Sūra III. Āl-i-’Imrān, or The Family of ’Imrān

The Holy Quran, tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934], at sacred-texts.com

p. 118 p. 119 p. 120 p. 121 p. 122

Sūra III.

Āl-i-’Imrān, or The Family of ’Imrān.

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

1. A. L. M.

2. God! There is no god
But He,—the Living,
The Self-Subsisting, Eternal.

3. It is He Who sent down
To thee (step by step),
In truth, the Book,
Confirming what went before it;
And He sent down the Law
(Of Moses) and the Gospel
(Of Jesus) before this,
As a guide to mankind,
And He sent down the Criterion
(Of judgment between right and wrong).

4. Then those who reject
Faith in the Signs of God
Will suffer the severest
Penalty, and God
Is Exalted in Might,
Lord of Retribution.

5. From God, verily
Nothing is hidden
On earth or in the heavens.

6. He it is Who shapes you
In the wombs as He pleases.

p. 123

There is no god but He,
The Exalted in Might,
The Wise.

7. He it is Who has sent down
To thee the Book:
In it are verses
Basic or fundamental
(Of established meaning);
They are the foundation
Of the Book: others
Are allegorical. But those
In whose hearts is perversity follow
The part thereof that is allegorical,
Seeking discord, and searching
For its hidden meanings,
But ṭo one knows
Its hidden meanings except God.
And those who are firmly grounded
In knowledge say: "We believe
In the Book; the whole of it
Is from our Lord:" and none
Will grasp the Message
Except men of understanding.

8. "Our Lord!" (they say),
"Let not our hearts deviate
Now after Thou hast guided us,
But grant us mercy
From Thine own Presence;
For Thou art the Grantor
Of bounties without measure.

p. 124

9. "Our Lord! Thou art He
That will gather mankind
Together against a Day about which
There is no doubt; for God
Never fails in His promise."

SECTION 2.

10. Whose who reject Faith,—
Neither their possessions
Nor their (numerous) progeny
Will avail them aught
Against God: they are themselves
But fuel for the Fire.

11. (Their plight will be)
No better than that
Of the people of Pharaoh,
And their predecessors:
They denied our Signs,
And God called them to account
For their sins.
For God is strict
In punishment.

12. Say to those who reject Faith:
"Soon will ye be vanquished
And gathered together
To Hell,—an evil bed
Indeed (to lie on)!

13. "There has already been
For you a Sign

p. 125

In the two armies
That met (in combat):
One was fighting in the Cause
Of God, the other
Resisting God; these saw
With their own eyes
Twice their number.
But God doth support
With His aid whom He pleaseth.
In this is a warning
For such as have eyes to see."

14. Fair in the eyes of men
Is the love of things they covet:
Women and sons;
Heaped-up hoards
Of gold and silver; horses
Branded (for blood and excellence);
And (wealth of) cattle
And well-tilled land.
Such are the possessions
Of this world's life;
But in nearness to God
Is the best of the goals
(To return to).

15. Say: Shall I give you
Glad tidings of things
Far better than those?
For the righteous are Gardens

p. 126

In nearness to their Lord,
With rivers flowing beneath;
Therein is their eternal home;
With Companions pure (and holy);
And the good pleasure of God.
For in God's sight
Are (all) His servants,—

16. (Namely), those who say:
"Our Lord! we have indeed
Believed: forgive us, then,
Our sins, and save us
From the agony of the Fire;"—

17. Those who show patience,
Firmness and self control;
Who are true (in word and deed);
Who worship devoutly;
Who spend (in the way of God);
And who pray for forgiveness
In the early hours of the morning.

18. There is no god but He
That is the witness of God,
His angels, and those endued
With knowledge, standing firm
On justice. There is no god but He,
The Exalted in Power,
The Wise.

19. The Religion before God
Is Islam (submission to His Will):
Nor did the People of the Book
Dissent therefrom except

p. 127

Through envy of each other,
After knowledge had come to them.
But if any deny the Signs of God,
God is swift in calling to account.

20. So if they dispute with thee,
Say: "I have submitted
My whole self to God
And so have those
Who follow me."
And say to the People of the Book
And to those who are unlearned:
"Do ye (also) submit yourselves?"
If they do, they are in right guidance,
But if they turn back,
Thy duty is to convey the Message;
And in God's sight
Are (all) His servants.

SECTION 3.

21. As to those who deny
The Signs of God, and in defiance

p. 128

Of right, slay the prophets,
And slay those who teach
Just dealing whith mankind,
Announce to them a grievous penalty.

22. They are those whose works
Will bear no fruit
In this world
And in the Hereafter,
Nor will they have
Anyone to help.

23. Hast thou not turned
Thy vision to those
Who have been given a portion
Of the Book? They are
Invited to the Book of God,
To settle their dispute,
But a party of them
Turn back and decline
(The arbitration).

24. This because they say:
"The Fire shall not touch us
But for a few numbered days":
For their forgeries deceive them
As to their own religion.

25. But how (will they fare)
When We gather them together

p. 129

Against a Day about which
There is no doubt,
And each soul will be paid out
Just what it has earned,
Without (favour or) injustice?

26. Say: "O God!
Lord of Power (and Rule),
Thou givest Power
To whom Thou pleasest,
And Thou strippest off Power
From whom Thou pleasest:
Thou enduest with honour
Whom Thou pleasest,
And Thou bringest low
Whom Thou pleasest:
In Thy hand is all Good."
Verily, over all things
Thou hast power.

27. "Thou causest the Night
To gain on the Day,
And Thou causest the Day
To gain on the Night;
Thou bringest the Living
Out of the Dead,
And Thou bringest the Dead
Out of the Living;
And Thou givest sustenance
To whom Thou pleasest,
Without measure."

28. let not the Believers
Take for friends or helpers

p. 130

Unbelievers rather than
Believers: if any do that,
In nothing will there be help
From God: except by way
Of precaution, that ye may
Guard yourselves from them,
But God cautions you
(To remember) Himself;
For the final goal
Is to God.

29. Say: "Whether ye hide
What is in your hearts
Or reveal it,
God knows it all:
He knows what is
In the heavens,
And what is on earth.
And God has power
Over all things.

30. "On the Day when every soul
Will be confronted
With all the good it has done,
And all the evil it has done,
It will wish there were
A great distance
Between it and its evil.
But God cautions you
(To remember) Himself.
And God is full of kindness
To those that serve Him."

p. 131

SECTION 4.

31. Say: "If ye do love God,
Follow me: God will love you
And forgive you your sins:
For God is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful."

32. Say: "Obey God
And His Apostle":
But if they turn back,
God loveth not those
Who reject Faith.

33. God did choose
Adam and Noah, the family
Of Abraham, and the family
Of ’Imrān above all people,—

34. Offspring, one of the other:
And God heareth
And knoweth all things.

35. Behold! a woman of ’Imrān
Said: "O my Lord! I do

p. 132

Dedicate unto Thee
What is in my womb
For Thy special service:
So accept this of me:
For Thou hearest
And knowest all things."

36. When she was delivered,
She said: "O my Lord!
Behold! I am delivered
Of a female child!"—
And God knew best
What she brought forth—
"And nowise is the male
Like the female.
I have named her Mary,
And I commend her
And her offspring
To Thy protection
From the Evil One,
The Rejected."

37. Right graciously
Did her Lord accept her:
He made her grow
In purity and beauty:
To the care of Zakarīya
Was she assigned.
Every time that he entered
(Her) chamber to see her,
He found her supplied
With sustenance. He said:
"O Mary! Whence (comes) this
To you?" She said:
"From God: for God
Provides sustenance
To whom He pleases,
Without measure."

p. 133

38. There here did Zakarīya
Pray to his Lord, saying:
"O my Lord! Grant unto me
From Thee a progeny
That is pure: for Thou
Art He that heareth prayer!

39. While he was standing
In prayer in the chamber,
The angels called unto him:
"God doth give thee
Glad tidings of Yaḥyā,
Witnessing the truth
Of a Word from God, and (be
Besides) noble, chaste,
And a Prophet,
Of the (goodly) company
Of the righteous."

40. He said: "O my Lord!
How shall I have a son,
Seeing I am very old,
And my wife is barren?"
"Thus, "was the answer,
"Doth God accomplish
What He willeth,"

41. He said: "O my Lord!
Give me a Sign!"
"Thy Sign, "was the answer,
"Shall be that thou
Shalt speak to no man
For three days
But with signals.
Then celebrate
The praises of thy Lord
Again and again,
And glorify Him
In the evening
And in the morning."

p. 134

SECTION 5.

42. Behold! the angels said:
"O Mary! God hath chosen thee
And purified thee—chosen thee
Above the women of all nations.

43. "O Mary! worship
Thy Lord devoutly:
Prostrate thyself,
And bow down (in prayer)
With those who bow down."

44. This is part of the tidings
Of the things unseen,
Which We reveal unto thee
(O Apostle!) by inspiration:
Thou wast not with them
When they cast lots
With arrows, as to which
Of them should be charged
With the care of Mary:
Nor wast thou with them
When they disputed (the point).

45. Behold! the angels said:
"O Mary! God giveth thee
Glad tidings of a Word
From Him: his name
Will be Christ Jesus,
The son of Mary, held in honour
In this world and the Hereafter
And of (the company of) those
Nearest to God;

p. 135

46. "He shall speak to the people
In childhood and in maturity.
And he shall be (of the company)
Of the righteous."

47. She said: "O my Lord!
How shall I have a son
When no man hath touched me?"
He said: "Even so:
God createth
What He willeth:
When He hath decreed
A Plan, He but saith
To it, 'Be,' and it is!

48. "And God will teach him
The Book and Wisdom,
The Law and the Gospel,

49. "And (appoint him)
An apostle to the Children
Of Israel, (with this message):
"'I have come to you,
With a Sign from your Lord,
In that I make for you
Out of clay, as it were,
The figure of a bird,
And breathe into it,
And it becomes a bird
By God's leave:
And I heal those
Born blind, and the lepers,
And I quicken the dead,
By God's leave;
And I declare to you
What ye eat, and what ye store
In your houses. Surely
Therein is a Sign for you
If ye did believe;

p. 136

50. "'(I have come to you),
To attest the Law
Which was before me.
And to make lawful
To you part of what was
(Before) forbidden to you;
I have come to you
With a Sign from your Lord.
So fear God,
And obey me.

51. "'It is God
Who is my Lord
And your Lord;
Then worship Him.
This is a Way
That is straight.'"

52. When Jesus found
Unbelief on their part
He said: "Who will be
My helpers to (the work
Of) God?" Said the Disciples:
"We are God's helpers:
We believe in God,
And do thou bear witness
That we are Muslims.

53. "Our Lord! we believe
In what Thou hast revealed,
And we follow the Apostle;
Then write us down
Among those who bear witness."

54. And (the unbelievers)
Plotted and planned,
And God too planned,
And the best of planners
Is God.

p. 137

SECTION 6.

55. Behold! God said:
"O Jesus! I will take thee
And raise thee to Myself
And clear thee (of the falsehoods)
Of those who blaspheme;
I will make those
Who follow thee superior
To those who reject faith,
To the Day of Resurrection:
Then shall ye all
Return unto me,
And I will judge
Between you of the matters
Wherein ye dispute.

56. "As to those who reject faith,
I will punish them
With terrible agony
In this world and in the Hereafter,
Nor will they have
Anyone to help.

57. "As to those who believe
And work righteousness,
God will pay them (in full)
Their reward;
But God loveth not
Those who do wrong.

58. "This is what we rehearse
Unto thee of the Signs
And the Message
Of Wisdom."

p. 138

59. The similitude of Jesus
Before God is as that of Adam;
He created him from dust,
Then said to him, "Be":
And he was.

60. The Truth (comes)
From God alone;
So be not of those
Who doubt.

61. If any one disputes
In this matter with thee,
Now after (full) knowledge
Hath come to thee,
Say: "Come! let us
Gather together,
Our sons and your sons,
Our women and your women,
Ourselves and yourselves:
Then let us earnestly pray,
And invoke the curse
Of God on those who lie!"

62. This is the true account:
There is no god
Except God;
And God—He is indeed

p. 139

The Exalted in Power,
The Wise.

63. But if they turn back,
God hath full knowledge
Of those who do mischief.

SECTION 7.

64. Say: "O People
Of the Book! come
To common terms
As between us and you:
That we worship
None but God;
That we associate
No partners with Him;
That we erect not,
From among ourselves,
Lords and patrons
Other than God."
If then they turn back,
Say ye: "Bear witness
That we (at least)
Are Muslims (bowing
To God's Will)."

p. 140

65. Ye People of the Book!
Why dispute ye
About Abraham,
When the Law and the Gospel
Were not revealed
Till after him?
Have ye no understanding?

66. Ah! Ye are those
Who fell to disputing
(Even) in matters of which
Ye had some knowledge!
But why dispute ye
In matters of which
Ye have no knowledge?
It is God Who knows,
And ye who know not!

67. Abraham was not a Jew
Nor yet a Christian;
But he was true in Faith,
And bowed his will to God's,
(Which is Islam),
And he joined not gods with God.

68. Without doubt, among men,
The nearest of kin to Abraham,
Are those who follow him,
As are also this Apostle
And those who believe:
And God is the Protector
Of those who have faith.

69. It is the wish of a section
Of the People of the Book
To lead you astray.
But they shall lead astray
(Not you), but themselves,
And they do not perceive!

70. Ye People of the Book!
Why reject ye

p. 141

The Signs of God,
Of which ye are
(Yourselves) witnesses?

71. Ye People of the Book!
Why do ye clothe
Truth with falsehood,
And conceal the Truth,
While ye have knowledge?

SECTION 8.

72. A section of the People
Of the Book say:
"Believe in the morning
What is revealed
To the Believers,
But reject it at the end
Of the day; perchance
They may (themselves)
Turn back;

73. "And believe no one
Unless he follows
Your religion."
Say: "True guidance
Is the guidance of God:
(Fear ye) lest a revelation
Be sent to someone (else)
Like unto that which was sent
Unto you? Or that those
(Receiving such revelation)
Should engage you in argument
Before your Lord?"
Say: "All bounties
Are in the hand of God:
He granteth them
To whom He pleaseth:

p. 142

And God careth for all,
And He knoweth all things."

74. For His Mercy He specially chooseth
Whom He pleaseth;
For God is the Lord
Of bounties unbounded.

75. Among the People of the Book
Are some who, if entrusted
With a hoard of gold,
Will (readily) pay it back;
Others, who, if entrusted
With a single silver coin,
Will not repay it unless
Thou constantly stoodest
Demanding, because,
They say, "there is no call
On us (to keep faith)
With these ignorant (Pagans)."
But they tell a lie against God,
And (well) they know it.

76. Nay.—Those that keep
Their plighted faith
And act aright,—verily
God loves those
Who act aright.

77. As for those who sell
The faith they owe to God
And their own plighted word
For a small price,
They shall have no portion
In the Hereafter:

p. 143

Nor will God
(Deign to) speak to them
Or look at them
On the Day of Judgment,
Nor will He cleanse them
(Of sin): they shall have
A grievous Penalty.

78. There is among them
A section who distort
The Book with their tongues
(As they read) you would think
It is a part of the Book,
But it is no part
Of the Book; and they say,
That is from God,"
But it is not from God:
It is they who tell
A lie against God,
And (well) they know it!

79. It is not (possible)
That a man, to whom
Is given the Book,
And Wisdom,
And the Prophetic Office,
Should say to people:
"Be ye my worshippers
Rather than God's":
On the contrary
(He would say):
"Be ye worshippers
Of Him Who is truly
The Cherisher of all:
For ye have taught
The Book and ye
Have studied it earnestly."

80. Nor would he instruct you
To take angels and prophets
For Lords and Patrons.
What! would he bid you

p. 144

To unbelief after ye have
Bowed your will
(To God in Islam)?

SECTION 9.

81. Behold! God took
The Covenant of the Prophets,
Saying: "I give you
A Book and Wisdom;
Then comes to you
An Apostle, confirming
What is with you;
Do ye believe in him
And render him help."
God said: "Do ye agree,
And take this my Covenant
As binding on you?"
They said: "We agree."
He said: "Then bear witness,
And I am with you
Among the witnesses."

82. If any turn back
After this, they are
Perverted transgressors.

83. Do they seek
For other than the Religion
Of God?—while all creatures
In the heavens and on earth
Have, willing or unwilling,
Bowed to His Will
(Accepted Islam),
And to Him shall they
All be brought back.

p. 145

84. Say: "We believe
In God, and in what
Has been revealed to us
And what was revealed
To Abraham, Ismā’īl;
Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes,
And in (the Books)
Given to Moses, Jesus,
And the Prophets,
From their Lord:
We make no distinction
Between one and another
Among them, and to God do we
Bow our will (in Islam)."

85. If anyone desires
A religion other than
Islam (submission to God),
Never will it be accepted
Of him; and in the Hereafter
He will be in the ranks
Of those who have lost
(All spiritual good).

86. How shall God
Guide those who reject
Faith after they accepted it
And bore witness
That the Apostle was true
And that Clear Signs
Had come unto them?
But God guides not
A people unjust.

87. Of such the reward
Is that on them (rests)

p. 146

The curse of God,
Of His angels,
And of all mankind;—

88. In that will they dwell;
Nor will their penalty
Be lightened, nor respite
Be their (lot);—

89. Except for those that repent
(Even) after that,
And make amends;
For verily God
Is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.

90. But those who reject
Faith after they accepted it,
And then go on adding
To their defiance of Faith,—
Never will their repentance
Be accepted; for they
Are those who have
(Of set purpose) gone astray.

91. As to those who reject
Faith, and die rejecting,—
Never would be accepted
From any such as much
Gold as the earth contains,
Though they should offer it
For ransom. For such
Is (in store) a penalty grievous,
And they will find no helpers.

p. 147

SECTION 10.

92. By no means shall ye
Attain righteousness unless
Ye give (freely) of that
Which ye love; and whatever
Ye give, of a truth
God knoweth it well.

93. All food was lawful
To the Children of Israel,
Except what Israel
Made unlawful for itself,
Before the Law (of Moses)
Was revealed. Say:
"Bring ye the Law
And study it,
If ye be men of truth."

94. If any, after this, invent
A lie and attribute it
To God, they are indeed
Unjust wrong-doers.

95. Say: "God speaketh
The Truth: follow
The religion of Abraham,
The sane in faith; he
Was not of the Pagans."

96. The first House (of worship)
Appointed for men
Was that at Bakka:
Full of blessing

p. 148

And of guidance
For all kinds of beings:

97. In it are Signs
Manifest; (for example),
The Station of Abraham;
Whoever enters it
Attains security;
Pilgrimage thereto is a duty
Men owe to God,
Those who can afford
The journey; but if any
Deny faith, God stands not
In need of any of His creatures.

98. Say: "O People of the Book!
Why reject ye the Signs
Of God, when God
Is Himself witness
To all ye do?"

99. Say: "O ye People of the Book!
Why obstruct ye
Those who believe,
From the Path of God,
Seeking to make it crooked,
While ye were yourselves
Witnesses (to God's Covenant)?'
But God is not unmindful
Of all that ye do."

100. O ye who believe!
If ye listen
To a faction
Among the People of the Book,
They would (indeed)
Render you apostates
After ye have believed!

101. And how would ye
Deny Faith while unto you
Are rehearsed the Signs
Of God, and among you

p. 149

Lives the Apostle?
Whoever holds
Firmly to God
Will be shown
A Way that is straight.

SECTION 11.

102. O ye who believe!
Fear God as He should be
Feared, and die not
Except in a state
Of Islam.

103. And hold fast,
All together, by the Rope
Which God (stretches out
For you), and be not divided
Among yourselves;
And remember with gratitude
God's favour on you;
For ye were enemies
And He joined your hearts
In love, so that by His Grace,
Ye became brethren;
And ye were on the brink
Of the Pit of Fire,
And He saved you from it.
Thus doth God make
His Signs clear to you:
That ye may be guided.

104. Let there arise out of you
A band of people
Inviting to all that is good,
Enjoining what is right,

p. 150

And forbidding what is wrong:
They are the ones
To attain felicity.

105. Be not like those
Who are divided
Amongst themselves
And fall into disputations
After receiving
Clear Signs:
For them
Is a dreadful Penalty,—

106. On the Day when
Some faces will be (lit up
With) white, and some faces
Will be (in the gloom of) black:
To those whose faces
Will be black, (will be said):
"Did ye reject Faith
After accepting it?
Taste then the Penalty
For rejecting Faith."

107. But those whose faces
Will be (lit with) white,—
They will be in (the light
Of) God's mercy: therein
To dwell (for ever).

108. These are the Signs
Of God: We rehearse them
To thee in Truth:
And God means
No injustice to any
Of His creatures.

109. To God belongs all
That is in the heavens

p. 151

And on earth: to Him
Do all questions
Go back (for decision).

SECTION 12.

110. Ye are the best
Of Peoples, evolved
For mankind,
Enjoining what is right,
Forbidding what is wrong,
And believing in God.
If only the People of the Book
Had faith, it were best
For them: among them
Are some who have faith,
But most of them
Are perverted transgressors.

111: They will do you no harm,
Barring a trifling annoyance;
If they come out to fight you,
They will show you their backs,
And no help shall they get.

112. Shame is pitched over them
(Like a tent) wherever
They are found,
Except when under a covenant
(Of protection) from God
And from men; they draw
On themselves wrath from God,
And pitched over them
Is (the tent of) destitution.
This because they rejected
The Signs of God, and slew
The Prophets in defiance of right;

p. 152

This because they rebelled
And transgressed beyond bounds.

113. Not all of them are alike:
Of the People of the Book
Are a portion that stand
(For the right); they rehearse
The Signs of God all night long,
And they prostrate themselves
In adoration.

114. They believe in God
And the Last Day;
They enjoin what is right,
And forbid what is wrong;
And they hasten (in emulation)
In (all) good works:
They are in the ranks
Of the righteous.

115. Of the good that they do,
Nothing will be rejected
Of them; for God knoweth well
Those that do right.

116. Those who reject Faith,—
Neither their possessions
Nor their (numerous) progeny
Will avail them aught against God:
They will be Companions
Of the Fire,—dwelling
Therein (for ever).

117. What they spend
In the life
Of this (material) world
May be likened to a Wind
Which brings a nipping frost:
It strikes and destroys the harvest
Of men who have wronged

p. 153

Their own souls: it is not God
That hath wronged them, but
They wrong themselves.

118. O ye who believe!
Take not into your intimacy
Those outside your ranks:
They will not fail
To corrupt you. They
Only desire your ruin:
Rank hatred has already
Appeared from their mouths:
What their hearts conceal
Is far worse.
We have made plain
To you the Signs,
If ye have wisdom.

119. Ah! ye are those
Who love them,
But they love you not,
Though ye believe
In the whole of the Book,
When they meet you,
They say, "We believe":
But when they are alone,
They bite off the very tips
Of their fingers at you
In their rage. Say:
"Perish in your rage;
God knoweth well
All the secrets of the heart."

120. If aught that is good
Befalls you, it grieves them;
But if some misfortune
Overtakes you, they rejoice

p. 154

At it. But if ye are constant
And do right,
Not the least harm
Will their cunning
Do to you; for God
Compasseth round about
All that they do.

SECTION 13.

121. Remember that morning
Thou didst leave
Thy household (early)
To post the Faithful
At their stations for battle:
And God heareth
And knoweth all things:

p. 155

122. Rememer two of your parties
Meditated cowardice;
But God was their protector,
And in God should the Faithful
(Ever) put their trust.

123. God had helped you
At Badr, when ye were
A contemptible little force;
Then fear God; thus
May ye show your gratitude.

124. Remember thou saidst
To the Faithful: "Is it not enough
For you that God should help you
With three thousand angels
(Specially) sent down?

125. "Yea,—if ye remain firm,
And act aright, even if
The enemy should rush here
On you in hot haste,
Your Lord would help you
With five thousand angels
Making a terrific onslaught."

126. God made it but a message
Of hope for you, and an assurance
To your hearts: (in any case)
There is no help
Except from God,
The Exalted, the Wise:

p. 156

127. That He might cut off
A fringe of the Unbelievers
Or expose them to infamy,
And they should then
Be turned back,
Frustrated of their purpose.

128. Not for thee, (but for God),
Is the decision:
Whether He turn in mercy
To them, or punish them;
For they are indeed wrong-doers.

129. To God belongeth all
That is in the heavens
And on earth.
He forgiveth whom He pleaseth
And punisheth whom He pleaseth
But God is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.

SECTION 14.

130. ye who believe!
Devour not Usury,
Doubled and multiplied;
But fear God; that
Ye may (really) prosper.

131. Fear the Fire, which is prepared
For those who reject Faith:

p. 157

132. And obey God
And the Apostle;
That ye may obtain mercy.

133. Be quick in the race
For forgiveness from your Lord,
And for a Garden whose width
Is that (of the whole)
Of the heavens
And of the earth,
Prepared for the righteous,—

134. Those who spend (freely),
Whether in prosperity,
Or in adversity;
Who restrain anger,
And pardon (all) men;—
For God loves those
Who do good;—

135. And those who,
Having done something
To be ashamed of,
Or wronged their own souls,
Earnestly bring God to mind,
And ask for forgiveness
For their sins,
And who can forgive
Sins except God?—
And are never obstinate
In persisting knowingly
In (the wrong) they have done

p. 158

136. For such the reward
Is forgiveness from their Lord,
And Gardens with rivers
Flowing underneath,—
An eternal dwelling:
How excellent a recompense
For those who work (and strive)!

137. Many were the Ways of Life
That have passed away
Before you: travel through
The earth, and see what was
The end of those
Who rejected Truth.

138. Here is a plain statement
To men, a guidance
And instruction to those
Who fear God!

139. So lose not heart,
Nor fall into despair:
For ye must gain mastery
If ye are true in Faith.

140. If a wound hath touched you,
Be sure a similar wound
Hath touched the others.
Such days (of varying fortunes)
We give to men and men
By turns: that God may know
Those that believe,
And that He may take
To Himself from your ranks
Martyr-witnesses (to Truth).
And God loveth not
Those that do wrong.

p. 159

141. God's object also is to purge
Those that are true in Faith
And to deprive of blessing
Those that resist Faith.

142. Did ye think that ye
Would enter Heaven
Without God testing
Those of you who fought hard
(In His Cause) and
Remained steadfast?

143. Ye did indeed
Wish for Death
Before ye met him:
Now ye have seen him
With your own eyes,
(And ye flinch!)

SECTION 15.

144. Muhammad is no more
Than an Apostle: many
Were the Apostles that passed away
Before him. If he died
Or were slain, will ye then
Turn back on your heels?
If any did turn back
On his heels, not the least
Harm will he do to God;
But God (on the other hand)
Will swiftly reward those
Who (serve him) with gratitude.

145. Nor can a soul die
Except by God's leave,

p. 160

The term being fixed
As by writing. If any
Do desire a reward
In this life, We shall give it
To him; and if any
Do desire a reward
In the Hereafter, We shall
Give it to him.
And swiftly shall We reward
Those that (serve us with) gratitude.

146. How many of the Prophets
Fought (in God's way),
And with them (fought)
Large bands of godly men?
But they never lost heart
If they met with disaster
In God's way, nor did
They weaken (in will)
Nor give in. And God
Loves those who are
Firm and steadfast.

147. All that they said was:
"Our Lord! forgive us
Our sins and anything
We may have done
That transgressed our duty:
Establish our feet firmly,
And help us against
Those that resist
Faith."

148. And God gave them
A reward in this world,
And the excellent reward
Of the Hereafter. For God
Loveth those who do good.

p. 161

SECTION 16.

149. O ye who believe!
If ye obey the Unbelievers,
They will drive you back
On your heels, and ye
Will turn back (from Faith)
To your own loss.

150. Nay, God is your Protector,
And He is the best of helpers.

151. Soon shall We cast terror
Into the hearts of the Unbelievers
For that they joined companions
With God, for which He had sew
No authority: their abode
Will be the Fire: and evil
Is the home of the wrong-doers!

152. God did indeed fulfil
His promise to you
When ye with His permission
Were about to annihilate
Your enemy,—until ye flinched
And fell to disputing
About the order,
And disobeyed it
After He brought you in sight
(Of the Booty) which ye covet.
Among you are some
That hanker after this world
And some that desire
The Hereafter. Then did He

p. 162

Divert you from your foes
In order to test you.
But He forgave you:
For God is full of grace
To those who believe.

153. Behold! ye were climbing up
The high ground, without even
Casting a side glance
At any one, and the Apostle
In your rear was calling you
Back. There did God give you
One distress after another
By way of requital,
To teach you not to grieve
For (the booty) that had escaped you
And for (the ill) that had befallen you.
For God is well aware
Of all that ye do.

154. After (the excitement)
Of the distress, He sent down
Calm on a band of you
Overcome with slumber,
While another band
Was stirred to anxiety
By their own feelings,
Moved by wrong suspicions
Of God—suspicions due
To Ignorance. They said:
"What affair is this of ours?"
Say thou: "Indeed, this affair

p. 163

Is wholly God's." They hide
In their minds what they
Dare not reveal to thee.
They say (to themselves):
"If we had had anything
To do with this affair,
We should not have been
In the slaughter here."
Say: "Even if you had remained
In your homes, those
For whom death was decreed
Would certainly have gone forth
To the place of their death";
But (all this was)
That God might test
What is in your breasts
And purge what is
In your hearts.
For God knoweth well
The secrets of your hearts.

155. Those of you
Who turned back
On the day the two hosts
Met,—it was Satan
Who caused them to fail,
Because of some (evil)
They had done. But God
Has blotted out (their fault):
For God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Forbearing.

SECTION 17.

156. O ye who believe!
Be not like the Unbelievers,
Who say of their brethren,
When they are travelling
Through the earth or engaged
In fighting: "If they had stayed
With us, they would not
Have died, or been slain."

p. 164

This that God may make it
A cause of sighs and regrets
In their hearts. It is God
That gives Life and Death,
And God sees well
All that ye do.

157. And if ye are slain, or die,
In the way of God,
Forgiveness and mercy
From God are far better
Than all they could amass.

158. And if ye die, or are slain,
Lo! it is-unto God
That ye are brought together.

159. It is part of the Mercy
Of God that thou dost deal
Gently with them.
Wert thou severe
Or harsh-hearted,
They would have broken away
From about thee: so pass over
(Their faults), and ask
For (God's) forgiveness
For them; and consult
Them in affairs (of moment).
Then, when thou hast
Taken a decision,
Put thy trust in God.

p. 165

For God loves those
Who put their trust (in Him).

160. If God helps you,
Non can overcome you:
If He forsakes you,
Who is there, after that,
That can help you?
In God, then,
Let Believers put their trust.

161. No prophet could (ever)
Be false to his trust.
If any person is so false,
He shall, on the Day
Of Judgment, restore
What he misappropriated;
Then shall every soul
Receive its due,—
Whatever it earned,—
And none shall be
Dealt with unjustly.

162. Is the man who follows
The good pleasure of God
Like the man who draws
On himself the wrath
Of God, and whose abode
Is in Hell?—
A woeful refuge!

163. They are in varying grades
In the sight of God,
And God sees well
All that they do.

164. God did confer
A great favour

p. 166

On the Believers
When He sent among them
An Apostle from among
Themselves, rehearsing
Unto them the Signs
Of God, sanctifying them,
And instructing them
In Scripture and Wisdom,
While, before that,
They had been
In manifest error.

165. What! When a single
Disaster smites you,
Although ye smote (your enemies)
With one twice as great,
Do ye say?—
"Whence is this?"
Say (to them):
"It is from yourselves:
For God hath power
Over all things."

166. What ye suffered
On the day the two armies
Met, was with the leave
Of God, in order that
He might test the Believers,—

167. And the Hypocrites also.
These were told: "Come,
Fight in the way of God,
Or (at least) drive
(The foe from Your city)."
They said: "Had we known
How to fight, we should
Certainly have followed you."

p. 167

They were that day
Nearer to Unbelief
Than to Faith,
Saying with their lips
What was not in their hearts.
But God hath full knowledge
Of all they conceal.

168. (They are) the ones that say,
(Of their brethren slain),
While they themselves
Sit (at ease): "If only
They had listened to us,
They would not have been slain."
Say: "Avert death
From your own selves,
If ye speak the truth."

169. Think not of those
Who are slain in God's way
As dead. Nay, they live,
Finding their sustenance
In the Presence of their Lord;

170. They rejoice in the Bounty
Provided by God:
And with regard to those
Left behind, who have not
Yet joined them (in their bliss),
The (Martyrs) glory in the fact
That on them is no fear,
Nor have they (cause to) grieve.

171. They glory in the Grace
And the Bounty from God,
And in the fact that
God suffereth not

p. 168

The reward of the Faithful
To be lost (in the least).

SECTION 18.

172. Of those who answered
The call of God
And the Apostle,
Even after being wounded,
Those who do right
And refrain from wrong
Have a great reward;—

173. Men said to them:
"A great army is gathering
Against you":
And frightened them:
But it (only) increased
Their Faith: they said:
"For us God sufficeth,
And He is the best
Disposer of affairs."

174. And they returned
With Grace and Bounty
From God: no harm
Ever touched them:
For they followed
The good pleasure of God:
And God is the Lord
Of bounties unbounded.

175. It is only the Evil One
That suggests to you
The fear of his votaries:
Be ye not afraid
Of them, but fear Me,
If ye have Faith.

176. Let not those grieve thee
Who rush headlong
Into Unbelief:
Not the least harm
Will they do to God:
God's Plan is that He

p. 169

Will give them no portion
In the Hereafter,
But a severe punishment.

177. Those who purchase
Unbelief at the price
Of faith,
Not the least harm
Will they do to God,
But they will have
A grievous punishment.

178. Let not the Unbelievers
Think that Our respite
To them is good for themselves:
We grant them respite
That they may grow
In their iniquity:
But they will have
A shameful punishment.

179. God will not leave
The Believers in the state
In which ye are now,
Until He separates
What is evil
From what is good.
Nor will He disclose
To you the secrets
Of the Unseen,
But He chooses
Of His Apostles
(For the purpose)
Whom He pleases.
So believe in God
And His Apostles:
And if ye believe
And do right,
Ye have a reward
Without measure.

p. 170

180. And let not those
Who covetously withhold
Of the gifts which God
Hath given them of His Grace,
Think that it is good for them:
Nay, it will be the worse
For them: soon shall the things
Which they covetously withheld
Be tied to their necks
Like a twisted collar,
On the Day of Judgment.
To God belongs the heritage
Of the heavens and the earth;
And God is well-acquainted
With all that ye do.

SECTION 19.

181. God hath heard
The taunt of those
Who say: "Truly, God
Is indigent and we
Are rich!"—We shall
Certainly record their word

p. 171

And (their act) of slaying
The Prophets in defiance
Of right, and We shall say:
"Taste ye the Penalty
Of the Scorching Fire!

182. "This is because
Of the (unrighteous deeds)
Which your hands
Sent on before ye:
For God never harms
Those who serve Him."

183. They (also) said: "God took
Our promise not to believe
In an apostle unless
He showed us a sacrifice
Consumed by fire
(From heaven)." Say:
"There came to you
Apostles before me,
With Clear Signs
And even with what
Ye ask for: why then
Did ye slay them,
If ye speak the truth?"

184. Then if they reject thee,
So were rejected apostles
Before thee, who came
With Clear Signs,
Books of dark prophecies,
And the Book of Enlightenment.

p. 172

185. Every soul shall have
A taste of death:
And only on the Day
Of Judgment shall you
Be paid your full recompense.
Only he who is saved
Far from the Fire
And admitted to the Garden
Will have attained
The object (of Life):
For the life of this world
Is but goods and chattels
Of deception.

186. Ye shall certainly
Be tried and tested
In your possessions
And in your personal selves;
And ye shall certainly
Hear much that will grieve you,
From those who received
The Book before yot:
And from those who
Worship many gods.
But if ye persevere
Patiently, and guard
Against evil,—then
That will be
A determining factor
In all affairs.

187. And remember
God took a Covenant
From the People of the Book,
To make it known
And clear to mankind,
And not to hide it;

p. 173

But they threw it away
Behind their backs,
And purchased with it
Some miserable gain!
And vile was the bargain
They made!

188. Think not that those
Who exult in what they
Have brought about, and love
To be praised for what
They have not done,—
Think not that they
Can escape the Penalty.
For them is a Penalty
Grievous indeed.

189. To God belongeth
The dominion
Of the heavens
And the earth;
And God hath power
Over all things.

SECTION 20.

190. Behold! In the creation
Of the heavens and the earth,
And the alternation
Of Night and Day,—
There are indeed Signs
For men of understanding,—

191. Men who celebrate
The praises of God,
Standing, sitting,
And lying down on their sides,
And contemplate
The (wonders of) creation

p. 174

In the heavens and the earth,
(With the thought):
"Our Lord! not for naught
Hast Thou created (all) this!
Glory to Thee! Give us
Salvation from the Penalty
Of the Fire.

192. "Our Lord! any whom Thou
Dost admit to the Fire,
Truly Thou coverest with shame,
And never will wrong-doers
Find any helpers!

193. "Our Lord! we have heard
The call of one calling
(Us) to Faith, 'Believe ye
In the Lord,' and we
Have believed. Our Lord!
Forgive us our sins,
Blot out from us
Our iniquities, and take
To Thyself our souls
In the company of the righteous.

194. "Our Lord! Grant us
What Thou didst promise
Unto us through Thine Apostles,
And save us from shame
On the Day of Judgment:
For Thou never breakest
Thy promise."

195. And their Lord hath accepted
Of them, and answered them:
"Never will I suffer to be lost
The work of any of you,

p. 175

Be he male or female:
Ye are members, one of another:
Those who have left their homes,
Or been driven out therefrom,
Or suffered harm in My Cause,
Or fought or been slain,—
Verily, I will blot out
From them their iniquities,
And admit them into Gardens
With rivers flowing beneath;—
A reward from the Presence
Of God, and from His Presence
Is the best of rewards."

196. Let not the strutting about
Of the Unbelievers
Through the land
Deceive thee:

197. Little is it for enjoyment:
Their ultimate abode
Is Hell: what an evil bed
(To lie on)!

198. On the other hand, for those
Who fear their Lord,
Are Gardens, with rivers
Flowing beneath; therein
Are they to dwell (for ever),—
A gift from the Presence
Of God; and that which is
In the Presence of God
Is the best (bliss)
For the righteous.

199. And there are, certainly,
Among the People of the Book,

p. 176

Those who believe in God,
In the revelation to you,
And in the revelation to them,
Bowing in humility to God:
They will not sell
The Signs of God
For a miserable gain!
For them is a reward
With their Lord,
And God is swift in account.

200. O ye who believe!
Persevere in patience
And constancy; vie
In such perseverance;
Strengthen each other;
And fear God;
That ye may prosper.