1. Glory be to Him who took His slave – Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace – on a journey by night – the word sara means, by itself, to travel at night and the additional use of “by night”, laylan, adverbially with it indicates that it is a short journey – from al-Masjid al-haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa (Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed with fruits and rivers, in order to show him some of Our Signs – marvels of Our power. He is the All- Hearing, the All-Seeing. Allah hears the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and sees his actions, and so He blessed him with the Night Journey in which he met the Prophets and ascended to heaven, saw the wonders of the Malakut* and spoke intimately with Allah. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The Buraq was brought to me. It was a white animal somewhat taller than a donkey, but smaller than a mule. Its step covered a distance equal to the range of its vision. I mounted it and rode until I was brought to Jerusalem. Then I tied it to the ring which the Prophets use. Then I entered the mosque and prayed two rak‘ats there. I came out and Jibril brought me a vessel of milk and a vessel of wine. I chose the milk and Jibril said, ‘You have chosen the fitra. “Then he went up with me to the first heaven. Jibril asked for it to be opened and a voice said, ‘Who is it?’ He replied, ‘Jibril.’ The voice said, ‘Who is with you?’ He replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It said, ‘Was he sent for?’ He replied, ‘He was sent for,’ and the door opened for us. I found Adam who welcomed me and prayed for me. Then we went up to the second heaven and Jibril asked for it to be opened. A voice said, ‘Who is it?’ He replied, “Jibril.” It said, “Who is with you?” He replied, “Muhammad.” It said, ‘Was he sent for?’ *. The angelic world. He replied, ‘He was,’ and the door was opened for us. There I found my cousins, Isa ibn Maryam and Yahya ibn Zakariyya. They welcomed me and prayed for me. Then we went up to the third heaven and the same thing happened. It was opened for me and there was Yusuf. He had been given half of all beauty. He welcomed me and prayed for me. Then we went up to the fourth heaven and the same thing happened. I found Idris, and he welcomed me and prayed for me. Allah has said, ‘We raised him up to a high place.’ (19:56) Then we went up to the fifth heaven and the same thing happened. There was Harun, who welcomed me and prayed for me. Then we went up to the sixth heaven and the same thing happened. There I found Musa, who welcomed me and prayed for me. Then we went up to the seventh heaven and the same thing happened. There I found Ibrahim leaning against the Frequented House (Al-Bayt al-Ma‘mur). Every day, seventy thousand angels enter into it and do not emerge. “Then he took me to the Lote-tree of the Furthest Limit, whose leaves are the size of the ears of elephants and whose fruits are the size of earthenware vessels. When a command from Allah covers it, what is covered undergoes a change which no creature is capable of describing due to its sublime beauty. Then Allah revealed to me what He revealed and He made fifty prayers every day and night obligatory for me. I came down to Musa and he asked, ‘What did your Lord make obligatory for your people?’ I replied, ‘Fifty prayers.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord and ask Him to lighten it. Your community will never be able to do that. I have tested the tribe of Isra’il and know by experience.’ So I went back to my Lord and said, ‘My Lord, lighten it for my community!’ so He deducted five prayers. I went back to Musa and said, ‘He deducted five for me.’ He said, ‘Your community will not be able to do that, so go back and ask Him to lighten it.’ “I kept going back and forth between my Lord and Musa until Allah said, ‘Muhammad, there are five prayers every day and night. Each prayer counts as ten, so that makes fifty prayers. Whoever intends to do something good, but then does not do it, a good action will be written for him. If he does it, then ten will be written for him. Whoever intends to do something bad but does not do it, nothing will be written against him. If he does it, then one bad action will be recorded.’ Then I went down to Musa and told him about that. He said, ‘Go back to your Lord and ask Him to lighten it.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied, ‘I have gone back to my Lord so often that I am ashamed before Him.’” It is related by al-Bukhari and Muslim, and the version quoted here is that of Muslim. Al-Hakim also transmitted it in the Mustadrak from Ibn ‘Abbas. He stated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I saw my Almighty Lord.”

2. Allah says: We gave Musa the Book (the Torah) and made it guidance for the tribe of Israel: ‘Do not take (read as tattakhidhu or as yattakhidhu, when it means: “They should not take…”) anyone besides Me as a guardian.’

3. Descendants of those We carried with Nuh in the Ark; he was a grateful slave. He showed much gratitude to Us and praised us in all states.

4. We decreed and revealed in the Book (the Torah) for the tribe of Israel: ‘You will twice cause corruption on the earth – firstly in Greater Syria by acts of disobedience – and you will rise to a great height and be very unjust.

5. When the promised first time of corruption came, We sent against you slaves of Ours possessing great force – in terms of fighting ability and general might – and they ransacked your houses, rampaging right through them – seeking to kill and capture you. It was a promise which was fulfilled. Their first act of corruption was killing Zakariyya, and so Jalut (Goliath) and his armies were sent against them and they killed them, captured their children, and laid waste to Jerusalem.

6. Then once again We gave you the upper hand over them – in state and dominance, after a hundred years, by Daw’ud killing Jalut – and provided you with more wealth and children, and made you the most numerous group.

7. We said: If you do good by performing acts of obedience, you do it to yourselves because of the reward you receive for it. If you do evil by causing corruption, you do it to your detriment. When the next promised time arrived, We sent them and it was so that they could injure you by killing and capture, your faces showed, and enter the Temple of Jerusalem to destroy it as they had entered it the first time and destroyed it, and in order to completely destroy what they had conquered. Their second act of corruption was killing, and so Yaktinsar was sent against them. He killed thousands of them, took their children prisoner, and destroyed Jerusalem.

8. We said this in the Book. It may well be that your Lord will have mercy on you after the second time, if you repent. But if you revert to what you did in terms of corruption, We also will revert to punishing you. They reverted by denying Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and power over them was demonstrated by the killing of Qurayza and the Banu’n-Nadir and the imposition of jizya on them. We have made Hell a prison for the unbelievers.’

9. This Qur’an guides to the most upright Way – the fairest and most correct – and gives good news to the believers who do right actions that they will have a large reward.

10. But as for those who do not believe in the Next World, We have prepared for them a painful punishment in the Fire.

11. Man prays for evil – to come on himself and his family when he is annoyed – just as he prays for good. Man (which is generic here) is prone to be impetuous in invoking against himself without considering the consequences.

12. We made the night and day two Signs indicating Our power. We blotted out the Sign of the night – by darkness, so that you might rest in it – and made the Sign of the day a time for seeing – it allows vision by its light – so that you may seek favour from your Lord by earning and know the number of years and the reckoning of time. We have made all things that need to be made clear very clear.

13. We have fastened the destiny of the actions of every man about his neck – the neck is singled out because anything attached to it is very difficult to dislodge. According to Mujahid, “There is no one born without having a page on his neck on which is written whether he will be unfortunate or wretched. On the Day of Rising he will see the book in which his actions are recorded.” – and on the Day of Rising We will bring out a Book for him which he will find spread open in front of him – which records all his actions.

14. He will be told, ‘Read your Book! Today your own self is reckoner enough against you!’

15. Whoever is guided is only guided to his own good – because of the reward he receives for it. Whoever is misguided is only misguided to his detriment – because of the wrong action inherent in it. No burden-bearer can bear another’s burden of wrong actions. We never punish anyone until We have sent a Messenger to make clear to him what is mandatory for him.

16. When We desire to destroy a city, We send a command to the affluent in it – meaning its leaders, who are commanded by the Messengers to obey – and they become deviant in it and disobey Our commands, and the Word (the punishment) is justly carried out against it and We annihilate it completely by destroying its inhabitants and laying ruin to it.

17. How many generations of different nations We destroyed after Nuh! Your Lord is well able to be aware of and see the wrong actions of His slaves. He knows their inward and outward and the wrong actions connected to them.

18. As for anyone who desires this fleeting existence by his actions, We hasten in it whatever We will to whoever We want. Then in the Next World We will consign him to Hell – which He will enter – where he will roast, reviled and driven out from mercy.

19. But as for anyone who desires the Next World, and strives for it with the striving it deserves – by doing the actions appropriate to it – being a believer, the striving of such people will be gratefully acknowledged. Allah will accept their actions and reward them for them.

20. We sustain each one each group, the former and the latter, through the generous giving of your Lord in this world; and the giving of your Lord is not restricted to anyone in it.

21. Look how We favour some of them over others in position and rank. But the Next World has higher ranks and greater favours than this world – so people should be concerned with that rather than this world.

22. Do not set up any other god together with Allah and so sit there reviled and forsaken without any helper.

23. Your Lord has decreed and commanded that you should worship none but Him, and that you should show kindness to your parents by being dutiful to them. Whether one or both of them reach (read as yablughanna and yablughanna) old age with you, do not say ‘Ugh! (read as uffian, uffa and uffi meaning “Ugly!”),’to them out of irritation, and do not rebuke or be harsh with them but speak to them with gentleness and generosity.

24. Take them under your wing with kindness, out of mercy, with due humility and say: ‘Lord, show mercy to them as they did in looking after me when I was small.’

25. Your Lord knows best what is in your selves – in terms of dutifulness or lack of it. If you are righteous and obey Allah, He is Ever - Forgiving to the remorseful – forgiving those who return to His obedience and forgiving people for any impulsive mistakes they make in their behaviour towards their parents, provided they do not conceal a real lack of filiality.

26. Give your relatives their due – by way of kindness and gifts to maintain ties – and the very poor and travellers; but do not squander what you have by spending that is not obedience to Allah.

27. Squanderers are brothers to the shaytans – on the same path as them – and Shaytan was ungrateful to his Lord. The word for “ungrateful”, kafur is an intensive form from kufr, meaning both ingratitude for Allah’s blessings and also unbelief. So he is the brother of the squanderer.

28. But if you do turn away from them – from those relatives mentioned and the others mentioned after them – and do not give to them, seeking the mercy you hope for from your Lord – if you expect more provision to come to you from your Lord so that you can give them some of it – then speak to them with words that bring them ease – promising to give them something when more provision comes.

29. Do not keep your hand chained to your neck by refraining from spending completely, but do not extend it either to its full extent – by giving everything you have – so that you sit there blamed in the first case and destitute in the second.

30. Your Lord expands the provision of anyone He wills and restricts it as He wishes; He is aware of and sees His slaves. Allah knows the inward of His slaves and their outward and so He provides for them according to their best interests.

31. Do not kill your children by burying them alive out of fear of being poor. We will provide for them and you. Killing them is a terrible mistake and grave sin.

32. And do not go near (using this verb is more intensive than simply using to the verb at, “to go to”) to fornication. It is an indecent act, an evil way.

33. Do not kill any person Allah has made inviolate, except with the right to do so. If someone is wrongly killed, We have given authority to his next of kin (his heir). He is given the authority over the killer. But he should not be excessive in taking life – by exceeding the limits in killing by killing: other than the killer or by killing in a manner other than the manner he which he killed. He will be helped.

34. Do not go near the property of orphans before they reach maturity, except in a good way. Fulfil your contracts, whether with Allah or with people: contracts will be asked about.

35. Give full measure when you measure and weigh with a level balance. That is better and gives the best result.

36. Do not pursue what you have no knowledge of. Hearing, sight and hearts will all be questioned about what their possessor did.

37. Do not strut arrogantly – with overweening pride – about the earth. You will certainly never split the earth apart – to reach the other side by your proud will – nor will you ever rival the mountains in height. So how can you be arrogant?

38. All of that – the things mentioned above – is evil action and hateful in the sight of your Lord.

39. That is part of the wisdom (admonition) your Lord has revealed to you, Muhammad. Do not set up another god together with Allah and so be thrown into Hell, blamed, and driven out from Allah’s mercy.

40. Has your Lord honoured you – singled you out, people of Makkah – with sons and Himself taken the angels as daughters? It is truly something terrible that you say!

41. We have made things clear in this Qur’an – by means of parables, warnings and promises – so that they might pay heed and take note, but it only makes them run away from the truth the more!

42. Say to them: ‘If there had, as you say, been other gods together with Him, they would have sought a way to the Master of the Throne and contended with Him.’

43. Glory be to Him! He is exalted above what they say about any partners in Greatness and Sublimity.

44. The seven heavens and the earth and everyone in them glorify Him. There is nothing – no creature whatsoever – that does not glorify Him with praise – saying, ‘Glory be to Allah and by His praise,’ but you do not understand their glorification because it is not in your language. He is All-Forbearing, Ever- Forgiving – in that He does not immediately punish you.

45. When you recite the Qur’an, We place an obscuring veil between you – which veils you from them so that they do not see you – and those who do not believe in the Next World. This was revealed about those who wanted to assassinate the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

46. We have placed covers on their hearts, preventing them from understanding it – from understanding the Qur’an, so they do not understand it – and heaviness in their ears – so that they cannot listen to it properly. When you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn their backs and run away.

47. We know how they listen in a mocking way when they listen to you reciting, and when they confer together secretly, and when the wrongdoers say privately to one another, ‘You are only following a man who is bewitched – whose intellect is overwrought!’ Allah says:

48. Look how they make likenesses of you – comparing you with someone bewitched, a soothsayer and poet – and go astray from guidance. They are unable to find their way.

49. They say in denial of the resurrection, ‘What! When we are bones and crumbled dust, will we then be raised up as a new creation?’

50. Say to them: ‘It would not matter if you were rock or iron…

51. …or indeed any created thing that you think is harder still to bring to life than decayed bones.’ Even if you were made of rock or iron, Allah would still be able to breathe the spirit into you. They will say, ‘Who will bring us back to life again?’ Say: ‘He who brought you into being in the first place’ when before that you were nothing. For the One who is able to originate something is able to bring it back again, because that is easier. They will shake their heads at you in wonder and ask in mockery, ‘When will it happen?’ Say: ‘It may well be that it (the Resurrection) is very near.’

52. On the Day He calls you from the grave by the trumpet of Israfil you will respond to the call to emerge from the grave by praising Him – at His command or with His praise – and think that you have only tarried a very short time in this world, because of the terror aroused by what you will see.

53. Say to My believing slaves that they should only say to the unbelievers the best. Shaytan wants to stir up trouble between them; Shaytan is an outright enemy to man. The best thing to say is:

54. Your Lord knows you best. If He wills, He will have mercy on you – by granting you repentance and faith – and, if He wills, He will punish you by making you die in unbelief. We did not send you to be their guardian. In other words: We did not send you to compel them to believe. This was revealed before the command to fight.

55. My Lord knows best everyone in the heavens and earth – and singles out for them what He wishes according to their states. We favoured some of the Prophets over others, and singled out each of them for a particular quality, such as direct speech for Musa, friendship for Ibrahim, and the Night Journey for Muhammad, and We gave Daw’ud the Zabur.

56. Say to them: ‘Call on those you make claims of divinity for apart from Him – such as the angels and the Prophets Isa and ‘Uzayr. They possess no power to remove any harm from you or to change anything.’

57. Those they call on as gods are themselves seeking the means by which they might approach their Lord through obedience – even those who are the closest to Him – and are hoping for His mercy and fearing his punishment. So how can you call them gods? The punishment of your Lord is truly something to be feared.

58. There is no city We will not destroy – meaning its inhabitants – before the Day of Rising, or punish with a terrible punishment – by killing or in other ways. That is inscribed in the Book (the Preserved Tablet).

59. Nothing has prevented Us sending you (people of Makkah) Signs – which you asked for – except the fact that the previous peoples denied them when they were sent, so Allah destroyed them. If Allah had sent the Signs to the people of Makkah, they would have denied them and merited destruction. However, Allah judged that they should be granted a deferment until the mission of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had been completed. We gave Thamud the She-camel as a visible Sign, and then they mistreated her. They did wrong and disbelieved and so they were destroyed. We do not send Signs (miracles) except to frighten people so that they believe in Allah.

60. Remember when We said to you, ‘Surely your Lord encompasses the people with His knowledge and power, so that they are within His grasp.’ Therefore, convey the Message to them and do not fear anyone. Allah will protect you from them. We only appointed the vision We showed you during the Night Journey and the Accursed Tree in the Qur’an – Zaqqum, which grows in the bottom of Hell. We made it a trial for them when they said, “Fire burns trees, so how can it grow there?” – as a trial and temptation for the people – meaning the people of Makkah, since they denied it and some of them apostatised when they were told about it. We frighten them by it, but it only increases them in their excessive insolence.

61. Remember when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves to Adam.’ The prostration referred to is a kind of greeting by bowing. They prostrated, except for Iblis. He said ‘What! Am I to prostrate to one You have created out of clay?’

62. He said, ‘Tell me, do You see this creature You have honoured over me by commanding that he be prostrated to, when I am better than him because You created me from fire? If You reprieve me till the Day of Rising, I will be the master of his descendants – by making them go astray – except for a very few of them whom You protect.’

63. He (Allah) said, ‘Go – you are reprieved until the time of the first Blast! And as for any who follow you, your repayment is Hell, repayment in full – for you and those who follow you.

64. Stir up and provoke any of them you can with your voice – and with your incitement of them through singing, musical instruments, and everything else which invites people to disobey Allah – and rally against them your cavalry and your infantry to abet them in acts of disobedience, and share with them in their children and their wealth – meaning unlawful wealth, such as that gained by means of usury and usurpation, and children resulting from fornication – and make them promises that there will be no resurrection or repayment. The promise of Shaytan about that is nothing but delusion and falsehood.

65. But as for My believing slaves, you will not have any authority over them.’ Your Lord suffices as a guardian – for them against you.”

66. Your Lord is He who propels the ships on the sea for you so that you may seek His bounty through trade. He is indeed Most Merciful to you in subjecting them to you.

67. When harm – a violent storm – occurs to you at sea and you feel in danger of drowning, those you call on – the false gods you worship – vanish – forsaking you so you do not call on them – except for Him alone. You call on Allah Almighty alone because you are in a strait from which only He can deliver you. But when He delivers you – by saving you from drowning and bringing you to shore – to dry land, you turn away from affirmation of His unity. Man truly is ungrateful for the blessings he receives.

68. Do you feel secure against Him causing the shore to swallow you up – as happened to Qarun – or sending against you a sudden squall of stones – as happened to the people of Lut? Then you will find no one to be your guardian and protect you.

69. Or do you feel secure against Him taking you back into it (the sea) another time and sending a violent storm against you – a strong wind against you, which flattens everything in its path and so causes your ship to be wrecked – and drowning you for your ingratitude? The root of the word for “ingratitude”, k-f-r, also means “unbelief”. Then you will find no one to defend you against Us. The word tabi‘ used here means a helper and partisan to pursue Us for what We have done to you.

70. We have honoured and preferred the sons of Adam – by the gift of knowledge, speech, balanced physique and the like, and the fact that he is pure after death – and conveyed them on land – on animals – and sea – on ships – and provided them with good things, and favoured them greatly over many other animals and wild beasts We have created.

71. On the Day (the Day of Rising) We summon every people with their records. The word imam used here is said to mean either the Book of their actions, when it will be said “O you who have done evil!”, or it may mean their Prophet, in which case the words used will be, “O nation of so-and-so!” Those of them who are given their Book in their right hand – the fortunate, those whose inner eyes were open in this world – will read their Book and they will not be wronged by even the smallest speck. Their actions will not be diminished in any way. The Arabic word for “smallest speck”, fatil, means the tiny membrane found on the side of a date-stone.

72. Those who are blind to the truth in this world will be blind to the Path of salvation and the recitation of the Qur’an in the Next World and even further off the Path. This was revealed about the tribe of Thaqif, who asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to turn their valley into a sanctuary and pressed him to do so.

73. They were very near to enticing you away from some of what We have revealed to you, hoping that you would invent something against Us. Then – if you had done that – they would have taken you as their intimate.

74. If We had not made you firm in the truth – by protecting you from going wrong – you would have leaned towards them a little – owing to their endless devices and insistence. That is a clear statement that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not incline to them or approach them.

75. Then – if you had inclined – We would have let you taste a double punishment in life and a double punishment in death – double the punishment of others in this world and the Next. You would not have found any helper against Us to defend you.

76. The following was revealed when the Jews said to him, “If you are a Prophet, then you should go to Syria. It is the land of the Prophets.” They were very near to scaring you from the land (Medina) with the object of expelling you from it. But had they done so they would only have remained there a short time after you – and then they would have been destroyed.

77. That was the pattern with those We sent before you as Our Messengers. Allah’s pattern was to bring about the destruction of those who expelled the Messengers sent to them. You will not find any changing of Our pattern.

78. Establish the prayer from the time the sun declines until the darkening of the night – a reference to the prayers of Dhur, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’ – and also the recitation at dawn – a reference to the prayer of Subhi The dawn recitation is certainly witnessed by both the angels of the night and the angels of the day.

79. And stay awake for prayer, reciting the Qur’an, during part of the night as a supererogatory action for yourself – as an extra obligation for you, but not for the rest of your community or as a supplementary prayer in addition to the obligatory prayers. It may well be that your Lord will raise you to a Praiseworthy Station in the Next World – a station in which you will be praised by the first and the last. That refers to the station of intercession once judgement has been rendered.

80. Then, when the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was commanded to emigrate, the following ayat was revealed: Say: ‘My Lord, make my entry into Madina sincere and pleasing in such a way as to ensure that I do not find anything which I dislike – and make my leaving Makkah sincere in such a way as to ensure that my heart does not turn back to it – and grant me supporting authority direct from Your Presence, by which you help me against Your enemies.’

81. Say when you enter Makkah: ‘Truth (Islam) has come and falsehood (unbelief) has vanished. Falsehood is always bound to vanish.’ It vanishes and disappears. “When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entered Makkah, there were three hundred and sixty idols around the Ka‘ba. He began to poke them with a stick he had in his hand while reciting this ayat, saying it until they fell.” (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim)

82. We send down in the Qur’an that which is a healing for the sickness of misguidance and a mercy to the believers, but it only increases the wrongdoers (the unbelievers) in loss – because of their unbelief.

83. When We bless an unbelieving man, he turns away from thankfulness and draws aside arrogantly. When evil (poverty and hardship) touches him, he despairs of Allah’s mercy.

84. Say: ‘Each man – both us and you – acts according to his nature – in his own way – but your Lord knows best who is best guided on the Path and will reward him.’

85. They (the Jews) will ask you about the Rü˛ which gives life to the body. Say to them: ‘The Ruh is my Lord’s concern. Allah knows it and you do not know it. You have only been given a little knowledge in relation to Allah’s knowledge.’

86. If We wished, We could take away what We have revealed to you (the Qur’an) by erasing it from people’s hearts and eliminating the physical copies of the Qur’an – and then you would not find any to guard you from Us –

87. …but for a mercy from your Lord. Allah has ensured its continuance. His favour to you is indeed immense – in revealing it to you and giving you the Praiseworthy Station and other favours.

88. Say: ‘If both men and jinn banded together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could never produce anything like it – in respect of eloquence and fluency – even if they backed each other up.’ This was to refute their words, “If we wanted, we could say the same thing.” (8:31)

89. We have variegated throughout this Qur’an and made clear all kinds of examples for people – so that they may be admonished but most people – the people of Makkah and others – spurn anything but unbelief and denial of the Truth.

90. They say, ‘We will not believe you until you make a spring of water gush out from the earth for us;

91. …or have a garden of dates and grapes which you make rivers come pouring through the middle of;

92. …or make the sky, as you claim, fall down on us in lumps; or bring Allah and the angels here – openly in front of us so that we can see them – as a guarantee;

93. … or possess a house built out of gleaming gold; or ascend up into heaven by means of a ladder – and even then we will not believe in your ascent if you do ascend unless you bring us down a book to read.’ Say to them: ‘Glory be to my Lord! Am I anything but a human messenger like other Messengers?’ They only brought a Sign with Allah’s permission.

94. Nothing prevents people from believing when guidance comes to them but the fact that they say in denial, ‘Has Allah sent a human being as Messenger and not an angel?’

95. Say to them: ‘If there had been angels on the earth – instead of human beings – going about in peace, We would have sent down to them an angel from heaven as Messenger.’ This is because a Messenger who is sent to a people is only ever sent from their own species, in order that he will be able to speak to them and they will be able to understand him.

96. Say: ‘Allah is a sufficient witness – to my truthfulness – between me and you. He is certainly aware of and sees His slaves.’ He knows their inward and outward.

97. Whoever Allah guides is truly guided. But as for those He leads astray, you will not find any protectors for them to guide them apart from Him. We will gather them on the Day of Rising, flat on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf. Their shelter will be Hell. Whenever the Blaze dies down, We will re-kindle it and increase it for them.

98. That is their repayment for rejecting Our Signs and denying the Resurrection and saying, ‘What, when we are bones and crumbled dust, will we then be raised up as a new creation?’

99. Do they not see and know that Allah, Who created the heavens and earth – which are vast – has the power to create the like of them – in respect of human beings, who are tiny in comparison – and has appointed fixed terms for them – for their death and resurrection – of which there is no doubt? But the wrongdoers still spurn anything but unbelief.

100. Say to them: ‘Even if you possessed the vast storehouses – referring particularly to provision and rain – of my Lord’s mercy, you would still hold back and be miserly, fearing they would run out through being spent, and that you would therefore become poor.’

101. We gave Musa nine Clear Signs: his White Hand, his Staff, the Flood, the locusts, the fleas, the frogs, the blood or obliteration, the drought and decrease of fruits. Ask, Muhammad, the tribe of Israel – in order to confirm your truthfulness to the idolaters; or it may mean: “We said to him, ‘Ask.’” (One reading has it in the past tense.) – about when he came to them and Pharaoh said to him, ‘Musa, I think you are bewitched (deluded and muddled).”’

102. He said, ‘You know (read as ‘alimta and also ‘alimtu, in which case the meaning becomes “I know”) that no one sent these Signs down but the Lord of the heavens and earth to be clear proofs (lessons) – but you are stubborn. Pharaoh, I think you are destroyed – or turned aside from good.’

103. He (Pharaoh) wanted to scare them (Musa and his people) from the land of Egypt, but We drowned him and every one of those with him.

104. We said to the tribe of Israel after that, ‘Inhabit the land and, when the promise of the Final Hour in the Next World comes, We will produce you as a motley crowd – both you and them.’

105. We have sent it (the Qur’an) down with the truth that it contains and with truth it has come down – as it was revealed without any change. We sent you, Muhammad, only to bring good news of the Garden to those who believe and to give warning of the Fire to those who disbelieve.

106. We have divided up the Qur’an – meaning “We have sent it down in parts over the course of twenty or twenty-three years” – so you may recite it to mankind at intervals – slowly and deliberately over time so that they may understand it – and We have sent it down little by little – in to their best interests.

107. Say to the unbelievers of Makkah: ‘Believe in it or do not believe in it.’ This is a threat to them. Certainly, when it is recited to them, those who were given knowledge before it – before the Qur’an was revealed: a reference to the believers of the People of the Book – fall on their faces in prostration,

108. …saying, ‘Glory be to our Lord! This is to absolve Allah from any accusation of breaking His promise. The promise of our Lord is truly fulfilled! His promise was that He would send a Messenger; and He did indeed send the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

109. Weeping, they fall to the ground in prostration, and it (the Qur’an) increases them in humility towards Allah.

110. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say, “O Allah, O All-Merciful.” The unbelievers said, “He forbids us to worship two gods, when he himself does so,” and this was revealed. Say to them: ‘Call on Allah or call on the All-Merciful, whichever you call upon – or name Him with either of them, saying: “O Allah” or “O All-Merciful,” both of these Names being excellent – the Most Beautiful Names are His.’ This includes these two names, as in the hadith: “Allah is He other than whom there is no other god: ar-Rahman (All-Merciful), ar-Rahim (Most Merciful), al- Malik (the King), al-Quddus (Utterly Pure), as-Salam (Perfect Peace), al-Mu’min (Granter of Security), al-Muhaymin (Safe -guarder), al-‘Aziz (All mighty) , al-Jabbar (the Compeller), al - Mutakabbir (Supremely Great), al-Khaliq (Creator) , al- Bari’ (Maker), al-Musawwir (Giver of Form), al-Ghaffar, (Ever-Forgiving) al- Qahhar ( All- Conquering), al- Wahhab (Ever- Giving), ar- Razzaq (Provider), al- Fattah (Just Decider), al-‘ Alim ( All- Knowing), al- Qabid (Contracter), al-Basit (Expander), al- Khafid (Abaser), ar- Rafi‘ (Exalter), al-Mu‘izz (Honourer), al-Mudhill (Dishonourer), as- Sami‘ (All-Hearing), al-Basir (All-Seeing), al- Hakam ( Judge), al- ‘Adl (Just), al-Latif (All-Subtle), al- Khabir ( All- Aware), al- Halim (Forbearing), al-‘Azim (Magnificent), al- Ghafur (Forgiving), ash- Shakur (Ever-Thankful), al-‘Ali (All-High), al-Kabir (Incomparably Great), al- Hafiz (Preserver), al-Muqit (Maintainer), al – Hasib (Reckoner), al-Jalil (Majestic), al-Karim (Generous), ar-Raqib (Watchful), al- Mujib (Quick to Respond), al-Wasi‘ ( All- Encompassing), al - Hakim (All - Wise), al- Wadud (Loving), al-Majid (Glorious), al-Ba‘ith (the Raiser), ash- Shahid ( Witness), al- Haqq (the Truly Real), al- Wakil (Guardian), al- Qawı (All-Strong), al- Matin (Sure), al- Wali (Protector), al- Hamid (Praiseworthy), al- Muhsi (Appraiser), al-Mubdi’ (Originator), al-Mu’id (Restorer), al- Muhyi (the One who gives life), al- Mumit (the One who causes to die), al- Hayy (Living), al-Qayyum (the Self-Sustaining), al- Wajid (Rich), al-Majid (the Noble), al- Wahid (One), al- Ahad (Absolute Oneness), as- Samad (Everlasting Sustainer of all), al-Qadir (All- Powerful), al-Muqtadir (Most Powerful), al-Muqaddim (Advancer), al- Mu’akhkhir ( Delayer), al-Awwal (the First), al- Akhir (the Last), az Zahir (Outward), al- Batin (Inward), al- Wali (the Friend), al- Muta‘ali (High Exalted), al- Barr ( All- Good), at- Tawwab (Ever-Turning), al-Muntaqim (Exactor of Revenge), al-‘Afuww (Pardoner), ar-Ra’uf (All-Gentle), Malik al-Mulk (Master of the Kingdom), Dhual- Jalal wa’l-Ikram (Lord of Majesty and Generosity), al- Muqsit (Equitable), al-Jami‘ (Gatherer), al-Ghani (Rich Beyond Need), al- Mughni (Enricher), al-Mani‘ (Unapproachable), ad-darr (Afflictor), an- Nafi‘ (Benefiter), an-Nur (Light), al- Hadi ( Guide), al- Badi‘ (Originator), al- Baqi (the Abiding), al- Warith (the Inheritor), ar- Rashid (Right Guide), as-Zabur (Most Patient).” At-Tirmidhi related it. Do not be too loud in your prayer in your recitation, or the idolaters may hear you and abuse you and abuse the Qur’an and the One Who sent it down – or too quiet in it – which would prevent your companions from benefiting from it; but try to find a middle way between the two.

111. And say: ‘Praise be to Allah Who has had no son, Who has no partner in His Kingdom, and Who needs no one to protect Him from abasement.’ He is not abased, so He needs no helper; nor does he need anyone to absolve Him from taking a child or partner or from anything that does not befit Him. And proclaim His Greatness repeatedly.’ This ayat is evidence that Allah deserves every form of praise because of the perfection of His Essence and because He is unique in His Attributes. In his Musnad, Imam Ahmad related from Mu’adh al-Juhani that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say, “The Ayat of Might is: ‘Praise be to Allah Who has had no son and Who has no partner in His Kingdom …’, and Allah knows best.