By the Name
God
the Fount-of-All-Mercy
the Ever-Merciful
Alif Lam Ra
those are the Signs
of the Wise Book
is it a matter of wonder
to humankind
that We sent Our inspiration
to a man from among them?
warn people
and give good news
to those who believe
that they are in
good standing
with their Liege
those who are ungrateful
say
"Obviously
the man is a sorcerer"
surely
your Liege is God
Hu created
the heavens and the earth
in six days
then set Hu upon
the Throne
in command of
everything
no-one can plead for mercy
except by Hu's permission
that is God
your Liege
so serve Hu
will you not remember?
to Hu
you shall return
all together
God's promise is true
Hu begins creation
then Hu brings it
back again
so that Hu may repay
with justice
those who believe
and do good deeds
and for those who are
ungrateful
waiting for them
is a drink of
boiling water
and a painful punishment
for being ungrateful
it is Hu made the sun
as a shining
and the moon
as a light
giving it phases
so you might know
the number of years
and the counting of time
God only created that
in truth
making the Signs clear
for people who know
in the changing
back and forth
of the night and day
and what God has created
in the heavens
and the earth
surely there are Signs
for those who are
Mindful of God
surely those who
do not want to meet Us
and are quite happy
with the present life
and feel at ease with it
and those who
ignore Our Signs
those
their shelter is the Fire
for what they have earned
surely
those who believe
and do good deeds
their Liege will guide them
for their belief
rivers will flow
beneath them
in gardens of joy
their call there will be
"God
Glory to You"
their greeting there will be
"Peace"
and their call will end
"Grateful praise
belongs to God
the Liege of
all the worlds"
if God were to
hurry along
bad things
to humankind
in the way they want
good things
in a hurry
their time here
would already be
over
but We leave those who
do not want to meet Us
wandering blindly
refusing to see
when harm
comes to humans
they call Us
lying down
or sitting
or standing
but when We take
that harm away
they carry on
as if they never
called out to Us
about the harm
in that way
We make
what they have done
seem good to those who
waste themselves
We destroyed
generations
before you
when they did wrong
and their Messengers
came to them
with the Clear Signs
but they would not believe
and that is how We repay
those who are guilty
then We made you
inherit the earth
after them
so We could see
how you would do
and when Our Signs
are spoken to them
Clear Signs
those who do not
want to meet Us
say
"Bring a Reading
other than this one"
or
"Change it"
say
"It is not for me
to alter it myself
I only follow
what is revealed to me
I am afraid of
the punishment
of a dreadful day
if I rebel against
my Liege"
say
"If God had willed
I would not have
recited it to you
and you would not have
been made known of it
I lived among you
a lifetime before it
will you not
understand?"
and who does
greater wrong
than one who invents
lies against God
or calls Hu's Signs lies?
surely those who do wrong
are not successful
they serve
other than God
what does not hurt them
and does not help them
and they say
"These
speak to God
on our behalf"
say
"Will you tell God anything
that Hu does not know
in the heavens
or in the earth?"
glory be to Hu
high is Hu
far above
whatever
they partner with
Hu
humankind
were just one people
then they fell
into difference
and apart from
a word beforehand
from your Liege
the decision
would already
have been made
between them
about the things
on which they differed
they say
"Why has a Sign
not been
sent down on him
from his Liege?"
say
"Only God
knows the unseen
so watch and wait"
I shall be with you
watching and waiting
when We let humankind
taste mercy
after they have
suffered hardship
straight away
they make plans
against Our Signs
say
"God is the quicker
at making plans
surely Our messengers
write down
what you are planning"
it is Hu
carries you
on the land
and the sea
and when you are
in the ship
and the ships run
with a fair breeze
they are joyful
and then there
comes upon them
a strong wind
and waves come on them
from every side
and they think
there is no escape
so they call on God
in all honesty
to say their Way of Life
belongs to Hu
"If you save us from this
surely we will be
among those who are
thankful"
yet when Hu
has saved them
see how they show
no respect in the earth
this is wrong
humankind
your lack of respect
is only against
yourselves
the enjoyment
of the present life
then to Us
you will return
then We shall tell you
what you did
this present life
is like water
that We send down
out of heaven
and the plants of the earth
mingle with it
and they are eaten
by people and animals
until
when the earth
shines with its glitter
and has shown
its fairest face
and those who live there
think they have
power over it
Our command
comes upon it
by night or day
and We make it
stubble
with no sign of
yesterday's growth
in that way
We make the Signs clear
for people
who think about them
and God invites
to the Home of Peace
and Hu guides
whoever Hu wills
to a straight path
for those who do good
the finest rewards
and still more
neither dust nor shame
will be seen on their faces
they are the ones
who live in the Garden
and will live there forever
and for those
who did wrong
a bad deed
will be repaid
by one the same
shame
will spread over them
and they will have
no-one to protect them
from God
their faces veiled
as though by strips
of the shadows of the night
those are the ones
who live in the Fire
and will live there forever
and on the day
We gather them all
then We shall say
to those who partnered
other gods with God
"Get you to your place
you and your partner-gods"
then We shall set
a space between them
and their partner-gods
will say
"You were not serving us
God is enough
as a witness
between us and you
we did not know
you were serving us"
there
every soul
will be tried for
past deeds
and they will be
returned to God
their Protector
the True
and they will forget
all the things
they were making up
say
"Who provides for you
out of heaven and earth?
who controls
what you hear and see?
who brings life
out of what was dead
and brings death
from what was living?
who directs
everything that happens?"
they will surely say
"God"
then say
"So will you not be
Mindful of God?"
that then is
God
your Liege
the True
after truth
what is there
except error?
so how are you
turning to
something else?
so the word of
your Liege
comes true
against the wicked
because
they do not believe
say
"Is there any of your
partner-gods
who begins the creation
then brings it back again?"
say
"It is God
Hu begins the creation
then brings it back again
so how are you
turning elsewhere?"
say
"Is there any of your
partner-gods
who guides to the truth?"
say
"It is God
Hu guides to the truth
and which is better to follow
one guiding to the truth
or one who cannot guide
without being guided?
what is the matter with you?
how do you decide things?"
most of them
follow only guesses
and guesses are no use
compared to the truth
surely God knows
the things they do
this Reading
could not have been
put together
by other than God
it shows the truth
of what came before it
and makes clear
the Book
in which is no doubt
from
the Liege of
all the worlds
they will say
"He has just made it up"
say
"Then make up
a Sura like it
and call on anyone you can
apart from God
if you speak the truth"
no
they say things are lies
when they know
nothing about them
things they have not yet
learned to understand
in the same way
those that came before them
called the truth lies
and see what happened
in the end
to those who were unjust
and some of them
believe in it
and some of them
do not believe
your Liege knows well
those who spread sickness
if they say you are a liar
then say
"I have what I do
and you have what you do
you are not responsible
for what I do
and I am not responsible
for what you do"
some of them
will listen to you
but are you trying
to make the deaf hear
if they cannot understand?
and some of them
will look at you
but are you trying
to guide the blind
even though they do not see?
surely
God does not wrong
humankind
in any way
people wrong themselves
and on the day
Hu shall gather them
as if they
had not even waited
an hour of the day
and they will
recognise each other
but those who said that
the meeting with God
was lies
are lost
they were not guided
whether We show you
some of
what We promise them
or We call you back to Us
to Us they will return
and then God is witness
of what
they have been doing
every people
has its Messenger
and when
their Messenger comes
matters between them
are decided with justice
and no-one is wronged
they say
"When will
this promise happen
if you speak the truth?"
say
"I have no power
to help or harm myself
except as God wills
for every people
there is a set time
when their time comes
they will not put it back
by a single hour
nor put it forward"
say
"Have you thought
if Hu's punishment
comes on you
by night or day
which part of it
would those who do wrong
want to happen faster?
when it happens
will you believe in it then?
yet now you are trying
to make it happen
faster?"
then it will be said
to those who do wrong
"Taste the punishment
of forever
are you being repaid
for anything other
than what you deserved?"
they ask you to tell them
"Is it true?"
say
"Yes
by my Liege
it is true
you cannot escape it"
if every soul
that has done wrong
owned all that is in the earth
they would offer it
for their ransom
they will regret
what they have done
when they see
the punishment
and everything
is decided
between them
with justice
and they are not wronged
surely to God belongs
everything that is in
the heavens and the earth
surely God's promise
is true
but most of them
do not know it
Hu gives life
and causes to die
and to Hu
you shall be returned
humankind
there has now come to you
a teaching from your Liege
and a healing
for what is in the breast
and a guide
and a mercy
to those who believe
say
"The bounty of God
and Hu's mercy
is what they should
rejoice in
it is better
than what they
store up
for themselves"
say
"What do you think
about what God
has sent down
to provide for you
and you have made
some of it unlawful
and some of it lawful?"
say
"Has God given you
authority for this
or do you make up
lies against God?"
what will those who
make up lies against God
think on the Day of Rising?
God is generous
to humankind
but most of them
are not thankful
you are not involved
in any matter
nor do you
recite the Reading
nor do you take any action
without Our witnessing you
while you are doing it
and not so much as
the weight of an ant
in earth or heaven
escapes your Liege
nor anything smaller
or bigger than that
but it is in
a Clear Book
surely the friends of God
will feel no fear
and know no sorrow
those who believe
and are
Mindful of God
there is good news for them
in the present life
and in the world to come
there is no changing
the Words of God
that is the mighty triumph
and do not let
what they say
hurt you
all glory belongs to God
Hu is
the All-Hearing
the All-Knowing
surely everyone
in the heavens and the earth
belongs to God
those who follow
partner-gods
apart from God
follow nothing but
what they imagine
they are just guessing
it is Hu
made the night
for you to rest in
and the day
for you to see
surely in that are Signs
for a people
who listen
they say
"God has a son"
Glory be to Hu
Hu is
Rich-beyond-Need
to Hu
belongs all that is in
the heavens and the earth
you have no authority
to say this
do you say things about God
that you do not know?
say
"Those who invent
lies against God
will not succeed"
a little enjoyment
in this world
then to Us
they will return
then We shall let them taste
the terrible punishment
because they are
ungrateful
and tell them
the story of Noah
when he said to his people
"My people
if my standing among you
reminding you
of the Signs of God
is too much for you
know that
I have put my trust
in God
so make up your mind
what you are going to do
you and your partner-gods
and be open about it
and do with me
whatever you decide
and do not keep me waiting
but if you turn away
I have not asked
for any reward
from you
my reward comes
only from God
and I have been
commanded to be
of those who surrender"
but they called him a liar
so We saved him
and those with him
in the Ark
and We let them survive
and We drowned those
who called Our Signs lies
so look at how it ended
for those who were warned
then after him
We sent Messengers
to their people
and they brought them
the Clear Signs
but they would not believe
in what they had
called lies before
and so We seal up the hearts
of those who go
beyond the limits
then We sent after them
Moses and Aaron
to Pharaoh
and his ruling circle
with Our Signs
but they swelled with pride
and were a wicked people
so when the truth
came to them
from Us
they said
"Surely this is
an obvious sorcery"
Moses said
"Do you say this to the truth
when it comes to you
that it is sorcery?
but sorcerers
do not succeed"
they said
"Have you come
to turn us away
from what we found
our families before us doing
so that the land
belongs to you?
we do not believe you"
Pharaoh said
"Bring me those
who know sorcery"
then
when the sorcerers came
Moses said to them
"Cast whatever
you wish to cast"
then
when they had cast
Moses said
"What you have brought
is sorcery
God will surely
show it to be false
God does not make right
the deeds of those who
spread sickness
God upholds the truth
by Hu's words
even though
the ones who do wrong
do not like it"
but none believed in Moses
apart from
a few of his people
because they were afraid
of Pharaoh
and his ruling circle
that they would
treat them cruelly
Pharaoh was
high and mighty
in the land
and his actions
were excessive
Moses said
"My people
if you believe in God
in Hu put all your trust
if you are surrendered"
they said
"In God
we have put our trust
our Liege
do not make us a target
for those who do wrong
and save us
by Your mercy
from those who are
ungrateful"
and We revealed
to Moses and his brother
"Settle your people
in houses in Egypt
and make your houses
places of prayer
and make Sala
and give good news
to those who believe"
Moses said
"Our Liege
You have given Pharaoh
and his ruling circle
fine things to wear
and wealth
in this present life
our Liege
let them take the wrong way
not Your Way
our Liege
wipe out their wealth
and harden their hearts
so that they do not believe
until they see
the painful punishment"
Hu said
"Your prayer is answered
so go straight
and do not follow
the way of those
that do not know"
and We brought
the Tribe of Israel
across the sea
and Pharaoh
with his troops
followed them
arrogantly
and angrily
until when he was
on the point of drowning
he said
"I believe that
there is no god
but Hu that
the Tribe of Israel
believe in
I surrender"
"Now?
when beforehand
you have always
rebelled
and spread sickness
so today We will save
only your dead body
so you may be a Sign
to those who come after you
surely many people
pay no attention
to Our Signs"
and We settled
the Tribe of Israel
in a good place
and We provided them
with good things
so they did not disagree
until knowledge
came to them
surely your Liege
will decide between them
on the Day of Rising
concerning the things
about which they differed
so if you are in doubt
about what We have
sent down to you
ask those
who have been
reading the Book
before you
the truth has come to you
from your Liege
so do not be one of
the doubters
and do not be
one of those who
call God's Signs lies
so you become
one of the losers
those against whom
the sentence
from your Liege
is carried out
will not believe
though every Sign
come to them
until they see
the painful punishment
why was there never
a city that believed
and its belief
brought it profit?
except for
the people of Jonah
when they believed
We took away
the punishment of
disgrace
in this present life
and We gave them
enjoyment for a while
and if
your Liege had willed
whoever is in the earth
would have believed
all of them
all together
do you think you can
force people
to be believers?
no soul can believe
without God's permission
and Hu puts disgrace
on those who do not
try to understand
say
"Look at what is
in the heavens
and in the earth"
but neither Signs
nor warnings
are any help to those
who do not believe
what are they waiting for
other than the same fate
as those who died
before them?
say
"Wait
I will be with you
waiting"
then We will save
Our Messengers
and those who believe
it is Our promised duty
We will save
those who believe
say
"Humankind
if you are in doubt
about my Way of Life
I do not serve
those you serve
other than God
but I serve God
who will gather you
to Hu
and I am commanded
to be of those who
believe"
turn your face
to the Way of Life
of those of pure faith
and do not be with those
who join partners with God
and do not call on anything
apart from God
which can neither
help you nor harm you
for if you do
you will surely be
one of those who do wrong
if God makes you hurt
no-one can take it away
apart from Hu
and if Hu wants good for you
no-one can keep away
Hu's bounty
Hu makes it fall
on whoever Hu wills
of Hu's servants
Hu is
the Most-Forgiving
the Ever-Merciful
say
"Humankind
the truth has come to you
from your Liege
whoever is guided
is guided
for their own good
and whoever
takes the wrong way
it is only to their own loss
I am not
a guardian over you"
and follow what is
revealed to you
and be patient
until God judges
and Hu is
the best of judges