20:1  Ta. Ha

20:2  We do not send down the Qur’an on you so that you suffer distress (in your duty of conveying it to people)

20:3  But only as a reminder for him who holds some awe of God in his heart (and so has the potential to achieve faith)

20:4  A gradual sending down from Him Who has created the earth and the high heavens

20:5  The All-Merciful, Who has established Himself on the Throne

20:6  To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and whatever is between them, and whatever is under the soil

20:7  If you say something aloud (or keep it to yourself), He surely knows the secret as well as (whatever you may be keeping as) the more hidden

20:8  God – there is no deity save Him; His are the All-Beautiful Names

20:9  Has the story of Moses come to you

20:10  (He was traveling with his family in the desert) when he saw a fire, and so said to his family: "Wait here! Indeed I perceive a fire far off. Perhaps I can bring you a burning brand from it, or find guidance by the fire."

20:11  Then when he came near to it, he was called by name: "O Moses

20:12  "Indeed it is I, I am your Lord. So take off your sandals, for you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa

20:13  "I have chosen you (to be My Messenger), so listen to what is revealed (to you)

20:14  "Assuredly, it is I, I am God, there is no deity save Me. So worship Me, and establish the Prayer in conformity with its conditions for remembrance of Me

20:15  "Surely the Last Hour is bound to come (unexpectedly. It is so great a truth that) I all but keep it hidden so that every soul may strive for what it strives for (and achieve the just recompense for it)

20:16  "So do not let anyone who does not believe in it and (instead) follows his own desire and caprice, turn you from (believing in and preaching the truth about) it, lest you then perish

20:17  "What is that in your right hand, Moses?"

20:18  He said: "It is my staff. I lean on it, and with it I beat down leaves for my flock, and I have some other uses for it."

20:19  (God) said: "Throw it down, O Moses!"

20:20  So he threw it down, and there and then it was a snake, slithering

20:21  (God) said: "Take hold of it and do not fear! We will return it to its former state

20:22  "Now, put your (right) hand under your armpit: it will come forth shining white, flawless, as another (miraculous) sign

20:23  "So that We may show you some of Our greatest miraculous signs

20:24  "Go to the Pharaoh, for he has indeed rebelled."

20:25  (Moses) said: "My Lord! Expand for me my breast

20:26  "Make my task easy for me

20:27  "Loose a knot from my tongue (to make my speaking more fluent)

20:28  "So that they may understand my speech clearly

20:29  "And appoint a minister (helper) for me from my family

20:30  "Aaron, my brother

20:31  "Confirm my strength with him

20:32  "And let him share my task

20:33  "So that we may glorify You much

20:34  "And mention and remember You abundantly

20:35  "Surely You are ever seeing and watching us."

20:36  (God) said: "Your request has already been granted, O Moses

20:37  "And assuredly We did bestow Our favor upon you at another time before

20:38  "We inspired in your mother that which she was to be inspired with, saying

20:39  ‘Place the child in a chest and cast it into the river, then the river will throw it up on the bank: one who is both My enemy and his enemy (the Pharaoh, who has decided to kill all the new-born sons of the Children of Israel) will take him up.’ I cast over you (Moses) love from Me (protecting you, so love for you was aroused in the hearts of people who saw you), and so that you were brought up under My eyes

20:40  "When your sister (on your mother’s instruction, knowing the Pharaoh’s household had taken you in) went and said: ‘Shall I guide you to one who will nurse him?’ Thus ( – and it is We Who made none other capable of nursing you – ) We returned you to your mother, so that she might rejoice and forget her grief. And (much later on) you killed a man (not intending it), so We saved you from the (ensuing) trouble, and We tested you with trial (of different kinds and degrees only to perfect you). You stayed for years among the people of Midian, and then you attained to the (quality of mind and spirit) expected of and decreed for you, O Moses

20:41  "And I have attached you to Myself (and so trained you to My service)

20:42  "Go, you and your brother, with My miraculous signs (with which I have provided you), and never slacken in remembrance of Me and reminding (others) of Me

20:43  "Go, both of you, to the Pharaoh for he has exceedingly rebelled

20:44  "But speak to him with gentle words, so that he might reflect and be mindful or feel some awe (of me, and behave with humility)."

20:45  They said: "Our Lord, we fear lest he act hastily in regard to us (not allowing us to complete our preaching), or become (more) tyrannical."

20:46  He said: "Do not fear! Surely I am with you, hearing and seeing

20:47  "Go to him and say: ‘We are indeed Messengers of your Lord (Who has created and sustains you), so let the Children of Israel go with us, and do not cause them to suffer (longer). Assuredly we have come to you with a manifest proof from your Lord. And peace (success and safety and triumph) is upon him who follows His guidance

20:48  ‘It has surely been revealed to us that (only) punishment is upon him who denies and turns away (from God’s call).’ "

20:49  (When they had spoken to the Pharaoh as God had commanded them,) the Pharaoh said: "Who is this Lord of you two, O Moses?"

20:50  (Moses) said: "Our Lord is He Who creates everything and endows each thing with its particular character, and then guides (it to the fulfillment of the aim and purpose of its existence)."

20:51  (The Pharaoh) said: "Then, what is the case with the earlier generations (all of whom have passed away, how are they recompensed for their beliefs and deeds)?"

20:52  (Moses) answered: "My Lord holds the knowledge of them in a Record. My Lord never errs, nor forgets."

20:53  He Who has made the earth a cradle for you and traced out roads on it for you, and sends down water from the sky, and produces with it pairs of various plants

20:54  Eat thereof, and feed your cattle. Surely, in all this are signs (manifesting the truth) for people of sound, unbiased thinking

20:55  From it (earth) We create you, and into it are We returning you, and out of it will We bring you forth a second time

20:56  We certainly showed the Pharaoh Our signs, all of them (including those We granted particularly to Moses), but he contradicted them and refused (to believe)

20:57  He said: "Moses, have you come to drive us from our land with your sorcery

20:58  "Then, We will most certainly produce before you sorcery like it. So appoint a meeting between us and you, which neither we nor you will fail to keep, in an open, level place convenient (to both of us)."

20:59  (Moses) said: "The meeting will be on the Day of the Festival, and let the people assemble in the forenoon."

20:60  The Pharaoh then left, and he (set out to) mobilize all his devices, then presented himself (at the appointed meeting)

20:61  Moses said to them (warning them before it was too late for them to be warned): "Woe to you! Do not fabricate lies against God (such as falsely describing His clear proofs as sorcery, falsely pretending that His Message to you aims at driving you out of your land, and by adopting other deities than Him), lest He ruin you with a severe scourge. Whoever fabricates a lie is doomed."

20:62  (Moses’ warning having influenced some among the sorcerers and the Pharaoh’s men,) they began to debate their affair among themselves, holding a secret counsel

20:63  (The Pharaoh’s men spoke to the sorcerers, and) they said: "These two men are surely sorcerers intent on driving you out of your land with their sorcery, and doing away with your exemplary way of life

20:64  "So gather your devices, and then come in ordered ranks (as an organized, unified force), for the one who gains the upper hand today has surely triumphed."

20:65  They (the sorcerers) said: "Moses, either you throw or we will be the first to throw!"

20:66  He said: "No, you throw first!" And there and then, by their sorcery, their ropes and their staffs seemed to him to be slithering

20:67  Then Moses felt in his soul a bit apprehensive (that people may have been influenced by their sorcery)

20:68  We said: "Do not fear! You surely, you are the uppermost

20:69  "Throw that which is in your right hand: it will swallow up all that they have contrived. What they have contrived is only a sorcerer’s artifice. And a sorcerer can never prosper whatever he may aim at."

20:70  And so (it happened, and) the sorcerers were thrown down, prostrate. They proclaimed: "We have come to believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses!"

20:71  (The Pharaoh) said: "Do you believe in Him before I give you leave? I see that he (Moses) is your master who taught you sorcery! I will surely have your hands and feet cut off alternately, and have you crucified on the trunks of palm-trees, and you will certainly come to know which of us (– the Lord of Aaron and Moses or I –) is more severe in punishment and (whose punishment is) more lasting!"

20:72  They said: "We will never prefer you above the clear evidence (manifesting the truth) that has come before us, and above Him Who originated us. So decree whatever you decree: you can decree only for the life of this world

20:73  "We have surely come to believe in our Lord and (we hope) that He may forgive us our faults and that sorcery to which you compelled us. God is the best (in giving reward), and the most permanent."

20:74  Whoever comes before his Lord as a disbelieving criminal, for him surely there will be Hell: he will neither die therein nor live

20:75  Whereas he who comes before Him as a believer who did good, righteous deeds, for such are high ranks and lofty stations –

20:76  Gardens of perpetual bliss through which rivers flow, therein to abide. Such is the recompense of whoever attains to purity

20:77  We revealed to Moses: "Set forth with My servants by night, and (when you reach the sea’s edge with the Pharaoh and his army in pursuit) strike for them a dry path with your staff through the sea, and you need have no fear of being overtaken (by Pharaoh) or of drowning in the sea."

20:78  Then the Pharaoh pursued them with his armed hosts, and they were overwhelmed by the sea to their complete destruction

20:79  The Pharaoh had led his people astray (and finally he led them to destruction); he did not guide them (either to the truth or to prosperity)

20:80  O Children of Israel! We saved you from your enemy; and We made a covenant with you through Moses on the right side of Mount Sinai (and granted you the Torah); and We sent down on you manna and quails (to sustain you in the desert)

20:81  (We said:) Eat of the pure, wholesome things that We have provided for you but do not exceed the bounds therein (by wastefulness, ingratitude, unlawful earnings, and the like). Otherwise My condemnation will justly fall upon you, and upon whoever My wrath falls, he has indeed thrown himself into ruin

20:82  Yet I am surely All-Forgiving to whoever repents and believes and does good, righteous deeds, and thereafter keeps himself on the right path

20:83  (When Moses came to Our appointment with him in Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, We asked him:) "Moses, what has caused you to leave your people behind in such haste?"

20:84  He replied: "They are following in my footsteps; and I have shown haste to come to You so that You may be well-pleased with Me."

20:85  (God) said: "Then (know that) We have put your people to a test in your absence, and the Samiri (Samaritan) has led them astray."

20:86  So Moses returned to his people in anger and sorrow. He said: "My people! Did your Lord not make you a fair promise (that He would grant you the Torah for your happiness in both worlds and settle you in the land the environs of which He has blessed)? Did, then, the time appointed (for my absence) seem too long to you or did you desire that a condemnation from your Lord should fall upon you, that you broke your promise to me?"

20:87  They said: "We did not break our promise to you of our own accord (with intent), but we were loaded with (sinful) loads of ornaments of the people (of Egypt), and we threw them (to get rid of them), in the same way as the Samiri threw (them, into a fire)."

20:88  And then he brought out for them a calf shaping to it (from the molten ornaments) a body (which made a sound like) mooing. Then they said (some of them to others): "This is your deity and the deity of Moses, but he has forgotten."

20:89  Did they not see at all that (even) it could not return to them a word (for answer), and had no power to harm or benefit them

20:90  And Aaron had certainly said to them, before Moses’ return, (warning them:) "O my people! You are only being tested through this (idol to prove the quality of your understanding and faith). Truly Your Lord is the All-Merciful (Who is most forgiving), so follow me and obey my order!"

20:91  But they said: "We will by no means cease to worship it until Moses comes back to us."

20:92  (Having returned, and unaware of Aaron’s warning, Moses) said: "O Aaron! What prevented you, when you saw them gone astray

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

20:94  Aaron said: "O son of my mother! Do not seize me by my beard, nor by my head! I was afraid lest you should say: ‘You have caused division among the Children of Israel, and paid no heed to my orders!’ "

20:95  (Moses turned to the Samiri and) said: "What is the matter with you, O Samiri, (that you did such a monstrous thing)?"

20:96  He answered: "I have seen something which they were unable to see, and so I took a handful (of dust) from the trail of the messenger (the archangel Gabriel) and cast it into the molten ornaments: thus did my soul prompt me to act."

20:97  (Moses) said: "Be gone, then! (The sentence) upon you is that in this present life you say ‘Touch me not!’ (to warn people against proximity to you), and surely there is for you a promise (of punishment) that you cannot evade. Now look to this deity of yours to whose worship you have become devoted: we will most certainly burn it, and scatter whatever remains of it over the sea

20:98  (O my people!) Your only deity is God, other than Whom there is no deity. He encompasses all things in His Knowledge."

20:99  Thus do We relate to you (O Messenger) some of the exemplary events which happened in the past. Indeed We have granted you a Reminder (a Book of knowledge and instructions) from Our Presence

20:100  Whoever turns away from it, certainly bears a burden on the Day of Resurrection

20:101  Forever carrying it. How evil a burden is theirs on the Day of Resurrection

20:102  That Day the Trumpet will be blown, and We will raise to life and gather the disbelieving criminals white-eyed (with terror and fatigue)

20:103  They whisper among themselves: "You stayed in the world only ten (days)."

20:104  It is We Who have full knowledge of what they talk about, when the most perceptive among them say, "You stayed only one day."

20:105  They ask you (O Messenger) about (what will happen to) the mountains (on Doomsday). Say: "My Lord will blast them into scattered dust

20:106  "And He will leave it (the earth) as a desolate waste

20:107  "You will see in it neither curve nor ruggedness."

20:108  On that Day, all will follow the summoning Voice straightforwardly without any deviation, and all voices will be humbled for the All-Merciful, and you will hear nothing but a hushed murmur

20:109  On that Day, intercession is not of any avail except his, to whom the All-Merciful gives permission and with whose words He is well-pleased

20:110  He knows what lies before His servants (especially on Judgment Day) and whatever (of intentions, or speech, or actions) they have left behind, whereas they cannot comprehend Him with their knowledge

20:111  And (on that Day) all faces are humbled before the All-Living, the Self-Subsisting One (by Whom all else subsist). And assuredly he has failed whose load is wrongdoing

20:112  Whereas whoever does good, righteous deeds, being a believer, need have no fear of being wronged or deprived (of his just recompense)

20:113  And thus have We sent it down as a qur’an (a discourse) in Arabic and set out in it warnings in diverse contexts and from diverse perspectives, so that they may keep from disobedience to Us in reverence for Us and piety, or that it may prompt them to remembrance and heedfulness

20:114  Absolutely exalted is God, the Supreme Sovereign, the Absolute Truth and Ever-Constant. Do not show haste (O Messenger) with (the receiving and memorizing of any Revelation included in) the Qur’an before it has been revealed to you in full, but say: "My Lord, increase me in knowledge."

20:115  Assuredly We had made a covenant with Adam (and forbidden him to approach a tree in the Garden), but he acted forgetfully. We did not find resolve in him (at that moment)

20:116  And when We said to the angels, "Prostrate yourselves before Adam," they all prostrated themselves. But Iblis did not; he refused

20:117  So We said: "O Adam, surely this is an enemy to you and your wife; so let him not drive the two of you out of the Garden, lest you become distressed

20:118  "Surely it is provided for you that you shall not go hungry therein nor become naked

20:119  "And that you shall not go thirsty therein nor suffer the sun’s heat."

20:120  But Satan made an evil suggestion, saying: "O Adam, shall I lead you to the tree of everlasting life and a kingdom that will never decay?"

20:121  They both ate of it, so their shameful parts (and all the seemingly evil impulses in their creation) were apparent to them, and both began to cover themselves with leaves from the Garden. Adam disobeyed his Lord and fell into error

20:122  Thereafter his Lord chose him (for His favor), accepted His repentance, and bestowed His guidance upon him

20:123  We said: "Go down from here, the two of you, all together (with Satan, and henceforth you will live a life,) some of you being the enemies of others. If there comes to you from Me a guidance (like a Book through a Messenger), then whoever follows My guidance (and turns to Me with faith and worship), will not go astray, nor will he be unhappy

20:124  "But as for him who turns away from My remembrance (and from the Book), his will be a suffocated life, and We will raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection."

20:125  He says: "My Lord, why have You raised me up blind, while I used to be seeing (in my life of the world)?"

20:126  (God) says: "Just so. Our Revelations came to you but you disregarded them, so today you will be disregarded."

20:127  Thus do We recompense him who is wasteful (of his God-given faculties) and commits excesses, and does not believe in his Lord’s Revelations. And indeed, the punishment in the Hereafter is more severe and most enduring

20:128  Is it not a guidance for them how many a generation We have destroyed before them, in whose ruined dwelling-places they walk about (in the present)? Surely in that there are signs (manifesting the truth) for people of discernment

20:129  Had it not been for a decree already issued by your Lord, and for a term already appointed (by Him), the judgment (against them) would certainly have been given and executed

20:130  Therefore, be patient (O Messenger) with whatever they say and glorify your Lord with praise before sunrise and before sunset, and glorify Him during some hours of the night – as well as glorifying (Him) at the ends of the day – so that you may obtain God’s good pleasure and be contented (with what God has decreed for you)

20:131  Do not strain your eyes toward what We have given some groups among them to enjoy (in this worldly life), the splendor of the present, worldly life, so that We may test them thereby. The provision of Your Lord (the favors He has bestowed upon you here and hereafter) is better and more lasting

20:132  Order your family and community to establish the Prayer, and be diligent in its observance. We do not ask you to provide for Us; rather it is We Who provide for you. (So all your worship is for your own benefit.) And the (desired) outcome is in favor of piety and righteousness

20:133  And they say: "If only he brought us a miracle from his Lord!" Has there not come to them (as a sufficient miracle) a Clear Evidence of (the truth) in what is (to be found) in the former Scriptures

20:134  Had We destroyed them with a punishment before it (before the Evidence came to them), they would surely have said: "Our Lord! If only You had sent us a Messenger, we would have followed Your Revelations before we were humiliated and disgraced."

20:135  Say: "Everyone (we and you) is in an expectation (of what the future will bring), so continue to expect! You will soon come to know who have been the followers of the even path and who have been rightly guided (and therefore whose expectations have proved true)