29:1  Alif Lam Meem,

29:2  do people think that they will be left to say, "We believe," without being tested?

29:3  We have tested those who lived before them, so God will note those who prove to be truthful, and will note the liars.

29:4  Or do those who do bad deeds think they can escape Us? [That is] bad judgment on their part.

29:5  As for those who look forward to meeting God, God's appointed time is coming. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

29:6  And whoever strives, strives only to benefit himself, for God is rich beyond any needs of the worlds.

29:7  As for those who believe and do good deeds, We will remove their bad deeds and will reward them according to the best of what they have done.

29:8  We have commanded people to honor their parents; But do not obey them if they try to make you serve anything besides Me of which you have no knowledge, for you will all return to me, and I will tell you about everything you have done.

29:9  Those who believe and do good deeds, We will admit them with the righteous [into Paradise].

29:10  Some people say, "We believe in God," but when one [of them] is harmed for God's sake, they consider human persecution to be as severe as God's punishment. But if victory comes from your Lord, they say, "We were always with you." Does God not know what is in everyone's heart?

29:11  God will surely note the believers, and will note the hypocrites.

29:12  The unbelievers said to the believers, "Follow our way, and We will bear your sins." But they will not bear any of their sins. They are liars.

29:13  They will surely carry their own burdens, and other burdens along with their burdens, and they will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection about their false assertions.

29:14  We sent Noah to [call] his people [to God]. He remained among them a thousand years minus fifty, and the flood seized them while they were unjust.

29:15  But We saved him and the ark's occupants, and We made it a sign for the worlds.

29:16  And [We sent] Abraham, who called on his people, "Worship God and be always mindful of Him. That is best for you if you should know.

29:17  You worship mere idols instead of God; they are man-made lies. Those you worship instead of God do not have the ability to provide for you. So seek provision from God and worship Him and be grateful to Him. You will all be returned to Him."

29:18  If you deny [Our message], there are nations before you who have denied it. The Messenger is only responsible for clear transmission.

29:19  Have they not considered how God begins creation and then repeats it? That, for God, is easy.

29:20  Say, "Travel throughout the earth and observe how He brings life into being. Then God will bring the next life into being, for God has power over all things."

29:21  He punishes whom He wills and has mercy on whom He wills, and you will all be returned to Him.

29:22  You will never be beyond His reach on earth or in the heaven, and you have none other than God to protect you or help you.

29:23  Those who deny God's signs and their preordained meeting with Him-they have lost hope of My mercy, and they will have a painful punishment.

29:24  The only answer of [Abraham's] people was "Kill him or burn him," but God saved him from the fire. In that there are signs for people who believe.

29:25  [Abraham] said, "You have chosen [to worship] idols other than God, but your bond of affection with them will be only in this worldly life. On the Day of Resurrection, you will deny and curse one another, and your refuge will be the Fire, [where] you will have no helpers."

29:26  Lot believed him. He said, "I will flee to my Lord, He is the Almighty, the Wise."

29:27  And We gave Isaac and Jacob to Abraham, and placed prophets and the Book among his descendants. We gave him his reward in this world, and he is in the Hereafter among the righteous.

29:28  And Lot, when he said to his people, "You commit such outrageous immoral acts that no one else in the world ever committed before you.

29:29  You lust after men, obstruct nature's way, and commit [every] shameful act in your gatherings." His people's answer was: "Bring us God's punishment if what you say is true."

29:30  He said, "My Lord, support me against these wicked people."

29:31  And when Our Messengers came to Abraham with the good news, [of Isaac's birth] they also said, "We will destroy the people of that town. Its people have been wicked."

29:32  [Abraham] said, "But Lot is there." They said, "We know who is there better than you do. We will save him and his family, except for his wife. She is to be among those who remain behind."

29:33  And when Our Messengers came to Lot, they were mistreated, and he was troubled and distressed on their account, because he felt powerless to protect them. They said, "Fear not, nor grieve. We will save you and your family, except your wife; she's among those who will remain behind.

29:34  We will bring down punishment from the sky on the people of this town because they have deviated [from God's orders]."

29:35  We have a remnant of that town as clear evidence for people who use their reason.

29:36  And to Midian [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb, who told them, "My people, worship God, and look forward to the Last Day, and do not spread wickedness on the earth."

29:37  But they rejected him, so an earthquake seized them, and next morning they lay dead in their homes.

29:38  And Aad and Thamud-what happen to them is obvious to you from their [ruined] dwellings. Satan made their deeds pleasing to them and diverted them from the path [of God] even though they had been able to see the truth.

29:39  [The same fate befell] Korah, Pharaoh and Haman. Moses came to all of them with clear evidence, but they chose to be arrogant on earth, and they couldn't escape Our punishment.

29:40  So We seized each of them for their wrong doing: upon some We sent a storm of stones, and some were seized by a blast [from the sky], and some We caused the earth to swallow, and some We drowned. It was not God who did them an injustice, they did themselves an injustice.

29:41  The example of those who take protectors other than God is like that of the spider that made itself a home, for the weakest of homes is the spider's home. If they only knew.

29:42  God knows whatever they call upon other than Him, for He is the Almighty, the Wise.

29:43  Such examples We offer to people, but only those with knowledge will grasp their meaning.

29:44  God created the heavens and the earth in Truth. There is in that a sign for the believers.

29:45  Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book, and pray. Prayer restrains indecency and wrongdoing, and enhances the remembrance of God. God knows all that you do.

29:46  If you argue with the People of the Book, then argue only in the kindest way, except with those among them who are unjust, and say, "We believe in what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to you. Our God and your God is one; and we are submissive to Him."

29:47  Hence, We have sent down the Book to you [Prophet]. Those to whom We previously gave the Book believe in it, and so do some of these [other] people. No one rejects Our revelations except those who deny an obvious truth.

29:48  You never recited any Book before We revealed this one to you, nor did you ever write one with your own hand. Otherwise, those who try to disprove the truth would have had cause for doubt.

29:49  Rather, the Qur'an is a clear message to the hearts of those who have been given knowledge. No one knowingly rejects Our verses except those who are unjust [to themselves].

29:50  But they say, "Why have no miracles been sent down to him from his Lord?" Say, "The miracles are only with God, and I am only sent to give you a clear warning"

29:51  Isn't it enough for them that We inspired you to recite the Book to them? There is a mercy in this and a reminder for believing people.

29:52  Say, "God is sufficient witness between you and me. He knows what is in the heavens and earth. Those who believe in falsehood and deny God will be the losers."

29:53  They dare you to hasten judgment against them. They would already have received a punishment had its time not already been set [by God], but it will surely come to them suddenly, when they least expect it.

29:54  They dare you to hasten their punishment, but Hell will surely encompass the unbelievers

29:55  on the Day when the punishment will overwhelm them from above them and from beneath their feet, and He will say, "Taste [the result of] what you have done."

29:56  My worshipers who have believed My earth is spacious, so worship only Me.

29:57  Every soul will taste death. Then you will be returned to Us.

29:58  To those who have believed and done righteous deeds, We will assign mansions in Paradise through which rivers flow, where they will remain forever-an excellent reward for those who do good work,

29:59  who have been patient, and who have put their trust in their Lord.

29:60  How many a creature gives no thought to their [own] sustenance, but God provides for them and for you. He is the All-Hearing, the All-knowing.

29:61  If you asked them, "Who created the heavens and earth and made the sun and the moon subservient [to his laws]?" They will say, "God." Then why do they lie about it?

29:62  God gives plenty to anyone He wants, and gives little to anyone He wants. God knows everything.

29:63  And if you asked them, "Who sends down rain from the sky to give life to the earth after it was dead?" They would surely say "God." Say, "Praise be to God;" but most of them do not think.

29:64  The life of this world is only diversion and amusement, whereas the true life is in the Hereafter. If they only knew.

29:65  When they board a ship, they pray to God, dedicating their faith to him alone, but when He delivers them safely to shore, at once they associate others with Him.

29:66  So let them deny what We have given them, and let them enjoy themselves, they will soon know.

29:67  Do they not see that We have made [Mecca] a secure sanctuary, while, all around them, people are being taken away? How is it possible that they still believe in falsehood and deny the blessings of God?

29:68  Who is more unjust than one who invents lies about God or denies the Truth when it has come to him? Is there not [sufficient] room in Hell for the unbelievers?

29:69  But those who strive for Our cause, We will surely guide them in Our ways. Truly, God is with those who do good.