Hood (Hood)
In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Alif. Lam. Ra. This is a Divine Command whose contents have been made firm and set forth in detail from One Who is All-Wise, All-Aware 1 (Saying): Serve none but Allah. Lo! I am unto you from Him a warner and a bringer of good tidings. 2 “And ask forgiveness from your Lord and incline towards Him in repentance, He will provide you excellent sustenance until the appointed time and will bestow superiority to every one who excels; and if you turn away, I then fear the punishment of the Great Day upon you.” 3 To Allah is your return, and He is Able to do all things." 4 Lo! they fold their breasts that they may hide from Him. Lo! when they cover themselves with their garments, He knoweth that which they conceal and that which they make known. Verily He is the Knower of the secrets of the breasts. 5 ۞ There is not a creature that moves on the earth whose nourishment is not provided by God, whose place of sojourning and depositing is not known to Him. All things conform to a manifest law. 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 were We to put off the chastisement from them for a determined period, they will cry out: 'What withholds Him from chastising?' Surely when the day of the chastisement will come, nothing will avert it and the chastisement which they had ridiculed shall encompass them. 8