HOLY QUR'AN

HOLY QUR'AN
Translated by M.H. Shakir

Edited by Yasin T. al-Jibouri

yasinaljibouri@hotmail.com

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Alif Lam Ra. (This is) a Book, with basic or fundamental verses (of established meaning), further explained in detail! from One Who is Wise and well acquainted (with all things):
(It teaches) that you should worship none but Allah. (Say:) “I am truly (sent) to you from Him to warn and to bring glad tidings.
(“And to preach thus,) `Seek your Lord's forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance so that He may grant you good (and true) enjoyment for an appointed term and bestow His bounteous grace upon all who abound in merit! But if you turn away, then I fear for you the penalty of a great Day.
“`Return to Allah, and He has power over all things.”'
Behold! They fold up their hearts so that they may lie hidden from Him! Ah! Even when they cover themselves with their garments, He knows what they conceal and what they reveal, for He knows well the (innermost secrets) of the heart.
The sustenance of every moving creature on earth depends on Allah: He knows the time and place of its temporary stay: All is in a clear record.
It is He Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His throne was over the waters, so that He might test you, which of you is best in conduct. But if you were to say to them, “You shall indeed be raised up after death,” the disbelievers would be sure to say, “This is nothing but obvious sorcery!”
If We delay the penalty for them for an appointed Term, they are sure to say, “What keeps it back?” Ah! On the Day it (actually) reaches them, nothing will turn it away from them, and they will be completely encircled by what they once mocked!
If We grant man a taste of mercy from Us, and then withdraw it from him, behold! He is in despair and (falls into) blasphemy.
But if We grant him a taste of (Our) favors after adversity has touched him, he is sure to say, “All evil has departed from me.” Behold! He falls into exultation and pride!
Those who show patience and constancy and do righteous deeds do not do so; (there) is forgiveness (of sins) and a great reward for them.
Perhaps you may (feel inclined) to grant up a part of what is revealed to you, and your heart feels straitened lest they should say, “Why is not a treasure sent down to him, or why does not an angel come down with him?” But you are there only to warn! It is Allah Who arranges all affairs!
Or they may say, “He forged it.” Say, “Then bring ten Suras forged like it, and call whomsoever you can (to your aid) other than Allah if you speak the truth!
“Then if they (your false gods) do not answer your (call), know that this Revelation is sent down (replete) with the knowledge of Allah, and that there is no god but He! Will you submit (to Islam) even then?”
Those who desire the life of the present and its glitter! We shall pay them (the recompense of) their deeds in it! without reduction.
They are those for whom there is nothing in the hereafter but the Fire: the designs they frame there are vain, and the deeds they do are of no avail!
Can they be (like) those who accept a clear (Sign) from their Lord, and whom a witness from Himself teaches, as the Book of Moses did before it! (be) a guide and a mercy? They believe in it, but those of the sects that reject it! the Fire will be their promised meeting-place. Then do not be in doubt about it, for it is the truth from your Lord: Yet many among men do not believe!
Who does more wrong than those who invent a lie against Allah? They will be returned to their Lord's presence, and the witnesses will say, “These are the ones who lied against their Lord!” Behold! God's curse is on those who do wrong!
Those who would hinder (men) from God's path and would seek something crooked in it: These were those who denied the hereafter!
In no way will they frustrate (His design) on earth, nor do they have protectors besides Allah! Their penalty will be doubled! They lost the power to hear, and they did not see!
They are the ones who have lost their own souls: And the (fancies) they invented have abandoned them!
Without a doubt, these are the very ones who will lose the most in the hereafter!
But those who believe and do righteous deeds and humble themselves before their Lord! they will be companions of the garden, to dwell in it forever!
These two kinds (of men) may be compared to the blind and deaf, and to those who can see and hear well. Are they equal when compared? Then will you not take heed?
We sent Noah to his people (with a mission), “I have come to you with a clear warning:
“That you serve none but Allah: Truly I fear for you the penalty of a grievous Day.”
But the chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said, “We see (in) you nothing but a man like ourselves: Nor do we see any follow you except for the meanest among us, immature in judgment: Nor do we see in (all of) you any merit above us: In fact, we think you are liars!”
He said, “O my people! See if I have a clear Sign from my Lord, and that He has sent mercy to me from His own presence, but that the mercy has been obscured from your sight; shall we compel you to accept it when you are averse to it?
“And O my people! I ask you for no wealth in return: My reward is from none but Allah, but I will not drive away (in contempt) those who believe, for truly they are to meet their Lord, and I see you are the ignorant ones!
“And O my people! Who would help me against Allah if I drove them away? Then will you not take heed?
“I do not tell you that God's treasures are with me, nor do I know what is hidden, nor do I claim to be an angel. And I do not say, of those whom your eyes despise, that Allah will not grant them (all) that is good: Allah knows best what is in their souls: If I did, I would indeed be a wrong-doer.”
They said, “O Noah! You have disputed with us, and you have greatly prolonged the dispute with us: Now bring upon us what you threaten us with, if you speak the truth!”
He said, “Truly, Allah will bring it on you if He wills, and then you will not be able to frustrate it!
“My counsel will be of no profit to you, much as I desire to grant you (good) counsel, if Allah wills to leave you astray: He is your Lord! And you will return to Him!”
Or do they say, “He has forged it?” Say: “If I had forged it, on me were my sins! And I am free of the sins of which you are guilty!”
It was revealed to Noah: “None of your people will believe except those who have already believed! So do not grieve any longer over their (evil) deeds.
“But construct an ark under Our eyes and Our inspiration, and do not (continue to) address Me on behalf of those who are in sin, for they are about to be overwhelmed (in the flood).”
He immediately started constructing the Ark: Every time the chiefs of his people passed by him they ridiculed him. He said, “If you ridicule us now, we (in our turn) can likewise look down on you with ridicule!
“But you will soon know on whom a penalty will descend that will cover them with shame! a lasting penalty will be unloosed.”
At length, behold! Our command came, and the fountains of the earth gushed forth! We said, “Embark in it two of each kind, male and female, and your family except those against whom the word has already gone forth! and the believers.” But only a few believed with him.
So he said, “Embark on the Ark, in the name of Allah, whether it sails or be anchors! For rest assured, my Lord is oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful!”
So the Ark floated with them on waves (towering) like mountains. And Noah called out to his son, who had stayed aloof, “O my son! Embark with us, and do not be with the disbelievers!”
The son replied, “I will go to some mountain: It will save me from the water.” Noah said, “On this Day nothing can save anyone from God's command, except for those on whom He has mercy!” And the waves came between them, and the son was among those overwhelmed in the deluge.
When the word went forth: “O earth! Swallow up your water, and O sky! Withhold (your rain)!” the water abated, and the matter was ended. The Ark rested on Mount Judi and the word went forth: “Away with the wrong-doers!”
And Noah called upon his Lord and said, “O Lord! Surely my son is of my family, and Your promise is true, and You are the most just of Judges!”
He said, “O Noah! He is not of your family, for his conduct is unrighteous. So do not ask of Me that of which you have no knowledge! I grant you counsel, lest you should act like the ignorant!”
Noah said, “O my Lord! I seek refuge with You, lest I should ask You for that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and have mercy on me, I would indeed be lost!”
The word came: “O Noah! Come down (from the Ark) with peace from Us, and blessings on you and on some of the peoples (who will spring) from those with you, but (there will be other) people to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time), but in the end a grievous penalty will reach them from Us.”
These are some of the stories of the unseen, which We have revealed to you: Before this, neither you nor your people knew them. So persevere patiently, for the end is for those who are pious.
To the 'Ad people (We sent) Hud, one of their own kin. He said, “O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other god but Him. You only invent (your other) gods!
“O my people! I ask no reward of you for this (message). My reward is from none but Him Who created me: Then will you not understand?
“And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain and add strength to your strength, so do not turn back in sin!”
They said, “O Hud! You have not brought us any clear (Sign), and we are not the ones to desert our gods on (account of) your word! Nor do we believe in you!
“We say nothing except that (perhaps) some of our gods may have seized you with imbecility.” He said, “I call Allah as my witness, and you bear witness, that I am free from the sin of ascribing to Him,
“Other gods as partners! So scheme (your worst) against me, all of you, and grant me no respite.
“I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He has a hold on its forelock. Truly, it is my Lord Who is on a straight path.
“If you turn away, (at least) I have conveyed the message with which I was sent to you. My Lord will make another people to succeed you, and you will not harm Him in the least, for my Lord cares and watches over all things.”
So when Our decree was issued, We saved Hd and those who believed with him by Our Own (special) grace: We saved them from a severe penalty.

Such were the 'Ad people: They rejected the Signs of their Lord and Cherisher, disobeyed His Messenger, and followed the command of every powerful, obstinate transgressor.

And they were pursued by a curse in this life! and on the Day of Judgment. Ah! Behold! For the 'Ad rejected their Lord and Cherisher! Ah! Behold! 'Ad, the people of Hud, were removed (from sight)!

To the Thamd people (We sent) Slih, one of their own kin. He said, “O my people! Worship Allah: You have no other god but Him. It is He Who produced you from the earth and settled you on it: Then ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him (in repentance), for my Lord is (always) near, ready to answer.”

They said, “O Slih! You have been of us a center of our hopes before this! Do you (now) forbid us from worshipping what our fathers worshipped? But we are really in a (disquieting) doubt about that to which you invite us.”

He said, “O my people! Do you see? If I have a clear (Sign) from my Lord and He has sent mercy unto me from Himself, who then can help me against Allah if I were to disobey Him? What then would you add to my (portion) but perdition?

“And O my people! This she-camel is a symbol to you: Leave her feed on God's (free) earth, and inflict no harm on her, or a swift penalty will seize you!”

But they hamstrung her; so he said, “Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three Days: (Then your ruin will come:) This is a promise not to be belied!”

When Our decree came to pass, We saved Slih and those who believed with him by Our Own (special) grace from the ignominy of that day, for the Lord! He is the strong One, able to enforce His will.

The (mighty) blast overtook the wrong-doers, and they lay prostrate in their homes before the morn,

As if they had never dwelt and flourished there. Ah! Behold! For the Thamud (people) rejected their Lord and Cherisher! Ah! Behold! The Thamud (people) were removed (from sight)!

Our messengers came to Abraham with glad tidings. They said, “Peace!” He answered, “Peace!” and hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf.

But when he saw (that) their hands did not go (out) towards the (meal), he felt some mistrust of them and began to fear them. They said, “Have no fear; we have been sent against the people of Lot.”

And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed, but We gave her glad tidings of Isaac, and of Jacob after him.

She said, “Alas! Shall I bear a child, seeing that I am an old woman, and my husband here is an old man? That would indeed a thing to wonder about!”

They said, “Do you wonder at God's decree? God's grace and blessings be upon you, O you people of the house! For He is truly worthy of all praise, full of all glory!”

When fear had subsided from (the mind of) Abraham and the glad tidings had reached him, he began pleading with Us for Lot's people.

For Abraham was, without doubt, forbearing, compassionate, and given to look to Allah.

O Abraham! Do not seek this! Your Lord's decree has gone forth: A penalty comes for them that cannot be turned back!

When Our messengers came to Lot, he was grieved on their account and felt powerless (to protect) them. He said, “This is a distressful Day.”

And his people came rushing towards him, and they had long been in the habit of practicing abominations. He said, “O my people! Here are my daughters: They are purer for you (if you marry)! Now fear Allah, and do not cover me with shame about my guests! Is there not a single right-minded man among you?”

They said, “You know well we have no need of your daughters: In fact, you know quite well what we want!”

He said, “If only I had power to suppress you or if I could betake myself to some powerful support...”

(The messengers) said, “O Lot! We are messengers from your Lord! By no means shall they reach you! Now travel with your family while a part of the night still remains, and let none of you look back, but your wife (will remain behind): What happens to the people will happen to her. Morning is their appointed time: Is not the morning near?”

When Our decree came to pass, We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer,

Marked as from your Lord: Nor are they ever far from those who do wrong!

To the Madyan people (We sent) Shu`aib, one of their own kin. He said, “O my people! Worship Allah: You have no other god but Him. And do not grant short measure or weight: I see you in prosperity, but I fear for you the penalty of a day that will engulf (you) all round.

“And O my people! Grant just measure and weight, and do not withhold from the people the things that are their due. Do not commit evil in the land with intent to do mischief.

“What Allah leaves you is best for you, if you (only) believed! But I am not a keeper over you!”

They said, “O Shu`aib! Does your (religion of) prayer command you that we abandon the worship which our fathers practiced, or that we cease doing what we like with our property? Truly, you are the one that forbears with faults and is right-minded!”

He said, “O my people! See whether I have a clear (Sign) from my Lord, and He has given me (pure and) good sustenance as from Himself? I do not wish, in opposition to you, to do what I forbid you from doing. I only desire (your) betterment to the best of my power, and my success (in my task) can only come from Allah: In Him do I trust, and unto Him do I look.

“And O my people! Do not let my dissent (from you) cause you to sin, lest you should suffer a fate like that of the people of Noah or of Hd or of Slih, nor are the people of Lot far off from you!

“But ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repentance), for my Lord is indeed full of mercy and loving kindness.”

They said, “O Shu`aib! We do not understand much of what you say! In fact we see that you have no strength among us! Were it not for your family, we would certainly have stoned you! For you have no great position among us!”

He said, “O my people! Then is my family of more consideration with you than Allah? For you cast Him away behind your backs (with contempt). But truly My Lord encompasses on all sides all that you do!

“And O my people! Do whatever you can: I will do (my part): You will soon know who it is on whom the penalty of ignominy descends, and who is a liar! And watch! For I too am watching with you!”

When Our decree came to pass, We saved Shu`aib and those who believed with him by Our Own (special) mercy, but the (mighty) blast seized the wrong-doers, and they lay prostrate in their homes by the morning,

As if they had never dwelt and flourished there! Ah! See how the Madyan (people) were removed (from sight) as the Thamd were removed!

And We sent Moses with Our clear (Signs) and manifest authority,

To Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they followed Pharaoh's command, and Pharaoh's command was not the right (guidance).

He will go before his people on the Day of Judgment and lead them (all) into the Fire (as cattle are led to water), but this leading (and) the place led to will be truly woeful!

And they are followed by a curse in this (life) and on the Day of Judgment: And the gift that will be given (to them) is woeful!

These are some of the stories of communities which We relate to you, some of them are standing, and some have been mown down (by the sickle of time).

It was not We Who wronged them: They wronged their own souls: The deities, other than Allah, whom they invoked, profited them not a whit when your Lord's decree came to pass: Nor did they add anything (to their lot) but perdition!

Such is Your Lord's chastisement when He chastises communities in the midst of their wrong: His chastisement is truly grievous and severe.

(There) is a Sign in that for those who fear the penalty of the hereafter; that is a Day on which mankind will be gathered together; that will be the Day of testimony.

Nor do We delay it but for an appointed Term.

When that Day comes, no soul shall speak except (with) His permission; some of those (gathered) will be wretched and some will be blessed.

Those who are wretched shall be in the Fire: There will be (nothing) in it for them (but) heaving sighs and sobs:

They will dwell in it for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills, for your Lord is the (sure) Accomplisher of what He plans.

And those who are blessed shall be in the garden: They will dwell in it for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills: A gift without an end.

Then do not be in doubt as to what these men worship. They worship nothing but what their fathers worshipped before (them), but truly We shall pay them back their (full) portion without (the least) abatement,

We certainly gave the Book to Moses, but differences arose in it: Had it gone forth before from your Lord, the matter would have been decided between them, but they are in doubt concerning it.

And surely your Lord will pay back to all (the full recompense) of their deeds, for He knows well all that they do.

Therefore stand firm (on the straight path) as you are commanded, you and those with you who turn (to Allah), and do not transgress (from the path), for He sees well all that you do.

And do not incline to those who do wrong, or else the Fire will seize you, and you have no protectors other than Allah, nor shall you be helped.

And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night, for those things that are good remove those that are evil: Be that the word of remembrance for those who remember (their Lord):

And be steadfast in patience, for truly Allah will not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish.

Why were there not, among the generations before you, persons endowed with balanced good sense, prohibiting (others) from mischief in the earth, except a few among them whom We saved (from harm)? But the wrong-doers pursued the enjoyment of the good things of life which were given them and persisted in sin.

Nor would your Lord be the one to destroy communities for a single wrong-doing, if their members were likely to mend.

If your Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind one people, but they will not cease to dispute,

Except those on whom He has bestowed His mercy: And He created them for this: And your Lord's word shall be fulfilled: “I will fill Hell with jinns and men, all together.”

All that We relate to you of the stories of the Messenger! We make your heart firm with them: The truth comes to you in them, as well as an exhortation and a message of remembrance for those who believe.

Say to those who do not believe: “Do whatever you can: We shall do Our part;

“And wait! We too shall wait.”

The unseen (secrets) of the heavens and the earth belong to Allah, and every affair goes back to Him (for decision): Then worship Him, and put your trust in Him: And your Lord is not unmindful of anything that you do.

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SURA 12

Yusuf, (Joseph)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Alif Lam Ra. These are the symbols (or verses) of the clearly expressed Book.
We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an so that you may learn wisdom.
We relate the most beautiful of stories to you, as We reveal this (portion of the) Qur'an to you: Before this, you too were among those who did not know it.
Behold! Joseph said to his father, “O father! I saw eleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrate themselves to me!”
Said (the father), “My (dear) little son! Do not narrate your vision to your brothers lest they should concoct a plot against you, for Satan is an avowed enemy of man!
“Thus your Lord will choose you and teach you the interpretation of stories (and events) and perfect His favor unto you and unto the posterity of Jacob even as He perfected it unto your fathers Abraham and Isaac before that! For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.”
Truly (there) are Signs (or symbols) in (the story of) Joseph and his brothers for seekers (of the truth).
They said, “Truly our father loves Joseph and his brother more than us though we are a goodly body! Really our father is obviously wandering (in his mind)!
“Kill Joseph, or cast him out to some (unknown) land, so that your father's favor may yours alone: (There will be time enough) for you to be righteous after that!”
One of them said, “Do not kill Joseph, but if you must do something, hurl him to the bottom of the well. He will be picked up by some caravan of travellers.”
They said, “O father! Why do you not trust us with Joseph, seeing that we are indeed His sincere well-wishers?
“Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and we shall take every care of him.”
(Jacob) said, “It truly saddens me that you should take him away: I fear lest the wolf should devour him while you are not attending to him.”
They said, “If the wolf were to devour him while we are (such a large) party, then we indeed should have (first) perished ourselves!”
So they took him away, and they all agreed to throw him down to the bottom of the well, and We put (this message) into his heart: “(One day) you will surely tell them the truth of this affair of theirs while they do not recognize you...”
Then they came to their father in the early part of the night, weeping.
They said, “O father! We went racing with one another and left Joseph with our things, and the wolf devoured him... but you will never believe us even though we tell the truth.”
They stained his shirt with false blood. He said, “No, but your minds have made up a tale (that may pass) with you. (For me,) patience is most fitting. Despite what you assert, it is Allah (alone) Whose help can be sought...”
Then a caravan of travellers came. They sent their water-carriers (for water), and he let down his bucket (into the well)... He said, “Ah there! Good news! Here is a (fine) young man!” So they concealed him as a treasure! But Allah knows well all that they do!
The (brothers) sold him for a miserable price: for a few dirhams counted out: In such low estimate they held him!
The man in Egypt who bought him said to his wife, “Make his stay (among us) honorable: Maybe he will bring us much good, or we shall adopt him as a son.” Thus did We establish Joseph in the land so that We might teach him the interpretation of stories (and events). And Allah has full power and control over His affairs, but most among mankind do not know it.
When Joseph attained his full manhood, We granted him power and knowledge; thus do We reward those who do right.
But she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: She fastened the doors and said, “Now come, you (dear one)!” He said, “God forbid! Truly (your husband) is my lord! He made my sojourn agreeable! Truly those who do wrong come to no good!”
And she desired him (with passion), and he would have desired her had he not seen the evidence of his Lord; thus (We ordained) that We turn away (all) evil and shameful deeds from him, for he was one of Our servants, sincere and purified.
So they both raced each other to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back. They both found her husband near the door. She said, “What is the (fitting) punishment for one who formed an evil design against your wife, if not prison or a grievous chastisement?”
26. He said, “She was the one who sought to seduce me from my (true) self.” And one of her family bore witness (thus:) “If his shirt is rent from the front, then her tale is true and he is a liar!
“But if his shirt is torn from the back, then she is the liar and he is telling the truth!”
So when he saw his shirt! that it was torn at the back! (her husband) said, “Behold! It is a snare of you women! Truly, your snare is mighty!
“O Joseph, turn aside from this! (O wife,) ask forgiveness for your sin, for truly you have been at fault!”
In the city, ladies said, “The wife of the (great) `Aziz is seeking to seduce her slave from his (true) self: Truly he has inspired her with passionate love: We see she is evidently going astray.”
When she (Zulaikha) heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them. She gave each one of them a knife, and she said (to Joseph), “Come out before them.” When they saw him, they extolled him and (in their amazement), cut their hands: They said, “God preserve us! This is no mortal! This is none other than a noble angel!”
She said, “There before you is the man about whom you blamed me! I sought to seduce him from his (true) self but he firmly saved himself from guilt! ... And now, if he does not do my bidding, he shall certainly be cast into prison and (what is more) be in the company of the most vile!”
He said, “O Lord! Prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me: Unless you turn their snare away from me, I would feel inclined towards them (in my youthful folly) and join the ranks of the ignorant.”
So his Lord heard (his prayer) and turned their snare away from him: Truly He hears and knows (all things).
Then it occurred to the men, after they had seen the Signs, (that it was best) to imprison him for a time.
Now two young men came into prison with him. One of them said, “(In a dream,) I see myself pressing wine.” The other said, “I see myself (in a dream) carrying bread on my head while birds are eating it.” “Tell us,” (they said,) “the truth and meaning of this, for we see you are one who does good (to all).”
He said, “Before any food comes (in due course) to feed either of you, I will surely reveal to you the truth and meaning of this ere it comes to pass; that is part of the (duty) which my Lord has taught me. (I assure you) I have abandoned the ways of people who do not believe in Allah and (even) deny the hereafter.
“And I follow the ways of my fathers! Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and we could never attribute any partners whatsoever to Allah: that is of God's grace to us and to mankind, yet most men are not grateful.
“O my prison companions! (I ask you): Are many lords differing among themselves better or the One Allah, the Supreme and Irresistible?
“If not Him, you indeed worship nothing but names which you have invented! you and your fathers! for which Allah has sent you no authority. The command is for none but Allah: He has commanded that you worship none but Him: that is the right religion, but most men do not understand...
“O my two companions in prison! As for one of you, he will pour out wine for his lord to drink: As for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat off his head. (So) has that matter about which you two inquire been decreed...”
And to one of the two whom he considered about to be saved he said, “Mention me to your lord.” But Satan made him forget to mention him to his lord, and (Joseph) lingered in prison for a few (more) years.
The king (of Egypt) said, “I see (in a vision) seven fat cows devoured by seven lean ones, and seven green ears of corn, and seven (others) withered. O chiefs! Explain my vision to me if you can interpret visions.”
They said, “A confused medley of dreams, and we are not skilled in the interpretation of dreams.”
But the man who had been released, one of the two (who had been in prison) and who now bethought him after (such a long) time, said, “I will tell you the truth of its interpretation; so, let me go.”
“O Joseph!” (he said,) “O man of truth! Expound to us (the dream) of seven fat cows whom seven lean ones devour, and of seven green ears of corn and (seven) others withered (so) that I may return to the people, and they may understand.”
(Joseph) said, “For seven years you shall diligently sow as is your custom: And the harvests that you reap, you shall leave them in the ear! except a little, of which you shall eat.
“Then after that (there) will come seven dreadful (years), which will devour what you shall have laid by in advance for them! (all) except a little which you will have (specially) guarded.
“Then after that (there) will come a year in which the people will have abundant water, and in which they will press (wine and oil).”
So the king said, “`Bring him to me.” But when the messenger came to him, (Joseph) said, “Go back to your lord, and ask him, `What is the state of mind of the ladies who cut their hands?' For my Lord is certainly well aware of their snare.”
(The king) said (to the ladies), “What was your affair when you sought to seduce Joseph from his (true) self?” The ladies said, “God preserve us! We know no evil against him!” The wife of the `Aziz said, “Now the truth manifests itself (to all): It was I who sought to seduce him from his (true) self: He is indeed of those who are (always) true (and virtuous).
“This (I say), in order for him to know that I have never been false to him in his absence, and that Allah will never guide the snare of the false ones.
“Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): The (human soul) is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord bestows His mercy, but surely the Lord is oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”
So the king said, “Bring him to me; I will take him specially for my service.” Therefore when he spoke to him, he said, “Rest assured this day that you are before our own presence with firmly established rank and fully proven fidelity!”
(Joseph) said, “Set me over the store-houses of the land: I will indeed guard them, as one who knows (their importance).”
Thus We gave Joseph established power in the land, to take possession of it as, when or where he pleased. We bestow Our mercy on whomsoever We please, and We do not suffer the reward of those who do good deeds to be lost.
But truly the reward of the hereafter is the best for those who believe and are constantly righteous.
Then Joseph's brothers came: They entered his presence and he knew them but they did not know him.
Having furnished them with provisions (suitable) for them, he said, “Bring me a brother you have of the same father as your own selves; do you not see that I pay out full measure and that I provide the best hospitality?
“Now if you do not bring him to me, you shall have no measure (of corn) from me, nor shall you (even) come near me.”
They said, “We shall seek to get his father yield in his regard to this; indeed we shall do it.”
And (Joseph) told his servants to put their stock-in-trade (with which they had bartered) into their saddle-bags, so they should know it only upon returning to their people so that they might come back.
Now, having returned to their father, they said, “O our father! We shall get no more measures of grain (unless we take our brother); so, send our brother with us so that we may get our measure, and we will surely take every care of him.”
He said, “Shall I trust you with him with any result other than when I trusted you with his brother before? But Allah is the best to take care (of him), and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!”
Then when they opened their baggage, they found their stock-in-trade had been returned to them. They said, “O our father! What (more) can we desire? This our stock-in-trade has been returned to us, so we shall get (more) food for our family; we shall take care of our brother, and (at the same time) add a full camel's load (of grain to our provisions): This is but a small quantity.”
(Jacob) said, “I will never send him with you until you swear a solemn oath to me, in God's name, that you will be sure to bring him back to me unless you yourselves are hemmed in (and made powerless).” And when they had sworn their solemn oath, he said, “May Allah be the Witness and Guardian over all that we say!”
Further he said, “O my sons! Do not enter all by one gate: Enter by different gates. Not that I can profit you anything against Allah (with my advice); none can command except Allah. I put my trust in Him, and let all who trust put their trust in Him.”
And when they entered in the manner their father had enjoined, it did not profit them in the least against (the plan of) Allah: It was but a necessity of Jacob's soul, which he discharged. For he was, by Our instruction, full of knowledge, but most men do not know.
When they came into Joseph's presence, he received his (full) brother to stay with him. He said (to him), “Behold! I am your own brother; so do not grieve at any of their doings.”
At length, when he had furnished them with provisions (suitable) for them, he put the drinking cup in his brother's saddle-bag. Then a crier shouted out, “O you (in) the caravan! Behold! You are thieves, without doubt!”
They said, turning towards them, “What are you missing?”
They said, “We are missing the king's beaker; there is (the reward of) a camel-load for whoever produces it; I will be bound by it.”
(The brothers) said, “By Allah! You know well that we did not come to make mischief in the land, and we are not thieves!”
(The Egyptians) said, “Then what shall be the penalty for this, if you are (proven) to have lied?”
They said, “The penalty should be that the one in whose saddle-bag it is found be held (as bondman) to atone for the (crime). Thus do we punish the wrong-doers!”
So he began (the search) with their baggage, before (he came to) his brother's baggage. At length he brought it out of his brother's baggage. Thus did We plan for Joseph. He could not take his brother by the law of the king except that Allah willed it (so): We raise whom We please to degrees (of wisdom), but the One, the all-Knowing, is endowed over all (others) with knowledge.
They said, “If he steals, there was a brother of his who stole before (him).” But Joseph kept these things locked in his heart, not revealing the secrets to them. He (simply) said (to himself), “You are in a worse position, and Allah knows best the truth of what you assert!”
They said, “O exalted one! Behold! He has an aged and venerable father (who will grieve for him), so take one of us in his place, for we see that you are (gracious) in doing good.”
He said, “God forbid that we take any other than him with whom we found our property: Indeed (if we did so), we would be acting wrongfully.”
Having seen no hope of his (yielding), they conferred privately. The leader among them said, “Do you not know that your father took an oath from you in God's name, and how, before this, you failed in your duty with Joseph? Therefore I will not leave this land until my father permits me, or Allah commands me, and He is the best to command.
“Turn back to your father and say, `O father! Behold! Your son committed a theft: We bear witness only to what we know, and we could not keep guard over the unseen!
“`Ask (people in) the town where we have been and the caravan with which we returned, and (you will find out that) we are indeed telling the truth.”'
Jacob said, “No, but you have yourselves contrived a story (good enough) for you. So patience is most fitting (for me). Maybe Allah will bring them all (back) to me (in the end), for He is indeed full of knowledge and wisdom.”
And he turned away from them and said, “How great is my grief for Joseph!” His eyes became white with sorrow, and he fell into silent melancholy.
They said, “By Allah! You will (never) cease to remember Joseph until you reach the last extremity of illness, or until you die!”
He said, “I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allah and I know from Allah that which you do not know...
“O my sons! Go and inquire about Joseph and his brother, and never give up hope of God's truly soothing mercy: No one despairs of God's rawh, soothing mercy, except those who have no faith.”
Then when they came (back) into (Joseph's) presence, they said, “O exalted one! Distress has seized us and our family; (now) we have brought but scanty capital, so pay us full measure, (we pray you), and treat it as charity to us, for Allah rewards the charitable.”
He said, “Do you know how you dealt with Joseph, and his brother, not knowing (what you were doing)?”
They said, “Are you indeed Joseph?” He said, “I am Joseph, and this is my brother: Allah has indeed been gracious to us (all): Behold! He who is righteous and patient, Allah will never suffer the reward of those who do right to be lost.”
They said, “By Allah! Allah has truly preferred you over us, and we certainly have been guilty of sin!”
He said, “Let no reproach be (cast) on you this day: Allah will forgive you, and He is the most merciful of those who show mercy!
“Go with this my shirt, and cast it over my father's face: He will come to see (clearly). Then come (here) to me together with all your family.”
When the caravan left (Egypt), their father said, “I do indeed sense the presence of Joseph! Nay! Do not think I am a fool!”
They said, “By Allah! Truly you are wandering in your old mind.”
Then when the bearer of the good news came, he cast (the shirt) over his face, and he immediately regained clear vision. He said, “Did I not say to you that I know from Allah what you do not know?”
They said, “O father! Ask forgiveness for our sins for us, for we were truly at fault.”
He said, “I will soon ask my Lord for forgiveness for you, for He is truly oft-Forgiving, Merciful.”
Then when they entered the presence of Joseph, he provided a home for his parents with himself and said, “Enter Egypt (all) in safety if it pleases Allah.”
And he raised his parents high on the throne (of dignity), and they (all) fell down in prostration before him. He said, “O my father! This is the fulfillment of my vision of old! Allah has made it come true! He was indeed good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you (all here) out of the desert, (even) after Satan had sown enmity between me and my brothers. Truly my Lord understands best the mysteries of all that He plans to do, for truly He is full of knowledge and wisdom.
“Lord! You have indeed bestowed upon me some power, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams and events. O Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Protector in this world and in the hereafter; take my soul (at death) as one submitting to Your will (as a Muslim), and unite me with the righteous.”
Such is one of the stories of the unseen which We reveal by inspiration to you: Nor were you (present) with them when they designed their plans together in the process of weaving their plots.
Yet most people will have no faith however ardently you desire (otherwise).
And you ask no reward of them for this: It is no less than a message for all creatures.
And how many Signs in the heavens and the earth do they pass by? Yet they turn (their faces) away from them!
And most of them do not believe in Allah without associating (others as partners) with Him!
Then do they feel secure when the covering veil of God's Wrath comes against them, or when the (final) Hour suddenly comes against them while they do not perceive?
Say: “This is my way: I do invite to God! on evidence as clear as seeing with one's (own) eyes! I and whoever follows me: Glory to Allah! And I will never join other gods with Allah!”
Nor did We send any but men before you (as Messengers) to whom We inspired, (men) living in human habitations. Do they not travel through the earth and see what the end of those before them was? But the abode of the hereafter is best for those who do right. Then will you not understand?
(Respite will be granted) till the time when the Messengers give up hope (of their people) and (come to) think that they were treated as liars; Our help (will then) reach them, and (until) those whom We will are delivered to safety. But Our punishment will never be warded off from the criminal people.
In their stories there is instruction for men endowed with understanding. It is not an invented tale, but a confirmation of what went before it, a detailed exposition of all things, a guide and a mercy for those who believe.

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SURA 13

Al-Ra'd

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Alif Lam Mim Ra. These are the Signs (or verses) of the Book: What has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, but most men do not believe.
Allah is He Who raised the heavens with no pillars that you can see; He is firmly established on the throne (of authority); He has subjected the sun and the moon (to His law)! Each one runs (its course) for an appointed Term. He regulates affairs, explaining the Signs in detail, so that you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord.
And it is He Who spread out the earth, and set on it mountains standing firm, and (flowing) rivers, and He made fruits of every kind in pairs, two and two: He draws the night as a veil over the day. behold! There are truly Signs in these things for those who consider!
And in the earth are tracts (diverse though) neighboring, and gardens of vines and fields sown with corn, and palm trees! growing out of single roots or otherwise, watered with the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent to eat than others. Behold! There are truly Signs in these things for those who understand!
If you marvel (at their lack of faith), strange is their saying: “When we are (actually) dust, shall we indeed be in a renewed creation?!” They are those who deny their Lord! They are those round whose necks will be yokes (of servitude): They will be companions of the Fire, to dwell therein (forever)!
They ask you to hasten on the evil in preference to the good; yet (many) exemplary punishments have come to pass before them! But truly your Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind for their wrong-doing, and truly your Lord is (also) strict in punishment.
And the disbelievers say, “Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?” But you are truly a warner and a guide to every people.
Allah knows what every female (womb) bears, and that of which the wombs fall short (of term) or exceed. Every single thing is before His sight in (due) proportion.
He knows the unseen and the seen. He is the Great, the Most High.
It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceals his speech or declares it; whether he lies hidden at night or walks freely during the day.
For his sake, there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by God's command. Truly Allah will never change a people's condition until they change it themselves (with their own souls), but (once) Allah decrees the punishment of a people, there can be no turning back, nor will they find any protector besides Him.
It is He Who shows you the lightning by way of both fear and hope: It is He who raises up the clouds, heavy with (fertilizing) rain!
Nay! Thunder declares His praises, and so do the angels, with awe: He flings the loud voiced thunder-bolts, and with them He strikes whomsoever He pleases... Yet these (are the men) who (dare to) dispute about Allah, with the strength of His power (supreme)!
In truth, prayer is for Him (alone): Any others they call upon besides Him hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouth but it does not reach them: For the prayer of those without faith is nothing but (futile) wandering (in the mind).
Whatever beings in the heavens and the earth prostrate to Allah (acknowledging subjection)! with willingly or unwillingly; so do their shadows in the morns and the eves.
Say: “Who is the Lord and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth?” Say: “It is Allah.” Say: “Do you then take (for worship) protectors other than Him, such as have no power either for good or for harm to their own selves?” Say: “Are the blind equal to those who see? Or are the depths of darkness equal to the light?” Or do they assign partners to Allah, who have created (anything) as He has created, so that the creation seemed similar to them? Say: “Allah is the Creator of all things: He is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible.”
He sends down water from the skies and the channels flow, each according to its measure: But the torrent bears away the foam that mounts up to the surface. Even so, from that (ore) which they heat in the fire, to make into ornaments or utensils, there is likewise scum. Thus does Allah shows forth the truth and vanity (through parables): For the scum likewise disappears, cast out; while what is for the good of mankind remains on the earth. Thus does Allah set forth parables.
(All) good things are for those who respond to their Lord. But those who do not respond to Him, even if they had all that is in the heavens and on earth, and as much more, they would offer it for ransom (in vain). The reckoning will be terrible for them: Their abode will be Hell! what a bed of misery!
Then is one who knows that what has been revealed to these from your Lord is the truth like one who is blind? It is those who are endowed with understanding (are the ones) who receive admonition,
Those who fulfill God's covenant and do not fail in their sworn word;
Those who join together those things which Allah has commanded to be joined, hold their Lord in awe, and fear the terrible reckoning;
Those who patiently persevere, seeking the countenance of their Lord; establish regular prayers, spend, out of (the gifts) We have bestowed for their sustenance, secretly and openly, and shun evil with goodness: For those there is the final attainment of the (eternal) home,
Gardens of perpetual bliss: They shall enter therein, as well as the righteous among their fathers, spouses, and offspring: And angels shall approach them from every gate (with the salutation):
“Peace be to you, for you patiently persevered! Now how excellent is the final home!”
But those who break God's covenant after having sworn their word to it, and rend asunder those things which Allah has commanded to be joined, and commit mischief in the land! the curse is upon them; the terrible home is theirs!
Allah increases or decreases the sustenance (He grants) to whomsoever He pleases. And they rejoice in the life of this world, but the life of this world (compared to the hereafter) is but a little comfort.
The disbelievers say, “Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?” Say: “Truly Allah leaves whomsoever He wills to stray; but He guides to Himself those who turn to Him in penitence,
“Those who believe and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: For without doubt, hearts do find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah.
“Every bliss, and a beautiful place of (final) return is for those who believe and do righteous deeds.”
Thus have We sent you to people before whom (other) peoples have (long since gone by and) passed away so that you might recite to them what We reveal to you by inspiration; yet they reject (Him), the Most Gracious! Say: “He is my Lord! There is no god but He! My trust is in Him, and to Him do I turn.”
If there were a Qur'an with which mountains were moved, or the earth were cloven asunder, or the dead were made to speak, (this would be the one)! But, truly, the authority in these things is with Allah! Do not the believers know that, had Allah (so) willed, He could have guided all mankind (to the right path)? But the disbelievers! disaster will never cease to seize them for their (ill) deeds, or to settle close to their homes, until God's promise comes to pass, for, truly, Allah will not fail His promise.
(Many) Messengers before you were mocked, but I granted respite to the disbelievers, and finally I punished them; then how (terrible) was My requital?!
Then is He Who stands over every soul (and knows) all that it does (like any other)? Yet they ascribe partners to Allah. Say: “But name them! Is it that you inform Him of something on earth He does not know about, or is it (just) a show of words?” Nay! To those who do not believe, their pretense seems pleasing, but (that) keeps them back from the path, and those whom Allah leaves to stray, no one can guide.
(There) is a penalty for them in the life of this world, but harder, truly, is the penalty of the hereafter, and they have no defender against Allah.
The parable of the garden which the righteous are promised: rivers flow beneath it: the enjoyment of it is perpetual and so is the shade therein: such is the requital of the righteous, and the requital of the disbelievers is the Fire.
Those to whom We have given the Book rejoice at what has been revealed to you, but there are among the clans those who reject a part of it. Say: “I am commanded to worship Allah and not to join partners with Him. I call unto Him, and I return to Him.”
Thus have We revealed it as a Judgment of authority, in Arabic. If you were to follow their (vain) desires after the knowledge which has reached you, then you would find neither protector nor defender against Allah.
We sent Messengers before you, and appointed wives and children for them, and it was never the part of any Messenger to bring a Sign except as Allah permitted. A Book is (revealed) for each period.
Allah blots out or confirms whatever He pleases: The mother of the Book is with Him.
Whether We show you (during your lifetime) part of what We promised them, or take your soul to Ourselves (before it is all accomplished), your duty is to make (the message) reach them: It is Our part to call them to account.
Do they not see that We gradually reduce the land from its outlying borders? (Where) Allah commands, there is none to cancel His command. And He is swift in calling to account.
Those before them (also) devised plots; but the master-planning in all things is God's. He knows the deeds of every soul, and the disbelievers will soon know who gets home in the end.
The disbelievers say, “You are not a Messenger.” Say: “Allah is enough for a witness between me and you, and those who have knowledge of the Book.”

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SURA 14

Ibrahim [Abraham]

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Alif Lam Ra. A Book which We have revealed to you, so that you might lead mankind out of the depths of darkness into the light! by their Lord's permission! to the way of the One Exalted in power, worthy of all praise!
Of Allah, to Whom all things in the heavens and on earth belong! But alas for the disbelievers, for (their lack of faith will bring them) a terrible penalty!
Those who love the life of this world more than the hereafter, who hinder (men) from God's path and seek something crooked in it: They are astray by a long distance.
We did not send a Messenger except (to teach) in the language of his own people, in order to make (things) clear to them. Nay! Allah leaves straying those whom He pleases and guides whom He pleases, and He is Exalted in power, full of wisdom.
We sent Moses with our Signs (and the command), “Bring your people out of the depths of darkness into the light, and teach them to remember the Days of Allah.” Truly there are Signs in this for those who are firmly patient and constant, grateful and appreciative.
Remember! Moses said to his people, “Remember God's favor to you when He delivered you from Pharaoh's people: They set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women live: This was a tremendous trial from your Lord.”
And remember! Your Lord had it (publicly) declared, “If you are grateful, I will add more (favors) to you; but if you show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed.”
And Moses said, “If you show ingratitude, you and all on earth together! yet Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise.
Has not the story reached you, (O people!), of those who (went) before you? Of the people of Noah, 'Ad, and Thamud? And of those who (came) after them? None knows them but Allah. Messengers came to them with clear (Signs); but they put their hands up to their mouths and said, “We deny (the mission) for which you have been sent, and we are really in (disquieting) doubt as to that to which you invite us.”
Their Messengers said, “Is there a doubt about Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth? It is He Who invites you so that He may forgive your sins and grant you respite for an appointed Term!” They said, “Ah! You are no more than a human like ourselves! You wish to turn us away from the (gods) our fathers used to worship: Then bring us some clear authority.”
Their Messengers said to them, “True, we are human like yourselves, but Allah grants His grace to such of His servants as He pleases. It is not for us to bring you an authority except as Allah permits. And let all men of faith put their trust in Allah.
“We have no reason not to put our trust in Allah. He has truly guided us to the ways we (follow). We shall certainly bear with patience all the harm you may cause us, for those who put their trust (in anyone) should put their trust in Allah.”
And the disbelievers said to their Messengers, “Rest assured we shall drive you out of our land, or you shall return to our religion.” But their Lord inspired them (with this message): “Truly We shall cause the wrongdoers to perish!
“And truly We shall cause you to abide in the land, and succeed them. This is for those who fear the time when they stand before My tribunal, those who fear the punishment denounced.”
But they sought victory and decision (there and then), and frustration was the lot of every powerful obstinate transgressor.
Hell faces such one, and he is given boiling fetid water to drink.
He will sip it in gulps, but he will never come close to swallowing it down his throat: Death will come to him from every quarter, yet he will not die, and an unrelenting chastisement will be in store for him.
The analogy of those who reject their Lord is that their deeds are as ashes on which the wind blows furiously on a tempestuous Day: They have no power over anything they have earned: that is straying far, far (from the goal).
Do you not see that Allah created the heavens and the earth in truth? If He so wills, He can remove you and put a new creation (in your place).
Nor is that any great matter for Allah.
They will all be marshalled together before Allah: Then the weak ones will say to those who were arrogant, “For us, we only followed you; can you then avail us at all against God's Wrath?” They will reply, “Had we received God's guidance, we would have given it to you: To us it makes no difference (now) whether we rage, or bear (these torments) with patience: For us there is no way to escape.”
And when the matter is decided, Satan will say, “It was Allah Who gave you a promise of truth: I too promised, but I failed in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you, but you listened to me: Then do not reproach me, but reproach your own souls. I cannot listen to your cries, nor can you listen to mine. I reject your former act in associating me with Allah. There must be a grievous penalty for wrongdoers.”
But those who believe and do righteous deeds will be admitted to gardens with rivers flowing beneath! to dwell therein forever, with their Lord's permission: Their greeting there will be: “Peace!”
Do you not see how Allah sets forth a parable? A goodly word is like a goodly tree whose root is firmly fixed and branches (reach) to the heavens;
It brings forth its fruit at all times, by its Lord's permission. So Allah sets forth parables for men so that they may receive admonishment.
And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree. It is pulled up by the root from the surface of the earth: It has no stability.
Allah will empower those who believe with the word that stands firm in this world and in the hereafter: But Allah will leave to stray those who do wrong: Allah does what He wills.
Have you not considered those who have changed God's favor into blasphemy and caused their people to fall to the house of perdition?
Into Hell? They will burn there! an evil place to stay in!
And they set up (idols) as equal to Allah, to mislead (men) from the path! Say: “Enjoy (your brief power)! But truly you are making it straight to Hell!”
Speak to My servants who have believed, that they establish regular prayers, and spend (in charity) out of the sustenance We have given them, secretly and openly, before the coming of a Day in which there will be neither mutual bargaining, nor befriending.
It is Allah Who has created the heavens and the earth, and He sends down rain from the skies, and with it brings fruits with which to feed you; it is He Who has made the ships subservient to you, that they may sail through the sea by His command, and He has (also) made the rivers subservient to you.
And He has made subservient to you the sun and the moon, both diligently pursuing their courses, and He has (also) made the night and Day subservient to you.
And He grants you of all that you ask for. But if you count God's favors, you will never be able to number them: Truly, man is given to injustice and ingratitude.
Remember Abraham said, “O my Lord! Make this city one of peace and security, and safeguard me and my sons against worshipping idols.
“O my Lord! They have indeed led many among mankind astray: He then who follows my (ways) is of me, and he who disobeys me! but You are indeed oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
“O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Your sacred House; so that, O our Lord, they may establish regular prayer; therefore, fill the hearts of some people with love towards them, and provide them with fruits so that they may offer thanks.
“O our Lord! Truly You know what we conceal and what we reveal: For nothing whatsoever is hidden from Allah, whether on earth or in heavens.
“Praise be to Allah Who has granted me Ishmael and Isaac despite old age: For truly my Lord is the Hearer of prayer!
“O my Lord! Make me one who establishes regular prayers, and also (raise such) among my offspring, O our Lord! And accept my prayer.
“O our Lord! Grant (us) Your forgiveness! me, my parents, and (all) believers, on the Day when the reckoning is established!”
Do not think that Allah does not heed the deeds of those who do wrong. He merely gives them respite against a Day when eyes will stare fixedly in horror,
Running forward, with necks outstretched, heads uplifted, with their gaze turning back to them, and their hearts a (gaping) void.
So warn mankind of the Day when the Wrath reaches them. The wrongdoers will then say, “Lord! (Grant) us respite (if only) for a short term: We will answer Your call, and follow the Messengers!” “What?! Were you not wont to swear before that you would suffer no decline?
“And did you dwell in the dwellings of those who wronged their own souls? You were clearly shown how We dealt with them, and We put forth many parables for your benefit!”
The plots they made were truly mighty, but their plots were (well) within God's sight, even though they were such as would shake mountains!
Never think that Allah will fail His Messengers in His promise, for Allah is exalted in power, Lord of retribution.
One Day the earth will be changed to a different earth, and so will the heavens, and (men) will be marshalled forth, before Allah, the One, the Supreme;
And you will see the sinners that Day chained together in fetters;
Their garments of liquid pitch, and their faces covered with fire;
(so) that Allah may requite each soul according to what it has earned, and truly Allah is swift in calling to account.
Here is a message for mankind: Let them take warning from it, and let them know that He is (no other than) one Allah; Let men of understanding take heed.

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SURA 15

Al-Hajr

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Alif Lam Ra. These are the Ayat of Revelation, of a Qur'an that makes things clear.
Again and again will those who disbelieve wish that they had bowed (to God's will) in Islam.
Leave them alone to enjoy (the good things of this life) and to please themselves: Let (false) hope amuse them: Knowledge will soon (undeceive them).
We never destroyed a population that had not a term decreed and assigned beforehand.
Neither can a nation anticipate its term, nor delay it.
They say, “O you to whom the message is being revealed! Truly you are possessed!
“Why do you not bring angels to us if you have the truth?”
We do not send the angels down except for a just cause: If they came (to the ungodly), behold! They would have no respite!
We have, without doubt, sent down the message, and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).
We sent Messengers before you among the nations of old:
Never a Messenger came to them but they mocked him.
Just so do We let it creep into the hearts of the sinners,
That they should not believe in the (message); yet the ways of the ancients have passed away.
Even if We opened out to them a gate from heaven, and they were to continue (all day) ascending through it,
They would only say, “Our eyes have been intoxicated: Nay! We have been bewitched by sorcery.”
It is We Who have set out the zodiacs in the heavens and made them beautiful to (all) beholders;
And We have guarded them from every accursed evil spirit:
But any who gains a hearing by stealth is pursued by a blazing Fire, a visible flame.
And We have spread the earth out (like a carpet), set firm and immovable mountains on it, and produced in it all kinds of things in due balance.
And We have provided means of subsistence in it for you and for those whom you are not to sustain.
And there is not a thing but its (inexhaustible sources and) treasures are with Us; but We only send them down in due and ascertainable measures.
And We send the fertilizing winds, then cause the rain to fall from the sky, thus providing you with water (in abundance), though you are not the guardians of its stores.
And truly, it is We Who grant life and death: It is We Who remain the inheritors (after all passes away).
We know those of you who hasten forward and those who lag behind.
Assuredly it is your Lord Who will gather them together, for He is Perfect in wisdom and knowledge.
We created man from sounding clay, from mud molded into shape;
And We had created the jinns before from the fire of a scorching wind.
Behold! Your Lord said to the angels, “I am about to create man, from sounding clay, from mud molded into shape;
“When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down in obeisance to him.”
So all the angels prostrated together:
Except Iblis; he refused to be among those who prostrated.
(Allah) said, “O Iblis! What is your reason for not being among those who prostrated?”
(Iblis) said, “I am not one to prostrate to man whom You created out of sounding clay, from mud molded into shape.”
(Allah) said, “Then get out from here, for you are rejected, accursed.
“And the curse shall be on you till the Day of Judgment.”
(Iblis) said, “Lord! Then grant me respite till the Day the (dead) are raised.”
(Allah) said, “Respite is granted to you,
“Till the Day of the appointed time.”
(Iblis) said, “Lord! Because You have put me in the wrong, I will make (wrong) seem fair to them on earth. And I will put them all in the wrong,
“Except Your servants among them, the sincere and purified ones (by Your grace).”
(Allah) said, “This (way of My sincere servants) is truly a way that leads straight to Me.
“For you shall have no authority over My servants except those who put themselves in the wrong and follow you.
And truly Hell is the promised abode for them all!”
There are seven gates to it: A (special) class (of sinners is assigned) for each of those gates.
The righteous (will be) amid gardens and fountains (of clear-flowing water).
(Their greeting will be:) “Enter in peace and security.”
And We shall remove any lurking sense of injury from their hearts: (They will be) brothers (joyfully) facing each other on thrones (of dignity).
No sense of fatigue shall touch them therein, nor shall they (ever) be asked to leave.
Tell My servants that I am indeed the oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful;
And that My penalty will be indeed the most grievous penalty.
Tell them about Abraham's guests,
When they entered into his presence and said, “Peace!” He said, “We are apprehensive of you!”
They said, “Have no fear! We grant you glad tidings of a son endowed with wisdom.”
He said, “Do you grant me glad tidings now that old age has seized me? Of what, then, is your glad tidings?”
They said, “We grant you glad tidings in truth; do not then despair!”
He said, “And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except those who go astray?”
Abraham said, “What, then, is the business on which you (have come), O messengers (of Allah)?”
They said, “We have been sent to a people (deep) in sin,
“Except the followers of Lot: We are certainly (charged) to save them (from harm), all
“Except his wife who, we have ascertained, will be among those who will lag behind.”
At length when the messengers arrived among the followers of Lot,
He said, “You appear to be uncommon folk.”
They said, “Yes, we have come to you to accomplish that which they doubt.
“We have brought you what is inevitably due, and assuredly we tell the truth.
“Travel by night with your family, when a portion of the night (remains), and bring up the rear: Let no one among you look back but pass on to where you are ordered.”
And We made this decree known to him, that the last remnants of those (sinners) would be cut off by the morning.
The inhabitants of the city came in (mad) joy (at news of the young men).
Lot said, “These are my guests: Do not disgrace me:
“But fear Allah, and do not shame me;”
They said, “Did we not forbid you (to speak) for all and sundry?”
He said, “My daughters are there (for marriage), if you must act (so).”
Truly, by your life (O Prophet), in their wild intoxication, they wandered in distraction, to and fro.
But the (mighty) blast overtook them by the morning,
And we turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones as hard as baked clay.
Behold! (There) are Signs in this for those who understand by tokens.
And the (cities were) right on the highway.
Behold! (There) is a Sign in this for those who believe!
And the Companions of the Wood were also wrongdoers;
So we exacted retribution on them. They, too, were on an open highway, plain to see.
The Companions of the rocky tract also rejected the Messengers:
We sent them Our Signs, but they persisted in turning away therefrom.
They hewed their edifices out of the mountains, (feeling themselves) secure.
But the (mighty) blast seized them one morning,
And all that they did (with such art and care) was of no avail to them!
We created the heavens, the earth, and everything between them for just ends. And the Hour is surely coming (when this will be manifest). So overlook (their faults) with gracious forgiveness.
For truly it is your Lord Who is the Master-Creator; He knows all things.
And We have bestowed upon you the seven oft-repeated (verses) and the Grand Qur'an.
Do not strain your eyes (wistfully) at what We have bestowed on some of them, nor should you grieve over them, but lower your wing (in gentleness) to the believers.
And say: “I am indeed one who warns openly and without ambiguity,”
(Of such Wrath) as We sent down to those who divided (their Scriptures into arbitrary parts),
(Also to those) who have made the Qur'an into shreds (as they please).
Therefore, by your Lord, We will surely call them to account,
For all their deeds.
Therefore, expound openly what you are commanded, and turn away from those who join false gods with Allah.
For We are sufficient to you against those who scoff,
Those who associate another god with Allah: But they will soon come to know.
We do indeed know how your heart is distressed at what they say.
But celebrate the praises of your Lord, and be of those who prostrate in adoration.
And serve your Lord until the Hour that is certain to come to you.

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SURA 16

Al-Nahl

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

God's command (inevitably) comes (to pass); so, do not seek to hasten it: Glory to Him, and far is He above having the partners they ascribe to Him!
He sends His angels to those of His servants as He pleases with inspiration of this command: “Warn (mankind) that there is no god but I, so do your duty to Me.”
He has created the heavens and the earth for just ends: He is far above having the partners they ascribe to Him!
He has created man from a sperm drop, and behold! This same (man) becomes an open disputant!
And He has created cattle for you: From them you derive warmth, and numerous benefits, and you eat of their (meat).
And you have a sense of pride and beauty in them as you drive them home in the evening, and as you lead them forth to pasture in the morning.
And they carry your heavy loads to lands you could not (otherwise) reach except with distressed souls: For your Lord is indeed Most Kind, the Most Merciful:
And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys for you to ride and use for show, and He has created (other) things of which you have no knowledge.
And the way leads straight to Allah, but there are ways that turn aside: Had Allah so willed, He would have guided you all.
It is He Who sends down rain from the sky: From it you drink, and out of it (grows) the vegetation whereby you feed your cattle.
With it He produces corn, olives, date-palms, grapes, and every kind of fruit for you: Truly (there) is a Sign in this for those who grant thought.
And Allah has made the night and the day subservient to you, (and) the sun and the moon, and the stars are subject to His command: Truly (there) are Signs in this for men who are wise.
And the things on this earth which He has multiplied in varying colors (and qualities): Truly (there) is a Sign in this for men who celebrate the praises of Allah (in gratitude).
It is He Who has made the sea subservient, that you may eat from it meat that is fresh and tender, and that you may extract from it ornaments to wear, and you see the ships on it ploughing the waves so that you may (thus) seek of God's bounty and so that you may be grateful.
And He has set up mountains standing firm on the earth lest it should shake with you, and rivers and roads so that you may guide yourselves (as you travel);
And marks and Sign-posts, and by the stars do men guide themselves.
Then is He Who creates like one who does not create? Will you not receive admonishment?
If you were to count God's favors, you would never be able to count them at all: For Allah is oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
And Allah knows what you conceal and what you reveal.
Those whom they invoke besides Allah create nothing and are themselves created.
(They are) dead, lifeless: Nor do they know when they will be raised up.
Your Allah is one Allah: As for those who do not believe in the hereafter, their hearts refuse to know, and they are arrogant.
Undoubtedly Allah knows what they conceal and what they reveal: Truly He does not love the arrogant.
When it is said to them, “What is it that your Lord has revealed?” they say, “Tales of the ancients!”
On the Day of Judgment, let them bear their own burdens in full, and also (something) of the burdens of those without knowledge whom they misled; alas! How grievous the burdens they will bear!
Those before them also plotted (against God's way): But Allah took their structures off their foundations, and the roof fell upon them from above, and the Wrath seized them from directions they did not perceive.
Then, on the Day of Judgment, He will cover them with shame and say, “Where are my `partners' about whom you used to dispute (with the godly)?” Those endowed with knowledge will say, “This Day, indeed, are the disbelievers covered with shame and misery,
“(Namely,) those whose lives the angels take in a state of wronging their own souls.” Then they would offer submission (with the pretense), “We did no evil (knowingly).” (The angels will reply,) “Nay! But truly Allah knows all that you did;
“So enter the gates of Hell, to dwell therein (forever). Thus the abode of the arrogant is truly evil.”
(When) it is said to the righteous, “What is it that your Lord has revealed?” they say, “All that is good.” For those who do good deeds, there is good in this world, and the abode of the hereafter is even better. And the abode of the righteous is truly excellent,
Gardens of eternity which they will enter: Beneath them flow (pleasant) rivers: In them they will have all that they wish; thus does Allah reward the righteous:
Those whose lives the angels take in a state of purity, saying (to them), “Peace be to you! Enter the garden because of the good which you did (during your lifetime).”
Do the (ungodly) wait until the angels come to them, or your Lord's command comes (for their doom)? Those who went before them acted thus. But Allah did not wrong them: Nay! They wronged their own souls.
But the evil results of their deeds overtook them, and that very (Wrath) at which they had scoffed hemmed them in.
The worshippers of false gods say, “Had Allah so willed, we would not have worshipped anything other than Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor would we have prescribed prohibitions other than His.” So did those who went before them. But what mission do Messengers have other than to preach the clear message?
For We assuredly sent a Messenger to every nation (with the command,) “Serve Allah and eschew evil.” Some people Allah guided, and on some error became inevitably (established). So travel throughout the earth and see what the end of those who denied (the truth) was.
If you are anxious for their guidance, Allah does not guide those whom He leaves to stray, and there is none to help them.
They swear their strongest oaths by Allah that Allah will not raise up those who die: Nay! It is but a promise (binding) upon Him in truth, yet people do not realize it.
(They must be raised up) so that He may make manifest to them the truth of that about which they differ, and so that the rejecters of truth may realize that they had truly (surrendered to) falsehood.
For to anything which We have willed, We merely say the word, “Be,” and it is.
To those who leave their homes for God's Cause, having suffered oppression, We will assuredly grant a goodly home in this world; but truly the reward of the hereafter will be greater, if they only realize (it)!
(They are) those who persevere in patience and put their trust in their Lord.
And the Messengers whom We sent before you were also only men to whom We granted inspiration: If you do not realize this, so ask those who possess the message.
(We sent them) with clear Signs and books of dark prophecies, and We have revealed the message to you (also) so that you may explain clearly to men what is sent for them, and so that they may grant thought.
Then do those who devise evil (plots) feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up, or that the Wrath will not seize them from directions they little perceive?
Or that He may not call them to account in the midst of their going to and fro, without a chance of their frustrating Him?
Or that He may not call them to account by a process of slow wastage! for your Lord is truly full of kindness and mercy.
Do they not look at God's creation, (even) among (inanimate) things! how their (very) shadows turn round, from the right and the left, prostrating themselves to Allah in the humblest manner?
And all that is in the heavens and on earth renders obeisance to Allah, whether moving (living) creatures or the angels: For none are arrogant (before their Lord).
They all revere their Lord, high above them, and they do all that they are commanded.
Allah has said, “Do not take two gods (for worship): For He is just one Allah: Then fear Me (and Me alone).”
Whatever is in the heavens and on earth belongs to Him, and duty is always due to Him: Then will you fear any other than Allah?
And you have no good thing that does not come from Allah, and moreover, when you are touched by distress, you cry to Him with groans;
Yet, when He removes the distress from you, behold! Some of you turn to other gods to join with their Lord,
(As if) to show ingratitude for the favors We have bestowed upon them! Then enjoy (your brief day); you will soon know (your folly)!
And they (even) assign, to things they do not know, a portion of what We have bestowed for their sustenance! By Allah, you shall certainly be called to account for your false inventions.
And they assign daughters to Allah! Glory be to Him! And for themselves (sons) they desire!
When news is brought to one of them of (of the birth of) a female, his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief!
He hides himself with shame from his people because of the bad news he has received! Shall he retain it on (sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust? Ah! What an evil decision they make!
To those who do not believe in the hereafter, the analogy of evil applies: To Allah applies the highest analogy: For He is exalted in power, full of wisdom.
If Allah were to punish men for their wrongdoing, He would not leave a single living creature on (earth): But He gives them respite for a stated term: When their term expires, they would not be able to delay (the punishment) for a single Hour, just as they would not be able to advance it (a single Hour).
They attribute to Allah what they hate (for themselves), and their tongues assert the falsehood that all good things are for themselves: Without doubt the Fire is (prepared) for them, and they will be the first to be hurled therein!
By Allah, We (also) sent (Our Messengers) to nations before you; but Satan made their own acts seem alluring (to them): He is also their patron today, but they shall have a most grievous penalty.
And We revealed the Book to you for the express purpose that you should clarify for them those things in which they differ, and so that it should be a guide and a mercy to those who believe.
And Allah sends down rain from the skies, and with it gives life to the land after its death: Truly (there) is a Sign in this for those who listen.
And truly you will (also) find an instructive Sign in cattle. From what is within their bodies, between excretions and blood, We produce, for your drink, milk, pure and agreeable to those who drink it.
And from the fruit of the date-palm and the vine you get wholesome food and drink: Behold! (There) is also a Sign in this for those who are wise.
And your Lord taught the bees to build their cells in hills, on trees, and in (men's) habitations;
Then eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find the spacious paths of your Lord with skill: From within their bodies, a drink of varying colors issues, in which (there) is healing for men: Truly (there) is a Sign in this for those who ponder.
It is Allah Who creates you and takes your souls at death, and some of you are sent back to a feeble age, so that they know nothing after having known (much): For Allah is all-Knowing, all-Powerful.
Allah has bestowed His gifts of sustenance more freely on some of you than on others; those favored with more are not going to throw back their gifts to those whom their right hands possess, so as to be equal in that respect. Then will they deny God's favors?
And Allah has made mates (and companions) of your own nature for you and made sons and daughters and grandchildren out of them for you, and provided of the best sustenance for you: Then will they believe in vain things and be ungrateful to God's favors?
And they worship other than Allah those such as have no power of providing them with anything in the heavens or on earth for sustenance and cannot possibly have such power?
Do not invent similitudes to Allah, for Allah knows, and you do not.
Allah sets forth the parable (of two men: one) a slave in the service of another; he has no power of any sort, while (the other) a man on whom We have bestowed goodly favors from Us, and he spends (freely) of it, privately and publicly: Are the two equal? (By no means;) praise be to Allah. But most of them do not understand.
Allah sets forth (another) parable of two men: One of them is dumb, with no power of any sort; he is a wearisome burden to his master; whichever way he directs him, he brings him no good: Is such a man equal to one who commands justice and is on a straight path?
The mystery of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. And the decision of the Hour (of Judgment) is as the twinkling of an eye, or even quicker: For Allah has power over all things.
It is He Who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers, when you knew nothing, and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affection (so) that you may grant thanks (to Allah).
Do they not look at the birds, held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? Nothing holds them up but (the power of) Allah. Truly (there) are Signs in this for those who believe.
It is Allah Who made your habitations homes of rest and tranquility for you, and made (tents as) dwellings for you out of the skins of animals, which you find so light (and handy) when you travel and when you tarry (in your travels), and out of their wool, and their soft fibers (between wool and hair), and their hair, rich fabrics and articles of convenience, (to serve you) for a time.
It is Allah Who made, out of the things He created, some things to grant you shade; of (some of) the mountains He made for your shelter; He made you garments to protect you from heat, and coats of mail to protect you from your (mutual) violence. Thus does He complete his favors unto you so that you may bow to His will (in Islam).
But if they turn away, your duty is only to preach the clear message.
They recognize God's favors; then they deny them, and most of them are ungrateful.
One Day We shall raise a witness from all peoples: Then no excuse will be accepted from the disbelievers, nor will they receive any favors.
When the wrongdoers (actually) see the penalty, it will in no way then be mitigated, nor will they receive respite.
When those who ascribe partners to Allah see their “partners,” they will say, “Our Lord! These are our `partners' whom we used to invoke besides You!” But they will throw back their word at them (and say), “You are truly liars!”
That Day they will (openly) show (their) submission to Allah, and all their inventions shall abandon them.
Those who reject Allah and hinder (men) from God's path! for them We will add penalty to penalty, because they used to spread mischief.
One Day We shall raise from all peoples a witness against them, from among themselves, and We shall bring you as a witness against these (people), and We revealed to you the Book explaining all things, a guide, a mercy, and glad tidings to Muslims.
Allah commands justice, good deeds, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, injustice and rebellion: He instructs you so that you may receive admonishment.
Fulfill God's covenant when you have entered into it, and do not break your oaths after you have confirmed them; you have truly made Allah your surety, for Allah knows all that you do.
And do not be like a woman who breaks the yarn she has spun into untwisted strands after it has become strong. Nor take your oaths to practice deception among yourselves, lest one party should be more numerous than another, for Allah will test you by this, and on the Day of Judgment He will certainly make clear to you (the truth of) what you disagreed about.
If Allah so willed, He could make you all one people: But He leaves to stray whomsoever He pleases, and He guides whomsoever He pleases: But you shall certainly be called to account for all your deeds.
And do not take your oaths, then practice deception among yourselves, with the result that someone's foot may slip after it was firmly planted, and you may have to taste the evil (consequences) of having hindered (people) from God's path, and a mighty Wrath descends upon you.
Nor sell God's covenant for a miserable price: For a far better (prize) for you is with Allah, if you only know.
What is with you must vanish: What is with Allah will endure. And We will certainly bestow rewards on those who patiently persevere, according to the best of their deeds.
Whoever does righteous deeds, man or woman, and has faith! truly We will grant him a new life, a life that is good and pure, and We will bestow their rewards upon them, according to the best of their deeds.
When you recite the Qur'an, seek God's protection against Satan, the rejected one.
He has no authority over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord.
His authority is over only those who take him as patron and who join partners with Allah.
When we substitute one Revelation with another, and Allah knows best what He reveals (in stages)! they say, `You are but a forger.” But most of them do not understand.
Say: “The Holy Spirit has brought the Revelation from your Lord in truth in order to strengthen those who believe, and as a guide and glad tidings to Muslims.”
We know indeed that they say, “It is a man who teaches him.” The tongue of the one to whom they wickedly point is notably foreign, while this is pure and clear Arabic.
Allah will not guide those who do not believe in God's Signs, and a grievous penalty will be theirs.
It is those who do not believe in God's Signs that forge falsehood: It is they who lie!
Anyone who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters disbelief! except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in faith! but those who open their breast to disbelief! God's Wrath is upon them and a dreadful penalty will be theirs.
This (is so) because they love the life of this world more than the hereafter, and Allah will not guide those who reject faith.
They are those whose hearts, ears, and eyes Allah has sealed up, and they take no heed.
Without doubt, they will perish in the hereafter.
But truly your Lord! to those who leave their homes after trials and persecution! and who thereafter strive and fight for the faith and patiently persevere! your Lord, after all this, is oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
One Day, every soul will come up struggling for itself, and every soul will be recompensed (fully) for all its actions, and none will be dealt with unjustly.
Allah sets forth a parable: A city enjoying security and serenity, abundantly supplied with sustenance from every place: Yet it was ungrateful for God's favors, so Allah made it taste of hunger and terror (in extremes, closing in on it) like a garment (from every side) because of the (evil) which (its people) wrought.
And a Messenger came to them from among themselves, but they falsely rejected him; so the Wrath seized them even in the midst of their iniquities.
So eat of the lawful and good sustenance which Allah has provided for you, and be grateful for God's favors, if it is He Whom you serve.
He has only forbidden you dead meat and blood, and the flesh of swine, and any (food) over which a name of any other than that of Allah has been invoked. But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits! then Allah is oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
But do not say! for any false thing that your tongues may put forth!”This is lawful, and this is forbidden,” so as to ascribe false things to Allah. For those who ascribe false things to Allah will never prosper.
(There) is but a paltry profit (in such falsehood); but they will have a most grievous penalty.
We prohibited for the Jews such things as We have mentioned to you before: We did them no wrong, but they were used to doing wrong to their own selves.
But truly your Lord! to those who do wrong in ignorance, but who afterwards repent and make amends! your Lord, after all this, is oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Abraham was indeed a model, devoutly obedient to Allah (and) true in faith, and he did not join gods with Allah:
He showed his gratitude for God's favors, Who chose him and guided him to a straight way.
And We gave him good in this world, and he will be in the ranks of the righteous in the hereafter.
So We have taught you the inspired (message), “Follow the ways of Abraham, the true in faith, and he did not join gods with Allah.”
The Sabbath was only made (strict) to those who disagreed (about its observance); but Allah will judge between them on the Day of Judgment regarding their differences.
Invite (all) to your Lord's way with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and debate with them in ways that are best and most gracious: For your Lord knows best who have strayed from His Path and who receive guidance.
And if you retaliate, do it in no worse a way than they did to you: But if you show patience, that is indeed the best (course) for those who are patient.
And be patient, for your patience is but from Allah; nor grieve over them, and do not feel distressed because of their plots.
For Allah is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good deeds.

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SURA 17

Banu Israel [The children of Israel]

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Glory to (Allah) Who took His servant for a journey by night from the sacred mosque to the farthest mosque whose precincts We blessed so that We might show him some of Our Signs, for He is the One who hears and sees (all things).
We gave Moses the Book and made it a guide to the Children of Israel, (commanding,) “Do not take other than Me as Disposer of (your) affairs.”
O you who are sprung from those whom We carried (in the ark) with Noah! Truly he was a most grateful devotee.
And We gave (clear) warning to the Children of Israel in the Book, that twice they would do mischief on earth and be elated with mighty arrogance (and twice they would be punished)!
When the first of the warnings came to pass, We sent Our servants against you, given to terrible warfare: They entered the very inmost parts of your homes, and it was a warning (completely) fulfilled.
Then We granted you the return against them: We gave you increase in resources and sons, and made you the more numerous.
If you did well, you did well for your own selves; if you did evil, (you did it) against your own selves. So when the second of the warnings came to pass, (We permitted your enemies) to disfigure your faces, and to enter your temple as they had entered it before, and to visit all that fell into their power with destruction.
It could be that your Lord may (yet) show mercy unto you; but if you revert (to your sins), We shall revert (to punishing you), and We have made Hell a prison for those who reject (faith).
Truly this Qur'an guides to what is most right (or stable), and gives the glad tidings to the believers who do deeds of righteousness that they shall have a magnificent reward;
And to those who do not believe in the hereafter, (it announces) that We have prepared a (truly) grievous penalty for them.
The prayer that man should make for good, he makes for evil, for man is given to hasty (deeds).
We have made the night and the day as two (of Our) Signs: The Sign of the night We have obscured, while We made the Sign of the day to enlighten you so that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and so that you may know the number and count of the years: We have explained all things in detail.
We have fastened every man's fate on his own neck: On the Day of Judgment We shall bring a scroll out for him, which he will see spread open.
(It will be said to him:) “Read your (own) record: On this Day, your soul is sufficient on this Day to make out an account against you.”
Whoever receives guidance receives it for his own benefit: Whoever goes astray does so to his own loss: No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: Nor would We visit any with Our Wrath until We had sent a Messenger (to warn):
When We decree to destroy a population, We (first) send Our commandment to those among them who are given the good things of this life but they transgress therein, so that (in the end) the word is proven true against them, then We destroy them with utter destruction.
How many generations have We destroyed since Noah? And your Lord is enough to note and see the sins of His servants.
If anyone desires the transitory things (of this life), We readily grant them such things as We please, (and) in the end We provide Hell for them: They will burn therein, disgraced and rejected.
Those who desire the (things of) the hereafter and strive towards them with all due struggle and have faith, they are the ones whose endeavor is acceptable (to Allah).
We bestow your Lord's bounties freely on all: these as well as those; Your Lord's bounties are not confined (to anyone).
See how We have bestowed more on some than on others; but truly the hereafter is greater in rank and gradation and greater in excellence.
Do not take another object of worship with Allah or else you (O man!) should sit in disgrace and destitution.
Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age during your lifetime, do not say a word of contempt to them, nor should you repel them, but address them in terms of honor.
And, out of kindness, lower the wing of humility for them and say, “Lord! Bestow Your mercy on them even as they cherished me in childhood.”
Your Lord knows best what is in your hearts: If you do deeds of righteousness, truly He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him again and again (in true penitence),
And render to their kindred their due rights, as (well as) to those in want, and to the wayfarer: But do not squander (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift.
Truly spendthrifts are brothers of the evil ones, and the evil one is ungrateful to his Lord.
And even if you have to turn away from them in pursuit of the mercy which you expect from your Lord, speak a word of kindness to them.
Do not (like a stingy person) make your hand tied to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach, so that you become blameworthy and destitute.
Truly your Lord provides sustenance in abundance for whomsoever He pleases, and He provides in a just measure, for He knows and regards all His servants.
Do not kill your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you: Truly killing them is a great sin.
Nor should you come nigh to adultery, for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil one, opening the road (to other evils).
Nor should you take away the life which Allah has made sacred except for a just cause. And if anyone is killed wrongfully, We have given his heir authority (to demand Qisas or to forgive): But do not let him exceed the bounds in the matter of taking life away, for he is helped (by the Law).
Do not approach the orphan's property except to improve it until he attains the age of full strength, and fulfill (every) promise, for inquiries will be made regarding (every) promise (on the Day of Reckoning).
Grant full measure when you measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight: that is the most fitting and the most advantageous in the final determination.
And do not follow that of which you have no knowledge, for (on the Day of Reckoning) inquiries will be made into every act of hearing or seeing or (feeling in) the heart.
Nor should you walk on earth with insolence, for you cannot rend the earth asunder nor reach the mountains in height.
The evil of all such things is hateful in the sight of your Lord.
These are among the (precepts of) wisdom which your Lord has revealed to you. Do not take another object of worship with Allah lest you should be thrown into Hell, blameworthy and rejected.
Then has your Lord (O pagans!) preferred sons for you and taken daughters among the angels for Himself?! Truly you utter a most dreadful saying!
We have explained (things) in various (ways) in this Qur'an, in order that they may receive admonishment, but it only increases their flight (from the truth)!
Say: If there had been (other) gods with Him! as they say! behold! They would certainly have sought out a way to the Lord of the throne!
Glory to Him! He is high above all that they say! Exalted and Great (beyond measure)!
The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: Not a thing exists that does not celebrate His praise, but you do not understand how they declare His glory! Truly He is oft-Forbearing, Most Forgiving!
When you recite the Qur'an, We put an invisible veil between you and those who do not believe in the hereafter;
And We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they should understand the Qur'an, and deafness into their ears: When you commemorate your Lord! and Him alone! in the Qur'an, they turn their backs, fleeing (from the truth).
We know best why they listen to you, when they listen to you, and when they meet in private. Behold! The wicked ones say, “You follow none other than a bewitched man!”
See what analogies they strike for you: But they have gone astray, and they can never find a way.
They say, “What?! When we are reduced to bones and dust, should we really be raised up (to be) a new creation?!”
Say: “(Nay! Whether) you be stones or iron,
“Or created matter which, in your minds, is hardest (to be raised up! yet you will be raised up)!” Then will they say, “Who will cause us to return?” Say: “He Who created you the first time!” Then they will wag their heads towards you and say, “When will that be?” Say, “Maybe it will be quite soon!
“It will be on a Day when He will call you, and you will answer (His call) with (words of) His praise, and you will think that you tarried but a little while!”
Tell my servants that they should say (only) those things that are best, for Satan sows dissension among them, for Satan is an avowed enemy of man.
It is your Lord Who knows you best: If He pleases, He grants you mercy, or if He pleases, He punishes: We have not sent you to dispose of their affairs for them.
And it is your Lord Who knows best all beings that are in the heavens and on earth: We bestowed on certain Prophets more (and different) gifts than on others, and We granted David (the gift of) the Psalms.
Say: “Call upon those! besides Him! whom you fancy: They have neither the power to remove your troubles from you nor to change them.”
Those whom they call upon do indeed desire (for themselves) the means of access to their Lord! even those who are nearest: They hope for His mercy and fear His Wrath, for the Wrath of your Lord is something to heed.
There is no town that We shall not destroy before the Day of Judgment or punish it with a dreadful penalty: that is written in the (eternal) record.
And We refrain from sending the Signs only because the former generations treated them as false: We sent the she-camel to the Thamud (people) to open their eyes, but they treated her wrongfully: We only send the Signs by way of terror (and warning against evil).
Behold! We told you that your Lord encompasses mankind round about: We granted the vision which We showed you only as a trial for men! as also the cursed tree (mentioned) in the Qur'an: We put terror (and warning) into them, but it only increases their inordinate transgression!
Behold! We said to the angels, “Bow down to Adam.” They bowed down except Iblis: He said, “Shall I bow down to one whom You created from clay?”
He said, “Do you see? This is the one whom You have honored above me! If You will grant me a respite till the Day of Judgment, I will surely bring his descendants under my sway! all but a few!”
Allah said, “Go your way; if any of them follows you, truly Hell will be the recompense of (all of) you! an ample recompense.
“Lead to destruction those whom you can among them, with your (seductive) voice; make assaults on them with your cavalry and your infantry; share with them their wealth and children, and make promises to them.” But Satan promises them nothing but deceit.
“As for My servants, you shall have no authority over them.” Your Lord is enough for a Disposer of affairs.
Your Lord is He Who makes the ship go smoothly for you through the sea so that you may seek of His bounty, for He is to you Most Merciful.
When distress seizes you at sea, those whom you call upon besides Him abandon you! But when He brings you back safely to land, you turn away (from Him)! Man is indeed most ungrateful!
Do you then feel secure that He will not cause you to be swallowed up underneath the earth when you are on land, or that He will not send against you a violent tornado (with showers of stones) so that you find no one to carry out your affairs for you?
Or do you feel secure that He will not send you back a second time to sea and send against you a heavy gale to drown you because of your ingratitude so that you find no helper in it against Us?
We have honored the sons of Adam, provided them with conveyance on land and sea, given them good and pure things for sustenance, and conferred special favors upon them above a great part of Our creation.
One Day We shall call together all human beings with their (respective) Imams. Those who are given their record in their right hand will read it (with pleasure), and they will not be dealt with unjustly in the least.
But those who were blind in this world will be blind in the hereafter, and most people stray from the path.
And their purpose was to tempt you away from what We had revealed to you, to substitute in Our name something quite different: (In that case,) behold! They would certainly have made you (their) friend!
And had We not given you strength, you would almost have inclined to them a little.
In that case We would have made you taste an equal portion (of punishment) in this life, and an equal portion in death, and, moreover, you would have found none to help you against Us!
Their purpose was to scare you off the land in order to expel you; but in that case they would not have stayed (in it) after you except for a little while.
(This was Our) way with the Messengers We sent before you: You will find no change in Our ways.
Establish regular prayers at the sun's decline till the darkness of the night, and the morning prayer and (Qur'anic) recitation, for the prayer and recitation in the morning carry their testimony.
And pray in the wee hours of the morning: (It would be) an additional prayer (or spiritual good) for you: Your Lord will soon raise you to a station of praise and glory!
Say: “O Lord! Let my entry be by the gate of truth and honor, and likewise my exit by the gate of truth and honor, and grant me an authority from Your presence to aid me."
And say: “Truth has (now) arrived, and falsehood perished, for falsehood is bound to perish (by its very nature).”
We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur'an that in which there is a healing and a mercy to those who believe: To the unjust ones it causes nothing but loss after loss.
Yet when We bestow our favors upon man, He turns away and becomes remote on his side (instead of coming to Us), and when evil seizes him, he gives up to despair!
Say: “Everyone acts according to his own disposition: But your Lord knows best who it is that is best guided on the way.”
They ask you concerning the spirit (of inspiration) Say: “The spirit (comes) by the command of my Lord: Only a little knowledge is communicated to you, (O man!)”
If it were Our will, We could take away what We have sent you by inspiration: Then you would find none to plead your affair in that matter as against Us,
Except for mercy from your Lord, for His bounty to you is (truly) great.
Say: “If all mankind and jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they would not be able to produce the like of it, even if they backed each other up with help and support.”
And We have explained to man, in this Qur'an, every kind of analogy, yet most men refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude!
They say, “We shall not believe in you until you cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth,
“Or (until) you have a garden of date trees and vines, and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst, carrying abundant water;
“Or (until) you cause the sky to fall in pieces, as you say (will happen) against us; or you bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face;
“Or you have a house adorned with gold, or you mount a ladder right into the skies. No, we shall not even believe in your mounting until you send down to us a Book that we can read.” Say: “Glory to my Lord! Am I anything but a man, a Messenger?”
What kept men back from belief when guidance came to them was nothing but this: They said, “Has Allah sent a man like us to be (His) Messenger?”
Say, “Were angels settled on earth, walking about in peace and quiet, We would certainly have sent them down from the heavens an angel as a Messenger.”
Say: “Allah is enough for a Witness between me and you, for He is well acquainted with His servants, and He sees (all things).”
Whoever Allah guides is on true guidance; but whoever He leaves to stray, you will find no protector for them besides Him. On the Day of Judgment We shall gather them together, prone on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf: Their abode will be Hell: Every time it shows abatement, We shall increase the fierceness of the Fire for them.
That is their recompense because they rejected Our Signs and said, “When we are reduced to bones and broken dust, should we really be raised up (to) a new creation?”
Do they not see that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, has power to create the like of them (anew)? Only He has decreed an appointed term of which there is no doubt: But the unjust ones refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude.
Say: “If you had control of the treasures of the mercy of my Lord, behold! You would keep them back for fear of spending them, for man is (always) stingy!”
We gave nine clear Signs to Moses: Ask the Children of Israel: When he came to them, Pharaoh said to him, “O Moses! I truly consider you to have been worked upon by sorcery!”
Moses said, `You know well that these things have been sent down by none except the Lord of the heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence, and I truly consider you, O Pharaoh, to be one doomed to destruction!”
So he resolved to remove them from the face of the earth: But We drowned him and all who were with him.
And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, “Dwell securely in the land (of promise).” But when the second of the warnings came to pass, We gathered you together in a mingled crowd.
We sent down the (Qur'an) in truth, and it has descended in truth, and We sent you but to give glad tidings and to warn (sinners).
(It is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts), in order that you might recite it to men at intervals: We have revealed it by stages.
Say: “Whether you believe in it or not, it is true that those who were given knowledge beforehand, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration.”
And say: “Glory to our Lord! Truly our Lord's promise has been fulfilled!”
They fall down on their faces in tears, and it increases their (earnest) humility.
Say: “Call upon Allah, or call upon the Rahman: By whatever name you call upon Him, (it is well:) For the Most beautiful names belong to Him. Do not say your prayer loudly, nor say it in a very low tone, but seek a middle course between.”
Say: “Praise be to Allah, Who begets no son and has no partner in (His) dominion: Nor (needs) He any to protect Him from humiliation: Yes, magnify Him for His greatness and glory!”

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SURA 18

Al-Kahf

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, Who has sent the Book to His servant, and has allowed no crookedness therein:
(He has made it) straight (and clear) so that He may warn (the godless) of a terrible punishment from Him, and that He may give glad tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they shall have a goodly reward,
In which they shall remain for ever:
Further, that He may (also) warn those who say, “Allah has begotten a son.”
They have no knowledge of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that their mouths articulate. What they say is nothing but falsehood!
You would only, perhaps, fret yourself to death, following after them, in grief, if they do not believe in this message.
We have made what is on earth but as a glittering show for the earth so that We may test them as to which of them are best in conduct.
Truly, We shall make what is on earth but as dust and dry soil (without growth or herbage).
Or do you reflect that the companions of the cave and of the inscription were wonders among Our Signs?
Behold! The youths went to the cave: They said, “Our Lord! Bestow mercy from Yourself on us, and dispose of our affair for us in the right way!”
Then We drew (a veil) over their ears for a number of years in the cave, (so that they did not hear:)
Then We raised them again in order to test which of the two parties was best in calculating the term of years they had tarried!
We relate their story to you in truth: They were youths who believed in their Lord, and We advanced them in guidance:
We gave strength to their hearts: Behold! They stood up and said, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth: We shall never call upon any god other than Him: If we did, we would indeed have uttered an enormity!
“These our people have taken to worshipping gods other than Him: Why do they not bring forward a clear (and convincing) authority for what they do? Who does more wrong than those who invent a falsehood against Allah?
“When you turn away from them and the things they worship other than Allah, go to the cave: Your Lord will shower His mercy on you and bring your affair towards comfort and ease.”
You would have seen the sun, when it rose, declining to the right from their cave, and when it set, leave them behind to the left, while they lay in the open space in the midst of the cave. These are among God's Signs. He whom Allah guides is on right guidance; but he whom Allah leaves to stray! you will find no protector for him, (no one) to lead him to the right way.
You would have deemed them awake, while they were asleep, and We turned them on their left sides, their dog stretching forth his two forelegs on the threshold: If you had come upon them, you would have certainly run from them and would certainly have been filled with terror.
Such (being their state), We raised them up (from sleep) so that they might question each other. One of them said, “How long have you stayed (here)?” They said, “We have stayed (perhaps) a day, or part of a Day.” (At length) they (all) said, “Allah (alone) knows best how long you have stayed here... Now send one of you to the town with this money of yours: Let him find out which is the best food (to be obtained) and bring some to you so that (you may) satisfy your hunger thereby, and let him be careful and courteous, and do not let him tell anyone about you.
“For if they should come upon you, they would stone you or force you to return to their cult, and in that case you would never attain prosperity.”
Thus We made their case known to people so that they might know that God's Promise is true, and that there can be no doubt about the Hour of Judgment. Behold; they dispute among themselves as to their affair. (Some) said, “Construct a building over them.” Their Lord knows best about them: Those who prevailed over their affair said, “Let us surely build a place of worship over them.”
(Some) say they were three, and the dog was the fourth among them; (others) say they were five, the dog the sixth, doubtfully guessing the unknown; (yet others) say they were seven and the dog being the eighth. Say: “My Lord best knows their number; only a few know their (real number).” Therefore, do not enter into controversies concerning them, except on clear matters, nor consult any of them about (the affair of) the Sleepers.
Nor say of anything, “I shall certainly do so and so tomorrow.”
Without adding, “If so pleases Allah!” And call your Lord to mind when you forget and say, “I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer, (even) than this, to the right course.”
So they stayed in their cave three hundred years, and (some) add nine (more).
Say: “Allah knows best how long they stayed: (The knowledge of) the secrets of the heavens and the earth is with Him: How clearly He sees, how finely He hears (everything)! They have no protector other than Him; nor does He share His command with anyone whatsoever.
And recite (and teach) what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord; none can change His words, and you will find no refuge other than Him.
And keep your soul content with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His face, and do not let your eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this life; nor obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect our remembrance, one who follows his own desires and whose case has gone beyond all bounds.
Say, “The truth is from your Lord.” Let him who will believe, and let him who will reject (it): We have prepared for the wrongdoers a Fire whose (smoke and flames are) like the wall and roof of a tent to hem them in: If they implore relief, they will be granted water like molten brass that will scald their faces. How dreadful the drink! What a horrible couch to recline upon!
As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, truly We shall not suffer the reward of any who do a (single) righteous deed to perish.
(There) will be gardens of eternity for them with rivers flowing beneath; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade; they will recline there on raised thrones. How good the recompense! What a beautiful couch to recline upon!
Set forth to them the parable of two men: for one of them We provided two gardens of grape-vines and surrounded them with date-palms; in between the two We placed corn-fields.
Each of those gardens brought forth its produce, and did not fail in the slightest in this: Between them We caused a river to flow.
The produce this man had was (abundant). He said to his companion, in the course of a mutual argument, “I have more wealth than you, and more honor and power in (my following of) men.”
He went into his garden in a state (of mind) unjust to his soul. He said, “I do not believe that this will ever perish,
“Nor do I believe that the Hour (of Judgment) will (ever) come. Even if I am brought back to my Lord, I shall surely find (there) something better in exchange.”
His companion said to him, arguing, “Do you deny Him Who created you out of dust, then out of a sperm-drop, then fashioned you into a man?
“But for my part, (I think) that He is Allah, my Lord, and I shall associate none with my Lord.
“As you went into your garden, why did you not say, `God's will (be done)! There is no power but with Allah?! ' If you see me less than you in wealth and sons,
“It may be that my Lord will grant me something better than your garden, and that He will send thunderbolts from heavens on your garden (by way of reckoning), making it (but) slippery sand!
“Or the water of the garden will run off underground so that you will never be able to find it.”
So his fruits (and enjoyment) were rounded up (with ruin), and he kept wringing his hands over what he had spent on his property, which had (now) crumbled to pieces to its very foundations, and he could only say, “Woe is me! If only I had never ascribed partners to my Lord and Cherisher!”
Nor did he have anyone to help him against Allah, nor was he able to deliver himself.
There, the (only) protection comes from Allah, the True One. He is the best to reward, and the best to grant success.
Tell them the analogy of the life of this world. It is like the rain which We send down from the skies: The earth's vegetation absorbs it, soon it becomes dry stubble, which the winds scatter. Allah (alone) prevails over all things.
Wealth and sons are allurements of the life of this world. But the things that endure, the good deeds, are best as rewards and (the basis for) hopes in your Lord's sight.
One Day We shall remove the mountains, and you will see the earth as a level stretch, and We shall gather them all together, nor shall We leave out any one of them.
And they will be marshalled before your Lord in ranks, (with the announcement,) “Now you have come to Us (bare) as We first created you. Yes, you thought We would not fulfill the appointment made to you to meet (Us)!”
And the book (of deeds) will be placed (before you), and you will see the sinners in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, “Ah! Woe unto us! What a book this is! It leaves out nothing small or great but takes account of it!” They will find all that they did, placed before them, and your Lord will not treat a single one of them with injustice.
Behold! We said to the angels, “Bow down to Adam.” They bowed down except Iblis. He was one of the jinns, and he broke his Lord's command. Will you then take him and his progeny as protectors rather than Me? And they are enemies to you! The exchange would be evil for the wrongdoers!
I did not call them to witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor (even) their own creation, nor is it for Me to take leaders (of men) as helpers!
One Day He will say, “Call upon those whom you thought were My partners,” and they will call upon them, but they will not listen to them, and We shall make a place of common perdition for them.
And the sinners shall see the Fire and apprehend that they all must enter it; they will find no means to turn away from it.
We have explained in detail in this Qur'an, for the benefit of mankind, every kind of analogy, but man is contentious in most things.
And what is there to keep men back from believing, now that guidance has come to them, nor from praying for forgiveness from their Lord, but that (they ask that) the ways of the ancients be repeated with them, or the Wrath be brought to them face to face?
We only send the Messengers to give glad tidings and to grant warnings, but the disbelievers dispute with vain argument in order to weaken the truth with this, and they treat My Signs, as well as the fact that they are warned, as jests!
And who does more wrong than one who is reminded of his Lord's Signs but turns away from them, forgetting the (deeds) his hands have sent forth? We have truly set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this, and deafness over their ears. If you call them to guidance, even then they will never accept guidance.
But your Lord is Most Forgiving, full of mercy. If He were to call them (at once) to account for what they have earned, then surely He would have hastened their punishment, but they have their appointed time beyond which they will find no refuge.
Such were the populations We destroyed when they committed iniquities but We fixed an appointed time for their destruction.
behold, Moses said to his attendant, “I will not grant up until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in travel.”
But, having reached the junction, they forgot (about) their fish, which took its course (straight) through the sea as in a tunnel.
Having passed for (a distance), Moses said to his attendant, “Bring us our early meal; we have truly suffered much fatigue at this (stage of) our journey.”
He replied, “Did you see (what happened) when we went to the rock? I did indeed forget (about) the fish; none but Satan made me forget to tell (you) about it: It took its course through the sea in a marvelous way!”
Moses said, “That was what we were seeking.” So they retraced their steps, following (the path they had come).
And they found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Own presence.
Moses said to him, “May I follow you if you teach me something of the (higher) truth which you have been taught?”
(The other) said, “Truly, you will not be able to have patience with me!
“And how can you have patience about things you do not completely understand?”
Moses said, “If Allah so wills, you will find me (truly) patient: Nor shall I disobey you in anything.”
The other said, “Then if you want to follow me, ask me no question about anything until I myself speak to you concerning it.”
So they both proceeded: Until, when they were in the boat, he scuttled it. Moses said, “Did you scuttle it in order to drown those in it? You have done a truly strange thing!”
He answered, “Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?”
Moses said, “Do not rebuke me for forgetting, nor grieve me by raising difficulties in my case.”
Then they proceeded: Until, when they met a young man, he slew him. Moses said, “Did you kill an innocent person who had killed no one? You have done a truly foul (unheard of) thing!”
He answered, “Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?”
(Moses) said, “If I ever ask you about anything after this, do not keep me in your company: Then you would have received (full) excuse from my side.”
Then they proceeded: Until, when they came to the inhabitants of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused them hospitality. They found there a wall on the point of falling down, but he set it up straight. (Moses) said, “If you had wished, surely you could have exacted some recompense for it!”
He answered, “This is the parting between me and you: Now I will tell you the interpretation of (those things) over which you were unable to remain patient.
“As for the boat, it belonged to certain men in dire want: They sailed on the water: I only wished to render it unserviceable because a certain king, who seized every boat by force, was after them.
“As for the youth, his parents were people of faith, and we feared that he would grieve them by obstinate rebellion and ingratitude (to Allah) and (man).
“So we desired that their Lord would grant them in exchange (a son) purer (in conduct) and closer in affection.
“As for the wall, it belonged to two youths, orphans, in the town; there was a buried treasure beneath it, to which they were entitled; their father had been a righteous man, so your Lord desired that they should attain their age of full strength and uncover their treasure! a mercy (and favor) from your Lord. I did not do it of my own accord. Such is the interpretation of (those things) over which you were unable to keep patient.”
They ask you concerning Dhul-Qarnain (Double-Horns). Say, “I will recite to you something of his story.”
Truly We established his power on earth, and We granted him the ways and the means to all ends.
One (such) way he followed,
Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: He found a people near it: We said, “O Dhul-Qarnain (Double-Horns)! (You have authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness.”
He said, “Whoever does wrong, we shall punish him; then he shall be sent back to his Lord, and He (too) will punish him with a punishment unheard of (before).
“But whoever believes, and does righteous deeds! He shall have a goodly reward, and his task will be easy as We order it by Our command.”
Then he followed (another) way.
Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no protection against the sun.
(He left them) as they were: We had a full knowledge, beforehand, of what he had.
Then he followed (another) way,
Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found on their sides a people who scarcely understood a word.
They said, “O Dhul-Qarnain! The Gog and Magog (people) commit great mischief on earth: Shall we then render you tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?”
He said, “(The power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than tribute): Therefore help me with strength (and labor): I will erect a strong barrier between you and them:
“(So) bring me blocks of iron.” At length, having filled up the space between the two steep mountain sides, he said, “Blow (with your bellows).” Then, having made it (red) as fire, he said, “Bring me molten lead so that I may pour over it.”
Thus they were made powerless to scale it or to dig through it.
He said, “This is a mercy from my Lord: But when my Lord's promise comes to pass, He will make it into dust, and my Lord's promise is true.”
On that Day, We shall leave them surge like waves on top of one another: The trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together.
And on that Day, We shall present Hell, all spread out, for the disbelievers to see,
(The disbelievers) whose eyes had been under a veil from remembering Me, and who had been unable even to hear.
Do the disbelievers think that they can take My servants as protectors besides Me? Truly We have prepared Hell for the disbelievers for (their) entertainment.
Say: “Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds?
“Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds?”
They are those who deny their Lord's Signs and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the hereafter): Their deeds will be in vain, nor shall We grant them any weight on the Day of Judgment.
That is their reward: Hell, because they rejected faith and took My Signs and My messengers by way of jest.
As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, they have, for their entertainment, the gardens of Paradise,
In which they shall dwell (for ever): They will lack nothing therein.
Say: “If the ocean were ink (with which to write out) my Lord's words, the ocean would be exhausted before my Lord's words even if We added another ocean like it, for its aid.”
ay: “I am but a man like your own selves, (but) the inspiration has come to me that your Allah is One Allah: Whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him do righteous deeds, and in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as (His) partner.”

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