The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

a
A classical meaning of d
˙
alla.
The Qur
an
2: 276
32

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knowledge of everything. 
283If you are on a journey, and cannot find a
scribe, something should be handed over as security, but if you
decide to trust one another, then let the one who is trusted ful
fil his
trust; let him be mindful of God, his Lord. Do not conceal evidence:
anyone who does so has a sinful heart, and God is fully aware of
everything you do. 
284Whatever is in the heavens and in the earth
belongs to God and, whether you reveal or conceal your thoughts,
God will call you to account for them. He will forgive whoever He
will and punish whoever He will: He has power over all things.
285The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him
from his Lord, as do the faithful. They all believe in God, His angels,
His scriptures, and His messengers. ‘We make no distinction
between any of His messengers,’ they say, ‘We hear and obey. Grant
us Your forgiveness, our Lord. To You we all return!’–
–
286God does
not burden any soul with more than it can bear: each gains whatever
good it has done, and su
ffers its bad––‘ Lord, do not take us to task if
we forget or make mistakes. Lord, do not burden us as You burdened
those before us. Lord, do not burden us with more than we have
strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You
are our Protector, so help us against the disbelievers.’
The Cow
33
2: 286

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3. THE FAMILY OF 
 IMRAN
A Medinan sura which takes its title from the family of 
 Imran mentioned in
verse 
33. It begins by emphasizing that the Quran confirms the earlier scrip-
tures and goes on to say later that the central tenet of faith is devotion to God
(verses 
19–20). The story of Zachariah, Mary, and Jesus is given in verses
35–64 and the fact that Jesus was unfathered, just as Adam was created
without a father, is accentuated. Aspects of the battles of Badr and Uhud are
described, especially the latter, where the Muslims disobeyed the Prophet and
were defeated. The sura 
first documents the tension that arose between the
Muslims and certain of the Jews and Christians (verses 
65–85 and 98–101),
then closes by emphasizing the unity of faith and conduct between the Muslims
and some of these People of the Book, explaining that these will have their
reward from God (verse 
199).
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1Alif Lam Mim
a
2God: there is no god but Him, the Ever Living, the Ever Watchful.
3Step by step, He has sent the Scripture down to you [Prophet] with
the Truth, con
firming what went before: He sent down the Torah
and the Gospel 
4earlier as a guide for people and He has sent down
the distinction [between right and wrong].
b
Those who deny God’s
revelations will su
ffer severe torment: God is almighty and capable
of retribution. 
5Nothing on earth or in heaven is hidden from God:
6it is He who shapes you all in the womb as He pleases. There is no
God but Him, the Mighty, the Wise: 
7it is He who has sent this
Scripture down to you [Prophet]. Some of its verses are de
finite in
meaning –
–these are the cornerstone
c
of the Scripture –
–and others
are ambiguous. The perverse at heart eagerly pursue the ambiguities
in their attempt to make trouble and to pin down a speci
fic mean-
ing of their own: only God knows the true meaning. Those 
firmly
grounded in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it: it is all from our
Lord’–
–only those with real perception will take heed –
–
8‘Our Lord,