Friday

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Translators

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[Ahmediyya sect describes translators and their translations.]

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#Pickthall’s own story of opposition he faced
from Ulama in Egypt for translating the Quran


Introductory Note:

In the biography of Marmaduke Pickthall, entitled Loyal Enemy by Anne Fremantle (Hutchinson and Co., London 1938), there is included a lengthy account by Pickthall of his visit to Egypt in connection with revising his English translation of the Quran before publication. The biographer introduces this account as follows:

In the biography of Marmaduke Pickthall, entitled Loyal Enemy by Anne Fremantle (Hutchinson and Co., London 1938), there is included a lengthy account by Pickthall of his visit to Egypt in connection with revising his English translation of the Quran before publication. The biographer introduces this account as follows:

His own account of the difficulties of revising his translation “with the help of Arabic and English knowing men and under the guidance of more learned men who know no English,” is so much the best, that I give it in full: it was written in Cairo when he was still seething from all the vexations he had undergone.

That account is reproduced below.

By Marmaduke Pickthall:

On the 10th of November 1929 I landed in Egypt, carrying with me in my luggage the typescript of a complete translation of the Quran upon which I had been at work at intervals for several years, and which His Exalted Highness the Nizam had generously granted me the leisure and the means to finish. It was my object to submit it to the Ulama of Egypt and revise the whole work under their direction, that there might be no avoidable mistakes and no unorthodoxy. I had with me a letter of introduction to the Sheykh Mustafa Al-Maraghi, who had been the Rector of Al-Azhar when the letter was written, but had just resigned that highly remunerative post. I had written months before to an old acquaintance in Egypt who had risen to be Prime Minister, asking him to help me in my errand, but had had no answer; so that my whole dependence was upon the said letter of introduction and the reassuring fact that my good friend Fuad Bey Selim al-Higazi was in Alexandria and had promised, when we met some months before in Paris, to help me to the utmost of his power. I had heard that a former English translation by a Muslim had been publicly burnt in the courtyard of the Mosque Al-Azhar, and was forbidden entry into Egypt; but had supposed that it was because it was considered to have some flavour of heresy. [See Note 1] It was from Faud Bey, who, as soon as he heard of our arrival, came and bore us out to Ramleh to spend a week in a delightful garden by the sea, that I learnt that all translation of the Quran, however faithful, was held to be unlawful by a powerful section of the Ulama. Our friend, however, had been sounding people, in anticipation of my coming, and had found that an equally — possibly more — powerful section of the Ulama held an opposite opinion, among these being the Sheykh Mustafa Al-Maraghi to whom he was glad to hear that I carried an introduction from Lord Lloyd.

We all went up together to Cairo, where Faud Bey had found for us a quiet pension in the neighbourhood of Qasr-en-Nil; and two days after our arrival, I was driven out to Helwan through the long avenue beside the Nile, to visit the Sheykh Al-Maraghi. The clean, white, modern town, close to the loin-coloured desert hills, consists entirely of hotels and villas. To one of the latter the Sheykh Al-Maraghi had retired when he resigned, for conscience’ sake, the enormously rich post of Rector of Al-Azhar University.

The Sheykh, a tall and very upright man, still in the prime of life, was dressed in the neat turban and long billowing robe of Egyptian Ulama. He wore a scarf round his neck, raised higher on one side than on the other. This, I learnt afterwards, was to hide a sad disfigurement. At the time when he was Judge of the Cairo Muslim Court, he upheld the right of some orphans to a certain property. In revenge, vitriol was thrown at him. Happily it missed his face, but one side of his neck and chest was terribly disfigured. As Fuad Bey said afterwards: “I do not usually kiss the hands of Ulama, but I kiss that man’s hand.”

The Sheykh received us very kindly, gave us tea, and took us out on his veranda looking towards the desert hills. Fuad Bey and Ismail Bey Shirin, Deputy-Governor of Cairo, who had come with me, discussed my future programme with our host, who told us that, while he had been Rector of Al-Azhar, the then Prime Minister had spoken to him about my translation, and he had been willing to appoint a committee of the university to revise it with me, but the step had been forbidden by the King, who had somehow been impressed with the idea that translation of the Quran was sinful. It was, therefore, useless to approach Al-Azhar officially as all the patronage in that institution was the King’s, but he thought that we could easily find three or four Azharis employed in the secular university — he gave some names to Fuad Bey — willing to do the revision under his guidance. He regretted that he himself knew no English, and so could not appreciate the work. If there were any words or passages which baffled me I was to write them out for him and state the nature of my difficulty, when he would write his explanation or opinion for me. We drove back to Cairo, thinking all was settled. But when we met three of the gentlemen whom the Sheykh had named to us at the house of Lutfi Bey As-Sayyid, head of the secular university, the whole plan suddenly collapsed. Lutfi Bey had invited the head of the Arabic faculty in the university, the blind professor Ta Ha Huseyn, to be present at our conference, and he happened to remark that the three gentlemen ran the risk of losing their posts through helping me, since they belonged to the Al-Azhar and His Majesty was opposed to all translation of the Quran. Everyone agreed that he was right. I felt bitterly disappointed and, when Ta Ha Husyen suggested that I should approach the King in person, who, he believed, might be induced to change his standpoint, I said that I had not come to Egypt to seek royal sanction for my work, I had already got the sanction of His Exalted highness; nor had I come to seek a fetwa from the Ulama of Egypt, we had perfectly competent Ulama in India; I had come to seek the help of Arab learned men on points of Arabic. I talked of leaving Egypt then, and going to Damascus, but Fuad Bey assured me he would find a way out of the impasse; and in fact, soon afterwards, I was introduced to Muhammad Bey Ahmed Al-Ghamrawi, Lecturer in Chemistry at the Cairo College of Medicine, a graduate of London University and a close student of the Quran, with whom I worked at the revision happily for some three months, with an occasional visit from Fuad Bey, and an occasional reference to the Sheykh Al-Maraghi at Helwan.

We led a very quiet life; only once in the month of December did I go out to a dinner party; and then, as luck would have it, I sat next to the most enterprising of Egyptian Muslim journalists. Next day, in Al-Ahram, appeared a notice of me and my work under the heading: “A Translation of the Quran.” Two days later in the same newspaper and under the same heading appeared two columns of denunciation of translation and the translation of the sacred Book from the pen of Sheykh Muhammad Shakir, a retired professor of Al-Azhar, who (as I learnt) had been leader of the hue-and-cry against Muhammad Ali’s translation. The translator and all who read his translation, or abetted it, or showed approval of it, were condemned to everlasting perdition according to the learned writer; and I was solemnly advised to give up my nefarious work and translate instead (of all imaginable substitutes) the commentary of Tabari! Now the commentary of Tabari is of enormous bulk (the commentary of Beydawi is but of a digest of it) and would besides require another commentary of equal length to make its methods and mentality intelligible to English people who had never studied a Quran commentary.

Having read that diatribe, I at once sat down and drafted a reply in Arabic. This I took to an Egyptian friend who put in the customary journalistic compliments which I did not know. I then made a fair copy of the letter and took it to the office of Al-Ahram. In that letter, after compliments, I humbly asked: “Is it lawful for an Englishman, who is a Muslim, who has studied the commentaries of the men of old and has some reputation as a man of letters with his countrymen, to try to expound the glorious Quran to his people in their own language at the present day?”

It was some time before my letter was published. In the interval appeared other letters on the subject, all on my side. One sheykh of Al-Azhar wrote declaring translation to be not only lawful but meritorious, and offering to prove his case against the Sheykh Muhammad Shakir in a public disputation. The Sheykh Shakir had claimed that there was a fetwa (general agreement) on the subject. This correspondents flatly denied. It was evident that there were two opinions in Al-Azhar itself. I heard also some private discussions which showed me that many Egyptian Muslims were as surprised as I was at the extraordinary ignorance of present world conditions of men who claimed to be the thinking heads of the Islamic world — men who think that the Arabs are still “the patrons,” and the non-Arabs their “freedmen”; who cannot see that the positions have become reversed, that the Arabs are no longer the fighters and the non-Arabs the stay-at-homes but it is the non-Arabs who at present bear the brunt of the Jihad; that the problems of the non-Arabs are not identical with those of the Arabs; that translation of the Quran is for the non-Arabs a necessity, which, of course, it is not for the Arabs; men who cannot conceive that there are Muslims in India as learned and devout, as capable of judgment and as careful for the safety of Islam, as any to be found in Egypt.

I have already mentioned how a former translation of the Quran by a Muslim was publicly burnt and further copies of it were forbidden to be brought into Egypt. Walking in one of the most crowded streets of Cairo, I saw two English translations by non-Muslims very prominently displayed in the window of a European bookshop, one of them having on its paper jacket a picture representing our Prophet and the angel Gabriel! Where, I asked myself, can be the sense in burning and banning a well-intentioned reverent work while these irreverent translations can, under the Capitulations, enter freely?

At length, the answer to my letter from the Sheykh Muhammad Shakir appeared in Al-Ahram. This time it was no diatribe but a frank and generous admission that such a work as I had mentioned might be not only lawful but meritorious. He was a little dubious over one expression in my letter, when I spoke of explaining the Quran in a way that my countrymen would understand. He seemed to fear that this might mean some alteration to suit modern views. But I had been thinking only of his suggestion that I should translate Tabari — whose explanations are not given in a way my countrymen would understand.

Fuad Bey came up from Alexandria, having followed all the correspondence in the Press. He said that he had been alarmed when he saw the Sheykh Shakir’s attack, but had felt quite reassured on reading my reply to it. He was now glad that the whole question had been raised because there was a chance of settling it once and for all. It had become a scandal and disgrace to Egypt. He gave me a copy of the leading comic paper, in which was an article making gentle fun of the Sheykh Shakir. Public opinion was undoubtedly against that gentleman.

It was just then that my friend and, for the time, collaborator, Ghamrawi Bey brought me an invitation from the Young Men’s Muslim Association to a tea party, with the request that I should make a speech afterwards. He himself went to the headquarters of the Association, a large house with tennis-courts adjoining it near Qasr-ul-Aini, every day from his flat at Heliopolis, after he had returned home from his day’s work at the College of Medicine. He told me that he held a regular reception there of young men who had conceived any doubts about religion owing to their modern education, telling them, as a scientist, what he thought upon the matter; and that he had been able to convince a number of them. He was so good a man, and had been of such great help to me, that I was unwilling to refuse his first request.

At the same time, the function, especially the speech, meant disturbance of my peaceful existence given up to work. I at length agreed only on condition that I might be allowed to speak ex tempore and in English to the students, as to prepare a speech, especially a speech in Arabic, would take more time than I could spare from the revision work. To this my friend at last consented, undertaking himself to interpret my remarks for the benefit of those present who might not know English.

Accordingly he called for me one evening before sunset, and we walked together to the place in time for Maghrib prayer. Then there was a rather long reception of all the notables who had been asked to meet me, and then we went to tea. By that time I knew something of the composition of my audience, and could see that the sort of speech which I had meant to make would be unsuitable.

From the number of turbans and long flowing robes I judged that all Al-Azhar was present, where I had expected to see only modern students. With trepidation I realized that I must make some kind of speech in Arabic if I wished to make a good impression on these people, and must also change the purport of my English speech. But the English was for later on. At the moment I had to concentrate my thoughts intently on the preliminary remarks that I might make in Arabic, and leave the rest to Providence. The minute tea was over we went into the lecture hall, already crowded. I was put up in a sort pf pulpit, Ghamrawi Bey took stand beside me; Sheykh Rashid Rida was somewhere near me on the right, and from the middle of the hall I saw the face of Muhammad Ali Bey Kamil and beside him that of Fuad Bey’s son, staring at me, as it seemed, with horror. They were the only persons known to me in all that crowed.

Somebody spoke in introduction — I suppose it was Ghamrawi. Then my turn came. Feeling infinitely small, I said : “As-salamu ‘aleykum wa rahmatu’llahi wa barakatuh” — “Peace be with you and the mercy of Allah” — and the immediate response from the whole audience brought some courage to my heart.

I spoke in Arabic for five minutes, merely apologizing for the fact that I was going afterwards to speak in English, explaining why I had asked leave to do so, and telling one short anecdote. It was nothing much, but it sufficed to win the turbaned section of the audience. Then came the speech in English, Ghamrawi Bey translating every paragraph. I had meant to tell the students about Hyderabad and the work of education that is being done there; and I began with something of that. I told them of the foundation of Osmania University. I described the Friday congregation at the Mecca Masjid, I told them how His Exalted Highness goes every Friday to the Mosque (at that there was applause and one old man exclaimed: “Ah, would that it were so in Egypt!”), and then, thinking I had said enough to show them that I came from no benighted land, I talked to them about the future of Islam.

Muslims felt despair because they were defeated. It was only natural. But was there any reason for despair? Was there not a clear analogy between our present condition and that of the Prophet and his comrades at Al-Hudeybiyah, when the Muslims asked “Where is now the victory that we were promised?” and even Omar made remarks of which he ever afterwards repented. Yet the Truce of Al-Hudeybiyah, though it seemed so ignominious for the early Muslims, was in fact the greatest victory that Islam had until then achieved. Until then war had set a rigid barrier between the Muslims and their opponents, but with the truce the barrier fell down, the two parties mingled and conversed together, with the result that in the two years that elapsed between the truce of Al-Hudeybiyah and the conquest of Mecca — years of peace with the idolators — the number of converts to Islam was far greater than the total number of all previous converts. [See Note 2]

For centuries war had set a rigid barrier between the Muslim world and Christendom, and now that barrier is down, no matter that the terms of settlement seem ignominious to the Muslims. That settlement may yet prove to be the greatest victory that Al-Islam has yet achieved, on one condition — a hard one — that all Muslims show again in their conduct the faith and virtue of the early Muslims. “Or do you think,” I asked them, “that Al-Islam was propagated by the sword?” (When the question was translated by Ghamrawi Bey there were anguished cries of “No!” and “God forbid!”) I told them how the Arabic-speaking peoples are respected by non-Arabs, more especially in India; how we look to them for example; and I asked them to furnish that example. My speech ended, the Sheykh Rashid Rida spoke supporting all I had said.

When he visited India, the people had flocked to pay him honour only because he was an Arab and came from the land of Nabi Yusuf. He quoted the words of the late Sheykh Muhammad Abduh: “We (Arabs) by our conduct are the hindrance to the spread of Al-Islam to the West. They see our religion through us as through a dirty window, and misjudge it consequently.”

Then a sheykh in Azhari dress got up and with deep emotion thanked me in the name of Al-Azhar for all that I had said. The whole incident had nothing to do with translation of the Quran, but after it there was no further public cavilling at my translation.

We moved out to Heliopolis for Ramadan, in order that I might be nearer to Ghamrawi Bey, whose home was there; and our work of revision was completed in the blessed month.

Fuad Bey came up to Cairo for the Eid. The time for our departure was drawing near. Fuad Bey, Ghamrawi Bey and I drove to Helwan to see the Sheykh Al-Maraghi, and in the course of the visit Ghamrawi made his general report of my work. On the strength of that report the good Sheykh wrote some words of warm approval which I treasure as coming from an altogether upright man, incapable of writing anything that he does not think true.

On a former visit he had read out to me all the passages in the writing of the immediate disciples of the Imam Abu Hanifah which made him, a Hanafi teacher, hold translation of the Quran lawful. He had been anxious that I should know his authority, and should not suppose that he, any more than the opponent party, scorned Tradition. On this last visit I felt it my duty to tell him that my translation would fall short of the condition laid down by Abu Hanifah in one respect: it would not show the Arabic text side by side with the translation. He asked: “Why not?” and I explained that there were several reasons. For one thing, it would cost a great deal more; for another, it would repel non-Muslim readers who, glancing at the book and finding if half-full of Arabic, would lay it down unread as something quite outside their sphere of interest; for yet another, Islam had been attacked and prejudiced by means of translations of the Quran, without the Arabic, circulated among non-Muslims. Even if translation had been quite unlawful, as our opponents claimed, it would have been sanctioned, in the circumstances, by the verse of the Quran:

“The sacred month for the sacred month, and forbidden things (are lawful) in retaliation. So whoever hath attacked you, attack him with the like of that wherewith he hath attacked you. And keep your duty to Allah and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty.”

If things forbidden by Allah, like warfare in a sacred month, become lawful in retaliation, so evidently must things forbidden only by the Ulama. I must have spoken with some heat for when I paused for some breath, the Sheykh said: “If you feel so strongly convinced that you are right, go on in God’s name in the way that is clear to you, and pay no heed to what any of us say.” As he uttered the words he smiled at me, and we both emerged from the cell erected by the schoolmen of the middle ages of Islam, in which we had been talking until then.

“Quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.” [See Note 3]


On the day before that on which my wife and I were to leave Cairo, a Bedawi chief, who was a member of the new Parliament, at Fuad Bey’s instigation, asked us to a luncheon party; and to that luncheon party came the present Grand Sheykh of Al-Azhar, official leader of those Ulama who hold translation of the Quran unlawful — a very handsome and benignant-looking old man in a beautiful dove-coloured robe and snowy turban. At table, I was placed at his right hand. Except Hilma Pasha Aisa, an ex-minister, the remainder of the party consisted of men who had proved their devotion to Islam in the opinion of the Ulama; there were all Mujahidin, including Fuad Bey, who had been with Mustafa Kemal in the Suez Canal campaign before he became Turkish Minister at Berne. The Sheykh could hardly fail to be surprised to see an Englishman in such a gathering, and when I told him that I was the man who had translated the Quran into English he seemed rather shocked.

After luncheon, when Fuad Bey praised my translation, and all the others called it meritorious, he was evidently much embarrassed, until Fuad Bey remarked: “He will not call it Al-Quran; he will call it Ma‘aniu’l-Qur’an’l-Majid (The meaning of the Glorious Quran).” Then the Rector of Al-Azhar smiled. “If he does that,” he said, “then there can be no objection; we shall all be pleased with it.” I was back again in the medieval cell, but we had reached a peacable conclusion, as I thought, and I was glad of it.

That was in March 1930. My translation was published in December of the same year. In April 1931 I received a letter from Ghamrawi Bey informing me that the Rector of Al-Azhar had sent for him (Ghamrawi) and asked him many questions about my translation. It seemed that he was inclining to condemn it, after all. The latest rumour was that Al-Azhar had decided that the work must be translated word for word back into Arabic and submitted to their judgement in that distorted form, as none of the professors could read English. It was certainly a great advance beyond the method of condemning without trial pursued in the case of Maulvi Muhammad Ali’s English version, showing that, even within Al-Azhar, there is now a party of enlightenment strong enough to force withdrawal from the old position. I replied with every argument that I could reach, of which Ghamrawi might make use of in conversation with the Ulama.

The approval or the condemnation of Al-Azhar, or indeed of all the Ulama of Egypt, could not help or injure my translation much; but from what I had so lately seen in Egypt I could judge that condemnation, after all that had already happened, was very likely to bring a degree of ridicule upon Al-Azhar, which I should be the first to deplore. Al-Azhar is a great historic institution which one would wish to see reformed and not demolished. I asked Ghamrawi to implore them not to treat allies as enemies.

Subsequently I have learnt from a newspaper report that, after examining my work in the distorted form already mentioned, the Rector of Al-Azhar pronounced it, “though the best of all translations,” unfit to be authorized in Egypt. The reason given for the ban is that I have translated idiomatic and metaphorical Arabic phrases literally into English, thus showing that I have not understood their real meaning. Happily, he gave an instance which was quoted in the newspaper, so that I can understand the meaning of the accusation. I have translated Surah XVII, v.29, thus: “And let not thy hand be chained to thy neck nor open it with a complete opening lest thou sit down rebuked, denuded.” He considers that, by thus translating the Arabic words literally, I have turned a commandment relating to miserliness and generosity into a commandment concerning the position of a man’s hands! How should he know that we speak of “open-handedness” and “tight-fistedness” in English and that every English reader will understand my literal translation in precisely the same sense in which the Arabic reader understands the Arabic text. The ban is therefore based upon an altogether false assumption.

From the opening of the question, as I gather from a report in Al-Ahram, there had been strong difference of opinion between the Ministry of the Interior and Al-Azhar as to the merits of the work, the former championing its merits with surprising vigour. But Al-Azhar, with the King behind it, is supreme in all such matters.

There is something hopeful in the actual condemnation, the terms of which are wonderfully mild, one might almost say favourable, to the translator as compared with former pronouncement of the same authority. It makes the close of a long chapter in the history of the relations of Arabs and non-Arabs — a chapter of whose tenour the Prophet would assuredly have disapproved — since the position that all translation of the Quran is sinful has been quite abandoned. A translation of the Quran by a Muslim has been examined and a literary reason has been given for its condemnation. That is a great step forward.

(Loyal Enemy by Anne Fremantle, pages 408–419)

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Notes
by Zahid Aziz

Note 1:

Pickthall has made mention of Maulana Muhammad Ali’s English translation at four places in this extract. We have linked them here as follows: 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Note 2:

In the two paragraphs beginning “Muslims felt despair because they were defeated”, part of Pickthall’s speech to an Arab audience, the notion he presents — namely, that the best chance for the spread of Islam among its Christian opponents is at a time when there is peace between Muslims and Christians, even though it is a peace in which the Muslims have been reduced to being the subjects of the Christians — is the same as the outlook promoted by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and the Ahmadiyya Movement. Maulana Muhammad Ali, in his English book Muhammad The Prophet, first published in 1924, drew the same parallel as Pickthall draws here between the peaceful situation after the treaty of Hudaibiya and the situation in which Muslims find themselves now with respect to their opponents. Compare what Pickthall has written above with the following written by Maulana Muhammad Ali in 1924, where we have italicised the points of comparison:


“Europe is daily awakening to the nobility and purity of his [the Holy Prophet’s] character. … Of course, such an appreciation must now come, as it did before, in the wake of a general state of peace. …The time has come when closer contact with the Muslim world may disillusion Europe of its wrong notions concerning Islam; when it may come to realize, as did the enemies of Islam thirteen centuries ago, that the fair face of Islam is free from the stigmas with which ignorance and prejudice have disfigured it.…Strange are the ways of God and little wonder that the history of Islam should repeat itself. Those bent upon its destruction may fall victim to its moral force, as happened at the conclusion of the truce of Hudaibiya.” (Muhamamd The Prophet, Ch. Truce of Hudaibiya)

Note 3:

“Quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.” This is Italian and is a quotation from Dante’s Inferno, meaning literally: “whence we came forth to see the stars once more”. Pickthall is using this as a poetic analogy for his relief on having concluded the laborious ordeal of overcoming the opposition he faced.

[wokingmuslim.org]

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#Shakir’s Quran translation —
blatant plagiarism of the first edition of Maulana Muhammad Ali’s translation
Deception perpetrated on readers of the Holy Quran


Compiled by Dr. Zahid Aziz

We provide here conclusive and irrefutable evidence to show that:

The English translation of the Quran purported to have been done by one M. H. Shakir has been plagiarised from Maulana Muhammad Ali’s translation of 1917.
The Shakir to whom this translation is attributed could not possibly have done it.
The English translation of the Quran attributed to the name M. H. Shakir has been widely available in print since the 1980s. It is probably the most widely accessible English translation of the Quran on websites, including reputable academic websites.

A comparison shows the Shakir translation to be an entire and wholesale plagiarism of the first, 1917, edition of the English translation of the Holy Quran by Maulana Muhammad Ali, with alterations in a few places to reflect more traditional interpretations. Even these alterations have not been made consistently and have obviously been forgotten to be done in some places.

The main changes are as follows:

Translations of the titles of a few chapters have been changed in order to reflect certain traditional interpretations. For example, the title of chapter 5 is translated as The Dinner Table instead of The Food, and that of chapter 27 as The Ant instead of treating the original An-Naml as a proper noun as Maulana Muhammad Ali does.

The abbreviations in the Quran, known as muqatta‘at, for example Alif, Lam, Mim in 2:1, are given verbatim, while Maulana Muhammad Ali translated into English the words that these letters are considered to stand for, as reported by some ancient authorities.

Names of prophets are given in Shakir in their Arabic form rather than the Biblical English form (for example, Musa for Moses and Isa for Jesus as in 2:87 etc.). Similarly, the word shaitan is not translated as devil but given in its Arabic form.

A few changes have been made in the stories of the prophets to reflect a traditional interpretation. Examples are the story of Harut and Marut in 2:102, the story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba in 27:20 and 27:44, and of course the death of Jesus in 3:55 and 4:157–158.

It is rather amusing to find that in certain places similar changes have not been made, due most likely to an oversight! For example:

*In 5:117 the death of Jesus has been retained by forgetting to change Maulana Muhammad Ali’s translation: “but when Thou didst cause me to die”. Such a change was made in the translation of 3:55 to reflect the belief that Jesus was taken up to heaven alive. On an Internet discussion forum someone has quoted 5:117 from a Shakir copy and thinks that the Shakir translation supports that Jesus died!

*As noted above, the title of chapter 5, Al-Ma’ida, is translated as The Dinner Table, instead of The Food as by Maulana Muhammad Ali. However, verse 112 of chapter 5, in which this word occurs, after which this chapter is named, is translated exactly the same as by Maulana Muhammad Ali: “will your Lord consent to send down to us food from heaven?”.

*The title of chapter 27 has been changed to The Ant from Maulana Muhammad Ali’s retention of An-Naml as a proper name. However, someone obviously forgot to carry this change through to 27:18 because that is left unaltered as: “Until when they came to the valley of the Naml, a Namlite said: O Naml! enter your houses…” and not changed to “when they came to the valley of the ants, an ant said: …”

Plagiarised works usually show inconsistencies of this kind. Plagiarists often fail to find all the places in the text which need amendment to give the work their own identity.

Who was Shakir?

The M in M.H. Shakir stands for Mohammedali. We wonder if this has been done teasingly, as if to say that they are quite brazen and open about this plagiarism of Maulana Muhammad Ali’s work. Mohammedali is not one word, but two. If that was his name, it would appear as M.A.H. Shakir.

In other sources his name is given as Mohammad Habib Shakir. Even a brief note about his life is found in some places, as follows:

Mohammad Habib Shakir (1866-1939)
Mohammad Habib Shakir was an Egyptian judge, born in Cairo and a graduate from Al-Azhar University. He occupied many prominent positions, such as: Sudan's Supreme Judge for four years, Dean of Alexandia's Scholars, Al-Azhar Secretary General, and a member of its board of directors and Legislative Committee. He died in Cairo in 1939 AD. Some of his famous works include: an English translation of the Holy Qur'an and Explanation of the Primary Lessons in Religious Belief.


The question arises here that if the man named here did actually produce this translation, then why did it not appear in print till forty years after his death?

We have been able to trace a mention of a Shakir matching the above biographical information. It is in a paper entitled Muslim Discourse in The Early Twentieth Century on The Translation of The Qur’an written by one Mohamed Abou Sheishaa of Al-Azhar University and available online on the website www.quranicstudies.com. However, the context in which this paper mentions this Shakir is that in 1925 he wrote a lengthy article in an Arab newspaper arguing that:

“it is not lawful to make a translation of the Quran just as it is not lawful to proceed to change any single one of its sacred words and substitute another Arabic one for it”.

In another paper by Abou Sheishaa on the same website, entitled A Study of the Fatwa by Rashid Rida on the Translation of the Qur’an, it is stated that when the English translation of the Quran by Maulana Muhammad Ali reached Egypt in 1925:

“… both Sheikh Rashid Rida and Muhammad Shakir … labeled it as a ‘deviate’ translation of the Qur’an which contradicted the principles of Islamic belief and attempted to destroy Islam from within.”

This same Shakir is also mentioned by Marmaduke Pickthall in his account of his visit to Egypt in 1929 to have his translation of the Quran checked before publication. Pickthall writes:

“Next day, in Al-Ahram, appeared a notice of me and my work under the heading: ‘A Translation of the Quran.’ Two days later in the same newspaper and under the same heading appeared two columns of denunciation of translation and the translation of the sacred Book from the pen of Sheykh Muhammad Shakir, a retired professor of Al-Azhar, who (as I learnt) had been leader of the hue-and-cry against Muhammad Ali’s translation. The translator and all who read his translation, or abetted it, or showed approval of it, were condemned to everlasting perdition according to the learned writer …” (Read Pickthall’s full account above, from his biography entitled Loyal Enemy.)

That this is the same Shakir as the one who allegedly translated the Quran into English is clear by comparing:

the biographical note of the so-called translator, as quoted above from www.islamonline.net
with

the note on Shakir given in the first paper mentioned above by Abou Sheishaa.

The dates of birth and death, studying at Al-Azhar, being Sudan’s chief justice for four years, being a member of the legislative committee or society of Al-Azhar, are the same in both cases.

It is abundantly clear that the Egyptian Shakir to whom this translation is attributed could not possibly have translated the Quran as he was opposed on religious principle to translating the Quran into any language. Also, there is no evidence that he produced any writing in English.

Conclusion

It is an established, undeniable fact that the so-called Shakir translation is a verbatim copy of Maulana Muhammad Ali’s first edition, with alterations of the kind mentioned above. Moreover, it is most probable that M.H. Shakir is merely a fictitious name, and the name of the Egyptian judge Shakir has no connection with this translation.

The publishers of the Shakir translation since 1983 have been Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc. of Elmhurst, New York, U.S.A. If they wish to throw any light on the mystery of Shakir, or if they wish to refute my conclusions, I look forward to reading any such statement from them.


Part 2

Shakir identified
Correspondence with a descendant of ‘Shakir’
Challenge to publishers of Shakir translation to add note about the truth of the matter

E-mail from Shakir’s great-grandson
It was both surprising and exciting, therefore, to receive an e-mail on 7th March 2006 from one Sadiq Hassan, who wrote that:

“M. Shakir was my great-grandfather, the paternal grandfather of my mother.”

This led to an exchange of e-mails, which in the end was broken off by him. The information provided by Sadiq Hassan in his e-mails was:

* “His real name was Mohammedali Habib. He took on Shakir as a pen name.”

* “The late Mr. Mohammedali Habib was well known throughout the country (Pakistan) for having devoted his life to the cause of humanity. He with his brothers founded many educational and benevolent institutions, the most important being Masoomeen Hospital. This translation was completed by him on the 14th Shaban and the very next day he suffered a severe heart attack and passed away on the 20th of Ramadhan, i.e. 30th March 1959.”

* “M.H. Shakir did not speak Arabic. He supervised the translation of the Quran which was done by a group of people.”

Shakir identified

Working from this information, I have established that this Mohammedali Habib was the well-known financier who founded the famous Habib Bank of Pakistan. He was a well-known figure in the financial and political circles of Indian Muslims before Partition and in Pakistan after the Partition of 1947.

It is now clear that Mr. Mohammedali Habib got a group of people to go through Maulana Muhammad Ali’s 1917 edition of the English translation of the Quran and make a few verbal changes in places where the Maulana’s translation gave an interpretation differing from the commonly-held one so that it reflected the more generally-accepted view. This was subsequently published, a few years after his death, as the translation of the Quran by M.H. Shakir. The overwhelming bulk of the text of the translation remained the same as in Maulana Muhammad Ali’s 1917 edition.

Publisher’s challenged

Therefore, to call Shakir as the translator of the Quran is even more misleading than I had described in my earlier article. I now press upon all publishers of the so-called Shakir translation, whether in printed form or on websites, to insert a note along the following lines:

“The Shakir translation is to a great extent a verbatim reproduction of Maulana Muhammad Ali’s 1917 edition of the English translation of the Quran. In a few places some verbal changes have been made to express the more traditional interpretations.”

If the publishers of the Shakir work have the least integrity and sense of decency, they will preface their publication with the above note.

Further information

(Added 16th November 2010)

There is a comprehensive bibliography of translations of the Quran entitled World Bibliography of Translations of the Meanings of the Holy Quran, 1515–1980, compiled by Ismet Binark and Halit Eren, published in Istanbul 1986.

On page 93 it lists the Shakir translation as having been published by Habib Bank, Karachi, 1968.

This confirms the connection between this translation and the Habib Bank.


[ahmadiyya.org]

--

Yusuf Ali 1

--

THE HOLY QURAN

By Abdullah Yusuf Ali [1934]

# Sura I.

Fātiha, 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.

p. 16 p. 17

# Sūra 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,
p. 18
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;
p. 19
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:
p. 20
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
p. 21
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 Sūra
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
p. 22
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.
p. 23
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.
p. 24
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
p. 25
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 Iblīs: 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
p. 26
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."
p. 27
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?
p. 28
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
p. 29
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
p. 30
(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
p. 31
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
p. 32
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!"
p. 33
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-ān),
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
p. 34
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
p. 35
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."
p. 36
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
p. 37
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?
p. 38
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,
p. 39
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,
p. 40
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!
p. 41
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:
p. 42
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
p. 43
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
p. 44
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 (āyāt);
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
p. 45
Magic, and such things
As came down at Babylon
To the angels Hārūt and Mārūt.
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,
p. 46
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
p. 47
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.'
p. 48
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;
p. 49
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
p. 50
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:
p. 51
"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
p. 52
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 Imām to the Nations."
He pleaded: "And also
(Imāms) 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 lsmā’īl,
That they should sanctify
My House for those who
Compass it round, or use it
p. 53
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 Ismā’īl 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
p. 54
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
p. 55
Thy God and the God of thy fathers,—
Of Abraham, Ismā'īl, 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,
Ismā'īl, 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
p. 56
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, Ismā'īl, 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:
p. 57
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,
p. 58
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.
p. 59
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.
p. 60
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;
p. 61
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
p. 62
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! afa 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
p. 63
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,
p. 64
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):
p. 65
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.
p. 66
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.
p. 67
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
p. 68
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
p. 69
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;
p. 70
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
p. 71
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
p. 72
(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.
p. 73
185. Ramadhān is the (month)
In which was sent down
The Qur-ān, 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
p. 74
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
p. 75
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
p. 76
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.
p. 77
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 
p. 78
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 ajj,
He must make an offering,
Such as he can afford,
But if he cannot afford it,
He should fast
Three days during the ajj
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?
p. 79
SECTION 25.
197. For ajj
Are the months well known.
If any one undertakes
That duty therein,
Let there be no obscenity,
Nor wickedness,
Nor wrangling
In the ajj.
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) ’Arafāt,
Celebrate the praises of God
At the Sacred Monument,
p. 80
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 Lord! 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!"
p. 81
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.
p. 82
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)
p. 83
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
p. 84
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.
p. 85
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.
p. 86
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
p. 87
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:
p. 88
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;
p. 89
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
p. 90
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
p. 91
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
p. 92
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
p. 93
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,
p. 94
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;—
p. 95
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).
p. 96
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.
p. 97
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?
p. 98
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
p. 99
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 Talūt 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."
p. 100
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.
p. 101
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.
p. 102
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
p. 103
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:
p. 104
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
p. 105
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
p. 106
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
p. 107
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.
p. 108
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
p. 109
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.
p. 110
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
p. 111
In the land, seeking
(For trade or work):
The ignorant man thinks,
Because of their modesty,
That they are free from want.
Thou shaltnow 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
p. 112
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.
p. 113
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,
p. 114
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.
p. 115
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.
p. 116
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;
p. 117
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"

# Sūra III.

Āl-i-’Imrān, or The Family of ’Imrān.

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.
p. 123
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 o 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.
p. 124
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
p. 125
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
p. 126
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
p. 127
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
p. 128
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
p. 129
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
p. 130
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."
p. 131
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 ’Imrān above all people,—
34. Offspring, one of the other:
And God heareth
And knoweth all things.
35. Behold! a woman of ’Imrān
Said: "O my Lord! I do
p. 132
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 Zakarīya
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."
p. 133
38. There here did Zakarīya
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 Yayā,
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."
p. 134
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;
p. 135
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;
p. 136
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.
p. 137
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."
p. 138
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
p. 139
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)."
p. 140
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
p. 141
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:
p. 142
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:
p. 143
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
p. 144
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.
p. 145
84. Say: "We believe
In God, and in what
Has been revealed to us
And what was revealed
To Abraham, Ismā’īl;
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)
p. 146
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.
p. 147
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
p. 148
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
p. 149
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,
p. 150
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
p. 151
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;
p. 152
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
p. 153
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
p. 154
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:
p. 155
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:
p. 156
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:
p. 157
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
p. 158
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.
p. 159
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,
p. 160
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.
p. 161
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
p. 162
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
p. 163
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."
p. 164
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.
p. 165
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
p. 166
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."
p. 167
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
p. 168
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
p. 169
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.
p. 170
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
p. 171
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.
p. 172
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;
p. 173
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
p. 174
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,
p. 175
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,
p. 176
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.

# Sūra IV.

Nisāa, 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)
p. 179
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.
p. 180
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),
p. 181
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
p. 182
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.
p. 183
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,
p. 184
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
p. 185
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.
p. 186
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;—
p. 187
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
p. 188
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
p. 189
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
p. 190
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):
p. 191
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;—
p. 192
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,
p. 193
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,
p. 194
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 "Rā’inā";—
With a twist of their tongues
And a slander to Faith.
If only they had said:
"We hear and we obey;
And "Do hear";
p. 195
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?
p. 196
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?
p. 197
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
p. 198
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,
p. 199
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.
p. 200
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!
p. 201
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!"
p. 202
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
p. 203
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).
p. 204
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
p. 205
As a disposer of affairs.
82. Do they not consider
The Qur-ān (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
p. 206
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
p. 207
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
p. 208
(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.
p. 209
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.
p. 210
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
p. 211
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!—
p. 212
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.
p. 213
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.
p. 214
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.
p. 215
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
p. 216
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).
p. 217
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
p. 218
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
p. 219
(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.
p. 220
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;
p. 221
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.
p. 222
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).
p. 223
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.
p. 224
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;—
p. 225
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
p. 226
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.
p. 227
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;
p. 228
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.
p. 229
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
p. 230
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
p. 231
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.
p. 232
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,
p. 233
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.
p. 234
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
p. 235
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
p. 236
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.

# Sūra V.

Māïda, or The Table Spread.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful
.
1. 1 O ye who believe!
Fulfil (all) obligations
2 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. 3 O ye who believe!
Violate not the sanctity
p. 239
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. 4 Forbidden to you (for food)
Are: dead meat, blood,
p. 240
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.
p. 241
4. 5 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. 6 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,
p. 242
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. 7 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,
p. 243
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. 8 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. 9 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. 10 To those who believe
And do deeds of righteousness
Hath God promised forgiveness
And a great reward.
p. 244
10. 11 Those who reject faith
And deny Our Signs
Will be Companions
Of Hell-fire.
11. 12 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. 13 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,
p. 245
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. 14 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. 15 From those, too, who call
Themselves Christians,
p. 246
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. 16 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):
17 There hath come to you
From God a (new) light
And a perspicuous Book,—
16. 18 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. 19 In blasphemy indeed
Are those that say
That God is Christ
The son of Mary.
Say: "Who then
Hath the least power
p. 247
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. 20 (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. 21 O People of the Book!
Now hath come unto you,
Making (things) clear unto you,
Our Apostle, after the break
p. 248
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. 22 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. 23 "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."
p. 249
22. 24 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. 25 (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;
26 But on God put your trust
If ye have faith."
24. 27 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. 28 He said: "O my Lord!
I have power only
p. 250
Over myself and my brother:
So separate us from this
Rebellious people!"
26. 29 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. 30 Recite to them the truth
Of the story of the two sons
p. 251
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. 31"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. 32 "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. 33 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. 34 Then God sent a raven,
Who scratched the ground,
p. 252
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. 35 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. 36 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,
p. 253
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. 37 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. 38 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. 39 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. 40 Their wish will be
To get out of the Fire,
But never will they
Get out therefrom:
p. 254
Their Penalty will be
One that endures.
38. 41 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. 42 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. 43 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. 44 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;
p. 255
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. 45 (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.
p. 256
43. 46 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. 47 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:
p. 257
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. 48 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. 49 And in their footsteps
We sent Jesus the son
p. 258
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. 50 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. 51 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
p. 259
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. 52 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. 53 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. 54 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
p. 260
Amongst you that turns to them
(For friendship) is of them.
Verily God guideth not
A people unjust.
52. 55 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. 56 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. 57 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
p. 261
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. 58 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. 59 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. 60 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
p. 262
Who reject Faith;
But fear ye God,
If ye have Faith (indeed).
58. 61 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. 62 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. 63 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. 64 When they come to thee,
They say: "We believe":
p. 263
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. 65 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. 66 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. 67 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
p. 264
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. 68 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. 69 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. 70 O Apostle! proclaim
The (Message) which hath been
Sent to thee from thy Lord.
If thou didst not, thou
p. 265
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. 71 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. 72 Those who believe (in the Qur-ān),
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. 73 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
p. 266
Impostors, and some they
(Go so far as to) slay.
71. 74 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. 75 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. 76 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. 77 Why turn they not to God,
And seek His forgiveness?
For God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.
75. 78 Christ the son of Mary
Was no more than
An Apostle; many were
The apostles that passed away
p. 267
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. 79 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. 80 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. 81 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.
p. 268
79. 82 Nor did they (usually)
Forbid one another
The iniquities which they
Committed: evil indeed
Were the deeds which they did.
80. 83 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. 84 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. 85 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.
p. 269
83. 86 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. 87 "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. 88 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. 89 But those who reject Faith
And belie Our Signs,—
They shall be Companions
Of Hell-fire.
SECTION 12.
87. 90 O ye who believe!
Make not unlawful
p. 270
The good things which God
Hath made lawful for you,
But commit no excess:
For God loveth not
Those given to excess.
88. 91 Eat of the things which
God hath provided for you,
Lawful and good; but fear
God, in Whom ye believe.
89. 92 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. 93 O ye who believe!
Intoxicants and gambling,
p. 271
(Dedication of) stones,
And (divination by) arrows,
Are an abomination,—
Of Satan's handiwork:
Eschew such (abomination),
That ye may prosper.
91. 94 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. 95 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. 96 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.
p. 272
For God loveth those
Who do good.
SECTION 13.
94. 97 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. 98 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,
p. 273
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. 99 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. 100 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. 101 Know ye that God
Is strict in punishment
p. 274
And that God is
Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
99. 102 The Apostle's duty is
But to proclaim (the Message).
But God knoweth all
That ye reveal and ye conceal.
100. 103 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. 104 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-ān is being
Revealed, they will be
Made plain to you,
God will forgive those:
For God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Forbearing.
102. 105 Some people before you
Did ask such questions,
p. 275
And on that account
Lost their faith.
103. 106 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. 107 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. 108 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.
p. 276
106. 109 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. 110 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. 111 That is most suitable:
That they may give the evidence
p. 277
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. 112 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. 113 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,
p. 278
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. 114 "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. 115 Behold! the Disciples said:
"O Jesus the son of Mary!
Can thy Lord send down to us
A Table set (with viands)
p. 279
From heaven?" Said Jesus:
"Fear God, if ye have faith."
113. 116 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. 117 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. 118 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
p. 280
All the peoples."
SECTION 16.
116. 119 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. 120 "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. 121 "If Thou dost punish them,
They are Thy servants:
p. 281
If Thou dost forgive them,
Thou art the Exalted in power,
The Wise."
119. 122 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. 123 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.

# Sūra VI.

An’ām, 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)
p. 290
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
p. 291
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
p. 292
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."
p. 293
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-ān 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,
p. 294
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!
p. 295
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,
p. 296
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,
p. 297
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:
p. 298
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,—
p. 299
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,
p. 300
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
p. 301
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).
p. 302
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
p. 303
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.
p. 304
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.
p. 305
SECTION 8.
61e 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
p. 306
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."
p. 307
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,
p. 308
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,"
p. 309
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 Āzar:
"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,
p. 310
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:
p. 311
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:
p. 312
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 Zakarīya and John,
And Jesus and Elias:
All in the ranks
Of the Righteous:
86. And Ismā’īl and Elisha,
And Jonas, and Lot:
p. 313
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:
p. 314
"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
p. 315
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!
p. 316
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?
p. 317
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.
p. 318
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.
p. 319
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
p. 320
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.
p. 321
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
p. 322
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.
p. 323
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
p. 324
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—
p. 325
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,
p. 326
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:
p. 327
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.
p. 328
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.
p. 329
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!
p. 330
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.
p. 331
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:
p. 332
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,
p. 333
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:
p. 334
"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.
p. 335
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,
p. 336
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
p. 337
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."
p. 338
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
p. 339
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.
p. 340

# Sūra VII.

A’rāf, or the Heights


In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful

1. Alif, Lām, Mīm, ād.
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.
p. 342
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!
p. 343
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 Iblīs;
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."
p. 344
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
p. 345
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)."
p. 346
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
p. 347
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.
p. 348
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.
p. 349
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
p. 350
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
p. 351
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!
p. 352
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
p. 353
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
p. 354
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
p. 355
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:
p. 356
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:
p. 357
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)."
p. 358
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) Hūd, one
p. 359
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!"
p. 360
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 Thamūd people
(We sent) ali, one
p. 361
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
p. 362
To those who were reckoned
Powerless—those among them
Who believed: "Know ye
Indeed that ali 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 ali! 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!
p. 363
79. So ali 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) Lū:
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
p. 364
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
p. 365
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
p. 366
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."
p. 367
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
p. 368
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
p. 369
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
p. 370
(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!
p. 371
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.
p. 372
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,
p. 373
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?"
p. 374
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.
p. 375
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).
p. 376
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
p. 377
(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
p. 378
(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:
p. 379
"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,—
p. 380
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:
p. 381
"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):
p. 382
"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."
p. 383
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
p. 384
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,
p. 385
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,
p. 386
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.
p. 387
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
p. 388
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,—
p. 389
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.
p. 390
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
p. 391
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 punishment, 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."
p. 392
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
p. 393
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—
p. 394
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:
p. 395
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
p. 396
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
p. 397
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
p. 398
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,
p. 399
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?
p. 400
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)
p. 401
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-ān is read,
Listen to it with attention,
p. 402
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.

# Sūra VIII.

Anfāl, 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:
p. 416
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.
p. 417
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:
p. 418
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:
p. 419
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!
p. 420
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.
p. 421
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
p. 422
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."
p. 423
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;
p. 424
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 more
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.
p. 425
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:
p. 426
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,
p. 427
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.
p. 428
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
p. 429
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).
p. 430
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:
p. 431
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.
p. 432
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
p. 433
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,
p. 434
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.
p. 435
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.

# Sūra IX.

Tauba (Repentance) or Barāat (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,
p. 439
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.
p. 440
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
p. 441
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,
p. 442
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.
p. 443
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,
p. 444
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:
p. 445
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 unain:
Behold! your great numbers
Elated you, but they availed
You naught: the land,
For all that it is wide,
Did. constrain you, and ye
p. 446
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,
p. 447
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.
p. 448
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).
p. 449
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—
p. 450
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
p. 451
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.
p. 452
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
p. 453
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.
p. 454
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
p. 455
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.
p. 456
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
p. 457
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).
p. 458
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.
p. 459
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 Sūra 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:
p. 460
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 ’Ād,
And Thamūd; the people
p. 461
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.
p. 462
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.
p. 463
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
p. 464
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 Tabūk 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:
p. 465
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.
p. 466
86. When a Sūra 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,
p. 467
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,
p. 468
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).
p. 469
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
p. 470
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:
p. 471
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.
p. 472
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
p. 473
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
p. 474
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-ān:
And who is more faithful
To his Covenant than God?
Then rejoice in the bargain
Which ye have concluded:
That is the achievement supreme.
p. 475
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
p. 476
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 Muhājirs,
And the Anār,—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
p. 477
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
p. 478
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.
p. 479
124. Whenever there cometh down'
A Sūra, 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 Sūra, 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
p. 480
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!

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