The Family of Imraan

He has sent the Book (Quran) to you (Muhammad) in all Truth. It confirms the original Bible. He revealed the Torah and the Gospel

God exists. He is the only Lord, the Everlasting and the Guardian of life.

Alif. Lam. Mim.

before as a guide for the people and now He has revealed the criteria of discerning right from wrong. Those who reject the revelations of God will face the most severe torment. God is Majestic and capable to revenge.

Nothing in the heavens or the earth is hidden from God.

It is God who shapes you in the wombs as He wills. He is the only Lord, the Majestic, and All-wise.

It is God who has revealed the Book to you in which some verses are clear statements (which accept no interpretation) and these are the fundamental ideas of the Book, while other verses may have several possibilities. Those whose hearts are perverse, follow the unclear statements in pursuit of their own mischievous goals by interpreting them in a way that will suit their own purpose. No one knows its true interpretations except God and those who have a firm grounding in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All its verses are from our Lord." No one can grasp this fact except the people of reason.

They say, "Lord, do not cause our hearts to deviate from Your guidance, and grant us mercy. You are the Most Awarding One.

Lord, it is certain that one day You will gather all the people together. God does not break His promise."

The wealth and children of the unbelievers will never serve them as a substitute for their belief in God. Such people will be the fuel for the fire.

They do as the people of Pharaoh and those who lived before them did. They called Our revelations mere lies. God punished them for their sins. God is stern in His retribution.

(Muhammad), tell the unbelievers that they will soon be defeated and driven into Hell, a terrible dwelling.

There, certainly, is evidence (of the existence of God) for you in the case of the two armies. One of them fought for the cause of God. The other were disbelievers. The disbelievers appeared to be twice the size of the believers. However, God supports through His help whomever He wants. It is a good lesson for the people of true vision.

Worldly desires, wives, children, accumulated treasures of gold and silver, horses of noble breed, cattle, and farms are all made to seem attractive to men. All these are the bounties of the worldly life but in the life to come God has the best place for people to dwell.

(Muhammad), ask them, "Shall I tell you what is far superior to worldly pleasures? Those who have fear of God will have (as their reward) gardens wherein streams flow and wherein they will live forever with their purified spouses and with the consent of God. God knows all about His servants."

(Such will be the reward of) those who say, "Lord, we have believed in you. Forgive us our sins and save us from the torment of fire,"

who exercise patience, speak the truth, who are devoted in prayer, spend their property for the cause of God and seek forgiveness from God during the last part of the night.

God Himself testifies that He is the only Lord. The angels and the men of knowledge and justice testify that God is the only Lord, the Majestic, and All-wise.

In the sight of God Islam is the religion. The People of the Book created differences in the matters (of religion) because of their hostility among themselves, only after knowledge had come to them. Let whoever denies the revelations of God know that the reckoning of God is swift.

(Muhammad), if the People of the Book argue against you, say, "I and those who follow me have submitted ourselves to God." Ask the People of the Book and the illiterate ones, "Have you embraced Islam?" If they embrace Islam, they will find guidance but if they turn away, your task is just to preach. God knows all about His servants.

Warn those who deny the revelations of God and unjustly slay the Prophets and those who call people to be just, that they will suffer a painful torment.

The deeds of such people are made devoid of all virtue in both this life and the life to come. There will be no one to help them.

(Muhammad), consider those who have received a share of the Book. When they refer to the Book in order to judge amongst themselves, a group of them turn away with disregard

because of their belief that the fire will only touch them for a few days. This fabricated belief has deceived them in matters of their religion.

What will happen to their belief when We bring them together on the Inevitable Day when every soul will be justly recompensed for its deeds?

(Muhammad), say, "Lord, Owner of the Kingdom, You give authority to whomever You want and take it away from whomever You want. You give honor to whomever You want and humiliate whomever You want. In Your hands is all virtue and You have power over all things.

You cause the day to enter into the night and the night to enter into the day. You cause the living to come out of the dead and the dead to come out of the living. You give sustenance to whomever You want without keeping an account.

The believers must not establish friendship with the unbelievers in preference to the faithful. Whoever does so has nothing to hope for from God unless he does it out of fear or taqiyah (pious dissimulation). God warns you about Himself. To God do all things return.

(Muhammad), tell them, "God knows all that you may conceal in your hearts or you may reveal. He knows all that is in the heavens and the earth. He has power over all things.

On the day when every soul will see its good and bad deeds right before its very eyes, it will wish for the longest period of time to separate it from its bad deeds. God warns you about Himself. God is Compassionate to His servants.

(Muhammad), tell them, "If you love God, follow me. God will love you and forgive your sins. God is All-forgiving and All-merciful."

Tell them, "Obey God and the Messenger." If they turn away (let it be known) that God does not love the unbelievers.

God chose (and gave distinction to) Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and Imran over all the people of the world.

They were the offspring of one another. God is All-hearing and All-seeing.

Remember when Imran's wife prayed to her Lord saying, "I have made a vow to dedicate to Your service whatever is in my womb. Lord, accept it from me. You are All-hearing and All-knowing".

When the baby was born she said, "Lord, it is a female." God knew this. Male and female are not alike. "I have named her Mary. I pray that You will keep her and her offspring safe from Satan, the condemned one."

Her Lord graciously accepted the offer and made Mary grow up, pure, and beautiful. Zachariah took custody of her. Whenever he went to visit her in her place of worship, he would find with her some food. He would ask her, "Where did this food come from?" She would reply, "God has sent it." God gives sustenance to whomever He wants without keeping an account.

Zachariah prayed to his Lord there, saying, "Lord, grant me, by Your Grace, virtuous offspring. You hear all prayers".

When he was standing during prayer in his place of worship, the angels called him saying, "God gives you the glad news of the birth of your son, John who will be a confirmation of (Jesus) the Word of God. He will become a chaste, noble leader and one of the righteous Prophets.

He said, "How can there be a son for me when I am already senile and my wife is barren." The angel replied, "God does as He wills."

Zachariah prayed to God saying, "Lord, show me the evidence (that it is Divine revelation)." The Lord replied, "You must not speak to people for three days except with gestures. Commemorate your Lord often and glorify Him in the early mornings and the evenings."

"Behold," the angels told Mary, "God had chosen you, purified you, and given you distinction over all women.

Mary, pray devotedly to your Lord, prostrate yourself before Him and bow down with those who bow down before Him."

(Muhammad), that was some of the news about the unseen, that We have revealed to you. You were not among those who cast lots by throwing their arrows to find out who would take custody of Mary, nor were you among those who disputed the matter.

"Behold," the angels told Mary, "God has given you the glad news of the coming birth of a son whom He calls His Word, whose name will be Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, who will be a man of honor in this life and the life to come, and who will be one of the ones nearest to God.

He will speak to the people while in his cradle and preach to them when he will be a man. He will be one of the righteous ones.

(Mary) said, "How can there be a son for me when no mortal has touched me?" The angel replied, "That is how God creates whatever He wants. When He decides to do something He just orders it to exist and it comes into existence."

God will give (Jesus) wisdom and teach him the Book, the Torah, and the Gospel.

He will be a Messenger of God to the Israelites to whom he will say, "I have brought you a miracle from your Lord. I can create for you something from clay in the form of a bird. When I blow into it, it will become a real bird, by the permission of God. I can heal the blind and the lepers and bring the dead back to life, by the permission of God. I can tell you about what you eat and what you store in your homes. This is a miracle for you if you want to have faith.

"I testify to what is true in the Torah and make lawful for you some of the things that were made unlawful. I have brought you a miracle from your Lord. Have fear of God and obey me.

God is my Lord as well as yours. Worship Him for this is the right path."

When Jesus found them denying the truth, he said, "Who will help me in the cause of God?" The disciples replied, "We are the helpers of God. We believe in Him. Jesus, bear witness that we have submitted ourselves to His will."

They prayed, "Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed to Your Messenger and we have followed him. Write down our names with those who testify in support of the Truth."

The unbelievers plotted and God planned, but God is a much better planner;

He told Jesus, "I will save you from your enemies, raise you to Myself, keep you clean from the association with the disbelievers, and give superiority to your followers over the unbelievers until the Day of Judgment. On that day you will all return to Me and I shall resolve your dispute.

I shall sternly punish the unbelievers in this life and in the life to come and no one will help them.

However, to the righteously striving believers I shall give their reward in full measure." God does not love the unjust.

(Muhammad), what we recite to you are revelations and words of wisdom.

To God the case of Jesus is as that of Adam whom He created from the earth and then said, "Exist," and Adam came into existence.

(Muhammad, the essence of) the Truth is from your Lord. Never have any doubt about it.

If anyone disputes (your prophesy) after knowledge has come to you, say, "Let each of us bring our children, women, our people, and ourselves to one place and pray to God to condemn the liars among us."

This is the true story (of Jesus). There is no Lord but God. It is God who is Majestic and All-wise.

If they turn away (from the Truth, let it be known that) God knows well the evil-doers.

(Muhammad), say to the People of the Book, "We must come to a common term. Let us worship no one except God, nor consider anything equal to Him, nor regard any of us as our Lord besides God." However, if they turn away from (the Truth), tell them, "Bear witness that we have submitted ourselves to the will of God."

Ask the People of the Book, "Why do you argue about Abraham? The Torah and Gospel were revealed only after him. Why do you not understand?

You even argue about what is already known to you. What can you learn from arguing about that which you have no knowledge? God knows but you do not know."

Abraham was not a Jew or a Christian. He was an upright person who had submitted himself to the will of God. Abraham was not a pagan.

The nearest people to Abraham, among mankind, are those who followed him, this Prophet (Muhammad) and the true believers. God is the Guardian of the true believers.

A group among the People of the Book would love to mislead you but they mislead no one but themselves. However, they do not realize it.

(Muhammad), say, "People of the Book, why do you deny the revelation of God (the Quran) even though you know very well that it is from God?.

Why do you mix truth with falsehood and knowingly hide the truth?"

Some of the People of the Book say, "Believe in what is revealed to the Muslims during the day only and abandon it in the evening. This will perhaps make them give up their religion".

(Muhammad), say, "God has spoken the Truth. Follow the upright tradition of Abraham who was not an idolater."

They also say, "Do not believe anyone except those who follow your religion, so that no one may have what you have received or may argue with you before your Lord." (Muhammad), tell them, "The only guidance is the guidance of God. All favors are in the hands of God. He grants His favors to whomever He wants. He is Munificent and All-knowing".

God grants priority in granting mercy to whomever He wants. God's favors are great.

If you entrust some of the People of the Book, with a large quantity of gold, they will return it to you while if you entrust others among them with a small quantity of gold, they will not give it back to you unless you keep insisting on its return. For they say, "We are not bound to keep our words with the illiterate people," and they themselves knowingly ascribe false statements to God.

Those who keep their promise and observe piety should know that God certainly loves the pious ones.

Those who sell their covenant with God and their promises for a small price will have no share in the life hereafter. God will not speak to them nor will He look at them on the Day of Judgment nor will He purify them. They will face a painful torment.

A group among the People of the Book when reading the Bible, deliberately mispronounce words in order to change their meaning, try to show that what they have read is from the true Bible. In fact, what they have read is not from the true Bible. They say, "What we read is from God." In reality, it is not from God. They knowingly ascribe false statements to God.

God would never give the Book, authority, or prophesy to any person who would tell others to be his servants instead of being the servants of God. He would rather tell them to worship God for they had been teaching and studying the Book.

A Prophet would never order you to take the angels and the Prophets as your Lords. Would he order you to disbelieve after you have submitted yourselves to God?

When God made a covenant with the Prophets, saying, "When I give you the Book and wisdom and a Messenger comes to you who will testify to the guidance which you have received from Me, you must believe in him and help him, then He asked them, "Do you affirm and accept my covenant?" They replied, "Yes, we affirm it." The Lord said, "Then bear witness to this and I shall bear witness with you".

After this, whoever turns away will be of the evil-doers.

Do they want a religion other than the religion of God when all that is in the heavens and the earth have submitted themselves to His will, either by their own free will or by force? To God do all things return.

(Muhammad), say, "We believe in God and in that which has been revealed to us and in that which was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants. We believe in that which was given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets by their Lord. We make no distinction between them and we have submitted ourselves to the will of God".

No religion other than Islam (submission to the will of God) will be accepted from anyone. Whoever follows a religion other than Islam will be lost on the Day of Judgment.

Why would God guide a people who disbelieves after having had faith, who have found the Messenger to be truthful, and who have received authoritative evidence? God does not guide the unjust.

What they will gain will be the condemnation of God, the angels, and all people,

with which they will live forever. Their torment will not be relieved and no attention will be paid to them.

However, to those who repent afterwards and reform themselves, God is All-forgiving and All-merciful.

Those who disbelieve, after having been believers and increase their disbelief, are lost and their repentance will not be accepted.

From those who have rejected the truth and died in disbelief, no ransom will be accepted even though they may pay a whole earth of gold. They will suffer a painful torment and no one will help them.

You can never have extended virtue and righteousness unless you spend part of what you dearly love for the cause of God. God knows very well whatever you spend for His cause.

All food was lawful for the children of Israel except for what Israel had deemed unlawful for himself before the Torah was revealed. (Muhammad), ask them to bring the Torah and read it, if they are true in their claim (that all food was not unlawful for the children of Israel).

Whoever ascribes falsehood to God despite of all the evidence is unjust.

The first house (of worship) that God assigned to men was in Bakka (another name of Mecca). It is a blessed one and a guide for all people.

In (Bakka), there are many clear signs (evidence of the existence of God). Among them is the spot where Abraham stood. Whoever seeks refuge therein will be protected by the laws of amnesty. Those who have the means and ability have a duty to God to visit the House and perform the hajj (pilgrimage) rituals. The unbelievers should know that God is Independent of all creatures.

(Muhammad), ask the People of the Book, "Why do you deny the revelations of God when He is Well-Aware of your dealings?".

Ask them, "Why do you create obstacles in the way of God for those who believe in Him, trying to make His way seem crooked when you know that it is straight? God is not unaware of what you do.

Believers, if you obey a certain group among the People of the Book, they will turn you back to disbelief.

How could you turn back to disbelief when the words of God are recited to you and you have in your midst His Messenger? Those who seek the protection of God will certainly be guided to the right path.

Believers, have fear of God as you should and die only as Muslims (having submitted to the will of God).

All of you united hold fast to the rope of God (the Quran and His Messenger), and recall how He favored you when your hostility to each other had torn you apart. He united your hearts in one faith and through His Grace you became brothers. You were on the verge of falling headlong into the abyss of fire, but God saved you. This is how God explains to you His revelations so that you may have the right guidance.

Let there be a group among you who will invite others to do good deeds, command them to obey the Law, and prohibit them from committing sins. These people will have eternal happiness.

Do not be like those who turned into quarrelling sects after receiving clear authoritative evidence. They will suffer a great torment.

On the day when some faces will become white and others black, God will ask the people with the faces which have become black, "Why did you give up your faith? Now suffer the torment for your disbelief".

The people whose faces have become white will enjoy the mercy of God with which they will live forever.

Such are God's revelations which We explain to you, (Muhammad), for a genuine purpose. God does not want injustice for any of His creatures.

To God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth and to Him do all things return.

You are the best nation that ever existed among humanity. You command people to good and prohibit them from evil, and you believe in God. Had the People of the Book accepted the faith (Islam), it would certainly have been better for them. Some of them have faith, but most of them are evil doers.

They can never harm you beyond annoyance. In a fight, they will turn back in defeat and they will not be helped.

Humiliation will strike them wherever they seek protection, except when they seek protection from God and the people. They have incurred the wrath of God unto themselves and have been struck with destitution for their rejection of the revelations of God and for unjustly murdering the Prophets. It is all because of their transgression and rebellion.

The People of the Book are not all the same. Some of them are straightforward. They recite the words of God in prostration at night.

They believe in God and the Day of Judgment. They command people to follow good, prohibit others from committing evil and compete with each other in doing good deeds. These are the righteous ones.

They will never be denied the rewards of their good deeds. God knows well about the pious.

The wealth and the children of the unbelievers can never make them independent of God. They are the dwellers of hell wherein they will live forever.

What they spend in this life is like the freezing wind that may strike and destroy the farms of the people who have wronged themselves. God has not done injustice to them, but they have wronged themselves.

Are those who seek God's pleasure equal to those who incur His wrath and whose dwelling will be hell, the terrible destination?

Believers, do not expose your privacy to the unbelievers. They like to mislead you and see that you are seriously harmed. Signs of animosity from their mouths have already become audible, but what they hide in their heads is even worse. We have certainly made Our evidence clear, if only you would consider it.

There are people whom you love, but they do not love you, despite your belief in all the (heavenly) Books. On meeting you They proclaim belief on meeting you, but in private, bite their fingers at you in anger. Tell them, "Perish in your rage! God knows well what is in everyone's hearts".

They hate to see your success and rejoice if any misfortune befalls you. If you will be patient and pious, their plots can cause no harm to you. God has control over all their actions.

(Muhammad), remember the morning when you left home to show the believers their position in the battle? God is All-hearing and All-knowing.

Two groups among you almost lost courage despite having God as their Guardian. The believers should always have trust in God.

God gave you victory in the battle of Badr where your forces were much weaker than those of the enemy. Have fear of God so that you may give Him thanks.

Also, remember when you said to the believers, "Is it not enough that your Lord is helping you with a force of three thousand angels sent (from the heavens)?"

Certainly, if you have patience and piety, even if the enemy attacks immediately after this, God will help you with another force of five thousand angels, all splendidly (and or distinctly marked) dressed.

The sending of the angels is a glad news from your Lord so that you would have more confidence in Him. No victory is real unless it is from God, the Majestic and All-wise.

(They are sent) to break the power of the unbelievers or disgrace them and make them return after having lost all hope."

(Muhammad), it is not your concern whether He forgives them or punishes them for they are unjust.

To God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. He may forgive or punish whomever He wants. God is All-forgiving and All-merciful.

Believers, do not accept illegal interest in order to increase your wealth many times over. Have fear of God so that you will have everlasting happiness.

Save yourselves from the fire which is prepared for the unbelievers.

Obey God and the Messenger so that you may receive mercy.

Hasten to obtain forgiveness from your Lord and to qualify yourselves for Paradise. Paradise, vast as the heavens and the earth, is prepared for the pious

who spend their property for the cause of God in prosperity as well as in adversity and who also harness their anger and forgive the people. God loves the righteous ones.

(Paradise) is also for those who, when committing a sin or doing injustice to themselves, remember God and ask Him to forgive their sins. Who can forgive sins besides God? And who do not knowingly persist in their mistakes?

Their reward will be forgiveness from their Lord and gardens wherein streams flow and wherein they will live forever. How blessed is the reward of those who labor.

Different traditions existed in the past. Travel in the land and find out about the fate of those who rejected the Truth.

This (Quran) is a reminder for the people and a guide and advice for the pious.

Do not be discouraged or grieved. You alone will have true dignity if you only are true believers.

If you get hurt, certainly others have also experienced injuries. We have made people pass through the different turns of history so that God would know the true believers, have some of you bear witness to the people's deeds, {God does not love the unjust}

test the faith of the believers, and deprive the unbelievers of (His) blessings.

Did you think that you could go to Paradise before God knew which of you fought for His cause and which of you bore patience?

You certainly wished to die (for the cause of God) before you actually faced death. Then you faced death (in the battlefield and only a few of you had the true desire to die).

People are of various grades in the sight of God. God is Well-Aware of all that they do.

Muhammad is only a Messenger. There lived other Messengers before him. Should (Muhammad) die or be slain, would you then turn back to your pre-Islamic behavior? Whoever does so can cause no harm to God. God will reward those who give thanks.

No one can die without the permission of God. This is a written decree of the appointed term for life. We shall give worldly gains to whoever wants them. Those who want rewards in the life hereafter will also receive them. We reward those who give thanks.

Many godly people fought to help the Prophets in the cause of God. They did not lose courage, show weakness, or give in when facing hardships in their fight for the cause of God. God loves those who have patience.

The only words that they spoke were, "Lord, forgive our sins and our excess in our dealings, make us steadfast (in the fight for Your cause), and grant us victory over the unbelievers."

God gave them their reward in this world and the best reward of the life to come. God loves the righteous ones.

Believers, if you obey the unbelievers, they will turn you back to disbelief and you will become lost.

God is your Guardian and the best Helper.

We shall cause terror to enter the hearts of the faithless for their considering things equal to God without authoritative evidence. Their abode will be fire, a terrible dwelling for the unjust.

God certainly fulfilled His promise to you when you were fighting the unbelievers, by His permission. Even after We showed you what you wanted, you began to lose courage, started quarreling with each other, and disobeyed God's orders. Some of you want worldly gains and others of you want rewards in the hereafter. Then He let you face defeat in order to test you. However, He forgave you. God is Gracious to the believers.

(Believers remember) when you were fleeing without even glancing to either side even though the Messengers were calling you back, God made you suffer sorrow upon sorrow to make you forget your grief of what you had lost and the injuries you had suffered. God is Well-Aware of what you do.

After the sorrows you suffered, He sent you relief and some of you were encompassed by slumber. To some others of you, your lives were so important that you, like ignorant people, began thinking suspiciously of God saying, "Do we have any say in the matter?" (Muhammad), tell them, "All matters belong to God." They try to hide within their souls what they do not reveal to you. They say, "Had we had the matter in our hands, we would not have been killed there." Tell them, "Even if you had stayed in your own homes, your sworn enemies could have attacked you and slain you while you were in your beds. God wanted to test you and purge what existed in your hearts.

God knows what the hearts contain. Because of some of your bad deeds, those of you who ran away, when you faced the enemy, were misled by Satan. God forgave you for He is All-forgiving and Forbearing."

Believers, do not be like the unbelievers, who said of their brothers who travelled in the land or took part in a fight, "Had they stayed with us, they would not have died or been killed." God will only cause regret to enter their hearts. It is God who gives life and causes people to die. God is Well Aware of what you do.

If you were to die or to be killed for the cause of God, certainly His forgiveness and mercy is far better than your worldly gains.

If you die or are slain, certainly you will all be brought before God.

Only through the Divine Mercy have you (Muhammad) been able to deal with your followers so gently. If you had been stern and hard-hearted, they would all have deserted you a long time ago. Forgive them and ask God to forgive (their sins) and consult with them in certain matters. But, when you reach a decision, trust God. God loves those who trust Him.

If God is your helper, no one can defeat you. However, if He abandons you, who would help you? The true believers trust in God.

No Prophet can ever be treacherous. A treacherous person will be brought before God on the Day of Judgment with his treacherous deeds. Then every soul will be recompensed for its works without being wronged.

God granted a great favor to the believers by sending a Messenger from their own people to recite to them God's revelations, to purify them of moral defects, to teach them the Book, and to give them wisdom. Before this they had lived in manifest error.

If misfortune befell you (the believers) your enemies had suffered twice as much (in the battle of Badr) but you asked, "Where did the misfortune come from?" (Muhammad), tell them, "It came from yourselves. God has power over all things.

What befell you, when the two armies confronted each other, was by the permission of God so that He would know who were the true believers

and who were the hypocrites. When the hypocrites were asked to fight for the cause of God or to defend the city, they replied, "Had we known before that you would fight, we would certainly not have followed you." At that time they were closer to disbelief than to faith. They speak words that do not come from their hearts. God knows well whatever they try to hide.

There are those who themselves did not join the others in fighting for the cause of God and said about their brothers, "Had they listened to us and stayed at home, they would not have been killed." (Muhammad), tell them to save themselves from death if they are true in their claim.

Do not think of those slain for the cause of God as dead. They are alive with their Lord and receive sustenance from Him.

They are pleased with the favor from their Lord and have received the glad news that those who follow them will have no fear nor will they be grieved,

that they will be rewarded with bounties and favors from their Lord and that God will not neglect the reward of the true believers.

The righteous and pious of those who have pledged obedience to God and the Messenger, after injury had befallen them, will receive a great reward.

Such people, when warned to fear those who are gathered against them, are strengthened in their faith and say, "God is All-sufficient as our Guardian."

They returned with the favors and the bounties of God untouched by evil and followed by the pleasure of God. God's favor is great.

It is Satan who frightens his friends. Do not be afraid of them (enemies) but have fear of Me if you truly believe.

(Muhammad), do not be grieved because of some people's haste to disbelieve. They can do no harm to God. God has decided not to give them any share in the life hereafter. There will be a great torment for them.

Those who have traded faith in exchange for disbelief can never do any harm to God. There will be a painful torment for them.

The unbelievers must not think that Our respite is for their good. We only give them time to let them increase their sins. For them there will be a humiliating torment.

God left the believers in their existing state for no other reason than to distinguish the evil-doers from the virtuous ones. God does not inform you of the unseen. He chooses for such information anyone of His Messengers that He wants. Have faith in God and in His Messengers. If you have faith and are pious, there will be a great reward for you.

Those who are avaricious of the favors that God has given them should not think that this is good for them. Avarice is evil and whatever they are avaricious about will be tied to their necks on the Day of Judgment. To God belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth. God is Well Aware of what you do.

God certainly has heard the words of those who said, "God is poor and we are wealthy". We shall write down what they have said and their murder of the Prophets without reason and We shall tell them to suffer the burning torment.

This is only the result of their deeds. God is not unjust to His servants.

(Muhammad), say to those who say, 'God has commanded us not to believe any Messenger unless he offers a burnt offering,' (Muhammad) say, "Messengers came to you before me with certain miracles and with that which you had asked for (burnt offering). Why, then, did you slay them if you were true in your claim?"

If they reject you, they had certainly rejected the Messengers who lived before you and who showed them authoritative evidence, smaller Books, and the Book of enlightenment.

Every soul is destined to experience the agony of death. You (Muslims) will receive the recompense for your deeds on the Day of Judgment. To be saved from the fire and admitted to Paradise is certainly a great triumph. The worldly life is no more than a deceitful possession.

You (believers) will certainly be tested by the loss of your property and lives and you will hear a great many grieving words from the People of the Book and the pagans. If you will have patience and piety, it will be a sign of firm determination and steadfastness (in life).

When God made a covenant with the People of the Book saying, "Tell the people about it (Muhammad's prophesy) without hiding any part, therefrom, they threw it behind their backs and sold it for a very small price. What a miserable bargain!

Do not think that those who are happy with their possessions and positions and those who love to be praised for what they themselves have not done can ever be saved from torment. For them there will be a painful punishment.

To God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth and He has power over all things.

The creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the day and the night are evidence (of the existence of God) for people of reason.

It is these who commemorate God while standing, sitting, or resting on their sides and who think about the creation of the heavens and the earth and say, "Lord, you have not created all this without reason. Glory be to you. Lord, save us from the torment of the fire".

Those whom You submit to the fire are certainly disgraced. There is no helper for the unjust.

"Lord, we have heard the person calling to the faith and have accepted his call. Forgive our sins, expiate our bad deeds, and let us die with the righteous ones.

Lord, grant us the victory that You have promised your Messenger and do not disgrace us on the Day of Judgment; You are the One who never ignores His promise."

Their Lord answered their prayers saying, "I do not neglect anyone's labor whether the laborer be male or female. You are all related to one another. Those who migrated from Mecca, those who were expelled from their homes, those who were tortured for My cause, and those who fought and were killed for My cause will find their sins expiated by Me and I will admit them into the gardens wherein streams flow. It will be their reward from God Who grants the best rewards."

(Muhammad), do not be deceived by the changing activities of the unbelievers in different parts of the land.

Their gains are only a means of enjoyment in this life. However, their destination is hell, the terrible dwelling.

For those who have fear of their Lord, there will be gardens wherein streams flow and they will live therein forever as a gift from their Lord. God has the best reward for the virtuous people.

There are some among the People of the Book who believe in God and what is revealed to you and to them. They are humble before God and do not trade God's revelations for a small price. They will receive their reward from their Lord. God's reckoning is swift.

Believers, have patience, help each other with patience, establish good relations with one another, and have fear of God so that you may have everlasting happiness.