Sūra LVIII. Mujādila, or The Woman who Pleads.

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

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Sūra LVIII.

Mujādila, or The Woman who Pleads.

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

1. God has indeed
Heard (and accepted) the statement
Of the woman who pleads
With thee concerning her husband
And carries her complaint
(In prayer) to God:
And God (always) hears
The arguments between both
Sides among you: for God
Hears and sees (all things).

2. If any men among you
Divorce their wives by
(Calling them mothers),
They cannot be their mothers:
None can be their mothers
Except those who gave them
Birth. And in fact
They use words (both) iniquitous
And false: but truly
God is One that blots out

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(Sins), and forgives
(Again and again).

3. But those who divorce
Their wives by Zihār,
Then wish to go back
On the words they uttered,—
(It is ordained that
Such a one)
Should free a slave
Before they touch each other:
This are ye admonished
To perform: and God is
Well-acquainted with (all)
That ye do.

4. And if any has not
(The wherewithal),
He should fast for
Two months consecutively
Before they touch each other.
But if any is unable
To do so, he should feed
Sixty indigent ones.
This, that ye may show
Your faith in God

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And His Apostle.
Those are limits (set
By) God. For those who
Reject (Him), there is
A grievous Penalty.

5. Those who resist God
And His Apostle will be
Humbled to dust, as were
Those before them: for We
Have already sent down
Clear Signs. And the Unbelievers
(Will have) a humiliating Penalty,—

6. On the Day that
God will raise them
All up (again) and show
Them the truth (and meaning)
Of their conduct. God has
Reckoned its (value), though
They may have forgotten it,
For God is Witness
To all things.

SECTION 2.

7. Seest thou not that
God doth know (all) that is
In the heavens and
On earth? There is not
A secret consultation
Between three, but He
Makes the fourth among them,—
Nor between five but

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He makes the sixth,—
Nor between fewer nor more,
But He is in their midst,
Wheresoever they be:
In the end will He
Tell them the truth
Of their conduct, on the Day
Of Judgment. For God
Has full knowledge
Of all things.

8. Turnest thou not thy sight
Towards those who were
Forbidden secret counsels
Yet revert to that which
They were forbidden (to do)?
And they hold secret counsels
Among themselves for iniquity
And hostility, and disobedience
To the Apostle. And when
They come to thee,
They salute thee,
Not as God salutes thee,
(But in crooked ways):
And they say to themselves,
"Why does not God
Punish us for our words?"
Enough for them is Hell:
In it will they burn,
And evil is that destination!

9. O ye who believe!
When ye hold secret counsel,
Do it not for iniquity
And hostility, and disobedience

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To the Prophet; but do it
For righteousness and self-restraint;
And fear God, to Whom
Ye shall be brought back.

10. Secret counsels are only
(Inspired) by the Evil One,
In order that he may
Cause grief to the Believers;
But he cannot harm them
In the least, except as
God permits; and on God
Let the Believers
Put their trust.

11. O ye who believe!
When ye are told
To make room
In the assemblies,
(Spread out and) make room:
(Ample) room will God provide
For you. And when
Ye are told to rise up,
Rise up: God will
Raise up, to (suitable) ranks
(And degrees), those of you
Who believe and who have

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Been granted (mystic) Knowledge.
And God is well-acquainted
With all ye do.

12. O ye who believe
When ye consult
The Apostle in private,
Spend something in charity
Before your private consultation.
That will be best for you,
And most conducive
To purity (of conduct).
But if ye find not
(The wherewithal), God is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

13. Is it that ye are
Afraid of spending sums
In charity before your
Private consultation (with him)

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If, then, ye do not so,
And God forgives you,
Then (at least) establish
Regular prayer; practise
Regular charity; and obey
God and His Apostle.
And God is well-acquainted
With all that ye do.

SECTION 3.

14. Turnest thou not
Thy attention to those
Who turn (in friendship)
To such as have the Wrath
Of God upon them?
They are neither of you
Nor of them, and they
Swear to falsehood knowingly.

15. God has prepared for them
A severe Penalty: evil
Indeed are their deeds.

16. They have made their oaths
A screen (for their misdeeds):
Thus they obstruct (men)
From the Path of God:
Therefore shall they have
A humiliating Penalty.

17. Of no profit whatever
To them, against God,
Will be their riches
Nor their sons:

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They will be Companions
Of the Fire, to dwell
Therein (for aye)!

18. One Day will God
Raise them all up
(For Judgment): then
Will they swear to Him
As they swear to you:
And they think that they
Have something (to stand upon).
No, indeed! they are
But liars!

19. The Evil One has
Got the better of them:
So he has made them
Lose the remembrance
Of God. They are the Party
Of the Evil One. Truly,
It is the Party
Of the Evil One
That will perish!

20. Those who resist
God and His Apostle
Will be among those
Most humiliated.

21. God has decreed:
"It is I and My apostles
Who must prevail":
For God is One
Full of strength,
Able to enforce His Will.

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22. Thou wilt not find
Any people who believe
In God and the Last Day,
Loving those who resist
God and His Apostle,
Even though they were
Their fathers or their sons,
Or their brothers, or
Their kindred. For such
He has written Faiths
In their hearts, and strengthened
Them with a spirit
From Himself. And He
Will admit them to Gardens
Beneath which Rivers flow,
To dwell therein (for ever).
God will be well pleased
With them, and they with Him.
They are the Party
Of God. Truly it is
The Party of God that
Will achieve Felicity.

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