Chapter 25, 77 verses
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Blessed is He Who hath revealed unto His slave the Criterion (of right and wrong), that he may be a warner to the peoples.
Blessed is He who sent down the criterion to His servant, that it may be an admonition to all creatures; -
He unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, He hath chosen no son nor hath He any partner in the Sovereignty. He hath created everything and hath meted out for it a measure.
He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: no son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominion: it is He who created all things, and ordered them in due proportions.
Yet they choose beside Him other gods who create naught but are themselves created, and possess not hurt nor profit for themselves, and possess not death nor life, nor power to raise the dead.
Yet have they taken, besides him, gods that can create nothing but are themselves created; that have no control of hurt or good to themselves; nor can they control death nor life nor resurrection.
Those who disbelieve say: This is naught but a lie that he hath invented, and other folk have helped him with it, so that they have produced a slander and a lie.
But the misbelievers say: "Naught is this but a lie which he has forged, and others have helped him at it." In truth it is they who have put forward an iniquity and a falsehood.
And they say: Fables of the men of old which he hath had written down so that they are dictated to him morn and evening.
And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has caused to be written: and they are dictated before him morning and evening."
Say (unto them, O Muhammad): He who knoweth the secret of the heavens and the earth hath revealed it. Lo! He ever is Forgiving, Merciful.
Say: "The (Qur'an) was sent down by Him who knows the mystery (that is) in the heavens and the earth: verily He is Oft - Forgiving, Most Merciful."
And they say: What aileth this messenger (of Allah) that he eateth food and walketh in the markets ? Why is not an angel sent down unto him, to be a warner with him.
And they say: "What sort of a messenger is this, who eats food, and walks through the streets? Why has not an angel been sent down to him to give admonition with him?
Or (why is not) treasure thrown down unto him, or why hath he not a paradise from whence to eat ? And the evil - doers say: Ye are but following a man bewitched.
"Or (Why) has not a treasure been bestowed on him, or why has he (not) a garden for enjoyment?" The wicked say: "Ye follow none other than a man bewitched."
See how they coin similitudes for thee, so that they are all astray and cannot find a road!
See what kinds of comparisons they make for thee! But they have gone astray, and never a way will they be able to find!
Blessed is He Who, if He will, will assign thee better than (all) that - Gardens underneath which rivers flow - and will assign thee mansions.
Blessed is He who, if that were His will, could give thee better (things) than those, - Gardens beneath which rivers flow; and He could give thee palaces (secure to dwell in).
Nay, but they deny (the coming of) the Hour, and for those who deny (the coming of) the Hour We have prepared a flame.
Nay they deny the hour (of the judgment to come): but We have prepared a blazing fire for such as deny the hour:
When it seeth them from afar, they hear the crackling and the roar thereof.
When it sees them from a place far off, they will hear its fury and its ranging sigh.
And when they are flung into a narrow place thereof, chained together, they pray for destruction there.
And when they are cast, bound together into a constricted place therein, they will plead for destruction there and then!
Pray not that day for one destruction, but pray for many destructions!
"This day plead not for a single destruction: plead for destruction oft - repeated!"
Say: Is that (doom) better or the Garden of Immortality which is promised unto those who ward off (evil) ? It will be their reward and journey's end.
Say: "Is that best, or the eternal garden, promised to the righteous? for them, that is a reward as well as a goal (of attainment).
Therein abiding, they have all that they desire. It is for thy Lord a promise that must be fulfilled.
"For them there will be therein all that they wish for: they will dwell (there) for aye: A promise to be prayed for from thy Lord."
And on the day when He will assemble them and that which they worship instead of Allah and will say: Was it ye who misled these my slaves or did they (themselves) wander from the way ?
The day He will gather them together as well as those whom they worship besides Allah, He will ask: "Was it ye who let these My servants astray, or did they stray from the Path themselves?"
They will say: Be Thou Glorified! it was not for us to choose any protecting friends beside thee; but Thou didst give them and their fathers ease till they forgot the warning and became lost folk.
They will say: "Glory to Thee! not meet was it for us that we should take for protectors others besides Thee: But Thou didst bestow, on them and their fathers, good things (in life), until they forgot the Message: for they were a people (worthless and) lost."
Thus they will give you the lie regarding what ye say, then ye can neither avert (the doom) nor obtain help. And whoso among you doeth wrong, We shall make him taste great torment.
(Allah will say): "Now have they proved you liars in what ye say: so ye cannot avert (your penalty) nor (get) help." And whoever among you does wrong, him shall We cause to taste of a grievous Penalty.
We never sent before thee any messengers but lo! they verily ate food and walked in the markets. And We have appointed some of you a test for others: Will ye be steadfast ? And thy Lord is ever Seer.
And the messengers whom We sent before thee were all (men) who ate food and walked through the streets: We have made some of you as a trial for others: will ye have patience? for Allah is One Who sees (all things).
And those who look not for a meeting with Us say: Why are angels not sent down unto us and (Why) do we not see our Lord! Assuredly they think too highly of themselves and are scornful with great pride.
Such as fear not the meeting with Us (for Judgment) say: "Why are not the angels sent down to us, or (why) do we not see our Lord?" Indeed they have an arrogant conceit of themselves, and mighty is the insolence of their impiety!
On the day when they behold the angels, on that day there will be no good tidings for the guilty; and they will cry: A forbidding ban!
The Day they see the angels, - no joy will there be to the sinners that Day: The (angels) will say: "There is a barrier forbidden (to you) altogether!"
And We shall turn unto the work they did and make it scattered motes.
And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did (in this life), and We shall make such deeds as floating dust scattered about.
Those who have earned the Garden on that day will be better in their home and happier in their place of noonday rest;
The Companions of the Garden will be well, that Day, in their abode, and have the fairest of places for repose.
A day when the heaven with the clouds will be rent asunder and the angels will be sent down, a grand descent.
The Day the heaven shall be rent asunder with clouds, and angels shall be sent down, descending (in ranks), -
The Sovereignty on that day will be the True (Sovereignty) belonging to the Beneficent One, and it will be a hard day for disbelievers.
That Day, the dominion as of right and truth, shall be (wholly) for (Allah) Most Merciful: it will be a Day of dire difficulty for the misbelievers.
On the day when the wrong - doer gnaweth his hands, he will say: Ah, would that I had chosen a way together with the messenger (of Allah)!
The Day that the wrong - doer will bite at his hands, he will say, "Oh! would that I had taken a (straight) path with the Messenger!
Alas for me! Ah, would that I had never taken such an one for friend!
"Ah! woe is me! Would that I had never taken such a one for a friend!
He verily led me astray from the Reminder after it had reached me. Satan was ever man's deserter in the hour of need.
"He did lead me astray from the Message (of Allah) after it had come to me! Ah! the Evil One is but a traitor to man!"
And the messenger saith: O my Lord! Lo! mine own folk make this Qur'an of no account.
Then the Messenger will say: "O my Lord! Truly my people took this Qur'an for just foolish nonsense."
Even so have We appointed unto every prophet an opponent from among the guilty; but Allah sufficeth for a Guide and Helper.
Thus have We made for every prophet an enemy among the sinners: but enough is thy Lord to guide and to help.
And those who disbelieve say: Why is the Qur'an not revealed unto him all at once ? (It is revealed) thus that We may strengthen thy heart therewith; and We have arranged it in right order.
Those who reject Faith say: "Why is not the Qur'an revealed to him all at once? Thus (is it revealed), that We may strengthen thy heart thereby, and We have rehearsed it to thee in slow, well - arranged stages, gradually.
And they bring thee no similitude but We bring thee the Truth (as against it), and better (than their similitude) as argument.
And no question do they bring to thee but We reveal to thee the truth and the best explanation (thereof).
Those who will be gathered on their faces unto hell: such are worse in plight and further from the right road.
Those who will be gathered to Hell (prone) on their faces, - they will be in an evil plight, and, as to Path, most astray.
We verily gave Moses the Scripture and placed with him his brother Aaron as henchman.
(Before this,) We sent Moses The Book, and appointed his brother Aaron with him as minister;
Then We said: Go together unto the folk who have denied Our revelations. Then We destroyed them, a complete destruction.
And We command: "Go ye both, to the people who have rejected our Signs:" And those (people) We destroyed with utter destruction.
And Noah's folk, when they denied the messengers, We drowned them and made of them a portent for mankind. We have prepared a painful doom for evil - doers.
And the people of Noah, - when they rejected the messengers, We drowned them, and We made them as a Sign for mankind; and We have prepared for (all) wrong - doers a grievous Penalty; -
And (the tribes of) A'ad and Thamud, and the dwellers in Ar - Rass, and many generations in between.
As also 'Ad and Thamud, and the Companions of the Rass, and many a generation between them.
Each (of them) We warned by examples, and each (of them) We brought to utter ruin.
To each one We set forth Parables and examples; and each one We broke to utter annihilation (for their sins).
And indeed they have passed by the township whereon was rained the fatal rain. Can it be that they have not seen it ? Nay, but they hope for no resurrection.
And the (Unbelievers) must indeed have passed by the town on which was rained a shower of evil: did they not then see it (with their own eyes)? But they fear not the Resurrection.
And when they see thee (O Muhammad) they treat thee only as a jest (saying): Is this he whom Allah sendeth as a messenger ?
When they see thee, they treat thee no otherwise than in mockery: "Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a messenger?"
He would have led us far away from our gods if we had not been staunch to them. They will know, when they behold the doom, who is more astray as to the road.
"He indeed would well - nigh have misled us from our gods, had it not been that we were constant to them!" - Soon will they know, when they see the Penalty, who it is that is most misled in Path!
Hast thou seen him who chooseth for his god his own lust ? Wouldst thou then be guardian over him ?
Seest thou such a one as taketh for his god his own passion (or impulse)? Couldst thou be a disposer of affairs for him?
Or deemest thou that most of them hear or understand ? They are but as the cattle - nay, but they are farther astray ?
Or thinkest thou that most of them listen or understand? They are only like cattle; - nay, they are worse astray in Path.
Hast thou not seen how thy Lord hath spread the shade - And if He willed He could have made it still - then We have made the sun its pilot;
Hast thou not turned thy vision to thy Lord? - How He doth prolong the shadow! If He willed, He could make it stationary! then do We make the sun its guide;
Then We withdraw it unto Us, a gradual withdrawal ?
Then We draw it in towards Ourselves, - a contraction by easy stages.
And He it is Who maketh night a covering for you, and sleep repose, and maketh day a resurrection.
And He it is Who makes the Night as a Robe for you, and Sleep as Repose, and makes the Day (as it were) a Resurrection.
And He it is Who sendeth the winds, glad tidings heralding His mercy, and We send down purifying water from the sky,
And He it is Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His mercy, and We send down pure water from the sky, -
That We may give life thereby to a dead land, and We give many beasts and men that We have created to drink thereof.
That with it We may give life to a dead land, and slake the thirst of things We have created, - cattle and men in great numbers.
And verily We have repeated it among them that they may remember, but most of mankind begrudge aught save ingratitude.
And We have distributed the (water) amongst them, in order that they may celebrate (our) praises, but most men are averse (to aught) but (rank) ingratitude.
If We willed, We could raise up a warner in every village.
Had it been Our Will, We could have sent a warner to every centre of population.
So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them herewith with a great endeavour.
Therefore listen not to the Unbelievers, but strive against them with the utmost strenuousness, with the (Qur'an).
And He it is Who hath given independence to the two seas (though they meet); one palatable, sweet, and the other saltish, bitter; and hath set a bar and a forbidding ban between them.
It is He Who has let free the two bodies of flowing water: One palatable and sweet, and the other salt and bitter; yet has He made a barrier between them, a partition that is forbidden to be passed.
And He it is Who hath created man from water, and hath appointed for him kindred by blood and kindred by marriage; for thy Lord is ever Powerful.
It is He Who has created man from water: then has He established relationships of lineage and marriage: for thy Lord has power (over all things).
Yet they worship instead of Allah that which can neither benefit them nor hurt them. The was ever a partisan against his Lord.
Yet do they worship, besides Allah, things that can neither profit them nor harm them: and the Misbeliever is a helper (of Evil), against his own Lord!
And We have sent thee (O Muhammad) only as a bearer of good tidings and a warner.
But thee We only sent to give glad tidings and admonition.
Say: I ask of you no reward for this, save that whoso will may choose a way unto his Lord.
Say: "No reward do I ask of you for it but this: that each one who will may take a (straight) Path to his Lord."
And trust thou in the Living One Who dieth not, and hymn His praise. He sufficeth as the Knower of His bondmen's sins,
And put thy trust in Him Who lives and dies not; and celebrate his praise; and enough is He to be acquainted with the faults of His servants; -
Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six Days, then He mounted the Throne. The Beneficent! Ask anyone concerning Him!
He Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between, in six days, and is firmly established on the Throne (of Authority): Allah Most Gracious: ask thou, then, about Him of any acquainted (with such things).
And when it is said unto them: Adore the Beneficent! they say: And what is the Beneficent ? Are we to adore whatever thou (Muhammad) biddest us ? And it increaseth aversion in them.
When it is said to them, "Prostrate to (Allah) Most Gracious!", they say, "And what is (Allah) Most Gracious? Shall we prostrate to that which thou commandest us?" And it increases their flight (from the Truth).
Blessed be He Who hath placed in the heaven mansions of the stars, and hath placed therein a great lamp and a moon giving light!
Blessed is He Who made constellations in the skies, and placed therein a Lamp and a Moon giving light;
And He it is Who hath appointed night and day in succession, for him who desireth to remember, or desireth thankfulness.
And it is He Who made the Night and the Day to follow each other: for such as have the will to celebrate His praises or to show their gratitude.
The (faithful) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish ones address them answer: Peace;
And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!";
And who spend the night before their Lord, prostrate and standing,
Those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord prostrate and standing;
And who say: Our Lord! Avert from us the doom of hell; lo! the doom thereof is anguish;
Those who say, "Our Lord! avert from us the Wrath of Hell, for its Wrath is indeed an affliction grievous, -
Lo! it is wretched as abode and station;
"Evil indeed is it as an abode, and as a place to rest in";
And those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two;
Those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but hold a just (balance) between those (extremes);
And those who cry not unto any other god along with Allah, nor take the life which Allah hath forbidden save in (course of) justice, nor commit adultery - and whoso doeth this shall pay the penalty;
Those who invoke not, with Allah, any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made sacred except for just cause, nor commit fornication; - and any that does this (not only) meets punishment.
The doom will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein disdained for ever;
(But) the Penalty on the Day of Judgment will be doubled to him, and he will dwell therein in ignominy, -
Save him who repenteth and believeth and doth righteous work; as for such, Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.
Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good, and Allah is Oft - Forgiving, Most Merciful,
And whosoever repenteth and doeth good, he verily repenteth toward Allah with true repentance -
And whoever repents and does good has truly turned to Allah with an (acceptable) conversion; -
And those who will not witness vanity, but when they pass near senseless play, pass by with dignity.
Those who witness no falsehood, and, if they pass by futility, they pass by it with honourable (avoidance);
And those who, when they are reminded of the revelations of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat.
Those who, when they are admonished with the Signs of their Lord, droop not down at them as if they were deaf or blind;
And who say: Our Lord! Vouchsafe us comfort of our wives and of our offspring, and make us patterns for (all) those who ward off (evil).
And those who pray, "Our Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous."
They will be awarded the high place forasmuch as they were steadfast, and they will meet therein with welcome and the ward of peace,
Those are the ones who will be rewarded with the highest place in heaven, because of their patient constancy: therein shall they be met with salutations and peace,
Abiding there for ever. Happy is it as abode and station!
Dwelling therein; - how beautiful an abode and place of rest!
Say (O Muhammad, unto the disbelievers): My Lord would not concern Himself with you but for your prayer. But now ye have denied (the Truth), therefor there will be judgment.
Say (to the Rejecters): "My Lord is not uneasy because of you if ye call not on Him: But ye have indeed rejected (Him), and soon will come the inevitable (punishment)!"