English - Chapter 23 - Al-Muminun

Indeed successful are those believers

who are humble in their Salah (prayers)

who avoid vain talk

who are punctual in the payment of Zakah (charity)

who guard their private parts

except with their spouses or those who are legally in their possession, for in that case they shall not be blamed

however those who seek to go beyond that in lust are the ones who shall be the transgressors

who are true to their trust and covenants

and who are diligent about their Salah (prayers)

These are the heirs

who will inherit paradise; and live therein forever

Indeed We have created man from an essence of clay

then placed him as a drop of semen in a firm resting place

then changed the semen into a leechlike mass, then leechlike mass into a fetus lump, then fetus lump into bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought him forth as quite a different creature from the embryo - so blessed is Allah, the best of all creators

Then after living for a while you shall all die

then most surely you shall be raised to life again on the Day of Resurrection

We have made seven avenues (heavens) above you; and We are never unmindful of Our creation

We send down water from the sky according to a due measure, then We cause it to settle in the soil - you should know that if We please, We can certainly take it away

then with it We cause to grow gardens of palm trees and grapes for you; yielding abundant fruit for you to eat

and also a tree which grows on Mount Sinai which produces oil and relish as a food for those who like to eat it

In cattle, too, there is a lesson for you: from within their bodies We produce milk for you to drink, besides this you gain numerous other benefits; some of them you eat

yet on others as well as on ships you ride

We sent Noah to his people. He said, "O my people! Worship Allah, you have no other god but Him, are you not afraid of Him for committing shirk

The chiefs of the unbelievers among his people said, "Noah is but a human like you, he desires to assert his superiority over you. If Allah wanted to send Messengers, He could have sent down angels, we have never heard such a thing as he says from our forefathers

Some of them said: "He is just a madman, so bear with him for a while

Noah said, "O my Lord! Help me against their calling me a liar

So We revealed Our will to him, saying: "Build an ark under our supervision according to Our instructions; and when Our judgement comes to pass and water wells out from 'At-Tannur', take aboard a pair (a male and a female) from every species and take your family, except those of them against whom the judgement has already been passed; and do not plead with Me in favor of the wrongdoers, for they are doomed to be drowned in the flood

Then when you have embarked on the ark with your companions, say: "Praise be to Allah Who has delivered us from the nation of wrongdoers

and pray, "O my Lord! Bless my landing from this Ark, for You are the best to make my landing safe

There are many lessons in this story, and surely We do test people

Then We raised after them a new generation (the people of ‘Ad)

and sent to them a Messenger (Hud) from among themselves, who said to them: "Worship Allah! You have no other god except Him. Will you not fear Him for committing shirk

But the chiefs of his people - who disbelieved the message and denied the life in the hereafter, - on whom We had bestowed affluence in this worldly life, said: "This person is but a human like you; he eats of what you eat and drinks of what you drink

If you obey a human like yourselves, you shall indeed be lost

What! Does he claim that when you are dead and turned into dust and bones, you will be brought to life out of your graves

Impossible! Just impossible is that with which you are being threatened with

There is no other life but our life of this world: we live here and die here, and shall never be raised to life again

This man is but an impostor, forging a lie against Allah, and we are not going to believe him

At this the Messenger prayed: "O my Lord! Help me against their calling me a liar

Allah responded: "After a short time they will surely be sorry

So the Blast overtook them in all justice and We swept them away like the rubbish of dead leaves - so gone is the nation of wrongdoers

After them We raised other generations

no people can hasten their term nor can they postpone it

and sent forth Our Messengers one after another: every time a Messenger came to his people, they disbelieved him, so We punished them one by one and made them a history; so gone is the nation of disbelievers

Then We sent Moses and his brother Haroon (Aaron) with Our signs and clear authority

to Pharoah (Pharaoh) and his chiefs: but they received them with arrogance for they were very haughty people

They said: "What! Should we believe in two human beings like ourselves, and whose people are our slaves

So they disbelieved both of them and became among those who were destroyed

And We gave Moses the Book, so that his people might be rightly guided

And We made the son of Mary (Jesus) and his mother a sign for mankind, and gave them a shelter on a peaceful lofty ground, furnished with a fresh spring

O Messengers! Eat of pure things and do good deeds, certainly I have knowledge of all your actions

In fact, your religion is one religion, and I am your only Lord: so fear Me Alone

Yet people have divided themselves into factions and each faction rejoices in its own doctrines

well! Leave them in their heedlessness for an appointed time

Do they think that, in giving them wealth and children

We are eager for their welfare? By no means! They do not understand the reality of the matter

Surely those who live cautiously for fear of their Lord

who believe in the revelations of their Lord

who do not commit shirk with their Lord

who give to charity whatever they can give, and their hearts are full of fear by the very idea that they shall have to return to their Lord

it is they who rush in doing good deeds and try to be the first in attaining them

We charge no soul with more than it can bear; We have a Book of record which shall clearly tell the truth, and they shall not be treated unjustly

But their hearts are blind to all this; and their deeds are also different from the believers. They will continue doing their misdeeds

until when We seize those of them who live in comfort with punishment; lo! Then they start crying for help in supplication

We shall say: "Do not cry for help this Day, for surely from Us you shall receive no help

My revelations were recited to you, but you used to turn back on your heels

in arrogance, talking nonsense about The Qur’an like one telling fables by night

Do they not ponder over the Word of Allah or has anything new come to them which did not come to their forefathers

Or is it because they do not recognize their Messenger, who is a member of their own community, that they deny him

Or are they really convinced that he is a madman? Nay! In fact he has brought them the Truth and most of them dislike the Truth

Had the Truth followed their appetites, the heavens, the earth and everything therein would have been disrupted. Nay! We have given them their reminder, but they are heedless to their reminder

Or is it that you are asking them for some recompense? But the recompense of your Lord is the best, for He is the best provider of sustenance

As a matter of fact, you (O Muhammad) are calling them to the Straight Way

and surely those who do not believe in the hereafter will ever stray from the Straight Way

If We show them mercy and relieve them of their affliction, they would obstinately persist in their rebellion, blindly wandering to and fro

for even now, when We have inflicted punishment on them, they have neither submitted to their Lord nor humbled themselves towards Him

Until when We open upon them a gate of severe punishment, you will see that they are plunged in utter despair

It is Allah Who has given you ears, eyes and hearts - yet seldom you show gratitude

it is He Who has placed you in the earth and before Him you shall all be assembled on the Day of Judgement

It is He Who gives life and cause you to die, and in His control is the alternation of the night and the day: then why don’t you understand

On the contrary they just say what their forefathers said before them

who said: "What! After death when our bodies become dust and bones, could we really be raised to life again

We have heard many such threats and so did our forefathers before us. These are nothing but legends of primitive people

Say: "To whom belongs the earth and everything therein? Tell me if you know

They will promptly reply: "to Allah!" Ask them: "Then why you do not use your common sense and believe in Him

Say: "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the Glorious Throne

Right away they will say: "Allah." Ask them: "Then why you do not fear Him

Say: "In whose hands is the sovereignty of all things, protecting all, while against Him there is no protection? Tell me if you know

Quickly they will reply: "Allah." Ask them: "Then how can you be so bewitched

The fact of the matter is that We have brought them the Truth, and undoubtedly these people are liars

Never has Allah begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. Had it been so, each god would govern his own creation, and each would have tried to overpower the others. Exalted be Allah, above the sort of things they attribute to Him

He knows what is hidden and what is open: far above is He from the shirk of these people

Pray: "O my Lord! If You inflict that punishment with which they are being threatened in my lifetime

then O Lord, do not include me amongst these unjust people

Surely We have the power to let you see the punishment with which they are being threatened

Repel evil with good - We are fully aware of their slanders

and say, "O my Lord! I seek refuge in You from the prompting of the Satans

and O Lord! I seek refuge in You even from their coming near me

These people will never refrain from wrongdoing until when death comes to anyone of them, he will say: "O Lord! Send me back

so that I may do good deeds in the world that I have left behind." Never! This is just a statement which carries no value, it will be too late because there will be a barrier between them and the world they have just left till the Day they are raised to life again

On the Day when the Trumpet will be blown, they will neither have worldly relations between them any more, nor will they ask about each other

Then only those whose weight of good deeds is heavy, will attain salvation

As for those whose weight of good deeds is light, they will be the ones who have lost their souls to live in hell forever

The Fire will burn their faces and they will grin therein with their lips displaced

We shall say to them: "Were My revelations not recited to you, and did you not deny them

They will say: "O our Lord! Our misfortune overwhelmed us and we became erring folk

Our Lord! Get us out of here; if we ever return to sin, then we shall indeed be wrongdoers

In answer to this Allah will say: "Stay here in shame and do not plead with Me

For you are the same people, who used to make fun of some of My worshippers who prayed: ‘Our Lord, We believe in You; please forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the Best of those who show mercy!’

But you ridiculed them so much, that you even forgot My very existence, and went on laughing at them

Today I have rewarded them for their fortitude, and they are the ones who have achieved bliss

They will be asked: "How many years did you live on earth

They will reply: "We lived there a day or part of a day; You may ask those who kept the count

It will be said: "Well, now you know that your stay was just a little while - what a pity, you did not believe it then

Therefore, exalted be Allah, the Real King; there is no god but Him, the Lord of the Honorable Throne

Whoever invokes another god besides Allah - about whose divinity he has no proof -he will have to give an account to his Lord. Surely such unbelievers will never attain salvation

Say: "O Lord, forgive, have Mercy, You are the Best of those who show mercy