So who could be more wrong than the person who invents a lie about God and rejects the truth when it comes to him? Is there not ample punishment for the disbelievers in Hell

It is the one who brings the truth and the one who accepts it as true who are mindful of God

they will have everything they wish for with their Lord. Such is the reward of those who do good

God will absolve them even of their worst deeds and will reward them according to their best

Is God not enough for His servant? Yet they threaten you [Prophet] with those they worship other than Him. If God allows someone to stray he has no one to guide him

if God guides someone no one can lead him astray. Is God not mighty and capable of retribution

If you [Prophet] ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and earth?’ they are sure to answer, ‘God,’ so say, ‘Consider those you invoke beside Him: if God wished to harm me, could they undo that harm? If God wished to show me mercy, could they withhold that mercy?’ Say, ‘God is enough for me: all those who trust should put their trust in Him.’

Say, ‘My people, do whatever is in your power- and so will I. You will find out

who will suffer humiliation, and on whom a lasting torment will descend.’

We have sent the Scripture down to you [Prophet] with the Truth for people. Whoever follows the guidance does so for his own benefit, whoever strays away from it does so at his own peril: you are not in charge of them

God takes the souls of the dead and the souls of the living while they sleep- He keeps hold of those whose death He has ordained and sends the others back until their appointed time- there truly are signs in this for those who reflect

Yet they take intercessors besides God! Say, ‘Even though these have no power or understanding?’

Say, ‘All intercession belongs to God alone; He holds control of the heavens and the earth; in the end you will all return to Him.’

Whenever God is mentioned on His own, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion, but they rejoice when gods other than Him are mentioned

Say, ‘God! Creator of the heavens and earth! Knower of all that is hidden and all that is open, You will judge between Your servants regarding their differences.’

If the evildoers possessed the earth’s assets twice over they would offer them to ransom themselves from the terrible suffering on the Day of Resurrection: God will show them something they had not reckoned with

the evil of their deeds will become plain to them, and they will be overwhelmed by that at which they used to laugh

When man suffers some affliction, he cries out to Us, but when We favour him with Our blessing, he says, ‘All this has been given to me because of my knowledge’- it is only a test, though most of them do not know it

Those who lived before them said the same. What they did was of no use to them

they suffered its evil effects. Today’s wrongdoers will also suffer the evil effects of their deeds: they will not escape

Do they not know that God provides abun-dantly for anyone He will and gives sparingly to anyone He will? There truly are signs in this for those who believe

Say, ‘[God says], My servants who have harmed yourselves by your own excess, do not despair of God’s mercy. God forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful

Turn to your Lord. Submit to Him before the punishment overtakes you and you can no longer be helped

Follow the best teaching sent down to you from your Lord, before the punishment suddenly takes you, unawares

and your soul says, “Woe is me for having neglected what is due to God, and having been one of those who scoffed!”

Or it says, “If God had guided me, I would have joined the righteous!”

Or, faced by punishment, it says, “If only I could have another chance, I would join those who do good!”

No indeed! My messages came to you and you rejected them: you were arrogant and rejected the truth.’

On the Day of Resurrection, you [Prophet] will see those who told lies against God, their faces darkened. Is there not ample punishment for the arrogant in Hell

But God will deliver those who took heed of Him to their place of safety: no harm will touch them, nor will they grieve

God is the Creator of all things; He has charge of everything

the keys of the heavens and earth are His. Those who have rejected the revelations of God will be the losers

Say, ‘Do you order me to worship someone other than God, you foolish people?’

It has already been revealed to you [Prophet] and to those before you: ‘If you ascribe any partner to God, all your work will come to nothing: you will be one if the losers

No! Worship God alone and be one of those who are grateful to Him.’

These people have no grasp of God’s true measure. On the Day of Resurrection, the whole earth will be in His grip. The heavens will be rolled up in His right hand- Glory be to Him! He is far above the partners they ascribe to Him

the Trumpet will be sounded, and everyone in the heavens and earth will fall down senseless except those God spares. It will be sounded once again and they will be on their feet, looking on

The earth will shine with the light of its Lord; the Record of Deeds will be laid open; the prophets and witnesses will be brought in. Fair judgement will be given between them: they will not be wronged

and every soul will be repaid in full for what it has done. He knows best what they do

Those who rejected the Truth will be led to Hell in their throngs. When they arrive, its gates will open and its keepers will say to them, ‘Were you not sent your own messengers to recite the revelations of your Lord to you and warn you that you would meet this Day?’ and they will say, ‘Yes indeed we were.’ But the sentence of punishment will have been passed against those who rejected the truth

It will be said, ‘Enter the gates of Hell: there you will remain. How evil is the abode of the arrogant!’

Those who were mindful of their Lord will be led in throngs to the Garden. When they arrive, they will find its gates wide open, and its keepers will say to them, ‘Peace be upon you. You have been good. Come in: you are here to stay,’

and they will say, ‘Praise be to God who has kept His promise to us and given us this land as our own. Now we may live wherever we please in the Garden.’ How excellent is the reward of those who labour

You [Prophet] will see the angels surrounding the Throne, glorifying their Lord with praise. True judgement will have been passed between them, and it will be said, ‘Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds.’

Ha Mim

This Scripture is sent down from God, the Almighty, the All Knowing

Forgiver of sins and Accepter of repentance, severe in punishment, infinite in bounty. There is no god but Him; to Him is the ultimate return

It is only the disbelievers who dispute God’s revelations. [Prophet], do not be dazzled by their movements back and forth across the land

Before them the people of Noah rejected the truth and so did those who formed opposition after them: every community schemed to destroy its messenger and strove to refute truth with falsehood; but it was I who destroyed them. How terrible My punishment was

In this way your Lord’s sentence was passed against the disbelievers that they would be the inhabitants of the Fire

Those [angels] who carry the Throne and those who surround it celebrate the praise of their Lord and have faith in Him. They beg forgiveness for the believers: ‘Our Lord, You embrace all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who turn to You and follow Your path. Save them from the pains of Hell

and admit them, Lord, to the lasting Gardens You have promised to them, together with their righteous ancestors, spouses, and offspring: You alone are the Almighty, the All Wise

Protect them from all evil deeds: those You protect on that Day from [the punishment for] evil deeds will receive Your mercy- that is the supreme triumph.’

But those who disbelieved will be told, ‘When you were called to the faith and rejected it, God’s disgust with you was even greater then than the self-disgust you feel [today].’

They will say, ‘Our Lord, twice You have caused us to be lifeless and twice You have brought us to life. Now we recognize our sins. Is there any way out?’

[They will be told], ‘This is all because when God alone was invoked you rejected this, yet when others were associated with Him you believed [in them].’ Judgement belongs to God the Most High, the Most Great

It is He who shows you [people] His signs and sends water down from the sky to sustain you, though only those who turn to God will take heed

So call upon God and dedicate your religion to Him alone, however hateful this may be to the disbelievers

He is exalted in rank, the Lord of the Throne. He sends revelations with His teachings to whichever of His servants He will, in order to warn of the Day of Meeting

the Day when they will come out and nothing about them will be concealed from God. ‘Who has control today?’ ‘God, the One, the All Powerful

Today each soul will be rewarded for whatever it has done; today no injustice will be done. God is swift in reckoning.’

Warn them [Prophet] of the ever-approaching Day, when hearts are at throats, choking them. The evildoer will have no friends, nor any intercessor to be heeded

God is aware of the most furtive of glances, and of all that hearts conceal

God will judge with truth, while those they invoke besides Him will not judge at all. God is the All Hearing, the All Seeing

Have they not travelled through the land and seen how those who lived before them met their end? They were stronger than them and made a more impressive mark on the land, yet God destroyed them for their sins- they had no one to defend them against Him

because messengers repeatedly came to them with clear signs and still they rejected them. God destroyed them: He is truly full of strength, severe in punishment

We sent Moses with Our signs and clear authority

to Pharaoh, Haman, and Korah and they said, ‘Sorcerer! Liar!’

When he brought the truth to them from Us, they said, ‘Kill the sons of those who believe with him; spare only their women’- the scheming of those who reject the truth can only go wrong

and Pharaoh said, ‘Leave me to kill Moses- let him call upon his Lord!- for I fear he may cause you to change your religion, or spread disorder in the land.’

Moses said, ‘I seek refuge with my Lord and yours from every tyrant who refuses to believe in the Day of Reckoning.’

A secret believer from Pharaoh’s family said, ‘How can you kill a man just for saying, “My Lord is God”? He has brought you clear signs from your Lord- if he is a liar, on his own head be it- and if he is truthful, then at least some of what he has threatened will happen to you. God does not guide any rebellious, outrageous liar

My people, as masters in the land you have the power today, but who will help us against God’s might if it comes upon us?’ But Pharaoh said, ‘I have told you what I think; I am guiding you along the right path.’

The believer said, ‘My people, I fear your fate will be the fate of those others who opposed [their prophets]

the fate of the people of Noah, Ad, Thamud, and those who came after them- God never wills injustice on His creatures

My people, I fear for you on the Day you will cry out to one another

the Day you will turn tail and flee with no one to defend you from God! Whoever God leaves to stray will have no one to guide him

Joseph came to you before with clear signs, but you never ceased to doubt the message he brought you. When he died, you said, “God will not send another messenger.”’ In this way God leaves the doubting rebels to stray

those who dispute God’s messages, with no authority given to them, are doing something that is loathed by God and by those who believe. In this way God seals up the heart of every arrogant tyrant

Pharaoh said, ‘Haman, build me a tall tower so that I may reach the ropes that lead

to the heavens to look for this God of Moses. I am convinced that he is lying.’ In this way the evil of Pharaoh’s deed was made alluring to him and he was barred from the right path- his scheming led only to ruin

The believer said, ‘My people, follow me! I will guide you to the right path

My people, the life of this world is only a brief enjoyment; it is the Hereafter that is the lasting home

Whoever does evil will be repaid with its like; whoever does good and believes, be it a man or a woman, will enter Paradise and be provided for without measure

My people, why do I call you to salvation when you call me to the Fire

You call me to disbelieve in God and to associate with Him things of which I have no knowledge; I call you to the Mighty, the Forgiving One

There is no doubt that what you call me to serve is not fit to be invoked either in this world or the Hereafter: our return is to God alone, and it will be the rebels who will inhabit the Fire

[One Day] you will remember what I am saying to you now, so I commit my case to God: God is well aware of His servants.’

So God saved him from the harm they planned. A terrible punishment engulfed Pharaoh’s people

they will be brought before the Fire morning and evening. On the Day the Hour comes, it will be said, ‘Throw Pharaoh’s people into the worst torment.’

In the Fire they will quarrel with one another: the weak will say to the haughty, ‘We were your followers, so can you now relieve us from some share of the Fire?’

but they will say, ‘We are all in this together. God has judged between His creatures.’

Those in the Fire will say to the keepers of Hell, ‘Ask your Lord to lessen our suffering for one day,’

but they will say, ‘Did your messengers not come to you with clear evidence of the truth?’ They will say, ‘Yes they did,’ and the keeper will say, ‘You can plead, then, but the pleas of disbelievers will always be in vain.’

We support Our messengers and the believers, in the present life and on the Day when witnesses arise

On the Day when excuses will not profit the evildoers, their fate will be rejection and they will have the worst of homes

We gave Moses guidance and passed down the Scripture to the Children of Israel

as a guide and a reminder to people of understanding

So be patient, Prophet, for what God has promised is sure to come. Ask forgiveness for your sins; praise your Lord morning and evening

As for those who, with no authority to do so, dispute God’s messages, there is nothing in their hearts but a thirst for a greatness they will never attain. Seek refuge in God, for He is the All Hearing, the All Seeing

The creation of the heavens and earth is greater by far than the creation of mankind, though most people do not know it

The blind and the sighted are not equal, just as those who believe and do good works and those who do evil are not equal: how seldom you reflect

The Final Hour is sure to come, without doubt, but most people do not believe

Your Lord says, ‘Call on Me and I will answer you; those who are too proud to serve Me will enter Hell humiliated.’

It is God who has given you the night in which to rest and the day in which to see. God is truly bountiful to people, but most people do not give thanks

Such is God your Lord, the Creator of all things: there is no god but Him. How can you be so deluded

This is how deluded those who deny God’s messages are

It is God who has given you the earth for a dwelling place and the heavens for a canopy. He shaped you, formed you well, and provided you with good things. Such is God your Lord, so glory be to Him, the Lord of the Worlds

He is the Living One and there is no god but Him, so call on Him, and dedicate your religion entirely to Him. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds

Say [Prophet], ‘Since clear evidence has come to me from my Lord I am forbidden to serve those you call upon besides God: I am commanded to submit to the Lord of the Worlds.’

It is He who created you from dust, then from a drop of fluid, then from a tiny, clinging form, then He brought you forth as infants, then He allowed you to reach maturity, then He let you grow old- though some of you die sooner- and reach your appointed term so that you may reflect

It is He who gives life and death, and when He ordains a thing, He says only ‘Be’ and it is

[Prophet], do you see how deluded those who dispute God’s messages are

those who reject the Scripture and the messages We have sent through Our messengers? They will find out

when, with iron collars and chains around their necks, they are dragged

into scalding water, and then burned in the Fire

and asked, ‘Where now are those you called upon

besides God?’ They will say, ‘They have abandoned us: those we called upon before were really nothing at all.’ ‘This is how God lets disbelievers go astray

all because on earth you revelled in untruth and ran wild

Enter the gates of Hell, there to remain- an evil home for the arrogant.’

So be patient [Prophet], for God’s promise is sure: whether We show you part of what We have promised them in this life or whether We take your soul back to Us first, it is to Us that they will be returned

We have sent other messengers before you- some We have mentioned to you and some We have not- and no messenger could bring about a sign except with God’s permission. When [the Day] God ordained comes, just judgement will be passed between them: there and then, those who followed falsehood will be lost

It is God who provides livestock for you, some for riding and some for your food

you have other benefits in them too. You can reach any destination you wish on them: they carry you, as ships carry you [on the sea]

He shows you His signs: which of God’s signs do you still ignore

Have they not travelled through the land and seen how those who lived before them met their end? They were more numerous than them, stronger than them, and made a more impressive mark on the land, yet what they achieved was of no use to them at all

When messengers came to them with clear signs, they revelled in the knowledge they had, and so they were engulfed by the very punishment they mocked

when they saw Our punishment, they said, ‘We believe in God alone; we reject any partner we ascribed to Him,’

but believing after seeing Our punishment did not benefit them at all- this has always been God’s way of dealing with His creatures- there and then the disbelievers were lost

Ha Mim

A revelation from the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy

a Scripture whose verses are made distinct as a Quran in Arabic for people who understand

giving good news and warning. Yet most of them turn away and so do not hear

They say, ‘Our hearts are encased against [the faith] you call us to; our ears are heavy; there is a barrier between us and you. So you do whatever you want, and so shall we.’

Say [Prophet], ‘I am only a mortal like you, [but] it has been revealed to me that your God is One. Take the straight path to Him and seek His forgiveness. Woe to the idolaters

who do not pay the prescribed alms and refuse to believe in the world to come

Those who believe and do good deeds will have a reward that never fails.’

Say, ‘How can you disregard the One who created the earth in two Days? How can you set up other gods as His equals? He is the Lord of all the worlds!’

He placed solid mountains on it, blessed it, measured out its varied provisions for all who seek them––all in four Days

Then He turned to the sky, which was smoke––He said to it and the earth, ‘Come into being, willingly or not,’ and they said, ‘We come willingly’––

and in two Days He formed seven heavens, and assigned an order to each. We have made the nearest one beautifully illuminated and secure. Such is the design of the Almighty, the All Knowing

If they turn away, say, ‘I have warned you about a blast like the one which struck 'Ad and Thamud

when their messengers came to them, from all angles, saying, “Serve no one but God,” they said, “If our Lord had wished, He would have sent down angels. We do not believe in the message with which you have been sent.”

The people of 'Ad behaved arrogantly throughout the land without any right, saying, “Who could be stronger than us?” Did they not realize that God, who created them, was stronger than them?’ They continued to reject Our message

so We let a roaring wind loose on them for a few disastrous days to make them taste the punishment of shame in this world; more shameful still will be the punishment of the life to come, and they will not be helped

As for Thamud, We gave them guidance but they preferred blindness, so they were struck by a blast of humiliating punishment for their misdeeds

We saved those who believed and were mindful of God

On the Day when God’s enemies are gathered up for the Fire and driven onward

their ears, eyes, and skins will, when they reach it, testify against them for their misdeeds

They will say to their skins, ‘Why did you testify against us?’ and their skins will reply, ‘God, who gave speech to everything, has given us speech- it was He who created you the first time and to Him you have been returned

yet you did not try to hide yourselves from your ears, eyes, and skin to prevent them from testifying against you. You thought that God did not know about much of what you were doing

so it was the thoughts you entertained about your Lord that led to your ruin, and you became losers.’

The Fire will still be their home, even if they resign themselves to patience, and if they pray to be allowed to make amends, they will not be given permission to do so

We have appointed, for the disbelievers, companions who make their past and present seem fair and right to them, but the sentence has already been passed on them, along with generations of jinn and men before them: they were losers

The disbelievers say, ‘Do not listen to this Quran; drown it in frivolous talk: you may gain the upper hand.’

We shall certainly give the disbelievers a taste of severe punishment. We shall repay them according to their worst deeds

that is the reward of the enemies of God- the Fire will be their lasting home, a payment for their rejection of Our revelations

The disbelievers will say, ‘Our Lord, show us those jinn and men who misled us and we shall trample them underfoot, so that they may be among the lowest of the low.’

As for those who say, ‘Our Lord is God,’ and take the straight path towards Him, the angels come down to them and say, ‘Have no fear or grief, but rejoice in the good news of Paradise, which you have been promised

We are your allies in this world and in the world to come, where you will have everything you desire and ask for

as a welcoming gift from the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful One.’

Who speaks better than someone who calls people to God, does what is right, and says, ‘I am one of those devoted to God’

Good and evil cannot be equal. [Prophet], repel evil with what is better and your enemy will become as close as an old and valued friend

but only those who are steadfast in patience, only those who are blessed with great righteousness, will attain to such goodness

If a prompting from Satan should stir you, seek refuge with God: He is the All Hearing and the All Knowing

The night, the day, the sun, the moon, are only a few of His signs. Do not bow down in worship to the sun or the moon, but bow down to God who created them, if it is truly Him that you worship

If the disbelievers are too arrogant, [remember, Prophet, that] those who are with your Lord glorify Him tirelessly night and day

Another of His signs is this: you see the earth lying desolate, but when We send water down on to it, it stirs and grows. He who gives it life will certainly give life to the dead. He has power over everything

Those who distort the meaning of Our message are not hidden from Us. Is he who is hurled into the Fire better, or he who comes through safely on the Day of Resurrection? Do whatever you want, God certainly sees everything you do

Those who reject the Quran when it comes to them- though it is an unassailable Scripture

which falsehood cannot touch from any angle, a Revelation sent down from the Wise One, Worthy of All Praise

[should remember that] you [Prophet] are not told anything that the previous messengers were not told: your Lord is a Lord of forgiveness, but also of painful punishment

If We had made it a foreign Quran, they would have said, ‘If only its verses were clear! What? Foreign speech to an Arab?’ Say, ‘It is guidance and healing for those who have faith, but the ears of the disbelievers are heavy, they are blind to it, it is as if they are being called from a distant place.’

We gave the Scripture to Moses but disputes arose about it- if it were not for a decree that had already been issued from your Lord, they would already have been judged- and still they are doubtful and suspicious of it

Whoever does good does it for his own soul and whoever does evil does it against his own soul: your Lord is never unjust to His creatures