Surah Al-Baqarah Part Six: Verses 253 to 286 | Quran Study Guide

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The longest surah in the Quran ends here, and it ends by giving away everything it has. Two verses in, it delivers Ayat al-Kursi, a single sentence on who Allah is that the tradition has never stopped returning to. One verse after that it rules out force in religion entirely. Then it argues for resurrection three times over, once with a king, once with a sleeper, once with a prophet who asked to see it and was not refused. It spends thirteen verses on money, seven ears from one seed against a rock washed bare, and then declares war, in those words, on anyone who keeps taking interest. Its longest verse is about writing down a loan. Its last two verses hand the whole thing back as a prayer, and the final word asked for is help.

The Surah · Verses 253 to 286

﴾253﴿ تِلْكَ ٱلرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ ۘ مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَٰتٍۢ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَأَيَّدْنَٰهُ بِرُوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ ۗ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتُ وَلَٰكِنِ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ ءَامَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلُوا۟ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ

Tilkar Rusulu faddalnaa ba'dahum 'alaa ba'd; minhum man kallamal laahu wa rafa'a ba'dahum darajaat; wa aatainaa 'Eesab na Maryamal baiyinaati wa ayyadnaahu bi Roohil Qudus; wa law shaaa'al laahu maqtatalal lazeena mim ba'dihim mim ba'di maa jaaa'athumul baiyinaatu wa laakinikh talafoo faminhum man aamana wa minhum man kafar; wa law shaaa'al laahu maqtataloo wa laakinnal laaha yaf'alu maa yureed

Those messengers, We favoured some of them above others. Among them is one Allah spoke to, and some He raised in rank. We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear proofs and strengthened him with the holy spirit. Had Allah willed, those who came after them would not have fought each other after the clear proofs came to them. But they disagreed, so some of them believed and some rejected. Had Allah willed, they would not have fought. Allah does what He intends.

﴾254﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَنفِقُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَٰكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌۭ لَّا بَيْعٌۭ فِيهِ وَلَا خُلَّةٌۭ وَلَا شَفَٰعَةٌۭ ۗ وَٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ هُمُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo anfiqoo mimmaa razaqnaakum min qabli ai yaatiya yawmul laa bai'un feehi wa laa khullatunw wa laa shafaa'ah; walkaafiroona humuz zaalimoon

You who believe, spend from what We have provided for you before a day comes with no trade in it, no friendship, and no intercession. Those who reject are the wrongdoers.

﴾255﴿ ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

Allaahu laaa ilaaha illaa Huwal Haiyul Qaiyoom; laa taakhuzuhoo sinatunw wa laa nawm; lahoo maa fis samaawaati wa maa fil ard; man zal lazee yashfa'u 'indahooo illaa bi iznih; ya'lamu maa baina aydeehim wa maa khalfahum wa laa yuheetoona bishai'im min 'ilmihee illaa bimaa shaaa'; wasi'a Kursiyyuhus samaawaati wal arda wa laa ya'ooduhoo hifzuhumaa; wa Huwal 'Aliyyul 'Azeem

Allah, there is no god except Him, the Living, the Sustainer of all. Drowsiness does not take Him, nor sleep. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on the earth. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is in front of them and what is behind them, and they grasp nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His seat extends over the heavens and the earth, and guarding them does not weary Him. He is the Most High, the Most Great.

﴾256﴿ لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Laaa ikraaha fid deeni qat tabaiyanar rushdu minal ghayy; famai yakfur bit Taaghooti wa yu'mim billaahi faqadis tamsaka bil'urwatil wusqaa lan fisaama lahaa; wallaahu Samee'un 'Aleem

There is no compulsion in religion. Right conduct has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false powers and believes in Allah has taken hold of the firmest handhold, which never breaks. Allah is hearing, knowing.

﴾257﴿ ٱللَّهُ وَلِىُّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَوْلِيَآؤُهُمُ ٱلطَّٰغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ ٱلنُّورِ إِلَى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ ۗ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ

Allaahu waliyyul lazeena aamanoo yukhrijuhum minaz zulumaati ilan noor; wallazeena kafarooo awliyaaa'uhumut Taaghootu yukhrijoonahum minan noori ilaz zulumaat; ulaaa'ika Ashaabun Naari hum feehaa khaalidoon

Allah is the protector of those who believe. He brings them out of the darknesses into the light. Those who reject faith, their protectors are false powers, who bring them out of the light into the darknesses. Those are the companions of the Fire, staying in it.

﴾258﴿ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبْرَٰهِۦمَ فِى رَبِّهِۦٓ أَنْ ءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِۦمُ رَبِّىَ ٱلَّذِى يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا۠ أُحْىِۦ وَأُمِيتُ ۖ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِۦمُ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْتِى بِٱلشَّمْسِ مِنَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ ٱلْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ ٱلَّذِى كَفَرَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

Alam tara ilal lazee haaajja Ibraaheema fee Rabbiheee an aataahul laahul mulka iz qaala Ibraaheemu Rabbiyal lazee yuhyee wa yumeetu qaala ana uhyee wa umeetu qaala Ibraaheemu fa innal laaha yaatee bishshamsi minal mashriqi faati bihaa minal maghribi fabuhital lazee kafar; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmaz zaalimeen

Have you not considered the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord, because Allah had given him kingship? Abraham said, my Lord is the one who gives life and causes death. He said, I give life and cause death. Abraham said, Allah brings the sun from the east, so bring it from the west. The one who rejected faith was struck silent. Allah does not guide wrongdoing people.

﴾259﴿ أَوْ كَٱلَّذِى مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍۢ وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْىِۦ هَٰذِهِ ٱللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ ٱللَّهُ مِا۟ئَةَ عَامٍۢ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ ۖ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍۢ ۖ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِا۟ئَةَ عَامٍۢ فَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ ءَايَةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ ۖ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَى ٱلْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًۭا ۚ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُۥ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ

Aw kallazee marra 'alaa qaryatinw wa hiya khaawiyatun 'alaa 'urooshihaa qaala annaa yuhyee haazihil laahu ba'da mawtihaa fa amaatahul laahu mi'ata 'aamin summa ba'asahoo qaala kam labista qaala labistu yawman aw ba'da yawmin qaala bal labista mi'ata 'aamin fanzur ilaa ta'aamika wa sharaabika lam yatasannah wanzur ilaa himaarika wa linaj'alaka Aayatal linnaasi wanzur ilal 'izaami kaifa nunshizuhaa summa naksoohaa lahmaa; falammaa tabaiyana lahoo qaala a'lamu annal laaha 'alaa kulli shai'in Qadeer

Or the one who passed by a town collapsed onto its own roofs, and said, how will Allah give this life after its death? So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him. He said, how long did you stay? He said, I stayed a day, or part of a day. He said, no, you stayed a hundred years. Look at your food and your drink, they have not spoiled. And look at your donkey. We are making you a sign for people. Look at the bones, how We raise them up and then clothe them with flesh. When it became clear to him, he said, I know that Allah has power over everything.

﴾260﴿ وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِۦمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِى كَيْفَ تُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِى ۖ قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱلطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ ٱجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍۢ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًۭا ثُمَّ ٱدْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًۭا ۚ وَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

Wa iz qaala Ibraaheemu Rabbi arinee kaifa tuhyil mawtaa qaala awa lam tu'min qaala balaa wa laakil liyatma'inna qalbee qaala fakhuz arba'atam minat tairi fasurhunna ilaika summaj 'al 'alaa kulli jabalim minhunna juz'an summad 'uhunna yaateenaka sa'yaa; wa'lam annal laaha 'Azeezun Hakeem

And when Abraham said, my Lord, show me how You give life to the dead. He said, do you not believe? He said, yes, but so that my heart may be settled. He said, take four birds, draw them to yourself, then put a portion of them on each hill, then call them. They will come to you rushing. Know that Allah is almighty, wise.

﴾261﴿ مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنۢبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِى كُلِّ سُنۢبُلَةٍۢ مِّا۟ئَةُ حَبَّةٍۢ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُضَٰعِفُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Masalul lazeena yunfiqoona amwaalahum fee sabeelil laahi kamasali habbatin ambatat sab'a sanaabila fee kulli sumbulatim mi'atu habbah; wallaahu yudaa'ifu limai yashaaa'; wallaahu Waasi'un 'Aleem

Those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah are like a seed that grows seven ears, and in every ear a hundred seeds. Allah multiplies for whoever He wills. Allah is vast, all knowing.

﴾262﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ لَا يُتْبِعُونَ مَآ أَنفَقُوا۟ مَنًّۭا وَلَآ أَذًۭى ۙ لَّهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

Allazeena yunfiqoona amwaalahum fee sabeelil laahi summa laa yutbi'oona maaa anfaqoo mannanw wa laaa azal lahum ajruhum 'inda Rabbihim wa laa khawfun 'alaihim wa laa hum yahzanoon

Those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah and then do not follow what they spent with reminders of their favour or with injury, they have their reward with their Lord. No fear is on them, and they will not grieve.

﴾263﴿ قَوْلٌۭ مَّعْرُوفٌۭ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ خَيْرٌۭ مِّن صَدَقَةٍۢ يَتْبَعُهَآ أَذًۭى ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَنِىٌّ حَلِيمٌۭ

Qawlum ma'roofunw wa maghfiratun khairum min sadaqatiny yatba'uhaaa azaa; wallaahu Ghaniyyun Haleem

A decent word and forgiveness are better than a charity followed by injury. Allah is self sufficient, forbearing.

﴾264﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُبْطِلُوا۟ صَدَقَٰتِكُم بِٱلْمَنِّ وَٱلْأَذَىٰ كَٱلَّذِى يُنفِقُ مَالَهُۥ رِئَآءَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ ۖ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ تُرَابٌۭ فَأَصَابَهُۥ وَابِلٌۭ فَتَرَكَهُۥ صَلْدًۭا ۖ لَّا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍۢ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo laa tubtiloo sadaqaatikum bilmanni wal azaa kallazee yunfiqu maalahoo ri'aaa'an naasi wa laa yu'minu billaahi wal yawmil aakhiri famasaluhoo kamasali safwaanin 'alaihi turaabun fa asaabahoo waabilun fatarakahoo saldaa; laa yaqdiroona 'alaa shai'im mimmaa kasaboo; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmal kaafireen

You who believe, do not cancel your charity with reminders of your favour and with injury, like the one who spends his wealth to be seen by people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day. He is like a smooth rock with dust on it, then heavy rain hits it and leaves it bare. They gain nothing from what they earned. Allah does not guide people who reject.

﴾265﴿ وَمَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمُ ٱبْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِ ٱللَّهِ وَتَثْبِيتًۭا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ جَنَّةٍۭ بِرَبْوَةٍ أَصَابَهَا وَابِلٌۭ فَـَٔاتَتْ أُكُلَهَا ضِعْفَيْنِ فَإِن لَّمْ يُصِبْهَا وَابِلٌۭ فَطَلٌّۭ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

Wa masalul lazeena yunfiqoona amwaalahumub tighaaa'a mardaatil laahi wa tasbeetam min anfusihim kamasali jannatim birabwatin asaabahaa waabilun fa aatat ukulahaa di'faini fa il lam yusibhaa waabilun fatall; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona Baseer

Those who spend their wealth seeking the pleasure of Allah, and out of firmness in themselves, are like a garden on high ground. Heavy rain hits it and it brings its produce twice over. If heavy rain does not reach it, then a light drizzle does. Allah sees what you do.

﴾266﴿ أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ لَهُۥ جَنَّةٌۭ مِّن نَّخِيلٍۢ وَأَعْنَابٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ لَهُۥ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَأَصَابَهُ ٱلْكِبَرُ وَلَهُۥ ذُرِّيَّةٌۭ ضُعَفَآءُ فَأَصَابَهَآ إِعْصَارٌۭ فِيهِ نَارٌۭ فَٱحْتَرَقَتْ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ

Ayawaddu ahadukum an takoona lahoo jannatum min nakheelinw wa a'naabin tajree min tahtihal anhaaru lahoo feehaa min kullis samaraati wa asaabahul kibaru wa lahoo zurriyyatun du'afaaa'u fa asaabahaaa i'saarun feehi naarun fahtaraqat; kazaalika yubaiyinul laahu lakumul aayaati la'allakum tatafakkaroon

Would any of you like to have a garden of palms and vines with rivers running underneath, holding every kind of fruit for him, and then old age reaches him and his children are weak, and a whirlwind with fire in it strikes the garden and burns it? That is how Allah makes the signs clear for you, so that you may think.

﴾267﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَنفِقُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَٰتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّآ أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا۟ ٱلْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُم بِـَٔاخِذِيهِ إِلَّآ أَن تُغْمِضُوا۟ فِيهِ ۚ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanooo anfiqoo min taiyibaati maa kasabtum wa mimmaaa akhrajnaa lakum minal ardi wa laa tayammamul khabeesa minhu tunfiqoona wa lastum bi aakhizeehi illaaa an tughmidoo feeh; wa'lamooo annal laaha Ghaniyyun Hameed

You who believe, spend from the good things you have earned and from what We have brought out of the earth for you. Do not pick out the poor part of it to give away, when you would not take it yourselves without closing your eyes to it. Know that Allah is self sufficient, worthy of all praise.

﴾268﴿ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱلْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةًۭ مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًۭا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ

Ash Shaitaanu ya'idukumul faqra wa yaamurukum bilfahshaaa'i wallaahu ya'idukum maghfiratam minhu wa fadlaa; wallaahu Waasi'un 'Aleem

Satan promises you poverty and orders you to indecency. Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and abundance. Allah is vast, all knowing.

﴾269﴿ يُؤْتِى ٱلْحِكْمَةَ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُؤْتَ ٱلْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِىَ خَيْرًۭا كَثِيرًۭا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ

Yu'til Hikmata mai yashaaa'; wa mai yu'tal Hikmata faqad ootiya khairan kaseeraa; wa maa yazzakkaru illaaa ulul albaab

He gives wisdom to whoever He wills, and whoever is given wisdom has been given a great deal of good. Only people of understanding take it to heart.

﴾270﴿ وَمَآ أَنفَقْتُم مِّن نَّفَقَةٍ أَوْ نَذَرْتُم مِّن نَّذْرٍۢ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُهُۥ ۗ وَمَا لِلظَّٰلِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ

Wa maaa anfaqtum min nafaqatin aw nazartum min nazrin fa innal laaha ya'lamuh; wa maa lizzaalimeena min ansaar

Whatever you spend, or whatever vow you make, Allah knows it. The wrongdoers have no helpers.

﴾271﴿ إِن تُبْدُوا۟ ٱلصَّدَقَٰتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِىَ ۖ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا ٱلْفُقَرَآءَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۚ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُم مِّن سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌۭ

In tubdus sadaqaati fani'immaa hiya wa in tukhfoohaa wa tu'toohal fuqaraaa'a fahuwa khairul lakum; wa yukaffiru 'ankum min saiyi'aatikum; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona Khabeer

If you make your charity public, that is fine. If you conceal it and give it to the poor, that is better for you, and it removes some of your bad deeds. Allah is aware of what you do.

﴾272﴿ لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَىٰهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍۢ فَلِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُونَ إِلَّا ٱبْتِغَآءَ وَجْهِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍۢ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ

Laisa 'alaika hudaahum wa laakinnal laaha yahdee mai yashaaa'; wa maa tunfiqoo min khairin fali anfusikum; wa maa tunfiqoona illab tighaaa'a wajhil laah; wa maa tunfiqoo min khairiny yuwaffa ilaikum wa antum laa tuzlamoon

Their guidance is not on you, but Allah guides whoever He wills. Whatever good you spend is for yourselves, and you spend only seeking the face of Allah. Whatever good you spend will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.

﴾273﴿ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ ٱلَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًۭا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَحْسَبُهُمُ ٱلْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَآءَ مِنَ ٱلتَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُم بِسِيمَٰهُمْ لَا يَسْـَٔلُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ إِلْحَافًۭا ۗ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍۢ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِهِۦ عَلِيمٌ

Lilfuqaraaa'il lazeena uhsiroo fee sabeelil laahi laa yastatee'oona darban fil ardi yahsabuhumul jaahilu aghniyaaa'a minat ta'affufi ta'rifuhum biseemaahum laa yas'aloonan naasa ilhaafaa; wa maa tunfiqoo min khairin fa innal laaha bihee 'Aleem

Give to the poor who are held back in the way of Allah, unable to travel in the land. Someone who does not know assumes they are well off, because of their restraint. You know them by their mark. They do not press people with begging. Whatever good you spend, Allah knows it.

﴾274﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُم بِٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ سِرًّۭا وَعَلَانِيَةًۭ فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

Allazeena yunfiqoona amwaalahum billaili wannahaari sirranw wa 'alaaniyatan falahum ajruhum 'inda Rabbihim wa laa khawfun 'alaihim wa laa hum yahzanoon

Those who spend their wealth by night and by day, in private and in public, have their reward with their Lord. No fear is on them, and they will not grieve.

﴾275﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ ٱلرِّبَوٰا۟ لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ ٱلَّذِى يَتَخَبَّطُهُ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ مِنَ ٱلْمَسِّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ ٱلرِّبَوٰا۟ ۗ وَأَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ ٱلرِّبَوٰا۟ ۚ فَمَن جَآءَهُۥ مَوْعِظَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ فَٱنتَهَىٰ فَلَهُۥ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُۥٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ

Allazeena yaakuloonar ribaa laa yaqoomoona illaa kamaa yaqoomul lazee yatakhabbatuhush Shaitaanu minal mass; zaalika bi annahum qaalooo innamal bai'u mislur ribaa; wa ahallal laahul bai'a wa harramar ribaa; faman jaaa'ahoo maw'izatum mir Rabbihee fantahaa falahoo maa salafa wa amruhooo ilal laah; wa man 'aada fa ulaaa'ika Ashaabun Naari hum feehaa khaalidoon

Those who consume interest do not stand except the way one stands who has been battered by Satan's touch. That is because they said, trade is just like interest. Allah has permitted trade and forbidden interest. Whoever receives a warning from his Lord and stops, what is past is his and his affair rests with Allah. Whoever goes back to it, those are the companions of the Fire, staying in it.

﴾276﴿ يَمْحَقُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرِّبَوٰا۟ وَيُرْبِى ٱلصَّدَقَٰتِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ أَثِيمٍ

Yamhaqul laahur ribaa wa yurbis sadaqaat; wallaahu laa yuhibbu kulla kaffaarin aseem

Allah wipes out interest and makes charity grow. Allah does not love any persistent rejecter, deep in sin.

﴾277﴿ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

Innal lazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati wa aqaamus salaata wa aatawuz zakaata lahum ajruhum 'inda Rabbihim wa laa khawfun 'alaihim wa laa hum yahzanoon

Those who believe and do righteous work and establish the prayer and give the zakat have their reward with their Lord. No fear is on them, and they will not grieve.

﴾278﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَذَرُوا۟ مَا بَقِىَ مِنَ ٱلرِّبَوٰٓا۟ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanut taqul laaha wa zaroo maa baqiya minar ribaaa in kuntum mu'mineen

You who believe, guard yourselves against Allah and give up what remains of interest, if you are believers.

﴾279﴿ فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَأْذَنُوا۟ بِحَرْبٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۖ وَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَٰلِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ

Fa il lam taf'aloo faazanoo biharbim minal laahi wa Rasoolihee wa in tubtum falakum ru'oosu amwaalikum laa tazlimoona wa laa tuzlamoon

If you do not, then take notice of war from Allah and His messenger. If you turn back, you keep your capital. You do no wrong, and you are not wronged.

﴾280﴿ وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍۢ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍۢ ۚ وَأَن تَصَدَّقُوا۟ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

Wa in kaana zoo 'usratin fanaziratun ilaa maisarah; wa an tasaddaqoo khairul lakum in kuntum ta'lamoon

If the debtor is in hardship, then wait until it is easier. That you write it off as charity is better for you, if you knew.

﴾281﴿ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًۭا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ

Wattaqoo Yawman turja'oona feehi ilal laahi summa tuwaffaa kullu nafsim maa kasabat wa hum laa yuzlamoon

Guard yourselves against a day when you are returned to Allah, then every soul is paid in full for what it earned, and they will not be wronged.

﴾282﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا تَدَايَنتُم بِدَيْنٍ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّۭى فَٱكْتُبُوهُ ۚ وَلْيَكْتُب بَّيْنَكُمْ كَاتِبٌۢ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۚ وَلَا يَأْبَ كَاتِبٌ أَن يَكْتُبَ كَمَا عَلَّمَهُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ فَلْيَكْتُبْ وَلْيُمْلِلِ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِ ٱلْحَقُّ وَلْيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُۥ وَلَا يَبْخَسْ مِنْهُ شَيْـًۭٔا ۚ فَإِن كَانَ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِ ٱلْحَقُّ سَفِيهًا أَوْ ضَعِيفًا أَوْ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَن يُمِلَّ هُوَ فَلْيُمْلِلْ وَلِيُّهُۥ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۚ وَٱسْتَشْهِدُوا۟ شَهِيدَيْنِ مِن رِّجَالِكُمْ ۖ فَإِن لَّمْ يَكُونَا رَجُلَيْنِ فَرَجُلٌۭ وَٱمْرَأَتَانِ مِمَّن تَرْضَوْنَ مِنَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءِ أَن تَضِلَّ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا ٱلْأُخْرَىٰ ۚ وَلَا يَأْبَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءُ إِذَا مَا دُعُوا۟ ۚ وَلَا تَسْـَٔمُوٓا۟ أَن تَكْتُبُوهُ صَغِيرًا أَوْ كَبِيرًا إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَأَقْوَمُ لِلشَّهَٰدَةِ وَأَدْنَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَرْتَابُوٓا۟ ۖ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَٰرَةً حَاضِرَةًۭ تُدِيرُونَهَا بَيْنَكُمْ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَلَّا تَكْتُبُوهَا ۗ وَأَشْهِدُوٓا۟ إِذَا تَبَايَعْتُمْ ۚ وَلَا يُضَآرَّ كَاتِبٌۭ وَلَا شَهِيدٌۭ ۚ وَإِن تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَإِنَّهُۥ فُسُوقٌۢ بِكُمْ ۗ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanooo izaa tadaayantum bidainin ilaaa ajalim musamman faktuboo; walyaktub bainakum kaatibum bil'adl; wa laa yaaba kaatibun ai yaktuba kamaa 'allamahul laah; falyaktub walyumlilil lazee 'alaihil haqqu walyattaqil laaha Rabbahoo wa laa yabkhas minhu shai'aa; fa in kaanal lazee 'alaihil haqqu safeehan aw da'eefan aw laa yastatee'u ai yumilla huwa falyumlil waliyyuhoo bil'adl; wastash hidoo shaheedaini mir rijaalikum fa il lam yakoonaa rajulaini farajulunw wamra ataani mimman tardawna minash shuhadaaa'i an tadilla ihdaahumaa fatuzakkira ihdaahumal ukhraa; wa laa yaabash shuhadaaa'u izaa maa du'oo; wa laa tas'amooo an taktuboohu sagheeran aw kabeeran ilaaa ajalih; zaalikum aqsatu 'indal laahi wa aqwamu lishshahaadati wa adnaaa allaa tartaabooo illaaa an takoona tijaaratan haadiratan tudeeroonahaa bainakum falaisa 'alaikum junaahun allaa taktuboohaa; wa ashhidooo izaa tabaaya'tum; wa laa yudaaarra kaatibunw wa laa shaheed; wa in taf'aloo fa innahoo fusooqum bikum; wattaqul laah; wa yu'allimukumul laah; wallaahu bikulli shai'in 'Aleem

You who believe, when you take on a debt for a fixed term, write it down. Let a scribe write it between you fairly. No scribe should refuse to write as Allah has taught him. Let him write, and let the one who owes dictate, and let him guard himself against Allah his Lord and not reduce anything from it. If the one who owes is unable to reason, or weak, or cannot dictate himself, then let his guardian dictate fairly. Call two witnesses from your men, and if there are not two men, then one man and two women from those you accept as witnesses, so that if one of them errs the other can remind her. Witnesses should not refuse when they are called. Do not grow tired of writing it down, small or large, along with its term. That is more just with Allah, more sound as testimony, and closer to keeping you free of doubt. If it is a trade transaction you conduct on the spot between you, there is no blame on you for not writing it. Have witnesses when you make a sale. No scribe or witness is to be harmed. If you do that, it is defiance in you. Guard yourselves against Allah. Allah teaches you. Allah knows everything.

﴾283﴿ وَإِن كُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍۢ وَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ كَاتِبًۭا فَرِهَٰنٌۭ مَّقْبُوضَةٌۭ ۖ فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًۭا فَلْيُؤَدِّ ٱلَّذِى ٱؤْتُمِنَ أَمَٰنَتَهُۥ وَلْيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُۥ ۗ وَلَا تَكْتُمُوا۟ ٱلشَّهَٰدَةَ ۚ وَمَن يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُۥٓ ءَاثِمٌۭ قَلْبُهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌۭ

Wa in kuntum 'alaa safarinw wa lam tajidoo kaatiban farihaanum maqboodatun fa in amina ba'dukum ba'dan falyu'addil lazi'tumina amaanatahoo walyattaqil laaha Rabbah; wa laa taktumush shahaadah; wa mai yaktumhaa fa innahooo aasimun qalbuh; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona 'Aleem

If you are travelling and cannot find a scribe, then a pledge is taken in hand. If one of you entrusts something to another, let the one trusted deliver what he was trusted with, and let him guard himself against Allah his Lord. Do not conceal testimony. Whoever conceals it, his heart is sinful. Allah knows what you do.

﴾284﴿ لِّلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَإِن تُبْدُوا۟ مَا فِىٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ

Lillaahi maa fis samaawaati wa maa fil ard; wa in tubdoo maa feee anfusikum aw tukhfoohu yuhaasibkum bihil laah; fayaghfiru li mai yashaaa'u wa yu'azzibu mai yashaaa'; wallaahu 'alaa kulli shai'in Qadeer

To Allah belongs everything in the heavens and everything on the earth. Whether you show what is in yourselves or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it. He forgives whoever He wills and punishes whoever He wills. Allah has power over everything.

﴾285﴿ ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ ۚ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ

Aamanar Rasoolu bimaaa unzila ilaihi mir Rabbihee walmu'minoon; kullun aamana billaahi wa Malaaa'ikatihee wa Kutubihee wa Rusulih; laa nufarriqu baina ahadim mir Rusulih; wa qaaloo sami'naa wa ata'naa ghufraanaka Rabbanaa wa ilaikal maseer

The messenger believed in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and so did the believers. Each of them believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers. We make no separation between any of His messengers. And they said, we hear and we obey. Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return.

﴾286﴿ لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

Laa yukalliful laahu nafsan illaa wus'ahaa; lahaa maa kasabat wa 'alaihaa maktasabat; Rabbanaa laa tu'aakhiznaaa in naseenaaa aw akhtaanaa; Rabbanaa wa laa tahmil 'alainaaa isran kamaa hamaltahoo 'alal lazeena min qablinaa; Rabbanaa wa laa tuhammilnaa maa laa taaqata lanaa bih; wa'fu 'annaa waghfir lanaa warhamnaa; Anta mawlaanaa fansurnaa 'alal qawmil kaafireen

Allah does not charge a soul beyond its capacity. It has what it earned, and against it is what it earned. Our Lord, do not hold us to account if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, do not lay on us a burden like the one You laid on those before us. Our Lord, do not load us with what we have no strength for. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against the people who reject faith.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What This Part Means

Verses 253 to 257

The Verse of the Throne.

Verse 254 gives an instruction and a deadline. Spend before a day comes with no trade in it, no friendship, and no intercession. Three routes closed. You cannot buy your way out, you cannot be spoken for by a friend, and no one can plead for you on their own initiative. Then verse 255 explains why, by describing the One the day belongs to.

Ayat al-Kursi is one sentence in ten clauses, and each clause removes something a person might have quietly assumed. There is no god except Him removes rivals. The Living, the Sustainer of all removes dependence. Drowsiness does not take Him, nor sleep removes the gap, because the objection to a watching God has always been that nothing watches continuously. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and the earth removes ownership. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission answers verse 254 directly, and does not abolish intercession, it licenses it. He knows what is in front of them and what is behind them removes hiding. They grasp nothing of His knowledge except what He wills removes the pretence of comprehension. His seat extends over the heavens and the earth removes scale. Guarding them does not weary Him removes strain. He is the Most High, the Most Great closes it.

Read the order. Every attribute given is followed by a limit placed on the reader. He knows, and you grasp nothing except what He allows. He owns, and you intercede only by permission. The verse is not a list of praises. It is a map of the relationship.

Verse 256 comes immediately after, and its placement is the argument for it. There is no compulsion in religion. The verse that has just established total power is followed by the verse that refuses to use it on belief. The reason given is not tolerance as a value. It is that right conduct has been made clear from error, so the case has been put and a forced answer would prove nothing. Verse 257 then gives the two directions, and note that the light is singular and the darknesses are plural. There is one way out and many ways back in.

Verses 258 to 260

Three Arguments About the Dead.

Three scenes, all on the same question, and each one aimed at a different kind of listener.

The first is a debate. A king who had been given kingship argues with Abraham about his Lord. Abraham says, my Lord gives life and causes death. The king answers by producing a prisoner and sparing him, and producing another and killing him, which is the entire claim: I do that too. Abraham does not argue about definitions. He moves the ground. Allah brings the sun from the east, so bring it from the west. Verse 258 records the result in one word, fabuhita, he was struck silent. The lesson is about argument as much as about resurrection. Do not spend your time contesting a false claim on its own terms. Ask for the next thing the claim would have to be able to do.

The second is an experience. A man passing a ruined town asks a reasonable question, how will Allah give this life after its death. The answer is not a lecture. He is put to death for a hundred years and raised. He estimates a day, or part of a day, which is exactly what everyone raised on the last day will estimate. Then three exhibits: food and drink that did not spoil, a donkey, and bones being raised and clothed with flesh in front of him. Verse 259 ends with him saying, I know that Allah has power over everything. He asked how, and he was answered by being placed inside the demonstration.

The third is a request from a prophet. Abraham asks to be shown how. The reply is a question, do you not believe. His answer is one of the most human sentences in the Book. Yes, but so that my heart may be settled. Belief and settledness are not the same thing, and the verse does not treat the second request as a defect. He is given the birds, the hills, and the call. The lesson stands for anyone who has believed something and still wanted to see it. Asking to be steadied is not the same as doubting.

Verses 261 to 274

Seven Ears, and a Rock Washed Bare.

Verse 261 sets the return rate in an image rather than a number. One seed, seven ears, a hundred seeds in each ear. Then, before anyone can start calculating, Allah multiplies for whoever He wills. The multiplier is not a formula you can operate.

Verses 262 to 264 name the one thing that destroys the whole yield, and it is not stinginess. It is mann and adha, reminding the person of your favour, and injuring them with it. Verse 263 ranks a decent word and forgiveness above a charity followed by injury, which means the gift given badly scores below no gift at all. Verse 264 gives the image: a smooth rock with a thin layer of dust on it, heavy rain, and the rock left bare. The dust looked like ground. It was never deep enough to hold anything.

Verse 265 answers with the opposite picture, a garden on high ground that produces double in heavy rain and still produces in a drizzle. The distinguishing phrase is tathbeetan min anfusihim, out of firmness in themselves. Elevated ground, deep roots, output in both conditions. The two images are about the same act of giving and different soil underneath it.

Verse 267 forbids a particular trick that survives in every century. Do not pick out the poor part of it to give away, when you would not take it yourselves without closing your eyes to it. The standard is set by your own reaction to receiving it. Verse 268 then names the mechanism that makes a person give badly in the first place. Satan promises you poverty. The fear is manufactured before the meanness is chosen, and the counter promise is stated in the same breath: Allah promises forgiveness from Him and abundance.

Verse 271 permits public giving and prefers private. Verse 272 releases the giver from responsibility for the recipient's guidance, which removes the most common excuse for withholding. Verse 273 describes the people hardest to find, poor and restrained, mistaken for well off by anyone not paying attention, recognisable by their mark, never pressing anyone. The verse asks the giver to do the work of noticing.

Verses 275 to 281

War Declared, in Those Words.

Verse 275 opens with a physical image, one who has been battered by Satan's touch, and then quotes the argument that people actually make. Trade is just like interest. The reply is not an argument, it is a ruling: Allah has permitted trade and forbidden interest. The two look similar because both produce a return. They differ in what carries the risk. In a trade the money is exposed to the outcome. In interest the return is guaranteed to one side regardless of the outcome, and the other side carries everything.

Verse 276 states the long term result and it inverts the arithmetic. Allah wipes out interest and makes charity grow. The word used for growth of charity, yurbi, comes from the same root as riba. What the practice was named after is what it fails to do.

Verse 278 asks for the outstanding balance to be surrendered, and verse 279 says what happens if it is not. Take notice of war from Allah and His messenger. No other financial matter in the Quran carries that sentence. Then, in the same verse, the settlement terms: if you turn back, you keep your capital. You do no wrong, and you are not wronged. The original sum is not confiscated. The increase is.

Verse 280 handles the debtor who cannot pay, and does it in two steps. Wait until it is easier. Then, that you write it off as charity is better for you, if you knew. A legally enforceable claim is first suspended and then invited to be cancelled. Verse 281 closes the passage, and Ibn Kathir records that a number of the early authorities considered it among the last verses revealed. Guard yourselves against a day when you are returned to Allah, then every soul is paid in full for what it earned. The passage on debt ends by naming the creditor who settles all accounts.

Verses 282 to 284

The Longest Verse Is About a Receipt.

The longest verse in the Quran is not about prayer, war, or paradise. It is about writing down a loan.

The instruction is detailed to a degree that reads like a procedure manual, and every clause protects someone. A scribe writes it, and the scribe must be fair, and no scribe who has been taught should refuse the work. The one who owes dictates, not the one who is owed, so the record is made by the party with the incentive to keep it small. If the debtor cannot reason or is weak or cannot dictate, his guardian dictates for him, so incapacity does not become an opening. Witnesses are called and witnesses may not refuse when called. Do not grow tired of writing it down, small or large. The verse anticipates the exact human failure it is legislating against, which is that a small loan between friends feels insulting to document.

Then the reason, stated in three parts. That is more just with Allah, more sound as testimony, and closer to keeping you free of doubt. The third is the one people underestimate. Most ruined friendships over money did not begin with theft. They began with two honest memories of the same conversation.

Verse 282 also protects the professionals: no scribe or witness is to be harmed. Verse 283 handles the case where no scribe is available, with a pledge held in hand, and then makes the point the whole passage is built on. If one of you entrusts something to another, let the one trusted deliver what he was trusted with. Documentation is a protection, and it is not a substitute for trustworthiness. Concealing testimony is described in the strongest terms available, his heart is sinful.

Verse 284 lifts back out to the widest possible frame. Whether you show what is in yourselves or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it. After thirty lines of clauses about scribes and witnesses and pledges, the section ends by pointing out that the real ledger was never on paper.

Verses 285 to 286

The Last Two Verses.

The longest surah in the Quran does not end with a command. It ends with the community speaking.

Verse 285 records what they said, and the order is worth reading slowly. The messenger believed, and so did the believers. Belief is stated as something the Prophet did rather than something he merely delivered. Then the content: Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the refusal to rank them, we make no separation between any of His messengers. Then four words that answer every scene in this surah. We hear and we obey. Part two recorded a nation that said, we hear and we disobey. The Book has been building to this correction for two hundred verses. Then, immediately, ghufranaka Rabbana, Your forgiveness, our Lord. A community declares obedience and asks for pardon in the same breath, because it knows what it is like.

Verse 286 opens with the ceiling. Allah does not charge a soul beyond its capacity. Then the accounting, and the asymmetry inside it is easy to miss. For what it earned the verb is kasabat, the plain form. For what is against it the verb is iktasabat, the form that carries effort. Good is credited as it comes. Wrong is charged as it was pursued.

Then the surah stops speaking about the servant and hands the microphone over. Five requests, and they climb. Do not hold us to account if we forget or make mistakes. Do not lay on us a burden like the one You laid on those before us. Do not load us with what we have no strength for. Pardon us, forgive us, have mercy on us. And the last one, after everything, is not for paradise and not for wealth. You are our Protector, so help us.

That is where the longest chapter in the Quran ends, and where this study of it ends. A hundred and fourteen surahs, from the seven verses of Al-Fatiha to the two hundred and eighty six of Al-Baqarah. The Book opens by asking for guidance on the straight path and closes here by asking for help walking it.

Structural Summary

Verses 253 to 286. The Greatest Verse.

Verses 253 to 257. The Throne. A day with no trade, no friendship and no intercession, then ten clauses on who Allah is, then no compulsion in religion.

Verses 258 to 260. Three proofs. A king silenced by one question, a man asleep a hundred years beside food that did not spoil, and a prophet who asked to see and was shown.

Verses 261 to 274. The giving. Seven ears from one seed, a rock washed bare by the reminder of a favour, a garden that yields in drizzle, and the fear of poverty named as a promise from Satan.

Verses 275 to 286. The reckoning. Interest answered with a declaration of war, debt written down in the longest verse in the Book, and the surah closing in the voice of the community asking for help.

The Practice · Daily Integration

Verses 253 to 286. Write It Down and Settle It.

Verse 255 removes something from the reader in each clause. Read it once slowly and write down which clause you needed most today, then read it again before sleeping for the next seven nights.

Verse 264 says the reminder of your favour cancels the gift. Think of the last significant thing you gave someone. Have you mentioned it since, to them or about them? If yes, the account is already settled and you were paid. Give the next one and do not spend it.

Verse 282 asks you to write down what you lend and what you borrow, small or large. Write the list this week. Every outstanding amount in both directions, with names and dates. Then act on verse 280 for anyone on the list who cannot pay.

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 253 to 2861 / 12

Verse 254

What three things does verse 254 say the coming day will have none of?