| | Hamid S. Aziz rendition of Surah Children of Israel, The Israelites(al-Isra`)
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| 17:1 | | Glorified be He Who carried His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Remote Mosque, the neighbourhood of which We have blessed, to show him of Our Signs. Verily, He is the Hearer and the Seer |
| 17:2 | | And We gave Moses the Book (Scripture) and made it a guidance to the Children of Israel, saying: "Take you no guardian besides Me." |
| 17:3 | | (They were) The seed of those We carried with Noah (in the ark). Verily, he was a thankful servant |
| 17:4 | | And We clearly warned the Children of Israel in the Book, "You shall verily do evil in the earth twice, and you shall become great tyrants (or elated with pride)." |
| 17:5 | | And when the first of the two came, We sent against you Our servants given to great violence. They entered the inner most parts of your homes; and it was a fulfiled warning |
| 17:6 | | Then We rallied you once more against them, and aided you with resources and sons, and made you a numerous band |
| 17:7 | | If you do well, you do well to your own souls; and if you do evil, you do it against your own souls. And when the second warning came, We permitted your enemies to disfigure your faces and to enter your Temple as they had entered it the first time, and t |
| 17:8 | | It may be that your Lord will yet have mercy on you. But if you revert to wrongdoing We will revert to punishment, and We have made Hell a prison for the faithless |
| 17:9 | | Verily, this Quran does guide to the Straight Way, and gives glad tidings to the believers who do work righteousness, that for them is a great reward |
| 17:10 | | And that for those who believe not in the Hereafter, We have prepared a mighty doom |
| 17:11 | | Man prays for evil as (or when) he prays for good (or he makes his prayer evil or prays for evil when it should be for good); for man was ever hasty (or impatient or superficial) |
| 17:12 | | We made the night and the day two signs; and We make dark the sign of the night and make the sign of the day sight-giving, that you may seek the bounty of your Lord, and that you may calculate the years and the reckoning; and We have expounded everything |
| 17:13 | | And every man´s augury (fate) have We fastened on his own neck; and We will bring forth for him on the Day of Judgment a book offered to him wide open |
| 17:14 | | (It will be said to him) "Read your book. Your soul suffices as reckoner against you this day." |
| 17:15 | | He who accepts guidance (or does right), accepts it only for his own soul: and he who errs, errs only against it; nor shall one burdened soul bear the burden of another. Nor would We punish until we had sent a Messenger (with warnings) |
| 17:16 | | And when We desire to destroy a people We send commands to the opulent ones thereof who yet work abomination therein; and then due sentence is pronounced; and We destroyed it utterly |
| 17:17 | | How many generations have We destroyed after Noah. Your Lord is sufficient as Knower and Beholder of the sins of his servant |
| 17:18 | | Whoever is desirous of this life that soon passes away, We will hasten on for him therein what We please for whom We please. Then We will make hell for him to broil in - despised and outcast (or condemned, disgraced and rejected) |
| 17:19 | | But whoever desires the Hereafter, and strives for it with the necessary effort, for such, their striving shall find favour |
| 17:20 | | To each do We supply, both these and those (the just and the unjust), from the bounty of your Lord; for the bounty of your Lord are not restricted |
| 17:21 | | See how We have preferred some of them over others, and verily, the Hereafter will be greater in degree and greater in preference |
| 17:22 | | Set not up with Allah other gods, or you will sit despised and forsaken |
| 17:23 | | Your Lord has decreed that you serve none other than Him; and that you show kindness to parents. If one or both of them reach old age with you, say not unto them, "Fie!", nor repulse them, but speak to them graciously and kindly |
| 17:24 | | And lower to them the wing of humility out of compassion, and say, "O Lord! Have compassion on them both for they did take care of me when I was little!" |
| 17:25 | | Your Lord is best aware of what is in your souls. If you be righteous, lo! He was ever Forgiving unto those who turn back penitent |
| 17:26 | | And give your kinsman his due and the needy and the son of the road (wayfarer); and squander (waste) not your wealth in wantonness |
| 17:27 | | Lo! The squanderers were ever brothers of the devil; and the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord |
| 17:28 | | But if you do turn away from them to seek after mercy from your Lord, which you hope for, then speak to them in easy words (kindly and reasonably) |
| 17:29 | | Let not your hand be fettered to your neck (i.e. selfish and tight fisted), nor yet spread it out quite open, lest you should have to sit down blamed and destitute |
| 17:30 | | Verily, your Lord spreads out provision to whomsoever He will or He restricts it. Verily, He is ever Knower and Seer of his servants |
| 17:31 | | And slay not your children for fear of poverty; We will provide for them and for you. Beware! For to slay them is ever a Great Sin |
| 17:32 | | And draw not near to adultery (and fornication); verily, it is ever an abomination, and evil is the way thereof (it opens the way to other evils) |
| 17:33 | | And slay not the soul that Allah has forbidden you (or made sacred), except for just cause; for he who is slain unjustly We have given authority to his heirs (or kin), yet let him not commit excess in slaying; verily, he will be helped |
| 17:34 | | And draw not near to the wealth of the orphan, save to improve it, until he reaches the age of puberty, and fulfil your covenants (or agreements, contracts etc.). Verily, every covenant will be inquired into (on the Day of Judgment) |
| 17:35 | | And give full measure when you measure out, and weigh with a right balance; that is better and fairer in the final determination |
| 17:36 | | And follow (or pursue) not that of which you have no knowledge; verily, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, of all of these it shall be asked (to give an account) |
| 17:37 | | And walk not on the earth proudly (insolently); verily, you can not rend the earth asunder, nor can you stretch to the height of the mountains |
| 17:38 | | All this evil is abhorrent in the sight of your Lord |
| 17:39 | | These are among the things of wisdom which your Lord has inspired you with. Take not then with Allah other gods (objects of worship), lest you should be thrown into Hell reproached and outcast (rejected) |
| 17:40 | | What! Has your Lord preferred for you sons, and taken for Himself daughters from among the angels? Truly, you are uttering a dreadful saying |
| 17:41 | | Now have We explained in various ways in this Quran in order that they may receive admonition, but it only increases them in naught but aversion (or flight from truth) |
| 17:42 | | Say, "Were there with Him other gods, as you say, then would they seek a way against (or to) the Lord of the Throne." |
| 17:43 | | Glory to Him! High is He, far exalted above all they say |
| 17:44 | | The seven heavens and the earth, and all that is therein praises Him (declares His Glory), and there is naught but hymns (celebrates, expresses) His praise: but you understand not their praise. Verily, He is Clement and Forgiving |
| 17:45 | | And when you read the Quran We place between you and those who believe not in the Hereafter an invisible veil (or hidden barrier) |
| 17:46 | | And We place covers upon their heart, lest they should understand it, and deafness in their ears. And when you do mention your Lord alone in the Quran they turn their backs in aversion |
| 17:47 | | We know best what they listen for when they give ear to you; and when they whisper apart (or meet in secret or private discussions or conferences) when the wrong-doers say, "You only follow a man bewitched." |
| 17:48 | | Behold, what similitudes they strike out for you, but they err (or have gone astray), and cannot find the way |
| 17:49 | | They say, "What! When we have become bones and dust are we to be raised up a new creature?" |
| 17:50 | | Say, "Be you stones, or iron |
| 17:51 | | "Or a created thing which, in your mind, is greater (or harder to reproduce) yet you shall be raised" Then they shall say, "Who is to restore us?" Say, "He who originated you at first;" Then they will wag their heads and say |
| 17:52 | | The day when He shall call on you and you shall answer with praise to Him, they will think that they have tarried but a little while |
| 17:53 | | And tell My servants to speak only that which is best (kindly, reasonably, truthfully, beautifully, usefully to enemy, friend and relative). Truly, Satan does sow dissension (or ill will) among them, for Satan is ever unto man an open foe |
| 17:54 | | Your Lord is best aware; if He please He will have mercy upon you, or if He please He will punish you. We have not sent you to take charge of them |
| 17:55 | | And your Lord is best aware of all who are in the heavens and the earth. We preferred (or bestowed on) some of the prophets more (and different gifts) than on others, and to David did We give the Psalms |
| 17:56 | | Say, "Call on those other than Allah whom you assume to be gods." But they have no power to remove distress from you, nor to change it |
| 17:57 | | Those on whom they call, themselves seek for a means of approaching to their Lord, to see which of them is nearest: and they hope for His mercy and they fear His doom; verily, the doom of your Lord is to be shunned |
| 17:58 | | There is no community but We will destroy it before the Day of Judgment, or punish it with dire penalty. That is inscribed in the Eternal Book |
| 17:59 | | Naught hindered us from sending you with signs, save that those of yore denied them; so We gave Thamud the visible she-camel, but they treated her wrongfully (or ignorantly) and We send not (or any one with) signs save to warn |
| 17:60 | | And when We said to you, "Verily, your Lord encompasses mankind!" and We granted the Vision which We showed you only as a trial unto men - and also the Cursed Tree (mentioned) in the Quran (See 44:43-49, 37:62-65); for We put warning (or fright |
| 17:61 | | And when We said to the angels, "Bow down before Adam;" and they bowed, save Iblis, who said, "Am I to bow before one whom Thou hast created out of clay (rigid and inert))?" |
| 17:62 | | Said he, "Do you see this one whom Thou hast honoured above me? Verily, if Thou should reprieve me until the Day of Resurrection (or Judgment), I will of a surety utterly destroy his seed except a few." |
| 17:63 | | He (Allah) said, "Be gone and whoever of them follows you. Verily, hell is your recompense, an ample recompense |
| 17:64 | | "Entice away whomever of them you can with your voice; and urge your horse and your foot against them; and share with them in their wealth and their children; and make them promises. But Satan promises them naught but deceit |
| 17:65 | | "Verily, over My servants, you have no authority, and your Lord is guardian enough over them!" |
| 17:66 | | It is your Lord who drives the ships for you upon the sea that you may seek of His bounty. Verily, He is ever Merciful towards you |
| 17:67 | | And when distress touches you in the sea, all those whom you call on fail you, except Him, but when He has brought you safe to shore, you turn away; for man is ever ungrateful |
| 17:68 | | Are ye, then sure (do you feel secure) that He will not cause a slope of the land to swallow you, or set upon you a heavy sand-storm, and then you will find no protector |
| 17:69 | | Or are you sure that He will not send you back therein another time, and send against you a violent wind, and drown you for your thanklessness, and then you will find no helper against Us therein |
| 17:70 | | But We have been gracious to the children of Adam, and We have borne them by land and sea, and have provided them with good things, and have preferred them over many that We have created |
| 17:71 | | On the Day when We will summon all men by their record (or leaders or scriptures); and he whose book (of records) is given in his right hand shall read it (with joy), nor shall they be wronged a straw |
| 17:72 | | But he who in this life is blind shall be blind in the Hereafter, and err farther from the way |
| 17:73 | | They strove hard to beguile you from what We inspired you with, that you should invent against Us something else, and then they would have taken you for a friend |
| 17:74 | | And had it not been that We made you firm, you would have almost inclined towards them a little (made concessions, compromises) |
| 17:75 | | Then would We have made you taste of punishment of both of life and death, and you would not have found a helper against Us |
| 17:76 | | And they wished to scare you away from the land, to drive you forth there from; but then they would not have stayed after you except a little while |
| 17:77 | | (This is) The way of those of Our prophets whom We have sent before you; and you shall find no change in Our way |
| 17:78 | | Be you steadfast in prayer from the declining of the sun until the dark of the night, and the recital of the Quran at dawn; verily, the recital of the dawn is especially witnessed (or effective) |
| 17:79 | | And for some part of the night, watch you therein as an extra service (or for spiritual profit). It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised (or glorious) station |
| 17:80 | | And say, "O my Lord! Make my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honour; and make my exit be likewise by the Gate of Truth and Honour; and grant me from Thee an authority to aid me." |
| 17:81 | | And say, "Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished! Verily, falsehood is ever bound to vanish." |
| 17:82 | | And We will send down of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, though it only increases the wrong-doers in ruin |
| 17:83 | | And when We favour man he turns away and is averse, but when evil touches him he is in despair |
| 17:84 | | Say, "Every one acts after his own manner, but your Lord is best aware of who is most guided on the way." |
| 17:85 | | They will ask you about the Spirit. Say, "The Spirit is (or comes) by the command of my Lord, and you are given but a little knowledge (or control) thereof." |
| 17:86 | | If We had wished We would have taken away that with which We have inspired you; then you would have found no guardian against us |
| 17:87 | | Unless by a mercy from your Lord, verily, His grace towards you is great |
| 17:88 | | Say, "If mankind and jinn united together to bring the like of this Quran, they could not produce its like, though they should help each other." |
| 17:89 | | We have displayed for mankind in this Quran all kinds of similitudes; but most of mankind refuse anything but disbelief |
| 17:90 | | And they say, "We will by no means believe in you, until you cause to gush forth for us a fountain from the earth |
| 17:91 | | Or there be made for you a garden of palms and grapes, and rivers come gushing out amidst them |
| 17:92 | | Or you make the sky to fall down upon us in pieces, as you have warned; or you bring us Allah and the angels before us face to face |
| 17:93 | | Or there be made for you a house of gold; or you climb up into the heaven; and even then We will not believe in your climbing there, until you send down on us a book that we may read!" Say, "Glory to my Lord! Am I aught but a mortal, a Messeng |
| 17:94 | | Naught prevents men from believing when the guidance came to them, save their saying, "Has Allah sent a mortal for a messenger?" |
| 17:95 | | Say, "Had there been on the earth settled angels walking about, then We would surely have sent them an angel as a messenger." |
| 17:96 | | Say, "Allah is sufficient witness between me and you; verily, He is Knower, Seer of His servants." |
| 17:97 | | He whom Allah guides, he is indeed guided; and he whom Allah leads astray, you shall never find patrons for them beside Him; and We will assemble them on the Day of Resurrection upon their faces, blind, and dumb, and deaf; their resort is Hell; whenever |
| 17:98 | | That is their reward for that they disbelieved in Our revelations, and said, "What! When we are bones and dust, shall we then be raised up a new creation?" |
| 17:99 | | Could they not see that Allah who created the heavens and the earth is able to create the like of them, and to set for them an appointed time; there is no doubt therein? Yet the wrong-doers refuse to accept it, save ungratefully |
| 17:100 | | Say, "If you did control the treasuries of the mercy of my Lord, then you would hold them back for fear of spending; for man is ever niggardly!" |
| 17:101 | | And We did bring Moses nine manifest signs; but ask the children of Israel how he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him, "Verily, I think, O Moses! You are bewitched." |
| 17:102 | | He said, "In truth you know well that none sent down these signs save the Lord of the heavens and the earth as proofs; and, verily, O Pharaoh! I think you are doomed to ruin." |
| 17:103 | | And he desired to drive them out of the land; but We drowned him and those with him, one and all |
| 17:104 | | And after him We said to the children of Israel, "Dwell you secure in the land (of promise)"; but when the promise of the Hereafter (or the second warning) comes to pass, We will bring you back as a crowd gathered out of various nations |
| 17:105 | | With truth have We sent it (the Quran) down, and with truth has it descended; and We have not sent you as ought but a herald of glad tidings and a Warner |
| 17:106 | | And it is a Quran which We have divided, that you may read it to mankind at intervals, and We have revealed it by successive revelations." |
| 17:107 | | Say, "Believe you therein, or believe not; verily, those who were given the knowledge before it, when it is read to them fall down prostrate upon their faces, adoring |
| 17:108 | | Saying, "Glory to our Lord! Verily, the promise of our Lord is ever fulfiled" |
| 17:109 | | They fall down upon their faces weeping, and it increases their humility |
| 17:110 | | Say, "Call unto Allah, or call on Rahman (the Beneficent), unto whichever you call it is the same; for His are the most beautiful names." And do not say your prayers loud-voiced, nor yet silently, but seek a way between these |
| 17:111 | | And say, "Praise belongs to Allah, who has not taken to Himself a son, and He has no partner in the Sovereignty (or Dominion), nor needs He a patron to protect Him from such abasement (or from humiliation)." And magnify Him for His greatness an |
