17. The Israelites

Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servant fora Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque,whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him someof Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things).

We gave Moses the Book, and made it a Guideto the Children of Israel, (commanding): “Take not other than Me asDisposer of (your) affairs.”

O ye that are sprung from those whom Wecarried (in the Ark) with Noah! Verily he was a devotee mostgrateful.

And We decreed for the Children of Israel inthe Book, that twice would they do mischief on the earth and beelated with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)!

When the first of the warnings came to pass,We sent against you Our servants given to terrible warfare. Theyentered the very inmost parts of your homes; and it was a warning(completely) fulfilled.

Then did We grant you victory over them: Wegave you increase in resources and sons, and made you the morenumerous in man-power.

If ye did well, ye did well for yourselves;if ye did evil, (ye did it) against yourselves. So when the secondof the warnings came to pass, (We permitted your enemies) todisfigure your faces, and to enter your Temple as they had enteredit before, and to visit with destruction all that fell into theirpower.

It may be that your Lord may (yet) show Mercyunto you; but if ye revert (to your sins), We shall revert (to Ourpunishments): And we have made Hell a prison for those who reject(all Faith).

Verily this Quran doth guide to that which ismost right (or stable), and giveth the Glad Tidings to the Believerswho work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificentreward;

And to those who believe not in theHereafter, (it announceth) that We have prepared for them aChastisement Grievous (indeed).

Man prays for evil as he prays for good; forman is given to hasty (deeds).

We have made the Night and the Day as two (ofOur) Signs: the Sign of the Night have We made dark, while the Signof the Day We have made bright; that ye may seek bounty from yourLord, and that ye may know the number and count of the years: allthings have We explained in detail.

Every man’s fate We have fastened on his ownneck: On the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll,which he will see spread open.

(It will be said to him:) “Read thine (own)record: Sufficient is thy soul this day to make out an accountagainst thee.”

Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for hisown benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss. No bearer ofburdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We punish until Wehad sent a messenger (to give warning).

When We decide to destroy a population, Wecommand those among them who are given the good things of this life(to be obedient), but they continued to transgress; so that the wordis proved true against them: then We destroy them utterly.

How many generations have We destroyed afterNoah? and enough is thy Lord to note and see the sins of Hisservants.

If any do wish for the transitory things (ofthis life), We readily grant them – such things as We will, to suchperson as We will: in the end have We provided Hell for them: theywill burn therein, disgraced and rejected.

Those who do wish for the (things of) theHereafter, and strive therefor with all due striving, and haveFaith,- they are the ones whose striving will be thanked (by Allah).

Of the bounties of thy Lord We bestow freelyon all- these as well as those. The bounties of thy Lord are notclosed (to anyone).

See how We have bestowed more on some than onothers; but verily the Hereafter is more in rank and gradation andmore in excellence.

Take not with Allah another god; or thou (Oman!) wilt sit in disgrace and destitution.

Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship nonebut Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of themattain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, norrepel them, but address them in terms of honor.

And, out of kindness, lower to them the wingof humility, and say: “My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even asthey cherished me in childhood.”

Your Lord knoweth best what is in yourhearts: If ye do deeds of righteousness, verily He is Most Forgivingto those who turn to Him again and again (in true penitence).

And render to the kindred their due rights,as (also) to those in want, and to the wayfarer: But squander not(your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift.

Verily spendthrifts are brothers of theSatans; and the Satan is to his Lord (himself) ungrateful.

And even if thou hast to turn away from themin pursuit of the Mercy from thy Lord which thou dost expect, yetspeak to them a word of easy kindness.

Make not thy hand tied (like a niggard’s) tothy neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach, so that thoubecome blameworthy and destitute.

Verily thy Lord doth provide sustenance inabundance for whom He pleaseth, and He straiten it. For He doth knowand regard all His servants.

Kill not your children for fear of want: Weshall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily thekilling of them is a great sin.

Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is anindecent (deed) and an evil way.

Nor take life – which Allah has made sacred -except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we havegiven his heir authority (to demand Qisas or to forgive): but lethim nor exceed bounds in the matter of taking life; for he is helped(by the Law).

Come not nigh to the orphan’s property exceptto improve it, until he attains the age of full strength; andfulfill (every) engagement, for (every) engagement will be inquiredinto (on the Day of Reckoning).

Give full measure when ye measure, and weighwith a balance that is straight: that is the most fitting and themost advantageous in the final determination.

And pursue not that of which thou hast noknowledge; for surely the hearing, the sight, the heart, all ofthose shall be questioned of (on the Day of Reckoning).

Nor walk on the earth with insolence: forthou canst not rend the earth asunder, nor reach the mountains inheight.

Of all such things the evil is hateful in thesight of thy Lord.

These are among the (precepts of) wisdom,which thy Lord has revealed to thee. Take not, with Allah, anotherobject of worship, lest thou shouldst be thrown into Hell,blameworthy and rejected.

Has then your Lord (O Pagans!) preferred foryou sons, and taken for Himself daughters among the angels? Truly yeutter a most dreadful saying!

We have explained (things) in various (ways)in this Quran, in order that they may receive admonition, but itonly increases their flight (from the Truth)!

Say: If there had been (other) gods with Him,as they say,- behold, they would certainly have sought out a way insubmitting to the Lord of the Throne!

Glory to Him! He is high above all that theysay!- Exalted and Great (beyond measure)!

The seven heavens and the earth, and allbeings therein, declare His glory: there is not a thing butcelebrates His praise; And yet ye understand not how they declareHis glory! Verily He is Oft-Forbear, Most Forgiving!

When thou dost recite the Quran, We put,between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter, a veilinvisible:

And We put coverings over their hearts (andminds) lest they should understand the Quran, and deafness intotheir ears: when thou dost mention thy Lord and Him alone in theQuran, they turn on their backs, fleeing (from the Truth).

We know best what it is they listen, whenthey listen to thee; and when they meet in private, behold, thewicked say, “Ye follow none other than a man bewitched!”

See what similes they strike for thee: butthey have gone astray, and never can they find a way.

They say: “What! when we are reduced to bonesand dust, should we really be raised up (to be) a new creation?”

Say: “(Nay!) be ye stones or iron,

“Or any created matter which, in your minds,is hardest (to be raised up),- (yet shall ye be raised up)!” thenwill they say: “Who will cause us to return?” Say: “He Who createdyou first!” Then will they wag their heads towards thee, and say,”When will that be?” Say, “May be it will be quite soon!

“It will be on a Day when He will call you,and ye will answer (His call) with (words of) His praise, and yewill think that ye tarried but a little while!”

Say to My servants that they should (only)say those things that are best: for Satan doth sow dissensions amongthem: For Satan is to man an avowed enemy.

It is your Lord that knoweth you best: If Heplease, He granteth you mercy, or if He please, punishment: We havenot sent thee to be a disposer of their affairs for them.

And it is your Lord that knoweth best allbeings that are in the heavens and on earth: We made some prophetsto excel others: and We gave to David the Psalms.

Say: “Call on those – besides Him – whom yefancy: they have neither the power to remove your troubles from younor to change them.”

Those whom they call upon do seek (forthemselves) means of access to their Lord, – as to who are nearest:they hope for His Mercy and fear His Wrath: for the Wrath of thyLord is something to take heed of.

There is not a population but We shalldestroy it before the Day of Judgment or punish it with a dreadfulChastisement: that is written in the (eternal) Record.

And We refrain from sending the Signs, onlybecause the men of former generations treated them as false: We sentthe She-camel to the Thamad – a visible Sign -, but they treated herwrongfully: We only send the Signs by way of frightening (andwarning from evil).

Behold! We told thee that thy Lord dothencompass mankind round about: We granted the vision which We showedthee, but as a trial for men,- as also the Cursed Tree (mentioned)in the Quran: We put fear (and warning) into them, but it onlyincreases their inordinate transgression!

Behold! We said to the angels: “Prostrateunto Adam”: They prostrated except Iblis: He said, “Shall Iprostrate to one whom Thou didst create from clay?”

He said: “Seest Thou? this is the one whomThou hast honored above me! If Thou wilt but respite me to the Dayof Judgment, I will surely bring his descendants under my sway – allbut a few!”

(Allah) said: “Go thy way; if any of themfollow thee, verily Hell will be the recompense of you (all)- anample recompense.

“And arose those whom thou canst among them,with thy (seductive) voice; make assaults on them with thy cavalryand thy infantry; mutually share with them wealth and children; andmake promises to them.” But Satan promises them nothing but deceit.

“As for My servants, no authority shalt thouhave over them:” Enough is thy Lord for a Disposer of affairs.

Your Lord is He that maketh the Ship gosmoothly for you through the sea, in order that ye may seek of HisBounty. For He is unto you Most Merciful.

When distress seizes you at sea, those thatye call upon – besides Himself – leave you in the lurch! but when Hebrings you back safe to land, ye turn away (from Him). Mostungrateful is man!

Do ye then feel secure that He will not causeyou to be swallowed up beneath the earth when ye are on land, orthat He will not send against you a violent tornado (with showers ofstones) so that ye shall find no protector?

Or do ye feel secure that He will not sendyou back a second time to sea and send against you a heavy gale todrown you because of your ingratitude, so that ye find no helpertherein against Us?

We have honored the sons of Adam; providedthem with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenancethings good and pure; and conferred on them special favors, above agreat part of Our Creation.

On the Day We shall call together all humanbeings with their (respective) Imams: those who are given theirrecord in their right hand will read it (with pleasure), and theywill not be dealt with unjustly in the least.

But those who were blind in this world, willbe blind in the hereafter, and most astray from the Path.

And their purpose was to tempt thee away fromthat which We had revealed unto thee, to substitute in Our Namesomething quite different; (in that case), behold! they wouldcertainly have made thee (their) friend!

And had We not given thee strength, thouwouldst nearly have inclined to them a little.

In that case We should have made thee tastean equal portion (of punishment) in this life, and an equal portionin death: and moreover thou wouldst have found none to help theeagainst Us!

Their purpose was to scare thee off the land,in order to expel thee; but in that case they would not have stayed(therein) after thee, except for a little while.

(This was Our) way with the messengers Wesent before thee: thou wilt find no change in Our ways.

Establish regular prayers – at the sun’sdecline till the darkness of the night, and the recital of the Quranin the morning prayer: for the recital of the dawn is witnessed.

And as for the night keep awake a part of itas an additional prayer for thee: soon will thy Lord raise thee to aStation of Praise and Glory!

Say: “O my Lord! Let my entry be by the Gateof Truth and Honor, and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth andHonor; and grant me from Thee an authority to aid (me).”

And say: “Truth has (now) arrived, andFalsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound toperish.”

We send down (stage by stage) in the Quranthat which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe: to theunjust it causes nothing but loss after loss.

Yet when We bestow Our favors on man, heturns away and becomes remote on his side (instead of coming to Us),and when evil seizes him he gives himself up to despair!

Say: “Everyone acts according to his owndisposition: But your Lord knows best who it is that is best guidedon the Way.”

They ask thee concerning the Spirit. Say:”The Spirit is off the command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only alittle that is communicated to you, (O men!)”

If it were Our Will, We could take away thatwhich We have sent thee by inspiration: then wouldst thou find noneto plead thy affair in that matter as against Us,-

Except for Mercy from thy Lord: for HisBounty is to thee (indeed) great.

Say: “If the whole of mankind and Jinns wereto gather together to produce the like of this Quran, they could notproduce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other withhelp and support.

And We have explained to man, in this Quran,every kind of similitude: yet the greater part of men refuse (toreceive it) except with ingratitude!

They say: “We shall not believe in thee,until thou cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth,

“Or (until) thou have a garden of date treesand vines, and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst, carryingabundant water;

“Or thou cause the sky to fall in pieces, asthou sayest (will happen), against us; or thou bring Allah and theangels before (us) face to face:

“Or thou have a house adorned with gold, orthou mount a ladder right into the skies. No, we shall not evenbelieve in thy mounting until thou send down to us a book that wecould read.” Say: “Glory to my Lord! Am I aught but a man,- amessenger?”

What kept men back from belief when Guidancecame to them, was nothing but this: they said, “Has Allah sent a man(like us) to be (His) Messenger.”

Say, “If there were settled, on earth, angelswalking about in peace and quiet, We should certainly have sent themdown from the heavens an angel for a messenger.”

Say: “Enough is Allah for a witness betweenme and you: for He is well acquainted with His servants, and He sees(all things).

It is he whom Allah guides, that is on trueGuidance; but he whom He leaves astray – for such wilt thou find noprotector besides Him. On the Day of Judgment We shall gather, themtogether, prone on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf: their abodewill be Hell: every time it shows abatement, We shall increase forthem the fierceness of the Fire.

That is their recompense, because theyrejected Our Signs, and said, “When we are reduced to bones andbroken dust, should we really be raised up (to be) a new Creation?”

See they not that Allah, Who created theheavens and the earth, has power to create the like of them (anew)?Only He has decreed a term appointed, of which there is no doubt.But the unjust refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude.

Say: “If ye had control of the Treasures ofthe Mercy of my Lord, behold, ye would keep them back, for fear ofspending them: for man is (every) niggardly!”

To Moses We did give Nine Clear Sings: As theChildren of Israel: when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him: “OMoses! I consider thee, indeed, to have been worked upon by sorcery!

Moses said, “Thou knowest well that thesethings have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens andthe earth as eye-opening evidence: and I consider thee indeed, OPharaoh, to be one doomed to destruction!”

So he resolved to remove them from the faceof the earth: but We did drown him and all who were with him.

And We said thereafter to the Children ofIsrael, “Dwell securely in the land (of promise)”: but when thesecond of the warnings came to pass, We gathered you together in amingled crowd.

We sent down the (Quran) in Truth, and inTruth has it descended: and We sent thee but to give Glad Tidingsand to warn (sinners).

(It is) a Quran which We have divided (intoparts from time to time), in order that thou mightest recite it tomen at intervals: We have revealed it by stages.

Say: “Whether ye believe in it or not, it istrue that those who were given knowledge beforehand, when it isrecited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration,

“And they say: ‘Glory to our Lord! Truly hasthe promise of our Lord been fulfilled!'”

They fall down on their faces in tears, andit increases their (earnest) humility.

Say: “Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman:by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belongthe Most Beautiful Names. Neither speak thy Prayer aloud, nor speakit in a low tone, but seek a middle course between.”

Say: “Praise be to Allah, who begets no son,and has no partner in (His) dominion: Nor (needs) He any to protectHim from humiliation: yea, magnify Him for His greatness and glory!”