English Sahih International

Is it too much of a wonder for people that We reveal Our Message to a man among them? "You shall warn mankind, and give good news to those who attain belief that they have a sure footing with their Lord." Those who are bent upon denying the Truth, say, "This man is an obvious wizard." (He is gifted with spellbinding eloquence).

To Him is your ultimate return, all of you. Allah's Promise is the unwavering Truth. He creates the first creation, and He will create it again so that every action may have its Just Recompense. Those who attained belief and worked to augment the society will have their just reward. And those who rejected the Truth, for them will be a burning draught of despair and a painful doom because of their persistent refusal to acknowledge the Truth. (A consequence of their own doings (33:24), (34:3-4), (45:22), (53:31)).

In the difference of day and night, and all that Allah has created in the heavens and the earth, there are signs for those who wish to walk aright.

Their home will be the Fire that they have earned (ignited) with their own actions.

Their prayer therein will be, "Glory be to You, O Allah!" Their greeting to one another will be, "Peace!" The conclusion of their prayer will be, "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!" (And so shall be the peaceful Ideal Society on earth. They will realize that the good of one is the good of another and see how Praiseworthy the Giver of such Blissful Guidance is).

When affliction befalls man, he cries unto Us, whether he be lying, or sitting or standing. But when We have relieved him of the affliction, he goes his way as if he had never cried unto Us for what afflicted him. Those who trespass the Divine Laws, lose discernment and even their ill deeds then seem fair to them.

Now, We have made you their successors in the land, to behold how you behave.

Say, "If Allah wanted otherwise, I would have not recited and conveyed this to you, nor would have made you aware of it. Indeed, a whole lifetime have I dwelt among you before this. (You have always called me Al-Amin, the trustworthy). Will you not, then, use your reason?"

They worship and obey besides Allah, deities that can neither harm nor benefit them. They say, "These are our intercessors with Allah." Say, "Are you informing Allah of what He knows not in the heavens and the earth? Glory to Him! (39:3). He is High, Exalted above all that they associate with Him."

And they say, "Why was not a miracle sent down upon him from his Lord?" Then answer (O Prophet), "The Unseen is known to Allah alone. Wait for the results of my Program. Indeed, I shall be waiting with you." (That will be the best sign for all of us to behold).

He it is Who enables you to travel in the land and the sea. When you board the ships, the ships sail with the voyagers with a favorable breeze. And they rejoice therein. If a stormy wind comes and the waves surround them, they think they are overwhelmed. Then they implore God, in all sincerity turning to His Universal Laws, saying, "If You only save us this time, we will truly show our gratitude."

Those who do not invest in the life to come must consider a similitude: The life of the world is a passing delight: We send down water from the height to produce with it all kinds of plants from the earth, provision for humans and animals. Then, just as the earth has taken its ornament and is perfectly adorned, and its people think that they are in control, Our Command arrives by night or by day, leaving it completely barren, as if nothing existed there yesterday. The only way to inherit the fruit of your labor in the Hereafter is to live by Our Laws. We expound Our Revelations and Signs in Nature for those who use their intellect.

Those who benefit humanity get rewarded manifold. No dust of sadness and no trace of humiliation will overshadow their faces. Such are the rightful dwellers of the Garden; they will abide therein.

One Day We will gather all of them together. We will say to those who acknowledged false deities, "Stay back, you and your pretended partners of Allah!" We will have the leaders and their followers confront each other. Their leaders will say, "It was not us you worshiped."

Therein every person will experience exactly what he or she did before. Then they are returned to Allah, their MAULA, the True Lord Supreme, and all their false imagery leaves them in the lurch. (There is no MAULANA but Allah).

Such is Allah, your Rightful Lord. After the Truth what is there but error? How could you then turn away?

Ask them, "Can any of your 'partner gods' originate Creation and carry them through evolution?" Say, "Allah originates Creation and carries them through evolution. How are you then so misled?"

The majority of the people follow nothing but conjecture. Surely, conjecture can never at all be a substitute for the Truth. Allah is Knower of how they act (and forge).

Or, do they say, "He has invented it?" Tell them, "Bring one Surah like this and call for help everyone you can besides Allah, if you are truthful." (2:23), (11:13). (One chapter like this in beauty, eloquence and wisdom. And "besides Allah" would mean, without copying phrases and sentences from the Qur'an).

And of them is he who believes in this (Qur'an), and of them is he who does not believe in it. And your Lord is best Aware of those who are bent upon denial and want corruption and disorder to go on.

Among them are those who apparently listen to you. (But their thoughts are wandering). Can you make those deaf to hear who do not use reason? (47:16).

Allah is never unjust to human beings; but people wrong themselves. (Failing to use the God-given faculties is the first wrong one can commit. It brings the humans down to subhuman levels (7:179)).

Whether We let you (O Messenger), behold something of what We promise them, or cause you to die, unto Us is their return (and the Law of Requital is ever vigilant). Allah is the Watcher over what they do.

They say, "When will the promise be fulfilled, if you believers are truthful?"

Say, "Have you thought, when His retribution comes to you suddenly by night, or in the bustling day, what portion of it would the guilty wish to hasten?"

It will be said to the oppressors and violators of human rights, "Taste the eternal torment, the exact reward of what you earned."

Whoever oppresses people, has wronged his own "Self". Even if they possessed everything on earth, they would readily present it as ransom. But they will be ashamed within themselves, when they see the doom. They will be judged fairly and no wrong shall be done to them.

He it is Who gives life and death. You and your actions will be returned to Him.

Say, "In this Bounty of Allah and in His Grace - in this, then, let them rejoice. It is better than all the treasures that they may amass."

Does it ever occur to the people who tamper with religion and invent lies concerning Allah, that they will have to face Him on the Resurrection Day? Allah is Infinitely Bountiful toward mankind, but the majority of them do not show gratitude in word and action.

Remember that people who strive to establish the Divine System, become the friends of Allah. They will have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve.

There is good news for them in this world and in the life to come. (This is Allah's Word). Allah's Words never change. (And changeless are His Laws (33:62), (35:43), (48:23). And you will never find even a slight turn in His Laws (17:77)). Success in the world and in the life to come is the Supreme Triumph.

Behold! Verily, all creatures in the heavens and all creatures in the earth belong to Allah. (All are His subjects). So, what do they follow who call upon "partners" of Allah? They follow nothing but the conjecture of others, and themselves do nothing but guess.

And yet they assert, "God has taken unto Himself a son!" Glory to Him! Self-sufficient is He. Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. No evidence whatever you have for this assertion! Would you ascribe to God something you really don't know?

They get their fleeting share in this world, but then unto Us is their return. Our Law of Requital will have them effectively taste a dreadful doom, for they chose to live in the darkness of falsehood.

But if you change your mind and turn away from hostility, do so for your own good. I have asked of you no wage. My wage is with Allah alone, and I am commanded to be of those who surrender to Him."

Then after him We sent many Messengers to their respective nations and they brought them clear evidence of the Truth. They preemptively refused to accept the Message. And they were not the kind of people who would rethink their decisions. Our Law puts a seal on the hearts of those who trespass the bounds of reason.

When the Truth from Us came to them, they said, "This is clearly nothing but magic."

They said, "Have you come to turn us away from our ancestral ways, and so that you two become prominent in the country? However, we will not believe in you two."

And when they came, Moses said to them, "Begin with your presentation."

Allah will always vindicate the Truth by His Laws. Societies will flourish only when they embrace the Permanent Value System. Even though, the guilty that are used to thriving on the toil of others, will hate equity."

Moses said, "O My people! If you have believed in Allah and surrendered to Him, then be steadfast in your resolve and action by putting your trust in Him.

"Save us with Your Mercy from these ruthless disbelieving folk."

(Moses promised to proceed on these lines.) He prayed, "Our Lord! You have given Pharaoh and his chiefs a life of luxury and abundance. Our Lord! With their resources and might they continue with their oppression and lead people astray from Your Path. Our Lord! Destroy their riches and make their faculties incapable of contriving their oppressive designs. They will not see the Truth unless they face an awful suffering."

We brought the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh with his armies pursued them in rage and bitter enmity. When Pharaoh was drowning, he cried out, "I believe that there is no god but the One in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of those who surrender."

Nay, but this day We will only save you in your body so that you may remain a lesson for generations to come. A great many of mankind remain heedless of Our Signs.

(O Prophet), If you ever think whether the Revelation We send to you could be an inspiration from your heart, ask the angels who bring it. They read it before you read it. Verily the Truth has come to you from your Lord. Be not of those who waver.

Verily, they who violate your Lord's Law of Guidance, will not believe (4:88).

For, alas, there has never yet been any community that attained belief, and benefited by its belief, except the nation of Jonah. When they embraced belief, We removed from them the suffering of disgrace, and let them enjoy their term. (37:147-148). (They used to live in humiliation at Nineveh. When they accepted the Divine Message, they prospered for about two centuries between 800-612 B.C. Then the Midyans conquered them. After the demise of Jonah, his people had been fast ignoring the Divine Word revealed to Jonah, and leaning towards the resurging priest class. The invaders set on fire the wonderful town of Nineveh. The spacious 60 mile wide, and beautiful town was reduced to ashes. The king of Assyria got himself burnt alive in the palace, and that was the end of the Assyrian dynasty).

None can attain conviction contrary to Allah's Laws. And those who do not use their intellect are made to carry loads of confusion on their minds.

Can they expect other than the days of calamity that befell those who passed away before them? Say, "Wait then! I shall wait with you."

Say, "O Mankind! If you have any doubt about the System that I am trying to establish, and if you believe that other parallel systems can be of avail to you, let us go ahead with our programs. I worship not and obey not those whom you worship and obey instead of Allah. But I obey Allah Who causes you do die (and Who controls the Laws of life and death of individuals and nations). I have been commanded to be of the believers."

Do not ever call on deities besides Allah. They have no control over your harm or benefit. If you expected help outside the Laws of Allah, you will be among the wrongdoers.

Say, "O Mankind! Now has come to you the Truth from your Lord. So whoever chooses to follow the right path, follows it for his own "Self". And whoever chooses to go astray, goes astray to his own hurt. And I am not a guardian over you."