Quran English Translation

Name This Surah is named AL-FATIHAH because of its subject-matter. Fatihah is that which opens a subject or a book or any other thing. In other words, Al-Fatihah is a sort of preface. Period of Revelation It is one of the very earliest Revelations to the Holy Prophet. As a matter of fact, we learn from authentic Traditions that it was the first complete Surah which was revealed to Muhammed (Allah's peace be upon him). Before this, only a few miscellaneous verses were revealed which form parts of `ALAQ, MUZ-ZAMMIL, MUD-DATH-THIR, etc. Theme This Surah is in fact a prayer which Allah has taught to all those who want to make a study of His book. It has been placed at the very beginning of the book to teach this lesson to the reader: if you sincerely want to benefit from the Quran, you should offer this prayer to the Lord of the Universe. This preface is meant to create a strong desire in the heart of the reader to seek guidance from the Lord of the Universe, Who alone can grant it. Thus AL-FATIHAH indirectly teaches that the best thing for a man is to pray for guidance to the straight path, to study the Quran with the mental attitude of a seeker- after-truth and to recognize the fact that the Lord of the Universe is the source of all knowledge. He should, therefore, begin the study of the Quran with a prayer to him for guidance. From this theme, it becomes clear that the real relation between AL-FATIHAH and the Quran is not that of an introduction to a book but that of a prayer and its answer. AL-FATIHAH is the prayer from the servant and the Quran is the answer from the Master to his prayer. The servant prays to Allah to show him guidance and the Master places the whole of the Quran before him in answer to his prayer, as if to say, "This is the Guidance you begged from Me." (1:1) In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate (1:2) Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the entire universe. (1:3) The Merciful, the Compassionate (1:4) The Master of the Day of Recompense. (1:5) You alone do we worship, and You alone do we turn for help (1:6) Direct us on to the Straight Way, (1:7) The way of those whom You have favoured, who did not incur Your wrath, who are not astray.

(3:1) Alif, Lam, Mim. (3:2) Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, Who sustains the entire order of the universe - there is no God but He. (3:3) He has revealed this Book to you, setting forth the truth and confirming the earlier Books, and earlier He revealed the Torah and Gospel (3:4) for the guidance of mankind; and He has also revealed the Criterion (to distinguish truth from falsehood). A severe chastisement lies in store for those who deny the signs of Allah. Allah is All-Mighty; He is the Lord of Retribution. (3:5) Nothing in the earth and in the heavens is hidden from Allah. (3:6) It is He Who fashions you in the wombs as He wills. There is no God but He; the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. (3:7) It is He Who has revealed the Book to you. Some of its verses are absolutely clear and lucid, and these are the core of the Book. Others are ambiguous. Those in whose hearts there is perversity, always go about the part which is ambiguous, seeking mischief and seeking to arrive at its meaning arbitrarily, although none knows their true meaning except Allah. On the contrary, those firmly rooted in knowledge say: 'We believe in it; it is all from our Lord alone.' No one derives true admonition from anything except the men of understanding. (3:8) They pray to Allah: 'Our Lord! Do not let our hearts swerve towards crookedness after You have guided us to the right way, and. bestow upon us Your mercy. Surely You, only You, are the Munificent Giver! (3:9) Our Lord! You surely will gather mankind together one Day, a Day about (the coming of which) there is no doubt. Surely Allah never goes against His promise.' (3:10) Those who disbelieve, neither their wealth nor their offspring will avail them at all against Allah, and it is they who will be the fuel of the Fire (3:11) (To them shall happen) the like of what happened to the people of Pharaoh, and those before them. They rejected Our signs, so Allah seized them for their sins. Allah indeed is severe in punishment. (3:12) Tell those who disbelieved: 'You shall soon be overpowered and mustered to Hell - and that is an evil resting place!' (3:13) You have already come across an instructive sign in the two hosts that encountered each other in battle (at Badr): one host fighting in the way of Allah, and the other that of unbelievers. They saw with their own eyes that one host was twice the number of the other. But (the result of the battle has proved that) Allah succours with His victory whomsoever He wills. In this there is surely a lesson for all who have eyes to see. (3:14) Men are naturally tempted by the lure of women, children, treasures of gold and silver, horses of mark, cattle and plantations. These are the enjoyments in the life of this world; but with Allah lies a goodly abode to return to. (3:15) Say: 'Shall I tell you of things better than these? For the God-fearing there are, with their Lord, gardens beneath which rivers flow; there they will abide for ever, will have spouses of stainless purity as companions, and will enjoy the good pleasure of Allah.' Allah thoroughly observes His servants. (3:16) These are the ones who pray: 'Our Lord! We do indeed believe, so forgive us our sins and keep us safe from the chastisement of the Fire'; (3:17) men who are steadfast, truthful, obedient, spend (in the way of Allah) and implore the forgiveness of Allah before daybreak. (3:18) Allah Himself bears witness that there is no God but He; and likewise do the angels and the men possessed of knowledge bear witness in truth and justice that there is no God but He, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.....

(5:1) Believers! Honour your bonds! All grazing beasts of the flock are permitted to you except those which are recited to you hereinafter, but you are not allowed to hunt in the state of Ihram (a state of pilgrim sanctity). Indeed Allah decrees as He wills. (5:2) Believers! Neither desecrate the symbols of (devotion to) Allah, nor the holy month, nor the animals of offering, nor the animals wearing collars indicating they are for sacrifice, nor ill-treat those who have set out for the Holy House seeking from their Lord His bounty and good pleasure. But once you are free from Pilgrimage obligations, you are free to hunt. Do not let your wrath against the people who have barred you from the Holy Mosque move you to commit undue transgressions; rather, help one another in acts of righteousness and piety, and do not help one another in sin and transgression. Fear Allah. Surely Allah is severe in retribution. (5:3) Forbidden to you are carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, the animal slaughtered in any name other than Allah's, the animal which has either been strangled, killed by blows, has died of a fall, by goring or that devoured by a beast of prey - unless it be that which you yourselves might have slaughtered while it was still alive - and that which was slaughtered at the altars.- You are also forbidden to seek knowledge of your fate by divining arrows. All these are sinful acts. This day the unbelievers have fully despaired of your religion. Do not fear them; but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion, and have bestowed upon you My bounty in full measure, and have been pleased to assign for you Islam as your religion. (Follow, then, the lawful and unlawful bounds enjoined upon you.) As for he who is driven by hunger, without being wilfully inclined to sin, surely Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate. (5:4) They ask you what has been made lawful to them. Say: 'All clean things have been made lawful to you, and such hunting animals as you teach, training them to hunt, teaching them the knowledge Allah has given you - you may eat what they catch for you - but invoke the name of Allah on it. Have fear of Allah (in violating His Law). Allah is swift in His reckoning.' (5:5) This day all good things have been made lawful to you. The food of the People of the Book is permitted to you, and your food is permitted to them. And permitted to you are chaste women, be they either from among the believers or from among those who have received the Book before you,provided you become their protectors in wedlock after paying them their bridal-due, rather than go around committing fornication and taking them as secret-companions. The work of he who refuses to follow the way of faith will go waste, and he will be among the utter losers in the Hereafter. (5:6) Believers! When you stand up for Prayer wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles. And if you are in the state of ritual impurity, purify yourselves (by taking a bath). But if you are either ill, travelling, have satisfied a want of nature or have had contact with women and find no water then have recourse to clean earth and wipe your faces and your hands therewith. Allah does not want to lay any hardship upon you; rather He wants to purify you and complete His favours upon you so that you may give thanks. (5:7) Remember Allah's favour upon you and His covenant which He made with you when you said: 'We have heard and we obey.' So do fear Allah. Allah has full knowledge even of that which is hidden in the breasts of people. (5:8) Believers! Be upright bearers of witness for Allah, and do not let the enmity of any people move you to deviate from justice. Act justly, that is nearer to God-fearing. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is well aware of what you do....

(7:1) Alif-Lam-Mim-Sad. (7:2) This is a Book revealed to you. Let there be no impediment in your heart about it. (It has been revealed to you) that you may thereby warn [the unbelievers], that it may be a reminder to the believers. (7:3) [0 men!] Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord and follow no masters other than Him. Little are you admonished. (7:4) How many a township We have destroyed! Our scourge fell upon them at night, or when they were taking midday rest. (7:5) And when Our scourge fell upon them their only cry was: 'We are indeed transgressors.' (7:6) So We shall call to account those to whom Messengers were sent, and We shall call to account the Messengers (to see how dutifully they conveyed the Message, and how people responded to it). (7:7) Then We shall narrate to them with knowledge the whole account. For surely, We were not away from them. (7:8) The weighing on that Day will be the true weighing: those whose scales are heavy will prosper. (7:9) and those whose scales are light will be the losers, for they, are the ones who have been unjust to Our signs. (7:10) We assuredly established you in the earth and arranged for your livelihood in it. Little do you give thanks. (7:11) We initiated your creation, then We gave you each a shape, and then We said to the angels: 'Prostrate before Adam.') They all prostrated except Iblis: he was not one of those who fell Prostrate. (7:12) Allah said: 'What prevented you from prostrating, when I commanded you to do so?' He said: 'I am better than he. You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.' (7:13) Allah said: 'Then get you down from here. It does not behove you to be arrogant here. So be gone. You will be among the humiliated.' (7:14) Satan replied: 'Give me respite till the Day they shall be raised.' (7:15) Allah said: 'You are granted respite.' (7:16) Satan said: 'Since You have led me astray, I shall surely sit in ambush for them on Your Straight Path. (7:17) Then I will come upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left. And You will not find most of them thankful.' (7:18) Allah said: 'Go away from here - disgraced and expelled. I shall fill the Hell with all those that follow you. (7:19) 0 Adam! Live you and your spouse in the Garden and both of you eat from it wherever you will, but never approach the tree or you shall become wrongdoers.' (7:20) But Satan made an evil suggestion to both of them that he might reveal to them their shame that had remained hidden from them. He said: 'Your Lord has forbidden you to approach this tree only to prevent you from becoming angels or immortals.' (7:21) And he swore to them both: 'Surely I am your sincere adviser.' (7:22) Thus Satan brought about their fall by deceit. And when they tasted of the tree, their shame became vislible to them, and both began to cover themselves with leaves from the Garden. Then their Lord called out to them: 'Did I not forbid you from that tree, and did I not warn you that Satan 'is your declared enemy?' (7:23) Both cried out: 'Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and do not have mercy on us, we shall surely be among the losers.' (7:24) Allah said: 'Go down; you are enemies one of the other. For you there is dwelling and provision on the earth for a while.' (7:25) He continued: 'You shall live there, and there shall you die, and from it you shall be raised to life.'....

[9:1] This is a declaration of disavowal by Allah and His Messenger to those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity and with whom you have made treaties: [9:2] "You may go about freely in the land, for four months, but know well that you will not be able to frustrate Allah, and that Allah will bring disgrace upon those who deny the Truth." [9:3] This is a public proclamation by Allah and His Messenger to all people on the day of the Great Pilgrimage: "Allah is free from all obligation to those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity; and so is His Messenger. If you repent, it shall be for your own good; but if you turn away, then know well that you will not be able to frustrate Allah. So give glad tidings of a painful chastisement to those who disbelieve. [9:4] In exception to those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity are those with whom you have made treaties and who have not violated their treaties nor have backed up anyone against you. Fulfil your treaties with them till the end of their term. Surely Allah loves the pious." [9:5] But when the sacred months expire slay those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity wherever you find them; seize them, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them. But if they repent and establish the Prayer and pay Zakah, leave them alone. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful. [9:6] And if any of those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity seeks asylum, grant him asylum that he may hear the Word of Allah, and then escort him to safety for they are a people who do not know. [9:7] How can there be a covenant with those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity be binding upon Allah and His Messenger, excepting those with whom you made a covenant near the Sacred Mosque? Behave in a straight manner with them so long as they behave with you in a straight manner for Allah loves the Godfearing. [9:8] How can there be any covenant with the other polytheists for were they to prevail against you, they will respect neither kinship nor agreement. They seek to please you with their tongues while their hearts are averse to you, and most of them are wicked. [9:9] They have sold the revelations of Allah for a paltry price and have firmly hindered people from His Path. Evil indeed is what they have done. [9:10] They neither have any respect for kinship nor for agreement in respect of the believers. Such are indeed transgressors. [9:11] But if they repent and establish Prayer and give Zakah they are your brothers in faith. Thus do We expound Our revelations to those who know. [9:12] But if they break their pledges after making them and attack your faith, make war on the leaders of unbelief that they may desist, for they have no regard for their pledged words. [9:13] Will you not fight against those who broke their pledges and did all they could to drive the Messenger away and initiated hostilities against you? Do you fear them? Surely Allah has greater right that you should fear Him, if you are true believers. [9:14] Make war on them. Allah will chastise them through you and will humiliate them. He will grant you victory over them, and will soothe the bosoms of those who believe, [9:15] and will remove rage from their hearts, and will enable whomsoever He wills to repent. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. [9:16] Do you imagine that you will be spared without being subjected to any test? Know well that Allah has not yet determined who strove hard (in His cause), and has not taken any others instead of His Messenger and the believers as his trusted allies? Allah is well aware of all that you do.....

(11:1) Alif. Lam. Ra. This is a Divine Command whose contents have been made firm and set forth in detail from One Who is All-Wise, All-Aware (11:2) that you may worship none but Allah. Verily, I have come to you as a warner and a bearer of good news from Him (11:3) that you may seek forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him in repentance whereupon He will grant you a fair enjoyment of life until an appointed term, and will bestow favour on everyone who merits favour. But should you turn away (from the truth), I fear for you the chastisement of an Awesome Day. (11:4) Unto Allah is your return, and He has power to do everything. (11:5) Lo! They fold up their breasts that they may conceal themselves from Him. Surely when they cover themselves up with their garments Allah knows well what they cover and what they reveal. Indeed He even knows the secrets hidden in the breasts. (11:6) There is not a single moving creature on the earth but Allah is responsible for providing its sustenance. He knows where it dwells and where it will permanently rest. All this is recorded in a clear Book. (11:7) And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days - and [before that] His Throne was upon the water that He may test you, who of you is better in conduct If you were to say (O Muhammad): 'All of you will surely be raised after death', then those who disbelieve will certainly say: 'This is nothing but plain sorcery. (11:8) And were We to put off the chastisement from them for a determined period, they will cry out: 'What withholds Him from chastising?' Surely when the day of the chastisement will come, nothing will avert it and the chastisement which they had ridiculed shall encompass them. (11:9) If We ever favour man with Our Mercy, and then take it away from him, he becomes utterly desperate, totally ungrateful. (11:10) And if We let him taste favour after harm has touched him, he says: 'All my ills are gone', and he suddenly becomes exultant and boastful, (11:11) except those who are patient and act righteously. Such shall have Allah's forgiveness and a great reward. (11:12) (O Messenger!) Let it not happen that you omit (to expound) a portion of what was revealed to you. And do not be distressed that they will say: 'Why was a treasure not bestowed upon him?' or 'Why did no angel accompany him?' For you are merely a warner, whereas Allah has control over everything. (11:13) Do they say: 'He has invented this Book himself?' Say: 'If that is so, bring ten surahs the like of it of your composition, and call upon all (the deities) you can other than Allah to your help. Do so if you are truthful.' (11:14) Then if (your deities) do not respond to your call for help then feel assured that this Book was revealed with the knowledge of Allah, and that there is no true god but Him. Will you, then, surrender (to this truth)? (11:15) Those who seek merely the present world and its adornment. We fully recompense them for their work in this world, and they are made to suffer no diminution in it concerning what is their due. (11:16) They are the ones who shall have nothing in the Hereafter except Fire. (There they shall come to know) that their deeds in the world have come to naught; and that whatever they have done is absolutely useless.....

(13:1) Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra'. These are the verses of the Divine Book. Whatever has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, and yet most (of your) people do not believe. (13:2) It is Allah Who has raised the heavens without any supports that you could see, and then He established Himself on the Throne (of Dominion). And He it is Who has made the sun and the moon subservient (to a law), each running its course till an appointed term. He governs the entire order of the universe and clearly explains the signs that you may be firmly convinced about meeting your Lord. (13:3) He it is Who has stretched out the earth and has placed in it firm mountains and has caused the rivers to flow. He has made every fruit in pairs, two and two, and He it is Who causes the night to cover the day. Surely there are signs in these for those who reflect. (13:4) And on the earth there are many tracts of land neighbouring each other. There are on it vineyards, and sown fields, and date palms: some growing in clusters from one root, some standing alone. They are irrigated by the same water, and yet We make some excel others in taste. Surely there are signs in these for a people who use their reason. (13:5) And were you to wonder, then wondrous indeed is the saying of those who say: "What! After we have been reduced to dust, shall we be created afresh?" They are the ones who disbelieved in their Lord; they are the ones who shall have shackles around their necks. They shall be the inmates of the Fire, wherein they will abide for ever. (13:6) They challenge you to hasten the coming of evil upon them before the coming of any good, although people who followed a like course before had met with exemplary punishment (from Allah). Verily your Lord is forgiving to mankind despite all their wrong-doing. Verily your Lord is also severe in retribution. (13:7) Those who refused to believe in you say: "Why has no (miraculous) sign been sent down upon him from his Lord?" You are only a warner, and every people has its guide. (13:8) Allah knows what every female bears; and what the wombs fall short of (in gestation), and what they may add. With Him everything is in a fixed measure. (13:9) He knows both what is hidden and what is manifest. He is the Supreme One, the Most High. (13:10) It is all the same for Him whether any of you says a thing secretly, or says it loudly, and whether one hides oneself in the darkness of night, or struts about in broad daylight. (13:11) There are guardians over everyone, both before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's command. Verily Allah does not change a people's condition unless they change their inner selves. And when Allah decides to make a people suffer punishment, no one can avert it. Nor can any be of help to such a people against Allah. (13:12) He it is Who causes you to see lightning that inspires you with both fear and hope, and He it is Who whips up heavy clouds. (13:13) The thunder celebrates His praise and holiness, and the angels, too, celebrate His praise for awe of Him. He hurls thunderbolts, striking with them whom He wills while they are engaged in disputation concerning Allah. He is Mighty in His contriving. (13:14) To Him alone should all prayer be addressed, for those to whom they do address their prayers beside Him are altogether powerless to respond to them. The example of praying to any other than Allah is that of a man who stretches out his hands to water, asking it to reach his mouth, although water has no power to reach his mouth. The prayers of the unbelievers are a sheer waste.....

(15:1) Alif. Lam. Ra'. These are the verses of the Book, and a Clear Qur'an. (15:2) Soon will the time come when the unbelievers will wish they were Muslims. (15:3) Leave them to eat and enjoy life and let false hopes amuse them. They will soon come to know. (15:4) Whenever We destroyed a town, a definite term had previously been decreed for it. (15:5) No people can outstrip the term for its destruction nor can it delay it. (15:6) They say: "O you to whom the Admonition has been revealed, you are surely crazed. (15:7) Why do you not bring down angels upon us if you are indeed truthful?" (15:8) We do not send down the angels (in frivolity); and when We do send them down, We do so with Truth; then people are granted no respite. (15:9) As for the Admonition, indeed it is We Who have revealed it and it is indeed We Who are its guardians. (15:10) (O Muhammad), certainly We did send Messengers before you among the nations which have gone by. (15:11) And whenever a Messenger came to them, they never failed to mock him. (15:12) Even so We make a way for it (that is, the Admonition) in the hearts of the culprits (like a hot rod); (15:13) they do not believe in it. This has been the wont of people of this kind from ancient times. (15:14) If We were even to open for them a way to the heavens, and they could continually climb up to it in broad daylight, (15:15) they would still have said: "Surely our eyes have been dazzled; rather, we have been enchanted." (15:16) We have indeed set constellations in the heavens and have beautified them for the beholders, (15:17) and have protected them against every accursed satan (15:18) save him who may eavesdrop, and then a bright flame pursues him. (15:19) As for the earth, We have stretched it out and have cast on it firm mountains, and have caused to grow in it everything well-measured. (15:20) And We have provided sustenance for you on it and also for those of whom you are not the providers. (15:21) There is nothing except that its treasuries are with Us and We do not send it down except in a known measure. (15:22) We send fertilizing winds, and then cause rain to descend from the sky, providing you abundant water to drink even though you could not have stored it up for yourselves. (15:23) It is indeed We Who grant life and cause death and it is We who shall be the sole Inheritors of all. (15:24) Surely We know those of you who have passed before and those who will come later. (15:25) Indeed your Lord will gather them all together. Surely He is All-Wise, All-Knowing. (15:26) Surely We brought man into being out of dry ringing clay which was wrought from black mud, (15:27) while We had brought the jinn into being before out of blazing fire. (15:28) Recall when your Lord said to the angels: "I will indeed bring into being a human being out of dry ringing clay wrought from black mud. (15:29) When I have completed shaping him and have breathed into him of My Spirit, then fall you down before him in prostration." (15:30) So, the angels - all of them - fell down in prostration, (15:31) except Iblis; he refused to join those who prostrated. (15:32) The Lord inquired: "Iblis! What is the matter with you that you did not join those who prostrated?" (15:33) He said: "It does not behove of me to prostrate myself before a human being whom You have created out of dry ringing clay wrought from black mud." (15:34) The Lord said: "Then get out of here; you are rejected, (15:35) and there shall be a curse upon you till the Day of Recompense." (15:36) Iblis said: "My Lord! Grant me respite till the Day when they will be resurrected." (15:37) Allah said: "For sure you are granted respite ….

(17:1) Holy is He Who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque (in Makkah) to the farther Mosque (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our Signs. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (17:2) We gave Moses the Book, and made it a source of guidance for the Children of Israel, commanding: "Take no other Guardian beside Me." (17:3) You are the descendants of those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah. He was truly a thankful servant. (17:4) Then We clearly declared to the Children of Israel in the Book: "Twice you will make mischief in the land and will commit transgression." (17:5) So, when the occasion for the first of the transgressions arrived, We raised against you some of Our creatures who were full of might, and they ran over the whole of your land. This was a promise that was bound to be fulfilled. (17:6) Then We granted you an upper hand against them, and strengthened you with wealth and children, and multiplied your numbers. (17:7) Whenever you did good, it was to your own advantage; and whenever you committed evil, it was to your own disadvantage. So, when the time of the fulfilment of the second promise arrived, (We raised other enemies that would) disfigure your faces and enter the Temple (of Jerusalem) as they had entered the first time, and destroy whatever they could lay their hands on. (17:8) Your Lord may well show Mercy to you, but if you revert to your evil behaviour, We shall revert to chastising you. We have made Hell a prison for those who are thankless of Allah's bounties. (17:9) Verily this Qur'an guides to the Way that is the Straight most. To those who believe in it, and do righteous works, it gives the good news that a great reward awaits them, (17:10) and warns those who do not believe in the Hereafter that We have prepared for them a grievous chastisement. (17:11) Man prays for evil in the manner he ought to pray for good. Man is ever hasty. (17:12) We have made night and day as two signs. We made the sign of the night devoid of light, and made the sign of the day radiant that you may seek the bounty of your Lord and know the computation of years and numbers. Thus We have expounded everything in detail to keep everything distinct from the other. (17:13) We have fastened every man's omen to his neck. On the Day of Resurrection We shall produce for him his scroll in the shape of a wide open book, (saying): (17:14) "Read your scroll; this Day you suffice to take account of yourself." (17:15) He who follows the Right Way shall do so to his own advantage; and he who strays shall incur his own loss. No one shall bear another's burden. And never do We punish any people until We send a Messenger (to make the Truth distinct from falsehood). (17:16) When We decide to destroy a town We command the affluent among them, whereupon they commit sins in it, then the decree (of chastisement) becomes due against them and thereafter We destroy that town utterly. (17:17) Many a generation has been destroyed by Our command since Noah's time. Your Lord is well aware and fully observant of the sins of His servants. (17:18) If anyone desires immediate benefits, We hasten to grant whatever benefits We will in the present life to whomsoever We please, but thereafter We decree for him Hell wherein he shall burn, condemned and rejected.....

(19:1) Kaf. Ha'. Ya'. Ayn. Sad. (19:2) This is an account of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zechariah (19:3) when he cried to his Lord in secret. (19:4) He said: "Lord! My bones have grown feeble and my head is glistening with age; yet, never have my prayers to You, my Lord, been unfruitful. (19:5) I fear evil from my kinsmen after I am gone; and my wife is barren, so grant me an heir out of Your special grace, (19:6) one that might be my heir and the heir of the house of Jacob; and make him, Lord, one that will be pleasing to You. (19:7) (He was told): "Zechariah, We bring you the good news of the birth of a son whose name shall be Yahya (John), one whose namesake We never created before." (19:8) He said: "My Lord! How can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached an extremely old age?" (19:9) He answered: "So shall it be." Your Lord says: "It is easy for Me," and then added: "For beyond doubt, I created you earlier when you were nothing." (19:10) Zechariah said: "Lord, grant me a Sign." Said He: "Your Sign is that you shall not be able to speak to people for three nights, though you will be otherwise sound." (19:11) Thereupon Zechariah came out from the sanctuary and directed his people by gestures to extol His glory by day and by night. (19:12) "O John! Hold the Book with all your strength." We had bestowed wisdom upon him while he was still a child; (19:13) and We also endowed him with tenderness and purity, and he was exceedingly pious (19:14) and cherishing to his parents. Never was he insolent or rebellious. (19:15) Peace be upon him the day he was born, and the day he will die, and the day he will be raised up alive. (19:16) (O Muhammad), recite in the Book the account of Mary, when she withdrew from her people to a place towards the east; (19:17) and drew a curtain, screening herself from people whereupon We sent to her Our spirit and he appeared to her as a well-shaped man. (19:18) Mary exclaimed: "I surely take refuge from you with the Most Compassionate Lord, if you are at all God-fearing." (19:19) He said: "I am just a message-bearer of your Lord, I have come to grant you a most pure boy." (19:20) Mary said: "How can a boy be born to me when no man has even touched me, nor have I ever been unchaste?" (19:21) The angel said: "Thus shall it be. Your Lord says: 'It is easy for Me; and We shall do so in order to make him a Sign for mankind and a mercy from Us. This has been decreed.' " (19:22) Then she conceived him and withdrew with him to a far-off place. (19:23) Then the birth pangs drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree and she said: "Oh, would that I had died before this and had been all forgotten." (19:24) Thereupon the angel below her cried out: "Grieve not, for your Lord has caused a stream of water to flow beneath you. (19:25) Shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards yourself and fresh and ripe dates shall fall upon you. (19:26) So eat and drink and cool your eyes; and if you see any person say to him: 'Verily I have vowed a fast to the Most Compassionate Lord, and so I shall not speak to anyone today.'...

(21:1) The time of people's reckoning has drawn near, and yet they turn aside in heedlessness. (21:2) Whenever any fresh admonition comes to them from their Lord they barely heed it and remain immersed in play, (21:3) their hearts being set on other concerns. The wrong-doers whisper to one another: "This person is no more than a mortal like yourselves. Will you, then, be enchanted by sorcery while you see?" (21:4) He said: "My Lord knows well all that is spoken in the heavens and the earth. He is All-Hearing, All- Knowing." (21:5) They say: "Nay, these are confused dreams; nay, he has forged it; nay, he is a poet. So let him bring us a sign, even as the Messengers of the past were sent with signs." (21:6) Not one township that We destroyed before them believed. Would they, then, believe? (21:7) (O Muhammad), even before you We never sent any other than human beings as Messengers, and to them We sent revelation. Ask the People of the Book if you do not know. (21:8) We did not endow the Messengers with bodies that would need no food; nor were they immortals. (21:9) Then We fulfilled the promise We had made to them: We rescued them and those whom We wished, and We destroyed those who exceeded all bounds. (21:10) We have bestowed upon you a Book that mentions you. Do you not understand? (21:11) How many a wrong-doing town did We shatter and then raise up another people. (21:12) Then, when they perceived Our chastisement they took to their heels and fled. (21:13) (They were told): "Flee not, but return to your comforts and to your dwellings. You are likely to be questioned." (21:14) They said: "Woe to us; surely we were wrong-doers." (21:15) They did not cease to cry this until We reduced them to stubble, still and silent. (21:16) We did not create in sport the heavens and the earth and all that lies between the two. (21:17) Had it been Our will to find a pastime, We would have found one near at hand; if at all We were inclined to do so. (21:18) Nay, We hurl the Truth at falsehood so that the Truth crushes falsehood, and lo! it vanishes. Woe to you for what you utter! (21:19) To Him belongs whosoever dwells in the heavens and on earth. Those (angels) that are with Him neither disdain to serve Him out of pride, nor do they weary of it. (21:20) They glorify Him night and day, without flagging. (21:21) Have they taken earthly gods who are such that they raise up the dead to life? (21:22) Had there been any gods in the heavens and the earth apart from Allah, the order of both the heavens and the earth would have gone to ruins. Glory be to Allah, the Lord of the Throne, Who is far above their false descriptions of Him. (21:23) None shall question Him about what He does, but they shall be questioned. (21:24) Have they taken gods other than Him? Say, (O Muhammad): "Bring forth your proof! Here is the Book with admonition for those of my time and there are also scriptures with admonition for people before me." But most people do not know the Truth, and have, therefore, turned away from it. (21:25) Never did We send any Messenger before you to whom We did not reveal: "There is no god but Me. So serve Me alone." (21:26) They say: "The Most Compassionate Lord has taken to Himself a son." Glory be to Him! Those whom they so designate are only His honoured servants. (21:27) They do not outstrip Him in speech and only act as He commands. (21:28) He knows whatever is before them and whatsoever is remote from them and they do not intercede except for him, intercession on whose behalf pleases Him, and they stand constantly in awe of Him. (21:29) And if anyone of them were to claim: "Indeed I am a god apart from Him," We shall recompense both with Hell. Thus do We recompense the wrong-doers....

(23:1) The believers have indeed attained true success: (23:2) those who, in their Prayers, humble themselves; (23:3) who avoid whatever is vain and frivolous; (23:4) who observe Zakah; (23:5) who strictly guard their private parts (23:6) save from their wives, or those whom their right hands possess; for with regard to them they are free from blame " (23:7) As for those who seek beyond that, they are transgressors" (23:8) who are true to their trusts and their covenants, (23:9) and who guard their Prayers. (23:10) Such are the inheritors (23:11) that shall inherit Paradise; and in it they shall abide for ever. (23:12) We created man out of the extract of clay, (23:13) then We made him into a drop of life-germ, then We placed it in a safe depository, (23:14) then We made this drop into a clot, then We made the clot into a lump, then We made the lump into bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We caused it to grow into another creation. Thus Most Blessed is Allah, the Best of all those that create. (23:15) Thereafter you are destined to die, (23:16) and then on the Day of Resurrection you shall certainly be raised up. (23:17) We have indeed fashioned above you seven paths. Never were We unaware of the task of creation. (23:18) We sent down water from the sky in right measure, and caused it to stay in the earth, and We have the power to cause it to vanish (in the manner We please). (23:19) Then through water We caused gardens of date-palms and vines to grow for you wherein you have an abundance of delicious fruits and from them you derive your livelihood. (23:20) And We also produced the tree which springs forth from Mount Sinai, containing oil and sauce for those that eat. (23:21) And indeed there is also a lesson for you in cattle. We provide you with drink out of what they have in their bellies; and you have many other benefits in them: you eat of them, (23:22) and are carried on them and also on ships. (23:23) We sent Noah to his people, and he said: "My people! Serve Allah; you have no deity other than He. Do you have no fear?" (23:24) But the notables among his people had refused to believe, and said: "This is none other than a mortal like yourselves who desires to attain superiority over you. Had Allah wanted (to send any Messengers) He would have sent down angels. We have heard nothing like this in the time of our forebears of old (that humans were sent as Messengers). (23:25) He is a person who has been seized with a little madness; so wait for a while (perhaps he will improve)." (23:26) Noah said: "My Lord! Come to my help at their accusation that I am lying." (23:27) Thereupon We revealed to him, saying: "Build the Ark under Our eyes and according to Our revelation. And when Our command comes to pass and the oven boils over, take on board a pair each from every species, and also take your household except those of them against whom sentence has already been passed and do not plead to Me on behalf of the wrong-doers. They are doomed to be drowned. (23:28) And then when you and those accompanying you are firmly seated in the Ark, say: "Thanks be to Allah Who has delivered us from the wrong-doing people." (23:29) And say: "My Lord! Make my landing a blessed landing, for You are the Best of those Who can cause people to land in safety." (23:30) There are great Signs in this story; and surely We do put people to test. (23:31) Then, after them, We brought forth another generation; (23:32) and We sent among them a Messenger from among themselves, saying: "Serve Allah; you have no god other than He. Do you have no fear?"....

(25:1) Most blessed is He Who sent down this Criterion on His servant, to be a warner to all mankind; (25:2) He to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; Who has taken to Himself no son nor has He taken any partner in His kingdom; Who created everything and then determined its destiny. (25:3) Yet people have taken, instead of Him, other deities; those that create nothing but are themselves created; who do not have the power to hurt or benefit even themselves; who have no power over death, nor over life, nor over the resurrection of the dead. (25:4) Those who disbelieve in the Message of the Prophet say: "This (Criterion) is nothing but a lie which he has forged with the help of others." Such have indeed resorted to a grievous wrong and sheer falsehood. (25:5) They say: "These are merely fairy tales of the ancients which he has got inscribed and they are then recited to him morning and evening." (25:6) Say to them (O Muhammad): "It is He Who knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth Who has sent down this Book. Indeed, He is Most Forgiving, Most Compassionate." (25:7) They say: "What sort of a Messenger is this: he eats food and walks about in the markets? Why was an angel not sent down to him so that he may remain with the Messenger and warn those that do not believe in him? (25:8) Why was a treasure not bestowed upon him, or a garden whereof he might obtain his sustenance?" The evil-doers say: "You are simply following a bewitched man." (25:9) See what specious arguments they put forth before you: they are so strayed that they will not find their way to anything sound.(25:10) Most blessed is He Who, if He wills, can grant you even better than what they propose: Gardens beneath which rivers flow, and stately mansions. (25:11) Nay, the truth is that it is the Hour to which they give the lie.; We have kept a Blazing Fire ready for him who denies the Hour. (25:12) When it sees them from a place afar, they will hear its raging and roaring, (25:13) and when they are flung, chained together, into a narrow place in it, they will fervently call there for annihilation. (25:14) (They will then be told): "Do not call for a single annihilation, but for many an annihilation." (25:15) Ask them: "Is this state better or the Garden of Eternity which the God-fearing have been promised?" It shall be their recompense and the end-point of their journey; (25:16) the Garden wherein whatever they desire will be fulfilled. In it they shall abide for ever. This is a promise whose fulfilment Your Lord has made incumbent on Himself. (25:17) On the Day when He will muster together all the unbelievers as well as the deities that they worship beside Allah, and He will ask them: "Was it you who caused these servants of Mine to stray away, or did they themselves stray away from the Right Path?" (25:18) They will say: "Glory be to You! It did not behove us to take any other than You as our guardians, but You lavished the pleasures of life upon them and their forefathers until they forgot the Admonition and became doomed to destruction." (25:19) Thus will those deities give the lie to all what you now say, and you will not be able to avert your doom, nor obtain any succour. We shall cause whoever of you commits wrong to taste an enormous chastisement. (25:20) (O Muhammad), We never sent any Messengers before you but they ate food and walked about in the markets. We made some of you a means to test each by the other to see whether you remain patient. Your Lord is All-Seeing….