who give in charity, and lend to God
a beautiful loan—it will be multiplied
and theirs will be a noble reward.
19Those who believe in God
and His messengers are truthful—
they will bear witness
before their Lord.
They shall have their reward
and their light.
But those who disbelieve
and deny Our signs
shall be inmates of hellfire.
SECTION 3
20Know that the life of this world
is but play and idle pastime, with
adornment and mutual boasting,
and rivalry for gain in wealth
and children. It is like the rain
bringing up [a crop],
which delights the tillers.
But then it dries, and
you see it turn yellow, then
to stubble. In the hereafter
there is severe torment, but also
God’s forgiveness and approval—
for the life of this world is nothing
but diversion, delusion.
21Race to gain forgiveness
from your Lord, and a garden
as wide as the heaven and earth,
prepared for those who believed
in God and His messengers.
This is the grace that God
grants to whom He will,
for God’s grace is great.
22No misfortune can occur
on the earth or in yourselves
without being recorded before
We brought it into being—
that is easy for God—
23so that you don’t grieve
over what eludes you, nor exult
in what He has given you,
for God does not like
the proud and boastful,
24those who are miserly and
encourage others to be so.
As for those who turn away—
God is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.
25We sent down Our messengers
with clear proofs, and We sent with them
the Book and the balance°
that people might uphold justice.
And We sent down iron, which has
great strength and benefits for people—
so that God might know who will
help [His cause] and His messengers
[though He is] unseen.
For God is All Powerful, Almighty.
SECTION 4
26We sent Noah and Abraham,
and bestowed prophethood
and the Book upon their descendants.
Some among them were rightly guided,
but many were disobedient.
27Then We brought [more of]
Our messengers to follow
in their footsteps. After them
We sent Jesus, son of Mary,
to whom We gave the Gospel.
We placed compassion and mercy
in the hearts of his followers.
But they invented monasticism
—which We did not ordain for them—
to seek God’s good pleasure—
though they failed to observe it duly.°
Then we rewarded the believers
among them—but many were disobedient.
28You who believe, be mindful
of God, and believe in His messenger.
He will grant you a twofold portion
of His mercy; He will make a Light
for you, in which you shall walk,°
and He will forgive you—for God
is Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful—
29so that the people of the Book
might know that they have no power
whatsoever over the grace of God,
that this grace lies in His hands,
and He gives it to whom He will—
for God’s grace abounds.
SURA 58
The Woman Who Pleads (Al-Mujadila)
This Medinan sura of 22 verses takes its name from its subject: a woman who challenges her husband’s right to divorce her with a pre-Islamic formula (vv. 1–4). Stressing God’s omniscience and omnipotence (vv. 6–13), it also warns those who deceive or oppose Muhammad (vv. 14–21) and concludes with a promise that God will strengthen believers with His own spirit (v. 22).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1God has heard the words
of the woman who pleads with you
concerning her husband, and
refers her complaint to God.
And God hears both sides
of your exchange, for God
is All Hearing, All Seeing.
2As for those of you
who divorce their wives° by
pronouncing zihar against them
[misnaming them “mothers”]—
they are not their mothers.
Their mothers are only those
who gave them birth.
So what they say
is both wicked and false.
But God is Pardoning, Forgiving.
3But those who divorce their wives
in this way, then wish to go back
on what they have said,
should free a slave
before any mutual touching.
This is what you are enjoined to do,
for God is Aware of all that you do.
4And those without the means
[to do this] should fast for
two consecutive months
before any mutual touching.
And those unable to do this
should feed sixty poor people.
This is so you will believe in God
and His messenger, for these are
the limits set by God.
And a painful torment
awaits the disbelievers.
5Those who oppose God and His messenger
will be disgraced—like those before them.
For We have sent down clear signs.
And degrading torment awaits the disbelievers
6on the day that God raises them up together,
and informs them of all they have done.
God has recorded it though they have forgotten it.
For God is Witness to all things.
SECTION 2
7Do you not see that God knows
all that is in the heavens and
all that is on the earth—there is no
whispered converse between three people
but He is the fourth, nor between four
but He is the fifth, nor between five
but He is the sixth—nor fewer
nor more but He is with them
wherever they are. Then, on the day
of resurrection, He shall inform them
of all they have done.
For God is Knower of all things.
8Have you not seen those
who were forbidden from furtive talk
revert to doing what was forbidden,
conspiring in what is sinful, hostile,
and disobedient to the Prophet.
When they come to you,
they address you as God would never
address you,° and they say
to themselves, “Why does God
not punish us for what we say?”
Hell is enough for them, and
they shall burn in it—an evil end.
9You who believe—when you hold
secret counsel, do not conspire in sin,
hostility, and disobedience to the Prophet;
converse, rather, with a view
to righteousness and mindfulness
of God. Be mindful of God—the One
to Whom you will be gathered.
10Furtive talk is prompted by
Satan, to breed grief among believers.
But He cannot harm them at all
without leave from God.
So let the believers trust in God.
11You who believe, when told
to make room for one another
in the assemblies, do so—
God will make room for you.
And when you are told to rise, do so—
God will raise up in rank
those among you who believe
and who have been given knowledge.°
For God is Aware of all that you do.
12You who believe, when you
consult in private with the Prophet,
first offer alms. This will be better
for you, and more purifying.
But if you do not find
[the means to do this],
God is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
13Were you afraid of not being able
to give alms before consulting
with the Prophet? If you did not,
and God relents toward you,
be steadfast in prayer,
give in charity, and obey God
and His messenger.
For God is Aware of all that you do.
SECTION 3
14Do you not see those who befriend
people who have incurred God’s wrath?
They are not of you, nor you of them.
And they swear knowingly to what is false.
15God has prepared severe torment
for them; what they have done is evil.
16They have made their oaths
a screen [for their misdeeds], and
they bar [others] from the path of God—
theirs shall be a disgracing torment.
17Their wealth and their children
shall prove no use to them against God.
They are inmates of hellfire
where they shall dwell forever.
18On the day that God
raises them up together,
they will swear to Him,
as they swear to you—they think
they have something to stand on—
wrong—they are liars.
19Satan has overcome them.
making them forget remembrance
of God. They are the party of Satan—
a party that will lose out.
20Those who oppose God
and His messenger
shall be the most humiliated.
21God has decreed: “It is I
and My messengers who will prevail.”
God is All Powerful, Almighty.
22You will not find any people
who believe in God and the last day
befriending those who oppose
God and His messenger—even if
they are their fathers, sons, brothers,
or relatives. He has inscribed faith
within their hearts, strengthening them
with His own spirit.° He shall usher them
into gardens beneath which rivers flow,
to live there forever. God will be pleased
with them, and they with Him. They
are the party of God, and it is God’s party
who will surely succeed.
SURA 59
The Gathering (Al-Hashr)
A middle Medinan sura, its 24 verses stress the gathering (hence the title) of a Jewish tribe that first supported, then opposed the Prophet. The central verses concern this episode (vv. 2–17), followed by verses exhorting believers to remember God (vv. 18–21), above all to glorify Him by reciting His “Most Beautiful Names” (vv. 22–24).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1All that is in the heavens
and all that is on the earth
glorifies God,
for He is Almighty, All Wise.
2It is He Who expelled the disbelievers
among the people of the Book
from their homes,
at the first gathering of forces.°
You did not think they would go
and they themselves thought
their fortresses would defend them
from God. But God
came upon them from where
they least expected, and cast
terror into their hearts.
Their homes were destroyed by
their own hands, and the hands
of the believers. So take heed,
you who are able to see.
3Had God not decreed
banishment for them,
He would have surely
punished them in this world.
In the hereafter, they shall face
the torment of hellfire.
4That is because they
opposed God and His messenger.
Whoever opposes God—[know that]
God is Stern in Requital.
5Whether you cut down
[their] palm trees or left them
standing on their roots, it was
by God’s leave, that He might
shame the disobedient.
6You had to make no expedition
of horse or camels for the spoils God
gave to His messenger from them,
for God empowers His messengers
over whom He will, and God
has Power over all things.
7Any spoils God gave to His messenger
from the people of the towns
belongs to God, the messenger,
kinsfolk, orphans, the needy,
and the traveler—so they should not
circulate between the rich among you.
So take whatever the messenger
gives you, and refrain from
whatever he disallows you,
and be mindful of God,
for God is Stern in Requital.
8[A share is due] to the poor
among the emigrants, who were
expelled from their homes
and their possessions
while seeking the grace of God
and His good pleasure
in helping [the cause of] God
and His messenger.
These are the truthful people.
9[A share is also due]
to those, already settled
before them in their homes
[in Medina], and firm in faith,
who show love for those
who came to them for refuge,
and find in their hearts no need
for what has been given to the refugees,
preferring them over themselves,
even though they too are poor:
those who are saved from the greed
of their own souls,
are the ones who will succeed.
10Those who have come after them
say, “Our Lord, forgive us and our
brothers who came before us in faith
and don’t leave a grudge in our hearts
against those who believe. Our Lord,
You are Compassionate, Ever Merciful.”
SECTION 2
11Have you not seen the hypocrites
say to
