "But construct an Ark

Under Our eyes and Our

Inspiration, and address Me

No (further) on behalf

Of those who are in sin:

For they are about to be

Overwhelmed (in the Flood)."

38. Forthwith he (starts)

Constructing the Ark:

Every time that the Chiefs

Of his People passed by him,

They threw ridicule on him.

He said: "If ye ridicule

Us now, we (in our turn)

Can look down on you

With ridicule likewise!

39. "But soon will ye know

Who it is on whom

Will descend a Penalty

That will cover them

With shame,--on whom will be

Unloosed a Penalty lasting:"

40. At length, behold!

There came Our Command,

And the fountains of the earth

Gushed forth! We said:

"Embark therein, of each kind

Two, male and female,

And your family--except

Those against whom the Word

Has already gone forth,--

And the Believers."

But only a few

Believed with him.

41. So he said: "Embark ye

On the Ark,

In the name of God,

Whether it move

Or be at rest!

For my Lord is, be sure,

Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!"

42. So the Ark floated

With them on the waves

(Towering) like mountains,

And Noah called out

To his son, who had

Separated himself (from the rest):

"O my son! embark

With us, and be not

With the Unbelievers!"

43. The son replied: "I will

Betake myself to some mountain:

It will save me from

The water." Noah said:

"This day nothing can save,

From the Command of God,

Any but those on whom

He hath mercy!"--

And the waves came

Between them, and the son

Was among those

Overwhelmed in the Flood.

44. Then the word went forth:

"O earth! swallow up

Thy water, and O sky!

Withhold (thy rain)!"

And the water abated,

And the matter was ended.

The Ark rested on Mount

Judi, and the word

Went forth: "Away

With those who do wrong!"

45. And Noah called upon

His Lord, and said:

"O my Lord! surely

My son is of my family!

And Thy promise is true,

And Thou art

The Justest of Judges!"

46. He said: "O Noah!

He is not of thy family:

For his conduct is unrighteous.

So ask not of Me

That of which thou

Hast no knowledge!

I give thee counsel, lest

Thou act like the ignorant!"

47. Noah said: "O my Lord!

I do seek refuge with Thee,

Lest I ask Thee for that

Of which I have no knowledge.

And unless Thou forgive me

And have Mercy on me,

I should indeed be lost!"

48. The word came: "O Noah!

Come down (from the Ark)

With Peace from Us,

And Blessing on thee

And on some of the Peoples

(Who will spring) from those

With thee: but (there will be

Other) Peoples to whom We

Shall grant their pleasures

(For a time), but in the end

Will a grievous Penalty

Reach them from Us."

49. Such are some of the stories

Of the Unseen, which We

Have revealed unto thee:

Before this, neither thou

Nor thy People knew them.

So persevere patiently:

For the End is for those

Who are righteous.

SECTION 5.

50. To the 'Ad People

(We sent) Hud, one

Of their own brethren.

He said: "O my people!

Worship God! ye have

No other god but Him.

(Your other gods) ye do nothing

But invent!

51. "O my people! I ask of you

No reward for this (Message).

My reward is from none

But Him who created me:

Will ye not then understand?

52. "And O my people! Ask

Forgiveness of your Lord,

And turn to Him (in repentance):

He will send you the skies

Pouring abundant rain,

And add strength

To your strength:

So turn ye not back

In sin!"

53. They said: "O Hud!

No Clear (Sign) hast thou

Brought us, and we are not

The ones to desert our gods

On thy word! Nor shall we

Believe in thee!

54. "We say nothing but that

(Perhaps) some of our gods

May have seized thee

With imbecility." He said:

"I call God to witness,

And do ye bear witness,

That I am free from the sin

Of ascribing, to Him,

55. "Other gods as partners!

So scheme (your worst) against me,

All of you, and give me

No respite.

56. "I put my trust in God,

My Lord and your Lord!

There is not a moving

Creature, but He hath

Grasp of its fore-lock.

Verily, it is my Lord

That is on a straight Path.

57. "If ye turn away,--

I (at least) have conveyed

The Message with which I

Was sent to you. My Lord

Will make another People

To succeed you, and you

Will not harm Him

In the least. For my Lord

Hath care and watch

Over all things."

58. So when Our decree

Issued, We saved Hud

And those who believed

With him, by (special) Grace

From Ourselves: We saved them

From a severe Penalty.

59. Such were the 'Ad People:

They rejected the Signs

Of their Lord and Cherisher;

Disobeyed His Apostles;

And followed the command

Of every powerful, obstinate

Transgressor.

60. And they were pursued

By a Curse in this Life,

And on the Day of Judgment.

Ah! Behold! For the 'Ad

Rejected their Lord and Cherisher

Ah! Behold! Removed (from sight)

Were 'Ad the People of Hud!

SECTION 6.

61. To the Thamud People

(We sent) Salih, one

Of their own brethren.

He said: "O my People!

Worship God: ye have

No other God but Him.

It is He Who hath produced you

From the earth and settled you

Therein: then ask forgiveness

Of Him, and turn to Him

(In repentance): for my Lord

Is (always) near, ready

To answer."

62. They said: "O Salib!

Thou hast been of us!--

A centre of our hopes

Hitherto! Dost thou (now)

Forbid us the worship

Of what our fathers worshipped?

But we are really

In suspicious (disquieting)

Doubt as to that to which

Thou invitest us."

63. He said: "O my people!

Do ye see?--If I have

A Clear (Sign) from my Lord

And He hath sent Mercy

Unto me from Himself,--who

Then can help me

Against God if I were

To disobey Him? What

Then would ye add

To my (portion) but perdition?

64. "And O my people!

This she-camel of God is

A symbol to you:

Leave her to feed

On God's (free) earth,

And inflict no harm

On her, or a swift Penalty

Will seize you!"

65. But they did ham-string her.

So he said: "Enjoy yourselves

In your homes for three days:

(Then will be your ruin):

(Behold) there a promise

Not to be belied!"

66. When Our Decree issued,

We saved Salib and those

Who believed with him,

By (special) Grace from

Ourselves--

And from the Ignominy

Of that Day. For thy Lord--

He is the Strong One, and Able

To enforce His Will.

67. The (mighty) Blast overtook

The wrong-doers, and they

Lay prostrate in their homes

Before the morning,--

68. As if they had never

Dwelt and flourished there.

Ah! Behold! For the Thamud

Rejected their Lord and Cherisher!

Ah! Behold! Removed

(From sight) were the Thamud!

SECTION 7.

69. There came Our Messengers

To Abraham with glad tidings.

They said, "Peace!" He answered,

"Peace!" and hastened

To entertain them

With a roasted calf.

70. But when he saw

Their hands went not

Towards the (meal), he felt

Some mistrust of them,

And conceived a fear of them.

They said: "Fear not:

We have been sent

Against the people of Lut."

71. And his wife was standing

(There), and she laughed:

But We gave her

Glad tidings of Isaac,

And after him, of Jacob.

72. She said: "Alas for me!

Shall I bear a ,

Seeing I am an old woman,

And my husband here

Is an old man?

That would indeed

Be a wonderful thing!"

73. They said: "Dost thou

Wonder at God's decree?

The grace of God

And His blessings on you,

O ye people of the house!

For He is indeed

Worthy of all praise,

Full of all glory!"

74. When fear had passed

From (the mind of) Abraham

And the glad tidings

Had reached him, he

Began to plead with Us

For Lut's people.

75. For Abraham was,

Without doubt, forbearing

(Of faults), compassionate,

And given to look to God.

76. O Abraham! Seek not this.

The decree of thy Lord

Hath gone forth: for them

There cometh a Penalty

That cannot be turned back!

77. When Our Messengers

Came to Lut, he was

Grieved on their account

And felt himself powerless

(To protect) them. He said:

"This is a distressful day."

78. And his people came

Rushing towards him,

And they had been long

In the habit of practising

Abominations. He said:

"O my people! Here are

My daughters: they are purer

For you (if ye marry)!

Now fear God, and cover me not

With shame about my guests!

Is there not among you

A single right-minded man?"

79. They said: "Well dost thou

Know we have no need

Of thy daughters: indeed

Thou knowest quite well

What we want!"

80. He said: "Would that I

Had power to suppress you

Or that I could betake

Myself to some powerful support."

81. (The Messengers) said: "O Lut

We are Messengers from thy Lord!

By no means shall they

Reach thee! Now travel

With thy family while yet

A part of the night remains,

And let not any of you

Look back: but thy wife

(Will remain behind):

To her will happen

What happens to the people.

Morning is their time appointed:

Is not the morning nigh?"

82. When Our decree issued,

We turned (the cities)

Upside down, and rained down

On them brimstones

Hard as baked clay,

Spread, layer on layer,--

83. Marked as from thy Lord:

Nor are they ever far

From those who do wrong!

SECTION 8.

84. To the Madyan people

(We sent) Shu'aib, one

Of their own brethren: he said:

"O my people! worship God:

Ye have no other god

But Him. And give not

Short measure or weight:

I see you in prosperity,

But I fear for you

The Penalty of a Day

That will compass (you) all round.

85. "And O my people! give

Just measure and weight,

Nor withhold from the people

The things that are their due:

Commit not evil in the land

With intent to do mischief.

86. "That which is left you

By God is best for you,

If ye (but) believed!

But I am not set

Over you to keep watch!"

87. They said: "O Shu'aib!

Does thy (religion of) prayer

Command thee that we

Leave off the worship which

Our fathers practised, or

That we leave off doing

What we like with our property?

Truly, thou art the one

That forbeareth with faults

And is right-minded!"

88. He said: "O my people!

See ye whether I hate

A Clear (Sign) from my Lord,

And He hath given me

Sustenance (pure and) good

As from Himself? I wish not,

In opposition to you, to do

That which I forbid you to do.

I only desire (your) betterment

To the best of my power;

And my success (in my task)

Can only come from God.

In Him I trust,

And unto Him I look.

89. "And O my people!

Let not my dissent (from you)

Cause you to sin,

Lest ye suffer

A fate similar to that

Of the people of Noah

Or of Hud or of Salib,

Nor are the people of Lut

Far off from you!

90. "But ask forgiveness

Of your Lord, and turn

Unto Him (in repentance):

For my Lord is indeed

Full of mercy and loving-kindness."

91. They said: "O Shu'aib!

Much of what thou sayest

We do not understand!

In fact among us we see

That thou hast no strength!

Were it not for thy family,

We should certainly

Have stoned thee!

For thou hast among us

No great position!"

92. He said: "O my people!

Is then my family

Of more consideration with you

Than God? For ye cast Him

Away behind your backs

(With contempt). But verily

My Lord encompasseth

On all sides

All that ye do!

93. "And O my people!

Do whatever ye can:

I will do (my part):

Soon will ye know

Who it is on whom

Descends the Penalty

Of ignominy, and who

Is a liar!

And watch ye!

For I too am watching

With you!"

94. When Our decree issued,

We saved Shu'aib and those

Who believed with him,

By (special) Mercy from Ourselves

But the (mighty) Blast did seize

The wrong-doers, and they

Lay prostrate in their homes

By the morning,--

95. As if they had never

Dwelt and flourished there!

Ah! Behold! How the Madyan

Were removed (from sight)

As were removed the Thamud!

SECTION 9.

96. And we sent Moses,

With our Clear (signs)

And an authority manifest,

97. Unto Pharaoh and his Chiefs:

But they followed the command

Of Pharaoh, and the command

Of Pharaoh was no right (guide).

98. He will go before his people

On the Day of Judgment,

And lead them into the Fire

(As cattle are led to water):

But woeful indeed will be

The place to which they are led!

99. And they are followed

By a curse in this (life)

And on the Day of Judgment:

And woeful is the gift

Which shall be given

(Unto them)!

100. These are some of the stories

Of communities which We

Relate unto thee: of them

Some are standing, and some

Have been mown down

(By the sickle of time.

101. It was not We that wronged them:

They wronged their own souls:

The deities, other than God,

Whom they invoked, profited them

No whit when there issued

The decree of thy Lord:

Nor did they add aught

(To their lot) but perdition!

102. Such is the chastisement

Of thy Lord when He chastises

Communities in the midst of

Their wrong: grievous, indeed,

And severe is His chastisement.

103. In that is a Sign

For those who fear

The Penalty of the Hereafter:

That is a Day for which mankind

Will be gathered together:

That will be a Day

Of Testimony.

104. Nor shall We delay it

But for a term appointed.

105. The day it arrives,

No soul shall speak

Except by His leave:

Of those (gathered) some

Will be wretched and some

Will be blessed.

106. Those who are wretched

Shall be in the Fire:

There will be for them

Therein (nothing but) the heaving

Of sighs and sobs:

107. They will dwell therein

For all the time that

The heavens and the earth

Endure, except as thy Lord

Willeth: for thy Lord

Is the (sure) Accomplisher

Of what He planneth.

108. And those who are blessed

Shall be in the Garden:

They will dwell therein

For all the time that

The heavens and the earth

Endure, except as thy Lord

Willeth: a gift without break.

109. Be not then in doubt

As to what these men

Worship. They worship nothing

But what their fathers worshipped

Before (them): but verily

We shall pay them back

(In full) their portion

Without (the least) abatement.

SECTION 10.

110. We certainly gave the Book

To Moses, but differences

Arose therein: had it not been

That a Word had gone forth

Before from thy Lord, the matter

Would have been decided

Between them: but they

Are in suspicious doubt

Concerning it.

111. And, of a surety, to all

Will your Lord pay back

(In full the recompense)

Of their deeds: for He

Knoweth well all that they do.

112. Therefore stand firm (in the straight

Path) as thou art commanded,--

Thou and those who with thee

Turn (unto God); and transgress not

(From the Path): for He seeth

Well all that ye do.

113. And incline not to those

Who do wrong, or the Fire

Will seize you; and ye have

No protectors other than God,

Nor shall ye be helped.

114. And establish regular prayers

At the two ends of the day

And at the approaches of the night:

For those things that are good

Remove those that are evil:

Be that the word of remembrance

To those who remember (their Lord):

115. And be steadfast in patience;

For verily God will not suffer

The reward of the righteous

To perish.

116. Why were there not,

Among the generations before you,

Persons possessed of balanced

Good sense, prohibiting (men)

From mischief in the earth--

Except a few among them

Whom We saved (from harm)?

But the wrong-doers pursued

The enjoyment of the good things

Of life which were given them,

And persisted in sin.

117. Nor would thy Lord be

The One to destroy

Communities for a single wrong-doing,

If its members were likely

To mend.

118. If thy Lord had so willed,

He could have made mankind

One People: but they

Will not cease to dispute,

119. Except those on whom thy Lord

Hath bestowed His Mercy:

And for this did He create

Them: and the Word

Of thy Lord shall be fulfilled:

"I will fill Hell with jinns

And men all together."

120. All that we relate to thee

Of the stories of the apostles,--

With it We make firm

Thy heart: in them there cometh

To thee the Truth, as well as

An exhortation and a message

Of remembrance to those who believe.

121. Say to those who do not

Believe: "Do whatever ye can:

We shall do our part;

122. "And wait ye!

We too shall wait."

123. To God do belong

The unseen (secrets)

Of the heavens and the earth,

And to Him goeth back

Every affair (for decision)

Then worship Him,

And put thy trust in Him .

And thy Lord is not

Unmindful of aught

That ye do.

Sura XII.

Yusuf, or Joseph.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. A. L. R. These are

The Symbols (or Verses)

Of the Perspicuous Book.

2. We have sent it down

As an Arabic Qur-an,

In order that ye may

Learn wisdom.

3. We do relate unto thee

The most beautiful of stories,

In that We reveal to thee

This (portion of the) Qur-an:

Before this, thou too

Was among those

Who knew it not.

4. Behold, Joseph said

To his father: "O my father!

I did see eleven stars

And the sun and the moon:

I saw them prostrate themselves

To me!"

5. Said (the father):

"My (dear) little son!

Relate not thy vision

To thy brothers, lest they

Concoct a plot against thee:

For Satan is to man

An avowed enemy!

6. "Thus will thy Lord

Choose thee and teach thee

The interpretation of stories (and events)

And perfect His favour

To thee and to the posterity

Of Jacob--even as He

Perfected it to thy fathers

Abraham and Isaac aforetime!

For God is full of knowledge

And wisdom."

SECTION 2.

7. Verily in Joseph and his brethren

Are Signs (or Symbols)

For Seekers (after Truth).

8. They said: "Truly Joseph

And his brother are loved

More by our father than we:

But we are a goodly body!

Really our father is obviously

Wandering (in his mind)!

9. "Slay ye Joseph or cast him out

To some (unknown) land,

That so the favour

Of your father may be

Given to you alone:

(There will be time enough)

For you to be righteous after that!"

10. Said one of them: "Slay not

Joseph, but if ye must

Do something, throw him down

To the bottom of the well:

He will be picked up

By some caravan of travellers."

11. They said: "O our father!

Why dost thou not

Trust us with Joseph,

Seeing we are indeed

His sincere well-wishers?

12. "Send him with us tomorrow

To enjoy himself and play,

And we shall take

Every care of him."

13. (Jacob) said: "Really

It saddens me that ye

Should take him away:

I fear lest the wolf

Should devour him

While ye attend not

To him."

14. They said: "If the wolf

Were to devour him

While we are (so large) a party,

Then should we indeed

(First) have perished ourselves!"

15. So they did take him away,

And they all agreed

To throw him down

To the bottom of the well:

And We put into his heart

(This Message): "Of a surety

Thou shalt (one day)

Tell them the truth

Of this their affair

While they know (thee) not"

16. Then they came

To their father

In the early part

Of the night,

Weeping.

17. They said: "O our father!

We went racing with one another,

And left Joseph with our things;

And the wolf devoured him....

But thou wilt never believe us

Even though we tell the truth.

18. They stained his shirt

With false blood. He said:

"Nay, but your minds

Have made up a tale

(That may pass) with you.

(For me) patience is most fitting:

Against that which ye assert,

It is God (alone)

Whose help can be sought"...

19. Then there came a caravan

Of travellers: they sent

Their water-carrier (for water),

And he let down his bucket

(Into the well)... He said:

"Ah there! Good news!

Here is a (fine) young man!"

So they concealed him

As a treasure! But God

Knoweth well all that they do!

20. The (Brethren) sold him

For a miserable price,--

For a few dirhams counted out:

In such low estimation

Did they hold him!

SECTION 3.

21. The man in Egypt

Who bought him, said

To his wife: "Make his stay

(Among us) honourable:

Maybe he will bring us

Much good, or we shall

Adopt him as a son."

Thus did We establish

Joseph in the land,

That We might teach him

The interpretation of stories

(And events). And God

Hath full power and control

Over His affairs; but most

Among mankind know it not.

22. When Joseph attained

His full manhood, We gave him

Power and knowledge: thus do We

Reward those who do right.

23. But she in whose house

He was, sought to seduce him

From his (true) self: she fastened

The doors, and said:

"Now come, thou (dear one)!"

He said: "God forbid!

Truly (thy husband) is

My lord! he made

My sojourn agreeable!

Truly to no good

Come those who do wrong!"

24. And (with passion) did she

Desire him, and he would

Have desired her, but that

He saw the evidence

Of his Lord: thus

(Did We order) that We

Might turn away from him

(All) evil and shameful deeds:

For he was one of Our servants,

Sincere and purified.

25. So they both raced each other

To the door, and she

Tore his shirt from the back:

They both found her lord

Near the door. She said:

"What is the (fitting) punishment

For one who formed

An evil design against

Thy wife, but prison

Or a grievous chastisement?"

26. He said: "It was she

That sought to seduce me--

From my (true) self." And one

Of her household saw (this)

And bore witness, (thus):--

"If it be that his shirt

Is rent from the front, then

Is her tale true,

And he is a liar!

27. "But if it be that his shirt

Is torn from the back,

Then is she the liar,

And he is telling the truth!"

28. So when he saw his shirt,--

That it was torn at the back,

(Her husband) said: "Behold!

It is a snare of you women!

Truly, mighty is your snare!

29. "O Joseph, pass this over!

(O wife), ask forgiveness

For thy sin, for truly

Thou hast been at fault!"

SECTION 4.

30. Ladies said in the City:

"The wife of the (great) 'Aziz

Is seeking to seduce her slave

From his (true) self:

Truly hath he inspired her

With violent love: we see

She is evidently going astray."

31. When she heard

Of their malicious talk,

She sent for them

And prepared a banquet

For them: she gave

Each of them a knife:

And she said (to Joseph),

"Come out before them."

When they saw him,

Thy did extol him,

And (in their amazement)

Cut their hands: they said,

"God preserve us! no mortal

Is this! This is none other

Than a noble angel!"

32. She said: "There before you

Is the man about whom

Ye did blame me!

I did seek to seduce him from

His (true) self but he did

Firmly save himself guiltless!...

And now, if he doth not

My bidding, he shall certainly

Be cast into prison,

And (what is more)

Be of the company of the vilest!"

33. He said: "O my Lord!

The prison is more

To my liking than that

To which they invite me:

Unless Thou turn away

Their snare from me,

I should (in my youthful folly)

Feel inclined towards them

And join the ranks of the ignorant."

34. So his Lord hearkened to him

(In his prayer), and turned

Away from him their snare:

Verily He heareth and knoweth

(All things).

35. Then it occurred to the men,

After they had seen the Signs,

(That it was best)

To Imprison him

For a time.

SECTION 5.

36. Now with him there came

Into the prison two young men.

Said one of them: "I see

Myself (in a dream)

Pressing wine." Said the other:

"I see myself (in a dream)

Carrying bread on my head,

And birds are eating thereof."

"Tell us" (they said) "the truth

And meaning thereof: for we

See thou art one

That doth good (to all)."

37. He said: "Before any food

Comes (in due course)

To feed either of you,

I will surely reveal

To you the truth

And meaning of this

Ere it befall you

That is part of the (Duty)

Which my Lord hath taught me.

I have (I assure you)

Abandoned the ways

Of a people that believe not

In God and that (even)

Deny the Hereafter.

38. "And I follow the ways

Of my fathers,--Abraham,

Isaac, and Jacob; and never

Could we attribute any partners

Whatever to God: that (comes)

Of the grace of God to us

And to mankind: yet

Most men are not grateful

39. "O my two companions.

Of the prison! (I ask you):

Are many lords differing

Among themselves better,

Or the One God,

Supreme and Irresistible?

40. "If not Him, ye worship nothing

But names which ye have named,--

Ye and your fathers,--

For which God hath sent down

No authority: the Command

Is for none but God: He

Hath commanded that ye worship

None but Him: that is

The right religion, but

Most men understand not...

41. "O my two companions

Of the prison! As to one

Of you, he will pour out

The wine for his lord to drink:

As for the other, he will

Hang from the cross, and the birds

Will eat from off his head.

(So) hath been decreed

That matter whereof

Ye twain do enquire"...

42. 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.

SECTION 6.

43. The king (of Egypt) said:

"I do see (in a vision)

Seven fat kine, whom seven

Lean ones devour,--and seven

Green ears of corn, and seven (others)

Withered. O ye chiefs!

Expound to me my vision

If it be that ye can

Interpret visions."

44. They said: "A confused medley

Of dreams: and we are not

Skilled in the interpretation

Of dreams."

45. But the man who had been

Released, one of the two

(Who had been in prison)

And who now bethought him

After (so long) a space of time,

Said: "I will tell you

The truth of its interpretation:

Send ye me (therefor)."

46."O Joseph!" (he said).

"O man of truth! Expound

To us (the dream)

Of seven fat kine

Whom seven lean ones

Devour, and of seven

Green ears of corn

And (seven) others withered:

That I may return

To the people, and that

They may understand."

47. (Joseph) said: "For seven years

Shall ye diligently sow

As is your wont:

And the harvests that ye reap,

Ye shall leave them in the ear,--

Except a little, of which

Ye shall eat.

48. "Then will come

After that (period)

Seven dreadful (years),

Which will devour

What ye shall have laid by

In advance for them,--

(All) except a little

Which ye shall have

(Specially) guarded.

49. "Then will come

After that (period) a year

In which the people will have

Abundant water, and in which

They will press (wine and oil)."

SECTION 7.

50. So the king said:

"Bring ye him unto me."

But when the messenger

Came to him, (Joseph) said:

"Go thou back to thy lord,

And ask him, "What is

The state of mind

Of the ladies

Who cut their hands?"

For my Lord is

Certainly well aware

Of their snare."

51. (The king) said (to the ladies):

"What was your affair

When ye did seek to seduce

Joseph from his (true) self?"

The ladies said: "God

Preserve us! no evil

Know we against him!"

Said the 'Aziz's wife:

"Now is the truth manifest

(To all): it was I

Who sought to seduce him

From his (true) self:

He is indeed of those

Who are (ever) true (and virtuous).

52. "This (say I), in order that

He may know that I

Have never been false

To him in his absence,

And that God will never

Guide the snare of the false ones.

53. "Nor do I absolve my own self

(Of blame): the (human) soul

Is certainly prone to evil,

Unless my Lord do bestow

His Mercy: but surely

My Lord is Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful."

54. So the king said:

"Bring him unto me;

I will take him specially

To serve about my own person."

Therefore when he had spoken

To him, he said:

"Be assured this day,

Thou art, before our own Presence,

With rank firmly established,

And fidelity fully proved!

55. (Joseph) said: "Set me

Over the store-houses

Of the land: I will

Indeed guard them,

As one that knows

(Their importance)."

56. "Thus did we give

Established power to Joseph

In the land, to take possession

Therein as, when, or where

He pleased. We bestow

Of Our mercy on whom

We please, and We suffer not,

To be lost, the reward

Of those who do good.

57. But verily the reward

Of the Hereafter

Is the best, for those

Who believe, and are constant

In righteousness.

SECTION 8.

58. Then came Joseph's brethren:

They entered his presence,

And he knew them,

But they knew him not.

59. And when he had furnished

Them forth with provisions

(Suitable) for them, he said:

"Bring unto me a brother

Ye have, of the same father

As yourselves, (but a different mother):

See ye not that I pay out

Full measure, and that I

Do provide the best hospitality?

60. "Now if ye bring him not

To me, ye shall have

No measure (of corn) from me,

Nor shall ye (even) come

Near me."

61. They said: "We shall

Certainly seek to get

Our wish about him

From his father:

Indeed we shall do it."

62. And (Joseph) told his servants

To put their stock-in-trade

(With which they had bartered)

Into their saddle-bags,

So they should know it only

When they returned to their people,

In order that they

Might come back.

63. Now when they returned

To their father, they said:

"O our father! No more

Measure of grain shall we get

(Unless we take our brother):

So send our brother with us,

That we may get our measure;

And we will indeed

Take every care of him."

64. He said: "Shall I trust you

With him with any result

Other than when I trusted you

With his brother aforetime?

But God is the best

To take care (of him),

And He is the Most Merciful

Of those who show mercy!"

65. Then when they opened

Their baggage, they found

Their stock-in-trade had been

Returned to them. They said:

"O our father! What (more)

Can we desire? This our

Stock-in-trade has been returned

To us: so we shall get

(More) food for our family;

We shall take care of our brother;

And add (at the same time)

A full camel's load (of grain

To our provisions).

This is but a small quantity.

66. (Jacob) said: "Never will I

Send him with you until

Ye swear a solemn oath to me,

In God's name, that ye

Will be sure to bring him back

To me unless ye are yourselves

Hemmed in (and made powerless)."

And when they had sworn

Their solemn oath,

He said: "Over all

That we say, be God

The Witness and Guardian!"

67. Further he said:

"O my sons! enter not

All by one gate: enter ye

By different gates. Not that

I can profit you aught

Against God (with my advice):

None can command except God:

On Him do I put my trust:

And let all that trust

Put their trust on Him."

68. And when they entered

In the manner their father

Had enjoined, it did not

Profit them in the least

Against (the Plan of) God:

It was but a necessity

Of Jacob's soul, which he

Discharged. For he was,

By Our instruction, full

Of knowledge (and experience):

But most men know not.

SECTION 9.

69. Now when they came

Into Joseph's presence,

He received his (full) brother

To stay with him. He said

(To him): "Behold! I am thy (own)

Brother; so grieve not

At aught of their doings."

70. At length when he had furnished

Them forth with provisions

(Suitable) for them, he put

The drinking cup into

His brother's saddle-bag.

Then shouted out a Crier:

"O ye (in) the Caravan!

Behold! ye are thieves,

Without doubt!"

71. They said, turning towards them:

"What is it that ye miss?"

72. They said: "We miss

The great beaker of the king;

For him who produces it,--

Is (the reward of)

A camel load; I

Will be bound by it."

73. (The brothers) said: "By God!

Well ye know that we

Came not to make mischief

In the land, and we are

No thieves!"

74. (The Egyptians) said: "What then

Shall be the penalty of this,

If ye are (proved) to have lied?"

75. They said: "The penalty

Should be that he

In whose saddle-bag

It is found, should be held

(As bondman) to atone

For the (crime). Thus it is

We punish the wrong-doers!"

76. So he began (the search)

With their baggage,

Before (he came to) the baggage

Of his brother: at length

He brought it out of his

Brother's baggage. Thus did We

Plan for Joseph. He could not

Take his brother by the law

Of the king except that God

Willed it (so). We raise

To degrees (of wisdom) whom

We please: but over all

Endued with knowledge is One,

The All-Knowing.

77. They said: "If he steals,

There was a brother of his

Who did steal before (him)."

But these things did Joseph

Keep locked in his heart,

Revealing not the secrets to them.

He (simply) said (to himself):

"Ye are the worse situated;

And God knoweth best

The truth of what ye assert!"

78. They said: "O exalted one!

Behold! he has a father,

Aged and venerable, (who will

Grieve for him); so take

One of us in his place;

For we see that thou art

(Gracious) in doing good."

79. He said: "God forbid

That we take other than him

With whom we found

Our property: indeed

(If we did so), we should

Be acting wrongfully.

SECTION 10.

80. Now when they saw

No hope of his (yielding),

They held a conference in private.

The leader among them said:

"Know ye not that your father

Did take an oath from you

In God's name, and how,

Before this, ye did fail

In your duty with Joseph?

Therefore will I not leave

This land until my father

Permits me, or God

Commands me; and He

Is the best to command.

81. "Turn ye back to your father,

And say, "O our father!

Behold! thy son committed theft!

We bear witness only to what

We know, and we could not

Well guard against the unseen!

82. "Ask at the town where

We have been and the caravan

In which we returned,

And (you will find) we are

Indeed telling the truth."

83. Jacob said: "Nay, but ye

Have yourselves contrived

A story (good enough) for you.

So patience is most fitting

(For me). Maybe God will

Bring them (back) all

To me (in the end).

For He is indeed full

Of knowledge and wisdom.

84. And he turned away from them,

And said: "How great

Is my grief for Joseph!"

And his eyes became white

With sorrow, and he fell

Into silent melancholy.

85. They said: "By God!

(Never) wilt thou cease

To remember Joseph

Until thou reach the last

Extremity of illness,

Or until thou die!"

86. He said: "I only complain

Of my distraction and anguish

To God, and I know from God

That which ye know not...

87. "O my sons! go ye

And enquire about Joseph

And his brother, and never

Give up hope of God's

Soothing Mercy: truly

No one despairs of God's

Soothing Mercy, except

Those who have no faith."

88. Then, when they came

(Back) into (Joseph's) presence

They said: "O exalted one!

Distress has seized us

And our family: we have

(Now) brought but scanty capital:

So pay us full measure,

(We pray thee), and treat it

As charity to us: for God

Doth reward the charitable."

89. He said: "Know ye

How ye dealt with Joseph

And his brother, not knowing

(What ye were doing)?"

90. They said: "Art thou indeed

Joseph?" He said . "I am

Joseph, and this is my brother:

God has indeed been gracious

To us (all): behold, he that is

Righteous and patient,--never

Will God suffer the reward

To be lost, of those

Who do right."

91. They said: "By God! Indeed

Has God preferred thee

Above us, and we certainly

Have been guilty of sin!"

92. He said: "This day

Let no reproach be (cast)

On you; God will forgive you,

And He is the Most Merciful

Of those who show mercy!

93. "Go with this my shirt,

And cast it over the face

Of my father: he will

Come to see (clearly). Then come

Ye (here) to me together

With all your family."

SECTION 11.

94. When the Caravan left (Egypt),

Their father said: "I do indeed

Scent the presence of Joseph:

Nay, think me not a dotard."

95. They said: "By God!

Truly thou art in

Thine old wandering mind."

96. Then when the bearer

Of the good news came,

He cast (the shirt)

Over his face, and he

Forthwith regained clear sight.

He said: "Did I not say

To you, "I know from God

That which ye know not?"

97. They said: "O our father!

Ask for us forgiveness

For our sins, for we

Were truly at fault."

98. He said: "Soon will I

Ask my Lord for forgiveness

For you: for He is indeed

Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

99. Then when they entered

The presence of Joseph,

He provided a home

For his parents with himself,

And said: "Enter ye

Egypt (all) in safety

If it please God."

100. And he raised his parents

High on the throne (of dignity),

And they fell down in prostration,

(All) before him. He said:

"O my father! this is

The fulfilment of my vision

Of old! God hath made it

Come true! He was indeed

Good to me when He

Took me out of prison

And brought you (all here)

Out of the desert,

(Even) after Satan had sown

Enmity between me and my brothers.

Verily my Lord understandeth

Best the mysteries of all

that He planneth to do.

For verily He is full

Of knowledge and wisdom.

101."O my Lord! Thou hast

Indeed bestowed on me

Some power, and taught me

Something of the interpretation

Of dreams and events,--O Thou

Creator of the heavens

And the earth! Thou art

My Protector in this world

And in the Hereafter.

Take Thou my soul (at death)

As one submitting to Thy Will

(As a Muslim), and unite me

With the righteous."

102. Such is one of the stories

Of what happened unseen,

Which We reveal by inspiration

Unto thee: nor wast thou

(Present) with them when they

Concerted their plans together

In the process of weaving their plots.

103. Yet no faith will

The greater part of mankind

Have, however ardently

Thou dost desire it.

104. And no reward dost thou ask

Of them for this: it is

No less than a Message

For all creatures.

SECTION 12.

105. And how many Signs

In the heavens and the earth

Do they pass by? Yet they

Turn (their faces) away from them!

106. And most of them

Believe not in God

Without associating (others

As partners) with Him!

107. Do they then feel secure

From the coming against them

Of the covering veil

Of the wrath of God,

Or of the coming against them

Of the (final) Hour

All of a sudden

While they perceive not?

108. Say thou: "This is my Way:

I do invite unto God,

On evidence clear as

The seeing with one's eyes,--

I and whoever follows me.

Glory to God! and never

Will I join gods with God!"

109. Nor did We send before thee

(As apostles) any but men,

Whom We did inspire,--

(Men) living in human habitations.

Do they not travel

Through the earth, and see

What was the end

Of those before them?

But the home of the Hereafter

Is best, for those who do right.

Will ye not then understand?

110. (Respite will be granted)

Until, when the apostles

Give up hope (of their people)

And (come to) think that they

Were treated as liars,

There reaches them Our help,

And those whom We will

Are delivered into safety.

But never will be warded off

Our punishment from those

Who are in sin.

111. There is, in their stories,

Instruction for men endued

With understanding. It is not

A tale invented, but a confirmation

Of what went before it,--

A detailed exposition

Of all things, and a Guide

And a Mercy to any such

As believe.

Sura XIII.

Ra'd, or Thunder.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. A. L. M. R. These are

The Signs (or Verses)

Of the Book: that which

Hath been revealed unto thee

From thy Lord is the Truth;

But most men believe not.

2. God is He Who raised

The heavens without any pillars

That ye can see; is firmly

Established on the Throne (of Authority);

He has subjected the sun

And the moon (to his Law)!

Each one runs (its course)

For a term appointed.

He doth regulate all affairs,

Explaining the Signs in detail,

That ye may believe with certainty

In the meeting with your Lord.

3. And it is He Who spread out

The earth, and set thereon

Mountains standing firm,

And (flowing) rivers: and fruit

Of every kind He made

In pairs, two and two:

He draweth the Night as a veil

O'er the Day. Behold, verily

In these things there are Signs

For those who consider!

4. And in the earth are tracts

(Diverse though) neighbouring,

And gardens of vines

And fields sown with corn,

And palm trees--growing

Out of single roots or otherwise:

Watered with the same water,

Yet some of them We make

More excellent than others to eat.

Behold, verily in these things

There are Signs for those

Who understand!

5. If thou dost marvel

(At their want of faith),

Strange is their saying:

"When we are (actually) dust,

Shall we indeed then be

In a creation renewed?" They are

Those who deny their Lord! They

Are those round whose necks

Will be yokes (of servitude):

They will be Companions

Of the Fire, to dwell therein

(For aye)!

6. They ask thee to hasten on

The evil in preference to the good:

Yet have come to pass,

Before them, (many) exemplary

Punishments! But verily

Thy Lord is full of forgiveness

For mankind for their wrong-doing,

And verily thy Lord

Is (also) strict in punishment.

7. And the Unbelievers say:

"Why is not a Sign sent down

To him from his Lord?

But thou art truly

A warner, and to every people

A guide.

SECTION 2.

8. God doth know what

Every female (womb) doth bear,

By how much the wombs

Fall short (of their time

Or number) or do exceed.

Every single thing is before

His sight, in (due) proportion.

9. He knoweth the Unseen

And that which is open:

He is the Great,

The most High.

10. It is the same (to Him)

Whether any of you

Conceal his speech or

Declare it openly;

Whether he lie hid by night

Or walk forth freely by day.

11. For each (such person)

There are (angels) in succession,

Before and behind him:

They guard him by command

Of God. Verily never

Will God change the condition

Of a people until they

Change it themselves

(With their own souls).

But when (once) God willeth

A people's punishment,

There can be no

Turning it back, nor

Will they find, besides Him,

Any to protect

12. It is He Who doth show you

The lightning, by way

Both of fear and of hope:

It is He Who doth raise up

The clouds, heavy

With (fertilising) rain!

13. Nay, thunder repeateth His praises,

And so do the angels, with awe:

He flingeth the loud-voiced

Thunder-bolts, and therewith

He striketh whomsoever He will...

Yet these (are the men)

Who (dare to) dispute

About God, with the strength

Of His power (supreme)!

14. For Him (alone) is prayer

In Truth: any others that they

Call upon besides Him hear them

No more than if they were

To stretch forth their hands

For water to reach their mouths

But it reaches them not:

For the prayer of those

Without Faith is nothing

But (futile) wandering (in the mind).

15. Whatever beings there are

In the heavens and the earth

Do prostrate themselves to God

(Acknowledging subjection),--with good-will

Or in spite of themselves:

So do their shadows

In the mornings and evenings.

16. Say: "Who is the Lord and Sustainer

Of the heavens and the earth?"

Say: "(It is) God."

Say: "Do ye then take

(For worship) protectors other

Than Him, such as have

No power either for good

Or for harm to themselves?"

Say: "Are the blind equal

With those who see?

Or the depths of darkness

Equal with Light?"

Or do they assign to God

Partners who have created

(Anything) as He has created,

So that the creation seemed

To them similar?

Say: "God is the Creator

Of all things: He is

The One, the Supreme and

Irresistible."

17. He sends down water

From the sides, and the channels

Flow, each according to its measure:

But the torrent bears away

The foam that mounts up

To the surface. Even so,

Form that (ore) which they heat

In the fire, to make ornaments

Or utensils therewith,

There is a scum likewise.

Thus doth God (by parables)

Show forth Truth and Vanity.

For the scum disappears

Like froth cast out;

While that which is for the good

Of mankind remains

On the earth. Thus doth God

Set forth parables.

18. For those who respond

To their Lord, are (all)

Good things. But those

Who respond not to Him,

Even if they had all

That is in the heavens

And on earth, and as much more,

(In vain) would they offer it

For ransom. For them

Will the reckoning be terrible:

Their abode will be Hell,----

What a bed of misery!

SECTION 3.

19. Is then one who doth know

That that which hath been

Revealed unto thee

From thy Lord is the Truth,

Like one who is blind?

It is those who are

Endued with understanding

That receive admonition;--

20. Those who fulfil the Covenant

Of God and fail not

In their plighted word;

21. Those who join together

Those things which God

Hath commanded to be joined,

Hold their Lord in awe,

And fear the terrible reckoning;

22. Those who patiently persevere,

Seeking the countenance of their Lord;

Establish regular prayers; spend,

Out of (the gifts) We have bestowed

For their sustenance, secretly

And openly; and turn off Evil

With good: for such there is

The final attainment

Of the (Eternal) Home,--

23. Gardens of perpetual bliss:

They shall enter there,

As well as the righteous

Among their fathers, their spouses,

And their offspring:

And angels shall enter unto them

From every gate (with the salutation):

24. "Peace unto you for that ye

Persevered in patience! Now

How excellent is the final Home!"

25. But those who break

The Covenant of God, after

Having plighted their word thereto,

And cut asunder those things

Which God has commanded

To be joined, and work mischief

In the land;--on them

Is the Curse; for them

Is the terrible Home!

26. God doth enlarge, or grant

By (strict) measure, the Sustenance

(Which He giveth) to whomso

He pleaseth. (The worldly) rejoice

In the life of this world:

But the life of this world

Is but little comfort

In the Hereafter.

SECTION 4.

27. The Unbelievers say: "Why

Is not a Sign sent down

To him from his Lord?"

Say: "Truly God leaveth,

To stray, whom He will;

But He guideth to Himself

Those who turn to Him

In penitence,--

28. "Those who believe, and whose hearts

Find satisfaction in the remembrance

Of God: for without doubt

In the remembrance of God

Do hearts find satisfaction.

29. "For those who believe

And work righteousness,

Is (every) blessedness,

And a beautiful place

Of (final) return."

30. Thus have We sent thee

Amongst a People before whom

(Long since) have (other) Peoples

(Gone and) passed away;

In order that thou mightest

Rehearse unto them what We

Send down unto thee by inspiration;

Yet do they reject (Him),

The Most Gracious!

Say: "He is my Lord!

There is no god but He!

On Him is my trust,

And to Him do I turn!"

31. If there were a Qur-an

With which mountains were moved,

Or the earth were cloven asunder,

Or the dead were made to speak,

(This would be the one!)

But, truly, the Command is

With God in all things!'

Do not the Believers know,

That, had God (so) willed,

He could have guided

All mankind (to the Right)?

But the Unbelievers,--never

Will disaster cease to seize

Them for their (ill) deeds,

Or to settle close to their homes,

Until the promise of God

Come to pass, for, verily,

God will not fail

In His promise.

SECTION 5.

32. Mocked were (many) apostles

Before thee: but I granted

Respite to the Unbelievers,

And finally I punished them:

Then how (terrible) was My requital!

33. Is then He Who standeth

Over every soul (and knoweth)

All that it doth,

(Like any others)? And yet

They ascribe partners to God.

Say: "But name them!

Is it that ye will

Inform Him of something

He knoweth not on earth,

Or is it (just) a show

Of words?" Nay! to those

Who believe not, their pretence

seems pleasing, but they are

Kept back (thereby) from the Path.

And those whom God leaves

To stray, no one can guide.

34. For them is a Penalty

In the life of this world,

But harder, truly, is the Penalty

Of the Hereafter: and defender

Have they none against God.

35. The parable of the Garden

Which the righteous are promised!--

Beneath it flow rivers:

Perpetual is the enjoyment thereof

And the shade therein:

Such is the End

Of the Righteous; and the End

Of Unbelievers is the Fire.

36. Those to whom We have

Given the Book rejoice

At what hath been revealed

Unto thee: but there are

Among the clans those who reject

A part thereof. Say:

"I am commanded to worship

God, and not to join partners

With Him. Unto him

Do I call, and

Unto Him is my return."

37. Thus have We revealed it

To be a judgment of authority

In Arabic. Wert thou to follow

Their (vain) desires after the knowledge

Which hath reached thee,

Then wouldst thou find

Neither protector nor defender

Against God.

SECTION 6.

38. We did send apostles

Before thee, and appointed

For them wives and children:

And it was never the part

Of an apostle to bring a Sign

Except as God permitted

(Or commanded). For each period

Is a Book (revealed).

39. God doth blot out

Or confirm what He pleaseth:

With Him is

The Mother of the Book.

40. Whether We shall show thee

(Within thy life-time)

Part of what We promised them

Or take to ourselves thy soul

(Before it is all accomplished),--

Thy duty is to make

(The Message) reach them:

It is Our part

To call them to account.

41. See they not that We

Gradually reduce the land

(In their control) from its

Outlying borders ? (Where) God

Commands, there is none

To put back His command:

And He is Swift

In calling to account.

42. Those before them did (also)

Devise plots; but in all things

The master-planning is God's.

He knoweth the doings

Of every soul: and soon

Will the Unbelievers know

Who gets home in the End.

43. The Unbelievers say: "No apostle

Art thou." Say: "Enough

For a witness between me

And you is God, and such

As have knowledge of the Book."

Sura XIV.

Ibrahim, or Abraham.

In the name of God, Most Gracious

Most Merciful.

1. A. L. R. A Book

Which We have revealed

Unto thee, in order that

Thou mightest lead mankind

Out of the depths of darkness

Into light--by the leave

Of their Lord--to the Way

Of (Him) the Exalted in Power,

Worthy of all Praise!--

2. Of God, to Whom do belong

All things in the heavens

And on earth!

But alas for the Unbelievers

For a terrible Penalty

(Their Unfaith will bring them)!--

3. Those who love the life

Of this world more than

The Hereafter, who hinder (men)

From the Path of God

And seek therein something crooked:

They are astray

By a long distance.

4. We sent not an apostle

Except (to teach) in the language

Of his (own) people, in order

To make (things) clear to them.

Now God leaves straying

Those whom He pleases

And guides whom He pleases:

And He is Exalted in Power,

Full of Wisdom.

5. We sent Moses with Our Signs

(And the command). "Bring out

Thy people from the depths

Of darkness into light,

And teach them to remember

The Days of God." Verily

In this there are Signs

For such as are firmly patient

And constant,--grateful and appreciative.

6. Remember! Moses said

To his people: "Call to mind

The favour of God to you

When He delivered you

From the people of Pharaoh:

They set you hard tasks

And punishments, slaughtered

Your sons, and let your women-folk

Live: therein was

A tremendous trial from your Lord."

SECTION 2.

7. And remember! your Lord

Caused to be declared (publicly):

"If ye are grateful, I will

Add more (favours) unto you;

But if ye show ingratitude,

Truly my punishment

Is terrible indeed."

8. And Moses said: "If ye

Show ingratitude, ye and all

On earth together,--yet

Is God Free of all wants,

Worthy of all praise.

9. Has not the story

Reached you, (O people!), of those

Who (went) before you?--

Of the People of Noah,

And 'Ad, and Thamud?--

And of those who (came)

After them? None knows them

But God. To them came

Apostles with Clear (Signs);

But they put their hands

Up to their mouths, and said:

"We do deny (the mission)

On which ye have been sent,

And we are really

In suspicious (disquieting) doubt

As to that to which

Ye invite us."

10. Their apostles said: "Is there

A doubt about God,

The Creator of the heavens

And the earth? It is He

Who invites you, in order

That He may forgive you

Your sins and give you

Respite for a term appointed!"

They said: "Ah! ye are

No more than human,

Like ourselves! Ye wish

To turn us away from

The (gods) our fathers

Used to worship: then

Bring us some clear authority."

11. Their apostles said to them:

"True, we are human

Like yourselves, but God

Doth grant His grace

To such of His servants

As He pleases. It is not

For us to bring you

An authority except as God

Permits. And on God

Let all men of faith

Put their trust.

12. "No reason have we why

We should not put our trust

On God. Indeed He

Has guided us to the Ways

We (follow). We shall certainly

Bear with patience all

The hurt you may cause us.

For those who put their trust

Should put their trust on God."

SECTION 3.

13. And the Unbelievers said

To their apostles: "Be sure

We shall drive you out

Of our land, or ye shall

Return to our religion."

But their Lord inspired

(This Message) to them:

"Verily We shall cause

The wrong-doers to perish!

14. "And verily We shall

Cause you to abide

In the land, and succeed them.

This for such as fear

The Time when they shall stand

Before My tribunal,--such

As fear the Punishment denounced."

15. But they sought victory and decision

(There and then), and frustration

Was the lot of every

Powerful obstinate transgressor.

16. In front of such a one

Is Hell, and he is given,

For drink, boiling fetid water.

17. In gulps will he sip it,

But never will he be near

Swallowing it down his throat:

Death will come to him

From every quarter, yet

Will he not die: and

In front of him will be

A chastisement unrelenting.

18. The parable of those who

Reject their Lord is that

Their works are as ashes,

On which the wind blows

Furiously on a tempestuous day:

No power have they over

Aught that they have earned:

That is the straying

Far, far (from the goal).

19. Seest thou not that God

Created the heavens and the earth

In Truth? If He so will,

He can remove you

And put (in your place)

A new Creation?

20. Nor is that for God

Any great matter.

21. They will all be marshalled

Before God together: then

Will the weak say to those

Who were arrogant, "For us,

We but followed you; can ye

Then avail us at all

Against the Wrath of God?"

They will reply, "If we

Had received the guidance

Of God, we should have

Given it to you: to us

It makes no difference (now)

Whether we rage, or bear

(These torments) with patience:

For ourselves there is no way

Of escape."

SECTION 4.

22. And Satan will say

When the matter is decided:

"It was God Who gave you

A promise of Truth: I too

Promised, but I failed

In my promise to you.

I had no authority over you

Except to call you, but ye

Listened to me: then

Reproach not me, but reproach

Your own souls. I cannot listen

To your cries, nor can ye

Listen to mine. I reject

Your former act in associating

Me with God.

For wrong-doers there must be

A grievous Penalty."

23. But those who believe

And work righteousness

Will be admitted to Gardens

Beneath which rivers flow,--

To dwell therein for aye

With the leave of their Lord.

Their greeting therein

Will be: "Peace!"

24. Seest thou not how

God sets forth a parable?--

A goodly Word

Like a goodly tree,

Whose root is firmly fixed,

And its branches (reach)

To the heavens,--

25. It brings forth its fruit

At all times, by the leave

Of its Lord.

So God sets forth parables

For men, in order that

They may receive admonition.

26. And the parable

Of an evil Word

Is that of an evil tree:

It is torn up by the root

From the surface of the earth:

It has no stability.

27. God will establish in strength

Those who believe, with the Word

That stands firm, in this world

And in the Hereafter; but God

Will leave, to stray, those

Who do wrong: God doeth

What He willeth.

SECTION 5.

28, Hast thou not turned

Thy vision to those who

Have changed the favour of God.

Into blasphemy and caused

Their people to descend

To the House of Perdition?--

29. Into Hell? They will burn

Therein,--an evil place

To stay in!

30. And they set up (idols)

As equal to God, to mislead

(Men) from the Path! Say:

"Enjoy (your brief power)!

But verily ye are making

Straightway for Hell!"

31. Speak to my servants

Who have believed,

That they may establish

Regular prayers, and spend

(In charity) out of the Sustenance

We have given them,

Secretly and openly, before

The coming of a Day

In which there will be

Neither mutual bargaining

Nor befriending.

32. It is God Who hath created

The heavens and the earth

And sendeth down rain

From the skies, and with it

Bringeth out fruits wherewith

To feed you; it is He

Who hath made the ships subject

To you, that they may sail

Through the sea by His Command;

And the rivers (also)

Hath He made subject to you.

33. And He hath made subject

To you the sun and the moon,

Both diligently pursuing

Their courses; and the Night

And the Day hath He (also)

Made subject to you.

34. And He giveth you

Of all that ye ask for.

But if ye count the favours

Of God, never will ye

Be able to number them.

Verily, man is given up

To injustice and ingratitude.

SECTION 6.

35. Remember Abraham said:

"O my Lord! make this city

One of peace and security:

And preserve me and my sons

From worshipping idols.

36. "O my Lord! they have indeed

Led astray many among mankind;

He then who follows my (ways)

Is of me, and he that

Disobeys me,--but Thou

Art indeed Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful.

37. "O our Lord! I have made

Some of my offspring to dwell

In a valley without cultivation,

By Thy Sacred House;

In order, O our Lord, that they

May establish regular Prayer:

So till the hearts of some

Among men with love towards them,

And feed them with Fruits:

So that they may give thanks.

38. "O our Lord! truly Thou

Dost know what we conceal

And what we reveal:

For nothing whatever is hidden

From God, whether on earth

Or in heaven.

39. "Praise be to God, Who hath

Granted unto me in old age

Isma'il and Isaac: for truly

My Lord is He, the Hearer

Of Prayer!

40. "O my Lord! make me

One who establishes regular Prayer,

And also (raise such)

Among my offspring

O our Lord!

And accept Thou my Prayer.

41. "O our Lord! cover (us)

With Thy Forgiveness--me,

My parents, and (all) Believers,

On the Day that the Reckoning

Will be established!

SECTION 7.

42. Think not that God

Doth not heed the deeds

Of those who do wrong.

He but giveth them respite

Against a Day when

The eyes will fixedly stare

In horror,--

43. They running forward

With necks outstretched,

Their heads uplifted, their gaze

Returning not towards them,

And their hearts a (gaping) void!

44. So warn mankind

Of the Day when the Wrath

Will reach them: then will

The wrong-doers say: "Our Lord!

Respite us (if only)

For a short Term: we will

Answer Thy Call, and follow

The apostles!"

"What! were ye not wont

To swear aforetime that ye

Should suffer no decline?

45. "And ye dwelt in the dwellings

Of men who wronged their own

Souls; ye were clearly shown

How We dealt with them;

And We put forth (many) Parables

In your behoof!"

46. Mighty indeed were the plots

Which they made, but their plots

Were (well) within the sight

Of God, even though they were

Such as to shake the hills!

47. Never think that God would fail

His apostles in His promise:

For God is Exalted in Power,--

The Lord of Retribution.

48. One day the Earth will be

Changed to a different Earth,

And so will be the Heavens,

And (men) will be marshalled

Forth, before God, the One,

The Irresistible;

49. And thou wilt see

The Sinners that day

Bound together in fetters;--

50. Their garments of liquid pitch,

And their faces covered with Fire;

51. That God may requite

Each soul according

To its deserts;

And verily God is Swift

In calling to account.

52. Here is a Message for mankind:

Let them take warning therefrom,

And let them know that He

Is (no other than) One God

Let men of understanding

Take heed.

Sura XV.

Al-Hijr, or The Rocky Tract.

In the name of God, Most Gracious;

Most Merciful

1. A. L. R. These are

The Ayats of Revelation,--

Of a Qur-an

That makes things clear.

2. Again and again will those

Who disbelieve, wish that they

Had bowed (to God's Will)

In Islam.

3. Leave them alone, to enjoy

(The good things of this life)

And to please themselves:

Let (false) Hope amuse them: soon

Will knowledge (undeceive them).

4. Never did We destroy

A population that had not

A term decreed and assigned

Beforehand.

5. Neither can a people anticipate

Its Term, nor delay it.

6. They say: "O thou to whom

The Message is being revealed!

Truly thou art mad (or possessed)!

7. "Why bringest thou not

Angels to us if it be

That thou hast the Truth?"

8. We send not the angels

Down except for just cause:

If they came (to the ungodly),

Behold! no respite would they have!

9. We have, without doubt,

Sent down the Message;

And We will assuredly

Guard it (from corruption).

10. We did send apostles before thee

Amongst the religious sects

Of old:

11. But never came an apostle

To them but they mocked him.

12. Even so do we let it creep

Into the hearts of the sinners--

13. That they should not believe

In the (Message); but the ways

Of the ancients have passed away.

14. Even if We opened out to them

A gate from heaven,

And they were to continue

(All day) ascending therein,

15. They would only say:

"Our eyes have been intoxicated:

Nay, we have been bewitched

By sorcery."

SECTION 2.

16. It is We Who have set out

The Zodiacal Signs in the heavens,

And made them fair-seeming

To (all) beholders;

17. And (moreover) We have guarded them

From every evil spirit accursed:

18. But any that gains a hearing

By stealth, is pursued

By a flaming fire, bright (to see).

19. And the earth We have spread out

(Like a carpet); set thereon

Mountains firm and immovable;

And produced therein all kinds

Of things in due balance.

20. And We have provided therein

Means of subsistence,--for you

And for those for whose sustenance

Ye are not responsible.

21. And there is not a thing

But its (sources and) treasures

(Inexhaustible) are with Us;

But We only send down

Thereof in due and ascertainable measures.

22. And We send the fecundating winds,

Then cause the rain to descend

From the sky, therewith providing

You with water (in abundance),

Though ye are not the guardians

Of its stores.

23. And verily, it is We

Who give life, and Who give

Death: it is We Who remain Inheritors

(After all else passes away).

24. To Us are known those of you

Who hasten forward, and those

Who lag behind.

25. Assuredly it is thy Lord

Who will gather them together:

For He is Perfect in Wisdom

And Knowledge.

SECTION 3.

26. We created man from sounding clay,

From mud moulded into shape;

27. And the Jinn race, We had

Created before, from the fire

Of a scorching wind.

28. Behold! thy Lord said

To the angels: "I am about

To create man, from sounding clay

From mud moulded into shape;

29. "When I have fashioned him

(In due proportion) and breathed

Into him of My spirit,

Fall ye down in obeisance

Unto him.

30. So the angels prostrated themselves,

All of them together:

31. Not so Iblis: he refused to be

Among those who prostrated themselves.

32. (God) said: "O Iblis!

What is your reason

For not being among those

Who prostrated themselves?"

33. (Iblis) said: "I am not one

To prostrate myself to man,

Whom Thou didst create

From sounding clay, from mud

Moulded into shape."

34. (God) said: "Then get thee out

From here; for thou art

Rejected, accursed.

35. "And the Curse shall be

On thee till the Day of Judgment."

36. (Iblis) said: "O my Lord!

Give me then respite

Till the Day

The (dead) are raised."

37. (God) said: "Respite

Is granted thee--

38. "Till the Day

Of the Time Appointed."

39. (Iblis) said: "O my Lord!

Because Thou hast put me

In the wrong, I will

Make (wrong) fair-seeming

To them on the earth,

And I will put them

All in the wrong,--

40. "Except Thy servants among them,

Sincere and purified

(By Thy grace)."

41. (God) said: "This (Way

Of My sincere servants) is

Indeed a Way that leads

Straight to Me.

42. "For over My servants

No authority shalt thou

Have, except such as

Put themselves in the wrong

And follow thee."

43. And verily, Hell

Is the promised abode

For them all!

44. To it are seven Gates:

For each of those Gates

Is a (special) class

(Of sinners) assigned.

SECTION 4.

45. The righteous (will be)

Amid Gardens

And fountains

(Of clear-flowing water).

46. (Their greeting will be):

"Enter ye here

In Peace and Security."

47. And We shall remove

From their hearts any

Lurking sense of injury:

(They will be) brothers

(Joyfully) facing each other

On thrones (of dignity).

48. There no sense of fatigue

Shall touch them,

Nor shall they (ever)

Be asked to leave.

49. Tell My servants

That I am indeed

The Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful;

50. And that My Penalty

Will be indeed

The most grievous Penalty.

51. Tell them about

The guests of Abraham.

52. When they entered his presence

And said, "Peace!"

He said, "We feel

Afraid of you!"

53. They said: "Fear not!

We give thee glad tidings

Of a son endowed

With wisdom."

54. He said: "Do ye give me

Glad tidings that old age

Has seized me? Of what,

Then, is your good news?"

55. They said: "We give thee

Glad tidings in truth:

Be not then in despair!"

56. He said: "And who

Despairs of the mercy

Of his Lord, but such

As go astray?"

57. Abraham said: "What then

Is the business on which

Ye (have come), O ye

Messengers (of God)?"

58. They said: "We have been

Sent to a people

(Deep) in sin,

59. "Excepting the adherents

Of Lut: them we are certainly

(Charged) to save (from harm),--

All--

60. "Except his wife, who,

We have ascertained,

Will be among those

Who will lag behind."

SECTION 5.

61. At length when the messengers

Arrived among the adherents

Of Lut,

62. He said: "Ye appear

To be uncommon folk."

63. They said: "Yea,

We have come to thee

To accomplish that

Of which they doubt.

64. "We have brought to thee

That which is inevitably

Due, and assuredly

We tell the truth.

65. "Then travel by night

With thy household,

When a portion of the night

(Yet remains), and do thou

Bring up the rear:

Let no one amongst you

Look back, but pass on

Whither ye are ordered."

66. And We made known

This decree to him,

That the last remnants

Of those (sinners) should be

Cut off by the morning.

67. The inhabitants of the City

Came in (mad) joy

(At news of the young men).

68. Lut said: "These are

My guests: disgrace me not:

69. "But fear God,

And shame me not."

70. They said: "Did we not

Forbid thee (to speak)

For all and sundry?"

71. He said: "There are

My daughters (to marry),

If ye must act (so)."

72. Verily, by thy life (O Prophet),

In their wild intoxication,

They wander in distraction,

To and fro.

73. But the (mighty) Blast

Overtook them before morning;

74. And We turned (the Cities)

Upside down, and rained down

On them brimstones

Hard as baked clay.

75. Behold! in this are Signs

For those who by tokens

Do understand.

76. And the (Cities were)

Right on the high-road.

77. Behold! in this

Is a Sign

For those who believe!

78. And the Companions of the Wood

Were also wrong-doers;

79. So We exacted retribution

From them. They were both

On an open highway,

Plain to see.

SECTION 6.

80. The Companions of the Rocky Tract

Also rejected the apostles:

81. We sent them Our Signs,

But they persisted

In turning away from them.

82. Out of the mountains

Did they hew (their) edifices,

(Feeling themselves) secure.

83. But the (mighty) Blast

Seized them of a morning,

84. And of no avail to them

Was all that they did

(With such art and care)!

85. We created not the heavens,

The earth, and all between them,

But for just ends.

And the Hour is surely

Coming (when this will be manifest).

So overlook (any human faults)

With gracious forgiveness.

86. For verily it is thy Lord

Who is the Master-Creator,

Knowing all things.

87. And We have bestowed

Upon thee the Seven

Oft-repeated (Verses)

And the Grand Qur-an.

88. Strain not thine eyes.

(Wistfully) at what We

Have bestowed on certain classes

Of them, nor grieve over them:

But lower thy wing

(in gentleness)

To the Believers.

89. And say: "I am indeed he

That warneth openly

And without ambiguity,"--

90. (Of just such wrath)

As We sent down

On those who divided

(Scripture into arbitrary parts),--

91. (So also on such)

As have made Qur-an

Into shreds (as they please).

92. Therefore, by the Lord,

We will, of a surety,

Call them to account,

93. For all their deeds.

94. Therefore expound openly

What thou art commanded,

And turn away from those

Who join false gods with God.

95. For sufficient are We

Unto thee against those

Who scoff,--

96. Those who adopt, with God,

Another god: but soon

Will they come to know.

97. We do indeed know

How thy heart is distressed

At what they say.

98. But celebrate the praises

Of thy Lord, and be of those

Who prostrate themselves

In adoration.

99. And serve thy Lord

Until there come unto thee

The Hour that is Certain.

Sura XVI.

Nahl or The Bee.

In the name of God Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. (Inevitable) cometh (to pass)

The Command of God:

Seek ye not then

To hasten it: glory to Him,

And far is He above

Having the partners

They ascribe unto Him!

2. He doth send down His angels

With inspiration of His Command,

To such of His servants

As He pleaseth, (saying):

"Warn (Man) that there is

No god but I: so do

Your duty unto Me."

3. He has created the heavens

And the earth for just ends:

Far is He above having

The partners they ascribe to Him!

4. He has created man

From a sperm-drop;

And behold this same (man)

Becomes an open disputer!

5. And cattle He has created

For you (men): from them

Ye derive warmth,

And numerous benefits,

And of their (meat) ye eat.

6. And ye have a sense

Of pride and beauty in them

As ye drive them home

In the evening, and as ye

Lead them forth to pasture

In the morning.

7. And they carry your heavy loads

To lands that ye could not

(Otherwise) reach except with

Souls distressed: for your Lord

Is indeed Most Kind, Most Merciful

8. And (He has created) horses,

Mules, and donkeys, for you

To ride and use for show;

And He has created (other) things

Of which ye have no knowledge.

9. and unto God leads straight

The Way, but there are ways

That turn aside: if God

Had willed, He could have

Guided all of you.

SECTION 2.

10. It is He Who sends down

Rain from the sky:

From it ye drink,

And out of it (grows)

The vegetation on which

Ye feed your cattle.

11. With it He produces

For you corn, olives,

Date-palms, grapes,

And every kind of fruit:

Verily in this is a Sign

For those who give thought.

12. He has made subject to you

The Night and the Day;

The Sun and the Moon;

And the Stars are in subjection

By His Command: verily

In this are Signs

For men who are wise.

13. And the things on this earth

Which He has multiplied

In varying colours

(and qualities):

Verily in this is a Sign

For men who celebrate

The praises of God

(in gratitude).

14. It is He Who has made

The sea subject, that ye

May eat thereof flesh

That is fresh and tender,

And that ye may extract

Therefrom ornaments to wear;

And thou seest the ships

Therein that plough the waves,

That ye may seek (thus)

Of the bounty of God

And that ye may be grateful.

15. And He has set up

On the earth mountains

Standing firm, lest it should

Shake with you; and rivers

And roads; that ye

May guide yourselves;

16. And marks and sign-posts;

And by the stars

(Men) guide themselves.

17. Is then He Who creates

Like one that creates not?

Will ye not receive admonition?

18. If ye would count up

The favours of God,

Never would ye be able

To number them: for God

Is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

19. And God doth know

What ye conceal,

And what ye reveal.

20. Those whom they invoke

Besides God create nothing

And are themselves created.

21. (They are things) dead,

Lifeless: nor do they know

When they will be raised up.

SECTION 3.

22. Your God is One God:

As to those who believe not

In the Hereafter, their hearts

Refuse to know, and they

Are arrogant.

23. Undoubtedly God doth know

What they conceal,

And what they reveal:

Verily He loveth not the arrogant.

24. When it is said to them,

"What is it that your Lord

Has revealed?" they say,

"Tales of the ancients!"

25. Let them bear, on the Day

Of Judgment, their own burdens

In full, and also (something)

Of the burdens of those

Without knowledge, whom they

Misled. Alas, how grievous

The burdens they will bear!

SECTION 4.

26. Those before them did also

Plot (against God's Way):

But God took their structures

From their foundations, and the roof

Fell down on them from above;

And the Wrath seized them

From directions they did not perceive.

27. Then, on the Day of Judgment,

He will cover them

With shame, and say:

"Where are My "partners"

Concerning whom ye used

To dispute (with the godly)?"

Those endued with knowledge

Will say: "This Day, indeed,

Are the Unbelievers covered

With Shame and Misery,--

28. "(Namely) those whose lives the angels

Take in a state of wrong-doing

To their own souls."

Then would they offer submission

(With the pretence), "We did

No evil (knowingly)." (The angels

Will reply), "Nay, but verily

God knoweth all that ye did;

29. "So enter the gates of Hell,

To dwell therein.

Thus evil indeed

Is the abode of the arrogant."

30. To the righteous

(When) it is said, "What

Is it that your Lord

Has revealed?" they say,

"All that is good." To those

Who do good, there is good

In this world, and-the Home

Of the Hereafter is even better

And excellent indeed is the Home

Of the righteous,--

31. Gardens of Eternity which they

Will enter: beneath them

Flow (pleasant) rivers: they

Will have therein all

That they wish: thus doth

God reward the righteous,--

32. (Namely) those whose lives

The angels take in a state

Of purity, saying (to them),

"Peace be on you; enter ye

The Garden, because of (the good)

Which ye did (in the world)."

33. Do the (ungodly) wait until

The angels come to them,

Or there comes the Command

Of thy Lord (for their doom)?

So did those who went

Before them. But God

Wronged them not: nay,

They wronged their own souls.

34. But the evil results

Of their deeds overtook them,

And that very (Wrath)

At which they had scoffed

Hemmed them in.

SECTION 5.

35. The worshippers of false gods

Say: "If God had so willed,

We should not have worshipped

Aught but Him--neither we

Nor our fathers,--nor should

We have prescribed prohibitions

Other than His." So did those

Who went before them.

But what is the mission

Of apostles but to preach

The Clear Message?

36. For We assuredly sent

Amongst every People an apostle,

(With the Command), "Serve

God, and eschew Evil":

Of the people were some whom

God guided, and some

On whom Error became

Inevitably (established). So travel

Through the earth, and see

What was the end of those

Who denied (the Truth).

37. If thou art anxious

For their guidance, yet

God guideth not such

As He leaves to stray,

And there is none

To help them.

38. They swear their strongest oaths

By God, that God will not

Raise up those who die

Nay, but it is a promise

(Binding) on Him in truth:

But most among mankind

Realise it not.

39. (They must be raised up),

In order that He may manifest

To them the truth of that

Wherein they differ, and that

The rejecters of Truth

May realise that they had

Indeed (surrendered to)

Falsehood.

40. For to anything which We

Have willed, We but say

The Word, "Be ", and it is.

SECTION 6.

41. To those who leave

Their homes in the cause

Of God, after suffering

oppression,--

We will assuredly give

A goodly home in this world;

But truly the reward

Of the Hereafter will be greater.

If they only realised (this)!

42. (They are) those who persevere

In patience, and put

Their trust on their Lord.

43. And before thee also

The apostles We sent

Were but men, to whom

We granted inspiration: if ye

Realise this not, ask of those

Who possess the Message.

44. (We sent them) with Clear Signs

And Books of dark prophecies;

And We have sent down

Unto thee (also) the Message;

That thou mayest explain clearly

To men what is sent

For them, and that they

May give thought.

45. Do then those who devise

Evil (plots) feel secure

That God will not cause

the earth to swallow them up,

Or that the Wrath will not

Seize them from directions

They little perceive?--

46. Or that He may not

Call them to account

In the midst of their goings

To and fro, without a chance

Of their frustrating Him?--

47. Or that He may not

Call them to account

By a process of slow wastage--

For thy Lord is indeed

Full of kindness and mercy.

48. Do they not look

At God's creation, (even)

Among (inanimate) things,--

How their (very) shadows

Turn round, from the right

And the left, prostrating

Themselves to God, and that

In the humblest manner?

49. And to God doth obeisance

All that is in the heavens

And on earth, whether

Moving (living) creatures

Or the angels: for none

Are arrogant (before their Lord).

50. They all revere their Lord,

High above them, and they do

All that they are commanded.

SECTION 7.

51. God has said: "Take not

(For worship) two gods:

For He is just One God:

Then fear Me (and Me alone)."

52. To Him belongs whatever

Is in the heavens and on earth,

And to Him is duty due always:

Then will ye fear other

Than God?

53. And ye have no good thing

But is from God: and moreover,

When ye are touched by distress,

Unto Him ye cry with groans;

54. Yet, when He removes

The distress from you, behold!

Some of you turn to other gods

To join with their Lord--

55. (As if) to show their ingratitude

For the favours We have

Bestowed on them! Then enjoy

(Your brief day); but soon

Will ye know (your folly)!

56. And they (even) assign,

To things they do not know,

A portion out of that

Which We have bestowed

For their sustenance!

By God, ye shall certainly

Be called to account

For your false inventions.

57. And they assign daughters

For God!--Glory be to Him!--

And for themselves (sons,

The issue) they desire!

58. When news is brought

To one of them, of (the birth

Of) a female (child), his face

Darkens, and he is filled

With inward grief!

59. With shame does he hide

Himself from his people,

Because of the bad news

He has had!

Shall he retain it

On (sufferance and) contempt,

Or bury it in the dust?

Ah! what an evil (choice)

They decide on?

60. To those who believe not

In the Hereafter, applies

The similitude of evil:

To God applies the highest

Similitude: for He is

The Exalted in Power,

Full of Wisdom.

SECTION 8.

61. If God were to punish

Men for their wrong-doing,

He would not leave, on the (earth);

A single living creature:

But He gives them respite

For a stated Term:

When their Term expires,

They would not be able

To delay (the punishment)

For a single hour, just as

They would not be able

To anticipate it (for a single hour).

62. They attribute to God

What they hate (for themselves),

And their tongues assert

The falsehood that all good things

Are for themselves: without doubt

For them is the Fire, and they

Will be the first to be

Hastened on into it!

63. By God, We (also) sent

(Our apostles) to Peoples

Before thee; but Satan

Made, (to the wicked),

Their own acts seem alluring:

He is also their patron to-day,

But they shall have

A most grievous penalty.

64. And We sent down the Book

To thee for the express purpose,

That thou shouldst make clear

To them those things in which

They differ, and that it should he

A guide and a mercy

To those who believe.

65. And God sends down rain

From the skies, and gives therewith

Life to the earth after its death:

Verily in this is a Sign

For those who listen.

SECTION 9.

66. And verily in cattle (too)

Will ye find an instructive Sign.

From what is within their bodies,

Between excretions and blood,

We produce, for your drink,

Milk, pure and agreeable

To those who drink it.

67. And from the fruit

Of the date-palm and the vine,

Ye get out wholesome drink

And food: behold, in this

Also is a Sign

For those who are wise.

68. And thy Lord taught the Bee

To build its cells in hills,

On trees, and in (men's) habitations;

69. Then to eat of all

The produce (of the earth),

And find with skill the spacious

Paths of its Lord: there issues

From within their bodies

A drink of varying colours,

Wherein is healing for men:

Verily in this is a Sign

For those who give thought.

70. It is God Who creates you

And takes your souls at death;

And of you there are

Some who are sent back

To a feeble age, so that

They know nothing after

Having known (much):

For God is All-Knowing,

All-Powerful.

SECTION 10.

71. God has bestowed His gifts

Of sustenance more freely on some

Of you than on others: those

More favoured are not going

To throw back their gifts

To those whom their right hands

Possess, so as to be equal

In that respect. Will they then

Deny the favours of God?

72. And God has made for you

Mates (and Companions) of your own nature,

And made for you, out of them,

Sons and daughters and grandchildren,

And provided for you sustenance

Of the best: will they

Then believe in vain things,

And be ungrateful for God's favours?--

73. And worship others than God,--

Such as have no power

Of providing them, for sustenance,

With anything in heavens or earth,

And cannot possibly have

Such power?

74. Invent not similitudes

For God: for God knoweth,

And ye know not.

75. God sets forth the Parable

(Of two men: one) a slave

Under the dominion of another;

He has no power of any sort;

And (the other) a man

On whom We have bestowed

Goodly favours from Ourselves,

And he spends thereof (freely),

Privately and publicly:

Are the two equal?

(By no means;)

Praise be to God. But

Most of them understand not.

76. God sets forth (another) Parable

Of two men: one of them

Dumb, with no power

Of any sort; a wearisome burden

Is he to his master;

Whichever way he directs him,

He brings no good:

Is such a man equal

With one who commands

Justice, and is on

A Straight Way?

SECTION 11.

77. To God belongeth the Mystery

Of the heavens and the earth.

And the Decision of the Hour

(Of Judgment) is as

The twinkling of an eye,

Or even quicker:

For God hath power

Over all things.

78. It is He Who brought you

Forth from the wombs

Of your mothers when

Ye knew nothing; and He

Gave you hearing and sight

And intelligence and affections:

That ye may give thanks

(To God).

79. Do they not look at

The birds, held poised

In the midst of (the air

And) the sky? Nothing

Holds them up but (the power

Of) God. Verily in this

Are Signs for those who believe.

80. It is God Who made your habitations

Homes of rest and quiet

For you; and made for you,

Out of the skins of animals,

(Tents for) dwellings, which

Ye find so light (and handy)

When ye travel and when

Ye stop (in your travels);

And out of their wool,

And their soft fibres

(Between wool and hair),

And their hair, rich stuff

And articles of convenience

(To serve you) for a time.

81. It is God Who made.

Out of the things He created,

Some things to give you shade;

Of the hills He made some

For your shelter; He made you

Garments to protect you

From heat, and coats of mail

To protect you from

Your (mutual) violence.

Thus does He complete

His favours on you, that

Ye may bow to His Will

(In Islam).

82. But if they turn away,

Thy duty is only to preach

The Clear Message.

83. They recognise the favours

Of God; then they deny them;

And most of them

Are (creatures) ungrateful.

SECTION 12.

84. One Day We shall raise

From all Peoples a Witness:

Then will no excuse be accepted

From Unbelievers, nor will they

Receive any favours.

85. When the wrong-doers

(Actually) see the Penalty,

Then will it in no way

Be mitigated, nor will they

Then receive respite.

86. When those who gave partners

To God will see their "partners",

They will say: "Our Lord!

These are our "partners," those

Whom we used to invoke

Besides Thee." But they will

Throw back their word at them

(And say): "Indeed ye are liars!"

87. That day shall they (openly) show

(Their) submission to God; and all

Their inventions shall leave

Them in the lurch.

88. Those who reject God

And hinder (men) from the Path

Of God--for them

Will We add Penalty

To Penalty; for that they

Used to spread mischief.

89. One day We shall raise

From all Peoples a witness

Against them, from amongst themselves:

And We shall bring thee

As a witness against these

(Thy people): and We have sent down

To thee the Book explaining

All things, a Guide, a Mercy,

And Glad Tidings to Muslims.

SECTION 13.

90. God commands justice, the doing

Of good, and liberality to kith

And kin, and He forbids

All shameful deeds, and injustice

And rebellion: He instructs you,

That ye may receive admonition.

91. Fulfil the Covenant of God

When ye have entered into it,

And break not your oaths

After ye have confirmed them;

Indeed ye have made

God your surety; for God

Knoweth all that ye do.

92. And be not like a woman

Who breaks into untwisted strands

The yarn which she has spun,

After it has become strong

Nor take your oaths to practise

Deception between yourselves,

Lest one party should be

More numerous than another:

For God will test you by this;

And on the Day of Judgment

He will certainly make clear

To you (the truth of) that

Wherein ye disagree.

93. If God so willed, He

Could make you all one People:

But He leaves straying

Whom He pleases, and He guides

Whom He pleases: but ye

Shall certainly be called to account

For all your actions.

94. And take not your oaths,

To practise deception between

yourselves,

With the result that someone's foot

May slip after it was

Firmly planted, and ye may

Have to taste the evil

(consequences)

Of having hindered (men)

From the Path of God,

And a mighty Wrath

Descend on you.

95. Nor sell the Covenant of God

For a miserable price:

For with God is (a prize)

Far better for you,

If ye only knew.

96. What is with you must vanish:

What is with God will endure.

And We will certainly bestow,

On those who patiently persevere,

Their reward according to

The best of their actions.

97. Whoever works righteousness,

Man or woman, and has Faith,

Verily, to him will We give

A new Life, a life

That is good and pure, and We

Will bestow on such their reward

According to the best

Of their actions.

98. When thou dost read

The Qur-an, seek God's protection

From Satan the Rejected One.

99. No authority has he over those

Who believe and put their trust

In their Lord.

100. His authority is over those

Only, who take him as patron

And who join partners with God.

SECTION 14.

101. When We substitute one revelation

For another,--and God knows best

What He reveals (in stages),--

They say, "Thou art but a forger":

But most of them understand not.

102. Say, the Holy Spirit has brought

The revelation from thy Lord

In Truth, in order to strengthen

Those who believe, and as a Guide

And Glad Tidings to Muslims.

103. We know indeed that they

Say, "It is a man that.

Teaches him." The tongue

Of him they wickedly point to

Is notably foreign, while this

Is Arabic, pure and clear.

104. Those who believe not

In the Signs of God,--

God will not guide them,

And theirs will be

A grievous Penalty.

105. It is those who believe not

In the Signs of God,

That forge falsehood:

It is they who lie!

106. Any one who, after accepting

Faith in God, utters Unbelief,--

Except under compulsion,

His heart remaining firm

In Faith--but such as

Open their breast to Unbelief,--

On them is Wrath from God,

And theirs will be

A dreadful Penalty.

107. This because they love

The life of this world

Better than the Hereafter:

And God will not guide

Those who reject Faith.

108. Those are they whose hearts,

Ears, and eyes God has sealed up

And they take no heed.

109. Without doubt, in the Hereafter

They will perish.

110. But verily thy Lord,--

To those who leave their homes

After trials and persecutions,--

And who thereafter strive

And fight for the Faith

And patiently persevere,

Thy Lord, after all this

Is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

SECTION 15.

111. One Day every soul

Will come up struggling

For itself, and every soul

Will be recompensed (fully)

For all its actions, and none

Will be unjustly dealt with.

112. God sets forth a Parable:

A city enjoying security

And quiet, abundantly supplied

With sustenance from every place:

Yet was it ungrateful

For the favours of God:

So God made it taste

Of hunger and terror (in extremes)

(Closing in on it) like a garment

(From every side), because

Of the (evil) which

(Its people) wrought.

113. And there came to them

An Apostle from among themselves,

But they falsely rejected him;

So the Wrath seized them

Even in the midst

Of their iniquities.

114. So eat of the sustenance

Which God has provided

For you, lawful and good;

And be grateful for the favours

Of God, if it is He

Whom ye serve.

115. He has only forbidden you

Dead meat, and blood,

And the flesh of swine,

And any (food) over which

The name of other than God

Has been invoked.

But if one is forced by necessity,

Without wilful disobedience,

Nor transgressing due limits,--

Then God is Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful.

116. But say not--for any false thing

That your tongues may put forth,--

"This is lawful, and this

Is forbidden," so as to ascribe

False things to God. For those

Who ascribe false things

To God, will never prosper.

117. (In such falsehood)

Is but a paltry profit;

But they will have

A most grievous Penalty.

118. To the Jews We prohibited

Such things as We have

Mentioned to thee before:

We did them no wrong,

But they were used to

Doing wrong to themselves.

119. But verily thy Lord,--

To those who do wrong

In ignorance, but who

Thereafter repent and make amends,--

Thy Lord, after all this,

Is Oft-Forgiving, Most

Merciful.

SECTION 16.

120. Abraham was indeed a model,

Devoutly obedient to God,

(And) true in faith, and he

Joined not gods with God:

121. He showed his gratitude

For the favours of God,

Who chose him, and guided him

To a Straight Way.

122. And We gave him Good

In this world, and he will be,

In the Hereafter, in the ranks

Of the Righteous,''

123. So We have taught thee

The inspired (message),

"Follow the ways of Abraham

The True in Faith, and he

Joined not gods with God."

124. The Sabbath was only made

(Strict) for those who disagreed

(As to its observance);

But God will judge between them

On the Day of Judgment,

As to their differences,

125. Invite (all) to the Way

Of thy Lord with wisdom

And beautiful preaching;

And argue with them

In ways that are best

And most gracious:

For thy Lord knoweth best,

Who have strayed from His Path,

And who receive guidance.

126. And if ye do catch them out,

Catch them out no worse

Than they catch you out:

But if ye show patience,

That is indeed the best (course)

For those who are patient.

127. And do thou be patient,

For thy patience is but

From God; nor grieve over them:

And distress not thyself

Because of their plots.

128. For God is with those

Who restrain themselves,

And those who do good.

Sura XVII.

Bani Isra-il, or the Children of Israel,

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. Glory to (God)

Who did take His Servant

For a Journey by night

From the Sacred Mosque

To the Farthest Mosque,

Whose precincts We did

Bless,--in order that We

Might show him some

Of Our Signs: for He

Is the One Who heareth

And seeth (all things).

2. We gave Moses the Book,

And made it a Guide

To the Children of Israel,

(Commanding): "Take not

Other than Me

As Disposer of (your) affairs."

3. O ye that are sprung

From those whom We carried

(In the Ark) with Noah!

Verily he was a devotee

Most grateful.

4. And We gave (clear) warning

To the Children of Israel

In the Book, that twice

Would they do mischief

On the earth and be elated

With mighty arrogance

(And twice would they be punished)!

5. When the first of the warnings

Came to pass, We sent

Against you Our servants

Given to terrible warfare:

They entered the very inmost

Parts of your homes;

And it was a warning

(Completely) fulfilled.

6. Then did We grant you

The Return as against them:

We gave you increase

In resources and sons,

And made you

The more numerous

In man-power.

7. If ye did well,

Ye did well for yourselves;

If ye did evil,

(Ye did it) against yourselves?

So when the second

Of the warnings came to pass,

(We permitted your enemies)

To disfigure your faces,

And to enter your Temple

As they had entered it before,

And to visit with destruction

All that fell into their power.

8. It may be that your Lord

May (yet) show Mercy

Unto you; but if ye

Revert (to your sins),

We shall revert

(To Our punishments):

And We have made Hell

A prison for those who

Reject (all Faith),

9. Verily this Qur-an

Doth guide to that

Which is most right (or stable),

And giveth the glad tidings

To the Believers who work

Deeds of righteousness,

That they shall have

A magnificent reward;

10. And to those who believe not

In the Hereafter, (it announceth)

That We have prepared

For them a Penalty

Grievous (indeed).

SECTION 2.

11. The prayer that man

Should make for good,

He maketh for evil;

For man is given to

Hasty (deeds).

12. We have made the Night

And the Day as two

(Of Our) Signs: the Sign

Of the Night have We obscured,

While the Sign of the Day

We have made to enlighten

You; that ye may seek

Bounty from your Lord,

And that ye may know

The number and count

Of the years: all things

Have We explained in detail.

13. Every man's fate

We have fastened

On his own neck:

On the Day of Judgment

We shall bring out

For him a scroll,

Which he will see

Spread open.

14. (It will be said to him:)

"Read thine (own) record:

Sufficient is thy soul

This day to make out

An account against thee."

15. Who receiveth guidance,

Receiveth it for his own

Benefit: who goeth astray

Doth so to his own loss:

No bearer of burdens

Can bear the burden

Of another: nor would We

Visit with Our Wrath

Until We had sent

An apostle (to give warning).

16. When We decide to destroy

A population, We (first) send

A definite order to those

Among them who are given

The good things of this life

And yet transgress; so that

The word is proved true

Against them: then (it is)

We destroy them utterly.

17. How many generations

Have We destroyed. after Noah?

And enough is thy Lord

To note and see

The sins of His servants

18. If any do wish

For the transitory things

(Of this life), We readily

Grant them--such things

As We will, to such persons

As We will: in the end

Have We provided Hell

For them: they will burn

Therein, disgraced and rejected.

19. Those who do wish

For the (things of) the

Hereafter,

And strive therefor

With all due striving,

And have Faith,--

They are the ones

Whose striving is acceptable

(To God).

20. Of the bounties of thy Lord

We bestow freely on all--

These as well as those:

The bounties of thy Lord

Are not closed (to anyone).

21. See how We have bestowed

Sura XVIII.

Kahf, or the Cave.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. Praise be to God,

Who hath sent to His Servant

The Book, and hath allowed

Therein no Crookedness:

2. (He hath made it) Straight

(And Clear) in order that

He may warn (the godless)

Of a terrible Punishment

From Him, and that He

May give Glad Tidings

To the Believers who work

Righteous deeds, that they

Shall have a goodly Reward,

3. Wherein they shall

Remain for ever:

4. Further; that He may warn

Those (also) who say,

"God hath begotten a son"

5. No knowledge have they

Of such a thing, nor

Had their fathers. It is

A grievous thing that issues

From their mouths as a saying.

What they say is nothing

But falsehood!

6. Thou wouldst only, perchance,

Fret thyself to death,

Following after them, in grief,

If they believe not

In this Message.

7. That which is on earth

We have made but as

A glittering show for the earth,

In order that We may test

Them--as to which of them

Are best in conduct.

8. Verily what is on earth

We shall make but as

Dust and dry soil

(Without growth or herbage).

9. Or dost thou reflect

That the Companions of the Cave

And of the Inscription

Were wonders among Our Signs?

10. Behold, the youths betook themselves

To the Cave: they said,

"Our Lord! bestow on us

Mercy from Thyself,

And dispose of our affair

For us in the right way!"

11. Then We draw (a veil)

Over their ears, for a number

Of years, in the Cave,

(So that they heard not):

12. Then We roused them,

In order to test which

Of the two parties was best

At calculating the term

Of years they had tarried!

SECTION 2.

13. We relate to thee their story

In truth: they were youths

Who believed in their Lord,

And We advanced them In guidance:

14. We gave strength to their hearts:

Behold, they stood up

And said: "Our Lord is

The Lord of the heavens

And of the earth: never

Shall we call upon any god

Other than Him: if we

Did, we should indeed

Have uttered an enormity!

15. "These our people have taken

For worship gods other

Than Him: why do they

Not bring forward an authority

Clear (and convincing)

For what they do?

Who doth more wrong

Than such as invent

A falsehood against God?

16. "When ye turn away

From them and the things

They worship other than God,

Betake yourselves to the Cave:

Your Lord will shower

His mercies on you

And dispose of your affair

Towards comfort and ease."

17. Thou wouldst have seen

The sun, when it rose,

Declining to the right

From their Cave, and when

It set, turning away

From them to the left,

While they lay in the open

Space in the midst

Of the Cave. Such are

Among the Signs of God:

He whom God guides

Is rightly guided; but he

Whom God leaves to stray,--

For him wilt thou find

No protector to lead him

To the Right Way.

SECTION 3.

18. Thou wouldst have deemed them

Awake, whilst they were asleep,

And We turned them

On their right and on

Their left sides: their dog

Stretching forth his two fore-legs

On the threshold: if thou

Hadst come up on to them,

Thou wouldst have certainly

Turned back from them in flight,

And wouldst certainly have been

Filled with terror of them.

19. 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.

20. "For if they should

Come upon you, they would

Stone you or force you

To return to their cult,

And in that case ye would

Never attain prosperity."

21. Thus did We make

Their case known to the people,

That they might know

That the promise of God

Is true, and that there can

Be no doubt about the Hour

Of Judgment. Behold,

They dispute among themselves

As to their affair. (Some) said,

"Construct a building over them":

Their Lord knows best

About them: those who prevailed

Over their affair said,

"Let us surely build a place

Of worship over them."

22. (Some) say they were three,

The dog being the fourth

Among them; (others) say

They were five, the dog

Being the sixth,--doubtfully

Guessing at the unknown;

(Yet others) say they were

Seven, the dog being the eighth.

Say thou: "My Lord

Knoweth best their number;

It is but few that know

Their (real case)." Enter not,

Therefore, into controversies

Concerning them, except

On a matter that is clear,

Nor consult any of them

About (the affair of) the Sleepers.

SECTION 4.

23. Nor say of anything,

"I shall be sure to do

So and so to-morrow"--

24. Without adding, "So please God!"

And call thy Lord to mind

When thou forgettest, and say,

"I hope that my Lord

Will guide me ever closer

(Even) than this

To the right road."

25. So they stayed in their Cave

Three hundred years, and (some)

Add nine (more)

26. 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.

27. And recite (and teach)

What has been revealed

To thee of the Book

Of thy Lord: none

Can change His Words,

And none wilt thou find

As a refuge other than Him.

28. And keep thy soul content

With those who call

On their Lord morning

And evening, seeking

His Face; and let not

Thine eyes pass beyond them,

Seeking the pomp and glitter

Of this Life; nor obey

Any whose heart We

Have permitted to neglect

The remembrance of Us,

One who follows his own

Desires, whose case has

Gone beyond all bounds.

29. Say, "The Truth is

From your Lord":

Let him who will,

Believe, and let him

Who will, reject (it):

For the wrong-doers We

Have prepared a Fire

Whose (smoke and flames),

Like the walls and roof

Of a tent, will hem

Them in: if they implore

Relief they will be granted

Water like melted brass,

That will scald their faces.

How dreadful the drink!

How uncomfortable a couch

To recline on!

30. As to those who believe

And work righteousness,

Verily We shall not suffer

To perish the reward

Of any who do

A (single) righteous deed.

31. For them will be Gardens

Of Eternity; beneath them

Rivers will flow: they will

Be adorned therein

With bracelets of gold,

And they will wear

Green garments of fine silk

And heavy brocade;

They will recline therein

On raised thrones.

How good the recompense!

How beautiful a couch

To recline on!

SECTION 5.

32. Set forth to them

The parable of two men:

For one of them We provided

Two gardens of grape-vines

And surrounded them

With date palms;

In between the two

We placed corn-fields.

33. Each of those gardens

Brought forth its produce,

And failed not in the least

Therein: in the midst

Of them We caused

A river to flow.

34. (Abundant) was the produce

This man had: he said

To his companion, in the course

Of a mutual argument:

"More wealth have I

Than you, and more honour

And power in (my following

Of) men."

35. He went into his garden

In a state (of mind)

Unjust to his soul:

He said, "I deem not

That this will ever perish,

36. "Nor do I deem

That the Hour (of Judgment)

Will (ever) come:

Even if I am brought back

To my Lord, I shall

Surely find (there)

Something better in exchange."

37. His companion said to him,

In the course of the argument

With him: "Dost thou deny

Him Who created thee

Out of dust, then out of

A sperm-drop, then fashioned

Thee into a man?

38. "But (I think) for my part

That He is God,

My Lord, and none shall I

Associate with my Lord.

39. "Why didst thou not,

As thou wentest into

Thy garden, say, "God's Will

(Be done)! There is no power

But with God!" If thou

Dost see me less than

Thee in wealth and sons,

40. "It may be that my Lord

Will give me something

Better than thy garden,

And that He will send

On thy garden thunderbolts

(By way of reckoning)

From heaven, making it

(But) slippery sand!--

41. "Or the water of the garden

Will run off underground

So that thou wilt never

Be able to find it."

42. So his fruits (and enjoyment)

Were encompassed (with ruin),

And he remained twisting

And turning his hands

Over what he had spent

On his property, which had

(Now) tumbled to pieces

To its very foundations,

And he could only say,

"Woe is me! Would I had

Never ascribed partners

To my Lord and Cherisher!"

43. Nor had he numbers

To help him against God,

Nor was he able

To deliver himself.

44. There, the (only) protection comes

From God, the True One.

He is the Best to reward,

And the Best to give success.

SECTION 6.

45. Set forth to them

The similitude of the life

Of this world: it is like

The rain which We send

Down from the skies:

The earth's vegetation absorbs it,

But soon it becomes

Dry stubble, which the winds

Do scatter: it is (only) God

Who prevails over all things.

46. Wealth and sons are allurements

Of the life of this world:

But the things that endure,

Good Deeds, are best

In the sight of thy Lord,

As rewards, and best

As (the foundation for) hopes.

47. One Day We shall

Remove the mountains, and thou

Wilt see the earth

As a level stretch,

And We shall gather them,

All together, nor shall We

Leave out any one of them.

48. And they will be marshalled

Before thy Lord in ranks,

(With the announcement),

"Now have ye come to Us

(Bare) as We created you

First: aye, ye thought

We shall not fulfil

The appointment made to you

To meet (Us)!":

49. And the Book (of Deeds)

Will be placed (before you);

And thou wilt see

The sinful in great terror

Because of what is (recorded)

Therein; they will say,

"Ah! woe to us!

What a book is this!

It leaves out nothing

Small or great, but

Takes account thereof!"

They will find all that they

Did, placed before them:

And not one will thy Lord

Treat with injustice.

SECTION 7.

50. Behold! We said

To the angels, "Bow down

To Adam": they bowed down

Except Iblis. He was

One of the Jinns, and he

Broke the Command

Of his Lord.

Will ye then take him

And his progeny as protectors

Rather than Me? And they

Are enemies to you!

Evil would be the exchange

For the wrong-doers!

51. I called them not

To witness the creation

Of the heavens and the earth,

Nor (even) their own creation:

Nor is it for Me

To take as helpers

Such as lead (men) astray!

52. One Day He will say,

"Call on those whom ye

Thought to be My partners,"

And they will call on them,

But they will not listen

To them; and We shall

Make for them a place

Of common perdition

53. And the Sinful shall see

The Fire and apprehend

That they have to fall

Therein no means will they

Find to turn away therefrom.

SECTION 8.

54. We have explained

In detail in this Qur-an,

For the benefit of mankind,

Every kind of similitude:

But man is, in most things,

Contentious.

55. And what is there

To keep back men

From believing, now that

Guidance has come to them,

Nor from praying for forgiveness

From their Lord, but that

(They ask that) the ways

Of the ancients be repeated

With them, or the Wrath

Be brought to them

Face to face?

56. We only send the apostles

To give glad tidings

And to give warnings

But the Unbelievers dispute

With vain argument, in order

Therewith to weaken the truth,

And they treat My Signs

As a jest, as also the fact

That they are warned!

57. And who doth more wrong

Than one who is reminded

Of the Signs of his Lord,

But turns away from them,

Forgetting the (deeds) which his hands

Have sent forth? Verily We

Have set veils over their hearts

Lest they should understand this,

and over their ears, deafness.

If thou callest them

To guidance, even then

Will they never accept guidance.

58. But your Lord is most forgiving,

Full of Mercy. If he were

To call them (at once) to account

For what they have earned,

then surely He would

Have hastened their Punishment:

But they have their appointed

Time, beyond which they

Will find no refuge.

59. Such were the populations

We destroyed when they

Committed iniquities; but

We fixed an appointed time

For their destruction.

Section 9.

60. Behold, Moses said

To his attendant, "I will not

Give up until I reach

The junction of the two

Seas or (until) I spend

Years and years in travel."

61. But when they reached

The Junction, they forgot

(About) their Fish, which took

Its course through the sea

(Straight) as in a tunnel.

62. When they had passed on

(Some distance), Moses said

To his attendant: "Bring us

Our early meal; truly

We have suffered much fatigue

At this (stage of) our journey."

63. He replied: "Sawest thou

(What happened) when we

Betook ourselves to the rock?

I did indeed forget

(About) the Fish: none but

Satan made me forget

To tell (you) about it:

It took its course through

The sea in a marvellous way!"

64. Moses said: "That was what

We were seeking after:"

So they went back

On their footsteps, following

(The path they had come).

65. So they found one

Of Our servants,

On whom We had bestowed

Mercy from Ourselves

And whom We had taught

Knowledge from Our own

Presence.

66. Moses said to him:

"May I follow thee,

On the footing that

Thou teach me something

Of the (Higher) Truth

Which thou hast been taught?"

67. (The other) said: "Verily

Thou wilt not be able

To have patience with me!

68. "And how canst thou

Have patience about things

About which thy understanding

Is not complete?"

69. Moses said: "Thou wilt

Find me, if God so will,

(Truly) patient: nor shall I

Disobey thee in aught."

70. The other said: "If then

Thou wouldst follow me,

Ask me no questions

About anything until I

Myself speak to thee

Concerning it."

SECTION 10.

71. So they both proceeded:

Until, when they were

In the boat, he scuttled it.

Said Moses: "Hast thou

Scuttled it in order

To drown those in it?

Truly a strange thing

Hast thou done!"

72. He answered: "Did I not

Tell thee that thou canst

Have no patience with me?"

73. Moses said: "Rebuke me not

For forgetting, nor grieve me

By raising difficulties

In my case."

74. Then they proceeded:

Until, when they met

A young man, he slew him.

Moses said: "Hast thou

Slain an innocent person

Who had slain none?

Truly a foul (unheard-of) thing

Hast thou done!"

75. He answered, "Did I not

Tell thee that thou canst

Have no patience with me?"

76. (Moses) said: "If ever I

Ask thee about anything

After this, keep me not

In thy company: then wouldst

Thou have received (full) excuse

From my side.

77. Then they proceeded:

Until, when they came

To the inhabitants of a town,

They asked them for food,

But they refused them

Hospitality. They found there

A wall on the point of

Falling down, but he

Set it up straight.

(Moses) said: "If thou

Hadst wished, surely thou

Couldst have exacted some

Recompense for it!"

78. He answered: "This is

The parting between me

And thee: now will I

Tell thee the interpretation

Of (those things) over which

Thou wast unable

To hold patience.

79. "As for the boat,

It belonged to certain

Men in dire want:

They plied on the water:

I but wished to render it

Unserviceable, for there was

After them a certain king

Who seized on every boat

By force.

80. "As for the youth,

His parents were people

Of Faith, and we feared

That he would grieve them

By obstinate rebellion

And ingratitude (to God and man).

81. "So we desired that

Their Lord would give them

In exchange (a son)

Better in purity (of conduct)

And closer in affection.

82. "As for the wall,

It belonged to two youths,

Orphans, in the Town;

There was, beneath it,

A buried treasure, to which

They were entitled; their father

Had been a righteous man:

So thy Lord desired that

They should attain their age

Of full strength and get out

Their treasure--a mercy

(And favour) from thy Lord.

I did it not of my own

Accord. Such is the interpretation

Of (those things) over which

Thou wast unable

To hold patience."

SECTION 11.

83. They ask thee concerning

Zul-qarnain. Say,

"I will rehearse to you

Something of his story."

84. Verily We established his power

On earth, and We gave him

The ways and the means

To all ends.

85. One (such) way he followed,

86. Until, when he reached

The setting of the sun,

He found it set

In a spring of murky water:

Near it he found a People:

We said: "O Zul-qarnain!

(Thou hast authority,) either

To punish them, or

To treat them with kindness."

87. He said: "Whoever doth wrong,

Him shall we punish; then

Shall he be sent back

To his Lord; and He will

Punish him with a punishment

Unheard-of (before).

88. "But whoever believes,

And works righteousness,--

He shall have a goodly

Reward, and easy will be

His task as we order it

By our command."

89. Then followed he (another) way,

90. Until, when he came

To the rising of the sun,

He found it rising

On a people for whom

We had provided

No covering protection

Against the sun.

91. (He left them) as they were:

We completely understood

What was before him.

92. Then followed he (another) way,

93. Until, when he reached

(A tract) between two mountains,

He found, beneath them, a people

Who scarcely understood a word.

94. They said: "O Zul-qarnain!

The Gog and Magog (people)

Do great mischief on earth:

Shall we then render thee

Tribute in order that

Thou mightest erect a barrier

Between us and them?

95. He said: "(The power) in which

My Lord has established me

Is better (than tribute):

Help me therefore with strength

(And labour): I will

Erect a strong barrier

Between you and them:

96. "Bring me blocks of iron."

At length, when he had

Filled up the space between

The two steep mountain-sides,

He said, "Blow (with your bellows)"

Then, when he had made

It (red) as fire, he said:

"Bring me, that I may

Pour over it, molten lead."

97. Thus were they made

Powerless to scale it

Or to dig through it.

98. He said: "This is

A mercy from my Lord:

But when the promise

Of my Lord comes to pass,

He will make it into dust;

And the promise of

My Lord is true."

99. On that day We shall

Leave them to surge

Like waves on one another

The trumpet will be blown,

And We shall collect them

All together.

100. And We shall present

Hell that day for Unbelievers

To see, all spread out,--

101. (Unbelievers) whose eyes

Had been under a veil

From Remembrance of Me,

And who had been unable

Even to hear.

SECTION 12.

102. Do the Unbelievers think

That they can take

My servants as protectors

Besides Me? Verily We

Have prepared Hell

For the Unbelievers

For (their) entertainment.

103. Say: "Shall we tell you

Of those who lose most

In respect of their deeds?--

104. "Those whose efforts have

Been wasted in this life,

While they thought that

They were acquiring good

By their works?"

105. They are those who deny

The Signs of their Lord

And the fact of their

Having to meet Him

(In the Hereafter): vain

Will be their works,

Nor shall We, on the Day

Of Judgment, give them

Any weight.

106. That is their reward,

Hell; because they rejected

Faith, and took My Signs

And My Messengers

By way of jest.

107. As to those who believe

And work righteous deeds,

They have, for their entertainment,

The Gardens of Paradise,

108. Wherein they shall dwell

(For aye): no change

Will they wish for from them.

109. Say: "If the ocean were

Ink (wherewith to write out)

The words of my Lord,

Sooner would the ocean be

Exhausted than would the words

Of my Lord, even if we

Added another ocean

Like it, for its aid."

110. Say: "I am but a man

Like yourselves, (but)

The inspiration has come

To me, that your God is

One God: whoever expects

To meet his Lord, let him

Work righteousness, and,

In the worship of his Lord,

Admit no one as partner.

Sura XIX.

Maryam, or Mary.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1. Kaf. Ha. Ya. 'Ain Sad.

2. (This is) a recital

Of the Mercy of thy Lord

To His servant Zakariya.

3. Behold! he cried

To his Lord in secret,

4. Praying: "O my Lord!

Infirm indeed are my bones,

And the hair of my head

Doth glisten with grey:

But never am I unblest,

O my Lord, in my prayer

To Thee!

5. "Now I fear (what)

My relatives (and colleagues)

(Will do) after me:

But my wife is barren:

So give me an heir

As from Thyself,--

6. "(One that) will (truly)

"Represent me, and represent

The posterity of Jacob;

And make him, O my Lord!

One with whom Thou art

Well-pleased!"

7. (His prayer was answered):

"O Zakariya! We give thee

Good news of a son:

His name shall be Yahya:

On none by that name

Have We conferred distinction before."

8. He said: "O my Lord!

How shall I have a son,

When my wife is barren

And I have grown quite decrepit

From old age?"

9. He said: "So (it will be):

Thy Lord saith, "That is

Easy for Me: I did

Indeed create thee before,

When thou hadst been nothing!"

10. (Zakariya) said: "O my Lord!

Give me a Sign."

"Thy Sign," was the answer,

"Shall be that thou

Shalt speak to no man

For three nights,

Although thou art not dumb."

11. So Zakariya came out

To his people

From his chamber:

He told them by signs

To celebrate God's praises

In the morning

And in the evening.

12. (To his son came the command):

"O Yahya! take hold

Of the Book with might":

And We gave him Wisdom

Even as a youth,

13. And pity (for all creatures)

As from us, and purity:

He was devout,

14. And kind to his parents,

And he was not overbearing

Or rebellious.

15. So Peace on him

The day he was born,

The day that he dies,

And the day that he

Will be raised up

To life (again)

SECTION 2.

16. Relate in the Book

(The story of) Mary,

When she withdrew

From her family

To a place in the East.

17. She placed a screen

(To screen herself) from them;

Then We sent to her

Our angel, and he appeared

Before her as a man

In all respects.

18. She said: "I seek refuge

From thee to (God)

Most Gracious: (come not near)

If thou dost fear God."

19. He said: "Nay, I am only

A messenger from thy Lord,

(To announce) to thee

The gift of a holy son."

20. She said: "How shall I

Have a son, seeing that

No man has touched me,

And I am not unchaste?"

21. He said: "So (it will be):

Thy Lord saith, "That is

Easy for Me: and (We

Wish) to appoint him

As a Sign unto men

And a Mercy from Us":

It is a matter

(So) decreed."

22. So she conceived him,

And she retired with him

To a remote place.

23. And the pains of childbirth

Drove her to the trunk

Of a palm-tree:

She cried (in her anguish):

"Ah! would that I had

Died before this! would that

I had been a thing

Forgotten and out of sight!"

24. But (a voice) cried to her

From beneath the (palm-tree):

"Grieve not! for thy Lord

Hath provided a rivulet

Beneath thee;

25. "And shake towards thyself

The trunk of the palm-tree:

It will let fall

Fresh ripe dates upon thee

26. "So eat and drink

And cool (thine) eye.

And if thou dost see

Any man, say, 'I have

Vowed a fast to (God)

Most Gracious, and this day

Will I enter into no talk

With any human being'"

27. At length she brought

The (babe) to her people,

Carrying him (in her arms).

They said: "O Mary!

Truly an amazing thing

Hast thou brought!

28. "O sister of Aaron!

Thy father was not

A man of evil, nor thy

Mother a woman unchaste!"

29. But she pointed to the babe.

They said: "How can we

Talk to one who is

A child in the cradle?"

30. He said: "I am indeed

A servant of God:

He hath given me

Revelation and made me

A prophet;

31. "And He hath made me

Blessed wheresoever I be,

Contents

Sura I.

Sura II.

SECTION 2.

SECTION 3.

SECTION 4.

SECTION 5.

SECTION 6.

SECTION 7.

SECTION 8.

SECTION 9.

SECTION 10.

SECTION 11.

SECTION 12.

SECTION 13

SECTION 14.

SECTION 15.

SECTION 16.

SECTION 17.

SECTION 18.

SECTION 19.

SECTION 20.

SECTION 21.

SECTION 22.

SECTION 23.

SECTION 24.

SECTION 25.

SECTION 26.

SECTION 27.

SECTION 28.

SECTION 29.

SECTION 30.

SECTION 31.

SECTION 32.

SECTION 33.

SECTION 34.

SECTION 35.

SECTION 36.

SECTION 37.

SECTION 38.

SECTION 39.

SECTION 40.

Sura III.

SECTION 2.

SECTION 3.

SECTION 4.

SECTION 5.

SECTION 6.

SECTION 7.

SECTION 8.

SECTION 9.

SECTION 10.

SECTION 11.

SECTION 12.

SECTION 13.

SECTION 14.

SECTION 15.

SECTION 16.

SECTION 17.

SECTION 18.

SECTION 19.

SECTION 20.

Sura IV.

SECTION 2.

SECTION 3.

SECTION 4.

SECTION 5.

SECTION 6.

SECTION 7.

SECTION 8.

SECTION 9.

SECTION 10.

SECTION 11.

SECTION 12.

SECTION 13.

SECTION 14.

SECTION 15.

SECTION 16.

SECTION 17.

SECTION 18.