 Surah 13 of the Meaning of the Glorious Quran. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Priya, India. The Meaning of the Glorious Quran. Translated by Muhammad Marmadu Picthol. Surah 13, The Thunder. The Thunder, Revealed at Mecca. In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Ale Flamimra. These are verses of the scripture. That which is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the truth. But most of mankind, believe not. Allah, it is, who raised up the heavens without visible supports, then mounted the throne and compelled the sun and moon to be of service, each runeth unto an appointed term. He ordered the course. He detailed the revelations. That happily ye may be certain of the meeting with your Lord. And he it is, who spread out the earth and placed therein firm hills and flowing streams. And of all fruits, he placed therein two spouses, male and female. He covered the night with the day. Low, herein, verily are portents for people who take thought. And in the earth are neighbouring tracks, vineyards and plowed lands, and date palms like and unlike, which are watered with one water. And we have made some of them to excel others in fruit. Low, herein, verily are portents for people who have sense. And if though wondrous, then wondrous is their saying. When we are dust, are we then forsoothed to be raised in a new creation? Such are they who disbelieve in their Lord. Such have carcans on their necks. Such are rightful owners of the fire. They will abide therein. And they bid the hazen on the evil rather than the good. When the exemplary punishments have indeed occurred before them. But low, thy Lord is rich in pardon for mankind, despite their wrong. And low, thy Lord is strong in punishment. Those who disbelieve say, if only some portent were sent down upon him from his Lord, though art a warner only, and for every folk a guide. Allah knoweth that which every female beareth, and that which the womb absorb, and that which they grow. And everything with him is measured. He is the knower of the invisible and the visible, the great, the high exalted. A like of you is he who hideth the saying, and he who noiseeth it abroad. He who lurketh in the night, and he who goeth freely in the daytime. For him are angels ranged before him, and behind him who guard him by Allah's command. Low, Allah changes not the conditions of a folk, until they first change that which is in their hearts. And if Allah willeth misfortune for the folk, there is none that can repel it, nor have they a defender beside him. He it is who showeth you the lightning, a fear and a hope, and raiseeth the heavy clouds. The thunder hymneth his praise, and so do the angels for all of him. He launcheth the thunderbolts and smited with them, whom he will, while they dispute in doubt concerning Allah, and he is mighty in wrath. Unto him is the real prayer. Those unto whom they pray, beside Allah, respond to them not at all. Save as is the response to one who stretches forth his hands towards water, asking that it may come unto his mouth, and it will never reach it. The prayer of disbelievers goeth far astray. And unto Allah falleth prostrate whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as to their shadows in the morning and the evening hours. Say, O Muhammad, who is Lord of the heavens and the earth? Say, Allah, say, take care then others beside him for protectors, which, even for themselves, have neither benefit nor hurt. Say, is the blind man equal to the seer, or is darkness equal to light? Or, assign they unto Allah partners who created the like of his creation, so that the creation which they made and his creation seemed alike to them? Say, Allah is the creator of all things, and he is the One, the Almighty. He sendeth down water from the sky, that valleys flow according to their measure, and the flood beareth on its surface, swelling foam from that which they smelt in the fire, in order to make ornaments and tools, riseeth a foam like unto it. Thus Allah coineth the similitude of the true and the false. Then, as for the foam, it passeth away as scum upon the banks, while as for that which is of use to mankind, it remaineth in the earth. Thus Allah coineth the similitudes. For those who answered Allah's call is bliss, and for those who answered not his call, if they had all that is in the earth, and therewith the like thereof, they would proffer it as ransom. Such will have a woeful reckoning, and their habitation will be hell, a dire abode. Is he who knoweth that what is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the truth like him who is blind? But only men of understanding heed, such as keep the pact of Allah, and break not the covenant, such as unite that which Allah hath commanded should be joined, and fear their Lord, and dread a woeful reckoning, such as persevere in seeking their Lord's countenance, and are regular in prayer, and spend of that which we bestop upon them secretly and openly, and overcome evil with good. There's will be the sequel of the heavenly home, gardens of aid in which they enter, along with all who do right of their fathers, and their help-meets, and their seed. The angels enter unto them from every gate, saying, Peace be unto you, because ye persevered. Ah, passing sweet will be the sequel of the heavenly home, and those who break the covenant of Allah after ratifying it, and sever that which Allah hath commanded should be joined, and make mischief in the earth. There's is the curse, and there's the ill-abode. Allah enlarget livelihood for whom He will, and straighteneth it for whom He will, and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of the world is but brief comfort, as compared with the hereafter. Those who disbelieve say, if only a potent were sent down upon Him from His Lord, say, Lo, Allah sendeth whom He will astray, and guideeth unto Himself all who turn unto Him. Who have believed, and whose hearts have rest in the remembrance of Allah, verily in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find rest. Those who believe and do right, rejoice for them, and bless their journey's end. Thus we send thee, O Muhammad, unto a nation, before whom other nations have passed away, that thou mayst recite unto them that which we have inspired in thee, while they are disbelievers in the beneficent. Say, He is my Lord, there is no God save Him, in Him do I put my trust, and unto Him is my recourse. Had it been possible for a lecture to cause the mountains to move, or the earth to be torn asunder, or the dead to speak, this Qur'an would have done so. Nay, but Allah's is the whole command, do not those who believe know that, had Allah willed, He could have guided all mankind. As for those who disbelieve, disaster seeseth not to strike them because of what they do, or it dwelleth near their home until the threat of Allah come to pass. Lo, Allah faileth not to keep the trust, and verily the messengers of Allah were mocked before thee, but long I bore with those who disbelieved, at length I seized them, and how awful was my punishment. Is He who is aware of the deserts of every soul, as He who is aware of nothing? Yet they ascribe unto Allah partners, say, name them. Is it that ye would inform Him of something which He knoweth not in the earth? Or is it but a way of speaking? Nay, but their contrivance is made seeming fair for those who disbelieve, and they are kept from the right road. He whom Allah sendeth astray, for Him there is no guide. For them is torment in the life of the world, and verily the doom of the hereafter is more painful, and they have no defender from Allah. A similitude of the garden which is promised unto those who keep their duty to Allah, underneath it reverse flow, its food is everlasting, and its shade. This is the reward for those who keep their duty. While the reward of disbelievers is the fire. Those unto whom we gave the scripture rejoice in that which is revealed unto thee. And of the clans there are who deny some of it, say, I am commanded only that I serve Allah, and ascribe unto Him no partner, unto Him my cry, and unto Him is my return. Thus have we revealed it, a decisive utterance in Arabic, and if those should follow their desires, after that which had come unto thee of knowledge, then truly wouldst thou have from Allah no protecting friend, not defender. And verily we send messengers to mankind before thee, and we appointed for them wives and offspring, and it was not given to any messenger that he should bring a potent, saved by Allah's leave. For everything there is a time prescribed. Allah effaces what he will, and establisheth what he will, and with him is the source of ordinance. Whether we let thee see something of that which we have promised them, or make thee die before its happening, die in ease but conveyance of the message, ours the reckoning. See, they not, how we aim to the land, using it of its outlying parts? When Allah doometh, there is none that can postpone his doom, and he is swift at reckoning. Those who were before them plotted, but all plotting is Allah's, he knoweth that which each soul earneth, the disbelievers will come to know for whom will be the sequel of the heavenly home. They who disbelieve say, though art no messenger of Allah, say Allah, and whosoever hath knowledge of the scripture, is sufficient witness between me and you. End of Surah 13, The Thunder, recording by Priya, India, for LibriVox. This reading by Karl Manchester, 2008. The meaning of the glorious Quran, translated by Muhammad Marmadjouk Pictol. Surah 14, Abraham. Revealed at Makkah. In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful. Alif, Lam, Ra. This is a scripture which we have revealed unto thee, Muhammad, that thereby thou mayst bring forth mankind kind from darkness unto light, by the permission of their Lord, unto the path of the mighty, the owner of praise, Allah, unto whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and woe unto the disbelievers from an awful doom. Those who love the life of the world more than the hereafter and debar men from the way of Allah and would have it crooked, such a far astray. And we never sent a messenger, save with the language of his folk, that he might make the message clear for them. Then Allah sendeth whom he will astray and guideeth whom he will. He is the mighty, the wise. We verily sent Moses with our revelations, saying, Bring thy people forth from darkness unto light and remind them of the days of Allah. Lo, therein are revelations for each steadfast, thankful heart. And remind them how Moses said unto his people, Remember Allah's favour unto you when he delivered you from pharaoh's folk who were afflicting you with dreadful torment, and were slaying your sons and sparing your women. That was a tremendous trial from your Lord. And when your Lord proclaimed, If ye give thanks, I will give you more, but if ye are thankless, lo my punishment is dire. And Moses said, Though ye and all who are in the earth prove thankless, lo Allah verily is absolute, owner of praise. hath not the history of those before you reached you, the folk of Noah, and the tribes of Ard and Thamud, and those after them? None save Allah knoweth them. Their messengers came unto them with clear proofs, but they thrust their hands into their mouths and said, Lo, we disbelieve in that wherewith ye have been sent, and lo we are in grave doubt concerning that to which ye call us. Their messengers said, Can there be doubt concerning Allah, the creator of the heavens and the earth? He calleth you that he may forgive you your sins, and reprieve you unto an appointed term. They said, Ye are but mortals like us, who would feign turn us away from what our fathers used to worship. Then bring some clear warrant. Their messengers said unto them, We are but mortals like you, but Allah giveth grace unto whom he will of his slaves. It is not ours to bring you a warrant, unless by the permission of Allah. In Allah let believers put their trust. How should we not put our trust in Allah, when he hath shown us our ways, we surely will endure the hurt ye do us. In Allah let the trusting put their trust. And those who disbelieved said unto their messengers, Verily we will drive you from our land, unless ye return to our religion. Then their Lord inspired them, saying Verily we shall destroy the wrongdoers, and Verily we shall make you to dwell in the land after them. This is for him who feareth my majesty, and feareth my threats. And they sought help from their Lord, and every forward potentate was brought to naught. Hell is before him, and he is made to drink a festering water, which he sippeth but can hardly swallow, and death cometh unto him from every side, well yet he cannot die, and before him is a harsh doom. A similitude of those who disbelieve in their Lord. Their works are as ashes, which the wind bloweth hard upon a stormy day. They have no control of ought that they have earned. That is the extreme failure. Hast thou not seen that Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth? If he will, he can remove you and bring in some new creation. And that is no great matter for Allah. They all come forth unto their Lord. Then those who were despised say unto those who were scornful, We were unto you a following. Can ye then avert from us, ought of Allah's doom? They say, Had Allah guided us, we should have guided you. Whether we rage or patiently endure is now all one for us. We have no place of refuge. And Satan saith, when the matter hath been decided, Lo, Allah promised you a promise of truth, and I promised you, then failed you. And I had no power over you save that I called unto you and ye obeyed me. So blame not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can ye help me. Lo, I disbelieved in that which ye before ascribed to me. Lo, for wrongdoers is a painful doom. And those who believed and did good works are made to enter gardens, underneath which rivers flow. They are in abiding by permission of their Lord. They are greeting therein peace. Seest thou not how Allah coineth a similitude, a good saying as a goodly tree, its roots set firm, its branches reaching into heaven, giving its fruit at every season by permission of its Lord. Allah coineth the similitudes for mankind in order that they may reflect. And the similitude of a bad saying is as a bad tree, uprooted from upon the earth, possessing no stability. Allah confirmeth those who believe by a firm saying in the life of the world and in the hereafter. And Allah sendeth wrongdoers astray, and Allah doeth what he will. Has thou not seen those who gave the grace of Allah in exchange for thanklessness, and led their people down to the abode of loss, even to hell? They are exposed there too, a hapless end. And they set up rivals to Allah that they may mislead men from his way, say, enjoy life while ye may, for lo, your journey's end will be the fire. Tell my bondmen who believe to establish worship and spend of that which we have given them, secretly and publicly, before a day cometh wherein there will be neither bargaining nor befriending. Allah is he who created the heavens and the earth, and causeth water to descend from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you, and maketh the ships to be of service unto you, that they may run upon the sea at his command, and hath made of service unto you the rivers, and maketh the sun and the moon constant in their courses, to be of service unto you, and hath made of service unto you the night and the day. And he giveth you of all ye ask of him, and if ye would count the bounty of Allah ye cannot reckon it. Lo, man is verily a wrongdoer, an ingrate. And when Abraham said, My Lord, make safe this territory, and preserve me and my sons from serving idols, My Lord, lo, they have led many of mankind astray, but whoso follow me, he verily is of me, and who disobeyeth me, still thou art forgiving, merciful. Our Lord, lo, I have settled some of my posterity in an uncultivable valley near unto thy holy house, O Lord, that they may establish proper worship, so incline some hearts of men that they may yearn toward them and provide thou them with fruits in order that they may be thankful. Our Lord, lo, thou knowest that which we hide and that which we proclaim, nothing in the earth or in the heaven is hidden from Allah. Praise be to Allah who hath given me in my old age Ishmael and Isaac. Lo, my Lord is indeed the hearer of prayer. My Lord, make me to establish proper worship and some of my posterity also. Our Lord, and accept my prayer. Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and believers on the day when the account is cast. Deem not that Allah is unaware of what the wicked do. He but giveth them a respite till a day when eyes will stare in terror. As they come hurrying on in fear their hands are praised, their gaze returning not to them and their hearts as air. And warn mankind of a day when the doom will come upon them and those who did wrong will say Our Lord, reprieve us for a little while. We will obey thy call and will follow thy messengers. It will be answered, did ye not swear before that there would be no end for you? And have ye not dwelt in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves of old and hath it not become plain to you how we dealt with them and made examples for you? Verily they have plotted their plot and their plot is with Allah though their plot were one whereby the mountains should be moved. So think not that Allah will fail to keep his promise to his messengers. Lo Allah is mighty, able to requite the wrong. On the day when the earth will be changed to other than the earth and the heavens also will be changed and they will come forth unto Allah the One, the Almighty. Thou wilt see the guilty on that day linked together in chains. Their raiment of pitch and the fire covering their faces that Allah may repay each soul what it hath earned. Lo Allah is swift at reckoning. This is a clear message for mankind in order that they may be warned thereby and that they may know that he is only one Allah and that men of understanding may take heed. End of Surah 14 LibriVox.org The Meaning of the Glorious Quran Translated by Mohammed Marmadouk Pikthal Surah 15 Stone Land Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah the most beneficent, the most merciful. These are verses of the Scripture and a plain reading. It may be that those who disbelieve wish ardently that they were Muslims. Let them eat and enjoy life and let false hope beguile them. And we destroyed no township but there was a known decree for it. No nation can outstrip its term nor can they lag behind. And they say, O thou unto whom the reminder is revealed, lo, thou art indeed a madman. Why bringest thou not angels unto us if thou art of the truthful? We send not down the angels save with the fact, and in that case the disbelievers would not be tolerated. Lo, we, even we, reveal the reminder and lo, we verily are its guardian. We verily sent messengers before thee among the factions of the men of old. And never came there unto them a messenger, but they did mock him. Thus do we make it traverse the hearts of the guilty. They believe not therein, though the example of the men of old has come before. And even if we opened unto them a gate of heaven, and they kept mounting through it, they would say, Our side is wrong. Nay, but we are folk bewitched. And verily in the heaven we have and we have beautified it for beholders. And we have guarded it from every outcast devil, save him who stealeth the hearing and them doth a clear flame pursue. And the earth we have spread out and placed therein firm hills and caused each, seemly thing, to grow therein. And we have given unto you livelihoods therein and unto those for whom ye provide not. And there is not a thing, but with us are the stores thereof. And we send it not down and we send the winds fertilizing and cause water to descend from the sky and give it you to drink. It is not ye who are the holders of the store thereof. Lo, and it is we even we who quicken and give death, and we are the inheritor. And verily we know the eager among you, and verily we know the laggards. Lo, thy Lord will gather them together. Lo, he is wise, aware. Verily we created man of potters clay of black mud altered. And gin did we create a foretime of essential fire. And remember when thy Lord said unto the angels, Lo, I am creating a mortal out of potters clay of black mud altered. So, when I have made him and have breathed life into him of my spirit, do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves unto him. So the angels fell prostrate, all of them together, save Iblis. He refused to be among the prostrate. He said, O Iblis, what alethy that thou art not among the prostrate? He said, I am not one to prostrate myself unto a mortal, whom thou has created out of potters clay of black mud altered. He said, Then go thou forth from hence, for lo, thou art outcast. And lo, the curse shall be upon thee till the day of judgment. He said, My Lord, reprieve me till the day when they are raised. He said, Then lo, thou art of those reprieved, till the day of appointed time. He said, My Lord, because thou hast sent me astray I verily shall adorn the path of error for them in the earth, and shall mislead them every one. Save such of them as are thy perfectly devoted slaves. He said, This is a right course in coming upon me. Lo, as for my slaves, thou has no power over any of them, save such as of the forward as follow thee. And lo, for all such, hell will be the promised place. It hath seven gates, and each gate hath an appointed portion. Lo, those who ward off evil are among gardens and water springs. And it is said unto them, Enter them in peace, secure, and we remove whatever ranker may be in their breasts. As brethren, face to face, they rest on couches raised. Toil cometh not unto them there, nor will they be expelled from thence. Announce, O Muhammad, unto my slaves that verily I am the forgiving, merciful. And that my doom is the delorous doom. And tell them of Abraham's guest, how when they came in unto him and said this, he said, Lo, we are afraid of you. They said, be not afraid. Lo, we bring the good tidings of a boy possessing wisdom. He said, bringing me good tidings of a son when old age hath overtaken me. Of what then can you bring good tidings? They said, we bring the good tidings in truth, so be not of the despairing. He said, and who despaireth of the mercy of his Lord save those who are astray? He said, and afterwards what is your business, O ye messengers of Allah? They said, we have been sent unto a guilty folk. All save the family of Lot. Them we shall deliver every one, except his wife, of whom we have decreed that she should be of those who stay behind. And when the messengers came unto the family of Lot, he said, Lo, ye are a folk unknown to me. They said, nay, but we bring thee that concerning which they keep disputing. And bring thee the truth, and Lo, we are truth-tellers. So travel with thy household in a portion of the night and let out their backs. Let none of you turn round, but go whither ye are commanded. And we made plain the case to him that the root of them who did wrong was to be cut at early morn. And the people of the city came, rejoicing at the news of new arrivals. He said, Lo, they are my guests, affront me not. And keep your duty to Allah and shame me not. They said, have we not forbidden you from entertaining any one? He said, here are my daughters if you must be doing so. By thy life, O Muhammad, we moved blindly in the frenzy of approaching death. Then the awful cry overtook them at the sunrise, and we utterly confounded them, and we reigned upon them stones of heated clay. Lo, verily are portents for those who read the signs. And Lo, it is upon a road still unafaced. Lo, therein is indeed a portant for believers. And the dwellers in the wood, indeed, were evildoers. So we took vengeance on them, and Lo, they both are on a high road plain to see. And the dwellers in Al-Hirsh denied our messengers. And we gave them our revelations, but they were adverse to them. And they used to hue out dwellings from the hills wherein they dwelt, secure. But the awful cry overtook them at the morning hour, and that which they were wont to count as gain availed them not. We created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them save with truth, and Lo, the hour is surely coming. So forgive, O Muhammad, with a gracious forgiveness. Lo, thy Lord, he is the all-wise Creator. We have given these seven of the oft-repeated verses and the great Quran. Strain not thine eyes toward that which we cause some wedded pairs among them to enjoin, and be not grieved on their account, and lower thy wing in tenderness for the believers. And say, Lo, I, even I, am a plain warner, such as we send down for those who make division, those who break the Quran into parts, them by the Lord we shall question every one of what they used to do. So proclaim that which thou art commanded and withdraw from the idolaters. Lo, we defend thee from the scoffers who set some other God along with Allah, but they will come to know. Well know, we, that thy bosom is oppressed by what they say, but him the praise of thy Lord and be of those who make prostration unto him, and serve thy Lord till the inevitable cometh unto thee. End of Surah 15 Surah 16 of the meaning of the glorious Quran. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Andrew Coleman. The meaning of the glorious Quran, translated by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall. Surah 16, the B, revealed at Makkah in the name of Allah the most beneficent, the most merciful. The commandment of Allah will come to pass so seek not ye to hasten it glorified and exalted be he above all that they associate with him. He sendeth down the angels with the spirit of his command unto whom he will of his bondmen saying warn mankind that there is no God save me so keep your duty unto me. He hath created the heavens and the earth with truth, high be he exalted above all that they associate with him. He hath created man from a drop of fluid yet behold, he is an open opponent. And the cattle hath he created, whence he have warm clothing and uses and whereof ye eat and wherein is beauty for you, when ye bring them home and when ye take them out to pasture and they bear your loads for you unto a land ye could not reach save with great trouble to yourselves. Low, your Lord is full of pity, merciful and horses and mules and asses hath he created that he may ride them and for ornament and he createth that which ye know not and Allas is the direction of the way and some roads go not straight and hath he willed he would have led you all a right. He it is who sendeth down water from the sky whence he have drink and whence are trees on which ye send your beasts to pasture therewith he corseth crops to grow for you and the olive and the date palm and grapes and all kinds of fruit. Low, herein is indeed a portent for people who reflect and he hath constrained the night and the day and the sun and the moon to be of service unto you and the stars are made subservient by his command. Low, herein indeed are portents for people who have sense and whatsoever he hath created for you in the earth of diverse hues, low, therein is indeed a portent for people who take heed and he it is who hath constrained the seed to be of service that ye eat fresh meat from thence and bring forth from thence ornaments which ye wear and thou seest the ships plowing it that ye in kind may seek of his bounty and that happily ye may give thanks and he hath cast into the earth firm hills that it quake not with you and streams and roads that ye may find away and landmarks too and by the star they find away is he then who created as him who created not will he not then remember and if ye would count the favour of Allah he cannot reckon it low Allah is indeed forgiving merciful and Allah knoweth that which ye capid and that which ye proclaim those unto whom they cry beside Allah created not but are themselves created they are dead not living and they know not when they will be raised your God is one God but as for those who believe not in the hereafter their hearts refuse to know for they are proud assuredly Allah knoweth that which they keep hidden and that which they proclaim low he loveth not the proud who said unto them what hath your Lord revealed they say mere fables of the men of old that they may bear their burdens undiminished on the day of resurrection with somewhat of the burdens of those whom they mislead without knowledge are evil is that which they bear those before them plotted so Allah struck at the foundations of their building and then the roof fell down upon them from above them and the doom came on them once they knew not then on the day of resurrection he will disgrace them and will say where are my partners for whose sake ye opposed my guidance those who have been given knowledge will say disgrace this day and evil are upon the disbelievers whom the angels cause to die while they are wronging themselves then will they make full submissions saying we use not to do any wrong nay surely Allah is knower of what he used to do so enter the gates of hell to dwell therein forever willful indeed will be the lodging of the arrogant and it is said unto those who ward off evil what hath your lord revealed they say good for those who do good in this world there is a good reward and the home of the hereafter will be better pleasant indeed will be the home of those who ward off evil gardens of Eden which they enter underneath which rivers flow wherein they have what they will thus Allah repair those who ward off evil those whom the angels cause to die when they are good they say peace be unto you enter the garden because of what he used to do await they ought save that the angels should come unto them or thy lord's command should come to pass even so did those before them Allah wronged them not themselves so that the evils of what they did smote them and that which they used to mock surrounded them and the idolaters say had Allah willed we had not worshipped ought beside him we and our fathers nor had we forbidden ought without command from him even so did those before them are the messengers charged with ought save plain convince of the message and verily we have raised in every nation a messenger proclaiming serve Allah and shun false gods then some of them there were whom Allah guided and some of them there were upon whom error had just hold do but travel in the land and see the nature of the consequence for the deniers even if thou O Muhammad desarist their right guidance still Allah assuredly will not guide him whom misleadeth such have no helpers and they swear by Allah their most binding oaths that Allah will not raise up him who dyeth nay but it is a promise binding upon him in truth but most of mankind know not that he may explain unto them that wherein they differ and that those who disbelieved may know that they were liars and our word unto a thing when we intend it is only that we say unto it be and it is and those who became fugitives for the cause of Allah after they had been oppressed we verily shall give them goodly launching in the world and surely the reward of the hereafter is greater if they but knew such as are steadfast and put their trust in Allah and we sent not as our messengers before the other the men whom we inspired ask the followers of the remembrance if ye know not with clear proofs and writings and we have revealed unto thee the remembrance that thou mayst explain to mankind that which has been revealed for them and that happily they may reflect are they who plan ill deeds then secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them or that the doom will not come on them once they know not or that he will not seize them in their going to and fro so that there be no escape for them or that he will not seize them with a gradual wasting lo, thy Lord is indeed full of pity merciful have they not observed all things that Allah has created how their shadows incline to the right and to the left making prostration unto Allah and they are lowly and unto Allah make a prostration whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth of living creatures and the angels also are proud they fear their Lord above them and do what they are bidden Allah has said choose not two Gods there is only one God so of me me only be in awe unto him Belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and religion is his forever will he then fear any other than Allah and whatever of comfort ye enjoy it is from Allah then when misfortune reaches you unto him ye cry for help and afterward when he hath rid you of the misfortune behold a set of you attribute partners to their Lord so as to deny that which we have given them then enjoy life while he may for ye will come to know and they assign a portion of that we have given them unto what they know not by Allah but he will indeed be asked concerning all that he used to invent and they assign unto Allah daughters be he glorified and unto themselves what they desire when if one of them receiveeth tidings of the birth of a female his faiths remaineth darkened and he is wroth inwardly he hideeth himself from the folk because of the evil of that whereof he hath had tidings asking himself shall he keep it in contempt or bury it beneath the dust verily evil is their judgment for those who believe not in the hereafter is an evil similitude and Allah's is the sublime similitude he is the mighty the wise if Allah were to take mankind to task for their wrongdoing he would not leave hereon a living creature but he reprieveeth them to an appointed term and when their term cometh they cannot put it off an hour nor yet advance it and they assign unto Allah that which they themselves dislike and their tongues expound the lie that the better portion will be theirs assuredly theirs will be the fire and they will be abandoned by Allah we verily sent messengers unto the nations before thee but the devil made their deeds fair seeming unto them so he is their patron this day and theirs will be a painful doom and we have revealed the scripture unto thee only that thou mayst explain unto them that wherein they differ and as a guidance and a mercy for people who believe Allah senteth down water from the sky and therewith reviveth the earth after her death lo, herein is indeed a portent for a folk who hear and lo, in the cattle there is a lesson for you we give you to drink of that which is in their bellies the refuse and the blood pure milk palatable to the drinkers and of the fruits of the date palm and grapes whence ye derive strong drink and also good nourishment lo, therein is indeed a portent for people who have sense and thy Lord inspired the be saying choose thou habitations and in the trees and in that which they thatch then eat of all fruits and follow the ways of thy Lord made smooth for thee there cometh forth from their bellies a drink diverse of hues wherein is healing for mankind lo, herein is indeed a portent for people who reflect and Allah createeth you then causeth you to die and among you is he who is brought back to the most abject stage of life so that he knoweth nothing after having had knowledge lo, Allah is Noah powerful and Allah hath favoured some of you above others in provision now those who are more favoured will by no means hand over their provision to those slaves whom their right hands possessed so that they may be equal with them in respect thereof in the grace of Allah that they deny and Allah hath given you wives of your own kind and hath given you from your wives sons and grandsons and hath made provision of good things for you is it then in vanity that they believe and in the grace of Allah that they disbelieve and they worship beside Allah that which owneth no provision whatsoever for them from the heavens of the earth whom they worship any power so quyen not similitudes for Allah lo, Allah knoweth ye know not Allah quyeneth the similitude on the one hand a mere chattel slave who hath control of nothing and on the other hand one on whom we have bestowed a fair provision from us and he spendeth thereof secretly and openly are they equal? praise be to Allah but most of them know not and Allah quyeneth the similitude two men one of them dumb having control of nothing and he is a burden on his owner with us so ever he directed him to go he bringeth no good is he equal with one who enjoineth justice and followeth the street path of conduct and unto Allah belongeth the unseen of the heavens and the earth and the matter of the hour of doom is but as a twinkling of the eye or it is nearer still lo, Allah is able to do all things and Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers knowing nothing and gave you hearing and sight and hearts that happily ye might give thanks have they not seen the birds obedient in midair none holdeth them save Allah lo, hearing verily are portents for a people who believe and Allah hath given you in your houses and abode and hath given you also of the hides of cattle houses which ye find light to carry on the day of migration and on the day of pitching camp and of their wool and their fur and their hair comparison and comfort for a while and Allah hath given you of that which he hath created shelter from the sun and hath given you places of refuge in the mountains and hath given you coats to ward off the heat from you and coats of armour to save you from your own full hardiness thus does he perfect his favour unto you in order that he may surrender unto him then if they turn away thy duty o Muhammad is but plain convince of the message they know the favour of Allah and then deny it most of them are ingrates and but think you of the day when we raise up of every nation a witness then there is no leave for disbelievers nor are they allowed to make amends and when those who did wrong behold the doom it will not be made light for them nor will they be reprieved and when those who ascribed partners to Allah behold those partners of theirs they will say our lord these are our partners unto whom we used to cry instead of thee but they will fling to them they're saying lo ye verily are liars and they proffer unto Allah submission on that day and all that they used to invent has failed them for those who disbelieve and abar men from the way of Allah we add doom to doom because they wrought corruption and but think you of the day when we raise in every nation a witness against them of their own folk and we bring thee Muhammad as a witness against these and we reveal the scripture unto thee as an exposition of all things and a guidance and a mercy and good tidings for those who have surrendered to Allah lo, Allah enjoineth justice and kindness and giving to kinsfolk and forbiddeth lootness and abomination and wickedness he exhorteth you in order that he may take heed fulfill the covenant of Allah when ye have covenanted and break not your oaths and severation of them and after ye have made Allah surety over you lo, Allah knoweth what ye do and be not like unto her who unraveleth the thread after she has made it strong to thin filaments making your oaths the deceit between you because of a nation being more numerous than another nation Allah only triumphs you thereby and he verily will explain to you on the day of resurrection that wherein ye differed had Allah willed he could have made you all one nation but he sendeth whom he will astray and guideeth whom he will and ye will indeed be asked of what he used to do make not your oaths the deceit between you lest a foot should slip after being firmly planted and ye should taste evil for as much as ye debard then from the way of Allah and yours should be an awful doom and purchase not a small gain at the price of Allah's covenant lo, that which Allah hath is better for you if ye did but know that which ye have wasteeth away and that which Allah hath remaineth and verily we shall pay those who are steadfast in proportion to the best of what they used to do whosoever doeth right whether male or female and is a believer him verily we shall quicken with good life and we shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do and when thou recitest the Quran seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast lo, he hath no power over those who believe and put trust in their Lord his power is only over those who make a friend of him and those who ascribe partners unto him, Allah and when we put a revelation in place of another revelation and Allah knoweth best what he revealeth they say, lo, thou art but inventing most of them know not say, the Holy Spirit hath delivered it from thy Lord with truth that it may confirm the faith of those who believe and as guidance and good tidings for those who have surrendered to Allah and we know well that they say only a man teacheth him the speech of him at whom they falsely hint is outlandish and this is clear Arabic speech lo, those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah Allah guideeth them not and theirs will be a painful doom only they invent falsehood who believe not Allah's revelations and only they are the liars who so disbelieveeth in Allah after his belief save him who is forced there too and whose heart is still content with the faith but who so findeth ease in disbelief on them is wrath from Allah theirs will be an awful doom that is because they have chosen the life of the world rather than the hereafter and because Allah guideeth not the disbelieving folk such are they whose hearts and ears and eyes Allah has sealed and such are the heedless assuredly in the hereafter they are the losers then lo, thy Lord for those who became fugitives after they had been persecuted and then fought and were steadfast lo, thy Lord afterward is for them indeed forgiving merciful on the day when every soul will come pleading for itself and every soul will be repaid what it did and they will not be wronged Allah koyaneth the similitude a township that dwelt secure and well content its provision coming to it in abundance on every side but it disbelieved in Allah's favours so Allah made it experience the garb of dearth and fear because of what they used to do and verily there had come unto them a messenger from among them but they had denied him and so the torment seized them while they were wrongdoers so eat of the lawful and good food which Allah has provided for you and thank the bounty of your Lord if it is him ye serve he has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swine flesh and that which has been immolated in the name of any other than Allah but he who is driven there too now they're craving nor transgressing lo then Allah is forgiving merciful and speak not concerning that which your own tongues qualify as clean or unclean the falsehood this is lawful and this is forbidden so that he invent a lie against Allah lo those who invent a lie against Allah will not succeed a brief enjoyment will be theirs and theirs a painful doom and unto those who are Jews we have forbidden that which we have already related unto thee and we wronged them not but they were won't to wrong themselves then lo thy Lord for those who do evil in ignorance and afterward repent and amend lo for them thy Lord is afterward indeed forgiving merciful lo Abraham was a nation obedient to Allah by nature upright he was not of the idolaters thankful for his bounties he chose him and he guided him unto a straight path and we gave him good in the world and in the hereafter he is among the righteous and afterward we inspired thee Muhammad saying follow the religion of Abraham as won by nature upright he was not of the idolaters the Sabbath was appointed only for those who differed concerning it and lo thy Lord will judge between them on the day of resurrection concerning that wherein they used to differ call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exultation and reason with them in the better way lo thy Lord is best aware of him who straith from his way of those who go aright if ye punish then punish with the like of that wherewith ye were afflicted but if ye endure patiently verily it is better for the patient endure thou patiently o Muhammad thine endurance is only by the help of Allah grieve not for them and be not in distress because of that which they devise lo Allah is with those who keep their duty unto him and those who are doers of good end of Sura 16 Sura 17 Children of Israel Revealed at Mecca in the name of Allah the most beneficent the most merciful glorified be he who carried his servant by night from the invaluable place of worship to the far distant place of worship the neighborhood whereof we have blessed that we might show him of our tokens lo only he is the hearer the seer we gave unto Moses the scripture and we appointed it a guidance for the children of Israel saying choose no guardians beside me they were the seed of those whom we carried in the ship along with Noah lo he was a grateful slave and we decreed for the children of Israel in the scripture ye verily will work corruption in the earth twice and ye will become great tyrants so when the time for the first of the two came we roused against you slaves of ours of great might who ravaged your country that was the threat performed then we gave you once again your turn against them and we aided you with wealth and children and made you more in soldiery saying if ye do good ye do good for your own souls and if ye do evil it is for them in like manner so when the time for the second of the judgments came we roused you against you others of our slaves to ravage you and enter the temple even as they entered it the first time and to lay waste all that they conquered they were wasting it may be that your Lord will have mercy on you but if ye repeat the crime we shall repeat the punishment and we have appointed hell a dungeon for the disbelievers lo this Quran guideeth unto that which is straightest and giveth tidings unto the believers who do good works that theirs will be a great reward and those who do not believe in the hereafter for them we have prepared a painful doom man prayeth for evil and we prayeth for good for man was ever hasty and we appoint the night and the day to portents then we make dark the portent of the night and we make the portent of the day sight giving that she may seek bounty from your Lord and that she may know the computation of the years and the reckoning and everything have we expounded with clear expounding and every man's augury have we fastened to his own neck and we shall bring forth for him on the day of resurrection a book which he will find wide open and it will be said unto him read thy book thy soul sufficeseth as reckoner against thee this day whosoever goeth right it is only for the good of his own soul that he goeth right and whosoever ereth ereth only to its hurt no laden soul can bear another's load we never punish until we have sent a messenger and when we would destroy a township we send commandment to its folk who live at ease and afterward they commit abomination therein and so the word of doom hath effect for it and we annihilate it with complete annihilation how many generations have we destroyed since Noah and Allah sufficeseth as knower and beholder of the sins of his slaves whoso desireeth that life which hasteneth away we hasten for him therein what we will for whom he we please and afterward we have appointed for him hell he will endure the heat thereof condemned rejected and whoso desireeth the hereafter and striveth for it with the effort necessary being a believer for such their effort findeth favour with their lord each do we supply both these and those from the bounty of thy lord and the bounty of thy lord can never be walled up see how we prefer one of them above another and verily the hereafter will be greater in degree and greater in preferment set not up with Allah any other God, O man lest thou sit down reproved, forsaken the Lord hath decreed that ye worship none save him and that ye show kindness to parents if one of them or both of them attain old age with thee say not fi unto them nor repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word and lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy and say, my lord have mercy on them both as they did care for me when I was little your lord is best aware of what is in your minds if ye are righteous then lo, he was ever forgiving unto those who turn unto him give the kinsmen his due and the needy and the wayfarer and squander not thy wealth and wantonness lo, the squanderers were ever brothers of the devils and the devil was ever an ingrate to his lord but if thou turn away from them seeking mercy from thy lord for which thou hopest then speak unto them a reasonable word and let not thy hand be chained to thy neck nor open it with a complete opening lest thou sit down rebuked denuded lo, thy lord enlargeth the provision for whom he will and straighten it for whom he will lo, he was ever a knower seer of his slaves slay not your children fearing a fall to poverty we shall provide for them and for you lay, the slaying of them is a great sin and come not near unto adultery lo, it is an abomination and an evil way and slay not the life which Allah hath forbidden save with right whoso is slain wrongfully we have given power unto his heir but let him not commit excess in slaying lo, he will be helped come not near the wealth of the orphan save with that which is better till he come to strength and keep the covenant lo, of the covenant it will be asked fill the measure when you measure the right balance that is meet and better in the end oh man, follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge lo, the hearing and the sight and the heart of each of these it will be asked and walk not in the earth exultant lo, thou canst not rend the earth nor canst thou stretch to the height of the hills the evil of all that is hateful in the sight of thy lord this is part of that wisdom wherewith thy lord hath inspired o Muhammad and set not up with Allah any other god lest thou be cast into hell reprude, abandoned hath your lord then distinguished you o men of Mecca by giving you sons and hath chosen for himself females from among the angels lo, verily, ye speak an awful word we verily have displayed our warnings in this Quran that they may take heed but it increases them in not save aversion to the disbelievers if there were other gods along with him as they say, then they had sought away against the lord of the throne glorified is he and high exalted above what they say the seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, praise him and there is not a thing, but hymeth his praise but ye understand not their praise lo, he is ever clement, forgiving and when thou recitest the Quran we place between thee and those not in the hereafter a hidden barrier and we place upon their hearts veils lest they should understand it and in their ears a deafness and when thou makest mention of thy lord alone in the Quran they turn their backs in aversion we are best aware of what they wish to hear when they give ear to thee and when they take secret counsel when the evildoers say, ye follow but a man bewitched see what similitudes they coin for thee and thus are all astray and cannot find a road and they say, when we are bones and fragments shall we forsooth be raised up as a new creation be ye stones or iron or some created thing that is yet greater in your thoughts then they will say, who shall bring us back to life say, he who created you at the first then will they shake their heads at thee and say, when will it be say, it will perhaps be soon a day when he will call you and he will answer with his praise and he will think that you have tarried but a little while tell my bond men to speak that which is kindlier lo, the devil soweth discord among them lo, the devil is for man an open foe your lord is best aware of you if he will, he will have mercy on you or if he will, he will punish you we have not sent thee, O Muhammad as a warden over them and thy lord is best aware of all who are in the heavens and the earth and we preferred some of the prophets above others and unto David we gave the Psalms say, cry unto those saints and angels whom ye assume to be gods beside him yet they have no power to rid you of misfortune nor to change those unto whom they cry seek the way of approach to their lord which of them shall be the nearest they hope for his mercy and they fear his doom lo, the doom of thy lord is to be shunned there is not a township but we shall destroy it ere the day of resurrection or punish it with dire punishment that is set forth in the book of our decrees not hindereth us from sending portents save that the folk of old denied them and we gave Tamud the she-camel a clear portent, saved to warn and it was a warning when we told thee lo, thy lord encompasseth mankind and we appointed the sight which we showed thee as an ordeal for mankind and likewise the accursed tree in the Quran we warn them but it increases them and not save gross impiety and when we said unto the angels fall down prostrate before Adam and they fell prostrate all save Iblis he said shall I fall prostrate before that which thou has casted of clay he said seeest thou this creature whom thou hast honored above me if thou give me grace until the day of resurrection I verily will seize his seed save but a few he said go and whosoever of them follow with thee lo, hell will be your payment and excite any of them whom thou canst with thy voice and urge thy horse and foot against them and be a partner in their wealth and children and promise them Satan promises them only to deceive lo, my faithful bondman over them thou hast no power and thy lord suffiseth as their guardian O mankind, your lord is he who driveth for you the ship upon the sea that ye may seek of his bounty lo, he was ever merciful toward you and when harm toucheth you upon the sea all unto whom ye cry for succor fail save him alone but when he bringeth you save to land ye turn away for man was ever thankless feel ye then secure that he will not cause the slope of the land to engulf you or send a sandstorm upon you and then ye will find that ye have no protector or feel ye secure that he will not return to you that plight a second time and send against you a hurricane of wind and drown you for your thanklessness and then ye will not find therein that ye have any avenger against us verily we honored the children of Adam we carry them on the land in the sea and have made provision of good things for them and have preferred them above many of those whom we created with a marked preferment on the day when we shall summon all men with their record Housseau is given his book in his right hand such will read their book and they will not be wrong to shred Housseau is blind here will be blind in the hereafter and yet further from the road and they indeed strove hard to bogile thee Muhammad away from that wherewith we have inspired thee that thou shouldst invent other than it against us and then would they have accepted thee as a friend and if we had not made thee holy firm thou mightest almost have inclined unto them a little then had we made thee to taste a double punishment of living and a double punishment of dying then Housseau found no helper against us and they indeed wished to scare thee from the land that they might drive thee forth from thence and then they would have stayed there but a little after thee such was our method in the case of those whom we sent before thee to mankind and thou wilt not find for our method ought of power to change establish worship at the going down of the sun until the dark of night and the recital of the Quran at dawn lo the recital of the Quran at dawn is ever witnessed and some part of the night awake for it a largesse for thee it may be that thy lord will raise thee to a praise to state and say my lord cause me to come in with a firm incoming and to go out with a firm outgoing and give me from thy presence a sustaining power and say truth hath come and falsehood hath vanished away lo falsehood is ever bound to vanish and we reveal of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for believers and we preach the evil doers and not save ruin and when we make life pleasant unto man he turneth away and is a verse and when ill toucheth him he is in despair say each one doth according to his rule of conduct and thy lord is best aware of him whose way is right they are asking thee concerning the spirit say the spirit is by command of my lord and of knowledge ye have been vouchsafed but little and if we willed we could withdraw that which we have revealed unto thee then wouldst thou find no guardian for thee against us in respect thereof it is not save mercy from thy lord lo his kindness unto thee was ever great say verily though mankind and the jinn should assemble to produce the like of this Quran they could not produce the like thereof though they were helpers one of another and verily we have displayed for mankind in this Quran all kind of similitudes but most of mankind refuse ought save disbelief and they say we will not put faith in thee till thou cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us or thou have a garden of date palms and grapes and cause rivers to gush forth therein abundantly or thou cause the heaven to fall upon us piecemeal as thou has pretended or bring Allah and the angels as a warrant or thou have a house of gold or thou ascend up into heaven and even then we will put no faith in thine ascension till thou bring down for us a book that we can read say oh Muhammad may the Lord be glorified am I ought save a mortal messenger and not prevented mankind from believing when the guidance came unto them save that they said hath Allah sent a mortal as his messenger say if there were in the earth angels walking secure we had sent down for them from heaven an angel as a messenger say Allah sufficeseth for a witness between me and you lo he is knower seer of his slaves and he whom Allah guideeth is right while as for him whom he sendeth astray for them thou wilt find no protecting friends beside him and we shall assemble them on the day of resurrection in their faces blind, dumb, and deaf their habitation will be hell whenever it abedeth we will increase the flame for them that is their reward because they disbelieved our revelations and said when we are bones and fragments shall we for sooth be raised up as a new creation Allah who created the heavens and the earth is able to create the like of them and hath appointed for them an end whereof there is no doubt but the wrongdoers refuse ought save disbelief say unto them if ye possessed the treasures of the mercy of my lord ye would surely hold them back for fear of spending for man was ever grudging and verily we gave unto Moses nine tokens clear proofs of Allah's sovereignty do but ask the children of Israel how he came unto them Pharaoh said unto him lo, I deem thee one bewitched, O Moses he said in truth thou knowest that none sent down these portents save the lord of the heavens and the earth as proofs and lo, for my part, I deem thee lost, O Pharaoh and he wished to scare them from the land but we drowned him and those with him altogether and we said unto the children of Israel after him dwell in the land but when the promise of the hereafter cometh to pass we shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations with truth have we sent it down and with truth hath it descended and we have sent thee as not else save a bearer of good tidings and a warner and it is a Quran that we have divided that thou mayest recite it unto mankind at intervals and we have revealed it by successive revelation say, believe therein or believe not lo, those who were given knowledge before it when it is read unto them fall down prostrate on their faces adoring saying, glory to our lord verily the promise of our lord must be fulfilled they fall down on their faces weeping and it increases humility in them say unto mankind, cry unto Allah or cry unto the beneficent unto whichsoever you cry it is the same his are the most beautiful names and thou, Muhammad, be not loud voiced in thy worship nor yet silent therein but follow away between say praise be to Allah who hath not taken unto himself a son and who hath no partner in the sovereignty nor hath he any protecting friend through dependence and magnify him with all magnificence End of Surah 17 Surah 18 the cave, revealed at Mecca in the name of Allah the most beneficent, the most merciful praise be to Allah who hath revealed the scripture unto his slave and hath not placed therein any crookedness but hath made it straight to give warning of stern punishment from him and to bring unto the believers who do good works the news that theirs will be a fair reward wherein they will abide forever and to warn those who say Allah hath chosen a son a thing whereof they have no knowledge nor have their fathers dreadful is the word that cometh out of their mouths they speak not but a lie yet it may be if they believe not in this statement that thou, Muhammad, will torment thyself with grief over their footsteps lo, we have placed all that is on the earth as an ornament thereof that we may try them which of them is best in conduct and lo, we shall make all that is thereon a barren mound or dimest thou that the people of the cave and the inscriptions are a wonder among our portents when the young men fled for refuge to the cave and said, our Lord give us mercy from thy presence and shape for us right conduct in our plight then we sealed up their hearing in the cave for a number of years and afterward we raised them up that we might know which of the two parties best calculate the time that they had tarried we narrate unto thee their story with truth lo, they were young men who believed in their Lord and we increased them in guidance and we made firm their hearts when they stood forth and said our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth we cry unto no God beside him for then we should utter an enormity these our people have chosen other gods beside him though they bring no clear warrant vouch safe to them and who doth greater wrong than he who invented the lie concerning Allah and when ye withdraw from them and that which they worship except Allah then seek refuge in the cave your Lord will spread for you of his mercy and will prepare for you a pillow in your plight and thou might have seen the sun when it rose move away from their cave to the right and when it set go past them on the left and they were in the cleft thereof that was one of the portents of Allah he whom Allah guided and he whom he senteth astray for him thou wilt not find a guiding friend and thou wouldst have deemed them waking though they were asleep and we caused them to turn over to the right and to the left and their dogs stretching out his paws on the threshold if thou hadst observed them closely thou hadst assuredly turned away from them in flight and hadst been filled with awe of them and in like manner we awakened them that they might question one another a speaker from among them said how long have you tarried they said we have tarried a day or some part of a day others said your Lord best knoweth what you have tarried now send one of you with this your silver coin unto the city and let him see what food is purist there and bring you a supply thereof let him be courteous and let no man know of you for they, if they should come to know of you will stone you or turn you back to their religion then you will never prosper and in like manner we disclosed them to the people of the city that they might know that the promise of Allah is true and that as for the hour there is no doubt concerning it when the people of the city disputed of their case among them they said build over them a building their Lord knoweth best concerning them those who won their point said we verily shall build a place of worship over them some will say they were three their dog was the fourth some will say five their dog was the sixth guessing at random and some say seven their dog was the eighth say, O Muhammad my Lord is best aware of their number none knoweth them save a few so contend not concerning them except with an outward contending and ask not any of them to pronounce concerning them and say not of anything lo, I shall do that to-morrow except if I will and remember thy Lord when thou forgetest and say it may be that my Lord will say unto a nearer way of truth in this and it is said they tarried in their cave three hundred years and add nine say Allah is best aware of how long they tarried his is the invisible of the heavens and the earth how clear of sight is he and keen of hearing they have no protecting friend beside him and he maketh none to share in his government and recite that which hath been revealed unto thee of the scripture of thy Lord there is none who can change his words and thou wilt find no refuge beside him restrain thyself along with those who cry unto their Lord at morn and evening seeking his countenance and let not thine eyes overlook them desiring the pomp of the life of the world and obey not him whose heart we have made heedless of our remembrance who followeth his own lust and whose case has been abandoned say it is the truth from the Lord of you all then whosoever will let him disbelieve then whosoever will let him believe will let him disbelieve lo we have prepared for disbelievers fire its tent encloseeth them if they ask for showers they will be showered with water like to molten lead which burneth the faces calamitas the drink and ill the resting place lo as for those who believe and do good works lo we suffer not the reward of one whose work is goodly to be lost as for such theirs will be gardens of Eden wherein rivers flow beneath them therein they will be given armlets of gold and will wear green robes of finest silk and gold embroidery reclining upon the throne therein blessed the reward and fair the resting place coin for them a similitude two men unto one of whom we had assigned two gardens of grapes and we had surrounded both with date palms and had put between them tillage each of the gardens gave its fruit and withheld not thereof and we caused a river to gush forth therein and he had fruit and he said unto his comrade when he spake with him I am more than thee in wealth and stronger in respect of men and he went into his garden while he thus wronged himself he said I think not that all this will ever perish I think not that the hour will ever come and if indeed I am brought back unto my lord I shall surely find better than this as a resort his comrade when he thus spake with him exclaimed disbelief is thou in him who created thee of dust on top of seed and then fashion to thee a man but he is Allah my lord and I ascribe unto my lord no partner if only when thou enterest thy garden thou has said that which Allah willeth will come to pass there is no strength save in Allah though thou seeest me as less than thee in wealth and children yet it may be that my lord will give me better than thy garden and will send it on a bolt from heaven and some morning it will be smooth hillside or some morning the water thereof will be lost in the earth so that thou canst not make search for it and his fruit was beset with destruction then began he to wring his hands for all that he had spent upon it when now it was ruined on its trellises and to say would that I had ascribed no partner to my lord and he had no troop of men to help him as against Allah nor could he save himself in this case is protection only from Allah the true he is best for reward and best for consequence and coined for them the similitude of the life of the world as water which we send down from the sky and the vegetation of the earth mingleeth with it and then become a dry twigs that the winds scatter Allah is able to do all things wealth and children are an ornament of life of the world but the good deeds which endure are better in the lord's sight for reward and better in respect of hope and bethink you of the day when we remove the hills and ye see the earth emerging and we gather them together so as we leave not one of them behind and they are set before thy lord in ranks and it is said unto them now verily have ye come unto us as we created you at the first but ye thought that we had set no tryst for you and the book is placed and thou seeest the guilty fearful of that which is therein and they say what kind of a book is this that leaveeth not a small thing nor a great thing but hath counted it and they find all that they did confronting them and thy lord wrong and remember when we said unto the angels fall prostrate before Adam and they fell prostrate all save Iblis he was of the gene so he rebelled against his lord's command will ye choose him in his seed for your protecting friends instead of me when they are an enemy unto you calamitous is the exchange for evil doers I made them not to witness the creation of the heavens and the earth nor their own creation nor choose I misleaders for my helpers and be mindful of the day when he will say call those partners of mine whom ye pretended then they will cry unto them but they will not hear their prayer and we shall set a gulf of doom between them and the guilty behold the fire and know that they are about to fall therein and they find no way of escape thence and verily we have displayed for mankind in this Quran all manner of similitudes but man is more than anything contentious and not hindereth mankind from believing when the guidance cometh unto them and from asking forgiveness of their lord unless it be that they wish that the judgment of the men of old should come down upon them or that they should be confronted with the doom we send not the messengers save as bearers of good news and warners those who disbelieve contend with falsehood in order to refute the truth thereby and they take our revelations and that wherewith they are threatened as a jest and who doth greater wrong than he who hath been reminded of the revelations of his lord yet turneth away from them and forgeteth what his hands sent forward to the judgment lo, on their hearts we have placed coverings so that they understand not and in their ears a deafness and though thou call them to the guidance in that case they can never be led aright thy lord is the forgiver full of mercy if he took them to task now for what they earn he would hasten on the doom for them but theirs is an appointed term and we find no escape and all those townships we destroyed them when they did wrong and we appointed a fixed time for their destruction and when Moses said unto his servant I will not give up until I reach the point where the two rivers meet though I march on for ages and when they reach the point where the two met they forgot their fish and it took its way into the waters being free and when they had gone further he said unto his servant bring us our breakfast and we will take our tea in this our journey he said, didst thou see when we took refuge on the rock and I forgot the fish and none but Satan caused me to forget to mention it it took its way into the waters by a marvel he said, this is that which we have been seeking so they retraced their steps again then they found one of our slaves unto whom we had given mercy from us and had taught him knowledge from our presence Moses said unto him may I follow thee to the end of the conduct of that which thou has been taught he said, lo thou canst not bear with me how canst thou bear with that whereof thou canst not compass any knowledge he said, alla willing thou shalt find me patient and I shall not in ought gain save thee he said, well if thou go with me ask me not concerning ought till I myself make mention of it unto thee so they twain set out till when they were in the ships Moses said, hast thou made a hole therein to drown the folk thereof thou verily hast done a dreadful thing he said, did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me Moses said, be not wroth with me that I forgot and be not hard upon me for my fault so they twain journeyed on till when they had met a lad he slew him Moses said, what hast thou slain an innocent soul who hath slain no man verily thou hast done a horrid thing shall I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me Moses said if I ask thee after this concerning ought keep not company with me thou hast received an excuse from me so they twain journeyed on till when they came unto the folk of a certain township they asked its folk for food but they refused to make them guess and they found therein a wall upon the point of falling into ruin and he repaired it Moses said, if thou hadst wished thou couldst have taken payment for it this is the parting between thee and me I will announce unto thee the interpretation of that thou couldst not bear with patience as for the ship it belonged to poor people working on the river and I wished to mar it for there was a king behind them who was taking every ship by force and as for the lad his parents were believers and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief and we intended that their lord should change him for them for one better impurity and as for the wall it belonged to two orphan boys in the city and there was beneath it a treasure belonging to them and their father had been righteous and thy lord intended that they should come to their full strength and should bring forth their treasure as a mercy from their lord and I did it not upon my own command such is the interpretation of that wherewith thou couldst not bear they will ask thee of dual cunning say, I shall recite unto you remembrance of him lo, we made him strong in the land we made him strong in the land and gave him unto everything a road and he followed a road till when he reached the setting place of the sun he found it sitting in a muddy spring and found people thereabout we said, oh, dull, caronane either punish or show them kindness he said, as for them who doeth wrong we shall punish him and then he will be brought back unto his lord who will punish him with awful punishment but as for him who believeth and doeth right good will be his reward and we shall speak unto him a mild command then he followed a road till when he reached the rising place of the sun he found it rising on a people for whom we had appointed no shelter therefrom so it was and we knew all concerning him then he followed a road till when he came between the two mountains he found upon their hither side a folk that scarce could understand a saying they said, oh, dull, caronane lo, Gog and Magog are spoiling the land so may we pay thee tribute on condition that thou set a barrier between us and them he said that wherein my lord hath established me is better than your tribute do but help me with strength of men and I will set between you and them a bank give me pieces of iron till when he had leveled it up the gap between the cliffs he said blow till when he had made it a fire he said bring me molten copper to pour thereon and Gog and Magog were not able to surmount nor could they pierce it he said this is a mercy from my lord but when the promise of my lord cometh to pass he will lay it low for the promise of my lord is true and on that day we shall let some of them surge against others and the trumpet will be blown then we shall gather them together in one gathering on that day we shall present hell to the disbelievers plain to view those whose eyes were hoodwinked from my reminder and who could not bear to hear do the disbelievers reckon they can choose my bond men as protecting friends beside me low we have prepared hell as a welcome for the disbelievers say shall we inform you who will be the greatest losers by their works those whose effort goeth astray in the life of the world and yet they reckon that they do good work those are they who disbelieve in the revelations of their lord and in the meeting with him therefore their works are vain and on the day of resurrection we assign no weight to them my lord hell because they disbelieved and made a jest of our revelations and our messengers low those who believe and do good works theirs are gardens of paradise for welcome wherein they will abide with no desire to be removed from thence say though the sea become ink for the words of my lord verily the sea would be used up before the words of my lord were exhausted even though we brought the like thereof to help say I am only immortal like you my lord it is worth in me that your god is only one god and whoever hopeth for the meeting with his lord let him do righteous work and make none sharer of the worship do unto his lord end of surah 18 surah 19 of the meaning of the glorious Quran this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater the meaning of the glorious Quran translated by Muhammad Mamadouk Pikthal surah 19 surah of Mary revealed at Makkah in the name of Allah the most beneficent the most merciful Kaif Ha Ya Ain Fawad a mention of the mercy of thy lord unto his servant Zakariah when he cried unto his lord a cry in secret saying my lord lo the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair and I have never been unblessed in prayer to thee my lord lo I fear my kinsfolk after me since my wife is barren oh give me from thy presence a successor who shall inherit of me an inherit also of the home of Jacob and make him my lord acceptable unto thee it was said unto him O Zakariah lo we bring thee tidings of a son whose name is John we have given the same name to none before him he said my lord how can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached in firm old age he said so it will be thy lord sayeth it is easy for me even as I created thee before when thou was not he said my lord a point for me some token he said thy token is that thou with no bodily defect shall not speak unto mankind three nights then he came forth unto his people from the sanctuary and signified to them fire your lord at break of day and fall of night and it was said unto his son O John hold fast the scripture and we gave him wisdom when a child and compassion from our presence and purity and he was devout and dutiful towards his parents and he was not arrogant rebellious peace on him the day he was born and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive and make mention of Mary in the scripture and she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking east and had chosen seclusion from them then we sent unto her our spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man she said lo I seek refuge in the beneficent one from thee if thou art Allah fearing he said I am only a messenger of thy lord that I may bestow on thee a faultless son she said how can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me neither have I been unchaste he said so it will be thy lord sayeth it is easy for me and it will be that we may make mention of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from us and it is a thing ordained and she conceived him and she withdrew with him to a far place and the pangs of childbirth throw for unto the trunk of the palm tree she said oh would that I had died near this and had become a thing of not forgotten then one cried unto her from below her saying grieve not thy lord hath placed the rivulet beneath thee and shake the trunk of the palm tree toward thee thou wilt cause right dapes to fall upon thee so eat and drink and be consoled and if thou meetest any mortal say lo I have vowed a fast unto the beneficent and may not speak this day to any mortal then she brought him to her own folk carrying him they said oh Mary thou hast come with an amazing thing oh sister of Aaron thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot then she pointed to him they said how can we talk to one who is in the cradle a young boy he spake lo I am the slave of Allah he hath given me the scripture and hath appointed me a prophet and hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive and hath made me dutiful toward her who bore me and hath not made me arrogant unblessed peace on me the day I was born lie and the day I shall be raised alive such was Jesus son of Mary this is a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt it befiteth not the majesty of Allah that he should take under himself a son glory be to him when he decreeeth a thing he sayeth it only be and it is and lo Allah is my lord and your lord so serve him that is the right path the sects among them differ but woe unto the disbelievers from the meeting of an awful day see and hear them on the day they come unto us yet the evil doers are today in error manifest and warn them of the day of anguish when the case hath been decided now they are in a state of carelessness and they believe not lo, we only we inherit the earth and all who are thereon and unto us they are returned and make mention in the scripture of Abraham lo, he was a saint a prophet when he said unto his father oh my father why worshipeth thou that which heareth not nor seeeth nor can in ought avail thee come unto me of knowledge that which came not unto thee so follow me and I will lead thee on a right path oh my father serve not the devil lo, the devil is a rebel unto the beneficent oh my father lo, I fear lest the punishment from the beneficent overtake thee so that thou become a comrade of the devil he said, rejectest thou my gods, oh Abraham if not I shall surely stone thee depart from me a long while he said peace be unto thee I shall ask forgiveness of my lord for thee lo, he was ever gracious unto me I shall withdraw from you and that unto which ye pray beside a law and I shall pray unto my lord it may be that in prayer unto my lord I shall not be unblessed so when he had withdrawn from them and that which they were worshiping beside a law we gave him Isaac and Jacob each of them we made a prophet and we gave them of our mercy and assigned to them a high and true renown and make mention in the scripture of Moses lo, he was chosen and he was a messenger of a law a prophet we called him from the right slope of the mount and brought him nigh and we bestowed upon him of our mercy his brother Aaron a prophet likewise and make mention in the scripture of Ishmael lo, he was a keeper of his promise and he was a messenger of a law a prophet he enjoined upon his people worship and almsgiving and was acceptable in the sight of his lord and make mention in the scripture of Idris lo, he was a saint a prophet and we raised him to high station these are they unto whom a law showed favour from among the prophets of the seed of Adam and of those whom we carried in the ship with Noah and of the seed of Abraham and Israel and from among those whom we guided and chose when the revelations of the beneficent were recited unto them they fell down adoring and weeping now there hath succeeded them a later generation whom have ruined worship and have followed lusts but they will meet deception save him who shall repent and believe and do right such will enter the garden and they will not be wronged in ought gardens of Eden which the beneficent hath promised to his slaves in the unseen lo, his promise is ever sure of fulfilment they hear therein no idle talk but only peace from mourn and evening such is the garden which we cause the devout among our bond men to inherit we angels come not down saved by commandment of thy Lord unto him belongeth all that is before us and all that is behind us and all that is between those two and thy Lord was never forgetful Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them therefore worship thou him said fast in his service knowest thou one that can be named along with him and man saith when I am dead shall I for sooth be brought forth alive doth not man remember that we created him before when he was not and by thy Lord verily we shall assemble them and the devils then we shall bring them crouching around hell then we shall pluck out from every sect which ever of them was most stubborn and rebellion to the most magnificent and surely we are best aware of those most worthy to be burned therein there is not one of you but shall approach it that is a fixed ordinance of thy Lord then we shall rescue those who kept from evil and leave the evildoers crouching there and when our clear revelations are recited unto them those who disbelieve say unto those who believe which of the two parties yours are ours is better in position as an army how many a generation have we destroyed before them who are more imposing in respect of gear and outward seeming say as for him who is in error the beneficent will verily prolong his span of life until when they behold that which they were promised whether it be punishment in the world or the hour of doom they will know who is worse in position and who is weaker as an army a law increases in right as those who walk a right and the good deeds which endure are better in thy Lord's sight for reward and better for resort as thou seen him who disbelieve in our revelations and sayeth assuredly I shall be given wealth and children hath he perused the unseen or hath he made a pact with the beneficent nay but we shall record that which he sayeth and prolong for him a span of torment and we shall inherit from him and he will come unto us alone without his wealth and children and they have chosen other gods beside a law that they may be a power for them nay but they will deny their worship of them and become opponents unto them see as thou not that we have set the devils on the disbelievers to confound them with confusion so make no haste against them O Muhammad we do but number unto them a sum of days on the day when we shall gather the righteous son to the beneficent a goodly company and drive the guilty unto hell a weary herd they will have no power of intercession save him who hath made a covenant with his Lord and they say the beneficent hath taken unto himself a son assuredly he uttered a disastrous thing whereby almost the heavens are torn and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fallen ruins that he ascribe unto the beneficent a son when it is not meet for the majesty of the beneficent that he should choose a son there is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the beneficent as a slave verily he knoweth them and numbereth them with his right numbering and each one of them will come unto him on the day of resurrection alone lo for those who believe and do good works the beneficent of love and we make this scripture easy in thy tongue O Muhammad only that thou mayest bear good tidings therewith unto those who ward off evil and warn therewith the froward folk and how many a generation before them have we destroyed canst thou Muhammad see a single man of them or hear from them the slightest sound end of Surah 19 recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in Blynaven Wales