| | Linda “iLHam” Barto rendition of Surah The Clans, The Coalition, The Combined Forces, The Allies(al-Ahzab)
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| 33:1 | | O Prophet, fear Allah. Do not pay attention to the unbelievers and hypocrites. Truly, Allah is the All-knowing, the Perfectly Wise. |
| 33:2 | | Follow that which comes to you by inspiration from your Lord. Truly, Allah is Fully Aware of what you do. |
| 33:3 | | Put your trust in Allah. Allah is sufficient as Trustee. |
| 33:4 | | Allah has not made two hearts for any man in his body. He has not made your wives, whom you declare unlawful, as your mothers. He has not made your adopted children [the same as] your [biological] children. Such are the words from your mouths, but Allah speaks truth, and He shows the way. |
| 33:5 | | Attribute them to their [biological] parents; that is better in the sight of Allah. If you don’t know who their parents are, they are your brothers in faith and your friends. No blame is on you if you make a mistake; what matters is the intention in your hearts. Allah is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. |
| 33:6 | | The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves. His wives are mother figures for them. Relatives are closer to one another, in the Book of Allah, than the believers and immigrants. Still, do what is right to your closest friends. Such is the writing of the Book! |
| 33:7 | | [Remember] when We arranged a covenant with the prophets, as with (Prophet Muhammed), Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary [for examples]. We arranged a solemn covenant. |
| 33:8 | | [That was] so that the truthful may be questioned about their truth. For the unbelievers, He has prepared a horrid punishment. |
| 33:9 | | O Believers, remember the grace of Allah on you when armies charged you. We sent against them a hurricane and forces that you could not see. Allah is All-seeing of all that you do. |
| 33:10 | | They came on you from above you and from below you. Eyes [of the believers] showed horror, and hearts felt stuck in the throats. You imagined many thoughts about Allah. |
| 33:11 | | The believers were tried in that situation. They were jolted as if by a harsh shaking. |
| 33:12 | | The hypocrites and those with diseased hearts say, “Allah and His messenger promised us nothing but delusions. |
| 33:13 | | A group among them said, “People of Yathrib, you cannot withstand! Go back!” A group of them asked permission from the Prophet. They said, “Truly, our houses are exposed.” Really, they were not exposed. They only wanted to run away. |
| 33:14 | | If the enemy had entered the city from every side and asked them to rise in revolt, they would have done so with little hesitation. |
| 33:15 | | Yet, they had already promised Allah not to turn their backs. A promise to Allah must be kept. |
| 33:16 | | Say, “Running away will not profit you if you are running away from death or killing. Even so, you would only be allowed a brief time to enjoy.” |
| 33:17 | | Say, “Who can shield you from Allah if it is His will to punish you or to show you mercy?” They will find for themselves no protector or helper besides Allah. |
| 33:18 | | Allah knows those among you who hinder and those who say to their brothers, “Come with us,” but do not come to the battle themselves except for a short time. |
| 33:19 | | [They] are miserly to you. When fear comes, you will see them looking to you. Their eyes will be rolling like one fainting from death. When the fear is passed, they will assault you with hateful tongues, covetous of spoils. Such people have no faith, so Allah has made their deeds have no effect. That is very easy for Allah. |
| 33:20 | | They think that the opposition has not withdrawn. If the opposition comes, they would wish they were in the deserts with the Bedouins and seeking news of you. If they were in your midst, they would fight only a little. |
| 33:21 | | You have, in the messenger of Allah, a beautiful pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the last day and who habitually remembers Allah. |
| 33:22 | | When the believers [engaged in combat] saw the opposition, they said, “Allah and His messenger warned us of this, and Allah and His messenger were right!” It added only to their faith and obedience. |
| 33:23 | | Among the believers are people who have adhered faithfully to their covenant with Allah. Of them some have fulfilled their mission in life, and some are still in service and remain undaunted. |
| 33:24 | | Allah will reward people of truth for their honesty. He will either punish the hypocrites or forgive them, in accordance with His will. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. |
| 33:25 | | Allah repelled the angry unbelievers. They gained no advantage. Allah spared the believers from having to fight. Allah is Strongest, Victorious. |
| 33:26 | | As for those [specific] people of the Book who aided (the unbelievers), Allah cast them from their vantage points and wrought terror into their hearts. You killed some and took some as prisoners. |
| 33:27 | | He made you heirs of their acres, houses, resources, and a land with which you were not familiar. Allah is, concerning everything, the Most Capable. |
| 33:28 | | O Prophet, say to your wives, “If you desire the life of this world and its glamor, then come; I will provide for you and release you in a fine manner. |
| 33:29 | | “But if you seek Allah and His messenger and the home of the hereafter, truly Allah has prepared a great reward for those who live righteously.” |
| 33:30 | | O Wives of the Prophet, if any of you are guilty of obviously immoral conduct, the punishment would be doubled for her. That would be easy for Allah. |
| 33:31 | | For whoever among you [wives] is devoted to Allah and His messenger and lives righteously, We will double her reward. We have prepared a generous provision for her. |
| 33:32 | | O Wives of the Prophet, you are not like other women. If you fear, do not speak with a sultry voice. Otherwise, one in whose heart is a disease [of lust] may be tempted with desire. Speak with a dignified voice. |
| 33:33 | | Stay home [instead of running around all the time]. Do not make a display of yourselves as was done in the former times of ignorance. Establish routine prayers, give the required charity, and obey Allah and His messenger. Allah only wants to remove any disgrace from you members of the family, and to refine you with purification. |
| 33:34 | | Remember what is recited to you in your homes of the signs of Allah and His wisdom. Truly, Allah is the Subtle One, the Fully Aware. |
| 33:35 | | Truly, for Muslim men and women, for [other] believing men and women, for devout men and women, for truthful men and women, for patient men and women, for humble men and women, for charitable men and women, for fasting men and women, for chaste men and women, for men and women engaging in Allah’s praise, Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward. |
| 33:36 | | It is not proper for a believer –male or female— to pursue any option about a decision once a matter has been decided by Allah and His messenger. If anyone disobeys Allah and His messenger, he/she is clearly on the wrong path. |
| 33:37 | | You [Prophet Muhammed] said to one favored by Allah and by you, “Keep your wife, and fear Allah.” In your heart, however, you hid that which Allah was about to expose. You feared the people, but Allah has the biggest right to be feared. When Zaid had properly ended his marriage to her, We joined her in marriage to you. [We did this] so that the believers would have no concerns with the marriage of wives of their adopted sons after the marriages have ended. Allah’s command must be fulfilled. |
| 33:38 | | No difficulty can affect the Prophet in what Allah has appointed for him [as his mission]. That was the practice of Allah for those [prophets] of old, who are now in the past. The command of Allah is a determined decree. |
| 33:39 | | [It is for those] who preach the messages of Allah and fear Him. They fear no one but Allah, and Allah is sufficient to call to accountability. |
| 33:40 | | Muhammed is not the father of any of your men, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Allah has full knowledge of all things. |
| 33:41 | | O Believers, celebrate the praises of Allah often. |
| 33:42 | | Glorify Him morning and evening. |
| 33:43 | | It is He who sends blessings upon you and His angels, so that He may bring you from the depths of darkness into light. He is, for the believers, Most Merciful. |
| 33:44 | | Their greeting on the day they meet Him will be, “Peace!” He has prepared for them a generous reward. |
| 33:45 | | O Prophet, we have truly sent you as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, a warner. |
| 33:46 | | [We have sent you as] a summon to Allah, by His will, and a lamp spreading light. |
| 33:47 | | Announce good news to the believers –that they shall have from Allah a grand reward. |
| 33:48 | | Do not patronize the unbelievers or the hypocrites, and pay no attention to their taunts. Put your trust in Allah, and Allah is sufficient as a Trustee. |
| 33:49 | | O Believers, when you marry believing women and then divorce them before you have touched them, you do not have to observe a waiting period to count concerning them. Provide for them and release them in a fine manner. |
| 33:50 | | O Prophet, We have indeed made lawful to you the wives to whom you have paid their dowries and the slaves [prisoners of war, after they are freed] that Allah has assigned to you. [We have allowed as wives to you] the daughters of your paternal uncles and aunts and daughters of maternal uncles and aunts who migrated with you. Any believing woman who dedicates herself to the Prophet and to whom the Prophet wants to wed [is acceptable]. This only applies to you and not to other believers. We realize what We have appointed to them as far as wives and slaves so that there will be no difficulty for you. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. |
| 33:51 | | You may postpone any of them as you please. You may receive any of them as you please. No blame is on you if you invite one you had rejected. This is better for the cooling of their eyes and the prevention of their sorrow so they may be pleased. That concerns all of them and what you have to give them. Allah knows what is in your hearts. Allah is the All-knowing, the Most Tolerant. |
| 33:52 | | After this, other women are not lawful for you, and you cannot exchange them for other wives even though their beauty attracts you. The exception is any of your slaves [after you free them]. Allah watches over all things. |
| 33:53 | | O Believers, do not enter the Prophet’s houses until permission is given to you for a meal. Don’t wait [in the house] until (the meal) is prepared, but enter when you are invited. After you have eaten the meal, leave without engaging in frivolous talk. Such [behavior] was certainly bothering the Prophet, but he was too embarrassed to tell you to leave. Allah, however, is not embarrassed by the truth. When you [men] ask (his wives) for anything, ask them from behind a veil [of piety]. That increases the purity of your hearts and theirs. It is not right for you to annoy Allah’s messenger. [You should] not marry his widows after him at any time. Truly, such a thing in Allah’s sight is a serious error. |
| 33:54 | | Whether you reveal anything or conceal it, truly Allah is the All-knowing over all things. |
| 33:55 | | No blame is on (the wives) [to appear freely] before their fathers, their sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, or their female companions, or their slaves. Fear Allah, for Allah is the Witness to all things. |
| 33:56 | | Truly, Allah and His angels bestow blessings upon the Prophet. O Believers, pray for blessings upon him and greet him respectfully. |
| 33:57 | | Those who exasperate Allah and His messenger have been condemned by Allah in this world and the next. Allah has prepared a humiliating punishment for them. |
| 33:58 | | Those who, without cause, aggravate believing men and women carry the burden of a slur and a glaring sin. |
| 33:59 | | O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the other believing women to put their outer garment over their bodies. That is most proper so they would be recognized [as devout] and not molested. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. |
| 33:60 | | Truly, if the hypocrites and others with diseased hearts and those who spread rumors throughout the city do not stop, We will have you overpower them. Then they will not be able to remain your neighbors except for a short time. |
| 33:61 | | [They will be] condemned. Wherever they are found, they will be seized and put to death. |
| 33:62 | | That was the practice of Allah among those who lived long ago. You will not find changes in the practice of Allah. |
| 33:63 | | People ask you about the [final] hour. Say, “The knowledge of that is only with Allah. What will make you understand? Perhaps the hour is near.” |
| 33:64 | | Truly, Allah has condemned the unbelievers and prepared for them a blazing fire. |
| 33:65 | | [They will] dwell there forever. They will find no protector or helper. |
| 33:66 | | [On that] day, their faces will be turned upside down in the fire. They will say, “Oh, we wish we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the messenger.” |
| 33:67 | | They will say, “Our Lord, we obeyed our leaders and heroes, and they misled us from the path. |
| 33:68 | | “Our Lord, give them a double penalty and condemn them with a great condemnation.” |
| 33:69 | | O Believers, do not be like those who insulted Moses, although Allah delivered him from their accusations, and he was honorable in the sight of Allah. |
| 33:70 | | O Believers, fear Allah and say something on behalf of what is right. |
| 33:71 | | He will mend your conduct, and He will forgive you of your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His messenger has already attained the highest achievement [salvation]. |
| 33:72 | | Truly, We offered the responsibility to the skies and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to undertake it, being afraid. Humanity, however, accepted it. Truly, he/she was unjust and foolish. |
| 33:73 | | Allah must punish the hypocrites –both male and female— and idolaters –both male and female. Allah is forgiving to the believers –both male and female. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. |
