Hizb 3

The foolish among the people will say, ‘What has turned them away from the qiblah they were following?’ Say, ‘To Allah belong the east and the west. He guides whomever He wishes to a straight path.’

Thus We have made you a middle nation that you may be witnesses to the people, and that the Apostle may be a witness to you. We did not appoint the qiblah you were following, but that We may ascertain those who follow the Apostle from those who turn back on their heels. It was indeed a hard thing except for those whom Allah has guided. And Allah would not let your prayers go to waste. Indeed Allah is most kind and merciful to mankind.

We certainly see you turning your face about in the sky. We will surely turn you to a qiblah of your liking: so turn your face towards the Holy Mosque, and wherever you may be, turn your faces towards it! Indeed those who were given the Book surely know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not oblivious of what they do.

Even if you bring those who were given the Book every [kind of] sign, they will not follow your qiblah. Nor shall you follow their qiblah, nor will any of them follow the qiblah of the other. And if you follow their desires, after the knowledge that has come to you, you will be one of the wrongdoers.

Those whom We have given the Book recognize him just as they recognize their sons, but a part of them indeed conceal the truth while they know.

This is the truth from your Lord; so do not be among the skeptics.

Everyone has a cynosure to which he turns; so take the lead in all good works. Wherever you may be, Allah will bring you all together. Indeed Allah has power over all things.

Whencesoever you may go out, turn your face towards the Holy Mosque. Indeed it is the truth from your Lord, and Allah is not oblivious of what you do.

And whencesoever you may go out, turn your face towards the Holy Mosque, and wherever you may be, turn your faces towards it, so that the people may have no allegation against you, neither those of them who are wrongdoers. So do not fear them, but fear Me, that I may complete My blessing on you and so that you may be guided.

Even as We sent to you an apostle from among yourselves, who recites to you Our signs and purifies you, and teaches you the Book and wisdom, and teaches you what you did not know.

Remember Me and I will remember you, and thank Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me.

O you who have faith! Take recourse in patience and prayer; indeed Allah is with the patient.

Do not call those who were slain in Allah’s way ‘dead.’ No, they are living, but you are not aware.

We will surely test you with a measure of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth, lives, and fruits; and give good news to the patient

—those who, when an affliction visits them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him do we indeed return.’

It is they who receive the blessings of their Lord and [His] mercy, and it is they who are the [rightly] guided.

Indeed Safa and Marwah are among Allah’s sacraments. So whoever makes hajj to the House, or performs the ‘umrah, there is no sin upon him to circuit between them. Should anyone do good of his own accord, then Allah is indeed appreciative, all-knowing.

Indeed those who conceal what We have sent down of manifest proofs and guidance, after We have clarified it in the Book for mankind—they shall be cursed by Allah and cursed by the cursers,

except such as repent, make amends, and clarify—those I shall pardon, and I am the All-clement, the All-merciful.

Indeed those who turn faithless and die while they are faithless—it is they on whom shall be the curse of Allah, the angels and all mankind.

They will remain in it [forever] and their punishment shall not be lightened, nor will they be granted any respite.

Your god is the One God; there is no god except Him, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.

Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, and the ships that sail at sea with profit to men, and the water that Allah sends down from the sky—with which He revives the earth after its death, and scatters therein every kind of animal—and the changing of the winds, and the clouds disposed between the sky and the earth, there are surely signs for a people who exercise their reason.

Among the people are those who set up compeers besides Allah, loving them as if loving Allah—but the faithful have a more ardent love for Allah—though the wrongdoers will see, when they sight the punishment, that power, altogether, belongs to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment.

When those who were followed will disown the followers, and they will sight the punishment while all their means of recourse will be cut off,

and when the followers will say, ‘Had there been another turn for us, we would disown them as they disown us [now]!’ Thus shall Allah show them their deeds as regrets for themselves, and they shall not leave the Fire.

O mankind! Eat of what is lawful and pure in the earth, and do not follow in Satan’s steps. Indeed, he is your manifest enemy.

He only prompts you to [commit] evil and indecent acts, and that you attribute to Allah what you do not know.

When they are told, ‘Follow what Allah has sent down,’ they say, ‘No, We will follow what we have found our fathers following.’ What, even if their fathers neither exercised their reason nor were guided?!

The parable of the faithless is that of someone who shouts after that which does not hear [anything] except a call and cry: deaf, dumb, and blind, they do not exercise their reason.

O you who have faith! Eat of the good things We have provided you, and thank Allah, if it is Him that you worship.

He has forbidden you only carrion, blood, the flesh of the swine, and that which has been offered to other than Allah. But should someone be compelled, without being rebellious or transgressive, there shall be no sin upon him. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

Indeed those who conceal what Allah has sent down of the Book and sell it for a paltry gain—they do not take in, into their bellies, [anything] except fire, and Allah shall not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor shall He purify them, and there is a painful punishment for them.

They are the ones who bought error for guidance, and punishment for pardon: how patient of them to face the Fire!

That is so because Allah has sent down the Book with the truth, and those who differ about the Book are surely in extreme defiance.

Piety is not to turn your faces to the east or the west; rather, piety is [personified by] those who have faith in Allah and the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets, and who give their wealth, for the love of Him, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller and the beggar, and for [the freeing of] the slaves, and maintain the prayer and give the zakat, and those who fulfill their covenants, when they pledge themselves, and those who are patient in stress and distress, and in the heat of battle. They are the ones who are true [to their covenant], and it is they who are the Godwary.

O you who have faith! Retribution is prescribed for you regarding the slain: freeman for freeman, slave for slave, and female for female. But if one is granted any extenuation by his brother, let the follow up [for the blood-money] be honourable, and let the payment to him be with kindness. That is a remission from your Lord and a mercy; and should anyone transgress after that, there shall be a painful punishment for him.

There is life for you in retribution, O you who possess intellects! Maybe you will be Godwary!

Prescribed for you, when death approaches any of you and he leaves behind any property, is that he make a bequest for his parents and relatives, in an honourable manner—an obligation on the Godwary.

And should anyone alter it after hearing it, its sin shall indeed lie on those who alter it. Indeed Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing.

But should someone, fearing deviance or sin on the testator’s behalf, set things right between them, there is no sin upon him. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

O you who have faith! Prescribed for you is fasting as it was prescribed for those who were before you, so that you may be Godwary.

That for known days. But should any of you be sick or on a journey, let it be a [similar] number of other days. Those who find it straining shall be liable to atonement by feeding a needy person. Should anyone do good of his own accord, that is better for him, and to fast is better for you, should you know.

The month of Ramadan is one in which the Quran was sent down as guidance to mankind, with manifest proofs of guidance and the Criterion. So let those of you who witness it fast [in] it, and as for someone who is sick or on a journey, let it be a [similar] number of other days. Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you, and so that you may complete the number and magnify Allah for guiding you, and that you may give thanks.

When My servants ask you about Me, [tell them that] I am indeed nearmost. I answer the supplicant’s call when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me, and let them have faith in Me, so that they may fare rightly.

You are permitted on the night of the fast to go into your wives: they are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them. Allah knew that you would betray yourselves, so He pardoned you and excused you. So now consort with them and seek what Allah has ordained for you, and eat and drink until the white streak becomes manifest to you from the dark streak at the crack of dawn. Then complete the fast until nightfall, and do not consort with them while you dwell in confinement in the mosques. These are Allah’s bounds, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah clarify His signs for mankind so that they may be Godwary.

Do not eat up your wealth among yourselves wrongfully, nor proffer it to the judges in order to eat up a part of the people’s wealth sinfully, while you know [that it is immoral to do so].

They question you concerning the new moons. Say, ‘They are timekeeping signs for the people and [for the sake of] hajj.’ It is not piety that you enter houses from their rear; rather, piety is [personified by] one who is Godwary, and enter houses from their doors and be wary of Allah, so that you may be felicitous.

Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress. Indeed Allah does not like transgressors.

And kill them wherever you confront them, and expel them from where they expelled you, for persecution is graver than killing. But do not fight them near the Holy Mosque unless they fight you therein; but if they fight you, kill them; such is the requital of the faithless.

But if they desist, then Allah is indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful.

Fight them until persecution is no more, and religion becomes [exclusively] for Allah. Then if they desist, there shall be no reprisal except against the wrongdoers.

A sacred month for a sacred month, and all sanctities require retribution. So should anyone aggress against you, assail him in the manner he assailed you, and be wary of Allah, and know that Allah is with the Godwary.

Spend in the way of Allah, and do not cast yourselves with your own hands into destruction; and be virtuous. Indeed Allah loves the virtuous.

Complete the hajj and the ‘umrah for Allah’s sake, and if you are prevented, then [make] such [sacrificial] offering as is feasible. And do not shave your heads until the offering reaches its [assigned] place. But should any of you be sick, or have a hurt in his head, let the atonement be by fasting, or charity, or sacrifice. And when you have security—for those who enjoy [release from the restrictions] by virtue of their ‘umrah until the hajj—let the offering be such as is feasible. As for someone who cannot afford [the offering], let him fast three days during the hajj and seven when you return; that is [a period of] ten complete [days]. That is for someone whose family does not dwell by the Holy Mosque. And be wary of Allah, and know that Allah is severe in retribution.

The hajj [season] is in months well-known; so whoever decides on hajj [pilgrimage] therein, [should know that] there is to be no sexual contact, vicious talk, or disputing during the hajj. And whatever good you do, Allah knows it. And take provision, for indeed the best provision is Godwariness. So be wary of Me, O you who possess intellects!

There is no sin upon you in seeking your Lord’s bounty [during the hajj season]. Then when you stream out of ‘Arafat remember Allah at the Holy Mash‘ar, and remember Him as He has guided you, and earlier you were indeed among the astray.

Then stream out from where the people stream out, and plead to Allah for forgiveness; indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

And when you finish your rites, then remember Allah as you would remember your fathers, or with a more ardent remembrance. Among the people there are those who say, ‘Our Lord, give us in this world,’ but for such there is no share in the Hereafter.

And among them there are those who say, ‘Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the Fire.’

Such shall partake of what they have earned, and Allah is swift at reckoning.