۞ Undoubtedly Allah made a covenant with the Descendants of Israel, and We appointed twelve chiefs among them; and Allah said, “Indeed I am with you; surely, if you establish the prayer and pay the charity, and believe in My Noble Messengers and respect* them, and lend an excellent loan to Allah, I will surely forgive your sins, and I will surely admit you into Gardens beneath which rivers flow; then after this, if any of you disbelieves, he has certainly gone astray from the Straight Path." (To honour the Holy Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – is part of faith. To disrespect him is blasphemy.) 12 But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard; they change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the message that was sent them, nor wilt thou cease to find them- barring a few - ever bent on (new) deceits: but forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds): for Allah loveth those who are kind. 13 And of them who say: verily we are Nazarenes, We took a bond from them, but they have abandoned a good portion of that wherewith they were admonished. Wherefore We have occasioned enmity and hatred amongst them till the Day of Judgement, and presently Allah shall declare unto them that which they have been performing. 14 People of the Book! Now Our Messenger has come to you: he makes clear to you a good many things of the Book which you were wont to conceal, and also passes over many things. There has now come to you a light from Allah, and a clear Book. 15 With it Allah guides him who will follow His pleasure into the ways of safety and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His will and guides them to the right path. 16 Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely, Allah-- He is the Messiah, son of Marium. Say: Who then could control anything as against Allah when He wished to destroy the Messiah son of Marium and his mother and all those on the earth? And Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them; He creates what He pleases; and Allah has power over all things, 17 The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones. Say: Why then doth He chastise you for your sins? Nay, ye are but mortals of His creating. He forgiveth whom He will, and chastiseth whom He will. Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and unto Him is the journeying. 18 People of the Book, now there has come to you Our Messenger, making things clear to you, upon an interval between the Messengers lest you should say, 'There has not come to us any bearer of good tidings, neither any warner. Indeed, there has come to you a bearer of good tidings and a warner; God is powerful over everything. 19