Surah Al-Baqarah Part Four: Verses 153 to 207 | Quran Study Guide

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Part three turned the community to face a new direction. This section tells it how to stand once it is facing. It opens with two instruments, patience and prayer, and immediately lists the losses they are for: fear, hunger, shortfall in wealth and lives and fruit. It offers eight signs from the natural world as the case for one God, then defines righteousness in a way that leaves no room for posture, itemising where the money goes and who receives it. Fasting arrives, and inside the fasting verses sits the one place in the Book where Allah answers a question about Himself with no messenger standing in the sentence. The section closes on two men, one whose speech impresses and whose work ruins, and one who sells himself seeking the pleasure of Allah.

The Surah · Verses 153 to 207

﴾153﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanus ta'eenoo bissabri was Salaah; innal laaha ma'as saabireen

You who believe, seek help through patience and prayer. Allah is with those who are patient.

﴾154﴿ وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَن يُقْتَلُ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَٰتٌۢ ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌۭ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُونَ

Wa laa taqooloo limai yuqtalu fee sabeelil laahi amwaat; bal ahyaaa'unw wa laakil laa tash'uroon

Do not say of those killed in the way of Allah that they are dead. They are alive, but you do not perceive it.

﴾155﴿ وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

Wa lanabluwannakum bishai'im minal khawfi waljoo'i wa naqsim minal amwaali wal anfusi was samaraat; wa bashshiris saabireen

We will test you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and fruit. Give good news to those who are patient.

﴾156﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۭ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ

Allazeena izaaa asaabathum museebatun qaalooo innaa lillaahi wa innaaa ilaihi raaji'oon

Those who, when a disaster strikes them, say, we belong to Allah and to Him we are returning.

﴾157﴿ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ ۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ

Ulaaa'ika 'alaihim salawaatum mir Rabbihim wa rahmah; wa ulaaa'ika humul muhtadoon

On those are blessings from their Lord, and mercy. Those are the guided ones.

﴾158﴿ إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَيْتَ أَوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا ۚ وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًۭا فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ

Innas Safaa wal Marwata min sha'aaa'iril laahi faman hajjal Baita awi'tamara falaa junaaha 'alaihi ai yattawwafa bihimaa; wa man tatawwa'a khairan fa innal laaha Shaakirun 'Aleem

Safa and Marwa are among the rites of Allah. Whoever makes hajj to the House or performs umrah does no wrong in going between them. Whoever volunteers good, Allah is appreciative, all knowing.

﴾159﴿ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَآ أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَٱلْهُدَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّٰهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ ۙ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ ٱللَّٰعِنُونَ

Innal lazeena yaktumoona maaa anzalnaa minal baiyinaati walhudaa mim ba'di maa baiyannaahu linnaasi fil kitaabi ulaaa'ika yal'anuhumul laahu wa yal'anuhumul laa'inoon

Those who hide the clear proofs and the guidance We sent down, after We made it clear to people in the Book, Allah curses them, and the cursers curse them.

﴾160﴿ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ تَابُوا۟ وَأَصْلَحُوا۟ وَبَيَّنُوا۟ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَأَنَا ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

Illal lazeena taaboo wa aslahoo wa baiyanoo fa ulaaa'ika atoobu 'alaihim; wa Anat Tawwaabur Raheem

Except those who turn back, and put things right, and make it clear. Those I accept back. I am the Ever Relenting, the Merciful.

﴾161﴿ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَمَاتُوا۟ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

Innal lazeena kafaroo wa maatoo wa hum kuffaarun ulaaa'ika 'alaihim la'natul laahi walmalaaa'ikati wannaasi ajma'een

Those who rejected faith and died as rejecters, on them is the curse of Allah and the angels and all people.

﴾162﴿ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ لَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ

Khaalideena feehaa laa yukhaffafu 'anhumul 'azaabu wa laa hum yunzaroon

Staying in it. The punishment will not be lightened for them, and they will not be given more time.

﴾163﴿ وَإِلَٰهُكُمْ إِلَٰهٌۭ وَٰحِدٌۭ ۖ لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

Wa ilaahukum ilaahunw waahid; laaa ilaaha illaa Huwar Rahmaanur Raheem

Your God is one God. There is no god except Him, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

﴾164﴿ إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلَّتِى تَجْرِى فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍۢ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍۢ وَتَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَٰحِ وَٱلسَّحَابِ ٱلْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَعْقِلُونَ

Inna fee khalqis samaawaati wal ardi wakhtilaafil laili wannahaari walfulkil latee tajree fil bahri bimaa yanfa'un naasa wa maaa anzalal laahu minas samaaa'i mim maaa'in fa ahyaa bihil arda ba'da mawtihaa wa bassa feehaa min kulli daaabbatinw wa tasreefir riyaahi wassahaabil musakhkhari bainas samaaa'i wal ardi la aayaatil liqawminy ya'qiloon

In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, and the ships that run on the sea with what benefits people, and the water Allah sends down from the sky, giving life with it to the earth after its death, and the creatures He scattered through it, and the shifting of the winds, and the clouds held between the sky and the earth, in all of that are signs for people who reason.

﴾165﴿ وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَندَادًۭا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَشَدُّ حُبًّۭا لِّلَّهِ ۗ وَلَوْ يَرَى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ إِذْ يَرَوْنَ ٱلْعَذَابَ أَنَّ ٱلْقُوَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعَذَابِ

Wa minan naasi mai yattakhizu min doonil laahi andaadai yuhibboonahum kahubbil laahi wallazeena aamanooo ashaddu hubbal lillah; wa law yaral lazeena zalamooo iz yarawnal 'azaaba annal quwwata lillaahi jamee'anw wa annal laaha shadeedul 'azaab

Among people are those who take rivals besides Allah, loving them the way Allah is loved. Those who believe are stronger in love for Allah. If only the wrongdoers could see, at the moment they see the punishment, that all power belongs to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment.

﴾166﴿ إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتُّبِعُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ وَرَأَوُا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ ٱلْأَسْبَابُ

Iz tabarra al lazeenat tubi'oo minal lazeenat taba'oo wa ra awul 'azaaba wa taqatta'at bihimul asbaab

When those who were followed disown those who followed them, and they see the punishment, and every tie between them is cut.

﴾167﴿ وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةًۭ فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُوا۟ مِنَّا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ ٱللَّهُ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ حَسَرَٰتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ وَمَا هُم بِخَٰرِجِينَ مِنَ ٱلنَّارِ

Wa qaalal lazeenat taba'oo law anna lanaa karratan fanatabarra a minhum kamaa tabarra'oo minnaa; kazaalika yureehimul laahu a'maalahum hasaraatin 'alaihim wa maa hum bikhaarijeena minan Naar

Those who followed will say, if only we had one more turn, we would disown them the way they disowned us. That is how Allah shows them their deeds as regrets on top of them. They will not be coming out of the Fire.

﴾168﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُوا۟ مِمَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ حَلَٰلًۭا طَيِّبًۭا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّۭ مُّبِينٌ

Yaaa ayyuhan naasu kuloo mimmaa fil ardi halaalan taiyibanw wa laa tattabi'oo khutuwaatish Shaitaan; innahoo lakum 'aduwwum mubeen

People, eat from what is on the earth, lawful and good, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. He is an open enemy to you.

﴾169﴿ إِنَّمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلسُّوٓءِ وَٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَأَن تَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Innamaa yaamurukum bissooo'i walfahshaaa'i wa an taqooloo 'alal laahi maa laa ta'lamoon

He orders you to evil and indecency, and to say about Allah what you do not know.

﴾170﴿ وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَآ أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَآ ۗ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ

Wa izaa qeela lahumut tabi'oo maaa anzalal laahu qaaloo bal nattabi'u maaa alfainaa 'alaihi aabaaa'anaa; awalaw kaana aabaaa'uhum laa ya'qiloona shai'anw wa laa yahtadoon

When they are told, follow what Allah has sent down, they say, we follow what we found our fathers on. Even if their fathers understood nothing and were not guided?

﴾171﴿ وَمَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسْمَعُ إِلَّا دُعَآءًۭ وَنِدَآءًۭ ۚ صُمٌّۢ بُكْمٌ عُمْىٌۭ فَهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

Wa masalul lazeena kafaroo kamasalil lazee yan'iqu bimaa laa yasma'u illaa du'aaa'anw wa nidaaa'aa; summum bukmun 'umyun fahum laa ya'qiloon

Those who reject faith are like a man shouting at what hears nothing but a call and a cry. Deaf, mute, blind, so they do not reason.

﴾172﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَٰكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِلَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo kuloo min taiyibaati maa razaqnaakum washkuroo lillaahi in kuntum iyyaahu ta'budoon

You who believe, eat from the good things We have provided for you, and thank Allah, if it is Him you worship.

﴾173﴿ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ بِهِۦ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍۢ وَلَا عَادٍۢ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ

Innamaa harrama 'alaikumul maitata waddama wa lahmal khinzeeri wa maaa uhilla bihee lighairil laahi famanid turra ghaira baaghinw wa laa 'aadin falaaa isma 'alaih; innal laaha Ghafoorur Raheem

He has forbidden you carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and what has been dedicated to other than Allah. Whoever is forced by necessity, without craving it and without going past the limit, carries no sin. Allah is forgiving, merciful.

﴾174﴿ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ وَيَشْتَرُونَ بِهِۦ ثَمَنًۭا قَلِيلًا ۙ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ مَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِى بُطُونِهِمْ إِلَّا ٱلنَّارَ وَلَا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ وَلَا يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

Innal lazeena yaktumoona maaa anzalal laahu minal kitaabi wa yashtaroona bihee samanan qaleelan ulaaa'ika maa yaakuloona fee butoonihim illan Naara wa laa yukallimuhumul laahu Yawmal Qiyaamati wa laa yuzakkeehim wa lahum 'azaabun aleem

Those who hide what Allah sent down of the Book and sell it for a small price, they eat nothing into their bellies but fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, and will not purify them, and for them is a painful punishment.

﴾175﴿ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ ٱلضَّلَٰلَةَ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْعَذَابَ بِٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ ۚ فَمَآ أَصْبَرَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ

Ulaaa'ikal lazeenash tarawud dalaalata bilhudaa wal'azaaba bilmaghfirah; famaaa asbarahum 'alan Naar

Those are the ones who bought misguidance at the price of guidance, and punishment at the price of forgiveness. How much they can endure the Fire.

﴾176﴿ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ نَزَّلَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ لَفِى شِقَاقٍۭ بَعِيدٍۢ

Zaalika bi annal laaha nazzalal kitaaba bilhaqq; wa innal lazeenakh talafoo fil kitaabi lafee shiqaaqim ba'eed

That is because Allah sent down the Book with the truth, and those who disagreed about the Book are in a split that runs deep.

﴾177﴿ لَّيْسَ ٱلْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ وَٱلْمَغْرِبِ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ وَٱلْكِتَٰبِ وَٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ وَءَاتَى ٱلْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ ذَوِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينَ وَٱبْنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَٱلسَّآئِلِينَ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَٰهَدُوا۟ ۖ وَٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ فِى ٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَحِينَ ٱلْبَأْسِ ۗ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ ۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ

Laisal birra an tuwalloo wujoohakum qibalal mashriqi walmaghribi wa laakinnal birra man aamana billaahi wal yawmil aakhiri wal malaaa'ikati wal kitaabi wan nabiyyeena wa aatal maala 'alaa hubbihee zawil qurbaa walyataamaa walmasaakeena wabnas sabeeli wassaaa'ileena wa fir riqaabi wa aqaamas salaata wa aataz zakaata walmoofoona bi'ahdihim izaa 'aahadoo wassaabireena fil baasaaa'i waddarraaa'i wa heenal baas; ulaaa'ikal lazeena sadaqoo wa ulaaa'ika humul muttaqoon

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces towards the east and the west. Righteousness is the one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and gives wealth, in spite of loving it, to relatives and orphans and the poor and the traveller and those who ask and for freeing necks, and establishes the prayer and gives the zakat, and those who keep their agreement when they make one, and those who are patient in hardship and injury and at the moment of fighting. Those are the ones who have been true, and those are the ones who guard themselves.

﴾178﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْقِصَاصُ فِى ٱلْقَتْلَى ۖ ٱلْحُرُّ بِٱلْحُرِّ وَٱلْعَبْدُ بِٱلْعَبْدِ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ بِٱلْأُنثَىٰ ۚ فَمَنْ عُفِىَ لَهُۥ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَىْءٌۭ فَٱتِّبَاعٌۢ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَأَدَآءٌ إِلَيْهِ بِإِحْسَٰنٍۢ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ تَخْفِيفٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ ۗ فَمَنِ ٱعْتَدَىٰ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَهُۥ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo kutiba 'alaikumul qisaasu fil qatlaa alhurru bilhurri wal'abdu bil'abdi wal unsaa bil unsaa; faman 'ufiya lahoo min akheehi shai'un fattibaa'um bilma'roofi wa adaaa'un ilaihi bi ihsaan; zaalika takhfeefum mir Rabbikum wa rahmah; famani' tadaa ba'da zaalika falahoo 'azaabun aleem

You who believe, fair retribution is prescribed for you in cases of killing. The free for the free, the slave for the slave, the female for the female. Whoever is pardoned anything by his brother, let there be decent follow up and payment made to him in good manner. That is a lightening from your Lord, and a mercy. Whoever transgresses after that has a painful punishment.

﴾179﴿ وَلَكُمْ فِى ٱلْقِصَاصِ حَيَوٰةٌۭ يَٰٓأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

Wa lakum fil qisaasi hayaatuny yaaa ulil albaabi la'allakum tattaqoon

In fair retribution there is life for you, people of understanding, so that you may guard yourselves.

﴾180﴿ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ إِن تَرَكَ خَيْرًا ٱلْوَصِيَّةُ لِلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۖ حَقًّا عَلَى ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

Kutiba 'alaikum izaa hadara ahadakumul mawtu in taraka khairanil wasiyyatu lilwaalidaini wal aqrabeena bilma'roofi haqqan 'alal muttaqeen

It is prescribed for you, when death comes to one of you and he leaves wealth behind, to make a bequest for parents and near relatives in a fair way. That is a duty on those who guard themselves.

﴾181﴿ فَمَنۢ بَدَّلَهُۥ بَعْدَمَا سَمِعَهُۥ فَإِنَّمَآ إِثْمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُبَدِّلُونَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ

Famam baddalahoo ba'da maa sami'ahoo fa innamaaa ismuhoo 'alal lazeena yubaddiloonah; innal laaha Samee'un 'Aleem

Whoever changes it after hearing it, the sin of it falls on those who change it. Allah is hearing, knowing.

﴾182﴿ فَمَنْ خَافَ مِن مُّوصٍۢ جَنَفًا أَوْ إِثْمًۭا فَأَصْلَحَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

Faman khaafa mim moosin janafan aw isman fa aslaha bainahum falaaa isma 'alaih; innal laaha Ghafoorur Raheem

Whoever fears a leaning or a wrong from the one making the bequest, and settles the matter between them, carries no sin. Allah is forgiving, merciful.

﴾183﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo kutiba 'alaikumus Siyaamu kamaa kutiba 'alal lazeena min qablikum la'allakum tattaqoon

You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard yourselves.

﴾184﴿ أَيَّامًۭا مَّعْدُودَٰتٍۢ ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍۢ فَعِدَّةٌۭ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۚ وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُۥ فِدْيَةٌۭ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍۢ ۖ فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًۭا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّهُۥ ۚ وَأَن تَصُومُوا۟ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

Ayyaamam ma'doodaat; faman kaana minkum mareedan aw 'alaa safarin fa'iddatum min ayyaamin ukhar; wa 'alal lazeena yuteeqoonahoo fidyatun ta'aamu miskeen; faman tatawwa'a khairan fahuwa khairul lahoo wa an tasoomoo khairul lakum in kuntum ta'lamoon

A counted number of days. Whoever among you is ill or on a journey, then a number of other days. For those who can only bear it with hardship there is a ransom, feeding a poor person. Whoever volunteers more good, it is better for him. Fasting is better for you, if you knew.

﴾185﴿ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًۭى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍۢ فَعِدَّةٌۭ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

Shahru Ramadaanal lazeee unzila feehil Qur'aanu hudal linnaasi wa baiyinaatim minal hudaa wal furqaan; faman shahida minkumush shahra falyasumhu wa man kaana mareedan aw 'alaa safarin fa'iddatum min ayyaamin ukhar; yureedul laahu bikumul yusra wa laa yureedu bikumul 'usra wa litukmilul 'iddata wa litukabbirul laaha 'alaa maa hadaakum wa la'allakum tashkuroon

The month of Ramadan, in which the Quran was sent down as guidance for people, and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. Whoever among you witnesses the month, let him fast it. Whoever is ill or on a journey, then a number of other days. Allah wants ease for you and does not want hardship for you, and wants you to complete the count, and to magnify Allah for guiding you, and so that you may be grateful.

﴾186﴿ وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

Wa izaa sa alaka 'ibaadee 'annee fa innee qareeb; ujeebu da'watad daa'i izaa da'aani falyastajeeboo lee walyu'minoo bee la'allahum yarshudoon

When My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls Me. So let them answer Me and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided.

﴾187﴿ أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ ٱلصِّيَامِ ٱلرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَآئِكُمْ ۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌۭ لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌۭ لَّهُنَّ ۗ عَلِمَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنكُمْ ۖ فَٱلْـَٰٔنَ بَٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَٱبْتَغُوا۟ مَا كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلْخَيْطُ ٱلْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْطِ ٱلْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ ٱلْفَجْرِ ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا۟ ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُبَٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمْ عَٰكِفُونَ فِى ٱلْمَسَٰجِدِ ۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

Uhilla lakum laylatas Siyaamir rafasu ilaa nisaaa'ikum; hunna libaasul lakum wa antum libaasul lahunn; 'alimal laahu annakum kuntum takhtaanoona anfusakum fataaba 'alaikum wa 'afaa 'ankum fal'aana baashiroohunna wabtaghoo maa katabal laahu lakum; wa kuloo washraboo hattaa yatabaiyana lakumul khaitul abyadu minal khaitil aswadi minal fajri summa atimmus Siyaama ilal layl; wa laa tubaashiroohunna wa antum 'aakifoona fil masaajid; tilka hudoodul laahi falaa taqraboohaa; kazaalika yubaiyinul laahu aayaatihee linnaasi la'allahum yattaqoon

You are permitted, on the night of the fast, to go to your wives. They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them. Allah knew you were betraying yourselves, so He turned to you and pardoned you. So now be with them and seek what Allah has written for you. Eat and drink until the white thread becomes clear to you from the black thread at dawn. Then complete the fast until night. Do not be with them while you are in retreat in the mosques. These are the limits of Allah, so do not go near them. That is how Allah makes His signs clear to people, so that they may guard themselves.

﴾188﴿ وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَٰطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا۟ بِهَآ إِلَى ٱلْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ فَرِيقًۭا مِّنْ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

Wa laa taakuloo amwaalakum bainakum bilbaatili wa tudloo bihaaa ilal hukkaami litaakuloo fareeqam min amwaalin naasi bil ismi wa antum ta'lamoon

Do not eat up each other's wealth by false means, and do not hand it down to the judges in order to eat a portion of people's wealth by sin, while you know what you are doing.

﴾189﴿ يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِىَ مَوَٰقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَٱلْحَجِّ ۗ وَلَيْسَ ٱلْبِرُّ بِأَن تَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَٰبِهَا ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Yas'aloonaka 'anil ahillati qul hiya mawaaqeetu linnaasi wal Hajj; wa laisal birru bi an taatul buyoota min zuhoorihaa wa laakinnal birra manit taqaa; waatul buyoota min abwaabihaa; wattaqul laaha la'allakum tuflihoon

They ask you about the crescent moons. Say, they are measures of time for people and for the hajj. Righteousness is not that you enter houses from the back. Righteousness is the one who guards himself. Enter houses through their doors, and guard yourselves against Allah, so that you may succeed.

﴾190﴿ وَقَٰتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ

Wa qaatiloo fee sabeelil laahil lazeena yuqaatiloonakum wa laa ta'tadoo; innal laaha laa yuhibbul mu'tadeen

Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, and do not go past the limit. Allah does not love those who go past the limit.

﴾191﴿ وَٱقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ ۚ وَٱلْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ ٱلْقَتْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُقَٰتِلُوهُمْ عِندَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ حَتَّىٰ يُقَٰتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ ۖ فَإِن قَٰتَلُوكُمْ فَٱقْتُلُوهُمْ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

Waqtuloohum haisu saqiftumoohum wa akhrijoohum min haisu akhrajookum; walfitnatu ashaddu minal qatl; wa laa tuqaatiloohum 'indal Masjidil Haraami hattaa yuqaatilookum feehi fa in qaatalookum faqtuloohum; kazaalika jazaaa'ul kaafireen

Fight them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out. Persecution is harsher than killing. Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there. If they fight you there, then fight them. That is the recompense of those who reject.

﴾192﴿ فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوْا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

Fa inin tahaw fa innal laaha Ghafoorur Raheem

If they stop, then Allah is forgiving, merciful.

﴾193﴿ وَقَٰتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌۭ وَيَكُونَ ٱلدِّينُ لِلَّهِ ۖ فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوْا۟ فَلَا عُدْوَٰنَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

Wa qaatiloohum hattaa laa takoona fitnatunw wa yakoonad deenu lillaahi fa inin tahaw falaa 'udwaana illaa 'alaz zaalimeen

Fight them until there is no persecution and the religion belongs to Allah. If they stop, then there is no hostility except against the wrongdoers.

﴾194﴿ ٱلشَّهْرُ ٱلْحَرَامُ بِٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ وَٱلْحُرُمَٰتُ قِصَاصٌۭ ۚ فَمَنِ ٱعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فَٱعْتَدُوا۟ عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا ٱعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

Ash Shahrul Haraamu bish Shahril Haraami wal hurumaatu qisaas; famani'tadaa 'alaikum fa'tadoo 'alaihi bimisli ma'tadaa 'alaikum; wattaqul laaha wa'lamooo annal laaha ma'al muttaqeen

A sacred month for a sacred month, and sanctities are subject to fair return. Whoever attacks you, respond in the same measure he attacked you. Guard yourselves against Allah, and know that Allah is with those who guard themselves.

﴾195﴿ وَأَنفِقُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تُلْقُوا۟ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى ٱلتَّهْلُكَةِ ۛ وَأَحْسِنُوٓا۟ ۛ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

Wa anfiqoo fee sabeelil laahi wa laa tulqoo bi aydeekum ilat tahlukati wa ahsinoo; innal laaha yuhibbul muhsineen

Spend in the way of Allah, and do not throw yourselves by your own hands into destruction. Do good. Allah loves those who do good.

﴾196﴿ وَأَتِمُّوا۟ ٱلْحَجَّ وَٱلْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ ۚ فَإِنْ أُحْصِرْتُمْ فَمَا ٱسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ ٱلْهَدْىِ ۖ وَلَا تَحْلِقُوا۟ رُءُوسَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ ٱلْهَدْىُ مَحِلَّهُۥ ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ بِهِۦٓ أَذًۭى مِّن رَّأْسِهِۦ فَفِدْيَةٌۭ مِّن صِيَامٍ أَوْ صَدَقَةٍ أَوْ نُسُكٍۢ ۚ فَإِذَآ أَمِنتُمْ فَمَن تَمَتَّعَ بِٱلْعُمْرَةِ إِلَى ٱلْحَجِّ فَمَا ٱسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ ٱلْهَدْىِ ۚ فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَٰثَةِ أَيَّامٍۢ فِى ٱلْحَجِّ وَسَبْعَةٍ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ ۗ تِلْكَ عَشَرَةٌۭ كَامِلَةٌۭ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن لَّمْ يَكُنْ أَهْلُهُۥ حَاضِرِى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ

Wa atimmul Hajja wal 'Umrata lillaah; fa in uhsirtum famas taisara minal hadyi wa laa tahliqoo ru'oosakum hattaa yablughal hadyu mahillah; faman kaana minkum mareedan aw biheee azam mir raasihee fafidyatum min Siyaamin aw sadaqatin aw nusuk; fa izaaa amintum faman tamatta'a bil 'Umrati ilal Hajji famastaisara minal hady; famal lam yajid fa Siyaamu salaasati ayyaamin fil Hajji wa sab'atin izaa raja'tum; tilka 'asharatun kaamilah; zaalika limal lam yakun ahluhoo haadiril Masjidil Haraam; wattaqul laaha wa'lamooo annal laaha shadeedul 'iqaab

Complete the hajj and the umrah for Allah. If you are prevented, then whatever offering is easy to give. Do not shave your heads until the offering reaches its place. Whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the head, then a ransom of fasting or charity or an offering. When you are secure, whoever takes the umrah through to the hajj gives whatever offering is easy. Whoever finds none, then a fast of three days during the hajj and seven when you return, ten complete. That is for the one whose family is not present at the Sacred Mosque. Guard yourselves against Allah, and know that Allah is severe in penalty.

﴾197﴿ ٱلْحَجُّ أَشْهُرٌۭ مَّعْلُومَٰتٌۭ ۚ فَمَن فَرَضَ فِيهِنَّ ٱلْحَجَّ فَلَا رَفَثَ وَلَا فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِى ٱلْحَجِّ ۗ وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍۢ يَعْلَمْهُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَتَزَوَّدُوا۟ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ ٱلزَّادِ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ وَٱتَّقُونِ يَٰٓأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ

Al Hajju ashhurum ma'loomaat; faman farada feehinnal Hajja falaa rafasa wa laa fusooqa wa laa jidaala fil Hajj; wa maa taf'aloo min khairiny ya'lamhul laah; wa tazawwadoo fa inna khairaz zaadit taqwaa; wattaqooni yaaa ulil albaab

The hajj is in known months. Whoever commits to the hajj in them, there is no intimacy, no defiance, and no arguing during the hajj. Whatever good you do, Allah knows it. Take provision, and the best provision is guarding yourself. So be mindful of Me, people of understanding.

﴾198﴿ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا۟ فَضْلًۭا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَآ أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَفَٰتٍۢ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عِندَ ٱلْمَشْعَرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۖ وَٱذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَإِن كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ

Laisa 'alaikum junaahun an tabtaghoo fadlam mir Rabbikum; fa izaaa afadtum min 'Arafaatin fazkurul laaha 'indal Mash'aril Haraami wazkuroohu kamaa hadaakum wa in kuntum min qablihee laminad daaalleen

There is no blame on you in seeking bounty from your Lord. When you pour out from Arafat, remember Allah at the sacred landmark. Remember Him as He guided you, when before that you were among the lost.

﴾199﴿ ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

Summa afeedoo min haisu afaadan naasu wastaghfirul laah; innal laaha Ghafoorur Raheem

Then pour out from where the people pour out, and ask Allah for forgiveness. Allah is forgiving, merciful.

﴾200﴿ فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُم مَّنَٰسِكَكُمْ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ كَذِكْرِكُمْ ءَابَآءَكُمْ أَوْ أَشَدَّ ذِكْرًۭا ۗ فَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَا لَهُۥ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَٰقٍۢ

Fa izaa qadaitum manaasikakum fazkurul laaha kazikrikum aabaaa'akum aw ashadda zikraa; faminan naasi mai yaqoolu Rabbanaaa aatinaa fid dunyaa wa maa lahoo fil Aakhirati min khalaaq

When you have completed your rites, remember Allah the way you remember your fathers, or with stronger remembrance. Among people is one who says, our Lord, give us in this world, and he has no share in the hereafter.

﴾201﴿ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةًۭ وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةًۭ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

Wa minhum mai yaqoolu Rabbanaaa aatinaa fid dunyaa hasanatanw wa fil aakhirati hasanatanw wa qinaa 'azaaban Naar

And among them is one who says, our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.

﴾202﴿ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ نَصِيبٌۭ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ

Ulaaa'ika lahum naseebum mimmaa kasaboo; wallaahu saree'ul hisaab

Those have a share of what they earned. Allah is swift in reckoning.

﴾203﴿ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فِىٓ أَيَّامٍۢ مَّعْدُودَٰتٍۢ ۚ فَمَن تَعَجَّلَ فِى يَوْمَيْنِ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ وَمَن تَأَخَّرَ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ لِمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

Wazkurul laaha feee ayyaamim ma'doodaat; faman ta'ajjala fee yawmaini falaaa isma 'alaihi wa man taakhkhara falaaa isma 'alaih; limanit taqaa; wattaqul laaha wa'lamooo annakum ilaihi tuhsharoon

Remember Allah through a counted number of days. Whoever hurries in two days carries no sin, and whoever stays later carries no sin, for the one who guards himself. Guard yourselves against Allah, and know that you will be gathered to Him.

﴾204﴿ وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُۥ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَيُشْهِدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا فِى قَلْبِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَلَدُّ ٱلْخِصَامِ

Wa minan naasi mai yu'jibuka qawluhoo fil hayaatid dunyaa wa yushhidul laaha 'alaa maa fee qalbihee wa huwa aladdul khisaam

Among people is one whose speech about the life of this world impresses you, and he calls Allah to witness what is in his heart, while he is the fiercest of opponents.

﴾205﴿ وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُفْسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهْلِكَ ٱلْحَرْثَ وَٱلنَّسْلَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْفَسَادَ

Wa izaa tawallaa sa'aa fil ardi liyufsida feehaa wa yuhlikal harsa wannasl; wallaahu laa yuhibbul fasaad

When he turns away, he moves through the land to spread ruin in it, destroying crops and offspring. Allah does not love ruin.

﴾206﴿ وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُ ٱتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ أَخَذَتْهُ ٱلْعِزَّةُ بِٱلْإِثْمِ ۚ فَحَسْبُهُۥ جَهَنَّمُ ۚ وَلَبِئْسَ ٱلْمِهَادُ

Wa izaa qeela lahut taqil laaha akhazathul 'izzatu bil ism; fahasbuhoo jahannam; wa labi'sal mihaad

When he is told, guard yourself against Allah, pride carries him off into sin. Hell is enough for him. A wretched resting place.

﴾207﴿ وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَشْرِى نَفْسَهُ ٱبْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ رَءُوفٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ

Wa minan naasi mai yashree nafsahub tighaaa'a mardaatil laah; wallaahu ra'oofum bil 'ibaad

And among people is one who sells himself seeking the pleasure of Allah. Allah is gentle with His servants.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What This Part Means

Verses 153 to 157

Two Instruments, and a List Given in Advance.

The section opens with a tool issue. Seek help through patience and prayer. One instrument holds the position, one instrument reaches upward. Neither of them is a feeling. Both are things you do while the feeling is absent.

Verse 155 then does something unusual for a promise. It lists what is coming. Something of fear. Hunger. Loss of wealth. Loss of lives. Loss of fruit. Five categories, announced in advance, with the word certainly attached to the testing. A believer reading this cannot later say the difficulty was evidence against the arrangement, because the arrangement was published before the difficulty arrived. What is left undefined is the amount, bishai'in, something of, a portion rather than the whole.

Verse 156 gives the response, and the response is two claims rather than a complaint. We belong to Allah, so the thing lost was never held outright. And to Him we are returning, so the loss is an early instalment of a departure already scheduled. Verse 157 pays for that sentence with three things: blessings from their Lord, mercy, and the title of the guided. Notice that the guidance is awarded at the point of loss rather than at the point of comfort.

Verse 154 sits inside this passage for a reason. Do not say of those killed in the way of Allah that they are dead. The section that teaches how to carry loss opens by disputing the category the loss was filed under.

Verses 158 to 167

Eight Signs, and the Love That Gets Misassigned.

Verse 158 clears an obstacle before it clears anything else. Al-Bukhari transmits from Aisha that people felt hesitation about going between Safa and Marwa because of what had been practised there before Islam. The verse does not argue with the memory. It relabels the two hills as rites of Allah and removes the blame. A place is defined by what it is used for now.

Verses 159 to 162 press the charge already made in part two against hiding revealed guidance, and then verse 160 cuts an exit into it with three conditions. Turn back, put things right, and make it clear. Repentance for concealment is not private, because the harm was public. What was hidden has to be said out loud.

Verse 163 states the conclusion the whole surah has been building. Your God is one God. Verse 164 then argues for it, and the argument is worth counting. The creation of the heavens and the earth. The alternation of night and day. Ships running on the sea with what benefits people. Water sent down from the sky. Earth brought back to life after death. Creatures scattered through it. The shifting of the winds. Clouds held between sky and earth. Eight items, all of them observable without instruments, offered to people who reason. The verse does not ask for a mystical experience. It asks for attention.

Verse 165 names the failure mode precisely, and it is not disbelief in Allah. It is andaad, rivals, loved the way Allah is loved. The problem stated is misallocated love rather than absent belief. Then the verse gives the believers' distinguishing mark in four words, stronger in love for Allah. Verses 166 and 167 run the scene forward to the day the arrangement is audited: those who were followed disown those who followed them, every tie is cut, and the followers ask for one more turn in order to do the disowning first. Allegiance built on convenience dissolves at the exact moment it is needed.

Verses 168 to 176

Lawful, Good, and Not Because Your Father Did It.

Verse 168 addresses all people rather than believers, and it sets two conditions on food, halal and tayyib. Lawful and good. The second word does work the first does not, because a thing can be permitted and still be filth. Then the warning changes shape. Do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Footsteps rather than commands. Nobody is told to abandon the religion in one instruction. They are moved one pace at a time, and verse 169 names the three destinations: evil, indecency, and speaking about Allah without knowledge.

Verse 170 gives the defence that people actually use. We follow what we found our fathers on. The reply is a single question that does not insult the fathers and does not need to. Even if their fathers understood nothing and were not guided? Inheritance is a fact about transmission, not a fact about truth. Verse 171 supplies the image: a man shouting at animals that hear a noise and take no meaning from it. Sound arrives, content does not.

Verse 173 then narrows the prohibition to four items, carrion, blood, swine, and what was dedicated to other than Allah, and attaches a necessity clause with two guards. Not craving it, and not going past the limit. The law is strict and it is not a trap. Verse 174 returns to those who sell the Book for a small price and gives them the harshest sentence in the section, Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection. Verse 175 adds the line that lands like a blade. How much they can endure the Fire. The endurance they showed in the wrong direction is exactly what they will need in the wrong place.

Verses 177 to 182

Righteousness, Itemised.

Verse 177 opens by taking away the easy answer. Righteousness is not that you turn your faces towards the east and the west. Part three spent eleven verses on the qibla, so the placement is deliberate. The direction was a real command, and it is not the destination.

Then the verse builds the definition in three layers, and the middle layer is where most definitions of piety go silent. Layer one is belief, five items: Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, the prophets. Layer two is money, and it names six recipients: relatives, orphans, the poor, the traveller, those who ask, and freeing necks. It also names the price, alaa hubbihi, in spite of loving it. Giving what you did not want is not the standard being described. Layer three is discipline: the prayer, the zakat, keeping agreements, and patience in three settings, hardship, injury, and the moment of fighting.

The verse ends with two titles awarded together. Those are the ones who have been true, and those are the ones who guard themselves. Truthfulness is placed as a description of conduct rather than of speech.

Verses 178 and 179 give fair retribution, and they build a ramp away from it in the same breath. The heirs may pardon, and if they do, the follow up must be decent and the payment made in good manner. Then verse 179 gives the principle in six words that reverse the usual objection. In fair retribution there is life for you. A limit that is known and enforced ends the cycle of private vengeance that would otherwise take many more lives than the law does. Verses 180 to 182 close the passage with the bequest, and verse 181 places the sin of tampering on the tamperer rather than on the deceased, which protects the will of the person who can no longer defend it.

Verses 183 to 189

A Month, and One Verse With No Messenger In It.

Fasting arrives with its purpose attached, so that you may guard yourselves. Verse 184 grants relief for illness and travel before anyone has to ask, and provides a ransom for those who can only bear it with hardship. Al-Bukhari transmits from Ibn Abbas that this applied to the very old man and woman who could not manage the fast, who feed a poor person for each day.

Verse 185 names the month by naming what happened in it. The month of Ramadan, in which the Quran was sent down. The fast is dated to the revelation rather than to the season. Then the verse gives the operating principle of the entire law in seven words. Allah wants ease for you and does not want hardship for you.

Verse 186 is the centre of this section and one of the most unusual constructions in the Book. When My servants ask you about Me, I am near. Every comparable verse in the Quran that begins with a question routes the answer through the messenger, say to them, tell them. This one drops the intermediary in the middle of the sentence. The question is addressed to the Prophet and the answer is delivered by Allah in the first person, with no instruction to relay it. I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls Me. The placement matters too. It sits inside the fasting verses, between the rules of the month and the rules of its nights, which is to say the passage on hunger has a verse about access buried in the middle of it.

Verse 187 then legislates the night with the same absence of embarrassment. They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them, an image of covering, warmth, closeness and dignity applied to marriage in one word. Allah knew you were betraying yourselves, so He turned to you and pardoned you. A law is relaxed and the reason given is that people were failing at the stricter version. Verse 188 forbids eating wealth by false means and specifically names the route through the judges, which describes a bribe. Verse 189 answers a question about the moons by giving their function, then corrects a practice of entering houses from the back with a line that works at both levels. Enter houses through their doors.

Verses 190 to 207

Limits Inside a Fight, and Two Kinds of Prayer.

Permission to fight arrives with the restriction inside the same verse. Fight those who fight you, and do not go past the limit. Allah does not love those who go past the limit. Verse 191 authorises expulsion of those who expelled them and names persecution as harsher than killing, and then it protects the Sacred Mosque with a condition rather than an absolute, do not fight them there unless they fight you there. Verse 192 gives the off ramp, and verse 193 repeats it. If they stop, then Allah is forgiving. If they stop, there is no hostility except against the wrongdoers. The war ends when the persecution ends, not when the enemy is finished.

Verse 195 pairs spending with a caution about self destruction and closes on doing good. Verses 196 to 203 give the hajj: complete it for Allah, provisions for those prevented, options for the ill, three days of fasting and seven on return, no intimacy and no defiance and no arguing in the hajj, and the line that reframes every packing list ever made, take provision, and the best provision is guarding yourself.

Verses 200 to 202 divide the pilgrims by their prayers. One says, our Lord, give us in this world, and the verdict is delivered in the same sentence, he has no share in the hereafter. The other says, our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. Both are at the same rite, in the same state, on the same day. The difference is the length of the request.

The section closes on two portraits. Verses 204 to 206 show the man whose speech impresses, who swears by Allah about what is in his heart, and who moves through the land ruining crops and offspring, and who takes correction as an insult, pride carries him off into sin. Verse 207 answers with one line and no elaboration. Among people is one who sells himself seeking the pleasure of Allah. One man spends the world to buy a reputation. One man spends himself to buy nothing that can be seen.

Structural Summary

Verses 153 to 207. Seek Help Through Patience and Prayer.

Verses 153 to 167. Instruments and evidence. Patience and prayer, a published list of trials, eight observable signs for one God, and love assigned to rivals.

Verses 168 to 176. Intake. Lawful and good, footsteps rather than commands, inherited practice as a defence, and four prohibitions with a necessity clause.

Verses 177 to 189. Definitions and disciplines. Righteousness itemised, fair retribution as life, the bequest, the month of fasting, and one verse where Allah answers directly.

Verses 190 to 207. Conduct under pressure. Limits inside combat, an off ramp repeated twice, the hajj, two prayers at the same rite, and two men.

The Practice · Daily Integration

Verses 153 to 207. Name the Loss Before It Lands.

Verse 155 lists five categories of loss before any of them arrive. Write down which of the five you are currently carrying. Then write the sentence in verse 156 underneath it in your own handwriting. The point is to have the category named before the next one lands.

Verse 177 says the money goes to six named recipients, given in spite of loving it. Pick the recipient on that list you have never actually given to, and give this week. Not the easiest one on the list.

Verse 200 and verse 201 are the same rite and two different requests. Write out your last three specific requests to Allah. Count how many ended at this world.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verses 153 to 2071 / 12

Verse 153

What two things does verse 153 name as sources of help?