10. Yunus

Alif. Lam. Ra.These are the ayats of the Book of Wisdom.

Is it a matter of wonderment to men that Wehave sent Our inspiration to a man from among themselves?- that heshould warn mankind (of their danger), and give the good news to theBelievers that they have before their Lord the good actions theyhave advanced. (But) say the Unbelievers: “This is indeed an evidentsorcerer!”

Verily your Lord is Allah, Who created theheavens and the earth in six days, then He established Himself onthe Throne. Regulating and governing all things. No intercessor (canplead with Him) except after His leave (hath been obtained). This isAllah your Lord; Him therefore serve ye: will ye not receiveadmonition?

To Him will be your return- of all of you.The promise of Allah is true and sure. It is He Who beginneth theprocess of creation, and repeateth it, that He may reward withjustice those who believe and work righteousness; but those whoreject Him will have draughts of boiling fluids, and a chastisementgrievous, because they did reject Him.

It is He Who made the sun to be a shiningglory and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured outstages for it; that ye might know the number of years and the count(of time). Nowise did Allah create this but in truth andrighteousness. (Thus) doth He explain His Signs in detail, for thosewho know.

Verily, in the alternation of the night andthe day, and in all that Allah hath created, in the heavens and theearth, are Signs for those who fear Him.

Those who rest not their hope on theirmeeting with Us, but are pleased and satisfied with the life of thepresent, and those who heed not Our Signs,-

Their abode is the Fire, because of the(evil) they earned.

Those who believe, and work righteousness,-their Lord will guide them because of their faith: beneath them willflow rivers in Gardens of Bliss.

(This will be) their prayer therein: “Gloryto Thee, O Allah!”, and “Peace” will be their greeting therein andthe end of their prayer will be: “Praise be to Allah, the Cherisherand Sustainer of the Worlds!”

If Allah were to hasten for men the ill (theyhave earned) as they would fain hasten on the good,- then wouldtheir respite be settled at once. But We leave those who rest nottheir hope on their meeting with Us, in their trespasses, wanderingin distraction blindly.

When trouble toucheth a man, He crieth untoUs (in all postures)- lying down on his side, or sitting, orstanding. But when We have removed his affliction, he passeth on hisway as if he had never cried to Us for the affliction that touchedhim! thus do the deeds of transgressors seem fair in their eyes!

Generations before you We destroyed when theydid wrong: their apostles came to them with Clear-Signs, but theywould not believe! thus do We requite those who sin!

Then We made you heirs in the land afterthem, to see how ye would behave!

But when Our Clear Signs are rehearsed untothem, those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, Say:”Bring us a Quran other than this, or change this,” Say: “It is notfor me, of my own accord, to change it: I follow naught but what isrevealed unto me: if I were to disobey my Lord, I should myself fearthe Chastisement of a Great Day (to come).”

Say: “If Allah had so willed, I should nothave rehearsed it to you, nor should He have made it known to you. Awhole life-time before this have I tarried amongst you: will ye notthen understand?”

Who doth more wrong than such as forge a lieagainst Allah, or deny His Signs? But never will prosper those whosin.

They serve, besides Allah, things that canhurt them not nor profit them, and they say: “These are ourintercessors with Allah.” Say: “Do ye indeed inform Allah ofsomething He knows not, in the heavens or on earth?- Glory to Him!and far is He above the partners they ascribe (to Him)!”

Mankind was but one nation, but differed(later). Had it not been for a Word that went forth before from thyLord, their differences would have been settled between them.

They say: “Why is not a sign sent down to himfrom his Lord?” Say: “The Unseen is only for Allah (to know), thenwait ye: I too will wait with you.”

When We make mankind taste of some mercyafter adversity hath touched them, behold! they take to plottingagainst Our Signs! Say: “Swifter to plan is Allah!” Verily, Ourmessengers record all the plots that ye make!

He it is Who enableth you to traverse throughland and sea; so that ye even board ships;- they sail with them witha favorable wind, and they rejoice thereat; then comes a stormy windand the waves come to them from all sides, and they think they arebeing overwhelmed: they pray unto Allah, sincerely offering (their)duty unto Him saying, “If Thou dost deliver us from this, we shalltruly show our gratitude!”

But when he delivereth them, behold! theytransgress insolently through the earth in defiance of right! Omankind! your insolence is against your own souls,- an enjoyment ofthe life of the present: in the end, to Us is your return, and Weshall show you the truth of all that ye did.

The likeness of the life of the present is asthe rain which We send down from the skies: by its mingling arisesthe produce of the earth- which provides food for men and animals:(It grows) till the earth is clad with its golden ornaments and isdecked out (in beauty): the people to whom it belongs think theyhave all powers of disposal over it: There reaches it Our command bynight or by day, and We make it like a harvest clean-mown, as if ithad not flourished only the day before! thus do We explain the Signsin detail for those who reflect.

But Allah doth call to the Home of Peace: Hedoth guide whom He pleaseth to a Way that is straight.

To those who do right is a goodly (reward)-Yea, more (than in measure)! No darkness nor abasement shall covertheir faces! They are companions of the Garden; they will abidetherein (for aye)!

But those who have earned evil will have areward of like evil: ignominy will cover their (faces): No defenderwill they have from (the wrath of) Allah. Their faces will becovered, as it were, with pieces from the depth of the darkness ofnight: they are inhabitants of the Fire: they will abide therein(for aye)!

One Day shall We gather them all together.Then shall We say to those who joined gods (with Us): “To yourplace! ye and those ye joined as ‘partners’. ” We shall separatethem, and their “partners” shall say: “It was not us that yeworshipped!

“Enough is Allah for a witness between us andyou: we certainly knew nothing of your worship of us!”

There will every soul see (the fruits of) thedeeds it sent before: they will be brought back to Allah theirrightful Lord, and their invented falsehoods will leave them in thelurch.

Say: “Who is it that sustains you (in life)from the sky and from the earth? or who is it that has power overhearing and sight? And who is it that brings out the living from thedead and the dead from the living? and who is it that rules andregulates all affairs?” They will soon say, “Allah”. Say, “will yenot then show piety (to Him)?”

Such is Allah, your True Lord: apart fromtruth, what (remains) but error? How then are ye turned away?

Thus is the Word of thy Lord proved trueagainst those who rebel: Verily they will not believe.

Say: “Of your ‘partners’, can any originatecreation and repeat it?” Say: “It is Allah Who originates creationand repeats it: then how are ye deluded away (from the truth)?”

Say: “Of your ‘partners’ is there any thatcan give any guidance towards Truth?” Say: “It is Allah Who givesguidance towards Truth, is then He Who gives guidance to Truth moreworthy to be followed, or he who finds not guidance (himself) unlesshe is guided? What then is the matter with you? How judge ye?”

But most of them follow nothing butconjecture: truly conjecture can be of no avail against Truth.Verily Allah is well aware of all that they do.

This Quran is not such as can be produced byother than Allah. on the contrary it is a confirmation of(revelations) that went before it, and a fuller explanation of theBook – wherein there is no doubt – from the Lord of the Worlds.

Or do they say, “He forged it”? Say: “Bringthen a S�rah like unto it, and call (to your aid) anyone you canbesides Allah, if it be ye speak the truth!”

Nay, they charge with falsehood that whoseknowledge they cannot compass, even before the interpretationthereof hath reached them: thus did those before them make chargesof falsehood: but see what was the end of those who did wrong!

Of them there are some who believe therein,and some who do not: and thy Lord knoweth best those who are out formischief.

If they charge thee with falsehood, say: “Mywork to me, and yours to you! ye are free from responsibility forwhat I do, and I for what ye do!”

Among them are some who (pretend to) listento thee: But canst thou make the deaf to hear,- even though they arewithout understanding?

And among them are some who look at thee: butcanst thou guide the blind,- even though they will not see?

Verily Allah will not deal unjustly with manin aught: It is man that wrongs his own soul.

And on the day when He will gather themtogether: (It will be) as if they had tarried but an hour of a day:they will recognize each other: assuredly those will be lost whodenied the meeting with Allah and refused to receive true guidance.

Whether We show thee (realized in thylife-time) some part of what We promise them,- or We take thy soul(before that),- in any case, to Us is their return: ultimately Allahis witness, to all that they do.

To every people (was sent) a messenger: whentheir apostle comes (before them), the matter will be judged betweenthem with justice, and they will not be wronged.

They say: “When will this promise come topass,- if ye speak the truth?”

Say: “I have no power over any harm or profitto myself except as Allah willeth. To every people is a termappointed: when their term is reached, not an hour can they causedelay, nor (an hour) can they advance (it in anticipation).”

Say: “Do ye see,- if His punishment shouldcome to you by night or by day,- what portion of it would thesinners wish to hasten?

“Would ye then believe in it at last, when itactually cometh to pass? (It will then be said): ‘Ah! now? and yewanted (aforetime) to hasten it on!’

“At length will be said to the wrong-doers:’Taste ye the enduring punishment! ye get but the recompense of whatye earned!'”

They seek to be informed by thee: “Is thattrue?” Say: “Aye! by my Lord! it is the very truth! and ye cannotfrustrate it!”

Every soul that hath sinned, if it possessedall that is on earth, would fain give it in ransom: They woulddeclare (their) repentance when they see the Chastisement: but thejudgment between them will be with justice, and no wrong will bedone unto them.

Is it not (the case) that to Allah belongethwhatever is in the heavens and on earth? Is it not (the case) thatAllah’s promise is assuredly true? Yet most of them do not know.

It is He Who giveth life and Who taketh it,and to Him shall ye all be brought back.

O mankind! there hath come to you anadmonition from your Lord and a healing for the (diseases) in yourhearts,- and for those who believe, a Guidance and a Mercy.

Say: “In the bounty of Allah. And in HisMercy,- in that let them rejoice”: that is better than the (wealth)they hoard.

Say: “See ye what things Allah hath sent downto you for sustenance? Yet ye hold forbidden some things thereof and(some things) lawful.” Say: “Hath Allah indeed permitted you, or doye forge (things) to attribute to Allah?”

And what think those who forge lies againstAllah, of the Day of Judgment? Verily Allah is full of Bounty tomankind, but most of them are ungrateful.

In whatever business thou mayest be, andwhatever portion thou mayest be reciting from the Quran,- andwhatever deed ye (mankind) may be doing,- We are Witnesses thereofwhen ye are deeply engrossed therein. Nor is hidden from thy Lord(so much as) the weight of an atom on the earth or in heaven. Andnot the smallest and not the greatest of these things but arerecorded in a clear Record.

Behold! verily on the friends of Allah thereis no fear, nor shall they grieve;

Those who believe and (constantly) guardagainst evil;-

For them are Glad Tidings, in the life of thepresent and in the Hereafter: no change can there be in the Words ofAllah. This is indeed the supreme triumph.

Let not their speech grieve thee: for allpower and honor belong to Allah. It is He Who heareth and knoweth(all things).

Behold! verily to Allah belong all creatures,in the heavens and on earth. What do they follow who worship as His”partners” other than Allah? They follow nothing but conjecture, andthey do nothing but lie.

He it is that hath made you the night that yemay rest therein, and the day to make things visible (to you).Verily in this are Signs for those who listen (to His Message).

They say: “Allah hath begotten a son!” -Glory be to Him! He is Self- Sufficient! His are all things in theheavens and on earth! No warrant have ye for this! Say ye aboutAllah what ye know not?

Say: “Those who forge a lie against Allahwill never prosper.”

A little enjoyment in this world!- and then,to Us will be their return, then shall We make them taste theseverest chastisement for their disbelief.

Relate to them the story of Noah. Behold! hesaid to his People: “O my People, if it be hard on your (mind) thatI should stay (with you) and remind (you) the signs of Allah,- yet Iput my trust in Allah. Get ye then an agreement about your plan andamong your partners, so your plan be on to you dark and dubious.Then pass your sentence on me, and give me no respite.

“But if ye turn back, (consider): no rewardhave I asked of you: my reward is only due from Allah, and I havebeen commanded to be of those who submit to Allah’s Will (inIsl�m).”

They rejected him, but We delivered him, andthose with him, in the Ark, and We made them inherit (the earth),while We drowned in the flood those who rejected Our Signs. Then seewhat was the end of those who were warned (but heeded not)!

Then after him We sent (many) messengers totheir peoples: they brought them Clear Signs, but they would notbelieve what they had already rejected beforehand. Thus do We sealthe hearts of the transgressors.

Then after them sent We Moses and Aaron toPharaoh and his chiefs with Our Signs. But they were arrogant: theywere a wicked people.

When the Truth did come to them from Us, theysaid: “This is indeed evident sorcery!”

Said Moses: “Say ye (this) about the Truthwhen it hath (actually) reached you? Is sorcery (like) this? Butsorcerers will not prosper.”

They said: “Hast thou come to us to turn usaway from the ways we found our fathers following,- in order thatthou and thy brother may have greatness in the land? But not weshall believe in you!”

Said Pharaoh: “Bring me every sorcerer wellversed.”

When the sorcerers came, Moses said to them:”Throw ye what ye (wish) to throw!”

When they had had their throw, Moses said:”What ye have brought is sorcery: Allah will surely make it of noeffect: for Allah prospereth not the work of those who makemischief.

“And Allah by His Words doth prove andestablish His Truth, however much the sinners may hate it!”

But none believed in Moses except somechildren of his People, because of the fear of Pharaoh and hischiefs, lest they should persecute them; and certainly Pharaoh wasmighty on the earth and one who transgressed all bounds.

Moses said: “O my People! If ye do (really)believe in Allah, then in Him put your trust if ye submit (your willto His).”

They said: “In Allah do we put out trust. OurLord! make us not a trial for those who practice oppression;

“And deliver us by Thy Mercy from those whoreject (Thee).”

We inspired Moses and his brother with thisMessage: “Provide dwellings for your people in Egypt, make yourdwellings into places of worship, and establish regular prayers: andgive glad tidings to those who believe!”

Moses prayed: “Our Lord! Thou hast indeedbestowed on Pharaoh and his Chiefs splendor and wealth in the lifeof the present, and so, Our Lord, they mislead (men) from Thy Path.Deface our Lord, the features of their wealth, and send hardness totheir hearts, so they will not believe until they see the grievouschastisement.”

Allah said: “Accepted is your prayer (O Mosesand Aaron)! So stand ye straight, and follow not the path of thosewho know not.”

We took the Children of Israel across thesea: Pharaoh and his hosts followed them in insolence and spite. Atlength, when overwhelmed with the flood, he said: “I believe thatthere is no god except Him Whom the Children of Israel believe in: Iam of those who submit (to Allah in Isl�m).”

(It was said to him): “Ah now!- But a littlewhile be f46 fore, wast thou in rebellion!- and thou didst mischief(and violence)!

“This day shall We save thee in thy body,that thou mayest be a sign to those who come after thee! But verily,many among mankind are heedless of Our Signs!”

We settled the Children of Israel in anhonorable dwelling-place, and provided for them sustenance of thebest: it was after knowledge had been granted to them, that theyfell into schisms. Verily Allah will judge between them as to theschisms amongst them, on the Day of Judgment.

If thou wert in doubt as to what We haverevealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Bookfrom before thee: the Truth hath indeed come to thee from thy Lord:so be in no wise of those in doubt.

Nor be of those who reject the Signs ofAllah, or thou shalt be of those who perish.

Those against whom the Word of thy Lord hathbeen verified would not believe-

Even if every Sign was brought unto them,-until they see (for themselves) the penalty chastisement.

If only there had been a single township(among those We warned), which believed,- so its faith should haveprofited it,- except the People of Jonah? When they believed, Weremoved from them the Chastisement of Ignominy in the life of thepresent, and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while.

If it had been thy Lord’s Will, they wouldall have believed,- all who are on earth! Wilt thou then compelmankind, against their will, to believe!

No soul can believe, except by the will ofAllah, and He will place abomination on those who will notunderstand.

Say: “Behold all that is in the heavens andon earth”; but neither Signs nor Warners profit those who believenot.

Do they then expect (any thing) but the likeof (what happened in) the days of the men who passed away beforethem? Say: “Wait ye then: for I, too, will wait with you.”

In the end We deliver Our messengers andthose who believe: Thus is it fitting on Our part that We shoulddeliver those who believe!

Say: “O ye men! If ye are in doubt as to myreligion, (behold!) I worship not what ye worship, other than Allah!But I worship Allah – Who will take your souls (at death): I amcommanded to be (in the ranks) of the Believers,

“And further (thus): set thy face towardsReligion with true piety, and never in any wise be of theUnbelievers;

“‘Nor call on any, other than Allah!- Suchwill neither profit thee nor hurt thee: if thou dost, behold! thoushalt certainly be of those who do wrong.”

If Allah do touch thee with hurt, there isnone can remove it but He: if He do design some benefit for thee,there is none can keep back His favor: He causeth it to reachwhomsoever of His servants He pleaseth. And He is the Oft-Forgiving,Most Merciful.

Say: “O ye men! Now Truth hath reached youfrom your Lord! those who receive Guidance, do so for the good oftheir own souls; those who stray, do so to their own loss: and I amnot (set) over you to arrange your affairs.”

Follow thou the inspiration sent unto thee,and be patient and constant, till Allah do decide: for He is thebest to decide.