Juz 22

And whoever among you remains obedient towards Allah and His Noble Messenger and does good deeds – We shall give her double the reward of others, and have kept prepared for her an honourable sustenance.

O the wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women – if you really fear Allah, do not speak softly lest the one in whose heart is a disease have any inclination, and speak fairly.

And remain in your houses and do not unveil yourselves like the unveiling prevalent in the times of ignorance, and keep the prayer established, and pay the charity, and obey Allah and His Noble Messenger; Allah only wills to remove all impurity from you, O the People of the Household, and by cleansing you make you utterly pure. (*The Holy Prophet’s household.)

And remember what is recited in your houses, from Allah’s verses and wisdom*; indeed Allah knows the minutest things, is All Aware. (The Holy Qur’an and the sayings- hadith – of the Holy Prophet.)

Indeed the Muslim men and Muslim women, and the believing men and the believing women, and the men who obey and the women who obey, and the truthful men and the truthful women, and the patient men and the patient women, and the humble men and the humble women, and charitable men and the charitable women, and the fasting men and the fasting women, and the men who guard their chastity and the women who guard their chastity, and the men who profusely remember Allah and the women who profusely remember Allah – for all of them, Allah has kept prepared forgiveness and an immense reward.

And no Muslim man or woman has any right in the affair, when Allah and His Noble Messenger have decreed a command regarding it; and whoever does not obey the command of Allah and His Noble Messenger, has indeed clearly gone very astray.

And O dear Prophet, remember when you said to him upon whom Allah has bestowed favour and you had bestowed favour, “Keep your wife with you, and fear Allah”, and you kept in your heart what Allah willed to make known, and you feared criticism from the people; and Allah has more right that you should fear Him; so when Zaid became unconcerned with her, We gave her to you in marriage, so that there may be no sin upon believers in respect of the wives of their adopted sons when they have become unconcerned with them; and the command of Allah must be carried out.

There is no blame upon the Prophet regarding the matter that Allah has decreed for him; it has been Allah’s tradition in those who passed before; and the command of Allah is a certain destiny.

Those who deliver the messages of Allah and fear Him, and do not fear anyone except Allah; and Allah is Sufficient to take account.

Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him) is not the father of any man among you – but he is the Noble Messenger of Allah and the Last of the Prophets*; and Allah knows all things. (* Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him – is the Last Prophet. There can be no new Prophet after him).

O People who Believe! Remember Allah profusely.

And proclaim His Purity, morning and evening.

It is He Who sends blessings upon you*, and so do His angels, so that He may bring you out from darkness into light; and He is Most Merciful upon the Muslims. (* Upon the companions of the Holy Prophet).

For them the salutation upon their meeting* is “Peace”; and an honourable reward is kept prepared for them. (* Upon death / while entering Paradise / meeting with Allah).

O Herald of the Hidden! We have indeed sent you as an observing present witness and a Herald of glad tidings and warning.

And as a caller towards Allah, by His command, and as a sun that enlightens. (The Holy Prophet is a light from Allah.)

And give glad tidings to the believers that for them is Allah’s extreme munificence.

And do not please the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and overlook the pain they cause and rely upon Allah; and Allah suffices as a Trustee.

O People who Believe! If you marry Muslim women and divorce them without having touched them, so for you there is no waiting period for the women, which you may count; therefore give them some benefit and release them with a proper release.

O Herald of the Hidden! We have indeed made lawful for you the wives to whom you have paid their bridal money, and the bondwomen you possess whom Allah gave you as war booty, and the daughters of your paternal uncles, and the daughters of your paternal aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles, and the daughters of your maternal aunts, those who migrated with you; and the believing woman if she gifts her life to the Prophet, if the Prophet desires to take her in marriage; this is exclusively for you, not for your followers; We indeed know what We have enjoined upon the Muslims concerning their wives and the bondwomen they possess – this exclusivity for you is so that you may not have constraints; and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Put back in the order whom you wish among them and give your proximity to whomever you wish; and if you incline towards one whom you had set aside, there is no sin upon you in it; this command is closer to their eyes remaining soothed and not grieving, and all of them remaining happy with whatever you give them; and Allah knows what is in the hearts of you all; and Allah is All Knowing, Most Forbearing.

Other women are not permitted for you after these, nor that you change them for other wives even if their beauty pleases you except the bondwomen whom you possess; and Allah is the Guardian over all things.

O People who Believe! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet without permission, as when called for a meal but not to linger around waiting for it – and if you are invited then certainly present yourself and when you have eaten, disperse – not staying around delighting in conversation; indeed that was causing harassment to the Prophet, and he was having regard for you; and Allah does not shy in proclaiming the truth; and when you ask the wives of the Prophet for anything to use, ask for it from behind a curtain; this is purer for your hearts and for their hearts; and you have no right to trouble the Noble Messenger of Allah, nor ever marry any of his wives after him; indeed that is a very severe matter in the sight of Allah. (To honour the Holy Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – is part of faith. To disrespect him is blasphemy.)

Whether you disclose a thing or keep it hidden – then indeed Allah knows all things.

There is no sin upon your wives in (dealing with) their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons or women of their own religion, or their bondwomen; and O women, keep fearing Allah; indeed all things are present in front of Allah.

Indeed Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet; O People who Believe! Send blessings and abundant salutations upon him. (Everlasting peace and unlimited blessings be upon the Holy Prophet Mohammed.)

Indeed those who trouble Allah and His Noble Messenger – upon them is Allah’s curse in the world and in the Hereafter, and Allah has kept prepared a disgraceful punishment for them. (To disrespect / trouble the Holy Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – is blasphemy.)

And those who unnecessarily harass Muslim men and women, have burdened themselves with slander and open sin.

O Prophet! Command your wives and your daughters and the women of the Muslims to cover their faces with a part of their cloaks; this is closer to their being recognised and not being harassed; and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful. (It is incumbent upon women to cover themselves properly.)

If the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, and the rumour mongers in Medinah do not desist, We shall then surely impel you against them, so then they will not remain your neighbours in Medinah except for a few days.

Accursed – to be caught wherever found and to be slain thoroughly.

The tradition of Allah prevalent among those who passed away before; and you will never find the traditions of Allah changing.

People ask you regarding the Last Day; proclaim, “Its knowledge is only with Allah; and what do you know, the Last Day may really be near!”

Allah has indeed cursed the disbelievers, and has kept prepared for them a blazing fire.

In which they will remain forever; in it they will find neither a protector nor any supporter.

On the day when their faces will be overturned being roasted inside the fire, they will say, “Alas – if only we had obeyed Allah and obeyed His Noble Messenger!”

And they will say, “Our Lord! We followed our chiefs and our elders – so they misled us from the path!”

“Our Lord! Give them double the punishment of the fire and send upon them a mighty curse!”

O People who Believe! Do not be like the people who troubled Moosa – so Allah freed him from the allegations they had uttered; and Moosa is honourable in the sight of Allah.

O People who Believe! Fear Allah, and speak rightly.

He will rectify your deeds for you and forgive you your sins; and whoever obeys Allah and His Noble Messenger, has indeed achieved a great success.

We indeed offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused it and were afraid of it – and man accepted it; indeed he is one who puts himself into hardship, is extremely unwise.

In order that Allah may punish the hypocrite men, and the hypocrite women, and the polytheist men, and the polytheist women – and accept the repentance of believing men and believing women; and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

All praise is to Allah – to Him only belongs all whatever is in the heavens and all whatever is in the earth – and His is the praise in the Hereafter; and He is the Wise, the All Aware.

He knows all that goes into the earth and all that comes out of it, and all that descends from the skies and all that ascends into it; and only He is the Most Merciful, the Oft Forgiving.

And the disbelievers said, “The Last Day will never come upon us”; proclaim, “Surely yes, why not? By oath of my Lord, it will surely come upon you – the All Knowing of the hidden; nothing is hidden from Him – equal to an atom or less than it or greater – in the heavens or in the earth, but it is in a clear Book.”

So that He may reward those who believed and did good deeds; it is these for whom is forgiveness, and an honourable sustenance.

And those who strove in Our signs in order to defeat – for them is a punishment from the severe painful punishments.

And those who received the knowledge know that what is sent down upon you from your Lord is the truth, and it shows the path of the Most Honourable, the Most Praiseworthy.

And the disbelievers said, “Shall we show you a man who will tell you that ‘When you have disintegrated into the smallest pieces, you are to be created again’?”

“Has he fabricated a lie against Allah, or is he insane?” Rather those who disbelieve in the Hereafter are in the punishment and extreme error.

So did they not see what is before them and what is behind them in the sky and the earth? If We will, We can bury them into the earth or cause a part of the sky to fall on them; indeed in this is a sign for every repentant bondman.

And indeed We gave Dawud the utmost excellence from Us; “O the hills and birds, repent towards Allah along with him”; and We made iron soft for him.

“Make large coats of armour and keep proper measure while making; and all of you perform good deeds; I am indeed seeing your deeds.”

And We gave the wind in Sulaiman’s control – its morning journey equal to a month’s course and the evening journey equal to a month’s course; and We sprung a stream of molten copper for him; and from the jinns, who worked before him by the command of his Lord; and those among them who turned away from Our command – We shall make them taste the punishment of the blazing fire.

They made for him whatever he wished – synagogues and statues, basins like ponds, and large pots built into the ground; “Be thankful, O the people of Dawud!” And few among My bondmen are grateful.

So when We sent the command of death towards him, no one revealed his death to the jinns except the termite of the earth which ate his staff; and when he came to the ground, the truth about the jinns was exposed – if they had known the hidden, they would not have remained in the disgraceful toil.

Indeed for (the tribe of) Saba was a sign in their dwelling-place – two gardens on the right and the left; “Eat the sustenance provided by your Lord and be grateful to Him”; a pure land and an Oft Forgiving Lord!

In response they turned away – We therefore sent upon them a tremendous flood, and in exchange of their two gardens gave them two gardens bearing bitter fruit, and tamarisk, and some berries.

We gave them this reward – the recompense of their ingratitude; and whom do We punish, except the ungrateful?

And We had made several towns upon the road between them and the towns which We had blessed – and kept them according to the length of the journey; “Travel safely in them, by night and by day.”

So they said, “Our Lord! Make the stage between our journeys longer” and they wronged themselves – We therefore turned them into fables and scattered them completely with adversity; indeed in this are signs for every greatly enduring, most grateful person.

And indeed Iblis made his assumptions regarding them seem true, so they all followed him except the group of Muslims.

And Satan had no control over them at all, except that We willed to reveal as to who believes in the Hereafter and who is in doubt of it; and your Lord is a Guardian over all things.

Proclaim, “Call those whom you assume (as Gods) besides Allah”; they do not own anything equal even to an atom either in the heavens or in the earth, nor do they have any share in them, nor is any one among them an aide to Allah.

And intercession does not benefit before Him, except for one whom He permits; to the extent that when the fear is removed from their hearts by giving permission, they say to each other, “How splendidly has your Lord spoken!” They say, “All that He has proclaimed is the Truth; and He is the Supreme, the Great.”

Proclaim, “Who provides you sustenance from the sky and the earth?” Proclaim, “Allah – and indeed either we or you are upon guidance, or in open error.”

Proclaim, “You will not be questioned regarding the sins you assume we have committed, nor will we be questioned regarding your misdeeds.”

Say, “Our Lord will bring us all together, and then judge truthfully between us; and He is the Best Judge, the All Knowing.”

Say, “(Dare you) Show me those whom you have matched with Him – never! Rather only He is Allah, the Most Honourable, the Wise.”

And O dear Prophet, We have not sent you except with a Prophethood that covers the entire mankind, heralding glad tidings and warnings, but most people do not know. (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him – is the Prophet towards all mankind.)

And they say, “When will this promise come, if you are truthful?

Proclaim “For you is the promise of a Day which you cannot postpone by one moment nor can you advance it.”

And the disbelievers said, “We shall never believe in this Qur’an nor in the Books that were before it”; and if only you see, when the unjust will be brought before their Lord; they will hurl allegations on one another; those who were subdued will say to those who were conceited, “If it were not for you, we would have certainly accepted faith.”

Those who were conceited will say to those who were subdued, “Did we stop you from the guidance after it came to you? In fact you yourselves were guilty!”

Those who were subdued will say to those who were conceited, “Rather it was your deceit during night and day, for you commanded us to deny Allah and to set up equals to Him”; and inwardly they began regretting when they saw the punishment; and We placed shackles around the necks of the disbelievers; what recompense will they get except what they used to do?

And whenever We sent a Herald of Warning to any town, its wealthy people said, “We disbelieve in what you have been sent with.”

And they said, “We are greater in wealth and children; we will not be punished!”

Proclaim “Indeed my Lord eases the sustenance for whomever He wills and restricts it for whomever He wills, but most people do not know.”

And your wealth and your children are not capable of bringing you near to Us, but one who believes and did good deeds (is brought close); for them is double the reward – the recompense of their deeds and they are in high positions, in peace.

And those who strive in Our signs in order to defeat, will be brought into the punishment.

Say, “Indeed my Lord eases the sustenance for whomever He wills among His bondmen, and restricts it for whomever He wills; and whatever you spend in Allah's cause, He will restore it; and He is the Best Sustainer.”

And on the day when He will raise them all, and then say to the angels, “Did they worship you?”

They will say, “Purity is to you – only you are our Supporter, not they; in fact they worshipped the jinns; most of them believed only in them.”

So this day you will not have the power to benefit or hurt one another; and We shall say to the unjust, “Taste the punishment of the fire which you used to deny!”

And if Our clear verses are recited to them, they say, “He is nothing but a man who wishes to turn you away from the deities of your forefathers!”; and they say, “This is nothing but a fabricated lie”; and said the disbelievers regarding the truth when it reached them, “This is nothing but obvious magic.”

And We did not give them any Books which they may read, nor did We send to them any Herald of Warning before you.

And those before them had denied – and these have not reached even a tenth of what We had given them – so they denied My Noble Messengers; so how did My rejection turn out?

Proclaim, “I advise you just one thing; that stand up for Allah's sake, in twos and ones, and then think”; there is not a trace of insanity in this companion of yours; he is not but a Herald of Warning for you, before the advent of a severe punishment!

Say, “Whatever fee I might have asked from you upon this, is yours; my reward is only upon Allah; and He is Witness over all things.”

Proclaim, “Indeed my Lord sends down the truth; the All Knowing of all the hidden.”

Proclaim, “The truth has come, and falsehood dare not commence nor return.”

Proclaim, “If I stray, I stray only for my own harm; and if I attain guidance, it is because of what my Lord has sent down to me; indeed He is All Hearing, Close.”

And if only you see, when they will be forced into a terror from which they will be unable to escape, and are seized from a place nearby. (Wherever they go, they are never far).

And they will say, “We accept faith in it”; and how can they attain it from so far away? (After they have crossed the limit of life allotted to them.)

For they had disbelieved in it before; and they hurl allegations without seeing, from far away.

And a barrier is set between them and what they desire*, as was done for their earlier groups; indeed they are in a doubt that deceives. (To accept faith or return to earth)

All praise is to Allah, the Maker of the heavens and the earth, Who assigns angels as messengers – who have pairs of two, three, four wings; He increases in creation whatever He wills; indeed Allah is Able to do all things.

No one can withhold the mercy which Allah opens to mankind; and whatever He withholds – so after it, none can release it; and only He is the Most Honourable, the Wise.

O people! Remember the favour of Allah upon you; is there a Creator other than Allah who can provide you sustenance from the sky and the earth? There is no God except Him; so where are you reverting?

And if they deny you, many Noble Messengers were denied before you; and towards Allah only is the return of all matters.

O people! Allah’s promise is indeed true; therefore do not ever let the worldly life deceive you; nor ever let the great cheat deceive you in respect of Allah’s commands.