The orderly arrangement and authentic compilation of this wonderfully perfect Book is from Allâh, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
Surely, it is We Who have revealed the Book to you with the established truth to suit the requirements of truth and wisdom. So worship Allâh, being truly sincere to Him in obedience.
Beware! sincere and true obedience is due to Allâh alone. Those who choose others as a patron beside Him (say), `We serve them only that they may bring us near to Allâh in station.´ (It is absolutely wrong.) Allâh will judge the differences between these (believers and disbelievers). Indeed, Allâh does not guide him to success who is a liar, highly ungrateful.
If Allâh had intended to take to Himself a son He could have chosen from His creation the one He pleased (and would not have left it to you). Holy is He! He is Allâh, the One, the All-Dominant.
He created the heavens and the earth to suit the requirements of truth and wisdom. He causes the night to revolve upon the day and causes the day to revolve upon the night and He has pressed the sun and the moon into service; each pursues its course for an appointed term. Behold! He is the All-Mighty, the Great Protector.
He created you from a single soul, then from that (same stock that He created a human being) He created his spouse. And He has given you eight (varieties of) cattle in pairs. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, a creation, stage by stage, (making you pass) through three periods of darkness. Such is Allâh your Lord. The sovereignty and power belongs to Him alone. There is no other, cannot be and will never be One worthy of worship but He. Where are you, then, being turned away?
If you show ingratitude, surely, Allâh is Independent of you (He does not require your thanks). Yet He does not approve of His people to be ungrateful. (Indeed it is for your own sake that) He approves of you being grateful. And no soul that bears a burden can bear the burden (of the sins) of another. Behold! to your Lord shall you all return so that He will inform you of all that you have been doing. He knows full well (even) the innermost secrets of the hearts.
And when an affliction befalls a person he prays to his Lord turning (penitently) to Him. But when He confers a favour upon him from Himself, he forgets (the affliction) for (the removal of) which he used to pray (to Him) and starts assigning peers with Allâh, with the result that he causes the people to go astray from His path (the path leading to One God). Say, `Enjoy your ingratitude for a little while, you are sure to be of the inmates of the Fire.´
Can he who is obedient and prays (to Allâh) devoutly in the hours of the night, (now) falling prostrate, (now) standing upright (in Prayer) taking precaution against (the grave sequel of) the Hereafter and hopes for the mercy of His Lord, (be treated like him who is disobedient)? Say, `Are those who know (their obligations) equal to those who know (them) not? Only those (endowed) with pure understanding do take heed.´
Say, `O My servants who believe! take your Lord as a shield. There is a good reward for those who do good in (the life of) this world. And (if you are persecuted for your faith know that) the earth of Allâh is vast and spacious (enough to provide you shelter). Certainly the patiently, persevering and steadfast will be given their reward beyond measure.´
Say, `Verily, I have orders to worship Allâh, being truly sincere to Him alone in obedience.
`And I have orders to be the foremost among those who surrender themselves (to His will).´
Say, `If I disobey my Lord I have to fear the torment of a dreadful day.´
Say, `It is Allâh I worship, being purely sincere to Him in my obedience.
`Again, (as for you) you may go and worship whomsoever you please apart from Him.´ Say, `The true losers are those who ruin their own souls and their families on the Day of Resurrection.´ Beware! surely that is the manifest loss!
They shall have coverings of the fire over them and (sheets of similar) coverings below them (allowing them no escape). That is (the sort of punishment) against which Allâh warns His servants, `My servants! (do not invite My punishment, rather) take Me as (your) shield.´
But there await good tidings for those who restrain themselves from worshipping the transgressor (to the limit as defined by God) and turn to Allâh. So give glad tidings to My servants,
Who listen to the word (of advice) and follow the best (injunction productive of the best results) thereof. It is they whom Allâh has guided and it is they who are endowed with pure and clear understanding.
Can he then, against whom the verdict of punishment becomes due (and who therefore merits punishment, be saved?) Can you rescue him who is consigned to the Fire?
But for those who take their Lord as a shield, there awaits them lofty mansions, storey upon storey with streams running beneath them. (This is) the promise of Allâh; (and) Allâh will never fail in (His) promise.
Have you not seen (the sight) that Allâh sends down water from the clouds and causes it to flow (in the form of) streamlets on the earth and then brings forth herbage of various kinds and of diverse hues with it, then it dries up (after ripening) so that you see it turn yellow; then He turns it into chaff. Behold! in this (similitude) is a reminder for people endowed with pure and clear understanding.
Is he whose mind Allâh has opened for (the acceptance of) Islam, so that he follows the light from his Lord, (like one who gropes in the darkness of disbelief)? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allâh. Such indeed are (steeped) in clear error.
Allâh has revealed the best Message (the fairest discourse), this wonderfully coherent Book (the verses of which are mutually supplementing and) repeated, (narrating both sides of the case in various ways to drive home the divine injunctions to human minds). It makes the (very) skins of those who stand in awe of their Lord creep and their hearts tremble (at its recital). Yet their hearts and skins soften towards the remembrance of Allâh. This is Allâh´s guidance, He guides him thereby who wishes (to be guided). Yet none can guide him whom Allâh forsakes and adjudges to be astray.
Is he, then, who has only his own person to shield him from the evil punishment on the Day of Resurrection (like him who is secure). And it will be said to the unjust (on that Day), `Suffer the punishment of what you used to commit deliberately.´
Their predecessors also cried lies (to their Messengers of God,) so that (Our) punishment came upon them from quarters they little perceived.
So Allâh made them suffer humiliation in the present life, and the punishment (in store for them) in the Hereafter will be greater still, if they but realise (it).
And We have set forth for the people all sorts of excellent and useful proofs in this Qur´ân that they may take heed,
(We have revealed the) Qur´ân in Arabic, there is no deviation from rectitude (in it and is free from all flaws), that they may guard against sufferings.
Allâh describes the condition of a man belonging to several partners contending with one another; and (there is) another man devoted wholly to one person. Are the two alike in condition? (No how can they be?) All true and perfect praise belongs to Allâh. But most of them do not know (this truth).
(One day), you will surely die and so shall they (after a brief span of life).
Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will all dispute one with another before your Lord.
Who then is more unjust than the one who invents lies about Allâh and cries lies to the very truth when it comes to him? Is there not in Gehenna an abode for (such) disbelievers?
But he who brings the truth and testifies whole heartedly to it (by accepting it as true) these it is who become secure against evil.
They will have all that they desire with their Lord. Such is the reward of those who do excellent deeds.
It is they who best deserve that Allâh should rid them of the worst (of evils) which they committed (before accepting Islam) and reward them according to the best and the noblest of their deeds.
Is not Allâh sufficient for His servant? And yet they would try to frighten you with those (false gods they worship) other than Him (they cannot succeed). None can guide the person to success whom Allâh forsakes and adjudges to be astray.
And none can mislead the person whom Allâh guides. Is not Allâh All-Mighty, the Lord of retribution?
If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will certainly say, `Allâh.´ Say, `Have you ever judged (the worth of) that you call upon apart from Allâh? If Allâh ever intended to do me some harm, will these (whom you worship) be able to avert His harm (from me)? Or can they withhold His mercy if He is pleased to treat me with mercy?´ Say, `Allâh is sufficient for me. (In Him do I put my trust.)´ Those who have learnt to trust place their trust in Him alone.´
Say, `O my people, do your worst, I shall go on doing (my best). You shall soon know,
`Who receives a punishment that will disgrace him (in this life), and who suffers from a lasting torment (in the Hereafter)?´
Behold! We have revealed to you the perfect Book, it comprises the truth and wisdom. (It is) for the good of mankind. So he who follows (this) guidance will do so for the good of his own soul, and he who goes astray will do so to its own detriment (and so will himself suffer the loss). You are not responsible for them.
Allâh takes away the souls (of human being) at the time of their death and (also) of those who are not (yet) dead during their sleep. He detains (the souls of) those against whom He passes the verdict of death and sends (back those of) others till a fixed period of time. There are signs in this for a people who would reflect.
Have these (polytheists) chosen (certain other) intercessors apart from Allâh? Say, `What! (will they intercede for you?) though they have no authority at all and understand nothing.´
Say, `All intercession belongs to Allâh entirely. To Him belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, then towards Him you shall (all) be brought back.´
When (the name of) Allâh alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion but when (the names of) those who are below His high station are mentioned, behold they are at once filled with joy.
Say, `O Allâh! Originator of the heavens and the earth, Possessor of the knowledge of the unseen and the seen, You alone judge between Your servants concerning that wherein they differ.´
And had the wrongdoers owned all that the earth contains and as much in addition to it, they would certainly offer it on the Day of Resurrection to redeem themselves from the woeful punishment; yet there would appear to them from Allâh that which they had never even thought of.
And the evil (consequences) of the deeds they had deliberately done will become clear to them. And they will be caught by the very punishment they took no account of.
And when harm afflicts a human being he calls upon Us. But when We confer Our favour on him he says, `I have been given this only on account of (my own) knowledge. It is not right, it is only a trial, yet most people do not know.
Their predecessors had said the same thing, yet all their acquisitions were of no avail to them,
And the evil (consequences) of their deeds did overtake them. As for the wrong-doers from among these (rejecters of the truth), the evil (consequences) of their deeds shall surely overtake them also. They will never be able to frustrate (God´s plan).
Do they not know that Allâh multiplies the means of livelihood (for such of His people) as He will, and makes them scant (for such of them as He pleases.) Behold! there are signs in all this for the people who would believe.
Say, `O My servants who have committed excesses against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allâh. Surely, Allâh forgives all sins. Verily, He is the Great Protector, the Ever Merciful.´
And turn to your Lord (penitently), and submit yourselves to Him before the punishment befalls you; for (once it does) you shall not be helped.
And follow the best (teaching suiting your condition) that has been revealed to you from your Lord before you receive the punishment which will come upon you all of a sudden and take you unawares.
Lest (when it comes,) anyone (of you) should say, `Woe to me for failing in my duty towards Allâh! for I made fun (of His revelations.)´
Or lest anyone (of you) should say, `If Allâh had only guided me (by force) I would of course, have been of those who became secure against evil (by fully carrying out my duties).´
Or lest anyone of you should say when he sees the punishment, `If I could only have the chance to return (to the world), I (too) would then be of those who do good.´
(God will say,) `No! this cannot be. There did come to you My Messages but you cried them lies and you behaved arrogantly and were of the disbelievers.´
And on the Day of Resurrection you will find the faces of those who invented lies in the name of Allâh, overcast with gloom and sorrow. (It will be said to them,) `Is there not a resort in Gehenna for such arrogant people?´
(On the contrary) Allâh will deliver and grant salvation to those who guarded against evil and will lead them to a place of security and success befitting their dignity. No evil shall touch them (there), nor shall they ever grieve.
Allâh is the Creator of all things and He is an Authority over every thing to control.
To Him belong all that encircle the heavens and the earth. Those who deny the Messages of Allâh these it is who are the very losers.
Say, `Do you bid me to worship other (beings) than Allâh, O you ignorant ones!´
Mind! it has already been revealed to you and your predecessors, `In case you associate partners (with Allâh in your worship) all your (such) works shall go in vain entirely, and you shall certainly be of the losers.
`Rather you should worship Allâh alone and be of the thankful (to Him).´
They have not yet appreciated (the attributes of) Allâh with the importance and appreciation that He deserves. The earth altogether shall be in His grip of power on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens shall be rolled up in His All-Powerful hand (and will so lie at His absolute disposal). Holy is He. (He is) far above and beyond the things these (polytheists) associate (with Him).
(That Day) there shall be a blast on the trumpet and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will fall into a swoon except whom Allâh will like (to spare). Then there will be a blast another time and behold! these people shall stand up awaiting (judgment before their Lord).
And the earth shall radiate with the light of her Lord. And the record (of their deeds) will be produced (before them), and the Prophets and the (other) witnesses shall be brought forward; people shall be judged in all fairness and no injustice shall be done to anyone of them.
And every soul shall be repaid in full for its deeds; for He (the Almighty Lord) is well-aware of all that they do.
And those who disbelieve will be driven to Gehenna in multitudes, until when they reach it, its gates will be opened and its keepers will say to them, `Did there not come to you Messengers from among yourselves to proclaim to you the Messages of your Lord and to warn you about the meeting of this Day of yours?´ They will say, `They did come, yet Allâh´s verdict of the punishment was justly due to have proved true against the disbelievers.´
It will be said (to them), `Enter the gates of Gehenna, (you will be) abiding therein for long.´ How evil is the abode of the arrogant people!
And those who took their Lord as a shield will be conducted to Paradise in multitudes until when they reach it and its gates are opened (to welcome them) and its keepers say to them, `Peace be upon you! Be you happy and prosperous! Enter it, (you will be) abiding (therein) for ever and ever.´
They will say, `All true and perfect praise belongs to Allâh alone Who has fulfilled His promise made to us; and has allowed us to inherit the land enabling us to dwell in Paradise wherever we please.´ How excellent is the reward of the doers of (righteous) deeds!
And you will see the angels thronging around the Throne (of Power), glorifying their Lord with (His) praise. And judgment will be given between the people with justice, and it will be said, `All type of true and perfect praise belongs to Allâh, the Lord of the worlds.´