69And the earth will shine
with the Light of its Lord;
the Book will be laid open
and the prophets and witnesses
brought forward. Fitting judgment
shall be passed on them
and they shall not be wronged.
70Every soul shall be paid
in full for its deeds;
and God knows best
all that they do.
SECTION 8
71The unbelievers will be driven
toward hell in throngs. When they
reach it, its gates shall open,
and its keepers shall ask,
“Did messengers not come to you
from among yourselves, reciting
to you the verses of your Lord,
and warning you of the meeting
with God on this day of yours?”
They will answer, “Yes, indeed.”
The threat of torment for unbelievers
has proven to be true.
72They will be told,
“Enter the gates of hell
to dwell there forever—
a wretched home for the proud.”
73But those who were mindful
of their Lord will be urged toward
the garden, in throngs. When they
reach it, its gates shall open,
and its keepers proclaim,
“Peace be with you.
You have done well. Enter here,
where you shall live forever.”
74They will say, “All praise be to God,
who has fulfilled His promise to us,
and has made us heirs to this realm.°
We can live where we will
in the garden,
how excellent is the reward
of those who labor [for God].”
75And you shall see the angels
surrounding the high throne, as
they hymn the praise of their Lord.
Fitting judgment shall be passed
among them, and these words
shall resound, “All praise be to God,
Lord of the universe.”
SURA 40
The Forgiving (Al-Ghafir)
A late Meccan sura, 85 verses in length, this is the first of seven consecutive suras that begin with the same two Arabic letters—ha mim. It begins with an encomium to God marked by six Divine Names, accenting the importance of belief and prayer. After a detailed story of Moses (vv. 23–53), the sura circles back to God, extolling the majesty and inviolability of the Creator who is also the Judge (vv. 54–85).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1Ha Mim.°
2This Book is a revelation from God,
the Almighty, the All Knowing,
3Forgiving of sin,
Accepting of repentance,
Severe in Requital,
Encompassing in Abundance°—
there is no god but Him.
To Him is the final return.
4None dispute the signs of God
but the disbelievers—
don’t let their [proud] ventures
in the land deceive you.
5Before them, the people of Noah
denied [the truth], as did factions
after them. Every nation schemed to
seize its messenger, and they disputed,
using falsehood to impugn the truth.
So I seized them—
how severe was My requital!
6Hence your Lord’s promise
[to punish] the disbelievers
was proven true—
they shall be inmates of the fire.
7Those who bear the throne,
and those around it, hymn the praise
of their Lord; they believe in Him
and ask forgiveness for those
who believe, “Our Lord,
You encompass all things
with mercy and knowledge—
so forgive those who repent
and follow Your path, and
save them from the torment of hell.
8“Our Lord, usher them
into everlasting gardens
which You have promised them
and the righteous among their fathers,
their wives, and their children—
for You are Almighty, All Wise.
9“And save them from all evils
—those whom you save on that day
are surely granted Your mercy—
that is the supreme triumph.”
SECTION 2
10The disbelievers will be told,
“God’s loathing of you
is greater than your self-loathing
for you were called to the faith
but you refused.”
11They will say, “Our Lord,
twice you placed us in a state
of non-being,° and twice
you brought us to life, and
now we acknowledge our sins—
is there no way out of this?”
12[They will be answered,]
“This is because, when the One God
was invoked, you disbelieved.
But when other gods were joined
with Him, you believed—
judgment belongs to God,
the Most High, Most Great.”
13It is He Who shows you His signs,
and sends down sustenance from the sky.
But only those who turn to God,
repenting, will take heed.
14So call upon God, with sincere faith
though disbelievers may hate this.
15Exalter of rank, Lord of the throne,
He sends the Spirit by His command
to whom He will of His servants,
to warn of the day of meeting—
16the day they will all
come forward. Nothing of them
is hidden from God—
Who holds dominion on this day?
God—the One, the Invincible.
17On that day every soul
shall be requited for what it earned.
No injustice shall occur that day—
God is Swift in Reckoning.
18Warn them of the approaching day
when their hearts will rise
to their throats, choked.
The wrongdoers will have no friend,
no intercessor who will be heeded.
19God knows their furtive glances
and what their hearts conceal.
20God will judge with justice—those
other gods they invoke besides Him
shall judge with nothing. It is God
Who is All Hearing, All Seeing.
SECTION 3
21Don’t they travel through the earth
and see the fate of those before them—
superior to them in strength
and influence on the earth?
Yet God seized them for their sins—
against God they have no protector.
22For messengers came to them
with signs, but they denied them,
so God seized them.
He is Strong, Severe in Requital.
23Earlier, We sent Moses
with Our signs, and clear authority,
24to Pharaoh, Haman, and Korah,°
but they retorted, “Lying sorcerer!”
25When he brought them the truth
from Us, they said, “Kill the sons
of those who believe with him,
and spare only their women.”
The disbelievers’ scheming is misconceived.
26Pharaoh said, “Let me kill Moses
even as he calls upon his Lord.
I fear that he’ll change your faith
or spread disorder through the land.”
27Moses said, “I have sought refuge
in my Lord and your Lord
from every proud person
who does not believe
in the day of reckoning.”
SECTION 4
28A believing man from Pharaoh’s people
who had concealed his faith said,
“Would you kill a man just for saying,
‘My Lord is the One God,’
and who has brought you clear proofs
from your Lord? If he is a liar,
the lie shall fall upon his own head.
But if he is truthful, some of the things
he threatens could fall upon you.
God does not guide
the liar and transgressor.
29“My people, today, as masters,
you hold sway in this land—but
who will help us against God’s wrath
if it falls upon us?” Pharaoh retorted,
“I merely tell you my view
and guide you to the right path.”
30The believer responded,
“My people, I fear for you
a day like that which fell
upon factions before you—
31“like the plight of the people
of Noah, ʿAd, Thamud, and those
who came after them—
though God never intends injustice
toward His servants.
32“And, my people,
I fear for you a day when
you will cry out to one another,
33“a day when you shall
turn and flee—you shall have
no protector against God—
and those whom God leaves to stray
shall have no guide.
34“And when Joseph came to you
in earlier times with clear proofs,
you never ceased to doubt his message,
and when he died, you proclaimed,
‘God shall never send a messenger
after him.’ So, God leaves to stray
those who doubt and transgress,
35“who dispute the signs of God
without being granted any sanction—
this is abhorrent in the sight of God
and the believers. Thus God seals up
the heart of every proud tyrant.”
36Pharaoh said, “Haman, build me
a high tower so I can climb the paths°—
37“the paths to the heavens
to gaze upon the god of Moses,
for I deem him a liar.”
And so, Pharaoh’s evil deeds
were made to seem fair to him,
he was barred from the right path;
and Pharaoh’s scheming led
to nothing but ruin.
SECTION 5
38The man who believed said,
“My people, follow me—
I’ll guide you to the right path.
39“My people, the life of this world
is merely a passing pleasure
but the hereafter is a lasting home.
40“Whoever does a wicked deed
shall be requited only with its like;
but whoever does good deeds,
—whether male or female—
and is a true believer,
shall enter the garden,
with provision beyond measure.
41“And, my people, how is it that I
call you to salvation, while you
call me to the fire?
42“You call me to disbelieve in God
and to join with Him partners
—of which I have no knowledge—
while I call you to the One
Who is Almighty, Forgiving.
43“Without doubt, what you call me to
has no claim to be invoked either
in this world or the hereafter.
We shall return to God,
and the transgressors shall be
inmates of the fire.
44“Soon you will remember
what I am saying to you:
I commit my affairs
to God—God Sees all
concerning His servants.”
45So God saved him
from their wicked scheming;
and dire punishment
engulfed Pharaoh’s people.
46They will be brought before the fire
morning and evening; and on the day
when the hour falls, a voice shall say,
“Strike the people of Pharaoh
with the most severe torment.”
47See, they will quarrel with one another
in the fire. The weak will say to the proud,
“We were but your followers. So can you
avert from us some portion of the fire?”
48The proud will answer,
“We are all in this together—
God has judged
between His servants.”
49The people in the fire will plead
with the keepers of hell,
“Call on your Lord to lighten
our punishment for a day.”
50But they will answer,
“Did messengers not come to you
with clear proofs?” “Yes, indeed,”
the inmates will say. And the keepers
will retort, “Plead, then”—
but the pleas of disbelievers
will be misconceived.
SECTION 6
51We shall help Our messengers
and those who believe,
both in the life of this world
and on the day when
witnesses will rise,
52the day when the excuses
of the wrongdoers
shall be of no use to them—
they shall be cursed
and have a wretched home.
53We gave guidance to Moses,
and We made the children of Israel
heirs to the Book—
54a guide and a reminder
for people of insight.
55Be patient, then—God’s promise
is true; ask forgiveness for your sin,°
and hymn the praise of your Lord
evening and morning.
56Those who dispute the signs of God
without being granted any sanction
have in their hearts only pride
that they will never satisfy.
Seek refuge, then, in God,
for He is All Hearing, All Seeing.
57Creation of the heavens and earth
was a greater thing
than the creation of humans,
yet most of humankind
do not know.
58The blind are not equal
to those who see;
nor are those who believe,
doing good deeds, equal
to those who commit evil deeds.
How little you take heed.
59The hour will undoubtedly come,
yet most people don’t believe.
60Your Lord says, “Call upon Me
and I shall answer you.
But those too proud to worship Me
shall enter hell—in disgrace.”
SECTION 7
61It is God Who has made the night
in which you might rest, and the day
giving light to your eyes. God is
Full of Grace toward humankind,
yet most of them are ungrateful.
62This is God, your Lord,
Creator of all things.
There is no god but Him—
so how can you be deluded?
63This is how deluded they are—
those who deny the signs of God.
64It is
