Ghafir

hha-meem

Ha Mim

tanzīlu l-kitābi mina l-lahi l-ʿazīzi l-ʿalīmi

This Scripture is sent down from God, the Almighty, the All Knowing,

ghāfiri l-dhanbi waqābili l-tawbi shadīdi l-ʿiqābi dhī l-ṭawli lā ilāha illā huwa ilayhi l-maṣīru

Forgiver of sins and Accepter of repentance, severe in punishment, infinite in bounty. There is no god but Him; to Him is the ultimate return.

mā yujādilu fī āyāti l-lahi illā alladhīna kafarū falā yaghrur'ka taqallubuhum fī l-bilādi

It is only the disbelievers who dispute God’s revelations. [Prophet], do not be dazzled by their movements back and forth across the land.

kadhabat qablahum qawmu nūḥin wal-aḥzābu min baʿdihim wahammat kullu ummatin birasūlihim liyakhudhūhu wajādalū bil-bāṭili liyud'ḥiḍū bihi l-ḥaqa fa-akhadhtuhum fakayfa kāna ʿiqābi

Before them the people of Noah rejected the truth and so did those who formed opposition after them: every community schemed to destroy its messenger and strove to refute truth with falsehood; but it was I who destroyed them. How terrible My punishment was!

wakadhālika ḥaqqat kalimatu rabbika ʿalā alladhīna kafarū annahum aṣḥābu l-nāri

In this way your Lord’s sentence was passed against the disbelievers that they would be the inhabitants of the Fire.

alladhīna yaḥmilūna l-ʿarsha waman ḥawlahu yusabbiḥūna biḥamdi rabbihim wayu'minūna bihi wayastaghfirūna lilladhīna āmanū rabbanā wasiʿ'ta kulla shayin raḥmatan waʿil'man fa-igh'fir lilladhīna tābū wa-ittabaʿū sabīlaka waqihim ʿadhāba l-jaḥīmi

Those [angels] who carry the Throne and those who surround it celebrate the praise of their Lord and have faith in Him. They beg forgiveness for the believers: ‘Our Lord, You embrace all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who turn to You and follow Your path. Save them from the pains of Hell

rabbanā wa-adkhil'hum jannāti ʿadnin allatī waʿadttahum waman ṣalaḥa min ābāihim wa-azwājihim wadhurriyyātihim innaka anta l-ʿazīzu l-ḥakīmu

and admit them, Lord, to the lasting Gardens You have promised to them, together with their righteous ancestors, spouses, and offspring: You alone are the Almighty, the All Wise.

waqihimu l-sayiāti waman taqi l-sayiāti yawma-idhin faqad raḥim'tahu wadhālika huwa l-fawzu l-ʿaẓīmu

Protect them from all evil deeds: those You protect on that Day from [the punishment for] evil deeds will receive Your mercy- that is the supreme triumph.’

inna alladhīna kafarū yunādawna lamaqtu l-lahi akbaru min maqtikum anfusakum idh tud'ʿawna ilā l-īmāni fatakfurūna

But those who disbelieved will be told, ‘When you were called to the faith and rejected it, God’s disgust with you was even greater then than the self-disgust you feel [today].’

qālū rabbanā amattanā ith'natayni wa-aḥyaytanā ith'natayni fa-iʿ'tarafnā bidhunūbinā fahal ilā khurūjin min sabīlin

They will say, ‘Our Lord, twice You have caused us to be lifeless and twice You have brought us to life. Now we recognize our sins. Is there any way out?’

dhālikum bi-annahu idhā duʿiya l-lahu waḥdahu kafartum wa-in yush'rak bihi tu'minū fal-ḥuk'mu lillahi l-ʿaliyi l-kabīri

[They will be told], ‘This is all because when God alone was invoked you rejected this, yet when others were associated with Him you believed [in them].’ Judgement belongs to God the Most High, the Most Great.

huwa alladhī yurīkum āyātihi wayunazzilu lakum mina l-samāi riz'qan wamā yatadhakkaru illā man yunību

It is He who shows you [people] His signs and sends water down from the sky to sustain you, though only those who turn to God will take heed.

fa-id'ʿū l-laha mukh'liṣīna lahu l-dīna walaw kariha l-kāfirūna

So call upon God and dedicate your religion to Him alone, however hateful this may be to the disbelievers:

rafīʿu l-darajāti dhū l-ʿarshi yul'qī l-rūḥa min amrihi ʿalā man yashāu min ʿibādihi liyundhira yawma l-talāqi

He is exalted in rank, the Lord of the Throne. He sends revelations with His teachings to whichever of His servants He will, in order to warn of the Day of Meeting,

yawma hum bārizūna lā yakhfā ʿalā l-lahi min'hum shayon limani l-mul'ku l-yawma lillahi l-wāḥidi l-qahāri

the Day when they will come out and nothing about them will be concealed from God. ‘Who has control today?’ ‘God, the One, the All Powerful.

al-yawma tuj'zā kullu nafsin bimā kasabat lā ẓul'ma l-yawma inna l-laha sarīʿu l-ḥisābi

Today each soul will be rewarded for whatever it has done; today no injustice will be done. God is swift in reckoning.’

wa-andhir'hum yawma l-āzifati idhi l-qulūbu ladā l-ḥanājiri kāẓimīna mā lilẓẓālimīna min ḥamīmin walā shafīʿin yuṭāʿu

Warn them [Prophet] of the ever-approaching Day, when hearts are at throats, choking them. The evildoer will have no friends, nor any intercessor to be heeded.

yaʿlamu khāinata l-aʿyuni wamā tukh'fī l-ṣudūru

God is aware of the most furtive of glances, and of all that hearts conceal:

wal-lahu yaqḍī bil-ḥaqi wa-alladhīna yadʿūna min dūnihi lā yaqḍūna bishayin inna l-laha huwa l-samīʿu l-baṣīru

God will judge with truth, while those they invoke besides Him will not judge at all. God is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.

awalam yasīrū fī l-arḍi fayanẓurū kayfa kāna ʿāqibatu alladhīna kānū min qablihim kānū hum ashadda min'hum quwwatan waāthāran fī l-arḍi fa-akhadhahumu l-lahu bidhunūbihim wamā kāna lahum mina l-lahi min wāqin

Have they not travelled through the land and seen how those who lived before them met their end? They were stronger than them and made a more impressive mark on the land, yet God destroyed them for their sins- they had no one to defend them against Him-

dhālika bi-annahum kānat tatīhim rusuluhum bil-bayināti fakafarū fa-akhadhahumu l-lahu innahu qawiyyun shadīdu l-ʿiqābi

because messengers repeatedly came to them with clear signs and still they rejected them. God destroyed them: He is truly full of strength, severe in punishment.

walaqad arsalnā mūsā biāyātinā wasul'ṭānin mubīnin

We sent Moses with Our signs and clear authority

ilā fir'ʿawna wahāmāna waqārūna faqālū sāḥirun kadhābun

to Pharaoh, Haman, and Korah and they said, ‘Sorcerer! Liar!’

falammā jāahum bil-ḥaqi min ʿindinā qālū uq'tulū abnāa alladhīna āmanū maʿahu wa-is'taḥyū nisāahum wamā kaydu l-kāfirīna illā fī ḍalālin

When he brought the truth to them from Us, they said, ‘Kill the sons of those who believe with him; spare only their women’- the scheming of those who reject the truth can only go wrong-

waqāla fir'ʿawnu dharūnī aqtul mūsā walyadʿu rabbahu innī akhāfu an yubaddila dīnakum aw an yuẓ'hira fī l-arḍi l-fasāda

and Pharaoh said, ‘Leave me to kill Moses- let him call upon his Lord!- for I fear he may cause you to change your religion, or spread disorder in the land.’

waqāla mūsā innī ʿudh'tu birabbī warabbikum min kulli mutakabbirin lā yu'minu biyawmi l-ḥisābi

Moses said, ‘I seek refuge with my Lord and yours from every tyrant who refuses to believe in the Day of Reckoning.’

waqāla rajulun mu'minun min āli fir'ʿawna yaktumu īmānahu ataqtulūna rajulan an yaqūla rabbiya l-lahu waqad jāakum bil-bayināti min rabbikum wa-in yaku kādhiban faʿalayhi kadhibuhu wa-in yaku ṣādiqan yuṣib'kum baʿḍu alladhī yaʿidukum inna l-laha lā yahdī man huwa mus'rifun kadhābun

A secret believer from Pharaoh’s family said, ‘How can you kill a man just for saying, “My Lord is God”? He has brought you clear signs from your Lord- if he is a liar, on his own head be it- and if he is truthful, then at least some of what he has threatened will happen to you. God does not guide any rebellious, outrageous liar.

yāqawmi lakumu l-mul'ku l-yawma ẓāhirīna fī l-arḍi faman yanṣurunā min basi l-lahi in jāanā qāla fir'ʿawnu mā urīkum illā mā arā wamā ahdīkum illā sabīla l-rashādi

My people, as masters in the land you have the power today, but who will help us against God’s might if it comes upon us?’ But Pharaoh said, ‘I have told you what I think; I am guiding you along the right path.’

waqāla alladhī āmana yāqawmi innī akhāfu ʿalaykum mith'la yawmi l-aḥzābi

The believer said, ‘My people, I fear your fate will be the fate of those others who opposed [their prophets]:

mith'la dabi qawmi nūḥin waʿādin wathamūda wa-alladhīna min baʿdihim wamā l-lahu yurīdu ẓul'man lil'ʿibādi

the fate of the people of Noah, Ad, Thamud, and those who came after them- God never wills injustice on His creatures.

wayāqawmi innī akhāfu ʿalaykum yawma l-tanādi

My people, I fear for you on the Day you will cry out to one another,

yawma tuwallūna mud'birīna mā lakum mina l-lahi min ʿāṣimin waman yuḍ'lili l-lahu famā lahu min hādin

the Day you will turn tail and flee with no one to defend you from God! Whoever God leaves to stray will have no one to guide him.

walaqad jāakum yūsufu min qablu bil-bayināti famā zil'tum fī shakkin mimmā jāakum bihi ḥattā idhā halaka qul'tum lan yabʿatha l-lahu min baʿdihi rasūlan kadhālika yuḍillu l-lahu man huwa mus'rifun mur'tābun

Joseph came to you before with clear signs, but you never ceased to doubt the message he brought you. When he died, you said, “God will not send another messenger.”’ In this way God leaves the doubting rebels to stray-

alladhīna yujādilūna fī āyāti l-lahi bighayri sul'ṭānin atāhum kabura maqtan ʿinda l-lahi waʿinda alladhīna āmanū kadhālika yaṭbaʿu l-lahu ʿalā kulli qalbi mutakabbirin jabbārin

those who dispute God’s messages, with no authority given to them, are doing something that is loathed by God and by those who believe. In this way God seals up the heart of every arrogant tyrant.

waqāla fir'ʿawnu yāhāmānu ib'ni lī ṣarḥan laʿallī ablughu l-asbāba

Pharaoh said, ‘Haman, build me a tall tower so that I may reach the ropes that lead

asbāba l-samāwāti fa-aṭṭaliʿa ilā ilāhi mūsā wa-innī la-aẓunnuhu kādhiban wakadhālika zuyyina lifir'ʿawna sūu ʿamalihi waṣudda ʿani l-sabīli wamā kaydu fir'ʿawna illā fī tabābin

to the heavens to look for this God of Moses. I am convinced that he is lying.’ In this way the evil of Pharaoh’s deed was made alluring to him and he was barred from the right path- his scheming led only to ruin.

waqāla alladhī āmana yāqawmi ittabiʿūni ahdikum sabīla l-rashādi

The believer said, ‘My people, follow me! I will guide you to the right path.

yāqawmi innamā hādhihi l-ḥayatu l-dun'yā matāʿun wa-inna l-ākhirata hiya dāru l-qarāri

My people, the life of this world is only a brief enjoyment; it is the Hereafter that is the lasting home.

man ʿamila sayyi-atan falā yuj'zā illā mith'lahā waman ʿamila ṣāliḥan min dhakarin aw unthā wahuwa mu'minun fa-ulāika yadkhulūna l-janata yur'zaqūna fīhā bighayri ḥisābin

Whoever does evil will be repaid with its like; whoever does good and believes, be it a man or a woman, will enter Paradise and be provided for without measure.

wayāqawmi mā lī adʿūkum ilā l-najati watadʿūnanī ilā l-nāri

My people, why do I call you to salvation when you call me to the Fire?

tadʿūnanī li-akfura bil-lahi wa-ush'rika bihi mā laysa lī bihi ʿil'mun wa-anā adʿūkum ilā l-ʿazīzi l-ghafāri

You call me to disbelieve in God and to associate with Him things of which I have no knowledge; I call you to the Mighty, the Forgiving One.

lā jarama annamā tadʿūnanī ilayhi laysa lahu daʿwatun fī l-dun'yā walā fī l-ākhirati wa-anna maraddanā ilā l-lahi wa-anna l-mus'rifīna hum aṣḥābu l-nāri

There is no doubt that what you call me to serve is not fit to be invoked either in this world or the Hereafter: our return is to God alone, and it will be the rebels who will inhabit the Fire.

fasatadhkurūna mā aqūlu lakum wa-ufawwiḍu amrī ilā l-lahi inna l-laha baṣīrun bil-ʿibādi

[One Day] you will remember what I am saying to you now, so I commit my case to God: God is well aware of His servants.’

fawaqāhu l-lahu sayyiāti mā makarū waḥāqa biāli fir'ʿawna sūu l-ʿadhābi

So God saved him from the harm they planned. A terrible punishment engulfed Pharaoh’s people;

al-nāru yuʿ'raḍūna ʿalayhā ghuduwwan waʿashiyyan wayawma taqūmu l-sāʿatu adkhilū āla fir'ʿawna ashadda l-ʿadhābi

they will be brought before the Fire morning and evening. On the Day the Hour comes, it will be said, ‘Throw Pharaoh’s people into the worst torment.’

wa-idh yataḥājjūna fī l-nāri fayaqūlu l-ḍuʿafāu lilladhīna is'takbarū innā kunnā lakum tabaʿan fahal antum mugh'nūna ʿannā naṣīban mina l-nāri

In the Fire they will quarrel with one another: the weak will say to the haughty, ‘We were your followers, so can you now relieve us from some share of the Fire?’

qāla alladhīna is'takbarū innā kullun fīhā inna l-laha qad ḥakama bayna l-ʿibādi

but they will say, ‘We are all in this together. God has judged between His creatures.’

waqāla alladhīna fī l-nāri likhazanati jahannama id'ʿū rabbakum yukhaffif ʿannā yawman mina l-ʿadhābi

Those in the Fire will say to the keepers of Hell, ‘Ask your Lord to lessen our suffering for one day,’

qālū awalam taku tatīkum rusulukum bil-bayināti qālū balā qālū fa-id'ʿū wamā duʿāu l-kāfirīna illā fī ḍalālin

but they will say, ‘Did your messengers not come to you with clear evidence of the truth?’ They will say, ‘Yes they did,’ and the keeper will say, ‘You can plead, then, but the pleas of disbelievers will always be in vain.’

innā lananṣuru rusulanā wa-alladhīna āmanū fī l-ḥayati l-dun'yā wayawma yaqūmu l-ashhādu

We support Our messengers and the believers, in the present life and on the Day when witnesses arise.

yawma lā yanfaʿu l-ẓālimīna maʿdhiratuhum walahumu l-laʿnatu walahum sūu l-dāri

On the Day when excuses will not profit the evildoers, their fate will be rejection and they will have the worst of homes.

walaqad ātaynā mūsā l-hudā wa-awrathnā banī is'rāīla l-kitāba

We gave Moses guidance and passed down the Scripture to the Children of Israel,

hudan wadhik'rā li-ulī l-albābi

as a guide and a reminder to people of understanding.

fa-iṣ'bir inna waʿda l-lahi ḥaqqun wa-is'taghfir lidhanbika wasabbiḥ biḥamdi rabbika bil-ʿashiyi wal-ib'kāri

So be patient, Prophet, for what God has promised is sure to come. Ask forgiveness for your sins; praise your Lord morning and evening.

inna alladhīna yujādilūna fī āyāti l-lahi bighayri sul'ṭānin atāhum in fī ṣudūrihim illā kib'run mā hum bibālighīhi fa-is'taʿidh bil-lahi innahu huwa l-samīʿu l-baṣīru

As for those who, with no authority to do so, dispute God’s messages, there is nothing in their hearts but a thirst for a greatness they will never attain. Seek refuge in God, for He is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.

lakhalqu l-samāwāti wal-arḍi akbaru min khalqi l-nāsi walākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yaʿlamūna

The creation of the heavens and earth is greater by far than the creation of mankind, though most people do not know it.

wamā yastawī l-aʿmā wal-baṣīru wa-alladhīna āmanū waʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti walā l-musīu qalīlan mā tatadhakkarūna

The blind and the sighted are not equal, just as those who believe and do good works and those who do evil are not equal: how seldom you reflect!

inna l-sāʿata laātiyatun lā rayba fīhā walākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yu'minūna

The Final Hour is sure to come, without doubt, but most people do not believe.

waqāla rabbukumu id'ʿūnī astajib lakum inna alladhīna yastakbirūna ʿan ʿibādatī sayadkhulūna jahannama dākhirīna

Your Lord says, ‘Call on Me and I will answer you; those who are too proud to serve Me will enter Hell humiliated.’

al-lahu alladhī jaʿala lakumu al-layla litaskunū fīhi wal-nahāra mub'ṣiran inna l-laha ladhū faḍlin ʿalā l-nāsi walākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yashkurūna

It is God who has given you the night in which to rest and the day in which to see. God is truly bountiful to people, but most people do not give thanks.

dhālikumu l-lahu rabbukum khāliqu kulli shayin lā ilāha illā huwa fa-annā tu'fakūna

Such is God your Lord, the Creator of all things: there is no god but Him. How can you be so deluded?

kadhālika yu'faku alladhīna kānū biāyāti l-lahi yajḥadūna

This is how deluded those who deny God’s messages are.

al-lahu alladhī jaʿala lakumu l-arḍa qarāran wal-samāa bināan waṣawwarakum fa-aḥsana ṣuwarakum warazaqakum mina l-ṭayibāti dhālikumu l-lahu rabbukum fatabāraka l-lahu rabbu l-ʿālamīna

It is God who has given you the earth for a dwelling place and the heavens for a canopy. He shaped you, formed you well, and provided you with good things. Such is God your Lord, so glory be to Him, the Lord of the Worlds.

huwa l-ḥayu lā ilāha illā huwa fa-id'ʿūhu mukh'liṣīna lahu l-dīna l-ḥamdu lillahi rabbi l-ʿālamīna

He is the Living One and there is no god but Him, so call on Him, and dedicate your religion entirely to Him. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds.

qul innī nuhītu an aʿbuda alladhīna tadʿūna min dūni l-lahi lammā jāaniya l-bayinātu min rabbī wa-umir'tu an us'lima lirabbi l-ʿālamīna

Say [Prophet], ‘Since clear evidence has come to me from my Lord I am forbidden to serve those you call upon besides God: I am commanded to submit to the Lord of the Worlds.’

huwa alladhī khalaqakum min turābin thumma min nuṭ'fatin thumma min ʿalaqatin thumma yukh'rijukum ṭif'lan thumma litablughū ashuddakum thumma litakūnū shuyūkhan waminkum man yutawaffā min qablu walitablughū ajalan musamman walaʿallakum taʿqilūna

It is He who created you from dust, then from a drop of fluid, then from a tiny, clinging form, then He brought you forth as infants, then He allowed you to reach maturity, then He let you grow old- though some of you die sooner- and reach your appointed term so that you may reflect.

huwa alladhī yuḥ'yī wayumītu fa-idhā qaḍā amran fa-innamā yaqūlu lahu kun fayakūnu

It is He who gives life and death, and when He ordains a thing, He says only ‘Be’ and it is.

alam tara ilā alladhīna yujādilūna fī āyāti l-lahi annā yuṣ'rafūna

[Prophet], do you see how deluded those who dispute God’s messages are-

alladhīna kadhabū bil-kitābi wabimā arsalnā bihi rusulanā fasawfa yaʿlamūna

those who reject the Scripture and the messages We have sent through Our messengers? They will find out

idhi l-aghlālu fī aʿnāqihim wal-salāsilu yus'ḥabūna

when, with iron collars and chains around their necks, they are dragged

fī l-ḥamīmi thumma fī l-nāri yus'jarūna

into scalding water, and then burned in the Fire,

thumma qīla lahum ayna mā kuntum tush'rikūna

and asked, ‘Where now are those you called upon

min dūni l-lahi qālū ḍallū ʿannā bal lam nakun nadʿū min qablu shayan kadhālika yuḍillu l-lahu l-kāfirīna

besides God?’ They will say, ‘They have abandoned us: those we called upon before were really nothing at all.’ ‘This is how God lets disbelievers go astray,

dhālikum bimā kuntum tafraḥūna fī l-arḍi bighayri l-ḥaqi wabimā kuntum tamraḥūna

all because on earth you revelled in untruth and ran wild.

ud'khulū abwāba jahannama khālidīna fīhā fabi'sa mathwā l-mutakabirīna

Enter the gates of Hell, there to remain- an evil home for the arrogant.’

fa-iṣ'bir inna waʿda l-lahi ḥaqqun fa-immā nuriyannaka baʿḍa alladhī naʿiduhum aw natawaffayannaka fa-ilaynā yur'jaʿūna

So be patient [Prophet], for God’s promise is sure: whether We show you part of what We have promised them in this life or whether We take your soul back to Us first, it is to Us that they will be returned.

walaqad arsalnā rusulan min qablika min'hum man qaṣaṣnā ʿalayka wamin'hum man lam naqṣuṣ ʿalayka wamā kāna lirasūlin an yatiya biāyatin illā bi-idh'ni l-lahi fa-idhā jāa amru l-lahi quḍiya bil-ḥaqi wakhasira hunālika l-mub'ṭilūna

We have sent other messengers before you- some We have mentioned to you and some We have not- and no messenger could bring about a sign except with God’s permission. When [the Day] God ordained comes, just judgement will be passed between them: there and then, those who followed falsehood will be lost.

al-lahu alladhī jaʿala lakumu l-anʿāma litarkabū min'hā wamin'hā takulūna

It is God who provides livestock for you, some for riding and some for your food;

walakum fīhā manāfiʿu walitablughū ʿalayhā ḥājatan fī ṣudūrikum waʿalayhā waʿalā l-ful'ki tuḥ'malūna

you have other benefits in them too. You can reach any destination you wish on them: they carry you, as ships carry you [on the sea].

wayurīkum āyātihi fa-ayya āyāti l-lahi tunkirūna

He shows you His signs: which of God’s signs do you still ignore?

afalam yasīrū fī l-arḍi fayanẓurū kayfa kāna ʿāqibatu alladhīna min qablihim kānū akthara min'hum wa-ashadda quwwatan waāthāran fī l-arḍi famā aghnā ʿanhum mā kānū yaksibūna

Have they not travelled through the land and seen how those who lived before them met their end? They were more numerous than them, stronger than them, and made a more impressive mark on the land, yet what they achieved was of no use to them at all.

falammā jāathum rusuluhum bil-bayināti fariḥū bimā ʿindahum mina l-ʿil'mi waḥāqa bihim mā kānū bihi yastahziūna

When messengers came to them with clear signs, they revelled in the knowledge they had, and so they were engulfed by the very punishment they mocked:

falammā ra-aw basanā qālū āmannā bil-lahi waḥdahu wakafarnā bimā kunnā bihi mush'rikīna

when they saw Our punishment, they said, ‘We believe in God alone; we reject any partner we ascribed to Him,’

falam yaku yanfaʿuhum īmānuhum lammā ra-aw basanā sunnata l-lahi allatī qad khalat fī ʿibādihi wakhasira hunālika l-kāfirūna

but believing after seeing Our punishment did not benefit them at all- this has always been God’s way of dealing with His creatures- there and then the disbelievers were lost.