10:1  Alif. Lam. Ra. These are verses of the Book of Wisdom.

10:2  Was it so amazing to people that We inspired a man among men so that he would warn humanity? He proclaimed the good news to those who would believe that the glorious truth stands before their Lord. The unbelievers responded, “This is simply some kind of sorcery.”

10:3  Your Lord is God who created the skies and Earth in six days. He established Himself on a throne from where He would govern all creation. There can be no intercessor except as He allows. Your Lord God is He whom you should serve. Will you consider yourself warned?

10:4  To Him will you all return. The promise of Allah is true and certain. It is He who initiates [the process of] creation and then repeats it. [He did this] so He may reward with justice those who believe and who perform righteous deeds. But those who reject Him will have nothing but scalding water to drink and a dreadful penalty because of their rejection of Him.

10:5  He made the sun to shine in splendor and the moon to be bright. He measured phases for (the moon) so you may count the years and figure time. Allah created this only in truth. He explains His signs for wise people.

10:6  Truly, in the alternation of night and day and in all that Allah has created in the skies and on earth are signs for those who are conscious of Him.

10:7  There are those who do not expect a meeting with Us. They are pleased and content with the life of this world. They do not pay attention to Our signs.

10:8  They will live in the fire because of what they have done.

10:9  As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, their Lord will guide them because of their faith. Rivers will flow beneath them in gardens of bliss.

10:10  Their praise will be, “Glory to You, O Allah!” Their greeting will be, “Peace!” Their final expression will be, “Praise Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!”

10:11  If Allah were to hasten trouble for people as quickly as they want to be blessed, their respite would be over immediately. For those who do not expect a meeting with Us, We abandon them in their sin to wander haphazardly.

10:12  When hardship comes upon a person, he/she cries to Us, whether [lying] on his/her side, sitting, or standing. When We solve the problem, he/she goes on his/her way as if no cry was made to Us for a hardship that came. The deeds of the sinners seem fine to them.

10:13  We destroyed earlier generations when they did wrong. Their messengers came to them with evident signs, but they would not believe. Thus We repay the sinners.

10:14  We made you heirs in the land after them so We might observe how you would conduct yourselves.

10:15  When Our evident signs are recited to them, those who do not expect Our meeting say, “Either bring us a different Qur’an or change this one.” Say, “It would not be proper for me to change it myself. I only follow what is revealed to me. If I disobeyed my Lord, I would certainly fear the punishment of a mighty day [of judgment].”

10:16  Say, “If Allah had wanted, I would not have recited it to you, and He would not have made it known to you. I certainly spent a lifetime among you before it came to me. Why don’t you use your thinking skills?”

10:17  Who does more wrong than one who invents a lie about Allah or denies His signs? Indeed, the sinners will never prosper.

10:18  Instead of Allah, they worship things that can neither harm them nor benefit them. They say, “These are our intercessors with Allah.” Say, “Are you trying to tell Allah something He doesn’t already know about the skies or earth?” Glory to Him! He is far above the partners they establish.

10:19  Humanity was only one community. Then they began to disagree. If it had not been for a word already issued from your Lord, their differences would have already been settled.

10:20  They say, “Why is a sign not sent down to him from his Lord?” Say, “The unseen is only for Allah. Just wait; I too am waiting.”

10:21  When we cause humanity to experience mercy after a crisis has been experienced, (people) begin plotting against Our signs. Say, “Allah is faster than you in planning. Indeed, Our [angelic] messengers are recording your designs.”

10:22  He enables you to travel through the land and across the sea. After you board ships, they sail with a favorable wind. You rejoice over that. Then a stormy wind and waves threaten from all sides. (The passengers) think they are being overwhelmed, and they cry to Allah. They sincerely appeal to Him in faith, saying, “If you deliver us from this, we will surely show our gratitude.”

10:23  As soon as He delivers them, they begin to excessively sin throughout the earth. O People, your sins are against your own souls. You will enjoy the life of the present, but, in the finale, you will return to Us. We will tell you all that you did.

10:24  A parable of this present life is evident in the rain We send down from the sky. Absorbed by the earth, it beckons plants to emerge and provides food for people and animals. The earth becomes beautifully clad [with foliage and fruits]. Its people [the land’s owners] think they have control of it, but Our command reaches the land at night or during the day. Suddenly the land is turned fallow [by frost, storm, or locusts], as if it had not flourished just the day before. Thus do We explain the signs in detail for those who ponder.

10:25  Allah calls you to the Home of Peace. He guides whom He pleases to the Straight Way.

10:26  For those who do right is a good reward, and even more. No gloom or shame will veil their faces. They are companions of Paradise; they will live there forever.

10:27  As for those who have committed evil deeds, there is payment just as horrible. Shame will cover them. Allah will provide no defender for them. It will be as if their faces are covered with shards from the darkest night. They are the companions of fire in which they will always dwell.

10:28  One day, We will assemble them. We will then say to those who added partners [to Allah], “Stay where you are, along with your idols.” We will separate them, and their idols will say, “You were not worshiping us.

10:29  “Allah is sufficient as a witness among us that we were never aware of your worship.”

10:30  At that time, every soul will realize what it has done. All will return to Allah, their true Master, and everything they had invented will forsake them.

10:31  Say, “Who provides for you from the sky and the earth? Who possesses [the gifts of] hearing and sight? Who is He who emerges the living from the dead and emerges the dead from the living? Who is He who governs all matters?” Everyone will answer, “Allah!” Say, “Will you not then become reverent?”

10:32  Such is Allah, your true Lord. After truth, does anything remain but error? Why then are you adverse?

10:33  Thus, the Word of your Lord is proven true against those who rebel. They will not believe.

10:34  Say, “From among your associates [the false gods], is there any who originate creation and then repeats it?” Say, “Allah [alone] originates creation and then repeats it. How can you be so contrary!”

10:35  Say, “From among your associates, is there any who guides to truth?” Say, “Allah [alone] guides to truth. Who is more worthy of being followed –the One who guides to truth, or the one who must first be guided himself before he can guide others? What is wrong with you and your way of figuring?”

10:36  Most of them follow nothing but conjecture. Surely conjecture can never be a substitute for truth. Truly, Allah is the All-knowing of all that they do.

10:37  This Qur’an could not possibly have been produced by anyone other than Allah. It confirms that [Torah] which came before it. It is an explanation of the Book in which there is no doubt. It is from the Lord of the Worlds.

10:38  Do they claim, “(Muhammed) has made it up”? Say, “Produce aChapter like it and call on anyone you can besides Allah, if you’re telling the truth.”

10:39  Nonsense! They reject what they cannot understand even before its interpretation has come to them. Those who came before them did the same thing. Look at what happened to those who did wrong.

10:40  Among them are some who will come to believe in (this Qur’an) and some who will not. Your Lord knows best those who tend to commit evil.

10:41  If they charge you with deception, say, “Let me do my work [in ministry], and you do yours. You are not responsible for what I do, and I am not responsible for what you do.”

10:42  Among them are some who listen to you, but can you force the unhearing to listen when they use no reasoning skills?

10:43  Among them are some who look to you, but can you guide the unseeing who refuse to see?

10:44  Truly, Allah does not do the least wrong to people. People do wrong to themselves.

10:45  One day, He will assemble them. It will be as if they had not delayed more than an hour of the day. They will recognize each other. Truly, the lost will be those who denied the meeting with Allah and refused to receive true guidance.

10:46  Whether We show you some of that which We promised them or We call you to death, their return is to Us. Allah is the Witness over what they do.

10:47  For every people was a messenger. Now that their messenger has come, the matter will be judged among them with justice. They will not be wronged.

10:48  They say, “When will this promise come to pass, if you’re telling the truth?”

10:49  Say, “I have no power over any harm or profit to myself except as Allah wills. To every people is an appointed term. When their term has ended, they can neither delay nor advance an hour.”

10:50  Say, “Consider, if His punishment were to come to you by night or by day, what portion of it would the sinners want to hurry?

10:51  Would you finally believe in it only when it comes to pass although you wanted to hasten it?”

10:52  It will be said to the sinners, “Taste eternal punishment. Are you repaid for anything besides what you did in the past?”

10:53  They ask you, “Is all this true?” Say, “Yes, considering my Lord! It is the very truth, and you cannot escape it.”

10:54  Every sinful soul would offer everything as a ransom even if it owned everything on earth. (The sinners) will feel remorse when they see the torment [of Hell]. Judgment among them will be appropriate. They will not be unjustly treated.

10:55  Truly, all that is of Heaven and Earth belongs to Allah. Truly, Allah’s promise is true. Most (people), however, do not understand.

10:56  He alone grants life and brings death. Unto Him you shall return.

10:57  O Humanity, direction from your Lord has come, along with healing for your diseased hearts and, for believers, guidance and mercy.

10:58  Say, “For the bounty of Allah and His mercy, rejoice! These are better than a huge savings account.”

10:59  Say, “Do you see what Allah has bestowed upon you for provisions? Yet you decide what is forbidden and what is lawful.” Say, “Has Allah indeed given permission, or did you attribute your own fabrications to Allah?”

10:60  What is the mindset of those inventors of lies about Allah when it comes to the Day of Resurrection? Truly Allah is most bountiful for humanity, but most people are not grateful.

10:61  Regardless in what business one may be involved, what portion one may be reciting from the Qur’an, or what deed one may be doing, We are witnesses of that on which you are focused. Hidden from your Lord is not even the weight of an atom, neither on the earth nor in the sky. The least and the greatest of things are recorded in a concise record.

10:62  O truly, the friends of Allah will have no fear or grief.

10:63  [They are] those who believe and are faithful.

10:64  For them are glad tidings for this present life and the life hereafter. No change can occur in the words of Allah. That is the ultimate triumph!

10:65  Do not let their words upset you. Truly, all honor belongs to Allah. He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.

10:66  O truly, every creature of the skies and Earth belongs to Allah. What do the idol worshipers follow instead of Allah? They follow only conjecture and their own guesswork.

10:67  He is the One who made the night for you so you may rest in it. He made the day a source of light. Surely in this are signs for people who pay attention.

10:68  They claim, “Allah has begotten a son.” Glory to Him! He is the Independent One. Whatever is of Heaven and Earth belongs to Him. You have no authority for (saying that He has literally begotten a son). Would you say something about Allah that you do not even know?

10:69  Say, “Truly, those who invent false statements against Allah will not succeed.”

10:70  Brief pleasure in this world will be followed by their return to Us. We will cause them to taste a severe punishment because of their blasphemy.

10:71  Tell them the story of Noah. He said to his people, “O my people, you may be offended by my staying and preaching to you about Allah’s signs, but I rely on Allah. You and your associates should agree on what you are going to do. Do not have any hesitation about it, and then pass your sentence on me and give me no break.

10:72  “If you turn away [from Allah’s message], I have not asked any payment from you. Allah alone will reward me, and I have been commanded to be among the Muslims [those completely submitted to Allah].”

10:73  They rejected him, but We delivered him and those with him in the ark. We made them to be inheritors [of the earth]. We drowned those who rejected Our signs. Consider the end of those who were forewarned.

10:74  After (Noah) We sent other messengers to their communities. They brought evident signs, but (the people) would not believe what they had already rejected. We sealed the hearts of the sinners.

10:75  Later, We sent Moses and Aaron with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they were arrogant. They were a sinful people.

10:76  When the truth came to them from Us, they said, “This is obviously sorcery.”

10:77  Moses said, “Do you talk like this about the truth now that it has come to you? Is it sorcery? Sorcerers would not succeed.”

10:78  They said, “Have you come to turn us away from the faith of our fathers so that you and your brother will have authority in this land? We will not believe you two.

10:79  Pharaoh commanded, “Bring every skilled sorcerer before me.”

10:80  When the sorcerers came, Moses said to them, “Present what you have to show.”

10:81  When they had done so [throwing down their staffs, which turned into snakes], Moses said, “What you have done is sorcery. Surely, Allah will make it worthless. Truly, Allah does not support the work of frauds.

10:82  “Allah shows the truth by His words, no matter how much the sinners hate it.”

10:83  No one believed Moses, except some children of his people, because they feared that Pharaoh and his chiefs would persecute them. Certainly, Pharaoh was powerful on the earth, and he certainly transgressed all boundaries.

10:84  Moses said, “O my people, if you believe in Allah, then rely on him if you are Muslims [ie, in total submission to Allah].”

10:85  They said, “We do put our trust in Allah. Our Lord, do not make us a target for wicked people.

10:86  By Your mercy, save us from unbelieving people.”

10:87  We inspired Moses and his brother with this message: Provide homes for your people in Egypt, and make your homes into places of worship. Maintain ritual prayer, and give good tidings to believers.

10:88  Moses prayed, “Our Lord, You have certainly given to Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and wealth in the life of this world. Our Lord, with that, they have misled people from Your path. Our Lord, destroy their wealth and harden their hearts so that they will not believe until they comprehend the horrid punishment.”

10:89  (Allah) said, “Truly, your prayer has been answered. Both of you [Moses and Aaron] must keep to the Straight Way and do not follow the way of those who are ignorant.”

10:90  We took the Children of Israel across the sea. Pharaoh and his soldiers followed them, with insolence and spite. Finally, when ((Pharaoh) was overcome by drowning, he said, “I believe that no god is there except Him in whom the Children of Israel believe. I am among those who submit.”

10:91  “Too late! Just a little while ago, you were rebellious and committing criminal acts.

10:92  Today We will save only your body as a sign to your successors. Many among humanity are heedless of Our signs.”

10:93  We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful place to live. We provided them wonderful things. After knowledge had been given to them, they began to disagree. Truly, on the Day of Judgment, Allah will judge among them concerning their differences.

10:94  If you doubt what [Qur’an] We have bestowed upon you, ask those who read the (Scripture) before you. Truth has indeed come to you from your Lord. Do not be one of those who doubt it.

10:95  Don’t be one of those who reject Allah’s signs. If you do, you will be among the losers.

10:96  Surely those who have earned your Lord’s word against them will never believe,…

10:97  …even if every sign was revealed to them, until they see the horrible punishment.

10:98  Why did not a single community believe so that its faith would do it some good, except the people of Jonah? When they believed, we removed from them the penalty of disgrace in this world. We permitted them enjoyment for a while.

10:99  If it had been your Lord’s will, all people would have believed. Would you then force people to become believers?

10:100  No one can believe except by the will of Allah. He will allow doubt from those who refuse to try to understand.

10:101  Say, “Behold all that is in the skies and on the earth, but neither signs nor warnings will benefit those who do not believe.”

10:102  Do they expect other than that of the days of people who passed before them? Say, “Go ahead and wait, and I will wait also.”

10:103  We will save Our messengers and those who believe. It is proper for Us to save the believers.

10:104  Say, “O Humanity, if you are in doubt as to my religion, [know that] I worship nothing of what you worship other than Allah. I worship Allah who causes you to die. I am commanded to be among the believers.

10:105  “Further, direct your face towards the honest religion, and never be among the polytheists.

10:106  Do not call on anyone other than Allah; such [an idol] as that would neither profit you nor harm you. If you do such, you would certainly be among the sinners.”

10:107  If Allah touches you with affliction, there is no one who can remove it except Him. If He designs some benefit for you, there is no one who can prevent His favor. He causes it to find whomsoever of His servants He pleases. He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

10:108  Say, “O Humanity, truth has now arrived to you from your Lord. Whoever accepts guidance does so for the benefit of his/her own soul. Whoever strays does so at his/her own loss. It is not up to me to arrange your affairs.”

10:109  Follow the inspiration bestowed upon you. Be patient until Allah passes judgment. He is the best to judge.