| | Bijan Moeinian rendition of Surah Jonah(Yunus)
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| 10:1 | | A.L.R. These are the words of the Most Wise Book |
| 10:2 | | Is it really a strange thing that I (God) should reveal my Words to an ordinary person (like Mohammad), in order to warn people of the consequence of their actions and to give good news to the believers about their rewards? Why that is then the disbelievers say: “This book is nothing but a sorcery?&rdquo |
| 10:3 | | Your Creator is God: The One Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods. Then He assumed the control of His creation. Know that He is in control of everything. No one can intercede on behalf of someone else, before obtaining His permission to intercede first. Such is God your Creator. You should worship none but your Lord; Do you not get the message |
| 10:4 | | Every one will eventually return to God. This is the true promise of your Lord. His creation recreates itself so that He may reward those who [have been equal and similar in creation and have chosen to] believe and adopt a righteous way of life. As for those who choose the disbelief, they will end up to drink a boiling dirty liquid in Hell as a part of their awful punishment |
| 10:5 | | He is the One Who has made the sun a source of light and the moon to reflect the light. He has made the phases of moon extremely precise so that you may calculate your years and dates. God has not created all this [for fun] but for a specific purpose. See how clearly God explains His revelations for those people who contemplate |
| 10:6 | | Those who avoid the evils, [develop a faculty that enables them to] see [the natural phenomena such as] the appearance of the night after the passage of the day (as well as whatever God has created in the heavens and the earth) as the signs of the Lord (His existence and His greatness. |
| 10:7 | | Such singes do not mean anything to those who do not believe in their eventual meeting with Me, deeply engaged in their worldly affairs and [like the animals] content with their lives |
| 10:8 | | Such people will earn the Hellfire as their place to live |
| 10:9 | | As for those who have chosen to believe and do good deeds, their Lord will re-enforce their belief, which will lead them to the Paradise where the canals flow under its gardens |
| 10:10 | | In the Paradise they will pray: “Glory to the Lord.” They will be greeted with: “Peace” and their ultimate word of gratefulness will be: “Thank you, Lord of the universe.&rdquo |
| 10:11 | | If the Lord had punished them in proportion to their deep involvement in the worldly affairs, their time would have come long time ago. Yet, I let those who do not believe in their meeting with Me to become deeper involved in their materialistic pursuit [and earn every bit of their punishment.] |
| 10:12 | | When man find himself in an unpleasant situation, he begs Me (no matter in what position: standing, sitting or lying down.) As soon as I [answer his prayer and] relieve him from the hardship, he forgets My favor and goes back to his routine! The sinners’ behavior seems fair to them and is justified by them |
| 10:13 | | Do not forget that, before you, I destroyed [many] nations who had chosen the injustice [not the right path] as their way of life. They chose to disbelieve in their Messengers (whom I had sent with undeniable miracles.) I deal with the criminal people in such a manner [example: Sodom & Gomorrah.] |
| 10:14 | | Now, after them, I have put you in charge on earth to see how you will do |
| 10:15 | | When My straight forward commandments are communicated to them, those (who do not believe that they will meet Me one day) say: “Why do you not fabricate another Qur’an and put in it such and such things to please us?” Answer: “I have not fabricated this Qur’an so that I may re-write it. I do not follow nothing but what is revealed to me. Indeed I am afraid of disobeying my Lord’s commandments and be sentenced to a punishment on the most awesome Day.&rdquo |
| 10:16 | | Say: “If it was not the will of God, I would not have recited any part of this Book to you. You would not even have known about the existence of such a Book. I have lived among you for the longest time [and you know my character and believe in me as a truthful person.] Why do you not use your common-sense?&rdquo |
| 10:17 | | “Who is more evil than the one who fabricates a lie [that you are asking me to do] and then ascribe it to the Lord? Who is more evil than the one who rejects the Lord’s commandments [the way that you are doing]? Such a criminal can never achieve the real success (i.e., earning his place in Paradise. |
| 10:18 | | Those people, instead of worshipping God alone, worship the idols who can neither harm nor benefit them. They say: “These are intermediary between the Lord and us and will ask God to forgive us.” Reply: “Do you want to say that you are aware of the creatures that God Himself is not aware of neither in the heavens nor on earth?” Glory to the Lord; He is far above needing partners |
| 10:19 | | The people were used to belong to only one nation; then they created opposing communities. If it was not the pre-determined will of God (to let them keep their freedom of choice), He would have immediately judged among them [and would have prevented their separation.] |
| 10:20 | | They say: “How come Mohammad’s Lord has not sent a miracle as a sign for his prophet hood?” Reply: “The Lord is the Master of the world of unseen [it is up to Him to bless me with a miracle or not. Besides, did such undeniable miracles of the previous prophet change the attitude of their people?] Well, wait (for this undeniable miracle that you are looking for.) I, too, will wait with you (for the completion of the biggest miracle of all, i.e., this Qur’an. |
| 10:21 | | When I show mercy and save people from a disaster (as the sea was opened to provide a safe passage for the Jews), they [forget such miracle (as the Jews forgot the pass over and started to worship the statue of a cow) and] start devising evil plans against My Revelations [like early Christians who put aside the Lord’s Revelations (presented to them in “Gospel According to Jesus Christ”) and devised their own gospels.) Say to them: “God will devise much more effective plans for you as He has ordered your plans to be written down (and presented against you in the most appropriate time. |
| 10:22 | | You are the same people who enjoy the pleasant wind which moves your ships in the sea. Then, when a strong storm blows upon you from every side, you start begging from the bottom of your heart for a “miracle” and promise that you will be My sincere servants |
| 10:23 | | When the Lord [miraculously] saves you, however, you [go back to your old tricks and] rebel against the Truth. Know that this rebellion of yours harms only your own souls. You are so preoccupied with this world that you forget [that pretty soon] you have to return to your Lord [and imagine the embarrassment at the moment] when your actions are played back to you at the presence of your Lord |
| 10:24 | | The [instability of the] life in this world can be exemplified by the following [true] story: Once upon a time, I sent rain from the sky which caused the crops (which sustains man and animals equally) cover the earth. Then, at the height of the abundance (when the land owners were happy, presuming that they are going to be blessed with an unusual profit), I sent a catastrophe (in the night or the day [whichever you choose]) that all of a sudden destroyed the whole land as though nothing existed there before. See how clearly I make my points for those people who contemplate |
| 10:25 | | God invites you to a peaceful place (not an instable place like earth as mentioned above.) He guides whoever He wills (and deserves) to the right path |
| 10:26 | | Those who have done many good deeds (and earned their Lord’s guidance to the straight path) their rewards will be multiplied [and they will receive much more than they deserve.] Their faces will not reflect any sadness nor disgrace (on the Day of Judgment.) They will live forever in the Paradise |
| 10:27 | | As for those who earned sins, their punishment will be proportional to their wrongdoings (and not many folded like the reward of the righteous people.) They will realize that there is none to save them from the punishment of the Lord. Disgrace will cover them and their face will turn black; as black as the darkness of the night. They were wrong to their souls and have to pay for it by staying in the Hell forever |
| 10:28 | | On the Day that they are all raised, I will ask them: “Where are those whom you referred to as My partners?” Once they confront their gods, the latter will say: “We did not have the least idea that you were worshipping us!&rdquo |
| 10:29 | | “We take God [Who is the best Witness] as our Witness that we did not have the least idea that you were worshipping us.&rdquo |
| 10:30 | | On that Day, every soul will taste what he has earned. Every one will be brought to the presence of his Lord and the gods that they themselves invented, will abandon them |
| 10:31 | | Ask them: “Who provides your means of existence from the sky above (such as oxygen for breathing and rain for cultivation) and the earth below (such as food and running water?) Who has given you the ability to hear and to see? Who makes life appear from death and replaces death with life?” They will answer: “God.” Say: “Why then you do not respect the Lord (and do not obey His Commandments?)&rdquo |
| 10:32 | | As you admit, your true Lord is God. If you are not following the truth, you are naturally following what is wrong. Why are you then following those who are misleading you |
| 10:33 | | These are the true words of your Lord to the corrupt people. What a shame that they do not choose to believe |
| 10:34 | | Ask the disbelievers: “Which one of those whom you worship is capable of creating something out of nothing and then let it recreate itself?” Say: “God is the One Who originates the creation and then [put a mechanism in it and] let it re-produce itself.&rdquo |
| 10:35 | | Ask the disbelievers: “Which one of those whom you worship guides you to the truth?” Say: “It is only God alone who guides you to the truth.” This being clearly stated, ask them: “Who is more worthy to be followed: He Who guides to the truth or the one who cannot guide, unless he himself be guided? What is wrong with you that you cannot use your straight sense of judgment?&rdquo |
| 10:36 | | The fact of the matter is, most of them base their lives on false assumptions. Such assumptions then cannot guide them to the truth [and they are led to evil deeds] and God is aware of their evil deeds |
| 10:37 | | This Qur’an is impossible to have been authored by none but the Lord. It confirms [the intact part of] the previous Scriptures and fully explains the Book [that God has authored to be used as a hand book for mankind’s salvation.] Without any doubt, it is sent by the Lord of the universe |
| 10:38 | | To those who say: “Qur’an is authored by man” say: “write a chapter similar to its chapters and ask for anybody’s help, if you really believe in what you say.&rdquo |
| 10:39 | | The fact of the matter is, they have rejected Qur’an without studying it or contemplating about its verses. The previous disbelievers did the same thing and see where they ended up |
| 10:40 | | Some of these disbelievers believe in the Qur’an’s divine source (and eventually will embrace Islam) and some do not believe in it. Let it be known that God is fully aware of those who have chosen corruption as their way of life |
| 10:41 | | If the disbelievers insist that you are an imposter, say to them: “We are each responsible for our deeds. I am not accountable for what you do and you will not be held responsible for what I do.&rdquo |
| 10:42 | | Among the disbelievers, they are those who (due to their prejudices, have already made up their mind not to hear what you say but) just listen. Can you make the deaf (who is also suffering from lack of understanding) to hear what you say |
| 10:43 | | Some of them look at you; but can you make such blind people who are deprived of the ability of seeing to see |
| 10:44 | | The fact of the matter is, God is never unjust to people (as He has already sent this Qur’an as a sign of His justice and mercy.) They are people themselves who are unjust to themselves (and not obey the Lord’s commandments. |
| 10:45 | | The Day that people are raised, they will have the feeling that they lived on earth for only a few hours in order to become acquainted with each other. The disbelievers among them (who did not believe in their meeting with the Lord) will then realize how much of a looser they have been for not earning the guidance |
| 10:46 | | It does not matter whether You live long enough to see how they will pay for their evil deeds or not live long enough to witness it. The fact of the matter is, they have to return to Me so that I show what evils they have been doing |
| 10:47 | | Every nation is blessed with a prophet (to tell them what is right and what is wrong.) They will be tried at the presence of their own prophet so that no one be unjustly sentenced (for not having heard the truth. |
| 10:48 | | They [open their mouths without thinking and] say: “If you are truthful, subject us to this awful punishment that you are threatening with [not realizing that if they receive the punishment, there will be no time left for avoiding it which is exactly why the prophets are sent.] |
| 10:49 | | Say to them: “I do not have any power of my own to materialize my wishful thinking or to prevent any hardship which I am destined to go through. Whatever is the Will of Lord will happen. Every nation has a destiny; when its time come, it will neither be postponed nor advanced.&rdquo |
| 10:50 | | Say to them: “Suppose the Lord’s punishment [that you are asking to be subjected to as a proof of the existence of God] comes upon you (all of a sudden, at night or during the day), What are you going to do to save yourselves from such punishment then?” Why is it that these criminals are anxious to be sentenced to the punishment as soon as possible |
| 10:51 | | If you see your doom with your own eyes, will you believe then? But how can you then escape from an inescapable event that you asked to happen to you |
| 10:52 | | When the criminals are subjected to their punishment, they will be told: “Now taste this everlasting torture. What else did you expect to earn for your evil deeds?&rdquo |
| 10:53 | | They will ask then: “Is what you say really true?” Respond: “By my Lord it is absolutely true, and you can do nothing to escape from it.&rdquo |
| 10:54 | | Every soul, who has been unjust to himself, will gladly pay whatever in the world he owns, to escape from his doom. When they feel the torture that they have to go through, they will be absolutely sorry for what they have done. They will be judged fairly without the least injustice |
| 10:55 | | The fact of the matter is, whatever there is in the heavens and the earth belongs to the Lord. Know that the Lord’s word is true. What a shame that most disbelievers do not believe Him |
| 10:56 | | God is the One Who gives life and takes the life away and to Him you will all return |
| 10:57 | | O’ mankind, God, hereby, has sent you the Admonition so that you use it as guidance (a set of criteria to distinguish right from wrong.) It is the remedy for your sick souls and indicates how merciful the Lord is to those who choose to believe in Him |
| 10:58 | | Say: “It is in account of the generosity and mercy of the Lord that you have received this Qur’an. May them enjoy it as it is better than what they come up with themselves (such as civil laws. |
| 10:59 | | Say to them: “Have you ever contemplated how God provides all kind of things that your life depends upon them? How come then you make some of them lawful and some of them unlawful for yourselves? Is your decision (to make some lawful and some unlawful) based upon the Lord’s commandments? Why are you falsely ascribing your fabrications to the Lord?&rdquo |
| 10:60 | | What kind of reward these liars (who ascribe their fabrications to the Lord) expect to receive from God on the Day of Resurrection? God is so generous to mankind; what a shame that most of the are so ungrateful |
| 10:61 | | God witnesses whatever you (Mohammad) do; be it reciting from the Qur’an or getting yourself into a situation. God also witnesses whatever everyone else does. There is nothing hidden from the Lord; be it an atom or something, smaller (sub-atomic particles), or bigger than that (the galaxies.) Everything is registered in the Book (computer) of God |
| 10:62 | | Rest assured that the Lord’s friends will not be touched by grief or sadness (in Hereafter. |
| 10:63 | | These are those who believed in God and approached Him with the utmost respect |
| 10:64 | | For such people there is good news (which gives them peace of mind) in this world and joy and happiness in Hereafter. God’s words cannot be changed (neither He changes it nor let man to change it.) Such people have achieved the greatest success |
| 10:65 | | Do not let their remarks put you down. What really counts is the honor that you receive from the Lord (and not a medal or a word of praise from a person.) God Hears and knows everything |
| 10:66 | | Know that all creatures in the heavens and on the earth belong to God. Those who worship others beside God, follow nothing but their fantasies. They have based their lives upon mere assumptions |
| 10:67 | | God is the One Who created the night so that you rest and brightened up the day. Those who listen, find the Lord’s signs in these [taken for granted] phenomena |
| 10:68 | | They say: “God has begotten a son!” Glory to the Lord, He is rich [and like poor mankind is not in need of a child.] To God belongs everything which is in the heavens and on the earth. You have no proof to support such a nonsense. Why do you ascribe something to God while you do not have any knowledge of the subject matter |
| 10:69 | | Say: “Those who fabricate such lies and ascribe them to the Lord, will never succeed.&rdquo |
| 10:70 | | Such people will enjoy the world for a while and then will return to Me. I will then subject them to the most sever punishment for their choosing the disbelief |
| 10:71 | | Recite to them the story of Prophet Noah (as a reminder and a warning.) He said to his people: “Brothers, if you find my position here among you (and my repeated references to the Lord’s revelations) too annoying for you, then I have a suggestion for you. Get together with your leaders, sentence me to whatever you decide. Tell me about your decision immediately [and do not worry about me] as I have put my trust in the Lord |
| 10:72 | | If you have decided to disregard the Lord’s commandments, [it will not make me broke as] I have never expected a compensation for my services for you. My compensation is being paid by God and He has ordered me to be a Muslim (an Arabic word which means submitter to the commandments of the Lord. |
| 10:73 | | Thus, they chose to disbelieve. I saved Noah and those who joined him in the arc and let them to inherit the earth. I drowned those who disregarded My Commandments. Note the consequences; they had already been warned |
| 10:74 | | After Noah, I sent many prophets to his people. They presented undeniable miracles to them, but how can one believe in what he has decided to deny? Thus I seal the hearts of those who pass the limits |
| 10:75 | | Later I sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and his administrators. They were bunch of guilty people who dealt arrogantly with my Revelations |
| 10:76 | | When the truth was presented on My behalf to them, their only response was: “These are clearly the sorceries.&rdquo |
| 10:77 | | Moses said: “Is this the way that you deal with the truth when it is presented to you? Is this magic? The magician cannot (boldly challenge a mighty king and) succeed?&rdquo |
| 10:78 | | They replied: “Have you come to change our style of life which we have inherited from our forefathers? You want to earn a superior position the same way that Joseph earned his way up.] We will not believe in what you say.&rdquo |
| 10:79 | | The Pharaoh said: “Gather the most renown magicians.&rdquo |
| 10:80 | | When the magician gathered, Moses said: “Come with your best tricks.&rdquo |
| 10:81 | | When they were through with their acts, Moses said: “You put a good show of magic on the stage. Now God is going to reveal your tricks; He never supports the mischief makers’ plans.&rdquo |
| 10:82 | | God establishes the truth with His Words [so that the reason prevail], despite the fact that the criminals resent it (the reasoning |
| 10:83 | | What a shame that none believed in Moses except a few youths of his own people. They were afraid of Pharaoh and his administrators’ vindication. Surely, Pharaoh was an arrogant tyrant and the most extravagant |
| 10:84 | | Moses admonished his people saying: “If you believe in God, put your trust in Him. This is the way the Muslims (meaning submitters in Arabic) behave.&rdquo |
| 10:85 | | They replied: “ O’ Lord, we put our trust in you. Please [make our trial easy and] do not try us in hardship caused by the persecution of these unjust people.&rdquo |
| 10:86 | | “Lord, please have mercy and save us from these disbelieving people (of Pharaoh.)&rdquo |
| 10:87 | | I ordered Moses and his brother: “For the moment, devote a few houses of yours for the performance of religious ceremonies. Start worshipping the Lord on regular basis there and let the believers know that the good days are approaching.&rdquo |
| 10:88 | | Moses (probably in one of these congregational prayers) said: “ Our Lord, You have given Pharaoh and his officer’s wealth and luxuries in this world. O Lord, they use their power to push the people off your path. Lord, may you destroy their wealth and make their hearts the most insensitive to the truth so that they refuse to believe and, in consequence, be subjected to the severest punishment.&rdquo |
| 10:89 | | I replied: “Your request has been granted. Show patience and do not follow the paths paved by the ignorant people.&rdquo |
| 10:90 | | Eventually, I led the children of Israel across the [Red] sea. Then Pharaoh and his army followed them [through the passage opened in the sea] with the hostile intention. When Pharaoh was drowning [due to the closure of the passage by the permission of the Lord], he said: “Now I believe that there is no deity but the Lord in whom the children of Israel have believed. Thus, I declare myself to be a Muslim (submitted to the commandments of God.)&rdquo |
| 10:91 | | It was declared: “Now you believe! It is too late, [you had your choice and] you chose rebellion and corruption.&rdquo |
| 10:92 | | “Today, [instead of your soul] your dead body will be saved (still in existence in the form of a mummy) to serve as an example for the succeeding generations. What a shame that most people totally ignore My Signs.&rdquo |
| 10:93 | | Then I let the children of Israel settle in a wonderful land and provided the life’s purest necessities for them. Unfortunately, they started to dispute among themselves, in spite of the knowledge that I had showered them with. For sure, your Lord will pass His Judgment upon them on the Day of Resurrection and will bring to their attention the real reasons for which they were disputing |
| 10:94 | | If you doubt the Divine source of this Book, consult those who have read the previously revealed Scriptures. You will then realize that the Lord has revealed the Truth to you. Therefore, do not doubt a bit |
| 10:95 | | Do not join the losers who chose to disregard the Lord’s Commandments |
| 10:96 | | Those who (in account of their attitude) have already been condemned by God, will never believe |
| 10:97 | | No matter what is presented to them, they will keep on denying. They will believe only when they face the Fire |
| 10:98 | | There was only one community, among the evil doers, who chose to repent and take advantage of the Lord’s mercy; and that was the people of Jonah. When they chose to answer My call, I removed their sufferings and let them enjoy their worldly lives |
| 10:99 | | If it was the will of your Lord, all people of the earth would have believed (yet He wants to try them with their freedom of choice.) Do you still think you can make them all to believe |
| 10:100 | | No soul will believe unless [he proves himself to the Lord and then] God showers him with the blessing of the belief. Those who do not use their faculty of thinking are nothing but the trash in the sight of the Lord |
| 10:101 | | Say to them: “Observe (the main principle of scientific inquiry) what is in the heavens and the earth.” What a shame that all these proofs and warnings will not lead the people to believe |
| 10:102 | | What are the disbelievers waiting for (to believe?) Are they waiting for the evil days experienced by the previous generations [of the evil-doers?] Say to them: “Wait, I am waiting too [ and let us see who will have the last laugh.]&rdquo |
| 10:103 | | When the day of punishment arrives, I will save My Messenger and those who have joined him. This is the way that I have chosen to operate. thus I will save the believers |
| 10:104 | | Say: “O mankind, If you have any doubt about how faithful I am, know that I do not worship those whom you worship beside the Lord. I worship only that God who has the power to take your lives away. I have been ordered to be a believer.&rdquo |
| 10:105 | | I am commanded: “Dedicate yourself to this Faith like an upright man and do not join those who worship beside the Lord.&rdquo |
| 10:106 | | “Invoke none beside God as they have no power and can neither harm you nor be of any benefit to you. If you do so, you have joined those who have been unjust to their own souls.&rdquo |
| 10:107 | | If God decides that you have to go through a hardship, none except He Himself can remove it. Likewise, If He decides to shower you with a blessing, none can deprive you of that favor. He favors whoever among His servants that He wishes; He is the Most Forgiving, He is the Most Merciful |
| 10:108 | | Say: “O mankind, the truth has been revealed to you by your Lord. Whoever takes advantage of this guidance, has been good to himself. Whoever chooses the disbelief, has simply been unjust to his own soul. I (Mohammad) am not appointed as a guardian over you.&rdquo |
| 10:109 | | Follow what is revealed to you and be patient till God passes His Judgment and God is the best Judge |
