SURAH AL-A'RAF

Alif, Lām, Meem, Ṣād.[363]

[This is] a Book revealed to you, [O Muḥammad] - so let there not be in your breast distress therefrom - that you may warn thereby and as a reminder to the believers.

Follow, [O mankind], what has been revealed to you from your Lord and do not follow other than Him any allies. Little do you remember.

And how many cities have We destroyed, and Our punishment came to them at night or while they were sleeping at noon.

And their declaration when Our punishment came to them was only that they said, "Indeed, we were wrongdoers!"

Then We will surely question those to whom [a message] was sent, and We will surely question the messengers.

Then We will surely relate [their deeds] to them with knowledge, and We were not [at all] absent.

And the weighing [of deeds] that Day will be the truth. So those whose scales are heavy - it is they who will be the successful.

And those whose scales are light - they are the ones who will lose themselves for what injustice they were doing toward Our verses.

And We have certainly established you upon the earth and made for you therein ways of livelihood. Little are you grateful.

And We have certainly created you, [O mankind], and given you [human] form. Then We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam"; so they prostrated, except for Iblees.[364] He was not of those who prostrated.

[Allāh] said, "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" [Satan] said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay [i.e., earth]."

[Allāh] said, "Descend from it [i.e., Paradise], for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased."

[Satan] said, "Reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected."

[Allāh] said, "Indeed, you are of those reprieved."

[Satan] said, "Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them [i.e., mankind] on Your straight path.

Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You]."

[Allāh] said, "Depart from it [i.e., Paradise], reproached and expelled. Whoever follows you among them - I will surely fill Hell with you, all together."

And "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers."

But Satan whispered to them to make apparent to them that which was concealed from them of their private parts. He said, "Your Lord did not forbid you this tree except that you become angels or become of the immortal."

And he swore [by Allāh] to them, "Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisors."

So he made them fall, through deception. And when they tasted of the tree, their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten together over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And their Lord called to them, "Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is to you a clear enemy?"

They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers."

[Allāh] said, "Descend, being to one another enemies. And for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment [i.e., provision] for a time."

He said, "Therein you will live, and therein you will die, and from it you will be brought forth."

O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness - that is best. That is from the signs of Allāh that perhaps they will remember.

O children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing[365] to show them their private parts. Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them. Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe.

And when they commit an immorality, they say, "We found our fathers doing it, and Allāh has ordered us to do it." Say, "Indeed, Allāh does not order immorality. Do you say about Allāh that which you do not know?"

Say, [O Muḥammad], "My Lord has ordered justice and that you direct yourselves [to the Qiblah] at every place [or time] of prostration, and invoke Him, sincere to Him in religion." Just as He originated you, you will return [to life] -

A group [of you] He guided, and a group deserved [to be in] error. Indeed, they [i.e., the latter] had taken the devils as allies instead of Allāh while they thought that they were guided.

O children of Adam, take your adornment [i.e., wear your clothing] at every masjid,[366] and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.

Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of [i.e., from] Allāh which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?" Say, "They are for those who believed during the life of this world, exclusively [for them] on the Day of Resurrection." Thus do We detail the verses for a people who know.

Say, "My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin,[367] and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allāh that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allāh that which you do not know."

And for every nation is a [specified] term. So when their time has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].

O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My verses [i.e., scriptures and laws], then whoever fears Allāh and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.

But the ones who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.

And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allāh a lie or denies His verses? Those will attain their portion of the decree[368] until, when Our messengers [i.e., angels] come to them to take them in death, they will say, "Where are those you used to invoke besides Allāh?" They will say, "They have departed from us," and will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.

[Allāh] will say, "Enter among nations which had passed on before you of jinn and mankind into the Fire." Every time a nation enters, it will curse its sister[369] until, when they have all overtaken one another therein, the last of them[370] will say about the first of them,[371] "Our Lord, these had misled us, so give them a double punishment of the Fire." He will say, "For each is double, but you do not know."

And the first of them will say to the last of them, "Then you had not any favor over us, so taste the punishment for what you used to earn."

Indeed, those who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them - the gates of Heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel enters into the eye of a needle [i.e., never]. And thus do We recompense the criminals.

They will have from Hell a bed and over them coverings [of fire]. And thus do We recompense the wrongdoers.

But those who believed and did righteous deeds - We charge no soul except [within] its capacity. Those are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.

And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment,[372] [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allāh, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allāh had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."

And the companions of Paradise will call out to the companions of the Fire, "We have already found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have you found what your Lord promised to be true?" They will say, "Yes." Then an announcer will announce among them, "The curse of Allāh shall be upon the wrongdoers

Who averted [people] from the way of Allāh and sought to make it [seem] deviant while they were, concerning the Hereafter, disbelievers."

And between them will be a partition [i.e., wall], and on [its] elevations are men[373] who recognize all[374] by their mark. And they call out to the companions of Paradise, "Peace be upon you." They have not [yet] entered it, but they long intensely.

And when their eyes are turned toward the companions of the Fire, they say, "Our Lord, do not place us with the wrongdoing people."

And the companions of the Elevations will call to men [within Hell] whom they recognize by their mark, saying, "Of no avail to you was your gathering[375] and [the fact] that you were arrogant."

[Allāh will say], "Are these[376] the ones whom you [inhabitants of Hell] swore that Allāh would never offer them mercy? Enter Paradise, [O people of the Elevations]. No fear will there be concerning you, nor will you grieve."

And the companions of the Fire will call to the companions of Paradise, "Pour upon us some water or from whatever Allāh has provided you." They will say, "Indeed, Allāh has forbidden them both to the disbelievers