23:1  The believers have succeeded:

23:2  those who are humbly focused in their prayer;

23:3  who turn away from meaningless activities;

23:4  who give Zakat;

23:5  who guard their modesty and sexual purity,

23:6  except from their spouses or their slaves, in which case they are free from blame –

23:7  but whoever desires sexual gratification beyond that are transgressors –

23:8  who honour trusts placed in them and their contract;

23:9  and regularly perform their prayers.

23:10  Such people are the true heirs,

23:11  they will inherit Paradise, living in it forever

23:12  We first created humanity from an extract of clay.

23:13  Thereafter born, We placed him as a drop of semen in the stable environment of the womb.

23:14  The drop of semen turned to a blood-like clot; and, from the blood-like clot, We made the fleshy lump into bones and covered them with flesh; then We produce from it another created being. Blessed is Allah, the best Creator.

23:15  After all that, you will die,

23:16  and on Judgement Day you will be resurrected

23:17  We created seven orbits of the Heavens above you; and We never neglected Our creation.

23:18  We send rain from the sky in exact measure, and We hold it in the Earth; and We are equally capable of taking it away.

23:19  With water, We produce gardens of date palms and grape vines. There is plenty of fruit for you to eat.

23:20  We produced a tree that grows on the side of Mount Sinai, it produces olive oil, a seasoning for people to eat.

23:21  The livestock offer you a lesson; We give you to drink from what is in their bellies, not to mention the many other benefits in them, and you eat their meat,

23:22  and they carry you across the land. And you’re transported by the ships

23:23  We sent Nuh to his people, he preached: “My people, worship Allah; you have no other god beside Him. Won’t you be mindful of Him?”

23:24  The leaders of disbelievers of his community said, “He is only a mortal like yourselves, who wants dominance over you. If Allah so wished, He would have sent angels. Never have we heard the like of this from our forefathers.

23:25  He’s just a man who’s mad, so bear with him a while till he recovers.”

23:26  Nuh said, “My Lord, help me, they’ve denied me.

23:27  Eventually We inspired him: “Build a ship under Our supervision and according to Our instructions; then, when Our command comes, and the geysers begin to flood, then take aboard two of every kind of creature and your family, except those who’ve already been condemned. And do not speak to me about the evildoers. They are as good as drowned.

23:28  Then, once you and your followers are onboard the ship, say: ‘Praise be to Allah, Who has rescued us from the wrongdoers,’

23:29  and say: ‘My Lord, settle me in a blessed place, for You are the best provider of a home.’”

23:30  In this are signs. We have always put people to the test

23:31  We raised another generation after them,

23:32  and sent a messenger from themselves, who said: “Worship Allah; you have no other god beside Him. Will you not be mindful of Him?”

23:33  The leaders of disbelievers from his community who denied meeting Allah in the Hereafter, and those We lavished with luxuries in this worldly life, said, “He’s only a human like yourselves; he eats what you eat and drinks what you drink.

23:34  If you were to obey a human like yourselves, you would be losers.

23:35  “Does he promise that, when you die and turn to dust and bones, you will be brought out of your graves?

23:36  What you are promised is utter nonsense!

23:37  This worldly life of ours is it! We will live, die, and we will not be resurrected.

23:38  He is only a man who has made up lies about Allah, so we won’t believe him.”

23:39  The messenger said, “My Lord, help me because they’ve denied me.”

23:40  Allah said, “They will regret, soon.”

23:41  The Blast took them by surprise; and We turned them into dust. So away with the evildoers!

23:42  We raised other generations after them.

23:43  No community can bring forward or delay its fixed lifespan

23:44  We continued sending Our messengers, one after another. Each time their messenger came to a community, they denied him. So, We made one community succeed another, and We made of them tales to be told. So away with people who do not believe!

23:45  After that We sent Musa and his brother, Harun, with Our signs and a clear proof

23:46  to Pharaoh and his court, but they were arrogant and too proud.

23:47  They said, “Should we believe two men like ourselves, whose people are our slaves?”

23:48  So they denied them and were destroyed.

23:49  We gave Musa the Book so they may be guided.

23:50  We made the son of Maryam and his mother a sign; We gave them refuge on a hilltop, a peaceful place with a natural spring.

23:51  Messengers, eat of what is pure wholesome and do good deeds; I know well what you do.

23:52  This community of yours is a single community, and I am your Lord, so be mindful of Me

23:53  Their successors split up into sects, each sect pleased with itself.

23:54  So leave them wallowing in their confusion for a while.

23:55  Do they reckon We granted them wealth and children because

23:56  We are in a rush to do whatever is good for them? On the contrary, they have no sense of what is coming.

23:57  However, those who fear their Lord;

23:58  believe in the signs of their Lord;

23:59  don’t associate partners with their Lord;

23:60  give charity from what they have been given, while their hearts tremble at the thought that they will be returning to their Lord;

23:61  they rush to do whatever is good, they are the high fliers

23:62  We don’t task anyone beyond their capacity, and We keep a Book with Us that speaks the truth; so they shall not be wronged.

23:63  However, there’s confusion in their minds about this; and the wrongdoers have even worse deeds than this, which they continue to do

23:64  until We seize their well-off for punishment; then they will cry out.

23:65  “Don’t cry today,” they will be told, “You will find no help against Us.

23:66  When My verses were recited, you turned on your heels and walked away,

23:67  arrogantly talking nonsense late into the night.”

23:68  Haven’t they reflected on what is said in the Quran? Or has something come to them that never came to their forefathers?

23:69  Or is it that they don’t recognise their messenger, and so they reject him?

23:70  Or do they say that he’s possessed? On the contrary, he has come to them with the truth, but most of them hate it

23:71  If Allah, the truth was to follow their whims, then the Heavens and the Earth and whatever exists in them would have fallen into ruin. We brought them a reminder, but they turned away from their reminder.

23:72  Or did you ask them to pay you something? The payment of your Lord is better by far; and He is the best Provider.

23:73  At the same time as you are calling them to the straight path,

23:74  those who deny the Hereafter have turned away from the path

23:75  If We were kind to them and removed all hardship from them, they would still wander about disobediently.

23:76  We punished them once before, and they didn’t surrender to their Lord, nor showed humility

23:77  until We opened the gate of punishment on them, and they fell into despair.

23:78  He gave you hearing, sight and mind. How little did you thank Him!

23:79  He scattered you all over the Earth, and eventually you will be gathered before Him.

23:80  He grants life and death, and His is the cycle of night and day. Don’t you understand

23:81  On the contrary, the Makkans say the same as their ancestors.

23:82  They said: “When we are dead and turned to dust and bones, will we be resurrected?

23:83  We and our forefathers were promised this before. These are mere tales of the past.”

23:84  Say, Muhammad: “To Whom does the Earth and whoever lives on it belong, if you have knowledge?”

23:85  They will say, “To Allah!” Say: “Why then don’t you pay attention?”

23:86  Say: “Who is the Lord of the Seven Heavens and the Lord of the Mighty Throne?”

23:87  Again they will say, “Allah!” Say: “Why aren’t you mindful of Him?”

23:88  Say: “In Whose hand lies the control over everything, He protects, but against Him there is no protection, if you have knowledge?”

23:89  They will say, “Allah!” Say: “So why are you bewitched?”

23:90  On the other hand, We brought them the truth, but they deny it

23:91  Allah has not taken a son, nor is there any other god with Him. If it had been so, each god would have gone off with what it had created, and some of them would be superior to others. Glory to Allah, Who is far removed from what they ascribe to Him!

23:92  The Knower of all that is seen and unseen, Sublimely exalted above whatever they associate with Him

23:93  Say: “My Lord, if You must show me what they’ve been promised

23:94  then, My Lord, don’t include me among the wrongdoers.”

23:95  We are quite capable of showing you what We promised them.

23:96  Repel evil with good. We know well what they ascribe to Us.

23:97  And say: “My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the murmurings of devils;

23:98  and I seek Your refuge from harm they may cause me.”

23:99  Only when death comes to one of them will he say, “My Lord, let me return to my life on Earth

23:100  so that I may act righteously in whatever I previously omitted.” Never! What he is saying are empty words; and before them lies a vast barrier, uncrossable till the day they are resurrected

23:101  When the mighty Trumpet is blown, that Day there will be no kinship left between them, nor will they ask about each other.

23:102  Anyone whose scales weigh heavy, will be successful;

23:103  but anyone whose scales are light will be the loser, staying in Hell forever.

23:104  The Fire will scorch their faces, leaving them grinning like skulls.

23:105  “Were My verses not recited to you,” they will be asked, “and you rejected them.”

23:106  They will say, “Our Lord, misfortune overwhelmed us, and so we went astray.

23:107  Our Lord, get us out of here; if we return to acting sinfully, we shall only be wronging ourselves.”

23:108  Allah will say, “May you be driven ever deeper into the Fire. Don’t speak to Me.

23:109  There was once a group of My servants who used to say, ‘Our Lord, we believe; forgive us and be kind to us, for You are the most Kind.’

23:110  However, you took them as a laughing stock, your laughing at them made you forget My remembrance.

23:111  This day I shall reward them for their patience. They are the victors.”

23:112  Allah will ask, “How long did you live on Earth?”

23:113  They will say, “We spent a day or so. Ask those who keep count.”

23:114  Allah will say, “You spent but a short while, if only you knew.

23:115  Did you reckon We created you without a purpose and you wouldn’t be returned to Us?

23:116  Allah is the exalted, the True King! There is no god beside Him, Lord of the Honoured Throne.

23:117  Anyone who worships another god for which he has no proof, His Lord will bring him to account. The disbelievers shall never succeed.

23:118  And, Messenger, say: “My Lord, forgive and be kind, for You are the Most Kind.