Surah 17. Surah Bani Israel
Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
- Glorified is He who took His servant by night,
From the Sanctified Mosque to the Farthest Mosque;
We surrounded him with Our Grace
To show him some of Our Signs.
He is indeed the Hearer, the Omniscient! - And We gave the Book to Moses,
And We provided guidance to the Children of Israel,
So that they do not take anyone else (but Me) as their defender. - O offspring of those We carried with Noah!
He was indeed a servant, thankful! - And We clearly informed the children of Israel in the Book
That they would cause mischief in the land twice,
And that they would become extremely insolent. - And, when the first of two of Our promises came to pass,
We sent against you Our votaries, who were powerful warriors,
So they pillaged your cities;
And that was the fulfillment of Our promise. - Then We humbled them before you, turning (their fate) around,
And We helped you with wealth and sons,
And made you into a large force. - If you do good, goodness is upon your souls,
And if you do wrong, it is upon them (your souls).
So, when the second promise came to pass,
(We brought forth new enemies) to humble your faces,
And to bring down the Temple,
As they had brought it down the first time,
And to obliterate what they had conquered. - There is hope that Our Rabb will have mercy on you,
But if you do as you did, We will do as We did;
Lo! We have made Hell a constricted place
For those who reject the Truth. - Indeed, this Qur’an provides guidance
To (a path) that is established (by Divine Writ),
And to give glad tidings to those who have certainty of faith—
Those who engage in righteous deeds—
For them there is a reward supreme. - And indeed, for those who do not believe in the hereafter,
We have prepared a painful doom. - And humankind prays for the harmful
As it prays for the beneficial;
Indeed, humankind is hasty! - And We provided the night and the day as two Signs.
Then, We removed the Sign of the night,
And We made the Sign of the day as the provider of manifest light,
So that you search for the bounties of Allah,
And you learn to count the number of years and compute.
Lo! We have explained all Our gifts in detail. - And We have tied the fate of every human around his own neck,
And We will bring it out on the Day of Judgment—
He will find it (like) an open book. - (It will be said to him:) “Read the chronicle of your deeds—
Your own soul is sufficient this Day for your reckoning!” - One who found guidance, found guidance for his own self,
And one who went astray, was lost for himself.
Lo! No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another;
And We are not disposed to inflict Our punishment (on a people)
Until We have sent to them a Messenger. - And when We willed to destroy a township (civilization),
We send a commandment to its people,
Who are well off but they disobey it.
So, the word on them comes true,
And We destroy them, complete destruction! - And how many townships (civilizations) have We destroyed after Noah!
Lo! Your Rabb is sufficient (witness) for the sins of His servants:
(He is) well aware, (and He is) the Seer. - Whoever desires what is fleeting (this life),
We hasten it for him as We will
(And) for whom We will.
Then, We shall prepare for him Hellfire,
He will enter therein disgraced and disconnected (from Divine presence). - And whoever desires the hereafter,
And vigorously works for it—
As much as he can—
And he has certainty of faith,
Then, they are those whose struggle is honored. - We bestow from the favors of your Rabb,
To these as well as those;
And what is granted by your Rabb is not restricted (to anyone). - Observe how We grant more blessings to some over others,
But the hereafter is greater (in merit),
And greater in its blessings. - Do not make up any other deity with Allah—
For in that case, you will remain disgraced, helpless. - And your Rabb has ordained that you worship none but Him,
And be excellent in your treatment of your parents,
If one or both of them reach old age before your eyes,
Do not say to them “ugh”,
And do not scold them,
And say to them words of kindness. - And lower upon them wings of humility and mercy,
And say: “O my Rabb! Have mercy upon them,
Like they sustained me when I was little.” - Your Rabb knows what is in your souls,
If you are righteous,
Then, He is indeed forgiving to those who turn to Him. - And discharge your obligations to those who are near,
And the destitute and the wayfarer,
And do not squander extravagantly. - Those who squander are the brothers of Satan,
And Satan was one who rejected his Rabb. - And if you turn away from them,
While you are (yourself) waiting for the mercy of your Rabb that you hope for,
Even then, speak to them words of tenderness. - And do not tie your hand to your neck (do not be tight fisted),
And do not open it completely so that you sit down tired, blaming yourself; - Indeed, your Rabb provides sustenance as He will,
And withholds (as He will);
Indeed, He is well aware of His servants, and He is the Seer. - And do not kill your children for fear of poverty,
We provide for them, and for you;
Indeed, killing them is a great sin. - And do not go near fornication,
It is indeed an abomination and an evil path. - And do not kill a person as Allah has forbidden it,
Except by way of justice.
And for the one who is killed unjustly,
We have given the authority to his inheritors.
So let him not exceed the limits in taking life;
Indeed, he is assisted (by the guidance of Allah). - And do not go near the property of the orphans,
Except in a manner that is honorable,
Until he reaches adulthood.
And honor your covenants;
Indeed, you will be interrogated about your covenants - And fill your measure when you are measuring,
And establish weight with a scale upright;
That is better and is beneficial in its results. - And do not pursue what you have no knowledge of;
Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart,
Each of them will be interrogated (on the day of Judgment). - And do not walk on earth with arrogance,
Indeed, you will not tear asunder the earth,
Nor will you attain the height of the mountains. - The evil in all of these is disliked by your Rabb.
- That is from what is revealed to you by your Rabb, with wisdom;
So, do not make up any deity with Allah;
In that case, you will be thrown into Hell, disgraced and disconnected. - In that case, has your Rabb preferred for you sons,
And has selected daughters (for Himself) from among the Angels?
Indeed, what you say is a colossal utterance. - And verily, We have explained this Qur’an (from every perspective)
So that you remember it;
Yet their dislike (of the Qur’an) does not but increase. - Say: “If, as they say, they had deities (besides Allah) with Him,
Then, they would search for a way to the throne (of Allah).” - Glorified is He! And high above what they say,
Exalted, the Greatest! - All that is in the seven heavens and the earth–
And whatever there is in them– glorifies Him.
And there is not a thing that does not glorify Him and praise Him,
But you do not understand their glorification;
Lo! He is Most Forbearing, the Forgiver! - And when you recite the Qur’an,
We erect a hidden veil
Between you and those who do not believe in the hereafter. - Lo! We have erected veils over their hearts,
So that they cannot understand it,
And their ears do not hear;
And when you remember your Rabb, the One,
In the Qur’an,
They run showing their backs in dislike. - We know why they listen to you, when they listen,
And when they whisper, the transgressors say:
“If you follow, you follow but a man who is bewitched.” - See what analogies they have brought forth upon you,
So they are lost,
And they do not have the ability to find the way. - And they say: “When we are bones and broken into pieces,
Will we indeed be returned to a new life?” - Say: “(Even if) you become stones or iron,
- Or a creation harder than your hearts.”
Then they will say: “Who will resurrect us?”
Say: “He who created you in the first place!”
Then they will bend their heads towards you,
And say: “When will it be?”
Say: “Perhaps it is near!” - The Day He calls you,
You will answer Him with His praise,
And you will think
That you stayed (in the world)
But a brief while. - And say to My servants:
“Speak what is good,
Indeed, Satan causes dissension between you.”
Lo! Satan is an open enemy to humankind. - Your Rabb is well aware of you;
If He so wills it, He has mercy on you,
Or, if He so wills it, He punishes you;
And you have not been sent upon them as their proxy. - And your Rabb knows whoever is in the heavens and the earth,
And assuredly, We bestowed more on some Prophets than others,
And We gave David the Zabbur (The Psalms). - Say: “Call on those you fancy (as Divine) besides Him—
And they cannot lift your difficulties nor exchange them.” - Those they call on are themselves searching
For a connection with their Rabb,
(Asking) who among them is closer to Him,
And they hope for His mercy,
And they are afraid of His punishment;
Indeed, the punishment of your Rabb is dreadful. - And there is no township (civilization)
Except that We shall destroy it before the Day of Judgment,
Or inflict a grave punishment upon it;
That is in the Book, documented. - And We were not swayed from sending Our Signs,
Except that the people aforetime gave it the lie.
And We gave the Thamud a she-camel
To show them (the right path),
But they tortured her.
Lo! We have not sent Our Signs except to foster consciousness (of Allah). - And when We said to you:
“Indeed, your Rabb surrounds humankind (from every direction).”
And We did not show you the vision
Except as a test for humankind,
As well as the accursed tree in the Qur’an;
We fill them with foreboding,
Yet their defiance but increases. - And when We said to the angels:
“Prostrate before Adam!”
Thereupon, they prostrated, except Iblis;
He said: “Am I to prostrate before one whom You created from clay? - (And) he said: “Do you see this (human)
Whom you have preferred over me?
If you give me respite till the Day of Judgment,
I will assuredly pull his progeny
From their very roots (from their connection with the Divine)
Except a few.” - He (Allah) said: “Get away from here!
Then, whoever follows you among them,
Indeed, their recompense shall be hell,
A full recompense! - Seduce from among them as many as you are able,
With your voice,
And turn loose upon them your horses and your men
(confront them in every possible way),
And be their partner in their wealth and their children,
And make promises to them.”
Lo! The promise of Satan is nothing but deception! - Indeed, you have no authority over My servants,
And sufficient is your Rabb as the Trustee. - Your Rabb is He who propels the ships for you
So that you may search for His bounties;
Indeed, He is Most Merciful towards you. - And when a calamity overtakes you at sea,
Those they call upon besides Him disappear,
Then, when We deliver them ashore, they turn away;
Lo! The human is most ungrateful! - So, do you feel secure
That He may (not) bury you on land,
Or send upon you a windstorm laden with rocks?
Then, you shall have none to speak up for you. - Or, do you feel secure
That He will take you back in it (the sea),
And send upon you a storm,
And drown you for your disbelief;
Then, you will not find
Anyone to rescue you from Us. - And behold! We have sent Our Grace on the children of Adam!
And we carried them on land and on sea,
And provided them with sustenance wholesome,
And preferred them over countless others of Our creation,
Giving them more blessings. - The day We call all humankind, together with their leaders,
Then he whose record is placed in his right hand—
And they will read their record—
They shall not be wronged, not a thread’s breadth (not in the least). - And he who is blind here,
Will be blind in the hereafter,
And will be lost from the right path. - Indeed, they were about to tempt you away
From what We have revealed to you,
So that you ascribe something else to Us,
In that case, they would have made you a friend. - And if We had not firmed you up,
Then verily, you would have leaned somewhat towards them. - In that case We would give you a taste (of censure)
Of two lives and two deaths,
Then you would find none to help you against Us. - And indeed! They almost made you so concerned (about safety)
In the land, to force you out of it;
In that case, they would not have stayed in it after you, but a brief while. - This is the way of what We have sent down before you upon our Messengers,
And there is no innovation in Our way, no alteration. - Establish prayer at the sun’s decline till the onset of the night,
And (establish) the recitation of the Qur’an in the morning;
Indeed, the recitation of the Qur’an in the morning is witnessed (by all creation) - And of (a portion of) the night (stay up) with it,
It is additional (blessing) for you.
Close (is the hour when) Your Rabb will make you stand
At the Station of the Praised one. - And say: “O my Rabb!
Admit me (to Your presence) as a righteous one,
And make me leave as a righteous one,
And grant me from Your presence a sustaining authority.” - And declare: “The Truth has arrived! And falsehood has perished!
Indeed, falsehood is disposed to perish”. - And We have sent down the Qur’an,
In which there is intercession and mercy
For those who have the certainty of faith;
And nothing increases for the transgressors except their own loss. - Lo! We send our bounties upon humankind,
He excuses himself and turns it aside,
And when a tribulation reaches him,
He is dejected. - Say: “Everyone works according to his way,
And your Rabb knows who it is that is on the right path” - And you ask about the Spirit—
Say: “The Spirit is from the command of Allah,
And the knowledge thereof has not been given to you except a little.” - And if it was Our will,
We would indeed take away what We have revealed to you,
In that case, you will not find anyone to plead for you before Us, - Except the mercy of your Rabb;
Great indeed is His blessing upon you! - Say: “If all the humans and the jinns assembled together,
To compile the likeness of this Qur’an,
They cannot compile anything like it,
Even if some of them become helpers for the others.” - Behold! We have described the Qur’an from many perspectives,
With every example,
But most of humankind accept it not except its denial. - And they say: “We will not believe you
Until you make a spring gush forth from the earth; - Or, there be a garden of date palms and grape vines,
And you bring forth flowing streams between them; - Or, you make pieces of the sky fall down upon us
As you have been describing it to us,
Or, you bring before us Allah and the Angels; - Or, there be a house for you made of gold,
Or, you ascend to the sky—
But we will not believe in your ascension,
Until there descends upon you a Book that we can read.”
Say: “Glorified is my Rabb! I am but a human and a Messenger.” - And humankind has not been prevented from believing (in Allah),
When guidance was sent to them,
Except that they said: “Has Allah sent a human as a Messenger?” - Say: “If there were angels on earth, happily walking around,
We would certainly have sent down the angels from the sky as Messengers.” - Say: “Sufficient is Allah as witness between me and you,
He is indeed the Knower, the Seer for His servants. - Indeed, one who receives guidance from Allah is guided,
And for one who is led astray, you will find no helper but Him.
And We shall assemble them (assemble their existence) on the Day of Judgment,
Blind, mute and dumb,
Their abode shall be Hell,
Whenever it abates, We shall fire it up for them. - That is their recompense because they denied Our Signs,
And they said: “After we are bones broken into pieces
Will we be raised up again into a new creation?” - Do they not see that Allah is He who has created
The heavens and the earth?
He has the power to create the likes thereof,
And He has established a time for them—
There is no doubt about it—
But the transgressors accept not but unbelief. - Say: “If indeed you were owners of treasures
By the grace of my Rabb,
Even then you would keep them locked up,
Afraid of spending them.
Lo! Humankind is indeed tight fisted!” - And behold! We gave Moses nine manifest Signs,
So ask of the children of Israel;
When he came to them, the Pharaoh said to him:
“O Moses! I do indeed suspect that you are bewitched.” - He said: “Indeed, you have recognized
That these have not been revealed except
By the Rabb of the heavens and the earth with insights,
And indeed O Pharaoh! I suspect that you are ill-fated.” - Then he decided to uproot them from the earth;
So, We drowned him along with everyone with him. - And We said to the children of Israel after that:
“Dwell in peace in the land,”
But when the promise of the Hereafter comes to pass,
We shall gather you together from diverse groups. - And We have revealed it in Truth,
And with the Truth it has come;
And I have not been sent as a Messenger to you
Except with glad tidings and as a Warner. - And the Qur’an We have arranged in parts
So that you can recite it to people in stages,
And We have revealed it in slow measures. - Say: “Believe in it or do not—
Indeed, those endowed with knowledge from earlier (revelations)
Fall down in prostration upon their faces
When it is recited to them.” - And they say: ‘Glorified is our Rabb!
This is indeed the fulfillment of the promise of our Rabb.’ - And they fall down on their faces, crying,
And it increases their awe. - Say: “Call on Allah or call on the Most Compassionate,
Whatever you call Him,
His are the Most beautiful Names,
And do not stretch out your prayers, nor shorten them,
And search for a (moderate) path in between.” - And say: “Praise be to Allah,
He has not taken any son,
And none is His associate in His domain,
And none is His protector from abuse (of His Name),
So, extol Him, extol Him to the utmost.”