["Allah favoured some of those messengers mentioned to you over others with respect to their revelation, followers and ranks. Some of them Allah spoke to, such as Moses, and others He granted a high rank, such as Muhammad (peace be upon him) – who was sent to the entire humankind as the last of the prophets and whose nation was preferred over all other communities. Allah gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear miracles confirming his prophethood, such as bringing the dead to life and curing the leper and the blind; and supported him with the angel Gabriel to give him strength in fulfilling Allah’s instruction. If Allah had willed, those that came after the messengers would not have fought amongst themselves after having received clear signs; but they disagreed and were divided. Some of them had faith in Allah, whilst others did not. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought with each other; but Allah does as He wills: He guides whomever He wills to faith through His mercy and grace, and He does not guide whomever He wishes by His justice and wisdom.","O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, spend from the different types of permissible wealth that Allah has provided for you before the Day of Resurrection comes. On that day, there will be no sale so that a person may buy something of use to him, nor friendship that will be of benefit at a time of difficulty, and no intermediary that will protect him from any harm or bring any benefit unless Allah allows. The disbelievers are in the wrong due to their denial of Allah.","Allah is the One Who alone deserves to be worshipped. He is the One who lives perfectly without any death or deficiency. He exists by Himself and is not in need of any of His creation. The creation only exists through Him and is always in need of Him. Drowsiness or sleep does not come upon Him due to the perfection of His life and existence. He alone controls the heavens and the earth. No one can intercede before Him without His acceptance and permission. He knows what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future. The creation has no share in His knowledge unless He wills to grant them some of it. His Throne covers the vastness of the heavens and the earth. It is not difficult for Him to preserve the heaven and the earth. He is High in His essence and attributes and Great in His dominion and authority.","No one is forced to enter the religion of Islam, as it is clearly the true religion and there is no need to force anyone to believe in it. Truth stands clear from falsehood. Whoever rejects all those things that are worshipped besides Allah and frees himself from them, and has faith in Allah alone, has held on to the strongest rope for salvation on the Day of Resurrection and which will never break. Allah hears the statements of His servants, knows their actions and will reward them accordingly.","God takes care of those who have faith in Him. He grants them success and victory and takes them out of the darkness of disbelief and ignorance into the light of faith and knowledge. The friends of the disbelievers are Satan and his assistants who make disbelief seem beautiful to them and who take them from the light of faith and knowledge into the darkness of disbelief and ignorance. They are the people of the Fire who will remain there forever. Allah takes care of those who have faith in Him: He gives them success and victory and takes them out of the darkness of disbelief and ignorance into the light of faith and knowledge. The friends of the disbelievers are Satan and his assistants who make disbelief seem beautiful to them, and who take them from the light of faith and knowledge into the darkness of disbelief and ignorance. They are the people of the fire of Hell who will live there eternally.","O Prophet, do you know about the arrogance of the rebellious one who argued with Abraham about Allah’s Lordship and Oneness? This happened because Allah had given him the power to rule, yet he transgressed and took advantage of his position. Abraham explained to him the attributes of his Lord by saying, ‘My Lord is the One Who gives life to the creation and causes them to die’. The rebel stubbornly said, ‘I too can give life and cause death. I can kill whomever I wish and pardon whomever I wish’. Abraham then put forward another stronger argument by saying to him, ‘The Lord I worship is the One Who brings the sun from the direction of the east; so, you should bring it from the direction of west!’ The rebel was shocked and defeated by this strong argument. Allah does not allow wrongdoers to be guided and traverse His Path because of their disobedience and rebellion.","Or do you know the example of the one who passed by a town in which the roofs had fallen, the walls had collapsed and the people had died, making it a deserted ruin? This man said in surprise, ‘How will Allah ever bring these people back to life?’ Allah then caused him to die for a period of one hundred years and then brought him back to life and asked him, ‘How long were you dead for?’ He replied, ‘I remained like that for one day or less than a day’. Allah then said to him, ‘Actually, you were like that for one hundred years. Look at the food you had with you, which has not gone bad in spite of this long period! Look at your dead donkey! I want to make you a clear sign for showing people the power I have to bring them back to life. Look at the bones of the donkey that are scattered. I will lift them, put them together, clothe them with flesh and then give them life again’. When he saw this, the reality became clear to him and he realized the power of Allah, and said in respect, ‘I know that Allah has power over everything’.","O Prophet, remember when Abraham said, ‘My Lord, show me how the dead come back to life’. Allah said to him, ‘Do you not have faith in this?’ Abraham replied, ‘I do have faith, but I just want to put my heart at ease’. So, Allah instructed him, saying, ‘Take four birds and tame them. Then cut them up into pieces and place a piece of each bird on the hills around you. Then call those birds and you will see that they will come quickly to you, having been brought back to life. Know, O Abraham, that Allah is Mighty in His dominion and Wise in His instruction and legislation’.","The example of the reward of the believers who spend their wealth in Allah’s path is like that of a grain that is planted by a farmer in fertile ground. This grain then produces seven spikes, each carrying a hundred grains. Allah multiplies the reward for whomever of His servants He wishes and gives them their reward without account. Allah is Bountiful and Giving and He knows who deserves to have their reward multiplied.","Those who spend their wealth for Allah’s obedience and pleasure, and do not destroy their reward afterwards by reminding people of their favour by their words or actions, will receive their reward from their Lord. They will have no fear for the future nor any grief over the past because of the great bounties they will be enjoying.","A kind word that makes a believer happy or forgiveness of the one who is ill-mannered is better than charity followed by harm caused by reminding the person of the favour. Allah is in no need of His servants; and because He is tolerant with them, He does not often quickly punish.","O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, do not ruin the reward of your charity by boasting about it and hurting the person to whom you gave it. A person who does this is like one who spends to be seen and praised by people, and does not have faith in Allah and in the reward and punishment on the Day of Resurrection. This is like a smooth stone on which there is some dust: when heavy rain falls onto it, the dust is washed away and the stone is left smooth with nothing on it. Similarly, the reward of the actions and charity of those who show off does not remain in the sight of Allah. Allah does not guide disbelievers to what pleases Him and benefits them in their actions and spending.","The example of believers who spend their wealth seeking Allah’s pleasure, with firm conviction in their hearts of Allah’s promise, is like that of a garden on high fertile ground on which heavy rain falls and causes it to produce double its crop. In addition, if it does not receive heavy rain then the light rain that falls on it is sufficient because the land is fertile. In the same way, the little that is spent by the sincere ones is accepted by Allah and its reward is multiplied. Allah sees what you do: He knows who is sincere and who is not, and will reward each one accordingly.","Do any of you wish to have a garden with date-palms and grapevines through which sweet waters flow and which has all kinds of wholesome fruit? When the owner of the garden becomes old and is no longer able to work and earn, and he has weak young children who also cannot work, a strong fiery wind strikes this garden and it burns down completely at a time when he is most in need of it because of his old age and for his weak young children. The condition of a person who spends his wealth to show people is like that of this man: when he comes before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, he will have no good actions at a time when he will be most in need of them. In this manner, Allah explains to you what will be of benefit to you in this world and the next, so that you may reflect.","O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, spend from the pure, wholesome wealth that you have earned and from the produce that we have taken out for you from the ground. Do not look for that which is inferior to spend, because if it was given to you, you would not take it willingly because of its poor quality. How, then, can you be satisfied with offering Allah that which you would not accept for yourselves? Know that Allah is no need of your spending and He is praised in His essence and actions.","Satan makes you afraid of poverty by encouraging you to be stingy, and he invites you to commit sins. Allah, on the other hand, promises you forgiveness for your sins and much provision. Allah is very bountiful and He knows the condition of His servants.","Allah grants the ability to whomever of His servants He wishes to be steadfast in their statements and actions. Anyone who is given this ability has been given much good. However, only those with sound minds, that seek enlightenment through His light, and guidance from His guidance, will pay attention and benefit from the signs of Allah.","Whatever you spend, no matter how little, for the pleasure of Allah, or any action that you promise to do for Allah without having been required to do it, Allah knows of it and it will not be lost. He will give you a great reward for it. Those who do wrong by not fulfilling their obligations and overstepping Allah’s limits have no one to protect them against the punishment on the Day of Resurrection.","If you openly declare what you spend in charity, it is a good act. But if you keep it secret and give it to the poor in private, this is better as it indicates sincerity. Charity that is given sincerely becomes the means of sins being covered up and forgiven. Allah knows what you do and nothing from your circumstances is hidden from Him.","O Prophet, you are not responsible for making them believe in the truth and submitting to it: your duty is to guide them to the truth and explain it to them. It is only Allah Who can bring them to the truth; and He guides whomever He wishes. The benefit of any good you spend comes back to you; Allah is in no need of it. So, let your spending be only for Allah’s sake: true believers spend only for Allah’s pleasure. You will receive the full reward for any good you spend, no matter how little, because Allah does not wrong anyone.","You should spend on those poor people who, because they are busy striving in Allah’s path, are unable to travel to earn a living. Due to their not asking, a person that is unaware will think that they are not in need. However, the person who knows will recognise them by the signs that are apparent on their body and clothing. They are unlike other poor persons who beg persistently. Allah knows of any good or wealth you spend and He will give you a great reward for it.","Those who spend their wealth for Allah’s sake at night and during the day, secretly and openly, without showing off or looking for fame, will have their reward from their Lord on the Day of Resurrection. As a favour and blessing from Allah, they will have no fear of what the future holds, nor any sadness over what they missed out on in the world.","Those who take interest will rise from their graves on the Day of Resurrection like a person who is afflicted by Satan: they will stand up from their graves and then fall like a person who is epileptic. This is because they made usury permissible and made no distinction between usury and that which Allah has permitted in terms of profit earned through sales transactions. They claimed, ‘Sale is like usury’, meaning that both are lawful since both lead to an increase in wealth. Allah refutes their comparison and explains that He has permitted sale because of the general and specific benefit it contains, and He has prohibited usury because it is oppressive and abusive of people’s wealth. The person who stops taking usury, and repents from his sin, after receiving Allah’s instruction prohibiting it and warning him against it, may keep the usury that he received in the past, without any sin. Then, whatever he does from then on, Allah will judge it. Whoever returns to taking usury after knowing of the prohibition deserves to enter the fire of Hell and to remain there eternally. The reference to remaining in the fire of Hell eternally in relation to those that believe in Allah’s Oneness is an indication of a long period of time; for only disbelievers will actually remain eternally in the fire of Hell.","Allah wipes out usury either by actually destroying it or by removing His blessing. Yet He increases charity and makes it grow by multiplying its reward by ten times up to seven hundred times or even more, and blesses those that give charity from their wealth. Allah does not love a stubborn disbeliever who considers the prohibited as lawful and persists in sins.","Those who have faith in Allah, follow His Messenger, do good actions, fulfil their prayers in a complete manner and give Zakat to those deserving it, they shall receive their reward from their Lord and shall not have any fear for their future nor any grief over anything they missed in the worldly life.","O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, fear Allah by fulfilling His instructions and avoiding His prohibitions, and do not demand any usury owed to you that remains with people, if you truly have faith in Allah and in His prohibitions.","If you do not obey the sacred law, then be aware and certain of war with Allah and His Messenger. If you repent to Allah and leave usury, then you can keep the initial amount that you had given as a loan from your capital, in a manner that does not wrong anyone by taking more than your initial capital and does not wrong you by making you receive less than it.","If the person from whom you demand your debt is in hard times and is unable to repay the debt, then refrain from asking until he is able to obtain money and then pay the debt. And to give charity to him by not demanding the debt or giving up a part of it is better for you, if you knew its worth in the sight of Allah.","Fear the punishment of a day in which you all will be returned to Allah and you will have to stand before Him. Then every person will be given the reward of any good or evil action he did. They will not be wronged by receiving a reward less than their good actions or a punishment more than their evil actions.","O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, when you enter a transaction that involves a debt – such as when you give a loan to one another for a fixed period –then write it down. The person who is able to write should write it down fairly and in accordance with the sacred law, and should not refuse to write down the debt in accordance with what Allah has taught him about writing justly. He should write what is dictated by the person against whom the right is so that it serves as an acknowledgement from him. He should be mindful of Allah and not reduce anything from the value or description of the debt. If the debtor is not experienced in undertaking transactions, young, insane or is not able to dictate due to being mute or for some other reason, then his authoritative guardian should dictate with fairness. Also, call two sane and upright men as witnesses. If two men are not found, then call one man and two women whose religion and honesty you are satisfied with, so that if one of the women forgets, the other can remind her. The witness should not refuse to be a witness to a debt and must testify if required. Do not be lazy to write down the debt, no matter how small the amount, as this is more just in Allah’s law, more reliable as evidence and more likely to remove any doubt in the type, amount or period of the debt. However, if the transaction is for an item that is present in exchange for a spot price there is no harm in not writing down, since there is no need to do so. Calling witnesses is legislated so that disputes do not arise. It is unlawful to cause any harm to the witnesses or the ones who write; nor may they cause any harm to those who request them to write or stand witness. If anyone causes harm, he is going against Allah’s sacred law. O people of faith, be mindful of Allah by fulfilling His instructions and avoiding His prohibitions. Allah will teach you what is best for you in this world and the Afterlife. Allah knows everything and nothing is hidden from Him.","If you are travelling and do not find anyone who can write down the debt for you, then the debtor can give a property to the creditor as a security for his right until the debt is paid. If you trust one another, it is not necessary to write the debt down, call witnesses or give a promise. In such cases, the debt will be the responsibility of the debtor, which he must fulfil and be mindful of Allah regarding it by not denying it later. If he later denies it, then the person who was present at the time of the transaction must give evidence and may not hide it. If anyone should hide evidence, it indicates that his heart is sinful. Allah knows what you do, nothing is hidden from Him and He will reward you for your actions.","To Allah belongs everything that is in the heavens and earth: He created, owns and controls all of it. Whether you show or hide what is in your hearts, Allah knows about it and will call you to account for it. Then He will forgive whomever He wishes out of His grace and mercy, and He will punish whomever He wishes out of His wisdom and justice. Allah is able to do all things.","The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) believes in everything that was revealed to him by his Lord, as do the believers. All of them believe in Allah, all His angels, all His books that He revealed to the various prophets and all His messengers that He sent. They believe in such messengers without making any distinction between them. They say, ‘We have heard your instructions and prohibitions, and we obey You by following Your instructions and leaving Your prohibitions. We ask You to forgive us, O Lord, for in all our matters we return to You alone’.","Allah only burdens a person with actions that he is able to do. Allah’s religion is based on ease and not difficulty. If any person does good, he will receive the reward for it in full. If any person does evil, he will receive the punishment for the sin he committed and no one will carry it for him. The Messenger and the believers said, ‘O Lord, do not punish us if we forget or make a mistake in doing something or saying something unintentionally. O Lord, do not burden us with that which is difficult for us and which we are unable to do as you had tasked those before us who were punished for their wrongs. Do not give us such instructions and prohibitions which are difficult for us and which we are unable to fulfil. By Your grace, overlook our sins, forgive us and have mercy on us. You are our guardian and helper, so give us victory over the disbelievers’.","Alif Lām Mīm – the placement of such letters has been discussed at the beginning of Sūrah Al-Baqarah. They indicate the inability of the Arabs to bring a Qur’ān like this one despite the fact that it is composed of letters similar to the ones at the beginning of this Sūrah, which also form the parts of their own speech.","Allah is the One Who alone deserves to be worshipped. He is the One Who lives perfectly without any death or deficiency. He exists by Himself and is not in need of any of His creation. The creation only exists through Him and is always in need of Him.","He has revealed to you, O Prophet, the Qur’ān with true stories and just laws that are in agreement with the previous divine books; and there is no contradiction between all these divine books. Before revealing the Qur’ān to you, He revealed the Torah to Moses and the Gospel to Jesus.","He has revealed to you, O Prophet, the Qur’ān with true stories and just laws that are in agreement with the previous divine books; and there is no contradiction between all these divine books. Before revealing the Qur’ān to you, He revealed the Torah to Moses and the Gospel to Jesus.","Nothing in the earth or heaven is hidden from Allah. He knows everything, whether it is open or hidden.","He is the One Who creates you in different forms in the wombs of your mothers, as He wills: as male and female, handsome and ugly, black and white. There is no one worthy of being worshipped with love and reverence besides Him. He is Mighty and cannot be overpowered. He is Wise in His planning and legislation.","O Prophet, He is the One Who revealed to you the Qur’ān, which contains verses with clear and unambiguous meaning, and these represent the majority of the Book and are the reference point when there is disagreement. It also contains other verses that may have more than one meaning and are puzzling for most people. Those who seek other than the truth leave the clear verses and focus on the unclear ones, trying to create doubts and mislead people, and interpret them to suit their corrupt views. No one knows the true meaning of such verses besides Allah. Those who are firm in knowledge say, ‘We have faith in the entire Qur’ān because it is all from Allah’. They interpret the unclear verses according to the clear ones. Only those who have sound minds pay attention to this.","The ones firm in knowledge say, ‘O Lord, do not let our hearts move away from the truth after you have shown it to us. Save us from what happened to those who moved away from the truth. Give us, from Your vast mercy, that which will guide our hearts and protect us from misguidance. Our Lord, You are the One who gives much’.","Our Lord, You are going to call all people back to You: to hold them to account on a day in which there is no doubt. Our Lord, You do not break promises.","The wealth and children of the disbelievers in Allah and His Messenger will not protect them from Allah’s punishment in this world nor in the Afterlife. Such disbelievers will be the fuel with which Hell will be lit on the Day of Resurrection.","The case of these disbelievers is like that of the people of Pharaoh, and those before them who disbelieved in Allah and denied His signs. As a result, Allah punished them for their sins – their wealth and children did not benefit them. Allah is severe in punishing those who disbelieve in Him and His signs.","O Messenger, say to those who disbelieve, no matter what their religion, ‘The believers will defeat you and you will die as disbelievers. Allah will then gather you in the fire of Hell. What an evil resting place it will be for you!’","There was a clear sign and lesson in the two groups that met to fight in the Battle of Badr. One group was made up of believers, and this was the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions: they were fighting for Allah’s sake and in order to raise His Word against the word of those who disbelieve. The other group consisted of the disbelievers of Makkah, who had come out in pride and for show. The believers actually saw the disbelievers as being double their real number; but Allah helped His allies. Allah gives His support to whomever He wishes. In that there is a lesson and a warning for those of insight to realize that the help of Allah can come to the believers even though they may be few in number; and that defeat can come to those on falsehood even though they may be great in number.","Allah tells us that He has made the love of desirable things of this world attractive to people in order to test them. These desirable things include women, children, wealth (in the form of gold and silver) that is overflowing and piled up, beautiful trained horses, livestock (such as camels, cows and sheep), as well as farmlands – all of which is the enjoyment of the life of the world which lasts only for a short while. A believer should not become attached to these things as Allah has kept the best place of return for him: the Paradise that is as wide as the heavens and the earth.","O Messenger, say: Shall I tell you about something better than those desirable things? Those who are mindful of Allah by fulfilling His commands and avoiding His prohibitions will have gardens with trees and palaces overlooking flowing streams in which they will live eternally. They will also have wives who will be free from any defects in their form or character. In addition, they will gain the pleasure of Allah, and Allah will never be angry with them. Allah sees the actions of His servants, nothing is hidden from Him and He will recompense them for what they do.","The people of Paradise are the ones who say in their prayers, ‘Our Lord, we have faith in You and in that which You revealed to Your messengers; and we have followed Your sacred law. So, forgive the sins we have committed and protect us from the punishment of the fire of Hell’.","They are the ones who are patient in doing good actions, leaving bad actions and in the face of calamity; truthful in their words and actions; fulfil Allah’s sacred law completely; spend their wealth in Allah’s path; and ask for forgiveness in the last part of the night when prayers are most likely accepted and when hearts are not distracted.","Allah testifies that He alone is worthy of worship based on the legislative and universal signs indicating His divinity. The angels and people of knowledge also testify to this, by declaring and calling to His Oneness. They testified to the greatest thing anyone can testify to; the absolute right of Allah to be worshipped, and the perfect justice in His creation and sacred law. This is the greatest thing that anyone can testify to. There is no god but Him, the Mighty who can never be overpowered and the one who is Wise in His creation, planning and legislation.","The acceptable path in Allah’s sight is Islam, the path of surrendering: devotion of all good actions to Allah alone, submission to Him in servitude and acceptance of all messengers, including the final messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) with whom revelations came to an end, and after whom no sacred laws will remain valid except his. The Jews and Christians only split up into various groups and sects, after evidence was established against them in the form of knowledge that had come to them, because of envy and greed for the world. Yet for whoever denies the verses of Allah revealed to His Messenger, Allah is quick in taking to account those who disbelieve in Him and His messengers.","If they argue with you, O Messenger, about the truth that has been revealed to you, then say to them in reply, ‘I and the believers who follow me have submitted to Allah’. Also, say, O Messenger, to the People of the Scripture and the idolaters, ‘Do you submit to Allah sincerely, following what I have brought?’ If they submit to Allah and follow your sacred law, then they are on the path of guidance. If they turn away from Islam, then your duty is only to give your message to them; then Allah will decide about them. He watches His servants and will reward them according to their actions.","Those who disbelieve in Allah’s signs, which show that He alone is the Lord and the One worthy of being worshipped, kill His prophets wrongly due to hatred, and kill those who call for justice by commanding good and forbidding evil – give these murderous disbelievers news of a painful punishment.","The actions of those who do such things are wasted and will not be of any benefit to them, neither in this world nor the Afterlife, due to their lack of faith. There will be no one to protect them from the punishment.","O Prophet, did you not see the Jews who were given knowledge of the Torah proving your prophethood? When they are called to refer to the book of Allah, the Torah, so that it can decide about what they differ in, a group of their scholars and leaders turn away, ignoring the judgement of the Torah because it does not agree with their desires. The right thing for them to have done, having claimed that they follow the Torah, is to accept its judgement without hesitation.","They turned away from the truth and ignored it because they used to think that the fire of Hell will only touch them for a few days and they will then enter Paradise. This belief deceived them and made them bold against Allah and His religion.","What will be their state and how much will they regret? It will be incredibly terrible when I gather them to give account on the Day of Resurrection, in which there is no doubt. Every person will be given the reward of his actions according to what he deserves, without there being any oppression by a reduction in good actions or an increase in evil actions.","O Prophet, say in praise of your Lord and in declaration of His greatness: Allah, to You belongs all authority in this world and the Afterlife. You give authority to whomever of Your creation You wish, and remove it from whomever of Your creation You wish. You give honour to whomever You wish, and You disgrace whomever You wish. All of this is done according to Your wisdom and justice. All good lies only in Your hand. You have power over everything.","A display of Your power is that You cause the night to become longer by making it enter into the day, and You cause the day to become longer by entering it into the night. You bring out the living from the dead – as in a believer from a disbeliever and crops from seed – and You bring out the dead from the living – as in a disbeliever from a believer and a chick from an egg. You give provision to whomever You wish, in abundance without any limit or count.","O believers, do not take disbelievers as friends that you love and support instead of other believers: whoever does this will never be helped by Allah in any way. However, if you are under their authority and you fear for your lives, then there is no harm if you avoid their harm by being nice to them in your speech and actions on the outside, whilst hating them inside. Allah warns you of Himself, so fear Him and do not become the subject of His anger by committing sins. All men will return to Allah alone on the Day of Resurrection for Him to reward them for their actions.","Say, O Prophet: Whether you hide within your hearts that which Allah has forbidden, such as befriending the disbelievers, or you reveal the same, Allah knows about it. Nothing is hidden from Him. He knows whatever is in the heavens and the earth. He has power over everything and nothing is outside His ability.","On the Day of Resurrection every person will find the good that he did in front of him, without any deficiency. Those who did bad will wish that there was a great distance between them and their bad actions – but shall a desire will be worthless! Allah warns you of Himself, so do not become the subject of His anger by committing sins. Allah is kind to His servants and therefore gives them this warning.","O Prophet, say: If you really love Allah, then follow what I have brought, on the inside and the outside. By doing this, you will gain Allah’s love and He will forgive your sins. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful to those who repent to Him.","O Prophet, say: Follow Allah and His Messenger by fulfilling His instructions and avoiding His prohibitions. If they turn away from the command, then know that Allah does not love the disbelievers who go against His sacred law and the instructions of His Messenger.","Allah honoured Adam (peace be upon him), by making the angels prostrate before him; Noah, by making him the first messenger to the people of the earth; the family of Abraham, by placing prophethood in his children; and the family of ‘Imrān, the father of Mary – which is a reference to Jesus (peace be upon him). He selected all of them and preferred them over all the people of their time.","These prophets and their followers were all part of the same family: declaring Allah’s Oneness and doing good. They passed on noble character and virtues to one another. Allah hears the statements of His servants and knows their actions; and therefore chooses whomever He wills.","Remember, O Messenger, when the wife of ‘Imrān, the mother of Mary, said: O Lord, I have made it a duty on myself to fully dedicate my unborn child to You, to worship You and Your House, so accept this act from me. You are the One who hears my prayer and knows my intention.","When she reached the end of her pregnancy and gave birth she was astonished – as she had hoped for a boy – and she said, ‘O Lord, I have given birth to a girl’. Allah knows what she gave birth to. Of course, a girl does not have the same strength and form as a boy that she had hoped for. She said, ‘I have named her Mary and I ask for Your mercy in protecting her and her children from the rejected Satan’.","Allah graciously accepted the dedication and brought her up well. He made the hearts of His pious servants incline caringly to her and put her in the care of the Prophet Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah would enter her place of worship he would find wholesome food there. So, he asked her, ‘O Mary, where did you get this food from?’ She replied, ‘This food is from Allah. Allah gives to whomever He wishes in abundance without account’.","When Zachariah saw the food that Allah was miraculously giving to Mary, he became hopeful that Allah would give him a child despite being very old and his wife being unable to bear children. He said: O Lord, give me a good child. You hear the prayer of the person who prays to You and You know his condition.","The angels called out to him while he was standing in prayer in his place of worship, saying: Allah gives you good news of a child to be born to you whose name will be John. He will confirm a word from Allah – which refers to Jesus, son of Mary, because he was specially created by a word from Allah. This child will be a leader of his people with his knowledge and worship. He will be innocent, keeping himself away from desires, including approaching women. He will dedicate himself to worshipping His Lord and will also be a prophet from those who are righteous.","When the angels gave him the good news about John, Zachariah said, ‘O Lord, how can I have a child after I have become old and my wife is unable to bear children?’ Allah replied to him that the example of the creation of John, in spite of his old age and his wife being barren, is like that of the creation of anything that Allah wishes to create, even though it is out of the ordinary. This is because Allah has power over everything and does whatever He wills in His wisdom and knowledge.","Zachariah said: O Lord, give me a sign that my wife is pregnant. Allah said: The sign that you want is that you will not be able to speak for three days, except by indications, and this will not be because of any disability. So, remember Allah much and glorify Him at the end and beginning of the day.","Remember, O Messenger, when the angels said to Mary (peace be upon her): Allah has chosen you because of the praiseworthy qualities you have. He has purified you from all defects, and chosen you over all the other women of your time.","O Mary, stand for long periods in prayer, prostrate to your Lord and bow down with His righteous servants who bow down to Him.","The story of Zachariah and Mary is one of the reports of [the Ghaib] which I reveal to you, O Messenger. You were not there with those scholars and worshippers when they argued about who was most entitled to raise Mary. They eventually decided to draw lots by throwing their pens, and the pen of Zachariah (peace be upon him) won.","Remember, O Messenger, when the angels said: O Mary, Allah gives you good news of a child who will be created without a father: merely by a word from Allah, such as ‘Be’, and he will become a child by Allah’s will. The name of this child will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary. He will have a high rank in this world and the Afterlife and he will be one of those who are made close to Allah.","This child will miraculously speak to people when he is a small baby, as well as when he grows up and becomes a man. He will tell them what is best for them in their religious and worldly affairs. He will also be one of those who are righteous in their words and actions.","Mary was surprised that she was to have a child without a husband and said in astonishment: How can I have a child when no man has come near me in a lawful or unlawful way? The angel said to her: Just as Allah will create a child for you without a father, He creates whatever He wishes even though it may be out of the ordinary. When Allah wishes for something, He says ‘Be’ and it is. Nothing can stop Him doing as He wills.","Allah will teach him to say and do things correctly; and He will teach him the Torah that He had revealed to Moses (peace be upon him) and the Gospel which He will reveal to him.","Allah will make him a messenger to the Israelites, instructing him to say to them: I am Allah’s messenger to you. I have brought to you a sign indicating my prophethood: I will make the shape of a bird using clay, then I will breathe into it and it will become a living bird by Allah’s permission. I will cure the one who was born blind, so that he will be able to see, and the leper who will recover from his illness; and I will bring the dead to life. I will do all of this with Allah’s permission. I will tell you about what you consume and what you hide in your homes. In all of these extraordinary things that I mentioned to you, which human beings cannot do, is a clear sign that I am Allah’s messenger to you, if you wish to have faith and to accept the proof.","I have come to you to confirm the revelation of the Torah that was before me, and to make lawful some of that which was unlawful in the past: making things easy for you. I have brought to you a clear proof of the truthfulness of what I say, so be mindful of Allah by fulfilling His instructions and avoiding His prohibitions; and follow that which I call you to.","Allah is my Lord and your Lord, and He is the only One that deserves to be followed and feared. So, worship Him alone. This worship of Allah and being mindful of Him that I instruct you to do is the straight path which has no crookedness.","When Jesus realized that they were going to continue in their disbelief, he addressed the Israelites, saying, ‘Who will help me in calling towards Allah?’ His chosen followers said: We are the ones who will help Allah’s religion. We have faith in Allah and we follow you. Be a witness, O Jesus, that we submit to Allah by accepting His Oneness and following Him.","The disciples also said: Our Lord, we have believed in the Gospel that you revealed and we have followed the messenger, Jesus (peace be upon him), so make us of those who are witnesses to the truth and who have faith in You and Your messengers.","The disbelievers from the Israelites plotted to kill Jesus (peace be upon him), so Allah planned to leave them in their misguidance; and He made another person resemble Jesus (peace be upon him) on the occasion when they actually tried to murder him. Allah is the best plotter, because there can be nothing more severe than His plot against His enemies.","Allah also planned against them by saying to Jesus: O Jesus, I will take you away alive, raise your body and soul to Me, rid you of the filth of those who disbelieved you and distance you from them. I will make those who follow you part of the true religion, which includes acceptance of Muhammad (peace be upon him); and they will have greater proof and might over those who disbelieve you until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me alone will be your return on the Day of Resurrection and I will pass true judgement between you regarding your differences.","As for those who disbelieved you and the truth you brought to them, I will punish them severely in the world by making them suffer being killed, imprisoned and disgraced; and in the Afterlife, I will punish them in the fire of Hell. They will have no one to help them against the punishment.","As for those who had faith in you and the truth that you brought to them, and did good actions (such as prayer, charity, fasting, keeping family relations, etc.), then Allah will give them the reward of their actions in full without any reduction. This refers to the followers of the Messiah before the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), whose coming was confirmed by the Messiah himself. Allah does not love those who do wrong and the greatest wrong is to ascribe partners to Allah and to disbelieve His messengers.","This account of Jesus which is recited to you is a clear sign indicating the truth of what was revealed to you. It is a perfect message for those who are mindful of Allah, as it contains nothing false.","With Allah, the example of the creation of Jesus (peace be upon him) is like the creation of Adam, who was born from dust without a father or mother. Allah simply said to him: Become a man. And he became as Allah willed. How do you then assume that Jesus is a god on the basis that he has no father when you accept that Adam is human despite his having no father or mother?","The undoubtable truth about Jesus is that which was revealed to you by your Lord, so do not be one of those who doubt and are unsure. Instead, be firm on the truth that you have.","If anyone of the Christians disputes with you, O Messenger, regarding the matter of Jesus, and claims that he was not Allah’s servant after the correct knowledge has come to you, then say to them, ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves; and let us gather together and then pray to Allah to send down His curse on those of us who are lying’.","That which has been mentioned to you about Jesus (peace be upon him) is the true tale that contains no lie or doubt. There is no one worthy of worship besides Allah alone. Allah is Mighty in His authority and Wise in His planning and instruction.","If they turn away from what you have brought and do not follow you, then it is because they are corrupt. Allah knows those who cause corruption in the earth and He will recompense them for that.","Say, O Messenger: O Jews and Christians, People of the Scripture, come let us unite on a fair word in which we are all equal: that we worship Allah alone and we do not worship anyone besides Him, no matter what his rank and no matter how high is his status; and that we do not take one another as lords to be worshipped and followed besides Allah. If they turn away from the truth and fairness that you call them towards, then, O believers, say to them: Bear witness that we have surrendered to Allah and are obedient to Him.","O People of the Scripture, why do you dispute about the belief of Abraham? The Jews claimed that he was a Jew and the Christians claimed he was a Christian. You know very well that Judaism and Christianity appeared a long time after him. Can you not see the falseness of your statement and the error of your claim?","You, People of the Scripture, argued without knowledge with the Prophet (peace be upon him) about your religion and about what was revealed to you. Why, then, do you dispute about Abraham and his religion, which you do not know, as it is not in your book and your prophets did not discuss it? Allah knows the reality of things and you do not know.","Abraham was not a Jew or Christian in belief, but he was opposed to all false religions and obedient to Allah alone. He was also not one of those who ascribe partners to Allah – contrary to the idolaters of the Arabs, who claim to follow his belief.","The people who are most entitled to claim a link to Abraham are those who followed him in his time, as well as this Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and those who have faith in him from this nation. Allah helps and protects the believers.","The scholars of the Jews and the Christians desire to mislead you, O believers, away from the truth that Allah has guided you to. Yet they only mislead themselves because their attempt to mislead the believers only increases their misguidance, and they do not know the consequence of their actions.","O People of the Scripture, Jews and Christians, why do you disbelieve Allah’s words which were sent down to you and the clear indication they contain of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him), whilst you are witness to the fact that it is the truth contained in your books?","O People of the Scripture, why do you mix the truth contained in your books with falsehood from yourselves? Why do you hide the truth and guidance contained in your book, such as the truthfulness of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him), when you know what is true and what is false?","A group of Jewish scholars said: On the outside, accept the Qur’ān which was revealed to the believers at the beginning of the day and then reject it at the end of the day, so that, after seeing this, they begin to have doubts about their religion and turn back from it saying, ‘These people know better about Allah’s Book and they have turned back’.","They also said: Do not believe or accept anyone unless he is a Jew and follows your religion. Say, O Messenger: Guidance to the truth is the Guidance of Allah; not the disbelief and stubbornness that you display, fearing that anyone else could be given a bounty similar to what you were given, or that they would argue with you before your Lord if you acknowledged what was revealed to them. Say, O Messenger: Bounty is in Allah’s Hand and He gives it to whomever of His servants He wills: His bounty is not restricted to any one nation. Allah is embracing and He knows who is deserving.","He selects whomever of His creation He wishes to receive His mercy and blesses them with guidance, prophethood and numerous favours. Allah’s bounty is great and has no limit.","There are some People of the Scripture who, if you hand over a large amount of wealth, will honour the trust. On the other hand, there are some of them who, if you trust them with a small amount, will not return the trust unless you persistently demand it from them. That is because they wrongly claim that there is no sin on them for any crime they commit against the Arabs or if they consume the wealth of the Arabs, since Allah has permitted that for them. They say such lies knowing that it is a false attribution to Allah.","It is not as they claimed: in fact, there is a sin on them. However, if anyone fulfils his promise to Allah to have faith in Him and His Messenger, as well as his promise to people to honour their trusts, and is mindful of Allah by fulfilling His instructions and avoiding His prohibitions, then Allah loves those who are mindful of Him and will give them the best reward.","Those who take a small amount of this world in exchange of Allah’s advice to them to follow His revelation and His messengers, and in exchange of the oaths they took to fulfil Allah’s pledge, will have no share in the reward of the Afterlife. Allah will not speak kindly to them and will not look at them mercifully on the Day of Resurrection. They will receive a painful punishment.","There is a group of Jews who twist their tongues when reciting the Torah that was revealed by Allah, so that you think that they are reciting from the Torah, whereas it is not from the Torah. Instead, it is their lies and fabrications against Allah. They say: What we recite has been revealed by Allah – whereas it was not revealed by Allah. They tell lies about Allah when they know they are lying against Allah and His messengers.","It is not right for a man whom Allah gives a book revealed by Him, together with knowledge and understanding and selects him as a prophet, to say then to people, ‘Become servants of me instead of Allah’. Rather, he should say to them: Be righteous scholars-acting on what you know, because of your teaching the revealed book to people and because of your studying it by memorising and understanding it.","It is also not right for such a man to instruct you to take the angels and the prophets as lords to be worshipped besides Allah. Is it possible that he would instruct you to disbelieve after you have become devoted and have surrendered to Him?","Remember, O Messenger, when Allah took an affirmed promise from the prophets, saying to them: If I give you a revealed book, teach you wisdom and make you reach a high rank and status, and then My Messenger comes to you confirming the book and wisdom that you have, then you must accept what he brings and help him as his followers. Do you, O prophets, accept this and give Me a firm commitment for that? They replied, ‘We accept that’. Allah said: Bear witness against yourselves and your communities, and I will also be a witness against you and them.","Whoever turns away after this promise witnessed by Allah and His messengers, they are the ones who leave the religion of Allah and His obedience.","Do these people, who leave the religion of Allah and His obedience, look for something other than the religion Allah has chosen for His worship when every creation in the heavens and earth surrenders to Him, whether willingly like the believers, or unwillingly, like the disbelievers? Then all of creation will return to Him on the Day of Resurrection to give an account for their actions.","Say, O Messenger, that you have faith in Allah, doing as He instructs you, and that you have faith in the revelation that was given to you, and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, and in what was revealed to the prophets among Jacob’s descendants, and in the scriptures and miracles that were given to Moses, Jesus and all the prophets by their Lord. Also, say that you make no distinction between them, believing in all of them, and that you are bound to Allah alone, surrendering in devotion to Him.","Whoever seeks a path other than that which Allah has endorsed – the path of surrendering (Islam) – it will not be accepted from them by Allah. They will be of those who have lost their souls by entering the fire of Hell.","How shall Allah grant faith in Him and in His messengers to a people who disbelieved after having faith in Allah and witnessing that what the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought was the truth, and after clear proofs of the truth of this have come to them? Allah does not grant faith in Him to a people who are wrongdoers and who choose error instead of guidance.","The reward of those wrongdoers who choose falsehood is the condemnation of Allah and the angels and the people all together; and they are excluded and removed from the mercy of Allah.","These disbelievers will live eternally in the fire of Hell, never to leave! Their suffering will not be lightened and they will not be given more time to repent and ask for forgiveness.","This punishment is for everyone except those who repent to Allah, asking for forgiveness, after their disbelief and disobedience, and correct what they have done. Truly, Allah is Forgiving and Compassionate to those who repent to Him.","Those who disbelieve after having faith, and stick to this disbelief until they die, then repenting to Allah and asking for forgiveness at the time of death, will not have this accepted from them, as the time for acceptance would have expired. They are those who have lost their way from the straight path which leads to Allah.","Those who disbelieve and die while in disbelief will not be able to ransom themselves from receiving the punishment of Allah, even were they to try and ransom themselves with the weight of the entire earth in gold. They will have a painful punishment, and they will have no helpers on the Day of Judgement to remove them from their suffering.","O believers, you will not receive the reward of the people of goodness and their rank until you spend the wealth you love in the way of Allah. Whatever you spend, big or small, Allah is aware of your intentions and of what you do; and everyone will be rewarded accordingly."]