Hood (Hood)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Alif. Lam. Ra. A DIVINE WRIT [is this,] with messages that have been made clear in and by themselves, and have been distinctly spelled out as well - [bestowed upon you] out of the grace of One who is wise, all-aware, 1 (Proclaiming) that you should worship none but God. Verily I bring to you from Him a message of warning and rejoicing, 2 And (bidding you): Ask pardon of your Lord and turn to Him repentant. He will cause you to enjoy a fair estate until a time appointed. He giveth His bounty unto every bountiful one. But if ye turn away, lo! (then) I fear for you the retribution of an awful Day. 3 Unto Allah is your return, and He has power to do everything. 4 Pay heed! They fold up their breasts in order to conceal from Allah; pay heed! Even when they fully cover themselves up with their clothes, Allah knows all that what hide and all what they disclose; indeed He knows what is in the hearts. 5 ۞ And there is no animal in the earth but on Allah is the sustenance of it, and He knows its resting place and its depository all (things) are in a manifest book. 6 And He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons; and [ever since He has willed to create life,] the throne of His almightiness has rested upon water. [God reminds you of your dependence on Him] in order to test you [and thus to make manifest] which of you is best in conduct. For thus it is: if thou sayest [unto men,] "Behold, you shall be raised again after death!" - they who are bent on denying the truth are sure to answer, "This is clearly nothing but an enchanting delusion" 7 And if We hold back from them the punishment until a stated period of time, they will certainly say: What prevents it? Now surely on the day when it will come to them, it shall not be averted from them and that which they scoffed at shall beset them. 8