The English Reference Qur’an

In the name of Allah, the most gracious and merciful. Praise be to Allah, who revealed the book to his servant, and did not make it crooked,

[but] straight, to warn of severe vengeance from him, to give good news to believers who do righteous deeds, that they have a good reward,

where they will remain forever,

and to warn those who say, “Allah has chosen a boy.”^\

They and their ancestors have no knowledge of him. A grievous word came out of their mouths. They say only lies.

You^MS may fret yourself^MS with sorrow, following them, if they do not believe in this saying.

We made everything on earth as ornaments for it, to test which of them has better works.

We will make everything on it dry ground.

Have you^MS considered that those in the cave with the tablet were one of our wondrous signs?

The young men took refuge in the cave. They said, “Our Lord, give us your^MS mercy, and prepare us right guidance in our matter.”

So we struck their ears in the cave for many years.

Then we resurrected them, so we would know which of the parties^D could better figure how long they had remained.

We tell you^MS their news in truth. They were young men who believed in their Lord, and we gave them more guidance.

We tied up their hearts when they stood up, and they said, “Our Lord is Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will not pray to any god except him. That would be saying a lie.

They, our people, chose other gods besides him. If only they would bring clear authority for them! Who is more wicked than those who invent lies about Allah?

When you^MP have separated yourselves from them and from the gods they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave, and your^MP Lord will spread out his mercy and prepare you^MP comfortably for your^MP matter.

15B2 You^MS see the sun when it has risen, rising over their cave on the right, and when it sets, it turns away from them on the left. They are in a gap of it. That is one of Allah’s signs. Those Allah guides are guided, and those he leads astray will never find a helper to guide them.

You’d^MS think they were awake, but they were sleeping, and we turn them over on their right and left. Their dog stretches out his legs over the threshold. If you^MS had looked at them, you^MS would have turned away from them and fled from them, full of terror.

So we resurrected them so they would question each other. One of them said, “How long did you^MP remain?” They said, “We remained a day, or part of a day.” They said, “Your^MP Lord knows exactly how long you^MP remained. Now send^MP one of you^MP with this money of yours^MP to the city, and let him see what food is the purest, and bring you^MP provision of it. Let him be kind, and do not let anyone know about you^MP.

If they know about you^MP, they will stone you^MP or return you^MP to their spiritual path, and then you^MP will not succeed at all.”

So we disclosed to them so that they would know that Allah’s promise is true, and that there is no doubt of the hour. When they disputed with each other about their matter, they said, “Build a building over them. Their Lord well knows who they are.” Those who prevailed over their matter said, “Let’s make a place of worship over them.”

They say, “[They are] three, and their dog is the fourth.” They will say, “Five, and their dog is the sixth.” They guess at the unseen. They will say, “Seven, and their dog is the eighth.” Say^MS, “My Lord knows how many they are.” Only a few know of them. Do not debate^MS about them, except outwardly. Do not ask^MS any of them for a religious ruling about them.

Do not say^MS regarding anything, “I will do it tomorrow,"

but rather: "If Allah wills.” Remember^MS your^MS Lord when you^MS forget, and say, “My Lord may guide me to something more rightly guided.”

They remained in their cave 309 years.

Say^MS “Allah well knows how long they remained. He knows the unseen things in the heavens and the earth. How well he sees! How well he hears! They have no protector besides him. He does not share his rule with anyone.

Read^MS the part of your^MS Lord’s book that you^MS were inspired with. There is no substituting his words, and you^MS will not find any refuge besides him.

Endure^MS along with those who pray to their Lord morning and evening, desiring his face. Do not let your^MS eyes^D turn from them or desire^MS the adornment of this world. Do not obey^MS those whose hearts we made unaware to remember us, who follow their lusts. They are extravagant.

Say^MS, “Truth is from your^MP Lord. Whoever wills to, let him believe, and whoever wills to, let him disbelieve. We have prepared hellfire for the wicked. They will be surrounded like a tent. If they call for help, they will be given water like molten brass that will scorch their faces. What an awful drink. It is a bad resting place.

We do not lose the reward of the believers who do well, who do righteous deeds.

They will have heavenly gardens of Eden, with flowing rivers underneath, where they will be adorned with gold bracelets and wear green clothes of silk and brocade, reclining in it on couches. What a wonderful reward and what a good resting place!

15B3 Tell^MS them the parable about two men. We gave one of them two grape gardens, surrounded them^D with palms, and put crops between them.

Both gardens brought forth food, and the crops did not fail at all. We made a river flow through them^D,

so he had fruit. He told his friend, as he was discussing it with him, “I have more money and stronger people than you^MS do.”

He entered his garden, wronging himself, and said, “I do not think this will ever perish,

nor do I think that the hour is coming. If I am returned to my Lord, I will find something better in exchange for it.”

His friend told him as he was discussing it with him, “Have you^MS been ungrateful to him who created you^MS from dirt, then from a drop of semen, and then formed you^MS into a man?

He is Allah, my Lord, and I do not believe in any other gods besides him.

When you^MS entered your^MS garden, why did you^MS not say: What Allah has willed! There is no power except in Allah? If you^MS look at me, I have less money and fewer children than you^MS.

Allah may give me a better garden than yours^MS, and send his arrows on it, and it will become slippery soil

or its water may become subterranean, and you^MS will not be able to find it.”

Then his fruit was surrounded, and he wrung his hands over what he had spent on it. It had all fallen down from its trellises. He said, “I wish I had not worshiped gods besides my Lord.”

There was no one to save him besides Allah, and he could not defend himself.

Protection comes only from Allah, the true one. His rewards are better, and he gives the best success.

Tell^MS them the parable of this world. It is like rain we send down from the sky.The plants on earth are mixed with it, and in the morning it is stubble that the wind scatters. Allah can do anything.

Money and children are the adornment of this world, but lasting^FP righteous deeds are better to Allah, and give a better hope.

On the day we move the mountains and you^MS see the earth like a plain, we will gather them, and will not leave anyone behind.

They will be presented to your^MS Lord in rows. “You^MP have come to us as we created you^MP at first, but you^MP claimed that we would not make this appointment with you^MP.

The book will be placed, and you^MS will see the wrongdoers in terror of what is in it. They will say, “Woe to us. What is wrong with this book that it records everything, whether small or large? They will find all their works there. Your Lord does not wrong anyone.

We told the angels to bow down to Adam, and all except for Iblis bowed down; he was a jinn, and he went against his Lord’s command in unbelief. Do you^MP choose him and his seed as helpers instead of me? They are your^MP enemies. The wicked have made an awful exchange.

15B4 I did not make them witnesses of the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor their own creation. I do not choose those who lead others astray as helpers.

On that day, he will say, “Call out to the other gods you^MP claimed were my partners.” They will pray to them, but [the gods] will not answer them. We will cause destruction among them.

The wrongdoers will see hellfire, think they will fall into it, and find no escape from it.

We have explained every parable to people in this recitation. Mankind is more argumentative than anything else.

Nothing keeps mankind from believing and asking their Lord’s forgiveness when guidance has come to them, except for the traditions of the ancients coming to them or seeing torment face to face.

We only send the messengers as bearers of good news and warners. Disbelievers argue about vain things, in order to weaken the truth with it. They mock my signs and the warnings they received.

Who is more wicked than one who is reminded of his Lord’s signs, and yet turns away from them and forgets what his hands have done? We have put coverings over their hearts, lest they should understand, and deafness in their ears. Even if you^MS call them to guidance, they will never be guided.

Your^MS Lord is forgiving and merciful. If he punished them as they deserve, he would hasten their torment. But they have an appointment from which they will find no escape.

We destroyed those villages when they were wicked and made an appointment for their destruction.

Musa told his servant, “I will not leave until I reach where two seas meet, or I will go on trying for ages.

When they^D got to where they met, they^D had forgotten about their whale, and it chose a path in the sea like a tunnel.

When they^D passed over it, he told his servant, “Bring us our lunch. We are tired from this journey.”

He said, “What do you^MS think? When we took refuge in the rock, I forgot the whale, and only Satan made me forget to mention it. It chose an amazing path in the sea.”

He said, “This is what we wanted.” So they^D went back, following their^D tracks.

They^D found one of our servants whom we gave our mercy, and whom we had taught ourselves.

Musa told him, “Shall I follow you^MS, providing that you^MS teach me according to the right guidance you^MS were taught?”

He said, “You^MS will not be able to endure me.

How can you^MS endure what you^MS do not know?”

He said, “If Allah wills, you^MS will find me enduring, and I will not disobey you^MS at all.”

He said, “Then if you^MS follow me, do not ask^MS about anything until I mention it to you^MS.

So they^D went off until they^D boarded a ship, and he made a hole in it.” He said, “Did you^MS make a hole in it to drown the people on it? You^MS have done a strange thing.”

He said, “Did I not tell you^MS that you^MS would not be able to endure me?”

He said, “Do not punish^MS me for forgetting. Do not make^MS my matter too hard for me.”

So they^D went off until they^D found a boy, and he killed him. He said, “Have you^MS killed a pure soul other than in revenge? You^MS have done an awful thing.”

16A1 He said, “Did I not tell you^MS that you^MS would not be able to endure me?”

He said, “If I ask you^MS about anything further after this, do not go^MS with me any more. You^MS have had enough of my excuses.”

So they^D went off until they^D came to people of a village. They^D asked the people for food, but they^MP refused to offer them^D any. They^D found a wall in it almost ready to fall down, and he set it up. He said, “If you^MS want, you^MS could get paid for that.”

He said, “This means you^MS and I will separate. I will tell you^MS the meaning of what you^MS had to endure.

The ship belonged to poor people who worked at sea. I wanted to make it unserviceable because there was a king who took all ships by force.

The boy’s parents were believers, and we feared that his transgression and disbelief would be troublesome to them,

and we wanted their Lord to exchange him for someone better, more holy, and more affectionate.

The wall was owned by two orphan boys in the city, and there was a treasure of theirs^D under it. Their father was righteous, and your^MS Lord wanted them^D to come of age and dig^D up their treasure out of your^MS Lord’s mercy. I did not do it of myself. That is the meaning of what you^MS had to endure.”

They ask you^MS about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say^MS, “I will recite his fame for you^MP.”

We made him strong on the earth and gave him a way to accomplish everything,

so he went his way.

When he reached the sunset, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and he found people nearby. We said, “Dhul-Qarnayn, you will either torment or do good to them.”

He said, “We will torment those who are wicked, and then they will be returned to their Lord, and he will torment them horribly.

But believers who do righteous deeds will have a reward, the best one, and we will tell them easy commands of ours.”

So he went his way.

When he came to the sunrise, he found it rising on people whom we gave no shade.

Thus we knew what was before him.

Then he went his way.

When he arrived between two dams, he found people below them who could barely understand what was said.

They said, Dhul-Qarnayn, Yajuj and Majuj are destroying the earth. Shall we give you^MS tribute to make a dam between us and them?”

He said, “What my Lord empowers me to do is better. Help me with power and I will make a wall between you^MP and them.

Bring me lumps of iron.” When he made it level between the cliffs^D, he said, “Blow.” When he made it fire, he said, “Bring me molten brass to pour on it.”

They were not able to mount it or pierce it.

He said, “This is my Lord’s mercy. When my Lord’s promise comes, he will make it a flat mound. The promise of my Lord is true.

16A2 On that day, we will leave some of them to roll like waves against others. The trumpet will be blown and we will gather them together.

On that day, we will show hell to the disbelievers,

whose eyes were covered from remembering me, and who could not hear.

Did the disbelievers think that they could take my servants as helpers instead of me? We have prepared hell as the abode of disbelievers.

Say^MS, “Shall we tell you^MP who will be the most lost in terms of deeds?

It is those whose efforts go astray in this world. They think that they do good.

The works of those who disbelieve in the signs of their Lord and in meeting him will be in vain. We will not give them any weight on the day of resurrection.

Hell is their reward because of their disbelief and their mocking my signs and my messengers.

Believers who do righteous deeds will have heavenly gardens of paradise as their abode.

They will be in it forever, never desiring a change from it.”

Say^MS, “If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would run out before my Lord’s words run out, even if we replaced it.

Say^MS, “I am human like you^MP, and I was inspired that your^MP god is one god. Whoever wants to meet his Lord should do righteous deeds, and not worship any gods other than his Lord.”