Ha Mim

This Scripture is sent down from God, the Almighty, the Wise

It was for a true purpose and a specific term that We created heaven and earth and everything in between, yet those who deny the truth ignore the warning they have been given

Say [Prophet], ‘Consider those you pray to other than God: show me which part of the earth they created or which share of the heavens they own; bring me a previous scripture or some vestige of divine knowledge––if what you say is true.’

Who could be more wrong than a person who calls on those other than God, those who will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, those who are unaware of his prayers

those who, when all mankind is gathered, will become his enemies and disown his worship

When Our revelations are recited to them in all their clarity, the disbelievers say of the Truth that has reached them, ‘This is clearly sorcery,’

or they say, ‘He has invented it himself.’ Say [Prophet], ‘If I have really invented it, there is nothing you can do to save me from God. He knows best what you say amongst yourselves about it; He is sufficient as a witness between me and you; He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’

Say, ‘I am nothing new among God’s messengers. I do not know what will be done with me or you; I only follow what is revealed to me; I only warn plainly.’

Say, ‘Have you thought: what if this Quran really is from God and you reject it? What if one of the Children of Israel testifies to its similarity [to earlier scripture] and believes in it, and yet you are too proud to [do the same]? God certainly does not guide evildoers.’

Those who disbelieve say of the believers, ‘If there were any good in this Quran, they would not have believed in it before we did,’and, since they refuse to be guided by it, they say, ‘This is an ancient fabrication.’

Yet the scripture of Moses was revealed before it as a guide and a mercy, and this is a scripture confirming it in the Arabic language to warn those who do evil and bring good news for those who do good

For those who say, ‘Our lord is God,’ and then follow the straight path there is no fear, nor shall they grieve

they are the people of Paradise, there to remain as a reward for what they were doing

We have commanded man to be good to his parents: his mother struggled to carry him and struggled to give birth to him- his bearing and weaning took a full thirty months. When he has grown to manhood and reached the age of forty he [may] say, ‘Lord, help me to be truly grateful for Your favours to me and to my parents; help me to do good work that pleases You; make my offspring good. I turn to You; I am one of those who devote themselves to You.’

We accept from such people the best of what they do and We overlook their bad deeds. They will be among the people of Paradise- the true promise that has been given to them

But some say to their parents, ‘What? Are you really warning me that I shall be raised alive from my grave, when so many generations have already passed and gone before me?’ His parents implore God for help; they say, ‘Alas for you! Believe! God’s promise is true,’ but still he replies, ‘These are nothing but ancient fables.’

The verdict has been passed on such people, along with all the communities that went before them, jinn and human: they are lost

Everyone will be ranked according to their deeds and God will repay them in full for what they have done: they will not be wronged

On the Day when those who deny the truth are brought before the Fire, it will be said to them, ‘You squandered the good things you were given in your earthly life, you took your fill of pleasure there, so on this Day a punishment of shame is yours: you were arrogant on earth without any right, and exceeded all limits.’

Mention [Hud] of the tribe of Ad: he warned his people among the sand dunes- other warners have come and gone both before and after him- ‘ Worship no one but God: I fear for you, that you will be punished on a terrible Day,’

but they said, ‘Have you come to turn us away from our gods? If what you say is true, bring down that punishment you threaten us with!’

He said, ‘Only God knows when it will come: I simply convey to you the message I am sent with but I can see you are an insolent people.’

When they saw a cloud approaching their valley, they said, ‘This cloud will give us rain!’ ‘No indeed! It is what you wanted to hasten: a storm-wind bearing a painful punishment

which will destroy everything by its Lord’s command.’ In the morning there was nothing to see except their [ruined] dwellings: this is how We repay the guilty

We had established them in a way we have not established you [people of Mecca]; We gave them hearing, sight, and hearts, yet their hearing, sight, and hearts were of no use to them, since they denied God’s revelations. They were overwhelmed by the punishment they had mocked

We have also destroyed other communities that once flourished around you- We had given them various signs so that they might return to the right way

so why did their gods not help them, those they set up as gods besides God to bring them nearer to Him? No indeed! They failed them utterly: it was all a lie of their own making

We sent a group of jinn to you [Prophet] to listen to the Quran. When they heard it, they said to one another, ‘Be quiet!’ Then when it was finished they turned to their community and gave them warning

They said, ‘Our people, we have been listening to a Scripture that came after Moses, confirming previous scriptures, giving guidance to the truth and the straight path

Our people, respond to the one who calls you to God. Believe in Him: He will forgive you your sins and protect you from a painful torment.’

Those who fail to respond to God’s call cannot escape God’s power anywhere on earth, nor will they have any protector against Him: such people have clearly gone far astray

Do the disbelievers not understand that God, who created the heavens and earth and did not tire in doing so, has the power to bring the dead back to life? Yes indeed! He has power over everything

On the Day the disbelievers are brought before Hell [it will be said to them], ‘Is this not real?’ ‘Yes, by our Lord,’ they will reply and He will say, ‘Then taste the punishment for having denied the truth.’

Be steadfast [Muhammad], like those messengers of firm resolve. Do not seek to hasten the punishment for the disbelievers: on the Day they see what they had been warned about, it will seem to them that they lingered no more than a single hour of a single day [in this life]. This is a warning. Shall any be destroyed except the defiant

God will bring to nothing the deeds of those who disbelieve and bar others from the way of God

but He will overlook the bad deeds of those who have faith, do good deeds, and believe in what has been sent down to Muhammad––the truth from their Lord––and He will put them into a good state

This is because the disbelievers follow falsehood, while the believers follow the truth from their Lord. In this way God shows people their true type

When you meet the disbelievers in battle, strike them in the neck, and once they are defeated, bind any captives firmly––later you can release them by grace or by ransom––until the toils of war have ended. That [is the way]. God could have defeated them Himself if He had willed, but His purpose is to test some of you by means of others. He will not let the deeds of those who are killed for His cause come to nothing

He will guide them and put them into a good state

He will admit them into the Garden He has already made known to them

You who believe! If you help God, He will help you and make you stand firm

As for the disbelievers, how wretched will be their state! God has brought their deeds to nothing

It is because they hate what God has sent down that He has caused their deeds to go to waste

Have they not travelled the earth and seen how those before them met their end? God destroyed them utterly: a similar fate awaits the disbelievers

That is because God protects the believers while the disbelievers have no one to protect them

God will admit those who believe and do good deeds to Gardens graced with flowing streams; the disbelievers may take their fill of pleasure in this world, and eat as cattle do, but the Fire will be their home

We have destroyed many a town stronger than your own [Prophet]- the town which [chose to] expel you- and they had no one to help them

Can those who follow clear proof from their Lord be compared to those whose foul deeds are made to seem alluring to them, those who follow their own desires

Here is a picture of the Garden promised to the pious: rivers of water forever pure, rivers of milk forever fresh, rivers of wine, a delight for those who drink, rivers of honey clarified and pure, [all] flow in it; there they will find fruit of every kind; and they will find forgiveness from their Lord. How can this be compared to the fate of those stuck in the Fire, given boiling water to drink that tears their bowels

Some of these people listen to you [Prophet], but, once they leave your presence, they sneer at those who have been given knowledge, saying, ‘What was that he just said?’ These are the ones whose hearts God has sealed, those who follow their own desires

God has increased the guidance of those who follow the right path, and given them their awareness [of Him]

What are the disbelievers waiting for, other than the Hour which will come upon them unawares? Its signs are already here, but once the Hour has actually arrived, what use will it be then to take heed

So [Prophet], bear in mind that there is no god but God, and ask forgiveness for your sins and for the sins of believing men and women. God knows whenever any of you move, and whenever any of you stay still

Those who believe ask why no sura [about fighting] has been sent down. Yet when a decisive sura [that mentions fighting] is sent down, you can see the sick at heart looking at you [Prophet] and visibly fainting at the prospect of death- better for them

would be obedience and fitting words; it would also be better for them to be true to God when the decision to fight has been made

‘If you turn away now, could it be that you will go on to spread corruption all over the land and break your ties of kinship?’

These are the ones God has rejected, making their ears deaf and their eyes blind

Will they not contemplate the Quran? Do they have locks on their hearts

Those who turn on their heels after being shown guidance are duped and tempted by Satan

they say to those who hate what God has sent down, ‘We will obey you in some matters’––God knows their secret schemes

How will they feel when the angels take them in death and beat their faces and their backs

because they practised things that incurred God’s wrath, and disdained to please Him? He makes their deeds go to waste

Do the corrupt at heart assume that God will not expose their malice

We could even point them out to you [Prophet] if We wished, and then you could identify them by their marks, but you will know them anyway by the tone of their speech. God knows everything you [people] do

We shall test you to see which of you strive your hardest and are steadfast; We shall test the sincerity of your assertions

Those who disbelieve, bar others from God’s path, and oppose the Messenger when they have been shown guidance, do not harm God in any way. He will make their deeds go to waste

believers, obey God and the Messenger: do not let your deeds go to waste

God will not forgive those who disbelieve, bar others from God’s path, and die as disbelievers

So [believers] do not lose heart and cry out for peace. It is you who have the upper hand: God is with you. He will not begrudge you the reward for your [good] deeds

the life of this world is only a game, a pastime, but if you believe and are mindful of God, He will recompense you. He does not ask you to give up [all] your posses-sions

you would be grudging if He were to ask you and press you for them, and He would bring your ill-will to light

though now you are called upon to give [a little] for the sake of God, some of you are grudging. Whoever is grudging is so only towards himself: God is the source of wealth and you are the needy ones. He will substitute other people for you if you turn away, and they will not be like you

Truly We have opened up a path to clear triumph for you [Prophet]

so that God may forgive you your past and future sins, complete His grace upon you, guide you to a straight path

and help you mightily

It was He who made His tranquillity descend into the hearts of the believers, to add faith to their faith––the forces of the heavens and earth belong to God; He is all knowing and all wise––

so as to admit believing men and women into Gardens graced with flowing streams, there to remain, absolving their bad deeds––a great triumph in God’s eyes––

and to torment the hypocritical and idolatrous men and women who harbour evil thoughts about God––it is they who will be encircled by evil!––who carry the burden of God’s anger, whom God has rejected and for whom He has prepared Hell, an evil destination

The forces of heaven and earth belong to God; He is almighty and all wise

We have sent you [Prophet] to bring good news and to give warning

so that you[people] may believe in God and His Messenger, support Him, honour Him, and praise Him morning and evening

Those who pledge loyalty to you [Prophet] are actually pledging loyalty to God Himself- God’s hand is placed on theirs––and anyone who breaks his pledge does so to his own detriment: God will give a great reward to the one who fulfils his pledge to Him

The desert Arabs who stayed behind will say to you, ‘We were busy with our property and our families: ask forgiveness for us,’ but they say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say, ‘Whether it is God’s will to do you harm or good, who can intervene for you?’ No! God is fully aware of everything you [people] do

No! You thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families and this thought warmed your hearts. Your thoughts are evil, for you are corrupt people

We have prepared a blazing Fire for those who do not believe in God and His Messenger

Control of the heavens and earth belongs to God and He forgives whoever He will and punishes whoever He will: God is most forgiving and merciful

When you [believers] set off for somewhere that promises war gains, those who [previously] stayed behind will say, ‘Let us come with you.’ They want to change God’s words, but tell them [Prophet], ‘You may not come with us: God has said this before.’ They will reply, ‘You begrudge us out of jealousy.’ How little they understand

Tell the desert Arabs who stayed behind, ‘You will be called to face a people of great might in war and to fight them, unless they surrender: if you obey, God will reward you well, but if you turn away, as you have done before, He will punish you heavily

the blind, the lame, and the sick will not be blamed.’ God will admit anyone who obeys Him and His Messenger to Gardens graced with flowing streams; He will painfully punish anyone who turns away

God was pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you [Prophet] under the tree: He knew what was in their hearts and so He sent tranquillity down to them and rewarded them with a speedy triumph

and with many future gains. God is mighty and wise

He has promised you [people] many future gains: He has hastened this gain for you. He has held back the hands of hostile people from you as a sign for the faithful and He will guide you to a straight path

There are many other gains [to come], over which you have no power. God has full control over them: God has power over all things

If the disbelievers had fought against you, they would have taken flight and found no one to protect or support them

such was God’s practice in the past and you will find no change in God’s practices

In the valley of Mecca it was He who held their hands back from you and your hands back from them after He gave you the advantage over them––God sees all that you do

They were the ones who disbelieved, who barred you from the Sacred Mosque, and who prevented the offering from reaching its place of sacrifice. If there had not been among them, unknown to you, believing men and women whom you would have trampled underfoot, inadvertently incurring guilt on their account- God brings whoever He will into His mercy- if the [believers] had been clearly separated, We would have inflicted a painful punishment on the disbelievers

While the disbelievers had fury in their hearts- the fury of ignorance- God sent His tranquillity down on to His Messenger and the believers and made binding on them [their] promise to obey God, for that was more appropriate and fitting for them. God has full knowledge of all things

God has truly fulfilled His Messenger’s vision: ‘God willing, you will most certainly enter the Sacred Mosque in safety, shavenheaded or with cropped hair, without fear!’- God knew what you did not- and He has granted you a speedy triumph

It was He who sent His Messenger, with guidance and the religion of Truth, for him to show that it is above all [false] religion. God suffices as a witness

Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Those who follow him are harsh towards the disbelievers and compassionate towards each other. You see them kneeling and prostrating, seeking God’s bounty and His good pleasure: on their faces they bear the marks of their prostrations. This is how they are pictured in the Torah and the Gospel: like a seed that puts forth its shoot, becomes strong, grows thick, and rises on its stem to the delight of its sowers. So God infuriates the disbelievers through them; God promises forgiveness and a great reward to those who believe and do righteous deeds

Believers, do not push yourselves forward in the presence of God and His Messenger––be mindful of God: He hears and knows all––

believers, do not raise your voices above the Prophet’s, do not raise your voice when speaking to him as you do to one another, or your [good] deeds may be cancelled out without you knowing

It is those who lower their voices in the presence of God’s Messenger whose hearts God has proved to be aware––they will have forgiveness, and a great reward––

but most of those who shout to you [Prophet] from outside your private rooms lack understanding

It would have been better for them if they had waited patiently for you to come out to them but God is all forgiving and merciful

Believers, if a troublemaker brings you news, check it first, in case you wrong others unwittingly and later regret what you have done

and be aware that it is God’s Messenger who is among you: in many matters you would certainly suffer if he were to follow your wishes. God has endeared faith to you and made it beautiful to your hearts; He has made disbelief, mischief, and disobedience hateful to you. It is people like this who are rightly guided

through God’s favour and blessing: God is all knowing and all wise

If two groups of the believers fight, you [believers] should try to reconcile them; if one of them is [clearly] oppressing the other, fight the oppressors until they submit to God’s command, then make a just and even-handed reconciliation between the two of them: God loves those who are even-handed

The believers are brothers, so make peace between your two brothers and be mindful of God, so that you may be given mercy

Believers, no one group of men should jeer at another, who may after all be better than them; no one group of women should jeer at another, who may after all be better than them; do not speak ill of one another; do not use offensive nicknames for one another. How bad it is to be called a mischief-maker after accepting faith! Those who do not repent of this behaviour are evildoers

Believers, avoid making too many assumptions- some assumptions are sinful- and do not spy on one another or speak ill of people behind their backs: would any of you like to eat the flesh of your dead brother? No, you would hate it. So be mindful of God: God is ever relenting, most merciful

People, We created you all from a single man and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you should recognize one another. In God’s eyes, the most honoured of you are the ones most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware

The desert Arabs say, ‘We have faith.’ [Prophet], tell them, ‘You do not have faith. What you should say instead is, “We have submitted,” for faith has not yet entered your hearts.’ If you obey God and His Messenger, He will not diminish any of your deeds: He is most forgiving and most merciful

The true believers are the ones who have faith in God and His Messenger and leave all doubt behind, the ones who have struggled with their possessions and their persons in God’s way: they are the ones who are true

Say, ‘Do you presume to teach God about your religion, when God knows everything in the heavens and earth, and He has full knowledge of all things?’

They think they have done you [Prophet] a favour by submitting. Say, ‘Do not consider your submission a favour to me; it is God who has done you a favour, by guiding you to faith, if you are truly sincere.’

God knows the secrets of the heavens and earth: He sees everything you do

Qaf By the glorious Quran

But the disbelievers are amazed that a warner has come from among them and they say, ‘How strange

To come back [to life] after we have died and become dust? That is too farfetched.’

We know very well what the earth takes away from them: We keep a comprehensive record

But the disbelievers deny the truth when it comes to them; they are in a state of confusion

Do they not see the sky above them––how We have built and adorned it, with no rifts in it

how We spread out the earth and put solid mountains on it, and caused every kind of joyous plant to grow in it

as a lesson and reminder for every servant who turns to God

and how We send blessed water down from the sky and grow with it gardens, the harvest grain

and tall palm trees laden with clusters of dates

as a provision for everyone; how with water We give [new] life to a land that is dead? This is how the dead will emerge [from their graves]

The people of Noah disbelieved long before these disbelievers, as did the people of Rass, Thamud

Ad, Pharaoh, Lot

the Forest-Dwellers, Tubba: all of these people disbelieved their messengers, and so My warning was realized

So were We incapable of the first creation? No indeed! Yet they doubt a second creation

We created man––We know what his soul whispers to him: We are closer to him than his jugular vein––

with two receptors set to record, one on his right side and one on his left

he does not utter a single word without an ever-present watcher

The trance of death will bring the Truth with it: ‘This is what you tried to escape.’

The Trumpet will be sounded: ‘This is the Day [you were] warned of.’

Each person will arrive attended by an [angel] to drive him on and another to bear witness

‘You paid no attention to this [Day]; but today We have removed your veil and your sight is sharp.’

The person’s attendant will say, ‘Here is what I have prepared’

‘Hurl every obstinate disbeliever into Hell

everyone who hindered good, was aggressive, caused others to doubt

and set up other gods alongside God. Hurl him into severe punishment!’

and his [evil] companion will say, ‘Lord, I did not make him transgress; he had already gone far astray himself.’

God will say, ‘Do not argue in My presence. I sent you a warning

and My word cannot be changed: I am not unjust to any creature.’

We shall say to Hell on that day, ‘Are you full?’ and it will reply, ‘Are there no more?’

But Paradise will be brought close to the righteous and will no longer be distant

‘This is what you were promised––this is for everyone who turned often to God and kept Him in mind

who held the Most Gracious in awe, though He is unseen, who comes before Him with a heart turned to Him in devotion

so enter it in peace. This is the Day of everlasting Life.’

They will have all that they wish for there, and We have more for them

We have destroyed even mightier generations before these disbelievers, who travelled through [many] lands- was there any escape

There truly is a reminder in this for whoever has a heart, whoever listens attentively

We created the heavens, the earth, and everything between, in six Days without tiring

So [Prophet], bear everything they say with patience; celebrate the praise of your Lord before the rising and setting of the sun

proclaim His praise in the night and at the end of every prayer

listen out for the Day when the caller will call from a nearby place

They will come out [from their graves] on that Day, the Day when they hear the mighty blast in reality

It is We who give life and death; the final return will be to Us

on the Day when the earth will be torn apart, letting them rush out- that gathering will be easy for Us

We know best what the disbelievers say. You [Prophet] are not there to force them, so remind, with this Quran, those who fear My warning

By those [winds] that scatter far and wide

and those that are heavily laden

that speed freely

that distribute [rain] as ordained

What you [people] are promised is true

the Judgement will come––

by the sky with its pathways

you differ in what you say––

those who turn away from it are [truly] deceived

Perish the liars

those steeped in error and unaware

They ask, ‘When is this Judgement Day coming?’

On a Day when they will be punished by the Fire

‘Taste the punishment! This is what you wished to hasten.’

The righteous will be in Gardens with [flowing] springs

They will receive their Lord’s gifts because of the good they did before

sleeping only little at night

praying at dawn for God’s forgiveness

giving a rightful share of their wealth to the beggar and the deprived

On earth there are signs for those with sure faith––

and in yourselves too, do you not see?––

in the sky is your sustenance and all that you are promised

By the Lord of the heavens and earth! All this is as real as your speaking

[Muhammad], have you heard the story of the honoured guests of Abraham

They went in to see him and said, ‘Peace.’ ‘Peace,’ he said, [adding to himself] ‘These people are strangers.’

He turned quickly to his household, brought out a fat calf

and placed it before them. ‘Will you not eat?’ he said

beginning to be afraid of them, but they said, ‘Do not be afraid.’ They gave him good news of a son who would be gifted with knowledge

His wife then entered with a loud cry, struck her face, and said, ‘A barren old woman?’

but they said, ‘It will be so. This is what your Lord said, and He is the Wise, the All Knowing.’