The Amramites (Al-Imraan)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Alif-Laam-Meem. (Alphabets of the Arabic language; Allah and to whomever He reveals, know their precise meanings.) 1 Allah! There is no god save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. 2 It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong). 3 Aforetime, for a guidance to mankind; and hath revealed the Criterion (of right and wrong). Lo! those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah, theirs will be a heavy doom. Allah is Mighty, Able to Requite (the wrong). 4 Nothing in the heavens or the earth is hidden from God. 5 It is He who forms you in the wombs however He wills. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. 6 He it is who has bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, containing messages that are clear in and by themselves - and these are the essence of the divine writ - as well as others that are allegorical. Now those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the divine writ which has been expressed in allegory, seeking out [what is bound to create] confusion, and seeking [to arrive at] its final meaning [in an arbitrary manner]; but none save God knows its final meaning. Hence, those who are deeply rooted in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole [of the divine writ] is from our Sustainer - albeit none takes this to heart save those who are endowed with insight. 7 "Let us not go astray, O Lord, having guided us already. Bestow on us Your blessings for You are the benevolent. 8 Lord, it is certain that one day You will gather all the people together. God does not break His promise." 9