20:1  Ta Ha.

20:2  We have not sent down the Qur'an for you to be distressed,

20:3  but only as a reminder to all who stand in awe [of God]

20:4  a revelation that was sent down gradually from Him who created the earth and highest heavens,

20:5  the Merciful-to-all [who is] established on the throne of His majesty.

20:6  To Him belongs what is in the heavens and what is on the earth, and what is between them, and what is beneath the soil.

20:7  Whether or not you speak aloud, He knows what is secret as well as what is [even] more hidden.

20:8  God there is no god except Him. All the attributes of perfection belong to Him.

20:9  And has the story of Moses reached you?

20:10  When he saw a fire and said to his family, "Wait here. I can see a fire; perhaps I will bring you a piece of it, or maybe I will find guidance there."

20:11  But when he came to the fire, he was called, "Moses,

20:12  I am truly your Lord, so remove your sandals. You are in the sacred valley of Tuwa

20:13  and I have chosen you, so listen to what is revealed.

20:14  Verily, I am God. There is no God except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer to remember Me.

20:15  The Hour [of Judgment] is coming- though I have chosen to obscure it-when every soul may be rewarded according to its deeds.

20:16  Do not let your focus be diverted from it by anyone who does not believe in its coming and follows his own whim, lest you perish.

20:17  [God said] and what is that in your right hand, Moses?"

20:18  "It is my staff; I lean upon it, I bring down leaves for my sheep and I have other uses for it."

20:19  [God said,] "Throw it down, Moses."

20:20  So he threw it down, and-behold- it turned into a snake, moving swiftly.

20:21  [God] said, "Pick it up and do not be afraid; We will return it to its former condition.

20:22  Now draw your hand to your side; it will come out white, unharmed - another sign,

20:23  so that We may show you [some] of Our greater signs.

20:24  Go to Pharaoh. He has transgressed all bounds."

20:25  [Moses] said, "My Lord, put my heart at ease

20:26  and ease my task for me

20:27  and untie the knot from my tongue

20:28  so that they may understand my speech,

20:29  and appoint for me a minister from my family,

20:30  Aaron, my brother.

20:31  Increase my strength through him

20:32  and let him share my task

20:33  so that we may glorify You much

20:34  and remember You much.

20:35  You see and know all about us."

20:36  [God] said, "You have been granted your request, Moses.

20:37  And We have already favored you in a previous time,

20:38  when We inspired your mother with this:

20:39  "Put him into the chest and cast it into the river. Let the river wash it to the bank, where he will be taken by an enemy of Mine and his." And I bestowed upon you My love, so that you would be brought up under My watchful eye.

20:40  Then your sister walked by and said, "Shall I direct you to someone who will take care of him?" We returned you to your mother, so that she could rejoice and not grieve. Later, you killed someone, but We rescued you from distress but put you through other severe tests. And you remained some years among the people of Midian. Then you came [here] as I ordained, Moses.

20:41  And I have chosen you for Myself.

20:42  Go, you and your brother, with My signs and do not falter in remembering Me.

20:43  Go, both of you, to Pharaoh. He has overstepped all My limits.

20:44  And speak to him gently that perhaps he may remember or fear [God]."

20:45  They said, "Our Lord, we are afraid that He will quickly do us harm or that he will overstep all boundaries."

20:46  God said, "Fear not. I am with you both; I hear and I see.

20:47  Go to him and tell him: "We are messengers of your Lord, so send the Children of Israel with us, and do not punish them. We have come to you with a sign from your Lord. And peace will be upon him who follows His guidance.

20:48  It has been revealed to us that punishment will come upon whoever rejects the truth and turns away."

20:49  [Pharaoh] said, "So who is the Lord of you two, Moses?"

20:50  He said, "Our Lord is He who gave each thing its form and then guided [it]."

20:51  [Pharaoh] said, "Then what about the former generations?"

20:52  He said, "Their knowledge is with my Lord in a record. My Lord neither errs nor forgets."

20:53  It is He who has made the earth as a cradle for you and traced pathways for you through it and sent down rain from the sky, with which We bring forth various kinds of plants

20:54  to eat as well as pasture for your cattle. In this there are signs for intelligent beings.

20:55  From earth We created you, and to it We will return you, and from it We will bring you forth once again.

20:56  We certainly showed Pharaoh all of Our signs, but he denied [them] and refused [to believe].

20:57  [Pharaoh] said, "Have you come to us to drive us out of our land with your magic, Moses?

20:58  Then we will surely bring you magic like it. So let's set a time that neither [of us] will fail to keep in a mutually agreed-upon place."

20:59  [Moses] said, "Your appointment is on the day of the festival, when the people assemble at mid-morning."

20:60  So Pharaoh turned away, decided on his scheme, and then he returned.

20:61  Moses said to the magicians summoned by Pharaoh, "Beware! Do not invent lies against God or He will afflict you with a grievous punishment. He who lies shall fail."

20:62  So [the magicians] argued among themselves over their plan but kept their conversation secret.

20:63  They said, "these are two magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic and to abolish your most exemplary way of life.

20:64  So gather your resources and line up for the contest. And whoever succeeds today will prosper."

20:65  They said, "Moses, either you throw, or we will be the first to throw."

20:66  He said, "No, you throw." And, behold! Their ropes and staffs seemed to him from their sorcery to move [like snakes].

20:67  Moses felt fear within himself

20:68  but, God said, "Have no fear. You will have the upper hand.

20:69  And throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have crafted, for what they have crafted is a magician's trick, and the magician will not succeed in whatever he tries."

20:70  [So it was, and] the magicians, fell down in prostration. They said, "We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses."

20:71  [Pharaoh] said, "How dare you believe him before I gave you permission? He must be your leader who has taught you magic. So I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you on the trunks of palm trees, and you will surely know which of us is more severe in punishment and more enduring."

20:72  They said, "Never will we prefer you over the clear proof that has come to us as nor [over] Him who created us. So, decree whatever you will. You can decree only for this worldly life.

20:73  We have believed in our Lord, so that He may forgive us our sins and the magic that you forced us to perform. God is better and more enduring."

20:74  Whoever comes to his Lord as an evildoer is destined for Hell where he will neither die nor live.

20:75  But whoever comes to Him as a believer, having done righteous deeds will be the highest ranks and

20:76  Gardens of Eden beneath which rivers flow, where they will dwell eternally. And that is the reward for one who purifies himself.

20:77  We revealed to Moses, "Travel by night with My worshipers and strike a dry path through the sea for them, and do not fear being overtaken [by Pharaoh] or fear [drowning]."

20:78  So Pharaoh pursued them with his soldiers, and they were utterly overwhelmed by the sea

20:79  Pharaoh led his people astray and did not guide [them].

20:80  O Children of Israel, We delivered you from your enemy, and We made a covenant with you on the right side of the mountain, and We repeatedly sent down manna and quail to you,

20:81  [saying], "Eat from the good things which We have provided you, but do not abuse them or I will be angry with you. And he with whom I am angry will certainly fall."

20:82  Yet I am most forgiving towards those who repent, believe, do righteous deeds, and stay on the right path.

20:83  [God] said, "Moses, what made you come in such haste ahead of your people?"

20:84  He said, "They are following closely upon my heels, and I rushed to You, my Lord, so that You might be pleased."

20:85  [God] said, "But We have tested your people after you [departed], and the Samaritan has led them astray."

20:86  So Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved. He said, "My people, did not your Lord make you a gracious promise? Did the fulfillment [of the covenant] seem too long to you, or did you want the anger of the Lord to fall on you, so you broke your promise to me?"

20:87  They said, "We did not break our promise to you deliberately, but we were weighed down with the heavy burden of the people's jewelry so we threw them [into the fire], following what the Samaritan did."

20:88  The Samaritan made them [a statue of] a calf, which had a lowing sound, so they said [to each other) , "This is your god and the god of Moses, but he has forgotten [his past]."

20:89  Did they not see that it did not respond to them and that it had no power to either harm or benefit them?

20:90  Aaron had already told them before [the return of Moses], "My people, you are only being tested by it, and your Lord is the Merciful-to-all, so follow me and obey my order."

20:91  They said, "We will never cease being devoted to the calf until Moses returns to us."

20:92  [Moses] said, "Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray,

20:93  from following me? Have you then disobeyed my order?"

20:94  [Aaron] said, "Son of my mother, do not seize [me] by my beard or by my head. I feared that you would say, You caused division among the Children of Israel, and you did not remember my words.' "

20:95  [Moses] said, "And what is the matter with you Samaritan?"

20:96  He said, "I gained insight into what they did not see, so I took a handful [of dust] from the messenger's track and threw it in. This is what my soul tempted me to do."

20:97  [Moses] said, "Get out of here. All that you can ask for in this life is not to be physically harmed. But you have an appointment [in the Hereafter] you will not fail to keep. Look at your 'god' to which you remained devoted. We will burn it up and we will scatter its dust into the sea.

20:98  [People] your true god is God; there is no god but Him. His knowledge encompasses all things. "

20:99  In this way We tell you [Prophet] the news of what has happened before, and We have given you a Reminder directly from Us.

20:100  Whoever turns away from it will bear a heavy burden on the Day of Resurrection,

20:101  carrying it eternally. What a terrible burden to carry on the Day of Resurrection.

20:102  On that Day the Horn will be blown and We will gather those who force others to reject Our messages, blinded [with terror].

20:103  and they will whisper to each other, "You have spent only ten [days]."

20:104  We know best what they will say when the most perceptive [among them] will say, "[In fact] you have spent only one day."

20:105  And [should] they ask you [Prophet] about the mountains, say, "My Lord will blow them away into dust

20:106  and He will level them into empty plains;

20:107  where you will not see a dip or an elevation."

20:108  On that Day, everyone will follow the Caller from whom there is no escape. Then, all voices will be quieted before the Merciful-to-all and only whispers will be heard.

20:109  On that Day, no intercession will be of value except from one to whom the Merciful-to-all has given permission and was pleased with his speech.

20:110  God knows what is before them and what will be after them, but they cannot contain Him with their knowledge.

20:111  And [on that day all] faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. And he who bears injustice will despair.

20:112  But he who does righteous deeds while he is a believer he will fear neither injustice nor deprivation.

20:113  And thus We have sent down [this revelation] as a perfect Arabic Qur'an and have given warnings that perhaps they will remain mindful of Us, or that it might give them a new awareness.

20:114  Know then, that God, the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth is So exalted. [Prophet] do not rush ahead with the Qur'an before its revelation to you is complete, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge."

20:115  And We had already made a covenant with Adam, but he forgot [it]; and We found him lacking in steadfastness.

20:116  And [mention] when We said to the angels, "Bow down before Adam," and they bowed, except Iblis; he refused.

20:117  So We said, "O Adam, this is an enemy to you and to your wife. Do not let him drive you out of the Garden and make you suffer.

20:118  In the Garden you will never go hungry or go naked,

20:119  nor will you go thirsty or suffer the heat of the sun."

20:120  Then Satan whispered to him, saying, "Adam, shall I show you the tree of immortality and a kingdom that will never decay?"

20:121  And they both ate from it, so that their nakedness became apparent to them, and they began to cover themselves with the leaves from the Garden. Adam disobeyed his Lord and was led astray.

20:122  But later, his Lord chose to bring him closer, accepted his repentance, and guided him.

20:123  [God] said, "Go down from it, all of you, as enemies to one another. But when guidance comes to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray [in this world] nor suffer [in the Hereafter].

20:124  But whoever turns away from remembering Me, he will have a life of great hardship, and We will raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection."

20:125  He will say, "My Lord, why have you raised me blind whereas I was able to see before?"

20:126  [God] will say, "Just as Our Signs came to you and you forgot them, in the same way, you too will this Day will be forgotten."

20:127  This is how We repay him who goes too far and does not believe in the signs of his Lord. And the punishment of the Hereafter is more severe and more enduring.

20:128  Has it not become clear to them how many generations We destroyed before them, in whose ruined dwellings they now walk? There are signs in this for those with understanding.

20:129  And were it not for a prior word from your Lord, setting an appointed term, [their punishment] would necessarily have come immediately.

20:130  So [Prophet] be patient with what they say and exalt your Lord's limitless glory and praise Him before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and exalt His limitless glory during periods of the night and the day, so that you may be content.

20:131  And do not gaze longingly toward what We have given some of them to enjoy, [it is merely] the splendor of worldly life by which We test them, but the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring.

20:132  Order your people to pray and be steadfast yourself. We are not asking you for provision; We provide for you, and the [best] end [comes through] being mindful of God.

20:133  And they say, "If he would only bring us a sign from his Lord?" Has not clear evidence come to them in the earlier texts?

20:134  And if We had destroyed them with a punishment before this, they would have said, "Our Lord, if You had only sent us a messenger, we could have followed Your signs before we were humiliated and disgraced."

20:135  Say, "Each is expectantly waiting; so wait with your expectations. For you will eventually know who is on the path of equity and who is rightly guided."