HOLY QURAN - THE TREASURE OF FAITH
(English Translation)
PART
15
BANI
ISRAEL (THE DESCENDANTS OF ISRAEL)
(Revealed at Mecca - contains 111 verses - 12
sections)
Allah - beginning with the name of - the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
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Section 1 [b/Israel
17:1] Purity is to Him Who took His bondman in a part of the night from the
Sacred Mosque to the Aqsa Mosque around which We have placed blessings, in
order that We may show him Our great signs; indeed he is the listener, the
beholder. (This verse refers to the physical journey of Prophet Mohammed
– peace and blessings be upon him - to Al Aqsa Mosque and from there to
the heavens and beyond. The entire journey back to Mecca was completed within
a small part of the night.) [b/Israel
17:2] And We gave Moosa the Book, and made it a guidance for the Descendants
of Israel that, "Do not appoint anyone as a Trustee besides Me." [b/Israel
17:3] The descendants of those whom We boarded along with Nooh; he was indeed
a grateful bondman. [b/Israel
17:4] And We decreed for the Descendants of Israel in the Book that,
"You will indeed create great turmoil in the earth twice, and you will
surely become very proud." [b/Israel
17:5] So when the first of those promises came, We sent upon you Our
extremely militant bondmen - they therefore entered the cities pursuing you;
and this was a promise that had to be fulfilled. [b/Israel
17:6] We then reversed your attack upon them, and aided you with wealth and
sons and increased your numbers. [b/Israel
17:7] If you do good deeds, you will for your own good - and if you commit
evil, it is for yourself; therefore when the second of those promises came -
so the enemy maim your faces, and enter the mosque as they had entered it the
first time, and destroy until they ruin all they could capture. [b/Israel
17:8] It is likely that your Lord may have mercy on you; and if you repeat
the mischief, We will repeat the punishment; and We have made hell a prison
for the disbelievers. [b/Israel
17:9] Indeed this Qur’an guides to the most Straight Path, and gives
glad tidings to the believers who do good deeds, that for them is a great
reward. [b/Israel
17:10] And those who do not believe in the Hereafter - We have kept prepared
for them a punishment, most painful. Section
2
[b/Israel
17:11] And man prays for evil like the way he seeks goodness; and man is very
hasty. [b/Israel
17:12] And We created the night and the day as two signs - We therefore kept
the sign of the night indistinct, and the sign of the day visible - so that
you may seek the munificence of your Lord, and know the calculation of the
years, and the accounting; and We have explained all things in detail,
distinctively. [b/Israel
17:13] And We have attached the destiny of every man to his neck; and We
shall bring forth a register for him on the Day of Resurrection, which he
will find open. [b/Israel
17:14] It will be said, "Read your ledger; this day you are sufficient
to take your own account." [b/Israel
17:15] Whoever came to guidance, has come for his own good; and whoever went
astray, has strayed for his own ruin; and no burdened soul will bear
another’s burden; and We never punish until We have sent a Noble
Messenger. [b/Israel
17:16] And when We will to destroy a township We send the commands to its
prosperous people, thereupon they do not obey them, and so the Word is proved
upon it - We therefore destroy and ruin it. [b/Israel
17:17] And many a generation We did destroy after Nooh! And Allah is
Sufficient, Aware of the sins of His bondmen, the Beholder. [b/Israel
17:18] Whoever desires this fleeting one, We may give him quickly - whatever
We will, to whomever We will; and then assign hell for him; for him to enter
it condemned, pushed around. [b/Israel
17:19] And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it accordingly, and
is a believer - so only their effort has borne fruit. [b/Israel
17:20] We provide help to all - to these and to those, by the bestowal of
your Lord; and there is no constraint on the bestowal of your Lord. [b/Israel
17:21] Observe how We have given superiority to some over others; and indeed
the Hereafter is the greatest in rank and the highest in excellence. [b/Israel
17:22] O listener, do not set up another God with Allah, for you will then
remain seated condemned, helpless. Section
3
[b/Israel
17:23] And your Lord has ordained that you do not worship anyone except Him,
and treat your parents with kindness; if either of them or both reach old age
in your presence, do not say "Uff"* to them and do not rebuff them,
and speak to them with the utmost respect. (* Any expression of disgust.)
[b/Israel
17:24] And lower your wing humbly for them, with mercy, and pray, "My
Lord! Have mercy on them both, the way they nursed me when I was young."
[b/Israel
17:25] Your Lord is Well Aware of what is in your hearts; if you are worthy,
then indeed He is Oft Forgiving for those who repent. [b/Israel
17:26] And give the relatives their rights, and to the needy, and to the
traveller; and do not waste needlessly. [b/Israel
17:27] Indeed those who needlessly waste are brothers of the devils; and the
devil is very ungrateful to his Lord. [b/Israel
17:28] And if you turn away from these *, expecting the mercy of your Lord,
for which you hope, then speak to them an easy word. (* The companions of
the Holy Prophet, who sought his assistance.) [b/Israel
17:29] And do not keep your hand tied to your neck nor open it completely,
lest you remain seated - reproached, weary. [b/Israel
17:30] Indeed your Lord eases the livelihood and restricts it, for whomever
He wills; He Well Knows, Beholds His bondmen. Section
4
[b/Israel
17:31] And do not kill your children, fearing poverty; We shall provide
sustenance to them as well as to you; indeed killing them is a great mistake.
[b/Israel
17:32] And do not approach adultery - it is indeed a shameful deed; and a
very evil way. [b/Israel
17:33] And do not wrongfully kill any living being which Allah has forbidden;
and for whoever is slain wrongfully, We have given the authority to his heir,
so he should not cross limits in slaying; he will surely be helped. [b/Israel
17:34] And do not approach the wealth of the orphan except in the best
possible way, till he reaches adulthood; and fulfil the promise; indeed the
promise will be asked about. [b/Israel
17:35] And correctly measure when you measure, and weigh correctly with the
scales; this is better, and has a better outcome. [b/Israel
17:36] And do not pursue the matter you do not have the knowledge of; indeed
the ear, and the eye, and the heart - each of these will be questioned. [b/Israel
17:37] And do not walk haughtily on the earth; you can never split the earth,
nor be as high as the hills. [b/Israel
17:38] Of all this related before, the evil among it is disliked by your
Lord. [b/Israel
17:39] This is part of the divine revelations of wisdom that your Lord has
sent down to you (O dear Prophet Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon
him); and O listener, do not set up another God with Allah, for you will
then be thrown into hell - rebuked, rebuffed. [b/Israel
17:40] Has your Lord chosen sons for you, and created daughters for Himself
from among the angels? Indeed you utter a profound word! Section
5
[b/Israel
17:41] And We have explained in this Qur’an in various ways, for them to
understand; and it increases nothing except their hatred towards it. [b/Israel
17:42] Proclaim (O dear Prophet Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon
him), "If there were other Gods besides Him" - as they utter -
"then they would have certainly found a way towards * the Owner of the
Throne!". (* To fight against Him.) [b/Israel
17:43] Purity and Supremacy are to Him from what they utter, a Great
Supremacy! [b/Israel
17:44] The seven heavens and the earth and all those in them say His Purity;
and there is not a thing that does not proclaim His purity with praise, but
you do not understand their proclamation of purity; indeed He is Most
Forbearing, Oft Forgiving. [b/Israel
17:45] And when you read the Qur’an O dear Prophet (Mohammed - peace
and blessings upon him), We created an invisible barrier between you and
those who do not believe in the Hereafter. [b/Israel
17:46] And We placed covers upon their hearts so they may not understand it,
and deafness in their ears; and when you mention your Only Lord in the
Qur’an, they flee turning their backs in hatred. [b/Israel
17:47] We know well why they listen when they lend ears to you, and when they
discuss among themselves, when the unjust say, "You have not followed
except a man who is under a magic spell." [b/Israel
17:48] See the kind of examples they invent for you! They therefore strayed,
so cannot find a path. [b/Israel
17:49] And they say, "When we have become bones and decomposed, will we
really be raised up anew?" [b/Israel
17:50] Proclaim, "Become stones or iron." [b/Israel
17:51] "Or some other creation which you deem great"; so they will
now say, "Who will create us again?"; proclaim, "He Who
created you for the first time"; so now they will mockingly shake their
heads at you, and question, "When is this going to occur?"; say,
"It could perhaps be soon." [b/Israel
17:52] "The day when He will call you and you will come praising Him,
thinking you have stayed only a little." Section
6
[b/Israel
17:53] And tell My bondmen to speak that which is the best; undoubtedly Satan
sows discord among them; indeed Satan is man’s open enemy. [b/Israel
17:54] Your Lord knows you well; if He wills He may have mercy upon you, or
if He wills, He may punish you; and We have not sent you (O dear Prophet
Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon him) as a guardian over them. [b/Israel
17:55] And your Lord knows well all those who are in the heavens and the
earth; and indeed among the Prophets We gave excellence to some above others,
and We gave the Zaboor to Dawud. [b/Israel
17:56] Proclaim, "Call upon those whom you assume besides Allah - so
they do not have any power to relieve the misfortune from you nor to avert
it." [b/Israel
17:57] The devoted bondmen whom these disbelievers worship, themselves seek
the means of proximity from their Lord, that who among them is the closest (to
his Lord), and hope for His mercy and fear His punishment; indeed the
punishment of your Lord is to be feared. [b/Israel
17:58] And there is no such dwelling but which We shall destroy before the
Day of Resurrection, or punish it severely; this is written in the Book. [b/Israel
17:59] And We remained constrained from sending such signs, because the
former people denied them; and We gave the Thamud the she-camel for
enlightenment, so they oppressed it; and We do not send such signs except to
warn. [b/Israel
17:60] And when We proclaimed to you, "Indeed all mankind is within the
control of your Lord"; and We did not create the spectacle * which We
showed you except to try mankind, and the Tree ** which is cursed in the
Qur’an; and We warn them - so nothing increases for them except extreme
rebellion. (* The Ascent of the Holy Prophet to the heavens and beyond,
which the disbelievers denied as just a dream. ** The Zakkum tree which
will grow in hell and be the food for its inhabitants.) Section
7
[b/Israel
17:61] And recall when We ordered the angels that, "Prostrate before
Adam" - so they all prostrated except Iblis; he said, "Shall I
prostrate before one whom You have created from clay?" [b/Israel
17:62] He said, "Behold this * - the one whom You have honoured above me
- if You give me respite till the Day of Resurrection, I will surely crush
his descendants, except a few." (* Prophet Adam - peace be upon him.)
[b/Israel
17:63] He said, "Be gone - therefore whoever among them follows you - so
hell is the recompense for you all, a sufficient punishment." [b/Israel
17:64] "And mislead those whom you can among them with your voice, and
raise an army against them with your cavalry and infantry, and be their
partner in wealth and children, and give them promises"; and Satan does
not promise them except with deception. [b/Israel
17:65] "Indeed My bondmen * - you do not have any power over them";
and your Lord is Sufficient as a Trustee. (* The chosen virtuous bondmen.)
[b/Israel
17:66] Your Lord is He Who sails the ship upon the seas for you, so that you
may seek His munificence; indeed He is Most Merciful upon you. [b/Israel
17:67] And when calamity strikes you upon the sea, all those whom you worship
are lost, except Him; then when He rescues you towards land, you turn away;
and man is extremely ungrateful. [b/Israel
17:68] Are you unafraid that He may bury an edge of the same land along with
you, or send a shower of stones upon you, and you find no supporter for
yourselves? [b/Israel
17:69] Or are you unafraid that He may again take you back to the sea, then
send against you a ship-breaking gust of wind, therefore drowning you because
of your disbelief - then you may not find for yourself anyone to come after
Us for this? [b/Israel
17:70] Indeed We have honoured the Descendants of Adam and transported them
over land and sea, and gave them good things as sustenance, and made them
better than most of Our creation. Section
8
[b/Israel
17:71] On the day when We shall summon every group along with its leader; so
whoever is given his register in his right hand - these will read their
accounts and their rights will not be suppressed even a thread. (* They
will be given the full reward.) [b/Israel
17:72] Whoever is blind * in this life will be blind in the Hereafter, and
even more astray. (* Blind to the truth - disbelieving.) [b/Israel
17:73] And it was close that they were about to mislead you somewhat from the
divine revelation We sent to you, for you to attribute something else * to
Us; and if it were **, they would have accepted you as a friend. (* Other
than the divine revelation. ** Which is impossible.) [b/Israel
17:74] And had We not kept you steadfast, possibly you might have inclined to
them just a little. [b/Israel
17:75] And if it were *, We would then have made you taste a double life and
a double death - you would then not find any supporter against Us. (*
Which is impossible.) [b/Israel
17:76] And indeed it was close that they frighten you in the land for them to
oust you from it - and if it were, they would not have stayed after you, but
a little. [b/Israel
17:77] The tradition of the Noble Messengers We sent before you - and you
will not find Our rules changing. Section
9
[b/Israel
17:78] Keep the prayer established, from the declining of the sun until
darkness of the night, and the Qur’an at dawn; indeed the angels witness
the reading of the Qur’an at dawn. [b/Israel
17:79] And forego sleep * in some part of the night - an increase for you **;
it is likely your Lord will set you on a place where everyone will praise you
***. (* For worship. ** Obligatory only upon the Holy Prophet. *** On the
Day of Resurrection.) [b/Israel
17:80] And pray, "My Lord! Admit me with the truth and take me out with
the truth *, and give me from Yourself a helpful dominance **." (*
Wherever I come or go ** Through spread of Islam.) [b/Israel
17:81] And proclaim, "The Truth has arrived and falsehood has vanished;
indeed falsehood had to vanish." (* With the arrival of the Last
Prophet - Mohammed peace and blessings be upon him) [b/Israel
17:82] And We send down in the Qur’an that which is a cure for the
Muslims, and a mercy - and it increases only ruin for the unjust. [b/Israel
17:83] And when We bestow favours upon man, he turns away and goes far away
towards himself; and when evil touches him he despairs. [b/Israel
17:84] Proclaim, "Each one works according to his own pattern; and your
Lord well knows him who is more upon guidance." Section
10
[b/Israel
17:85] They ask you concerning the soul; proclaim "The soul is an entity
by the command of my Lord, and you have not received knowledge except a
little." [b/Israel
17:86] And if We willed We could have taken away the revelations which We
have sent to you - you would then not find anyone who could advocate for you
before Us for this. [b/Israel
17:87] Except the mercy of your Lord; indeed His munificence upon you (O
dear Prophet Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon him) is extremely
great. [b/Israel
17:88] Proclaim, "If all mankind and jinns agree to bring an equivalent
to the Qur’an, they will not be able to bring its equal - even if they
were to help each other." [b/Israel
17:89] And indeed We have illustrated all kinds of examples in the
Qur’an for mankind - so most men did not accept, except to be
ungrateful. [b/Israel
17:90] And they said, "We will not accept faith in you, until you cause
a spring to gush forth from the earth for us." [b/Israel
17:91] "Or you have a garden of date-palms and grapes, and you make
gushing rivers to flow in it." [b/Israel
17:92] "Or you cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces like you said -
or bring Allah and the angels as Witness." [b/Israel
17:93] "Or you have a house of gold, or you ascend up into heaven; and
even then we shall not believe in your ascent unless you send down a book
upon us, which we may read"; say (O dear Prophet Mohammed - peace and
blessings be upon him), "Purity is to my Lord - who am I except a
human, sent by Allah?" (* These can be done, only when Allah
commands.) Section
11
[b/Israel
17:94] And what prevented people from believing when the guidance came to
them, except their saying that, "What! Allah has sent a human as a Noble
Messenger?"? [b/Israel
17:95] Proclaim, "If there were angels walking peacefully on the earth,
We would send down only an angel from heaven, as a Noble Messenger towards
them." [b/Israel
17:96] Proclaim, "Allah is Sufficient as Witness between me and you all;
indeed He is Well Aware of, the Beholder of His bondmen." [b/Israel
17:97] And only he whom Allah guides, is upon guidance; and whomever He sends
astray - you will therefore not find for them any supporters besides Him; and
We shall raise them by their faces on the Day of Resurrection - blind, dumb
and deaf; their destination is hell; whenever it is about to extinguish, We
will inflame it more for them. [b/Israel
17:98] This is their reward because they disbelieved in Our signs and said,
"When we are bones and decomposed, will we really be created again and
raised up again?" [b/Israel
17:99] Do they not see that Allah Who has created the heavens and the earth is
Able to create people similar to them, and has set a term for them in which
there is no doubt? So the unjust do not accept without being ungrateful. [b/Israel
17:100] Proclaim, "If you owned the treasures of the mercy of my Lord,
you would hoard them too for fear that they may get spent; and man is a big
miser." Section
12
[b/Israel
17:101] And indeed We gave Moosa nine clear signs, therefore ask the
Descendants of Israel when he came to them - in response Firaun said, "O
Moosa - I think you are under a magic spell." [b/Israel
17:102] He said, "You certainly know that these have not been sent down
except by the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the eye-openers * for the
hearts; and I think that you, O Firaun, will surely be ruined." (*
The signs which enlighten the hearts.) [b/Israel
17:103] He therefore wished to expel them from the earth, so We drowned him
and his companions, all together. [b/Israel
17:104] And after him, We said to the Descendants of Israel, "Reside in
this land - then when the promise of the Hereafter comes, We will bring you
all huddled together." [b/Israel
17:105] And We sent down the Qur’an with the truth, and it has come down
only for the truth; and We did not send you except as a Herald of glad
tidings and warnings. [b/Israel
17:106] And We sent down the Qur’an in parts, that you may gradually
recite it to the people, and We sent it down slowly in stages. [b/Israel
17:107] Proclaim, "Whether you accept faith in it or not"; indeed
those who received knowledge before the Qur’an came, fall down prostrate
on their faces when it is recited to them. [b/Israel
17:108] And they say, "Purity is to our Lord - indeed the promise of our
Lord had to come true." [b/Israel
17:109] And they fall down on their faces weeping, and this Qur’an
increases their humility. (Command of prostration # 4). [b/Israel
17:110] Proclaim, "Pray calling (Him) Allah or calling (Him)
the Most Gracious; whichever name you call with - they are all His
magnificent names; and do not offer your prayers very loudly or very softly,
and seek a way between them." [b/Israel
17:111] And say, "All praise is to Allah, Who has not chosen a son for
Himself, and none is His partner in kingship, and none is His supporter due
to weakness, and say ‘Allah is Great’ to proclaim His
greatness." |
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END OF SURAH