Surah Ibrahim
Contents
A.L.R,: A Book, which We have revealed to you that you may bring the people out of the darknesses into the light, by permission of their Lord, to the way of the Mighty, of the Praiseworthy, [14:1]
of God, to whom belongs what is in the heavens and on earth. And woe to the atheists, for an agony intense. [14:2]
Those who prefer the life of the world to the hereafter and divert others from the way of God, and seek distortion for it, they are far astray. [14:3]
We never sent a messenger who did not use the language of his people to bring them clarity of understanding. And God leaves people astray at will, and guides anyone at will: and God is the almighty, supremely wise. [14:4]
We sent Moses with Our signs: “Bring your people out of the darknesses into the light, and remind them of the days of God.” In that are signs for everyone who is constant and grateful. [14:5]
And Moses said to his people, “Remember God’s favor to you in saving you from the people of Pharaoh, who imposed a miserable torment on you, and massacred your sons while keeping your females alive. There was in that a tremendous trial from your Lord.” [14:6]
And your Lord had the proclamation made, “If you are grateful, I will grant you increase; but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is severe indeed.” [14:7]
And Moses said, “Even if you are ungrateful, you and everyone on earth, God is still self-sufficient, worthy of praise.” [14:8]
Haven’t the stories of those before you reached you— the people of Noah, and Ad, and Thamud, and those who came after them, whom no one knows but God? Their messengers came to them with clarifications, but they put their hands to their mouths and said, “We repudiate what you were sent with, and we are in disquieting doubt about what you are calling us to.” [14:9]
Their messengers said, “Is there any doubt about God, creator of the heavens and the earth? God is calling you, to forgive you your sins, and will leave you be for a certain time.” They said, “You are only human, like us. You want to turn us away from what our ancestors worshipped; then bring us some clear authority!” [14:10]
Their messengers said to them, “We are indeed only human like you, but God is gracious to any servant at will. It is not for us to bring you authority, except by leave of God. And it is in God that believers trust. [14:11]
“We have no reason not to trust God, since God has guided us in our ways. And we will endure your abuse of us. And let the trusting put their trust in God.” [14:12]
But those who scoffed said to their messengers, “We will eject you from our land, or else you will have to return to our religion.” Then their Lord revealed to them, “We will destroy the oppressors, [14:13]
“and We will settle you on the land after them. That is for those who fear My tribunal and fear My threat.” [14:14]
And they prayed for help, and everyone proud and perverse was thwarted: [14:15]
awaiting each is hell, where he will be given purulent liquid to drink; [14:16]
he will drink it, but hardly manage to swallow it; and death will come to him from everywhere, but he is not going to die: before him there is harsh torment. [14:17]
The acts of those who repudiate their Lord are like ash blown violently by the wind on a stormy day. They have no control over any thing they have earned. That is the outlandish error. [14:18]
Don’t you see that God created the heavens and the earth properly? If God willed, God would remove you and bring a new creation. [14:19]
And that is not hard for God. [14:20]
They will all go forth before God, and the weak will say to those who aggrandized themselves, “We were your followers; so can you help us at all against punishment from God?” They will say, “Had God guided us, we would have guided you. It is the same for us whether we get anxious or we are patient; there is no escape for us.” [14:21]
And Satan will say, when the matter is decided, “God actually pledged you the true promise; I also made you a promise, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you, except that I called to you and you responded to me. So don’t blame me, but blame yourselves. I am not your savior, and you are not my savior. I repudiate your previous association of me with God; for the wrongdoers there is a painful punishment.” [14:22]
But those who believed and did good works will be admitted to gardens with rivers that flow below, wherein they will abide, by leave of their Lord: their greeting there will be “Peace.” [14:23]
Don’t you see how God makes a simile in the form of a beneficial word, like a good tree with stable roots and its crown in the sky: [14:24]
it produces its fruit at all times, by permission of its Lord. And God presents similes to people so that they will think. [14:25]
And the simile for a vicious word is as a noxious plant unrooted on the surface of the earth with no stability to it. [14:26]
God will stabilize those who believe by the enduring Word, in the life of the world and in the hereafter. And God will leave the wrongdoers astray; and God does what God wills. [14:27]
Haven’t you observed those who exchanged the favor of God for atheism and settled their people in the abode of ruin, [14:28]
hell, where they burn? What a miserable settlement! [14:29]
And they have fabricated idols for God, to distract from the path to God. Say, “Enjoy yourselves, for your journey is to the fire.” [14:30]
Speak to My devotees who believe so they will be constant in prayer and give of what We have provided them, secretly and openly, before there comes a day on which there is no barter and no friendship. [14:31]
God is the one who created the heavens and the earth, and sent down water from the sky, bringing forth fruits thereby as provisions for you; and subjected ships to you that you may travel the sea by the divine order, subjecting rivers to you too. [14:32]
And God subjected the sun and moon to you, both assiduous in their course, and subjected the night and day to you. [14:33]
And God has given you everything you asked for. Even if you calculated the favor of God, you could not reckon it. So the human being is very unjust and very ungrateful indeed. [14:34]
Remember too how Abraham said, “My Lord, make this region safe, and let me and my children avoid worshipping the idols. [14:35]
“My Lord, these things have misled many people. So whoever follows me is one of mine; as for those who defy me, You are most forgiving, most merciful. [14:36]
“Our Lord, I have settled some of my children in a valley without crops near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may keep up prayer: so make the hearts of some people fond of them, and provide them with fruits, that they may be grateful. [14:37]
“Our Lord, You do indeed know what we conceal and what we reveal; and nothing whatever is hidden from God, on earth or in the sky. [14:38]
“Praise be to God, who has given me Ishmael and Isaac in spite of my age: my Lord is indeed one who hears prayer. [14:39]
“My Lord, make me constant in prayer, and descendants of mine as well. Our Lord, please accept my cry. [14:40]
“Our Lord, forgive me, and my parents, and the believers when the day of reckoning is observed.” [14:41]
Do not reckon God mindless of what the unjust do, for God only leaves them be for a day when eyes will be glazed, [14:42]
necks outstretched, their heads uplifted, their sight not returning to them, their hearts a void. [14:43]
So warn people of a day when the punishment will come to them, whereupon those who went wrong will say, “Our Lord, leave us be, at least for a while. We will answer your call and follow the messengers.” “Yet did you not use to vow you would never perish? [14:44]
“And you lived in the abodes of those who wronged their own souls, and it was made clear to you how We dealt with them; and We presented similes for you.” [14:45]
They contrived their schemes, but their cunning was in the sight of God, even if their cunning was such that the mountains might crumble thereby. [14:46]
So never think of God as betraying the divine promise to the messengers thereof, for God is almighty, master of retribution. [14:47]
One day the earth will be exchanged for another earth, and so will the heavens; and they will go forth before God, the One, the Overwhelming. [14:48]
And on that day you will see the sinners together in shackles, [14:49]
their clothes of molten pitch, and fire covering their faces, [14:50]
so that God may recompense each soul for what it has earned. God is quick in the reckoning. [14:51]
This is a message for humanity, that they may be warned by it, and that they may know there is only one God, and so the rational ones may think. [14:52]