Sūra IX. Tauba (Repentance) or Barāat (Immunity)

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

p. 436 p. 437 p. 438

Sūra IX.

Tauba (Repentance) or Barāat (Immunity).

1. A (declaration) of immunity
From God and His Apostle,
To those of the Pagans
With whom ye have contracted
Mutual alliances:—

2. Go ye, then, for four months,
Backwards and forwards,
(As ye will), throughout the land,
But know ye that ye cannot
Frustrate God (lay your falsehood)
But that God will cover
With shame those who reject Him.

3. And an announcement from God
And His Apostle, to the people
(Assembled) on the day
Of the Great Pilgrimage,—
That God and His Apostle
Dissolve (treaty) obligations
With the Pagans.
If, then, ye repent,
It were best for you;
But if ye turn away,

p. 439

Know ye that ye cannot
Frustrate God. And proclaim
A grievous penalty to those
Who reject Faith.

4. (But the treaties are)not dissolved
With those Pagans with whom
Ye have entered into alliance
And who have not subsequently
Failed you in aught,
Nor aided any one against you.
So fulfil your engagements
With them to the end
Of their term: for God
Loveth the righteous.

5. But when the forbidden months
Are past, then fight and slay
The Pagans wherever ye find them,
And seize them, beleaguer them,
And lie in wait for them
In every stratagem (of war);
But if they repent,
And establish regular prayers
And practise regular charity,
Then open the way for them:
For God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.

p. 440

6. If one amongst the Pagans
Ask thee for asylum,
Grant it to him,
So that he may hear the Word
Of God; and then escort him
To where he can be secure.
That is because they are
Men without knowledge.

SECTION 2.

7. How can there be a league,
Before God and His Apostle,
With the Pagans, except those
With whom ye made a treaty
Near the Sacred Mosque?
As long as these stand true
To you, stand ye true to them:
For God doth love the righteous.

8. How (can there be such a league),
Seeing that if they get an advantage
Over you, they respect not
In you the ties either of kinship

p. 441

Or of covenant? With (fair words
From) their mouths they entice you,
But their hearts are averse
From you; and most of them
Are rebellious and wicked.

9. The Signs of God have they sold
For a miserable price,
And (many) have they hindered
From His Way: evil indeed
Are the deeds they have done.

10. In a Believer they respect not
The ties either of kinship
Or of covenant! It is they
Who have transgressed all bounds.

11. But (even so), if they repent,
Establish regular prayers,
And practise regular charity,—
They are your brethren in Faith:
(Thus) do We explain the Signs
in detail, for those who understand.

12. But if they violate their oaths
After their covenant,
And taunt you for your Faith,—
Fight ye the chiefs of Unfaith:
For their oaths are nothing to them:
That thus they may be restrained.

13. Will ye not fight people
Who violated their oaths,

p. 442

Plotted to expel the Apostle,
And took the aggressive
By being the first (to assault) you?
Do ye fear them? Nay,
It is God Whom ye should
More justly fear, if ye believe!

14. Fight them, and God will
Punish them by your hands,
Cover them with shame,
Help you (to victory) over them,
Heal the breasts of Believers,

15. And still the indignation of their hearts!
For God will turn (in mercy)
To whom He will; and God
Is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

16. Or think ye that ye
Shall be abandoned,
As though God did not know'
Those among you who strive
With might and main, and take
None for friends and protectors
Except God, His Apostle,
And the (community of) Believers?
But God is well-acquainted
With (all) that ye do.

p. 443

SECTION 3.

17. It is not for such
As join gods with God,
To visit or maintain
The mosques of God
While they witness
Against their own souls
To infidelity. The works
Of such bear no fruit:
In Fire shall they dwell.

18. The mosques of God
Shall be visited and maintained
By such as believe in God
And the Last Day, establish
Regular prayers, and practise
Regular charity, and fear
None (at all) except God.
It is they who are expected
To be on true guidance!

19. Do ye make the giving
Of drink to pilgrims,

p. 444

Or the maintenance of
The Sacred Mosque, equal
To (the pious service of) those
Who believe in God
And the Last Day, and strive
With might and main
In the cause of God?
They are not comparable
In the sight of God:
And God guides not
Those who do wrong.

20. Those who believe, and suffer
Exile and strive with might
And main, in God's cause,
With their goods and their persons,
Have the highest rank
In the sight of God:
They are the people
Who will achieve (salvation).

21. Their Lord doth give them
Glad tidings of a Mercy
From Himself, of His good pleasure,
And of Gardens for them,
Wherein are delights
That endure:

22. They will dwell therein
For ever. Verily in God's presence
Is a reward, the greatest (of all).

23. O ye who believe! Take not
For protectors your fathers
And your brothers if they love
Infidelity above Faith:

p. 445

If any of you do so,
They do wrong.

24. Say; If it be that your fathers,
Your sons, your brothers,
Your mates, or your kindred;
The wealth that ye have gained;
The commerce in which ye fear
A decline: or the dwellings
In which ye delight—
Are dearer to you than God,
Or His Apostle, or the striving
In His cause;—then wait
Until God brings about
His Decision: and God
Guides not the rebellious.

SECTION 4.

25. Assuredly God did help you
In many battle-fields
And on the day of Ḥunain:
Behold! your great numbers
Elated you, but they availed
You naught: the land,
For all that it is wide,
Did. constrain you, and ye

p. 446

Turned back in retreat.

26. But God did pour His calm
On the Apostle and on the Believers,
And sent down forces which ye
Saw not: He punished
The Unbelievers: thus doth He
Reward those without Faith.

27. Again will God, after this,
Turn (in mercy) to whom
He will: for God
Is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

28. O ye who believe! Truly
The Pagans are unclean;
So let them not,
After this year of theirs,

p. 447

Approach the Sacred Mosque.
And if ye fear poverty,
Soon will God enrich you,
If He wills, out of His bounty,
For God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

29. Fight those who believe not
In God nor the Last Day,
Nor hold that forbidden
Which hath been forbidden
By God and His Apostle,
Nor acknowledge the Religion
Of Truth, (even if they are)
Of the People of the Book,
Until they pay the Jizya
With willing submission,
And feel themselves subdued.

p. 448

SECTION 5.

30. The Jews call ’Uzair a son
Of God, and the Christians
Call Christ the Son of God.
That is a saying from their mouth;
(In this) they but imitate
What the Unbelievers of old
Used to say. God's curse
Be on them: how they are deluded
Away from the Truth!

31. They take their priests
And their anchorites to be
Their lords in derogation of God,
And (they take as their Lord)
Christ the son of Mary;
Yet they were commanded
To worship but One God:
There is no god but He.
Praise and glory to Him
(Far is He) from having
The partners they associate
(With Him).

p. 449

32. Fain would they extinguish
God's Light with their mouths,
But God will not allow
But that His Light should be
Perfected, even though the Unbelievers
May detest (it).

33. It is He Who hath sent
His Apostle with Guidance
And the Religion of Truth,
To proclaim it
Over all religion,
Even though the Pagans
May detest (it).

34. O ye who believe! There are
Indeed many among the priests
And anchorites, who in falsehood
Devour the substance of men
And hinder (them) from the Way
Of God. And there are those
Who bury gold and silver
And spend it not in the Way.
Of God: announce unto them
A most grievous penalty—

p. 450

35. On the Day when heat
Will be produced out of
That (wealth) in the fire
Of Hell, and with it will be
Branded their foreheads,
Their flanks, and their backs.
—"This is the (treasure) which ye
Buried for yourselves: taste ye,
Then, the (treasures) ye buried!"

36. The number of months
In the sight of God
Is twelve (in a year)
So ordained by Him
The day He created
The heavens and the earth;
Of them four are sacred:
That is the straight usage.
So wrong not yourselves
Therein, and fight the Pagans

p. 451

All together as they
Fight you all together.
But know that God
Is with those who restrain
Themselves.

37. Verily the transposing
(Of a prohibited month)
Is an addition to Unbelief:
The Unbelievers are led
To wrong thereby: for they make
It lawful one year,
And forbidden another year,
In order to adjust the number
Of months forbidden by God
And make such forbidden ones
Lawful. The evil of their course
Seems pleasing to them.
But God guideth not
Those who reject Faith.

SECTION 6.

38. O ye who believe! what
Is the matter with you,
That, when ye are asked
To go forth in the Cause of God,
Ye cling heavily to the earth?
Do ye prefer the life
Of this world to the Hereafter?
But little is the comfort
Of this life, as compared
With the Hereafter.

p. 452

39. Unless ye go forth,
He will punish you
With a grievous penalty,
And put others in your place;
But Him ye would not harm
In the least. For God
Hath power over all things.

40. If ye help not (your Leader),
(it is no matter): for God
Did indeed help him,
When the Unbelievers
Drove him out: he had
No more than one companion:
They two were in the Cave,
And he said to his companion,
"Have no fear, for God
Is with us": then God
Sent down His peace upon him,
And strengthened him with forces
Which ye saw not, and humbled
To the depths the word
Of the Unbelievers.
But the word of God
Is exalted to the heights:
For God is Exalted in might, Wise

p. 453

41. Go ye forth, (whether equipped)
Lightly or heavily, and strive
And struggle, with your goods
And your persons, in the Cause
Of God. That is best
For you, if ye (but) knew.

42. If there had been
Immediate gain (in sight),
And the journey easy,
They would (all) without doubt
Have followed thee, but
The distance was long,
(And weighed) on them.
They would indeed swear
By God, "If we only could,
We should certainly
Have come out with you:"
They would destroy their own souls;
For God doth know
That they are certainly lying.

p. 454

SECTION 7.

43. God give thee grace! Why
Didst thou grant them exemption
Until those who told the truth
Were seen by thee in a clear light,
And thou hadst proved the liars?

44. Those who believe in God
And the Last Day ask thee
For no exemption from fighting
With their goods and persons.
And God knoweth well
Those who do their duty.

45. Only those ask thee for exemption
Who believe not in God
And the Last Day, and
Whose hearts are in doubt,
So that they are tossed
In their doubts to and fro.

46. If they had intended
To come out, they would
Certainly have made
Some preparation therefor;
But God was averse
To their being sent forth;
So He made them lag behind,
And they were told,
"Sit ye among those
Who sit (inactive)."

47. If they had come out
With you, they would not

p. 455

Have added to your (strength)
But only (made for) disorder,
Hurrying to and fro in your midst
And sowing sedition among you,
And there would have been
Some among you
Who would have listened to them.
But God knoweth well
Those who do wrong.

48. Indeed they had plotted
Sedition before, and upset
Matters for thee,—until
The Truth arrived, and the Decree
Of God became manifest,
Much to their disgust.

49. Among them is (many) a man
Who says: "Grant me exemption
And draw me not.
Into trial." Have they not
Fallen into trial already?
And indeed Hell surrounds
The Unbelievers (on all sides).

50. If good befalls thee,
It grieves them; but if
A misfortune befalls thee,
They say, "We took indeed
Our precautions beforehand,"
And they turn away rejoicing.

p. 456

51. Say: "Nothing will happen to us
Except what God has decreed
For us: He is our Protector":
And on God let the Believers
Put their trust.

52. Say: "Can you expect for us
(Any fate) other than one
Of two glorious things—
(Martyrdom or victory)?
But we can expect for you
Either that God will send
His punishment from Himself,
Or by our hands. So wait
(Expectant); we too
Will wait with you."

53. Say: "Spend (for the Cause)
Willingly or unwillingly:
Not from you will it be
Accepted: for ye are indeed
A people rebellious and wicked."

54. The only reasons why
Their contributions are not
Accepted are: that they reject
God and His Apostle;
That they come to prayer
Without earnestness; and that
They offer contributions unwillingly.

55. Let not their wealth rats
Nor their (following in) sons

p. 457

Dazzle thee: in reality
God's Plan is to punish them
With these things in this life,
And that their souls may perish
In their (very) denial of God.

56. They swear by God
That they are indeed
Of you; but they are not
Of you: yet they are afraid
(To appear in their true colours).

57. If they could find
A place to flee to,
Or caves, or a place
Of concealment, they would
Turn straightway thereto,
With an obstinate rush.

58. And among them are men
Who slander thee in the matter
Of (the distribution of) the alms:
If they are given part thereof,
They are pleased, but if not,
Behold! they are indignant!

59. If only they had been content
With what God and His Apostle
Gave them, and had said,
"Sufficient unto us is God!
God and His Apostle will soon
Give us of His bounty:
To God do we turn our hopes!"
(That would have been the right course).

p. 458

SECTION 8.

60. Alms are for the poor
And the needy, and those
Employed to administer the (funds);
For those whose hearts
Have been (recently) reconciled
(To Truth); for those in bondage
And in debt; in the cause
Of God; and for the wayfarer:
(Thus is it) ordained by God,
And God is full of knowledge
And wisdom.

61. Among them are men
Who molest the Prophet
And say, "He is (all) ear."
Say, "He listens to what is
Best for you: he believes
In God, has faith
In the Believers, and is a Mercy
To those of you who believe."
But those who molest the Apostle
Will have a grievous penalty.

62. To you they swear by God.
In order to please you:
But it is more fitting
That they should please
God and His Apostle,
If they are Believers.

p. 459

63. Know they not that for those
Who oppose God and His Apostle,
Is the Fire of Hell?—
Wherein they shall dwell.
That is the supreme disgrace.

64. The Hypocrites are afraid
Lest a Sūra should be sent down
About them, showing them what
Is (really passing) in their hearts.
Say: "Mock ye! But verily
God will bring to light all
That ye fear (should be revealed).

65. If thou dost question them,
They declare (with emphasis):
"We were only talking idly
And in play." Say: "Was it
At God, and His Signs,
And His Apostle, that ye
Were mocking?"

66. Make ye no excuses:
Ye have rejected Faith
After ye had accepted it.
If We pardon some of you,
We will punish others amongst you,
For that they are in sin.

SECTION 9.

67. The Hypocrites, men and women,
(Have an understanding) with each other:

p. 460

They enjoin evil, and forbid
What is just, and are close
With their hands. They have
Forgotten God; so He
Hath forgotten them. Verily
The Hypocrites are rebellious
And perverse.

68. God hath promised the Hypocrites
Men and women, and the rejecters,
Of Faith, the fire of Hell:
Therein shall they dwell:
Sufficient is it for them:
For them is the curse of God,
And an enduring punishment,—

69. As in the case of those
Before you: they were
Mightier than you in power,
And more flourishing in wealth
And children. They had
Their enjoyment of their portion:
And ye have of yours, as did
Those before you; and ye
Indulge in idle talk
As they did. They!—
Their works are fruitless
In this world and in the Hereafter,
And they will lose
(All spiritual good).

70. Hath not the story reached them
Of those before them?—
The people of Noah, and ’Ād,
And Thamūd; the people

p. 461

Of Abraham, the men
Of Midian, and the Cities overthrown.
To them came their apostles
With Clear Signs. It is
Not God Who wrongs them,
But they wrong their own souls.

71. The Believers, men
And women, are protectors,
One of another: they enjoin
What is just, and forbid
What is evil: they observe
Regular prayers, practise
Regular charity, and obey
God and His Apostle.
On them will God pour
His mercy: for God
Is Exalted in power, Wise:

72. God hath promised to Believers,
Men and women, Gardens
Under which rivers flow,
To dwell therein,
And beautiful mansions
In Gardens of everlasting bliss.
But the greatest bliss
Is the Good Pleasure of God:
That is the supreme felicity.

p. 462

SECTION 10.

73. O Prophet! strive hard against
The Unbelievers and the Hypocrites,
And be firm against them.
Their abode is Hell,—
An evil refuge indeed.

74. They swear by God that they
Said nothing (evil), but indeed
They uttered blasphemy,
And they did it after accepting
Islam; and they meditated
A plot which they were unable
To carry out: this revenge
Of theirs was (their) only return
For the bounty with which
God and His Apostle had enriched
Them! If they repent,
It will be best for them;
But if they turn back
(To their evil ways),
God will punish them
With a grievous penalty
In this life and in the Hereafter:
They shall have none on earth
To protect or help them.

75. Amongst them are men
Who made a Covenant with God,
That if He bestowed on them
Of His bounty, they would give
(Largely) in charity, and be truly
Amongst those who are righteous.

p. 463

76. But when He did bestow
Of His bounty, they became
Covetous, and turned back
(From their Covenant), averse
(From its fulfilment).

77. So He hath put as a consequence
Hypocrisy into their hearts,
(To last) till the Day whereon
They shall meet Him: because
They broke their Covenant
With God, and because they
Lied (again and again).

78. Know they not that God
Doth know their secret (thoughts)
And their secret counsels,
And that God knoweth well
All things unseen?

79. Those who slander such
Of the Believers as give themselves
Freely to (deeds of) charity,
As well as such as can find
Nothing to give except
The fruits of their labour,—
And throw ridicule on them,—
God will throw back

p. 464

Their ridicule on them:
And they shall have
A grievous penalty.

80. Whether thou ask
For their forgiveness,
Or not, (their sin is unforgivable):
If thou ask seventy times
For their forgiveness, God
Will not forgive them:
Because they have rejected
God and His Apostle: and God
Guideth not those
Who are perversely rebellious.

SECTION 11.

81. Those who were left behind
(In the Tabūk expedition)
Rejoiced in their inaction
Behind the back of the Apostle
Of God: they hated to strive
And fight, with their goods
And their persons, in the Cause
Of God: they said,
"Go not forth in the heat."
Say, "The fire of Hell
Is fiercer in heat." If
Only they could understand!

82. Let them laugh a little:
Much will they weep:

p. 465

A recompense for the (evil)
That they do.

83. If, then, God bring thee back
To any of them, and they ask
Thy permission to come out
(With thee), say: "Never shall ye
Come out with me, nor fight
An enemy with me:
For ye preferred to sit
Inactive on the first occasion:
Then sit ye (now)
With those who lag behind."

84. Nor do thou ever pray
For any of them that dies,
Nor stand at his grave;
For they rejected God
And His Apostle, and died
In a state of perverse rebellion.

85. Nor let their wealth
Nor their (following in) sons
Dazzle thee: God's Plan
Is to punish them
With these things in this world,
And that their souls may perish
In their (very) denial of God.

p. 466

86. When a Sūra comes down,
Enjoining them to believe
In God and to strive and fight
Along with His Apostle,
Those with wealth and influence
Among them ask thee
For exemption, and say:
"Leave us (behind): we
Would be with those
Who sit (at home)."

87. They prefer to be with (the women),
Who remain behind (at home):
Their hearts are sealed
And so they understand not.

88. But the Apostle, and those
Who believe with him,
Strive and fight with their wealth
And their persons: for them
Are (all) good things:
And it is they
Who will prosper.

89. God hath prepared for them
Gardens under which rivers flow,

p. 467

To dwell therein:
That is the supreme felicity.

SECTION 12.

90. And there were, among
The desert Arabs (also),
Men who made excuses
And came to claim exemption;
And those who were false
To God and His Apostle
(Merely) sat inactive.
Soon will a grievous penalty
Seize the Unbelievers
Among them.

91. There is no blame
On those who are infirm,

p. 468

Or ill, or who find
No resources to spend
(On the Cause), if they
Are sincere (in duty) to God
And His Apostle:
No ground (of complaint)
Can there be against such
As do right: and God
Is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

92. Nor (is there blame)
On those who came to thee
To be provided with mounts,
And when thou saidst,
"I can find no mounts
For you, "they turned back,
Their eyes streaming with tears
Of grief that they had
No resources wherewith
To provide the expenses.

93. The ground (of complaint)
Is against such as claim
Exemption while they are rich.
They prefer to stay
With the (women) who remain
Behind: God hath sealed
Their hearts; so they know not
(What they miss).

p. 469

94. They will present their excuses
To you when ye return
To them. Say thou: "Present
No excuses: we shall not
Believe you: God hath already
Informed us of the true state
Of matters concerning you:
It is your actions that God
And His Apostle will observe:
In the end will ye
Be brought back to Him
Who knoweth what is hidden
And what is open:
Then will He show you
The truth of all
That ye did."

95. They will swear to you by God,
When ye return to them,
That ye may leave them alone.
So leave them alone:
For they are an abomination,
And Hell is their dwelling-place,—
A fitting recompense
For the (evil) that they did.

96. They will swear unto you,
That ye may be pleased with them,
But if ye are pleased with them,
God is not pleased
With those who disobey.

97. The Arabs of the desert
Are the worst in unbelief
And hypocrisy, and most fitted
To be in ignorance
Of the command which God
Hath sent down to His Apostle:
But God is All-Knowing,
All-Wise.

98. Some of the desert Arabs
Look upon their payments

p. 470

As a fine, and watch
For disasters for you: on them
Be the disaster of Evil:
For God is He that heareth
And knoweth (all things).

99. But some of the desert Arabs
Believe in God and the Last Day,
And look on their payments
As pious gifts bringing them
Nearer to God and obtaining
The prayers of the Apostle.
Aye, indeed they bring them
Nearer (to Him): soon will God
Admit them to His Mercy:
For God is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.

SECTION 13.

100. The vanguard (of Islam)—
The first of those who forsook
(Their homes) and of those
Who gave them aid, and (also)
Those who follow them
In (all) good deeds,—
Well-pleased is God with them,
As are they with Him:

p. 471

For them hath He prepared
Gardens under which rivers flow,
To dwell therein for ever:
That is the supreme Felicity.

101. Certain of the desert Arabs
Round about you are Hypocrites,
As well as (desert Arabs) among
The Medina folk: they are
Obstinate in hypocrisy: thou
Knowest them not: We know them:
Twice shall We punish them:
And in addition shall they be
Sent to a grievous Penalty.

102. Others (there are who) have
Acknowledged their wrong-doings:
They have mixed an act
That was good with another
That was evil. Perhaps God
Will turn unto them (in mercy):
For God is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.

103. Of their goods take alms,
That so thou mightest
Purify and sanctify them;
And pray on their behalf.
Verily thy prayers are a source
Of security for them:
And God is One
Who heareth and knoweth.

p. 472

104. Know they not that God
Doth accept repentance from
His votaries and receives
Their gifts of charity, and that
God is verily He,
The Oft-Returning, Most Merciful?

105. And say: "Work (righteousness):
Soon will God observe your work,
And His Apostle, and the Believers:
Soon will ye be brought back
To the Knower of what is
Hidden and what is open:
Then will He show you
The truth of all that ye did."

106. There are (yet) others,
Held in suspense for the command
Of God, whether He will
Punish them, or turn in mercy
To them: and God
Is All-Knowing, Wise.

107. And there are those
Who put up a mosque

p. 473

By way of mischief and infidelity—
To disunite the Believers
And in preparation for one
Who warred against God
And His Apostle aforetime.
They will indeed swear
That their intention is nothing
But good; but God doth declare
That they are certainly liars.

108. Never stand thou forth therein.
There is a mosque whose foundation
Was laid from the first day
On piety; it is more worthy
Of thy standing forth (for prayer)
Therein. In it are men who
Love to be purified; and God
Loveth those who make themselves pure.

109. Which then is best?—he that
Layeth his foundation
On piety to God
And His Good Pleasure?—or he
That layeth his foundation
On an undermined sand-cliff
Ready to crumble to pieces?
And it doth crumble to pieces
With him, into the fire
Of Hell. And God guideth not
People that do wrong.

110. The foundation of those
Who so build is never free

p. 474

From suspicion and shakiness
In their hearts, until
Their hearts are cut to pieces.
And God is All-Knowing, Wise.

SECTION 14.

111. God hath purchased of the Believers
Their persons and their goods;
For theirs (in return)
Is the Garden (of Paradise):
They fight in His Cause,
And slay and are slain:
A promise binding on Him
In Truth, through the Law,
The Gospel, and the Qur-ān:
And who is more faithful
To his Covenant than God?
Then rejoice in the bargain
Which ye have concluded:
That is the achievement supreme.

p. 475

112. Those that turn (to God)
In repentance; that serve Him,
And praise Him; that wander
In devotion to the Cause of God;
That bow down and prostrate themselves
In prayer; that enjoin good
And forbid evil; and observe
The limits set by God;—
(These do rejoice). So proclaim
The glad tidings to the Believers.

113. It is not fitting,
For the Prophet and those
Who believe, that they should
Pray for forgiveness
For Pagans, even though
They be of kin, after it is
Clear to them that they
Are companions of the Fire.

114. And Abraham prayed
For his father's forgiveness
Only because of a promise
He had made to him.
But when it became clear
To him that he was
An enemy to God, he
Dissociated himself from him:
For Abraham was most
Tender-hearted, forbearing.

115. And God will not mislead
A people after He hath

p. 476

Guided them, in order that
He may make clear to them
What to fear (and avoid)—
For God hath knowledge
Of all things.

116. Unto God belongeth
The dominion of the heavens
And the earth. He giveth life
And He taketh it. Except for Him
Ye have no protector
Nor helper.

117. God turned with favour
To the Prophet, the Muhājirs,
And the Anṣār,—who followed
Him in a time of distress,
After that the hearts of a part
Of them had nearly swerved
(From duty); but He turned
To them (also): for He is
Unto them Most Kind,
Most Merciful.

118. (He turned in mercy also)
To the three who were left
Behind; (they felt guilty)
To such a degree that the earth

p. 477

Seemed constrained to them,
For all its speciousness,
And their (very) Souls seemed
Straitened to them,
And they perceived that
There is no fleeing from God
(And no refuge) but to Himself.
Then He turned to them,
That they might repent:
For God is Oft-Returning,
Most Merciful.

SECTION 15.

119. O ye who believe! Fear God
And be with those
Who are true (in word and deed).

120. It was not fitting
For the people of Medina
And the Bedouin Arabs
Of the neighbourhood, to refuse
To follow God's Apostle,
Nor to prefer their own lives
To his: because nothing
Could they suffer or do,
But was reckoned to their credit
As a deed of righteousness,—
Whether they suffered thirst,
Or fatigue, or hunger, in the Cause
Of God, or trod paths
To raise the ire of the Unbelievers,
Or received any injury

p. 478

Whatever from an enemy:
For God suffereth not
The reward to be lost
Of those who do good;—

121, Nor could they spend anything
(For the Cause)—small or great—
Nor cut across a valley,
But the deed is inscribed
To their credit; that God
May requite their deed
With the best (possible reward).

122. Nor should the Believers
All go forth together:
If a contingent
From every expedition
Remained behind,
They could devote themselves
To studies in religion,
And admonish the people
When they return to them,—
That thus they (may learn)
To guard themselves (against evil)

SECTION 16.

123. O ye who believe! Fight
The Unbelievers who gird you about,
And let them find firmness
In you: and know that God
Is with those who fear Him.

p. 479

124. Whenever there cometh down'
A Sūra, some of them say:
"Which of you has had
His faith increased by it?"
Yea, those who believe,—
Their faith is increased,
And they do rejoice.

125. But those in whose hearts
Is a disease,—it will add doubt
To their doubt, and they will die
In a state of Unbelief.

126. See they not that they
Are tried every year
Once or twice? Yet they
Turn not in repentance,
And they take no heed.

127. Whenever there cometh down
A Sūra, they look at each other,
(Saying), "Doth anyone see you?"
Then they turn aside:
God hath turned their hearts
(From the light); for they
Are a people that understand not.

128. Now hath come unto you
An Apostle from amongst

p. 480

Yourselves: it grieves him
That ye should perish:
Ardently anxious is he
Over you: to the Believers
Is he most kind and merciful.

129. But if they turn away,
Say: "God sufficeth me:
There is no god but He:
On Him is my trust,
He the Lord of the Throne
(Of Glory) Supreme!

p. 481 p. 482