The only answer his people gave was to say, ‘Expel Lot’s followers from your town! These men mean to stay chaste!’

We saved him and his family- except for his wife: We made her stay behind

and We brought rain down on them. How dreadful that rain was for those who had been warned

Say [Prophet], ‘Praise be to God and peace on the servants He has chosen. Who is better: God, or those they set up as partners with Him

Who created the heavens and earth? Who sends down water from the sky for you- with which We cause gardens of delight to grow: you have no power to make the trees grow in them- is it another god beside God? No! But they are people who take others to be equal with God

Who is it that made the earth a stable place to live? Who made rivers flow through it? Who set immovable mountains on it and created a barrier between the fresh and salt water? Is it another god beside God? No! But most of them do not know

Who is it that answers the distressed when they call upon Him? Who removes their suffering? Who makes you successors in the earth? Is it another god beside God? Little notice you take

Who is it that guides you through the darkness on land and sea? Who sends the winds as heralds of good news before His mercy? Is it another god beside God? God is far above the partners they put beside him

Who is it that creates life and reproduces it? Who is it that gives you provision from the heavens and earth? Is it another god beside God?’ Say, ‘Show me your evidence then, if what you say is true.’

Say, ‘No one in the heavens or on earth knows the unseen except God.’ They do not know when they will be raised from the dead

their knowledge cannot comprehend the Hereafter; they are in doubt about it; they are blind to it

So the disbelievers say, ‘What! When we and our forefathers have become dust, shall we be brought back to life again

We have heard such promises before, and so did our forefathers. These are just ancient fables.’

[Prophet], say, ‘Travel through the earth and see how the evildoers ended up.’

[Prophet], do not grieve over them; do not be distressed by their schemes

They also say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled if what you say is true?’

Say, ‘Maybe some of what you seek to hasten is near at hand.’

Your Lord is bountiful to people, though most of them are ungrateful

He knows everything their hearts conceal and everything they reveal

there is nothing hidden in the heavens or on earth that is not in a clear Record

Truly, this Quran explains to the Children of Israel most of what they differ about

and it is guidance and grace for those who believe

Truly, your Lord will judge between them in His wisdom- He is the Almighty, the All Knowing

so [Prophet], put your trust in God, you are on the path of clear truth

You cannot make the dead hear, you cannot make the deaf listen to your call when they turn their backs and leave

you cannot guide the blind out of their error: you cannot make anyone hear you except those who believe in Our signs and submit [to Us]

When the verdict is given against them, We shall bring a creature out of the earth, which will tell them that people had no faith in Our revelations

The Day will come when We gather from every community a crowd of those who disbelieved in Our signs and they will be led in separate groups

until, when they come before Him, He will say, ‘Did you deny My messages without even taking them in? Or what were you doing?’

The verdict will be given against them because of their wrongdoing: they will not speak

Did they not see that We gave them the night for rest, and the day for light? There truly are signs in this for those who believe

On the Day the Trumpet sounds, everyone in heaven and on earth will be terrified- except such as God wills- and all will come to Him in utter humility

You will see the mountains and think they are firmly fixed, but they will float away like clouds: this is the handiwork of God who has perfected all things. He is fully aware of what you do

whoever comes with a good deed will be rewarded with something better, and be secure from the terrors of that Day

but whoever comes with evil deeds will be cast face downwards into the Fire. ‘Are you rewarded for anything except what you have done?’

[Say Prophet], ‘What I am commanded to do is to serve the Sustainer of this town, which He has made inviolable. Everything belongs to Him; I am commanded to be one of those devoted to Him

I am commanded to recite the Quran.’ Whoever chooses to follow the right path does so for his own good. Say to whoever deviates from it, ‘I am only here to warn.’

Say, ‘Praise belongs to God: He will show you His signs so that you will recognize them.’ Your Lord is never unmindful of what you all do

Ta Sin Mim

These are the verses of the Scripture that makes things clear

We recount to you [Prophet] part of the story of Moses and Pharaoh, setting out the truth for people who believe

Pharaoh made himself high and mighty in the land and divided the people into different groups: one group he oppressed, slaughtering their sons and sparing their women––he was one of those who spread corruption––

but We wished to favour those who were oppressed in that land, to make them leaders, the ones to survive

to establish them in the land, and through them show Pharaoh, Haman, and their armies the very thing they feared

We inspired Moses’ mother, saying, ‘Suckle him, and then, when you fear for his safety, put him in the river: do not be afraid, and do not grieve, for We shall return him to you and make him a messenger.’

Pharaoh’s household picked him up––later to become an enemy and a source of grief for them: Pharaoh, Haman, and their armies were wrongdoers––

and Pharaoh’s wife said, ‘Here is a joy to behold for me and for you! Do not kill him: he may be of use to us, or we may adopt him as a son.’ They did not realize what they were doing

The next day, Moses’ mother felt a void in her heart––if We had not strengthened it to make her one of those who believe, she would have revealed everything about him––

and she said to his sister, ‘Follow him.’ So she watched him from a distance, without them knowing

We had ordained that he would refuse to feed from wet nurses. His sister approached them and said, ‘Shall I tell you about a household which could bring him up for you and take good care of him?’

We restored him to his mother in this way, so that she might be comforted, not grieve, and know that God’s promise is true, though most of them do not know

When Moses reached full maturity and manhood, We gave him wisdom and knowledge: this is how We reward those who do good

He entered the city, unnoticed by its people, and found two men fighting: one from his own people, the other an enemy. The one from his own people cried out to him for help against the enemy. Moses struck him with his fist and killed him. He said, ‘This must be Satan’s work: clearly he is a misleading enemy.’

He said, ‘Lord, I have wronged myself. Forgive me,’ so He forgave him; He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful

He said, ‘My Lord, because of the blessings You have bestowed upon me, I shall never support those who do evil.’

Next morning, he was walking in the city, fearful and vigilant, when suddenly the man he had helped the day before cried out to him for help. Moses said, ‘You are clearly a troublemaker.’

As he was about to attack the man who was an enemy to both of them, the man said, ‘Moses, are you going to kill me as you killed that person yesterday? You clearly want to be a tyrant in the land; you do not intend to put things right.’

Then a man came running from the furthest part of the city and said, ‘Moses, the authorities are talking about killing you, so leave- this is my sincere advice.’

So Moses left the city, fearful and wary, and prayed, ‘My Lord, save me from people who do wrong.’

As he made his way towards Midian, he was saying, ‘May my Lord guide me to the right way.’

When he arrived at Midian’s waters, he found a group of men watering [their flocks], and beside them two women keeping their flocks back, so he said, ‘What is the matter with you two?’ They said, ‘We cannot water [our flocks] until the shepherds take their sheep away: our father is a very old man.’

He watered their flocks for them, withdrew into the shade, and prayed, ‘My Lord, I am in dire need of whatever good thing You may send me,’

and then one of the two women approached him, walking shyly, and said, ‘My father is asking for you: he wants to reward you for watering our flocks for us.’ When Moses came to him and told him his story, the old man said, ‘Do not be afraid, you are safe now from people who do wrong.’

One of the women said, ‘Father, hire him: a strong, trustworthy man is the best to hire.’

The father said, ‘I would like to marry you to one of these daughters of mine, on condition that you serve me for eight years: if you complete ten, it will be of your own free will. I do not intend to make things difficult for you: God willing, you will find I am a fair man.’

Moses said, ‘Let that be the agreement between us- whichever of the two terms I fulfil, let there be no injustice to me- God is witness to what we say.’

Once Moses had fulfilled the term and was travelling with his family, he caught sight of a fire on the side of the mountain and said to his family, ‘Wait! I have seen a fire. I will bring you news from there, or a burning stick for you to warm yourselves.’

But when he reached it, a voice called out to him from the right-hand side of the valley, from a tree on the blessed ground: ‘Moses, I am God, the Lord of the Worlds

Throw down your staff.’ When he saw his staff moving like a snake, he fled in fear and would not return. Again [he was called]: ‘Moses! Draw near! Do not be afraid, for you are one of those who are safe

Put your hand inside your shirt and it will come out white but unharmed- hold your arm close to your side, free from all fear. These shall be two signs from your Lord to Pharaoh and his chiefs; they are truly wicked people.’

Moses said, ‘My Lord, I killed one of their men, and I fear that they may kill me

My brother Aaron is more eloquent than I: send him with me to help me and confirm my words- I fear they may call me a liar.’

God said, ‘We shall strengthen you through your brother; We shall give you both power so that they cannot touch you. With Our signs you, and those who follow you, will triumph.’

But when Moses came to them with Our clear signs, they said, ‘These are mere conjuring tricks; we never heard this from our forefathers.’

Moses said, ‘My Lord knows best who comes with guidance from Him and who will have the final Home: wrongdoers will never succeed.’

Pharaoh said, ‘Counsellors, you have no other god that I know of except me. Haman, light me a fire to bake clay bricks, then build me a tall building so that I may climb up to Moses’ God: I am convinced that he is lying.’

Pharaoh and his armies behaved arrogantly in the land with no right- they thought they would not be brought back to Us

so We seized him and his armies and threw them into the sea. See what became of the wrongdoers

We made them leaders calling [others] only to the Fire: on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped

We made Our rejection pursue them in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be among the despised

After We had destroyed the earlier generations, We gave Moses the Scripture to provide insight, guidance, and mercy for people, so that they might take heed

You [Muhammad] were not present on the western side of the mountain when We gave Our command to Moses: you were not there

We have brought into being many generations who lived long lives- you did not live among the people of Midian or recite Our Revelation to them- We have always sent messengers to people

nor were you present on the side of Mount Sinai when We called out to Moses. But you too have been sent as an act of grace from your Lord, to give warning to a people to whom no warner has come before, so that they may take heed

and may not say, if a disaster should befall them as a result of what they have done with their own hands, ‘Lord, if only You had sent us a messenger, we might have followed Your message and become believers.’

Even now that Our truth has come to them, they say, ‘Why has he not been given signs like those given to Moses?’ Did they not also deny the truth that was given to Moses before? They say, ‘Two kinds of sor-cery, helping each other,’ and, ‘We refuse to accept either of them.’

Say [Muhammad], ‘Then produce a book from God that gives better guidance than these two and I will follow it, if you are telling the truth.’

If they do not respond to you, you will know that they follow only their own desires. Who is further astray than the one who follows his own desires with no guidance from God? Truly God does not guide those who do wrong

We have caused Our Word to come to them so that they may be mindful

Those to whom We gave the Scripture before believe in it

and, when it is recited to them, say, ‘We believe in it, it is the truth from our Lord. Before it came we had already devoted ourselves to Him.’

They will be given their rewards twice over because they are steadfast, repel evil with good, give to others out of what We have provided for them

and turn away whenever they hear frivolous talk, saying, ‘We have our deeds and you have yours. Peace be with you! We do not seek the company of ignorant people.’

You [Prophet] cannot guide everyone you love to the truth; it is God who guides whoever He will: He knows best those who will follow guidance

They say, ‘If we were to follow guidance with you [Prophet], we would be swept from our land.’ Have We not established for them a secure sanctuary where every kind of produce is brought, as a provision from Us? But most of them do not comprehend

We have destroyed many a community that once revelled in its wanton wealth and easy living: since then their dwelling places have barely been inhabited- We are the only heir

Your Lord would never destroy towns without first raising a messenger in their midst to recite Our messages to them, nor would We destroy towns unless their inhabitants were evildoers

Whatever things you have been given for the life of this world are merely [temporary] gratification and vanity: that which is with God is better and more lasting- will you not use your reason

Can the person who will see the fulfilment of the good promise We gave him be compared to someone We have given some enjoyments for this worldly life but who, on the Day of Resurrection, will be summoned

The Day will come when God will call them, saying, ‘Where now are those you allege are My partners?’

and those [ringleaders] against whom the verdict will be passed will say, ‘Our Lord, these are the ones we caused to deviate. We caused them to deviate as we ourselves deviated, but now we disown them before You: they did not really serve us.’

It will then be said to them, ‘Now call those you worshipped as partners,’ and they will call them but receive no answer. They will see the suffering and wish they had followed guidance

On that Day He will call them, saying, ‘How did you respond to My messengers?’

All arguments will seem obscure to them on that Day; they will not be able to consult one another

Yet anyone who has repented, believed, and done good deeds can hope to find himself among the successful

Your Lord creates what He pleases and chooses those He will- they have no choice- so glory be to God, and may He be exalted above the partners they ascribe to Him

Your Lord knows what their hearts conceal and what they reveal

He is God; there is no god but Him; all praise belongs to Him in this world and the next; His is the Judgement; and to Him you shall be returned

Say [Prophet], ‘Just think, if God were to cast perpetual night over you until the Day of Resurrection, what god other than He could bring you light? Do you not listen?’

Say, ‘Just think, if God were to cast perpetual day over you until the Day of Resurrection, what god other than He could give you night in which to rest? Do you not see

In His mercy He has given you night and day, so that you may rest and seek His bounty and be grateful.’

The Day will come when He will call out to them, saying, ‘Where are the partners you claimed for Me?’

We shall call a witness from every community, and say, ‘Produce your evidence,’ and then they will know that truth belongs to God alone; the gods they invented will forsake them

Qarun was one of Moses’ people, but he oppressed them. We had given him such treasures that even their keys would have weighed down a whole company of strong men. His people said to him, ‘Do not gloat, for God does not like people who gloat

Seek the life to come by means of what God has granted you, but do not neglect your rightful share in this world. Do good to others as God has done good to you. Do not seek to spread corruption in the land, for God does not love those who do this,’

but he answered, ‘This wealth was given to me on account of the knowledge I possess.’ Did he not know that God had destroyed many generations before him, who had greater power than him and built up greater wealth? The guilty will not be questioned about their sins

He went out among his people in all his pomp, and those whose aim was the life of this world said, ‘If only we had been given something like what Qarun has been given: he really is a very fortunate man,’

but those who were given knowledge said, ‘Alas for you! God’s reward is better for those who believe and do good deeds: only those who are steadfast will attain this.’

We caused the earth to swallow him and his home: he had no one to help him against God, nor could he defend himself

The next day, those who had, the day before, wished to be in his place exclaimed, ‘Alas [for you, Qarun]! It is God alone who gives what He will, abundantly or sparingly, to whichever He will of His creatures: if God had not been gracious to us, He would have caused the earth to swallow us too.’ Alas indeed! Those who deny the truth will never prosper

We grant the Home in the Hereafter to those who do not seek superiority on earth or spread corruption: the happy ending is awarded to those who are mindful of God

Whoever comes before God with a good deed will receive a better reward; whoever comes with an evil deed will be punished only for what he has done

He who has made the Quran binding on you [Prophet] will bring you back home. So say, ‘My Lord knows best who has brought true guidance and who is blatantly astray.’

You yourself could not have expected the Scripture to be sent to you; it came only as a mercy from your Lord. So give no help to the disbelievers

Do not let them turn you away from God’s revelations after they have been revealed to you. Call people to your Lord. Never become one of those who ascribe partners to God

Do not call out to any other god beside God, for there is no god but Him. Everything will perish except His Face. His is the Judgement and to Him you shall all be brought back

Alif Lam Mim

Do people think they will be left alone after saying ‘We believe’ without being put to the test

We tested those who went before them: God will certainly mark out which ones are truthful and which are lying

Do the evildoers think they can escape us? How ill they judge

But as for those who strive for their meeting with God, God’s appointed time is bound to come; He is the All Seeing, the All Knowing

Those who exert themselves do so for their own benefit––God does not need His creatures––

We shall certainly blot out the misdeeds of those who believe and do good deeds, and We shall reward them according to the best of their actions

We have commanded people to be good to their parents, but do not obey them if they strive to make you serve, beside Me, anything of which you have no knowledge: you will all return to Me, and I shall inform you of what you have done

We shall be sure to admit those who believe and do good deeds to the ranks of the righteous

There are some people who say, ‘We believe in God,’ but, when they suffer for His cause, they think that human persecution is as severe as God’s punishment––yet, if any help comes to you [Prophet] from your Lord, they will say, ‘We have always been with you’. Does God not know best what is in everyone’s hearts

God will be sure to mark out which ones are the believers, and which the hypocrites

Those who disbelieve say to the believers, ‘Follow our path and we shall bear [the consequences for] your sins,’ yet they will not do so––they are liars

They will bear their own burdens and others besides: they will be questioned about their false assertions on the Day of Resurrection

We sent Noah out to his people. He lived among them for fifty years short of a thousand but when the Flood overwhelmed them they were still doing evil

We saved him and those with him on the Ark. We made this a sign for all people

We also sent Abraham. He said to his people, ‘Serve God and be mindful of Him: that is better for you, if only you knew

What you worship instead of God are mere idols; what you invent is nothing but falsehood. Those you serve instead of God have no power to give you provisions, so seek provisions from God, serve Him, and give Him thanks: you will all be returned to Him

If you say this is a lie, [be warned that] other communities before you said the same. The messenger’s only duty is to give clear warning.’

Do they not see that God brings life into being and reproduces it? Truly this is easy for God

Say, ‘Travel throughout the earth and see how He brings life into being: and He will bring the next life into being. God has power over all things

He punishes whoever He will and shows mercy to whoever He will. You will all be returned to Him

You cannot escape Him on earth or in the heavens; you will have no one to protect or help you besides God.’

Those who deny God’s Revelation and their meeting with Him have no hope of receiving My grace: they will have a grievous torment

The only answer Abraham’s people gave was, ‘Kill him or burn him!’ but God saved him from the Fire: there truly are signs in this for people who believe

Abraham said to them, ‘You have chosen idols instead of God but your love for them will only last for the present life: on the Day of Resurrection, you will disown and reject one another. Hell will be your home and no one will help you.’

Lot believed him, and said, ‘I will flee to my Lord: He is the Almighty, the All Wise.’

We gave Isaac and Jacob to Abraham, and placed prophethood and Scripture among his offspring. We gave him his rewards in this world, and in the life to come he will be among the righteous

And Lot: when He said to his people, ‘You practise outrageous acts that no people before you have ever committed

How can you lust after men, waylay travellers, and commit evil in your gatherings?’ the only answer his people gave was, ‘Bring God’s punishment down on us, if what you say is true.’

So he prayed, ‘My Lord, help me against these people who spread corruption.’

When Our mes-sengers brought the good news [of the birth of a son] to Abraham,they told him, ‘We are about to destroy the people of that town. They are wrongdoers.’

Abraham said, ‘But Lot lives there.’ They answered, ‘We know who lives there better than you do. We shall save him and his household, except for his wife: she will be one of those who stay behind.’

When Our messengers came to Lot, he was troubled and distressed on their account. They said, ‘Have no fear or grief: we shall certainly save you and your household, except for your wife- she will be one of those who stay behind

and we shall send a punishment from heaven down on the people of this town because they violate [God’s order].’

We left some [of the town] there as a clear sign for those who use their reason

To the people of Midian We sent their brother Shuayb. He said, ‘My people, serve God and think ahead to the Last Day. Do not commit evil and spread corruption in the land.’

They rejected him and so the earthquake overtook them. When morning came, they were lying dead in their homes

[Remember] the tribes of 'Ad and Thamud: their history is made clear to you by [what is left of] their dwelling places. Satan made their foul deeds seem alluring to them and barred them from the right way, though they were capable of seeing

[Remember] Qarun and Pharaoh and Haman: Moses brought them clear signs, but they behaved arrogantly on earth. They could not escape Us

and We punished each one of them for their sins: some We struck with a violent storm; some were overcome by a sudden blast; some We made the earth swallow; and some We drowned. It was not God who wronged them; they wronged themselves

Those who take protectors other than God can be compared to spiders building themselves houses- the spider’s is the frailest of all houses- if only they could understand

God knows what things they call upon beside Him: He is the Mighty, the Wise

Such are the comparisons We draw for people, though only the wise can grasp them

God has created the heavens and earth for a true purpose. There truly is a sign in this for those who believe

[Prophet], recite what has been revealed to you of the Scripture; keep up the prayer: prayer restrains outrageous and unacceptable behaviour. Remembering God is greater: God knows everything you are doing