The Night Journey (Al-Isra)
In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace
۞ GLORY TO HIM who took His votary to a wide and open land from the Sacred Mosque (at Makkah) to the distant Mosque whose precincts We have blessed, that We may show him some of Our signs. Verily He is all-hearing and all-seeing. 1 We gave Moses the Book, and made it a source of guidance for the Children of Israel, commanding: "Take no other Guardian beside Me." 2 O you, the offspring of those We bore (in the ark) with Noah, he was indeed a grateful votary. 3 We forewarned the Children of Israel in the Scripture, "Twice you shall commit evil in the land. You shall become great transgressors." 4 Hence, when the prediction of the first of those two [periods of iniquity] came true, We sent against you some of Our bondmen of terrible prowess in war, and they wrought havoc throughout the land: and so the prediction was fulfilled. 5 and after a time We allowed you to prevail over them once again and aided you with wealth and offspring and made you greater in number. 6 Whenever you did good, it was to your own advantage; and whenever you committed evil, it was to your own disadvantage. So, when the time of the fulfilment of the second promise arrived, (We raised other enemies that would) disfigure your faces and enter the Temple (of Jerusalem) as they had entered the first time, and destroy whatever they could lay their hands on. 7 Your Sustainer may well show mercy unto you; but if you revert [to sinning,] We shall revert [to chastising you]. And [remember this:] We have ordained that [in the hereafter] hell shall close upon all who deny the truth. 8 Verily this Qur'an directs you to the path that is straight, and gives happy tidings to those who believe and do the right: For them is a great reward. 9 and [it announces, too,] that We have readied grievous suffering for those who will not believe in the life to come. 10