It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days; then settled on the Throne. He knows whatever enters the earth and whatever emerges from it and whatever descends from the sky and whatever ascends to it, and He is with you wherever you may be, and Allah watches what you do.
Have faith in Allah and His Apostle, and spend out of that of which He has made you heirs. There is a great reward for those of you who have faith and spend [in Allah’s way].
Why should you not have faith in Allah when the Apostle invites you to have faith in your Lord, and He has certainly made a covenant with you, if you are [genuinely] faithful?
It is He who sends down manifest signs to His servant that He may bring you out of darkness into light, and indeed Allah is most kind and merciful to you.
Why should you not spend in the way of Allah, when to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth? Those of you who spent [their means] and fought before the victory are not equal [to others]. They are greater in rank than those who have spent and fought afterwards. Yet Allah has promised the best reward to each and Allah is well aware of what you do.
The day you will see the faithful, men and women, with their light moving swiftly in front of them and on their right, [and they are greeted with the words:] ‘There is good news for you today! Gardens with streams running in them, to remain in them [forever]. That is the great success.’
The day the hypocrites, men and women, will say to the faithful, ‘Please wait, that we may glean something from your light!’ They will be told: ‘Go back and grope for light!’ Then there will be set up between them a wall with a gate, with mercy within and punishment without.
They will call out to them, ‘Did we not use to be with you?’ They will say, ‘Yes! But you cast yourselves into perdition. You awaited and were skeptical, and [false] hopes deceived you until the edict of Allah came, and the Deceiver deceived you concerning Allah.
Is it not time yet for those who have faith that their hearts should be humbled for Allah’s remembrance and toward the truth which has come down [to them], and to be not like those who were given the Book before? Time took its toll on them and so their hearts were hardened, and many of them are transgressors.
Those who have faith in Allah and His apostles—it is they who are the truthful and witnesses with their Lord; they shall have their reward and their light. But as for those who are faithless and deny Our signs, they shall be the inmates of hell.
Know that the life of this world is mere diversion and play, glamour and mutual vainglory among you and rivalry for wealth and children—like rain, whose growth impresses the farmer. Then it withers and you see it turn yellow, then it becomes chaff. Whereas in the Hereafter there is forgiveness from Allah and His approval and a severe punishment. The life of this world is nothing but the wares of delusion.
Take the lead towards forgiveness from your Lord and a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who have faith in Allah and His apostles. That is Allah’s grace, which He grants to whomever He wishes, and Allah is dispenser of a great grace.
Such as are [themselves] stingy and bid [other] people to be stingy. And whoever refuses to comply [should know that] indeed Allah is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable.
Certainly We sent Our apostles with manifest proofs, and We sent down with them the Book and the Balance, so that mankind may maintain justice; and We sent down iron, in which there is great might and uses for mankind, and so that Allah may know those who help Him and His apostles [with faith] in the Unseen. Indeed Allah is all-strong, all-mighty.
Certainly We sent Noah and Abraham and We ordained among their descendants prophethood and the Book. Some of them are [rightly] guided, and many of them are transgressors.
Then We followed them up with Our apostles and We followed [them] with Jesus son of Mary, and We gave him the Evangel, and We put kindness and mercy into the hearts of those who followed him. But as for monasticism, they innovated it—We had not prescribed it for them—only seeking Allah’s pleasure. Yet they did not observe it with due observance. So We gave to the faithful among them their [due] reward, but many of them are transgressors.
O you who have faith! Be wary of Allah and have faith in His Apostle. He will grant you a double share of His mercy and a light to walk by, and He will forgive you, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful;
so that the People of the Book may know that they do not control Allah grace in any wise and that in Allah’s hand is all grace, which He grants to whomever He wishes and Allah is dispenser of a mighty grace.
