In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1By time, passing,
2humankind is in a state
of loss,
3except those who believe,
and do good deeds, urging
one another toward truth,
and urging one another
toward patience.
SURA 104
The Backbiter (Al-Humaza)
Early Meccan, its 9 verses focus on the person of a wealthy slanderer, likely referring to numerous Meccan opponents, reminding them of not just hellfire but the fire of God that will close upon them (vv. 6–8).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1Woe to every backbiting slanderer
2who amasses wealth,
always counting it—
3thinking that his wealth
will make him live forever.
4No—he will be thrown
into the pulverizing fire.
5And what would make you grasp
what such a fire is?
6—A fire that God has kindled,
7which pierces people’s hearts.
8It will close upon them,
9in soaring pillars.°
SURA 105
The Elephant (Al-Fil)
Early Meccan with 5 verses, this sura refers to a historical event, the unsuccessful attack of a Yemeni ruler on the Quraysh, possibly just before Muhammad’s birth (ca. 570 CE). The Quraysh response is given in the next sura.
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1Have you not considered
how your Lord dealt
with the people of the elephant?°
2Did He not confound
their plot?
3He sent against them
birds in flocks,
4pelting them with stones
of baked clay.
5Then He left them
like stubble—chewed up.
SURA 106
Quraysh (Quraysh)
Early Meccan, its 4 verses depict the twofold gratitude expected of the Quraysh after their rescue from Yemeni attack (Sura 105): for food when hungry, and for safety when afraid (v. 4).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1[In gratitude] for the safety
of the Quraysh°—
2safe for both their journeys,
winter and summer—
3Let them worship the Lord
of this House,
4Who has given them food
to forestall hunger,
and safety, to forestall fear.
SURA 107
Small Kindnesses (Al-Maʿun)
An early Meccan sura of 7 verses, this underscores the double ethical mandate—to heed the orphan and feed the poor—as requisite for “the reckoning to come” (v. 1).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1Have you seen the person who
denies the reckoning to come?
2This is the one who
pushes aside the orphan,
3and does not urge others
to feed the poor.
4Woe, then, to those who pray,
5but don’t heed their prayer,
6those who do it
just to be seen,
7yet refuse even small deeds
of kindness.
SURA 108
Abundance (Al-Kawthar)
Early Meccan, this sura of 3 verses is the shortest sura yet it uplifts the Prophet’s spirit, reassuring him that progeny is more than siring a son.
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1We have given to you
in abundance°—
2So pray to your Lord
and make sacrifice,
3for it is your enemy
who will be cut off.°
SURA 109
Those Who Disbelieve (Al-Kafirun)
Early Meccan, its 6 verses set the marker for confirming, and upholding, the gap between believers and disbelievers.
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1Say, “You who disbelieve,
2“I do not worship
what you worship,
3“nor are you worshippers
of what I worship,
4“and I am not a worshipper
of what you worship,
5“nor are you worshippers
of what I worship—
6“you have your religion
and I have mine.”
SURA 110
Help (Al-Nasr)
A Medinan sura, this is perhaps the last sura to be revealed. In 3 verses it assures the Prophet of victory, for himself and his community, and the proper response should be not gloating over success but praising God and asking for forgiveness.
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1When God’s help comes
and His victory,
2and you see people flocking
in multitudes
to the religion of God,
3hymn the praise of your Lord
and seek His forgiveness;
He is the Ever Relenting.
SURA 111
The Palm Fiber (Al-Masad)
Early Meccan, its 5 verses are the only direct diatribe against one of the Prophet’s opponents, and his wife, also a fierce detractor of the Prophet in word and deed.
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1Perish the hands
of Abu Lahab, Father of Flame!°
And may he perish!
2He’ll profit nothing
from all his wealth,
and all his gains.
3Soon he shall burn in a fire
blazing with flame.
4His wife shall bear the wood,
5a rope of palm fiber
twisted about her neck.
SURA 112
Unity/Sincerity (Al-Ikhlas)
Early Meccan, its 4 verses are heralded as the epitome of the Quranic message. It stresses God’s oneness, immutability, and uniqueness. Also apotropaic, its power is in direct proportion to the sincerity (ikhlas) of its reciter.
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1Say, He is God, the One,
2God, the Absolute.°
3Neither did He beget,
nor was He begotten.
4His like or equal there is none.
SURA 113
The Dawn (Al-Falaq)
Early Meccan, like the next sura with which it is linked, this sura of 5 verses is apotropaic, seeking God’s protection from evil.
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1Say, “I seek refuge with the Lord
of the breaking dawn,°
2“from the evil in those°
He created;
3“from the evil in darkness
when it descends;
4“from the evil of those°
who blow on knots;
5“and from the evil
of the envier, when he envies.”
SURA 114
Humankind (Al-Nas)
The final sura, also early Meccan and apotropaic, its 6 verses stress that jinn as well as humankind must seek refuge in God from sinister forces.
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
1Say, “I seek refuge
with the Lord of humankind,
2“the Ruler of humankind,
3“the God of humankind,
4“from the evil of the one
who whispers°, and recoils
[from the Name of God]—
5“the one who whispers
into the hearts of humankind—
6“from among jinn,
and humankind.”
Acknowledgments
This translation represents a journey spanning some ten years. Traveling on that path together, we have incurred profound debts to those who aided us in navigating its sometimes arduous and steep terrain. We would both like to thank:
—those who shared their Quranic expertise with us: the scholars of the University of al-Azhar in Cairo, Ahmad Elezabi, Amr Saleh, and the late Ahmed Shafik al-Khatib; the Quranic scholars Carl W. Ernst, Shawkat Toorawa, Azdeddine Chergui, Omid Safi, Michael Sells, Brett Wilson, Ulrika Martensen, Khalid Saqi, Marianna Klar, Assya Elhannaoui, and Musharraf Hussain;
—those who gave us inspired feedback on our rendering: Jerry and Betty Eidener, Carl and Janet Edwards, Harry and Peregrine Kavros, Scott Kugle, Sohaib Khan, Safaa Al-Saeedi, Michael Beard, J. T. Barbarese, Ernest Hilbert, Kimberly V. Adams, Aaron Hostetter, Piers Smith, Daniel Simmons, Nader El-Bizri, Irfaan Nooruddin, Reza Aslan, Magda Hasabelnaby, Leonard Neidorf, Ali Ansari, Areej Al-Harbi, Rahaf Al-Mubarak, Norah Roudhan, Wadha Alessa, Waed Al-Azemi, Muntassir Ibrahim Altamy, Adrian Day, and Siddiqua Shabnam;
—those who facilitated presentations and conferences for us: Sahar Muradi and the high school teachers of City Lore and Poets House in New York City; M. A. S. Abdel Haleem of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London; Mohamed Ben-Madani, for allowing us to use material from the Maghreb Review; Omar Ali de Unzaga of the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London; Rob Gleave, Mustafa Baig, and William Gallois, who organized a Quran conference at the University of Exeter in England; Recep Senturk, Heba Raouf, and Ercument Asil, who invited us to present at the Alliance of Civilizations Institute (MEDIT) at Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul; Mohammed Ben Romdhane and Shahd Al-Shammari who helped us obtain a generous grant from KFAS to present at the Gulf University of Science and Technology in Kuwait; and Salwa El-Awa, who invited our participation in a conference at the University of Swansea;
—those who merit a very special note of gratitude for their countless hours of dedication and expertise in helping us negotiate the Arabic text of the Quran: Ismail Lala and Ahmed Zafar;
—the wonderfully insightful editorial team at Liveright, including our editor Peter Simon, whose feedback at every stage was crucial; our meticulous copyeditor, Trent Duffy; our project editor, Robert Byrne; and the project’s various editorial assistants over the years, including Katie Pak, Olivia Atmore, and Zeba Arora—as well as the talented professionals who made this book so beautiful: our production director, Anna Oler, and our art director, Ingsu Liu. Although our journey with them has barely begun, we also wish to thank the extraordinary publicity and marketing team at Liveright who will help get this book into readers’ hands: Peter Miller, director of publicity; Fanta Diallo, publicist; Clio Hamilton, publicity assistant; and Nick Curley, marketing director;
—our respective life partners: miriam cooke, whose deep expertise in Arabic and warm and friendly help over the years were an endless source of inspiration; and Yasmeen Habib, who was lovingly supportive, sharing her insights into the rules of recitation and the system of pauses in the Quranic script.
The journey is far from over. No translation of the Quran can ever hope to do more than gesture toward the inimitable splendor of the original. The voyage that began as a voice on a mountain in the lonely cave of Hira is one which will continue through many voices, into many futures, forever echoing down from the sublimity of that height.
M. A. R. Habib and Bruce B. Lawrence
Glossary
The following are often-cited, important Arabic terms in the Quran. These notes explain why some are rendered consistently throughout this translation while others vary according to context. A selective list is provided of the occurrence of each term in Quranic verses.
ahl al-kitab — “people of the Book.” This term refers to the Jews and Christians (and also Muslims). See 2:41ff., as well as 3:3, 4:47, 5:46, 6:92, and 89:91. The first reference (2:41ff.) is dedicated to retelling the story of the Children of Israel. Ahl is also the first of five technical terms referring to “people.” Each has its own nuance, with ahl closest to familial, qawm to tribal, while umma accents collective coherence apart from family or tribe. Both nas and insan refer to humankind at large.
ajal — “a period” / ajal musamma: “a fixed period.” These terms are used specifically in some suras and by implication in others. Either one can refer to the destined period of existence for individuals (6:2), communities (23:43), and the entire
