Sura V
The Table (5)
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
O
BELIEVERS! be faithful to your engagements. You are allowed the flesh of cattle
other than what is hereinafter recited, except game, which is not allowed you
while you are on pilgrimage. Verily, God ordaineth what he pleaseth.
O
Believers! violate neither the rites of God, nor the sacred month Muharram, nor
the offering, nor its ornaments, nor those who press on to the sacred house
seeking favour from their Lord and his good pleasure in them.
But
when all is over, then take to the chase: and
let not ill will at those who would have kept you from the sacred mosque lead
you to transgress, but rather be helpful to one another according to goodness
and piety, but be not helpful for evil and malice:
and fear you God. Verily, God is severe in punishing!
That
which dieth of itself, and blood, and swine's flesh, and all that hath been
sacrificed under the invocation of any other name than that of God, and the
strangled, and the killed by a blow, or by a fall, or by goring, and that which
hath been eaten by beasts of prey, unless you make it clean by giving the
death-stroke yourselves, and that which hath been sacrificed on the blocks of
stone, is forbidden you: and to make division
of the slain by consulting the arrows, is impiety in you. Woe this day on those
who forsake your religion! And fear them not, but fear Me.
This
day have I perfected your religion for you, and have filled up the measure of
my favours upon you: and it is my pleasure
that Islam be your religion; but whoso without wilful leanings to wrong shall
be forced by hunger to transgress, to him, verily, will God be Indulgent,
Merciful.
They
will ask thee what is made lawful for them. Say:
Those things which are good are legalised to you, and the prey of beasts of
chase which you have trained like dogs, teaching them as God hath taught you.
Eat, therefore, of what they shall catch for you, and make mention of the name
of God over it, and fear God: Verily, Swift is
God to reckon:
This
day, things healthful are legalised to you, and the meats of those who have
received the Scriptures are allowed to you, as your meats are to them. And you
are permitted to marry virtuous women who are believers, and virtuous women of
those who have received the Scriptures before you, when you shall have provided
them their portions, living chastely with them without fornication, and without
taking concubines. Vain the works of him who shall renounce the faith! and in
the next world he shall be of the lost.
O
Believers! when you address yourselves to prayer, wash your faces, and your
hands up to the elbow, and wipe your heads, and your feet to the ankles.
And if
you have become unclean, then purify yourselves. But if you are sick, or on a
journey, or if one of you come from the place of retirement, or if you have
touched women, and you find no water, then take clean sand and rub your faces
and your hands with it. God desireth not to lay a burden upon you, but he
desireth to purify you, and He would fill up the measure of His favour upon
you, that you may be grateful.
5:10 And remember the favour of God upon
you, and His covenant which He hath covenanted with you, when you said,
"We have heard and will obey;" and fear God; verily, God knoweth the
very secrets of the breast.
O
Believers! stand up as witnesses for God by righteousness: and let not ill-will at any, induce you not to act
uprightly. Act uprightly. Next will this be to the fear of God. And fear you
God: verily, God is apprised of what you do.
God
hath promised to those who believe, and do the things that are right, that for
them is pardon and a great reward.
But
they who are Infidels and treat our signs as lies -- these shall be mated with
Hell fire.
O
Believers! recollect God's favour upon you, when certain folk were minded to
stretch forth their hands against you, but He kept their hands from you. Fear
God then: and on God let the faithful trust.
Of old
did God accept the covenant of the children of
But
for their breaking their covenant we have cursed them, and have hardened their
hearts. They shift the words of Scripture from their places, and have forgotten
part of what they were taught. Thou wilt not cease to discover deceit on their
part, except in a few of them. But forgive them, and pass it over: verily, God loveth those who act generously!
And of
those who say, "We are Christians,! have we accepted the covenant. But
they too have forgotten a part of what they were taught; wherefore we have
stirred up enmity and hatred among them that shall last till the day of the
Resurrection; and in the end will God tell them of their doings.
O
people of the Scriptures! now is our Apostle come to you to clear up to you
much that you concealed of those Scriptures, and to pass over many things. Now
hath a light and a clear Book come to you from God, by which God will guide him
who shall follow after his good pleasure, to paths of peace, and will bring
them out of the darkness to the light, by his will:
and to the straight path will he guide them.
Infidels
now are they who say, "Verily God is the Messiah Ibn Maryam (son of Mary)!
Say: And who could aught obtain from God, if
he chose to destroy the Messiah Ibn Maryam, and his mother, and all who are on
the earth together?
5:20 For with God is the sovereignty of the
Heavens and of the Earth, and of all that is between them! He createth what He
will; and over all this is God potent.
Say
the Jews and Christians, "Sons are we of God and his beloved." Say: Why then doth he chastise you for your sins? Nay!
you are but a part of the men whom he hath created! He will pardon whom he
pleaseth, and chastise whom he pleaseth, and with God is the sovereignty of the
Heavens and of the Earth, and of all that is between them, and unto Him shall
all things return.
O
people of the Book! now hath our Apostle come to you to clear up to year the
cessation of Apostles, lest you should say, "There hath come to us no
bearer of good tidings, nor any warner." But now hath a bearer of good
tidings and a warner reached you. And God is Almighty.
And
remember when Moses said to his people, "O my people! call to mind the
goodness of God towards you when he appointed Prophets among you, and appointed
you kings, and gave you what never had been given before to any human beings:
Enter,
O my people! the holy land which God hath destined for you. Turn not back, lest
you be overthrown to your ruin."
They
said, "O Moses! Therein are men of might. And verily, we can by no means
enter it till they be gone forth. But if they go forth from it, then verily
will we enter in."
Then
said two men of those who feared their Lord and to whom God had been gracious,
"Enter in upon them by the gate: and when
you enter it, you overcome! If you be believers, put you your trust in
God."
They
said, "O Moses! never can we enter while they remain therein. Go thou and
thy Lord and fight; for here will we sit us down."
He
said, "O my Lord, Verily of none am I master but of myself and my brother: put thou therefore a difference between us and
this ungodly people."
He
said, "Verily the land shall be forbidden them forty years: they shall wander in the earth perplexed. Fret not
thyself therefore for the ungodly people."
5:30 Relate to them exactly the story of
the sons of Adam when they each offered an offering; accepted from the one of
them, and not accepted from the other. The one said, "I will surely slay
thee." Said the other, "God only accepted from those that fear Him.
"Even
if thou stretch forth thine hand against me to slay me, I will not stretch
forth my hand against thee to slay thee. Truly I fear God the Lord of the
Worlds.
"Yea,
rather would I that thou shouldest bear my sin and thine own sin, and that thou
become an inmate of the Fire: for that is the
recompense of the unjust doers."
And
his passion led him to slay his brother: and
he slew him; and he became one of those who perish.
And
God sent a raven which scratched upon the ground, to shew him how he might hide
his brother's wrong. He said: "O woe is
me! am I too weak to become like this raven, and to hide away my brother's wrong?"
And he became one of the repentant.
For
this cause have we ordained to the children of Israel that he who slayeth any
one, unless it be a person guilty of manslaughter, or of spreading disorders in
the land, shall be as though he had slain all mankind; but that he who saveth a
life, shall be as though he had saved all mankind alive.
Of old
our Apostles came to them with the proofs of their mission; then verily after
this most of them committed excesses in the land.
Only,
the recompense of those who war against god and his Apostle, and go about to
commit disorders on the earth, shall be that they shall be slain or crucified,
or have their alternate hands and feet cut off, or be banished the land: This their disgrace in this world, and in the next
a great torment shall be theirs --
Except
those who, ere you have them in your power, shall repent; for know that God is
Forgiving, Merciful.
O you
who believe! fear God. Desire union with Him. Contend earnestly on his path,
that you may attain to happiness.
5:40 As to the infidels -- if that they had
twice the riches of the earth to be their ransom from torment on the day of
resurrection, it should not be accepted from them! And a dolorous torment shall
be their's.
Fain
would they come forth from the Fire; but forth from it they shall not come: and a lasting torment shall be their's.
As to
the thief, whether man or woman, cut you off their hands in recompense for
their doings This is a penalty by way of warning from God himself. And God is
Mighty, Wise.
But
whoever shall turn him to God after this his wickedness, and amend, God truly
will be turned to him: for God is Forgiving,
merciful.
Knowest
thou not that the sovereignty of the Heavens and of the Earth is God"s? He
chastiseth whom He will, and whom He will He forgiveth. And God hath power over
all things.
O
Apostle! let not those who vie with one another in speeding to infidelity vex
this; -- of those who say with their mouths, "We believe," but whose
hearts believe not; -- of of the Jews -- listeners to a lie -- listeners to
others -- but who come not to thee. They shift the words of the law from their
places, and say, "If this be brought to you, receive it; but if this be
not brought to you, then beware of it." For him whom God would mislead,
thou canst in no wise prevail with God! They whose hearts God shall not please
to cleanse, shall suffer disgrace in this world, and in the next a grievous
punishment;
Listeners
to a falsehood and greedy devourers of the forbidden! If, therefore, they have
recourse to thee, then judge between them, or withdraw from them. If thou
withdraw from them, then can they have no power to injure thee. But if thou
judge, then judge between them with equity. Verily, God loveth those who deal
equitably.
But
how shall they make thee their judge, since they possess already the Law, in
which are the behests of God, and have not obeyed it? After this, they will
turn their backs; but such are not believers.
Verily,
we have sent down the law (Towrat) wherein are guidance and light. By it did
the prophets who professed Islam judge the Jews; and the doctors and the
teachers judged by that portion of the Book of God, of which they were the
keepers and the witnesses. Therefore, O Jews! fear not men but fear Me; and
barter not away my signs for a mean price! And whoso will not judge by what God
hath sent down -- such are the Infidels.
And
therein have we enacted for them, "Life for life, and eye for eye, and
nose for nose, and ear for ear, and tooth for tooth, and for wounds retaliation:" -- Whoso shall compromise it as alms shall
have therein the expiation of his sin; and whoso will not judge by what God
hath sent down -- such are the transgressors.
5:50 And in the footsteps of the prophets
caused we Jesus, the son of Mary, to follow, confirming the law which was
before him: and we gave him the Evangel with
its guidance and light, confirmatory of the preceding Law; a guidance and
warning to those who fear God; --
And
that the people of the Evangel may judge according to what God hath sent down
therein. And whoso will not judge by what God hath sent down -- such are the
perverse.
And to
thee we have sent down the Book of the Koran with truth, confirmatory of
previous Scriptures, and their safeguard. Judge therefore between them by what
God hath sent down, and follow not their desires by deserting the truth which
hath come unto thee. To every one of you have we given a rule and a beaten
track.
And if
God had pleased He had surely made you all one people; but He would test you by
what He hath given to each. Be emulous, then, in good deeds. To God shall you
all return, and He will tell you concerning the subjects of your disputes.
Wherefore
do thou judge between them, by what God hath sent down, and follow not their
wishes! but he on thy guard against them lest they beguile thee from any of
those precepts which God hath sent down to thee; and if they turn back, then
know thou that for some of their crimes doth God choose to punish them: for truly most men are perverse.
Desire
they, therefore, the judgments of the times of (pagan) ignorance? But what
better judge can there be than God for those who believe firmly?
O
Believers! take not the Jews or Christians as friends. They are but one
another's friends. If any one of you taketh them for his friends, he surely is
one of them! God will not guide the evil doers.
So
shalt thou see the diseased at heart speed away to them, and say, "We fear
lest a change of fortune befall us." But haply God will of himself bring
about some victory or event of His own ordering:
then soon will they repent them of their secret imaginings.
Then
will the faithful say, "What! are these they who swore, by their most
solemn oath, that they were surely with you?" Vain their works; and
themselves shall come to ruin.
O you
who believe! should any of you desert His religion, God will then raise up a
people loved by Him, and loving Him, lowly towards the faithful, haughty
towards the Infidels. For the cause of God will they contend, and not fear the
blame of the blamer. This is the Grace of God! On whom He will He bestoweth it!
God is Vast, Omniscient!
5:60 Verily, your protector is God and His
Apostle, and those who believe, who observe prayer, and pay the alms of
obligation, and who bow in worship.
And
whoso take God and His Apostle, and those who believe for friends, they truly
are the people of God; they shall have the upper hand.
O you
who believe! take not such of those who have received the Scriptures before
you, as scoff and jest at your religion, or the Infidels, for your friends, but
fear God if you are believers:
Nor
those who when you call to prayer, make it an object of raillery and derision.
This they do because they are a people who understand not.
Say: O people of the Book! do you not disavow us only
because we believe in God, and in what He hath sent down to us, and in what He
hath sent down aforetime, and because most of you are doers of ill?
Say: Can I announce to you any retribution worse than
that which awaiteth them with God? They whom God hath cursed and with whom He
hath been angry -- some of them hath He changed into apes and swine; and they
who worship Thagout are in evil plight, and have gone far astray from the right
path!
When
they presented themselves to you they said, "We believe;" but Infidels
they come in unto you, and Infidels they went forth! God well knew what they
concealed.
Many
of them shalt thou see hastening together to wickedness and malice, and to eat
unlawful things. Shame on them for what they have done!
Had
not their doctors and teachers forbidden their uttering wickedness, and their
eating unlawful food, bad indeed would have been their doings!
"The
hand of God," say the Jews, "is chained up." Their own hands
shall be chained up -- and for that which they have said shall they be cursed.
Nay! outstretched are both His hands! At His own pleasure does He bestow gifts.
That which hath been sent down to thee from thy Lord will surely increase the
rebellion and unbelief of many of them; and we have put enmity and hatred
between them that shall last till the day of the Resurrection. Oft as they
kindle a beacon fire for war shall God quench it! and their aim will be to abet
disorder on the earth: but God loveth not the
abettors of disorder.
5:70 But if the people of the Book believe
and have the fear of God, we will surely put away their sins from them, and
will bring them into gardens of delight: and
if that they observe the law and the Evangel, and what hath been sent down to
them from their Lord, they shall surely have their fill of good things from
above them and from beneath their feet. Some there are among them who act
aright; but many of them -- how evil are their doings!
O
Apostle! proclaim all that hath been sent down to thee from thy Lord: for it thou do it not, thou hast not proclaimed
His message at all. And God will protect thee from evil men: verily, God guideth not the unbelievers.
Say: O people of the Book! you have no ground to stand
on, until you observe the Law and the Evangel, and that which hath been sent
down to you from your Lord. The Book which hath been sent down to thee from thy
Lord will certainly increase the rebellion and unbelief of many of them; but,
be not thou troubled for the unbelievers.
Verily,
they who believe, and the Jews, and the Sabeites, and the Christians -- whoever
of them believeth in God and in the last day, and doth what is right, on them
shall come no fear, neither shall they be put to grief.
Of old
we accepted the covenant of the children of
And
they reckoned that no harm would come of it:
-- but they became blind and deaf! Then was God turned unto them: then many of them again became blind and deaf! but
God beheld what they did.
Infidels
now are they who say, "God is the Messiah, Son of Mary;" for the
Messiah said, "O children of
They
surely are Infidels who say, "God is the third of three:" for there is no God but one God: and if they refrain not from what they say, a
grievous chastisement shall light on such of them as are Infidels.
Will
they not, therefore, be turned unto God, and ask pardon of Him? since God is
Forgiving, Merciful!
The
Messiah, Son of Mary, is but an Apostle; other Apostles have flourished before
him; and his mother was a just person: they
both ate food. Behold! how we make clear to them the signs! then behold how
they turn aside!
5:80 Say:
Will you worship, beside God, that which can neither hurt nor help? But God! He
only Heareth, Knoweth.
Say: O people of the Book! outstep not bounds of truth
in your religion; neither follow the desires of those who have already gone
astray, and who have caused many to go astray, and have themselves gone astray
from the evenness of the way.
Those
among the children of
Thou
shalt see many of them make friends of the infidels. Evil the actions which
their own passions have sent on beforehand; for God is angry with them, and in
torment shall they abide for ever:
But,
if they had believed in God, and the Prophet, and the Koran which hath been
sent down to him, they had not taken them for their friends; but perverse are
most of them.
Of all
men thou wilt certainly find the Jews, and those who join other gods with God,
to be the most intense in hatred of those who believe; and thou shalt certainly
find those to be nearest in affection to them who say, "We are
Christians." This, because some of them are priests and monks, and because
they are free from pride.
And
when they hear that which hath been sent down to the Apostle, thou seest their
eyes overflow with tears at the truth they recognise therein, saying, "O
our Lord! we believe; write us down therefore with those who bear witness to
it.
And
why should we not believe in God, and in the truth which hath come down to us,
and crave that our Lord would bring us into
Therefore
hath God rewarded them for these their words, with gardens 'neath which the
rivers flow; they shall abide therein for ever:
this the reward of the righteous! But they who believe not and treat our signs
as lies shall be the inmates of Hell-fire.
O you
who believe! interdict not the healthful viands which God hath allowed you; go
not beyond this limit. God loveth not those who outstep it.
5:90 And eat of what God hath given you for
food, that which is lawful and wholesome: and
fear God, in whom you believe.
God
will not punish you for a mistaken word in your oaths:
but he will punish you in regard to an oath taken seriously. Its expiation
shall be to feed ten poor persons with such middling food as you feed your own
families with, or to clothe them; or to set free a captive. But he who cannot
find means, shall fast three days. This is the expiation of your oaths when you
shall have sworn. Keep then your oaths. Thus God maketh his signs clear to you,
that you may give thanks.
O
believers! surely wine and games of chance, and statues and the divining
arrows, are an abomination of Satan's work! Avoid them, that you may prosper.
Only
would Satan sow hatred and strife among you, by wine and games of chance, and
turn you aside from the remembrance of God, and from prayer: will you not, therefore abstain from them? Obey
God and obey the Apostle, and be on your guard:
but if you turn back, know that our Apostle is only bound to deliver a plain
announcement.
No
blame shall attach to those who believe and do good works, in regard to any
food they have taken, in case they fear God and believe, and do the things that
are right, and shall still fear God and believe, and shall still fear him, and
do good; for God loveth those who do good.
O you
who believe! God will surely make trial of you with such game as you may take
with your hands, or your lances, that God may know who feareth him in secret: and whoever after this transgresseth, shall suffer
a grievous chastisement.
O believers!
kill no game while you are on pilgrimage. Whosoever among you shall purposely
kill it, shall compensate for it in domestic animals of equal value (according
to the judgment of two just persons among you), to be brought as an offering to
the Caaba; or in expiation thereof shall feed the poor; or as the equivalent of
this shall fast, that he may taste the ill consequence of his deed. God
forgiveth what is past; but whoever doth it again, God will take vengeance on
him; for God is mighty and vengeance is His.
It is
lawful for you to fish in the sea, and to eat fish, as provision for you and
for those who travel; but it is unlawful for you to hunt by land while you are
still on pilgrimage: fear you God, therefore,
before whom you shall be assembled.
God
hath appointed the Caaba, the sacred house, to be a station for mankind, and
the sacred month, and the offering, and its ornaments. This, that you may know
that God knoweth all that is in the heavens and on the earth, and that God hath
knowledge of everything. Know that God is severe in punishing, and that God is
Forgiving, Merciful.
The
Apostle is only bound to preach: and God
knoweth what you bring to light, and what you conceal
5:100 Say:
The evil and the good shall not be valued alike, even though the abundance of
evil please thee; therefore fear God, O you of understanding! that it may be
well with you.
O
believers! ask us not of things which if they were told might only pain you;
but if you ask of such things when the entire Koran shall have been sent down,
they will be declared to you: God will pardon
you for this, for God is Forgiving, Gracious. They who were before you, asked
concerning such things, and afterwards quickly disbelieved therein.
God
hath not ordained anything on the subject of Bahira, or Saiba, or Wasila, or
Hami; but the unbelievers have invented this lie against God: and most of them had no understanding.
And
when it ws said to them, "Accede to that which God hath sent down, and to
the Apostle:" they said, "Sufficient
for us in the faith in which we found our fathers." What! though their
fathers knew nothing, and had no guidance?
O
believers! take heed to yourselves. He who erreth shall not hurt you when you
have the "guidance:" to God shall
you all return, and He will tell you that which you have done.
O
believers! let there be witnesses between you, when death draweth nigh to any
of you, at the time of making the testament; two witnesses -- just men from
among yourselves, or two others of a different tribe from yourselves -- if you
be journeying the earth, and the calamity of death surprise you. You shall shut
them both up, after the prayer; and if you doubt them, they shall swear by God,
"We will not take a bribe though the party be of kin to us, neither will
we conceal the testimony of God, for then we should be among the wicked."
But if
it shall be made clear that both have been guilty of a falsehood, two others of
those who have convicted them thereof, the two nearest in blood shall stand up
in their place, and they shall swear by God, "Verily our witness is more
true than the witness of these two; neither have we advanced anything untrue,
for then should we be of the unjust."
Thus
will it be easier for men to bear a true witness, or fear lest after their oath
another oath be given. Therefore fear God and hearken; for God guideth not the
perverse.
One
day will God assemble the Apostles, and say, "What reply was made to
you?" They shall say, "We have no knowledge, but Thou art the Knower
of Secrets."
When
He shall say: O Jesus! Son of Mary! call to
mind my favour upon thee and upon thy mother, when I strengthened thee with the
Holy Spirit, that thou shouldest speak to men alike in the cradle, and when
grown up; --
5:110 And when I taught thee the Scripture,
and Wisdom, and the Law, and the Evangel: and
thou didst create of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by my leave, and
didst breathe into it, and by my leave it became a bird, and thou didst heal
the blind and the leper, by my leave; and when, by my leave, thou didst bring
forth the dead; and when I withheld the children of Israel from thee, when thou
hadst come to them with clear tokens: and such
of them as believed not said, "This is nought but plain sorcery;"
And
when I revealed unto the Apostles, "Believe on me and on my Sent
One," they said, "We believed; and bear thou witness that we are
Muslims."
Remember
when the Apostles said -- "O Jesus, son of Mary! is thy Lord able to send
down a furnished table to us out of Heaven?" He said -- "Fear God if
you be believers."
They
said -- "We desire to eat therefrom, and to have our hearts assured; and
to know that thou hast indeed spoken truth to us, and to be witnesses
thereof."
Jesus,
Son of Mary, said -- "O God, our Lord! send down a table to us out of
Heaven, that it may become a recurring festival to us, to the first of us and
to the last of us, and a sign from thee; and do thou nourish us, for thou art
the best of nourishers."
And
God said -- Verily, I will cause it to descend unto you; but whoever among you
after that shall disbelieve, I will surely chastise him with a chastisement,
wherewith I will not chastise any other creature.
And
when God shall say -- "O Jesus, Son of Mary:
hast thou said unto mankind -- 'Take me and my mother as two Gods, beside
God?'" He shall say -- "Glory be unto Thee! it is not for me to say
that which I know to be not the truth; had I said that, verily thou wouldest
have known it: Thou knowest what is in me, but
I know not what is in Thee; for Thou well knowest things unseen!
"I
spake not to them aught but that which thou didst bid me -- 'Worship God, my
Lord and your Lord;' and I was a witness of their actions while I stayed among
them; but since thou hast taken me to Thyself, Thou hast Thyself watched them,
and Thou art witness of all things:
"If
Thou punish them, they are Thy servants, and if Thou forgive them.... Thou,
verily, art the Mighty, the Wise!"
God
will say -- This day shall their truth advantage the truthful. Gardens shall
have have 'neath which the rivers flow, and remain therein for ever: God is well pleased with them and they with Him.
This shall be the great bliss.
5:120 Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of
the Heavens and of the Earth, and of all that they contain; and He hath power
over all things.