#17. Bani Israel *SURAH*



In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful




1. Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servant for Journey by night
from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose precincts We
did Bless in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for
He is the one Who heareth and seeth (all things)

2. We gave Moses the Book and made it a Guide to the Children of
Israel (commanding): "Take not other than Me as Disposer of
(your) affairs."

3. O ye that are sprung from those whom We carried (in the Ark)
with Noah! verily he was a devotee most grateful

4. And We gave (clear) warning to the Children of Israel in the
Book that twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated
with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)!

5. When the first of the warnings came to pass We sent against
you Our servants given to terrible warfare: They entered the very
inmost parts of your homes; and it was a warning (completely)
fulfilled

6. Then did We grant you the Return as against them: We gave you
increase in resources and sons and made you the more numerous in
manpower

7. If ye did well ye did well for yourselves; if ye did evil (ye
did it) against yourselves; so when the second of the warnings
came to pass (We permitted your enemies) to disfigure your faces
and to enter your Temple as they had entered if before and to
visit with destruction all that fell into their power

8. It may be that your Lord may (yet) show Mercy unto you; but if
ye revert (to your sins) We shall revert (to Our punishments):
and We have made Hell a prison for those who reject (all Faith)

9. Verily this Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right (or
stable) and giveth the glad tidings to the Believers who work
deeds of righteousness that they shall have a magnificent reward;

10. And to those who believe not in the Hereafter (it announceth)
that We have prepared for them a Penalty grievous (indeed)

11. The prayer that man should make for good he maketh for evil:
for man is given to hasty (deeds)

12. We have made the Night and the Day as two (of Our) Signs: the
Sign of the Night have We obscured while the Sign of the day We
have made to enlighten you; that ye may seek Bounty from your
Lord and that ye may know the number and count of the years: all
things have We explained in detail

13. Every man's fate We have fastened on his own neck: on the Day
of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll which he will see
spread open

14. (It will be said to him:) "Read thine (own) record:
sufficient is thy soul this day to make out an account against
thee."

15. Who receiveth guidance receiveth it for his own benefit: who
goeth astray doth so tho his own loss: no bearer of burdens can
bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath
until We had sent an apostle (to give warning)

16. When We decide to destroy a population We (first) send a
definite order to those among them who are given the good things
of this life and yet transgress; so that the word is proved true
against them: then (it is) We destroy them utterly

17. How many generations have We destroyed after Noah? And enough
is thy Lord to note and see the sins of His servants

18. If any do wish for the transitory things (of this life) We
readily grant them such things as We will to such persons as We
will: in the end have We provided Hell for them: they will burn
therein disgraced and rejected

19. Those who do wish for the (things of) the Hereafter and
strive therefor with all due striving and have Faith they are the
ones whose striving is acceptable (to Allah)

20. Of the bounties of thy Lord We bestow freely on all these as
well as those: the bounties of thy Lord are not closed (to
anyone)

21. See how We have bestowed more on some than on others; but
verily the Hereafter is more in rank and gradation and more in
excellence

22. Take not with Allah another object of worship; or thou (O
man!) wilt sit in disgrace and destitution

23. Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him and that
ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age
in thy life say not to them a word of contempt nor repel them but
address them in terms of honor

24. And out of kindness lower to them the wing of humility and
say: "My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me
in childhood."

25. Your Lord knoweth best what is in your hearts: if ye do deeds
of righteousness verily He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to
Him again and again (in true penitence)

26. And render to the kindred their due rights as (also) to those
in want and to the wayfarer: but squander not (your wealth) in
the manner of a spendthrift

27. Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the
Evil One is to his Lord (Himself) ungrateful

28. And even if thou hast to turn away from them in pursuit of
the Mercy from thy Lord which thou dost expect yet speak to them
a word of easy kindness

29. Make not thy hand tied (like a niggard's) to thy neck nor
stretch it forth to its utmost reach so that thou become
blameworthy and destitute

30. Verily thy Lord doth provide sustenance in abundance for whom
He pleaseth and He provideth in a just measure: for He doth know
and regard all His servants

31. Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide
sustenance for them as well as for you: verily the killing of
them is a great sin

32. Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an
evil opening the road (to other evils)

33. Nor take life which Allah has made sacred except for just
cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully We have given his heir
authority (to demand Qisas or to forgive): but let him not exceed
bounds in the matter of taking life: for he is helped (by the
Law)

34. Come not nigh to the orphan's property except to improve it
until he attains the age of full strength; and fulfil (every)
engagement for (every) engagement will be enquired into (on the
Day of Reckoning)

35. Give full measure when ye measure and weigh with a balance
that is straight: that is the most fitting and the most
advantageous in the final determination

36. And pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge; for
every act of hearing or of seeing or of (feeling in) the heart
will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning)

37. Nor walk on the earth with insolence: for thou canst not rend
the earth asunder nor reach the mountains in height

38. Of all such things the evil is hateful in the sight of thy
Lord

39. These are among the (precepts of) wisdom which thy Lord Has
revealed to thee. Take not with Allah another object of worship
lest thou shouldst be thrown into Hell blameworthy and rejected

40. Has then your Lord (O Pagans!) preferred for you sons and
taken for Himself daughters among the angels? Truly ye utter a
most dreadful saying

41. We have explained (things) in various (ways) in this Qur'an
in order that they may receive admonition but it only increases
their flight (from the Truth)!

42. Say: if there had been (other) gods with Him as they say
behold they would certainly have sought out a way to the Lord of
the Throne!

43. Glory to him! He is high above all that they say! Exalted and
Great (beyond measure)!

44. The seven heavens and the earth and all beings therein
declare His glory there not a thing but celebrates His praise;
and yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He
is Oft- Forbearing Most Forgiving!

45. When thou dost recite the Qur'an We put between thee and
those who believe not in the Hereafter a veil invisible

46. And We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they
should understand the Qur'an and deafness into their ears: when
thou dost commemorate thy Lord and Him alone in the Qur'an they
turn on their backs fleeing (from the Truth)

47. We know best why it is they listen when they listen to thee;
and when they meet in private conference Behold the wicked say
"Ye follow none other than a man bewitched!"

48. See what similes thy strike for thee; but they have gone
astray and never can they find a way

49. They say: "What! when we are reduced to bones and dust should
we really be raised up (to be) a new creation?"

50. Say: "(Nay!) be ye stones or iron

51. "Or created matter which in your minds is hardest (to be
raised up) (yet shall ye be raised up)!" Then will they say: "Who
will cause us to return?" Say: "He Who created you first!" Then
will they wag their heads towards thee and say "When will that
be?" Say "Maybe it will be quite soon!

52. "It will be on a Day when He will call you and ye will answer
(His call) with (words of) His praise and ye will think that ye
tarried but a little! while!"

53. Say to My servants that they should (only) say those things
that are best for Satan doth sow dissensions among them: for
Satan is to man an avowed enemy

54. It is your Lord that knoweth you best: if He please He
granteth you mercy or if He please punishment: We have not sent
thee to be a disposer of their affairs for them

55. And it is your Lord that knoweth best all beings that are in
the heavens and on earth: We did bestow on some Prophets more
(and other) gifts than on others: and We gave to David (the gift
of) the Psalms

56. Say: "Call on those besides Him whom ye fancy: they have
neither the power to remove your troubles from you nor to change
them."

57. Those whom they call upon do desire (for themselves) means of
access to their Lord even those who are nearest: they hope for
His Mercy and fear His Wrath: for the Wrath of thy Lord is
something to take heed of

58. There is not a population but We shall destroy it before the
Day of Judgment or punish it with a dreadful Penalty: that is
written in the (eternal) Record

59. And We refrain from sending the Signs only because the men of
former generations treated them as false: We sent the She-camel:
to the Thamud to open their eyes but they treated her wrongfully:
We only send the Signs by way of terror (and warning from evil)

60. Behold! We told thee that thy Lord doth encompass mankind
round about: We granted the Vision which We showed thee but as a
trial for men as also the Cursed Tree (mentioned) in the Qur'an:
We put terror (and warning) into them but it only increases their
inordinate transgression!

61. Behold! We said to the angels: "Bow down unto Adam": they
bowed down except Iblis: he said "Shall I bow down to one whom
Thou didst create from clay?"

62. He said "Seest Thou? This is the one whom thou hast honored
above me! If Thou wilt but respite me to the Day of Judgment I
will surely bring his descendants under my sway all but a few!"

63. Allah said: "Go thy way; if any of them follow thee verily
Hell will be the recompense of you (all) an ample recompense

64. "Lead to destruction those whom thou canst among them with
thy (seductive) voice; make assaults on them with thy cavalry and
thy infantry; mutually share with them wealth and children; and
make promises to them. But Satan promises them nothing but deceit

65. "As for My servants no authority shalt thou have over them."
Enough is thy. Lord for a Disposer of affairs

66. Your Lord is He that maketh the Ship go smoothly for you
through the sea in order that ye may seek of His Bounty: for He
is unto you Most Merciful

67. When distress seizes you at sea those that ye call upon
besides Himself leave you in the lurch! But when He brings you
back safe to land ye turn away (from Him). Most ungrateful is
man!

68. Do ye then feel secure that He will not cause you to be
swallowed up beneath the earth when ye are on land or that He
will not send against you a violent tornado (with showers of
stones) so that ye shall find no one to carry out your affairs
for you?

69. Or do ye feel secure that He will not send you back a second
time to sea and send against you a heavy gale to drown you
because of your ingratitude so that ye find no helper therein
against Us?

70. We have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with
transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good
and pure; and conferred on them special favors above a great part
of Our Creation

71. One day We shall call together all human beings with their
(respective) Imams: those who are given their record in their
right hand will read it (with pleasure) and they will not be
dealt with unjustly in the least

72. But those who were blind in this world will be blind in the
Hereafter and most astray from the Path

73. And their purpose was to tempt thee away from that which We
had revealed unto thee to substitute in Our name something quite
different: (in that case) behold! they would certainly have made
thee (their) friend!

74. And had We not given thee strength thou wouldst nearly have
inclined to them a little

75. In that case We should have made thee taste an equal portion
(of punishment) in this life and an equal portion in death: and
moreover thou wouldst have found none to help thee against Us!

76. Their purpose was to scare thee off the land in order to
expel thee; but in that case they would not have stayed (therein)
after thee except for a little while

77. (This was Our) way with the apostles We sent before thee:
thou wilt find no change in Our ways

78. Establish regular prayers at the sun's decline till the
darkness of the night and the morning prayer and reading: for the
prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony

79. And pray in the small watches of the morning: (it would be)
an additional prayer (or spiritual profit) for thee: soon will
thy Lord raise thee to a station of Praise and Glory!

80. Say: "O my Lord! let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and
Honor and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honor; and
grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid (me)."


81. And say: "Truth has (now) arrived and Falsehood perished: for
Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish."

82. We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur'an that which is a
healing and a mercy to those who believe: to the unjust it causes
nothing but loss after?

83. Yet when We bestow Our favors on man he turns away and
becomes remote on his side (instead of coming to Us) and when
Evil seizes him he gives himself up to despair!


84. Say: "Everyone acts according to his own disposition: but
your Lord knows best who it is that is best guided on the Way

85. They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say:
"The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is
only a little that is communicated to you (O men!)

86. If it were Our Will We could take away that which We have
sent thee by inspiration: then would thou find none to plead thy
affair in that matter as against Us

87. Except for Mercy from thy Lord: for His Bounty is to thee
(indeed) great

88. Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather
together to produce the like of this Qur'an they could not
produce the like thereof even if they backed up each other with
help and support

89. And We have explained to man in this Qur'an every kind of
similitude: yet the grater part of men refuse (to receive it)
except with ingratitude!

90. They say: "We shall not believe in thee until thou cause
spring to gush forth for us from the earth

91. "Or (until) thou have a garden of date trees and vines and
cause rivers to gush forth in their midst carrying abundant
water;

92. "Or thou cause the sky to fall in pieces as thou sayest (will
happen) against us; or thou bring Allah and the angels before
(us) face to face;

93. "Or thou have a house adorned with gold or thou mount a
ladder right into the skies. No we shall not even believe in thy
mounting until thou send down to us a book that we could read."
Say: "Glory to my Lord! am I aught but a man an apostle?"

94. What kept men back from Belief when Guidance came to them was
nothing but this: they said "Has Allah sent a man like us) to be
(His) Apostle?"

95. Say "If there were settled on earth angels walking about in
peace and quiet We should certainly have sent them down from the
heavens an angel for an apostle."

96. Say: "Enough is Allah for a witness between me and you: for
He is well acquainted with His servants and He sees (all
things)."

97. It is he whom Allah guides that is on true guidance; but he
whom He leaves astray for such wilt thou find no protector
besides Him. On the Day of Judgment We shall gather them together
prone on their faces blind dumb and deaf: their abode will be
Hell: every time it shows abatement We shall increase for them
the fierceness of the Fire

98. That is their recompense because they rejected Our Signs and
said "When we are reduced to bones and broken dust should we
really be raised up (to be) a new Creation?"

99. See they not that Allah Who created the heavens and the earth
has power to create the like of them (anew)? Only He has decreed
a term appointed of which there is no doubt. But the unjust
refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude

100. Say: "If ye had control of the Treasures of the Mercy of my
Lord behold ye would keep them back for fear of spending them:
for man is (ever) niggardly!"

101. To Moses We did give nine Clear Signs: ask the Children of
Israel: when he came to them Pharaoh said to him: "O Moses! I
consider thee indeed to have been worked upon by sorcery!"

102. Moses said "Thou knowest well that these things have been
sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as
eye-opening evidence: and I consider thee indeed O Pharaoh to be
one doomed to destruction!"

103. So he resolved to remove them from the face of the earth:
but We did drown him and all who were with him

104. And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel "Dwell
securely in the land (of promise)": but when the second of the
warnings came to pass We gathered you together in a mingled crowd

105. We sent down the (Qur'an) in Truth and in Truth has it
descended: and We sent thee but to give Glad Tidings and to warn
(sinners)

106. (It is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts from time
to time) in order that thou mightest recite it to men at
intervals: We have revealed it by stages

107. Say: "Whether ye believe in it or not it is true that those
who were given knowledge beforehand when it is recited to them
fall down on their faces in humble prostration"

108. And say: "Glory to our Lord! truly has the promise of our
Lord been fulfilled!"

109. They fall down on their faces in tears and it increases
their (earnest) humility

110. Say: "Call upon Allah or call upon Rahman: by whatever name
ye call upon Him (it is well): for to Him belong the Most
Beautiful Names. Neither speak thy Prayer aloud nor speak it in a
low tone but seek a middle course between."

111. Say: "Praise be to Allah Who begets no son and has no
partner in (His) dominion: nor (needs) He any to protect Him from
humiliation: Yea magnify Him for His greatness and glory!"

Back To Index Page