MUHAMMAD or AL QITAL (The Fighting)
In the Name of God,1 the Gracious, the Merciful 2
1 Those who reject God and hinder men from the path of God, their deeds will God render astray from their mark.
2 But those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, and believe in what was sent down to Muhammad, for it is the truth from their Lord, he will remove from them their ills and improve their condition.
3 This because those who reject God follow vanities, while those who believe follow the truth from their Lord: thus does God set forth for men their lessons by comparisons.
4 Therefore, when you meet the unbelievers in battle, strike their necks; at length, when you have thoroughly subdued them, bind them firmly: thereafter either generosity or ransom: until the war lays down its burdens. If it had been God’s will, he could certainly have exacted retribution from them; but he lets you fight in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the way of God, he will never let their deeds be lost.
5 Soon will he guide them and improve their condition,
6 And admit them to the garden which he has announced for them.
7 O you who believe! If you will aid God, he will aid you, and plant your feet firmly.
8 But those who reject God, for them is destruction, and God will render their deeds astray from their mark.
9 That is because they hate the revelation of God; so he has made their deeds fruitless.
10 Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those before them? God brought utter destruction on them, and similar fates await those who reject God.
11 That is because God is the protector of those who believe, but those who reject God have no protector.
12 Truly God will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds, to gardens beneath which rivers flow; while those who reject God will enjoy this world and eat as cattle eat; and the fire will be their abode.
13 And how many cities have we destroyed, with more power than your city which has driven you out? And there was none to aid them.
14 Is then one who is on a clear path from his Lord, no better than one to whom the evil of his conduct seems pleasing, and such as follow their own lusts?
15 A parable of the garden which the righteous are promised: in it are rivers of water incorruptible; rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clear. In it there are for them all kinds of fruits; and grace from their Lord. Can this be compared to such as shall dwell forever in the fire, and be given, to drink, boiling water, so that it cuts up their bowels?
16 And among them are men who listen to you, but in the end, when they go out from you, they say to those who have received knowledge, “What is it he said just then?” Such are men whose hearts God has sealed, and who follow their own lusts.
17 But to those who receive guidance, he increases the guidance, and bestows on them their piety and restraint.
18 Do they then only wait for the Hour, that it should come on them of a sudden? But already have come some tokens of it, and when it is on them, how can they benefit then by their admonition?
19 Know, therefore, that there is no god but God, and ask forgiveness for your sin,3 and for the men and women who believe: for God knows how you move about and how you dwell in your homes.
20 Those who believe say, Why is a surah not sent down? But when a decisive surah is revealed, and fighting is mentioned in it, you see those in whose hearts is a disease looking at you with the look of one swooning at the approach of death. Woe to them!
21 It is better to obey and say what is just. When a matter is decided, it is best for them to be true to God.
22 Then is it to be expected of you, if you were put in authority, that you will do mischief in the land, and break your ties of kith and kin?
23 Such are the men whom God has cursed for he has made them deaf and blinded their sight.
24 Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the Quran, or are their hearts locked up by them?
25 Those who turn back as apostates after guidance was clearly shown to them, Iblis has instigated them and buoyed them up with false hopes.
26 This, because they said to those who hate what God has revealed, “We will obey you in part of the matter,” but God knows their secrets.
27 But how will it be when the angels take their souls at death, and strike their faces and their backs?
28 This because they followed that which called forth the wrath of God, and they hated God’s good pleasure; so he made their deeds of no effect.
29 Or do those in whose hearts is a disease, think that God will not bring to light all their rancour?
30 Had we so willed, we could have shown them up to you, and you should have known them by their marks: but surely you will know them by the tone of their speech! And God knows all that you do.
31 And we shall try you until we test those among you who strive their utmost and persevere in patience; and we shall try your reported qualities.
32 Those who reject God, hinder men from the path of God, and resist the Messenger, after guidance has been clearly shown to them, will not injure God in the least, but he will make their deeds of no effect.
33 O you who believe! Obey God, and obey the Messenger, and make not vain your deeds!
34 Those who reject God, and hinder men from the path of God, then die rejecting God, God will not forgive them.
35 Be not weary and faint hearted, crying for peace, when you should be uppermost: for God is with you, and will never put you in loss for your deeds.
36 The life of this world is but play and amusement: and if you believe and guard against evil, he will grant you your reward, and will not ask you to give up your possessions.
37 If he were to ask you for all of them, and press you, you would covetously withhold, and he would bring out all your ill feeling.
38 Behold, you are those invited to spend in the way of God: but among you are some that are niggardly. But any who are niggardly are so at the expense of their own souls. But God is free of all wants, and it is you that are needy. If you turn back from the path, he will substitute in your place another people; then they would not be like you!
- God, in Arabic allah, referring to the one true God, as opposed to an idol or “god.” It is the Arabic equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew), alaha (Syriac), and theos (Greek), all of which accurately translate into English as “God.” This translation choice is consistent with respected English Quran translations including those of A. Yusuf Ali (original edition), S.H. Nasr (Study Quran), T.B. Irving, and T. Itani (Clear Quran). ↩︎
- the Gracious, the Merciful, the highlighting of God’s grace and mercy predates the Quran, coming down from the many hundreds of references in the Taurat, Zabur, and Injil. A few samples follow:
Taurat, Exodus 34:6 — …YAHWEH, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
Zabur 145:8 — YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
Taurat, Joel 2:13 — Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to YAHWEH your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.
Taurat, Yunus 4:2 — …I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.”
Injil, 1 Timothy 1:2 — …Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and AL-MASIH ‘ISA our Lord.
Injil, Hebrews 4:16 — Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. ↩︎ - 47:19 The Prophet is specifically told here to ask forgiveness for his own sin, as well as to ask forgiveness for believing men and women. It is a commonly held error that prophets are sinless. For more on this subject see Lesson Two of the study course “The Testimony of the Holy Quran.” See also Surah 40:55. ↩︎