believing slave.
Let those unable to do this
fast for two straight months,
turning in repentance to God,
for God is All Knowing, All Wise.
93Anyone who kills a believer
willfully will have hell
as their recompense, to dwell
there forever, with God’s wrath
and curse upon them—
God has prepared for them
a great punishment.
94You who believe, when you
venture out in the cause of God,
be cautious [in telling friend from foe],
and don’t say to one who greets you
with peace, “You are no believer”
—seeking the fleeting goods
of worldly life—for God
has abundant treasures.
You yourselves were like this
before God showed favor to you.
So, be scrupulous, for God
is Aware of all that you do.
95The believers who remain behind
—excepting the disabled—
are not equal to those striving
in the cause of God, with their wealth
and their lives. God grants
a higher rank to those who so strive
over those who remain.
God has promised good for all,
but He will favor those who strive
over those who remain, with
a great reward,
96conferring on them exalted rank,
forgiveness and mercy. For God
is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
SECTION 14
97When the angels take the lives
of those who wrong themselves,
they will ask,
“What was your plight?”
The wrongdoers will reply,
“We were downtrodden on earth.”
The angels will respond,
“Was God’s earth not wide enough
for you to find refuge?”
Such people will find their abode
in hell—an evil end—
98except those who were
indeed downtrodden
—men, women, and children—
with no means and no guidance
to find a way out.
99Perhaps God will pardon
such people, for He
is Ever Pardoning, Forgiving.
100Whoever forsakes his home
for God’s path will find on earth
many a refuge—and abundance;
and whoever forsakes his home
fleeing toward God and His Prophet,
and then is overtaken by death,
shall find his due reward from God,
for God is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
SECTION 15
101When you travel in the land
you incur no blame if you
shorten your prayers, fearing
that the disbelievers might
attack you—the disbelievers
are your open enemies.
102And when you, Prophet,
are among the believers, and
stand to lead them in prayer,
let one group stand with you,
retaining their arms, and
when they finish bowing in prayer,
let them move behind you,
while another group comes forward
to pray with you, using due vigilance,
their arms with them.
The disbelievers hope you might
neglect your arms and baggage,
so they might assault you in a
single strike. But there’s no blame
if, hampered by rain or illness,
you lay down your arms.
But be vigilant.
God has prepared for the disbelievers
a disgraceful punishment.
103Even after finishing prayer,
keep remembering God,
whether standing, sitting,
or lying on your sides.
And when you feel secure,
resume regular prayer—
prayer is enjoined for believers
at appointed times.
104And don’t falter
in pursuing the enemy.
Though you suffer,
they too suffer like you—
but you have hope in God,
while they have none.
God is All Knowing, All Wise.
SECTION 16
105We have sent down
to you the Book with the truth
that you might use
what God has shown you
to judge between people—
so do not plead for those
who are treacherous.
106But seek forgiveness
from God, for God is
Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
107And do not plead for
those who betray themselves—
for God does not love
the treacherous, the sinful.
108They try to hide from people,
but they can’t hide from God,
for He is with them
when they conspire by night
using words He finds displeasing—
God Encompasses all that they do.
109Here you are, believers,
pleading for them,
in the life of this world—
but who will plead for them to God,
on the day of resurrection?
Who will be their defender?
110Yet whoever does evil
or wrongs himself, then
seeks forgiveness from God,
shall find God Forgiving,
Ever Merciful.
111And whoever reaps sin
reaps it for himself—
God is All Knowing, All Wise.
112But whoever reaps
a wrong or sin, and foists it
on an innocent person
will burden himself
with slander and blatant sin.
SECTION 17
113Without God’s favor to you,
and His mercy, a party of them
would have resolved
to lead you astray. But they
lead only themselves astray,
and cannot harm you in any way,
since God has sent to you the Book
and wisdom, teaching you
what you did not know—
God’s favor to you is great.
114There’s no virtue
in most of their furtive talk—unless
one of them enjoins charity, kindness,
or harmony between people.
To anyone who does this, seeking
to please God, We shall grant
a great reward.
115But those who oppose
the messenger, after clear guidance
has come to them, and follow
some other path than that
of the believers, We’ll let them follow
what they have chosen—and We shall
burn them in hell—an evil end.
SECTION 18
116God will not forgive
the joining of other gods with Him,
but He will forgive all else
for whom He pleases.
Whoever joins other gods
with the One God
has wandered far astray.
117Instead of calling on God,
the polytheists call on goddesses°—
and they call on none
but a rebellious Satan.
118God cursed him, and Satan said,
“I will take a due quota of your servants;
119“and I will lead them astray,
and excite vain desires in them,
and command them to slit the ears
of cattle, and command them
to deface God’s creation.”
Whoever takes Satan as protector
instead of God
shall suffer glaring loss.
120Satan makes them promises,
and incites vain desires in them—
but he promises nothing
but delusion.
121[His followers] shall
have their dwelling in hell,
from which they shall find no escape.
122But We shall admit those
who believe and do good deeds
into gardens, with rivers flowing
beneath, dwelling there forever—
the true promise of God. For who
speaks with greater truth than God?
123Your desires [carry no weight]
nor those of the people of the Book—
whoever does evil shall be
requited for it, and they shall find
no protector or helper besides God.
124We shall admit into the garden
whoever does good deeds and believes
—whether male or female—
and they shall not be wronged
by even the breadth of hair
on a date seed.
125Who is better in religion than
one who submits his entire self
to God, does what is good,
and follows the creed of Abraham,
the pure in faith?°
For God held Abraham as friend.
126To God belongs
all that is in the heavens and
all that is on the earth—
God Encompasses all things.
SECTION 19
127They ask you, Prophet,
for your ruling on women. Say,
“God gives the ruling on them—[see]
what is recited to you in the Book
concerning orphan girls whom
you wish to marry, while withholding
their prescribed shares. [God also
gives you the ruling concerning]
children who are helpless: you should
uphold justice for orphans—God
is Aware of whatever good you do.
128If a wife fears ill conduct
or desertion by her husband,
neither of them will be culpable
if they reach a mutual agreement,
for this is better.°
People are prone to avarice,
but if you do good deeds
and are mindful of Him,
God is Aware of what you do.
129You will never be able
to deal justly between wives,
however much you may want to.
But don’t incline altogether
toward one of them, leaving the other
in abeyance.° If you reconcile,
and are mindful of Him,
God is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
130But if they separate,
God will enrich them
from his expanse, for
God is Expansive, All Wise.
131To God belongs
all that is in the heavens and
all that is on the earth.
We enjoined those
given the Book before you,
as We enjoin you,
to be mindful of God,
but if you disbelieve—still
to Him belongs
all that is in the heavens and
all that is on the earth.
God is Self-Sustaining,
Ever Worthy of Praise.
132To God belongs
all that is in the heavens and
all that is on the earth. He
suffices as Guardian of all trust.
133People, if He willed it,
He could remove you,
and replace you with others—
such is His Power.
134If any desires a worldly reward,
[know that] the reward
of this world and of the hereafter
are both from God—for God
is All Hearing, All Seeing.
SECTION 20
135You who believe, uphold justice,
as witnesses for God,
even if this proves to be
against yourselves or parents
or kin, whether rich or poor,
for God is closer to both.
Desist from your own desires
that you might behave
justly. If you distort
or turn away from justice,
God is Aware of all that you do.
136You who believe,
believe in God and His messenger,
and the Book He revealed
to His messenger,
and the Book He revealed before.
Whoever denies God, his angels,
His Books, His messengers,
and the day of reckoning
has gone far astray.
137God will not forgive
those who believe,
then disbelieve, then
believe again, then
disbelieve again, then
grow in unbelief—
nor will He guide them
to the right path.
138Tell these hypocrites that they
shall face a painful punishment.
139As for those who take
disbelievers as allies rather than
believers: is it power they seek
through them? All power
belongs to God alone.
140He has revealed to you in the Book
that if you hear the verses of God
being denied or mocked [by people],
don’t sit with them unless
they turn to some other discourse,
for then you would be like them.
God will gather the hypocrites and
disbelievers all together—in hell.
141These are the ones who wait on you
[for the outcome of battle],
and if God gives you victory,
they say, “Weren’t we with you?”
But if disbelievers make some gain,
they say, “Didn’t we have the edge
over you, yet defend you
from the believers?”
But God shall judge between you
on the day of reckoning,
and He shall never grant disbelievers
the means of defeating
those who believe.
SECTION 21
142The hypocrites seek
to deceive God, but it is He
Who will render them deceived.
When they stand in prayer,
they stand shiftlessly, merely
to be seen of people, and little
do they remember God—
143wavering, between
this and that, for neither
this side nor the other—
You will never find a way
for those whom God leaves astray.
144You who believe, don’t take
disbelievers over believers as allies.
Would you give God
clear proof against yourselves?
145The hypocrites shall be
in the lowest depths of fire,
and you shall never find
anyone to help them;
146except for those who repent,
amend themselves, and hold fast
to God, sincere to Him in faith.
They shall be with the believers—
to whom God will grant
a great reward.
147Why would God punish you
if you are grateful and believe?
For God is Appreciative, All Knowing.
148God dislikes the mentioning
of bad deeds in public, except by
someone who has been wronged;
and God is All Hearing, All Knowing.
149Whether you reveal
a good deed or conceal it,
or pardon an evil deed—
know that God is Pardoning,
All Powerful.
150As for those who deny God
and his messengers, and wish to
distinguish between God
and His messengers, saying,
“We believe in some but deny others,
and seek a middle way”—
151they are really disbelievers,
and We have prepared for them
a disgraceful punishment.
152We shall soon grant
their rewards to those who believe
in God and His messengers,
and make no distinction
among any of them—for God
is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
SECTION 22
153The people of the Book
ask you to send down to them
a book from heaven.
They asked of Moses more
than this, when they said:
“Show us God—openly.”
A thunderbolt struck them
for their offense.° Then,
they took the calf