7:1  Alif Lam Mim Sad - I am Allah, the Best Knower, the Most Truthful

7:2  (This Qur'an is) a (glorious) Book revealed to you that you may warn (the erring) therewith, and (that it may be) a source of eminence and honour to the believers. Let there be no constriction in your mind on this account

7:3  (People!) follow (the Message) which has been revealed to you by your Lord and follow no patrons (as you assume them to be), apart from Allah. How little heed you pay to admonition

7:4  So many a (rebellious) township have We caused to be ruined; so Our punishment visited them by night or while they were taking their midday rest

7:5  So that their cry meant nothing when Our punishment came upon them except that they (apologisingly) said, `Truly we were wrong-doing people.

7:6  We will then invariably question those to whom (the Messages) were sent and We will certainly question (also) the Messengers

7:7  We will certainly relate to them (true facts) with exact details, having full knowledge of them, for We were never absent (from them when it came to pass)

7:8  On that day the weighing (- the judging of deeds) will be just and true, then he whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, it is these only who shall attain their goal

7:9  And those whose scales are light (and their deeds of little account), it is they who have made their souls suffer losses because they have been unjust with regard to Our Messages

7:10  (People!) We have indeed established you in the earth (giving you power therein), and provided for you therein (various) means of subsistence. How little thanks you give

7:11  We did determine you, then We gave you shape, then said to the angels, `Make submission to (the Children of) Adam,' so they all submitted. But Iblis (did not), he would not be of those who submit

7:12  (God) said, `What prevented you from submitting when I commanded you (to submit)?' (Iblis) said, `I am better than he (- the human being). You created me from fire whereas You created him from clay.

7:13  (God) said, `Get down from this (haughty state) for it is not proper for you to behave proudly here, so be gone. Surely, you are of those who have agreed to remain in an abject position.

7:14  He (- Iblis, in impertinent defiance) said, `Grant me respite till the day when they are raised up again.

7:15  (God) said, `Surely, you are of those (already) given respite.

7:16  (Iblis) said, `Now, since You have adjudged me to be perverted and lost, I will assuredly lie in wait for them (- the Children of Adam) on the straight and exact path that leads to you

7:17  `There will I come upon them from their front and from their backs and from their right and from their left so that You will not find most of them grateful (to You).

7:18  (God) said, `Get out from this (state), despised and driven away. Be sure, whosoever of these (human beings) follows you I will certainly fill Gehenna with you all.

7:19  And (We said), `O Adam! dwell you and your wife in this garden, then eat you both when and where you like but do not (even) approach this tree or you both will become of the transgressors.

7:20  Then satan made an evil suggestion to them both, with the result that their shortcomings which were hidden from them, became manifest to them, and he said, `Your Lord forbade you from this tree only lest you should become angels or become of the immortals.

7:21  And he ardently swore to them both (saying), `Most certainly, I am one of your sincere advisers.

7:22  Thus he led them on the way of guile and deceit. And when they tasted of the tree (and committed the things forbidden to them), their shortcomings became manifest to them. They (in order to cover themselves) began to stick the leaves of the garden over themselves and their Lord called out to them both (saying,) `Did I not forbid you from (approaching) that tree, and tell you that satan is to you an enemy disuniting (from Me)?

7:23  Both of them said, `Our Lord! we have done injustice to our souls, and if You do not protect us (against the consequences of our faults) and do not have mercy on us, we shall surely be of the losers.

7:24  (God) said, `Get down (from this land). Some of you are (indeed) enemies of others, and there will be for you on this earth a habitation and (enjoyment of) provision for a while.

7:25  And (He added), `In this (very universe) you shall live and therein you shall die and from it you shall be brought forth (in the Hereafter).

7:26  O Children of Adam! We have given you a raiment that covers your nakedness and is a source of (your) elegance and protection. Yet the raiment that guards against evils, that is the best (of robes). That is one of the commandments of Allah so that they may attain eminence

7:27  O Children of Adam! do not let satan put you in trouble (in the same way) as he turned your parents out of the garden, stripping them of their raiment (of innocence) with the result that their shortcomings were made manifest to them both. Verily, he (- satan) sees you, he and his tribe, in such a way as you see them not. Verily, We have made satans friends of those who do not believe

7:28  And when they (- the disbelievers) commit an act of indecency, they say, `We found our forefathers (practising) on it, and it is Allah Who has enjoined it upon us.' Say, `Surely, Allah never enjoins indecencies. Do you attribute to Allah what you do not know (that it is from Him).

7:29  Say, `My Lord has ordained to be equitable, and to keep your attention upright towards Him always in (your) every Prayer, and to call upon Him exclusively bearing true faith in Him. As He brought you into being (in the first instance) so shall you return (to Him again).

7:30  There is a party whom He has guided aright, but there is another party, straying has become an established fact with them. Verily, they have taken the evil ones for friends to the exclusion of Allah, yet they deem they are rightly guided

7:31  O Children of Adam! look to your elegance (by dressing properly) at every time and place of worship, and eat and drink but exceed not the bounds, for He does not love those who exceed the bounds

7:32  Say, `Who has made unlawful Allah's beautiful things of adornment and elegance which He has produced for His servants and the delicious and pure things of (His) providing?' Say, `They are primarily meant for the believers (and for the disbelievers too) in this present life (but) exclusively for (the believers) on the Day of Resurrection.' In this way do We explain the Messages for a people who would know

7:33  Say, `Verily, My Lord has forbidden all (acts of) indecency, open and hidden, and every (kind of) sin and aggression, which is never justifiable; and (He forbids you also) to associate with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority, and to say concerning Allah that which you do not know (that it is in fact said by Him).

7:34  For (the end of) every nation there is a term fixed, so that when their term comes, they cannot delay a single moment (to avoid it) nor can they get ahead (of it to escape from it)

7:35  O Children of Adam! whenever there come to you Messengers from amongst yourselves relating to you My Messages, then whosoever (by accepting them) becomes secure against evil and amends, there shall remain no fear on them nor shall they grieve

7:36  But those who cry lies to Our Messages and turn away from them disdainfully, it is they who are the fellows of the Fire, where they shall abide till long

7:37  Who is more unjust than he who forges a lie in the name of Allah or cries lies to His Messages. It is these who shall continue to have their lot of the Book as ordained (by Allah) until (there comes the time) when Our messengers (- the angels) come to them to take away their souls. They (- the angels) will say, `Where is (now) that which you used to call upon besides Allah?' They will reply, `They are lost to us;' and they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers

7:38  He (- God) will say, `Enter into the Fire along with the communities that have passed away before you, from among the jinns and ordinary people.' Every time a (new) community enters it, it curses its sister (evil-doing community), until when they have all followed one another into it, the last of them will say with regard to the first of them (-the leaders), `Our Lord! these led us astray so give them punishment of the Fire over and over again.' He will say, `Everyone is having (his punishment) over and over again, but you do not know (about one another).

7:39  And the first of them, (- their leaders) will say to the last of them (- the followers), `(If we are to blame), you (too) are no better than we. Suffer therefore, the punishment of your (evil) deeds.

7:40  Be sure, those who cry lies to Our Messages and turn away from them disdainfully, the gates of the (spiritual) firmament shall not be opened for them, nor shall they enter Paradise until a camel passes through the eye of a needle. In this way do We award punishment to those who cut their ties (with Allah)

7:41  They shall have Gehenna for their bed and above them awnings (of fire for cover), and thus do We requit the wrong-doers

7:42  (As for) those who believe and do deeds of righteousness - We charge no soul except according to its capacity. It is these who are the rightful owners of Paradise where they shall abide for ever

7:43  We shall strip their hearts of whatever rancour there may be (for others). They shall have streams rolling at their feet, and they shall say, `All perfect and true praise belongs to Allah Who guided us to attain to this (Paradise). We could never have been led aright (to this) if Allah had not guided us. The Messengers of Our Lord did come (to us) with the truth.' It will be proclaimed to them, `This is the very Paradise which you are made to inherit as a reward of your (good) deeds.

7:44  The owners of Paradise will call out to the fellows of the Fire, `We have found, what Our Lord had promised, to be true. Have you (too) found what your Lord had promised (to you) to be true?' They will say, `Yes.' Then a herald will proclaim amongst them, `Let the disapproval of Allah be on these wrong-doer

7:45  `Who hinder (the people) from Allah's way and seek to make it (look as) crooked, and who are disbelievers in the Hereafter.

7:46  And between the two (- the Fire and the Paradise) is a barrier, and on the elevated places there shall be men (like the Prophets and other exalted spiritual dignitaries) who will recognise every one by his appearance. And they shall call out to the (prospective) inmates of Paradise, `Peace be on you!' These (prospective inmates of Paradise) will not have (yet) entered therein, though they will be hoping (for this entry)

7:47  And when their eyes are turned towards the fellows of the Fire, they will say, `Our Lord! place us not with these wrong-doing people.

7:48  The occupants of the elevated places will call out to certain men (from the fellows of the Fire), whom they will recognise by their appearance, `Behold! neither your multitude nor that (amassing) in which you took pride have been of any avail to you

7:49  `Are these (owners of Paradise) the ones about whom you swore that Allah would not extend His mercy to them?' (Allah has ordered them,) `Enter Paradise! No fear shall remain on you, nor ever shall you grieve.

7:50  Now the fellows of the Fire will call out to the owners of Paradise, `Pour down upon us some water or (give us) some of that which Allah has provided for you.' They will say, `Allah has forbidden them both to the disbelievers

7:51  `Those who took their faith for a futile and frivolous thing causing diversion (from Allah), they were beguiled by the worldly life.' (And God will say,) `So on this day We shall forsake them as they forsook (the idea of) the meeting of this day of theirs, and as they denied Our Messages deliberately

7:52  `Although We had brought them a Book which We had made clear with knowledge, as a guidance and as a mercy for a people who believe.

7:53  Do these (disbelievers) just await the final sequel (of the warning) thereof? The day its final sequel comes, those who had forsaken it before (in this life) would say, `The Messengers of our Lord did indeed come with the truth. Have we (now) any intercessors so that they may intercede for us? Or could we be sent back so that we might act otherwise than we used to act?' They have indeed ruined their souls and that which they used to forge has failed them

7:54  As a matter of fact your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six aeons and at the same time He is well established on the Throne of Authority. He covers the night with the day which follows (the night) incessantly. And He created the sun and the moon and the stars all subservient (to mankind) by His command. Beware! His is all, the creation and the command. Blessed be Allah, Lord of the worlds

7:55  Call upon your Lord with humility and open supplication. In fact He does not love the transgressors

7:56  And do not create disorder in the land after the fair ordering thereof and call on Him with fear (of His displeasure) and with hope (of His mercy). Surely the mercy of Allah is always close to the doers of good to others

7:57  He it is Who sends the winds as good tidings heralding His mercy, till when they (those winds) bear heavy clouds, find them light, We drive (the clouds) to a dead land, then We make it rain, then We bring forth (from the dead land) by means of that (water) all manner of fruit; that is how We will bring forth the dead so that you may achieve eminence and honour

7:58  And (as for) the fertile land, its vegetation comes forth (flourishing and well) by the leave of its Lord, and that (land) which is inferior (its herbage) comes forth but scantily and (that too) defective. That is how We expound (Our) Messages in diverse ways for a people who give thanks

7:59  We sent Noah to his people and he said, `O my people! worship Allah, there is no One worthy of worship for you other than He. Surely, I fear lest there should befall you the punishment of an awful Day.

7:60  The chiefs of his people said, `Surely, we see you steeped in evident error.

7:61  He said, `O my people! I am in no error, (nor am I lost), rather I am Messenger from the Lord of the worlds

7:62  `I deliver to you the Messages of my Lord, and I advise you sincerely, for I know from Allah what you do not know

7:63  `Well, does it make you wonder that an exhortation, leading to eminence and honour, has come to you from your Lord through a man from among you, so that he may warn you, and so that you may become secure against evil, and that you may be shown mercy?

7:64  But they (to whom he delivered His Messages) cried lies to him, so We rescued him and those with him in the Ark (from the deluge), and We drowned those who cried lies to Our Messages. They were certainly a (spiritually) blind people

7:65  And to 'Ad (We sent) their brother Hud. He said, 'O my people! worship Allah, you have no deity other than He; will you not then guard against evil?

7:66  The unbelieving chiefs of his people said, `We surely see you in folly and in fact we deem you one of the liars.

7:67  He said, `O my people! there is no foolishness in me, on the contrary I am a Messenger from the Lord of the worlds

7:68  `I deliver to you the Messages of my Lord and I am to you a counselor, sincere and trust-worthy

7:69  `Do you wonder that an exhortation, leading to eminence and honour, should come to you from your Lord, through a man from among you so that he may warn you? Remember (His favour) when He made you (- the Adites) rulers after the people of Noah and increased you vastly in respect of (your bodily) constitution (by making you stout and strong and tall), remember then the favours of Allah so that you may attain the goal.

7:70  They said, `Have you come to us that we may worship Allah alone and renounce that which our fathers worshipped? Bring down on us the punishment you threaten us with, if you are of the truthful.

7:71  He said, `There has already fallen upon you the punishment and the displeasure from your Lord. Would you dispute with me regarding mere names (of your false gods) which you have coined, you and your fathers, names in support of which Allah has sent down no authority? (If so) then wait (for the consequences), I too, am with you, among those who wait.

7:72  So We, in Our mercy, saved him and his companions, and We rooted out the last remnants of those who cried lies to Our Messages, for they would not believe

7:73  And to Thamud (We sent) their brother Salih. He said, `O my people! worship Allah, you have no other god than Him. A clear proof has already come to you from your Lord. Here is a she-camel (let loose for the cause) of Allah, a sign for you. Let her alone to pasture in Allah's land and do her no harm or a woeful punishment shall overtake you

7:74  `And recall (His favour) when He made you (- Thamud) the ruler after 'Ad and assigned you abode in the land after your sufferings. You build castles in its plains, and hew out of the mountains houses. Remember, therefore, the favours of Allah and do not commit mischief in the land, (acting as) creators of disorder.

7:75  The chieftains of his people who considered themselves strong and great said to those who were reckoned weak, to those of them who had believed, `Are you sure that Salih is one sent from his Lord?' They replied, `Surely, we are believers in that (Message) he has been sent with.

7:76  Those who considered themselves great and strong said (scornfully), `Lo! we are disbelievers in that which you believe in.

7:77  So they hamstrung the she-camel and flouted the commandment of their Lord and said, `O Salih! bring down on us the punishment you used to threatens us with, if you are really one of the sent ones (by God).

7:78  So the earthquake seized them and the morning found them lying prostrate on the ground in their habitations

7:79  Then he (- Salih) turned away from them and said, (lamenting upon their disaster), `O my people! I delivered to you the Messages of my Lord and offered you sincere advice but you do not like sincere counsellors.

7:80  And (We sent) Lot, (and recall) when he said to his people, `Do you commit such abomination (of sodomy) as is unprecedent and unsurpassed in the whole world

7:81  `You indeed approach men rather than (your) women to satisfy your lust. The fact is that you are a people who transgress all limits.

7:82  His people had no reply to make but that they said (to one another), `Turn them (- Lot and his followers) out of your township, for they are a people who show off to be pure.

7:83  And We saved him and his followers, except his wife who chose to be of those who stayed behind

7:84  And We pelted (the rest of) them with a severe rain (- a rain of stones due to volcanic eruption combined with an earthquake). Behold! how (evil) was the end of those who cut off their ties (with Allah)

7:85  And to (the people of) Midian (We sent) their brother Shu`aib. He said, `O my people! worship Allah for you have no One worthy of worship other than Him. A clear proof (to this effect) has already come to you from your Lord, so give full measure and (full) weight, and do not cheat people of their goods, nor create disorder in the land after the fair ordering therein. This indeed is best for you, if you are true believers

7:86  `And do not sit in every path holding out threats (to the wayfarers), and turning those who believe in Him, away from the path of Allah and seeking to make it (appear as) crooked. And remember (His favours) when you were but a few then He multiplied you. Behold! what was the end of the spreader of corruption

7:87  `And if there be a party of you who believes in what I am sent with, and a party who does not believe then wait with patience until Allah judges between us, for He is the Best of Judges.

7:88  The chiefs who considered themselves strong and great among his people said, `We will certainly turn you O Shu`aib! and also those who believe with you, out of our township or else you (all) shall have to revert to our creed.' He said, `What! (shall we be forced to accept your creed) even though we are unwilling (at heart)

7:89  `We should indeed be forging a lie against Allah, if we revert to your creed after Allah has delivered us from it, and it is in no way possible for us to revert thereto unless Allah, our Lord, should (so) will. Our Lord comprehends all things in His knowledge. In Allah alone do we put our trust, (so Him do we beseech,) "O our Lord! decide between us and our people rightly for You are the Best of all Who open (the truth)".

7:90  The chiefs who had disbelieved from among his people then said, `If you follow Shu`aib you shall then, truly be the losers.

7:91  Then they were caught in an earthquake and the morning found them lying prostrate on the ground in their habitations

7:92  Those who cried lies to Shu`aib became (so extinct) as though they had never dwelt therein. Those alone who had cried lies to Shu`aib were the losers

7:93  So he turned away from them and said, `O my people! I did deliver to you the Messages of my Lord and I did offer you sincere advice; how can I lament over a disbelieving people.

7:94  And never did We send any Prophet to any township but We afflicted its people with destitution (from Our blessings) and with tribulations so that they might grow humble (before the Almighty)

7:95  Then We brought comfort (for them) in place of (their) distress until they grew in affluence, (number and excess) and said, `Surely, tribulations and prosperity visited our fathers (also, so it is a normal course of events).' So We seized them unawares while they perceived not (the peril they were in)

7:96  And if the people of the townships had believed and guarded against transgression, We would invariably have opened for them (the gates of) blessings of the heaven and the earth, but they cried lies (to the Prophets), so We punished them on account of what they used to accomplish

7:97  Do the people of these townships feel secure against the coming of Our punishment upon them by night while they are asleep

7:98  And do the people of these townships feel secure against the coming of Our punishment upon them in the early part of the forenoon while they are engaged in futile and frivolous (worldly) pursuits

7:99  Do they feel secure from the design of Allah? No one at all feels secure from Allah's design, except the people who are (doomed to be) losers

7:100  Does it not serve as guidance to those who have inherited the earth from its (previous) occupants that, if We will, We can afflict them (with some punishment) for their sins and put a seal upon their hearts, so that they will not be able to listen (to some guiding advice)

7:101  Such were the (people of) townships, We have related to you some of their news. Their Messengers did indeed come to them with clear proofs but they would not believe because they had cried lies (to them) in the beginning. That is how Allah seals up the hearts of the disbelievers

7:102  We did not find in most of them any (regard for the observance of their) covenant; indeed, We found most of them disobedient (and transgressors)

7:103  Then after these (Messengers), We sent Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they did injustice to these (signs by denying them), now see how (bad) was the end of the mischief-makers

7:104  And Moses said, `O Pharaoh! truly, I am a Messenger from the Lord of the worlds

7:105  `I stand upon it (-the prophethood), worthy to say nothing (in the name) of Allah but the truth. I have indeed brought to you a clear proof (of my truthfulness) from your Lord, therefore let the Children of Israel go with me.

7:106  (Pharaoh) said, `If you have indeed come with a sign, then bring it forth, if you are of the truthful.

7:107  So he (- Moses) flung down his staff, and behold! it was a serpent, plainly visible

7:108  And he drew forth his hand then lo! it was shining white (-blemishless) for the beholders

7:109  The chiefs of Pharaoh's people said (to each other), `This (fellow here) is most surely a skilled sorcerer

7:110  `Who desires to turn you out from your land, now what do you advise?

7:111  (After their deliberations) they said (to Pharaoh), `Put him and his brother off a while and send to the cities heralds

7:112  `Who would (collect and) bring to you every skilled sorcerer.

7:113  And the (most reputed) sorcerers came to Pharaoh. They said, `We shall indeed be richly rewarded if we be the prevailing ones?

7:114  (Pharaoh) said, `Yes, and you shall also be even of those drawn near and close (to me).

7:115  They said, `Moses! either you present (first what you have), or shall we be the (first) ones to present?

7:116  (Moses) said, `You may present (first, what you have).' And when they presented (their devices) they cast a spell on the peoples' eyes and sought to strike awe into them and they came out with a mighty enchantment

7:117  And We sent a revelation to Moses (saying), `Cast your staff (now).' Then it began to destroy (as he did it) all their lying show

7:118  So was the truth established and all their efforts (to frustrate it) proved vain

7:119  Thus they (-Pharaoh and his people) were vanquished then and there, and they went back humiliated

7:120  And the sorcerer were impelled (by divine mercy) to fall down prostrate

7:121  They (-the sorcerers) said, `We believe in the Lord of the Worlds

7:122  `The Lord of Moses and Aaron.

7:123  Pharaoh said, `Dared you believe in Him before I gave you permission? Surely, this is some secret device which you have devised in this (central) city that you may expel from it its inhabitants. You shall come to know then (the consequence of your doings) very soon

7:124  `I will certainly have your hands and your feet cut off on alternate sides on account of (your) disobedience, then will I crucify you to death one and all making your death all the more painful.

7:125  They, (however, remained firm and) said, `(Never mind) we have all to return to our Lord after all

7:126  `And you find no fault in us but that we have believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to us (and we pray to Him), "Our Lord! pour forth upon us patience and perseverance and grant that we die in a state of complete submission (to You)".

7:127  Then the chiefs of the people of Pharaoh said (to Pharaoh), `Will you leave Moses and his people (free) to create disorder in the land and to desert you and your gods?' He said, `We shall certainly go on gradually killing their sons and will let their women live, seeking to make them immodest. Surely, we are dominant over them.

7:128  Moses said to his people, `Pray to Allah imploring Him for help and be patiently persevering. Verily, the earth belongs to Allah. He gives it as a heritage to such of His servants as He will, and the (happy) end is for those who become secure against evil and keep their duty (to Allah)

7:129  They (- the persons of superficial thinking of the Children of Israel) said, `We were persecuted before you came to us and (are being persecuted) even after you have come to us.' (Moses) said, `It is well nigh that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you rulers in the (promised) land and then He will see how you act.

7:130  And We, surely, seized Pharaoh's followers with years of drought and scarcity of fruits and children so that they might take heed

7:131  But when something good came their way, they said, `This is ours (as we deserved it),' and if something adverse befell them they would attribute their ill luck to Moses and his companions. Beware! surely, their deeds are (recorded) with Allah but most of them do not know (this)

7:132  And they said (to Moses), `Whatsoever sign you may bring to us to cast a spell upon us with it, we will not be believers in you at all.

7:133  Then We sent upon them widespread death and destruction (caused by storms, epidemics,) and the locusts, the lice, the frogs and the blood (-wars); signs (all) distinct and well defined, but they continued to behave arrogantly for they were a people who had cut off their ties (with God)

7:134  And whenever a punishment fell upon them they said, `O Moses! pray for us to your Lord invoking the promise He has made to you. If you avert the punishment from us we will certainly believe in you, and we will let the Children of Israel go with you.

7:135  But no sooner did We avert that punishment from them upto a (scheduled) term which they were to reach (in all events) than they at once broke their promise

7:136  We then inflicted (the last) punishment on them; We drowned them in the sea for they had cried lies to Our Messages and were heedless of them

7:137  And We made the people who were deemed weak (and were oppressed) inherit the eastern and western parts of the (promised) land which We had blessed. Thus was fulfilled the most gracious word of your Lord in favour of the Children of Israel, for they had patiently persevered; and We annihilated all that Pharaoh and his people had wrought and what they had erected

7:138  And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea. Then they came to a people who clung to some idols they had (for worship). They said, `O Moses! make for us a god like the gods they have.' He (-Moses) said, `You are a foolish people who act through lack of knowledge

7:139  `Verily, as to these (idolaters) that (cult of idolatry) wherein they are engrossed is doomed to be shattered and utterly vain is all that they are doing.

7:140  (Moses) added, `Am I to seek for you a god other than Allah? Whereas He has made you excel the peoples of your time

7:141  `And (recall the word of God) when (He said), "We rescued you from Pharaoh's people, who subjected you to the worst torment, they gradually went on killing your sons and let your women live and thus sought to make them immodest. And in this indeed was a great ordeal from your Lord".

7:142  And We made an appointment with Moses for thirty nights (and days to pray in solitude) which We supplemented with another ten (to rceive the Law) so that the period appointed by his Lord came to be full forty nights (and days). (When leaving) Moses said to his brother Aaron, `Act for me (taking my place) in my absence among my people and reform and manage (them) well and do not follow the way of those who create disorder.

7:143  And when Moses came at the time and place appointed by Us, and his Lord spoke to him, he said, `My Lord! reveal Yourself to me that I may look at You.' He said, `You cannot stand My revelation. Yet look at the mountain, and if it stands firm in its place, (only) then you shall stand My revelation.' Then when his Lord manifested His glory to the mountain, He sent it crashing down into pieces and Moses fell down unconscious, so that when he recovered he said, `Glory be to You! I turn towards You and I am the first to believe.

7:144  He said, `O Moses! Verily, I have preferred you to all the people (of your time) by (entrusting you with) My Messages and by My discourse (with you), so take (firm hold of that) what I have given you and be of the grateful.

7:145  And We preserved (in writing) for him on the Tablets all kinds of precepts and clear details of everything (which the Children of Israel needed). Then (We bade him), `Hold them fast and bid your people to carry out its best (teachings in its true significance). I will soon show you people the resort of the transgressors.' (- This nation will become corrupt and will meet an evil end.

7:146  I shall soon turn away from My Messages those who behave haughtily in the land without any justification. Even if they witness every (possible) sign they will not believe therein and even if they see the path of rectitude they will not adopt it as (their) way; but if they see the way of error and falsehood they will adopt it as (their) way. This (state of theirs) is because they cried lies to Our Messages and they were heedless to them

7:147  And those who cry lies to Our Messages and the meeting of the Hereafter, vain and void are their deeds. They shall only be recompensed according to (the nature of) their deeds

7:148  And the people of Moses in his absence, made out of their ornaments a calf; a mere frame (of saffron hue), with a lowing sound. Could they not see that it neither spoke to them, nor guided them to any way? Yet they took it (for god to worship) and became wrongdoers

7:149  And when (the magic spell was broken) they were smitten with remorse and realised that they had indeed gone astray, they said, `Unless our Lord have mercy on us and protect us (against the consequences of our sins) we shall surely be of the losers.

7:150  And when Moses returned to his people indignant and sorrowful he said, `How evil is that (course) which you adopted in my place in my absence! Did you seek to hasten on the command of your Lord (for punishment)?' And he put down the Tablets and caught hold of his brother (Aaron, who was entrusted to carry out Moses' mission in his absence) by the head, pulling him towards himself. He (- Aaron) said, `Son of my Mother! surely (I am not to be blamed for it), these people deemed me weak and were about to kill me. Therefore let not the enemies rejoice over my misery and count me not with these idolaters.

7:151  He (- Moses) said, `My Lord! protect me and my brother and admit us to Your mercy. You are indeed the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.

7:152  (The Lord said in answer to Moses' supplications,) `The displeasure of their Lord and disgrace in the present life shall surely overtake those who took the calf (for worship).' That is how do We repay the forgers of lies with punishment

7:153  But those who do evil deeds and turn with repentance thereafter and believe truly (shall find that) your Lord, after this (change in them) is indeed Great Protector, Ever Merciful

7:154  When the anger of Moses calmed down, he took up the Tablets. These inscriptions contained guidance and mercy for all those who hold their Lord in awe (with every care)

7:155  Now Moses selected from his people seventy men (to take with him) to Our appointed place and time, but when the earthquake seized them he said, `My Lord! if You so willed You could have destroyed them as well as me before (this). But would You destroy us on account of that which the foolish among us have done? This (matter of the calf) is nothing but (an ordeal from You) that You may distinguish the good from the bad (of us). You adjudge, by such means, to be astray whomsoever You will and You guide whomsoever You will. You are our Patron, protect us therefore, and have mercy on us, for You are the Best of Protectors (against the consequence of our faults)

7:156  `And ordain for us what is good in this world and in the Hereafter for to You alone we turn (repenting).' He (the Almighty) said, `As for My punishment, I inflict on whom I will, but My mercy embraces all things. So I will ordain it for those who guard against evil and spend in charity, and for those who believe in Our Messages

7:157  `Those who follow this perfect Messenger, the Arab Prophet whom they find described in the Torah and the Evangel which are with them, who enjoins upon them that which is right and forbids them that which is wrong, and who makes lawful for them all the pure and good things, and makes unlawful all the impure and bad things, and who relieves them of their heavy burden and shackles that weigh them down. Indeed those who believe in him and honour him and serve him and follow the light that has been sent down with him, it is these who will attain their goal.

7:158  Say, `O mankind! I am a Messenger to you all from Allah to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. There is no other, cannot be and will never be One worthy of worship but He, Who gives life and causes death, so believe in Allah and in His Messenger, the Arab, the Prophet who believes in Allah and in (all) His words, and follow him so that you may be rightly guided so as to reach the goal.

7:159  There is a community among the people of Moses who guide (the people) to the truth and with it they dispense justice

7:160  We divided them (- the people of Moses) into twelve tribes according to the ancestral lineage (to which they belonged). And We sent Our revelation to Moses when his people asked of him (something) to drink (saying), `Strike that rock with your staff.' Then (as he did), there gushed out from it twelve springs, so that all the people now knew their (respective) drinking place. And We outspread the rain clouds to be a shade over them and We sent down for them Manna and quails (saying), `Eat of the pure things wherewith We have provided you.' And they did Us no harm (when they went wrong) but it was to themselves that they had been doing harm

7:161  And (recall the time) when it was said to them, `Dwell in this township (-Yathrib) and eat therefrom when you will and pray, "Relieve us of the burden of our sins," and enter its gate submissively. (If you do so) We will protect you against (the consequences of) your sins. We shall multiply the reward of the doers of excellent deeds.

7:162  But those amongst them who were unjust changed the word to something different from that which they were told. So We sent down upon them unavoidable punishment from heaven because they had always been wrongdoers

7:163  And ask them as to (what happened to the people of) the township (- Eila) which was on the seashore (of the Red Sea) when they profaned the Sabbath. On the day of their Sabbath their fish appeared to them in shoals upon shoals on the surface (of the water), but on the day when they did not observe the Sabbath (and fishing was open), it did not appear to them. Thus did We go on making a distinction between the good and the evil ones of them by means of their acts of disobedience

7:164  And (ask them what happened to those people) when a section from amongst them said (to another section), `Why do you admonish a people whom Allah is going to destroy completely, or whom He is going to punish with a severe punishment?' They answered, `We do it so that it may serve as an excuse (to be absolved from blame) before your Lord and that they may become secure (against the punishment).

7:165  But when they disregarded the warning that had been given them, We saved those who forbade evil and We seized those who did wrong, with a serious punishment of extreme destitution because they were exceeding the bounds of obedience

7:166  So when they insolently refused to keep away from that which they were forbidden, We condemned them to be (as) apes despised

7:167  And (imagine the time) when your Lord proclaimed (to the Children of Israel) that He would certainly continue to subject them, till the Day of Resurrection, to the people who would afflict them with the worst torment. Verily, your Lord is Quick to punish the evil but He is (all the same) Great Protector, Ever Merciful

7:168  And We broke them up into (separate) sections of peoples on the earth, of which some are the righteous and some otherwise, and We went on distinguishing the good among them from the evil ones, through prosperity and adversity (both) so that they might turn (to Us)

7:169  Then there succeeded them an evil generation who having inherited the Scripture (of Moses), go on taking the paltry goods of this base (life) and say, `We shall surely be protected.' And if the like of these goods (again) come their way, they will take them (and sin persistently). Were they not bound to the covenant mentioned in the Scripture that they would not say of Allah anything but the truth? And they have read for themselves what it (- the Scripture) contains. And the abode of the Hereafter is better only for those who become secure against evil. Have you then no sense

7:170  And (as to) those who hold fast to the Scripture and establish worship, (let them bear in mind that) We will not at all allow the reward of those who set things right to be lost

7:171  And (make them recall the time) when We shook (due to the quake) the Mount (Sinai) above them, as though it were to be a shade above them (like a wall) and they thought it was about to fall on them. (We said,) `Hold fast to that which We have given you and remember its contents that you might become secure against evil.

7:172  Behold! when your Lord brings forth from Adam's children - from their loins, their offspring, and makes them bear witness to themselves when He says, `Am I not your Lord who sustains you?' They say (in evidence which human nature itself bears), `Yes we bear witness (to it and acknowledge it).' (Allah does that) lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, `Surely, we were unaware of this (that you are our Lord).

7:173  Or (lest) you should say, `It were only our forefathers who associated partners (with God) in the past and we only happened to be their children who came after them (to follow in their footsteps). Will You then destroy us for the vain doings of the perpetrators of falsehood?

7:174  And in this manner do We explain the Messages in detail (in order that they may give up evil ways) and that they may turn (to Us)

7:175  And relate to them the news of him to whom We gave Our commandments but he withdrew himself therefrom, the satan followed him with the result that he became one of those led astray (and became a pervert)

7:176  Had We so willed We would have exalted him (in ranks) thereby (- by means of these Our commandments), but he remained inclined to (the material things of) this world and followed his low desires. His case therefore is like that of a dog, if you bear down upon it, it lolls its tongue out or if you leave it alone, it still lolls out its tongue. Such is the case with the people who cry lies to Our commandments; (they do not give up their evil ways whether you warn them or not). So narrate to them the account (of the people of old) that they may reflect

7:177  Sad is the case of the people who cry lies to Our commandments and it is their own selves that they have wronged

7:178  Those alone are rightly guided to whom Allah shows guidance, but whom He adjudges to be astray and leaves them in error, it is these who are the losers

7:179  And, verily, We have created many of the jinns and the ordinary people whose end is Gehenna. They have hearts wherewith they do not understand and they have eyes but they do not see with them (the truth), and they have ears but they do not hear (the Messages) with them. They are like cattle, nay, they are (even) worse. It is these who are utterly heedless (to the warnings)

7:180  And to Allah alone belong all the fairest and most perfect attributes, so call on Him by these, and leave alone those who deviate from the right way with respect to His attributes (and violate their sanctity). They shall be repaid with punishment for their (evil) deeds

7:181  And of those whom We have created are a community who give true guidance to the truth and who dispense justice therewith

7:182  And (as for) those who cry lies to Our Messages We shall lead them (to destruction) step by step, in a manner unknown to them

7:183  And I give them respite, My device is very strong and sure

7:184  Have they not reflected (so that they may see) that their comrade (Muhammad) has no vestige of insanity but is a plain Warner

7:185  Have they not pondered over the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and every thing that Allah has created? And (have they not looked into the fact) that it may be that their (own) term (of destruction) has already drawn nigh? In what announcement other than this (Prophet and the Qur'an) will they believe

7:186  Whomsoever Allah adjudges to be astray and leaves in error, there can be no guide for him. And He leaves them (alone) in their transgression (blindly) wandering in distraction

7:187  They ask you about the Hour, when it will come to pass. Say, `Surely, the knowledge thereof is with my Lord. He alone will reveal it at its proper time. It shall be heavy on the heavens and on the earth. It shall not come upon you but all of a sudden.' They ask you (about it) as if you were curiously solicitous about it (from Allah). Say, `The knowledge of it is only with Allah, but most people do not know (this fact).

7:188  Say, `I have no power over (bringing) any gain or (avoiding) any harm to myself save to the extent that Allah will. And had I known the unseen I would surely have secured a great deal of good (for myself) and no harm would ever have come to me. I am only a Warner (to the wicked) and a Bearer of good tidings (to the people who believe)

7:189  It is He Who has created you from one living entity, and from the same stock (that He created a human being) He brought into being his mate that he might find comfort in her. When he covers her (in conjugal relationship) she conceives a light burden and carries it about, then when she grows heavy (with the child), they both pray to Allah, their Lord, (saying) `If You give us a good one (- a child with a sound mind in a sound body), we shall surely be of the grateful (to You).

7:190  But when He gives them a good (child), they both ascribe to Him associates in respect of (the birth of) that (child) which He has given them. Allah is Highly Exalted far above the things they associate (with Him)

7:191  Do they associate (with Him as partners) those who create nothing but are themselves created

7:192  And they (the associated gods) will have no power to give them (who associate partners with Allah) any help, nor can they help themselves (but will themselves perish)

7:193  And if you (O Polytheists!) invite these (associated gods) for (your) guidance, they will not respond to you. It makes no difference to you whether you call them or you remain silent

7:194  Verily, those whom you call on beside Allah are (merely helpless maids or) servants like yourselves. (If it is not so then) call on them, they should then make a response to you if you are right

7:195  Have these (false gods) feet with which they walk, or have they hands with which they hold, or have they eyes with which they see, or have they ears with which they hear? Say, `Call upon your associate gods, then contrive you all against me and give me no respite, (yet you will see that I am triumphant because

7:196  `Verily, My Protecting-Friend is Allah Who has revealed this perfect Book and He takes into (His) protection all the righteous

7:197  `And those whom you call upon besides Him have no power to help you, nor can they help themselves.

7:198  And if you call these (polytheists) to guidance they will not even be able to hear (you speak). And though you see them (as if they are) looking at you while (as a matter of fact) they do not see (anything being absent minded as they are)

7:199  Take to forgiveness and ever forbear and enjoin (the doing of) good and turn away from (those who intentionally want to remain) ignorant

7:200  Should any imputation from satan (who spreads reports for sowing dissension) afflict you then seek refuge in Allah. He is indeed All-Hearing, All-Knowing

7:201  Verily, (as for) those who (really wish to) guard (against calamities) when some (enraging) suggestion from satan assails them, they remember (Allah and His guidance), then behold, they begin to see (things in their true light)

7:202  And their brethren (the human associates of satan) draw them into error and they do not relax (in their evil designs)

7:203  And when you do not bring to them a (fresh) revelation they say, `Why do you not forge a verse (and invent it as a revelation)?' Say, `I only follow what is revealed to me by my Lord. These (Qur'anic verses) are enlightening (and) proofs from your Lord and source of guidance and mercy (of Allah) for a people who would believe

7:204  Hence, when the Qur'an is recited, give ear to it and keep silent (to remain attentive) so that you may be shown mercy

7:205  Keep on remembering Your Lord in your mind with humility and awe and in a voice not loud, in the mornings and the evenings, and do not be of the heedless

7:206  Verily, those who are near to your Lord (and feel His presence with them) do not wax too proud to worship Him but they glorify Him and prostrate themselves in obedience to Him