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A. J. Arberry


Change Log

Minor fixes
Mon, 1 Aug 2011 00:00:02 -0400
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Every soul shall taste of death; you she shall surely be paid in full your wages on the Day of Resurrection. Whosoever is removed from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, shall win the triumph. The present life is but the joy of delusion.
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He sends down the angels with the Spirit of His command upon whomsoever He will among His servants, saying: Give you warning that there is no God hut but I; so fear you Me!
Minor fixes
Fri, 1 Apr 2011 00:00:02 -0400
-2158 +2158
Thou wouldst have thought them awake, as they lay sleeping, while We turned them now to the right, now to the left,' and their dog 'stretching its paws on the threshold. Hadst thou observed them surely thou wouldst have. have turned thy back on them in flight, and been filled with terror of them.
Routine updates
Wed, 1 Dec 2010 02:16:03 -0500
-2358 +2358
When he saw a tire, fire, and said to his family, 'Tarry you here; I observe a fire. Perhaps I shall bring you a brand from it, or I shall find at the fire guidance.'
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Said he, 'I am better than he; Thou createdst me of tire, fire, and him Thou createdst of clay.'
Several fixes
Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:38:47 -0400
-1 +1
In In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Major spacing and punctuation fixes
Fri, 4 Jun 2010 19:56:23 -0400
-2158 +2158
Thou wouldst have thought them awake, as they lay sleeping, while We turned them now to the right, now to the left,' and their dog 'stretching its paws on the threshold. Hadst thou observed them surely thou wouldst have .turned have. turned thy back on them in flight, and been filled with terror of them.
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If thou fearest God ... God... He said, 'I am but a messenger come from thy Lord, to give thee a boy most pure.
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Or is he who is obedient in the watches of the night, bowing himself and standing, he being afraid of the world to come and hoping for the mercy of his Lord . . ? Lord..? Say: 'Are they equal -- those who know and those who know not?' Only men possessed of minds remember.
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Is he whose breast God has expanded unto Islam, so he walks in a light from his Lord . . .? Lord...? But woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of God! Those are in manifest error.
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Is he who guards himself with his face against the evil of the chastisement on the Day of Resurrection . . .? Resurrection...? And it is said to the evildoers, 'Taste now that you were earning!'
First version
Fri, 4 Jun 2010 19:54:20 -0400
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In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Praise belongs to God, the Lord of all Being,
the All-merciful, the All-compassionate,
the Master of the Day of Doom.
Thee only we serve; to Thee alone we pray for succour.
Guide us in the straight path,
the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not of those against whom Thou art wrathful, nor of those who are astray.
Alif Lam Mim
That is the Book, wherein is no doubt, a guidance to the godfearing
who believe in the Unseen, and perform the prayer, and expend of that We have provided them;
who believe in what has been sent down to thee and what has been sent down before thee, and have faith in the Hereafter;
those are upon guidance from their Lord, those are the ones who prosper.
As for the unbelievers, alike it is to them whether thou hast warned them or hast not warned them, they do not believe.
God has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a covering, and there awaits them a mighty chastisement.
And some men there are who say, 'We believe in God and the Last Day'; but they are not believers.
They would trick God and the believers, and only themselves they deceive, and they are not aware.
In their hearts is a sickness, and God has increased their sickness, and there awaits them a painful chastisement for that they have cried lies.
When it is said to them, 'Do not corruption in the land', they say, 'We are only ones that put things right.'
Truly, they are the workers of corruption but they are not aware.
When it is said to them, 'Believe as the people believe', they say, 'Shall we believe, as fools believe?' Truly, they are the foolish ones, but they do not know.
When they meet those who believe, they say, 'We believe'; but when they go privily to their Satans, they say, 'We are with you; we were only mocking.'
God shall mock them, and shall lead them on blindly wandering in their insolence.
Those are they that have bought error at the price of guidance, and their commerce has not profited them, and they are not right-guided.
The likeness of them is as the likeness of a man who kindled a fire, and when it lit all about him God took away their light, and left them in darkness unseeing
deaf, dumb, blind -- so they shall not return;
or as a cloudburst out of heaven in which is darkness, and thunder, and lightning -- they put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps, fearful of death; and God encompasses the unbelievers;
the lightning wellnigh snatches away their sight; whensoever it gives them light, they walk in it, and when the darkness is over them, they halt; had God willed, He would have taken away their hearing and their sight. Truly, God is powerful over everything.
O you men, serve your Lord Who created you, and those that were before you; haply so you will be godfearing;
who assigned to you the earth for a couch, and heaven for an edifice, and sent down out of heaven water, wherewith He brought forth fruits for your provision; so set not up compeers to God wittingly.
And if you are in doubt concerning that We have sent down on Our servant, then bring a sura like it, and call your witnesses, apart from God, if you are truthful.
And if you do not -- and you will not -- then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for unbelievers.
Give thou good tidings to those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, that for them await gardens underneath which rivers flow; whensoever they are provided with fruits therefrom they shall say, 'This is that wherewithal we were provided before'; that they shall be given in perfect semblance; and there for them shall be spouses purified; therein they shall dwell forever.
God is not ashamed to strike a similitude even of a gnat, or aught above it. As for the believers, they know it is the truth from their Lord; but as for unbelievers, they say, 'What did God desire by this for a similitude?' Thereby He leads many astray, and thereby He guides many; and thereby He leads none astray save the ungodly
such as break the covenant of God after its solemn binding, and such as cut what God has commanded should be joined, and such as do corruption in the land -- they shall be the losers.
How do you disbelieve in God, seeing you were dead and He gave you life, then He shall make you dead, then He shall give you life, then unto Him you shall be returned?
It is He who created for you all that is in the earth, then He lifted Himself to heaven and levelled them seven heavens; and He has knowledge of everything.
And when thy Lord said to the angels, 'I am setting in the earth a viceroy.' They said, 'What, wilt Thou set therein one who will do corruption there, and shed blood, while We proclaim Thy praise and call Thee Holy?' He said, 'Assuredly I know that you know not.'
And He taught Adam the names, all of them; then He presented them unto the angels and said, 'Now tell Me the names of these, if you speak truly.'
They said, 'Glory be to Thee! We know not save what Thou hast taught us. Surely Thou art the All-knowing, the All-wise.'
He said, 'Adam, tell them their names.' And when he had told them their names He said, 'Did I not tell you I know the unseen things of the heavens and earth? And I know what things you reveal, and what you were hiding.'
And when We said to the angels, 'Bow yourselves to Adam'; so they bowed themselves, save Iblis; he refused, and waxed proud, and so he became one of the unbelievers.
And We said, 'Adam, dwell thou, and thy wife, in the Garden, and eat thereof easefully where you desire; but draw not nigh this tree, lest you be evildoers.'
Then Satan caused them to slip therefrom and brought them out of that they were in; and We said, 'Get you all down, each of you an enemy of each; and in the earth a sojourn shall be yours, and enjoyment for a time.'
Thereafter Adam received certain words from his Lord, and He turned towards him; truly He turns, and is All-compassionate.
We said, 'Get you down out of it, all together; yet there shall come to you guidance from Me, and whosoever follows My guidance, no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow.
As for the unbelievers who cry lies to Our signs, those shall be the inhabitants of the Fire, therein dwelling forever.'
Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and fulfil My covenant and I shall fulfil your covenant; and have awe of Me.
And believe in that I have sent down, confirming that which is with you, and be not the first to disbelieve in it. And sell not My signs for a little price; and fear you Me.
And do not confound the truth with vanity, and do not conceal the truth wittingly.
And perform the prayer, and pay the alms, and bow with those that bow.
Will you bid others to piety, and forget yourselves while you recite the Book? Do you not understand?
Seek you help in patience and prayer, for grievous it is, save to the humble
who reckon that they shall meet their Lord and that unto Him they are returning.
Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and that I have preferred you above all beings;
and beware of a day when no soul for another shall give satisfaction, and no intercession shall be accepted from it, nor any counterpoise be taken, neither shall they be helped.
And when We delivered you from the folk of Pharaoh who were visiting you with evil chastisement, slaughtering your sons, and sparing your women; and in that was a grievous trial from your Lord.
And when We divided for you the sea and delivered you, and drowned Pharaoh's folk while you were beholding.
And when We appointed with Moses forty nights then you took to yourselves the Calf after him and you were evildoers;
then We pardoned you after that, that haply you should be thankful.
And when We gave to Moses the Book and the Salvation, that haply you should be guided.
And when Moses said to his people, 'My people, you have done wrong against yourselves by your taking the Calf; now turn to your Creator and slay one another. That will be better for you in your Creator's sight, and He will turn to you; truly He turns, and is All-compassionate.'
And when you said, 'Moses, we will not believe thee till we see God openly'; and the thunderbolt took you while you were beholding.
Then We raised you up after you were dead, that haply you should be thankful.
And We outspread the cloud to overshadow you, and We sent down manna and quails upon you: 'Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you. And they worked no wrong upon Us, but themselves they wronged.
And when We said, 'Enter this township, and eat easefully of it wherever you will, and enter in at the gate, prostrating, and say, Unburdening; We will forgive you your transgressions, and increase the good-doers.'
Then the evildoers substituted a saying other than that which had been said to them; so We sent down upon the evildoers wrath out of heaven for their ungodliness.
And when Moses sought water for his people, so We said, 'Strike with thy staff the rock'; and there gushed forth from it twelve fountains; all the people knew now their drinking-place. 'Eat and drink of God's providing, and mischief not in the earth, doing corruption.'
And when you said, 'Moses, we will not endure one sort of food; pray to thy Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us of that the earth produces - green herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils, onions.' He said, 'Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better? Get you down to Egypt; you shall have there that you demanded.' And abasement and poverty were pitched upon them, and they were laden with the burden of God's anger; that, because they had disbelieved the signs of God and slain the Prophets unrightfully; that, because they disobeyed, and were transgressors.
Surely they that believe, and those of Jewry, and the Christians, and those Sabaeans, whoso believes in God and the Last Day, and works righteousness -- their wage awaits them with their Lord, and no fear shall be on them; neither shall they sorrow.
And when We took compact with you, and raised above you the Mount: 'Take forcefully what We have given you, and remember what is in it; haply you shall be godfearing.'
Then you turned away thereafter, and but for the bounty and mercy of God towards you, you had been of the losers.
And well you know there were those among you that transgressed the Sabbath, and We said to them, 'Be you apes, miserably slinking!'
And We made it a punishment exemplary for all the former times and for the latter, and an admonition to such as are godfearing.
And when Moses said to his people, 'God commands you to sacrifice a cow.' They said, 'Dost thou take us in mockery?' He said, 'I take refuge with God, lest I should be one of the ignorant.'
They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He may make clear to us what she may be.' He said, 'He says she is a cow neither old, nor virgin, middling between the two; so do that you are bidden.'
They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He make clear to us what her colour may be.' He said, 'He says she shall be a golden cow, bright her colour, gladdening the beholders.'
They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He make clear to us what she may be; cows are much alike to us; and, if God will, we shall then be guided.'
He said, 'He says she shall be a cow not broken to plough the earth or to water the tillage, one kept secure, with no blemish on her.' They said, 'Now thou hast brought the truth'; and therefore they sacrificed her, a thing they had scarcely done.
And when you killed a living soul, and disputed thereon -- and God disclosed what you were hiding --
so We said, 'Smite him with part of it'; even so God brings to life the dead, and He shows you His signs, that haply you may have understanding.
Then your hearts became hardened thereafter and are like stones, or even yet harder; for there are stones from which rivers come gushing, and others split, so that water issues from them, and others crash down in the fear of God. And God is not heedless of the things you do.
Are you then so eager that they should believe you, seeing there is a party of them that heard God's word, and then tampered with it, and that after they had comprehended it, wittingly?
And when they meet those who believe, they say 'We believe'; and when they go privily one to another, they say, 'Do you speak to them of what God has revealed to you, that they may thereby dispute with you before your Lord? Have you no understanding?'
Know they not that God knows what they keep secret and what they publish?
And some there are of them that are common folk not knowing the Book, but only fancies and mere conjectures.