| | Linda “iLHam” Barto rendition of Surah Children of Israel, The Israelites(al-Isra`)
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| 17:1 | | Glory to the One who took His servant [for a journey] by night from the Haram Mosque [in Mecca] to the Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem]. We blessed those precincts in order that We might show him some of Our signs. He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing. |
| 17:2 | | We gave Moses the Book [of Torah] and made it a guide to the Children of Israel: Do not take other than Me as disposer of affairs. |
| 17:3 | | Descendants of those We delivered along with Noah, truly he was a most grateful servant. |
| 17:4 | | We gave warning to the Children of Israel in the (Bible) that twice they would cause corruption upon the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance. |
| 17:5 | | When the first of the two predictions came to pass, We sent against you Our servants prone to terrible warfare. They entered the privacy of your homes, and it was a prophecy fulfilled. |
| 17:6 | | We then granted you victory against them. We gave you increase in resources and children and made you more numerous. |
| 17:7 | | If you did well, you did well for your own benefit. If you did evil, it was for your own demise. When the second prediction came to pass, (your enemies) disgraced you and entered the Temple as they had done before. They destroyed everything they touched. |
| 17:8 | | It may be that your Lord may show mercy to you, but if you regress, We shall regress. We have made Hell a prison for unbelievers. |
| 17:9 | | Truly, this Qur’an guides to that which is most righteous. It gives good news to the believers who perform deeds of righteousness. They shall have a wonderful reward. |
| 17:10 | | As for those who do not believe in the hereafter, We have prepared for them a horrible punishment. |
| 17:11 | | Humanity prays for evil just as he/she prays for good, and humanity is impatient. |
| 17:12 | | We made the night and the day as two signs. We made the sign of night to mean ‘obscurity,’ and We made the sign of day to mean ‘enlightenment.’ Thus you may seek bounty from your Lord, as well as be knowledgeable of the number and calculation of the years. We have explained all things in detail. |
| 17:13 | | We have fastened every person’s fate around his/her own neck. On the Day of Judgment, We will bring him/her a scroll, and he/she will see it unrolled. |
| 17:14 | | “Read your record! This day your own soul is sufficient to make an account against you.” |
| 17:15 | | Whoever accepts guidance receives it for his/her own benefit. Whoever goes astray does so at his/her own loss. No tote-bearer may carry the burden of another. We will not, however, manifest Our wrath until We have sent a messenger [to each society]. |
| 17:16 | | When We decide to destroy a population, We send a definite order to those among them who are blessed but still sin so that the word is proven true against them. Then We completely destroy them. |
| 17:17 | | How many generations have We destroyed since Noah? Your Lord is sufficient to take note and witness the sins of His servants. |
| 17:18 | | As for whoever desires the temporal things, We readily grant things as We will to whom We will. In the end, We have provided Hell for him/her. He/she will burn, disgraced and rejected. |
| 17:19 | | As for those who desire the hereafter and strive for it with a relevant struggle and have faith, they are the ones for whom the struggle is acceptable. |
| 17:20 | | From the bounties of your Lord, We bestow freely on all –these as well as those. The bounties of your Lord are not restricted. |
| 17:21 | | See how We have bestowed more on some than on others. Truly, the hereafter is greater in status and finer in excellence. |
| 17:22 | | Do not accept with Allah another god, or you will sit disgraced and forsaken. |
| 17:23 | | Your Lord has decreed that you worship no one but Him and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them live to attain old age, never say an unkind word to them. Do not reject them. Address them in terms of honor. |
| 17:24 | | Out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility. Say, “My Lord, have mercy on them as they cherished me in childhood.” |
| 17:25 | | Your Lord knows better than anyone what is in your hearts. If you live righteously, truly He is Most Forgiving to those who repeatedly repent to Him. |
| 17:26 | | Render civil rights to your relatives, those in need, and those far from home. Do not, however, squander your resources. |
| 17:27 | | Truly, wasters are patrons of the evil spirits, and Satan is ungrateful to his Lord. |
| 17:28 | | Even if you have to reject them in pursuit of your Lord’s mercy, which you expect, speak to them words of tactful kindness. |
| 17:29 | | Do not make yourself as if your hand were tied to your neck [unwilling to lend a helping hand], but also do not be so giving that you yourself become at fault and destitute. |
| 17:30 | | Truly, your Lord provides sustenance in abundance for whomever He pleases, and He reduces it. He does know and regard all His servants. |
| 17:31 | | Do not destroy your children for financial reasons. We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Truly, killing them is a tremendous sin. |
| 17:32 | | Do not approach unlawful sexual activity. That is shameful! It is an evil, paving the road [to more sin]. |
| 17:33 | | Do not take life, which Allah has made sacred, except for reasons of justice. If anyone is wrongfully killed, We give his/her heirs authority [to demand equity or to forgive], but (an heir) should not exceed limitations in the matter of taking life, as the law already favors him/her. |
| 17:34 | | Do not approach the orphan’s property, except to improve it [ie, invest it], until he/she attains legal age of adulthood. Fulfill every agreement, for each contract will be explored [on the Day of Judgment]. |
| 17:35 | | Give full measure when you measure, and weigh with a balanced scale. That is the most appropriate and the most advantageous in the final determination. |
| 17:36 | | Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart will be questioned. |
| 17:37 | | Do not walk upon the earth with impertinence, because you cannot split the earth asunder or climb the highest mountain. |
| 17:38 | | Of all such things, sin is disgusting in the sight of your Lord. |
| 17:39 | | These are among the wisdom your Lord has revealed to you. Do not accept, along with Allah, another object of worship. If you do, you will be driven to Hell, guilty and scorned. |
| 17:40 | | Has your Lord preferred sons for you, and taken for Himself daughters from among the angels? Truly, you say something that is hideous! |
| 17:41 | | We have given a variety of explanations in the Qur’an so that (the idolaters) may be advised, but only their rebellion increases. |
| 17:42 | | Say, “If there had been gods besides Him, as (the polytheists) claim, then (the lesser gods) would still have to come before the [Heavenly] Throne.” |
| 17:43 | | Glory to Him! He is exalted far above their loftiest claims. |
| 17:44 | | The seven skies and Earth and all beings thereof declare His glory. There is nothing that does not celebrate His praises, but you do not understand such praise. Truly, He is Most Tolerant, Most Forgiving. |
| 17:45 | | When you recite the Qur’an, We put, between you and those who deny the afterlife, an invisible veil. |
| 17:46 | | We cover their hearts so they cannot understand (the Qur’an), and We block their ears. When you honor your Lord only, through the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion. |
| 17:47 | | We know best why they listen when they listen to you and when they meet privately. The wicked say, “You believe in a man who is possessed!” |
| 17:48 | | See what similes they conjure for you [in denigrating Islam], but they have gone astray and will never find their way. |
| 17:49 | | They say, “When we are nothing but bones and dust, will we really be raised as a new creation?” |
| 17:50 | | Say, “Even if you were stones or iron! |
| 17:51 | | Even if you were material, that, in your minds, would be even more difficult!” They will then say, “Who will cause us to return?” Say, “He who first created you!” Then they will shake their heads at you and say, “When will that be?” Say, “Perhaps it will be quite soon. |
| 17:52 | | “It will be on a day when He calls you. You will respond with His praise. You will think it was only a short time.” |
| 17:53 | | Say to My servants that they should speak tactfully, because Satan instigates conflicts among them. Satan is an avowed enemy to humanity. |
| 17:54 | | Your Lord knows you best. If He pleases, He grants you mercy. If He pleases, He sends punishment. We have not sent you [Muhammed] as a guardian over them. |
| 17:55 | | Your Lord knows best all beings of the skies and Earth. We bestowed on some prophets more gifts than on others, and We gave to David the Psalms. |
| 17:56 | | Say, “Call on those [gods] you claim besides Him. They do not have the power to remove your problems from you or to change them.” |
| 17:57 | | Those that they call upon strive to find the way to approach their Lord; that includes those who are nearest. They hope for His mercy and fear His wrath. Truly, the wrath of Your Lord is something to heed. |
| 17:58 | | No population exists that We won’t destroy before the Day of Resurrection or punish with a terrible penalty. That is written in the record. |
| 17:59 | | We refrain from sending signs only because people of former generations treated them as false. We sent a female camel to the Thamud as a visible sign, but they treated her sinfully. We only sent the signs as a warning. |
| 17:60 | | We told you that your Lord truly surrounds these people. We granted the vision which We showed you only as a test for people. The tree cursed in the Qur’an also was [a test for whether the people would believe it]. We warned them, but each warning only led to greater sin. |
| 17:61 | | We said to the angels, “Bow to Adam.” They bowed except Iblis. He said, “Should I bow to the one You made from clay?” |
| 17:62 | | He said, “Look; this [human] is the one You have honored above me. If You will grant me respite until the Day of Resurrection, I will certainly cause his descendants to perish –all but a few.” |
| 17:63 | | (Allah) said, “Go your way! If any of them follow you, truly Hell will be the payment for all of you. It is an ample compensation. |
| 17:64 | | Use your voice to entice whomever you can among them. Assault them with your cavalry and infantry. Be their partner in wealth and children. Promise them anything.” But Satan promises only deceit. |
| 17:65 | | “As for My servants, You will certainly have no authority over them. Your Lord is sufficient as a guardian.” |
| 17:66 | | Your Lord is the One who makes the ship sail for you across the sea so that you may seek His bounty. Truly, He is Most Merciful to you. |
| 17:67 | | When distress grips you at sea, those upon whom you call forsake you except Him. When He delivers you safely to land, you turn away. People are so ungrateful! |
| 17:68 | | Do you feel safe from His causing you to be swallowed beneath the earth? Do you think that He will not send a violent storm against you? You would not be able to find yourself a guardian. |
| 17:69 | | Do you feel safe that He won’t return you to the sea and then send a fierce wind to drown you because of your ingratitude? You would find no helper against Us. |
| 17:70 | | Certainly, We have honored the children of Adam. We have provided them with transportation on land and sea. We have given them good things for sustenance. We have favored them above a great part of Our creation. |
| 17:71 | | One day We shall call together all human beings with their [religious] leaders. Whoever is given his/her record in his/her right hand will [be among those who] read their records, and they will not be wronged even the width of a date seed fiber. |
| 17:72 | | Whoever would not see in this world will be blind in the hereafter and more astray from the path. |
| 17:73 | | Their intention has been to tempt you away from that which We revealed to you [Muhammed], and to substitute, in Our name, something quite different. Certainly they would have called you ‘friend’. |
| 17:74 | | If We had not given you fortitude, you may have given-in to them just a little. |
| 17:75 | | In that case, We would have made you experience double [trouble] in this life and double [trouble] in death. Also, You would have found no help against Us. |
| 17:76 | | Their purpose was to scare you off the land in order to evict you. In that case, they would only have pursued you a little while. |
| 17:77 | | That’s what happened with the messengers We sent before you. You will find no change in Our ways. |
| 17:78 | | Establish the ritual prayer at the sun’s decline until the darkness of night. Recite the Qur’an at dawn. Truly, the Qur’an at dawn is always witnessed. |
| 17:79 | | During the night, arise from sleep and pray as an extra credit for yourself. Perhaps your Lord will elevate you to a praiseworthy position. |
| 17:80 | | Say, “My Lord, may my entry be an entrance of truth and honor, and may my leaving be an exit of truth and honor. Grant me from Your presence a sustaining power.” |
| 17:81 | | Say, “Truth has arrived, and falsehood has perished. Truly, falsehood is doomed to perish.” |
| 17:82 | | We send down in the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy for the believers. For the sinners, it increases nothing but loss. |
| 17:83 | | When We bestow Our blessings upon a person, he/she turns away and becomes distant. When tragedy grabs him/her, he/she succumbs to despair. |
| 17:84 | | Say, “Everyone acts according to his/her own character, but your Lord knows best who is best guided on the way.” |
| 17:85 | | They ask you [Prophet Muhammed] about the Spirit. Tell them, “The Spirit is commanded by my Lord. Only a little knowledge is communicated to you.” |
| 17:86 | | If We wanted, We could take back what We have sent you by inspiration, and then you would find no one to plead your case against Us. |
| 17:87 | | The exception is from the mercy from your Lord, for His bounty to you is tremendous. |
| 17:88 | | Say, “If all humanity and all spirit-beings were to collaborate on a production like this Qur’an, they could not produce anything like it, even if they coordinated all their efforts.” |
| 17:89 | | We have explained to humanity, in this Qur’an, with every kind of example, but most people are indifferent except with an attitude of spite. |
| 17:90 | | They say, “We will not believe in you [Prophet Muhammed] until you cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth. |
| 17:91 | | “Or until you have a garden of date trees and grapevines and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst, carrying abundant water. |
| 17:92 | | “Or until you cause the sky to fall in pieces, as you predict, against us, or until you bring Allah and the angels to face us. |
| 17:93 | | “Or until you have a house adorned with gold, or until you ascend into the skies. Even then, we won’t believe in your ascension until you bring us a Book ready to read!” Say, “Glory to my Lord! Am I anything more than just a man –a messenger?” |
| 17:94 | | The only thing that kept people from belief after guidance came to them was this: they said, “Has Allah sent only a man as His messenger?” |
| 17:95 | | Say, “If angels inhabited the earth, firmly walking, We would have sent them an angel from Heaven as a messenger.” |
| 17:96 | | Say, “Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you. Indeed, He is Fully Aware of His servants, and All-seeing.” |
| 17:97 | | The one whom Allah guides is on true guidance. As for the one who is left astray, you will find no protector besides Him. On the Day of Resurrection, We will assemble them. They will be on their faces, unseeing, unspeaking, and unhearing. Their residence will be Hell. Every time (the fire) decreases, We will increase for them the fierceness of the fire. |
| 17:98 | | That is their punishment because they rejected Our signs. They said, “When we are nothing but bones and dust, will we really be raised as a new creation?” |
| 17:99 | | Do they not see that Allah, who created the skies and Earth, has the power to create them again? He has decreed an appointed term about which there is no doubt. The sinners refuse everything except unbelief. |
| 17:100 | | Say, “If you had the treasures of my Lord’s mercy, you would withhold them for fear of exhausting them. Humanity is so stingy!” |
| 17:101 | | To Moses, We gave nine evident signs. Ask the Children of Israel about when he came to them. Pharaoh said to him, “O Moses, I consider you to be possessed.” |
| 17:102 | | (Moses) said, “You know full well that these things have been sent down by none other than the Lord of the skies and Earth as evidence. I consider you, O Pharaoh, doomed to destruction.” |
| 17:103 | | So (Pharaoh) resolved to remove (the Children of Israel) from the face of the earth, but We drowned him and all those with him. |
| 17:104 | | After that, We said to the Children of Israel, “Live in the land.” When the promise of the afterlife comes to pass, We will assemble you in a diverse crowd. |
| 17:105 | | We bestowed (the Qur’an) in truth, and in truth has it descended. We sent you [Prophet Muhammed] only to give good news and to warn. |
| 17:106 | | A Qur’an, which We have divided so you may recite to people at intervals, is what We have revealed in parts. |
| 17:107 | | Say, “Whether you believe in it or not, indeed those who were given knowledge before (this Qur’an) fall on their faces in prostration when it is recited to them. |
| 17:108 | | They say, ‘Glory to our Lord! Truly, the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled.’ |
| 17:109 | | “They fall on their faces in tears, and it increases their humility.” |
| 17:110 | | Say, “Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Gracious, or by whatever name you call upon Him, for to Him belong the most beautiful names. Do not speak your prayers too loudly or too softly, but seek a moderate tone.” |
| 17:111 | | Say, “Praise Allah, the One who begets no son and has no partner in dominion and needs none to protect Him from humiliation. Magnify Him for His magnificence.” |
