Book,
you stand upon no ground, unless
you stand firmly by the Torah
and the Gospel and what was
revealed to you from your Lord.”
But what was revealed to you
from your Lord, Prophet, simply deepens
the rebellion and disbelief
of most of them—but do not grieve
over people who disbelieve.
69Those who believe, including
Jews, Sabians,° and Christians—
all who believe in God
and the last day
and do good works—
they shall not fear, nor grieve.
70We made a covenant
with the children of Israel,
and We sent messengers to them.
Whenever these brought to them
directives not suiting their desires,
they rejected some of them
and killed others.
71They thought there would be
no trial—so they became
blind and deaf.
Yet God turned to them [in mercy],
yet, again, many of them became
blind and deaf—
God Sees all that they do.
72Those who say,
“God is the messiah, son of Mary”
disbelieve. For the messiah said,
“Children of Israel, worship God—
my Lord and your Lord.”
God will bar from the garden those
who associate others with Him;
their home shall be the fire,
and there shall be none
to help the wrongdoers.
73Those who say,
“God is the third in a trinity”
disbelieve. There is no god
beyond the One God, and if they
don’t desist from saying this,
those of them who disbelieve
shall face painful torment.
74So why don’t they turn to God,
seeking His forgiveness?
For God is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
75The messiah, son of Mary,
was but a messenger, and before him
other messengers passed away.
His mother was a truthful woman;
they both ate food [like other mortals].
See how We make clear
Our signs [to people], and see
how deluded they are!
76Say, “Do you worship
something other than God
which has the power
neither to do you harm or good?”
God is All Hearing, All Knowing.
77Say, “People of the Book,
don’t trespass, in your religion,
beyond the boundaries of truth.
And don’t follow the desires of those
who went astray before
and led many others astray—those
who strayed from the even path.”
SECTION 11
78The unbelievers among
the children of Israel were cursed
by the words of David and of Jesus,
son of Mary—for they disobeyed
and were always transgressing.
79They would not forbid
one another from the iniquities
they committed. The things
they did were wicked.
80You see many of them
turning to the unbelievers.
The deeds their souls
bring to their own account°
are wicked—God’s wrath
falls upon them, and they
will dwell in torment forever.
81If they had believed
in God and the Prophet
and what has been revealed to him,
they would not have taken
[the unbelievers] as allies.
But most of them are disobedient.
82You’ll find that, of all people,
the Jews and polytheists are
most hostile to the believers;
you’ll find those who say,
“We are Christians” nearest
in love to the believers, for
among them are priests and monks
who are not filled with pride.
83When they hear what
is revealed to the messenger,
you’ll see their eyes brim with tears,
for they know the truth. They say,
“Our Lord, we believe, so record us
among the witnesses.”
84“Why would we not believe
in God and the truth that has
come to us? For we yearn
for our Lord to include us
among the righteous people.”
85And God has rewarded them
for what they say, with gardens
with rivers flowing beneath;
there they shall live forever—
that is the reward
of those who do good.
86But those who disbelieve
and deny Our signs
shall be inmates of hellfire.
SECTION 12
87You who believe,
do not forbid the good things
which God has made lawful for you,
and do not transgress—for God
does not love transgressors.
88Eat of the lawful and good things
that God has given, and be mindful
of the One God in Whom you believe.
89God will not call you to account
for what you utter unthinkingly
in your oaths,
but He will call you to account
for the oaths you pledge solemnly.
To atone for breaking an oath,
you should feed ten needy people,
as you would feed your families,
or else clothe them, or free a slave.
Whoever finds this beyond their means
should fast for three days.
This is the atonement for oaths
you have sworn. So keep your oaths.
In this way, God makes clear
His signs for you,
that you might be grateful.
90You who believe—
wine, games of chance,
sacrifices at stone altars, and
arrows used for divining
are all an abomination—
the work of Satan.
So turn away from them,
that you may flourish.
91Satan desires merely
to incite enmity and hate
between you, through wine
and games of chance, and
to impede you from
remembrance of God
and from prayer.
Will you not, then, refrain?
92So, obey God, and obey
the messenger, and be wary;
and if you turn away, know that
Our messenger’s task is only
to convey the message clearly.
93Those who believe and
do good deeds will not be blamed
for what they ate in the past,
if they are mindful of God,
believe, and do good deeds;
then are still mindful of God
and believe;
then are still mindful of God
and do better deeds—
for God loves those who do good.
SECTION 13
94You who believe, God will
test you through the game you hunt
with your hands and spears
that He may know who fears Him,
even though they cannot see Him;
and whoever transgresses after this
shall face painful torment.
95You who believe, do not kill prey
while you are dressed as pilgrims.
Those of you who do so willfully
must compensate,
by bringing to the Kaʿba°
a domestic beast as an offering,
equivalent to what they killed,
as judged by two just men among you,
or, as atonement, by feeding
needy people or, instead,
by fasting—so that they may taste
the seriousness of their act.
God will pardon a past action,
but if anyone repeats it,
God will requite them,
for God is Almighty,
Lord of Requital.
96It’s lawful for you and travelers
to catch and eat prey from the sea,
but to hunt prey from the land
is unlawful for you while dressed
as pilgrims. And be mindful of God,
to Whom you will be gathered.
97God made the Kaʿba,
the Sacred House, a secure haven
for humankind, as also
the sacred months, and the animals
for sacrifice, and the garlands—
all, so you might know that
God knows all that is in
the heavens and the earth,
and that God Knows all things.
98Know also that
God is Severe in Retribution
yet He is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
99It is the messenger’s task
only to convey the message;
for God knows all that you reveal,
and all that you conceal.
100Say, “The good and the bad
are not equal, even though
the abundance of bad things
may please you.
So be mindful of God,
You who possess insight,
that you might flourish.”
SECTION 14
101You who believe,
don’t ask about things [hidden]
which, if made clear, would grieve you.
But if you ask about them
when the Quran is revealed,
they will be made clear to you;
and God will pardon your asking,
for God is Forgiving, Forbearing.
102People before you asked such questions
and ended up disbelieving.
103It was not God who set up
the dedication to idols of
a slit-eared she-camel, nor
a she-camel freed to pasture, nor
a twin-bearing female, nor
a camel stallion freed to stud°—
but rather, those who disbelieve,
inventing a lie against God,
for most of them do not
make use of reason.
104And when they are told,
“Embrace what God has revealed
to His messenger,” they say,
“What our forefathers left us°
is quite sufficient for us.”
Really? Even though their forefathers
knew nothing and were not guided?
105You who believe, you are
accountable for your souls.
Those who stray can’t harm you
if you are guided. To God
you will all be returned,
and He will inform you
of all that you have done.
106You who believe, when death
approaches any one of you,
let two just men among you testify
when a will is being made,
or two others from outside
if you are traveling in the land
and happen to meet your death.
If you doubt [the two witnesses],
detain them both after prayer,
and let them both swear by God:
“We shall not sell our testimony,
even for a close relative, and
we shall not hide God’s testimony,
for then we would be sinning.”
107But if it is perceived
that these two were guilty
of the sin [of perjury], let
them be replaced by two others
among those who are deemed
more worthy than the first two,
and let them swear by God:
“Our testimony is truer than
that of those two, and
we have not transgressed, for then
we would be doing wrong.”
108This will make them more likely
to give true evidence, or make them
wary that their oaths might be
countered by the oaths of others.
So be mindful of God, and listen—
for God does not guide
a disobedient people.
SECTION 15
109On the day God gathers
the messengers together,
He will ask,
“How were you answered?”
They will respond,
“We do not know;
You alone Know the unseen.”
110And God will say,
“Jesus, son of Mary, remember
my favor to you and to your mother,
when I strengthened you
with the holy spirit;
you spoke to the people from
the cradle and in maturity, and when
I taught you the Book and wisdom,
the Torah and the Gospel, and when
you created from clay the form of a bird
by My leave—you breathed into it
and it became a bird,
by My leave;
and you healed the blind and the leper
by My leave;
and when you brought forth the dead
by My leave;
and when I held back from you
the children of Israel, when
you came to them with clear signs,
for the disbelievers among them said,
“This is clearly nothing but magic.”
111When I inspired the disciples
of Christ to believe in Me and
in My messenger, they proclaimed,
“We believe—bear witness
that we submit to God’s will.”
112When the disciples said,
“Jesus, son of Mary, can your Lord
send down to us from heaven
a table spread with food?
He said, “Be mindful of God
if you are true believers.”
113They said, “We want to eat of it
and ease our hearts, and to know
that you have told us the truth,
so that we may be witnesses to it.”
114Jesus, son of Mary, said,
“O God, our Lord, send to us
from heaven a table spread
with food, as a festival
for the first of us and the last—
as a sign from You.
Provide for us—for You
are the Best of Providers.”
115God responded,
“I am sending it to you,
but I shall punish any of you
who disbelieves after that,
with a punishment such as
I have never imposed on anyone
in all the world.”
SECTION 16
116And when God asked,
“Jesus, son of Mary, did you say
to people, ‘Take me and my mother
both as gods instead of God,’ ”
he will answer, “Glory be to You;
I would never say what I had no right
to say—if I had said it,
You would have known it. You know
what is within me, but I do not know
what is within You—Knower
of all that is unseen.
117“I said to them only
what you commanded me to,
‘Worship God, my Lord and
your Lord,’ and I was a witness
to them while I was among them.
When You raised