Surah The heights [Al-Araf] in English

Alif-Laam-Meem-Saad. (Alphabets of the Arabic language; Allah and to whomever He reveals, know their precise meanings.)

O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), a Book has been sent down upon you, therefore may not your heart be disinclined towards it, so that you may give warning with it, and as an advice for the Muslims.

O mankind, follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord, and do not follow other administrators, abandoning this (the Holy Qur’an); very little do you understand.

And many a township did We destroy – so Our punishment came to them at night or while they were sleeping at noon.

Therefore they uttered nothing when Our punishment came to them, except that they said, “Indeed we were the unjust.”

So undoubtedly We shall question those to whom Our Noble Messengers went, and indeed We shall question the Noble Messengers.

So indeed We shall inform them with Our knowledge and We were not absent.

And on that Day, the weighing will truly be done; so those whose scales prove heavy are the successful.

And those whose scales are light are the people who put themselves to ruin – the recompense of the injustice they used to do to Our signs.

And indeed We established you in the earth and in it created for you the means of livelihood; very little thanks do you offer!

And indeed We created you, then designed you and then ordered the angels, “Prostrate before Adam”; so they all prostrated, except Iblis (Satan); he did not become of those who prostrate.

Said Allah, “What prevented you, that you did not prostrate when I commanded you?” Answered Iblis, “I am better than him; You created me from fire whereas You created him from clay.”

Said Allah, “Therefore go down from here – it does not befit you to stay here and be proud – exit, you are of the degraded.”

He said, “Give me respite till the day when people will be resurrected.”

Said Allah, “You are given respite.”

He said, “Hence I swear by the fact that You sent me astray, I will certainly lay in wait for them on Your Straight Path.”

“Then I will certainly approach them – from their front and from behind them and from their right and from their left; and You will find most of them not thankful.”

He said, “Exit from here, rejected, outcast; indeed whoever among them follows your bidding, I will fill hell with all of you.”

And said, “O Adam! You and your wife dwell in Paradise – therefore eat from it from wherever you wish, and do not approach this tree for you will become of those who transgress.”

Then Satan created apprehensions in their hearts in order to disclose to them matters of their shame which were hidden from them, and said, “Your Lord has forbidden you from this tree, for you may become angels or immortals.”

And he swore to them, “Indeed I am a well-wisher for both of you.”

So he brought them down with deception; and when they tasted from that tree, their shame became manifest to them and they began attaching the leaves of Paradise on themselves; and their Lord said to them, “Did I not forbid you from that tree, and tell you that Satan is an open enemy to you?”

They both submitted, “Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves; so if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, then surely, we are of the losers.”

He said, “Go down, one of you is a foe unto the other; and for a fixed time you shall stay on earth and feed in it.”

He said, “You shall live there and there shall you die, and from there only you will be raised.”

O Descendants of Adam! We have sent down to you a garment to conceal your shame, and another garment for your elegance; and the garment of piety – that is the best; this is among the signs of Allah, so that they may remember.

O Descendants of Adam, beware! Do not let Satan put you in trial the way he removed your parents from Paradise and had their garments removed so that their shame become visible to them; indeed he and his tribe see you from where you do not see them; indeed We have made the devils the friends of those who do not believe.

And when they commit any shameful act they say, “We found our forefathers on it and Allah has commanded it to us”; say, “Indeed Allah does not ordain shamelessness; what! You attribute things to Allah, which you do not know?”

Say, “My Lord has ordained justice; and set your attention straight every time you offer pray and worship Him, as only His devoted worshippers; the way He brought you into being, in the same manner will you return.”

He has guided one group, and one group’s error has been proved; instead of Allah, they have chosen the devil as their friend and they assume that they are on guidance!

O Descendants of Adam! Adorn yourself when you go to the mosque, and eat and drink, and do not cross limits; indeed He does not like the transgressors.

Say, “Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has brought forth for His bondmen, and the good food?” Say, “That is for the believers in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection it will be for them only”; this is how We explain Our verses in detail for people of knowledge.

Say, “My Lord has forbidden the indecencies, the apparent among them and the hidden, and sin and wrongful excesses, and forbidden that you ascribe partners with Allah for which He has not sent down any proof, and forbidden that you say things concerning Allah of which you do not have knowledge.”

And every group has a promise; so when its promise comes, it cannot be postponed for a moment or brought forward.

O Descendants of Adam! If Noble Messengers from among you come to you narrating My verses – so whoever practices piety and reforms – upon him shall be no fear nor shall he grieve.

And those who denied Our signs and were conceited towards them, are the people of hell-fire; they will remain in it forever.

So who is more unjust than one who fabricated a lie against Allah or denied His signs? Their written fate will reach them; until when Our sent angels come to remove their souls, hence they say to them, “Where are they whom you used to worship besides Allah?” They say, “We have lost them” and they testify against themselves that they were disbelievers.

Allah says to them, “Join the groups of jinns and mankind who have entered hell before you”; when a group enters, it curses the other; until when they have all gone in, the latter groups will say regarding the former, “Our Lord! It is these who led us astray, so give them double the punishment of the fire”; He will say, “For each one is double – but you do not know.”

And the preceding groups will say to the latter, “So you too were no better than us, therefore taste the punishment for what you have done!”

Indeed those who denied Our signs and were conceited towards them – the gates of the heavens will not be opened for them nor will they enter Paradise until the camel goes through the needle’s eye*; and this is the sort of reward We give the guilty. (* Which will never happen.)

Their beds and their coverings – both are fire; and this is the sort of reward We give the unjust.

And those who accepted faith and performed good deeds according to their capacity – We do not burden any one, except within its capacity – are the people of Paradise; they shall abide in it forever.

And We have removed resentment from their hearts – rivers will flow beneath them; and (while entering Paradise) they will say, “All praise is to Allah, Who guided us to this; we would not have attained the right path if Allah had not guided us; indeed the Noble Messengers of our Lord brought the truth”; and it is proclaimed, “You have received this Paradise as an inheritance for what you used to do.”

And the people of Paradise said to the people of hell, “We have surely received what our Lord had truly promised us – so have you also received what your Lord had truly promised?” They said, “Yes”; and an announcer between them proclaimed, “The curse of Allah is upon the unjust.” –

“Those who prevent from the path of Allah and wish to distort it; and who disbelieve in the Hereafter.”

Between Paradise and Hell is a veil; and on the Heights will be some men who will recognise them all by their foreheads; and they call to the people of Paradise, “Peace be upon you”; they have not entered Paradise and they yearn for it.

And when their eyes turn towards the people of hell, they will say, “Our Lord! Do not put us along with the unjust.”

And the men on the Heights will call to some men whom they recognise by their foreheads, and say, “What benefit did your derive from your populace and from what you prided in?”

“Are these the people (Muslims) regarding whom you swore that Allah would not have mercy on them at all? Whereas to the Muslims it has been said ‘Enter Paradise; you shall have no fear nor any grief.’”

And the people of hell will cry out to the people of Paradise, “Provide us some benefit from your water or from the food Allah has provided you”; they will say, “Indeed Allah has forbidden both to the disbelievers.”

People who made their religion a sport and pastime, and whom the worldly life deceived; so this day We will disregard them, the way they had neglected their confronting of this day, and the way they used to deny Our signs.

And indeed We brought to them a Book, which We have explained in detail with a great knowledge – a guidance and a mercy for people who believe.

What do they await, except for the result foretold by that Book to appear? The day when the result foretold by it occurs, those who had previously forgotten it from the beginning (the disbelievers) will exclaim, “Indeed the Noble Messengers of our Lord had brought the truth! Do we have any intercessors who may intercede for us? Or can we be returned (to earth), so we may do contrary to what we have done before?” Indeed they have put themselves into ruin, and have lost the things they fabricated.

Indeed your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then in the manner befitting His Majesty, ascended the Throne (of control); He covers the night with the day, which hastily follows it, and made the sun and the moon and the stars subservient to His command; pay heed! Only He has the power to create and command; Most Auspicious (Propitious) is Allah, the Lord Of The Creation.

Pray to your Lord crying humbly, and softly; indeed He does not love the transgressors.

And do not spread turmoil in the earth after its reform, and pray to Him with fear and hope; indeed Allah’s mercy is close to the virtuous.

And it is He Who sends the winds giving glad tidings, ahead of His mercy; until when they come bearing heavy clouds, We drove it towards a city devoid of vegetation, and then rained water upon it, then produced fruits of various kinds from it; this is how We will bring forth the dead, so that you may heed advice.

And from the good land comes forth its vegetation by the command of Allah; and from the infertile land, nothing comes forth except a little with difficulty; this is how We explain Our signs in different ways, for people who are thankful.

Indeed We sent Nooh to his people – he therefore said, “O my people! Worship Allah – you do not have any God except Him; indeed I fear for you the punishment of the Great Day (of Resurrection).”

The leaders of his people said, “Indeed we see you in open error.”

He said, “O my people! There is no straying in me – I am in fact a Noble Messenger from the Lord Of The Creation.”

“Conveying to you the messages of my Lord and wishing good for you, and I know from Allah what you do not know.”

“And are you surprised that an advice came to you from your Lord through a man amongst you, so that he may warn you and that you may fear, and so that there be mercy upon you?”

In response they denied him, so We rescued him and those with him in the ship, and We drowned those who denied Our signs; indeed they were a blind group.

And We sent Hud to the people of Aad from their own community; he said, “O my people! Worship Allah – you do not have any God except Him; so do you not fear?”

The disbelieving leaders of his people said, “Indeed we consider you foolish and think you are a liar.”

He said, “O my people! I do not have any concern with foolishness and I am in fact a Noble Messenger from the Lord Of The Creation.”

“I convey to you the messages of my Lord and am your trustworthy well-wisher.”

“And are you surprised that an advice came to you from your Lord through a man amongst you, so that he may warn you? Remember when He made you the successors of Nooh’s people, and enlarged your bodies; therefore remember Allah’s favours, so that you may attain good.”

They said, “Have you come to us in order that we worship only Allah, and abandon those whom our ancestors worshipped?! So bring upon us what you promise us, if you are truthful.”

He said, “Indeed the punishment and the wrath of your Lord have fallen upon you; what! You needlessly dispute with me regarding the names you and your ancestors have fabricated? Allah has not sent down any proof concerning them; therefore wait – I too await with you.”

We therefore rescued him and those with him by a great mercy from Us, and We cut off the lineage of those who denied Our signs – and they were not believers.

And We sent Saleh to the tribe of Thamud, from their own community; he said, “O my people! Worship Allah – you do not have any God except Him; indeed a clear proof has come to you from your Lord; this is Allah’s she-camel – a sign for you – so leave her free to feed in Allah’s earth, and do not touch her with evil intentions for a painful punishment will seize you.”

“And remember when He made you successors of A’ad and gave you a region in the earth, so you now build palaces in the soft plains and carve houses in rocks; therefore remember Allah’s favours and do not roam the earth spreading turmoil.”

The proud leaders of his people (mockingly) said to the weak Muslims, “Do you know that Saleh is (really) the Noble Messenger of his Lord?” They said, “We believe in whatever he has been sent with.”

The proud ones said, “We deny what you have believed in.”

So they hamstrung the she-camel and rebelled against the command of their Lord and said, “O Saleh! Bring upon us what you promise us, if you are a Noble Messenger.”

Therefore the earthquake seized them, so at morning they remained lying flattened in their homes.

Saleh therefore turned away from them and said, “O my people! Indeed I did deliver my Lord’s message to you and wished you good, but you do not want well-wishers.” (The people in the graves can hear the speech of those who are on earth.)

And We sent Lut – when he said to his people, “What! You commit the shameful acts which no one in the creation has ever done before you?”

“You lustfully go towards men, instead of women! In fact, you have transgressed the limits.”

And his people had no answer except to say, “Turn them out of your dwellings; these are people who wish purity!”

And We rescued him and his family, except his wife – she became of those who stayed behind.

And We rained a shower (of stones) upon them; therefore see what sort of fate befell the culprits!

And We sent Shuaib to Madyan from their community; he said, “O my people! Worship Allah – you do not have any God except Him; indeed a clear proof has come to you from your Lord, so measure and weigh in full and do not give the people their goods diminished, and do not spread turmoil in the earth after it is organised; this is for your good, if you believe.”

“And do not be seated on every road in order to scare the travellers, and to prevent from Allah’s path the people who believe in Him, wishing to distort it; and remember when you were few and He increased your numbers; and see what sort of fate befell the mischievous!”

“And if a group among you believes in what I have been sent with, and another group does not believe, then wait until Allah judges between us; and Allah’s judgement is the best of all.”

The proud leaders of his people said, “O Shuaib, we swear we will banish you and the Muslims who are with you, from our town or you must return to our religion”; he said, “Even though we detest it?”

“We shall then have fabricated a lie against Allah if we return to your religion after Allah has rescued us from it; and it is not for any of us Muslims to return to your religion except if Allah, Who is our Lord, wills; the knowledge of our Lord encompasses all things; in Allah only we have trusted; our Lord! Decide with justice between us and our people – and Yours is the best decision.”

And the disbelieving leaders of his people said, “If you obey Shuaib, you will indeed be in a loss.”

Therefore the earthquake seized them – so at morning they remained lying flattened in their homes.

As if those who denied Shoaib had never lived in those homes; those who denied Shoaib, were themselves ruined.

So Shoaib turned away from them saying, “O my people! Indeed I did deliver my Lord’s message to you and gave you sound advice; so why should I grieve for the disbelievers?” (The people in the graves can hear the speech of those who are on earth.)

And never did We send any Prophet to a dwelling but We seized its people with hardship and adversity so that they may become humble.

Then We changed the misfortune into prosperity to the extent that they became numerous and said, “Indeed grief and comfort did reach our ancestors” – so We seized them suddenly in their neglect.

And had the people of the dwellings believed and been pious, We would have surely opened for them the blessings from the sky and from the earth, but in fact they denied, and We therefore seized them on account of their deeds.

Do the people of the dwellings not fear that Our wrath may come upon them at night while they are asleep?

Or do the people of the dwellings not fear that Our wrath may come upon them during the day, while they are playing?

Are they oblivious to Allah’s secret plan? So none is unafraid of Allah’s secret plan except the people of ruin!

Or did not those who inherited the land after its owners, get enough guidance that if We will, We can afflict them with calamity for their sins? And We set seals upon their hearts so they do not hear.

These are the dwellings – the affairs of which We relate to you (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him); and indeed their (respective) Noble Messengers came to them with clear proofs; so they were not able to believe in what they had denied before; this is how Allah sets seals upon the hearts of disbelievers.

And We found most of them not true to their words; and indeed We found most of them disobedient.

Then after them, We sent Moosa with our signs to Firaun and his court members, but they did injustice to those signs; therefore see what sort of fate befell the mischievous!

And Moosa said, “O Firaun! Indeed I am a Noble Messenger from the Lord Of The Creation.”

“It is obligatory for me not to speak concerning Allah except the truth; I have come to you all with a clear sign from your Lord, therefore let the Descendants of Israel go with me.”

Said Firaun, “If you have come with a sign, then present it if you are truthful!”

Therefore Moosa put down his staff – it immediately turned into a visible python.

And putting his hand in his bosom, withdrew it – so it shone brightly before the beholders.

Said the chieftains of Firaun’s people, “He is really an expert magician.”

“He wishes to expel you all from your kingdom; so what do you advise?”

They said, “Stop him and his brother, and send announcers to the cities to gather people.”

“To bring all the expert magicians to you.”

And the magicians came to Firaun, and said, “Will we get some reward if we are victorious?”

He said, “Yes, and you will then become close to me.”

They said, “O Moosa! You may throw first – or shall we be the first to throw?”

He said, “You throw”; when they threw, they cast a magic spell upon the people’s eyes and terrified them, and they brought a great magic.

And We inspired Moosa that, “Put forth your staff”; it immediately began swallowing up their fabrications.

So the truth was proved and their works were disproved.

They were therefore defeated here and they turned back humiliated.

And the magicians were obliged to fall prostrate.

They said, “We have accepted faith in the Lord Of The Creation.”

“The Lord of Moosa and Haroon.”

Said Firaun, “You have accepted faith in Him before I gave you permission! This is indeed a grand conspiracy you have plotted in the city, in order to expel its people from it; so now you will come to know!”

“I swear I will cut off your hands and your feet from alternate sides and then crucify you all.”

They said, “We shall return to our Lord.”

“And what did you dislike in us, except that we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to us? Our Lord! Pour (bestow abundantly) patience on us, and bestow us death as Muslims.”

The chieftains of Firaun’s people said, “Are you releasing Moosa and his people to cause turmoil in the land, and for Moosa to abandon you and your appointed deities?” He said, “We shall now slay their sons and spare their women; and indeed we have power over them.”

Moosa said to his people, “Seek the help of Allah and patiently endure; indeed the Owner of the earth is Allah – He appoints as its successor whomever He wills; and the final triumph is for the pious.”

They said, “We have been oppressed before you came to us, and after you have come to us”; he said, “It is likely that your Lord may destroy your enemy and in his place make you the rulers of the earth, and then see what deeds you perform.”

And indeed We seized the people of Firaun with a famine of several years and with reduction of fruits, so that they may follow advice.

So when good would reach them they would say, “This is for us”; and when misfortune reached them, they would infer it as ill omens of Moosa and his companions; pay heed! The misfortune of their ill luck lies with Allah, but most of them are unaware.

And said, “You may come with any sign to us, in order to cast a magic spell on us – yet by no means are we going to believe in you.”

We therefore sent against them the flood and the locusts and the vermin (or insects) and the frogs and the blood – separate signs; in response they were proud and were a guilty people.

And whenever the punishment came upon them they said, “O Moosa! Pray to your Lord for us, by means of His covenant which you have; indeed if you lift the punishment from us we will surely accept faith in you and let the Descendants of Israel go with you.”

Consequently whenever We lifted the punishment from them for a term which they must reach, they used to then turn away.

We therefore took revenge from them; so We drowned them in the sea for they used to deny Our signs and were ignoring them.

And We made the people who were oppressed, the inheritors of the eastern and western parts of the land in which We placed blessings; and the good promise of your Lord was fulfilled for the Descendants of Israel – the reward of their patience; and We destroyed whatever Firaun and his people built and whatever they had contrived.

And We transported the Descendants of Israel across the sea – so they came across a people who used to squat in seclusion in front of their idols; they said, “O Moosa! Make a God for us, the way they have so many Gods!” He said, “You are indeed an ignorant people.”

“The condition they are in is, in fact, one of destruction – and all what they do is utter falsehood.”

He said, “Shall I seek for you a God other than Allah, whereas He has given you superiority above the entire world?” (By sending His message towards you).

And remember when We rescued you from Firaun’s people who were afflicting you with a dreadful torment; slaughtering your sons and sparing your daughters; and in it was a great favour from your Lord.

And We agreed with Moosa a covenant for thirty nights (of solitude) and completed it by adding ten to them, so the covenant of His Lord amounted to forty nights in full; and Moosa said to his brother Haroon, “Be my deputy over my people and make reform and do not allow the ways of the mischievous to enter.”

And when Moosa presented himself upon Our promise, and his Lord spoke to him, he said, “My Lord! Show me Your Self, so that I may see You”; He said, “You will never be able to see Me, but look towards the mountain – if it stays in its place, then you shall soon see Me”; so when his Lord directed His light on the mountain, He blew it into bits and Moosa fell down unconscious; then upon regaining consciousness he said, “Purity is to You! I incline towards You, and I am the first Muslim.”

Said Allah, “O Moosa! I have chosen you from mankind by (bestowing) My messages and by My speech; so accept what I have bestowed upon you and be among the thankful.”

And We wrote for him on the tablets, the advice for all things and the details of all things; and commanded “Accept it firmly and command your people to choose its good advices; soon I shall show you people the destination of the disobedient.”

“And I shall turn away from My signs the people who unjustly wish to be admired in the earth; and if they see all the signs, they would not believe them; and if they see the path of guidance, they would not prefer to tread it; and if they see the way of error, they would present themselves to tread it; that is because they denied Our signs and were ignoring them.

And those who denied Our signs and the confronting of the Hereafter – all their deeds are wasted; what recompense will they get, except what they used to do?

And behind Moosa, his people moulded a calf from their ornaments – a lifeless body making sounds like a cow; did they not see that it neither speaks to them nor guides them in any way? They chose it (for worship), and were unjust.

And when they repented and realised that they had gone astray, they said, “If our Lord does not have mercy on us and forgive us, we are ruined.”

And when Moosa returned to his people, angry and upset, he said, “What an evil way you have handled affairs on my behalf, behind me; did you hasten upon the command of your Lord?” And he cast down the stone tablets, and catching hold of his brothers hair, began pulling him towards him; said Haroon said, “O the son of my mother! The people thought I was weak and would have probably killed me; so do not make my enemies laugh at me and do not identify me with the unjust.”

He submitted, “My Lord! Forgive me and my brother and admit us into Your mercy; and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.”

Indeed those who took the calf – the punishment from their Lord, and humiliation will reach them in the life of this world; and this is the way We reward those who fabricate lies.

And those who performed misdeeds and then repented and accepted faith – so after that, your Lord is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And when the anger of Moosa abated, he picked up the stone tablets; and in their texts are guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord.

And Moosa chose seventy men from his people for Our promise; therefore when the earthquake seized them, he submitted, “My Lord! If You had willed You could have destroyed them and me, even earlier! Will You destroy us for the deeds which the ignorant among us did? That is not but Your testing us; with it You send astray whomever You will and guide whomever You will; You are our Master, so forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are the Best of the Forgiving.”

“And destine good for us in this world and in the Hereafter – We have indeed inclined towards You”; He said, “I give My punishment to whomever I will; and My mercy encompasses all things; so I shall soon destine favours for those who fear and pay the charity, and they believe in Our signs.”

“Those who will obey this Noble Messenger (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), the Herald of the Hidden who is untutored* (except by Allah), whom they will find mentioned in the Taurat and the Injeel with them; he will command them to do good and forbid them from wrong, and he will make lawful for them the good clean things and prohibit the foul for them, and he will unburden the loads and the neck chains which were upon them; so those who believe in him, and revere** him, and help him, and follow the light which came down with him – it is they who have succeeded.\" (*The Holy Prophet was taught by Allah Himself – see Surah 55 Al-Rahman. **To honour the Holy Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – is part of faith. To disrespect him is blasphemy.)

Say (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), “O people! Indeed I am, towards you all, the Noble Messenger of Allah – for Whom (Allah) only is the kingship of the heavens and the earth; there is none worthy of worship, except Him – giving life and giving death; therefore believe in Allah and His Noble Messenger, the Prophet who is untutored (except by Allah), who believes in Allah and His Words, and obey him (the Prophet) to attain guidance.” (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him – is the Prophet towards all mankind.)

And among the people of Moosa is a group that shows the true path, and establishes justice with it.

And We divided them into twelve tribes, as separate groups; and when his people asked him for water, We revealed to Moosa, “Strike the rock with your staff”; so twelve springs gushed forth from it; each group recognised its drinking-place; and We made the clouds a canopy over them and sent down the Manna and the Salwa (birds) on them; “Eat of the good things we have provided you”; and they did not wrong Us in the least, but they used to wrong themselves.

And remember when they were commanded, “Reside in this township and eat whatever you wish in it, and say ‘Sins are forgiven’ and enter the gate prostrating – We will forgive you your sins; We shall soon bestow more upon the virtuous.”

So the unjust among them changed the words, contrary to what they had been commanded – consequently We sent down upon them a punishment from the sky – the recompense of their injustice.

And ask them (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) of the township that was by the sea; when they used to exceed in the matter of the Sabbath – when their fish used to come swimming atop the water in front of them on the day of Sabbath and not come on the days it was not Sabbath; this is how We used to test them, due to their disobedience.

And when a group among them said, “Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is going to destroy or mete out a severe punishment?” They said, “To have an excuse before your Lord, and that perhaps they may fear.”

And when they forgot the advices they had been given, We rescued those who forbade evil, and seized the unjust with a dreadful punishment – the recompense of their disobedience.

Consequently when they rebelled against the command to refrain, We said to them, “Be apes, despised!”

And remember when your Lord announced the command that till the Day of Resurrection I will certainly send such oppressors against them, who will inflict them with a dreadful punishment; indeed your Lord is swift in meting out punishment; and indeed He is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And We divided them in the earth as separate groups; some of them are righteous and some are the other type; and We tested them with good (favours) and evil things (adversities) so that they may return.

And after them in their place, came those unworthy successors who inherited the Books – they accept the goods of this world (as bribes) and say, “We shall soon be forgiven”; and if similar goods come to them again, they would accept it; was not the covenant taken from them in the Book, that they must not relate anything to Allah except the truth, and they have studied it? And indeed the abode of the Hereafter is better for the pious; so do you not have sense?

And those who hold fast to the Book, and have kept the prayer established; and We do not waste the wages of the righteous.

And when We raised the Mount (Sinai) above them as if it were a canopy, and they thought that it would fall upon them; “Accept firmly what We have given you, and remember what is in it, so that you may become pious.”

And remember when your Lord brought forth the generations from the backs of the Descendants of Adam, and made them their own witness; “Am I not your Lord?”; they all said, “Yes surely You are, why not? We testify”; for you may say on the Day of Resurrection that, “We were unaware of this.”

Or you may say, “It is our ancestors who first ascribed partners (to Allah) and we were (their) children after them; so will You destroy us on account of the deeds of the followers of falsehood?”

And this is how We explain the verses in different ways, and so that they may return.

And O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) recite to them the case of the one to whom We gave Our revelations, and in response he departed from them completely – so Satan went after him – he therefore became of the astray.

And had We willed We could have raised him because of the revelations, but he clung to the earth and followed his own desires; his condition therefore is like that of a dog; if you attack him he hangs out his tongue and if you leave him he hangs out his tongue; this is the state of the people who denied Our signs; therefore preach, so that they may give thought.

What an evil example is of those who denied Our signs and used to wrong only their own souls.

Whomever Allah guides – only he is on the right path; and whomever He sends astray – it is they who are the losers.

And indeed We have created many jinns and men for hell; they have hearts in which their is no understanding; and the eyes they do not see with; and the ears they do not hear with; they are like cattle – in fact more astray; it is they who are the neglectful.

And for Allah only are the best names, so invoke Him by them; and abandon those who depart from the truth regarding His names; they will soon receive the reward of their deeds.

And from Our creation is a group that shows the truth and establishes justice with it.

And those who denied Our signs – We shall soon steadily lead them towards the punishment, from the place they will not know.

And I will give them respite; indeed My secret plan is extremely solid.

Do they not ponder that their companion is far removed from insanity? In fact he is clearly a Herald of Warning.

Have they not pondered deeply regarding the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and whatever things Allah created? And that possibly their promise (of death) may have come near? So after this*, in what will they believe? (*Advent of the Last Prophet and the Holy Qur’an.)

For one whom Allah sends astray, there is none to guide him; and He leaves them to wander in their rebellion.

They ask you about the Resurrection, as to when it is destined; say, “Indeed its knowledge is with my Lord; only He will manifest it at its time; it is proving cumbersome in the heavens and the earth; it will not come to you except suddenly”; they question you as if you have researched it deeply; say, “Indeed its knowledge is with Allah only but most people do not know.”

Say, “I have no autonomy to benefit or hurt myself, except what Allah wills; and were I to procure knowledge of the hidden on my own, it would be that I had accumulated a lot of good; and no misfortune would touch me; I am purely a Herald of Warning and Glad Tidings to the people who believe.”

It is He Who created you from a single soul, and from him made its mate for him to gain comfort with her; so when the male covered her, she was burdened lightly in her womb, and she therefore moved easily carrying it; and when she felt the burden heavy, they both cried to their Lord Allah, “Indeed You may give to us a child as You will, so we will surely be thankful.”

So when He bestowed them a normal child, they ascribed partners (to Him) in respect of what He had bestowed upon them; therefore Supreme is Allah, above all that they ascribe as partners.

Do they (the disbelievers) ascribe (false deities) that which do not create anything, but are themselves created?

And cannot provide any help to them, nor do they help themselves?

And if you call the disbelievers to guidance, they do not follow you; it is the same for you, whether you invite them or remain silent.

Indeed those whom you (the disbelievers) worship besides Allah are slaves like you – so call them and they may answer you, if you are truthful!

Do they have feet to walk with? Or have they hands to hold with? Or have they eyes to see with? Or have they ears to hear with? Say, “Call upon your ascribed partners and conspire against me, and do not give me respite.”

“Indeed my Protector is Allah Who has sent down the Book; and He befriends the righteous.”

“And those whom you worship besides Him cannot help you nor do they help themselves.”

And if you call them to guidance they do not listen; and you (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) observe them looking towards you, whereas they do not perceive anything.

And O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) adopt forgiveness, and enjoin virtue, and turn away from the ignorant.

And O listener! If the devil provokes you, seek the refuge of Allah; indeed He is All Hearing, All Knowing.

Indeed those who fear get alerted whenever a temptation from the devil troubles them, and they perceive immediately.

And the devils pull those who their brothers into error, and then do not make any relaxation.

And O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) when you do not bring to them a verse, they say, “Why did you not fabricate it?” Say, “I follow only what is divinely revealed to me from my Lord”; this (the Holy Qur’an) is an enlightenment from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for the Muslims.

And when the Qur’an is recited, listen to it attentively and keep silent, so that you receive mercy.

And remember your Lord within your hearts humbly and with fear, and softly with your tongues, morning and evening, and do not be of the neglectful.