English - Chapter 23 - Al-Muminun

HAPPY now the BELIEVERS

Who humble them in their prayer

And who keep aloof from vain words

And who are doers of alms deeds

And who restrain their appetites

Save with their wives, or the slaves whom their right hands possess: for in that case they shall be free from blame

But they whose desires reach further than this are transgressors

And who tend well their trusts and their covenants

And who keep them strictly to their prayers

These shall be the heritors

Who shall inherit the paradise, to abide therein for ever

Now of fine clay have we created man

Then we placed him, a moist germ, in a safe abode

Then made we the moist germ a clot of blood: then made the clotted blood into a piece of flesh; then made the piece of flesh into bones: and we clothed the bones with flesh: then brought forth man of yet another make - Blessed therefore be God, the most excellent of Makers

Then after this ye shall surely die

Then shall ye be waked up on the day of resurrection

And we have created over you seven heavens: - and we are not careless of the creation

And we send down water from the Heaven in its due degree, and we cause it to settle on the earth; - and we have power for its withdrawal

And by it we cause gardens of palm trees, and vineyards to spring forth for you, in which ye have plenteous fruits, and whereof ye eat

And the tree that groweth up on Mount Sinai; which yieldeth oil and a juice for those who eat

And there is a lesson for you in the cattle: We give you to drink of what is in their bellies, and many advantages do ye derive from them, and for food they serve you

And on them and on ships are ye borne

We sent Noah heretofore unto his people, and he said, "O my people! serve God: ye have no other God than He: will ye not therefore fear Him

But the chiefs of the people who believed not said, "This is but a man like yourselves: he fain would raise himself above you: but had it pleased God to send, He would have sent angels: We heard not of this with our sires of old

Verily he is but a man possessed; leave him alone therefore for a time

He said, "O my Lord! help me against their charge of imposture

So we revealed unto him, "Make the ark under our eye, and as we have taught, and when our doom shall come on, and the earth's surface shall boil up, Carry into it of every kind a pair, and thy family, save him on whom sentence hath already passed: and plead not with me for the wicked, for they shall be drowned

And when thou, and they who shall be with thee, shall go up into the ark; say, 'Praise be unto God, who hath rescued us from the wicked folk

And say, 'O my Lord! disembark me with a blessed disembarking: for thou art the best to disembark

Verily in this were signs, and verily we made proof of man

We then raised up other generations after them

And we sent among them an apostle from out themselves, with, "Worship ye God! ye have no other God than He: will ye not therefore fear Him

And the chiefs of His people who believed not, and who deemed the meeting with us in the life to come to be a lie, and whom we had richly supplied in this present life, said, "This is but a man like yourselves; he eateth of what ye eat, And he drinketh of what ye drink

And if ye obey a man like yourselves, then ye will surely be undone

What! doth he foretell you, that after ye shall be dead and become dust and bones, ye shall be brought forth

Away, away with his predictions

There is no life beyond our present life; we die, and we live, and we shall not be quickened again

This is merely a man who forgeth a lie about God: and we will not believe him

He said, "O my Lord! help me against this charge of imposture

He said, "Yet a little, and they will soon repent them

Then did the shout of the destroying angel in justice surprise them, we made them like leaves swept down by a torrent. Away then with the wicked people

Then raised we up other generations after them

Neither too soon, nor too late, shall a people reach its appointed time

Then sent we our apostles one after another. Oft as their apostle presented himself to a nation, they treated him as a liar; and we caused one nation to follow another; and we made them the burden of a tale. Away then with the people who believe not

Then sent we Moses and his brother Aaron, with our signs and manifest power

To Pharaoh and his princes; but they behaved them proudly, for they were a haughty people

And they said, "Shall we believe on two men like ourselves, whose people are our slaves

And they treated them both as impostors; wherefore they became of the destroyed

And we gave Moses the Book for Israel's guidance

And we appointed the Son of Mary, and His mother for a sign; and we prepared an abode for both in a lofty spot, quiet, and watered with springs

O ye apostles! eat of things that are good: and do that which is right: of your doings I am cognisant

And truly this your religion is the one religion; and I am your Lord: therefore fear me

But men have rent their great concern, one among another, into sects; every party rejoicing in that which is their own

Wherefore leave them till a certain time, in their depths of error

What! think they that what we largely, bestow on them of wealth and children

We hasten to them for their good? Nay, they have no knowledge

But they who are awed with the dread of their Lord

And who believe in the signs of their Lord

And who join no other gods with their Lord

And who give that which they give with hearts thrilled with dread because they must return unto their Lord

These hasten after good, and are the first to win it

We will not burden a soul beyond its power: and with us is a book, which speaketh the truth; and they shall not be wronged

But as to this Book, their hearts are plunged in error, and their works are far other than those of Muslims, and they will work those works

Until when we lay hold on their affluent ones with punishment; lo! they cry for help

Cry not for help this day, for by Us ye shall not be succoured

Long since were my signs rehearsed to you, but ye turned back on your heels

Puffed up with pride, discoursing foolishly by night

Do they not then heed the things spoken - whether that hath come to them which came not to their fathers of old

Or do they not recognise their apostle; and therefore disavow him

Or say they, "A Djinn is in him?" Nay! he hath come to them with the truth; but the truth do most of them abhor

But if the truth had followed in the train of their desires, the heavens and the earth, and all that therein is, had surely come to ruin! But we have brought them their warning; and from their warning they withdraw

Dost thou ask them for remuneration? But, remuneration from thy Lord is best; and He is the best provider

But verily they who believe not in the life to come, from that path do surely wander

And if we had taken compassion on them, and relieved them from their trouble, they would have plunged on in their wickedness, wildly wandering

We formerly laid hold on them with chastisement, yet they did not humble them to their Lord, nor did they abase them

Until, when we have opened upon them the door of a severe punishment, lo! they are in despair at it

It is He who hath implanted in you hearing, and sight, and heart; how few of you give thanks

It is He who hath caused you to be born on the earth: and unto Him shall ye be gathered

And it is He who maketh alive and killeth, and of Him is the change of the night and of the day: Will ye not understand

But they say, as said those of old

They say,"What! When we shall be dead, and have become dust and bones, shall we, indeed, be waked to life

This have we been promised, we and our fathers aforetime: but it is only fables of the ancients

SAY: Whose is the earth, and all that is therein; - if ye know

They will answer, "God's." SAY: Will ye not, then reflect

SAY: Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the glorious throne

They will say, "They are God's". SAY: Will ye not, then, fear Him

SAY: In whose hand is the empire of all things, who protecteth but is not protected? if ye know

They will answer, "In God's." SAY: How, then, can ye be so spell-bound

Yea, we have brought them the truth; but they are surely liars

God hath not begotten offspring; neither is there any other God with Him: else had each god assuredly taken away that which he had created, and some had assuredly uplifted themselves above others! Far from the glory of God, be what they affirm of Him

He knoweth alike the unseen and the seen: far be He uplifted above the gods whom they associate with Him

SAY: O my Lord! If thou wilt let me witness the infliction of that with which they have been threatened

O my Lord! place me not among the ungodly people

Verily, we are well able to make thee see the punishment with which we have threatened them

Turn aside evil with that which is better: we best know what they utter against thee

And SAY: "O my Lord! I betake me to Thee, against the promptings of the Satans

And I betake me to Thee, O my Lord! that they gain no hurtful access to me

When death overtaketh one of the wicked, he saith, "Lord, send me back again

That I may do the good which I have left undone." "By no means." These are the very words which he shall speak: But behind them shall be a barrier, until the day when they shall be raised again

And when the trumpet shall be sounded, the ties of kindred between them shall cease on that day; neither shall they ask each other's help

They whose balances shall be heavy, shall be the blest

But they whose balances shall be light, - these are they who shall lose their souls, abiding in hell for ever

The fire shall scorch their faces, and their lips shall quiver therein

What! Were not my signs rehearsed unto you? and did ye not treat them as lies

They shall say, "O our Lord! our ill-fortune prevailed against us, and we became an erring people

O our Lord! Bring us forth hence: if we go back again to our sins, we shall indeed be evil doers

He will say; "Be ye driven down into it; and, address me not

A part truly of my servants was there, who said, "O our Lord! we believe: forgive us, then, and be merciful to us, for of the merciful art thou the best

But ye received them with such scoffs that they suffered you to forget my warning, and ye laughed them to scorn

Verily this day will I reward then, for their patient endurance: the blissful ones shall they be

He will say, "What number of years tarried ye on earth

They will say, "We tarried a day, or part of a day; but ask the recording angels

God will say, "Short indeed was the time ye tarried, if that ye knew it

What! Did ye then think that we had created you for pastime, and that ye should not be brought back again to us

Wherefore let God be exalted, the King, the Truth! There is no god but He! Lord of the stately throne

And whoso, together with God, shall call on another god, for whom he hath no proof, shall surely have to give account to his Lord. Aye, it shall fare ill with the infidels

And SAY: "O my Lord, pardon, and have mercy; for of those who show mercy, art thou the best