20:1  Ta-Ha (These are the names of letters of the Arabic alphabet. They are sometimes understood as one of the names of the prophet, and Allah knows best)

20:2  In no way have We sent down the Qur'an upon you for you to be wretched

20:3  (We have not sent it down) except as a reminding to him who (is) apprehensive

20:4  A successive sending down from Him Who created the earth and the exalted heavens

20:5  The All-Merciful has upon the Throne leveled Himself (How He has done so is beyond human understanding)

20:6  To Him belong whatever is in the heavens, and whatever is in the earth, and whatever is between them, and whatever is beneath the ground

20:7  And in case you are loud in (your) speech, then surely He knows the secret and whatever is (yet) more concealed

20:8  Allah -there is no god except He. To Him belong The Fairest Names

20:9  And has there come up to you the discourse of Musa (Moses)

20:10  As he saw a fire, so he said to his family, "Stay (here); surely I perceive a fire; possibly I will come up to you with a (flaming) brand from it, or I will find at the fire ".guidanc

20:11  (by name) came up to it, he was called out Then, as soon as h, "O Musa

20:12  Surely I, Ever I, am your Lord. So take off your shoes, surely you are in the holy valley, Tuwa

20:13  And I, Ever I, have chosen you; so listen to whatever is revealed

20:14  Surely I, Ever I, am Allah; there is no god except I; so worship Me, and keep up the prayer for My Remembrance

20:15  Surely the Hour is coming up-I would almost conceal it-that every self may be recompensed for whatever it endeavors (to achieve)

20:16  So definitely do not let him who does not believe in it and closely follows his (own) prejudices bar you from it (and) then you will topple down

20:17  And what is that in your right hand, O Musa?" (Moses)

20:18  He said, "It is my staff. I lean upon it, and with it I beat down (leaves) for my sheep; and I (also) have other purposes for it."

20:19  Said He, "Cast it down, O Musa?" (Moses)

20:20  So he cast it down, then, only then was it a living snake, gliding along

20:21  Said He, "Take it, and do not fear (anything).We will soon bring it back it to its first condition

20:22  And clasp your hand to your arm-pit; (Literally: your wing) it will come out (Literally: go out) white, without any odious (imperfection); (that is) another sign

20:23  That We may show you (some) of Our greatest signs

20:24  Go to Firaawn; (Pharaoh) surely he has tyrannized."

20:25  He said, "Lord! Expand my breast

20:26  And ease for me my Command, (Or: my affair)

20:27  And loosen a knot from my tongue

20:28  That they may comprehend my saying

20:29  And make for me a counsellor of my family

20:30  Harun, (Aaron) my brother

20:31  Uphold my back (i.e., confirm my strength) by him

20:32  And associate him with me in my Command (Or: my affair)

20:33  That we may extol You much

20:34  And remember You much

20:35  Surely You have been Ever-Beholding us."

20:36  Said He, "You are already granted (Literally: brought) your request, O Musa (Moses)

20:37  And indeed already another time We have been bounteous to you

20:38  As We revealed what was revealed to your mother

20:39  (Saying), ‘"Hurl him in the coffer, then hurl it in the main; so let the main cast it on the shore. An enemy of Mine and his will take him." And I cast on you belovedness from Me, and to be worked out under My Eye (i.e., to be chosen for my Revelation)

20:40  As your sister walked about, (and) so said, ‘"Shall I indicate to you one to sponsor him?"' So We returned you to your mother so that she might comfort her eye (Literally: that her eye might settle down) and might not grieve. And you killed a self, (i.e., a person) yet We safely delivered you out of suffering, and We tempted you with many temptations. Then you lingered years among the population of Madyan. Thereafter you came (here), according to a determined (estimate), O Musa

20:41  And I had you worked out for Myself

20:42  Go, you and your brother, with My signs, and do not slacken in Remembrance of Me

20:43  Go, (both of you), to Firaawn; (Pharaoh) surely he has tyrannized

20:44  So speak (you both) leniently (Literally: say a lenient) to him, that possibly he would remind himself or would be apprehensive."

20:45  They (both) said, "Our Lord, surely we (ourselves) fear he may exceed against us or tyrannize (us)."

20:46  Said He, "Do not fear (him). Surely I (Myself) will be with you (both); I hear and I see

20:47  So come you up (both) to him, then say, ‘Surely we are (both) the Messengers of your Lord; so send (forth) with us the Seeds (Or: sons) of Israel) and do not torment them; we have already come to you with a sign from your Lord; and peace be upon him who closely follows the guidance!’

20:48  Surely it has already been revealed to us that the torment shall be for him who cries lies and turns away."

20:49  He (Firaawn) (Pharaoh) said, "Who then is the Lord of both of you, O Musa?" (Moses)

20:50  He said, "Our Lord is He Who gave everything its creation (and) thereafter guided (it)."

20:51  He said, "Then what about the earliest generations?"

20:52  He said, "The knowledge of them is in the Providence of my Lord, in a Book; my Lord does not err, nor does He forget."

20:53  He who has made the earth (as) a cradle for you, and inserted ways therein for you, and sent down water from the heaven; so We have brought out therewith pairs of divers (kinds of) growth

20:54  Eat (thereof), and pasture your cattle! Surely in that are indeed signs for ones endowed with intelligence

20:55  Thereof We created you, and We will bring you back into it, and We bring you out of it on another occasion (i.e., a second time)

20:56  And indeed We already showed him (Firaawn) all Our signs, yet he cried lies and refused

20:57  He said, "Have you come to us to drive us out of our land by your sorcery, O Musa

20:58  Then, indeed we will definitely come up to you with sorcery the like of it; so set (Literally: make) an appointment between us and you, and we will not fail it, neither we nor you, a place (equally) convenient (to us both)."

20:59  He (Musa) said, "Your appointment shall be upon the adornment day, (i.e., the feast day) and let the multitudes be mustered at the forenoon."

20:60  Then Firaawn turned away and so gathered his plotting; thereafter (he) came up

20:61  Musa said to them, "Woe to you! Do not fabricate a lie against Allah (or) then He will eradicate you with a torment; and whoever fabricates (a lie) is readily disappointed."

20:62  Then they contended among themselves their command, (Or: their affair) and they conferred in secret

20:63  They said, "Decidedly these two (men) are indeed (both) sorcerers; they would (like) to drive you out of your land by their sorcery, and go away with your exemplary mode (of life)

20:64  So gather your plotting, (and) there- after come up in ranks; (i.e., in battle, ranks) and whoever seeks exaltedness today will readily prosper."

20:65  They said, "O Musa, (Moses) either you will cast, or we will be the first to cast."

20:66  He said, "No indeed, you cast!" Then only then, their ropes and their staffs were made to appear to him, by their sorcery, to be gliding along

20:67  So Musa entertained a fright within himself

20:68  We said (to Musa), "Do not fear (anything); surely you (yourself) are the most exalted

20:69  And cast down what is in your right (hand). It will gulp what they have worked out; surely what they have worked out is only the plotting of a sorcerer; and the sorcerer will not prosper where he comes up."

20:70  Then the sorcerers were (all) cast down constantly prostrating. They said, "We believe in The Lord of Harun (Aaron) and Musa."

20:71  He (Firaawn) (pharaoh) said, "Have you believed him before I gave permission (to do so)? Surely he is indeed your great (master) who has taught you sorcery; so indeed I will definitely cut off (The from of the verb implies an action done repeatedly or to great extent or high degree. Of Surat Yusuf 31) your hands and legs, alternately; and indeed I will definitely crucify you upon the trunks of palm-trees; and indeed you will definitely know whichever of us is more strict in torment and more enduring."

20:72  They said, "We will never prefer you over the supreme evidences that have come to us, nor over Him Who originated us; so decree whatever you will decree; surely you will only decree touching this present life (Literally: this lowly life, i.e., the life of this world)

20:73  Surely we believe in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins and the sorcery you have compelled us to (practice); and Allah is The Most Charitable and The Most Enduring."

20:74  Surely whoever comes up to his Lord a criminal, then surely for him will be Hell wherein he will neither die nor live

20:75  And whoever comes up to Him a believer, having already done deeds of righteousness, then those, for them are the exalted degrees

20:76  Gardens of Adn, (Eden) from beneath which rivers run, eternally (abiding) therein, and that is the recompense of him who has cleansed (himself)

20:77  And indeed We already revealed to Musa, (Moses) (saying), "Set forth by night with My bondmen; so strike for them a dry road in the sea, fearing neither to be overtaken nor being apprehensive (of the sea)."

20:78  Then Firaawn (pharaoh) followed them up with his hosts, yet they were enveloped by the main in that (manner) of enveloping

20:79  And Firaawn led his people into error, and in no way did he guide them

20:80  "O Seeds (Or: sons) of Israel) We have already delivered you from your enemy; and We fixed an appointment with you upon the right side of At-Tur, (The Mount) and We kept sending down on you manna and quails

20:81  Eat of whatever good things wherewith We have provided you; and do not be inordinate therein, (or) then My anger will alight on you; and on whomever My anger alights, then he is readily tumbled down (lost)

20:82  And surely I am indeed Superb Forgiver towards him who repents and believes and does righteousness and thereafter is (rightly) guided."

20:83  "And what has made you hasten from your people, O Musa?"

20:84  He (Musa) said, "They are those ones upon my track; and I have hastened on to You, Lord, that You may be satisfied (with me)."

20:85  Said He, "Yet surely We have already tempted your people even after you; (i.e., after your departure from them) and As- Samiriyy (The Samaritan) has led them into error."

20:86  So Musa returned to his people, angry (and) sorrowful. He said, "O my people, did your Lord not promise you a fair promise? Then did (the time of) the covenant seem long to you, or were you willing to have anger alight on you from your Lord so that you failed in (your) promise to me?"

20:87  They said, "In no way did we fail your promise of our volition; but we were burdened with encumbrances of adornment of the people; so we hurled them (into the fire). So, (even) thus did As-Samiriyy (The Samaritan) also cast."

20:88  Then he brought out for them a corporeal calf that had a lowing (voice); so they said, "This is your god, and the god of Musa, (Moses) yet he has forgotten."

20:89  Do they not then see that it does not return any speech to them, neither does it possess (any power) for harm or profit to them

20:90  And Harun (Aaron) had indeed earlier said to them, "O my people, surely you have only been tempted by (this calf); and surely your Lord is The All-Merciful; so closely follow me, and obey my command."

20:91  They said, "We will never leave off consecrating ourselves to it, until M?s'a returns to us."

20:92  He (Musa) (Moses) said, "O Harun, what prevented you, when you saw them err away

20:93  So that you did not closely follow me? Did you then disobey my command?"

20:94  He (Harun) said, "O son of my mother, do not take hold of my beard or of my head! I was apprehensive that you would say, "You have caused disunity among the Seeds (Or: sons) of Israel) and you have not respected my saying."

20:95  He (M?s'a) said, "Then what is your concern, O Samiriyy?"

20:96  Said he, "I beheld what they did not behold; so I grasped a handful (Literally: I grasped a grasp) (of dust) from the messenger's track; then flung it off. Thus my self instigated (that) to me."

20:97  He (Musa) (Moses) said, "Then go! Yet, surely it shall be for you in (this) life to say, ‘Untouchable!’ Literally: no mutual contact, i.e., As-Samiriyy was made untouchable) And surely there is for you an appointment you will never be allowed to fail; and behold your god, to whom you lingered on consecrating yourself! Indeed we will definitely burn it away; thereafter indeed we will definitely crush it (into powder) (Literally: crush it "an utter" crushing) into the main

20:98  Surely your God is only Allah; there is no god except He (alone); He has embraced everything (in) His Knowledge

20:99  Thus We narrate to you (some) tidings of what has gone before; and We have already brought you a Remembrance from very close to Us

20:100  Whoever veers away from it, then surely upon the Day of the Resurrection he will carry an encumbrance

20:101  Eternally (abiding) therein; and (how) odious for them upon the Day of the Resurrection is it as a burden

20:102  The Day the Trumpet will be blown, and We will muster the criminals upon that day blue (with terror)

20:103  (Speaking) among themselves in a hushed voice, "Decidedly you lingered (nothing) except ten (days)."

20:104  We know best what they say, as the most exemplary of them in (their) mode (of life) say, "Decidedly you have lingered (nothing) except a day."

20:105  And they ask you about the mountains. Then say, "My Lord will crush them into powder (Literally: crush them "an utter" crushing)

20:106  So He will leave them behind as a desolate spacious plain

20:107  Wherein you will see no crookedness nor any curving."

20:108  Upon that Day, they will closely follow the caller in whom is no crookedness; and voices will submit to The All-Merciful so that you hear nothing except a (faint) muttering

20:109  Upon that Day (the) intercession will not profit, except for him whom The All-Merciful has given permission, and with whose speech He is satisfied

20:110  He knows whatever is before (Literally: between their hands) them, and whatever is behind them, and they do not encompass Him in knowledge

20:111  And faces will be subservient to The Ever Living, The Superb Upright Sustainer, (Or: The Most Upright) and he who bears (a burden of) injustice is already disappointed

20:112  And whoever does deeds of righteousness and he is a believer, then he will fear neither injustice nor forfeiture

20:113  And thus We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an, and We have propounded in it (something) of threats, that possibly they would be pious or it would effect in them remembrance

20:114  So Supremely Exalted be Allah, The True King! And do not hasten with the Qur'an before its revelation is accomplished to you, and say, "Lord! Increase me in knowledge."

20:115  And indeed We already covenanted with Adam earlier, yet he forgot and We found in him no resolve

20:116  And as We said to the Angels, "Prostrate yourselves to Adam." So they prostrated themselves, except Iblis; he refused

20:117  Then We said, "O Adam, surely this is an enemy to you and to your spouse; so definitely do not let him drive you both out of the Garden, so that you (The Arabic pronoun here is singular) be wretched."

20:118  Surely it is (given) to you neither to hunger therein, nor to go naked

20:119  And that you neither thirst therein, nor suffer the heat (of the sun)."

20:120  Then Ash-Shaytan (The Ever-Vicious, i.e., the Devil) whispered to him. He said, "O Adam, shall I indicate to you the Tree of Eternity and a Kingdom that does not decay?"

20:121  So the two of them ate of it, (and) so their shameful parts became displayed to them, and they took to splicing upon themselves (some) of the leaves of the Garden. And ??dam disobeyed his Lord; so he became misguided

20:122  Thereafter his Lord selected him; so He relented to him, and He guided him

20:123  Said He, "Get down, you two altogether out of it; some of you an enemy to some (others); yet, in case ever there definitely comes to you from Me guidance, then whoever closely follows My guidance, so he will not err away, nor will he be wretched

20:124  And whoever veers away from My Remembrance, then surely he will have a cramped subsistence and We will muster him blind on the Day of the Resurrection."

20:125  He will say, "Lord! Why have You mustered me blind, and I was already constantly beholding?"

20:126  Said He, "Thus it is. Our signs came up to you, yet you forgot them; and thus today you are forgotten."

20:127  And thus We recompense him who exceeds all bounds and does not believe in the signs of his Lord; and indeed the torment of the Hereafter is more strict and more enduring

20:128  So, is it not (a sign) to guide them, how many generations We have caused to perish before them, in whose dwellings they walk? Surely in that are indeed signs for the ones endowed with intelligence

20:129  And had it not been for a Word that had gone before from your Lord and a stated term, indeed (torment) (i.e., torment for disobedience) would have been an imposition

20:130  So (endure) patiently under what they say, and extol (with) the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and then extol (Him) at various times of the night and at the two extremes of the daytime, that possibly you would be satisfied

20:131  And do not definitely extend (Or: dilate) your eyes to what We have given pairs of them to enjoy- the flower of the present life (Literally: the lowly life, i.e., the life of this world) that We may tempt them therein. And the provision of your Lord is more charitable, (i.e., better) and more enduring

20:132  And command your (extended) family to (observe) the prayer and constantly (endure) patiently in it. We do not ask of you (any) provision. We, Ever We, provide you, and the end is to (the ones having) piety

20:133  And they have said, "if only he had come up to us with a sign from his Lord!" And has there not come up to them the supreme evidence of what is in the earliet scrolls

20:134  And if We had caused them to perish with a torment even before it, they would indeed have said, "Our Lord, if only You had sent a Messenger to us, so that we might have closely followed Your signs even before that we were humiliated and disgraced!"

20:135  Say, "Everyone is awaiting, so await. Then you will soon know who are the companions on the level Path and who are guided."