ALIF lām rā‘. These are the revelations of the Wise Book
Does it seem strange to people that We revealed Our will to a mortal from among themselves, saying: ‘Give warning to the people, and proclaim joyful tidings to the faithful that they may have a tried and true footing with their Lord‘? The unbelievers say: ‘This man¹ is a sorcerer manifest.‘
Yet your Lord is God, who in six days created the heavens and the earth and then ascended the throne, ordaining all things. None has power to intercede without His sanction. Such is God, your Lord: therefore serve Him. Will you not reflect
To Him shall you all return: God‘s promise shall be fulfilled. He brings the Creation into being and will then restore it, so that He may justly recompense those who have believed and done good works. As for the unbelievers, scalding water shall they drink, and for their unbelief woeful punishment awaits them
It was He that gave the sun his brightness and the moon her light, ordaining her phases that you may learn to compute the seasons and the years.² God created them only to manifest the Truth. He expounds His revelations to those endowed with knowledge
In the alternation of night and day, and in all that God has created in the heavens and the earth, there are signs for the God-fearing
Those who entertain no hope of meeting Us, being pleased and contented with the life of this world, and those who pay no heed to Our revelations
shall have the Fire as their abode in requital for their deeds
As for those that believe and do good works, their Lord will guide them through their faith. Brooks will run at their feet in the Gardens of Delight.
Their prayer will be: ‘Glory be to You, Lord!‘ and their greeting: ‘Peace!‘ ‘Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe‘ will be the burthen of their pleas
Had God hastened what is ill for people as they would hasten what is good, their fate would have been sealed. Therefore We leave those who entertain no hope of meeting Us to their wrongdoing, ever straying from the right path
When misfortune befalls man, he prays to Us lying on his side, sitting, or standing on his feet. But as soon as We relieve his affliction he carries on, as though he never prayed to Us to relieve the misfortune that touched him. Thus do their deeds seem fair to the transgressors
We obliterated generations before you on account of the wrongs they did; their apostles had come to them with veritable signs, but they would not believe. Thus do We requite the transgressors
We then made you their successors in the land, so that We might observe how you would act
When Our clear revelations are recited to them, those who entertain no hope of meeting Us say to you: ‘Give us a Koran different from this, or change it.‘ Say: ‘It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I follow only what is revealed to me, for I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a fateful day.‘
Say: ‘Had God pleased, I would never have recited it to you, nor would He have made you aware of it. A whole lifetime I dwelt among you before its coming. Will you not understand?‘
Who is more wicked than he who invents a falsehood about God or denies His revelations? Truly, the transgressors shall not succeed
They worship idols that can neither harm nor help them, and say: ‘These will intercede for us with God.‘ Say: ‘Do you presume to tell God of what He knows to exist neither in the heavens nor on earth?‘ Glory be to Him! Exalted be He above the gods they serve besides Him
There was a time when mankind were but one community. Then they disagreed among themselves: and but for a Word from your Lord, long since decreed, their differences would have been surely resolved
And they say: ‘Why has no sign been sent down to him from his Lord?‘ Say: ‘God alone has knowledge of what is hidden. Wait if you will: I will wait with you.‘
No sooner do We let people taste a blessing after some misfortune has afflicted them than they begin to scheme against Our revelations. Say: ‘More swift is God‘s scheming. Our emissaries are recording your intrigues.‘
He it is who guides them by land and sea. They embark: and as the ships set sail, rejoicing in a favourable wind, a raging tempest overtakes them. Billows surge upon them from every side and they fear they are encompassed by death. They call out to God, fervently dedicating all religion to Him: ‘Deliver us from this peril and we will be truly thankful.‘
Yet when He does deliver them, they perpetrate corruption in the land and act unjustly. You people! It is your own souls that you are corrupting. Take your enjoyment in this life: to Us shall you then return, and We will declare to you all that you have done
This present life is like the rich garment with which the earth adorns itself when watered by the rain We send down from the sky. Crops, sustaining man and beast, grow luxuriantly: but, as the earth‘s tenants begin to think themselves its masters, down comes Our scourge upon it, by night or by day, laying it waste, as though it did not blossom but yesterday. Thus do We expound Our revelations to people who reflect
God invites you to the Abode of Peace; He guides whom He will to a straight path
Those that have done good works shall have a good recompense, and more besides. Neither blackness nor misery shall overcast their faces. They are the heirs of Paradise, wherein shall they abide for ever
As for those that have done evil, evil shall be requited with like evil. Misery will oppress them (they shall have none to protect them from God), as though patches of the night‘s own darkness veiled their faces. These shall be the tenants of the Fire, wherein shall they abide for ever
And on the day We herd them all together, We shall say to the idolaters: ‘Keep to your places, you and your idols!‘ We will separate them one from another, and then their idols will say to them: ‘It was not us that you worshipped
Sufficient is God as our witness, and your witness. Nor were we aware of your worship.‘
Thereupon each soul will know what it did in days gone by. They shall be sent back to God, their true Lord, and the idols they invented will forsake them
Say: ‘Who provides for you from heaven and earth? Who has endowed you with hearing and sight? Who brings forth the living from the dead, and the dead from the living? Who ordains all things?‘ They will say: ‘God.‘ Say: ‘Will you not take heed, then
Such is God, your true Lord. That which is not true must needs be false. How then can you turn away?‘
Thus is the Word of your Lord made true about the ungodly; they will not believe
Say: ‘Can any of your idols bring the Creation into being, and then restore it?‘ Say: ‘God brings the Creation into being, and will then restore it. How is it that you are so misled?‘
Say: ‘Can any of your idols give guidance to the Truth?‘ Say: ‘God gives guidance to the Truth. Who is more worthy to be followed: He that can give guidance to the Truth, or he that cannot and is himself in need of guidance? What has come over you that you so judge?‘
Most of them follow nothing but mere conjecture. But conjecture is in no way a substitute for Truth. God is cognizant of what they do
This Koran could not have been devised by any but God. Indeed, its confirmation of what was revealed before it, and its expounding of the Book, are beyond doubt from the Lord of the Universe
If they say: ‘He invented it himself,‘ say: ‘Bring one sūrah like it. Call on whom you will besides God to help you, if what you say be true!‘
Indeed, they disbelieve what they cannot grasp, for they have not yet seen its prophecy fulfilled. Likewise did those before them disbelieve. But see what was the fate of the wrongdoers
Some among them believe in it, and some among them do not believe in it. But your Lord best knows the evil-doers
If they disbelieve you, say: ‘My deeds are mine and your deeds are yours. You are not accountable for my actions, nor am I accountable for what you do.‘
Some among them listen to you. But can you make the deaf hear you, incapable as they are of understanding
Some of them look upon you. But can you show the way to the blind, bereft as they are of sight
Indeed, in no way does God wrong people, but people wrong themselves
The day He herds them all together, as though they had lingered but for an hour, they will acquaint themselves with each other and realise they shall lose out: those who denied they would ever meet God and did not follow the right path
Whether We show you but some of the torment We threaten them with, or claim you back to Us before that, to Us they shall return, and God will then be witness to all their actions
Each community has it‘s own apostle. When their apostle comes, justice is done among them; they are not wronged
They say: ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, if what you say be true?‘
Say: ‘I have no control over any harm or benefit to myself, except by the will of God. A space of time is fixed for each community; when their time is come, not for one hour shall they delay: nor can they go before it.‘
Say: ‘Do but consider. Should His scourge fall upon you in the night or by the light of day, what punishment would the guilty hasten
Will you believe in it when it does overtake you, although it was your wish to hurry it on?‘
Then will the wrongdoers be told: ‘Feel the everlasting torment! Shall you not be rewarded according only to what you have earned?‘
And they ask you if it is true. Say: ‘Yes, by the Lord, it is certainly true! And you shall not escape
To redeem itself then, each soul would gladly give all that the earth contains if it possessed it. They will rue in secret when they behold the scourge; but judgement shall be fairly passed upon them; they shall not be wronged
Surely to God belongs all that the heavens and the earth contain. Surely the promise of God is true, but most of them have no knowledge
He it is who ordains life and death, and to Him shall you be recalled
You people! An Admonition has come to you from your Lord, a cure for the mind, a guide and a blessing to the believers
Say: ‘In God‘s grace and mercy let them rejoice, for these are better than the worldly riches they amass.‘
Say: ‘Do but consider the provision God has sent down for you. Some of it you pronounced unlawful and some, lawful.‘ Say: ‘Was it God who gave you leave, or do you invent falsehood about God?‘
What will they think, those who invent falsehood about God, on the Day of Resurrection? God is bountiful to mankind: yet most of them do not give thanks
You shall engage in no affair, you shall recite no verse from the Koran, you shall commit no act, but We shall be witnesses over you when you engage in it. Not an atom‘s weight in earth or heaven escapes your Lord, nor is there any object smaller or greater, but is recorded in a veritable Book
But surely the servants of God have nothing to fear or to regret
Those that have faith and fear Hi
shall rejoice both in this life and in the life to come: the words of God shall never change. That is the supreme triumph
Let not their words grieve you. All glory belongs to God; He it is who hears all and knows all
Surely to God belong all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. Those that follow what they call gods besides God follow nothing but idle fancies and preach nothing but falsehoods
He it is who has ordained the night for you to rest in and given the day its light for you to see with. Surely in this there are signs for attentive people
They say: ‘God has begotten a son.‘ Glory be to Him! Self-sufficient is He. His is all that the heavens and the earth contain. Have you any sanction for this? Would you say of God what you know not
Say: ‘Those that invent falsehood about God shall not succeed
They may take their ease in this life, but to Us they shall then return, and for their unbelief We will make them taste the grievous torment.‘
And recount to them the tale of Noah. He said to his people: ‘If it offends you, my people, that I should dwell in your midst and preach to you God‘s revelations (for in God I have put my trust), muster all your idols and decide on your course of action. Do not intrigue in secret. Execute your judgement and give me no respite
If you turn away, remember I demand of you no recompense. Only God will reward me. I am commanded to be a Muslim.‘
But they disbelieved him. Therefore We saved him and those who were with him in the ark, so that they survived, and drowned those that denied Our revelations. Consider, then, the fate of those who were forewarned
After him We sent apostles to their descendants. They brought them veritable signs, but they would not have faith in what they disbelieved before. Thus do We seal up the hearts of the transgressors
Then We sent forth Moses and Aaron with Our signs to Pharaoh and his nobles. But they responded with scorn, for they were wicked people
And when the Truth had come to them from Us, they declared: ‘Surely this is but sorcery manifest.‘
Moses replied: ‘Is this what you say of the Truth when it has come to you? Is this sorcery? Sorcerers shall never succeed.‘
They said: ‘Have you come to turn us away from the faith of our forefathers, that you two may lord it over the land? We will never believe in the pair of you.‘
And Pharaoh said: ‘Bring every learned sorcerer to my presence.‘
And when the sorcerers attended, Moses said to them: ‘Throw down what you wish to throw.‘
And when they had thrown, Moses said: ‘The sorcery that you have wrought, God will surely bring to nothing. God does not make good the work of those who do evil
By His words God vindicates the Truth, averse to it though the transgressors may be.‘
Few of his¹ people believed in Moses, for they feared the persecution of Pharaoh and his nobles. Surely Pharaoh was a tyrant in the land, a man of rampant wickedness
Moses said: ‘If you believe in God, my people, in Him alone then put your trust if you are Muslims.‘
They replied: ‘In God we have put our trust. Lord, do not let us suffer at the hands of the wrongdoers
Deliver us, through Your mercy, from the unbelievers.‘
We revealed Our will to Moses and his brother, saying: ‘Build houses in Egypt for your people and make your homes places of worship. Conduct prayers and give good tidings to the faithful.‘
Lord,‘ said Moses, ‘You have bestowed on Pharaoh and his nobles splendour and riches in this life, Lord, so that they may stray from Your path. Lord, wipe out their riches and harden their hearts, so that they shall persist in unbelief until they face the woeful scourge.‘
He said: ‘Your prayer shall be answered. Follow, both of you, the straight path and do not walk in the footsteps of those that have no knowledge.‘
And We led the Israelites across the sea, and Pharaoh and his legions pursued them with wickedness and spite. But as he was drowning, Pharaoh said: ‘Now I believe no god exists except the God in whom the Israelites believe. I am now a Muslim.‘
Only now! But before this you were a rebel and an evil-doer
We shall today save your body, so that you may become a sign for all posterity: a great many of mankind do not heed Our signs.‘
We settled the Israelites in a secure land and provided them with wholesome things. Nor did they disagree among themselves until knowledge was given them. Your Lord will on the Day of Resurrection judge their differences
If you doubt what We have revealed to you, ask those who have read the Book before you. Truth has come to you from your Lord: therefore do not doubt it
Nor shall you deny God‘s revelations, for then you will be one of the lost
Those for whom the word of your Lord shall be fulfilled will not believe
even if every sign has come to them, until they face the woeful torment
Were it otherwise, every community, had it believed, would have profited from its faith. But it was so only with Jonah‘s people. When they believed, We spared them the punishment of disgrace in this nether life and suffered them to take their ease a while
Had your Lord pleased, all the people of the earth would have believed, one and all. Would you then force people to have faith
None can have faith except by God‘s leave. He will visit abomination upon the senseless
Say: ‘Behold what the heavens and the earth contain!‘ But neither signs nor warnings will avail the unbelievers
What can they wait for but the fate of those who have gone before them? Say: ‘Wait if you will; I will wait with you.‘
We shall save Our apostles and those who believe; it is but just that We should save the faithful
Say: ‘You people! Doubt my religion if you will, but never will I worship those that you worship besides God. I worship God, who will claim you back: for I am commanded to be a believer
"Dedicate yourself to the Religion in all uprightness and serve none besides God.
You shall not pray to idols which can neither help nor harm you; for if you do, you will become a wrongdoer
If God afflicts you with a misfortune, none can remove it but Him; and if He bestows on you a good thing, none can withhold His bounty. He is bountiful to whom He will among His servants. He is the Forgiving One, the Compassionate."‘
Say: ‘You people! Truth has come to you from your Lord. He that follows the right path follows it for his own good, and he that strays from the right path strays at his own peril. I am not your keeper.‘
Observe what is revealed to you, and have patience till God make known His judgement. He is the best of judges