1. Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High: dissociate your Lord from anything that is not appropriate to Him.

2. …He who created and moulded – who gave His creation form and made its parts harmonious and balanced;

3. …He who determined whatever He wished and guided to whatever good or evil He has decreed;

4. …He who brings forth green pasture: causes plantlife to grow,

5. …then makes it blackened stubble. After it has been green, He makes it dried out stubble, black and brittle.

6. We will cause you to recite the Qur’an – so that you do not forget – what you recite,

7. …except what Allah wills. You will only forget what Allah wills that you forget if He wishes to abrogate its recitation and judgement. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to recite the Qur’an aloud along with Jibril, fearing that he would forget. It is as if he was told, “Do not hasten it. You will not forget, so do not tire yourself by reciting it aloud.” He (Allah) knows what is voiced out loud – in words and actions – and what is hidden.

8. We will ease you to the Easy Way (Islam).

9. Remind, then, by means of the Qur’an, if the reminder benefits. Warn them, even if it does not benefit: it will benefit some and not benefit others.

10. He who has fear of Allah will be reminded by it echoing the ayat, “So remind, with the Qur’an, whoever fears My Threat.” (50:45) –

11. …but the most miserable – meaning the unbelievers – will shun it and not pay any attention to it:

12. …those who will roast in the Greater Fire – the Fire in the Next World, the lesser fire being fire in this world –

13. …and then neither die nor live in it. They will not die and so have rest, nor will they have any kind of life.

14. He who has purified himself through faith will have success:

15. …he who invokes the Name of his Lord and prays. He says the takbir and prays the five prayers. That is something which concerns the Next World. The unbelievers of Makka turn away from it.

16. Yet still you prefer (read as tu’thiruna, and yu’thiruna, “they prefer”) the life of this world to the Next World,

17. …though the Next World – which contains Paradise – is better and longer lasting.

18. This is certainly in the earlier scriptures – the success of those who purify themselves and the Next World being better is in the earlier Books revealed before the Qur’an –

19. …the scriptures – the ten scrolls of Ibrahim and the Torah of – Musa.