O you who are securely committed [to Allah]! Honor your covenants! Lawful to you is the [flesh of every] beast that feeds on plants, save what is mentioned to you [hereinafter]: but you are not allowed to hunt while you are in the state of pilgrimage. Behold, Allah ordains in accordance with His will.
O you who are securely committed [to Allah]! Offend not against the symbols [of rituals] set up by Allah, nor against the sacred month [of pilgrimage], nor against the garlanded offerings, nor against those who flock to the Inviolable Home seeking favor with their Sustainer and His goodly gratification, and [only] after your pilgrimage is over are you free to hunt. And never let your hatred of people who would bar you from the Inviolable Masjid lead you into the sin of aggression, but rather help one another in furthering virtue and taqwā, and do not help one another in furthering delinquency and aggression; and remain conscious of Allah’s [power presence]: for, behold, Allah is severe in retribution!
Foods man is not allowed to eat, the fulfillment of dīn, and the circumstance of a particular necessity
Forbidden to you is carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any name other than Allah’s has been invoked, and the animal that has been strangled, or beaten to death, or killed by a fall, or gored to death, or savaged by a beast of prey, save that which you [yourselves] may have slaughtered while it was still alive; and [forbidden to you is] all that has been slaughtered on idolatrous altars. And [you are forbidden] to seek to know through divination what the future may hold in store for you: this is degenerate [sinful] conduct. Today, those who are in denial of Allah have lost all hope of [your ever forsaking] your dīn: do not, then, hold them in awe, but stand in awe of Me! Today have I perfected your dīn for you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me shall be your dīn. As for him, however, who is driven [to what is forbidden] by dire necessity and not by an inclination to sinning — behold, Allah is much-forgiving, very gracious.
What is permissible to eat and muslims getting married to people of scripture
They will ask you [O Muhammad] as to what is lawful to them. Say, “Lawful to you are all the good [and healthy] things of life.” And as for those hunting animals you train by imparting to them something of the knowledge Allah has imparted to yourselves, eat of what they seize [capture] for you, but mention Allah’s name over it, and remain on guard concerning Allah’s [corrective power]: verily, Allah is swift in reckoning.
Today, all the good [and nutritious] things of life have been made lawful to you. And the food of those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime is lawful to you, and your food is lawful to them. And [lawful to you are], in wedlock, morally fortified women from among those who are committed [to this divine Writ], and, in wedlock, morally fortified women from among those who have been vouchsafed revelation before your time — provided that you give them their dowry, taking them in honest wedlock, not in fornication, nor as secret love-companions. But as for him who rejects commitment [to Allah], in vain will be all his works: for in the life to come he shall be among those who are lost.
Obligatory wuḌū’ (ablution), ghusl (bathing) to expunge janābah (major ritual impurity), tayammum (dry ablution in the absence of water), and a consciousness of Allah’s blessings
O you who are securely committed [to Allah]! When you are about to commune with Allah, wash your face, and your hands and arms up to the elbows, and pass your [wet] hands lightly over your head, and [wash/wipe] your feet up to the ankles. And if you are in a state requiring total ablution, purify yourselves. But if you are ill, or are traveling, or have just satisfied a want of nature, or have cohabited with a woman, and can find no water, then take resort to pure surface dust, passing therewith lightly over your face and your hands. Allah does not want to impose any hardship on you, but wants to make you pure, and to bestow upon you the full measure of His blessings, so that you might have cause to be grateful.
And [always, purposely] remember the blessings Allah has bestowed upon you, and the solemn pledge by which He bound you to Himself when you said, “We have heard, and we pay heed.” Hence, remain on guard concerning Allah [and His very real power presence]: verily, Allah has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of everyone].
Testifying in accordance with social justice, the promise to committed muslims and the threat to committed God-deniers, and the conscious reminder of Allah’s blessing
O you who are committed [to Allah]! Be ever steadfastly active in your devotion to Allah, bearing witness to social justice [in real life]; and never let hatred of anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being conscious of Allah’s [corrective power]. And remain conscious of Allah’s [corrective power presence]: verily, Allah is aware and familiar with all that you do.
Whereas they who are bent on denying [Him His power affirmation] and giving the lie to Our [power] manifestations [in human life], they are destined for the blazing inferno.
O you who are securely committed [to Allah]! Remember [with a heightened conscience] the blessings that Allah bestowed upon you when [hostile] people were about to lay hands on you and He stayed their hands from you. Remain, then, conscious of Allah’s [staying power]: and in Allah let the committed muslims place their trust.
Yahūd and NaṢārā (decision-making Jews and Christians) break with their pledge (to Allah)
And, indeed, Allah accepted a [similar] solemn pledge from the Children of Israel when We caused twelve of their lookout men to be sent [to Canaan as investigators for a potential military clash in Canaan]. And Allah said, “Behold, I shall be with you! If your ṣalāh becomes the established social norm, and your charity becomes a social institution, and you are committed to My apostles and aid them, and offer up unto Allah a goodly loan, I will surely efface your bad deeds and bring you into gardens through which running waters flow. But he from among you who, after this, denies the truth [of My supreme authority], will indeed have strayed from the right path.”
Then, for having broken their solemn pledge, We rejected them and caused their hearts to harden, [so that now] they distort the meaning of the [revealed] words, taking them out of their context; and they have forgotten much of what they had been told to [always] bear in mind; and from all but a few of them you will always detect treachery. But pardon them, and forbear: verily, Allah loves the [perfectionist] doers of good.
And [likewise], from those who say, “Behold, we are Christians.” We have accepted a solemn pledge — and they, too, have forgotten much of what they had been told to [always] bear in mind; wherefore We have disposed them to enmity and hatred, [to last] until Resurrection Day; and in time Allah will cause them to understand what they have contrived.
Objectives of the Qur’an as stated to people of earlier scripture
O followers of the Bible! Now there has come to you Our Apostle, to make clear to you much of what you have been concealing [from yourselves] of the Bible, and to pardon much. Now there has come to you from Allah a light, and a clear divine Writ,
Through which Allah shows to all who seek His courteous acceptance the paths leading to salvation and, by His grace, brings them out of the depths of darkness into the light and guides them onto a straight way [that leads all from this world to Paradise in the life that follows].
A response to the beliefs of the Jews and the Christians
Indeed, the truth [concerning Allah’s sole authority and particular power] denies those who say, “Behold, God is the Christ, son of Mary.” Say, “And who could have prevailed with Allah in any way had it been His will to vanquish the Christ, son of Mary, and his mother, and everyone who is on earth — all of them? For, Allah’s is the dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that is between them; He creates what He wills: and Allah has the power to will anything!”
And [both] the Jews and the Christians say, “We are God’s children, and His beloved ones.” Say, “Why, then, does He cause you to suffer for your sins? No, you are but human beings of His creating. He forgives whom He wills, and He causes to suffer whom He wills: for Allah’s is the dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and destiny culminates with Him.”
O followers of the Bible! Now, after a long hiatus during which no apostles have appeared, there has come to you [this] Our Apostle to make [the truth] clear to you, lest you say, “No bearer of glad tidings has come to us, nor any warner”; for now there has come to you a bearer of glad tidings and a warner: since Allah has the power to will anything.
Moses reminds his people of Allah’s blessings and summons them to enter the Holy Land and they refuse
And, lo, Moses said to his people, “O my people! Consciously remember the blessings that Allah bestowed upon you when he raised up prophets among you, and made you your own masters, and granted you [favors] such as He had not granted to anyone else in the world.
“O my people! Enter the holy land that Allah has promised you [even if that means a military showdown with hostile forces] — but do not turn back [on your faith], for then you will turn out to be losers!”
They answered, “O Moses! Behold, ferocious people [of a superpower status] dwell in that land, and we will surely not enter it unless they depart therefrom; but if they depart therefrom, then, behold, we will enter it.”
[Whereupon] two men from among those who feared [Allah’s power of reprisal and] whom Allah had blessed, said, “Enter upon them through the [fortress] gate — for as soon as you enter it, behold, you shall be victorious! And in Allah you must place your trust if you are [truly] committed to Him [as your only authority and present power]!”
But they said, “O Moses! Behold, never shall we enter that [land] so long as those others are in it. Go forth, then, you and your Sustainer, and fight, both of you! We, behold, shall remain here!”
Prayed [Moses], “O my Sustainer! Of none am I master but myself and my brother [Aaron]: draw You, then, a dividing line between us and these degenerate folk!”
Answered He, “Then, verily, this [land] shall be forbidden to them for forty years, while they wander on earth, bewildered, to and fro; and sorrow you not over these degenerate folk.”
The story of Adam’s two sons and the first time unlawful death occurs on earth
And convey to them, setting forth the truth and the fact of the matter, the story of the two sons of Adam — how each offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one of them whereas it was not accepted from the other. [And Cain] said, “I will surely kill you!” [Abel] replied, “Behold, Allah accepts only from those who are conscious of His power presence [in human affairs].
“I am willing, indeed, for you to bear [the burden of] all the sins ever done by me as well as of the sin done by you, [but] then you would be destined for the Fire, since that is the requital of evildoers!”
Thereupon Allah sent forth a raven that scratched the earth, to show him how he might conceal the nakedness of his brother’s body. [And Cain] cried out, “Oh, woe is me! Am I then too weak to do what this raven did, and to conceal the nakedness of my brother’s body?” And he was thereupon stricken with remorse.
Because of this did We ordain to the Children of Israel that if anyone kills a living [human] being — unless it be [in punishment] for murder or for spreading corruption on earth — it shall be as though he had killed all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind. And, indeed, there came to them Our apostles with all evidence of truth and justice: yet, behold, notwithstanding all this, many of them go on committing all manner of excesses on earth.
The legal penalty for banditry and violent lawlessness
It is but a just recompense for those who make war on Allah and His Apostle, and endeavor to spread corruption on earth, that they are being killed in great numbers, or crucified in great numbers, or have, in result of their perverseness, their hands and feet cut off in great numbers, or are being [entirely] banished from [the face of] the earth; such is their ignominy in this world. But in the life to come [yet more] awesome suffering awaits them,
Save for such [of them] as repent, before you [O committed muslims] become more powerful than them: for you must know that Allah is much-forgiving, very merciful.
O you who are committed [to Allah]! Remain on guard concerning Allah’s power presence [in your lives], and seek a method to come closer to Him, and strive hard in His cause, so that you might be successful.
Verily, if those who are bent on denying the truth [on the subject of Allah’s power and authority] had all that is on earth, and twice as much, to offer as ransom from suffering on the Day of Resurrection, it would not be accepted from them: for grievous suffering awaits them;
Now as for the man who steals and the woman who steals, dismember the hand of either of them in requital for what they have wrought, as a deterrent ordained by Allah: for Allah is grand, wise.
But as for him who repents after having thus done wrong, and makes amends, behold, Allah will accept his repentance: verily, Allah is much-forgiving, extremely merciful.
Do you not know that Allah’s is the dominion over the heavens and the earth? He chastises whom He wills, and He forgives whom He wills, for Allah has the power to will anything.
The Yahūd and muslim hypocritical dual-loyalists (munāfiqs) rush to God- denial and the position of the Yahūd from the laws of the Torah
O Apostle! Be not grieved by those who vie with one another in denying the truth [pertaining to Allah’s worldly authority and earthly power]: such as those who say with their mouths, “We commit ourselves [to Allah],” the while their hearts are not committed; and such of the Jewish faith as eagerly listen to any falsehood, eagerly listen to other people without having come to you [for enlightenment]. They distort the meaning of the [revealed] words, taking them out of their context, saying [to themselves], “If such and such [teaching] is vouchsafed to you, accept it; but if it is not vouchsafed unto you, be on your guard!” [Be not grieved by them] for, if Allah wills anyone to be tempted to evil, you can in no wise prevail with Allah on his behalf. It is they whose hearts Allah is not willing to cleanse. Theirs shall be infamy in this world, and theirs shall be awesome suffering in the life to come —
Those who eagerly listen to any falsehood, greedily swallowing all that they illegally gained! Hence, if they come to you [for judgement], you may either judge between them or leave them alone: for, if you leave them alone, they cannot harm you in any way. But if you do judge, judge between them on the basis of social justice: verily, Allah loves those who act to accomplish social justice.
But how is it that they ask you for judgement — seeing that they have the Torah, containing Allah’s injunctions — and thereafter turn away [from your judgement]? Such as these, then, are not [truly] committed [to Allah].
The Torah is guidance and light, the legislation of legal penalties in it, and the responsibility and applicability of its regulations upon Christians
Verily, it is We who bestowed from on high the Torah, wherein there was guidance and light. On its strength did the prophets, who had surrendered themselves [unto Allah], deliver judgement to those who followed the Jewish faith; and so did those who belong to God and the rabbis, inasmuch as some of Allah’s writ had been entrusted to their care; and they [all] bore witness to its truth. Therefore, [O Children of Israel], hold not others in awe, but stand in awe of Me; and do not barter away My messages for a trifling gain: for they who do not judge in accordance with what Allah has bestowed from on high are, indeed, deniers of the [divinely revealed] truth!
And We ordained for them in that [Torah]: a life for a life, and an eye for an eye, and a nose for a nose, and an ear for an ear, and a tooth for a tooth, and a [similar] retribution for wounds; but he who shall forgo it out of charity will atone thereby for some of his past sins. And they who do not judge in accordance with what Allah has revealed are, indeed, the evildoers!
And We caused Jesus, the son of Mary, to follow in the footsteps of those [earlier prophets], confirming the truth of whatever there still remained of the Torah; and We vouchsafed to him the Gospel, wherein there was guidance and light, confirming the truth of whatever there still remained of the Torah, and as a guidance and admonition to those conscious of Allah’s power and authority.
Let, then, the followers of the Gospel judge in accordance with what Allah has revealed therein: for they who do not judge in the light of what Allah has bestowed from on high, it is they, they who are truly degenerate [in their relationship with their Sustainer]!
And to you [O Prophet] have We vouchsafed this divine Writ, setting forth truth and justice, confirming the veracity of whatever there still remains of earlier revelations and determining what is true therein. Judge, then, between the followers of earlier revelation in accordance with what Allah has bestowed from on high, and do not follow their errant views, forsaking the truth that has come to you. Upon every one of you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life. And if Allah had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community, but [He willed it otherwise] in order to test you by means of what He has offered to you. Vie, then, with one another in doing good works! Unto Allah you all must return; and then He will make you truly understand all that on which you were wont to differ.
Hence, judge between the followers of earlier revelation in accordance with what Allah has bestowed from on high, and do not follow their errant views; and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from any of what Allah has bestowed from on high upon you. And if they turn away [from His commandments], then know that it is but Allah’s will [thus] to afflict them for some of their sins: for, behold, a great many people are [morally] defective indeed.
Do they, perchance, desire [to be ruled by] the law of an ignocracy (jāhilīyah)? But for people suffused with inner certainty, who could be a better lawgiver than Allah?
Alliance with political Jews and political Christians
O you who are securely committed [to Allah’s power]! Do not take the [political] Jews and the [political] Christians for your allies: they are but allies of one another — and whoever of you [politically] allies himself with them becomes, verily, one of them; behold, Allah does not guide an iniquitous multitude of people.
And yet you can see how those [muslims] in whose hearts there is disease vie with one another for their [ideological Jews’ and Christians’] good [political] company, saying [to themselves], “We fear lest fortune turn against us.” But Allah may well bring about good fortune [for the committed muslims] or any [other] event of His own devising, whereupon those [waverers] will be smitten with remorse for the thoughts they had secretly harbored within themselves;
While those who have attained a commitment to Allah will say [to one another], “Are these the self-same people who swore by Allah with their most solemn oaths that they were indeed with you? In vain are all their works, for now they have become losers!”
Those who renounce their commitment to Allah and their hostility toward muslims
O you who are securely committed [to Allah]! If you ever abandon your [scriptural and doctrinal] dīn, Allah will in time bring forth [in your stead] people whom He loves and who love Him — humble toward the committed muslims, proud toward the deniers of the truth [of Allah’s power], who strive hard in Allah’s cause, and do not fear to be censured by anyone who might censure them: such is Allah’s favor, which He grants to whom He wills. And Allah is infinite, all-knowing.
Behold, your only primary helper shall be Allah, and His Apostle, and those who have committed themselves [to His power] — those who have conducted [a social] ṣalāh, and rendered [a systemic] zakāh while they are [in a program] of consenting [to Allah]:
For, all who ally themselves with Allah and His Apostle and those who are committed [to Allah’s power] — behold, it is they, the political party of Allah, who shall be victorious!
Ban on an alliance with God-deniers and the reasoning thereof
O you who are securely committed [to Allah and His power]! Do not take for your allies such as mock at your [scriptural and ideological] dīn and make a jest of it — be they from among those who have been vouchsafed revelation before your time, or [from among] those who deny the truth [of Allah’s power as such] — but remain on guard toward Allah [and His power], if you are [truly] committed [to Him].
For, when you publicly summon to ṣalāh, they [political “Jews” and political “Christians”] mock at it and make a jest of it — simply because they are people who do not use their reason.
Say, “O followers of earlier revelation! Do you find fault with us for no other reason than that we are committed to Allah [alone as our only authority and power], and in that which He has bestowed from on high upon us as well as that which He has bestowed aforetime? Or [is it only] because most of you are corrupt?”
Say, “Shall I tell you who, in the sight of Allah, deserves a yet worse retribution than these? They whom Allah has rejected and whom He has condemned, and whom He has turned into apes and swine [imitators and gluttons] because they conformed to the [excessive] powers of evil: these are yet worse in status, and further astray from the right path [than the mockers].”
For, when they come to you [O Prophet], they say, “We are committed [to Allah’s power],” whereas, in fact, they come with the resolve to deny the truth [of Allah’s power], and depart in the same state. But Allah is fully aware of all that they would conceal.
And you can see many of them compete with one another in sinning and tyrannical conduct and in their swallowing of all [revenue] that is feloniously collected. Vile indeed is what they do [as it is a validation of what they believe].
Why do not those who belong to God and their rabbis forbid them from making sinful assertions and consumption of felonious revenue? Vile indeed is what they contrive.
Some of the most obnoxious Yahūdī statements, the hostility and enmity among them, and the reward for people of divine commitment upholding their faith
And the [contemptuous] Jews say, “Allah’s hand is shackled!” It is their own hands that are shackled; and rejected [by Allah] are they because of this, their assertion. No, but wide are His hands stretched out: He dispenses [bounty] as He wills. But all that has been bestowed from on high upon you [O Prophet] by your Sustainer is bound to make many of them yet more stubborn in their arrogant concentration and abuse of power and in their denial of the truth [pertaining to Allah’s power]. And so We have cast enmity and hatred among the followers of the [distorted] Bible, [to last] until Resurrection Day; every time they light the fires of war, Allah extinguishes them; and they labor hard to spread corruption on earth: and Allah does not love the spreaders of corruption.
If the followers of the Bible [with their distortions of it] would but attain to [a true] commitment and observance [of Allah’s power presence], We should indeed efface their [previous] bad deeds, and indeed bring them into gardens of bliss;
And if they would but truly observe the Torah and the Gospel and all [the revelation] that has been bestowed from on high upon them by their Sustainer, they would indeed partake of all the blessings of heaven and earth. Some of them do pursue a right course; but as for most of them — awful indeed is what they do!
The Prophet is ordered to communicate what is revealed by Allah to him; the Prophet’s infallibility; and an invitation to people of scripture to acknowledge the Muhammadi message
O Apostle! Announce all that has been bestowed from on high upon you by your Sustainer: for unless you do it fully, you will not have delivered His message [at all]. And Allah will protect you from [adversarial] people: behold, Allah does not guide people who refuse [His power presence in their affairs].
Say, “O followers of the Bible! You have no valid ground for your beliefs unless you [truly] observe the Torah and the Gospel, and all that has been bestowed from on high upon you by your Sustainer!” Yet all that has been bestowed from on high upon you [O Prophet] by your Sustainer is bound to make many of them more stubborn in their arrogant abuse of power and in their denial of the truth [pertaining to Allah’s power presence in human affairs]. But sorrow not over people who deny [such] truth:
For, verily, those who are committed to Allah [via this divine Writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Sabians, and the Christians — all who are committed to Allah and the Last Day and do righteous deeds — no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.
The Yahūd accuse prophets of lying and kill some of them
Indeed, We accepted a solemn pledge from the Children of Israel, and We sent apostles to them; [but] every time an apostle came to them with anything that was not to their liking, [they agitated]: to some of them they gave the lie, while others they would slay,
Thinking that no scandalous harm would befall them; and so they became blind and deaf [of heart]. Thereafter Allah accepted their repentance; and again many of them became blind and deaf. But Allah sees all that they do.
Christians who deify Prophet Jesus even though he is a mortal man
Indeed, contrary to affirming Allah’s sole authority and power are those who say, “Behold, God is the Christ, son of Mary” — seeing that the Christ [himself] said, “O Children of Israel! Conform to Allah [alone], who is my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer.” Behold, whoever ascribes divinity/authority to any being beside Allah, to him will Allah deny Paradise, and his goal shall be the Fire; and such evildoers will have none to support them!
Indeed, contrary to affirming Allah’s sole authority and power are those who say, “Behold, God is the third of a trinity” — seeing that there is no deity/authority whatever save the One God. And unless they desist from this, their assertion, grievous suffering is bound to befall such of them as are bent on denying the truth [about Allah’s power and authority].
The Christ, son of Mary, was but an apostle: all [other] apostles had passed away before him; and his mother was one who never deviated from the truth; and they both ate food [like other mortals]. Behold how clear We make these [astounding] acts of Allah [in human affairs]: and then behold how perverted are their minds!
A discussion with Christians about the deification of Prophet Jesus, a request to people of scripture not to become fanatics in issues of faith, and the condemnation of the Children of Israel for their inability to exclude God- violating issues in their society
Say, “O followers of the Gospel! Do not become extremists in your religious beliefs; and do not follow the errant views of people who have gone astray aforetime, and have led many [others] astray, and are still straying from the right path.”
Those of the Children of Israel who were bent on denying the truth [concerning Allah’s active presence in societal affairs] have [already] been cursed by the speech of David and of Jesus, the son of Mary: this, because they interactively rebelled [against Allah] and persisted in transgressing the bounds of what is right.
[And now] you can see many of them allying themselves with those who are bent on denying the truth [of Allah’s power]! [So] vile indeed is what their passions make them do that Allah has condemned them; and in suffering shall they abide.
For, if they [truly] were committed to Allah and the Prophet and all that was bestowed upon him from on high, they would not take those [deniers of Allah’s power and truth] for their allies: but most of them are of a degenerate character.
The relationship of Jews and Christians with the committed muslims: the enmity of the Yahūd and the faith passion of priests and monks
You will surely find that, of all people, the most hostile to those who are committed [to Allah] are the Yahūd as well as those who are bent on ascribing divinity/authority to any beside Allah; and you will surely find that, of all people, they who say, “Behold, we are Christians,” come closest to feeling affection for those who are committed [to Allah]: this is so because there are priests and monks among them, and because these are not given to arrogance.
For, when they come to listen to [and understand] what has been bestowed from on high upon this Apostle [Muhammad], you can see their eyes overflow with tears, because they recognize something of its truth; [and] they say, “O our Sustainer! We do commit ourselves [to You]; make us one, then, with all who bear witness to truth and justice.
“And how could we fail to dedicate ourselves to Allah and in whatever truth and justice has come to us, when we so fervently desire that our Sustainer count us among the righteous?”
And for this, their affirmation, Allah will reward them with gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide: for such is the requital of the doers of good;
O you who are committed to Allah! Do not deprive yourselves of the good and nourishing things of life that Allah has made lawful to you, but do not transgress the bounds of what is right: verily, Allah does not love those who transgress the bounds of what is right.
Thus, partake of the lawful, good things that Allah grants you as sustenance, and be conscious of Allah [His power presence and corrective justice], to whom you are committed.
Oaths that are recklessly uttered, oaths that are sensible, and the atonement for their breach
Allah will not take you to task for oaths you may have uttered without thought, but He will take you to task for oaths you have sworn in earnest. Thus, the breaking of an oath must be atoned for by feeding ten needy persons with more or less the same food as you are accustomed to give to your own families, or by clothing them, or by freeing a person from bondage; and he who does not have the wherewithal shall fast for three days [instead]. This shall be the atonement for your oaths whenever you have sworn [and broken them]. But be mindful of your oaths! In this way, Allah makes clear to you His messages, so that you might have cause to be grateful.
O you who are committed [to Allah]! Intoxicants, and games of chance, and idolatrous practices, and the divining of the future are but a loathsome evil of Satan’s doing: shun it, then, so that you might become successful [in life].
By means of intoxicants and games of chance Satan seeks only to sow enmity and hatred among you, and to turn you away from the conscious remembrance of Allah and from ṣalāh. Will you not, then, desist?
Hence, defer to Allah, and defer to the Apostle, and be ever on your guard [against evil]; and if you turn away, then know that Our Apostle’s only duty is a clear delivery of the message [entrusted to him].
Those who are committed [to Allah] and do righteous deeds incur no sin by partaking of whatever they may, so long as they are conscious of Allah [in His immediate presence] and [truly] commit [to Him] and do righteous deeds, and continue to be observant of Allah and to commit to Him, and grow ever more conscious of Allah [and His power presence], and persevere in doing what is better: for Allah loves the doers of what is better.
Hunting during the pilgrimage and the consequence for hunting land-dwelling animals
O you who are committed [to Allah]! Most certainly Allah will try you by means of the game [animals] that may come within the reach of your hands and your hunting gear [while you are on pilgrimage], so that Allah might mark out those who fear Him, although He is beyond the reach of human perception. And as for him who, after all this, transgresses the bounds of what is right — grievous suffering awaits him!
O you who are committed [to Allah]! Kill no game [animals] while you are in the state of pilgrimage. And whoever of you kills it intentionally, [shall make] amends in cattle equivalent to what he has killed — with two persons of probity giving their judgement thereon — to be brought as an offering to the Ka‘bah; or else he may atone for his sin by feeding the needy, or by the equivalent thereof in fasting: [this], in order that he taste the full gravity of his deed, [while] Allah shall have effaced the past. But whoever does it again, Allah will inflict His retribution on him: for Allah is grand, an avenger of evil.
Lawful to you is all water-game, and what the sea brings forth, as a provision for you [who are settled] as well as for travelers, although you are forbidden to hunt on land while you are in the state of pilgrimage. And be conscious of Allah [His power presence], unto whom you shall [eventually] be gathered.
The status of the Holy Sanctuary and the sanctified month (in the Islamic calendar), and why garlanded offerings are made during the pilgrimage
Allah has laid down that the Ka‘bah, the Holy Sanctuary, shall be a pacesetter for all mankind; and [so, too], the sacred month [of pilgrimage] and the garlanded offerings [are symbols for action] meant to make you aware that Allah is aware of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and that Allah has full knowledge of everything.
The fear of Allah’s punishment and the favorable assurance of good deeds
No more is the Apostle bound to do than deliver the [divine] message [entrusted to him]: and Allah knows all that you do openly, and all that you would conceal.
Say, “There is no comparison between what is toxic and what is pleasant, even though very many obnoxious things may please you greatly. Be, then, conscious of Allah [and His power], O you who are endowed with insight, so that you might attain success!”
Disapproval of too many pestering questions pertaining to issues irrelevant to revelation
O you who are committed [to Allah]! Do not ask about matters that, if they were to be made manifest to you [in terms of law], might cause you hardship; for, if you should ask about them while the Qur’an is being revealed, they might [indeed] be made manifest to you [as laws]. Allah has absolved [you from any obligation] in this respect: for Allah is much- forgiving, forbearing.
People before your time have indeed asked such questions, and in result thereof have come to deny the truth [revealed from on high in answer to their questions].
The prohibitions from the age of pre-Islamic ignorance
It is not of Allah’s ordaining that certain kinds of cattle [camels with pierced ears, a camel left to live on its own to be dedicated to idols, certain newborn male animals solemnized for certain idols] should be marked out by superstition and set aside from the use of man; yet those who are bent on denying the truth attribute their own lying inventions to Allah. And most of them never use their reason:
For when they are told, “Come to that which Allah has bestowed from on high, and to the Apostle,” they answer, “Enough for us is that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing.” Why, even though their forefathers knew nothing, and were devoid of all guidance?
Referring results to Allah after the demand for what is obviously right and the undoing of what is obviously a social vice
O you who are committed [to Allah]! It is [but] for your own selves that you are responsible: those who go astray can do you no harm if you [yourselves] are on the right path. Unto Allah you all must return: and then He will make you [truly] understand all that you were doing [in life].
Testifying to an inheritance will at the time a person is dying
O you who are committed [to Allah]! Let there be witnesses to what you do when death approaches you and you are about to make bequests: two persons of probity from among your own people, or — if the pangs of death come upon you while you are traveling far from home — two other persons from [among people] other than your own. Take hold of the two after having prayed; and if you have any doubt in your mind, let each of them swear by Allah, “We shall not sell this [our word] for any price, even though it were [for the sake of] a near kinsman; and neither shall we conceal any of what we have witnessed before Allah — or else, may we indeed be counted among the sinful.”
But if afterward it should come to light that the two [witnesses] have become guilty of [this very] sin, then two others — from among those whom the two former have deprived of their right — shall take their place and shall swear by Allah, “Our testimony is indeed truer than the testimony of these two, and we have not transgressed the bounds of what is right — or else, may we indeed be counted among the evildoers!”
Thus it will be more likely that people will offer testimony in accordance with the truth — or else they will [have cause to] fear that their oaths will be refuted by the oaths of others. Be, then, conscious of Allah [His power presence], and hearken [unto Him]: for Allah does not bestow His guidance upon corrupt iniquitous folk.
Allah’s messengers are asked on the Day of Resurrection about their divinely assigned task on earth
On the Day when Allah shall assemble all the apostles and shall ask, “What response did you receive?” they will answer, “We have no knowledge; verily, it is You alone who fully knows all the things that are beyond the reach of a created being’s perception.”
Lo! Allah will have said [on the Day of Accountability], “O Jesus, the son of Mary! Remember the blessings that I bestowed upon you and your mother — how I strengthened you with holy inspiration, so that you could speak to people in your cradle, and as a grown man; and how I imparted to you revelation and wisdom, including the Torah and the Gospel; and how by My permission you did create out of clay, as it were, the shape of a bird, and then did breathe into it, so that it might become, by My permission, a bird; and how you did heal the blind and the leper by My permission, and how you did raise the dead by My permission; and how I prevented the Children of Israel from harming you when you came to them with all evidence of the truth, and [when] those of them who were bent on denying the truth were saying, ‘This is clearly nothing but magical deception!’”
And [remember the time] when I inspired the white-garbed ones, “Commit to Me and My apostle!” They answered, “We commit; and bear You witness that we have surrendered ourselves [to You].”
Tablespread materializes for the Children of Israel on the request of the white-garbed disciples
[And], lo, the white-garbed disciples said, “O Jesus, son of Mary! Could your Sustainer send down to us a repast from heaven?” [Jesus] answered, “Be conscious of Allah [His power presence], if you are [truly] committed [to Him]!”
Said they, “We desire to eat thereof, so that our hearts might be set fully at rest, and that we might know you have spoken the truth to us, and that we might be of those who bear witness thereto!”
Said Jesus, the son of Mary, “O Allah, our Sustainer! Send down upon us a repast from heaven: it shall be an ever-recurring feast for us — for the first and the last of us — and a sign [of power and authority] from You. And provide us our sustenance, for You are the best of providers!”
Allah answered, “Verily, I will send it down to you: and so, if any of you should henceforth deny [this] truth [about My power and authority], on him, behold, will I inflict suffering the like of which I have never [yet] inflicted upon anyone in the world!”
Clearing Jesus of the Christian allegations of his and his mother’s divinity
And lo! Allah said, “O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say to people, ‘Designate me and my mother as two gods beside Allah’?” [Jesus] answered, “Limitless are You in Your glory! It would not have been possible for me to say what I had no right to [say]! Had I said this, You would indeed have known it! You know all that is within myself, whereas I know not what is in Yourself. Verily, it is You alone who fully knows all the things that are beyond the reach of a created being’s perception.
“Nothing did I tell them beyond what You did bid me [to say], [which is] ‘Conform to [and comply with] Allah, [who is] my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer.’ And I bore witness to what they did as long as I dwelled in their midst; but since You have caused me to cease, You alone have been their keeper: for You are witness upon everything.
[And on Judgement Day] Allah will say, “Today, their truthfulness shall benefit all who have been true to their word: theirs shall be gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the count of time; well-pleased is Allah with them, and well-pleased are they with Him: this is the triumph supreme.”