The Family of Imraan

He has sent down upon thee the Book with the truth, confirming what was before it, and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel

God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting.

Alif Lam Mim

aforetime, as guidance to the people, and He sent down the Salvation. As for those who disbelieve in God's signs, for them awaits a terrible chastisement; God is All-mighty, Vengeful.

From God nothing whatever is hidden in heaven and earth.

It is He who forms you in the womb as He will. There is no god but He, the All-mighty, the All-wise.

It is He who sent down upon thee the Book, wherein are verses clear that are the Essence of the Book, and others ambiguous. As for those in whose hearts is swerving, they follow the ambiguous part, desiring dissension, and desiring its interpretation; and none knows its interpretation, save only God. And those firmly rooted in knowledge say, 'We believe in it; all is from our Lord'; yet none remembers, but men possessed of minds.

Our Lord, make not our hearts to swerve after that Thou hast guided us; and give us mercy from Thee; Thou art the Giver.

Our Lord, it is Thou that shall gather mankind for a day whereon is no doubt; verily God will not fail the tryst.

As for the unbelievers, their riches will not avail them, neither their children, aught against God; those -- they shall be fuel for the Fire

like Pharaoh's folk, and the people before them, who cried lies to Our signs; God seized them because of their sins; God is terrible in retribution.

Say to the unbelievers: 'You shall be overthrown, and mustered into Gehenna -- an evil cradling!'

There has already been a sign for you in the two companies that encountered, one company fighting in the way of God and another unbelieving; they saw them twice the like of them, as the eye sees, but God confirms with His help whom He will. Surely in that is a lesson for men possessed of eyes.

Decked out fair to men is the love of lusts -- women, children, heaped-up heaps of gold and silver, horses of mark, cattle and tillage. That is the enjoyment of the present life; but God -- with Him is the fairest resort.

Say: 'Shall I tell you of a better than that?' For those that are godfearing, with their Lord are gardens underneath which rivers flow, therein dwelling forever, and spouses purified, and God's good pleasure. And God sees His servants

who say, 'Our Lord, we believe; forgive us our sins, and guard us against the chastisement of the Fire' --

men who are patient, truthful, obedient, expenders in alms, imploring God's pardon at the daybreak.

God bears witness that there is no god but He -- and the angels, and men possessed of knowledge -- upholding justice; there is no god but He, the All-mighty, the All-wise.

The true religion with God is Islam. Those who were given the Book were not at variance except after the knowledge came to them, being insolent one to another. And whoso disbelieves in God's signs. God is swift at the reckoning.

So if they dispute with thee, say: 'I have surrendered my will to God, and whosoever follows me. And say to those who have been given the Book and to the common folk: 'Have you surrendered?' If they have surrendered, they are right guided; but if they turn their backs, thine it is only to deliver the Message; and God sees His servants.

Those who disbelieve in the signs of God and slay the Prophets without right, and slay such men as bid to justice -- do thou give them the good tidings of a painful chastisement;

their works have failed in this world and the next; they have no helpers.

Hast thou not regarded those who were given a portion of the Book, being called to the Book of God, that it might decide between them, and then a party of them turned away, swerving aside?

That, because they said, 'The Fire shall not touch us, except for a number of days'; and the lies they forged has deluded them in their religion.

But how will it be, when We gather them for a day whereon is no doubt, and every soul shall be paid in full what it has earned, and they shall not be wronged?

Say: 'O God, Master of the Kingdom, Thou givest the Kingdom to whom Thou wilt, and seizest the Kingdom from whom Thou wilt, Thou exaltest whom Thou wilt, and Thou abasest whom Thou wilt; in Thy hand is the good; Thou art powerful over everything.

Thou makest the night to enter into the day and Thou makest the day to enter into the night, Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and Thou bringest forth the dead from the living, and Thou providest whomsoever Thou wilt without reckoning.

Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends, rather than the believers -- for whoso does that belongs not to God in anything -- unless you have a fear of them. God warns you that You beware of Him, and unto God is the homecoming.

Say: 'Whether you hide what is in your breasts or publish it, God knows it. God knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth; and God is powerful over everything.'

The day every soul shall find what it has done of good brought forward, and what it has done of evil; it will wish if there were only a far space between it and that day. God warns you that you beware of Him; and God is gentle with His servants.

Say: 'If you love God, follow me, and God will love you, and forgive you your sins; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.'

Say: 'Obey God, and the Messenger.' But if they turn their backs, God loves not the unbelievers.

God chose Adam and Noah and the House of Abraham and the House of Imran above all beings, the

seed of one another; God hears, and knows.

When the wife of Imran said, 'Lord, I have vowed to Thee, in dedication, what is within my womb. Receive Thou this from me; Thou hearest, and knowest.'

And when she gave birth to her she said, 'Lord, I have given birth to her, a female.' (And God knew very well what she had given birth to; the male is not as the female.) 'And I have named her Mary, and commend her to Thee with her seed, to protect them from the accursed Satan.'

Her Lord received the child with gracious favour, and by His goodness she grew up comely, Zachariah taking charge of her. Whenever Zachariah went in to her in the Sanctuary, he found her provisioned. 'Mary,' he said, 'how comes this to thee?' 'From God,' she said. Truly God provisions whomsoever He will without reckoning.

Then Zachariah prayed to his Lord saying, 'Lord, give me of Thy goodness a goodly offspring. Yea, Thou hearest prayer.'

And the angels called to him, standing in the Sanctuary at worship, 'Lo, God gives thee good tidings of John, who shall confirm a Word of God, a chief, and chaste, a Prophet, righteous.'

'Lord,' said Zachariah, 'how shall I have a son, seeing I am an old man and my wife is barren?' 'Even so,' God said, 'God does what He will.'

'Lord,' said Zachariah, 'appoint to me a sign.' 'Thy sign,' God said, 'is that thou shalt not speak, save by tokens, to men for three days. And mention thy Lord oft, and give glory at evening and dawn.'

And when the angels said, 'Mary, God has chosen thee, and purified thee; He has chosen thee above all women.

Mary; be obedient to thy Lord, prostrating and bowing before Him.'

(That is of the tidings of the Unseen, that We reveal to thee; for thou wast not with them, when they were casting quills which of them should have charge of Mary; thou wast not with them, when they were disputing.)

When the angels said, 'Mary, God gives thee good tidings of a Word from Him whose name is Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary; high honoured shall he be in this world and the next, near stationed to God.

He shall speak to men in the cradle, and of age, and righteous he shall be.'

'Lord,' said Mary, 'how shall I have a son seeing no mortal has touched me?' 'Even so,' God said, God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing He does but say to it "Be," and it is.

And He will teach him the Book, the Wisdom, the Torah, the Gospel,

to be a Messenger to the Children of Israel saying, "I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I will create for you out of clay as the likeness of a bird; then I will breathe into it, and it will be a bird, by the leave of God. I will also heal the blind and the leper, and bring to life the dead, by the leave of God. I will inform you too of what things you eat, and what you treasure up in your houses. Surely in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.

Likewise confirming the truth of the Torah that is before me, and to make lawful to you certain things that before were forbidden unto you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear you God, and obey you me.

Surely God is my Lord and your Lord; so serve Him. This is a straight path".'

And when Jesus perceived their unbelief, he said, 'Who will be my helpers unto God?' The Apostles said, 'We will be helpers of God; we believe in God; witness thou our submission.

Lord, we believe in that Thou hast sent down, and we follow the Messenger. Inscribe us therefore with those who bear witness.'

And they devised, and God devised, and God is the best of devisers.

When God said, 'Jesus, I will take thee to Me and will raise thee to Me and I will purify thee of those who believe not. I will set thy followers above the unbelievers till the Resurrection Day. Then unto Me shall you return, and I will decide between you, as to what you were at variance on.

As for the unbelievers, I will chastise them with a terrible chastisement in this world and the next; they shall have no helpers.'

But as for the believers, who do deeds of righteousness, He will pay them in full their wages: and God loves not the evildoers.

This We recite to thee of signs and wise remembrance.

Truly, the likeness of Jesus, in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust, then said He unto him, 'Be,' and he was.

The truth is of God; be not of the doubters.

And whoso disputes with thee concerning him, after the knowledge that has come to thee, say: 'Come now, let us call our sons and your sons, our wives and your wives, our selves and your selves, then let us humbly pray and so lay God's curse upon the ones who lie.'

This is the true story. There is no god but God, and assuredly God is the All-mighty, the All-wise.

And if they turn their backs, assuredly God knows the workers of corruption.

Say: 'People of the Book! Come now to a word common between us and you, that we serve none but God, and that we associate not aught with Him, and do not some of us take others as Lords, apart from God.' And if they turn their backs, say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims.'

People of the Book! Why do you dispute concerning Abraham? The Torah was not sent down, neither the Gospel, but after him. What, have you no reason?

Ha, you are the ones who dispute on what you know; why then dispute you touching a matter of which you know not anything? God knows, and you know not.

No; Abraham in truth was not a Jew, neither a Christian; but he was a Muslim and one pure of faith; certainly he was never of the idolaters.

Surely the people standing closest to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet, and those who believe; and God is the Protector of the believers.

There is a party of the People of the Book yearn to make you go astray; yet none they make to stray, except themselves, but they are not aware.

People of the Book! Why do you disbelieve in God's signs, which you yourselves witness?

People of the Book! Why do you confound the truth with vanity, and conceal the truth and that wittingly?

There is a party of the People of the Book say, 'Believe in what has been sent down upon those who believe at the beginning of the day, and disbelieve at the end of it; haply they will then return;

Say: 'God has spoken the truth; therefore follow the creed of Abraham, a man of pure faith and no idolater.'

and believe not any but him who follows your religion.' Say: 'The true guidance is God's guidance -- that anyone should be given the like of what you have been given, or dispute with you before your Lord.' Say: 'Surely bounty is in the hand of God; He gives it unto whomsoever He will; and God is All-embracing, All-knowing.

He singles out for His mercy whom He will; God is of bounty abounding.'

And of the People of the Book is he who, if thou trust him with a hundredweight, will restore it thee; and of them is he who, if thou trust him with one pound, will not restore it thee, unless ever thou standest over him. That, because they say, 'There is no way over us as to the common people.' They speak falsehood against God and that wittingly.

Nay, but whoso fulfils his covenant and fears God, God loves the godfearing.

Those that sell God's covenant, and their oaths, for a little price, there shall be no share for them in the world to come; God shall not speak to them neither look on them on the Resurrection Day, neither will He purify them; and for them awaits a painful chastisement.

And there is a sect of them twist their tongues with the Book, that you may suppose it part of the Book, yet it is not part of the Book; and they say, 'It is from God,' yet it is not from God, and they speak falsehood against God, and that wittingly.

It belongs not to any mortal that God should give him the Book, the Judgment, the Prophethood, then he should say to men, 'Be you servants to me apart from God.' Rather, 'Be you masters in that you know the Book, and in that you study.'

He would never order you to take the angels and the Prophets as Lords; what, would He order you to disbelieve, after you have surrendered?

And when God took compact with the Prophets: 'That I have given you of Book and Wisdom; then there shall come to you a Messenger confirming what is with you -- you shall believe in him and you shall help him; do you agree?' He said. 'And do you take My load on you on that condition?' They said, 'We do agree.' God said, 'Bear witness so, and I shall be with you among the witnesses.'

Then whosoever turns his back after that -- they are the ungodly.

What, do they desire another religion than God's, and to Him has surrendered whoso is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they shall be returned?

Say: 'We believe in God, and that which has been sent down on us, and sent down on Abraham and Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, and the Tribes, and in that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and the Prophets, of their Lord; we make no division between any of them, and to Him we surrender.'

Whoso desires another religion than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him; in the next world he shall be among the losers.

How shall God guide a people who have disbelieved after they believed, and bore witness that the Messenger is true, and the clear signs came to them? God guides not the people of the evildoers.

Those -- their recompense is that there shall rest on them the curse of God and of the angels and of men, altogether,

therein dwelling forever; the chastisement shall not be lightened for them; no respite shall be given them.

But those who repent thereafter, and make amends -- God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

Surely those who disbelieve after they have believed and then increase in unbelief -- their repentance shall not be accepted; those are the ones who stray.

Surely those who disbelieve, and die disbelieving, there shall not be accepted from any one of them the whole earth full of gold, if he would ransom himself thereby; for them awaits a painful chastisement, and they shall have no helpers.

You will not attain piety until you expend of what you love; and whatever thing you expend, God knows of it.

All food was lawful to the Children of Israel save what Israel forbade for himself before the Torah was sent down. Say: 'Bring you the Torah now, and recite it, if you are truthful.'

Whoso forges falsehood against God after that, those are the evildoers.

The first House established for the people was that at Bekka, a place holy, and a guidance to all beings.

Therein are clear signs -- the station of Abraham, and whosoever enters it is in security. It is the duty of all men towards God to come to the House a pilgrim, if he is able to make his way there. As for the unbeliever, God is All-sufficient nor needs any being.

Say: 'People of the Book, why do you disbelieve in the signs of God? Surely God is witness of the things you do.'

Say: 'People of the Book, why do you bar from God's way the believer, desiring to make it crooked, yourselves being witnesses? God is not heedless of the things you do.'

O believers, if you obey a sect of those who have been given the Book, they will turn you, after you have believed, into unbelievers.

How can you disbelieve, seeing you have God's signs recited to you, and His Messenger among you? Whosoever holds fast to God, he is guided to a straight path.

O believers, fear God as He should be feared, and see you do not die, save in surrender.

And hold you fast to God's bond, together, and do not scatter; remember God's blessing upon you when you were enemies, and He brought your hearts together, so that by His blessing you became brothers. You were upon the brink of a pit of Fire, and He delivered you from it; even so God makes clear to you His signs; so haply you will be guided.

Let there be one nation of you, calling to good, and bidding to honour, and forbidding dishonour; those are the prosperers.

Be not as those who scattered and fell into variance after the clear signs came to them; those there awaits a mighty chastisement,

the day when some faces are blackened, and some faces whitened. As for those whose faces are blackened -- 'Did you disbelieve after you had believed? Then taste the chastisement for that you disbelieved!'

But as for those whose faces are whitened, they shall be in God's mercy, therein dwelling forever.

These are the signs of God We recite to thee in truth, and God desires not any injustice to living beings.

To God belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, and unto Him all matters are returned.

You are the best nation ever brought forth to men, bidding to honour, and forbidding dishonour, and believing in God. Had the People of the Book believed, it were better for them; some of them are believers, but the most of them are ungodly.

They will not harm you, except a little hurt; and if they fight with you, they will turn on you their backs; then they will not be helped.

Abasement shall be pitched on them, wherever they are come upon, except they be in a bond of God, and a bond of the people; they will be laden with the burden of God's anger, and poverty shall be pitched on them; that, because they disbelieved in God's signs, and slew the Prophets without right; that, for that they acted rebelliously and were transgressors.

Yet they are not all alike; some of the People of the Book are a nation upstanding, that recite God's signs in the watches of the night, bowing themselves,

believing in God and in the Last Day, bidding to honour and forbidding dishonour, vying one with the other in good works; those are of the righteous.

And whatsoever good you do, you shall not be denied the just reward of it; and God knows the godfearing.

As for the unbelievers, their riches shall not avail them, neither their children, against God; those are the inhabitants of the Fire, therein dwelling forever.

The likeness of that they expend in this present life is as the likeness of a freezing blast that smites the tillage of a people who wronged themselves, and it destroyed that; God wronged them not, but themselves they wronged.

What, is he who follows God's good pleasure like him who is laden with the burden of God's anger, whose refuge is Gehenna? An evil homecoming!

O believers, take not for your intimates outside yourselves such men spare nothing to ruin you; they yearn for you to suffer Hatred has already shown itself of their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is yet greater. Now We have made clear to you the signs, if you understand.

Ha, there you are; you love them, and they love you not; you believe in the Book, all of it, and when they meet you they say, 'We believe,' but when they go privily, they bite at you their fingers, enraged. Say: 'Die in your rage; God knows the thoughts in the breasts.'

If you are visited by good fortune, it vexes them; but if you are smitten by evil, they rejoice at it. Yet if you are patient and godfearing, their guile will hurt you nothing; God encompasses the things they do.

When thou wentest forth at dawn from thy people to lodge the believers in their pitches for the battle -- God is All-hearing, All-knowing --

when two parties of you were about to lose heart, though God was their Protector -- and in God let the believers put all their trust --

and God most surely helped you at Badr, when you were utterly abject. So fear God, and haply you Will be thankful.

When thou saidst to the believers, 'Is it not enough for you that your Lord should reinforce you with three thousand angels sent down upon you?

Yea; if you are patient and godfearing, and the foe come against you instantly, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand swooping angels.'

God wrought this not, save as good tiding to you, and that your hearts might be at rest; help comes only from God the All-mighty, the All-wise;

and that He might cut off a part of the unbelievers or frustrate them, so that they turned in their tracks, disappointed.

No part of the matter is thine, whether He turns towards them again, or chastises them; for they are evildoers.

To God belongs all that is in the heavens and earth; He forgives whom He will, and chastises whom He will; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

O believers, devour not usury, doubled and redoubled, and fear you God; haply so you will prosper.

And fear the Fire prepared for the unbelievers,

and obey God and the Messenger; haply so you will find mercy.

And vie with one another, hastening to forgiveness from your Lord, and to a garden whose breadth is as the heavens and earth, prepared for the godfearing

who expend in prosperity and adversity in almsgiving, and restrain their rage, and pardon the offences of their fellowmen; and God loves the good-doers;

who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember God, and pray forgiveness for their sins -- and who shall forgive sins but God? -- and do not persevere in the things they did and that wittingly.

Those -- their recompense is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens beneath which rivers flow, therein dwelling forever; and how excellent is the wage of those who labour!

Divers institutions have passed away before you; journey in the land, and behold how was the end of those that cried lies.

This is an exposition for mankind, and a guidance, and an admonition for such as are godfearing.

Faint not, neither sorrow; you shall be the upper ones if you are believers.

If a wound touches you, a like wound already has touched the heathen; such days We deal out in turn among men, and that God may know who are the believers, and that He may take witnesses from among you; and God loves not the evildoers;

and that God may prove the believers, and blot out the unbelievers.

Or did you suppose you should enter Paradise without God know who of you have struggled and who are patient?

You were longing for death before you met it; now you have seen it, while you were beholding.

They are in ranks with God; and God sees the things they do.

Muhammad is naught but a Messenger; Messengers have passed away before him. Why, if he should die or is slain, will you turn about on your heels? If any man should turn about on his heels, he will not harm God in any way; and God will recompense the thankful.

It is not given to any soul to die, save by the leave of God, at an appointed time. Whoso desires the reward of this world, We will give him of this; and whoso desires the reward of the other world, We will give him of that; and We will recompense the thankful.

Many a Prophet there has been, with whom thousands manifold have fought, and they fainted not for what smote them in God's way, neither weakened, nor did they humble themselves; and God loves the patient.

Nothing else they said but, 'Lord, forgive us our sins, and that we exceeded in our affair, and make firm our feet, and help us against the people of the unbelievers.'

And God gave them the reward of this world and the fairest reward of the world to come; and God loves the good-doers.

O believers, if you obey the unbelievers they will turn you upon your heels, and you will turn about, losers.

No; but God is your Protector, and He is the best of helpers.

We will cast into the hearts of the unbelievers terror, for that they have associated with God that for which He sent down never authority; their lodging shall be the Fire; evil is the lodging of the evildoers.

God has been true in His promise towards you when you blasted them by His leave; until you lost heart, and quarrelled about the matter, and were rebellious, after He had shown you that you longed for. Some of you there are that desire this world, and some of you there are desire the next world. Then He turned you from them, that He might try you; and He has pardoned you; and God is bounteous to the believers.

When you were going up, not twisting about for anyone, and the Messenger was calling you in your rear; so He rewarded you with grief on grief that you might not sorrow for what escaped you neither for what smote you; and God is aware of the things you do.

Then He sent down upon you, after grief, security -- a slumber overcoming a party of you; and a party themselves had grieved, thinking of God thoughts that were not true such as the pagans thought, saying, 'Have we any part whatever in the affair?' Say: 'The affair belongs to God entirely.' They were concealing in their hearts that they show not to thee, saying, 'Ah, if we had had a part in the affair, never would we have been slain here.' Say: 'Even if you had been in your houses, those for whom slaying was appointed would have sallied forth unto their last couches'; and that God might try what was in your breasts, and that He might prove what was in your hearts; and God knows the thoughts in the breasts.

Those of you who turned away the day the two hosts encountered -- Satan made them slip for somewhat they had earned; but God has pardoned them; God is All-forgiving, All-clement.

O believers, be not as the unbelievers who say to their brothers, when they journey in the land, or are upon expeditions, 'If they had been with us, they would not have died and not been slain' -- that God may make that an anguish in their hearts. For God gives life, and He makes to die; and God sees the things you do.

If you are slain or die in God's way, forgiveness and mercy from God are a better thing than that you amass;

surely if you die or are slain, it is unto God you shall be mustered.

It was by some mercy of God that thou wast gentle to them; hadst thou been harsh and hard of heart, they would have scattered from about thee. So pardon them, and pray forgiveness for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; and when thou art resolved, put thy trust in God; surely God loves those who put their trust.

If God helps you, none can overcome you; but if He forsakes you, who then can help you after Him? Therefore in God let the believers put all their trust.

It is not for a Prophet to be fraudulent; whoso defrauds shall bring the fruits of his fraud on the Day of Resurrection; then every soul shall be paid in full what it has earned, and they shall not be wronged.

Truly God was gracious to the believers when He raised up among them a Messenger from themselves, to recite to them His signs and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, though before they were in manifest error.

Why, when an affliction visited you, and you had visited twice over the like of it, did you say, 'How is this?' Say: 'This is from your own selves; surely God is powerful over everything.'

And what visited you, the day the two hosts encountered, was by God's leave, and that He might know the believers;

and that He might also know the hypocrites when it was said of them, 'Come now, fight in the way of God, or repel!' They said, 'If only we knew how to fight, we would follow you.' They that day were nearer to unbelief than to belief, saying with their mouths that which never was in their hearts; and God knows very well the things they hide;

who said of their brothers (and they themselves held back), 'Had they obeyed us, they would not have been slain.' Say: 'Then avert death from yourselves, if you speak truly.'

Count not those who were slain in God's way as dead, but rather living with their Lord, by Him provided,

rejoicing in the bounty that God has given them, and joyful in those who remain behind and have not joined them, because no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow,

joyful in blessing and bounty from God, and that God leaves not to waste the wage of the believers.

And those who answered God and the Messenger after the wound had smitten them - to all those of them who did good and feared God, shall be a mighty wage;

those to whom the people said, 'The people have gathered against you, therefore fear them', but it increased them in faith, and they said, 'God is sufficient for us; an excellent Guardian is He.'

So they returned with blessing and bounty from God, untouched by evil; they followed the good pleasure of God; and God is of bounty abounding.

That is Satan frightening his friends, therefore do not fear them; but fear you Me, if you are believers.

Let them not grieve thee that vie with one another in unbelief; they will nothing hurt God; God desires not to appoint for them a portion in the world to come, and there awaits them a mighty chastisement.

Those who buy unbelief at the price of faith, they will nothing hurt God; and there awaits them a painful chastisement.

And let not the unbelievers suppose that the indulgence We grant them is better for them; We grant them indulgence only that they may increase in sin; and there awaits them a humbling chastisement.

God will not leave the believers in the state in which you are, till He shall distinguish the corrupt from the good, and God will not inform you of the Unseen; but God chooses out of His Messengers whom He will. Believe you then in God and His Messengers; and if you believe and are godfearing, there shall be for you a mighty wage.

But as for those who are niggardly with the bounty God has given them, let them not suppose it is better for them; nay, it is worse for them; that they were niggardly with they shall have hung about their necks on the Resurrection Day; and to God belongs the inheritance of the heavens and earth; and God is aware of the things you do.

God has heard the saying of those who said, 'Surely God is poor, and we are rich.' We shall write down what they have said, and their slaying the Prophets without right, and We shall say, 'Taste the chastisement of the burning --

that, for what your hands have forwarded, and for that God is never unjust unto His servants.'

Those same men said, 'God has made covenant with us, that we believe not any Messenger until he brings to us a sacrifice devoured by fire.' Say: 'Messengers have come to you before me bearing clear signs, and that you spoke of; why therefore did you slay them, if you speak truly?'

But if they cry lies to thee, lies were cried to Messengers before thee, who came bearing clear signs, and the Psalms, and the Book Illuminating.

Every soul shall taste of death; you she surely be paid in full your wages on the Day of Resurrection. Whosoever is removed from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, shall win the triumph. The present life is but the joy of delusion.

You shall surely be tried in your possessions and your selves, and you shall hear from those who were given the Book before you, and from those who are idolaters, much hurt; but if you are patient and godfearing -- surely that is true constancy.

And when God took compact with those who had been given the Book: 'You shall make it clear unto the people, and not conceal it.' But they rejected it behind their backs and sold it for a small price -- how evil was that their selling!

Reckon not that those who rejoice in what they have brought, and love to be praised for what they have not done -- do not reckon them secure from chastisement; for them awaits a painful chastisement.

To God belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and of the earth; and God is powerful over everything.

Surely in the creation of the heavens and earth and in the alternation of night and day there are signs for men possessed of minds

who remember God, standing and sitting and on their sides, and reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth: 'Our Lord, Thou hast not created this for vanity. Glory be to Thee! Guard us against the chastisement of the Fire.

Our Lord, whomsoever Thou admittest into the Fire, Thou wilt have abased; and the evildoers shall have no helpers.

Our Lord, we have heard a caller calling us to belief, saying, "Believe you in your Lord!" And we believe. Our Lord, forgive Thou us our sins and acquit us of our evil deeds, and take us to Thee with the pious.

Our Lord, give us what Thou hast promised us by Thy Messengers, and abase us not on the Day of Resurrection; Thou wilt not fail the tryst.'

And their Lord answers them: 'I waste not the labour of any that labours among you, be you male or female -- the one of you is as the other. And those who emigrated, and were expelled from their habitations, those who suffered hurt in My way, and fought, and were slain -- them I shall surely acquit of their evil deeds, and I shall admit them to gardens underneath which rivers flow.' A reward from God! And God with Him is the fairest reward.

Let it not delude thee, that the unbelievers go to and fro in the land;

a little enjoyment, then their refuge is Gehenna -- an evil cradling!

But those who fear their Lord - for them shall be gardens underneath which rivers flow, therein dwelling forever -- a hospitality God Himself offers; and that which is with God is better for the pious.

And some there are of the People of the Book who believe in God, and what has been sent down unto you, and what has been sent down unto them, men humble to God, not selling the signs of God for a small price; those -- their wage is with their Lord; God is swift at the reckoning.

O believers, be patient, and vie you in patience; be steadfast; fear God; haply so you will prosper.