AL ‘IMRAN (The Family of Amram)
In the Name of God1, the Gracious, the Merciful2
1 Alif Lam Mim.3
2 God! There is no god but he, the living, the self-subsisting, eternal.
3 It is he who revealed to you Al-Kitab. In truth it confirms4 what went before it; for before this he sent down the Taurat5 and the Injil6 as guidance for mankind, and as the criterion for judging right and wrong.
4 Then those who reject faith in the signs of God will suffer the severest penalty, and God is exalted in might, Lord of retribution.
5 Truly nothing is hidden from God on earth or in the heavens.
6 He it is who shapes you in the wombs as he pleases. There is no god but he, the exalted in might, the wise.
7 He it is who has sent down to you Al-Kitab: in it are verses basic or fundamental; they are the foundation of Al-Kitab: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part of it that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except God. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: we believe in it; the whole of it is from our Lord: and none will grasp the message except men of understanding.
8 Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate now after you have guided us, but grant us mercy from your own presence; for you are the grantor of bounties without measure.
9 Our Lord, you are he that will gather mankind together against a day about which there is no doubt; for God never fails in his promise.
10 Those who reject faith, neither their possessions nor their children will avail them anything against God: they are themselves but fuel for the fire.
11 Their plight will be no better than that of the people of Firaun, and their predecessors: they denied our signs, and God called them to account for their sins. For God is strict in punishment.
12 Say to those who reject faith: soon will you be vanquished and gathered together to hell, an evil bed indeed to lie on.
13 There has already been for you a sign in the two armies that met in combat: one was fighting in the cause of God, the other resisting God; these saw with their own eyes twice their number. But God does support with his aid whom he pleases in this is a warning for such as have eyes to see.
14 Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons; heaped up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded for blood and excellence; and cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world’s life; but in nearness to God is the best of the goals.
15 Say: Shall I give you glad tidings of things far better than those? For the righteous are gardens in nearness to their Lord, with rivers flowing beneath; in them is their eternal home; with pure companions; and the good pleasure of God. For in God’s sight his servants are
16 Those who say: “Our Lord! We have indeed believed: forgive us, then, our sins, and save us from the agony of the fire.”
17 They are those who show patience, firmness and self-control; who are true and worship devoutly; who give and pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning.
18 There is no god but he: that is the witness of God, his angels, and those endued with knowledge, standing firm on justice. There is no god but he, the exalted in power, the wise.
19 Religion before God is submission to him: nor did the people of Al-Kitab dissent from that except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them. But if any deny the signs of God, God is swift in calling to account.
20 So if they dispute with you, say: I have submitted my whole self to God and so have those who follow me. And say to the people of Al-Kitab and to those who are unlearned: do you submit yourselves? If they do, they are in right guidance, but if they turn back, your duty is to convey the message; and in God’s sight are his servants.
21 As to those who deny the signs of God, and in defiance of right, slay the prophets, and slay those who teach just dealing with mankind, announce to them a grievous penalty.
22 They are those whose works will bear no fruit in this world and in the hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.
23 Have you not turned your vision to those who have been given a portion of Al-Kitab? They are invited to God’s Book, to settle their dispute, but a party of them turn back and decline.
24 This because they say: the fire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days: for their forgeries deceive them as to their own religion.
25 But how will they fare when we gather them together against a day about which there is no doubt, and each soul will be paid out just what it has earned, without injustice?
26 Say: “O God! Lord of power, you give power to whom you please, and you strip off power from whom you please: you endue with honour whom you please, and you bring low whom you please: In your hand is all good. Truly, over all things you have power.
27 “You cause the night to gain on the day, and you cause the day to gain on the night; you bring the living out of the dead, and you bring the dead out of the living; and you give sustenance to whom you please, without measure.
28 Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from God: except by way of precaution, that you may guard yourselves from them. But God cautions you to remember himself; for the final goal is to God.
29 Say: Whether you hide what is in your hearts or reveal it, God knows it all: he knows what is in the heavens, and what is on earth. And God has power over all things.
30 On the day when every soul will be confronted with all the good it has done, it will wish there where a great distance between it and its evil. But God cautions you to remember himself. And God is full of kindness to those that serve him.
31 Say: “If you love God, follow me. God will love you and forgive you your sins; for God is oft-forgiving, most merciful.
32 Say: “Obey God and his messenger”: but if they turn back, God loves not those who reject faith.
33 God chose Adam and Nuh, the family of Ibrahim, and the family of Imran above all people,
34 Offspring, one of the other: and God hears and knows all things.
35 Behold a woman of Imran said: O my Lord, I dedicate to you what is in my womb for your special service: so accept this of me: for you hear and know all things.
36 When she was delivered, she said: O my Lord, behold I am delivered of a female child and God knew best what she brought forth and nowise is the male like the female. I have named her Maryam, and I commend her and her offspring to your protection from Iblis7, the rejected.
37 Right graciously did her Lord accept her: he made her grow in purity and beauty: to the care of Zakariyya8 was she assigned. Every time that he entered her chamber to see her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: O Maryam, where does this come from? She said: from God: for God provides sustenance to whom he pleases, without measure.
38 There did Zakariyya pray to his Lord, grant to me from yourself a child that is pure: for you are he who hears prayer.
39 While he was standing in prayer in the chamber, the angels called to him: God gives you glad tidings of Yahya9, to witness to the truth of a Word from God,10 noble, chaste, and a prophet of the company of the righteous.
40 He said: O my Lord, how shall I have a son, seeing I am very old, and my wife is barren? Thus, was the answer, God accomplishes what he wills.
41 He said: O my Lord, give me a sign. The answer was, Your sign shall be that you shall speak to no man for three days but with signals. Then celebrate the praises of your Lord again and again, and glorify him in the evening and in the morning.
42 Behold the angels said: O Maryam, God has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you above the women of all nations.
43 O Maryam, worship your Lord devoutly: prostrate yourself, and bow down in prayer with those who bow down.
44 This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which we reveal to you by inspiration: you were not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Maryam: nor were you with them when they disputed the point.
45 Behold! The angels said: “O Maryam! God gives you glad tidings of a Word from him:11 his Name will be AL-MASIH12 ‘ISA13 Ibn Maryam, held in honour in this world and in the hereafter,14 and of the company of those nearest to God;
46 He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be of the company of the righteous.
47 She said: “O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?” He said: “Even so: God creates what he wills: when he has decreed a plan, he but says to it, ‘Be’, and it is!
48 “And God will teach him Al-Kitab and wisdom, the Taurat and the Injil,
49 “And appoint him a messenger to Bani-Israel, with this message: I have come to you, with a sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave: and I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by God’s leave; and I declare to you what you eat, and what you store in your houses. Surely in this is a sign for you if you did believe;
50 ” ‘I have come to you, to confirm the Taurat which was before me.15 And to make lawful to you part of what was before forbidden to you;16 I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. So fear God, and obey me.’ “
51 ” ‘It is God who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship him. This is a way that is straight.’ “
52 When ‘ISA found unbelief on their part he said: who will be my helpers before God? Said the disciples: we are God’s helpers: we believe in God, and bear witness that we have submitted.
53 “Our Lord! We believe in what you have revealed, and we follow the messenger; then write us down among those who bear witness.”
54 And the unbelievers plotted and planned, and God too planned, and the best of planners is God.
55 Behold God said: O ‘ISA I will take you17 and raise you to myself and clear you of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow you superior to those who reject faith, to the day of resurrection: then shall you all return to me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein you dispute.
56 As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.
57 As to those who believe and work righteousness, God will pay them their reward; but God loves not those who do wrong.
58 This is what we rehearse to you of the signs and the message of wisdom.
59 The comparison of ‘ISA before God is as that of Adam; he created him from dust, then said to him: Be: and he was.18
60 The truth comes from God alone; so be not of those who doubt.
61 If anyone disputes in this matter with you, now after knowledge has come to you, say: come let us gather together, our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of God on those who lie!
62 This is the true account: there is no god except God, he is indeed the exalted in power, the wise.
63 But if they turn back, God has full knowledge of those who do mischief.
64 Say: O people of Al-Kitab come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, lords and patrons other than God. If then they turn back, say: bear witness that we are Muslims.
65 You people of Al-Kitab, why do you dispute about Ibrahim, when the Taurat and the Injil were not revealed until after him? Have you no understanding?
66 Ah you are those who fell to disputing in matters of which you had some knowledge but why dispute you in matters of which you have no knowledge? It is God who knows, and you who know not.
67 Ibrahim was neither a Jew nor a Nasrani;19 but he was a faithful man who submitted to God, and he did not worship idols.
68 Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Ibrahim, are those who follow him, as are also this prophet and those who believe: and God is the protector of those who have faith.
69 It is the wish of a section of the people of Al-Kitab to lead you astray, but they shall lead themselves astray, and they do not know it.
70 You people of Al-Kitab, why do you reject the signs of God, of which you are witnesses?
71 You people of Al-Kitab, why do you clothe truth with falsehood, and conceal the truth, when you know better?
72 A section of the people of Al-Kitab say: Believe in the morning what is revealed to the believers, but reject it at the end of the day; perhaps they may turn back;
73 And believe no one unless he follows your religion. Say: True guidance is the guidance of God. If they say a revelation is sent to someone else like that which was sent to you, or that those receiving such revelation should engage you in argument before your Lord, say: All bounties are in the hand of God: he grants them to whom he pleases: and God cares for all, and he knows all things.
74 For his mercy he specially chooses whom he pleases; for God is the Lord of bounties unbounded.
75 Among the people of Al-Kitab are some who, if entrusted with a hoard of gold, will pay it back; others, who, if entrusted with a single silver coin, will not repay it unless you constantly stand demanding, because, they say, there is no call on us to keep faith with these ignorant pagans. But they tell a lie against God, and they know it.
76 Those that keep faith and act aright, truly God loves those who act aright.
77 As for those who sell the faith they own to God and their own pledged word for a small price, they shall have no portion in the hereafter: nor will God speak to them or look at them on the day of judgment, nor will he cleanse them: they shall have a grievous penalty.
78 There is among them a section who distort Al-Kitab with their tongues: you would think that what they say is part of Al-Kitab, but it is not part of Al-Kitab; and they say, it is from God, but it is not from God: they are telling a lie against God, and they know it.20
79 It is not possible that a man, to whom is given Al-Kitab, and wisdom, and the prophetic office, should say to people: Worship me rather than God. On the contrary he would say: Worship him who is truly the Lord of all: for you have taught Al-Kitab and you have studied it earnestly.
80 Nor would he instruct you to take angels and prophets for lords and patrons. Would he bid you to unbelief after you have submitted to God?
81 Behold! God took the covenant of the prophets, saying: “I give you a book and wisdom; then comes to you a messenger, confirming what is with you; believe in him and render him help.” God said: “Do you agree, and take this my covenant as binding on you?” They said: “We agree.” He said: “Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.”
82 If any turn back after this, they are perverted transgressors.
83 Do they seek for other than the religion of God while all creatures in the heavens and on earth have, willingly or unwillingly, submitted to his will, and to him shall they all return?
84 Say: We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Ibrahim. Ismail; Ishaq, Yaqub, and the tribes, and in the books given to Musa, ‘ISA, and the prophets,21 from their Lord: we make no distinction between one and another among them, and to God do we submit.22
85 If anyone desires a religion other than submission to God, never will it be accepted by him; and in the hereafter he will be a loser.
86 How shall God guide those who reject faith after they accepted it and bore witness that the messenger was true and that clear signs had come to them? But God guides not a people unjust.
87 Of such the reward is that on them rests the curse of God, of his angels, and of all mankind;
88 In that will they dwell; nor will their penalty be lightened, nor respite be their lot;
89 Except for those that repent after that, and make amends; for truly God is oft-forgiving, most merciful.
90 But those who reject faith after they accepted it, and then go on adding to their defiance of faith, never will their repentance be accepted; for they are those who have gone astray.
91 As to those who reject faith, and die rejecting, never would be accepted from any such as much gold as the earth contains, though they should offer it for ransom. For such a grievous penalty is in store, and they will find no helpers.
92 By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give of that which you love; and whatever you give, of a truth God knows it well.
93 All food was lawful to Bani-Israel, except what Israel made unlawful for itself before the Taurat was revealed. Say: Bring the Taurat and read it, if you are men of truth.
94 If any, after this, invent a lie and attribute it to God, they are indeed unjust wrongdoers.
95 Say: God speaks the truth: follow the religion of Ibrahim, the sane in faith; he was not of the pagans.
96 The first house of worship appointed for men was that at Bakka: full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings:
97 In it are clear signs; the station of Ibrahim; whoever enters it attains security; pilgrimage to it is a duty men owe to God, those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, God stands not in need of any of his creatures.
98 Say: O people of Al-Kitab, why do you reject the signs of God, when God is himself witness to all you do?
99 Say: O people of Al-Kitab, why do you obstruct those who believe, from the path of God, seeking to make it crooked, while you were yourselves witnesses to God’s covenant? God is not unmindful of all that you do.
100 O you who believe! If you listen to a faction among the people of Al-Kitab, they would render you apostates after you have believed!
101 And how would you deny faith while the signs of God are rehearsed to you, and the messenger lives among you? Whoever holds firmly to God will be shown a way that is straight.
102 O you who believe, fear God as he should be feared, and do not die except as ones who submit to God.
103 And hold fast, all together, by the rope which God stretches out for you, and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude, God’s favour on you; for you were enemies and he joined your hearts in love, so that by his grace, you became brothers; and you were on the brink of the pit of fire, and he saved you from it. Thus God makes his signs clear to you: that you may be guided.
104 Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: they are the ones to attain felicity.
105 Be not like those who are divided among themselves and fall into disputation after receiving clear signs: for them is a dreadful penalty,
106 On the day when some faces will be white, and some faces will be black: to those whose faces will be black, it will be said: did you reject faith after accepting it? Taste then the penalty for rejecting faith,
107 But those whose faces will be white, they will be in God’s mercy: to dwell in it forever.
108 These are the signs of God: we rehearse them to you in truth: and God means no injustice to any of his creatures.
109 To God belongs all that is in the heavens and no earth: to him do all questions go back for decision.
110 You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind. Enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in God. If only the people of Al-Kitab had faith, it would be good for them. Among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors.
111 They will do you no harm, barring a trifling annoyance; if they come out to fight you, they will show you their backs, and no help shall they get.
112 Shame is pitched over them wherever they are found, except when under a covenant of protection from God and from men; they draw on themselves wrath from God, and pitched over them is destitution. This because they rejected the signs of God, and slew the prophets in defiance of right; this because they rebelled and transgressed beyond bounds.
113 Not all of them are alike: of the people of Al-Kitab are a portion that stand for the right; they rehearse the signs of God all night long, and they prostrate themselves in adoration.
114 They believe in God and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hurry to do good works: they are in the ranks of the righteous.
115 Of the good that they do, nothing will be rejected of them; for God knows well those that do right.
116 Those who reject faith, neither their possessions nor their children will avail them anything against God: they will be companions of the fire, dwelling in it forever.
117 What they spend in the life of this world may be likened to a wind which brings a nipping frost: it strikes and destroys the harvest of men who have wronged their own souls: it is not God that has wronged them, but they wronged themselves.
118 You who believe, take not into your intimacy those outside your ranks: they will not fail to corrupt you. They only desire your ruin: rank hatred has already appeared from your mouths: what their hearts conceal is far worse. We have made plain to you the signs, if you have wisdom.
119 Ah, you are those who love them, but they don’t love you, though you believe in the whole of Al-Kitab, when they meet you, they say, we believe: but when they are alone, they bite off the very tips of their fingers at you in their rage: God knows well all the secrets of the heart.
120 If anything good befalls you, it grieves them; but if some misfortune overtakes you, they rejoice at it. But if you are constant and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to you; for God compasses round about all that they do.
121 Remember that morning you left your household to post the faithful at their stations for battle: and God hears and knows all things:
122 Remember two of your parties meditated cowardice; but God was their protector, and in God should the faithful put their trust.
123 God helped you at Badr, when you were a contemptible little force; then fear God; thus may you show your gratitude.
124 Remember you said to the faithful: is it not enough for you that God should help you with three thousand angels sent down?
125 Yes, if you remain firm, and act aright, even if the enemy should rush here on you in hot haste, your Lord would help you with five thousand angels making a terrific onslaught.
126 God made it but a message of hope for you, and an assurance to your hearts: there is no help except from God, the exalted, the wise:
127 That he might cut off a fringe of the unbelievers or expose them to infamy, and they should then be turned back, frustrated of their purpose.
128 Not for you, but for God, is the decision: whether he turn is mercy to them, or punish them; for they are indeed wrongdoers.
129 To God belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. He forgives whom he pleases and punishes whom he pleases; but God is oft-forgiving, most merciful.
130 O you who believe, devour not usury, doubled and multiplied; but fear God, that you may prosper.
131 Fear the fire, which is prepared for those who reject faith:
132 And obey God and the messenger, that you may obtain mercy.
133 Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a garden whose width is that of the heavens and of earth, prepared for the righteous,
134 Those who give whether in prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain anger, and pardon men; for God loves those who do good;
135 And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, and ask for forgiveness for their sins, and who can forgive sins except God? And are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in the wrong they have done.
136 For such the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens with rivers flowing underneath — an eternal dwelling. How excellent a reward for those who work!
137 Many were the ways of life that have passed away before you: travel though the earth, and see what was the end of those who rejected truth.
138 Here is plain statement to men, a guidance and instruction to those who fear God!
139 So do not lose heart, nor fall into despair: for you must gain mastery if you are true in faith.
140 If a wound has touched you, be sure a similar wound has touched the others. Such days we give to men and men by turns: that God may know those that believe, and that he may take to himself from your ranks witnesses. And God loves not those that do wrong.
141 God’s object also is to purge those that are true in faith and to deprive of blessing those that resist faith.
142 Did you think that you would enter heaven without God testing those of you who fought hard and remained steadfast?
143 You did indeed wish for death before you met him: now you have seen him with your own eyes.
144 Muhammad is no more than a messenger: many were the messengers that passed away before him. If he died or were slain, will you then turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to God; but God will swiftly reward those who serve him with gratitude.
145 Nor can a soul die except by God’s leave, the term being fixed as by writing. If any do desire a reward in this life, we shall give it to him; and if any do desire a reward in the hereafter, we shall give it to him. And swiftly shall we reward those that serve us with gratitude.
146 How many of the prophets fought, and with them large bands of goodly men? But they never lost heart if they met with disaster in God’s way, nor did they weaken nor give in. And God loves those who are firm and steadfast.
147 All that they said was: our Lord forgive us our sins and anything we may have done that transgressed our duty: establish our feet firmly, and help us against those that resist faith.
148 And God gave them a reward in this world, and the excellent reward of the hereafter. For God loves those who do good.
149 O you who believe if you obey the unbelievers, they will drive you back on your heels, and you will turn back to your own loss.
150 No, God is your protector, and he is the best of helpers.
151 Soon shall we cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, for that they joined companions with God, for which he had sent no authority: their abode will be the fire: end evil is the home of the wrongdoers.
152 God did indeed fulfil his promise to you when with his permission you were about to annihilate your enemy, until you flinched and fell to disputing about the order, and disobeyed it after he brought you in sight of the booty which you covet. Among you are some that hanker after this world and some that desire the hereafter. Then he diverted you from your foes in order to test you. But he forgave you: for God is full of grace to those who believe.
153 Behold, you were climbing up the high ground, without even casting a side glance at anyone, and the messenger in your rear was calling you back. There God repaid you one distress after another, to teach you not to grieve for the booty that had escaped you and for the ill that had befallen you. For God is well aware of all that you do.
154 After the distress, he sent down calm on a band of you overcome with slumber, while another band was stirred to anxiety by their own feelings, moved by wrong suspicions of God suspicions due to ignorance. They said: what affair is this of ours? Say: Indeed, this affair is wholly God’s they hide in their minds what they dare not reveal to you. They say: if we had anything to do with this affair, we should not have been in the slaughter here. Say: Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death; but all this was that God might test what is in your breasts and purge what is in your hearts. For God knows well the secrets of your hearts.
155 Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met, it was Shaitan23 who caused them to fail, because of some evil they had done. But God has blotted out their sin: for God is oft-forgiving, most forbearing.
156 O you who believe be not lick the unbelievers, who say of their brothers, when they are travelling through the earth or engaged in fighting: if they had stayed with us, they would not have died, or been slain. This that God may make it a cause of sighs and regrets in their hearts. It is God that gives life and death, and God sees well all that you do.
157 And if you are slain, or die in the way of God, forgiveness and mercy from God are far better than all they could amass.
158 And if you die, or are slain, lo it is to God that you are brought together.
159 It is part of the mercy of God that deals gently with them. Whether you were severe or harsh hearted, they would have broken away from about you: so pass over their faults, and ask for forgiveness for them, and consult them in affairs of moment. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in God. For God loves those who put their trust in him.
160 If God help you, non can overcome you: if he forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? In God, then, let believers put their trust.
161 No prophet could be false to his trust. If any person is so false, he shall, on the day of judgment, restore what he misappropriated; then shall every soul receive its due, whatever it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly.
162 Is the man who follows the good pleasure of God like the man who draws on himself the wrath of God, and whose abode is in hell? A woeful refuge!
163 They are in varying grades in the sight of God, and God sees well all that they do.
164 God did confer a great favour on the believers when he sent among them a messenger from among themselves, rehearsing to them the signs of God, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Al-Kitab and wisdom, while, before that, they had been in clear error.
165 What when a single disaster strikes you, although you smote your enemies with one twice as great, do you say: Where did this come from? Say: It is from yourselves: for God has power over all things.
166 What you suffered on the day the two armies met, was with the leave of God, in order that he might test the believers,
167 And the hypocrites also. These were told: come, fight in the way of God, or at least drive the foe from your city. They said: had we known how to fight, we should certainly have followed you. They were that day nearer to unbelief than to faith, saying with their lips what was not in their hearts. But God has full knowledge of all they conceal.
168 They are the ones that say, of their brothers slain, while they themselves sit at ease: if only they had listened to us, they would not have been slain. Say: Avert death from your own selves, if you speak the truth.
169 Think not of those who are slain in God’s way as dead. No, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord;
170 They rejoice in the bounty provided by God: and with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them in their bliss, the martyrs glory in the fact than on them is no fear, nor have they cause to grieve.
171 They glory in the grace and the bounty from God, and in the fact that God suffers not the reward of the faithful to be lost.
172 Of those who answered the call of God and the messenger, even after being wounded, those who do right and refrain from wrong have a great reward.
173 Men said to them: a great army is gathering against you: and frightened them: but it increased their faith: they said: for us God suffices, and he is the best disposer of affairs.
174 And they returned with grace and bounty from God: no harm ever touched them: for they followed the good pleasure of God: and God is the Lord of bounties unbounded.
175 It is only Iblis that suggests to you the fear of his votaries: be not afraid of them, but fear me, if you have faith.
176 Let not those grieve you who rush headlong into unbelief: not the least harm will they do to God: God’s plan is that he will give them no portion in the hereafter, but a severe punishment.
177 Those who purchase unbelief at the price of faith, not the least harm will they do to God, but they will have a grievous punishment.
178 Let not the unbelievers think that our respite to them is good for themselves: we grant them respite that they may grow in their iniquity: but they will have a shameful punishment.
179 God will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until he separates what is evil from what is good. Nor will he disclose to you the secrets of the unseen, but he chooses of his messengers whom he pleases. So believe in God and his messengers; and if you believe and do right, you have a reward without measure.
180 And let not those who covetously withhold of the gifts which God has given them of his grace, think that it is good for them: no, it will be the worse for them: soon shall the things which they covetously withheld be tied to their necks like a twisted collar, on the day of judgment. To God belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth; and God is well acquainted with all that you do.
181 God has heard the taunt of those who say: “Truly, God is indigent and we are rich.” We shall certainly record their word and their act of slaying the prophets in defiance of right, and we shall say: Take the penalty of the scorching fire.
182 This is because of the unrighteous deeds which your hands sent on before you: for God never harms those who serve him.
183 They said: “God took our promise not to believe in a messenger unless he showed us a sacrifice consumed by fire from heaven.” Say: “There came to you messengers before me, with clear signs and even with what you ask for: why then did you slay them, if you speak the truth?”
184 Then if they reject you, so were rejected messengers before you, who came with clear signs, and the Zabur, and Al-Kitab which gives light.
185 Every soul shall have a taste of death: and only on the day of judgment shall you be paid your full reward. Only he who is saved far from the fire and admitted to the garden will have attained the object of life: for the life of this world is but good and chattels of deception.
186 You shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves; and you shall certainly hear much that will grieve you, from those who received Al-Kitab before you and from those who worship many gods. But if you persevere patiently, and guard against evil, then that will be a determining factor in all affairs.
187 And remember God took a covenant from the people of Al-Kitab, to make it known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it; but they threw it away behind their backs, and purchased with it some miserable gain and vile was the bargain they made.
188 Think not that those who exult in what they have brought about, and love to be praised for what they have not done, think not that they can escape the penalty. For them is a penalty grievous indeed.
189 To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; and God has power over all things.
190 Behold in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding,
191 Men who celebrate the praises of God, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the wonders of creation in the heavens and the earth, with the thought: Our Lord, not for nothing have you created all this. Glory to you! Give us salvation from the penalty of the fire.
192 Our Lord, any whom you admit to fire, truly you cover with shame, and never will wrongdoers find any helpers.
193 Our Lord, we have heard the call of one calling us to faith, believe in the Lord, and we have believed. Our Lord forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to yourself our souls in the company of the righteous.
194 “Our Lord! Grant us what you promised to us through your messengers, and save us from shame on the day of judgment; for you never break your promise.”
195 And their Lord has accepted of them, and answered them: “Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female: you are members, one of another; those who have left their homes, or been driven out therefrom, or suffered harm in my cause, or fought or been slain, truly, I will blot out their iniquities, and admit them into gardens with rivers flowing beneath — a reward from the presence of God, and from his presence is the best of rewards.”
196 Let not the strutting about of the unbelievers through the land deceive you;
197 Little is it for enjoyment: their ultimate abode is hell: what an evil bed to lie on.
198 On the other hand, for those who fear their Lord, are gardens, with rivers flowing beneath; in them they are to dwell, a gift from the presence of God; and that which is in the presence of God is the best for the righteous.
199 And there are, certainly, among the people of Al-Kitab, those who believe in God, in the revelation to you, and in the revelation to them, bowing in humility to God: they will not sell the signs of God for a miserable gain for them is a reward with their Lord, and God is swift in account.
200 O you who believe persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear God; that you may prosper.
- God, in Arabic allah, referring to the one true God, as opposed to an idol or “god.” It is the Arabic equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew), alaha (Syriac), and theos (Greek), all of which accurately translate into English as “God.” This translation choice is consistent with respected English Quran translations including those of A. Yusuf Ali (original edition), S.H. Nasr (Study Quran), T.B. Irving, and T. Itani (Clear Quran). ↩︎
- the Gracious, the Merciful, the highlighting of God’s grace and mercy predates the Quran, coming down from the many hundreds of references in the Taurat, Zabur, and Injil. A few samples follow:
Taurat, Exodus 34:6 — …YAHWEH, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
Zabur 145:8 — YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
Taurat, Joel 2:13 — Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to YAHWEH your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.
Taurat, Yunus 4:2 — …I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.”
Injil, 1 Timothy 1:2 — …Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and AL-MASIH ‘ISA our Lord.
Injil, Hebrews 4:16 — Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. ↩︎ - 3:1 meaning unknown. ↩︎
- 3:3 confirms, means “affirms the truth of.” One of the main purposes of the Quran is to “confirm” the Taurat and Injil which came before it. The Quran affirms the truthfulness of those previous books, and calls all men to believe and follow their message. To this day, people wrongly look for reasons to deny the truth and accuracy of the Taurat and Injil, sometimes even trying to use the Quran to support such denial. ↩︎
- 3:3 Taurat, derived from Torah (Hebrew) which means “instruction” or “teaching.” Depending on context, Taurat can refer to,
1. The whole Hebrew Bible contained here under the title Taurat, equivalent to what Jews today call Tanakh, and what Christians call the Old Testament.
2. The revelation given to Prophet Musa, that is, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, sometimes called the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is a Greek word meaning “five books” and includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These five books are attributed to Prophet Musa himself. This is the traditional and most common meaning given to Taurat or Torah.
3. The Law of Musa found within the Pentateuch, with its hundreds of rules and regulations covering many aspects of daily life for the people of Israel. The most famous of these laws are the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20. ↩︎ - 3:3 Injil, derived from Euangel (Greek) and means “good news” or “Gospel” (old English for ‘good news’). Depending on context, Injil can refer to,
1. the whole Christian New Testament containing 27 books,
2. the first 4 books of the New Testament, that is, the Injil or Gospel ccording to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or,
3. the message or “good news” of forgiveness of sins through ‘ISA AL-MASIH, revealed in the holy Injil (or New Testament). ↩︎ - 3:36 Iblis, derived from the Greek diabolos, which also gives rise to the English word, devil. ↩︎
- 3:37 Zakariyya, derived from the Hebrew name Zechariah, which literally means “YAHWEH remembers.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 3:39 Yahya, this Arabic name and the English name John (for John the Baptist/Baptizer) are both derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, which literally means “YAHWEH is gracious”. (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 3:39 Prophet Yahya came to “witness to the truth of a Word from God.” The “Word from God” can refer to either the Taurat which came before him, or to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam who is called “a Word from God” in verse 45. The primary role of Prophet Yahya was to announce the coming of ‘ISA AL-MASIH, the one whom God chose to bring forgiveness of sins. According to the holy Injil, Yahya taught, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.” (Injil, Mark 1:7). ↩︎
- 3:45 “Word from him” or “Word of God,” is a unique title given only to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam. As the Injil teaches, “The Word became flesh, and lived among us” (John 1:14). ↩︎
- 3:45 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 3:45 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH SAVES.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 3:45 held in honour in this world and in the hereafter, This high distinction is given to no other prophet in the Quran. ↩︎
- 3:50 The Injil says something similar, “Do not think that I came to abrogate the Taurat or the Prophets. I did not come to abrogate, but to fulfil. For most assuredly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even the smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the Taurat, until all things are accomplished” (Matthew 5:17,18). In another place we read, “Now I say that AL-MASIH has been made a servant of the Jews for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers” (Romans 15:8). ↩︎
- 3:50 The flesh of many kinds of animals were forbidden for the Jews to eat, including pig, camel, hare, eagle, and more. See the Taurat in Leviticus chapter 11 for more. However, as the above verse states, Prophet ‘ISA relaxed some of these restrictions in the Injil. One time he said to his disciples, “Are you thus without understanding also? Don’t you perceive that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine?” In saying this, ‘ISA declared all foods “clean” (Mark 7:17,18). ↩︎
- 3:55 I will take you, Arabic–tawaffa, could also be translated I will cause you to die. It is a euphemism meaning that God would bring about the death of ‘ISA AL-MASIH. After this, God would also “raise” him to himself. This agrees with the Injil‘s declaration that ‘ISA AL-MASIH died, rose again, and ascended to heaven, by the power and permission of God. The same word, tawaffa, is used in Surah 32:11— “Say: The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will take your souls (tawaffa, or cause you to die): then shall you be brought back to your Lord.” ↩︎
- 3:59 The Injil also compares ‘ISA and Adam, “The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam [‘ISA] became a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45). ↩︎
- 3:67 that is, followers of ‘ISA AL-MASIH, who was also called the Nasrani because he came from Nazareth. ↩︎
- 3:78 This verse teaches that when the Jews recited the Taurat, there were those who purposely read the text incorrectly and even ignored whole sections of the Taurat if it wasn’t to their liking. However, there is no hint that they tried to change the written text of the Taurat. ↩︎
- 3:84 These unnamed prophets were given revelation from God and are mentioned by name in the Taurat and Injil. They include such notable prophets as Yusha, Samuel, Uzair, Dawud, Sulayman, Shaya, Armiya, Dhul-kifl, Daniel, Yunus, Zakariyya, and many others in the long line of Hebrew prophets. Their histories or prophecies can be read online here by looking in the table of contents of the Taurat, or by doing a search for their name. ↩︎
- 3:84 Many people claim to “make no distinction” between the prophets, but their actions show that they favour the message of one prophet over others. ↩︎
- 3:155 Shaitan, is derived from the Hebrew Satan, which means “adversary” or “accuser.” ↩︎