Text, Translation and Commentary

by
Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Lahore, Pakistan
[1934]

Sūra I.

Fātiḥa, or the Opening Chapter.

1. In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

2. Praise be to God,
The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;

3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

4. Master of the Day of Judgment.

5. Thee do we worship, And Thine aid we seek.

6. Show us the straight way,

7. The way of those on whom
Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
Those whose (portion)
Is not wrath,
And who go not astray.

Sūra II.

Baqara, or the Heifer.

In the name of God, most Gracious,
Most Merciful.

1. A. L. M.

2. This is the Book;
In it is guidance sure, without doubt,
To those who fear God;

3. Who believe in the Unseen,
Are steadfast in prayer, And spend out of what We Have provided for them;

4. And who believe in the Revelation
Sent to thee, And sent before thy time,And (in their hearts) Have the assurance of the Hereafter.

5. They are on (true) guidance,
From their Lord, and it is
These who will prosper.

6. As to those who reject Faith,
It is the same to them
Whether thou warn them
Or do not warn them;
They will not believe.

God hath set a seal
On their hearts and on their hearing,
And on their eyes is a veil;
Great is the penalty they (incur).

SECTION 2.

8. Of the people there are some who say:
“We believe in God and the Last Day;”
But they do not (really) believe.

9. Fain would they deceive
God and those who believe,
But they only deceive themselves,
And realize (it) not!

10. In their hearts is a disease;
And God has increased their disease:
And grievous is the penalty they (incur),
Because they are false (to themselves).

11. When it is said to them:
“Make not mischief on the earth,”
They say: “Why, we only
Want to make peace!”

12. Of a surety, they are the ones
Who make mischief,
But they realize (it) not.

13. When it is said to them:
“Believe as the others believe:”
They say: “Shall we believe
As the fools believe?”
Nay, of a surety they are the fools,
But they do not know.”

14. When they meet those who believe,
They say: “We believe;”
But when they are alone
With their evil ones,
They say: “We are really with you:
We (were) only jesting.”

15. God will throw back
Their mockery on them,
And give them rope in their trespasses;
So they will wander like blind ones
(To and fro).

16. These are they who have bartered
Guidance for error:
But their traffic is profitless,
And they have lost true direction,

17. Their similitude is that of a man
Who kindled a fire;
When it lighted all around him,
God took away their light
And left them in utter darkness.
So they could not see.

18. Deaf, dumb, and blind,
They will not return (to the path).

19. Or (another similitude)
Is that of a rain-laden cloud
From the sky: in it are zones
Of darkness, and thunder and lightning:
They press their fingers in their ears
To keep out the stunning thunder-clap,
The while they are in terror of death.
But God is ever round
The rejecters of Faith!

20. The lightning all but snatches away
Their sight; every time the light
(Helps) them, they walk therein,
And when the darkness grows on them,
They stand still.
And if God willed, He could take away
Their faculty of hearing and seeing;
For God hath power over all things

SECTION 3.

21. O ye people!
Adore your Guardian-Lord,
Who created you
And those who came before you,
That ye may have the chance
To learn righteousness;

22. Who has made the earth your couch,
And the heavens your canopy;
And sent down rain from the heavens;
And brought forth therewith
Fruits for your sustenance;
Then set not up rivals unto God
When ye know (the truth).

23. And if ye are in doubt
As to what We have revealed
From time to time to Our servant,
Then produce a Sura
Like thereunto;
And call your witnesses or helpers
(If there are any) besides God,
If your (doubts) are true.

24. But if ye cannot
And of a surety ye cannot —
Then fear the Fire
Whose fuel is Men and Stones, —
Which is prepared for those
Who reject Faith.

25. But give glad tidings
To those who believe
And work righteousness,
That their portion is Gardens,
Beneath which rivers flow.
Every time they are fed
With fruits therefrom,
They say: “Why, this is
What we were fed with before,”
For they are given things in similitude;
And they have therein
Companions pure (and holy);
And they abide therein (for ever).

26. God disdains not to use
The similitude of things,
Lowest as well as highest.
Those who believe know
That it is truth from their Lord;
But those who reject Faith say:
“What means God by this similitude?”
By it He causes many to stray,
And many He leads into the right path;
But He causes not to stray,
Except those who forsake (the path), —

27. Those who break God’s Covenant
After it is ratified,
And who sunder what God
Has ordered to be joined,
And do mischief on earth:
These cause loss (only) to themselves.

28. How can ye reject
The faith in God? —
Seeing that ye were without life,
And He gave you life
Then will He cause you to die,
And will again bring you to life;
And again to Him will ye return.

29. It is He Who hath created for you
All things that are on earth;
Moreover His design comprehended the heavens,
For He gave order and perfection
To the seven firmaments;
And of all things
He hath perfect knowledge.

SECTION 4.

30. Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: “I will create
A vicegerent on earth.” They said:
“Wilt Thou place therein one who will make
Mischief therein and shed blood? —
Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises
And glorify Thy holy (name)?”
He said: “I know what ye know not.”

31. And He taught Adam the nature
Of all things; then He placed them
Before the angels, and said:
“Tell Me The nature of these if ye are right.”

32. They said: “Glory to Thee: of knowledge
We have none, save what Thou
Hast taught us: in truth it is Thou
Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom.”

33. He said: “O Adam! tell them
Their natures.” When he had told them,
God said: “Did I not tell you
That I know the secrets of heaven
And earth, and I know what ye reveal
And what ye conceal?”

34. And behold, We said to the angels:
“Bow down to Adam”: and they bowed down:
Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty:
He was of those who reject Faith.

35. We said: “O Adam! dwell thou
And thy wife in the Garden;
And eat of the bountiful things therein
As (where and when) ye will; but approach not this tree,
Or ye run into harm and transgression.”

36. Then did Satan make them slip
From the (Garden), and get them out
Of the state (of felicity) in which
They had been. We said:
“Get ye down, all (ye people),
With enmity between yourselves.
On earth will be your dwelling-place
And your means of livelihood —
For a time.”

37. Then learnt Adam from his Lord
Words of inspiration, and his Lord
Turned towards him; for He
Is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

38. We said: “Get ye down all from here;
And if, as is sure, there comes to you
Guidance from Me, whosoever
Follows My guidance, on them
Shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

39. “But those who reject Faith
And belie Our Signs,
They shall be Companions of the Fire;
They shall abide therein.”

SECTION 5.