Sūra XXII. Ḥajj, or The Pilgrimage

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

p. 850

Sūra XXII.

Ḥajj, or The Pilgrimage.

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

1. O mankind! Fear your Lord!
For the convulsion of the Hour
(Of Judgment) will be
A thing terrible!

2. The Day ye shall see it,
Every mother giving suck
Shall forget her suckling-babe,
And every pregnant female
Shall drop her load (unformed):
Thou shalt see mankind
As in a drunken riot,
Yet not drunk: but dreadful
Will be the Wrath of God.

3. And yet among men
There are such as dispute
About God, without knowledge,
And follow every evil one
Obstinate in rebellion!

4. About the (Evil One)
It is decreed that whoever
Turns to him for friendship,
Him will he lead astray,
And he will guide him
To the Penalty of the Fire.

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5. O mankind! if ye have
A doubt about the Resurrection,
(Consider) that We created you
Out of dust, then out of
Sperm, then out of a leech-like
Clot, then out of a morsel
Of flesh, partly formed
And partly unformed, in order
That We may manifest
(Our power) to you;
And We cause whom We will
To rest in the wombs
For an appointed term,
Then do We bring you out
As babes, then (foster you)
That ye may reach your age
Of full strength; and some
Of you are called to die,
And some are sent back
To the feeblest old age,
So that they know nothing
After having known (much),
And (further), thou seest
The earth barren and lifeless,
But when We pour down
Rain on it, it is stirred
(To life), it swells,
And it puts forth every kind
Of beautiful growth (in pairs).

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6. This is so, because God
Is the Reality: it is He
Who gives life to the dead,
And it is He Who has
Power over all things.

7. And verily the Hour will come:
There can be no doubt
About it, or about (the fact)
That God will raise up
All who are in the graves.

8. Yet there is among men
Such a one as disputes
About God, without knowledge,
Without guidance, and without
A Book of Enlightenment,—

9. (Disdainfully) bending his side,
In order to lead (men) astray
From the Path of God:
For him there is disgrace
In this life, and on the Day
Of Judgment We shall
Make him taste the Penalty
Of burning (Fire).

10. (It will be said): "This is
Because of the deeds which
Thy hands sent forth,
For verily God is not
Unjust to His servants."

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SECTION 2.

11. There are among men
Some who serve God,
As it were, on the verge:
If good befalls them, they are,
Therewith, well content; but
If a trial comes to them,
They turn on their faces:
They lose both this world
And the Hereafter: that
Is loss for all to see!

12. They call on such deities:
Besides God, as can neither
Hurt nor profit them:
That is straying far indeed
(From the Way)!

13. (Perhaps) they call on one
Whose hurt is nearer
Than his profit: evil, indeed,
Is the patron, and evil
The companion (for help)!

14. Verily God will admit
Those who believe and work
Righteous deeds, to Gardens,
Beneath which rivers flow:
For God carries out
All that He plans,

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15. If any think that God
Will not help him
(His Apostle) in this world
And the Hereafter, let him
Stretch out a rope
To the ceiling and cut (himself)
Off: then let him see
Whether his plan will remove
That which enrages (him)!

16. Thus have We sent down
Clear Signs; and verily
God Both guide whom
He will!

17. Those who believe (in the Qur-ān),
Those who follow the Jewish (scriptures),
And the Sabians, Christians,
Magians, and Polytheists,—
God will judge between them

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On the Day of Judgment:
For God is witness
Of all things.

18. Seest thou not that
To God bow down in worship
All things that are
In the heavens and on earth,—
The sun, the moon, the stars;
The hills, the trees, the animals;
And a great number among
Mankind? But a great number
Are (also) such as are
Fit for Punishment: and such
As God shall disgrace,
None can raise to honour:
For God carries out
All that He wills.

19. These two antagonists dispute
With each other about their Lord:
But those who deny (their Lord),—
For them will be cut out
A garment of Fire:
Over their heads will be
Poured out boiling water.

20. With it will be scalded
What is within their bodies,
As well as (their) skins.

21. In addition there will be
Maces of iron (to punish) them.

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22. Every time they wish
To get away therefrom,
From anguish, they will be
Forced back therein, and
(It will be said), "Taste ye
The Penalty of Burning!"

SECTION 3.

23. God will admit those
Who believe and work righteous deeds,
To Gardens beneath which
Rivers flow: they shall be
Adorned therein with bracelets
Of gold and pearls; and
Their garments there
Will be of silk.

24. For they have been guided
(In this life) to the purest
Of speeches; they have been
Guided to the Path of Him
Who is Worthy of (all) Praise.

25. As to those who have rejected
(God), and would keep back (men)
From the Way of God, and
From the Sacred Mosque, which
We have made (open) to (all) men—
Equal is the dweller there
And the visitor from the country
And any whose purpose therein
Is profanity or wrong-doing—
Them will We cause to taste
Of a most grievous Penalty.

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SECTION 4.

26. Behold! We gave the site,
To Abraham, of the (Sacred) House,
(Saying): "Associate not anything
(In worship) with Me;
And sanctify My House
For those who compass it round,
Or stand up,
Or bow, or prostrate themselves
(Therein in prayer).

27. "And proclaim the Pilgrimage
Among men: they will come
To thee on foot and (mounted)
On every kind of camel,
Lean on accout of journeys
Through deep and distant
Mountain highways;

28. "That they may witness
The benefits (provided) for them,

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And celebrate the name
Of God, through the Days
Appointed, over the cattle
Which He has provided for them
(For sacrifice): then eat ye
Thereof and feed the distressed
Ones in want.

29. "Then let them complete
The rites prescribed
For them, perform their vows,
And (again) circumambulate
The Ancient House."

30. Such (is the Pilgrimage):
Whoever honours the sacred
Rites of God, for him
It is good in the sight
Of his Lord. Lawful to you
(For food in Pilgrimage) are cattle,
Except those mentioned to you
(As exceptions): but shun
The abomination of idols,
And shun the word
That is false,—

31. Being true in faith to God,
And never assigning partners

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To Him: if anyone assigns
Partners to God, he is
As if he had fallen
From heaven and been snatched up
By birds, or the wind
Had swooped (like a bird
On its prey) and thrown him
Into a far-distant place.

32. Such (is his state): and
Whoever holds in honour
The Symbols of God,
(In the sacrifice of animals),
Such (honour) should come truly
From piety of heart.

33. In them ye have benefits
For a term appointed:
In the end their place
Of sacrifice is near
The Ancient House.

SECTION 5.

34. To every people did We
Appoint rites (of sacrifice),
That they might celebrate
The name of God over

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The sustenance He gave them
From animals (fit for food).
But your god is One God:
Submit then your wills to him
(In Islām): and give thou
The good news to those
Who humble themselves,—

35. To those whose hearts,
When God is mentioned,
Are filled with fear,
Who show patient perseverance
Over their afflictions, keep up
Regular prayer, and spend
(In charity) out of what
We have bestowed upon them.

36. The sacrificial camels
We have made for you
As among the symbols from
God: in them is (much)
Good for you: then pronounce
The name of God over them
As they line up (for sacrifice):
When they are down
On their sides (after slaughter),
Eat ye thereof, and feed
Such as (beg not but)
Live in contentment,
And such as beg
With due humility: thus have

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We made animals subject
To you, that ye
May be grateful.

37. It is not their meat
Nor their blood, that reaches
God: it is your piety
That reaches Him: He
Has thus made them subject
To you, that ye may glorify
God for his guidance to you:
And proclaim the Good News
To all who do right.

38. Verily God will defend
(From ill) those who believe:
Verily, God loveth not
Any that is a traitor
To faith, or shows ingratitude.

SECTION 6.

39. To those against whom
War is made, permission
Is given (to fight), because
They are wronged;—and verily,
God is most Powerful
For their aid;—

40. (They are) those who have
Been expelled from their homes

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In defiance of right,
(For no cause) except
That they say," Lord
Is God". Did not God
Check one set of people
By means of another,
There would surely have been
Pulled down monasteries, churches,
Synagogues, and mosques, in which
The name of God is commemorated
In abundant measure. God will
Certainly aid those who
Aid His (cause);—for verily
God is Full of Strength,
Exalted in Might,
(Able to enforce His Will).

41. (They are) those who,
If We establish them
In the land, establish
Regular prayer and give
Regular charity, enjoin
The right and forbid wrong:
With God rests the end
(And decision) of (all) affairs.

42. If they treat thy (mission)
As false, so did the Peoples

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Before them (with their Prophets),—
The People of Noah,
And ’Ad and Thamūd;

43. Those of Abraham and Lūt;

44. And the Companions
Of the Madyan people;
And Moses was rejected
(In the same way). But I
Granted respite to the Unbelievers,
And (only) after that
Did I punish them:
But how (terrible) was
My rejection (of them)!

45. How many populations have We
Destroyed, which were given
To wrong-doing? They tumbled down
On their roofs. And how many
Wells are lying idle and neglected,
And castles lofty and well-built?

46. Do they not travel
Through the land, so that
Their hearts (and minds)
May thus learn wisdom

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And their ears may
Thus learn to hear?
Truly it is not their eyes
That are blind, but their
Hearts which are
In their breasts.

47. Yet they ask thee
To hasten on the Punishment!
But God will not fail
In His promise. Verily
A Day in the sight of thy Lord
Is like a thousand years
Of your reckoning.

48. And to how many populations
Did I give respite, which
Were given to wrong-doing?
In the end I punished them.
To Me is the destination (of all).

SECTION 7.

49. Say: "O men! I am
(Sent) to you only to give

p. 865

A clear warning:

50. "Those who believe and work
Righteousness, for them
Is forgiveness and a sustenance
Most generous.

51. "But those who strive
Against Our Signs, to frustrate
Them,—they will be
Companions of the Fire."

52. Never did We send
An apostle or a prophet
Before thee, but, when he
Framed a desire, Satan
Threw some (vanity)
Into his desire: but God
Will cancel anything (vain)
That Satan throws in,
And God will confirm
(And establish) His Signs:
For God is full of knowledge
And wisdom:

53. That He may make
The suggestions thrown in
By Satan, but a trial
For those in whose hearts

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Is a disease and who are
Hardened of heart: verily
The wrong-doers are in a schism
Far (from the Truth):

54. And that those on whom
Knowledge has been bestowed may learn
That the (Qur-ān) is the Truth
From thy Lord, and that they
May believe therein, and their hearts
May be made humbly (open)
To it: for verily God is
The Guide of those who believe,
To the Straight Way.

55. Those who reject Faith
Will not cease to be
In doubt concerning (Revelation)
Until the Hour (of Judgment)
Comes suddenly upon them,
Or there comes to them
The Penalty of a Day of Disaster.

56. On that Day the Dominion
Will be that of God:
He will judge between them:
So those who believe
And work righteous deeds will be
In Gardens of Delight.

57. And for those who reject Faith
And deny Our Signs,
There will be a humiliating
Punishment.

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SECTION 8.

58. Those who leave their homes
In the cause of God,
And are then slain or die,
On them will God bestow verily
A goodly Provision:
Truly God is He Who
Bestows the best Provision.

59. Verily He will admit then
To a place with which
They shall be well pleased:
For God is All-Knowing,
Most Forbearing.

60. That (is so). And if one
Has retaliated to no greater
Extent than the injury he received,
And is again set upon
Inordinately, God will help
Him: for God is One
That blots out (sins)
And forgives (again and again).

61. What is because God merges
Night into Day, and He
Merges Day into Night, and
Verily it is God Who hears

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And sees (all things).

62. That is because God—He
Is the Reality; and those
Besides Him whom they invoke,—
They are but vain Falsehood:
Verily God is He, Most High,
Most Great.

63. Seest thou not that God
Sends down rain from the sky,
And forthwith the earth
Becomes clothed with green?
For God is He Who understands
The finest mysteries, and
Is well-acquainted (with them).

64. To Him belongs all that is
In the heavens and on earth:
For verily God,—He is
Free of all wants,
Worthy of all praise.

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SECTION 9.

65. Seest thou not that God
Has made subject to you (men)
All that is on the earth,
And the ships that sail
Through the sea by His command?
He withholds the sky (rain)
From falling on the earth
Except by His leave:
For God is Most Kind
And Most Merciful to man.

66. It is He Who gave you life,
Will cause you to die,
And will again give you
Life: truly man is
A most ungrateful creature!

67. To every People have We
Appointed rites and ceremonies
Which they must follow:
Let them not then dispute
With thee on the matter,
But do thou invite (them)
To thy Lord: for thou art
Assuredly on the Right Way.

68. If they do wrangle with thee,
Say, "God knows best
What it is ye are doing."

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69. "God will judge between you
On the Day of Judgment
Concerning the matters in which
Ye differ."

70. Knowest thou not that
God knows all that is
In heaven and on earth?
Indeed it is all
In a record, and that
Is easy for God.

71. Yet they worship, besides God,
Things for which no authority
Has been sent down to them,
And of which they have
(Really) no knowledge:
For those that do wrong
There is no helper.

72. When Our Clear Signs
Are rehearsed to them,
Thou wilt notice a denial
On the faces of the Unbelievers!
They nearly attack with violence
Those who rehearse Our Signs
To them. Say, "Shall I
Tell you of something
(Far) worse than these Signs?
It is the Fire (of Hell)!

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God has promised it
To the Unbelievers!
And evil is that destination!"

SECTION 10.

73. O men! Here is
A parable set forth!
Listen to it! Those
On whom, besides God,
Ye call, cannot create
(Even) a fly, if they all
Met together for the purpose!
And if the fly should snatch
Away anything from them,
They would have no power
To release it from the fly.
Feeble are those who petition
And those whom they petition!

74. No just estimate have they
Made of God: for God
Is He Who is strong
And able to carry out
His Will.

75. God chooses Messengers
From angels and from men
For God is He Who hears
And sees (all things).

76. He knows what is before them
And what is behind them:

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And to God go back
All questions (for decision).

77. O ye who believe!
Bow down, prostrate yourselves,
And adore your Lord;
And do good;
That ye may prosper.

78. And strive in His cause
As ye ought to strive,
(With sincerity and under discipline).
He has chosen you, and has
Imposed no difficulties on you
In religion; it is the cult
Of your father Abraham.
It is He Who has named
You Muslims, both before
And in this (Revelation);
That the Apostle may be
A witness for you, and ye
Be witnesses for mankind!
So establish regular Prayer,
Give regular Charity,
And hold fast to God!
He is your Protector—
The best to protect
And the Best to help!