In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Ever Merciful. (1)

I AM ALLAH, THE ALL-KNOWING. (2)

Allah is He beside Whom there is none worthy of worship, the Living, the Self¬-Subsisting, All-Sustaining. (3)

He has sent down to thee the Book, comprising the truth, which fulfils the revelation that preceded it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel before this as a guidance for the people; and He has sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected the Signs of Allah shall certainly receive a severe punishment. Allah is Mighty, Possessor of the power to requite. Nothing is hidden from Allah, in the earth or in the heaven. He it is Who fashions you in the wombs as He wills; there is none worthy of worship beside Him, the Mighty, the Wise. (4-7)

He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book; in it there are verses that are fundamental – they are the basis of the Book – and there are others which are allegoric. Wherefore, those in whose hearts is perversity pursue such thereof as are allegoric seeking to create confusion and to pervert their meaning, and none knows the meaning thereof except Allah and those who are firmly grounded in knowl¬edge; these last affirm: We believe in it, all of it is from our Lord (and, indeed, none takes heed except those gifted with understanding); Lord, let not our hearts become perverse after Thou hast guided us; and bestow upon us.mercy from Thyself, surely Thou art the Great Bestower. Our Lord, Thou wilt certainly assemble mankind together on the Day concerning which there is no doubt. Surely, Allah does not contravene His promise. (8-10)

The possessions and the children of those who disbelieve shall not avail them at all against Allah; it is they that are the fuel of the Fire. Their case is like that of the people of Pharaoh and those before them; they rejected Our Signs; so Allah seized them because of their sins. Allah’s chastisement is severe. Warn those who disbelieve: You shall surely be vanquished and gathered unto hell; and an evil place of rest it is. (11-13)

Certainly there was for you a Sign in the two parties that encountered each other, one party fighting in the cause of Allah and the other disbelieving, whom they saw with their eyes to be twice as many as themselves. Allah strengthens with His aid whomsoever He pleases. In that surely is a lesson for those who have eyes. (14)

The love of desired objects, like women and children and stored-up reserves of gold and silver, and pastured horses and cattle and crops, appears attractive to people. All this is the provision of the hither life; and it is Allah with Whom is an excellent abode. Ask them: Shall I apprise you of something which is better than all this? For those who are constant¬ly mindful of their duty to Allah, there are Gardens with their Lord beneath which rivers flow, wherein they shall abide, and pure spouses. They shall also enjoy the pleasure of Allah. Allah is Mindful of His servants who supplicate: Lord, surely we have believed; forgive us, therefore, our sins and shield us from the torment of the Fire. They are the steadfast, the faithful, the humble, those who spend in the cause of Allah and those who seek for¬giveness in the small hours of the morning. (15-18)

Allah bears witness that there is none worthy of worship beside Him, and so do the angels and those who possess knowl¬edge; Maintainer of justice; there is none worthy of worship beside Him, the Mighty, the Wise. (19)

Surely the true religion in the estima¬tion of Allah is Islam, that is, complete submission to Him, and those who were given the Book disagreed only, out of mutual envy, after knowledge had come to them. Whoso rejects the Signs of Allah should remember that Allah is Swift at reckoning. (20)

Now if they should dispute with thee, say to them: I have submitted myself wholly to Allah, and also those who follow me. Say to those who have been given the Book and to those to whom no revelation has been vouchsafed: Do you submit yourselves to Allah also? If they submit they will surely be guided; but if they turn away, thy duty is only to convey the message. Allah is Watchful of His servants. (21)

To those who reject the Signs of Allah and seek to kill the Prophets and those from among the people who enjoin equity, without just cause, announce thou a pain-ful chastisement. These are they whose works shall come to naught in this world and the next, and they shall have no helpers. (22-23)

Knowest thou not that of those who have been given their portion of the Book, when they are called to the Book of Allah that it may judge between them, a party turn away in aversion? (24)

That is because they claim: The Fire shall not touch us except for a limited number of days; and that which they concoct has become a snare for them in the matter of their religion. How will it be with them when We shall gather them together on the Day concerning which there is no doubt, when everyone shall be paid in full that which he has earned, and they shall not be wronged? (25-26)

Supplicate: O Allah, Lord of sovereign¬ty, Thou bestowest sovereignty upon whomsoever Thou pleasest, and Thou takest away sovereignty from whomso¬ever Thou pleasest, Thou exaltest whomsoever Thou pleasest, and Thou abasest whomsoever Thou pleasest; in Thy hand is all good. Thou surely hast power to do all that Thou dost will. Thou makest the night pass into day and makest the day pass into night; Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and bringest forth the dead from the living. Thou bestowest upon whomsoever Thou pleasest without measure. (27-28)

Let not the believers take the disbe¬lievers for intimate friends in preference to believers; whoever does that has no con¬nection with Allah. Your only course is to keep away from them altogether. Allah warns you against His chastisement; and to Allah is your return. Warn them: Whether you keep hidden that which is in your minds, or disclose it, Allah knows it; and He knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. Allah has full power over all things. Beware of the day when everyone shall find confronting him all the good he has done and all the evil he has done. He will wish there were a great distance between him and the evil. Allah warns you against His chastise¬ment; Allah is Most Compassionate to¬wards His servants. (29-31)

Announce: If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will then love you and forgive you your faults. Allah is Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful. Call on them: Obey Allah and the Messenger. Then if they turn away, let them remember that Allah loves not the disbelievers. (32-33)

Allah did exalt Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all the people of their times – a group spiritually akin one to another. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (34- 35)

Call to mind when the woman of Imran offered: Lord, I have dedicated to Thy service that which is in my womb free from all other obligations; so do accept it of me. Thou alone art the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (36)

When she was delivered of it she sup¬plicated: Lord, I am delivered of a female child, and I have named her Mary, and I commit her and her offspring to Thy pro¬tection against the mischief of Satan, the rejected. Allah knew best what she had brought forth and the male child of her fancy was not like the female child she brought forth. So her Lord accepted her with a gracious acceptance and caused her to grow up an excellent growing up. Zachariah became her guardian. When¬ever Zachariah entered her chamber, he found some provision with her. One day he said to her: Mary, whence hast thou this? She answered: It is from Allah; surely, Allah bestows upon whomsoever He pleases without measure. (37-38)

Thereupon Zachariah prayed to his Lord: Lord, grant me from Thyself pure off¬spring, surely Thou art the Hearer of prayer. The angels called to him as he stood praying in the chamber: Allah gives thee glad tidings of Yahya, who shall ful¬fill a word of Allah; he will be noble, chaste and a Prophet from among the righteous. Zachariah submitted: Lord, how shall I have a youth as my son when I am already of advanced age and moreover my wife is barren. He responded: Such is the power of Allah, He does what He pleases. Zachariah beseeched: My Lord, lay upon me a special commandment. He replied: The commandment for thee is that thou shalt not communicate with people for three days except by signs, and shalt, remember thy Lord much and shalt glorify Him night and morn. (39-42)

Call to mind when the angels said to Mary: Allah has exalted thee and purified thee and chosen thee from among all the women of thy time. Mary, be obedient to thy Lord and prostrate thyself before Him and worship Him alone with single-minded devotion along with those who worship. (43-44)

This is of the tidings of the unseen that We reveal to thee: Thou was not with them when they cast their arrows to determine which of them should take care of Mary, nor was thou with them when they disputed with one another. (45)

Call to mind when the angels said to Mary: Allah, through His word, gives thee glad tidings of a son named the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the next, and of those who are granted nearness to Allah. He shall admonish people in his early years and also in his ripe years, and he shall be of the righteous. Mary said: Lord, how shall I have a son, when no man has touched me? He answer¬ed: Such is the power of Allah, He creates what He pleases. When He decrees a thing, He says to it: Be; and it is. He will teach him the Book and the Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel and will make him a Messenger to the children of Israel, bearing the message: I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord, that for your benefit, in the manner of a bird, I shall fashion, from among persons who are capable of receiving an impress, shapes and shall breathe into them a new spirit, then they will begin to soar like birds by the command of Allah; and I shall declare clean the blind and the leprous and shall bestow life on the spiri¬tually dead, by the command of Allah; and shall announce to you what you will eat and what you will store up in your houses. In all this there is a Sign for you, if you will believe. I fulfill that which has been sent down before me, namely the Torah, and shall make lawful for you some of that which was forbidden you. I come to you with a Sign from your Lord; so be mindful of your duty to Allah and obey me. Verily, Allah is my Lord and your Lord; so worship Him. That is the straight path. (46-52)

When Jesus perceived their disbelief, he asked: Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah? The disciples answered: We are helpers in the cause of Allah. We have believed in Allah, and bear thou witness we are obedient to Allah. They affirmed: Our Lord we have believed in that which Thou hast sent down and we have become the followers of this Messen¬ger, so write us down among the wit¬nesses. (53-54)

The enemies of Jesus devised their plans and Allah devised His plan; Allah is the best of planners. Allah reassured Jesus; I shall cause thee to die a natural death, and shall exalt thee to Myself, and shall clear thee from the calumnies of those who disbelieve, and shall place those who fol¬low thee above those who disbelieve, until the Day of Judgment; then to Me shall be your return and I will judge between you concerning that wherein you differ. As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment in this world and in the next, and they shall have no helpers; and as for those who believe and work righteousness, Allah will pay them their full deserts. Allah loves not the wrongdoers. That is what We recite unto thee of the Signs and the Wise Instruc¬tions. (55-59)

The case of Jesus in the sight of Allah is like unto the case of Adam. He created him out of dust. He said concerning him: Be; and he began to be. This is the truth from thy Lord, so be thou not of those who doubt. Then whoso should dispute with thee concerning it, after that which has come to thee of divinely revealed knowledge, say to them: Come, let us call our sons and you call your sons, and let us call our women and you call your women, and let us call our people and you call your people, then let us pray fervently for the triumph of the truth and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie. Most certainly this is the true account. There is none worthy of worship save Allah; and surely, it is Allah Who is the Mighty, the Wise. Then if they turn away, let them remember that Allah knows well those who create mischief. (60-64)

Say to the People of the Book: Let us agree upon one matter which is the same for you and for us, namely, that we wor¬ship none but Allah, and that we associate no partner with Him, and that some of us take not others for lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say to them: Bear ye witness that we have submitted to Allah. (65)

People of the Book, why do you dispute concerning Abraham, whereas the Torah and Gospel were surely not sent down till after him? Will you not then understand? Hearken, you are those who have disputed about that whereof you had some knowl¬edge; why do you now dispute about that whereof you have no knowledge at all? Allah knows and you know not. Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christ¬ian; he was ever inclined to Allah and obedient to Him, and he was not of those who associate partners with Allah. Surely, the people closest to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who believe in him. Allah is the Friend of believers. (66-69)

A section of the People of the Book would fain lead you astray, but they only lead themselves astray, only they perceive it not. People of the Book, why do you reject the Signs of Allah, having been wit¬nesses thereof? People of the Book, why do you confound truth with falsehood and hide the truth deliberately? (70-72)

A section of the People of the Book urge some from among themselves: Why not affirm, in the early part of the day, belief in that which has been revealed unto the believers and repudiate it in the latter part thereof, perchance they may return ? But put no faith in any save him who follows your religion. Say to them: Surely, the true guidance is the guidance of Allah – that one may be given the like of that which has been given to you – or else that they should contend against you before your Lord. Say to them also: All bounty is in the hand of Allah, He bestows it upon whomsoever He pleases. Allah is Lord of vast bounty, All-Knowing. He singles out for His mercy whomsoever He pleases. Allah is the Lord of exceeding bounty. (73-75)

Among the People of the Book there are those who, if thou trust them with a treasure, will return it to thee faithfully; and among them are those who, if thou trust them with a single dinar, will not return it to thee, unless thou keep dunning them. That is because they say: We owe no obligation in respect of the unenlighten¬ed. They utter a lie against Allah and they know it. The truth is that whoso fulfils his pledge and is mindful of his duty to Allah is righteous, and Allah loves the righteous. (76-77)

Those who take a paltry price in ex¬change for their covenant with Allah and their oaths, shall have no portion in the life to come. Allah will not speak to them nor cast a look upon them on the Day of Judgment, nor will He purify them. For them shall be a grievous punishment. There surely is a section of them who twist their tongues as if they were reciting the Book, that you may take that which they are reciting to be part of the Book, while it is not part of the Book. They say: It is from Allah; while it is not from Allah. They utter a lie against Allah and they know it. (78-79)

It would not behove a righteous person that Allah should give him the Book and dominion and Prophethood, and yet he should say to people: Worship me instead of Allah. Such a one could only say: Be solely devoted to the Lord because you teach the Book and because you study it attentively. Nor would he bid you take the angels and the Prophets for lords. Would he teach you to disbelieve after you had submitted to Allah? (80-81)

Call to mind when Allah took from their people, through the Prophets, a firm co¬venant: Whatever I give you of the Book and Wisdom and then there comes to you a Messenger, fulfilling that which is with you, you shall most surely believe in him and help him. Do you then promise and accept the obligation I lay upon you in this respect? They affirmed: We promise. Allah said: Then bear witness and I am also a witness along with you. Now whoso turns away after this, those surely are trans¬gressors. (82-83)

Then do they seek a religion other than Allah’s while to Him submits whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him shall they be returned? Proclaim: We believe in Allah and in that which has been revealed to us, and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Tribes, and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and other Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them and to Him we submit. Whoso seeks a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he shall be among the losers. (84-86)

How shall Allah guide a people who have disbelieved after having believed and who had borne witness that the Messenger is true and to whom clear proofs had come? Allah guides not the wrongdoers. Of such the punishment is that on them shall be the curse of Allah and of angels and of men, all together; there under shall they abide. Their punishment shall not be lightened nor shall they be granted respite; except in the case of those who repent thereafter and amend. Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful. Those who disbelieve after having believed, and then continue to advance in disbelief, their repentance shall not be accepted. Those are they who have gone utterly astray. (87-91)

From anyone of those who have dis¬believed, and die while they are disbe¬lievers, there shall not be accepted even an earthful of gold, though he offer it in ransom. For those there shall be a grievous punishment, and they shall have no helpers. (92)

Never will you attain to the highest degree of virtue unless you spend in the cause of Allah out of that which you love; and whatever you spend, Allah surely knows it well. (93)

All food was lawful for the children of Israel, except that which Israel had for¬bidden himself before the Torah was sent down. Say to them: Bring then the Torah and read it, if you are truthful. Whoso, therefore, fabricates a lie against Allah after this, it is these who are the wrong-doers. Affirm: Allah has spoken the truth; follow, therefore, the religion of Abraham, who was ever inclined to Allah and was not of those who associate partners with Him. (94-96)

Surely, the first House established for the benefit of all mankind is the one at Mecca, abounding in blessings and a means of guidance for all peoples. In it are manifest Signs: in it is the station of Abraham; and whoso enters it is secure. Pilgrimage to the House is a duty laid upon people which they owe to Allah, those of them who can afford the journey thither. Those who re-pudiate it should remember that Allah is Independent of all creatures. (97-98)

Say to them: People of the Book, why do you reject the Signs of Allah, while Allah is Watchful of that which you do? Ask them: People of the Book, why do you hinder those who believe, from the path of Allah, seeking to make it appear crook¬ed while you are witnesses thereof’? Allah is not unmindful of that which you do. (99- 100)