Sūrah al-Nisā’

O People! Have fear of your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from its genre created its spouse and through these two scattered many men and women [in the earth]. Fear the God whose name you invoke to seek help from one another, and fear breaking relationships. Indeed, God is watching over you.

[Fear God] and give the orphans the wealth which belongs to them. And do not exchange for them their good wealth with your bad wealth and do not devour their wealth by mixing it with yours because this is a grievous sin.

And if you fear that you would not be able to treat orphans with justice, you may marry the women with them who are appropriate for you: two, three, or four of them. Yet if you fear that you cannot maintain justice [between them], then [even in this situation,] keep one wife only or any slave-girls you may own. This is nearer for you to avoid injustice. And give these women also their dowers the way dowers are given. Then if they, of their own will, remit any part of it to you, you, however, may consume it gladly.²

And [if the orphan is naive and mentally immature as yet,] do not give to these immature ones the wealth with which God has entrusted you for your sustenance and support. Indeed, generously feed and clothe them with its proceeds, and say words of kindness to them. And keep evaluating these orphans until they reach marriageable age. Then if you find them able enough, hand over their wealth to them, and do not devour it by squandering it and consuming it hastily fearing that they would soon come of age. And the [guardian of the orphan] who is rich should abstain [from his wealth] and he who is poor should benefit [from it in lieu of his service] according to the norms. Then when you hand over their wealth to them, call in witnesses on them; otherwise, God alone suffices to take account.³

Men shall also have a share in whatever [your] parents and kinsmen leave and women shall also have a share in whatever [your] parents and kinsmen leave whether this share is little or more, as an ascertained amount. However, when close relatives, orphans, or the needy happen to come by at the time of distribution, give them too a share of it, and speak to them in kind words. Those people should fear who would have been very anxious if they had left behind weak children. So, they should fear God and speak justly [in every matter].

[Listen! Beware!] In reality, those who unjustly devour the wealth of orphans swallow only fire into their bellies; and soon they shall enter the blazing fire of Hell.

God directs you regarding your children that among them a boy’s share is equal to that of two girls’. Then, if there are only girls among the children and they are two or more than two, then they shall be given two-thirds of the inheritance, and, if there is only one girl, then her share is one-half.

But a sixth of the inheritance [before this] should be given to each of the parents of the deceased if he has children; and if there are no children and only parents are the heirs, then his mother’s share is a third and the rest is for his father. However, if he has brothers and sisters, then the mother’s share is the same one-sixth and the father’s share is also the same one-sixth. These shares should be given after the execution of any will he may have bequeathed and after discharging any [outstanding] debts.⁴

You know not who among your parents and children is the nearest to you in benefit. For precisely this reason, these shares have been fixed by God because God is Wise and All-Knowing.

And to you belongs a half of what your wives leave, if they die childless. And if they have children, a quarter of what they leave shall be yours after execution of any will they may have bequeathed and after discharging any [outstanding] debts. And they shall inherit a quarter of what you leave, if you die childless. And if you have children, then they shall inherit one-eighth of what you leave, after execution of any will you may have bequeathed, and after discharging any [outstanding] debts.

And [in the absence of these heirs] if a man or a woman is made an heir on account of being a relative [of the deceased] and he [or she] has one brother or sister, then the brother and sister shall receive a sixth each, and if they be more than one, then all of them shall be sharers in one-third and the remaining shall be given to the person who is made the heir, after the execution of any will bequeathed and any [outstanding] debts – without harming anyone. This is a command from God, and God is All-Knowing and Gracious.⁵

These are the bounds set by God; [abide by them,] and [remember that] those who obey God and His Messenger, He shall admit them into orchards beneath which rivers flow. They shall remain in them forever and this alone is the supreme triumph. And those who are disobedient to God and His Messenger and cross the bounds set by Him, He shall cast them into the Fire wherein they shall abide forever. And for them is a humiliating punishment.

And upon those of your women who commit fornication, call in as witnesses four people among yourselves to testify over them; then, if they testify, confine them to their homes until death overtakes them or God finds a way for them.⁶

And the man and woman among you who commit this crime, chastise them. Then if they repent and mend their ways, forgive them. Indeed, God is the most Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.⁷

[It should, however, remain clear that] God’s responsibility to forgive is only for those who commit a sin while being overwhelmed with emotions and then repent soon. So, it is they to whom God shows His mercy and accepts their repentance and God is All-Knowing and Wise. On the contrary, there is no repentance for those who sin all their lives and, when the time of death approaches for any of them, he says: “Now I do repent!” Similarly, there is no repentance for those also who die as disbelievers. It is these for whom We have prepared a grievous punishment.

Believers! It is unlawful for you to inherit women against their will, nor is it lawful to pester them [after marrying them] to take back some part of what you have given them – except if they have been guilty of open lewdness. And deal with them befittingly because if you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and God brings about a great deal of good for you in it.

And if you decide to bring one wife in place of another, even if you have given one of them a whole treasure of wealth take not the least bit of it back: Would you take it by slander and by openly usurping rights? And how can you take it when you have physically exposed yourselves to each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?

And never ever marry women whom your fathers had married except what has been done in the past. Indeed, this is a blatant vulgarity, a very detestable thing and an abominable practice.

Prohibited to you are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your maternal and paternal aunts, the daughters of your brothers and sisters; also your mothers who have suckled you and also your sisters through this relationship of fosterage. Similarly, the mothers of your wives are prohibited and your step-daughters raised under you born of your wives with whom you have lain – no offence on you if you have not lain with their mothers, and also the wives of your real sons, and also prohibited are two sisters in wedlock at the same time, except for what has already happened. God surely is Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.

Also prohibited are women already married to someone, except if they come into your possession. This is the law of God which has been made mandatory for you to obey. And acquiring all women other than these is lawful for you [by paying their dower] through your wealth on the condition that you are chaste and do not commit fornication. Then [if you have not given them their dowers as yet,] pay them their dowers in exchange for the benefit you have derived from them, as an obligation. If, however, after a dower is fixed, you agree mutually on something there is no sin on you. Indeed, God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.⁸

And those of you who do not have the means wherewith to wed free believing women, let them wed the believing slave-girls who are in your possession: and [they should keep this in mind that] God has full knowledge of your faith. You all are from the same species: So, wed them with the permission of their masters, and also give them their dowers according to the norms, on the condition that they have remained chaste, neither being lustful, nor taking paramours. Then when they are kept chaste and after that they commit fornication, their punishment is half that of free women. This permission of marriage is for those among you who fear getting involved in sin; but it is better for you that you practice self-restraint. And [rest assured that if in spite of exercising caution, you make a mistake] God is Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.

God intends to explain His revelations to you and to make you tread the paths of those before you, and to look upon you with favour. And God is All-Knowing and Wise.

God only wishes to show favour to you, but those who are following their own desires, their wish on the contrary is that you stray grievously into error.

God wants to lessen your restrictions [so that He accommodates your weaknesses] and, in reality, man has been created very weak.

Believers! Do not consume one another’s wealth through evil means, except if it is trading by mutual consent, through which some wealth can be acquired, and do not kill one another. No doubt, God is extremely Merciful to you. And [remember that] those who do this through injustice and oppression, We shall definitely cast them into a seething fire, and this is very easy for God. [Abstain from these sins because] things from which you are being stopped, if you keep abstaining from their major sins, We shall erase your minor sins from your account and admit you into a place of honour.

And do not desire things in which God has given preference to some of you over others because whatever men have earned, they shall get its share, and whatever women have earned, they shall also necessarily get its share. [If you desire to outdo one another, then this is the sphere to do it] and [for this] ask God of His bounty. Surely, God has full knowledge of all things. [Precisely these preferences are kept in consideration in the distribution of inheritance as well] and in the wealth left by parents and relatives, We have appointed heirs for each [according to these preferences; do not try to change them]. As for those with whom you have entered into agreements, give them their share. [However, in this regard, there should be no intention of harming an heir] because God is watching over all things.

[On the basis of this very principle, in the husband-wife relationship also] men are made in charge of women because God has given one superiority over the other, and because they have spent their wealth. So, pious women are obedient [to their husbands], keep secrets because God also keeps secrets. And [on the basis of this very principle, you have been given the right that] women from whom you fear rebellion, counsel them and leave them alone in their beds and [even then if they do not listen,] punish them. Then if they begin to listen to you, do not be in search of a way to blame them. Indeed, God is Exalted, Mighty.⁹

And if [even after this, the situation does not improve and] you people fear a breach between the husband and the wife, appoint one arbitrator from the man’s family, and another from the woman’s; [it is expected that] if [the husband and wife] both wish for reconciliation, God will create harmony between them. Indeed, God has full knowledge; He is acquainted with all things.

And all of you worship God and associate none with Him. Show kindness to parents, and also be kind to relatives, to orphans, to the destitute, to neighbours who are your relatives and to neighbours you do not know and to those that keep company with you; similarly, to the traveller and to slave men and women in your possession. God does not like the arrogant and the conceited, who are themselves miserly and urge others to miserliness as well and who conceal what God of His bounty has bestowed upon them. For such ungrateful people, We have prepared a disgraceful punishment – who spend their wealth for the sake of showing off to people, and do not believe in God or in the Last Day. [Satan is their companion,] and, in reality, a person with whom Satan becomes a companion, then very evil a companion he is. What harm could befall them if they had professed faith in God and the Last Day and spent from whatever God has bestowed on them, and, in reality, God is fully aware of them. God shall not be unjust to anyone in the slightest way, and if a person has one good deed, He shall increase it manifold, and [besides this,] especially from His own self, He shall bless him with a great reward.

Then what will they do on the day when We shall bring forth a witness from each community and call upon you [O Prophet] as a witness over these people? [Then] on that day, those who persisted in disbelief and those who have disobeyed the Messenger will yearn that they were levelled with the land and there they will not even be able to hide anything from God.

Believers! [Prayer is the greatest manifestation of the directive of worshipping God given earlier; so,] do not approach the place of the prayer when you are drunk until you are able to know what you are saying and similarly also when you are ceremonially unclean until you have bathed yourselves except if the intention is just to pass through. And if you are sick or on a journey or when anyone of you has relieved yourself or you have had intercourse with women, then you find no water, find some clean surface and wipe your faces and your hands with it. [God has given you this concession] because God is Gracious and Forgiving.

Have you not seen those who were given the Book of God? [When before them the sharī‘ah of the One who sent that very Book is presented, then in place of it] they give preference to error and wish to see you go astray as well. God fully knows these enemies of yours. [Do not pay attention to them] and [rest assured that] sufficient is God to support you and God is sufficient to help you.

[Then from among them specially those] who have become Jews, one of their groups twisting their tongues and mocking religion strips the words of their context and says: sami‘nā wa ‘aṣaynā and isma‘ ghayra musma‘iṇ and rā‘inā.. However, if they had said: sami‘nā wa aṭa‘nā and isma‘ and unẓurnā, it would have been better for them and also more proper as regards the occasion and situation. But because of their disbelief God has cursed them. Hence, seldom will they embrace faith.

O People to whom the Book was given! Believe in that which We have revealed in confirmation of what you have with you yourselves. Believe, before We distort your faces and turning them backward, level them or also curse those [who have these faces] the way We had cursed the people of the Sabbath, and [remember that] what God ordains always happens.¹⁰

[They think that whatever their beliefs and deeds, they will necessarily go to Paradise; they should know that] God shall not forgive that associates be [deliberately] ascribed to Him; however, lesser than this, He shall forgive [according to His law] any sin for whomsoever He wants, and [there is no doubt that] he who associates partners with God is guilty of inventing a great sin. Have you not seen those who [commit as grave a sin as polytheism and in spite of it] regard themselves to be pure? Certainly not! It is in fact only God Who [according to His law] grants purity to whomsoever He wills. [They shall definitely suffer the punishment of their misdeeds] and shall not face injustice the slightest. Look at them [how through these claims of theirs] they are inventing falsehoods against God and, in reality, this in itself is enough to be a blatant sin.

Have you not seen the people who were given God’s Book? They believe in jibt and tāghūṭ and say of the disbelievers: “They are better guided than the believers.” It is these very people on whom God has laid His curse and those who are cursed by God, you can find none to help them. Do they also have a share in God’s kingdom? If this was so, they would not have been prepared to give even a useless penny to people. Are they envying people on what God has blessed them with? If this is the case, then they should listen: “We gave [this branch of] Abraham’s descendants our sharī‘ah and ḥikmah, and have blessed them with an illustrious kingdom.”¹¹

But [Alas! they have yet to duly honour and value it. So,] there are those among them also who have professed faith in this [sharī‘ah and this ḥikmah] and others also who have turned away from this. Sufficient is the furious fire of Hell for such people. Those who have denied Our revelations, We shall soon cast them into a great fire. No sooner will their skins be consumed than We shall give them other skins so that they may fully taste the torment. Indeed, God is Mighty and Wise. And those who professed faith [in Our revelations] and did pious deeds, We shall soon admit them to orchards below which streams flow. They shall abide there forever. There they shall have for them chaste wives and We shall keep them in a thick shade.

[Believers! God has decided to grant you a great kingdom; so at this instance] God directs you to hand over the trusts to their rightful owners and when you judge between people, be fair. This is a very good thing which God counsels you about. Indeed, God hears all and sees all.

Believers! [This is the kingdom of God; in it] obey God and obey His Messenger and also those among you who are made responsible for affairs. Then if there is a difference of opinion between you in some matter, refer it to God and His Messenger [for judgement] if you believe in God and the Last Day. This is better and more seemly as regards the consequence.¹²

Have you not seen those who claim to have professed faith in what has been revealed to you and also in what was revealed before you, but want that [leaving aside God and His Messenger] they turn to that rebellious person who is the ringleader of vice even though they were directed to reject him. [They are the followers of Satan] and Satan wants to lead them far into error. When they are told: “Come towards the Book revealed by God and towards His Messenger,” you see these Hypocrites totally turn away from you. But what will happen when a calamity befalls them on account of what their hands committed? Then they will come to you swearing by God: “We had desired nothing but betterment and We only wanted to create some harmony.” These are the people about whom God knows what is in their hearts. So, ignore them, counsel them and speak to them about themselves in a way that takes root in their hearts. [Tell them:] Whichever messenger We have sent has been sent that He be obeyed by the permission of God. [Tell them that they have committed a grave crime by leaving aside the court of justice of the Messenger.] If, when they had been unjust to themselves, they had come to you, then sought God’s forgiveness and the Messenger too had requested for their forgiveness, they would have found God very Forgiving and Merciful. But no, [O Messenger!] By your Lord! these people shall never be true believers until they accept you as the arbitrator in their disputes. Then whatever decision you give, they do not feel any uneasiness in their hearts and whole-heartedly submit to it. [They claim to embrace faith] and, in reality, had We made it obligatory on them: “Kill your own people,” or “Come out of your homes,” [the way We did so in the time of Moses,] only a few would have followed this directive. If they complied with the advice they are being given now, it would have been better for them and [as a result] they would have been able to adhere [to religion] with more perseverance. If they had done this, We would have richly rewarded them from Ourselves and guided them to the straight path. [Tell them:] Those who obey God and His Messenger, it is they who shall dwell with those whom God has bestowed with favour: the prophets, the truthful, the witnesses and the righteous. How good are these companions! This is a blessing of God and [for this,] sufficient is the knowledge of God.

Believers! Take hold of your arms and go out [to help the oppressed] in detachments or together [as the situation demands]. Surely, there are those among you who will become very slack [at such instances]. Then, if some harm befalls you, they will say: “God has been gracious to me that I was not present with them.” And if a favour from God comes to you, they will surely say: – and will say in a manner as if there never existed any relationship of love between you and them – “Would that I had been with them; I would have then achieved great success.” [God does not need such people.] So, only those should come out to fight for the cause of God who are willing to give up this world in return for the next. [For them are glad tidings that] whoever fights for the cause of God, whether he dies or triumphs, on him We shall surely bestow a rich recompense.

[Believers!] What has come over you that you fight not in the cause of God, and for those helpless men, women, and children who are crying out: “Lord! Rescue us from this city whose people are oppressors, and raise for us from Yourself one who will sympathize, and raise for us from Yourself one who will help.”

[Tell them O Prophet! that] believers fight in the cause of God, and disbelievers fight in the cause of their rebellious people. [They are friends of Satan.] So, fight you against these friends of Satan and rest assured because very feeble is the plot of Satan.

Have you not seen those who when they were told: “[The time to wage war has not come as yet; so,] withhold your hands, adhere to the prayer and pay zakāh,” [they would evade the prayer and the zakāh and show impatience to wage war]. However, when war was made obligatory upon them, their situation now is that one group from among them fears people the way God should be feared or even more. They say: “Lord! Why have you made this war obligatory upon us? Why did you not give us some more respite?” Tell them: Very little is the provision of life, and for those who adhere to piety, the Hereafter is much better for them and there you shall not face injustice the slightest. As for death, wherever you are it is bound to come to you in all circumstances even if you are in strong and towering fortresses. [These people accept your prophethood by their tongue] and if they are blessed with some success, they say: “This is from God.” And if they are inflicted with loss, they say: “It is because of you.” Say: Everything is from God! [This is because whatever happens, happens with His permission.] So, what has come over these people that they are not prepared to understand anything? [It is a fact that] whatever good befalls you is from God’s grace and whatever ill befalls you is from your own self. [Their real ailment is that they are hesitant about your prophethood. Ignore them.] We have sent you forth as a Messenger for people [and for this] God’s evidence is sufficient. [They should know that] he who obeys the Messenger in fact obeyed God. And he who turned away, [you are not responsible for him because] We have not sent you to be their guardian.

They say: “We obey you.” But as soon as they leave your presence, a group from them confers to do totally otherwise. God is writing down all these whisperings of theirs. So, ignore them and put your trust in God and [know that] enough is God to trust. [Why are they hesitant about your prophethood?] Then, do these people not ponder on the Qur’ān? Had it been from someone other than God, they would have found in it many contradictions.

[Believers! They are not your well-wishers; so,] when they hear any news of peace or danger, they spread it; whereas if they had reported it to the Messenger of God and to those among them who have been made in charge of matters, then those who have the ability to reach the core of an issue would have understood it. [But they have adopted the path of Satan.] And had God’s grace and mercy not been on you, all but a few of you would have followed Satan.

Therefore, [leave them O Prophet and] wage war for the cause of God – you are accountable for none but yourself – and rouse the believers [to war]. It is quite probable that God will shatter the might of those who have disbelieved. God is the mightiest and He shall mete out a terrible punishment [to such disbelievers. Their advice is to evade jihād. Tell them:] He who supports a good shall obtain a share from it and he who supports an evil shall obtain a share from it. [This is the verdict of God] and God has power over all things.

[Go out for war] and if salām is said to you [by any person], you also reply by saying salām in a better way or in the same way. And do not commit excesses against anyone because God surely will take account of everything. There is no god but God. He will indeed take you all to the Day of Judgement in the advent of which there is no doubt. And who can say a more truthful thing than God?

[You do know those who have turned back after embracing faith.] Then what has come over you that you are divided into two groups regarding these Hypocrites? God has turned them back because of what they did. Do you want to guide those whom God [according to His law] has led astray? Whereas those whom God leads astray, you cannot find a way for them. They want you to become disbelievers also the way they themselves are so that you and they all become alike. Thus do not befriend any of them until they come over after migrating for the cause of God. Then, if they desist from this, seize them and put them to death wherever you find them and make none of them your friend or helper. An exception, however, to this are those who have joined a nation with whom you have a pact. Similarly, they also are an exception who come over to you such that neither do they have the courage to fight against you nor against their own people. Had God pleased, He would have given them power over you and they too would have waged war against you. Therefore, if they keep away from you and do not wage war and offer you peace, God does not permit you to take any action against them.¹³

[Besides them,] you will see some others also who want to make peace with you and also with their own people. But whenever they are called to sedition, they plunge into it headlong. So, if they do not keep their distance from you and also not offer you peace and do not withhold their hands, seize them also and kill them wherever you find them. These are the people against whom We have given you an absolute authority.

[But caution should not be thrown to the wind because] it is unlawful for a Muslim to kill a Muslim except if it happens by accident. And he who kills a believer accidentally must free one Muslim slave and pay diyat to his family members except if they forgive him. Then, if the victim is a Muslim belonging to a people at enmity with you, freeing of a Muslim slave is enough. And if he belongs to an ally, diyat shall also be given to his heirs and you shall also set free a Muslim slave. Then he who does not have a slave must fast two consecutive months. This is from God [a way to seek pardon for this sin] as a special blessing and God is All-Knowing, All-Wise. However, he who intentionally kills a believer, his punishment is Hell. He shall abide therein forever. The wrath and the curse of God are upon him. And He has prepared for him a great doom.¹⁴

Believers! When you go out [to wage this war] for the cause of God investigate [before you take any offensive step] and do not say to those who say salām to you: “You are not Muslims.” If you seek the resources of this world, then God has [for you] abundant spoils. Before this, you too were in this state; then God did a favour to you. So, do investigate because God fully knows what you do.

[Go out to wage this war because] those Muslims who stay at home without any disability are not equal to those who wage jihād for the cause of God with their wealth and their persons. God has bestowed one degree of superiority on those who wage war with their persons and wealth above those who stay back. No doubt, God has promised each of them a good reward; but far richer is the recompense of those who wage jihād over those who sit back – ranks and forgiveness and mercy from Him. And God is Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.

[Even at this instance, people who are not willing to come out of the cities where they are being persecuted, tell them O Prophet that] people whose souls will be claimed by the angels in such circumstances that [while endangering their faith] they were being unjust to their souls; they will ask them: “What circumstances were you in?” “We were totally helpless in this land,” they will reply. The angels will say: “Was not the land of God spacious enough for you to migrate in it?” So, it is these people whose abode is Hell, and what an evil abode it is. As for the men, women and children who are really helpless and are neither in a position to devise a plan nor have the means to escape, it is hoped that God will pardon them. Indeed, God pardons and forgives. [These people should come out of their homes and should rest assured that] he who migrates for the cause of God will find many a refuge in the land and many possibilities. And he who leaves his dwelling to migrate for God and His messenger and is then overtaken by death, his reward is mandatory upon God. And God is Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.

When you travel [to wage this jihād], it is no offence for you to shorten your prayers if you fear that the disbelievers may torment you because these disbelievers are your open enemies.

And [O Prophet!] when you are among them, and stand to lead them in the prayer [at perilous places], let one group among them stand with you such that they are armed with their weapons. Then after making their prostration, let them withdraw to your rear and then let the other group who has yet to pray come forward and pray with you; they should also be armed with protective gear and necessary weapons. These disbelievers desire that if you are even slightly oblivious of your arms and your gear, they attack you united together. But it is no offence for you however to put aside your weapons if you are inflicted with heavy rain or are stricken with an illness, though it is necessary that you should still hold on to the protective gear. Be certain that God has prepared a humiliating punishment for these disbelievers.¹⁵

Then, when the prayer ends, remember God standing, sitting and lying down on your sides [in all circumstances]. But when you are in peaceful circumstances, offer the full prayer, [and, for this, pray at the appointed times] because the prayer is incumbent on the believers at the appointed times.

[Believers! Set out for this war] and do not show feebleness in pursuing the enemy. If you are suffering, they too are suffering like you. However, you expect from God what they do not. And [always remember that] God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

We have revealed to you this Book with the truth so that by that which God has shown you, you may decide between people [as to who is sincere and who is a hypocrite among them] and come what may do not advocate these who break promises. And keep asking God for pardon. Indeed, God is Forgiving, Ever-Merciful. Do not advocate those who betray their own selves; God does not like a person who breaks promises and usurps rights. They can hide from people, but they cannot hide from God. He is with them even when they indulge in whispering that is against His will. And God encompasses everything they do.

It is you all who argued in favour of these [wrongdoers] in the life of this world, but who will argue in favour of them with God on the Day of Judgement or who will be responsible for them? Indeed, he who commits a vice or is unjust to his own soul, then seeks God’s pardon, will find God to be Forgiving, Ever-Merciful. [By ascribing their sins to others, they try to save themselves. Tell them:] He who commits an offence, earns its punishment for his own self. [This is the law of God] and God is All-Knowing, Wise. [Tell them:] He who commits an offence or a sin, then blames an innocent person for it bears the burden of a great calumny and a blatant sin.

But for God’s grace and mercy on you [O Prophet] a group from among them had decided that it would lead you astray come what may even though they are leading astray none but themselves nor are they harming you. [How can they lead you astray?] God has revealed to you His law and His wisdom and in this manner taught you what you did not know. And great is God’s blessing on you.

There is no good in most of their whisperings. Yes, there is certainly good in the whispering of those who exhort to charity or guide towards virtue or urge reconciliation in the matters of people. And they who do this to please God, on them We shall soon confer a great reward. On the other hand, those who oppose the messenger even after the path of guidance is fully evident to them, and leaving the path of those who have sincerely professed faith in you follow some other path, We shall make them follow the path they themselves have gone to and ultimately cast them into Hell. It is a very evil abode.

[Thus, this is what happened and leaving the path of faith, they have now joined the Idolaters. Tell them:] God shall not forgive associating partners with Him. Lesser than this, however, He will forgive [according to His law] whomsoever He wants. [So stay away from polytheism] and [remember that] he who imputes partners to God has strayed far indeed. [Pity on them!] If they do invoke someone other than God, they invoke female deities, and if they do invoke, they invoke the very Satan who has become rebellious, who was cursed by God and who had said: “I shall grab a certain number of your people come what may. I shall definitely lead them astray, implicate them in desires, teach them so that they will slit the ears of cattle and will teach them so that they will distort the creation of God.” [Tell them that] he who made Satan his protector leaving aside God has no protection for him; so he has ended up in blatant loss. He makes promises with them and gives them hopes; but all these promises of Satan with them are sheer deception. Thus, it is these people whose abode is Hell and they will find no way to escape from it.

On the other hand, those who have embraced faith and have done righteous deeds, We shall soon admit them into orchards beneath which streams flow; they shall live in them forever. True is the promise of God and Who can be more truthful than God in what he says.

[It should remain clear to you that success in the Hereafter] is neither dependent on your desires nor on those of the People of the Book. [Certainly not!] In fact, he who does evil will be punished for it, and will find none against God to be his protector and helper. And he who does a virtue, whether man or woman and also has faith, then such are the people who will enter the Paradise of God and they will not suffer the slightest injustice.

[These Hypocrites give preference to the Idolaters with regard to the believers] and [do not understand] who has a better religion than he who resigns himself to God and is one thorough in his deeds and follows the way of Abraham who was totally devoted – and [because of this very reason] God had chosen Abraham to be His friend. [Who is more worthy than God to submit one’s self to because] to God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth, and God encompasses all things.

1. They ask your verdict about women. Tell them: God gives His verdict about them to you and those women whose rights you do not want to fulfil but want to marry them, the directives which are being given about their orphans in this Book, about these [directives] and about [other] helpless children also gives the verdict: Fulfil the rights of women in all circumstances and deal justly with orphans in all circumstances and [remember that any other act] of virtue [also] that you do, you shall definitely get its reward because it will remain in the knowledge of God. Indeed, if a woman fears revulsion or neglect on her husband’s part, there is no sin on them if they strike a compromise between themselves because compromise is better. And [you well know that] greed is found in the nature of people. But if you deal kindly and practice self-restraint, you shall be rewarded because God knows all that you do.¹⁶

And even if it is your desire, you shall never be able to be totally just between wives; so, it is enough if you do not completely incline yourself to one altogether, so as to leave the other dangling. Indeed, if you keep reforming yourselves and keep fearing God, God is Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful. And if the husband and wife part, God shall provide abundance for each from His bounty. God is extremely Bountiful and very Wise.

[These are the directives of God; if you do not accept them, you will only harm yourself because] to God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. To those whom We had given the Book before you, We also gave the same directive and to you too We are giving the same directive: keep fearing God and [remember that] if you do not believe, you will cause no harm to God because whatever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to God and God is self-sufficient, worthy of praise. [Listen once again!] To God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth and sufficient is God to trust. [For this reason, it is only He who deserves to be consigned all affairs of life. In case of your disobedience,] if He wants O People! He can destroy all of you and bring others [in your place]. God has all the power to do this. [Because of your vested interests you try to evade the sharī‘ah of God; you should know that] he who wants the reward of this world, it lies with God also; and he who wants the reward of the next world, then with God lies the reward of this world and of the next one as well, and God hears and sees all.

2. Believers! Adhere to justice bearing witness to it for God even if this evidence is against yourselves, your parents, and your kinsfolk. If someone is rich or poor, God only is more worthy [that His law be followed]. So, do not be led by desires [by leaving His guidance], lest as a result you swerve from the truth. And [remember that] if you try to distort [what is true and just] or evade [it], you shall definitely be punished for it because God is well aware of what you do. Believers! profess faith in God, in His Messenger and in the Book He has revealed to His Messenger and also in the Book He has revealed earlier and [bear in mind that] those who deny God, His angels, His Books, His messengers and [coming before Him] on the Day of Resurrection have strayed very far in error. As for those who embraced faith, then renounced it, then again embraced faith, again renounced it and continued to grow in this disbelief, God shall neither forgive them nor ever guide them. Give glad tidings to these hypocrites [O Prophet] who make friends with your rejecters leaving aside the believers that there is a grievous penalty for them. They seek honour with them? The reality is that all honour lies with God.

He has revealed in this very Book the instruction that wherever you hear that God’s revelations are being rejected and ridiculed, do not sit there with those [who ridicule them] until they get engaged in some other talk, otherwise you too will become like them. It is the verdict of God that He shall gather all such hypocrites and disbelievers at the same place in Hell – these who await misfortunes to befall you. Thus if God grants you a victory, they say: “Were we not with you?” And if your rejecters are victorious, they say: “Were we not surrounding you and have we not saved you from the Muslims?” So, it is God Who shall judge between you on the Day of Judgement and God [has passed the verdict that He] shall certainly not let these rejecters find a way against the believers.

These Hypocrites seek to deceive God, whereas it is He who has deceived them. [You see them] when they get up for prayer, they do so sluggishly only to show off to people. And they remember God but little; only wavering in between; neither here nor there. [Because of their sins, the Almighty has led them astray] and He whom God leads astray, you will find no way out for him.

Believers! [By being misled by them] do not make friends with the disbelievers [of the Prophet] leaving aside the Muslims. Do you want to give God clear evidence against yourselves? [You should know that] these Hypocrites shall be in the lowest level of Hell and you will not find anyone to help them. Indeed, those who repent and mend [their ways] and hold fast to God and are sincere in their obedience to God, it is they who shall be with the believers and God shall soon richly reward the believers.

[Servants of God!] If you remain grateful to God and become true believers, why should God want to punish you? God is a great accepter and knows [everything].

[Believers! If these Hypocrites inflict harm on you and you want to retaliate, you can do so because] God does not like harsh words except when uttered by an oppressed person and God hears all and knows all. [However, instead of this,] if you keep doing good openly and secretly or [at least] forgive a wrong, then this is better because God [by nature is also] Forgiving [in spite of being] All-Powerful.

[It should however remain evident that] those who are rejecting God and His messengers and want to discriminate between God and His messengers and say: “We shall believe in some, but deny others,” and want to seek some middle way between belief and disbelief, it is only they who are staunch disbelievers. And for these disbelievers, We have prepared a humiliating punishment. On the other hand, those who are believing in God and His messengers and discriminate against none of them, it is they to whom God shall definitely give their reward. And God is Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.

3. These People of the Book ask you to bring down directly to them a book from the heavens [instead of this Qur’ān]. So, this is no matter of wonder. Of Moses they made an even greater demand. They had asked him: “Show us God face to face.” Then, because of this rebelliousness, a thunderbolt struck them. After that, they deified the calf even when obvious signs had come to them; yet We still forgave this and had given Moses clear dominance [on them]. And We had lifted Ṭūr over them with a covenant with them and had directed them: “Enter the gates [of the city] bowing your heads,” and had said to them: “Do not be disobedient in the matter of the Sabbath,” and [on all these things,] We had taken from them a firm covenant.

Then because they broke their covenant [We laid a curse on them] and because they denied the revelations of God and because they killed the prophets unjustly and because they said: “Our hearts have a covering on them.” – no, in fact, it is God who has sealed their hearts because of their disbelief; so, [now] they will seldom embrace faith – and because of their disbelief and because of their vicious accusation against Mary and because of their claim: “We have killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of God.” – even though neither did they kill him nor did they crucify him; in fact, the matter was muddled up for them. Those who are disagreeing in this are inflicted with doubts about it; they have no knowledge about it; they are only following conjectures. They certainly did not slay him; in fact, God had lifted him up to Him. And God is Mighty, very Wise.¹⁷

[This is a list of their crimes; so, if they are now demanding that a book other than the Qur’ān be directly revealed to them from the heavens, just ignore them. O Prophet!] Everyone from among these People of the Book shall definitely believe in [this Qur’ān] before his death; and on the Day of Judgement it will bear witness to them.

Then only because of the iniquity of these Jews, We had also forbidden them wholesome things which had been allowed to them and because they have been stopping others a lot from the path of God and because they have been taking interest even though they had been stopped from it and because they have been unjustly devouring the wealth of others, and it is for their disbelievers that We have prepared a woeful punishment. However, those of deep knowledge among them and those who have faith believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you and are especially diligent in the prayer and pay the zakāh and believe in God and the Last Day. It is these whom We shall soon richly reward.

[Do not pay heed to them O Prophet!] We have sent revelations to you as We sent revelations to Noah and to the prophets who came after him. We also sent revelations to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his progeny and to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, Solomon, and We had given the Psalms to David. We had also sent revelations to messengers whom We have mentioned to you earlier and also to messengers whom We have not mentioned to you and with Moses God had spoken, the way speech is made. These messengers who were sent as bearers of glad tidings and of warnings so that after these messengers people are left with no excuse which they can present before God. God is Mighty, very Wise.

[Let them deny if they want to] but God bears witness that whatever He has revealed to you, He has revealed it with His knowledge and His angels also bear witness and sufficient is God alone as witness. Those who have disbelieved and debarred others from the path of God have strayed far into error. Those who have disbelieved and in this manner have been unjust to their souls, God will neither forgive them nor will He guide them to any path other than the path of Hell. They shall abide in it forever and this is very easy for God.

People! This Messenger has come to you with the truth from your Lord. So, profess faith [in him]. Your benefit lies in this, and if you become adamant on disbelief, then remember that you would not harm God in any way because whatever is in the heavens and the earth all belongs to God. [He will reward each person for his deeds but only at the time He has prescribed for it because] God is All-Knowing, Wise. O People of the Book! Do not transgress the bounds of your religion and speak nothing but the truth about God. In reality, the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was no more than God’s Messenger and His Word which He had cast into Mary, and was a spirit from Him [which He had blown into Mary]. So, profess faith in God and His messengers and do not make [God] three. Abstain; this alone is better for you. God is but one God. He is above and beyond having offspring. All that is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him and He alone is sufficient to oversee their affairs. The Messiah shall certainly never feel ashamed to be a servant of God, nor shall the angels who are close to Him ever feel ashamed. If someone is ashamed to serve God and is arrogant, then soon He shall surround all to gather them before His presence. Then those who have professed faith and have done righteous deeds, He shall fully give them their reward and also give them more out of His grace. And those who felt ashamed of His servitude and have showed arrogance, He will inflict on them a painful punishment and they will find none to support or help them against God.

People! A clear evidence has come to you from your Lord and We have sent down to you a light which clearly explains [everything]. Therefore, those who have professed faith in God and have held fast to Him, He shall soon admit them into [the shades of] His mercy and His grace, and shall show them the straight path that leads to Him.

4. People ask your verdict. Tell them: God gives His verdict to you about kalālah relatives: “If a person dies childless and he has a

sister only, then she shall inherit a half of what he leaves and if the sister dies childless, then her brother shall be her heir; and if there are two sisters, then they shall inherit two-thirds of what he leaves behind. And if there are many brothers and sisters, then the share of the male shall be that of two females.” God explains to you so that you err not and God has knowledge of all things.