Beneficent God! A revelation from the Beneficent, the Merciful. A Book of which the verses are made plain, an Arabic Qur’an for a people who know -- Good news and a warning. But most of them turn away, so they hear not. And they say: Our hearts are under coverings from that to which thou callest us, and there is a deafness in our ears, and there is a veil between us and thee, so act, we too are acting. Say: I am only a mortal like you. It is revealed to me that your God is one God, so keep in the straight path to Him, and ask His protection. And woe to the polytheists! Who give not the poor-rate, and who are disbelievers in the hereafter. Those who believe and do good, for them is surely a reward never to be cut off. Say: Do you indeed disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two days, and do you set up equals with Him? That is the Lord of the worlds. And He made in it mountains above its surface, and He blessed therein and ordained therein its foods, in four days; alike for (all) seekers. Then He directed Himself to the heaven and it was a vapour, so He said to it and to the earth: Come both, willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly. So He ordained them seven heavens in two days, and revealed in every heaven its affair. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (made it) to guard. That is the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing. But if they turn away, then say: I warn you of a scourge like the scourge of ‘Ad and Thamud. When messengers came to them from before them and behind them, saying, Serve nothing but Allah, they said: If our Lord had pleased, He would have sent down angels. So we are disbelievers in that with which you are sent. Then as to ‘Ad, they were unjustly proud in the land, and said: Who is mightier than we in power? See they not that Allah Who created them is mightier than they in power? And they denied Our messages. So We sent on them a curious wind in unlucky days that We might make them taste the chastisement of abasement in this world’s life. And the chastisement of the Hereafter is truly more abasing, and they will not be helped. And as for Thamud, We showed them the right way, but they preferred blindness to guidance, so the scourge of an abasing chastisement overtook them for what they had earned. And We delivered those who believed and kept their duty. And the day when the enemies of Allah are gathered to the Fire, they will be formed into groups. Until, when they come to it, their ears and their eyes and their skins will bear witness against them as to what they did. And they will say to their skins: Why bear ye witness against us? They will say: Allah Who makes everything speak has made us speak, and He created you at first, and to Him you are returned. And you did not cover yourselves lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should bear witness against you, but you thought that Allah knew not much of what you did. And that, your (evil) thought which you entertained about your Lord, ruined you, so have you become of the lost ones? Then if they are patient, the Fire is their abode. And if they ask for goodwill, they are not of those who are granted goodwill. And We have appointed for them comrades, so they make fair-seeming to them what is before them and what is behind them, and the word proved true against them among the nations of jinn and men that have passed away before them: they are surely losers. And those who disbelieve say: Listen not to this Qur’an but make noise therein, perhaps you may overcome. So We shall certainly make those who disbelieve taste a severe chastisement, and We shall certainly requite them for the worst of what they did. That is the reward of Allah’s enemies -- the Fire. For them therein is the home to abide. A requital for their denying Our messages. And those who disbelieve will say: Our Lord, show us those who led us astray from among the jinn and the men that we may trample them under our feet, so that they may be of the lowest. Those who say, Our Lord is Allah, then continue in the right way, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not, nor be grieved, and receive good news of the Garden which you were promised. We are your friends in this world’s life and in the Hereafter, and you have therein what your souls desire and you have therein what you ask for. A welcome gift from the Forgiving, the Merciful. And who is better in speech than one who calls to Allah and does good, and says: I am surely of those who submit? And not alike are the good and the evil. Repel (evil) with what is best, when lo! he between whom and thee is enmity would be as if he were a warm friend. And none is granted it but those who are patient, and none is granted it but the owner of a mighty good fortune. And if a false imputation from the devil afflict thee, seek refuge in Allah. Surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing. And of His signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Adore not the sun nor the moon, but adore Allah Who created them if He it is that you serve. But if they are proud, yet those with thy Lord glorify Him night and day, and they tire not. And of His signs is this, that thou seest the earth still, but when We send down water thereon, it stirs and swells. He Who gives it life is surely the Giver of life to the dead. Surely He is Possessor of Power over all things. Those who distort Our messages are not hidden from Us. Is he then who is cast into the Fire better or he who comes safe on the day of Resurrection? Do what you like, surely He is Seer of what you do. Those who disbelieve in the Reminder when it comes to them, and surely it is an Invincible Book: Falsehood cannot come at it from before or behind it: a revelation from the Wise, the Praised One. Naught is said to thee but what was said to messengers before thee. Surely thy Lord is the Lord of Forgiveness and the Lord of painful Retribution. And if We had made it a Qur’an in a foreign tongue, they would have said: Why have not its messages been made clear? What! a foreign (tongue) and an Arab! Say: It is to those who believe a guidance and a healing, and those who believe not, there is a deafness in their ears and it is obscure to them. These are called to from a place afar. And indeed We gave Moses the Book, but differences arose therein. And had not a word already gone forth from thy Lord, judgment would have been given between them. And surely they are in a disquieting doubt about it. Whoever does good, it is for his own soul; and whoever does evil, it is against it. And thy Lord is not in the least unjust to the servants. To Him is referred the knowledge of the Hour. And no fruit comes forth from its coverings, nor does a female bear or bring forth but with His knowledge. And on the day when He calls out to them: Where are My associates? they will say: We declare to Thee, not one of us can bear witness. And those whom they called upon before will fail them, and they will know that they cannot escape. Man tires not of praying for good, but, if evil touch him, he is despairing, hopeless. And if We make him taste mercy from Us after distress has touched him, he says: This is due to me, and I think not that the Hour will come to pass; and if I am sent back to my Lord, I shall have sure good with Him. So We shall certainly inform those who disbelieve of what they do, and We shall make them taste of hard chastisement. And when We show favour to man, he turns away and withdraws himself; but when evil touches him, he is full of lengthy supplications. Say: See you, if it is from Allah, then you disbelieve in it, who is in greater error than he who is in opposition far away? We will soon show them Our signs in farthest regions and among their own people, until it is quite clear to them that it is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord is a Witness over all things? Now surely they are in doubt as to the meeting with their Lord. Lo! He surely encompasses all things.