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29. Then his wife came forward, making moan, and smote her
face, and cried: A barren old woman!
30. They said: Even so says your Lord. Lo! He is the Wise,
the Knower.
? . 31 [Abraham] said: And [afterward] what is your purpose,
O you sent [from Allah]?
32. They said: Lo! we are sent to a criminal folk,
33. That we may send upon them stones of clay,
34. Marked by your Lord for [the destruction of] the
transgressors.
35. So We brought forth such believers as were there.
36. But We found there but one house of Muslims.
37. And We left behind therein a sign for those who fear a
painful doom.
38. And in Moses [too, there is a sign] when We sent him to
Pharaoh with clear authority,
39. But he withdrew [confiding] in his might, and said: A
magician or a madman.
40. So We seized him and his hosts and flung them in the sea,
for he was blameworthy.
41. And in [the tribe of] A’âd [there is a sign] when We sent
the barren wind against them.
42. It spared nothing that it reached, but made it [all] as ruins.
43. And in [the tribe of] Thamûd [there is a sign] when it was
told them: Take your ease awhile.
44. But they rebelled against their Lord’s command, and so
the thunderbolt overtook them even while they gazed;
45. And they were unable to rise up, nor could they help
themselves.
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46. And the folk of Noah before. Lo! they were licentious
folk.
47. We have built the heaven with might, and We are certainly
expanding it.
48. And the earth We have laid out, how gracious was the
Spreader [thereof]!
49. And all things We have created by pairs, that perhaps you
may reflect.
50. Therefor flee to Allah; lo! I am a plain warner to you from
Him.
51. And set [worship] not any other god along with Allah; lo!
I am a plain warner to you from Him.
52. Even so there came no messenger to those before them
but they said: A magician or a madman!
53. Have they handed down [the saying] as an heirloom one
to another? Nay, but they are transgressing folk.
54. So withdraw from them [O Muhammad], for you are in
no wise blameworthy,
55. And remind, for reminding profits believers.
56. I created the jinn and humankind only that they might
worship Me.
57. I seek no livelihood from them, nor do I ask that they
should feed Me.
58. Lo! Allah! He it is that gives livelihood, the Lord of
unbreakable might.
59. And lo! for those who [now] do wrong there is a portion
of torment like to the evil portion [which came for]
their likes [of old]; so let them not ask Me to hasten on
[that day].
60. And woe to those who disbelieve, from [that] their day
which they are promised.
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52- THE MOUNT [AT-TUR]
Revealed at Mecca, [49 verses]
At-Tûr, “The Mount” takes its name from the opening
verse. An early Meccan Sûrah.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the Mount [Tûr],
2. And by a Book inscribed
3. On fine parchment unrolled,
4. And by the frequented House,
5. And the roof exalted [i.e. the heaven],
6. And by the sea kept filled [with fire],
7. Lo! the doom of your Lord will surely come to pass;
8. There is none that can ward it off.
9. On the day when the heaven will heave with [awful]
heaving,
10. And the mountains move away with [awful] movement,
11. Then woe that Day to the deniers
12. Who play in talk of falsehood;
13. The day when they are thrust with a [disdainful] thrust,
into the fire of Hell.
14. [And it is said to them]: This is the Fire which you were
used to deny.
15. Is this magic, or do you not see?
16. Endure the heat thereof, and whether you are patient of
it or impatient of it is all one for you. You are only being
paid for what you used to do.
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17. Lo! the righteous will be in gardens and delight,
18. Enjoying what their Lord has given them, and [because] their
Lord has warded off from them the doom of Hell-fire.
19. [And it is said unto them]: Eat and drink in health [as
reward] for what you used to do,
20. Reclining on ranged couches. And We wed them to fair
ones with wide, lovely eyes.
21. And they who believe and whose offspring follow them
in faith, We cause their offspring to join them [there], and
We deprive them of nothing of their [life’s] deeds. Every
man is a pledge for that which he has earned.
22. And We provide them with fruit and meat such as they
desire.
23. There the pass from hand to hand a cup wherein is neither
vanity nor cause of sin.
24. And there go round, waiting on them boy-servants of
their own, as they were hidden pearls.
25. And some of them draw near to others, questioning,
26. Saying: Lo! of old, when we were with our families, we
were ever anxious;
27. But Allah has been gracious to us and has preserved us
from the doom of the scorching Fire.
28. Lo! we used to supplicate Him before. Lo! He is the Most
Subtle, the Merciful.
29. Therefor remind [men, O Muhammad]. By the grace of
Allah you are neither soothsayer nor madman.
30. Or they say: [he is] a poet, [one] for whom we may expect
the accident of time?
31. Say [to them]: Wait [your fill]! Lo! I am with you among
the waiters.
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32. Do their minds command them to do this, or are they a
transgressing folk?
33. Or say they: He has invented it? Nay, but they will not
believe!
34. Then let them produce speech the like thereof, if they are
truthful.
35. Or were they created out of nothing? Or are they the
creators?
36. Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but
they are not certain!
37. Or do they own the treasures of your Lord? Or have they
been given charge [thereof]?
38. Or have they any stairway [to heaven] by means of which
they overhear [decrees]. Then let their listener produce
manifest authority!
39. Or has He daughters whereas you have sons?
40. Or you ask [Muhammad] a fee from them so that they are
plunged in debt?
41. Or possess they the [knowledge of the] Unseen so that
they can write [it] down?
42. Or seek they to ensnare [the messenger]? But those who
disbelieve, they are the ensnared!
43. Or have they any god other than Allah? Glorified be Allah
from all that they associate [with Him]!
44. And if they were to see a fragment of the heaven falling,
they would say: A heap of clouds.
45. Then let them be [O Muhammad], till they meet their day,
in which they will be thunder-stricken,
46. A day in which their plotting will nothing avail them, nor
will they be helped.
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47. And verily, for those who do wrong, there is a punishment
beyond that. But most of them know not.
48. So wait patiently [O Muhammad] for your Lord’s decision,
for surely you are in Our eyes; and glorify the praise of
your Lord when you arise.
49. And in the night-time also glorify His praise, and at the
setting of the stars.
53- THE STAR [AN-NAJM]
Revealed at Mecca, [62 verses]
An-Najm, “The Star,” takes its name from a word in the
first verse. An early Meccan Sûrah.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the Star when it descends,
2. Your companion [Muhammad] has not strayed, nor has he
erred;
3. Nor does he speak of [his own] desire.
4. It is not but a revelation revealed,
5. Which one of mighty powers [Gabriel] has taught him [this
Qur’ân],
6. One vigorous; and he grew clear to view
7. When he was on the uppermost horizon.
8. Then he drew near and came down
9. Till he was [distant] two bows length or even nearer,
10. And He revealed unto His slave that which He revealed.
11. The heart lied not [in seeing] what it saw.
12. Will you then dispute with him concerning what he sees?
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13. And verily he saw him, yet another time
14. By the Lote-tree of the utmost boundary,
15. Near to which is the Garden of Abode.
16. When that which shrouds did enshroud the Lote-tree,
17. The eye turned not aside nor yet was overbold.
18. Verily he saw one of the greatest signs of his Lord.
19. Have you considered upon Al-Lat and Al-Uzza[1]
20. And Manat, the third, the other?
21. Are yours the males and His the females? [2]
22. That indeed is an unfair division!
23. They are but names which you have named, you and your
fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. They
follow but a guess and that which [they] themselves desire.
And now the guidance from their Lord has come to them.
24. Or shall man have what he covets?
25. But to Allah belongs the after [life], and the former.
26. And how many angels are in the heavens whose intercession
avails nothing save after Allah gives leave to whom He
chooses and accepts!
27. Lo! it is those who disbelieve in the Hereafter who name
the angels with the names of females.
28. And they have no knowledge thereof. They follow but a
guess, and lo! a guess can never take the place of the truth.
29. Then withdraw [O Muhammad] from him who flees from
Our remembrance and desires but the life of the world.
30. Such is their sum of knowledge. Lo! your Lord is Best
Aware of him who strays, and He is Best Aware of him
who is rightly guided.
[1] An idol of the pagan Arabs.
[2] The pagan Arabs pretended that their idols were daughters of Allah.
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31. And to Allah belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and
whatsoever is in the earth, that He may reward those who
do evil with that which they have done, and reward those
who do good with goodness.
32. Those who avoid enormities of sin and abominations, save
the unwilled offences– [for them] lo! your Lord is of vast
forgiveness. He is Best Aware of you [from the time] when
He created you from the earth, and when you were hidden
in the bellies of your mothers. Therefor ascribe not purity
to yourselves. He is Best Aware of him who fears Him.
33. Did you [O Muhammad] observe him who turned away,
34. And gave a little, then was grudging?
35. Has he knowledge of the Unseen so that he sees?
36. Or has he not had news of what is in the scriptures of
Moses
37. And Abraham who fulfilled [his obligations]:
38. That no burdened one shall bear another’s burden,
39. And that man has only that [good] for which he strives,
40. And that his effort will be seen,
41. And afterward he will be recompensed for it with fullest
recompense;
42. And that to your Lord is the finality;
43. And that He it is Who makes laugh, and makes weep,
44. And that He it is Who causes death and gives life;
45. And that He creates the two spouses, the male and the
female,
46. From a sperm-drop when it is poured forth;
47. And that He has ordained the second bringing forth
[Resurrection];
48. And that He it is Who enriches and contents:
49. And that He it is Who is the Lord of Sirius;
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50. And that He destroyed the former [tribe of] A’âd,
51. And [the tribe of] Thamûd He spared not;
52. And the folk of Noah before, lo! they were more unjust
and more rebellious;
53. And Al-Mutafikah [the overturned cities] He destroyed
54. So that there covered them that which did cover.
55. Concerning which then, of the bounties of your Lord,
can you dispute?
56. This is a warner of the warners of old.
57. The Approaching Day has approached.
58. None besides Allah can disclose it.
59. Wonder you then at this statement [the Qur’ân],
60. And laugh and not weep,
61. While you amuse yourselves?
62. Rather prostrate yourselves before Allah and worship
Him.
54- THE MOON [AL-QAMR]
Revealed at Mescca, [55 verses]
Al-Qamr, “The Moon,” takes its name from the first
verse: “The hour drew near and the moon was rent in twain.”
A strange appearance of the moon in the sky, as if it had
been torn asunder, is recorded in the traditions of several
Companions of the Prophet as having astonished the people
of Mecca about the time when the idolaters were beginning
to persecute the Muslims. An early Meccan Sûrah.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. The hour drew near and the moon was split in two.
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2. And if they behold a miracle they turn away and say:
Prolonged magic.
3. They denied [the Truth] and followed their own lusts. Yet
every matter will come to a decision,
4. And surely there has come to them news whereof the
purport should deter,
5. Perfect wisdom [this Qur’ân]; but warnings avail not.
6. So withdraw from them [O Muhammad] on the day when
the Summoner summons to a painful thing.
7. With downcast eyes, they come forth from the graves as
they were locusts spread abroad,
8. Hastening toward the Summoner; the disbelievers say: This
is a hard day.
9. The folk of Noah denied before them, and they denied
Our slave[1] and said: A madman; and he was repulsed.
10. So he cried to his Lord, saying: I am vanquished, so give
help.
11. Then We opened the gates of heaven with pouring water
12. And caused the earth to gush forth springs, so that the
waters met for a predestined purpose.
13. And We carried him upon a thing of planks and nails,
14. That ran [upon the waters] under Our Eyes, as a reward
for him who was rejected.
15. And verily We left it as a sign; but is there any that
remembers?
16. Then see how [dreadful] was My punishment and My
warnings!
[1] To be ‘abd Allah, “a slave of God,” is the proudest rank the Muslim can
claim, bondage to Allah implying liberation from all other servitudes.
All especially devoted men, all the chosen ones, are called slaves of
Allah in the Qur’an.
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17. And in truth We have made the Qur’ân easy for
remembrance;[1] but is there any that remembers?
18. [The tribe of] A’âd belied. Then how [dreadful] was My
punishment and My warnings.
19. Lo! We let loose on them a raging wind on a day of
constant calamity,
20. Sweeping men away as though they were uprooted trunks
of palm-trees.
21. Then see how [dreadful] was My punishment and My
warnings!
22. And in truth We have made the Qur’ân easy for
remembrance; but is there any that remembers?
23. [The tribe of] Thamûd belied warnings
24. For they said: Is it a mortal man, alone among us, that we
are to follow? Then indeed we should fall into error and
madness.
25. Has the remembrance been given to him alone among us?
Nay, but he is an insolent liar.
26. [To their warner it was said]: Tomorrow they will know
who is the insolent liar.
27. Lo! We are sending the she-camel as a test for them; so
watch them and have patience;
28. And inform them that the water is to be shared between
[her and] them. Every drinking will be attended [by turn].
29. But they called their companion and he dared and
hamstrung [her].
[1] It is a fact that the Qur’ân is marvellously easy for believers to commit
to memory. Thousands of people in the East know the whole Book
by heart. The translator, who finds great difficulty in remembering
well-known English quotations accurately, can remember page after
page of the Qur’ân in Arabic with perfect accuracy.
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30. Then see how [dreadful] was My punishment after My
warnings!
31. Lo! We sent upon them one Shout, and they became as
the dry twigs [rejected by] the builder of a cattle-fold.
32. And in truth We have made the Qur’ân easy to remember;
but is there any that remembers?
33. The folk of Lot belied the warnings.
34. Lo! We sent a storm of stones upon them [all] save the
family of Lot, whom We rescued in the last hour of the
night,
35. As grace from Us. Thus We reward him who gives thanks.
36. And he indeed had warned them of Our blow, but they
did doubt the warnings.
37. They even asked of him his guests for an ill purpose.
Then We blinded their eyes [and said]: Taste now My
punishment and warnings!
38. And verily, an abiding doom befell them early in the
morning.
39. Now taste My punishment and warnings!
40. And in truth We have made the Qur’ân easy to remember;
but is there any that remembers?
41. And warnings came in truth to the people of Pharaoh
42. Who belied Our Signs, every one. Therefore We grasped
them with the grasp of the Mighty, the Powerful.
43. Are your disbelievers better than those, or have you some
immunity in the scriptures?
44. Or say they: We are a host victorious?
45. The hosts will all be routed and will turn and flee.
46. Nay, but the Hour [of doom] is their tryst, and the Hour
will be more wretched and more bitter [than their earthly
failure].
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47. Lo! the criminals are in error and madness.
48. On the day when they are dragged into the Fire upon their
faces [it is said to them]: Taste the touch of Hell.
49. Lo! We have created every thing by measure.
50. And Our commandment is but one [commandment], as
the twinkling of an eye.
51. And verily We have destroyed your fellows; but is there
any that remembers?
52. And every thing they did is in the Scriptures,
53. And every small and great thing is recorded.
54. Lo! the righteous will dwell among gardens and rivers,
55. In a seat of truth [i.e. Paradise] in the favour of an
Omnipotent King.
55- THE BENEFICENT [AR-RAHMAN]
Revealed at Mecca, [78 verses]
Ar-Rahmân takes its name from the first verse. In the
refrain: “Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you
deny?” you and the verb are in the dual form, and the question
is generally believed to be addressed to mankind and the
Jinn. Some have held that vv. 46-76 refer, not to the paradise
hereafter, but to the later conquests of the Muslims, the four
gardens being Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia and Persia. There
may well be a double meaning. An early Meccan Sûrah.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. The Beneficent
2. Has taught the Qur’ân.
3. Created man.
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4. He has taught him utterance.
5. The sun and the moon are made punctual.
6. The stars and the trees prostrate.
7. And the sky He has uplifted; and He has set the measure,
8. That you exceed not the measure,
9. But observe the measure in justice, nor fall short thereof.
10. And the earth He has appointed for [His] creatures,
11. Wherein are fruit and sheathed palm-trees
12. Husked grain and scented herb.
13. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
14. He created man of clay like pottery,
15. And the jinn did He create of smokeless flame of fire.
16. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
17. Lord of the two Easts,[1] and Lord of the two Wests![2]
18. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
19. He has loosed the two seas [the salt water and the sweet].
They meet.
20. There is a barrier between them. They encroach not [one
upon the other].
21. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord: that you deny?
22. There comes forth from both of them the pearl and coralstone.
23. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
24. His are the ships displayed upon the sea, like mountains.
25. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
26. Everyone that is thereon will perish;
27. There remains but the Face of your Lord of Might and Glory.
[1] The two points where the sun rises in winter and in summer.
[2] The two points where the sun sets in winter and in summer.
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28. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
29. All that are in the heavens and the earth entreat Him.
Every day He exercises [universal] power.
30. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
31. We shall dispose of you, O you two dependents [man and
jinn].
32. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
33. O company of jinn and men, if you have power to
penetrate [all] regions of the heavens and the earth; then
penetrate [them]! You will never penetrate them save with
[our] sanction.
34. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
35. There will be sent, against you both, heat of fire and flash
of brass, and you will not be able to defend yourself.
36. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
37. And when the heaven splits asunder and becomes rosy
like red hide–
38. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?–
39. On that day neither man nor jinni will be questioned of
his sin.
40. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
41. The criminals will be known by their marks, and will be
taken by the forelocks and the feet.
42. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
43. This is Hell which the criminals deny.
44. They go circling round between it [Hell] and fierce, boiling
water.
45. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
46. But for him who fears the standing before his Lord there
are two gardens.
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47. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
48. Of spreading branches.
49. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
50. Wherein are two fountains flowing.
51. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
52. Wherein is every kind of fruit in pairs.
53. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
54. Reclining upon couches lined with silk brocade, the fruit
of both gardens near to hand.
55. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
56. Therein are those of modest gaze, whom neither man nor
jinni will have touched before them,
57. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
58. [In beauty] like the rubies and the coral-stone.
59. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
60. Is the reward of goodness nothing save goodness?
61. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
62. And beside them are two other gardens,
63. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
64. Dark green [from plentiful watering].
65. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
66. Wherein are two abundant springs.
67. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
68. Wherein is fruit, the date-palm and pomegranate
69. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
70. Wherein [are found] the good and beautiful women–
71. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
72. Fair women, close-guarded in pavilions–
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73. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
74. Whom neither man nor jinni have touched before them–
75. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?
76. Reclining on green cushions and fair carpets.
77. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?–
78. Blessed be the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and
Honour!
56- THE EVENT [AL-WAQI’A]
Revealed at Mecca, [96 verses]
Al-Wâqi’ah, “The Event” takes its name from a word in v.
1. An early Meccan Sûrah.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. When the event [i.e. the Day of Resurrection] befalls–
2. There is no denying that it will befall–
3. Abasing [some], exalting [others];
4. When the earth is shaken with a shock
5. And the mountains are ground to powder
6. So that they become a scattered dust,
7. And you will be three kinds:
8. [First] the companions of the right; what are the companions
of the right?
9. And [then] the companions of the left; what are the
companions of the left?
10. And the foremost in the race, the foremost in the race:
11. Those are they who will be brought near
12. In gardens of delight;
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13. A multitude of those of old
14. And a few of those of later time.
15. On thrones woven with gold and precious stones.
16. Reclining therein face to face.
17. There wait on them immortal boys
18. With bowls and pitchers and a cup from a pure spring
19. Wherefrom they get no aching of the head nor any
intoxication,
20. And fruit that they may choose
21. And flesh of fowls that they desire.
22. And [there are] fair ones with wide, lovely eyes,
23. The Likenesses of well-preserved pearls,
24. A reward for what they used do.
25. There they hear no vain speaking nor recrimination
26. [Nothing] but the saying: Peace, [and again] Peace.
27. And the companions of the right hand; what are the
companions of the right hand?
28. Among thornless Lote-tree
29. And clustered bananas-trees,
30. And spreading shade,
31. And water gushing,
32. And fruit, abundant [and varied]
33. Neither out of reach nor yet forbidden,
34. And raised couches;
35. Lo! We have created them [maidens] a [new] creation
36. And made them virgins
37. Loving [their husbands only], equal in age,
38. For the companions of the right;
39. A multitude of those of old
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40. And a multitude of those of later time.
41. And the companions of the left: What are the companions
of the left?
42. [They will be ] in scorching wind and scalding water
43. And shadow of black smoke,
44. Neither cool nor refreshing.
45. Lo! before they were indulged in luxury
46. And used to persist in the great sin.
47. And they used to say: When we are dead and have come
dust and bones, shall we then, indeed, be resurrected again,
48. And also our forefathers?
49. Say [to them, O Muhammad]: Lo! those of old and those
of later time
50. Will all be brought together to the tryst of a known day.
51. Then lo! you, the erring, the deniers,
52. You verily will eat of a tree called Zaqqum
53. And will fill your bellies therewith;
54. And thereon you will drink of boiling water,
55. Drinking even as the thirsty camel drinks.
56. This will be their accommodation on the Day of Judgment
57. We created you. Will you then admit the truth?
58. Have you seen that which you emit?
59. Do you create it or are We the Creator?
60. We decreed out death among you, and We are not to be
outrun,
61. That We may transfigure you and make you what you
know not.
62. And verily you know the first creation. So will you not
reflect?
63. Have you seen that which you cultivate?
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64. Is it you who makes it grow, or are We the Grower?
65. If We willed, We verily could make it chaff, then would
you cease not to exclaim:
66. Lo! we are laden with debt!
67. Nay, but we are deprived!
68. Have you observed the water which you drink?
69. Is it you who shed it from the rain cloud, or are We the
Shedder?
70. If We willed We verily could make it bitter. Why, then, give
you not thanks?
71. Have you observed the fire which you kindle;
72. Was it you who made the tree thereof to grow, or were We
the Grower?
73. We, even We, appointed it a reminder and a provision for
the travellers in the wilderness.
74. Therefor [O Muhammad], glorify the name of your Lord,
the Most Great.
75. Nay, I swear by the settings of the stars–
76. And lo! that verily is a tremendous oath, if you but knew–
77. That [this] is indeed a noble Qur’ân
78. In a Book well-protected
79. Which none touches save the purified,
80. A revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.
81. Is it this Statement [Qur’ân] that you deny?
82. And make [the thanks for] your provision that you deny
[the Provider]?
83. Why, then, when [the soul] comes up to the throat [of the
dying]
84. And you are at that moment looking
85. –And We are nearer to him than you are, but you see not–
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86. Why then, if you are not to be recompensed,
87. Do you not force the soul back [in its body], if you are
truthful?
88. Thus if he is of those brought near,
89. Then [for him is] rest and plenty, and a Garden of delight
90. And if he is of the companions of the right,
91. Then [the angels will say] “Peace be to you” from the
companions of the right.
92. But if he is of the deniers [who were] astray,
93. Then the welcome will be boiling water
94. And burning at Hell-fire.
95. Lo! this is true certainty.
96. Therefor [O Muhammad] glorify the name of your Lord,
the Most Great.
57- IRON [AL-HADID]
Revealed at Al-Madinah, [29 verses]
Al-Hadîd, “Iron,” takes its name from a word in v. 25.
The reference in the word “victory” in v. 10, is undoubtedly
to the conquest of Mecca, though N?ldeke[1] takes it to refer
to the battle of Badr, and so would place the Sûrah in the
fourth or fifth year of the Hijrah. The words of the verse
are against such an assumption since no Muslims “spent and
fought” before the battle at Badr, which was the beginning of
their fighting. The date of revelation must be the eighth or
ninth year of the Hijrah.
[1] Th. N?ldeke, Geschichte des Qorâns, 2nd Ed., Part I, Leipzig, 1909,
p. 195.
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In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah; and
He is the Mighty, the Wise.
2. His is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth; He
quickens and He causes death; and He is Able to do things.
3. He is the First and the Last, and the Outward and the
Inward; and He is Knower of all things.
4. He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days;
then He established Himself above the Throne. He knows
all that enters the earth and all that emerges therefrom
and all that comes down from the sky and all that ascends
therein; and He is with you wheresoever you may be. And
Allah is Seer of what you do.
5. His is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and, to
Allah [all] matters are brought back [for decision].
6. He causes the night to merge into the day, and He causes
the day to merge into the night, and He is Knower of all
that is in the breasts.
7. Believe in Allah and His messenger, and spend of that
whereof He has made you trustees; and such of you as
believe and spend [in Allah’s Way], theirs will be a great
reward.
8. What ails you that you believe not in Allah, when the
messenger calls you to believe in your Lord, and He has
already taken a covenant with you, if you are believers?
9. He it is Who sends down clear verses upon His slave, that
He may bring you forth from darkness to light; and lo! for
you, Allah is Kind, Merciful.
10. And what ails you that you spend not in the way of Allah,
when to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens
and the earth? Those who spent and fought before the
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conquest are not upon a level [with the rest of you]. Such
are greater in rank than those who spent and fought
afterwards. To each Allah has promised good. And Allah
is Acquainted of what you do.
11. Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan, that He
may double it for him and he will have a noble reward?
12. On the day when you [Muhammad] will see the believers,
men and women, their light shining forth before them
and on their right hands, [and will hear it said to them]:
Glad news for you this day: Gardens underneath which
rivers flow, wherein you are immortal. That is the supreme
triumph.
13. On the day when the hypocritical men and the hypocritical
women will say to those who believe: Wait for us that
we may borrow from your light! it will be said: Go back
and seek for light! Then there will separate them a wall
wherein is a gate, the inner side whereof contains mercy,
while the outer side thereof is toward the doom.
14. They [the hypocrites] will cry to them [the believers saying]:
Were we not with you? They will say: Yea, verily; but you
tempted one another, and hesitated, and doubted, and
vain desires beguiled you till the ordinance of Allah came
to pass; and the deceiver [Satan] deceived you concerning
Allah;
15. So this day no ransom will be taken from you nor from
those who disbelieved. Your home is the Fire; that is your
patron, and wretched is the destination.
16. Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe
to submit to Allah’s remembrance and to the truth which
is revealed, that they become not as those who received
the scripture of old but the term was prolonged for them
and so their hearts were hardened, and many of them are
defiantly disobedient.
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17. Know that Allah quickens the earth after its death. We
have made clear Our signs for you, that perhaps you may
understand.
18. Lo! those who give alms, both men and women, and lend
to Allah a goodly loan, it will be doubled for them, and
theirs will be a noble reward.
19. And those who believe in Allah and His messengers, they are
the loyal; and the martyrs are with their Lord; they have their
reward and their light; while as for those who disbelieve and
deny Our verses, they are owners of Hell-fire.
20. Know that the life of this world is only play, and idle talk,
and pageantry, and boasting among you, and competition
in respect of wealth and children; as the likeness of
vegetation after rain, whereof the growth is pleasing to
the tillers, but afterward it dries up and you see it turning
yellow then it becomes straw. And in the Hereafter there
is grievous punishment, and [also] forgiveness from Allah
and His good pleasure, whereas the life of the world is
but enjoyment of illusion.
21. Race one with another for forgiveness from your Lord
and a Garden whereof the breadth is as the breadth of
the heavens and the earth, which is prepared for those
who believe in Allah and His messengers. Such is the
bounty of Allah, which He bestows upon whom He wills,
and Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.
22. No disaster befalls in the earth or in yourselves but it is
in a Book before We bring it into being– Lo! that is easy
for Allah–
23. That you grieve not for the sake of that which has escaped
you, nor yet exult because of that which has been given.
Allah loves not all prideful boasters,
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24. [Those] who are stingy and who enjoin upon the people
stinginess. And whoever turns away, still Allah is free of
need, the Praiseworthy.
25. We verily sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and
sent down with them the Scripture and the Balance,
that mankind may observe right measure; and We sent
down iron, wherein is mighty power and [many] uses for
mankind, and that Allah may know him who helps Him
and His messengers, though unseen. Lo! Allah is Strong,
Almighty.
26. And We verily sent Noah and Abraham and placed the
prophethood and the scripture among their offspring,
and among them there is he who goes right, but many of
them are defiantly disobedient.
27. Then We caused Our messengers to follow in their
footsteps; and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow,
and gave him the Gospel, and placed compassion and
mercy in the hearts of those who followed him. But
monasticism they invented–We ordained it not for them–
only seeking Allah’s pleasure, and they observed it not
with right observance. So We give those of them who
believe their reward, but many of them are defiantly
disobedient.
28. O you who believe! Fear Allah and believe in His messenger.
He will give you twofold of His mercy and will appoint for
you a light wherein you shall walk, and will forgive you.
Allah is Forgiving, Merciful;
29. That the People of the Scripture[1] may know that they
control nothing of the bounty of Allah, but that the
bounty is in Allah’s hand to give to whom He wills. And
Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.
[1] i.e. Jews and Christians.
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DISPUTES
58- SHE THAT DISPUTES[AL-MUJADILA]
Revealed at Al-Madinah, [22 verses]
Al-Mujâdilah, “She who disputes” takes its name from a
word in verse 1.
A woman had complained to the Prophet that her
husband had put her away for no good reason by employing
an old formula of the pagan Arabs, saying that her back
was for him as the back of his mother, and she “disputed”
with the Prophet because he would take no action against
the man before this revelation came to him. There is a brief
reference to the same method of getting rid of wives in
Sûrah 33, v. 4. This Sûrah must therefore have been revealed
before Sûrah 33. The date of revelation is the fourth or fifth
year of the Hijrah.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
? . 1 Allah has heard the saying of her that disputes with you
[Muhammad] concerning her husband, and complains to
Allah. And Allah hears your dialogue. Lo! Allah is Hearer,
Seer.
2. Such of you as put away your wives [by saying they are as
their mothers]–They are not their mothers; none are their
mothers except those who gave them birth–they indeed
utter an ill word and a lie. And lo! Allah is Pardoning,
Forgiving.
3. Those who put away their wives [by saying they are as their
mothers] and afterward would go back on that which they
have said; [the penalty] in that case [is] the freeing of a slave
before they touch one another. To this you are exhorted;
and Allah is Acquainted of what you do.