SURAH AL-MA'IDAH

O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts.²³⁹ Lawful for you are the animals of grazing livestock except for that which is recited to you [in this Qur’ān] - hunting not being permitted while you are in the state of iḥrām.²⁴⁰ Indeed, Allāh ordains what He intends.

O you who have believed, do not violate the rites of Allāh or [the sanctity of] the sacred month or [neglect the marking of] the sacrificial animals and garlanding [them] or [violate the safety of] those coming to the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord and [His] approval. But when you come out of iḥrām, then [you may] hunt. And do not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām lead you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allāh; indeed, Allāh is severe in penalty.

Prohibited to you are dead animals,²⁴¹ blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh, and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars,²⁴² and [prohibited is] that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience. This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islām as religion. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin - then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.

They ask you, [O Muḥammad], what has been made lawful for them. Say, "Lawful for you are [all] good foods and [game caught by] what you have trained of hunting animals²⁴³ which you train as Allāh has taught you. So eat of what they catch for you, and mention the name of Allāh upon it, and fear Allāh." Indeed, Allāh is swift in account.

This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation,²⁴⁴ desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers. And whoever denies the faith - his work has become worthless, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.

O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janābah,²⁴⁵ then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women²⁴⁶ and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allāh does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.

And remember the favor of Allāh upon you and His covenant with which He bound you when you said, "We hear and we obey"; and fear Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing of that within the breasts.

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allāh, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allāh; indeed, Allāh is [fully] Aware of what you do.

Allāh has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds [that] for them there is forgiveness and great reward.

But those who disbelieve and deny Our signs - those are the companions of Hellfire.

O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allāh upon you when a people determined to extend their hands [in aggression] against you, but He withheld their hands from you; and fear Allāh. And upon Allāh let the believers rely.

And Allāh had already taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and We delegated from among them twelve leaders. And Allāh said, "I am with you. If you establish prayer and give zakāh and believe in My messengers and support them and loan Allāh a goodly loan,²⁴⁷ I will surely remove from you your misdeeds and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow. But whoever of you disbelieves after that has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way."

So for their breaking of the covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hardened. They distort words from their [proper] places [i.e., usages] and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded.²⁴⁸ And you will still observe deceit among them, except a few of them. But pardon them and overlook [their misdeeds]. Indeed, Allāh loves the doers of good.

And from those who say, "We are Christians" We took their covenant; but they forgot a portion of that of which they were reminded.²⁴⁹ So We caused among them²⁵⁰ animosity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection. And Allāh is going to inform them about what they used to do.

O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much.²⁵¹ There has come to you from Allāh a light and a clear Book [i.e., the Qur’ān]

By which Allāh guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace²⁵² and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path.

They have certainly disbelieved who say that Allāh is Christ, the son of Mary. Say, "Then who could prevent Allāh at all if He had intended to destroy Christ, the son of Mary, or his mother or everyone on the earth?" And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. He creates what He wills, and Allāh is over all things competent.

But the Jews and the Christians say, "We are the children of Allāh and His beloved." Say, "Then why does He punish you for your sins?" Rather, you are human beings from among those He has created. He forgives whom He wills, and He punishes whom He wills. And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, and to Him is the [final] destination.

O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger to make clear to you [the religion] after a period [of suspension] of messengers, lest you say, "There came not to us any bringer of good tidings or a warner." But there has come to you a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And Allāh is over all things competent.

And [mention, O Muḥammad], when Moses said to his people, "O my people, remember the favor of Allāh upon you when He appointed among you prophets and made you possessors²⁵³ and gave you that which He had not given anyone among the worlds.

O my people, enter the blessed land [i.e., Palestine] which Allāh has assigned to you and do not turn back [from fighting in Allāh's cause] and [thus] become losers."

They said, "O Moses, indeed within it is a people of tyrannical strength, and indeed, we will never enter it until they leave it; but if they leave it, then we will enter."

Said two men from those who feared [to disobey] upon whom Allāh had bestowed favor, "Enter upon them through the gate, for when you have entered it, you will be predominant.²⁵⁴ And upon Allāh rely, if you should be believers."

They said, "O Moses, indeed we will not enter it, ever, as long as they are within it; so go, you and your Lord, and fight. Indeed, we are remaining right here."

[Moses] said, "My Lord, indeed I do not possess [i.e., control] except myself and my brother, so part us²⁵⁵ from the defiantly disobedient people."

[Allāh] said, "Then indeed, it is forbidden to them for forty years [in which] they will wander throughout the land. So do not grieve over the defiantly disobedient people."

And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons, in truth, when they both made an offering [to Allāh], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], "I will surely kill you." Said [the former], "Indeed, Allāh only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him].

If you should raise your hand toward me to kill me - I shall not raise my hand toward you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allāh, Lord of the worlds.

Indeed, I want you to obtain [thereby] my sin and your sin so you will be among the companions of the Fire. And that is the recompense of wrongdoers."

And his soul permitted to him²⁵⁶ the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers.

Then Allāh sent a crow searching [i.e., scratching] in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace²⁵⁷ of his brother. He said, "O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the disgrace [i.e., body] of my brother?" And he became of the regretful.

Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul²⁵⁸ or for corruption [done] in the land²⁵⁹ - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one²⁶⁰ - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And Our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.²⁶¹

Indeed, the penalty²⁶² for those who wage war²⁶³ against Allāh and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment,

Except for those who return [repenting] before you overcome [i.e., apprehend] them. And know that Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.

O you who have believed, fear Allāh and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.

Indeed, those who disbelieve - if they should have all that is in the earth and the like of it with it by which to ransom themselves from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection, it will not be accepted from them, and for them is a painful punishment.

They will wish to get out of the Fire, but never are they to emerge therefrom, and for them is an enduring punishment.

[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they earned [i.e., committed] as a deterrent [punishment] from Allāh. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.

But whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, indeed, Allāh will turn to him in forgiveness. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.

Do you not know that to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills, and Allāh is over all things competent.

O Messenger, let them not grieve you who hasten into disbelief – of those who say, "We believe" with their mouths, but their hearts believe not, and from among the Jews. [They are] avid listeners to falsehood, listening to another people who have not come to you.²⁶⁴ They distort words beyond their [proper] places [i.e., usages], saying, "If you are given this,²⁶⁵ take it; but if you are not given it, then beware." But he for whom Allāh intends fitnah²⁶⁶ - never will you possess [power to do] for him a thing against Allāh. Those are the ones for whom Allāh does not intend to purify their hearts. For them in this world is disgrace, and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment.

[They are] avid listeners to falsehood, devourers of [what is] unlawful. So if they come to you, [O Muḥammad], judge between them or turn away from them. And if you turn away from them - never will they harm you at all. And if you judge, judge between them with justice. Indeed, Allāh loves those who act justly.

But how is it that they come to you for judgement while they have the Torah, in which is the judgement of Allāh? Then they turn away, [even] after that; but those are not [in fact] believers.

Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allāh] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allāh, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price [i.e., worldly gain]. And whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers.

And We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution. But whoever gives [up his right as] charity, it is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed - then it is those who are the wrongdoers [i.e., the unjust].