Juz 18

TRULY, to a happy state shall attain the believers:

those who humble themselves in their prayer,

and who turn away from all that is frivolous,

and who are intent on inner purity;

and who are mindful of their chastity,

[not giving way to their desires] with any but their spouses - that is, those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock]: for then, behold, they are free of all blame,

whereas such as seek to go beyond that [limit] are truly transgressors;

and who are faithful to their trusts and to their pledges,

and who guard their prayers [from all worldly intent].

It is they, they who shall be the inheritors

that will inherit the paradise; [and] therein shall they abide.

NOW, INDEED, We create man out of the essence of clay,

and then We cause him to remain as a drop of sperm in [the wombs] firm keeping,

and then We create out of the drop of sperm a germ-cell, and then We create out of the germ-cell an embryonic lump, and then We create within the embryonic lump bones, and then We clothe the bones with flesh - and then We bring [all] this into being as a new creation: hallowed, therefore, is God, the best of artisans!

And then, behold! after all this, you are destined to die;

and then, behold! you shall be raised from the dead on Resurrection Day.

And, indeed, We have created above you seven [celestial] orbits: and never are We unmindful of [any aspect of Our] creation.

And We send down water from the skies in accordance with a measure [set by Us], and then We cause it to lodge in the earth: but, behold, We are most certainly able to withdraw this [blessing]!

And by means of this [water] We bring forth for you gardens of date-palms and vines, wherein you have fruit abundant and whereof you eat,

as well as a tree that issues from [the lands adjoining] Mount Sinai, yielding oil and relish for all to eat.

And, behold, in the cattle [too] there is indeed a lesson for you: We give you to drink of that [milk] which is within their bellies; and you derive many [other] uses from them: for, you eat of their flesh,

and by them - as by the ships [over the sea] - you are borne [overland].

AND, INDEED, We sent forth Noah unto his people and he said: “O my people! Worship God alone]: you have no deity other than Him. Will you not, then, become conscious of Him?”

But the great ones among his people, who refused to acknowledge the truth, replied: “This [man] is nothing but a mortal like yourselves who wants to make himself superior to you! For, if God had willed [to convey a message unto us], He would surely have sent down angels; [moreover,] we have never heard [any­thing like] this from our forebears of old!

He is nothing but a madman: so bear with him for a while.”

Said [Noah]: “O my Sustainer! Succour me against their accusation of lying!”

Thereupon We inspired him thus: “Build, un­der Our eyes and according to Our inspiration, the ark [that shall save thee and those who follow thee]. And when Our judgment comes to pass, and waters gush forth in torrents over the face of the earth, place on board of this [ark] one pair of each [kind of animal] of either sex, as well as thy family - excepting those on whom sentence has already been passed; and do not appeal to Me [any more] in behalf of those who are bent on evildoing - for, behold, they are destined to be drowned!

“And as soon as thou and those who are with thee are settled in the ark, say: ‘All praise is due to God, who has saved us from those evildoing folk!’

“And say: ‘O my Sustainer! Cause me to reach a destination blessed [by Thee] for Thou art the best to show man how to reach his [true] destination!’”

In this [story], behold, there are messages indeed [for those who think]: for, verily, We always put [man] to a test.

AND AFTER those [people of old] We gave rise to new generations;

and [every time] We sent unto them an apostle from among themselves, [he told them:] “Worship God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him. Will you not, then, become conscious of Him?”

And [every time] the great ones among his people, who refused to acknowledge the truth and gave the lie to the announcement of a life to come - [simply] because We had granted them ease and plenty in [their] worldly life, and they had become corrupted by it [every time] they would say: “This [man] is nothing hut a mortal like yourselves, eating of what you eat, and drinking of what you drink:

and, indeed, if you pay heed to a mortal like your­selves, you will surely be the losers!

Does he promise you that, after you have died and become [mere] dust and bones, you shall be brought forth [to a new life]?

Far-fetched, far-fetched indeed is what you are promised!

There is no life beyond our life in this world: we die and we live [but once], and we shall never be raised from the dead!

He is nothing but a man who attributes his own lying in­ventions to God, and we are not going to believe him!”

[Whereupon the prophet] would say: “O my Sustainer! Succour me against their accusation of lying!”

[And God] would say: “After a little while they will surely be smitten with remorse!”

And then the blast [of Our punishment] over­took them, justly and unavoidably, and We caused them to become as the flotsam of dead leaves and the scum borne on the surface of a torrent: and so - away with those evildoing folk!

AND AFTER them We gave rise to new genera­tions:

[for,] no community can ever forestall [the end of] its term - and neither can they delay [its coming].

And We sent forth Our apostles, one after another: [and] every time their apostle came to a community, they gave him the lie: and so We caused them to follow one another [into the grave], and let them become [mere] tales: and so - away with the folk who would not believe!

AND THEN We sent forth Moses and his brother Aaron with Our messages and a manifest authority [from Us]

unto Pharaoh and his great ones; but these behaved with arrogance, for they were people wont to glorify [only] themselves.

And so they said: “Shall we believe [them] two mortals like ourselves - although their people are our slaves?”

Thus, they gave the lie to those two, and earned (thereby) their place among the doomed:

for, indeed, We had vouchsafed revelation unto Moses in order that they might find the right way.

And [as We exalted Moses, so, too,] We made the son of Mary and his mother a symbol [of Our grace], and provided for both an abode in a lofty place of lasting restfulness and unsullied springs.

O YOU APOSTLES! Partake of the good things of life, and do righteous deeds: verily, I have full knowledge of all that you do.

And, verily, this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: remain, then, conscious of Me!

But they (who claim to follow you) have torn their unity wide asunder, piece by piece, each group delighting in [but] what they themselves possess [by way of tenets].

But leave them alone, lost in their ignorance, until a [future] time.

Do they think that by all the wealth and offspring with which We provide them

We [but want to] make them vie with one another in doing [what they consider] good works? Nay, but they do not perceive [their error]!

Verily, [only] they who stand in reverent awe of their Sustainer,

and who believe in their Sus­tainer’s messages,

and who do not ascribe divinity to aught but their Sustainer,

and who give whatever they [have to] give with their hearts trembling at the thought that unto their Sustainer they must return:

it is they who vie with one another in doing good works, and it is they who outrun [all others] in attaining to them!

And [withal.] We do not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear: for with Us is a record that speaks the truth [about what men do and can do]; and none shall be wronged.

NAY, [as for those who have torn asunder the unity of faith] - their hearts are lost in ignorance of all this! But apart from that [breach of unity] they have [on their conscience even worse] deeds; and they will [continue to] commit them

until - after We shall have taken to task, through suffering, those from among them who [now] are lost in the pursuit of pleasures - they cry out in [belated] supplication.

[But they will be told:] “Cry not in supplication today: for, behold, you shall not he succoured by Us!

Time and again were My messages conveyed unto you, but [every time] you would turn about on your heels

[and,] impelled by your arrogance, you would talk senselessly far into the night.”

Have they, then, never tried to understand this word [of God]? Or has there [now] come to them something that never came to their forefathers of old?

Or is it, perchance, that they have not recog­nized their Apostle, and so they disavow him?

Or do they say. “There is madness in him”? Nay, he has brought them the truth - and the truth do most of them detest!

But if the truth were in accord with their own likes and dislikes, the heavens and the earth would surely have fallen into ruin, and all that lives in them [would long ago have perished]! Nay, [in this divine writ] We have conveyed unto them all that they ought to bear in mind: and from this their reminder they [heedlessly] turn away!

Or dost thou [O Muhammad] ask of them any worldly recompense? But [they ought to know that] recompense from thy Sustainer is best, since He is the best of providers!

And, verily, thou callest them onto a straight way –

but, behold, those who will not believe in the life to come are bound to deviate from that way.

And even were We to show them mercy and remove whatever distress might befall them [in this life], they would still persist in their overweening arrogance, blindly stumbling to and fro.

And, indeed, We tested them through suffer­ing, but they did not abase themselves before their Sustainer; and they will never humble them­selves

until We open before them a gate of [truly] severe suffering [in the life to come]: and then, lo! they will be broken in spirit.

[O MEN! Pay heed to God’s messages,] for it is He who has endowed you with hearing, and sight, and minds: [yet] how seldom are you grateful!

And He it is who has caused you to multiply on earth; and unto Him you shall be gathered.

And He it is who grants life and deals death; and to Him is due the alternation of night and day. Will you not, then, use your reason?

But nay, they speak as the people of olden times did speak:

they say: “What! After we have died and become mere dust and bones, shall we, forsooth, be raised from the dead?

Indeed, this [very thing] we have been promised - we and our forefathers - long ago! This is nothing but fables of ancient times!”

Say: “Unto whom belongs the earth and all that lives there on? [Tell me this] if you happen to know [the answer]!”

[And they will reply: “Unto God.” Say: “Will you not, then, bethink yourselves [of Him]?”

Say: “Who is it that sustains the seven heavens and is enthroned in His awesome almightiness?”

[And] they will reply: “[All this power belongs] to God.” Say: “Will you not, then, remain conscious of Him?”

Say: “In whose hand rests the mighty dominion over all things, and who is it that protects, the while there is no protection against Him? [Tell me this] if you happen to know [the answer]!”

[And] they will reply: “[All this power belongs] to God.” Say: ‘How, then, can you be so deluded?”

Nay, We have conveyed unto them the truth: and yet, behold, they are intent on lying [to them­selves]!

Never did God take unto Himself any offspring, nor has there ever been any deity side by side with Him: [for, had there been any,] lo! each deity would surely have stood apart [from the others] in whatever it had created, and they would surely have [tried to] overcome one another! Limitless in His glory is God, [far] above anything that men may devise by way of definition,

knowing all that is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind and, hence, sublimely exalted is He above anything to which they may ascribe a share in His divinity!

SAY: “O my Sustainer! If it be Thy will to let me witness [the fulfillment of] whatever they [who blaspheme against Thee] have been promised [to suffer] –

do not, O my Sustainer, let me be one of those evildoing folk!”

[Pray thus] for, behold, We are most cer­tainly able to let thee witness [the fulfillment, even in this world, of] whatever We promise them!

[But whatever they may say or do,] repel the evil [which they commit] with something that is bet­ter: We are fully aware of what they attribute [to Us].

And say: “O my Sustainer! I seek refuge with Thee from the promptings of all evil impulses;

and I seek refuge with Thee, O my Sustainer, lest they come near unto me!’

[AS FOR THOSE who will not believe in the life to come, they go on lying to themselves] until, when death approaches any of them, he prays: “O my Sustainer! Let me return, let me return [to life],

so that I might act righteously in whatever I have failed [aforetime]!” Nay, it is indeed but a [meaningless] word that he utters: for behind those [who leave the world] there is a barrier [of death] until the Day when all will be raised from the dead!

Then, when the trumpet [of resurrection] is blown, no ties of kinship will on that Day prevail among them, and neither will they ask about one another.

And they whose weight [of righteousness] is heavy in the balance - it is they, they who will have attained to a happy state;

whereas they whose weight is light in the balance - it is they who will have squandered their own selves, [destined] to abide in hell:

the fire will scorch their faces, and they will abide therein with their lips distorted in pain.

[And God will say:] “Were not My messages conveyed unto you, and were you [not] wont to give them the lie?”

They will exclaim: “O our Sustainer! Our bad luck has overwhelmed us, and so we went astray!

O our Sustainer! Cause us to come out of this [suffering] - and then, if ever We revert [to sinning], may we truly be [deemed] evildoers!”

[But] He will say: “Away with you into this [ignominy]! And speak no more unto Me!

“Behold, there were among My servants such as would pray, ‘O our Sustainer! We have come to believe [in Thee]; forgive, then, our sins and bestow Thy mercy on us: for Thou art the truest bestower of mercy!’

- but you made them a target of your derision to the point where it made you forget all remembrance of Me; and you went on and on laugh­ing at them.

[But,] behold, today I have rewarded them for their patience in adversity: verily, it is they, they who have achieved a triumph!”

[And] He will ask [the doomed]: “What number of years have you spent on earth?”

They will answer: ‘We have spent there a day, or part of a day; but ask those who [are able to] count [time] …”

[Whereupon] He will say: “You have spent there but a short while: had you but known [how short it was to be]!

Did you, then, think that We created you in mere idle play, and that you would not have to return to Us?”

[KNOW,] then, [that] God is sublimely exalted, the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth: there is no deity save Him, the Sustainer, in bountiful almightiness enthroned!

Hence, he who invokes, side by side with God, any other deity [- a deity] for whose existence he has no evidence - shall but find his reckoning with his Sustainer: [and,] verily, such deniers of the truth will never attain to a happy state!

Hence, [O believer,] say: “O my Sustainer! Grant [me] forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy [upon me]: for Thou art the truest bestower of mercy!”

A Surah [is this] which We have bestowed from on high, and which We have laid down in plain terms; and in it have We bestowed from on high messages which are clear [in themselves], so that you might keep [them] in mind.

AS FOR the adulteress and the adulterer flog each of them with a hundred stripes, and let not compassion with them keep you from [carrying out] this law of God, if you [truly] believe in God and the Last Day; and let a group of the believers witness their chastisement.

[Both are equally guilty:] the adulterer couples with none other than an adulteress - that is, a woman who accords [to her own lust] a place side by side with God; and with the adulteress couples none other than an adulterer - that is, a man who accords [to his own lust] a place side by side with God: and this is forbidden unto the believers.

And as for those who accuse chaste women [of adultery], and then are unable to produce four witnesses [in support of their accusation], flog them with eighty stripes and ever after refuse to accept from them any testimony - since it is they, they that are truly depraved!

excepting [from this interdict] only those who afterwards repent and made amends: for, behold, God is much forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

And as for those who accuse their own wives [of adultery], but have no witnesses except them­selves, let each of these [accusers] call God four times to witness that he is indeed telling the truth,

and the fifth time, that God’s curse be upon him if he is telling a lie.

But [as for the wife, all] chastisement shall be averted from her by her calling God four times to witness that he is indeed telling a lie,

and the fifth [time], that God’s curse be upon her if he is telling the truth,

AND WERE it not for God’s favour upon you, [O man,] and His grace, and that God is a wise acceptor of repentance...!

Verily, numerous among you are those who would falsely accuse others of unchastity: [but, O you who are thus wronged,] deem it not a bad thing for you: nay, it is good for you! [As for the slanderers,] unto every one of them [will be accounted] all that he has earned by [thus] sinning; and awesome suffering awaits any of them who takes it upon himself to enhance this [sin]!

Why do not the believing men and women, whenever such [a rumour] is heard, think the best of one another and say, “This is an obvious falsehood”?

why do they not [demand of the accusers that they] their allegation? for, if they do not produce such wit­nesses, it is those [accusers] who, in the sight of God, are liars indeed!

And were it not for God’s favour upon you, [O men,] and His grace in this world and in the life to come, awesome suffering would indeed have afflicted you in result of all [the calumny] in which you indulge

when you take it up with your tongues, uttering with your mouths something of which you have no knowledge, and deeming it a light matter whereas in the sight of God it is an awful thing!

And [once again]: Why do you not say, whenever you hear such [a rumour], “It does not behove us to speak of this, O Thou who art limitless in Thy glory: this is an awesome calumny”?

God admonishes you [hereby] lest you ever revert to the like of this [sin], if you are [truly] believers;

for God makes [His] messages clear unto you - and God is all-knowing, Wise!

Verily, as for those who like [to hear] foul slander spread against [any of] those who have attained to faith grievous suffering awaits them in this world and in the life to come: for God knows [the full truth], whereas you know [it] not.

And were it not for God’s favour upon you and His grace, and that God is compassionate, a dispenser of grace...!

O You who have attained to faith! Follow not Satan’s footsteps: for he who follows Satan’s foot­steps [will find that], behold, he enjoins but deeds of abomination and all that runs counter to reason. And were it not for God’s favour upon you and His grace, not one of you would ever have remained pure. For [thus it is:] God who causes whomever He wills to grow in purity: for God is all-hearing, all-­knowing.

Hence, [even if they have been wronged by slander,] let not those of you who have been graced with God’s favour and ease of life ever become remiss in helping [the erring ones among] their near of kin, and the needy, and those who have forsaken the domain of evil for the sake of God, but let them pardon and forbear. [For,] do you not desire that God should forgive you your sins, seeing that God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace?

[But,] verily, those who [falsely, and without repentance,] accuse chaste women who may have been unthinkingly careless but have remained true to their faith, shall be rejected [from God’s grace] in this world as well as in the life to come: and awesome suffering awaits them

on the Day when their own tongues and hands and feet will bear witness against them by [recalling] all that they did!

On that day God will pay them in full their just due, and they will come to know that God alone is the Ultimate Truth, manifest, and manifesting [the true nature of all that has ever been done].

[In the nature of things,] corrupt women are for corrupt men, and corrupt men, for corrupt women - just as good women are for good men, and good men, for good women. [Since God is aware that] these are innocent of all that evil tongues may impute to them, forgiveness of sins shall be theirs, and a most excellent sustenance!

O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not enter houses other than your own unless you have obtained permission and greeted their inmates. This is [enjoined upon you] for your own good, so that you might bear [your mutual rights] in mind.

Hence, [even] if you find no one within [the house], do not enter it until you are given leave; and if you are told, “Turn back,” then turn back. This will be most conducive to your purity; and God has full knowledge of all that you do.

[On the other hand,] you will incur no sin if you [freely] enter houses not intended for living in but serving a purpose useful to you: but [always remember that] God knows all that you do openly, and all that you would conceal.

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity: this will be most con­ducive to their purity – [and,] verily, God is aware of all that they do.

And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms [in public] beyond what may [decently] be apparent thereof; hence, let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms. And let them not display [more of] their charms to any but their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons, or their husbands’ Sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their womenfolk, or those whom they rightfully possess, or such male attendants as are beyond all sexual desire, or children that are as yet unaware of women’s nakedness; and let them not swing their legs [in walking] so as to draw attention to their hidden charms And [always], O you believers - all of you - turn unto God in repentance, so that you might attain to a happy state!

AND [you ought to] marry the single from among you as well as such of your male and female slaves as are fit [for marriage]. If they [whom you intend to marry] are poor, [let this not deter you;] God will grant them sufficiency out of His bounty - for God is infinite [in His mercy], all-knowing.

And as for those who are unable to marry, let them live in continence until God grants them sufficiency out of His bounty, And if any of those whom you rightfully possess desire [to obtain] a deed of freedom, write it out for them if you are aware of any good in them: and give them [their share of the wealth of God which He has given you. And do not, in order to gain some of the fleeting pleasures of this worldly life, coerce your [slave] maidens into whoredom if they happen to be desirous of marriage; and if anyone should coerce them, then, verily, after they have been compelled [to submit in their helplessness], God will be much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

AND, INDEED, from on high have We bestowed upon you messages clearly showing the truth, and [many] a lesson from [the stories of] those who have passed away before you, and [many] an admonition to the God-conscious.

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is, as it were, that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star: [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree - an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things.

IN THE HOUSES [of worship] which God has allowed to be raised so that His name be remembered in them, there [are such as] extol His limitless glory at morn and evening –

people whom neither [worldly] commerce nor striving after gain can divert from the remembrance of God, and from con­stancy in prayer, and from charity: [people] who are filled with fear [at the thought] of the Day On which all hearts and eyes will be convulsed,

[and who only hope] that God may reward them in accordance with the best that they ever did, and give them, out of His bounty, more [than they deserve]: for, God grants sustenance unto whom He wills, beyond all reckon­ing.

But as for those who are bent on denying the truth, their [good] deeds are like a mirage in the desert, which the thirsty supposes to be water – until, when he approaches it, he finds that it was nothing: instead, he finds [that] God [has always been present] with him, and [that] He will pay him his account in full - for God is swift in reckoning!

Or [else, their deeds are] like the depths of darkness upon an abysmal sea, made yet more dark by wave billowing over wave, with [black] clouds above it all: depths of darkness, layer upon layer, [so that] when one holds up his hand, he can hardly see it: for he to whom God gives no light, no light whatever has he!

ART THOU NOT aware that it is God whose limit­less glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens and on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? Each [of them] knows indeed how to pray unto Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do:

for, God’s is the dominion over the heavens and the earth, and with God is all journeys’ end.

Art thou not aware that it is God who causes the clouds to move onward, then joins them together, then piles them up in masses, until thou can see rain come forth from their midst? And He it is who sends down from the skies, by degrees, mountainous masses [of clouds] charged with hail, striking therewith whomever He wills and averting it from whomever He wills, [the while] the flash of His lightning well-nigh deprives [men of their] sight!

It is God who causes night and day to alter­nate: in this [too], behold, there is surely a lesson for all who have eyes to see!

And it is God who has created all animals out of water; and [He has willed that] among them are such as crawl on their bellies, and such as walk on two legs, and such as walk on four. God creates what He will: for, verily, God has the power to will anything.

INDEED, from on high have We bestowed messages clearly showing the truth; but God guides onto a straight way [only] him that wills [to be guided].

For, [many are] they [who] say, “We believe in God and in the Apostle, and we pay heed!” - but then, some of them turn away after this [assertion]: and these are by no means [true] believers.

And [so it is that] whenever they are summoned unto God and His Apostle in order that [the divine writ] might judge between them, lo! some of them turn away;

but if the truth happens to be to their liking, they are quite willing to accept it!

Is there disease in their hearts? Or have they begun to doubt [that this is a divine writ]? Or do they fear that God and His Apostle might deal unjustly with them? Nay, it is [but] they, they who are doing wrong [to themselves]!

The only response of believers, whenever they are summoned unto God and His Apostle in order that [the divine writ] might judge between them, can be no other than, “We have heard, and we pay heed!”- and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state:

for, they who pay heed unto God and His Apostle, and stand in awe of God and are conscious of Him, it is they, they who shall triumph [in the end]!

Now [as for those half-hearted ones,] they do swear by God with their most solemn oaths that if thou [O Apostle] shouldst ever bid them to do so, they would most certainly go forth [and sacrifice themselves]. Say: “Swear not! Reasonable compliance [with God’s message is all that is required of you]. Verily, God is aware of all that you do!”

Say: “Pay heed unto God, and pay heed unto the Apostle.” And if you turn away [from the Apostle, know that] he will have to answer only for whatever he has been charged with, and you, for what you have been charged with; but if you pay heed unto him, you will be on the right way. Withal, the Apostle is not bound to do more than clearly deliver the message [entrust­ed to him].

God has promised those of you who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds that, of a certainty, He will cause them to accede to power on earth, even as He caused [some of] those who lived before them to accede to it; and that, of a certainty, He will firmly establish for them the religion which He has been pleased to bestow on them; and that, of a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear to be replaced by a sense of security [seeing that] they worship Me [alone], not ascribing divine powers to aught beside Me. But all who, after [having understood] this, choose to deny the truth - it is they, they who are truly iniquitous!

Hence, [O believers,] be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, and pay heed unto the Apostle, so that you might be graced with God’s mercy.

[And] think not that those who are bent on denying the truth can elude [their final reckoning even if they remain unscathed] on earth: the fire is their goal [in the life to come] - and vile indeed is such a journey’s end!

O YOU who have attained to faith! At three times [of day], let [even] those whom you rightfully pos­sess, as well as those from among you who have not yet attained to puberty, ask leave of you [before intruding upon your privacy]: before the prayer of daybreak, and whenever you lay aside your garments in the middle of the day, and after the prayer of nightfall: the three occasions on which your nakedness is likely to be bared. Beyond these [occasions], neither you nor they will incur any sin if they move [freely] about you, attending to [the needs of] one another. In this way God makes clear unto you His mes­sages: for God is all-knowing, wise!

Yet when the children among you attain to puberty, let them ask leave of you [at all times], even as those [who have reached maturity] before them have been enjoined to ask it. In this way God makes clear unto you His mes­sages: for God is all-knowing, wise!

AND [know that] women advanced in years, who no longer feel any sexual desire, incur no sin if they discard their [outer] garments, provided they do not aim at a showy display of [their] charms. But [even so,] it is better for them to abstain [from this]: and God is all-hearing, all-knowing.

[ALL OF YOU, O believers, are brethren: hence.] no blame attaches to the blind, nor does blame attach to the lame, nor does blame attach to the sick [for accepting charity from the hale], and neither to your­selves for eating [whatever is offered to you by others, whether it be food obtained] from your [chil­dren’s] houses, or your fathers’ houses, or your mothers’ houses, or your brothers’ houses, or your sisters’ houses, or your paternal uncles’ houses, or your paternal aunts’ houses, or your maternal uncles’ houses, or your maternal aunts’ houses, or [houses] the keys whereof are in your charge! or [the house] of any of your friends; nor will you incur any sin by eating in company or separately. But whenever you enter [any of these] houses, greet one another with a blessed, goodly greeting, as enjoined by God. In this way God makes clear unto you His mes­sages, so that you might [learn to] use your reason.

[TRUE BELIEVERS are only they who have attained to faith in God and His Apostle, and who, whenever they are [engaged] with him upon a matter of concern to the whole community do not depart [from whatever has been decided upon] unless they have sought [and obtained] his leave. Verily, those who [do not abstain from the agreed ­upon action unless they] ask leave of thee - it is [only] they who [truly] believe in God and His Apostle! Hence, when they ask leave of thee for some [valid] reason of their own, grant thou this leave to whomsoever of them thou choose [to grant it], and ask God to forgive them: for, behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

DO NOT regard the Apostles summons to you [in the same light] as a summons of one of you to another: God is indeed aware of those of you who would withdraw surreptitiously: so let those who would go against His bidding beware, lest a [bitter] trial befall them [in this world] or grievous suffering befall them [in the life to come].

Oh, verily, unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: well does He know where you stand and at what you aim! And one Day, all [who have ever lived] will be brought back unto Him, and then He will make them [truly] understand all that they were doing [in life]: for, God has full knowledge of everything.

Hallowed is He who from on high, step by step, has bestowed upon His servant the standard by which to discern the true from the false, so that to all the world it might be a warning:

He to whom the dominion over the heavens and the earth belongs, and who begets no offspring, and has no partner in His dominion: for it is He who creates every thing and determines its nature in accordance with [His own] design.

And yet, some choose to worship, instead of Him, imaginary deities that cannot create anything but are themselves created, and have it not within their power to avert harm from, or bring benefit to, themselves, and have no power over death, nor over life, nor over resurrection!

Moreover, those who are bent on denying the truth are wont to say, “This [Qur’an] is nothing but a lie, which he [himself] has devised with the help of other people, who thereupon have perverted the truth and brought a falsehood into being.”

And they say, “Fables of ancient times which he has caused to be written down, so that they might be read out to him at morn and evening!”

Say [O Muhammad]: “He who knows all the mysteries of the heavens and the earth has bestowed from on high this [Qur’an upon me]! Verily, He is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!”

Yet they say: What sort of apostle is this [man] who eats food [like all other mortals] and goes about in the market places? Why has not an angel [visibly] been sent down unto him, to act as a warner together with him?”

Or: “[Why has not] a treasure been granted to him [by God]?” Or: “He should [at least] have a [bountiful] garden, so that he could eat thereof [without effort]!” And so these evildoers say [unto one another], “If you were to follow [Muhammad, you would follow] but a man bewitched!”

See to what they liken thee, [O Prophet, simply] because they have gone astray and are now unable to find a way to the truth]!

Hallowed is He who, if it be His will, shall give thee something better than that [whereof they speak] - gardens through which running waters flow - and shall assign to thee mansions [of bliss in the life to come].

But nay! It is [the very coming of] the Last Hour to which they give the lie! However, for such as give the lie to [the announce­ment of] the Last Hour We have readied a blazing flame:

when it shall face them from afar, they will hear its angry roar and its hiss;

and when they are flung, linked [all] together, into a tight space within, they will pray for extinction there and then!

[But they will be told:] “Pray not today for one single extinction, but pray for many extinctions!”

Say: “Which is better - that, or the paradise of life abiding which has been promised to the God-conscious as their reward and their journey’s end –

a promise given by thy Sustainer, [always] to be prayed for?”

BUT [as for people who are oblivious of thy Sus­tainer’s oneness -] one Day He will gather them together with all that they [now] worship instead of God, and will ask [those to whom divinity was falsely ascribed]: “Was it you who led these My creatures astray, or did they by themselves stray from the right path?”

They will answer: “Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! It was inconceivable for us to take for our masters anyone but Thyself! But [as for them -] Thou didst allow them and their forefathers to enjoy [the pleasures of] life to such an extent that they forgot all remembrance [of Thee]: for they were people devoid of all good.”

[Thereupon God will say:] “And now, they [whom you regarded as divine] have given the lie to all your [past] assertions, and you can neither ward off [your punishment] nor obtain any succour! For, whoever of you has committed [such] evil, him shall We cause to taste great suffering!”

AND [even] before thee, [O Muhammad,] We never sent as Our message-bearers any but [mortal men] who indeed ate food [like other human beings] and went about in the market places: for [it is thus that] We cause you [human beings] to be a means of testing one another. Are you able to endure [this test] with patience? For [remember, O man,] thy Sustainer is truly all-seeing!