الم
Alif. Lām. Mīm. (1)
ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
THIS DIVINE WRIT – let there be no doubt about it – is [meant to be] a guidance for all the God-conscious (2)
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ
who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception, and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance; (3)
وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ
and who believe in that which has been bestowed from on high upon thee, [O Prophet,] as well as in that which was bestowed before thy time: for it is they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come! (4)
أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
It is they who follow the guidance [which comes] from their Sustainer; and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state! (5)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنْذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنْذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the truth – it is all one to them whether thou warnest them or dost not warn them: they will not believe. (6)
خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
God has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil; and awesome suffering awaits them. (7)
- who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception,3 and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;4
- 3 Al-ghayb (commonly, and erroneously, translated as "the Unseen") is used in the Qur'an to denote all those sectors or phases of reality which lie beyond the range of human perception and cannot, therefore, be proved or disproved by scientific observation or even adequately comprised within the accepted categories of speculative thought: as, for instance, the existence of God and of a definite purpose underlying the universe, life after death, the real nature of time, the existence of spiritual forces and their interaction, and so forth. Only a person who is convinced that the ultimate reality comprises far more than our observable environment can attain to belief in God and, thus, to a belief that life has meaning and purpose. By pointing out that it is "a guidance for those who believe in the existence of that which is beyond human perception", the Qur'an says, in effect, that it will - of necessity - remain a closed book to all whose minds cannot accept this fundamental premise.
- 4 Ar-rizq ("provision of sustenance") applies to all that may be of benefit to man, whether it be concrete (like food, property, offspring, etc.) or abstract (like knowledge, piety, etc.). The "spending on others" is mentioned here in one breath with God-consciousness and prayer because it is precisely in such selfless acts that true piety comes to its full fruition. It should be borne in mind that the verb anfaqa (lit., "he spent") is always used in the Qur'an to denote spending freely on, or as a gift to, others, whatever the motive may be.
- Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them27;
- 27 All bounties proceed from Allah. They may be physical gifts, e.g. food, clothing, houses, gardens, wealth, etc. or intangible gifts, e.g., influence, power, birth and the opportunities flowing from it, health, talents, etc. or spiritual gifts, e.g., insight into good and evil, understanding of men, the capacity for love, etc. We are to use all in humility and moderation. But we are also to give out of every one of them something that contributes to the well-being of others. We are to be neither ascetics nor luxurious sybarites, neither selfish misers nor thoughtless prodigals.
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Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them;
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We have bestowed upon them;
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them.
— M. Habib Shakir -
Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend out of what we have provided for them [i.e. give Zakat, spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives, etc., and also give charity to the poor and also in Allah's Cause - Jihad, etc.].
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
Who believe in the Unseen, and establish prayer, and out of that wherewith We have provided them expend.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
Who believe in the unseen and establish the (daily) prayer; who spend out of what We have provided them.
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
who believe without seeing, establish the Prayer and expend of that We have provided them;
— Ayub Khan -
Who believe in the unseen and observe prayer and spend out of what We have provided for them.
— Sher Ali -
who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception, and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;
— Muhammad Asad -
who believe in the Unseen, and perform the prayer, and expend of that We have provided them;
— Arthur Arberry -
who believe in the unseen,{{4}} establish the Salats{{5}} and expend (in Our way) out of what We have bestowed on them;{{6}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi