1. Alif Lam Mim. Allah knows best what is meant by this.

2. Those yats are the Signs of the Wise Book (the Qur’an ) –

3. …guidance and mercy (read as rahmatan and rahmatun) for the good-doers:

4. …those who establish prayer and pay zakat, and are certain of the Next World.

5. Such people are following guidance from their Lord. They are the ones who are successful.

6. But there are some people who trade in distracting tales – which divert others from what really should concern them – to misguide (read as yudilla and yadilla) people from Allah’s Way – the Path of Islam, knowing nothing about it and to make (read as yatattakhidhaha and yatattakhidhuha) a mockery of it. Such people will have a humiliating punishment.

7. When Our Signs (the Qur’an) are recited to such a person, he turns away arrogantly as if he had not heard, as if there were a great weight in his ears – as if he were deaf. So give him news of a painful punishment – and threaten him with it. This refers to an- Nadr ibn al-Harith. He used to go to Hira to trade and he bought books of the history of the Persians and recounted them to the people of Makka. He said, “Muhammad recounts to you the tales of ‘Ad and Thamud and I tell you the tales of Persia and the Romans.” So they enjoyed his stories and stopped listening to the Qur’an.

8. For those who believe and do right actions there are Gardens of Delight,

9. …to remain in them timelessly, for eve r once they enter them. Allah’s promise of that is true. He is the Almighty, so that nothing can overcome Him to prevent Him carrying out His promise and threat, the All-Wise who only ever puts anything in its right place.

10. It is Allah Who created the heavens with no support – you can see them without any supporting pillars – and cast firmly embedded high mountains on the earth so that it would not move under you, and scattered about in it creatures of every kind. And We send down water from the sky and make every generous ( beautiful) species grow in it. The ayat contains a change of person from third person singular to first person plural.

11. This is Allah’s creation. Show me (tell me) – people of Makka – then what those gods besides Him have created! The wrongdoers (unbelievers) are clearly misguided because of their shirk – and you, people of Makka, are among them.

12. We gave Luqman wisdom – which includes knowledge, piety, correctness in speech, and many of his wise sayings have been transmitted. He used to give judgement (fatw) before Dwüd was sent and lived until the time he was sent, whereupon he learned from him and stopping giving judgement. He said about that, “Should I not be content when I have been given enough?” He was asked, “Whichperson is the worst?” He said, “The one who does not care if people think that he is an evildoer.” We said to him: ‘Give thanks to Allah for the wisdom He has given you. Whoever gives thanks only does so for his own good because of the reward he receives for doing so. Whoever is ungrateful for blessings received, Allah is Rich Beyond Need of His creation, Praiseworthy in what He does.’

13. Remember when Luqmn said to his son, counselling him, ‘My son – using the diminutive form of ‘son’ to show affection – do not associate anything with Allah. Associating others with Him is a terrible wrong, so return to Allah and submit to Him.’

14. We have instructed man concerning his parents – commanded him to be good to his parents. Bearing him caused his mother great debility – during her pregnancy, in her labour, and also when she delivered him – and the period of his weaning was two years. We said to him: ‘ Give thanks to Me and to your parents. I am your final destination.

15. But if they try to make you associate something with Me about which you have no knowledge, do not obey them. Keep company with them correctly – through obedience and maintaining ties with gifts – and courteously in this world; but follow the Way of him who turns to Me in obedience. Then you will return to Me and I will inform you about the things you did and repay you for them.’ This is an interjection.

16. ‘My son, even if something – an evil deed – weighs as little as a mustard-seed and is inside a rock or anywhere else in the heavens or earth – or somewhere even more hidden, Allah will bring it out and reckon it. Allah is All-Pervading, so that He is able to bring it out, All-Aware so that He knows where it is.

17. My son, establish the prayer and command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and be steadfast in the face of all that happens to you on account of commanding the right and forbidding the wrong. That – what has been mentioned – is certainly the most resolute course to follow – and that in which resolve is necessary.

18. Do not avert (read as tusa‘‘ir and tusa‘ir) your face from people out of haughtiness, and do not strut about arrogantly on the earth. Allah does not love anyone who is vain and arrogant in gait or boastful with people.

19. Be moderate in your tread – not walking either too quickly or too slowly, and being tranquil and dignified – and lower your voice. The most hateful of voices is the donkey’s bray.’

20. Do you not see and know, you who are addressed, that Allah has subjected to you everything in the heavens – the sun, the moon and the stars which are there for your benefit – and earth – along with the fruits, rivers and animals it contains – and has showered His ample blessings upon you, both outwardly – in the excellence of your form, the symmetry of your limbs, and other such things – and inwardly – in your ability to recognise and other such things? Yet there are people – such as the the people of Makka – who argue about Allah without knowledge or guidance from any Messenger or any illuminating Book which Allah has revealed. They simply imitate.

21. When they are told: ‘Follow what Allah has sent down,’ they say, ‘No, we will fo l l ow what we found our fathers doing.’ Allah says: What! Would they follow him even if Shaytan is calling them to what will make the punishment of the Blazing Fire mandatory for them?

22. Those who submit themselves completely to Allah – and agree to obey Allah – and do good while affirming Allah’s unity have grasped the Firmest Handhold – which will never give way. The end result of all affairs is with Allah and goes back to Him.

23. And do not let the unbelief of those who disbelieve sadden you, Muhammad, and do not be worried about it. They will return to Us, and We will inform them about the things they did. Allah knows what the heart contains – and will certainly repay them.

24. We will let them enjoy themselves a little during their life in this world, and then – in the Next World – drive them to a harsh punishment of the Fire, from which there is no escape.

25. If you asked them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they would say, ‘Allah!’ Say: ‘Praise be to Allah for making the evidence of tawhid manifest to them!’ But most of them do not know that it is obligatory for them to obey Him.

26. Everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Allah as His property, creation and slaves. Only He is entitled to be worshipped in the heavens and earth. Allah is the Rich Beyond Need of His slaves, the Praiseworthy in what He does.

27. If all the trees on earth were pens and all the sea, with seven more seas besides, were ink, Allah’s words still would not run dry – because what He knows is infinite. Allah is Almighty – so that nothing can withstand His power, All-Wise – and nothing is beyond His knowledge and wisdom.

28. Your creation and rising is only like that of a single self. He merely says, “Be!” and it happens. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing – and nothing distracts Him from anything.

29. Do you not see (know) that Allah makes night merge into day and day merge into night – each of them increases as the other decreases – and that He has made the sun and moon subservient in their orbits, each one running for a specified time up until the Day of Rising; and that Allah is aware of what you do?

30. That which has been mentioned is because Allah, He is the firm Truth, and what they call upon (read as yad‘una, and also tad‘una, “what you call upon”) and worship besides Him is vanishing falsehood. Allah is the All-High with power over His creation, the Most Great.

31. Do you not see that ships sail on the sea by Allah’s blessing so that He may show you something of His Signs? There are certainly Signs and lessons in that for everyone who is steadfast – in not disobeying Allah – and thankful – for His blessing.

32. When the waves hang over them (unbelievers) like canopies – mountains under which they are shaded – they call on Allah, making their dın sincerely His – making sincere supplication to Him to save them and not calling on anything else besides Him with Him. But then when He delivers them safely to the land, some of them are ambivalent – hesitating between unbelief and belief, some remaining unbelievers. None but a treacherous, thankless man – ungrateful for Allah’s blessings – denies Our Signs – which include saving people from death by drowning.

33. Mankind, including the people of Makka, be fearful of your Lord and fear a day when no father will be able to atone for his son – or help his son in any way – or son for his father, in any way. Allah’s promise of the Resurrection is true. So do not let the life of this world delude you about Islam and do not let the Deluder (Shaytan) delude you concerning Allah – by the fact that Allah has granted him a deferral.

34. Truly Allah has knowledge of the Hour – and when it will come – and sends down (read as yunazzilu and yunzilu) abundant rain – at a certain time which He knows – and knows what is in the womb, whether male or female. And no self knows what good or evil it will earn tomorrow – only Allah knows these three things – and no self knows in what land it will die – whereas Allah does. Allah is All- Knowing, All-Aware of the inward as well as the outward of everything. Al-Bukhari related the hadith from Ibn ‘Umar, “The keys of the unseen are given which are with Allah: the knowledge of the Final Hour…” to the end of the hadith.