The Quran's Nature & Style

Alif. Lam. Ra. A DIVINE WRIT [is this], with messages that have been made clear in and by themselves, and have been distinctly spelled out as well2- [bestowed upon you] out of the grace of One who is wise, all-aware,

(6) And there is no living creature on earth but depends for its sustenance on God; and He knows its time-limit [on earth] and its resting-place [after death]:9 all [this] is laid down in [His] clear decree.

And if they [whom you have called to your aid] are not able to help you, then know that [this Qur'an] has been bestowed from on high out of God's wisdom alone, and that there is no deity save Him. Will you, then, surrender yourselves unto Him?"

Can, then, [he who cares for no more than the life of this world be compared with28] one who takes his stand on a clear evidence from his Sustamer, conveyed through [this] testimony from Him, as was the revelation vouchsafed to Moses aforetime - [a divine writ ordained by Him] to be a guidance and grace [unto man]? They [who understand this message - it is they alone who truly] believe in it; whereas for any of those who, leagued together [in common hostility], deny its truth - the fire shall be their appointed state [in the life to come]. And so, be not in doubt about this [revelation]: behold, it is the truth from thy Sustainer, even though 33 most people will not believe in it.

And, indeed, [similar was the case when] We vouchsafed the divine writ unto Moses, and some of his people set their own views against it; and had it not been for a decree that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, judgment would indeed have been passed on them [then and there]:139: for, behold, they were in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion, about him [who called them unto God]. 135 I.e., unless God wills to bestow on them a yet greater reward (Razi; also Manar XII, 161); or which to my mind is more probable - unless He opens up to man a new, yet higher stage of evolution. 136 I.e., "do not think that their beliefs are based on reason": a reference, primarily, to the pagan Arabs who - like the wrongdoers spoken of in the preceding passages - rejected God's message on the plea that it conflicted with their ancestral beliefs; and, more generally, to all people who are accustomed to worship.(in the widest sense of this word) false values handed down from their ancestors and who, consequently, observe false standards of morality: an attitude which must unavoidably - as the last sentence of this verse shows - result in future suffering, be it in this world or in the hereafter, or in both. 137 Lit., "We shall repay them their portion in full, undiminished". For an explanation of this sentence, see note 27 on verses 15- of this surah. 138 Lit., "and it was disagreed upon", or "discordant views came to be held about it": meaning that, like Muhammad's early contemporaries, some of Moses' people accepted the divine writ, whereas others refused to submit to its guidance. 139 Lit., "it would indeed have been decided between them" - i.e., they would have been punished, like those communities of old, by utter destruction, had it not been for God's decree (kalimah, lit., "word") that their punishment should be deferred until the Day of Resurrection (cf. the last sentence of 10:93 and the corresponding note 114). 140 Cf. 2:55 - "O Moses, indeed we shall not believe thee until we see God face to face!"

And be constant in praying at the beginning and the end of the day, as well as during the early watches of the night: 145 for, verily, good deeds drive away evil deeds: this is a reminder to all who bear [God] in mind.

Alif. Lam. Ra. THESE ARE MESSAGES of a revelation clear in itself and clearly showing the truth:2

behold, We have bestowed it from on high as a discourse in the Arabic tongue, so that you might encompass it with your reason.

And his Sustainer responded to his prayer, and freed him from the threat of their guile:32 verily, He alone is allhearing, all-knowing.

[His sons] answered: "O our father! Ask God to forgive us our sins, for, verily, we were sinners."

Indeed, in the stories of these men 108 there is a lesson for those who are endowed with insight. [As for this revelation,109] it could not possibly be a discourse invented [by man]: nay indeed, 110 it is [a divine writ] confirming the truth of whatever there still remains [of earlier revelations], clearly spelling out everything, and [offering] guidance and grace unto people who will believe. 109 I.e., the Qur'an as a whole (Baghawi and Zamakhshari). The passage that follows connects with verses 102-105. 110 Lit., "but"- denoting here the impossibility of its having been invented by Muhammad. 111 I.e., everything that man may need for his spiritual welfare. See also 10:37 and the corresponding note 60.

Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra. THESE ARE MESSAGES of revelation:2 and what has been bestowed upon thee from on high by thy Sustainer is the truth - yet most people will not believe [in it]?

It is God who has raised the heavens without any supports that you could see, and is established on the throne of His almightiness; and He [it is who] has made the sun and the moon subservient [to His laws], each running its course for a term set [by Him]. He governs all that exists. Clearly does He spell out these messages, so that you might be certain in your innermost that you are destined to meet your Sustainer [on Judgment Day].

And it is He who has spread the earth wide and placed on it firm mountains and running waters, and created thereon two sexes of every [kind of] plant; [and it is He who] causes the night to cover the day. Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for people who think!

Unto Him [alone] is due all prayer aiming at the Ultimate Truth, since those [other beings or powers] whom men invoke instead of God 31 cannot respond to them in any way - [so that he who invokes them is] but like one who stretches his open hands towards water, [hoping] that it will reach his mouth, the while it never reaches him. Hence, the prayer of those who deny the truth amounts to no more than losing oneself in grievous error.

Yet even if [they should listen to] a [divine] discourse by which mountains could be moved, or the earth cleft asunder, or the dead made to speak - [they who are bent on denying the truth would still refuse to believe in it]! Nay, but God alone has the power to decide what shall be. Have, then, they who have attained to faith not yet come to know that, had God so willed; He would indeed have guided all mankind aright? But as for those who are bent on denying the truth - in result of their [evil] deeds, sudden calamities will always befall them or will alight close to their homes; [and this will continue] until God's promise [of resurrection] is fulfilled: verily, God never fails to fulfil His promise!

Hence, they unto whom We have vouchsafed this revelation rejoice at all that has been bestowed upon thee [O Prophet] from on high; but among the followers of other creeds there are such as deny the validity of some of it. Say [unto them, O Prophet]: "I have only been bidden to worship God, and not to ascribe divine powers to aught beside Him:71 unto Him do I call [all mankind], and He is my goal!"

Thus, then, have We bestowed from on high this [divine writ] as an ordinance in the Arabic tongue. And, indeed, if thou shouldst defer to men's likes and dislikes after all the [divine] knowledge that has come unto thee, thou wouldst have none to protect thee from God, and none to shield thee [from Him].

God annuls or confirms whatever He wills [of His earlier messages] for with Him is the source of all revelation.

Alif. Lam. Ra. A DIVINE WRIT [is this a revelation] which We have bestowed upon thee from on high in order that thou might bring forth all mankind, by their Sustainer's leave, out of the depths of darkness into the light: onto the way that leads to the Almighty, the One to whom all praise is due -

AND NEVER have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people's tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them; but God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides him that wills [to be guided] - for He alone is almighty, truly wise.

"All praise is due to God, who has bestowed upon me, in my old age, Ishmael and Isaac! Behold, my Sustainer hears indeed all prayer:

Alif. Lam. Ra. THESE ARE MESSAGES of revelation - of a discourse clear in itself and clearly showing the truth.

Behold, it is We Ourselves who have bestowed from on high, step by step, this reminder? and, behold, it is We who shall truly guard it [from all corruption].

And well do We know [the hearts and deeds, of all human beings - both] those who lived before you and those who will come after you;

AND, INDEED, We have bestowed upon thee seven of the oft-repeated [verses], and [have, thus, laid open before thee] this sublime Qur'an:62

GOD'S JUDGMENT is [bound to] come: do not, therefore, call for its speedy advent! Limitless is He in His glory and sublimely exalted above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity!

He causes the angels to descend with this divine inspiration, [bestowed] at His behest upon whomever He wills of His servants: "Warn [all human beings] that there is no deity save Me: be, therefore, conscious of Me!"

It is He who sends down water from the skies; you drink thereof, and thereof [drink] the plants upon which you pasture your beasts;

[and they will tell you that their prophets, too, were but mortal men whom We had endowed] with all evidence of the truth and with books of divine wisdom. And upon thee [too] have We bestowed from on high this reminder, so that thou might make clear unto mankind all that has ever been thus bestowed upon them, and that they might take thought.

And upon thee [too] have We bestowed from on high this divine writ for no other reason than that thou might make clear unto them all [questions of faith] on which they have come to hold divergent views, and [thus offer] guidance and grace unto people who will believe.

NOW whenever thou happen to read this Qur'an, seek refuge with God from Satan, the accursed.

And, indeed, full well do We know that they say, "It is but a human being that imparts [all] this to him!" [notwithstanding that] the tongue of him to whom they so maliciously point is wholly outlandish, whereas this is Arabic speech, clear [in itself] and clearly showing the truth [of its source]. 125 I.e., by substituting the message of the Qur'an for the earlier dispensations - and not, as some Muslim scholars maintain, "abrogating" one Qur'anic verse and replacing it by another. (Regarding the untenable "doctrine of abrogation", in the latter sense, see 2:106 and the corresponding note 87; see also note 35 on 41:42.) 126 I.e., the gradualness of revelation (implied in the verbal form yunazzil) corresponds to God's plan, according to which He has gradually unfolded His will to man, substituting one dispensation for another in the measure of mankind's intellectual and social development, bringing it to its culmination in the message of the Qur'an. 127 I.e., they do not understand the necessity of a new dispensation and, therefore, do not really understand the Qur'an. 128 As in the three other places in which the expression ruh al-qudus occurs (2:87 and 253, and 5:110), am rendering it here, too, as "holy inspiration" (see surah 2, note 71), a term which, to my mind, is a Qur'anic synonym for "divine revelation". However, a literal rendering-"spirit of holiness" - is also possible if one applies this term to the angel who communicates God's revelations to the prophets. (See also verse 2 of this surah and the corresponding note 2.) 129 I.e., to Muhammad - thus insinuating that his claim to divine revelation was false. 130 Whereas some of the pagan Quraysh regarded the ideas expressed in the Qur'an as "invented" by Muhammad, others thought that they must have been imparted to him by a foreigner - perhaps a Christian - who lived in Mecca at that time, or whom the Prophet was supposed to have encountered at an earlier period of his life. Various conjectures have been advanced - both by early Muslim commentators and by modern orientalists - as to the "identity" of the person or persons whom the suspicious Meccans might have had in mind in this connection; but all these conjectures are purely speculative and, therefore, of no historical value whatever. The suspicion of the pagan Meccans implies no more than the historical fact that those of the Prophet's opponents who were unwilling to pay him the compliment of having "invented" the Qur'an (the profundity of which they were unable to deny) conveniently attributed its authorship or at least its inspiration - to a mythical non-Arab "teacher" of the Prophet. 131 For an explanation of this composite rendering of the descriptive term mubin, see surah 12, note 2. 'the term is used here to stress the fact that no human being - and certainly no non-Arab - could ever have produced the flawless, exalted Arabic diction in which the Qur'an is expressed.

LIMITLESS in His glory is He who transported His servant by night from the Inviolable House of Worship [at Mecca] to the Remote House of Worship [,at Jerusalem] - the environs of which We had blessed - so that We might show him some of Our symbols: for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing.

VERILY, this Qur'an shows the way to all that is most upright, and gives the believers who do good deeds the glad tiding that theirs will be a great reward;

And We have established the night and the day as two symbols; and thereupon We have effaced the symbol of night and set up [in its place] the light-giving symbol of day, so that you might seek to obtain your Sustainer's bounty and be aware of the passing years and of the reckoning [that is bound to come]. For clearly, most clearly, have We spelt out everything!

And, indeed, many facets have We given [to Our message] in this Qur'an, so that they [who deny the truth] might take it to heart: but all this only increases their aversion.

But [thus it is:] whenever thou recitest the Qur'an, We place an invisible barrier between thee and those who will not believe in the life to come:

SAY:65 "Call upon those [beings] whom you imagine [to be endowed with divine powers] beside Him and [you will find that] they have it not in their power to remove any affliction from you, or to shift it [elsewhere]."

And [bear in mind:] there is no community which We will not destroy before the Day of Resurrection, or chastise [even earlier, if it proves sinful,] with suffering severe: all this is laid down in Our decree.

(78) BE CONSTANT in [thy] prayer from the time when the sun has passed its zenith till the darkness of night, and [be ever mindful of its] recitation at dawn:95 for, behold, the recitation [of prayer] at dawn is indeed witnessed [by all that is holy].

And rise from thy sleep and pray during part of the night [as well], as a free offering from thee, and thy Sustainer may well raise thee to a glorious station [in the life to come].

THUS, step by step, We bestow from on high through this Qur'an all that gives health [to the spirit] and is a grace unto those who believe [in Us], the while it only adds to the ruin of evildoers:98

AND THEY will ask thee about [the nature of] divine inspiration. Say: "This inspiration [comes] at my Sustainer's behest; and [you cannot understand its nature, O men, since] you have been granted very little of [real] knowledge."

Say: "If all mankind and all invisible beings" would come together with a view to producing the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce its like even though they were to exert all their strength in aiding one another!"

AND AS a guide towards the truth have We bestowed this [revelation] from on high; with this [very] truth has it come down [unto thee, O Prophet]:127 for We have sent thee but as a herald of glad tidings and a warner,

Say: "Invoke God, or invoke the Most Gracious: by whichever name you invoke Him, [He is always the One - for] His are all the attributes of perfection. And [pray unto Him; yet] be not too loud in thy prayer nor speak it in too low a voice, but follow a way inbetween;

ALL PRAISE is due to God, who has bestowed. this divine writ from on high upon His servant, and has not allowed any deviousness to obscure its meaning:1

AND CONVEY [to the world] whatever has been revealed to thee of thy Sustainer's writ. There is nothing that could alter His words; and thou canst find no refuge other than with Him.

But We send [Our] message-bearers only as heralds of glad tidings and as warners - whereas those who are bent on denying the truth contend [against them] with fallacious arguments, so as to render void the truth thereby, and to make My messages and warnings a target of their mockery.

And who could be more wicked than he to whom his Sustainer's messages are conveyed and who thereupon turns away from them, forgetting all [the evil] that his hands may have wrought? Behold, over their hearts have We laid veils which prevent them from grasping the truth, and into their ears, deafness; and though thou call them onto the right path, they will never allow themselves to be guided.

Kaf. Ha. Ya. 'Ayn. Sad. AN ACCOUNT of the grace which thy Sustainer bestowed upon His servant Zachariah:2

But I shall withdraw from you all and from whatever you invoke instead of God, and shall invoke my Sustainer [alone]: it may well be that my prayer [for thee] will not remain unanswered by my Sustainer."

AND [the angels say]: "We do not descend [with revelation], again and again, other than by thy Sustainer's command: unto Him belongs all that lies open before us and all that is hidden - from us and all that is inbetween." And never does thy Sustainer forget [anything] -

AS IT IS, whenever Our messages are conveyed to them in all their clarity, those who are bent on denying the truth are wont to say unto those who have attained to faith: "Which of the two kinds of man is in a stronger position and superior as a community?"

and only to this end have We made this [divine writ] easy to understand, in thine own tongue, [O Prophet,] so that thou might convey thereby a glad tiding to the God-conscious, and warn thereby those who are given to [futile] contention:

O MAN!

We did not bestow the Qur'an on thee from on high to make thee unhappy,

"[And now] go thou unto Pharaoh: for, verily, he has transgressed all bounds of equity.

AND THUS have We bestowed from on high this [divine writ] as a discourse in the Arabic tongue, and have given therein many facets to all manner of warnings, so that men might remain conscious of Us, or that it give rise to a new awareness in them. 89 Lit., "leave it" - the pronoun relating, by implication, to the earth (Zamakhshari and Razi). 90 In the eschatology of the Qur'an, the "end of the world" does not signify an annihilation i.e., reduction to nothingness - of the physical universe but, rather, its fundamental, cataclysmic transformation into something that men cannot now visualize. This is brought out in many allegorical allusions to the Last Day, e.g., in 14:48, which speaks of "the Day when the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens". 91 Lit., "the caller in whom there will be no deviation (la 'iwaja lahu)" - i.e., the summons to the Last Judgment. 92 Regarding the Qur'anic concept of "intercession" on the Day of Judgment, see note 7 on 10:3. The "word [of faith]" referred to towards the end of the above verse is - according to Ibn 'Abbas (as quoted by Baghawi) - a metonym for the belief that "there is no deity save God", i.e., the realization of His oneness and uniqueness. See also 19:87 and the corresponding note 74. 93 For an explanation of this phrase - which occurs in exactly the same wording in 2:255, 21:28 and 22:76 as well - see surah 2, note. 247. 94 I.e., evildoing which has not been atoned for by repentance before death (Razi). In this particular context, it may be an allusion to the rejection of God's guidance - His "reminder" - spoken of in verses 99-101. 95 Lit., "no fear of [any] wrong" - i.e., punishment for any sin which he may have contemplated but not committed - "and neither of a diminution", i.e., of his merit: .cf. the twice-repeated statement in 16:96- that the righteous shall be recompensed in the hereafter "in accordance with the best that they ever did". 96 As in verse 99 above - with which this passage connects - the adverb kadhalika ("thus") refers to the method and purpose of the Qur'an. 97 Lit., "as an Arabic discourse (qur'an)". See, in particular, 12:2, 13:37, 14:4 and 19:97, as well as the corresponding notes. 98 Lit., "so that they might be [or "remain"] God-conscious, or that it create for them a remembrance", i.e., of God. The verb ahdatha signifies "he brought (something] into existence", i.e., newly or for the first time, while the noun dhikr denotes "remembrance" as well as the "presence [of something] in the mind" (Raghib), i.e., awareness.

[Know,] then, [that) God is sublimely exalted. the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth:99 and [knowing this,] do not approach the Qur'an in haste, ere it has been revealed unto thee in full, but [always) say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!"

Hence, bear with patience whatever they [who deny the truth] may say, and extol thy Sustainer's limitless glory and praise Him before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and extol His glory, too, during some of the hours of the night as well as during the hours of the day, so that thou might attain to happiness.

and yet, they choose to worship [imaginary) deities instead of Him! Say [O Prophet): "Produce an evidence for what you are claiming:30 this is a reminder [unceasingly voiced) by those who are with me, just as it was a reminder [voiced] by those who came before me." But nay, most of them do not know the truth, and so they stubbornly turn away [from it] -

ARE, THEN, they who are bent on denying the truth not aware that the heavens and the earth were [once] one single entity, which We then parted asunder? - and [that] We made out of water every living thing? Will they not, then, [begin to] believe?

and [fail to see that] it is He who has created the night and the day and the sun and the moon - all of them floating through space!

whereupon We responded unto him and removed all the affliction from which he suffered; and We gave him new offspring, doubling their number as an act of grace from Us, and as a reminder unto all who worship Us.

Yet whenever We sent forth any apostle or prophet before thee, and he was hoping [that his warnings would be heeded], Satan would cast an aspersion on his innermost aims:66 but God renders null and void whatever aspersion Satan may cast; and God makes His messages clear in and by themselves - for God is all-knowing, wise.

And, verily, this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: remain, then, conscious of Me! 28

NAY, [as for those who have torn asunder the unity of faith -] their hearts are lost in ignorance of all this! But apart from that [breach of unity] they have [on their conscience even worse] deeds; and they will [continue to] commit them

Have they, then, never tried to understand this word [of God]? Or has there [now] come to them something that never came to their forefathers of old

IN THE HOUSES [of worship] which God has allowed to be raised so that His name be remembered in them, there [are such as] extol His limitless glory at morn and evening -

ART THOU NOT aware that it is God whose limitless glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens and on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? Each [of them] knows indeed how to pray unto Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do:

INDEED. from on high have We bestowed messages clearly showing the truth; but God guides onto a straight way [only] him that wills [to be guided].

O YOU who have attained to faith! At three times [of day], let [even] those whom you rightfully possess, as well as those from among you who have not yet attained to puberty:79 ask leave of you [before intruding upon your privacy]: before the prayer of daybreak, and whenever you lay aside your garments in the middle of the day, and after the prayer of nightfall:80 the three occasions on which your nakedness is likely to be bared. Beyond these [occasions], neither you nor they will incur any sin if they move [freely] about you, attending to [the needs of] one another. In this way God makes clear unto you His messages: for God is all-knowing, wise!

[ALL OF YOU, O believers, are brethren:83 hence,] no blame attaches to the blind, nor does blame attach to the lame, nor does blame attach to the sick [for accepting charity from the hale], and neither to yourselves for eating [whatever is offered to you by others, whether it be food obtained] from your [children's] houses,~ or your fathers' houses, or your mothers' houses, or your brothers' houses, or your sisters' houses, or your paternal uncles' houses, or your paternal aunts' houses, or your maternal uncles' houses, or your maternal aunts' houses, or [houses] the keys whereof are in your charge, or [the house] of any of your friends; nor will you incur any sin by eating in company or separately. But whenever you enter [any of these] houses, greet one another with a blessed, goodly greeting, as enjoined by God. In this way God makes clear unto you His messages, so that you might [learn to] use your reason.

[TRUE] BELIEVERS are only they who have attained to faith in God and His Apostle, and who, whenever they are [engaged] with him upon a matter of concern to the whole community, do not depart [from whatever has been decided upon] unless they have sought [and obtained] his leave. Verily, those who [do not abstain from the agreed-upon action unless they] ask leave of thee - it is [only] they who [truly] believe in God and His Apostle! Hence, when they ask leave of thee for some [valid] reason of their own, grant thou this leave to whomsoever of them thou choose [to grant it], and ask God to forgive them: for, behold, God is muchforgiving, a dispenser of grace!

HALLOWED is He who from on high, step by step, has bestowed upon His servant the standard by which to discern the true from the false, so that to all the world it might be a warning:

Yet they say: "What sort of apostle is this [man] who eats food (like all other mortals] and goes about in the market-places? Why has not an angel (visibly] been sent down unto him, to act as a warner together with him?"

AND (on that Day] the Apostle will say:23 " my Sustainer! Behold, [some of] my people have come to regard this Qur'an as something [that ought to be] discarded !"

Now they who are bent on denying the truth are wont to ask, "Why has not the Qur'an been bestowed on him from on high in one single revelation?" (It has been revealed] in this manner so that We might strengthen thy heart thereby - for We have so arranged its component parts that they form one consistent whole. -

And, indeed, many times have We repeated [all] this unto men, so that they might take it to heart: but most men refuse to be aught but ingrate.

Now had We so willed, We could have [continued as before and] raised up a [separate] warner in every single community:40

hence, do not defer to [the likes and dislikes of] those who deny the truth, but strive hard against them, by means of this [divine writ], with utmost striving.

Ta. Sin. Mim. THESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth.

NOW, BEHOLD, this [divine writ) has indeed been bestowed from on high by the Sustainer of all the worlds:77

in the clear Arabic tongue.

And, verily, [the essence of) this [revelation) is indeed found in the ancient books of divine wisdom [as well].

But [even] had We bestowed it from on high upon any of the non-Arabs,

And [this divine writ is such a reminder:] no evil spirits have brought it down:91

who sees thee when thou standest [alone],

Ta. Sin. THESE ARE MESSAGES of the Qur'an - a divine writ clear in itself and clearly showing the truth:2

a guidance and a glad tiding to the believers

But [as for thee, O believer,] verily, thou hast received this Qur'an out of the grace of One who is wise, all-knowing.

Thereupon [Solomon] smiled joyously at her words, and said: "O my Sustainer! Inspire me so that I may forever be grateful for those blessings of Thine with which Thou hast graced me and my parents, and that I may do what is right [in a manner] that will please Thee; and include me, by Thy grace, among Thy righteous servants!"

BEHOLD, this Qur'an explains to the children of Israel most [of that] whereon they hold divergent views;

and, verily, it is a guidance and a grace unto all who believe [in it].

and to convey this Qur'an [to the world]." Whoever, therefore, chooses to follow the right path, follows it but for his own good; and if any wills to go astray, say [unto him]: "I am only a warner!"

Ta. Sin. Mim. THESE ARE MESSAGES of a divine writ clear in itself and clearly showing the truth.

And yet, now that the truth has come unto them from Us, they say, "'Why has he not been vouchsafed the like of what Moses was vouchsafed?" But did they not also, before this, deny the truth of what Moses was vouchsafed? [For] they do say, "Two examples of delusion, [seemingly] supporting each other!" And they add, "Behold, we refuse to accept either of them as true!"

Now [as for thyself, O believer,] thou couldst never foresee that this divine writ would [one day] be offered to thee: but [it did come to thee] by thy Sustainer's grace. Hence, never uphold those who deny the truth [of divine guidance],

and never let them turn thee away from God's messages after they have been bestowed upon thee from on high: instead, summon [all men] to thy Sustainer. And never be of those who ascribe divinity to aught but Him,

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Alif. Lam. Mim. DO MEN THINK that on their [mere] saying, "We have attained to faith", they will be left to themselves, and will not be put to a test?

Whoever looks forward [with hope and awe] to meeting God [on Resurrection Day, let him be ready for it]: for, behold, the end set by God [for everyone's life] is bound to come - and He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing!

Say: "Go all over the earth and behold how [wondrously) He has created [man) in the first instance:15 and thus, too, will God bring into being your second life - for, verily, God has the power to will anything!

And so We propound these parables unto man: but none can grasp their innermost meaning save those who [of Us] are aware,

Why - is it not enough for them that We have bestowed this divine writ on thee from on high, to be conveyed [by thee] to them? For, verily, in it is [manifested Our] grace, and a reminder to people who will believe.

Alif. Lam. Mim. DEFEATED have been the Byzantines

EXTOL, then, God's limitless glory when you enter upon the evening hours, and when you rise at morn;

He propounds unto you a parable drawn from your own life:20 Would you [agree to) have some of those Whom your right hands possess as [full-fledged] partners in whatever We may have bestowed upon you as sustenance, so that you [and they] would have equal shares in it, and you would fear [to make use of it without consulting] them, just as you might fear [the more powerful of] your equals? Thus clearly do We spell out these messages unto people who use their reason.

Hence, give his due to the near of kin, as well as to the needy and the wayfarer; this is best for all who seek God's countenance: for it is they, they that shall attain to a happy state!

AND, INDEED, We have propounded unto men all kinds of parables in this Qur'an. But thus it is: if thou approach them with any [such] message, those who are bent on denying the truth are sure to say, "You are but making false claims!"

Alif. Lam. Mim. THESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, full of wisdom,

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But among men there is many a one that prefers a mere play with words [to divine guidance], so as to lead [those) without knowledge astray from the path of God, and to turn it to ridicule: for such there is shameful suffering in store.

Alif. Lam. Mim. THE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ issues, beyond any doubt, from the Sustainer of all the worlds:

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and yet, they [who are bent on denying the truth] assert, "[Muhammad] has invented it!" Nay, but it is the truth from thy Sustainer, enabling thee to warn [this] people to whom no warner has come before thee, so that they might follow the right path.

Yet had We so willed, We could indeed have imposed Our guidance upon every human being:12 but [We have not willed it thus - and so] that word of Mine has come true: "Most certainly will I fill hell with invisible beings as well as with humans, all together!"

[and] who are impelled to rise from their beds [at night] to call out to their Sustainer in fear and hope; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance.

NOW THEY who are endowed with [innate] knowledge are well aware that whatever has been bestowed upon thee from on high by thy Sustainer is indeed the truth, and that it guides onto the way that leads to the Almighty, the One to whom all praise is due!

Say: "There has been appointed for you a Day which you can neither delay nor advance by a single moment."

And [yet,] those who are bent on denying the truth do say, "We shall never believe in this Qur'an, and neither in whatever there still remains of earlier revelations !" But if thou couldst only see [how it will be on Judgment Day,] when these evildoers shall be made to stand before their Sustainer, hurling reproaches back and forth at one another! Those [of them] who had been weak [on earth] will say unto those who had gloried in their arrogance:39 "Had it not been for you, we would certainly have been believers!"

Say: "Verily, my Sustainer hurls the truth (against all that is false] - He who fully knows all the things that are beyond the reach of a created being's perception!"

If you invoke them, they do not hear your call; and even if they could hear, they would not [be able to] respond to you. And [withal,] on the Day of Resurrection they will utterly disown your having associated them with God. And none can make thee understand [the truth] like the One who is all-aware.

Verily, We have sent thee with the truth, as a bearer, of glad tidings and a warner: for there never was any community but a warner has [lived and] passed away in its midst.

Say: "Have you ever [really] considered those beings and forces to whom you ascribe a share in God's divinity, [and] whom you invoke beside God? Show me what it is that they have created on earth or do [you claim that] they have a share in [governing] the heavens?" Have We ever vouchsafed them a divine writ on which they could rely as evidence [in support of their views]? Nay, [the hope which] the evildoers hold out to one another [is] nothing but a delusion.

Now if God were to take men [at once] to task for whatever [wrong] they commit [on earth], He would not leave a single living creature upon its surface. However, He grants them respite for a term set [by Him]:35 but when their term comes to an end-then, verily, [they come to know that] God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His servants.

O THOU human being! (26:2) Consider this Qur'an full of wisdom:

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Indeed, the word [of God's condemnation] is bound to come true against most of them: for they will not believe.

And [they have a sign in] the sun: it runs in an orbit of its own - [and] that is laid down by the will of the Almighty, the All-Knowing;

[and] neither may the sun overtake the moon, nor can the night usurp the time of day, since all of them float through space [in accordance with Our laws].

AND [thus it is:] We have not imparted to this [Prophet the gift of] poetry, nor would [poetry] have suited this [message]:38 it is but a reminder and a [divine] discourse, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth,

Sad.' CONSIDER this Qur'an, endowed with all that one ought to remember!

Now these [people] deem it strange that a warner should have come unto them from their own midst - and [so] the deniers of the truth are saying: "A [mere] spellbinder is he, a liar!

[and for this,] behold, We caused the mountains to join him in extolling Our limitless glory at eventide and at sunrise,

[All this have We expounded in this] blessed divine writ which We have revealed unto thee, [O Muhammad,] so that men may ponder over its messages, and that those who are endowed with insight may take them to heart.

This [divine writ], behold, is no less than a reminder to all the worlds -

for, behold, it is We who have bestowed this revelation upon thee from on high, setting forth the truth: so worship Him, sincere in thy faith in Him alone!

(23) God bestows from on high the best of all teachings in the shape of a divine writ fully consistent within itself, repeating each statement [of the truth] in manifold forms - [a divine writ] whereat shiver the skins of all who of their Sustainer stand in awe: [but] in the end their skins and their hearts do soften at the remembrance of [the grace of] God.... Such is God's guidance: He guides therewith him that wills [to be guided] - whereas he whom God lets go astray can never find any guide.

THUS, INDEED, have We propounded unto men all kinds of parables in this Qur'an, so that they might bethink themselves; [and We have revealed it]

as a discourse in the Arabic tongue, free of all deviousness, so that they might become conscious of God.

It is God [alone that has this power - He] who causes all human beings to die at the time of their [bodily] death, and [causes to be as dead], during their sleep, those that have not yet died:44 thus, He withholds [from life] those upon whom He has decreed death, and lets the others go free for a term set [by Him). In [all] this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think!

And ere that suffering comes upon you of a sudden, without your being aware [of its approach], follow the most goodly [teaching] that has been revealed unto you by your Sustainer,

Ha; Mim. THE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ issues from God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing,

And thus shall thy Sustainer's word come true against all who are bent on denying the truth: they shall find themselves in the fire [of hell].

But your Sustainer says: "Call unto Me, [and) I shall respond to you! Verily, they who are too proud to worship Me will enter hell, abased!"

Ha. Min. HE BESTOWAL from on high [of this revelation) issues from the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace:

a divine writ, the messages whereof have been clearly spelled out as a discourse in the Arabic tongue for people of [innate] knowledge,

to be a herald of glad tidings as well as a warning. And yet, [whenever this divine writ is offered to men,] most of them turn away, so that they cannot hear fits message);

and so they say, [as it were:] "Our hearts are veiled from whatever thou callest us to, [O Muhammad,] and in our ears is deafness, and between us and thee is a barrier. Do, then, [whatever thou wilt, whereas,] behold, we shall do [as we have always done]!"

And He [it is who] applied His design to the skies, which were [yet but] smoke; and He [it is who] said to them and to the earth, "Come [into being], both of you, willingly or unwillingly!" - to which both responded, "We do come in obedience."

no falsehood can ever attain to it openly, and neither in a stealthy manner, [since it is] bestowed from on high by One who is truly wise, ever to be praised.

Now if We had willed this [divine writ] to be a discourse in a non-Arabic tongue, they [who now reject it] would surely have said, "Why is it that its messages have not been spelled out clearly? Why - [a message in] a nonArabic tongue, and [its bearer] an Arab?" Say: "Unto all who have attained to faith, this [divine writ] is a guidance and a source of health; but as for those who will not believe in their ears is deafness, and so it remains obscure to them: they are [like people who are) being called from too far away.

Thus, too, have We vouchsafed revelation unto Moses aforetime, and thereupon disputes arose about it. And [then, as now,] had it not been for a decree that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, all would indeed have been decided between them [from the outset). As it is, behold, they [who will not believe in this divine writ] are in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion, about what it portends.

Ha. Mim.

THUS has God, the Almighty, the Wise, revealed [the truth] unto thee, [O Muhammad,] and unto those who preceded thee:2

[Thou art but entrusted with Our message:] and so We have revealed unto thee a discourse in the Arabic tongue in order that thou mayest warn the foremost of all cities and all who dwell around it - to wit, warn [them) of the Day of the Gathering, [the coming of) which is beyond all doubt: [the Day when] some shall find themselves in paradise, and some in the blazing flame.

And [as for the followers of earlier revelation,] they broke up their unity, out of mutual jealousy, only after they had come to know [the truth]. And had it not been for a decree that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, [postponing all decision] until a term set [by Him], all would indeed have been decided between them (from the outset]. As it is, behold, they who have inherited their divine writ from those who preceded them are [now] in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion, about what it portends.

Because of this, then, summon [all mankind), and pursue the right course, as thou hast been bidden [by God]; and do not follow their likes and dislikes, but say: "I believe in whatever revelation God has bestowed from on high; and I am bidden to bring about equity in your mutual views. God is our Sustainer as well as your Sustainer. To us shall be accounted our deeds, and to you, your deeds. Let there be no contention between us and you: God will bring us all together - for with Him is all journeys' end."

[for] it is God [Himself] who has bestowed revelation from on high, setting forth the truth, and [thus given man] a balance [wherewith to weigh right and wrong]. And for all thou knowest, the Last Hour may well be near!

And thus, too, [O Muhammad,] have We revealed unto thee a life-giving message, [coming] at Our behest. [Ere this message came unto thee,] thou didst not know what revelation is, nor what faith [implies]:56 but [now] We have caused this [message] to be a light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants, and, verily, [on the strength thereof] thou, too, shalt guide [men] onto the straight way -

Ha. Mim CONSIDER this divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth:2

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behold, We have caused it to be a discourse in the Arabic tongue, so that you might encompass it with your reason.

And they say, too, "Why was not this Qur'an bestowed from on high on some great man of the two cities?"

But whether We do [or do not] take thee away [ere thy message prevails] - verily, We shall inflict Our retribution on them;

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Ha. Mim. CONSIDER this divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth!

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Behold, from on high have We bestowed it on a blessed night:3 for, verily, We have always been warning [man].

On that [night] was made clear, in wisdom, the distinction between all things [good and evil]

But then, [when they beset him with their enmity,] he called out to his Sustainer, "These are [indeed] people lost in sin!"

THUS, THEN, [O Prophet,] have We made this [divine writ] easy to understand, in thine own [human] tongue, so that men might take it to heart.

Ha. Mim. THE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ I issues from God, the Almighty, the Wise.

These messages of God do We convey unto thee, setting forth the truth. In what other tiding, if not in God's messages, will they, then, believe?

This [revelation, then,] is a means of insight for mankind, and a guidance and grace unto people who are endowed with inner certainty.

Say: "It is God who gives you life, and then causes you to die; and in the end He will gather you together on Resurrection Day, [the coming of] which is beyond all doubt - but most human beings understand it not."

Ha; Mim. THE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ issues from God, the Almighty, the Wise.

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And yet, before this there was the revelation of Moses, a guide and a [sign of God's] grace; and this [Qur'an] is a divine writ confirming the truth [of the Torah15] in the Arabic tongue, to warn those who are bent on evildoing, and [to bring] a glad tiding to the doers of good:

AND LO! We caused a group of unseen beings to incline towards thee, [O Muhammad,) so that they might give ear to the Qur'an; and so, as soon as they became aware of it, they said [unto one another], "Listen in silence!" And when [the recitation) was ended, they returned to their people as warners.

They said: "O our people! Behold, we have been listening to a revelation bestowed from on high after [that of] Moses, confirming the truth of whatever there still remains [of the Torah]:39 it guides towards the truth, and onto a straight way.

whereas those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds, and have come to believe in what has been bestowed from on high on Muhammad - for it is the truth from their Sustainer - [shall attain to God's grace:] He will efface their [past] bad deeds, and will set their hearts at rest.

Know, then, [O man,] that there is no deity save God, and [while there is yet time,] ask forgiveness for thy sins and for [the sins of] all other believing men and women: for God knows all your comings and goings as well as your abiding [at rest].

NOW THOSE who have attained to faith say, "Would that a revelation [allowing us to fight] were bestowed from on high!" But now that a revelation clear in and by itself, mentioning war, has been bestowed from on high, thou canst see those in whose hearts is disease looking at thee, [O Muhammad,] with the look of one who is about to faint for fear of death! And yet, far better for them would be

Will they not, then, ponder over this Qur'an? - or are there locks upon their hearts?

Now had We so willed, We could have shown them clearly to thee, so that thou wouldst know them for sure as by a visible mark:35 but [even so,] thou wilt most certainly recognize them by the tone of their voice. And God knows all that you do, [O men;]

Qaf. CONSIDER this sublime Qur'an!

HENCE, [O believe,] bear thou with patience whatever they may say, and extol thy Sustainer's limitless glory and praise before the rising of the sun and before its setting;

Fully aware are We of what they [who deny resurrection] do say; and thou canst by no means force them [to believe in it]. Yet none the less, remind, through this Qur'an, all such as may fear My warning.

they would lie asleep during but a small part of the night,

AND IT IS We who have built the universe with [Our creative] power; and, verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it.

And so, [O Muhammad, say unto them:] "Flee I unto God [from all that is false and evil]! Verily, I am a plain warner to you from Him!

And so, await in patience thy Sustainer's judgment, for thou art well within Our sight. And extol thy Sustainer's limitless glory and praise whenever thou risest up,

that [which he conveys to you] is but [a divine] inspiration with which he is being inspired -

and that it is He who creates the two kinds - the male and the female -

THIS IS a warning like those warnings of old:40

THE LAST HOUR draws near, and the moon is I split asunder!

Hence, indeed, We made this Qur'an easy to bear in mind:11 who, then, is willing to take it to heart?

has imparted this Qur'an [unto man].

[on that Day,] then, shall you be [divided into] three kinds.

will indeed be gathered together at an appointed time on a Day known [only to God]:

Behold, it is a truly noble discourse,

[conveyed unto man] in a well-guarded divine writ

which none but the pure [of heart] can touch:27

It is He who bestows from on high clear messages unto [this] His servant, to lead you out of the deep darkness into the light: for, behold, God is most compassionate towards you, a dispenser of grace.

IS IT NOT time that the hearts of all who have attained to faith should feel humble at the remembrance of God and of all the truth that has been bestowed [on them] from on high, lest they become like those who were granted revelation aforetime, and whose hearts have hardened with the passing of time so that many of them are [now] depraved?

[But] know that God gives life to the earth after it has been lifeless! We have indeed made Our messages clear unto you, so that you might use your reason.

NO CALAMITY can ever befall the earth, and neither your own selves, unless it be [laid down] in Our decree before We bring it into being: verily, all this is easy for God.

HAD WE bestowed this Qur'an from on high upon a mountain, thou wouldst indeed see it humbling itself, breaking asunder for awe of ..... And [all] such parables We propound unto men, so that they might [learn to] think.

And [this happened, too,] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O children of Israel! Behold, I am an apostle of God unto you, [sent] to confirm the truth of whatever there still remains of the Torah, and to give [you] the glad tiding of an apostle who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad." But when he [whose coming Jesus had foretold] came unto them with all evidence of the truth, they said: "This [alleged message of his] is [nothing but] spellbinding eloquence!"

They aim to extinguish God's light with their utterances:9 but God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness, however hateful this may be to all who deny the truth.

But never does God grant a delay to a human being when his term has come; and God is fully aware of all that you do.

Believe then, [O men,] in God and His Apostle, and in the light [of revelation] which We have bestowed [on you] from on high! And God is fully aware of all that you do.

and provides for him in a manner beyond all expectation; and for everyone who places his trust in God He [alone] is enough. Verily, God always attains to His purpose: [and] indeed, unto everything has God appointed its [term and] measure.

[the while] God has readied for them [yet more] suffering severe [in the life to come]. Hence, remain conscious of God, O you who are endowed with insight - [you] who have attained to faith! God has indeed bestowed on you a reminder from on high:

[He has sent] an apostle who conveys unto you God's clear messages, so that He might those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds out of the depths of darkness into the light. And whoever believes in God and does what is right and just, him will He admit into gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the count of time: indeed, a most goodly provision will God have granted him!

Nun. CONSIDER the pen, and all that they write [therewith]!

[Be patient:] for this is nought else but a reminder [from God] to all mankind.

Behold, this [Quran] is indeed the [inspired] word of a noble apostle,

and is not however little you may [be prepared to] believe it - the word of a poet;

Now if he [whom We have entrusted with it] had dared to attribute some [of his own] sayings unto Us,

so that He may forgive you some of your sins, and grant you respite until a term known [to Him alone]:1 but, behold, when the term appointed by God does come, it can never be put back - if you but knew it!"

[And after a time, Noah] said: "O my Sustainer! Verily, I have been calling unto my people night and day

and has set up within them the moon as a light [reflected] and set up the sun as a [radiant] lamp?

SAY: "It has been revealed to me that some of the unseen beings gave ear [to this divine writ], and thereupon said [unto their fellow-beings]: "'Verily, we have heard a wondrous discourse,

Keep awake [in prayer] at night, all but a small part

This, verily, is a reminder: let him who wills, then set out on a way to his Sustainer!

BEHOLD, [O Prophet,] thy Sustainer knows that thou keepest awake [in prayer] nearly two-thirds of the night, or one-half of it, or a third of it, together with some of those who follow thee. And God who determines the measure of night and day, is aware that you would never grudge it:12 and therefore He turns towards you in His grace. Recite, then, as much of the Qur'an as you may do with ease. He knows that in time there will be among you sick people, and others who will go about the land in search of God's bounty, and others who will fight in God's cause. Recite, then, [only] as much of it as you may do with ease, and be constant in prayer, and spend in charity, and [thus] lend unto God a goodly loan: for whatever good deed you may offer up in your own behalf, you shall truly find it with God - yea, better, and richer in reward. And [always] seek God's forgiveness: behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

O THOU [in thy solitude] enfolded!

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MOVE NOT thy tongue in haste, [repeating the words of the revelation:]

Thus, when We recite it, follow thou its wording [with all thy mind]:8

crystal-like, [but] of silver - the measure whereof they alone will determine.

and bear in mind thy Sustainer's name at morn and evening

VERILY, all this is an admonition: whoever, then, so wills, may unto his Sustainer find a way.

CONSIDER these [messages,] sent forth in waves

In what other tiding, then, will they, after this, believe?

VERILY, the Day of Distinction [between the true and the false] has indeed its appointed time:

And after that, the earth: wide has He spread its expanse,

NAY, VERILY, these [messages] are but a reminder:4

in [the light of His] revelations blest with dignity,

BUT NAY! I call to witness the revolving stars,

For, this fellow-man of yours is not a madman:7

Nor is this [message] the word of any satanic force accursed.

and [that], when the Qur'an is read unto them, they do not fall down in prostration?

Nay, but this [divine writ which they reject] is a discourse sublime,

Consider the heavens, ever-revolving,

WE SHALL teach thee, and thou wilt not forget [aught of what thou art taught],

Verily, [all] this has indeed been [said] in the earlier revelations

And [have We not] raised thee high in dignity?

READ in the name of thy Sustainer, who has created

a servant [of God] from praying?

Nay, if he desist not, We shall most surely drag him down upon his forehead

BEHOLD, from on high have We bestowed this [divine writ] on Night of Destiny.

IT IS NOT [conceivable] that such as are bent on denying the truth - [be they] from among the followers of earlier revelation or from among those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God - should ever be abandoned [by Him] ere there comes unto them the [full] evidence of the truth: