7. Al-A’raf /The Elevated

I/We begin by the Blessed Name of Allah

The Immensely Merciful to all, The Infinitely Compassionate to everyone.

07:01
Alif. Lam. Mim. Sad.
07:02
This Book - The Qur’an - is being sent down on to you O The Prophet.
So let there be no distress in your heart due to this.
While you are to warn the disbelieving audience through it,
this is a Reminder to the believers.
07:03
O The People!
Follow what is being sent down on to you by your Rabb - The Lord, and
do not follow the whims of others or take others for worship apart from HIM.
Yet little you understand and follow.
07:04
And how many of habitations have WE destroyed before!
So it happened that OUR Punishment came upon them suddenly - either by the night or
while they were in the midst of their noon-nap.
07:05
And when OUR Punishment finally overtook them, they had nothing to say, except crying out:
‘We have indeed been unfair’ to ourselves by sinning!
07:06
It will be during the Time of the Final Judgment that WE will certainly question those to whom WE had assigned OUR Messengers if they followed their teachings, and
WE will also question the Messengers if they had conveyed OUR Message and how did the people respond to it.
07:07
WE will definitely recount their deeds and dealings to them with knowledge and accuracy,
for WE were never absent from their midst!
07:08
And at The Time of the Final Judgment, the weighing of their deeds and dealings will be
fair and just.

Then whose deeds of righteousness will be heavier than their bad deeds on the scales,
those – they will be successful.

07:09
But whose deeds of righteousness will be lighter than their bad deeds on the scales,
those – they will have lost themselves/losers by being punished for violating OUR
Commands.

07: 10
And so it was that WE established you people on the earth, and
provided for you the means of livelihood on it -
but little is the appreciation you show!

07: 11
And so it was that WE created you, then formed you and shaped you.
Then WE commanded the angels:
‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam!’
And they all prostrated except Iblees/Satan.
He was not among those who prostrated.

07: 12
Allah asked Iblees/Satan:
‘What prevented you from prostrating yourself before Adam when I commanded’ you to do so?
He said:
‘I am better than him.
Just because YOU created me of fire, while you created him of clay’ - and fire devours clay.
07: 13
Allah said by ordering Iblees/Satan:
‘Get down from here!
You have no right to be arrogant here.
Get out!
Surely you are of the disgraced.’

07: 14
But he – Iblees/Satan - said:
‘Grant me respite till the Time when they will all be resurrected.’

07: 15
And HE said:
‘Surely you will be of those granted the respite.’

07: 16
Then Iblees/Satan said:
‘In as much as YOU have made me go wrong,
I will indeed lie in wait for them along YOUR Straight Path’ – to lure them, and lurk them from it.

07: 17
‘And, certainly, I will come upon them,
from their front and from their backs, and
from their right and from their left.

And, in the end, YOU will not find most among them to be thankful’ to YOU – by obeying YOU.

07: 18
HE commanded:
‘Get out of here -
you are disgraced, rejected!
As for those among them who follow you - I will surely fill the Hell with you – all’ of you.

07: 19
‘And you O Adam!
Live in the Paradise, you and your wife.
Eat freely from it whatever you both like of its fruits,
but do not go near this one tree and eat of it,
lest you both become of the unjust’ to yourselves and thus harm yourselves.

07: 20
But Satan enticed them both -
- in order to make them see of their privacy, which the both were not aware of till then -
and he – Iblees - said:
‘Your Rabb - The Lord has forbidden you to go near this one tree only to keep you both
either becoming angels or the immortals.’

07: 21
Then he swore to them both by way of assurance:
‘In all truth, I am of sincere friends to you both.’

07: 22
In this way, he deceived them both with deception.
And when both had tasted the fruit of the tree, their privacy became visible to them,
and both started patching up on themselves the leaves of the Paradise on themselves to hide their privacy.
Then their Rabb - The Lord called out to them both saying:
O Adam and Eve!
‘Did I not forbid you both from approaching that one tree?
And did I not warn you both that Satan is a clear enemy to you both!?’

07: 23
They both were filled with deep remorse, accepted the blame and sought forgiveness, saying:
‘O Our Rabb - The Lord!
We have wronged ourselves.
And if YOU do not forgive us and have mercy on us, then we both will certainly be of those who are at great loss.’

7: 24
HE commanded:
‘Go down!
From now on you will live a life where ….
some of you be an enemy to the other.
The earth will be a living place for you and livelihood too for a while.’

07: 25
Then HE said:
‘Therein you will live, and
therein you will die, and
therefrom you will be resurrected.’
07: 26
O Descendants of Adam!
WE have sent down upon you a garment.
It covers your privacy as well as it is a source of adornment for you.
But the garment of virtuous traits/piety - that is best.
These are some of Allah’s Messages,
so that they may take heed by contemplating.
07: 27
O Descendants of Adam!
Let no Satan incite/tempt you, as he did when he got your forefathers - Adam and Eve – out of The Paradise,
making them, both, to disrobe their innocence and expose their privacy to each other.
Surely he can see you – he and his clan – from where you cannot see them.
WE have made the satans friends of those who are not willing to believe.
07: 28
When they commit an immorality, they say:
‘We found our forefathers doing it, and Allah commanded us to do this.’
Say to them:
‘But Allah never commands immorality.
It is only Satan and his clan that enjoins immorality.
Are you attributing to Allah what you do not know?’
07: 29
So tell them:
‘My Rabb - The Lord commands righteousness.
And to set your faces in devotional worship towards HIM in every place of worship, and call upon HIM - sincere in your faith.
Just as HE brought you into existence in the life of this world, so will you return’ to HIM.
07: 30
A group among them HE has guided aright, while another group deserved misguidance to be thrust on it -
just because they have taken the satans as their patrons apart from Allah,
yet thinking they are guided aright.
07: 31
O Descendants of Adam!
Dress up in good dresses at every time of Salat in Masjid/place of worship,
and eat and drink as WE have permitted,
but do not over-indulge,
for Allah does not like those who over-indulge.
07: 32
Now ask them:
‘Who has forbidden you to dress up with good dresses which Allah has given to HIS servants, and

the delights of livelihood?’
Tell them:
‘These are allowed in the life of this world for those who are faithful,
but exclusively for them at the Time of Resurrection.
This is how WE explain the Messages for a people who understand - for it is they who are
going to benefit from these.

07: 33
Tell them:
‘My Rabb - The Lord forbids:
all immoral deeds, whether done in open or hidden, and
all sinfulness, and
aggression without a just cause, and
ascribing other entities to in worship Allah for which HE has not sent down any authorization, and
saying about Allah what you do not know.’

07: 34
And for every community/nation there is a predetermined time limit;
and when their due time comes, they can neither hasten it by a single moment nor can they delay it.

07: 35
O Descendants of Adam!
Whenever MY Messengers - from among yourselves - come to you conveying MY Messages to you,
then, whoever would guard oneself against its disobedience and reform -
will have neither any fear nor will regret in the Hereafter.

07: 36
But those who would persistently deny and belie the truth of OUR Messages,
and treat them with arrogance –
those are going to be the People of The Fire.
They will remain therein - never to die, never to leave.

07: 37
And who could be more unfair than the one who fabricates falsehood against Allah, or
denies and belies the truth of HIS Messages?
Those – they will have their preordained share in this world,
until when OUR angelic messengers of death - come to them to cause them to die, asking:
‘Where are those entities of your worship that you used to call upon apart from Allah?’
They will answer:
‘They have abandoned us’ in the lurch!
And thus they will be testifying against themselves - while dying - that they were disbelievers.

07: 38
Then HE will order:
‘Enter the Fire – in the companionship of all those disbelieving of the jinn and humans that passed away before you!’
Whenever a new batch of a community will enter into the Fire, it will curse its fellow batch, that preceded it,

until when all of them will have entered in it - the Fire, one after the other, the last one will say of those who had come before them:
‘O Our Rabb - The Lord!
It were they who misguided us from YOUR religion and obedience, so give them a double punishment of the Fire.’
HE will say:
‘For each, a double -
though you do not know’ what will be for each.

07: 39
Then the first among communities of disbelievers will tell the last one:
‘So you have no advantage over us.
Now taste/experience the punishment for what you have earned.’

07:40
Indeed, those who persistently deny and belie the truth of OUR Messages and arrogantly spurn them -
for them neither the gates of Paradise will ever be opened nor will they ever enter the Paradise –
no, not even until the camel passes through the needle’s eye.
That is how WE award the criminals - guilty of disbelief and a life full of sin -

07: 41
for them will be a bedding of Hell and a covering - layer upon layer of Fire - above them.
And that will be how WE payback the unfair - evildoers!

07: 42
As for those who believe and practice righteousness –
WE do not burden anyone beyond one’s capacity to bear it.
They will be People of the Paradise -
they will remain therein - never to die, never to leave.

07: 43
And WE will have removed all malice they may have had in their hearts, and
streams will flow at their feet.
And they will exclaim:
‘All Praise and Gratitude be to Allah for guiding us here!
We would never have been guided, if Allah had not guided us to the Religion of Islam.
Indeed, the Messengers of our Rabb - The Lord had brought the Truth.’
And when they finish their joyous exclamations, they will be addressed as:
‘This is your Paradise!
You have inherited it as a reward for your deeds and dealings of righteousness that you used to do.’

07: 44
And the People of the Paradise will call out to the People of the Fire, saying that:
‘We have found the Promise of our Rabb - The Lord made to us to be true.
So have you also found the Promise of your Rabb - The Lord made to you to be true?’
They will answer, remorsefully:
‘Yes’ it is so!
But then an announcer – an angel - will announce among them:
‘Allah’s Curse be on the unjust - evildoers….

07: 45
… the evildoers are those who
obstruct people from following the Path of Allah, and
seek to make it crooked, and
deny the truth of the Hereafter.’

07: 46
And in between the two will be a barrier, and
on the elevated places will be the prominent people,
who will clearly recognize all – People of the Paradise as well as People of the Hell - by their marks,
and they will call out to the People of the Paradise, saying that:
‘Peace be upon you!’
They – themselves - will not have entered it yet, though aspiring to do so.

07: 47
And when their eyes turn to the People of the Fire, they will say in dread of their state:
O ‘Our Rabb - The Lord!
Do not assign us to the Fire with the unjust’ - evildoers.

07: 48
Recognizing them – the familiar persons - by their marks, the People of the Elevated Places will call out to the People of the Hell, saying:
‘Of what use has been your amassing of a great wealth of which you used to be so proud’ and
never spent in serving the Cause of Allah and supporting the Muslims in oppressed lands?

07: 49
Then pointing to the People of the Paradise, they will say:
‘Are they not those of the weak about whom you - the disbelievers - had sworn and said
that Allah will never extend mercy to them?!’
But on the contrary, they are being told:
‘Enter the Paradise!
Never will you have any fear of the punishment nor will you ever grieve here.’

07: 50
And the People of the Fire will call over to the People of the Paradise, saying:
‘Pour down some water upon us, or give us some of what Allah has provided you’ of the provisions of Paradise.
They will say:
‘In fact, Allah has forbidden both to the disbelievers.’

07: 51
The disbelievers will be those who made a sport and frolic of their religion, and, the worldly life had deluded them.
So WE are going to ignore them now just as they had ignored the truth of their Meeting of this Time,
and also for having persistently denied and belied OUR Messages.

07: 52
Indeed, WE have brought them a Book – The Qur’an,
WE have explained it with knowledge from Us -
it is a source of guidance and mercy for people who believe in it.

07: 53
Are they waiting for the reality of it to unfold itself?
The Time when its reality will be unraveled, those who had ignored it before will say:
‘The Messengers of our Rabb - The Lord had indeed come with the Truth but we did not pay any attention.
Do we have, then, any intercessors to intercede on our behalf to avoid the punishment?
Or could we go back to the worldly life for another chance, so we would do differently than what we used to do?’
No!
Indeed, they have ruined themselves.
And whatever they fabricated will abandon them.

07: 54
Surely your Rabb - The Lord is Allah - the One and Only God.
HE created the celestial realm and the terrestrial world without precedence in six spans of time,
Then HE established HIMSELF over The Throne of Almightiness.
HE covers up the day with the night, and the night with the day - each comes following the other, swiftly;
and the sun, and the moon, and the stars are made obedient to HIS Command.
Beware!
The Creation and the Command belong to HIM.
Yes, indeed!
Exalted be Allah, Rabb - The Lord of all existence.

07: 55
Call upon your Rabb - The Lord in humility and in the secrecy of heartfelt pleading.
Surely HE has no love for those who transgress HIS bounds.

07: 56
And do not create and spread corruption in the land after it has been reformed,
and call upon HIM in awe of HIS Punishment, and in eagerness of HIS Mercy.
Indeed, Allah’s Blessing is near at hand for those who seek excellence in virtue - by their speech, deeds, and dealings.

07: 57
And, it is HE WHO sends the winds as heralds of good news of HIS Beneficence - before the rain, till when they – winds - carry clouds heavy with moisture, WE drive these to some lifeless land to bring life to it,
then WE cause thereby rainwater to fall upon it,
thus raising all kinds of fruitful vegetation with it.
In this way WE will raise/resurrect the dead from their graves.
All these illustrations - so that you may reflect and believe.

07: 58
As for the good soil, it yields good produce by the Will of its Rabb - The Lord,
whereas the soil which is poor, yields nothing but poorly.
Thus do WE explain OUR Messages in diverse ways for a people who are grateful to US, and so they believe.

07: 59
Indeed, WE assigned Noah to his people.
And he said to them:
‘O My Community People!
Submit in worship to Allah alone!
You have no entity of worship other than HIM -
for, in case of any disobedience, I fear for you the punishment of a Fearsome Time.’

07: 60
The prominent men among his people - who were opposed to Noah’s message and mission
– responded by saying:
‘In fact, we see that you are clearly mistaken’ in what you advocate.

07: 61
He replied:
‘O My Community People!
I am not mistaken.
Rather, I am a Messenger from Rabb - The Lord of all existence.’

07: 62
‘I am here to convey to you the Messages of my Rabb - The Lord,
and to advise you as I wish good for you,
for I know things from Allah that you do not know.’

07: 63
‘Is it so strange for you that a Reminder has come to you from your Rabb - The Lord, through a person from among yourselves,
so as to warn you to take heed for yourselves and guard yourselves against its disobedience?
And, thus, you may have Allah’s Mercy’ sent down upon you.

07: 64
But they persistently belied him.
So WE saved him from drowning and those with him in the Ark,
and WE drowned all those who persistently belied OUR Messages.
Indeed, they were people blind to the truth.

07: 65
And to the People of ‘Ad, WE assigned Hud, their brethren.
He said:
‘O My Community People!
Submit in worship to Allah alone!
You have no entity of worship apart from HIM.
Will you not take heed for yourselves, and guard yourselves’ against its disobedience?

07: 66
But the leaders of those who disbelieved among his people responded by saying:
‘In fact, we see that you are naïve - full of folly and ignorance, and,
also, we consider you of the liars’ in what you advocate.

07: 67
He responded:
‘O My Community People!

I am not naïve - there is no folly in me.
Rather, I am a Messenger from Rabb - The Lord of all existence.’

07: 68
‘I am here to convey to you the Messages of my Rabb - The Lord.
In fact, I am a sincere well-wisher to you.’

07: 69
‘Is it strange for you that a Reminder has come to you from your Rabb - The Lord through a person from among yourselves so that he may warn you’ against the consequences of your disobedience?
And recall that HE made you inherit this land after the People of Noah, and elevated you in stature and power.
So remember Allah’s Blessings you have received,
thus you may be truly successful.’

07:70
They answered:
‘Have you come to us to advocate that we should worship only One Allah and abandon those worshipful entities that our forefathers worshiped?
If so, then bring on us what you are threatening us with - the Divine Punishment, if you speak the truth.’

07:71
Hud said:
‘You have already been beset with Allah’s Punishment and Wrath.
Are you going to dispute with me over the mere names - named by you and your forefathers of the idolatry images that you worship?
In fact, Allah has not sent down any authorization for it.
Then wait and see what is to come!
Surely, I too will be of those waiting with you’ for that.

07:72
Then, WE saved him - Hud, and those with him in faith by Mercy from US, and
WE cut off the last remnants of those people who persistently belied and denied OUR Messages as they would not believe.

07:73
And to the People of Thamud WE assigned Saleh, their brethren.
He said:
‘O My Community People!
Submit in worship to Allah alone!
You have no entity of worship apart from HIM.
Truly, a clear sign has come to you now from your Rabb - The Lord in support of the truthfulness of my Mission and Message -
here is the she-camel of Allah, especially sanctified and a Sign for you.
So leave it free to graze on Allah’s land, and
do not touch it with harm – do not hurt her - lest you be seized by a terrible punishment.’

07:74
And remember how you were made to inherit the land after the People of ‘Ad, and WE settled you in the land:

so you built mansions on its plains, and
carved houses out of the mountainsides.
So remember Allah’s Favors that you received,
and do not go about acting wickedly in the land’ spreading chaos and religious corruption.

07:75
The leaders of those who were scornful among his people asked those weaker and powerless among them, who had believed:
‘Are you really convinced that Saleh is assigned to you as the Messenger from his Rabb - The Lord?’
They said:
‘Yes - Indeed!
We are believers in what he has been assigned to.’

07:76
Those who were scornful said:
‘In fact - we disbelieve in what you believe.’

07:77
In pursuance of the agreement, the she-camel was given the water one day and then another, but they soon got resentful of this.
So they maimed the she-camel and savagely killed her.
Thus they rebelled against the Command of their Rabb - The Lord.
They boasted about it and mockingly said:
‘O Saleh!
Bring on us your threats of the Divine Punishment if you are really one of the Messenger’
from Allah.

07:78
Consequently, a violent earthquake seized them, and
the next morning found them leveled to the ground in their very homes.

07:79
So he - Saleh - left them just before they were destroyed, saying:
‘O My Community People!
Certainly, I conveyed to you the Message of my Rabb - The Lord, and all along remained your well-wisher,
but you did not like those who wished good for you.’

07:80
Then, remember WE assigned Lot to the People of Sodom and Gomorrah and others.
He said to his community people.
O My People!
‘How can you commit such immorality that no one else has ever committed before you
anywhere in the world?’

07:81
‘You approach males lustfully in preference to females.
In fact, you are a people who are guilty of excesses’ - going from what is lawful to what is shameful and immoral.

07:82
But his people’s response was only that they said mockingly to one another:
‘Turn them out of your city -
for they profess to be pure people.’

07:83
But we saved him – Lot - and his family – as they left upon OUR Command,
except for his wife – she was of those remaining behind.

07:84
Thereafter, WE rained down upon the rest of them a rainstorm of blasted stones.
See, then, how the fate was for the criminals!

07:85
And on to Midian WE assigned Sho’ayb, their brethren.
He said:
‘O My Community People!
Submit in worship to Allah alone!
You have no entity of worship apart from HIM.
A clear sign has come to you from your Rabb - The Lord:
give in full measure and full weight in your commercial businesses, and
do not withhold from people what is theirs, and
do not create and promote commercial corruption in the land after it has been reformed.
This is better for you if you are to be true believers.’

07:86
‘And do not sit at every roadside threatening and intimidating people from The Path of Allah –
those who believe in HIM - and seek to make it crooked.
And remember the time when you were so few in numbers and weak, then HE increased you in numbers and strength.
So keep in mind how the fate was of the creators and promoters of corruption!’

07:87
‘And if a group among you believes in what has been sent through me and a group among you does not believe,
then, be patient, until Allah will judge/decide the matter between us,
for HE is the Best of those who judge with all fairness.’

07:88
The leaders of those who were arrogant, among his community people, threatened and said:
‘O Sho’ayb!
We will definitely turn you out of our city, both you and those who believe in you, unless
you all return to our religious tradition.’
But he said:
‘What!?
even if we detest it?’

07:89
Sho’ayb continued:
‘We will definitely be guilty of blaspheming Allah if we were to return to your religious
tradition, now that Allah has saved us from it.

It is not for us to ever return to it, unless Allah, our Rabb - The Lord, wants it to be so, and let us astray.
Our Rabb - The Lord encompasses everything in HIS Knowledge.
In Allah we trust.’
O ‘Our Rabb - The Lord!
Judge/decide between us and our people in all truth/fairness,
for YOU are the Best of those who judge’ with all fairness.

07:90
The leaders of those who did not believe, among his people, said:
‘Should you follow Sho’ayb, then be sure, you will all be the losers.’

07:91
Then the violent earthquake seized them, and
the next morning found them leveled to the ground in their very homes.

07:92
…. they were those who belied Sho’ayb – it was as if they had never existed there.
Those who belied Sho’ayb were themselves the losers!

07:93
So he - Sho’ayb - left them just before they were destroyed, saying:
‘O My Community People!
I conveyed to you the Message of my Rabb - The Lord, and I wished well for you.
But you did not pay any attention.
Then, how can I be sorry for a people who refused to believe?!’

07:94
There is not any habitation to which WE assigned a Prophet and its habitants persistently mocked him, and belied and denied him too,
except that WE seized its inhabitants with extreme suffering and hardship,
so that they may learn to humble themselves to OUR Authority and submit.

07:95
Then, when WE changed their hardship to ease, and
they prospered and indulged in worldly comforts till they forgot to acknowledge OUR Favors,
and began to say:
‘Our forefathers were also affected by times of extreme hardship and prosperity.’
So WE seized them unexpectedly, while they were not even aware.

07:96
Had the people of these habitations only believed and grown pious in good times as well as in bad times,
WE would surely have showered on them blessings from both the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
But they mocked and persistently denied the Messengers and the Divine Message,
so WE seized them for what they used to earn through disbelief and misdeeds.

07:97
a. Did the people of those habitations feel so confident/secure that OUR Punishment will not strike them while they will be sleeping?

07:98
Or, did the people of those habitations feel so confident/secure that OUR Punishment will
not strike them by broad daylight -
while they will be engrossed in sports and playing?
07:99
Or, did they feel so secure from Allah’s scheming for afflicting them with some unexpected affliction?
But no one can feel secure from Allah’s scheming except the people who are the losers.
07:100
Or, is it not clear enough for those who inherit the land from the former inhabitants that
WE could seize them too for their sinful offence if WE wished so, and
seal their hearts such that they would not be able to hear the voice of truth as well?
07:101
These were the former habitations whose accounts WE narrate on to you – O The Prophet
- by way of histories to learn lessons from.
Indeed, their Messengers came with clear proofs but they were not able to believe what they had already belied and denied – they persisted in disbelief.
That is how Allah seals the hearts of those who are not willing to believe.
07:102
And the fact is that WE did not find most of them faithful to their covenants and promises.
In fact, WE found most of them to be wicked – violators of covenants and promises.
07:103
Thereafter, WE assigned Moses, with OUR Messages and Miracles to Pharaoh and his courtiers,
but they wronged themselves and belied them.
See, then, how was the fate of the creators and spreaders of anarchy and chaos!
07:104
And Moses said:
‘O Pharaoh!
In all truth, I am a Messenger from the Rabb - The Lord of all existence.’
07:105
‘I am duty bound not to say anything about Allah but the truth.
Now I have brought to you a Clear Message/Miracle from your Rabb - The Lord.
So send Descendants of Jacob with me’ whom you have enslaved.
07:106
Pharaoh said:
‘If you have actually brought a Clear Miracle, then show it to me, if you are really of the honest.’
07:107
So he - Moses - cast down his staff on the ground, and
suddenly - it became like a real snake.
07:108
Next he drew out his right hand from his side, and
suddenly - it looked glowing white to those who looked to it.

07:109
The leaders of Pharaoh’s people began saying to each other:
‘This person surely is a shrewd magician.’

07:110
Pharaoh said:
‘He wants to drive you out of your land’ - the Land of Egypt.
So now what do you advise’ me to do in this matter?

07:111
They said:
‘Put him off awhile and his brother Aaron.
Meanwhile, send out messengers to all cities …..’

07:112
‘…. to bring you the most skillful magicians’ we have from across the country to outdo Moses in the art of magic.
And so they gathered them – seventy in numbers.

07:113
The magicians came to Pharaoh.
They said to him:
We expect that ‘we will be definitely and amply rewarded if we were the winners’ over Moses?!

07:114
He said:
‘Yes, of course!
Surely you will be amply rewarded and also brought closer’ in my circle of power.

07:115
Then they confronted Moses and said:
‘O Moses!
Are you going to cast your spell first or should we be the ones who cast?’

07:116
Moses said:
‘You cast’ it first!
So when they cast their spell -
they bewitched people’s eyes, and
overawed them, and
displayed powerful magic.

07:117
Thereupon WE inspired Moses, saying:
Now ‘cast down your staff!’
So he did.
‘And it began swallowing up in no time all the lies they had faked’ - their sticks and strings.

07:118
Thus the truth was upheld and made manifest, and
all that they were practicing was shown to be false.
In this way, the truth of Moses’ Prophethood was validated in public.

07:119
Thus, there and then, they were defeated, and
amazed by Moses’ awesome power, and
they were turned back humiliated in the presence of everyone.

07:120
And realizing that Moses’ demonstration was not magic like theirs,
the magicians fell to their knees in prostration – accepting the truth of Moses’s demonstration.

07:121
They proclaimed:
‘We have come to believe in the Rabb - The Lord of all existence,

07:122
a. … the Rabb - The Lord of Moses and Aaron.’

07:123
Pharaoh was outraged and said:
What!
‘Have you believed in HIM even before I gave you permission?!
Surely - this is all a hoax/plot that you have hatched in the city with Moses to drive out its
native people from it.
You will soon know’ what I can do to you!

07:124
‘I will definitely have your hands and feet cut off from opposite sides,
and, then I will certainly have you crucified – all’ of you.

07:125
They - the magicians - responded:
‘As for us, we will be going back to our Rabb - The Lord’ in any case.

07:126
And you are not taking vengeance on us for any other reason but that we have believed in the Miraculous Signs of our Rabb - The Lord when they were shown to us.’
Then they prayed:
‘O Our Rabb - The Lord!
Bless us with steadfastness and constancy to bear with Pharaoh’s vengeance,
and make us die as Muslims’ - who have submitted to YOU sincerely and in complete submission.

07:127
And the leaders among Pharaoh’s people looked at it in shock and told him:
‘Will you allow Moses and his people to create and spread chaos and anarchy in the land by calling disobedience against you and your worshipful entities?’
Pharaoh became outraged and said:
‘We will now kill their new-born male children, and leave their females alive for us - a
brutal collective punishment as we inflicted upon them before.
And, indeed, we will be in complete control over them.’

07:128
Being aware of the threats and Pharaoh’s vengeance Moses told his people:
‘Seek Allah’s help and be patient!
Surely the earth belongs to Allah -
and HE gives it in inheritance to whoever HE Wills among HIS servants.
And success, in the end, belongs to the righteous.

07:129
As the Descendants of Jacob/Israelites started suffering they complained to Moses, saying:
O Moses!
‘We were oppressed and persecuted long before you came to us, and
we have been so since you have come to us’ as a Messenger of Allah.
Moses comforted them and said:
‘It may well be that your Rabb - The Lord will destroy your enemy and make you inherit the land, and,
then, see how you behave and conduct yourselves’ when you hold power in obeying HIM.

07:130
And, indeed, WE afflicted the People of Pharaoh with years and years of drought, poor harvests, famine, and scarcity of resources -
so that they might reflect and take heed and become believers.

07:131
Yet whenever good came to them, they would say:
‘This is our due!’
But whenever misfortune befell them, they would ascribe it to the ominous omen of Moses, and those with him.
Allah said:
‘Beware!
Their ominous omens are actually from Allah.
But most of them did not understand’ that …..
whatever befalls them is from HIM, and is directly related to the level of their faith and the deeds emerging from it.

07:132
They said:
O Moses!
‘Whatever miracles you may bring to bewitch us,
we are not going to believe in you.’

07:133
So WE unleashed upon them
the continuous floods of water, and
the plagues of locusts, and
the vermin/lice, and
the frogs, and
the water turning into blood –
as distinct signs - one after another.
Yet they remained arrogant and scornful.
Indeed, they were a criminal people!

07:134
Yet each time a disaster would befall them, they would say:
‘O Moses!
Call upon your Rabb - The Lord for us – by invoking the covenant HE has made with you.
If you remove the punishment from us, then we will certainly believe in you,
and send the Descendants of Jacob with you’ as well.

07:135
But whenever WE relieved them of the punishment, for a time, to enable them to fulfill
their promise,
they were already breaking it.

07:136
So WE took vengeance upon them, and
WE made them drown in the Red Sea
for willfully and persistently belying OUR Miraculous Signs and Messages, and
for not heeding them.

07:137
And, WE, then, made the people, who were weak and oppressed, to inherit the land,
that WE had blessed - both to the vast expanse of East of it and to the vast expanse of West of it.
Thus the Best Promise of your Rabb - The Lord was fulfilled for Descendants of Jacob, for
they had patiently endured the oppression and subjugation,
and WE completely destroyed whatever Pharaoh and his people had made in the cities,
together with what they had grown in their orchards and farms and built castles, palaces, and the like.

07:138
When WE brought the Descendants of Jacob across the Red Sea, and soon they came upon a people devoted to their idols in worship,
they said:
‘O Moses!
Make for us a sculptured entity for worship – as are their sculptured entities for worship.’
He said:
‘In all truth, you are foolish people’ for reciprocating Allah’s Favors with what you are saying.

07:139
Moses said:
As for ‘these people and their ways of worshipful practice are doomed to destruction –
for false is what they are practicing.’

07:140
Moses said:
What!
‘Should I seek for you an entity of worship apart from Allah when HE has favored you more than any other people in the World’ through faith and true religion?

07:141
‘And remember when HE saved you from Pharaoh’s People -
as they were afflicting you with worst form of punishment and suffering:

killing your newly-born male children and letting your females live.
And in that was a great ordeal for you from your Rabb - The Lord’ –
so will you not desist from what you are saying?

07:142
And WE made an appointment with Moses for thirty nights on Mount Tur to which WE added ten,
so the term set by the Rabb - The Lord was completed in forty nights.
Before coming to OUR Presence, Moses said to his elder brother Aaron:
‘Deputize for me among my people.
And keep things right,
and do not follow the way of the creators and promoters of wickedness’ by consenting with them to acts of Allah’s disobedience.
07:143
And when Moses came to OUR Presence, and his Rabb - The Lord spoke to him.
Moses said:
O ‘My Rabb - The Lord!
Show YOURSELF to me so that I may look upon YOU.’
HE said:
No!
‘You can never see ME,
but look instead at the side of that Mountain:
If it remains firm in its place, you may then see ME.’
But the moment his Rabb - The Lord revealed a glimpse of HIS Presence on to the Mountainside,
HE made it crumble to pieces,
and Moses fell down senseless - out of sheer awe.
When he recovered to his senses,
he said:
‘All Glory be to YOU!
I turn to YOU in repentance for my desire to see YOU, and
I am the first and foremost of the true and firm believing faithful.’

07:144
HE said:
‘O Moses!
I have chosen you from among the People of Descendants of Jacob for MY Messages and
for MY Conversation.
So hold firmly on to what I give you of the Torah and thus be of the grateful.’

07:145
And WE inscribed for him on the Tablets:
an exhortation of everything, and
as explanation for everything,
saying:
‘Hold on to these, then, firmly - solemnly and earnestly,
and pursue your people to hold fast to its excellent teachings.
I will soon show you the home of the wicked’ – the Hellfire.

07:146
‘I will turn away from MY Messages - from believing - those who behave with arrogance in the land without any right.
Even if they were to see every Miraculous Sign, they are not going to believe in it -
and even if they were to see the Path of Righteousness, they will not take it to be a right
path to follow.
Rather, if they were to see the Path of Temptation, they will take it to be the path of righteousness and piety to follow.
This is so for they persistently belied and denied OUR Messages, and were heedless of them.’

07:147
‘As for those who denied and persistently belied OUR Messages,
and the Meeting of the Hereafter - their good deeds will be lost.
How can they expect to be rewarded for anything but for what they used to do’ of evil and error in the life of this world?

07:148
And Moses’ People, after him, made the like of a calf from their jewelry – a sculpture - which made the audible mooing sound of a calf.
But did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them on to the Path of Righteousness?
Yet they took it for worship and thus were unfair to themselves by sinning while knowing it to be sinful.

07:149
And, later when they realized that they had erred and made a sinful mistake,
they regretted, became remorseful, and said:
‘Unless our Rabb - The Lord is Merciful to us and forgives us,
we will surely be of the losers.’

07:150
And when Moses - after having received the Tablets and learned that his people had adopted the like of a calf to worship - returned to his people, furious and bitterly grieved, he said:
‘How wickedly you behaved in my absence!
Why must you hasten the Decree of your Rabb - The Lord?’
Then he put down The Tablets, and grasped his brother Aaron by the head/hair - and by the beard - dragging it towards him.
He – his elder brother Aaron - said:
‘O Son of my mother!
In fact, these people overpowered me, and they almost killed me for my opposition to what they were doing.
So do not let the enemies – mine and yours - rejoice over my plight,
and do not count me among the people who have become unjust’ by corrupting their faith
- worshiping the like of a calf.

07:151
He – Moses then prayed:
O ‘My Rabb - The Lord!
Forgive me for what I have done to my brother, and

forgive my brother because he did not fight them, and
admit us both into YOUR Mercy,
for YOU are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.’

07:152
As for those who had taken the like of a calf for worship will be afflicted with Wrath from
their Rabb - The Lord,
as well as disgrace in the life of this world.
And that is how WE pay back the fabricators of falsehood.

07:153
But as for those who do evil deeds, speech, and dealings,
and then repent of it and believe sincerely and faithfully -
surely, then your Rabb - The Lord will be Forgiving and Compassionate towards them.

07:154
And, so, when Moses’ anger subsided, he picked up The Tablets that he had put down -
for there was guidance and mercy inscribed on them for those who would be in awe of their Rabb - The Lord.

07:155
Moses then selected his people – seventy men - for Our Presence at The Mount to beg forgiveness.
So when they were seized by a violent tremor.
Moses complained:
O ‘My Rabb - The Lord!
If YOU had so wished, YOU could have destroyed them long before, and indeed me too
with them.
Will YOU destroy us now for something the foolish and naïve among us have done?
This is but a trial from YOU - whereby YOU leave to go astray whoever YOU Will and guide aright whoever YOU Will.
You are OUR Guardian,
so forgive us and have mercy on us,
for YOU are the Best of all who forgive.’

07:156
‘And grant us what is best in this world as well as best in the Hereafter.
Surely, we turn to YOU’ for guidance, repentance, and forgiveness.
HE said:
As to ‘MY Punishment - I make it to afflict whoever I want, but MY Mercy encompasses
everything.
I will decree it - MY Mercy - for those
who act in reverence and piety to ME, and
who pay out the Zakat/annual charity, and
those who believe in OUR Messages,’ and

07:157
it is for ‘those who obediently follow the Messenger, the Ummy Prophet Muhammad,
whom they find written down in their own Scriptures - the Torah with them and the Injeel/
Bible that
he will be enjoining upon them whatever is right, and
he will be forbidding them whatever is evil, and

he will be making lawful whatever is clean, and
he will be making unlawful whatever is foul, and
he will be relieving them of their heavy burdens and the restraints that lie upon them.
Thus those who will …..
believe in him – his Mission and the Message,
and honor him,
and support him,
and follow The Light that will be sent down with him,
it is they - they will be the successful’ in the Hereafter.

07:158
And now say to them, O The Prophet!
‘O The People!
The People of Torah and the People of Injeel/Bible!
Indeed, I am the Messenger of Allah assigned to you – all of you.
I am the Messenger of The One to WHOM belongs the sovereignty over the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
There is no entity of worship and can never be except HIM – alone,
HE gives life as well as death.
So believe in Allah and in HIS Messenger - the Ummy Prophet Muhammad, who himself
believes in Allah and in HIS Words revealed through the Divine Scriptures.
And follow him obediently!
Thus you may be guided’ aright and blessed.

07:159
And from among the People of Moses there was a group which guided people by the truth
– The Torah,
and dispensed justice by it.

07:160
And WE had divided them into twelve clans as distinct communities.
When his people asked him for water,
WE inspired Moses, saying:
‘Strike the rock with your staff.’
And as soon as he had struck the rock, twelve springs of water burst out of it,
and every clan knew its drinking place.
And WE caused the clouds to shade over them in the wilderness of Sinai Desert, and
WE sent down upon them manna and salwa, saying:
‘Eat of the good things that WE have provided for you.’
But by disobeying they did not harm US, they only harmed themselves.

07:161
And when they were told:
‘Live/Enter in this city and eat of its produce from wherever you like, and
say with humbleness: ‘We seek forgiveness/hitta.’
And pass through the city gate and walk with humility - not in pride, not in arrogance.
For then WE will forgive you your oversights and sinful trespasses, and
increase the reward of those who seek excellence’ in goodness.

07:162
But some unscrupulous people among them altered and perverted the word – Hitta –
to a word - Hinta - other than that which had been told to them.

And they behaved arrogantly with inhabitants of the city.
So WE sent upon them a terrible punishment from the heaven for being unfair to themselves
by behaving wickedly.

07:163
And ask them about fate of the people of the city by the seaside,
wherein, when they would violate the sanctity of the Sabbath day, the fish of the sea would come up to the surface of the water – in scores and scores - for them.
But on days, other than the Sabbath day, they – the fish - would come nowhere to them.
Thus WE were testing them in this way for they were acting wickedly and unscrupulously.

07:164
And remember when a group of religious leaders among them said:
‘Why are you advocating to a people whom Allah will either destroy or else punish them with a dreadful punishment?’
They replied:
‘To clear ourselves of any blame before your Rabb - The Lord,
and perhaps they may revert to piety’ and thus keep away from such wickedness.

07:165
Then, when they forgot/ignored the warning what they had been reminded of,
so WE saved those who had been speaking out against evil and sin,
but WE seized the ones who were unfair to themselves for being unfair with a dreadful punishment – a payback for their wickedness.

07:166
So when they rebelliously persisted in doing what they had been forbidden to do,
WE said to them:
‘You be like apes, despised!’

07:167
And remember when your Rabb - The Lord declared that HE would raise up other nations
against them who would inflict them with dreadful suffering - even until The Last Hour.
Surely your Rabb - The Lord is Swift in punishment of those who disobey HIM,
and yet HE is also Forgiving and Compassionate toward those who turn to HIM in repentance.

07:168
And WE split them as separate communities and scattered them all over the earth -
some of them righteous and devout, and some of them otherwise.
And WE tested them both with the good times and the bad times, so they may return from their wickedness to the Path of Righteousness.

07:169
Then, after them, a new generation inherited the Scripture - the Torah,
but they chose the things of this baser world, justifying their choice by saying:
‘We will be forgiven’ anyway - for whatever we do.
Yet they will accept similar things, if these were to come their way again instead of repenting and refraining.
Was not the Covenant of the Scripture – The Torah - taken from them in which they covenanted to say nothing in the Blessed Name of Allah but the truth?

And they studied its contents well.
The realm of the Hereafter is better for those who are wary of what is unlawful.
Will you not, then, understand that the life of this world is vanishing and the life of the Hereafter is everlasting?

07:170
As for those who firmly adhere to the Scripture and establish the Salat/worshipful devotion,
WE will never let the reward of those who continue to reform themselves and the society
be lost.

07:171
And remember when WE wrenched the Mount Sinai above them - like it was a raised canopy,
so much so that they feared it was about to fall upon them,
HE said:
‘Hold fast - firmly, seriously and earnestly - to what WE have given you – The Torah,
and be mindful of what is stated therein,
so that you may attain due Allah-consciousness.’

07:172
And also remind them of the time when your Rabb - The Lord took from Descendants of Adam – from their backs, their progeny, and made them witness over themselves, asking them:
‘Am I not your Rabb - The Lord?’
They said in unison:
‘Yes, indeed, we witness.’
‘lest you - Descendants of Adam - say at the Time of Resurrection:
In fact, we were not even aware of this.’

07:173
‘Or, lest they say:
It were only our forefathers who used to ascribe entities of worship to Allah, before us,
and we were merely their descendants - just following after them.
Are YOU, then, going to destroy us for that which those who followed falsehood, did?’

07:174
a. That is how WE explain the Messages in detail so that truth becomes clear to everyone and
they may return from their disbelief to belief.

07:175
And relate to them the plight of the one whom WE gave OUR Messages - knowledge of the Torah.
But, then, he cast them off,
enabling Satan to follow him,
and becoming good friends,
and thus he became of those in sinful error.

07:176
And had WE desired, WE could have exalted him through them - knowledge of the Torah.
but he loved baseness of the earthly life, and followed his own whims - so WE abased him.
His likeness was the likeness of a dog -

who hangs out his tongue, if you push it away,
and still hangs it out, if you leave it.
Such is the likeness of a people who belie and deny OUR Messages.
So recount this account to them -
perhaps they will be motivated to reflect and thus believe.

07:177
Despicable is the likeness of a people who persistently belied and denied OUR Messages,
for - in so doing - they only harmed themselves.

07:178
Whoever Allah guides is the one truly guided,
and whoever HE leaves to go astray, then, it is they, who are truly the losers.

07:179
And so it is that many of the jinn and humans have WE created and destined for Hell:
they have hearts yet they do not comprehend the Truth with them, and
they have eyes yet they do not see the Truth with them, and
they have ears yet they do not listen the Truth with them -
they are like the cattle –
No!
They are even worse.
It is they - they are the unmindful and neglectful to the matter of the Hereafter.

07:180
To Allah belongs the Blessed Names, the Most Beautiful.
So call upon HIM by them,
and keep away from those who blaspheme HIS Blessed Names.
They will soon be paid back for what they do.

07:181
Yet there are among those whom WE have created,
a group that guides others by the Truth,
and dispenses justice by it.

07:182
Whereas those who persistently and willfully belie and deny Our Messages,
WE will come upon them - seize them - gradually from where they will not know.

07:183
And I will give them some respite-
but surely MY Plan - to come upon them with severe punishment - is invincible, irresistible.

07:184
Do they not realize that there is no insanity/madness in their companion – Muhammad?
He is only a clear warner.

07:185
And do they not contemplate that the Sovereignty over the celestial realm and the terrestrial world and whatever other things Allah has created,
and that the term of their own life may be drawing to a close?

So in what other kind of a Discourse would they possibly believe after this –
if they do not believe in this Qur’an?

07:186
Whoever Allah leaves astray from HIS Religion, there can be no one to guide him,
and it happens because HE abandons them to wander confused in their insolence - disbelief and error.

07:187
They question you – O The Prophet - about coming of The Last Hour:
‘when will it happen?’
Tell them:
‘The knowledge of this is with my Rabb - The Lord alone.
No one can bring it on its proper timing, except HIM.
However, it will be immensely burdensome for both the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
It will come upon you too suddenly.’
They question you about it as if you were in the know of it.
So tell them:
‘In fact, the knowledge of it is only with Allah.’
But most people do not realize it.

07:188
Tell them O The Prophet:
‘I have no power to cause myself neither any benefit or any harm but as Allah Wills.
If I ever had the knowledge of what is beyond human perception, I would always have
enjoyed abundance of the good, and the adversity would have never touched me.
But I am only a warner against Allah’s disobedience,
and a herald of good news for a people who want to believe.’

07:189
Allah - It is HE WHO created you from one soul, and from it, made its spouse so that you
may find comfort and solace in each other and live together as a family.
And when he covers her in cohabitation, she conceives a light burden of a baby and continues to carry it for months.
But when she becomes heavy with the burden of the baby,
they both turn to Allah, their Rabb - The Lord with a prayer:
‘If YOU grant us a perfect child, we will certainly be among the grateful’ to YOU for it.

07:190
But when HE gives both a perfect child,
they start ascribing a share to other entities in return for what HE had granted them.
And Allah is too exalted and exonerated from what they ascribe to HIM in Unshared Unity, Uniqueness, Divinity, and Worship.

07:191
a. Are they ascribing to HIM those who cannot even create a thing, since they are themselves
created?

07:192
And who have no power either to help them nor even help themselves!

07:193
And if you call them for guidance, they will not follow you.
It is all the same whether you call them for guidance or you remain silent - because they cannot hear you.

07:194
Indeed, those entities whom you call upon apart from Allah are created being just like yourselves.
So if you think otherwise, then call upon them, and let them answer your call, if you speak the truth.

07:195
But how can you expect that they will answer your call?
Do they have feet with which they walk?
Or do they have hands with which to hold?
Or do they have eyes with which to see?
Or do they have ears with which to hear?
Challenge them:
‘Call upon the entities that you ascribe to Allah and then plot against me, and give me no break!’

07:196
Indeed, my Protector is Allah.
WHO has revealed The Book – The Qur’an – on to me.
And HE befriends and protects the righteous,

07:197
a. while those entities whom you call upon apart from HIM can neither help you nor can help themselves.

07:198
And when you call them to the guidance, they do not hear your call.
And you see them looking at you, but in fact, they do not see anything.

07:199
Even so, O The Prophet,
Take to tolerance with them, and
enjoin whatever is right, and
avoid the ignorant – for they are ignorant.

07:200
And if you are instigated by the Satan to impatience,
then seek protection with Allah,
and HE will ward it off from you.
Indeed, HE is All-Listening, All-Knowing.

07:201
Surely those who fear Allah in reverence and piety, when they are assailed by the instigations of Satan,
they remember of seeking protection with Allah,
and then they can see clearly – and refrain from the instigations of Satan!

07:202
Whereas their Satanic brethren would always seek to draw them deeper into error, and
then they would never stop short in their efforts.

07:203
And whenever you do not bring them a miracle, they say mockingly:
‘Why do you not make one up’ by yourself?
Tell them:
‘I only follow whatever is revealed on to me from my Rabb - The Lord.’
This – The Qur’an - is no less than insights from your Rabb - The Lord,
and a source of guidance and a mercy for a people who believe and live their lives in accordance with its demands and obligations.

07:204
And whenever The Qur’an is recited,
then listen to it attentively,
and remain silent.
Thus you may receive Divine Mercy.

07:205
And remember your Rabb - The Lord within yourself, in humility and in awe of HIM,
and without reciting loudly the Qur’an - by the morning and by the evening, and
never be among the negligent to the Remembrance of Allah.