Sura V. Maida, Or The Table Spread
*
"The Holy Quran", tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934],
p. 237 p. 238
Sra V.
Mda, Or The Table Spread.
In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.
1. 1 O ye who believe!
Fulfil (all) obligations
2 Lawful unto you (for food)
Are all four-footed animals,
With the exceptions named:
But animals of the chase
Are forbidden while ye
Are in the Sacred Precincts
Or in pilgrim garb:
For God doth command
According to His Will and Plan
2. 3 O ye who believe!
Violate not the sanctity
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Of the Symbols of God,
Nor of the Sacred Month,
Nor of the animals brought
For sacrifice, nor the garlands
That mark out such animals,
Nor the people resorting
To the Sacred House,
Seeking of the bounty
And good pleasure
Of their Lord.
But when ye are clear
Of the Sacred Precincts
And of pilgrim garb,
Ye may hunt
And let not the hatred
Of some people
In (once) shutting you out
Of the Sacred Mosque
Lead you to transgression
(And hostility on your part).
Help ye one another
In righteousness and piety,
But help ye not one another
In sin and rancour:
Fear God: for God
Is strict in punishment.
3. 4 Forbidden to you (for food)
Are: dead meat, blood,
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The flesh of swine, and that
On which hath been invoked
The name of other than God;
That which hath been
Killed by strangling,
Or by a violent blow,
Or by a headlong fall,
Or by being gored to death;
That which hath been (partly)
Eaten by a wild animal;
Unless ye are able
To slaughter it (in due form);
That which is sacrificed
On stone (altars);
(Forbidden) also is the division
(Of meat) by raffling
With arrows: that is impiety.
This day have those who
Reject Faith given up
All hope of your religion:
Yet fear them not
But fear Me.
This day have I
Perfected your religion
For you, completed
My favour upon you,
And have chosen for you
Islam as your religion.
But if any is forced
By hunger, with no inclination
To transgression, God is
Indeed Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.
p. 241
4. 5 They ask thee what is
Lawful to them (as food)
Say: Lawful unto you
Are (all) things good and pure:
And what ye have taught
Your trained hunting animals
(To catch) in the manner
Directed to you by God:
Eat what they catch for you,
But pronounce the name
Of God over it: and fear
God; for God is swift
In taking account.
5. 6 This day are (all) things
Good and pure made lawful
Unto you. The food
Of the People of the Book
Is lawful unto you
And yours is lawful
Unto them.
(Lawful unto you in marriage)
Are (not only) chaste women
Who are believers, but
Chaste women among
The People of the Book,
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Revealed before your time,--
When ye give them
Their due dowers, and desire
Chastity, not lewdness,
Nor secret intrigues.
If any one rejects faith,
Fruitless is his work,
And in the Hereafter
He will be in the ranks
Of those who have lost
(All spiritual good).
Section 2.
6. 7 O ye who believe!
When ye prepare
For prayer, wash
Your faces, and your hands
(And arms) to the elbows;
Rub your heads (with water);
And (wash) your feet
To the ankles.
If ye are in a state
Of ceremonial impurity,
Bathe your whole body.
But if ye are ill,
Or on a journey,
Or one of you cometh
From offices of nature,
Or ye have been
In contact with women,
And ye find no water,
Then take for yourselves
Clean sand or earth,
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And rub therewith
Your faces and hands.
God doth not wish
To place you in a difficulty,
But to make you clean,
And to complete
His favour to you,
That ye may be grateful.
7. 8 And call in remembrance
The favour of God
Unto you, and His Covenant,
Which He ratified
With you, when ye said:
"We hear and we obey":
And fear God, for God
Knoweth well
The secrets of your hearts.
8. 9 O ye who believe!
Stand out firmly
For God, as witnesses
To fair dealing, and let not
The hatred of others
To you make you swerve
To wrong and depart from
Justice. Be just: that is
Next to Piety: and fear God.
For God is well-acquainted
With all that ye do.
9. 10 To those who believe
And do deeds of righteousness
Hath God promised forgiveness
And a great reward.
p. 244
10. 11 Those who reject faith
And deny Our Signs
Will be Companions
Of Hell-fire.
11. 12 O ye who believe
Call in remembrance
The favour of God
Unto you when
Certain men formed the design
To stretch out
Their hands against you,
But (God) held back
Their hands from you:
So fear God. And on God
Let Believers put
(All) their trust.
Section 3.
12. 13 God did aforetime
Take a Covenant from
The Children of Israel,
And We appointed twelve
Captains among them.
And God said: "I am
With you: if ye (but)
Establish regular Prayers,
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Practise regular Charity,
Believe in My apostles,
Honour and assist them,
And loan to God
A beautiful loan,
Verily I will wipe out
From you your evils,
And admit you to Gardens
With rivers flowing beneath;
But if any of you, after this,
Resisteth faith, he hath truly
Wandered from the path
Of rectitude."
13. 14 But because of their breach
Of their Covenant, We
Cursed them, and made
Their hearts grow hard:
They change the words
From their (right) places
And forget a good part
Of the Message that was
Sent them, nor wilt thou
Cease to find them
Barring a few--ever
Bent on (new) deceits:
But forgive them, and overlook
(Their misdeeds): for God
Loveth those who are kind.
14. 15 From those, too, who call
Themselves Christians,
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We did take a Covenant,
But they forgot a good part
Of the Message that was
Sent them: so We estranged
Them, with enmity and hatred
Between the one and the other,
To the Day of Judgment.
And soon will God show
Them what it is
They have done.
15. 16 O People of the Book!
There hath come to you
Our Apostle, revealing
To you much that ye
Used to hide in the Book,
And passing over much
(That is now unnecessary):
17 There hath come to you
From God a (new) light
And a perspicuous Book,--
16. 18 Wherewith God guideth all
Who seek His good pleasure
To ways of peace and safety,
And leadeth them out
Of darkness, by His Will,
Unto the light,--guideth them
To a Path that is Straight.
17. 19 In blasphemy indeed
Are those that say
That God is Christ
The son of Mary.
Say: "Who then
Hath the least power
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Against God, if His Will
Were to destroy Christ
The son of Mary, his mother,
And all--every one
That is on the earth?
For to God belongeth
The dominion of the heavens
And the earth, and all
That is between. He createth
What He pleaseth. For God
Hath power over all things."
18. 20 (Both) the Jews and the Christians
Say: "We are sons
Of God, and His beloved."
Say: "Why then doth He
Punish you for your sins?
Nay, ye are but men,
Of the men He hath created:
He forgiveth whom He pleaseth,
And He punisheth whom He pleaseth:
And to God belongeth
The dominion of the heavens
And the earth, and all
That is between:
And unto Him
Is the final goal (of all)"
19. 21 O People of the Book!
Now hath come unto you,
Making (things) clear unto you,
Our Apostle, after the break
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In (the series of) our apostles,
Lest ye should say:
"There came unto us
No bringer of glad tidings
And no warner (from evil)":
But now hath come
Unto you a bringer
Of glad tidings
And a warner (from evil).
And God hath power
Over all things.
Section 4.
20. 22 Remember Moses said
To his people: "O my People!
Call in remembrance the favour
Of God unto you, when He
Produced prophets among you,
Made you kings, and gave
You what He had not given
To any other among the peoples.
21. 23 \"O my people! enter
The holy land which
God hath assigned unto you,
And turn not back
Ignominiously, for then
Will ye be overthrown,
To your own ruin."
p. 249
22. 24 They said: "O Moses!
In this land are a people
Of exceeding strength:
Never shall we enter it
Until they leave it:
If (once) they leave,
Then shall we enter."
23. 25 (But) among (their) God-fearing men
Were two on whom
God had bestowed His grace:
They said: "Assault them
At the (proper) Gate:
When once ye are in,
Victory will be yours;
26 But on God put your trust
If ye have faith."
24. 27 They said: "O Moses!
While they remain there,
Never shall we be able
To enter, to the end of time.
Go thou, and thy Lord,
And fight ye two,
While we sit here"
(And watch)."
25. 28 He said: "O my Lord!
I have power only
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Over myself and my brother:
So separate us from this
Rebellious people!"
26. 29 God said: "Therefore
Will the land be out
Of their reach for forty years:
In distraction will they
Wander through the land:
But sorrow thou not
Over these rebellious people.
Section 5.
27. 30 Recite to them the truth
Of the story of the two sons
p. 251
Of Adam. Behold! they each
Presented a sacrifice (to God):
It was accepted from one,
But not from the other.
Said the latter: "Be sure
I will slay thee. Surely,"
Said the former, "God
Doth accept of the sacrifice
Of those who are righteous.
28. 31\"If thou dost stretch thy hand
Against me, to slay me,
It is not for me to stretch
My hand against thee
To slay thee: for I do fear
God, the Cherisher of the Worlds.
29. 32 \"For me, I intend to let
Thee draw on thyself
My sin as well as thine,
For thou wilt be among
The Companions of the Fire,
And that is the reward
Of those who do wrong."
30. 33 The (selfish) soul of the other
Led him to the murder
Of his brother: he murdered
Him, and became (himself)
One of the lost ones.
31. 34 Then God sent a raven,
Who scratched the ground,
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To show him how to hide
The shame of his brother.
"Woe is me!" said he;
"Was I not even able
To be as this raven,
And to hide the shame
Of my brother?" Then he became
Full of regrets--
32. 35 On that account: We ordained
For the Children of Israel
That if any one slew
A person--unless it be
For murder or for spreading
Mischief in the land--
It would be as if
He slew the whole people:
And if any one saved a life,
It would be as if he saved
The life of the whole people.
Then although there came
To them Our Apostles
With Clear Signs, yet,
Even after that, many
Of them continued to commit
Excesses in the land.
33. 36 The punishment of those
Who wage war against God
And His Apostle, and strive
With might and main
For mischief through the land
Is: execution, or crucifixion,
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Or the cutting off of hands
And feet from opposite sides,
Or exile from the land:
That is their disgrace
In this world, and
A heavy punishment is theirs
In the Hereafter;
34. 37 Except for those who repent
Before they fall
Into your power:
In that case, know
That God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.
Section 6.
35. 38 O ye who believe!
Do your duty to God,
Seek the means
Of approach unto Him,
And strive with might
And main in His cause:
That ye may presper.
36. 39 As to those who reject
Faith,--if they had
Everything on earth,
And twice repeated,
To give as ransom
For the penalty of the Day
Of Judgment, it would
Never be accepted of them.
Theirs would be
A grievous Penalty.
37. 40 Their wish will be
To get out of the Fire,
But never will they
Get out therefrom:
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Their Penalty will be
One that endures.
38. 41 As to the thief,
Male or female,
Cut off his or her hands:
A punishment by way
Of example, from God,
For their crime:
And God is Exalted in Power.
39. 42 But if the thief repent
After his crime,
And amend his conduct,
God turneth to him
In forgiveness; for God
Is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
40. 43 Knowest thou not
That to God (alone)
Belongeth the dominion
Of the heavens and the earth?
He punisheth whom He pleaseth,
And He forgiveth whom He pleaseth:
And God hath power
Over all things.
41. 44 O Apostle! let not
Those grieve thee, who race
Each other into Unbelief:
(Whether it be) among those
Who say "We believe"
With their lips but
Whose hearts have no faith;
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Or it be among the Jews,--
Men who will listen
To any lie,--will listen
Even to others who have
Never so much as come
To thee. They change the words
From their (right) times
And places; they say,
"If ye are given this,
Take it, but if not,
Beware!" If any one's trial
Is intended by God, thou hast
No authority in the least
For him against God.
For such--it is not
God's will to purify
Their hearts. For them
There is disgrace
In this world, and
In the Hereafter
A heavy punishment.
42. 45 (They are fond of) listening
To falsehood, of devouring
Anything forbidden.
If they do come to thee,
Either judge between them,
Or decline to interfere.
If thou decline, they cannot
Hurt thee in the least.
If thou judge, judge
In equity between them.
For God loveth those
Who judge in equity.
p. 256
43. 46 But why do they come
To thee for decision,
When they have (their own)
Law before them?
Therein is the (plain)
Command of God; yet
Even after that, they would
Turn away. For they
Are not (really)
People of Faith.
Section 7.
44. 47 It was We who revealed
The Law (to Moses): therein
Was guidance and light.'
By its standard have been judged
The Jews, by the Prophets
Who bowed (as in Islam)
To God's Will, by the Rabbis
And the Doctors of Law:
p. 257
For to them was entrusted
The protection of God's Book,
And they were witnesses thereto:
Therefore fear not men,
But fear Me, and sell not
My Signs for a miserable price.
If any do fail to judge
By (the light of) what God
Hath revealed, they are
(No better than) Unbelievers.
45. 48 We ordained therein for them:
"Life for life, eye for eye,
Nose for nose, ear for ear,
Tooth for tooth, and wounds
Equal for equal." But if
Any one remits the retaliation
Byway of charity, it is
An act of atonement for himself.
And if any fail to judge
By (the light of) what God
Hath revealed, they are
(No better than) wrong-doers.
46. 49 And in their footsteps
We sent Jesus the son
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Of Mary, confirming
The Law that had come
Before him: We sent him
The Gospel: therein
Was guidance and light,
And confirmation of the Law
That had come before him:
A guidance and an admonition
To those who fear God.
47. 50 Let the People of the Gospel
Judge by what God hath revealed
Therein. If any do fail
To judge by (the light of)
What God hath revealed,
They are (no better than)
Those who rebel.
48. 51 To thee We sent the Scripture
In truth, confirming
The scripture that came
Before it, and guarding it's
In safety: so judge
Between them by what
God hath revealed,
And follow not their vain
Desires, diverging
From the Truth that hath come
To thee. To each among you
Have We prescribed a Law
And an Open Way.
If God had so willed.
He would have made you
A single People, but (His
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Plan is) to test you in what
He hath given you: so strive
As in a race in all virtues.
The goal of you all is to God;
It is He that will show you
The truth of the matters
In which ye dispute;
49. 52 And this (He commands):
Judge thou between them
By what God hath revealed,
And follow not their vain
Desires, but beware of them
Lest they beguile thee
From any of that (teaching)
Which God hath sent down
To thee. And if they turn
Away, be assured that
For some of their crimes
It is God's purpose to punish
Them. And truly most men
Are rebellious.
50. 53 Do they then seek after
A judgment of (the Days
Of) Ignorance? But who,
For a people whose faith
Is assured, can give
Better judgment than God?
Section 8.
51. 54 O ye who believe!
Take not the Jews
And the Christians
For your friends and protectors:
They are but friends and protectors)
To each other. And he
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Amongst you that turns to them
(For friendship) is of them.
Verily God guideth not
A people unjust.
52. 55 Those in whose hearts
Is a disease--thou seest
How eagerly they run about
Amongst them, saying:
"We do fear lest a change
Of fortune bring us disaster."
Ah! perhaps God will give
(Thee) victory, or a decision
According to His Will.
Then will they repent
Of the thoughts which they secretly
Harboured in their hearts.
53. 56 And those who believe
Will say: "Are these
The men who swore
Their strongest oaths by God,
That they were with you?"
All that they do
Will be in vain,
And they will fall
Into (nothing but) ruin.
54. 57 O ye who believe!
If any from among you
Turn back from his Faith,
Soon will God produce
A people whom He will love
As they will love Him,--
Lowly with the Believers,
Mighty against the Rejecters,
Fighting in the Way of God,
And never afraid
Of the reproaches
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Of such as find fault.
That is the Grace of God,
Which He will bestow
On whom He pleaseth.
And God encompasseth all,
And He knoweth all things.
55. 58 Your (real) friends are
(No less than) God,
His Apostle, and the (Fellowship
Of) Believers,--those who
Establish regular prayers
And regular charity,
And they bow
Down humbly (in worship).
56. 59 As to those who turn
(For friendship) to God,
His Apostle, and the (Fellowship
Of) Believers,--it is
The Fellowship of God
That must certainly triumph.
Section 9.
57. 60 O ye who believe!
Take not for friends
And protectors those
Who take your religion
For a mockery or sport,--
Whether among those
Who received the Scripture
Before you, or among those
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Who reject Faith;
But fear ye God,
If ye have Faith (indeed).
58. 61 When ye proclaim
Your call to prayer,
They take it (but)
As mockery and sport;
That is because they are
A people without understanding.
59. 62 Say: "O People of the Book!
Do ye disapprove of us
For no other reason than
That we believe in God,
And the revelation
That hath come to us
And that which came
Before (us), and (perhaps)
That most of you
Are rebellious and disobedient?
60. 63 Say: "Shall I point out
To you something much worse
Than this, (as judged)
By the treatment it received
From God? Those who
Incurred the curse of God
And His wrath, those of whom some
He transformed into apes and swine,
Those who worshipped Evil;--
These are (many times) worse
In rank, and far more astray
From the even Path!"
61. 64 When they come to thee,
They say: "We believe":
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But in fact they enter
With a mind against Faith,
And they go out
With the same.
But God knoweth fully
All that they hide.
62. 65 Many of them dost thou
See, racing each other
In sin and rancour,
And their eating of things
Forbidden. Evil indeed
Are the things that they do.
63. 66 Why do not the Rabbis
And the doctors of law forbid
Them from their (habit
Of) uttering sinful words
And eating things forbidden?
Evil indeed are their works.
64. 67 The Jews say: "God's hand
Is tied up." Be their hands
Tied up and be they accursed
For the (blasphemy) they utter.
Nay, both His hands
Are widely outstretched:
He giveth and spendeth
(Of His bounty) as He pleaseth.
But the revelation that
Cometh to thee from God
Increaseth in most of them
Their obstinate rebellion
And blasphemy. Amongst them
We have placed enmity
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And hatred till the Day
Of Judgment. Every time
They kindle the fire of war,
God doth extinguish it;
But they (ever) strive
To do mischief on earth.
And God loveth not
Those who do mischief.
65. 68 If only the People of the Book
Had believed and been righteous,
We should indeed have
Blotted out their iniquities
And admitted them
To Gardens of Bliss.
66. 69 If only they had stood fast
By the Law, the Gospel,
And all the revelation that was sent
To them from their Lord,
They would have enjoyed
Happiness from every side.'
There is from among them
A party on the right course:
But many of them
Follow a course that is evil.
Section 10.
67. 70 O Apostle! proclaim
The (Message) which hath been
Sent to thee from thy Lord.
If thou didst not, thou
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Wouldst not have fulfilled
And proclaimed His Mission.
And God will defend thee
From men (who mean mischief).
For God guideth not
Those who reject Faith.
68. 71 Say: "O People of the Book!
Ye have no ground
To stand upon unless
Ye stand fast by the Law,
The Gospel, and all the revelation
That has come to you from
Your Lord." It is the revelation
That cometh to thee from
Thy Lord, that increaseth in most
Of them their obstinate
Rebellion and blasphemy.
But sorrow thou not
Over (these) people without Faith.
69. 72 Those who believe (in the Qur-n),
Those who follow the Jewish (scriptures),
And the Sabians and the Christians,--
Any who believe in God
And the Last Day,
And work righteousness,--
On them shall be no fear,
Nor shall they grieve.
70. 73 We took the Covenant
Of the Children of Israel
And sent them apostles.
Every time there came
To them an apostle
With what they themselves
Desired not--some
(Of these) they called
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Impostors, and some they
(Go so far as to) slay.
71. 74 They thought there would be
No trial (or punishment);
So they became blind and deaf;
Yet God (in mercy) turned
To them; yet again many
Of them became blind and deaf.
But God sees well
All that they do.
72. 75 They do blaspheme who say:
"God is Christ the son
Of Mary" But said Christ:
"O Children of Israel!
Worship God, my Lord
And your Lord." Whoever
Joins other gods with God,--
God will forbid him
The Garden, and the Fire
Will be his abode. There will
For the wrong-doers
Be no one to help.
73. 76 They do blaspheme who say:
God is one of three
In a Trinity: for there is
No god except One God.
If they desist not
From their word (of blasphemy),
Verily a grievous penalty
Will befall the blasphemers
Among them.
74. 77 Why turn they not to God,
And seek His forgiveness?
For God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.
75. 78 Christ the son of Mary
Was no more than
An Apostle; many were
The apostles that passed away
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Before him. His mother
Was a woman of truth.
They had both to eat
Their (daily) food.
See how God doth make
His Signs clear to them;
Yet see in what ways
They are deluded
Away from the truth!
76. 79 Say: "Will ye worship,
Besides God, something
Which hath no power either
To harm or benefit you?
But God,--He it is
That heareth and knoweth
All things."
77. 80 Say: "O People of the Book!
Exceed not in your religion
The bounds (of what is proper),
Trespassing beyond the truth,
Nor follow the vain desires
Of people who went wrong
In times gone by,--who misled
Many, and strayed (themselves)
From the even Way.
Section 11.
78. 81 Curses were pronounced
On those among the Children
Of Israel who rejected Faith,
By the tongue of David
And of Jesus the son of Mary:
Because they disobeyed
And persisted in Excesses.
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79. 82 Nor did they (usually)
Forbid one another
The iniquities which they
Committed: evil indeed
Were the deeds which they did.
80. 83 Thou seest many of them
Turning in friendship
To the Unbelievers.
Evil indeed are (the works) which
Their souls have sent forward
Before them (with the result),
That God's wrath
Is on them,
And in torment
Will they abide.
81. 84 If only they had believed
In God, in the Apostle,
And in what hath been
Revealed to him, never
Would they have taken
Them for friends and protectors,
But most of them are
Rebellious wrong-doers.
82. 85 Strongest among men in enmity
To the Believers wilt thou
Find the Jews and Pagans;
And nearest among them in love
To the Believers wilt thou
Find those who say,
"We are Christians":
Because amongst these are
Men devoted to learning
And men who have renounced
The world, and they
Are not arrogant.
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83. 86 And when they listen
To the revelation received
By the Apostle, thou wilt
See their eyes overflowing
With tears, for they
Recognise the truth:
They pray: "Our Lord!
We believe; write us
Down among the witnesses.
84. 87 \"What cause can we have
Not to believe in God
And the truth which has
Come to us, seeing that
We long for our Lord
To admit us to the company
Of the righteous?"
85. 88 And for this their prayer
Hath God rewarded them
With Gardens, with rivers
Flowing underneath,--their eternal
Home. Such is the recompense
Of those who do good.
86. 89 But those who reject Faith
And belie Our Signs,--
They shall be Companions
Of Hell-fire.
Section 12.
87. 90 O ye who believe!
Make not unlawful
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The good things which God
Hath made lawful for you,
But commit no excess:
For God loveth not
Those given to excess.
88. 91 Eat of the things which
God hath provided for you,
Lawful and good; but fear
God, in Whom ye believe.
89. 92 God will not call you
To account for what is
Futile in your oaths,
But He will call you
To account for your deliberate
Oaths: for expiation, feed
Ten indigent persons,
On a scale of the average
For the food of your families;
Or clothe them; or give
A slave his freedom.
If that is beyond your means,
Fast for three days.
That is the expiation
For the oaths ye have sworn.
But keep to your oaths.
Thus doth God make clear
To you His Signs, that ye
May be grateful.
90. 93 O ye who believe!
Intoxicants and gambling,
p. 271
(Dedication of) stones,
And (divination by) arrows,
Are an abomination,--
Of Satan's handiwork:
Eschew such (abomination),
That ye may prosper.
91. 94 Satan's plan is (but)
To excite enmity and hatred
Between you, with intoxicants
And gambling, and hinder you
From the remembrance
Of God, and from prayer:
Will ye not then abstain?
92. 95 Obey God, and obey the Apostle,
And beware (of evil):
If ye do turn back,
Know ye that it is
Our Apostle's duty
To proclaim (the Message)
In the clearest manner.
93. 96 On those who believe
And do deeds of righteousness
There is no blame
For what they ate (in the past),
When they guard themselves
From evil, and believe,
And do deeds of righteousness,--
(Or) again, guard themselves
From evil and believe,--
(Or) again, guard themselves
From evil and do good.
p. 272
For God loveth those
Who do good.
Section 13.
94. 97 O ye who believe!
God doth but make a trial of you
In a little matter
Of game well within reach
Of your hands and your lances,
That He may test
Who feareth Him unseen:
Any who transgress
Thereafter, will have
A grievous penalty.
95. 98 O ye who believe!
Kill not game
While in the Sacred
Precincts or in pilgrim garb.
If any of you doth so
Intentionally, the compensation
Is an offering, brought
To the Ka'ba, of a domestic animal
Equivalent to the one he killed,
p. 273
As adjudged by two just men
Among you; or by way
Of atonement, the feeding
Of the indigent; or its
Equivalent in fasts: that he
May taste of the penalty
Of his deed. God
Forgives what is past:
For repetition God will
Exact from him the penalty.
For God is Exalted,
And Lord of Retribution.
96. 99 Lawful to you is the pursuit
Of water-game and its use
For food,--for the benefit
Of yourselves and those who
Travel; but forbidden
Is the pursuit of land-game;--
As long as ye are
In the Sacred Precincts
Or in pilgrim garb.
And fear God, to Whom
Ye shall be gathered back.
97. 100 God made the Ka'ba,
The Sacred House, an asylum
Of security for men, as
Also the Sacred Months,
The animals for offerings,
And the garlands that mark them:
That ye may know
That God hath knowledge
Of what is in the heavens
And on earth and that God
Is well acquainted
With all things.
98. 101 Know ye that God
Is strict in punishment
p. 274
And that God is
Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
99. 102 The Apostle's duty is
But to proclaim (the Message).
But God knoweth all
That ye reveal and ye conceal.
100. 103 Say: "Not equal are things
That are bad and things
That are good, even though
The abundance of the bad
May dazzle thee;
So fear God, O ye
That understand;
That (so) ye may prosper."
Section 14.
101. 104 O ye who believe!
Ask not questions
About things which,
If made plain to you,
May cause you trouble.
But if ye ask about things
When the Qur-n is being
Revealed, they will be
Made plain to you,
God will forgive those:
For God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Forbearing.
102. 105 Some people before you
Did ask such questions,
p. 275
And on that account
Lost their faith.
103. 106 It was not God
Who instituted (superstitions
Like those of) a slit-ear
She-camel, or a she-camel
Let loose for free pasture,
Or idol sacrifices for
Twin-births in animals,
Or stallion-camels
Freed from work
It is blasphemers
Who Invent a lie
Against God; but most
Of them lack wisdom.
104. 107 When it is said to them:
"Come to what God
Hath revealed; come
To the Apostle":
They say: "Enough for us
Are the ways we found
Our fathers following."
What! even though their fathers
Were void of knowledge
And guidance?
105. 108 O ye who believe!
Guard your own souls:
If ye follow (right) guidance,
No hurt can come to you
From those who stray.
The goal of you all
Is to God: it is He
That will show you
The truth of all
That ye do.
p. 276
106. 109 O ye who believe!
When death approaches
Any of you, (take) witnesses
Among yourselves when making
Bequests,--two just men
Of your own (brotherhood)
Or others from outside
If ye are journeying
Through the earth,
And the chance of death
Befalls you (thus).
If ye doubt (their truth),
Detain them both
After prayer, and let them both
Swear by God:
"We wish not in this
For any worldly gain,
Even though the (beneficiary)
Be our near relation:
We shall hide not
The evidence before God:
If we do, then behold!
The sin be upon us!"
107. 110 But if it gets known
That these two were guilty
Of the sin (of perjury),
Let two others stand forth
In their places,--nearest
In kin from among those
Who claim a lawful right:
Let them swear by God:
"We affirm that our witness
Is truer than that
Of those two, and that we
Have not trespassed (beyond
The truth): if we did,
Behold! the wrong be
Upon us!"
108. 111 That is most suitable:
That they may give the evidence
p. 277
In its true nature and shape,
Or else they would fear
That other oaths would be
Taken after their oaths.
Hut fear God, and listen
(To His counsel): for God
Guideth not a rebellious people:
Section 15.
109. 112 One day will God
Gather the apostles together,
And ask: "What was
The response ye received
(From men to your teaching)?"
They will say: "We
Have no knowledge: it is Thou
Who knowest in full
All that is hidden."
110. 113 When will God say:
"O Jesus the son of Mary!
Recount My favour"'
To thee and to thy mother.
Behold! I strengthened thee
With the holy spirit,
So that thou didst speak
To the people in childhood
And in maturity.
Behold! I taught thee
The Book and Wisdom,
The Law and the Gospel.
And behold! thou makest
Out of clay, as it were,
p. 278
The figure of a bird,
By My leave,
And thou breathest into it,
And it becometh a bird
By My leave,
And thou healest those
Born blind, and the lepers,
By My leave.
And behold! thou
Bringest forth the dead
By My leave ego
And behold! I did
Restrain the Children of Israel
From (violence to) thee
When thou didst show them
The Clear Signs,
And the unbelievers among them
Said: 'This is nothing
But evident magic.
111. 114 \"And behold! I inspired
The Disciples to have faith
In Me and Mine Apostle:
They said, 'We have faith,
And do thou bear witness
That we bow to God
As Muslims'."
112. 115 Behold! the Disciples said:
"O Jesus the son of Mary!
Can thy Lord send down to us
A Table set (with viands)
p. 279
From heaven?" Said Jesus:
"Fear God, if ye have faith."
113. 116 They said: "We only wish
To eat ther and satisfy
Our hearts, and to know
That thou hast indeed
Told us the truth; and
That we ourselves may be
Witnesses to the miracle."
114. 117 Said Jesus the son of Mary:
"O God our Lord!
Send us from heaven
A Table set (with viands),
That there may be for us
For the first and the last of us--
A solemn festival
And a. Sign from Thee;
And provide for our sustenance,
For Thou art the best
Sustainer (of our needs)."
115. 118 God said: "I will
Send it down unto you:
But if any of you
After that resisteth faith,
I will punish him
With a penalty such
As I have not inflicted
On any one among
p. 280
All the peoples."
Section 16.
116. 119 And behold! God will say:
"O Jesus the son of Mary!
Didst thou say unto men,
Worship me and my mother
As gods in derogation of God'?"
He will say: "Glory to Thee!
Never could I say
What I had no right
(To say). Had I said
Such a thing, Thou wouldst
Indeed have known it.
Thou knowest what is
In my heart, though I
Know not what is
In Thine. For Thou
Knowest in full
All that is hidden.
117. 120 \"Never said I to them
Aught except what Thou
Didst command me
To say, to wit, 'Worship
God, my Lord and your Lord';
And I was a witness
Over them whilst I dwelt
Amongst them; when thou
Didst take me up
Thou wast the Watcher
Over them, and Thou
Art a witness to all things.
118. 121 \"If Thou dost punish them,
They are Thy servants:
p. 281
If Thou dost forgive them,
Thou art the Exalted in power,
The Wise."
119. 122 God will say: "This is
A day on which
The truthful will profit
From their truth: theirs
Are Gardens, with rivers
Flowing beneath,--their eternal
Home: God well-pleased
With them, and they with God:
That is the great Salvation,
(The fulfilment of all desires).
120. 123 To God doth belong the dominion
Of the heavens and the earth,
And all that is therein,
And it is He who hath power
Over all things.
p. 282
p. 283
p. 284
p. 285
p. 286
p. 287
"The Holy Quran", tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934],
p. 237 p. 238
Sra V.
Mda, Or The Table Spread.
In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.
1. 1 O ye who believe!
Fulfil (all) obligations
2 Lawful unto you (for food)
Are all four-footed animals,
With the exceptions named:
But animals of the chase
Are forbidden while ye
Are in the Sacred Precincts
Or in pilgrim garb:
For God doth command
According to His Will and Plan
2. 3 O ye who believe!
Violate not the sanctity
p. 239
Of the Symbols of God,
Nor of the Sacred Month,
Nor of the animals brought
For sacrifice, nor the garlands
That mark out such animals,
Nor the people resorting
To the Sacred House,
Seeking of the bounty
And good pleasure
Of their Lord.
But when ye are clear
Of the Sacred Precincts
And of pilgrim garb,
Ye may hunt
And let not the hatred
Of some people
In (once) shutting you out
Of the Sacred Mosque
Lead you to transgression
(And hostility on your part).
Help ye one another
In righteousness and piety,
But help ye not one another
In sin and rancour:
Fear God: for God
Is strict in punishment.
3. 4 Forbidden to you (for food)
Are: dead meat, blood,
p. 240
The flesh of swine, and that
On which hath been invoked
The name of other than God;
That which hath been
Killed by strangling,
Or by a violent blow,
Or by a headlong fall,
Or by being gored to death;
That which hath been (partly)
Eaten by a wild animal;
Unless ye are able
To slaughter it (in due form);
That which is sacrificed
On stone (altars);
(Forbidden) also is the division
(Of meat) by raffling
With arrows: that is impiety.
This day have those who
Reject Faith given up
All hope of your religion:
Yet fear them not
But fear Me.
This day have I
Perfected your religion
For you, completed
My favour upon you,
And have chosen for you
Islam as your religion.
But if any is forced
By hunger, with no inclination
To transgression, God is
Indeed Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.
p. 241
4. 5 They ask thee what is
Lawful to them (as food)
Say: Lawful unto you
Are (all) things good and pure:
And what ye have taught
Your trained hunting animals
(To catch) in the manner
Directed to you by God:
Eat what they catch for you,
But pronounce the name
Of God over it: and fear
God; for God is swift
In taking account.
5. 6 This day are (all) things
Good and pure made lawful
Unto you. The food
Of the People of the Book
Is lawful unto you
And yours is lawful
Unto them.
(Lawful unto you in marriage)
Are (not only) chaste women
Who are believers, but
Chaste women among
The People of the Book,
p. 242
Revealed before your time,--
When ye give them
Their due dowers, and desire
Chastity, not lewdness,
Nor secret intrigues.
If any one rejects faith,
Fruitless is his work,
And in the Hereafter
He will be in the ranks
Of those who have lost
(All spiritual good).
Section 2.
6. 7 O ye who believe!
When ye prepare
For prayer, wash
Your faces, and your hands
(And arms) to the elbows;
Rub your heads (with water);
And (wash) your feet
To the ankles.
If ye are in a state
Of ceremonial impurity,
Bathe your whole body.
But if ye are ill,
Or on a journey,
Or one of you cometh
From offices of nature,
Or ye have been
In contact with women,
And ye find no water,
Then take for yourselves
Clean sand or earth,
p. 243
And rub therewith
Your faces and hands.
God doth not wish
To place you in a difficulty,
But to make you clean,
And to complete
His favour to you,
That ye may be grateful.
7. 8 And call in remembrance
The favour of God
Unto you, and His Covenant,
Which He ratified
With you, when ye said:
"We hear and we obey":
And fear God, for God
Knoweth well
The secrets of your hearts.
8. 9 O ye who believe!
Stand out firmly
For God, as witnesses
To fair dealing, and let not
The hatred of others
To you make you swerve
To wrong and depart from
Justice. Be just: that is
Next to Piety: and fear God.
For God is well-acquainted
With all that ye do.
9. 10 To those who believe
And do deeds of righteousness
Hath God promised forgiveness
And a great reward.
p. 244
10. 11 Those who reject faith
And deny Our Signs
Will be Companions
Of Hell-fire.
11. 12 O ye who believe
Call in remembrance
The favour of God
Unto you when
Certain men formed the design
To stretch out
Their hands against you,
But (God) held back
Their hands from you:
So fear God. And on God
Let Believers put
(All) their trust.
Section 3.
12. 13 God did aforetime
Take a Covenant from
The Children of Israel,
And We appointed twelve
Captains among them.
And God said: "I am
With you: if ye (but)
Establish regular Prayers,
p. 245
Practise regular Charity,
Believe in My apostles,
Honour and assist them,
And loan to God
A beautiful loan,
Verily I will wipe out
From you your evils,
And admit you to Gardens
With rivers flowing beneath;
But if any of you, after this,
Resisteth faith, he hath truly
Wandered from the path
Of rectitude."
13. 14 But because of their breach
Of their Covenant, We
Cursed them, and made
Their hearts grow hard:
They change the words
From their (right) places
And forget a good part
Of the Message that was
Sent them, nor wilt thou
Cease to find them
Barring a few--ever
Bent on (new) deceits:
But forgive them, and overlook
(Their misdeeds): for God
Loveth those who are kind.
14. 15 From those, too, who call
Themselves Christians,
p. 246
We did take a Covenant,
But they forgot a good part
Of the Message that was
Sent them: so We estranged
Them, with enmity and hatred
Between the one and the other,
To the Day of Judgment.
And soon will God show
Them what it is
They have done.
15. 16 O People of the Book!
There hath come to you
Our Apostle, revealing
To you much that ye
Used to hide in the Book,
And passing over much
(That is now unnecessary):
17 There hath come to you
From God a (new) light
And a perspicuous Book,--
16. 18 Wherewith God guideth all
Who seek His good pleasure
To ways of peace and safety,
And leadeth them out
Of darkness, by His Will,
Unto the light,--guideth them
To a Path that is Straight.
17. 19 In blasphemy indeed
Are those that say
That God is Christ
The son of Mary.
Say: "Who then
Hath the least power
p. 247
Against God, if His Will
Were to destroy Christ
The son of Mary, his mother,
And all--every one
That is on the earth?
For to God belongeth
The dominion of the heavens
And the earth, and all
That is between. He createth
What He pleaseth. For God
Hath power over all things."
18. 20 (Both) the Jews and the Christians
Say: "We are sons
Of God, and His beloved."
Say: "Why then doth He
Punish you for your sins?
Nay, ye are but men,
Of the men He hath created:
He forgiveth whom He pleaseth,
And He punisheth whom He pleaseth:
And to God belongeth
The dominion of the heavens
And the earth, and all
That is between:
And unto Him
Is the final goal (of all)"
19. 21 O People of the Book!
Now hath come unto you,
Making (things) clear unto you,
Our Apostle, after the break
p. 248
In (the series of) our apostles,
Lest ye should say:
"There came unto us
No bringer of glad tidings
And no warner (from evil)":
But now hath come
Unto you a bringer
Of glad tidings
And a warner (from evil).
And God hath power
Over all things.
Section 4.
20. 22 Remember Moses said
To his people: "O my People!
Call in remembrance the favour
Of God unto you, when He
Produced prophets among you,
Made you kings, and gave
You what He had not given
To any other among the peoples.
21. 23 \"O my people! enter
The holy land which
God hath assigned unto you,
And turn not back
Ignominiously, for then
Will ye be overthrown,
To your own ruin."
p. 249
22. 24 They said: "O Moses!
In this land are a people
Of exceeding strength:
Never shall we enter it
Until they leave it:
If (once) they leave,
Then shall we enter."
23. 25 (But) among (their) God-fearing men
Were two on whom
God had bestowed His grace:
They said: "Assault them
At the (proper) Gate:
When once ye are in,
Victory will be yours;
26 But on God put your trust
If ye have faith."
24. 27 They said: "O Moses!
While they remain there,
Never shall we be able
To enter, to the end of time.
Go thou, and thy Lord,
And fight ye two,
While we sit here"
(And watch)."
25. 28 He said: "O my Lord!
I have power only
p. 250
Over myself and my brother:
So separate us from this
Rebellious people!"
26. 29 God said: "Therefore
Will the land be out
Of their reach for forty years:
In distraction will they
Wander through the land:
But sorrow thou not
Over these rebellious people.
Section 5.
27. 30 Recite to them the truth
Of the story of the two sons
p. 251
Of Adam. Behold! they each
Presented a sacrifice (to God):
It was accepted from one,
But not from the other.
Said the latter: "Be sure
I will slay thee. Surely,"
Said the former, "God
Doth accept of the sacrifice
Of those who are righteous.
28. 31\"If thou dost stretch thy hand
Against me, to slay me,
It is not for me to stretch
My hand against thee
To slay thee: for I do fear
God, the Cherisher of the Worlds.
29. 32 \"For me, I intend to let
Thee draw on thyself
My sin as well as thine,
For thou wilt be among
The Companions of the Fire,
And that is the reward
Of those who do wrong."
30. 33 The (selfish) soul of the other
Led him to the murder
Of his brother: he murdered
Him, and became (himself)
One of the lost ones.
31. 34 Then God sent a raven,
Who scratched the ground,
p. 252
To show him how to hide
The shame of his brother.
"Woe is me!" said he;
"Was I not even able
To be as this raven,
And to hide the shame
Of my brother?" Then he became
Full of regrets--
32. 35 On that account: We ordained
For the Children of Israel
That if any one slew
A person--unless it be
For murder or for spreading
Mischief in the land--
It would be as if
He slew the whole people:
And if any one saved a life,
It would be as if he saved
The life of the whole people.
Then although there came
To them Our Apostles
With Clear Signs, yet,
Even after that, many
Of them continued to commit
Excesses in the land.
33. 36 The punishment of those
Who wage war against God
And His Apostle, and strive
With might and main
For mischief through the land
Is: execution, or crucifixion,
p. 253
Or the cutting off of hands
And feet from opposite sides,
Or exile from the land:
That is their disgrace
In this world, and
A heavy punishment is theirs
In the Hereafter;
34. 37 Except for those who repent
Before they fall
Into your power:
In that case, know
That God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.
Section 6.
35. 38 O ye who believe!
Do your duty to God,
Seek the means
Of approach unto Him,
And strive with might
And main in His cause:
That ye may presper.
36. 39 As to those who reject
Faith,--if they had
Everything on earth,
And twice repeated,
To give as ransom
For the penalty of the Day
Of Judgment, it would
Never be accepted of them.
Theirs would be
A grievous Penalty.
37. 40 Their wish will be
To get out of the Fire,
But never will they
Get out therefrom:
p. 254
Their Penalty will be
One that endures.
38. 41 As to the thief,
Male or female,
Cut off his or her hands:
A punishment by way
Of example, from God,
For their crime:
And God is Exalted in Power.
39. 42 But if the thief repent
After his crime,
And amend his conduct,
God turneth to him
In forgiveness; for God
Is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
40. 43 Knowest thou not
That to God (alone)
Belongeth the dominion
Of the heavens and the earth?
He punisheth whom He pleaseth,
And He forgiveth whom He pleaseth:
And God hath power
Over all things.
41. 44 O Apostle! let not
Those grieve thee, who race
Each other into Unbelief:
(Whether it be) among those
Who say "We believe"
With their lips but
Whose hearts have no faith;
p. 255
Or it be among the Jews,--
Men who will listen
To any lie,--will listen
Even to others who have
Never so much as come
To thee. They change the words
From their (right) times
And places; they say,
"If ye are given this,
Take it, but if not,
Beware!" If any one's trial
Is intended by God, thou hast
No authority in the least
For him against God.
For such--it is not
God's will to purify
Their hearts. For them
There is disgrace
In this world, and
In the Hereafter
A heavy punishment.
42. 45 (They are fond of) listening
To falsehood, of devouring
Anything forbidden.
If they do come to thee,
Either judge between them,
Or decline to interfere.
If thou decline, they cannot
Hurt thee in the least.
If thou judge, judge
In equity between them.
For God loveth those
Who judge in equity.
p. 256
43. 46 But why do they come
To thee for decision,
When they have (their own)
Law before them?
Therein is the (plain)
Command of God; yet
Even after that, they would
Turn away. For they
Are not (really)
People of Faith.
Section 7.
44. 47 It was We who revealed
The Law (to Moses): therein
Was guidance and light.'
By its standard have been judged
The Jews, by the Prophets
Who bowed (as in Islam)
To God's Will, by the Rabbis
And the Doctors of Law:
p. 257
For to them was entrusted
The protection of God's Book,
And they were witnesses thereto:
Therefore fear not men,
But fear Me, and sell not
My Signs for a miserable price.
If any do fail to judge
By (the light of) what God
Hath revealed, they are
(No better than) Unbelievers.
45. 48 We ordained therein for them:
"Life for life, eye for eye,
Nose for nose, ear for ear,
Tooth for tooth, and wounds
Equal for equal." But if
Any one remits the retaliation
Byway of charity, it is
An act of atonement for himself.
And if any fail to judge
By (the light of) what God
Hath revealed, they are
(No better than) wrong-doers.
46. 49 And in their footsteps
We sent Jesus the son
p. 258
Of Mary, confirming
The Law that had come
Before him: We sent him
The Gospel: therein
Was guidance and light,
And confirmation of the Law
That had come before him:
A guidance and an admonition
To those who fear God.
47. 50 Let the People of the Gospel
Judge by what God hath revealed
Therein. If any do fail
To judge by (the light of)
What God hath revealed,
They are (no better than)
Those who rebel.
48. 51 To thee We sent the Scripture
In truth, confirming
The scripture that came
Before it, and guarding it's
In safety: so judge
Between them by what
God hath revealed,
And follow not their vain
Desires, diverging
From the Truth that hath come
To thee. To each among you
Have We prescribed a Law
And an Open Way.
If God had so willed.
He would have made you
A single People, but (His
p. 259
Plan is) to test you in what
He hath given you: so strive
As in a race in all virtues.
The goal of you all is to God;
It is He that will show you
The truth of the matters
In which ye dispute;
49. 52 And this (He commands):
Judge thou between them
By what God hath revealed,
And follow not their vain
Desires, but beware of them
Lest they beguile thee
From any of that (teaching)
Which God hath sent down
To thee. And if they turn
Away, be assured that
For some of their crimes
It is God's purpose to punish
Them. And truly most men
Are rebellious.
50. 53 Do they then seek after
A judgment of (the Days
Of) Ignorance? But who,
For a people whose faith
Is assured, can give
Better judgment than God?
Section 8.
51. 54 O ye who believe!
Take not the Jews
And the Christians
For your friends and protectors:
They are but friends and protectors)
To each other. And he
p. 260
Amongst you that turns to them
(For friendship) is of them.
Verily God guideth not
A people unjust.
52. 55 Those in whose hearts
Is a disease--thou seest
How eagerly they run about
Amongst them, saying:
"We do fear lest a change
Of fortune bring us disaster."
Ah! perhaps God will give
(Thee) victory, or a decision
According to His Will.
Then will they repent
Of the thoughts which they secretly
Harboured in their hearts.
53. 56 And those who believe
Will say: "Are these
The men who swore
Their strongest oaths by God,
That they were with you?"
All that they do
Will be in vain,
And they will fall
Into (nothing but) ruin.
54. 57 O ye who believe!
If any from among you
Turn back from his Faith,
Soon will God produce
A people whom He will love
As they will love Him,--
Lowly with the Believers,
Mighty against the Rejecters,
Fighting in the Way of God,
And never afraid
Of the reproaches
p. 261
Of such as find fault.
That is the Grace of God,
Which He will bestow
On whom He pleaseth.
And God encompasseth all,
And He knoweth all things.
55. 58 Your (real) friends are
(No less than) God,
His Apostle, and the (Fellowship
Of) Believers,--those who
Establish regular prayers
And regular charity,
And they bow
Down humbly (in worship).
56. 59 As to those who turn
(For friendship) to God,
His Apostle, and the (Fellowship
Of) Believers,--it is
The Fellowship of God
That must certainly triumph.
Section 9.
57. 60 O ye who believe!
Take not for friends
And protectors those
Who take your religion
For a mockery or sport,--
Whether among those
Who received the Scripture
Before you, or among those
p. 262
Who reject Faith;
But fear ye God,
If ye have Faith (indeed).
58. 61 When ye proclaim
Your call to prayer,
They take it (but)
As mockery and sport;
That is because they are
A people without understanding.
59. 62 Say: "O People of the Book!
Do ye disapprove of us
For no other reason than
That we believe in God,
And the revelation
That hath come to us
And that which came
Before (us), and (perhaps)
That most of you
Are rebellious and disobedient?
60. 63 Say: "Shall I point out
To you something much worse
Than this, (as judged)
By the treatment it received
From God? Those who
Incurred the curse of God
And His wrath, those of whom some
He transformed into apes and swine,
Those who worshipped Evil;--
These are (many times) worse
In rank, and far more astray
From the even Path!"
61. 64 When they come to thee,
They say: "We believe":
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But in fact they enter
With a mind against Faith,
And they go out
With the same.
But God knoweth fully
All that they hide.
62. 65 Many of them dost thou
See, racing each other
In sin and rancour,
And their eating of things
Forbidden. Evil indeed
Are the things that they do.
63. 66 Why do not the Rabbis
And the doctors of law forbid
Them from their (habit
Of) uttering sinful words
And eating things forbidden?
Evil indeed are their works.
64. 67 The Jews say: "God's hand
Is tied up." Be their hands
Tied up and be they accursed
For the (blasphemy) they utter.
Nay, both His hands
Are widely outstretched:
He giveth and spendeth
(Of His bounty) as He pleaseth.
But the revelation that
Cometh to thee from God
Increaseth in most of them
Their obstinate rebellion
And blasphemy. Amongst them
We have placed enmity
p. 264
And hatred till the Day
Of Judgment. Every time
They kindle the fire of war,
God doth extinguish it;
But they (ever) strive
To do mischief on earth.
And God loveth not
Those who do mischief.
65. 68 If only the People of the Book
Had believed and been righteous,
We should indeed have
Blotted out their iniquities
And admitted them
To Gardens of Bliss.
66. 69 If only they had stood fast
By the Law, the Gospel,
And all the revelation that was sent
To them from their Lord,
They would have enjoyed
Happiness from every side.'
There is from among them
A party on the right course:
But many of them
Follow a course that is evil.
Section 10.
67. 70 O Apostle! proclaim
The (Message) which hath been
Sent to thee from thy Lord.
If thou didst not, thou
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Wouldst not have fulfilled
And proclaimed His Mission.
And God will defend thee
From men (who mean mischief).
For God guideth not
Those who reject Faith.
68. 71 Say: "O People of the Book!
Ye have no ground
To stand upon unless
Ye stand fast by the Law,
The Gospel, and all the revelation
That has come to you from
Your Lord." It is the revelation
That cometh to thee from
Thy Lord, that increaseth in most
Of them their obstinate
Rebellion and blasphemy.
But sorrow thou not
Over (these) people without Faith.
69. 72 Those who believe (in the Qur-n),
Those who follow the Jewish (scriptures),
And the Sabians and the Christians,--
Any who believe in God
And the Last Day,
And work righteousness,--
On them shall be no fear,
Nor shall they grieve.
70. 73 We took the Covenant
Of the Children of Israel
And sent them apostles.
Every time there came
To them an apostle
With what they themselves
Desired not--some
(Of these) they called
p. 266
Impostors, and some they
(Go so far as to) slay.
71. 74 They thought there would be
No trial (or punishment);
So they became blind and deaf;
Yet God (in mercy) turned
To them; yet again many
Of them became blind and deaf.
But God sees well
All that they do.
72. 75 They do blaspheme who say:
"God is Christ the son
Of Mary" But said Christ:
"O Children of Israel!
Worship God, my Lord
And your Lord." Whoever
Joins other gods with God,--
God will forbid him
The Garden, and the Fire
Will be his abode. There will
For the wrong-doers
Be no one to help.
73. 76 They do blaspheme who say:
God is one of three
In a Trinity: for there is
No god except One God.
If they desist not
From their word (of blasphemy),
Verily a grievous penalty
Will befall the blasphemers
Among them.
74. 77 Why turn they not to God,
And seek His forgiveness?
For God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Merciful.
75. 78 Christ the son of Mary
Was no more than
An Apostle; many were
The apostles that passed away
p. 267
Before him. His mother
Was a woman of truth.
They had both to eat
Their (daily) food.
See how God doth make
His Signs clear to them;
Yet see in what ways
They are deluded
Away from the truth!
76. 79 Say: "Will ye worship,
Besides God, something
Which hath no power either
To harm or benefit you?
But God,--He it is
That heareth and knoweth
All things."
77. 80 Say: "O People of the Book!
Exceed not in your religion
The bounds (of what is proper),
Trespassing beyond the truth,
Nor follow the vain desires
Of people who went wrong
In times gone by,--who misled
Many, and strayed (themselves)
From the even Way.
Section 11.
78. 81 Curses were pronounced
On those among the Children
Of Israel who rejected Faith,
By the tongue of David
And of Jesus the son of Mary:
Because they disobeyed
And persisted in Excesses.
p. 268
79. 82 Nor did they (usually)
Forbid one another
The iniquities which they
Committed: evil indeed
Were the deeds which they did.
80. 83 Thou seest many of them
Turning in friendship
To the Unbelievers.
Evil indeed are (the works) which
Their souls have sent forward
Before them (with the result),
That God's wrath
Is on them,
And in torment
Will they abide.
81. 84 If only they had believed
In God, in the Apostle,
And in what hath been
Revealed to him, never
Would they have taken
Them for friends and protectors,
But most of them are
Rebellious wrong-doers.
82. 85 Strongest among men in enmity
To the Believers wilt thou
Find the Jews and Pagans;
And nearest among them in love
To the Believers wilt thou
Find those who say,
"We are Christians":
Because amongst these are
Men devoted to learning
And men who have renounced
The world, and they
Are not arrogant.
p. 269
83. 86 And when they listen
To the revelation received
By the Apostle, thou wilt
See their eyes overflowing
With tears, for they
Recognise the truth:
They pray: "Our Lord!
We believe; write us
Down among the witnesses.
84. 87 \"What cause can we have
Not to believe in God
And the truth which has
Come to us, seeing that
We long for our Lord
To admit us to the company
Of the righteous?"
85. 88 And for this their prayer
Hath God rewarded them
With Gardens, with rivers
Flowing underneath,--their eternal
Home. Such is the recompense
Of those who do good.
86. 89 But those who reject Faith
And belie Our Signs,--
They shall be Companions
Of Hell-fire.
Section 12.
87. 90 O ye who believe!
Make not unlawful
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The good things which God
Hath made lawful for you,
But commit no excess:
For God loveth not
Those given to excess.
88. 91 Eat of the things which
God hath provided for you,
Lawful and good; but fear
God, in Whom ye believe.
89. 92 God will not call you
To account for what is
Futile in your oaths,
But He will call you
To account for your deliberate
Oaths: for expiation, feed
Ten indigent persons,
On a scale of the average
For the food of your families;
Or clothe them; or give
A slave his freedom.
If that is beyond your means,
Fast for three days.
That is the expiation
For the oaths ye have sworn.
But keep to your oaths.
Thus doth God make clear
To you His Signs, that ye
May be grateful.
90. 93 O ye who believe!
Intoxicants and gambling,
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(Dedication of) stones,
And (divination by) arrows,
Are an abomination,--
Of Satan's handiwork:
Eschew such (abomination),
That ye may prosper.
91. 94 Satan's plan is (but)
To excite enmity and hatred
Between you, with intoxicants
And gambling, and hinder you
From the remembrance
Of God, and from prayer:
Will ye not then abstain?
92. 95 Obey God, and obey the Apostle,
And beware (of evil):
If ye do turn back,
Know ye that it is
Our Apostle's duty
To proclaim (the Message)
In the clearest manner.
93. 96 On those who believe
And do deeds of righteousness
There is no blame
For what they ate (in the past),
When they guard themselves
From evil, and believe,
And do deeds of righteousness,--
(Or) again, guard themselves
From evil and believe,--
(Or) again, guard themselves
From evil and do good.
p. 272
For God loveth those
Who do good.
Section 13.
94. 97 O ye who believe!
God doth but make a trial of you
In a little matter
Of game well within reach
Of your hands and your lances,
That He may test
Who feareth Him unseen:
Any who transgress
Thereafter, will have
A grievous penalty.
95. 98 O ye who believe!
Kill not game
While in the Sacred
Precincts or in pilgrim garb.
If any of you doth so
Intentionally, the compensation
Is an offering, brought
To the Ka'ba, of a domestic animal
Equivalent to the one he killed,
p. 273
As adjudged by two just men
Among you; or by way
Of atonement, the feeding
Of the indigent; or its
Equivalent in fasts: that he
May taste of the penalty
Of his deed. God
Forgives what is past:
For repetition God will
Exact from him the penalty.
For God is Exalted,
And Lord of Retribution.
96. 99 Lawful to you is the pursuit
Of water-game and its use
For food,--for the benefit
Of yourselves and those who
Travel; but forbidden
Is the pursuit of land-game;--
As long as ye are
In the Sacred Precincts
Or in pilgrim garb.
And fear God, to Whom
Ye shall be gathered back.
97. 100 God made the Ka'ba,
The Sacred House, an asylum
Of security for men, as
Also the Sacred Months,
The animals for offerings,
And the garlands that mark them:
That ye may know
That God hath knowledge
Of what is in the heavens
And on earth and that God
Is well acquainted
With all things.
98. 101 Know ye that God
Is strict in punishment
p. 274
And that God is
Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
99. 102 The Apostle's duty is
But to proclaim (the Message).
But God knoweth all
That ye reveal and ye conceal.
100. 103 Say: "Not equal are things
That are bad and things
That are good, even though
The abundance of the bad
May dazzle thee;
So fear God, O ye
That understand;
That (so) ye may prosper."
Section 14.
101. 104 O ye who believe!
Ask not questions
About things which,
If made plain to you,
May cause you trouble.
But if ye ask about things
When the Qur-n is being
Revealed, they will be
Made plain to you,
God will forgive those:
For God is Oft-forgiving,
Most Forbearing.
102. 105 Some people before you
Did ask such questions,
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And on that account
Lost their faith.
103. 106 It was not God
Who instituted (superstitions
Like those of) a slit-ear
She-camel, or a she-camel
Let loose for free pasture,
Or idol sacrifices for
Twin-births in animals,
Or stallion-camels
Freed from work
It is blasphemers
Who Invent a lie
Against God; but most
Of them lack wisdom.
104. 107 When it is said to them:
"Come to what God
Hath revealed; come
To the Apostle":
They say: "Enough for us
Are the ways we found
Our fathers following."
What! even though their fathers
Were void of knowledge
And guidance?
105. 108 O ye who believe!
Guard your own souls:
If ye follow (right) guidance,
No hurt can come to you
From those who stray.
The goal of you all
Is to God: it is He
That will show you
The truth of all
That ye do.
p. 276
106. 109 O ye who believe!
When death approaches
Any of you, (take) witnesses
Among yourselves when making
Bequests,--two just men
Of your own (brotherhood)
Or others from outside
If ye are journeying
Through the earth,
And the chance of death
Befalls you (thus).
If ye doubt (their truth),
Detain them both
After prayer, and let them both
Swear by God:
"We wish not in this
For any worldly gain,
Even though the (beneficiary)
Be our near relation:
We shall hide not
The evidence before God:
If we do, then behold!
The sin be upon us!"
107. 110 But if it gets known
That these two were guilty
Of the sin (of perjury),
Let two others stand forth
In their places,--nearest
In kin from among those
Who claim a lawful right:
Let them swear by God:
"We affirm that our witness
Is truer than that
Of those two, and that we
Have not trespassed (beyond
The truth): if we did,
Behold! the wrong be
Upon us!"
108. 111 That is most suitable:
That they may give the evidence
p. 277
In its true nature and shape,
Or else they would fear
That other oaths would be
Taken after their oaths.
Hut fear God, and listen
(To His counsel): for God
Guideth not a rebellious people:
Section 15.
109. 112 One day will God
Gather the apostles together,
And ask: "What was
The response ye received
(From men to your teaching)?"
They will say: "We
Have no knowledge: it is Thou
Who knowest in full
All that is hidden."
110. 113 When will God say:
"O Jesus the son of Mary!
Recount My favour"'
To thee and to thy mother.
Behold! I strengthened thee
With the holy spirit,
So that thou didst speak
To the people in childhood
And in maturity.
Behold! I taught thee
The Book and Wisdom,
The Law and the Gospel.
And behold! thou makest
Out of clay, as it were,
p. 278
The figure of a bird,
By My leave,
And thou breathest into it,
And it becometh a bird
By My leave,
And thou healest those
Born blind, and the lepers,
By My leave.
And behold! thou
Bringest forth the dead
By My leave ego
And behold! I did
Restrain the Children of Israel
From (violence to) thee
When thou didst show them
The Clear Signs,
And the unbelievers among them
Said: 'This is nothing
But evident magic.
111. 114 \"And behold! I inspired
The Disciples to have faith
In Me and Mine Apostle:
They said, 'We have faith,
And do thou bear witness
That we bow to God
As Muslims'."
112. 115 Behold! the Disciples said:
"O Jesus the son of Mary!
Can thy Lord send down to us
A Table set (with viands)
p. 279
From heaven?" Said Jesus:
"Fear God, if ye have faith."
113. 116 They said: "We only wish
To eat ther and satisfy
Our hearts, and to know
That thou hast indeed
Told us the truth; and
That we ourselves may be
Witnesses to the miracle."
114. 117 Said Jesus the son of Mary:
"O God our Lord!
Send us from heaven
A Table set (with viands),
That there may be for us
For the first and the last of us--
A solemn festival
And a. Sign from Thee;
And provide for our sustenance,
For Thou art the best
Sustainer (of our needs)."
115. 118 God said: "I will
Send it down unto you:
But if any of you
After that resisteth faith,
I will punish him
With a penalty such
As I have not inflicted
On any one among
p. 280
All the peoples."
Section 16.
116. 119 And behold! God will say:
"O Jesus the son of Mary!
Didst thou say unto men,
Worship me and my mother
As gods in derogation of God'?"
He will say: "Glory to Thee!
Never could I say
What I had no right
(To say). Had I said
Such a thing, Thou wouldst
Indeed have known it.
Thou knowest what is
In my heart, though I
Know not what is
In Thine. For Thou
Knowest in full
All that is hidden.
117. 120 \"Never said I to them
Aught except what Thou
Didst command me
To say, to wit, 'Worship
God, my Lord and your Lord';
And I was a witness
Over them whilst I dwelt
Amongst them; when thou
Didst take me up
Thou wast the Watcher
Over them, and Thou
Art a witness to all things.
118. 121 \"If Thou dost punish them,
They are Thy servants:
p. 281
If Thou dost forgive them,
Thou art the Exalted in power,
The Wise."
119. 122 God will say: "This is
A day on which
The truthful will profit
From their truth: theirs
Are Gardens, with rivers
Flowing beneath,--their eternal
Home: God well-pleased
With them, and they with God:
That is the great Salvation,
(The fulfilment of all desires).
120. 123 To God doth belong the dominion
Of the heavens and the earth,
And all that is therein,
And it is He who hath power
Over all things.
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