Ar-Rum

alif-lam-meem

Alif Lam Mim

ghulibati l-rūmu

The Byzantines have been defeated

fī adnā l-arḍi wahum min baʿdi ghalabihim sayaghlibūna

in a nearby land. They will reverse their defeat with a victory

fī biḍ'ʿi sinīna lillahi l-amru min qablu wamin baʿdu wayawma-idhin yafraḥu l-mu'minūna

in a few years’ time––God is in command, first and last. On that day, the believers will rejoice

binaṣri l-lahi yanṣuru man yashāu wahuwa l-ʿazīzu l-raḥīmu

at God’s help. He helps whoever He pleases: He is the Mighty, the Merciful.

waʿda l-lahi lā yukh'lifu l-lahu waʿdahu walākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yaʿlamūna

This is God’s promise: God never breaks His promise, but most people do not know;

yaʿlamūna ẓāhiran mina l-ḥayati l-dun'yā wahum ʿani l-ākhirati hum ghāfilūna

they only know the outer surface of this present life and are heedless of the life to come.

awalam yatafakkarū fī anfusihim mā khalaqa l-lahu l-samāwāti wal-arḍa wamā baynahumā illā bil-ḥaqi wa-ajalin musamman wa-inna kathīran mina l-nāsi biliqāi rabbihim lakāfirūna

Have they not thought about their own selves? God did not create the heavens and earth and everything between them without a serious purpose and an appointed time, yet many people deny that they will meet their Lord.

awalam yasīrū fī l-arḍi fayanẓurū kayfa kāna ʿāqibatu alladhīna min qablihim kānū ashadda min'hum quwwatan wa-athārū l-arḍa waʿamarūhā akthara mimmā ʿamarūhā wajāathum rusuluhum bil-bayināti famā kāna l-lahu liyaẓlimahum walākin kānū anfusahum yaẓlimūna

Have they not travelled through the land and seen how their predecessors met their end? They were mightier than them: they cultivated the earth more and built more upon it. Their own mes-sengers also came to them with clear signs: God did not wrong them; they wronged themselves.

thumma kāna ʿāqibata alladhīna asāū l-sūā an kadhabū biāyāti l-lahi wakānū bihā yastahziūna

Later the evildoers met a terrible end for rejecting and [repeatedly] mocking God’s revelations.

al-lahu yabda-u l-khalqa thumma yuʿīduhu thumma ilayhi tur'jaʿūna

God brings creation into being; in the end He will reproduce it and it is to Him you will be recalled.

wayawma taqūmu l-sāʿatu yub'lisu l-muj'rimūna

On the Day the Hour arrives, the guilty will despair

walam yakun lahum min shurakāihim shufaʿāu wakānū bishurakāihim kāfirīna

and they will have no intercessors among those partners they ascribed to God- they will deny these partners.

wayawma taqūmu l-sāʿatu yawma-idhin yatafarraqūna

When the Hour arrives, on that Day people will be separated:

fa-ammā alladhīna āmanū waʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti fahum fī rawḍatin yuḥ'barūna

those who believed and did good deeds will delight in a Garden,

wa-ammā alladhīna kafarū wakadhabū biāyātinā waliqāi l-ākhirati fa-ulāika fī l-ʿadhābi muḥ'ḍarūna

while those who disbelieved and denied Our messages and the meeting of the Hereafter will be brought for punishment.

fasub'ḥāna l-lahi ḥīna tum'sūna waḥīna tuṣ'biḥūna

So celebrate God’s glory in the evening, in the morning-

walahu l-ḥamdu fī l-samāwāti wal-arḍi waʿashiyyan waḥīna tuẓ'hirūna

praise is due to Him in the heavens and the earth- in the late afternoon, and at midday.

yukh'riju l-ḥaya mina l-mayiti wayukh'riju l-mayita mina l-ḥayi wayuḥ'yī l-arḍa baʿda mawtihā wakadhālika tukh'rajūna

He brings the living out of the dead and the dead out of the living. He gives life to the earth after death, and you will be brought out in the same way.

wamin āyātihi an khalaqakum min turābin thumma idhā antum basharun tantashirūna

One of His signs is that He created you from dust and- lo and behold!- you became human and scattered far and wide.

wamin āyātihi an khalaqa lakum min anfusikum azwājan litaskunū ilayhā wajaʿala baynakum mawaddatan waraḥmatan inna fī dhālika laāyātin liqawmin yatafakkarūna

Another of His signs is that He created spouses from among yourselves for you to live with in tranquillity: He ordained love and kindness between you. There truly are signs in this for those who reflect.

wamin āyātihi khalqu l-samāwāti wal-arḍi wa-ikh'tilāfu alsinatikum wa-alwānikum inna fī dhālika laāyātin lil'ʿālimīna

Another of His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours. There truly are signs in this for those who know.

wamin āyātihi manāmukum bi-al-layli wal-nahāri wa-ib'tighāukum min faḍlihi inna fī dhālika laāyātin liqawmin yasmaʿūna

Among His signs are your sleep, by night and by day, and your seeking His bounty. There truly are signs in this for those who can hear.

wamin āyātihi yurīkumu l-barqa khawfan waṭamaʿan wayunazzilu mina l-samāi māan fayuḥ'yī bihi l-arḍa baʿda mawtihā inna fī dhālika laāyātin liqawmin yaʿqilūna

Among His signs, too, are that He shows you the lightning that terrifies and inspires hope; that He sends water down from the sky to restore the earth to life after death. There truly are signs in this for those who use their reason.

wamin āyātihi an taqūma l-samāu wal-arḍu bi-amrihi thumma idhā daʿākum daʿwatan mina l-arḍi idhā antum takhrujūna

Among His signs, too, is the fact that the heavens and the earth stand firm by His command. In the end, you will all emerge when He calls you from the earth.

walahu man fī l-samāwāti wal-arḍi kullun lahu qānitūna

Everyone in the heavens and earth belongs to Him, and all are obedient to Him.

wahuwa alladhī yabda-u l-khalqa thumma yuʿīduhu wahuwa ahwanu ʿalayhi walahu l-mathalu l-aʿlā fī l-samāwāti wal-arḍi wahuwa l-ʿazīzu l-ḥakīmu

He is the One who originates creation and will do it again- this is even easier for Him. He is above all comparison in the heavens and earth; He is the Almighty, the All Wise.

ḍaraba lakum mathalan min anfusikum hal lakum min mā malakat aymānukum min shurakāa fī mā razaqnākum fa-antum fīhi sawāon takhāfūnahum kakhīfatikum anfusakum kadhālika nufaṣṣilu l-āyāti liqawmin yaʿqilūna

He gives you this example, drawn from your own lives: do you make your slaves full partners with an equal share in what We have given you? Do you fear them as you fear each other? This is how We make Our messages clear to those who use their reason.

bali ittabaʿa alladhīna ẓalamū ahwāahum bighayri ʿil'min faman yahdī man aḍalla l-lahu wamā lahum min nāṣirīna

And still the idolaters follow their own desires without any knowledge. Who can guide those God leaves to stray, who have no one to help them?

fa-aqim wajhaka lilddīni ḥanīfan fiṭ'rata l-lahi allatī faṭara l-nāsa ʿalayhā lā tabdīla likhalqi l-lahi dhālika l-dīnu l-qayimu walākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yaʿlamūna

So [Prophet] as a man of pure faith, stand firm and true in your devotion to the religion. This is the natural disposition God instilled in mankind- there is no altering God’s creation- and this is the right religion, though most people do not realize it.

munībīna ilayhi wa-ittaqūhu wa-aqīmū l-ṣalata walā takūnū mina l-mush'rikīna

Turn to Him alone, all of you. Be mindful of Him; keep up the prayer; do not join those who ascribe partners to God,

mina alladhīna farraqū dīnahum wakānū shiyaʿan kullu ḥiz'bin bimā ladayhim fariḥūna

those who divide their religion into sects, with each party rejoicing in their own.

wa-idhā massa l-nāsa ḍurrun daʿaw rabbahum munībīna ilayhi thumma idhā adhāqahum min'hu raḥmatan idhā farīqun min'hum birabbihim yush'rikūna

When something bad happens to people, they cry to their Lord and turn to Him for help, but no sooner does He let them taste His blessing than- lo and behold!- some of them ascribe partners to their Lord,

liyakfurū bimā ātaynāhum fatamattaʿū fasawfa taʿlamūna

showing no gratitude for what We have given them. ‘Take your pleasure! You will come to know.’

am anzalnā ʿalayhim sul'ṭānan fahuwa yatakallamu bimā kānū bihi yush'rikūna

Did We send them down any authority that sanctions the partners they ascribe to God?

wa-idhā adhaqnā l-nāsa raḥmatan fariḥū bihā wa-in tuṣib'hum sayyi-atun bimā qaddamat aydīhim idhā hum yaqnaṭūna

When We give people a taste of Our blessing, they rejoice, but when something bad happens to them- because of their own actions- they fall into utter despair.

awalam yaraw anna l-laha yabsuṭu l-riz'qa liman yashāu wayaqdiru inna fī dhālika laāyātin liqawmin yu'minūna

Do they not see that God gives abundantly to whoever He will and sparingly [to whoever He will]? There truly are signs in this for those who believe.

faāti dhā l-qur'bā ḥaqqahu wal-mis'kīna wa-ib'na l-sabīli dhālika khayrun lilladhīna yurīdūna wajha l-lahi wa-ulāika humu l-muf'liḥūna

So give their due to the near relative, the needy, and the wayfarer- that is best for those whose goal is God’s approval: these are the ones who will prosper.

wamā ātaytum min riban liyarbuwā fī amwāli l-nāsi falā yarbū ʿinda l-lahi wamā ātaytum min zakatin turīdūna wajha l-lahi fa-ulāika humu l-muḍ'ʿifūna

Whatever you lend out in usury to gain value through other people’s wealth will not increase in God’s eyes, but whatever you give in charity, in your desire for God’s approval, will earn multiple rewards.

al-lahu alladhī khalaqakum thumma razaqakum thumma yumītukum thumma yuḥ'yīkum hal min shurakāikum man yafʿalu min dhālikum min shayin sub'ḥānahu wataʿālā ʿammā yush'rikūna

It is God who created you and provided for you, who will cause you to die and then give you life again. Which of your ‘partners’ can do any one of these things? Glory be to God, and exalted be He above the partners they attribute to Him.

ẓahara l-fasādu fī l-bari wal-baḥri bimā kasabat aydī l-nāsi liyudhīqahum baʿḍa alladhī ʿamilū laʿallahum yarjiʿūna

Corruption has flourished on land and sea as a result of people’s actions and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own actions so that they may turn back.

qul sīrū fī l-arḍi fa-unẓurū kayfa kāna ʿāqibatu alladhīna min qablu kāna aktharuhum mush'rikīna

Say, ‘Travel through the land, and see how those before you met their end- most of them were idolaters.’

fa-aqim wajhaka lilddīni l-qayimi min qabli an yatiya yawmun lā maradda lahu mina l-lahi yawma-idhin yaṣṣaddaʿūna

[Prophet], stand firm in your devotion to the upright religion, before an irresistible Day comes from God. On that Day, mankind will be divided:

man kafara faʿalayhi kuf'ruhu waman ʿamila ṣāliḥan fali-anfusihim yamhadūna

those who rejected the truth will bear the burden of that rejection, and those who did good deeds will have made good provision for themselves.

liyajziya alladhīna āmanū waʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti min faḍlihi innahu lā yuḥibbu l-kāfirīna

From His bounty God will reward those who believe and do good deeds; He does not like those who reject the truth.

wamin āyātihi an yur'sila l-riyāḥa mubashirātin waliyudhīqakum min raḥmatihi walitajriya l-ful'ku bi-amrihi walitabtaghū min faḍlihi walaʿallakum tashkurūna

Another of His signs is that He sends out the winds bearing good news, giving you a taste of His grace, making the ships sail at His command, enabling you to [journey in] search of His bounty so that you may be grateful.

walaqad arsalnā min qablika rusulan ilā qawmihim fajāūhum bil-bayināti fa-intaqamnā mina alladhīna ajramū wakāna ḥaqqan ʿalaynā naṣru l-mu'minīna

Before you [Muhammad], We sent mes-sengers, each to their own people: they brought them clear proofs and then We punished the evildoers. We make it Our duty to help the believers.

al-lahu alladhī yur'silu l-riyāḥa fatuthīru saḥāban fayabsuṭuhu fī l-samāi kayfa yashāu wayajʿaluhu kisafan fatarā l-wadqa yakhruju min khilālihi fa-idhā aṣāba bihi man yashāu min ʿibādihi idhā hum yastabshirūna

It is God who sends out the winds; they stir up the clouds; He spreads them over the skies as He pleases; He makes them break up and you see the rain falling from them. See how they rejoice when He makes it fall upon whichever of His servants He wishes,

wa-in kānū min qabli an yunazzala ʿalayhim min qablihi lamub'lisīna

though before it is sent they may have lost all hope.

fa-unẓur ilā āthāri raḥmati l-lahi kayfa yuḥ'yī l-arḍa baʿda mawtihā inna dhālika lamuḥ'yī l-mawtā wahuwa ʿalā kulli shayin qadīrun

Look, then, at the imprints of God’s mercy, how He restores the earth to life after death: this same God is the one who will return people to life after death- He has power over all things.

wala-in arsalnā rīḥan fara-awhu muṣ'farran laẓallū min baʿdihi yakfurūna

Yet they will continue in their disbelief, even if We send a [scorching] wind and they see their crops turn yellow.

fa-innaka lā tus'miʿu l-mawtā walā tus'miʿu l-ṣuma l-duʿāa idhā wallaw mud'birīna

You [Prophet] cannot make the dead hear and you cannot make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs and leave;

wamā anta bihādi l-ʿum'yi ʿan ḍalālatihim in tus'miʿu illā man yu'minu biāyātinā fahum mus'limūna

you cannot lead the blind out of their error: the only ones you can make hear you are those who believe in Our revelations and devote themselves [to Us].

al-lahu alladhī khalaqakum min ḍaʿfin thumma jaʿala min baʿdi ḍaʿfin quwwatan thumma jaʿala min baʿdi quwwatin ḍaʿfan washaybatan yakhluqu mā yashāu wahuwa l-ʿalīmu l-qadīru

It is God who creates you weak, then gives you strength, then weakness after strength, together with your grey hair: He creates what He will; He is the All Knowing, the All Powerful.

wayawma taqūmu l-sāʿatu yuq'simu l-muj'rimūna mā labithū ghayra sāʿatin kadhālika kānū yu'fakūna

On the Day the Hour comes, the guilty will swear they lingered no more than an hour- they have always been deluded-

waqāla alladhīna ūtū l-ʿil'ma wal-īmāna laqad labith'tum fī kitābi l-lahi ilā yawmi l-baʿthi fahādhā yawmu l-baʿthi walākinnakum kuntum lā taʿlamūna

but those endowed with knowledge and faith will say, ‘In accordance with God’s decree, you actually lingered till the Day of Resurrection: this is the Day of Resurrection, yet you did not know.’

fayawma-idhin lā yanfaʿu alladhīna ẓalamū maʿdhiratuhum walā hum yus'taʿtabūna

On that Day the evildoers’ excuses will be of no use to them: they will not be allowed to make amends.

walaqad ḍarabnā lilnnāsi fī hādhā l-qur'āni min kulli mathalin wala-in ji'tahum biāyatin layaqūlanna alladhīna kafarū in antum illā mub'ṭilūna

In this Quran We have set every kind of illustration before people, yet if you [Prophet] brought them a miracle, the disbelievers would still say, ‘You [prophets] deal only in falsehood.’

kadhālika yaṭbaʿu l-lahu ʿalā qulūbi alladhīna lā yaʿlamūna

In this way God seals the hearts of those who do not know,

fa-iṣ'bir inna waʿda l-lahi ḥaqqun walā yastakhiffannaka alladhīna lā yūqinūna

so be patient, for God’s promise is true: do not let those with no firm beliefs discourage you.