But none save a few of his people declared their faith in Moses,* [while others held back] for fear of Pharaoh and their great ones, lest they persecute them:* for, verily, Pharaoh was mighty on earth and was, verily, of those who are given to excesses.
He knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being's perception as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature's senses or mind* -the Great One, the One far above anything that is or could ever be!*
Hence, [O sorcerers of Egypt,] decide upon the scheme which you will pursue, and then come forward in one single body:* for, indeed, he who prevails today shall prosper indeed!"*
Be not, then, faint of heart, and grieve not:* for you are bound to rise high if you are [truly] believers.
AND SO, [when you fight in a just cause,] do not lose heart and [never] beg for peace: for, seeing that God is with you, you are bound to rise high [in the end];* and never will He let your [good] deeds go to waste.
unto Pharaoh and his great ones;* but these behaved with arrogance, for they were people wont to glorify [only] themselves.
Said He: O Iblis! What has kept thee from prostrating thyself before that [being] which I have created with My hands?* Art thou too proud [to bow down before another created being], or art thou of those who think [only] of themselves as high?"*
NAY, VERILY - the record of the truly virtuous is [set down] in a mode most lofty!*
And what could make thee conceive what that mode most lofty will be?
If you do not succour the Apostle,* then [know that God will do so -just as] God succoured him at the time when those who were bent on denying the truth drove him away, [and he was but] one of two:* when these two were [hiding] in the cave, [and] the Apostle said to his companion, "Grieve not: verily, God is with us."* And thereupon God bestowed upon him from on high His (gift of] inner peace,* and brought utterly low the cause of those who were bent on denying the truth, whereas the cause of God remained supreme:* for God is almighty, wise.
a revelation from Him who has created the earth and the high heavens
whereas he who shall appear before Him as a believer who has done righteous deeds* - it is such that shall have lofty stations [in the life to come]:
And so, when Our judgment came to pass, We turned those [sinful towns] upside down, and rained down upon them stone-hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained.* one upon another,
and We turned those [sinful towns} upside down, and rained down upon them stone-hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained.*
[inflicted on them] by Pharaoh, seeing that he was truly outstanding among those who waste their own selves;*
Upon those [blest] will be garments of green silk and brocade; and they will be adorned with bracelets of silver.* And their Sustainer will them to drink of a drink most pure.*
And we made [this] known to the children of Israel through revelation:* Twice, indeed, will you spread corruption on earth and will indeed become grossly overbearing!*
Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely, immeasurably exalted above anything that men may say [about Him]*
- and in their wickedness and self-exaltation they rejected them, although their minds were convinced of their truth: and behold what happened in the end to those spreaders of corruption!
As for that [happy] life in the hereafter, We grant it [only] to those who do not seek to exalt themselves on earth, nor yet to spread corruption: for the future belongs to the God-conscious.*
And if anyone should argue with thee about this [truth] after all the knowledge that has come unto thee, say: "Come! Let us summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves; and then let us pray [together] humbly and ardently, and let us invoke God's curse upon those [of us] who are telling a lie."*
Say: "O followers of earlier revelation! Come unto that tenet which we and you hold in common:* that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall not ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, and that we shall not take human beings for our lords beside God."* And if they turn away, then say: "Bear witness that it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto Him."
and mark out those who were tainted with hypocrisy and, when they were told, "Come, fight in God's cause" - or, "Defend yourselves"* - answered, "If we but knew [that it would come to a] fight, we would indeed follow you." Unto apostasy were they nearer on that day than unto faith, uttering with their mouths something which was not in their hearts,* the while God knew fully well what they were trying to conceal:
And so, whenever they are told, "Come unto that which God has bestowed from on high, and unto the Apostle," thou canst see these hypocrites turn away from thee with aversion.*
for when they are told, "Come unto that which God has bestowed from on high, and unto the Apostle" - they answer, "Enough for us is that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing." Why, even though their forefathers knew nothing, and were devoid of all guidance?
Say: "Come, let me convey unto you what God has [really] forbidden to you: "Do not ascribe divinity, in any way, to aught beside Him; and [do not offend against but, rather,] do good unto your parents;* and do not kill your children for fear of poverty - [for] it is We who shall provide sustenance for you as well as for them;* and do not commit any shameful deeds, be they open or secret; and do not take any human being's life-[the life] which God has declared to be sacred -otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice: this has He enjoined upon you so that you might use your reason;*
O PROPHET! Say unto thy wives: If you desire [but] the life of this world and its charms - well, then, I shall provide for you and release you in a becoming manner;*
for, when they are told, "Come, the Apostle of God will pray [unto God] that you be forgiven", they turn their heads away, and thou canst see how they draw back in their false pride.
[Thus it is that] the attribute of evil applies to all who do not believe in the life to come* -whereas unto God applies the attribute of all that is most sublime: for He alone is almighty, truly wise!
[But] We said: "Fear not! Verily, it is thou who shalt prevail!
And He it is who creates [all life] in the first instance, and then brings it forth anew:* and most easy is this for Him, since His is the essence of all that is most sublime in the heavens and on earth, and He alone is almighty, truly wise.*
[so that] they [who seek to learn the unknowable] should not be able to overhear the host on high,* but shall be repelled from all sides,
[Say, O Muhammad:] No knowledge would I have had of [what passed among] the host on high when they argued [against the creation of man],*
appearing in the horizon's loftiest part,*
and said, "I am your Lord All-Highest!"*
EXTOL the limitless glory of thy Sustainer's name:[the glory of] the Al-Highest,
but only out of a longing for the countenance of his Sustainer, the All-Highest:
GOD - there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being. Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is there that could intercede with Him, unless it be by His leave? He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them,* whereas they cannot attain to aught of His knowledge save that which He wills [them to attain]. His eternal power* overspreads the heavens and the earth, and their upholding wearies Him not. And he alone is truly exalted, tremendous.
MEN SHALL take full care of women with the bounties which God has bestowed more abundantly on the former than on the latter,* and with what they may spend out of their possessions. And the righteous women are the truly devout ones, who guard the intimacy which God has [ordained to be] guarded.* And as for those women whose ill-will* you have reason to fear, admonish them [first]; then leave them alone in bed; then beat them;* and if thereupon they pay you heed, do not seek to harm them. Behold, God is indeed most high, great!
and We bestowed upon them [manifold] gifts out of Our grace, and granted them a lofty power to convey the truth [unto others].*
whom We exalted onto a lofty station.*
Thus it is, because God alone is the Ultimate Truth,* so that all that men invoke beside Him is sheer falsehood, and because God alone is exalted, great!
Thus it is, because God alone is the Ultimate Truth,* so that all that men invoke instead of Him is sheer falsehood; and because God alone is exalted, truly great!
And, before Him, intercession can be of no avail [to any] save one in whose case He may have granted leave [there for]:* so much so that when the terror [of the Last Hour] is lifted from their hearts, they [who have been resurrected] will ask [one another], What has your Sustainer decreed [for you]?" - [to which] the others will answer, Whatever is true and deserved - for He alone is exalted, great!"*
[And they will be told:] This [has befallen you] because, whenever the One God was invoked, you denied this truth; whereas, when divinity was ascribed to aught beside Him, you believed [in it]! But all judgment rests with God, the Exalted, the Great!"*
His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and most exalted, tremendous is He.
And it is not given to mortal man that God should speak unto him otherwise than through sudden inspiration,* or [by a voice, as it were,] from behind a veil, or by sending an apostle to reveal, by His leave, whatever He wills [to reveal]:* for, verily, He is exalted, wise.
And, verily, [originating as it does] in the source, with Us, of all revelation,* it is indeed sublime, full of wisdom.
And yet, some [people] have come to attribute to all manner of invisible beings* a place side by side with God - although it is He who has created them [all]; and in their ignorance they have invented for Him sons and daughters!* Limitless is He is His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition:*
And yet, as soon as He has granted them sound [offspring], they begin to ascribe to other powers beside Him a share in bringing about what He has granted them !* Sublimely exalted, however, is God- above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity!
and [neither will] they [who] worship, side by side with God, things or beings that can neither harm nor benefit them, saying [to themselves], "These are our intercessors with God!"* Say: "Do you [think that you could] inform God of anything in the heavens or on earth that He does not know?* Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity!"
GOD'S JUDGMENT is [bound to] come: do not, therefore, call for its speedy advent!* Limitless is He in His glory and sublimely exalted above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity!
He has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth;* sublimely exalted is He above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity!*
And we made [this] known to the children of Israel through revelation:* Twice, indeed, will you spread corruption on earth and will indeed become grossly overbearing!*
[And We said:] "If you persevere in doing good, you will but be doing good to yourselves; and if you do evil, it will be [done] to yourselves." And so, when the prediction of the second [period of your iniquity] came true, [We raised new enemies against you, and allowed them] to disgrace you utterly,* and to enter the Temple as [their forerunners] had entered it once before, and to destroy with utter destruction all that they had conquered.
Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely, immeasurably exalted above anything that men may say [about Him]*
[Know,] then, [that) God is sublimely exalted. the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth* and [knowing this,] do not approach the Qur'an in haste,* ere it has been revealed unto thee in full, but [always) say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!*
Never did God take unto Himself any offspring,* nor has there ever been any deity side by side with Him: [for, had there been any,] lo! each deity would surely have stood apart [from the others] in whatever it had created,* and they would surely have [tried to] overcome one another! Limitless in His glory is God, [far] above anything that men may devise by way of definition,*
knowing all that is beyond the reach of a created being's perception as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature's senses or mind* and, hence, sublimely exalted is He above anything to which they may ascribe a share in His divinity!
[KNOW,] then, [that] God is sublimely exalted, the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth:* there is no deity save Him, the Sustainer, in bountiful almightiness enthroned!*
[God says:] Exalt not yourselves against Me, but come unto Me in willing surrender!' "*
Nay - who is it that guides you in the midst of the deep darkness of land and sea,* and sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace?* Could there be any divine power besides God? Sublimely exalted is God above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity!
Behold, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into castes.* One group of them he deemed utterly low; he would slaughter their sons and spare (only) their women:* for, behold, he was one of those who spread corruption [on earth].
AND [thus it is:] thy Sustainer creates whatever He wills; and He chooses [for mankind] whatever is best for them.* Limitless is God in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which they may ascribe a share in His divinity!
IT IS GOD who has created you, and then has provided you with sustenance, and then will cause you to die, and then will bring you to life again. Can any of those beings or powers to whom you ascribe a share in His divinity* do any of these things? Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity!
And no true understanding of God have they [who worship aught beside Him], inasmuch as the whole of the earth will be as a [mere] handful to Him on Resurrection Day, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand:* limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which they may ascribe a share in His divinity!
And exalt not yourselves against God: for, verily, I come unto you with a manifest authority [from Him];
for [we know] that sublimely exalted is our Sustainer's majesty: no consort has He ever taken unto Himself, nor a son!
