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1.  *     Whatever is in the heavens and on earth,- let it declare the Praises and Glory of Allah. for He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.     ALL THAT IS in the heavens and on earth extols God's limitless glory: for He alone is almighty, truly wise!     Praised/glorified to God what is in the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth, and He is the glorious/mighty,the wise/judicious.     swr+ alHdyd  bsm allh alrHmn alrHym ? sbH llh mafy alsmawat walarD whw al`zyz alHkym
 
2.  *     To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: It is He Who gives Life and Death; and He has Power over all things.     His is the dominion over the heavens and the earth; He grants life and deals death; and He has the power to will anything.     For Him (is) the skies'/space's and the earth's/Planet Earth's ownership/kingdom, He revives/makes alive, and He makes die, and He is on every thing capable/able.     lh mlk alsmawat walarD yHyy wymyt whw `li kl $Y qdyr
 
3.  *     He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things.     He is the First and the Last, [I.e., His Being is eternal, without anything preceding His existence and without anything outlasting its infinity: an interpretation given by the Prophet himself, as recorded in several well-authenticated Traditions. Thus, "time" itself - a concept beyond man's understanding - is but God's creation.] and the Outward as well as the Inward: [I.e., He is the transcendental Cause of all that exists and, at the same time, immanent in every phenomenon of His creation - cf. the oft-repeated Quranic phrase (e.g., in verse 5), "all things go back unto God [as their source]"; in the words of Tabari, "He is closer to everything than anything else could be". Another - perhaps supplementary - rendering could be, "He is the Evident as well as the Hidden", i.e., "His existence is evident (zahir) in the effects of His activity, whereas He Himself is not perceptible (ghayr mudrak) to our senses" (Zamakhshari).] and He has full knowledge of everything.     He is the first/beginning and the last/end, and the apparent/visible, and the hidden/inside, and He is with every thing knowledgeable.     hw alawl walaKr walZahr walbaTn whw bkl $Y `lym
 
4.  *     He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and is moreover firmly established on the Throne (of Authority). He knows what enters within the earth and what comes forth out of it, what comes down from heaven and what mounts up to it. And He is with you wheresoever ye may be. And Allah sees well all that ye do.     He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness. [Cf. the identical phrase in 7:54 and the corresponding note.] He knows all that enters the earth, and all that comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that ascends to them. [See note on 34:2.] And He is with you wherever you may be; and God sees all that you do.     He is who created the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth in six days/times, then He aimed/tended to on the throne, He knows what enters/penetrates in the earth/Planet Earth, and what gets out/emerges from it, and what descends from the sky/space, and what ascends/climbs in it, and He is with you wherever you were, and God (is) with what you make/do seeing/ knowing.     hw alXy Klq alsmawat walarD fy st+ ayam xm astwi `li al`r$ y`lm maylj fy alarD wmayKrj mnha wmaynzl mn alsma' wmay`rj fyha whw m`km ayn makntm wallh bma t`mlwn bSyr
 
5.  *     To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: and all affairs are referred back to Allah.     His is the dominion over the heavens and the earth; and all things go back unto God [as their source].     For Him (are) the skies'/space's and the earth's/Planet Earth's ownership/kingdom, and to God the matters/affairs are returned.     lh mlk alsmawat walarD wali allh trj` alamwr
 
6.  *     He merges Night into Day, and He merges Day into Night; and He has full knowledge of the secrets of (all) hearts.     He makes the night grow longer by shortening the day, and makes the day grow longer by shortening the night; and He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men].     He makes the night to enter/penetrate in the daytime, and He makes the daytime to enter/penetrate in the night, and He is knowledgeable with of the chests (innermosts).     ywlj allyl fy alnhar wywlj alnhar fy allyl whw `lym bXat alSdwr
 
7.  *     Believe in Allah and His apostle, and spend (in charity) out of the (substance) whereof He has made you heirs. For, those of you who believe and spend (in charity),- for them is a great Reward.     BELIEVE in God and His Apostle, and spend on others out of that of which He has made you trustees: [Implying that all that man "possesses is but held in trust from God, since "all that is in the heavens and on earth belongs to Him", whereas man is allowed only its usufruct.] for, those of you who have attained to faith and who spend freely [in God's cause] shall have a great reward.     Believe by God and His messenger, and spend from what He made you successors in it, so those who believed from you, and they spent, for them (is) a great reimbursement.     amnwa ballh wrswlh wanfqwa mma j`lkm mstKlfyn fyh falXyn amnwa mnkm wanfqwa lhm ajr kbyr
 
8.  *     What cause have ye why ye should not believe in Allah.- and the Messenger invites you to believe in your Lord, and has indeed taken your Covenant, if ye are men of Faith.     And why should you not believe in God, seeing that the Apostle calls you to believe in [Him who is] your Sustainer, and [seeing that] He has taken a pledge from you? [God's "taking a pledge" is a metonymic allusion to the faculty of reason with which He has endowed man, and which ought to enable every sane person to grasp the evidence of God's existence by observing the effects of His creativeness in all nature and by paying heed to the teachings of His prophets (Zamakhshari). See in this connection 7:172 and the corresponding note.] [Why should you not believe in Him] if you are able to believe [in anything]? [Lit., "if you are believers": implying, according to Razi, "if you can believe in anything on the basis of sound evidence".]     And why not for you (is it that) you do not believe by God? And the messenger calls you to believe with your Lord, and He had taken your promise/covenant, if/when you were believing.     wmalkm latWmnwn ballh walrswl yd`wkm ltWmnwa brbkm wqd aKX myxqakm an kntm mWmnyn
 
9.  *     He is the One Who sends to His Servant Manifest Signs, that He may lead you from the depths of Darkness into the Light and verily Allah is to you most kind and Merciful.     It is He who bestows from on high clear messages unto [this] His servant, to lead you out of the deep darkness into the light: for, behold, God is most compassionate towards you, a dispenser of grace.     He is who descends on His slave/worshipper verses/signs evidences, to bring you out from the darknesses to the light, and that truly God (is) with you merciful/compassionate (E), merciful.     hw alXy ynzl `li `bdh ayat bynat lyKrjkm mn alZlmat ali alnwr wan allh bkm lrWwf rHym
 
10.  *     And what cause have ye why ye should not spend in the cause of Allah.- For to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth. Not equal among you are those who spent (freely) and fought, before the Victory, (with those who did so later). Those are higher in rank than those who spent (freely) and fought afterwards. But to all has Allah promised a goodly (reward). And Allah is well acquainted with all that ye do.     And why should you not spend freely in the cause of God, seeing that God's [alone] is the heritage of the heavens and the earth? [I.e., "that to God belongs all that is...", etc.: see note on verse 7 above; also note on 15:23.] Not equal are those of you who spent and fought [in God's cause] before the Victory [and those who did not do so]: [I.e., before the conquest of Mecca in 8 H., when the Muslims were still weak and their future uncertain.] they are of a higher rank than those who would spend and fight [only] after it - although God has promised the ultimate good to all [who strive in His cause]. [The above principle applies, of course, to the relative merits of believers of all times who strive in God's cause before and/or after success has been achieved.] And God is aware of all that you do.     And why not for you (is it) that you do not spend in God's way/path ? And to God (are) the skies'/space's and the earth's/Planet Earth's inheritance, (it did) not become equal/alike, from you who spent from before the opening/victory and fought, those are a step/degree/stage greater than those who spent from after (the opening/victory) and they fought, and (to) each, God promised the best/goodness, and God (is) with what you make/do, expert/experienced.     wmalkm ala tnfqwa fy sbyl allh wllh myrax alsmawat walarD laystwy mnkm mn anfq mn qbl alftH wqatl awlYk a`Zm drj+ mn alXyn anfqwa mn b`d wqatlwa wkla w`d allh alHsny wallh bma t`mlwn Kbyr
 
11.  *     Who is he that will Loan to Allah a beautiful loan? for ((Allah)) will increase it manifold to his credit, and he will have (besides) a liberal Reward.     WHO IS IT that will offer up unto God a goodly loan, which He will amply repay? [See note on the identical phrase in 2:245. In the present instance the meaning is apparently wider, applying to all that man may do selflessly, for the sake of God alone.] For, such [as do so] shall have a noble reward     Who that which lends/advances God a good/beautiful loan/advance, so He doubles/multiplies it for him, and for him (is a) generous reimbursement.     mn Xa alXy yqrD allh qrDa Hsna fyDa`fh lh wlh ajr krym
 
12.  *     One Day shalt thou see the believing men and the believing women- how their Light runs forward before them and by their right hands: (their greeting will be): "Good News for you this Day! Gardens beneath which flow rivers! to dwell therein for aye! This is indeed the highest Achievement!"     on the Day when thou shalt see all believing men and believing women, with their light spreading rapidly before them and on their right, [See note on the expression ashab al-yamin ("those on the right hand") in 74:39. In many instances, the metaphor of "the right hand" or "right side" is used in the Quran to denote "righteousness" and, therefore, "blessedness", symbolized in the present context by the "light spreading rapidly" before and on the right side of the believers as a result of their "cognition of God, and their high morality, and their freedom from ignorance and blameworthy traits" (Razi).] [and with this welcome awaiting them:] "A glad tiding for you today: gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide! This, this is the triumph supreme!"     A day/time you see/understand the believers (M) and the believers (F), their light strives/hastens between their hands and at their rights ; your good news the day/today, (is) treed gardens/paradises the rivers/waterways flow from beneath it, immortally/eternally in it, that (is) the success/triumph, the great.     ywm tri almWmnyn walmWmnat ys`i nwrhm byn aydyhm wbaymanhm b$rakm alywm jnat tjry mn tHtha alanhar Kaldyn fyha Xlk hw alfwz al`Zym
 
13.  *     One Day will the Hypocrites- men and women - say to the Believers: "Wait for us! Let us borrow (a Light) from your Light!" It will be said: "Turn ye back to your rear! then seek a Light (where ye can)!" So a wall will be put up betwixt them, with a gate therein. Within it will be Mercy throughout, and without it, all alongside, will be (Wrath and) Punishment!     On that Day shall the hypocrites, both men and women, speak [thus] unto those who have attained to faith: [Meant here are, apparently, not only outright "hypocrites" (in the connotation given to this term in Western languages), but also people who, being shaky in their beliefs and uncertain in their moral convictions, are inclined to deceive themselves (see note on 29:11).] "Wait for us! Let us have a [ray of] light from your light!" [But] they will be told: "Turn back, and seek a light [of your own]!" [I.e., "you should have sought light while you lived on earth".] And thereupon a wall will be raised between them [and the believers], with a gate in it: within it will be grace and mercy, and against the outside thereof, suffering. [The stress on there being a gate in the wall separating true believers and hypocrites (or the weak of faith) points to the possibility of the latters' redemption: cf. the famous hadith quoted in note on 40:12. Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari) identifies the "wall" spoken of here with the "barrier" (hijab) mentioned in 7:46.]     A day/time the hypocrites (M) and the hypocrites (F) say to those who believed: "Give us time we learn/benefit from your light." (It) is/was said: "Return behind you, so feel/seek a light." So it wasseparated between them with a fence/wall, for it (is) a door/entrance its interior/ secret in it (is) the mercy, and its exterior from its direction/front (is) the torture.     ywm yqwl almnafqwn walmnafqat llXyn amnwa anZrwna nqtbs mn nwrkm qyl arj`wa wra'km faltmswa nwra fDrb bynhm bswr lh bab baTnh fyh alrHm+ wZahrh mn qblh al`Xab
 
14.  *     (Those without) will call out, "Were we not with you?" (The others) will reply, "True! but ye led yourselves into temptation; ye looked forward (to our ruin); ye doubted ((Allah)'s Promise); and (your false) desires deceived you; until there issued the Command of Allah. And the Deceiver deceived you in respect of Allah.     They [who will remain without] will call out to those [within], "Were we not with you?" - [to which] the others will answer: "So it was! But you allowed yourselves to succumb to temptation, [Sc., "by the prospect of worldly gains" or "by fear for your personal safety" - both of which characterize the half-hearted as well as the hypocrites.] and you were hesitant [in your faith], [Thus Ibn Zayd (quoted by Tabari), explaining the verb tarabbastum.] and you were doubtful [of resurrection]; and your wishful thinking beguiled you until God's command came to pass: [I.e., "until your death".] for, [indeed, your own] deceptive thoughts about God deluded you [See note on the last sentence of 31:33.]     They call them: "Where we not being with you?" They said: "Yes/certainly and but you, you tested/misguided yourselves, and you waited/remained, and you became doubtful/suspicious, and the wishes/desires have deceived/tempted you until God's order/command came, and the deceit/temptation deceived/tempted you with God."     ynadwnhm alm nkn m`km qalwa bli wlknkm ftntm anfskm wtrbStm wartbtm wGrtkm alamany Hti ja' amr allh wGrkm ballh alGrwr
 
15.  *     "This Day shall no ransom be accepted of you, nor of those who rejected Allah." Your abode is the Fire: that is the proper place to claim you: and an evil refuge it is!"     "And so, no ransom [l.e., belated repentance.] shall be accepted today from you, and neither from those who were [openly] bent on denying the truth. Your goal is the fire: it is your [only] refuge - [Lit., "your friend" (mawlakum) - i.e., "the only thing by which yoou may hope to be purified and redeemed": cf. the saying of the Prophet mentioned in note on 40:12; see also the last note on verse 13 above.] and how evil a journey's end!"     So the day/today no ransom/compensation (will) be taken from you, and nor from those who disbelieved, and your shelter/refuge (is) the fire, it is your guardian/ally, and how bad (is) the end/ destination?     falywm layWKX mnkm fdy+ wlamn alXyn kfrwa mawakm alnar hy mwlakm wbYs almSyr
 
16.  *     Has not the Time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the Truth which has been revealed (to them), and that they should not become like those to whom was given Revelation aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious transgressors.     IS IT NOT time that the hearts of all who have attained to faith should feel humble at the remembrance of God and of all the truth that has been bestowed [on them] from on high, [I.e., "Should not the remembrance of God and His revelation make them humble rather than proud?" This is an emphatic warning against all smugness, self-righteousness and false pride at having "attained to faith" - a failing which only too often attains to such as consider themselves "pious".] lest they become like those who were granted revelation aforetime, [This is apparently an allusion to the spiritually arrogant among the Jews, who regard themselves as "God's chosen people" and, therefore, as predestined for His acceptance.] and whose hearts have hardened with the passing of time so that many of them are [now] depraved? [I.e., so that now they act contrary to the ethical precepts of their religion: implying that the purpose of all true faith is to make man humble and God-conscious rather than self-satisfied, and that a loss of that spiritual humility invariably results in moral degeneration.]     Is it not time/did not time near to those who believed, that their hearts/minds submit/humble to God's remembrance/reminder, and what descended from the truth, and they not be as/like those who were given/brought The Book from before, so (it) became/lasted long on them the time, so their hearts/minds became cruel/hardened/merciless, and many of them (are) debauchers.     alm yan llXyn amnwa an tK$` qlwbhm lXkr allh wmanzl mn alHq wlaykwnwa kalXyn awtwa alktab mn qbl fTal `lyhm alamd fqst qlwbhm wkxyr mnhm fasqwn
 
17.  *     Know ye (all) that Allah giveth life to the earth after its death! already have We shown the Signs plainly to you, that ye may learn wisdom.     [But] know that God gives life to the earth after it has been lifeless! [According to most of the commentators - and, particularly, Zamakhshari, Razi and Ibn Kathir - this is a parabolic allusion to the effect of a re-awakening of God-consciousness in hearts that had become deadened by self-satisfaction and false pride.] We have indeed made Our messages clear unto you, so that you might use your reason.     Know that God revives/makes alive the earth/Planet Earth after its death/lifelessness, We had clarified/explained for you the verses/evidences, maybe/perhaps you reason/comprehend.     a`lmwa an allh yHyy alarD b`d mwtha qd byna lkm alayat l`lkm t`qlwn
 
18.  *     For those who give in Charity, men and women, and loan to Allah a Beautiful Loan, it shall be increased manifold (to their credit), and they shall have (besides) a liberal reward.     Verily, as for the men and women who accept the truth as true [Or: "who give in charity" - depending on the vocalization of the consonants sad and dal. In view of the sequence, the sense given in my rendering seems preferable (and is, indeed, stressed by Zamakhshari), although in the reading of Hafs ibn Sulayman al-Asadi, on which this translation is based, the relevant nouns appear in the spelling mussaddiqin and mussaddiqat, "men and women who give in charity".] and who [thus] offer up unto God a goodly loan, they will be amply repaid, [See verse 11 above.] and shall have a noble reward [in the life to come].     That truly the charity givers (M) and the charity givers (F), and (if) they lent/advanced God a good/beautiful loan/ advance, (it) be doubled/multiplied for them, and for them (is) an honoured/generous reimbursement.     an almSdqyn walmSdqat waqrDwa allh qrDa Hsna yDa`f lhm wlhm ajr krym
 
19.  *     And those who believe in Allah and His apostles- they are the Sincere (lovers of Truth), and the witnesses (who testify), in the eyes of their Lord: They shall have their Reward and their Light. But those who reject Allah and deny Our Signs,- they are the Companions of Hell-Fire.     For, they who have attained to faith in God and His Apostle - it is they, they who uphold the truth, and they who bear witness [thereto] before God: [I.e., by their readiness for any sacrifice.] [and so] they shall have their reward and their light! But as for those who are bent on denying the truth and on giving the lie to Our messages - it is they who are destined for the blazing fire!     And those who believed by God and His messengers, those they are always very truthful, and the witnesses/ estifiers/present/(martyrs) at their Lord, for them (is) their reimbursement and their light, and those who disbelieved and lied/denied/falsified with Our verses/evidences, those are the Hells' owners/company/friends.     walXyn amnwa ballh wrslh awlYk hm alSdyqwn wal$hda' `nd rbhm lhm ajrhm wnwrhm walXyn kfrwa wkXbwa bayatna awlYk aSHab aljHym
 
20.  *     Know ye (all), that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children. Here is a similitude: How rain and the growth which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong). And Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah.. And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception?     KNOW [O men] that the life of this world is but a play and a passing delight, and a beautiful show, and [the cause of] your boastful vying with one another, and [of your] greed for more and more riches and children. [Commenting at length on this passage, Razi makes it clear that life as such is not to be despised, inasmuch as it has been created by God: cf. 38:27 - "We have not created heaven and earth and all that is between them without meaning and purpose"; and 23:115 - "Did you think that We have created you in mere idle play?" But whereas life in itself is a positive gift of God and - as Razi points out - the potential source of all blessings, it loses this positive quality if it is indulged in recklessly, blindly and with disregard of spiritual values and considerations: in brief, if it is indulged in without any thought of the hereafter.] Its parable is that of [Lit., "(It is) like the parable of...", etc.] [life-giving] rain: the herbage which it causes to grow delights the tillers of the soil; [This is the sole instance in the Quran where the participial noun kafir (in its plural form kuffar) has its original meaning of "tiller of the soil". For the etymology of this meaning, see note on 74:10, where the term kafir (in the sense of "denier of the truth") appears for the first time in the sequence of Quranic revelation.] but then it withers, and thou canst see it turn yellow; and in the end it crumbles into dust. But [the abiding truth of man's condition will become fully apparent] in the life to come: [either] suffering severe, or God's forgiveness and His goodly acceptance: [According to Tabari, the conjunction wa has here the meaning of aw ("or").] for the life of this world is nothing but an enjoyment of self-delusion.     Know that the life the present/worldly life (is) playing/amusement and a play thing/amusement, and decoration/ornament, and competing in pride/arrogance/glory between you, and multiplication in the properties/possessions and the children, as/like rain (that) its plants pleased the disbelievers, then (it) dries and yellows, so you see it yellow/yellowish, then (it) becomes broken/debris/fragments, and in the end (other life is) a strong (severe) torture, and a forgiveness from God, and acceptance/approval ; and the life the present/worldly life is not except the deceits'/temptation's long life/enjoyment.     a`lmwa anma alHya+ aldnya l`b wlhw wzyn+ wtfaKr bynkm wtkaxr fy alamwal walawlad kmxl Gyx a`jb alkfar nbath xm yhyj ftrah mSfra xm ykwn HTama wfy alaKr+ `Xab $dyd wmGfr+ mn allh wrDwan wmaalHya+ aldnya ala mta` alGrwr
 
21.  *     Be ye foremost (in seeking) Forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden (of Bliss), the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His apostles: that is the Grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom he pleases: and Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding.     [Hence,] vie with one another in seeking to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness, [Sc., "rather than in striving for glory and worldly possessions": implying elliptically that no man is free from faults and transgressions, and hence everyone is in need of God's forgiveness. (Cf. note on 24:31.)] and [thus] to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for those who have attained to faith in God and His Apostle: [For a further qualification of the humility which characterizes true believers, see 3:133-135.] such is the bounty of God which He grants unto whomever He wills - for God is limitless in His great bounty.     Race/surpass to forgiveness from your Lord, and a treed garden/paradise its width/expanse/broadness (is) as/like the sky's/space's and the earth's/Planet Earth's width/expanse/broadness, (it) was prepared to those who believed by God and His messengers, that (is) God's grace/favour/blessing, He gives/brings it (to) whom He wills/wants/intends, and God (is owner) of the grace/favour/blessing, the great.     sabqwa ali mGfr+ mn rbkm wjn+ `rDha k`rD alsma' walarD a`dt llXyn amnwa ballh wrslh Xlk fDl allh yWtyh mn y$a' wallh Xw alfDl al`Zym
 
22.  *     No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence: That is truly easy for Allah.     NO CALAMITY can ever befall the earth, and neither your own selves, [I.e., "the earth or mankind as a whole, or any of you individually": an allusion to natural as well as man-made catastrophes, and to individual suffering through illness, moral or material deprivation, etc.] unless it be [laid down] in Our decree before We bring it into being: verily, all this is easy for God. [I.e.. God's decreeing an event and bringing it into being.]     (That there is) none from a disaster (that) struck/hit in the earth/Planet Earth, and nor in yourselves except (that it is) in a Book from before that We create it of nothing, that truly that (is) on God easy/little/small.     maaSab mn mSyb+ fy alarD wlafy anfskm ala fy ktab mn qbl an nbraha an Xlk `li allh ysyr
 
23.  *     In order that ye may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favours bestowed upon you. For Allah loveth not any vainglorious boaster,-     [Know this,] so that you may not despair over whatever [good] has escaped you nor exult [unduly] over whatever [good] has come to you: [Thus, the knowledge that whatever has happened had to happen - and could not have not happened - because, obviously, it had been willed bby God in accordance with His unfathomable plan, ought to enable a true believer to react with conscious equanimity to whatever good or ill comes to him.] for, God does not love any of those who, out of self-conceit, act in a boastful manner - [I.e., attributing their good fortune to their own merit or "luck".]     In order that you not grieve/sadden/sorrow for what passed/missed your permanently, and do not rejoice/delight with what He gave you, and God does not love/like every/each conceited/arrogant, proud/ arrogant (person).405     lkyla taswa `li mafatkm wlatfrHwa bma atakm wallh layHb kl mKtal fKwr
 
24.  *     Such persons as are covetous and commend covetousness to men. And if any turn back (from Allah.s Way), verily Allah is Free of all Needs, Worthy of all Praise.     those who are niggardly [with God's bounty] and bid others to be niggardly! [Cf. last sentence of 4:36 and the whole of verse 37.] And he who turns his back [on this truth ought to know that], [I.e., does not want to admit that whatever has happened must have been willed by God.] verily, God alone is self-sufficient, the One to whom all praise is due!     Those who are being stingy/miser and order/command the people with the stinginess/miserliness, and who turns away, so then God He is the rich, the praiseworthy/commendable.     alXyn ybKlwn wyamrwn alnas balbKl wmn ytwl fan allh hw alGny alHmyd
 
25.  *     We sent aforetime our apostles with Clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance (of Right and Wrong), that men may stand forth in justice; and We sent down Iron, in which is (material for) mighty war, as well as many benefits for mankind, that Allah may test who it is that will help, Unseen, Him and His apostles: For Allah is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might (and able to enforce His Will).     Indeed, [even aforetime] did We send forth Our apostles with all evidence of [this] truth; and through them [Lit., "with them".] We bestowed revelation from on high, and [thus gave you] a balance [wherewith to weigh right and wrong], so that men might behave with equity;     We had (E) sent Our messengers with the evidences, and We descended with them The Book, and the scale/measuring instrument, (for) the people to keep up/take care of with the just/equitable, and We descended the iron, in it (is) strong (severe) power/might, and benefits/uses for the people, and (it is for) God to know who gives Him victory/aid and His messenger with the unseen/hidden, that truly God (is) strong, glorious/mighty.     lqd arslna rslna balbynat wanzlna m`hm alktab walmyzan lyqwm alnas balqsT wanzlna alHdyd fyh bas $dyd wmnaf` llnas wly`lm allh mn ynSrh wrslh balGyb an allh qwy `zyz
 
26.  *     And We sent Noah and Abraham, and established in their line Prophethood and Revelation: and some of them were on right guidance. But many of them became rebellious transgressors.     And, indeed, [to the same end] [I.e., to give man a balance wherewith to weigh right and wrong, and so to enable him to behave with equity (see preceding verse).] We sent forth Noah and Abraham [as Our message-bearers], and established prophethood and revelation among their descendants; and some of them were on the right way, but many were iniquitous.     And We (E) had sent Noah and Abraham, and We made/put in their (B)'s descendants the prophethood and The Book, so from them (who) is guided and many from them (are) debauchers.     wlqd arslna nwHa wabrahym wj`lna fy Xrythma alnbw+ walktab fmnhm mhtd wkxyr mnhm fasqwn
 
27.  *     Then, in their wake, We followed them up with (others of) Our apostles: We sent after them Jesus the son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them: (We commanded) only the seeking for the Good Pleasure of Allah. but that they did not foster as they should have done. Yet We bestowed, on those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are rebellious transgressors.     And thereupon We caused [other of] Our apostles to follow in their footsteps; and [in the course of time] We caused them to be followed by Jesus, the son of Mary, upon whom We bestowed the Gospel; [See note on 3:4.] and in the hearts of those who [truly] followed him We engendered compassion and mercy. But as for monastic asceticism - [The term rahbaniyyah combines the concepts of monastic life with an exaggerated asceticism, often amounting to a denial of any value in the life of this world - an attitude characteristic of early Christianity but disapproved of in Islam (cf. 2:143 - "We have willed you to be a community of the middle way" - and the corresponding note).] We did not enjoin it upon them: they invented it themselves out of a desire for God's goodly acceptance. [Or: "they invented it themselves, [for] We did not enjoin it upon them: [We enjoined upon them] only the seeking of God's goodly acceptance". Both these interpretations are equally legitimate, and are accepted as such by most of the classical commentators. The rendering adopted by me corresponds to the interpretation given by Said ibn Jubayr and Qatadah (both of them cited by Tabari and Ibn Kathir).] But then, they did not [always] observe it as it ought to have been observed: [I.e., not all of them observed it in the right spirit (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir), inasmuch as in the course of time many of them - or, rather, many of those who came after the early ascetics (Tabari) - corrupted their devotions by accepting the ideas of Trinity and of God's incarnation in Jesus, and by lapsing into empty formalism (Razi).] and so We granted their recompense unto such of them as had [truly] attained to faith, whereas many of them became iniquitous. [Sc., "and were deprived of Our grace".]     Then We sent after/made to follow on their tracks with Our messengers, and We sent after/made to follow with Jesus Mary's son, and We gave/brought him the Bible/New Testament, and We made/put in (the) hearts/minds (of) those who followed him mercy/compassion, and mercy and monkhood/monasticism they invented/innovated it, We did not order/ dictate it on them except (their) wishing/desiring God's acceptance/ approval, so they did not tend/protect it its deserved/just protection/keep, so We gave/brought those who believed from them their reimbursement ; many/much from them (are) debauchers.     xm qfyna `li axarhm brslna wqfyna b`ysi abn mrym watynah alanjyl wj`lna fy qlwb alXyn atb`wh raf+ wrHm+ wrhbany+ abtd`wha maktbnaha `lyhm ala abtGa' rDwan allh fma r`wha Hq r`aytha fatyna alXyn amnwa mnhm ajrhm wkxyr mnhm fasqwn
 
28.  *     O ye that believe! Fear Allah, and believe in His Messenger, and He will bestow on you a double portion of His Mercy: He will provide for you a Light by which ye shall walk (straight in your path), and He will forgive you (your past): for Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.     O YOU who have attained to faith! [As is evident from the preceding passage as well as from verse 29, the people thus addressed are the followers of earlier revelation (ahl al-kitab), and in particular the true - i.e., Unitarian - followers of Jesus.] Remain conscious of God, and believe in His Apostle, [and] He will grant you doubly of His grace, and will light for you a light wherein you shall walk, and will forgive you [your past sins]: for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.     You, you those who believed, fear and obey God, and believe with (in) His messenger, He gives/bring to you two portions/doubles/equals from His mercy, and He makes/puts for you a light you walk with (in) it, and He forgives for you, and God (is) forgiving, merciful.     yaayha alXyn amnwa atqwa allh wamnwa brswlh yWtkm kflyn mn rHmth wyj`l lkm nwra tm$wn bh wyGfr lkm wallh Gfwr rHym
 
29.  *     That the People of the Book may know that they have no power whatever over the Grace of Allah, that (His) Grace is (entirely) in His Hand, to bestow it on whomsoever He wills. For Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding.     And the followers of earlier revelation should know [Lit., "so that the followers of earlier revelation (i.e., the Bible) may know".]  that they have no power whatever over any of God's bounty, [I.e., that they have no exclusive claim to any of God's bounty - which latter term relates, in the present context, to a bestowal of divine revelation. This is addressed in the first instance to the Jews, who reject the revelation granted to Muhammad in the belief that the office of prophethood is an exclusive "preserve" of the children of Israel, as well as to the Christians who, as followers of the Bible, implicitly accept this unwarranted claim.] seeing that all bounty is in God's hand [alone]: He grants it unto whomever He wills - for God is limitless in His great bounty.     For that The Book's people not know that they not be capable/able on a thing from God's grace/favour, and that (E) the grace/favour (is) with God's hand, He gives/brings it (to) whom He wills/wants/intends, and God (is owner) of the grace/favour/blessing, the great. (Jews and Christians all claim to be God's favourite, this verse states that God's mercy and blessing is to whomever He intends, and not exclusively to Jews or Christians).406     lYla y`lm ahl alktab ala yqdrwn `li $Y mn fDl allh wan alfDl byd allh yWtyh mn y$a' wallh Xw alfDl al`Zym