17:1  Glory be to Him who took His servant on a night journey from the Sacred Sanctuary [at Mecca] to the Remote House of Worship [Al-Aqsa Mosque at Jerusalem], whose surroundings we have blessed, so that We could show him some of Our signs--for truly, He is the All-Hearing, the All- Seeing.

17:2  And We gave the Book to Moses, and We made it guidance for the Children of Israel, [saying] "Trust yourselves to no one but Me.

17:3  They are descendants from those whom we carried [in the ark] with Noah! He was [one of] Our most grateful worshipers.

17:4  And we warned to the Children of Israel in the Book, "You will twice corrupt the earth, and you will rise to a great height."

17:5  When the first promise came true, We sent certain of Our servants against you, who were fierce in battle, and they ravaged your homes. It was a promise fulfilled.

17:6  And as time went on, We permitted you to prevail again against them, and We helped you with wealth and children, and We made you more numerous.

17:7  [And we said:] "If you do good, you do it for yourselves, and if you do evil, it will be returned to you." Then, when the final promise came, [We sent your enemies] to sadden your faces and to enter the place of worship, as they entered it the first time, and to destroy completely the structures that were the source of your pride

17:8  Your Lord may well show mercy to you; but if you turn back [to sinning], We will turn back [to punishing you]. And [do not forget] We have predestined that Hell will be a prison for all who reject Our promises.

17:9  Truly, this Qur'an shows the way of righteousness, and it brings good news to the believers who do good works that they will have a wonderful reward;

17:10  and We have prepared grievous punishment for those who do not believe in the life to come.

17:11  Human being is as hasty to pray for things that are wrong as he prays for things that are good. The human being is often hasty.

17:12  We have ordained night and day as two miracles. We have darkened the night and made the day visible, so that you will seek to acquire abundance from your Lord, and so that you may know the number of years and the count of time. We have made everything very clear.

17:13  We have tied every person's destiny about his neck and, on the Day of Judgment We will bring out a book for him, which he will find spread open in front of him.

17:14  And it will be said, "Read your book. Today you are a witness against yourself."

17:15  Whoever chooses to follow the right path, it will be for the good of his soul, and whoever goes astray will [reap] his own hurt, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burdens of another. We would never punish unless we had first sent a messenger.

17:16  But when We decide to destroy a community, We first give Our final warning to all the decadent in it, but they defiantly disobey. Our sentence is justly carried out, and We then, destroy it utterly.

17:17  How many generations have We annihilated after Noah's time! Your Lord is sufficiently aware of His worshipers' sins, and all seeing.

17:18  As for anyone who prefers this momentary life, We readily grant whatever We will to whomever We will. Then We condemn him to the suffering of Hell which he will have to endure, disgraced and disowned!

17:19  But as for those who desire the life to come, and who endeavor earnestly to obtain it, and [demonstrate] that they truly believe-they are the ones who find favor [with God].

17:20  To both those [who are mindful of God in this life] as well as those [who are not] We give some of your Lord's gifts. Your Lord's giving is never restricted.

17:21  Observe how We give more abundance to some than to others, but [remember that] the life to come will be blessed with higher positions and greater favors.

17:22  Do not acknowledge any other deity alongside God, lest you [want] to find yourself discredited and abandoned.

17:23  Your Lord has decreed that you will worship none but Him, and show your parents tender kindness. Should one or both of them reach old age in your care, never say anything that shows impatience with them, never rebuke them, but [always] speak to them respectfully.

17:24  And spread the wing of mercy in humility over to them, and say, "My Lord! Have your mercy on them, just as they [had mercy on me] when they raised me as a child"

17:25  Your Lord is fully aware of what is in your hearts. If you seek [to live] righteously, [He will forgive your errors]: He is Merciful-to-all who return to Him over and over.

17:26  Give what is due to your relatives, and the very poor, and to the traveler, and do not squander your money senselessly.

17:27  Those who misuse [their wealth] are [following] Satan in the same way that Satan proved to be ungrateful to his Sustainer.

17:28  But if you [must] turn away from the needy, while awaiting a blessing that you are hoping for from your Lord, at least speak kindly [to those in need].

17:29  Do not be either tightfisted or extend yourself to the point that you cannot even provide for yourself, so that you sit there blamed and impoverished.

17:30  Your Lord blesses abundantly, or gives in limited portion unto whomever He wills and is able. He is fully mindful of the needs of his creatures-seeing them all.

17:31  Do not kill your children out of fear of poverty. We will provide for them and you. Killing them is truly a great sin.

17:32  And do not go anywhere near adultery, because it is a disgrace and immoral.

17:33  And do not kill the soul which God has forbidden-unless in the pursuit of justice. If anyone has been killed unjustly, We have given legal recourse to his heir [to claim justice]; but, even then, he should not be excessive in taking life. For he is helped [by God's law].

17:34  And do not approach an orphan's property before he reaches maturity, except with the best possible way. And be true to all you have committed to do, for truly [on the Day of Judgment], you will have to answer for every promise that you have made.

17:35  And whenever you measure, use accurate measurements and weigh with a level balance; this will be better and would be fairer.

17:36  And do not pursue matters about which you do not know anything: your hearing, sight and heart- all will be accounted for [on the Day of Judgment]!

17:37  Do not walk arrogantly about the earth; because, truthfully, you cannot tear up the earth or make yourself as tall as mountains.

17:38  All of this is evil and detested in your Lord's sight.

17:39  This is part of the wisdom your Lord has revealed to you. So, do not equate any other deity with God, unless [you desire] to be thrown into Hell, self-condemned [by your actions] and rejected [by God].

17:40  Has your Lord chosen you to have sons, while He takes daughters from among the angels? What a grave thing for you to say!

17:41  We have made things clear in this Qur'an, so [that] those [who deny the truth] might take it to heart, but it is only making them more distant from the truth

17:42  Say, "If there had been, as they say, other gods with Him, certainly they would have sought a way to the Lord of the Throne."

17:43  May He be exalted in His glory, far above what they say in greatness and sublimity.

17:44  The seven heavens and the earth, and everyone in them declare His glory. There is nothing which does not glorify Him with praise, but you humans fail to understand the manner of their glorification. He is All-Forbearing, Most-Forgiving

17:45  And so it is [that] whenever you recite the Qur'an, We place an invisible veil between you and those who do not believe in the life Hereafter

17:46  for We have veiled their hearts to prevent them from understanding the meaning, and We have made their ears deaf. So, whenever you mention your Lord alone while you are reciting the Qur'an, they turn away in disdain.

17:47  We know best why they listen when they listen to you, for when they are in private these unjust people say [to one another]: "You follow only a man bewitched."

17:48  See how they refer to you? They have strayed and cannot find the way!

17:49  And they say, "After we are but bones and dust, can we be resurrected to a new creation?

17:50  Tell them: "Even if You have turned to stone or iron,

17:51  or any created thing, which, in your minds, is more difficult, [it is still possible]. They will say, "Who will bring us back again?" Say: "He who brought you forth the first time." And [if] they shake their heads in disbelief, and ask you, "When will this happen?" Say, "It might be soon.

17:52  It will be the day when He calls you, and you respond by praising Him and think you have been there only a short time."

17:53  Tell my worshipers to say always that which is best: truly, Satan is always ready to stir trouble among them-Satan is clearly man's enemy.

17:54  Your Lord knows you best. If He wills, He will give you mercy; and if He wills, He will punish you. And We have not sent you [Prophet] to be their protector,

17:55  your Lord knows best whoever is in the heavens and on earth. We favored some of the prophets over others, and, to David, We gave the Book of Psalms.

17:56  Say, "Call on those whom you claim to be deities beside Him. They do not have any power to remove or to avert any harm from you.

17:57  Those to whom they pray are themselves seeking a way to approach their Lord- striving to be nearest, hoping for His mercy, and fearing His punishment for your Lord's punishment is certainly something to be concerned about.

17:58  We will destroy or chastise with severe suffering any community [if it proves sinful] before the Day of Resurrection. All of this is written in the Book.

17:59  Nothing has prevented Us from sending down signs, except that people in the past denied them. We gave the [community of] Thamud the she-camel as a visible sign, and they sinned against it. We sent signs as a means of warning.

17:60  We have already told you [Muhammad] that your Lord knows all about human beings. The vision that We showed you-as well as the cursed tree in this Qur'an-are only a trial and temptation for men. We put Our fear in them but this only increases their tyranny.

17:61  And we said to the angels, "Prostrate yourselves to Adam!" They all prostrated themselves except Iblis, who said, "Will I prostrate myself to one whom you have created from mud?"

17:62  He then added, "Do You see this one that You have honored over me? If You will allow me time until the Day of Resurrection, I will unquestionably lead his descendants -all but a few-by the nose to obey me!"

17:63  God said, "Go! But as for those who will follow you, Hell will be the repayment for you all, a repayment in full!

17:64  Stir up those you can with your voice. Rally all your horses and men against them, and share with them their worldly treasures and children. Make all kinds of promises to them, for they will not know that which Satan promises is only an illusion."

17:65  "Know that you will have no power over my worshipers; Your Lord suffices as their guardian."

17:66  Your Lord is He who causes ships to move across the sea for you, so that you are able to seek His blessings. Truly He is the Mercy Giver to you.

17:67  And whenever you are in danger on the sea, all those you call upon vanish-except Him . But as soon as He brings you safely to shore, you turn away-for surely man is ungrateful.

17:68  Can you, then, ever feel secure that He will not cause a tract of dry land to swallow you, or release the deadly winds of a storm upon you, from which you will find no one to protect you?

17:69  Or can you even conceive of being certain that He will not make you go back to sea, and then release a raging hurricane upon you that will drown you for your lack of faith? You will find no one who will support you.

17:70  We have honored the children of Adam, and carried them over land and sea, and provided sustenance for them out of life's good things, and favored them to a far greater extent than most of Our creation.

17:71  On that day We will call all human beings to judgment with their book of deeds. Those who are given their book in their right hand will read their book and will not be wronged not even by so much as a hair's breadth.

17:72  For whoever [refuses to see, and so] is blind in this world, will also be blind in the life to come, and still farther away from the [straight] path.

17:73  [Prophet] they almost succeeded in tempting you to stray from [the Truth] that We have revealed to you, and to declare something else in Our name. In that case, they would have made you their friend.

17:74  Had We not kept you steadfast, you would have almost begun to lean a little towards them.

17:75  Had this happened, We would have made you doubly punished in life and doubly punished after death. You would have found no one to support you against Us!

17:76  And they stirred you up enough and almost succeeded in driving you away from the land, but had they succeeded, they would have remained only briefly after you were gone.

17:77  Nothing has changed. It was this way with the messengers We sent before you. You will find no changes in Our ways.

17:78  Establish prayer from the time the sun declines until the darkening of the night, and also [remember] the [Qur'an) recitation at dawn. The dawn recitation is certainly witnessed [by Us].

17:79  Pray during the night, an extra voluntary prayer, as it may well be that your Lord will elevate you to a praiseworthy status.

17:80  Say, "My Lord, Cause me to enter [in all I do] with truth, and cause me to finish with truth, and grant me strength out of Your sustaining grace."

17:81  And say, "The Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished, for, falsehood is bound to vanish.

17:82  We send down from the Qur'an what is a healing and mercy to the believers. And it only increases the unjust in their loss:

17:83  for, when We bless a human being, he turns away, and arrogantly distances himself; and when he encounters calamity he despairs.

17:84  Say, "Each one acts in a manner reflecting his own character. Your Lord is fully aware as to who is guided to the best path."

17:85  And they will ask you about the spirit. Say, "The spirit is within my Lord's domain, and you have been given but little knowledge

17:86  And if We so desired, We could easily take away whatever We have revealed to you, and in that [case] you would not find anyone to plead your case with us

17:87  other than mercy from your Lord, His favor towards you is huge!

17:88  Say, "If all people and all Jinn would band together with the intent of generating the likes of this Qur'an, they, would never be able to come out with anything like it, even if they backed each other up.

17:89  We have mentioned in this Qur'an every kind of example to benefit people. However, most of the people persist in rejecting the truth.

17:90  And so they say, "We will not believe you [Prophet] until you cause a spring to gush up from the earth;

17:91  or, unless you have a garden of dates and grapes and cause rivers to pour through it abundantly.

17:92  Or, until the skies fall down upon us-crushing us, as you have threatened to do. Or [until] you bring God and the angels face to face before us,

17:93  or, to have a house of gold or you go to heaven-but we would not even believe in your ascension unless you return with a book that we can read! "Say, "May my Lord be exalted in His glory, am I other than a man appointed as a messenger?"

17:94  Yet nothing has prevented people from believing whenever guidance was sent to them, except for their saying, " Has God sent a mere mortal man as His Messenger?"

17:95  Say, "If angels walked the earth feeling at home, We would have then sent down an angel from heaven as Our Messenger."

17:96  Say, "God is sufficient witness between you and me; truly, he is fully aware of His worshipers and He sees all."

17:97  Whoever God guides is truly guided, but for those whom God allows to stray you will not find any protection for them apart from Him. We will gather them on the Day of Resurrection, flat on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf, with Hell as their [ultimate] dwelling; Whenever the fire subsides, We will increase it for them.

17:98  This will be their reward for having rejected Our signs and for having said, "After We will have become bones and dust, will we, be raised up then as a new creation?"

17:99  Don't they see that God, Who created the heavens and the earth, has the power to create another just like them, and to assign a fixed term for them of which there is no doubt?" But the unjust refuse to accept anything except to reject the truth.

17:100  Say, "If you were to possess the vast storehouses of my Lord's mercy, you would still hold on to them, fearing they run out. Man has always been tightfisted

17:101  We gave Moses nine self-evident signs. So, ask the Children of Israel [to tell you what happened] when Moses came to them [appealing to Pharaoh on their behalf) , and Pharaoh responded to him, "Truly, Moses, I think you are engaged in witchcraft."

17:102  And [Moses] answered: "You know very well that no one but the Lord of heavens and earth can produce such miracles, as evidence so that you may see. So, Pharaoh, [since you have chosen rather to reject what you see], I know you are utterly lost."

17:103  And then Pharaoh wanted to wipe [the Children of Israel] from the face of the earth, and We subsequently caused Pharaoh and all who joined him to drown.

17:104  And after that, We told the Children of Israel, "Dwell safely on earth, but always [remember that] when the promise of the Last Day is due, We will bring you forth as [a part of] a diverse multitude."

17:105  We sent down the Qur'an with the Truth and with Truth it has come down. We only sent you [Prophet] to bring good news and to give a warning

17:106  with a Qur'an which We have revealed gradually, so that you may read it to the people slowly, with reflection. We have sent it down with the actual words of God in the format that He chose.

17:107  Say, "Believe it or do not believe it." When it is recited to those who have been given knowledge before, they fall down on their faces in prostration,

17:108  saying, 'May our Lord be exalted in His glory! Truly, our Lord has fulfilled His promise'

17:109  and they fall down, weeping. It [the Qur'an] fills them with humility"

17:110  Say, "Call on God; or call on the Merciful-to-all. By whichever name you call upon [Him], the most beautiful names are His! And pray, not screaming or whispering, but in a moderate voice,

17:111  and say, "All praise be to God, who has had no son and who has no partner in His kingdom, and who needs no protector from disgrace!" And proclaim His immeasurable greatness.