a circle of evil, and the wrath of God
is upon them. He has cursed them
and prepared for them hell—
an evil destination.
7For the forces of the heavens
and earth belong to God;
God alone is Almighty, All Wise.
8We have sent you, Prophet,
as a witness, a bearer of joyous news,
and as one who warns
9so that [all of] you might believe
in God and His messenger,
honoring God, revering Him,°
glorifying Him morning and evening.
10Those who pledge allegiance
to you, Prophet, pledge allegiance
to God—the Hand of God
is over their hands.°
And those who break their oath
thereby harm their own soul.
But He will grant a great reward
to those who fulfill
their covenant with God.
SECTION 2
11The Bedouin Arabs who stayed back
will say to you, “Our properties
and our families kept us busy,
so seek forgiveness for us”—
their tongues speak what
is not in their hearts. Say,
“Who has power to intervene for you
with God, should He intend
either harm or gain for you?
Indeed, God is Aware
of all that you do.
12“Indeed—you thought the messenger
and the believers would never
come back to their families,
and this pleased your hearts—
but your thought was wicked—
you are a ruined people.”
13As for those who do not believe
in God and His messenger—
We have prepared a blazing fire
for such disbelievers.
14To God belongs dominion
of the heavens and the earth;
He forgives whom He will,
and punishes whom He will—
He is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
15When you set out for [the site] where
you might grasp the spoils of war,
Those who stayed back will say,
“Allow us to follow you”—they want
to change the words of God. Say,
“Never shall you follow us—
God said this before.” They will say,
“The truth is that you envy us.”
No—the truth is that they
have little understanding.
16Say to the Bedouin Arabs who stayed back,
“You will be called [to fight] against
a people of great military might.
You shall fight until they submit,
and if you obey, God will grant you
a fine reward, but if you turn back,
as you did before, He will punish you
with a painful torment.”
17The blind, the lame, and the sick
won’t be blamed [if they don’t fight].
God will usher those who obey Him
and His messenger into gardens,
beneath which rivers flow, but
He will punish those who turn away,
with a painful torment.
SECTION 3
18God was pleased with the believers
when they pledged allegiance to you
beneath the tree.° He knew
what was in their hearts, so He sent
down serenity upon them, and
rewarded them with a swift victory,
19and many spoils of war yet to take,
for God is Almighty, All Wise.
20God promised that you will take
many spoils of war, and He hastened
this for you, restraining the hands
of those against you—as a sign
for the believers, and so He might
guide you to a straight path.
21And there are more gains,
over which you have no power,
which God oversees,
for God has Power over all things.
22If the unbelievers had fought you,
they would have turned their backs—
finding then no protector or helper.
23This has been God’s way,
as before—you will never find
any change in God’s way.
24It was He Who restrained the hands
of those fighting against you, and
yours from them, in the valley of Mecca,
after He gave you victory over them—
for God Sees all that you do.
25They are the ones who disbelieved,
barred you from the sacred mosque
to stop the offering from reaching
its sacrificial site. Had there not been
believing men and women whom
you did not know among them,
whom you might have trampled,
unaware, thereby incurring blame,
[God would have let you advance
but instead held you back] so that
He might admit whom He will
into His mercy—if they had been
separated, We would have punished
the unbelievers among them
with a painful torment.
26While the unbelievers’ hearts
seethed with rage—ignorant rage—
God sent His serenity upon
His messenger and the believers,
making them cleave to their word
to be true to Him,° for they were
more deserving and worthy of this—
God is Knower of all things.
SECTION 4
27God has fulfilled the truth
of His messenger’s vision—
you shall enter the sacred mosque safely,
if God is willing, with shaved heads
or shortened hair, without fear—
for He knew what you did not know,
and decreed for you, besides this,
an imminent victory.
28It is He Who has sent
His messenger with guidance
and the religion of truth
to display its preeminence
over all [other] religion—
for God suffices as Witness.
29Muhammad is the messenger of God;
those with him are firm with unbelievers
and compassionate with one another—
you will see them bowing [in prayer]
and prostrating, seeking God’s favor
and His good pleasure. Their foreheads
bear the marks° of their prostrations.
This is how the Torah and the Gospel
present a parable of them: [they are]
like a seed which sends out its shoot
and makes it strong; then it thickens
and stands upon its own stem,
delighting those who sowed it°—
so that God might exasperate
the unbelievers by their means.
God has promised those among them
who believe and do good deeds
both forgiveness and a great reward.
SURA 49
The Private Apartments (Al-Hujurat)
A short (18 verses) late Medinan sura, this cites the protocol for behavior of believers with the Prophet (vv. 2–5), especially when they contact him from outside his private apartments (v. 4), and concludes with a critique of the Bedouin Arabs (vv. 14–18).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1You who believe, do not
put your own decisions
before those of God
and His messenger°—
rather, be mindful of God,
for God is All Hearing,
All Knowing.
2You who believe, do not
raise your voices above the voice
of the Prophet—and do not
speak loudly to him, as you might do
among one another, else
your deeds might be rendered vain
without your knowing it.
3Those who lower their voices
in the presence of God’s messenger
are the ones whose hearts
God has tested for righteousness.
They shall find forgiveness
and a great reward.
4As for those who call you, Prophet,
from behind your private apartments—
most of them fail to understand.
5If they had patience—[to wait]
until you came out to them—
that would be better for them.
But God is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
6You who believe—
if a wicked person comes to you
with news, see if it is true—
so you don’t harm people
through ignorance, and then
feel regret for what you did.
7And know that God’s messenger
is among you. If he were to heed
your wishes in many things,
you would surely suffer.
But God has endeared the faith to you
and beautified it in your hearts,
making disbelief, transgression,
and disobedience hateful to you—
such are those who are rightly guided—
8a grace and favor from God,
for God is All Knowing, All Wise.
9If two parties among the believers
fight, make peace between them.
If one seeks to oppress the other,
then oppose that party until they abide
by God’s command; when they do so,
make peace between them justly, and
be fair—God loves those who are fair.
10The believers are kin, so
make peace between your kin,
and be mindful of God
that you might be shown mercy.
SECTION 2
11You who believe—
Let no people [among you]
ridicule any other people,
for perhaps they are better than them;
nor should any group of women
ridicule another group,
for perhaps they are better than them;
nor revile, nor call one another
by [hurtful] nicknames. How terrible
to be called out in mockery
after embracing faith.
And those who don’t repent
are wrongdoers.
12You who believe,
avoid excessive suspicion, for
some kinds of suspicion are a sin.
And do not spy on one another,
nor backbite—would you like
to eat the flesh of your dead brother?
Of course not—you would hate it.
So, be mindful of God—
God is Ever Relenting, Merciful.
13Humankind, We created you
from a male and a female, then
We made you into nations and tribes,
that you might know one another.
The most noble of you in God’s sight
is the most mindful of Him—
God is All Knowing, All Aware.
14The Bedouin Arabs say, “We believe.”
Say to them, “You do not believe.
Rather, you should [first] say,
‘We have submitted to God’s will,’°
for belief has not yet entered
your hearts. But, if you obey God
and His messenger, He will not
withhold from you at all
the reward for your deeds—
God is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.”
15True believers are those
who believe in God and His messenger
and do not then fall into doubt;
who strive with their wealth and
give their lives in the cause of God—
they are the ones who are truly sincere.
16Say, “Would you presume
to instruct God in religion?
God knows all that is in the heavens
and all that is on the earth—
God is Knower of all things.”
17They consider it a favor to you
that they’ve submitted to God’s will.
Say, “Don’t think your submission
a favor to me; rather, God has favored you
in guiding you to the faith,
if you are truly sincere.”°
18God knows all that is unseen
in the heavens and the earth—
He Sees all that you do.°
SURA 50
Qaf (Qaf)
This Meccan sura begins with a single Arabic letter (qaf) elided into the opening verse. Its 45 verses appeal to God’s might and mercy in affirming resurrection from the dead (vv. 2–11). It contains a graphic account of two recording angels on the day (vv. 17–29) and ends with an injunction to the Prophet that he should “remind them, with the Quran—those who fear My warning” (v. 45).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1Qaf.°
By the glorious Quran—
2they wonder why one of their own
has come to warn them;
the unbelievers say, “How strange,
3“when we die and turn to dust
[shall we rise again]?
Such a return is a remote prospect.”
4We know well how the earth
decomposes them;° We have a Book
that preserves everything.°
5But they denied the truth
when it came to them,
and now they are confused
[as to right and wrong].
6Don’t they see the sky above them—
how We fashioned and furbished it,
with no fracture in it?
7And We spread out the earth, setting
firm mountains upon it, and made to flower
every kind of exuberant plant—
8to provide insight and a reminder
for every repenting servant.
9And We send down from the sky
rain that is blessed, and We raise
with it gardens and harvest grain,
10and tall palm trees, laden
with clusters of dates, layer on layer,
11as sustenance for Our servants,
and with rain We bring life to dead soil—
this is how [the dead] will come out.
12Before them,
the people of Noah disbelieved,
as did the people of Rass, Thamud,
13ʿAd, Pharaoh, the brothers of Lot,
14the people of Midian,
and the nation of Tubbaʿ°
—all denied the messengers,
so My warning was fulfilled.
15Did the first creation fatigue Us?
No—yet they doubt
the promise of a new creation.
SECTION
