The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

The Qur
an
57: 11
360

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that is God’s bounty, which He bestows on whoever He pleases.
God’s bounty is in
finite.
22No misfortune can happen, either in the earth or in yourselves,
that was not set down in writing before We brought it into being –
–
that is easy for God –
–
23so you need not grieve for what you miss or
gloat over what you gain. 
24God does not love the conceited,
the boastful, those who are miserly, and who tell other people to be
miserly. If anyone turns away, remember that God is self-su
fficient
and worthy of praise. 
25We sent Our messengers with clear signs, the
Scripture and the Balance, so that people could uphold justice: We
also sent iron, with its mighty strength and many uses for mankind,
so that God could mark out those who would help Him and His
messengers though they cannot see Him.
a
Truly God is powerful,
almighty.
26We sent Noah and Abraham, and gave prophethood and
scripture to their o
ffspring: among them there were some who were
rightly guided, but many were lawbreakers. 
27We sent other messen-
gers to follow in their footsteps. After those We sent Jesus, son of
Mary: We gave him the Gospel and put compassion and mercy into
the hearts of his followers. But monasticism was something they
invented –
– We did not ordain it for them –
– only to seek
b
God’s pleas-
ure, and even so, they did not observe it properly. So We gave a
reward to those of them who believed, but many of them were
lawbreakers. 
28Believers, be mindful of God and have faith in His
Messenger: He will give you a double share of His mercy; He will
provide a light to help you walk; He will forgive you –
– God is most
forgiving, most merciful. 
29The People of the Book should know that
they have no power over any of God’s grace and that grace is in the
hand of God alone: He gives it to whoever He will. God’s grace is
truly immense.
a
This could apply to God or His helpers.
b
Alternatively, ‘only that they should seek’.
Iron
361
57: 29

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58. THE DISPUTE
A Medinan sura which disallows a speci
fic pagan divorce practice: the sura
takes its title from the dispute referred to in verse 
1 between a wife who had been
divorced in this manner and the Prophet. The sura supports the woman. It goes
on to state that those who oppose God and His messenger, who secretly ally
themselves with Satan, who lie in their oaths and make intrigues against the
Prophet, will be defeated and su
ffer humiliation both in this world and in
the next (verses 
5 and 20), while those on God’s side will triumph (verse 22).
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1God has heard the words of the woman who disputed with you
[Prophet] about her husband and complained to God: God has heard
what you both had to say. He is all hearing, all seeing. 
2Even if any
of you say to their wives, ‘You are to me like my mother’s back,’
a
they are not their mothers; their only mothers are those who gave
birth to them. What they say is certainly blameworthy and false, but
God is pardoning and forgiving. 
3Those of you who say such a thing
to their wives, then go back on what they have said, must free a slave
before the couple may touch one another again –– this is what you are
commanded to do, and God is fully aware of what you do ––
4but
anyone who does not have the means should fast continuously for
two months before they touch each other, and anyone unable to do
this should feed sixty needy people. This is so that you may [truly]
have faith in God and His Messenger. These are the bounds set by
God: grievous torment awaits those who ignore them. 
5Those who
oppose God and His Messenger will be brought low, like those
before them: We have revealed clear messages, and humiliating
torment awaits those who ignore them, 
6on the Day when God will
raise everyone and make them aware of what they have done. God
has taken account of it all, though they may have forgotten: He
witnesses everything.
a
The pagan Arabs used to separate themselves from their wives by saying, ‘You are
to me like my mother’s back,’ which deprived the wife of her marital rights, yet pre-
vented her from marrying again. Khawla, daughter of Tha
 laba, against whom such a
form of divorce was pronounced, complained to the Prophet and he said to her, ‘You are
unlawful to him now.’ This revelation came as a result, changing the rule about such
cruel treatment of wives (cf. 
33: 4).

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7Do you not see [Prophet] that God knows everything in the
heavens and earth? There is no secret conversation between three
people where He is not the fourth, nor between 
five where He is not
the sixth, nor between less or more than that without Him being
with them, wherever they may be. On the Day of Resurrection, He
will show them what they have done: God truly has full knowledge
of everything. 
8Have you not seen how those who have been forbid-
den to hold secret conversations go back afterwards and hold them,
and conspire with one another in what is sinful, hostile, and dis-
obedient to the Messenger? When they come to you they greet you
with words God has never used to greet you, and say inwardly, ‘Why
does God not punish us for what we say?’ Hell will be punishment
enough for them: they will burn there –
– an evil destination.
9You who believe, when you converse in secret, do not do so in a
way that is sinful, hostile, and disobedient to the Messenger, but in a
way that is good and mindful [of God]. Be mindful of God, to whom
you will all be gathered. 
10[Any other kind of] secret conversation is
the work of Satan, designed to cause trouble to the believers, though
it cannot harm them in the least unless God permits it. Let the
believers put their trust in God.
11You who believe, if you are told to make room for one another
in your assemblies, then do so, and God will make room for you,
and if you are told to rise up, do so: God will raise up, by many
degrees, those of you who believe and those who have been given
knowledge: He is fully aware of what you do. 
12You who believe,
when you come to speak privately with the Messenger, o
ffer some-
thing in charity before your conversation: that is better for you and
purer. If you do not have the means, God is most forgiving and
merciful.
13Were you afraid
a
to give charity before consulting the Prophet?
Since you did not give charity, and God has relented towards you,
you should [at least] observe your prayers, pay the prescribed alms,
and obey God and His Messenger: God is well aware of your actions.
14Have you not seen [Prophet] those who give their loyalty to
people with whom God is angry? They are neither with you nor with