Sūra VI. An’ām, or Cattle

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

p. 288 p. 289

Sūra VI.

An’ām, or Cattle.

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

1. Praise be to God,
Who created the heavens
And the earth,
And made the Darkness
And the Light.
Yet those who reject Faith
Hold (others) as equal.
With their Guardian-Lord.

2. He it is Who created
You from clay, and then
Decreed a stated term
(For you). And there is
In His Presence another
Determined term; yet
Ye doubt within yourselves!

3. And He is God
In the heavens
And on earth.
He knoweth what ye
Hide, and what ye reveal,
And He knoweth
The (recompense) which
Ye earn (by your deeds)

p. 290

4. But never did a single
One of the Signs
Of their Lord reach them,
But they turned
Away therefrom.

5. And now they reject
The truth when it reaches
Them: but soon shall they
Learn the reality of what
They used to mock at.

6. See they not how many
Of those before them
We did destroy?—
Generations We had established
On the earth, in strength
Such as We have not given
To you—for whom
We poured out rain
From the skies in abundance,
And gave (fertile) streams
Flowing beneath their (feet):
Yet for their sins
We destroyed them,
And raised in their wake
Fresh generations
(To succeed them).

7. If We had sent
Unto thee a written
(Message) on parchment,
So that they could
Touch it with their hands,
The Unbelievers would
Have been sure to say:
"This is nothing but

p. 291

Obvious magic!"

8. They say: "Why is not
An angel sent down to him?"
If We did send down
An angel, the matter
Would be settled at once,
And no respite
Would be granted them.

9. If We had made it
An angel, We should
Have sent him as a man,
And We should certainly
Have caused them confusion
In a matter which they have
Already covered with confusion.

10. Mocked were (many)
Apostles before thee;
But their scoffers
Were hemmed in
By the thing that they mocked.

SECTION 2.

11. Say: "Travel through the earth
And see what was the end
Of those who rejected Truth".

12. Say: "To whom I elongeth
All that is in the heavens

p. 292

And on earth?" Say:
"To God. He hath inscribed
For Himself (the rule of) Mercy.
That He will gather you
Together for the Day of Judgment,
There is no doubt whatever.
It is they who have lost
Their own souls, that will
Not believe.

13. To him belongeth all
That dwelleth (or lurketh)
In the Night and the Day.
For He is the One
Who heareth and knoweth
All things."

14. Say: "Shall I take
For my protector
Any other than God,
The Maker of the heavens
And the earth?
And He it is that
Feedeth but is not fed."
Say: "Nay! but I am
Commanded to be the first
Of those who bow
To God (in Islam),
And be not thou
Of the company of those
Who join gods with God."

p. 293

15. Say: "I would, if I
Disobeyed my Lord,
Indeed have fear
Of the Penalty
Of a Mighty Day.

16. "On that day, if the Penalty
Is averted from any,
It is due to God's Mercy;
And that would be (Salvation),
The obvious fulfilment
Of all desire.

17. "If God touch thee
With affliction, none
Can remove it but He;
If He touch thee with happiness,
He hath power over all things.

18. "He is the Irresistible, (watching)
From above over His worshippers;
And He is the Wise,
Acquainted with all things."

19. Say: "What thing is most
Weighty in evidence?"
Say: "God is witness
Between me and you;
This Qur-ān hath been
Revealed to me by inspiration,
That I may warn you
And all whom it reaches.
Can ye possibly bear witness
That besides God there is
Another God?" Say:
"Nay! I cannot bear witness!"
Say: But in truth
He is the One God,

p. 294

And I truly am innocent
Of (your blasphemy of) joining
Others with Him."

20. Those to whom
We have given the Book
Know this as they know
Their own sons.
Those who have lost
Their own souls
Refuse therefore to believe.

SECTION 3.

21. Who doth more wrong
Than he who inventeth
A lie against God
Or rejecteth His Signs?
But verily the wrong-doers
Never shall prosper.

22. One day shall We gather
Them all together: We
Shall say to those
Who ascribed partners (to Us):
"Where are the partners
Whom ye (invented
And) talked about?"

23. There will then be (left)
No subterfuge for them
But to say: "By God
Our Lord, we were not
Those who joined gods
With God."

24. Behold! how they lie
Against their own souls!

p. 295

But the (lie) which they
Invented will leave themes:
In the lurch.

25. Of them there are some
Who (pretend to) listen to thee;
But We have thrown
Veils on their hearts,
So they understand it not,
And deafness in their ears;
If they saw every one
Of the Signs, not they
Will believe in them;
In so much that
When they come to thee,
They (but) dispute with thee;
The Unbelievers say:
"These are nothing
But tales of the ancients."

26. Others they keep away from it,
And themselves they keep away;
But they only destroy
Their own souls,
And they perceive it not.

27. If thou couldst but see
When they are confronted
With the Fire!
They will say:
"Would that we were
But sent back!
Then would we not reject
The Signs of our Lord,
But would be amongst those
Who believe!"

28. Yea, in their own (eyes)
Will become manifest
What before they concealed.
But if they were returned,
They would certainly relapse
To the things they were forbidden,

p. 296

For they are indeed liars.

29. And they (sometimes) say:
"There is nothing except
Our life on this earth,
And never shall we be
Raised up again."

30. If thou couldst but see
When they are confronted
With their Lord!
He will say:
"Is not this the truth?"
They will say:
"Yea, by our Lord!"
He will say:
"Taste ye then the Penalty,
Because ye rejected Faith."

SECTION 4.

31. Lost indeed are they
Who treat it as a falsehood
That they must meet God,
Until on a sudden
The hour is on them,
And they say: "Ah! woe
Unto us that we took
No thought of it";
For they bear their burdens
On their backs,

p. 297

And evil indeed are
The burdens that they bear?

32. What is the life of this world
But play and amusement? ess
But best is the Home
In the Hereafter, for those
Who are righteous.
Will ye not then understand?

33. We know indeed the grief
Which their words do cause thee:
It is not thee they reject:
It is the Signs of God,
Which the wicked contemn.

34. Rejected were the Apostles
Before thee: with patience
And constancy they bore
Their rejection and their wrongs,
Until Our aid did reach
Them: there is none
That can alter the Words
(And Decrees) of God.
Already hast thou received
Some account of those Apostles.

35. If their spurning is hard
On thy mind, yet if
Thou wert able to seek
A tunnel in the ground
Or a ladder to the skies
And bring them a Sign,—
(What good?). If it were
God's Will, He could
Gather them together
Unto true guidance:

p. 298

So be not thou
Amongst those who are swayed
By ignorance (and impatience)!

36. Those who listen (in truth),
Be sure, will accept:
As to the dead, God will
Raise them up; then will they
Be turned unto Him.

37. Whey say: "Why is not
A Sign sent down
To him from his Lord?"
Say: "God hath certainly
Power to send down a Sign:
But most of them
Understand not."

38. There is not an animal
(That lives) on the earth,
Nor a being that flies
On its wings, but (forms
Part of) communities like you.
Nothing have we omitted
From the Book, and they (all)
Shall be gathered to their Lord
In the end.

39. Those who reject our Signs
Are deaf and dumb,—

p. 299

In the midst of darkness
Profound: whom God willeth,
He leaveth to wander:
Whom He willeth, He placeth
On the Way that is Straight.

40. Say: "Think ye to yourselves,
If there come upon you
The Wrath of God,
Or the Hour (that ye dread),
Would ye then call upon
Other than God?—
(Reply) if ye are truthful!

41. "Nay,—On Him would ye
Call, and if it be
His Will, He would remove
(The distress) which occasioned
Your call upon Him,
And ye would forget
(The false gods) which ye
Join with Him!"

SECTION 5.

42. Before thee We sent
(Apostles) to many nations,
And We afflicted the nations
With suffering and adversity,
That they might learn humility.

43. When the suffering reached
Them from Us, why then
Did they not learn humility?
On the contrary their hearts
Became hardened, and Satan
Made their (sinful) acts
Seem alluring to them.

44. But when they forgot
The warning they had received,

p. 300

We opened to them the gates
Of all (good) things,
Until, in the midst
Of their enjoyment
Of our gifts,
On a sudden, We called
Them to account, when lo!
They were plunged in despair!

45. Of the wrong-doers the last
Remnant was cut off.
Praise be to God,
The Cherisher of the Worlds.

46. Say:"Think ye, if God
Took away your hearing
And your sight, and sealed up
Your hearts, who—a god
Other than God—could
Restore them to you?"
See how We explain
The Signs by various (symbols);
Yet they turn aside.

47. Say:"Think ye, if
The Punishment of God
Comes to you,
Whether suddenly or openly,
Will any be destroyed
Except those who do wrong?

48. We send the apostles
Only to give good news

p. 301

And to warn: so those
Who believe and mend
(Their lives),—upon them
Shall be no fear,
Nor shall they grieve.

49. But those who reject
Our Signs,—them
Shall punishment touch,
For that they ceased not
From transgressing.

50. Say:"I tell you not
That with me
Are the Treasures of God,
Nor do I know
What is hidden,
Nor do I tell you I am
An angel. I but follow
What is revealed to me."
Say:"Can the blind
Be held equal to the seeing?"
Will ye then consider not?

SECTION 6.

51. Give this warning to those
In whose (hearts) is the fear
That they will be brought
(To Judgment) before their Lord:
Except for Him
They will have no protector
Nor intercessor:
That they may guard
(Against evil).

p. 302

52. Send not away those
Who call on their Lord
Morning and evening,
Seeking His Face.
In naught art thou accountable
For them, and in naught are they
Accountable for thee,
That thou shouldst turn
Them away, and thus be
(One) of the unjust.

53. Thus did We try
Some of them by comparison
With others, that they
Should say:"Is it these
Then that God hath
Favoured from amongst us?"
Doth not God know best
Those who are grateful?

54. When those come to thee
Who believe in Our Signs,
Say: "Peace be on you:
Your Lord hath inscribed
For Himself (the rule
Of) Mercy: verily,
If any of you did evil
In ignorance, and thereafter

p. 303

Repented, and amended
(His conduct), lo! He is
Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

55. Thus do We explain
The Signs in detail:
That the way of the sinners
May be shown up.

SECTION 7.

56. Say: "I am forbidden
To worship those—others
Than God—whom ye
Call upon." Say: "I will
Not follow your vain desires:
If I did, I would stray
From the path, and be not
Of the company of those
Who receive guidance."

57. Say; "For me, I (work)
On a clear Sign from my Lord,
But ye reject Him. What ye
Would see hastened, is not
In my power. The Command
Rests with none but God:
He declares the Truth,
And He is the best of judges."

58. Say: "If what ye would see
Hastened were in my power,
The matter would be settled
At once between you and me.

p. 304

But God knoweth best
Those who do wrong."

59. With Him are the keys
Of the Unseen, the treasures
That none knoweth but He.
He knoweth whatever there is
On the earth and in the sea.
Not a leaf doth fall
But with His knowledge:
There is not a grain
In the darkness (or depths)
Of the earth, nor anything
Fresh or dry (green or withered),
But is (inscribed) in a Record
Clear (to those who can read).

60. It is He Who doth take
Your souls by night,
And hath knowledge of all
That ye have done by day:
By day doth He raise
You up again; that a term
Appointed be fulfilled;
In the end unto Him
Will be your return;
Then will He show you
The truth of all
That ye did.

p. 305

SECTION 8.

61Ḥe is the Irresistible, (watching)
From above over His worshippers,
And He sets guardians
Over you. At length,
When death approaches
One of you, Our angels
Take his soul, and they
Never fail in their duty.

62. Then are men returned
Unto God, their Protector,
The (only) Reality:
Is not His the Command?
And He is the Swiftest
In taking account.

63. Say: "Who is it
That delivereth you
From the dark recesses
Of land and sea,
When ye call upon Him
In humility

p. 306

And silent terror:
If He only delivers us
From these (dangers),
(We vow) we shall truly
Show our gratitude?"

64. Say: "It is God
That delivereth you
From these and all (other)
Distresses: and yet
Ye worship false gods!"

65. Say: "He hath power
To send calamities
On you, from above
And below, or to cover
You with confusion
In party strife,
Giving you a taste
Of mutual vengeance—
Each from the other."
See how We explain
The Signs by various (symbols);
That they may understand.

66. But thy people reject
This, though it is
The Truth. Say: "Not mine
Is the responsibility
For arranging your affairs;

67. For every Message
Is a limit of time,
And soon shall ye
Know it."

p. 307

68. When thou seest men
Engaged in vain discourse
About Our Signs, turn
Away from them unless
They turn to a different
Theme. If Satan ever
Makes thee forget, then
After recollection, sit not
Thou in the company
Of those who do wrong.

69. On their account
No responsibility
Falls on the righteous,
But (their duty)
Is to remind them,
That they may (learn
To) fear God.

70. Leave alone those
Who take their religion
To be mere play
And amusement,
And are deceived
By the life of this world.
But proclaim (to them)
This (truth): that every soul
Delivers itself to ruin
By its own acts:
It will find for itself
No protector or intercessor
Except God: if it offered
Every ransom, (or
Reparation), none
Will be accepted: such is
(The end of) those who
Deliver themselves to ruin
By their own acts:
They will have for drink
(Only) boiling water,

p. 308

And for punishment,
One most grievous:
For they persisted
In rejecting God.

SECTION 9.

71. Say: "Shall we indeed
Call on others besides God,
Things that can do us
Neither good nor harm,—
And turn on our heels
After receiving guidance
From God?—like one
Whom the evil ones
Have made into a fool,
Wandering bewildered
Through the earth, his friends
Calling 'Come to us',
(Vainly) guiding him to the Path."

Say: "God's guidance
Is the (only) guidance,
And we have been directed
To submit ourselves
To the Lord of the worlds;—

72. "To establish regular prayers
And to fear God:
For it is to Him
That we shall be
Gathered together."

73. It is He Who created
The heavens and the earth
In true (proportions):
The day He saith, "Be,"

p. 309

Behold! it is. His Word
Is the Truth. His will be
The dominion the day
The trumpet will be blown.
He knoweth the Unseen
As well as that which is
Open. For He
Is the Wise, well acquainted
(With all things).

74. Lo! Abraham said
To his father Āzar:
"Takest thou idols for gods?
For I see thee
And thy people
In manifest error."

75. So also did We show
Abraham the power
And the laws of the heavens
And the earth, that he
Might (with understanding)
Have certitude.

76. When the night
Covered him over,
He saw a star:
He said: "This is my Lord."
But when it set,
He said: "I love not
Those that set."

77. When he saw the moon
Rising in splendour,
He said: "This is my Lord."
But when the moon set,

p. 310

He said: "Unless my Lord
Guide me, I shall surely
Be among those
Who go astray.

78. When he saw the sun
Rising in splendour,
He said: "This is my Lord;
This is the greatest (of all)."
But when the sun set,
He said: "O my people!
I am indeed free
From your (guilt)
Of giving partners to God.

79. "For me, I have set
My face, firmly and truly,
Towards Him Who created
The heavens and the earth,
And never shall I give
Partners to God."

80. His people disputed
With him. He said:
"(Come) ye to dispute
With me, about God,
When He (Himself)
Hath guided me?
I fear not (the beings)
Ye associate with God:

p. 311

Unless my Lord willeth,
(Nothing can happen).
My Lord comprehendeth
In His knowledge all things.
Will ye not (yourselves)
Be admonished?

81. "How should I fear
(The beings) ye associate
With God, when ye
Fear not to give partners
To God without any warrant
Having been given to you?
Which of (us) two parties
Hath more right to security?
(Tell me) if ye know.

82. "It is those who believe
And confuse not their beliefs
With wrong—that are
(Truly) in security, for they
Are on (right) guidance."

SECTION 10.

83. That was the reasoning
About Us, which
We gave to Abraham
(To use) against his people:

p. 312

We raise whom We will,
Degree after degree:
For thy Lord is full
Of wisdom and knowledge.

84. We gave him Isaac
And Jacob: all (three)
We guided:
And before him,
We guided Noah,
And among his progeny,
David, Solomon, Job,
Joseph, Moses, and Aaron:
Thus do We reward
Those who do good:

85. And Zakarīya and John,
And Jesus and Elias:
All in the ranks
Of the Righteous:

86. And Ismā’īl and Elisha,
And Jonas, and Lot:

p. 313

And to all We gave
Favour above the nations:

87. (To them) and to their fathers,
And progeny and brethren:
We chose them,
And We guided them
To a straight Way.

88. This is the Guidance
Of God: He giveth
That guidance to whom
He pleaseth, of His worshippers.
If they were to join
Other gods with Him,
All that they did
Would be vain for them,

89. These were the men
To whom We gave
The Book, and Authority,
And Prophethood: if these
(Their descendants) reject them,
Behold! We shall entrust
Their charge to a new People
Who reject them not.

90. Those were the (prophets)
Who received God's guidance:
Copy the guidance they received;
Say: "No reward for this
Do I ask of you:
This is no less than
A Message for the nations."

SECTION 11.

91. No just estimate of God
Do they make when they say:

p. 314

"Nothing doth God send down
To man (by way of revelation)":
Say: "Who then sent down
The Book which Moses brought?—
A light and guidance to man:
But ye make it into
(Separate) sheets for show,
While ye conceal much
(Of its contents): therein
Were ye taught that
Which ye knew not
Neither ye nor your fathers."
Say: "God (sent it down)":
Then leave them to plunge
In vain discourse and trifling.

92. And this is a Book
Which We have sent down,
Bringing blessings, and confirming
(The revelations) which came
Before it: that thou
Mayest warn the Mother
Of Cities and all around her.
Those who believe
In the Hereafter
Believe in this (Book),
And they are constant
In guarding their Prayers.

93. Who can be more wicked
Than one who inventeth

p. 315

A lie against God,
Or saith, "I have
Received inspiration,"
When he hath received
None, or (again) who saith,
"I can reveal the like
Of what God hath revealed"?
If thou couldst but see
How the wicked (do fare)
In the flood of confusion
At death!—the angels
Stretch forth their hands,
(Saying), "Yield up your souls:
This day shall ye receive
Your reward,—a penalty
Of shame, for that ye used
To tell lies against God,
And scornfully to reject
Of His Signs!"

94. "And behold! ye come
To Us bare and alone
As We created you
For the first time:
Ye have left behind you
All (the favours) which
We bestowed on you:
We see not with you
Your intercessors
Whom ye thought to be
Partners in your affairs:
So now all relations
Between you have been
Cut off, and your (pet) fancies
Have left you in the lurch!

p. 316

SECTION 12.

95. It is God Who causeth
The seed-grain
And the date-stone
To split and sprout.
He causeth the living
To issue from the dead,
And He is the One
To cause the dead
To issue from the living.
That is God: then how
Are ye deluded
Away from the truth?

p. 317

96. He it is that cleaveth
The day-break (from the dark):
He makes the night
For rest and tranquillity,
And the sun and moon
For the reckoning (of time):
Such is the judgment
And ordering of (Him),
The Exalted in Power,
The Omniscient.

97. It is He Who maketh
The stars (as beacons) for you,
That ye may guide yourselves,
With their help,
Through the dark spaces
Of land and sea:
We detail Our Signs
For people who know.

98. It is He Who hath
Produced you
From a single person:
Here is a place of sojourn
And a place of departure:
We detail Our signs
For people who understand.

p. 318

99. It is He Who sendeth down
Rain from the skies:
With it We produce
Vegetation of all kinds:
From some We produce
Green (crops), out of which
We produce grain,
Heaped up (at harvest);
Out of the date-palm
And its sheaths (or spathes)
(Come) clusters of dates
Hanging low and near:
And (then there are) gardens
Of grapes, and olives,
And pomegranates,
Each similar (in kind)
Yet different (in variety):
When they begin to bear fruit,
Feast your eyes with the fruit
And the ripeness thereof.
Behold! in these things
There are Signs for people
Who believe.

p. 319

100.Yet they make
The Jinns equals
With God, though God
Did create the Jinns;
And they falsely,
Having no knowledge,
Attribute to Him
Sons and daughters.
Praise and glory be
To Him! (for He is) above
What they attribute to Him!

SECTION 13.

101. To Him is due
The primal origin
Of the heavens and the earth:
How can He have a son
When He hath no consort?
He created all things,
And He hath full knowledge
Of all things.

102. That is God, your Lord!
There is no god but He,
The Creator of all things:
Then worship ye Him:
And He hath power
To dispose of all affairs.

103. No vision can grasp Him,
But His grasp is over

p. 320

All vision: He is
Above all comprehension,
Yet is acquainted with all things.

104. "Now have come to you,
From your Lord, proofs
(To open your eyes):
If any will see,
It will be for (the good
Of) his own soul;
If any will be blind,
It will be to his own
(Harm): I am not (here)
To watch over your doings.

105. Thus do We explain
The Signs by various (symbols):
That they may say,
"Thou hast taught (us) diligently,"
And that We may make
The matter clear
To those who know.

106. Follow what thou art taught
By inspiration from thy Lord:
There is no god but He:
And turn aside from those
Who join gods with God.

p. 321

107. If it had been God's Plan,
They would not have taken
False gods: but We
Made thee not one
To watch over their doings,
Nor art thou set
Over them to dispose
Of their affairs.

108. Revile not ye
Those whom they call upon
Besides God, lest
They out of spite
Revile God
In their ignorance.
Thus have We made
Alluring to each people'
Its own doings.
In the end will they
Return to their Lord,
And We shall then

p. 322

Tell them the truth
Of all that they did.

109. They swear their strongest
Oaths by God, that if
A (special) Sign came
To them, by it they would
Believe. Say: "Certainly
(All) Signs are in the power
Of God: but what will
Make you (Muslims) realise
That (even) if (special) Signs
Came, they will not believe."?

110. We (too) shall turn
To (confusion) their hearts
And their eyes, even as they
Refused to believe in this
In the first instance:
We shall leave them
In their trespasses,
To wander in distraction.

p. 323

SECTION 14.

111. Even if We did send
Unto them angels,
And the dead did speak
Unto them, and We gathered
Together all things before
Their very eyes, they are not
The ones to believe,
Unless it is in God's Plan.
But most of them
Ignore (the truth).

112. Likewise did We make
For every Messenger
An enemy,—evil ones
Among men and Jinns,
Inspiring each other
With flowery discourses
By way of deception.
If thy Lord had so planned,
They would not have
Done it: so leave them
And their inventions alone.

113. To such (deceit)
Let the hearts of those
Incline, who have no faith
In the Hereafter: let them
Delight in it, and let them
Earn from it what they may

p. 324

114. Say: "Shall I seek
For judge other than God?—
When He it is
Who hath sent unto you
The Book, explained in detail."
They know full well,
To whom We have given
The Book, that it hath been
Sent down from thy Lord
In truth. Never be then
Of those who doubt.

115. The Word of thy Lord
Doth find its fulfilment
In truth and in justice:
None can change His Words:
For He is the one Who
Heareth and knoweth all.

116. Wert thou to follow
The common run of those
On earth, they will lead
Thee away from the Way
Of God. They follow
Nothing but conjecture: they
Do nothing but lie.

117. Thy Lord knoweth best
Who strayeth from His Way:
He knoweth best
Who they are that receive
His guidance.

118. So eat of (meats)
On which God's name
Hath been pronounced,
If ye have faith
In His Signs.

119. Why should ye not
Eat of (meats) on which
God's name hath been
Pronounced, when He hath
Explained to you in detail
What is forbidden to you—

p. 325

Except under compulsion
Of necessity?
But many do mislead (men)
By their appetites unchecked
By knowledge. Thy Lord
Knoweth best those who transgress

120. Eschew all sin,
Open or secret:
Those who earn sin
Will get due recompense
For their "earnings."

121. Eat not of (meats)
On which God's name
Hath not been pronounced:
That would be impiety.
But the evil ones
Ever inspire their friends
To contend with you
If ye were to obey them,
Ye would indeed be Pagans.

SECTION 15.

122. Can he who was dead,
To whom We gave life,
And a Light whereby
He can walk amongst men,
Be like him who is
In the depths of darkness,
From which he can
Never come out?
Thus to those without Faith
Their own deeds seem pleasing.

123. Thus have We placed
Leaders in every town,

p. 326

Its wicked men, to plot
(And burrow) therein:
But they only plot
Against their own souls,
And they perceive it not.

124. When there comes to them
A Sign (from God),
They say: "We shall not
Believe until we receive
One (exactly) like those
Received by God's apostles."
God knoweth best where
(And how) to carry out
His mission. Soon
Will the wicked
Be overtaken by
Humiliation before God,
And a severe punishment,
For all their plots.

125. Those whom God (in His Plan)
Willeth to guide,—He openeth
Their breast to Islam;
Those whom He willeth
To leave straying,—He maketh
Their breast close and constricted,
As if they had to climb
Up to the skies: thus
Doth God (heap) the penalty
On those who refuse to believe.

126. This is the Way
Of thy Lord, leading straight:

p. 327

We have detailed the Signs
For those who
Receive admonition.

127. For them will be a Home
Of Peace in the presence
Of their Lord: He will be
Their Friend, because
They practised (righteousness).

128. One day will He gather
Them all together, (and say):
"O ye assembly of Jinns!
Much (toll) did ye take
Of men." Their friends
Amongst men will say:
"Our Lord! we made profit no
From each other: but (alas!)
We reached our term—
Which Thou didst appoint
For us." He will say:
"The Fire be your dwelling-place:
You will dwell therein for ever,
Except as God willeth."
For thy Lord is full
Of wisdom and knowledge.

129. Thus do We make
The wrong-doers turn
To each other, because
Of what they earn.

p. 328

SECTION 16.

130. "O ye assembly of Jinns
And men! came there not
Unto you apostles from amongst you
Setting forth unto you
My Signs, and warning you
Of the meeting of this Day
Of yours?" They will say:
"We bear witness against
Ourselves." It was
The life of this world
That deceived them. So
Against themselves will they
Bear witness that they
Rejected Faith.

131. (The apostles were sent) thus,
For thy Lord would not
Destroy for their wrong-doing
Men's habitations whilst
Their occupants were unwarned.

132. To all are degrees (or ranks)
According to their deeds:
For thy Lord
Is not unmindful
Of anything that they do.

133. Thy Lord is Self-sufficient,
Full of Mercy: if it were
His Will, He could destroy
You, and in your place
Appoint whom He will
As your successors, even as
He raised you up
From the posterity
Of other people.

p. 329

134. All that hath been
Promised unto you
Will come to pass:
Nor can ye frustrate it
(In the least bit).

135. Say: "O my people!
Do whatever ye can:
I will do (my part):
Soon will ye know
Who it is whose end
Will be (best) in the Hereafter:
Certain it is that
The wrong-doers will not prosper."

136. Out of what God
Hath produced in abundance
In tilth and in cattle,
They assigned Him a share:
They say, according to their fancies:
"This is for God, and this"—
For Our "partners"!
But the share of their "partners"
Reacheth not God, whilst
The share of God reacheth
Their "partners"! Evil
(And unjust) is their assignment!

p. 330

137. Even so, in the eyes
Of most of the Pagans,
Their "partners" made alluring
The slaughter of their children,
In order to lead them
To their own destruction,
And cause confusion
In their religion.
If God had willed,
They would not have done so:
But leave alone
Them and their inventions.

138. And they say that
Such and such cattle and crops
Are taboo, and none should
Eat of them except those
Whom—so they say—We
Wish; further, there are
Cattle forbidden to yoke
Or burden, and cattle
On which, (at slaughter),
The name of God is not
Pronounced;—inventions
Against God's name: soon
Will He requite them
For their inventions.

139. They say: "What is
In the wombs of
Such and such cattle
Is specially reserved
(For food) for our men,
And forbidden to our women;
But if it is still-born,
Then all have shares therein.

p. 331

For their (false) attribution
(Of superstitions to God),
He will soon punish them:
For He is full
Of wisdom and knowledge.

140. Lost are those who slay
Their children, from folly,
Without knowledge, and forbid
Food which God hath provided
For them, inventing (lies)
Against God. They have
Indeed gone astray
And heeded no guidance.

SECTION 17.

141. It is He who produceth
Gardens, with trellises
And without, and dates,
And tilth with produce
Of all kinds, and olives
And pomegranates,
Similar (in kind)
And different (in variety):
Eat of their fruit
In their season, but render
The dues that are proper
On the day that the harvest
Is gathered. But waste not
By excess: for God
Loveth not the wasters.

142. Of the cattle are some
For burden and some for meat:

p. 332

Eat what God hath provided
For you, and follow not
The footsteps of Satan:
For he is to you
An avowed enemy.

143. (Take) eight (head of cattle)
In (four) pairs:
Of sheep a pair,
And of goats a pair;
Say, hath He forbidden
The two males,
Or the two females,
Or (the young) which the wombs
Of the two females enclose?
Tell me with knowledge
If ye are truthful:

144. Of camels a pair,
And of oxen a pair;
Say, hath He forbidden
The two males,
Or the two females,
Or (the young) which the wombs
Of the two females enclose?—
Were ye present when God
Ordered you such a thing?
But who doth more wrong
Than one who invents
A lie against God,
To lead astray men
Without knowledge?
For God guideth not
People who do wrong

SECTION 18.

145. Say: "I find not
In the Message received
By me by inspiration
Any (meat) forbidden
To be eaten by one
Who wishes to eat it,
Unless it be dead meat,
Or blood poured forth,

p. 333

Or the flesh of swine,—
For it is an abomination—
Or, what is impious, (meat)
On which a name has been
Invoked, other than God's."
But (even so), if a person
Is forced by necessity,
Without wilful disobedience,
Nor transgressing due limits,—
Thy Lord is Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.

146. For those who followed
The Jewish Law, We forbade
Every (animal) with
Undivided hoof,
And We forbade them
The fat of the ox
And the sheep, except
What adheres to their backs
Or their entrails,
Or is mixed up
With a bone:
This in recompense
For their wilful disobedience:
For We are True
(In Our ordinances).

147. If they accuse thee
Of falsehood, say:
"Your Lord is full
Of mercy all-embracing;
But from people in guilt
Never will His wrath
Be turned back.

148. Those who give partners
(To God) will say:

p. 334

"If God had wished,
We should not have
Given partners to Him,
Nor would our fathers;
Nor should we have had
Any taboos." So did
Their ancestors argue
Falsely, until they tasted
Of Our wrath. Say:
"Have ye any (certain)
Knowledge? If so, produce
It before us. Ye follow
Nothing but conjecture:
Ye do nothing but lie."

149. Say: "With God is the argument
That reaches home: if it had
Been His Will, He could
Indeed have guided you all."

150. Say: "Bring forward your witnesses
To prove that God did
Forbid so and so." If they
Bring such witnesses,
Be not thou amongst them:
Nor follow thou the vain
Desires of such as treat
Our Signs as falsehoods,
And such as believe not
In the Hereafter: for they
Hold others as equal
With their Guardian-Lord.

p. 335

SECTION 19.

151. Say: "Come, I will rehearse
What God hath (really)
Prohibited you from": join not
Anything as equal with Him;
Be good to your parents;
Kill not your children
On a plea of want;—We
Provide sustenance for you
And for them;—come not
Nigh to shameful deeds,
Whether open or secret;
Take not life, which God
Hath made sacred, except
By way of justice and law:
Thus doth He command you,
That ye may learn wisdom.

152. And come not nigh
To the orphan's property,
Except to improve it,
Until he attain the age
Of full strength; give measure
And weight with (full) justice;—
No burden do We place
On any soul, but that
Which it can bear;—
Whenever ye speak, speak justly,

p. 336

Even if a near relative
Is concerned; and fulfil
The Covenant of God:
Thus doth He command you,
That ye may remember.

153. Verily, this is My Way,
Leading straight: follow it:
Follow not (other) paths:
They will scatter you about
From His (great) Path:
Thus doth He command you,
That ye may be righteous.

154. Moreover, We gave Moses
The Book, completing
(Our favour) to those
Who would do right,
And explaining all things
In detail,—and a guide
And a mercy, that they
Might believe in the meeting
With their Lord.

SECTION 20.

155. And this is a Book
Which We have revealed
As a blessing: so follow it
And be righteous, that ye
May receive mercy:

156. Lest ye should say:
"The Book was sent down
To two Peoples before us,
And for our part, we
Remained unacquainted

p. 337

With all that they learned
By assiduous study;"

157. Or lest ye should say:
"If the Book had only
Been sent down to us,
We should have followed
Its guidance better than they."
Now then hath come
Unto you a Clear (Sign)
From your Lord,—and a guide
And a mercy: then who
Could do more wrong
Than one who rejecteth
God's Signs, and turneth
Away therefrom? In good time
Shall We requite those
Who turn away from Our Signs,
With a dreadful penalty,
For their turning away.

158. Are they waiting to see
If the angels come to them,
Or thy Lord (Himself),
Or certain of the Signs
Of thy Lord!
The day that certain
Of the Signs of thy Lord
Do come, no good
Will it do to a soul
To believe in them then,
If it believed not before
Nor earned righteousness
Through its Faith. Say:
"Wait ye: we too
Are waiting."

p. 338

159. As for those who divide
Their religion and break up
Into sects, thou hast
No part in them in the least:
Their affair is with God:
He will in the end
Tell them the truth
Of all that they did.

160. He that doeth good
Shall have ten times
As much to his credit:
He that doeth evil
Shall only be recompensed
According to his evil:
No wrong shall be done
Unto (any of) them.

161. Say: "Verily, my Lord
Hath guided me to
A Way that is straight,—
A religion of right,
The Path (trod) by Abraham
The true in faith,
And he (certainly)
Joined not gods with God."

162. Say: "Truly, my prayer
And my service of sacrifice,
My life and my death,
Are (all) for God,
The Cherisher of the Worlds:

163. No partner hath He:
This am I commanded,
And I am the first
Of those who bow
To His Will.

164. Say: "Shall I seek
For (my) Cherisher

p. 339

Other than God,
When He is the Cherisher
Of all things (that exist)?
Every soul draws the meed
Of its acts on none
But itself: no bearer
Of burdens can bear
The burden of another.
Your goal in the end
Is towards God: He will tell
You the truth of the things
Wherein ye disputed."

165. It is He Who hath made
You (His) agents, inheritors
Of the earth: He hath raised
You in ranks, some above
Others: that He may try you
In the gifts He hath given you:
For thy Lord is quick
In punishment: yet He
Is indeed Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.

p. 340