The Human Truth Foundation

Sura 20 of the Qur'an

http://www.humanreligions.info/sura_20.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

#qur'an

Title: Taha
English: Taha
Location: Makkah

Traditional Order:
< Sura 19 (Maryam - Mary)
> Sura 21 (Al-Anbiya - The Prophets)

Chronological Order:
< Sura 19 (Maryam - Mary)
> Sura 56 (Al-Waqia - The Event, The Inevitable)

Verses: 135

1Ta Ha

Some comments on Sura 20:113 are on God's Methods of Communication: Universal Truth Versus Hebrew and Arabic: 9.1. Islam: God Sends Messengers Who Speak the Local Language (Contradictions).

Sura 20:115-123 comments: Satan (Shaitan, or Iblis) in Islam.

Sura 20:115-124 is referenced on Satan (Shaitan, or Iblis) in Islam.

Some comments on Sura 20:115-123 are on The Yezidis / Yazidis: Persecution Amidst Claims of Devil Worship: 2. Claims of Devil Worship and Satanism.

Sura 20:115-124 is mentioned on The Yezidis / Yazidis: Persecution Amidst Claims of Devil Worship: 2. Claims of Devil Worship and Satanism.

Some comments on Sura 20:115-123 are on Satan and The Devil in World Religions: 2.4. Islam (Shaitan, Iblis).

Sura 20:115-124: Satan and The Devil in World Religions: 2.4. Islam (Shaitan, Iblis).

2We have not sent down the Koran upon thee for thee to be unprosperous,
3but only as a reminder to him who tears,
4a revelation from Him who created the earth and the high heavens;
5the All-compassionate sat Himself upon the Throne; to Him belongs
6all that is in the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and all that is underneath the soil.
7Be thou loud in thy speech, yet surely He knows the secret and that yet more hidden.
8God -- there is no god but He. To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful.
9Hast thou received the story of Moses?
10When he saw a tire, and said to his family, 'Tarry you here; I observe a fire. Perhaps I shall bring you a brand from it, or I shall find at the fire guidance.'
11When he came to it, a voice cried, 'Moses,
12I am thy Lord; put off thy shoes; thou art in the holy valley, Towa.
13I Myself have chosen thee; therefore give thou ear to this revelation.
14Verily I am God; there is no god but I; therefore serve Me, and perform the prayer of My remembrance.
15The Hour is coming; I would conceal it that every soul may be recompensed for its labours.
16Let none bar thee from it, that believes not in it but follows after his own caprice, or thou wilt perish.
17What is that, Moses, thou hast in thy right hand?'
18'Why, it is my staff, ' said Moses. 'I lean upon it, and with it I beat down leaves to feed my sheep; other uses also I find in it.
19Said He, 'Cast it down, Moses!'
20and he cast it down, and behold it was a serpent sliding.
21Said He, 'Take it, and fear not; We will restore it to its first state.
22Now clasp thy hand to thy arm-pit; it shall come forth white, without evil. That is a second sign.
23So We would show thee some of Our greatest signs.
24Go to Pharaoh; he has waxed insolent.'
25'Lord, open my breast, ' said Moses,
26'and do Thou ease for me my task.
27Unloose the knot upon my tongue, t
28hat they may understand my words.
29Appoint for me of my folk a familiar,
30Aaron, my brother;
31by him confirm my strength,
32and associate him with me in my task.
33So shall we glorify Thee,
34and remember Thee abundantly.
35Surely Thou seest into us.'
36Said He, 'Thou art granted, Moses, thy petition.
37Already another time We favoured thee,
38when We revealed what was revealed unto thy mother:
39"Cast him into the ark, and cast him into the river, and let the river throw him up on the shore. An enemy of Mine and his shall take him." And I loaded on thee love from Me, and to be formed in My sight,
40when thy sister went out, saying, "Shall I point you to one to have charge of him?" So We returned thee to thy mother that she might rejoice, and not sorrow. Then thou slewest; a living soul, and We delivered thee out of grief, and We tried thee with many trials. Many years among the people of Midian thou didst sojourn, then camest hith
41I have chosen thee for My service;
42go therefore, thou and thy brother; with My signs, and neglect not to remember Me.
43Go to Pharaoh, for he has waxed insolent;
44yet speak gently to him, that haply he may be mindful, or perchance fear.'
45'O our Lord, ' said Moses and Aaron, 'truly we fear he may exceed against us, or wax insolent.'
46'Fear not, ' said He. 'Surely I shall be with you, hearing and seeing.
47So go you both to Pharaoh, and say, "We are the Messengers of thy Lord, so send forth with us the Children of Israel and chastise them not; we have brought thee a sign from thy Lord; and peace be upon him who follows the guidance!
48It has been revealed to us that chastisement shall light upon him who cries lies and turns his back."
49Pharaoh said, 'Who is your Lord, Moses?'
50He said, 'Our Lord is He who gave everything its creation, then guided it.'
51Pharaoh said, 'And what of the former generations?'
52Said Moses, 'The knowledge of them is with my Lord, in a Book; my Lord goes not astray, nor forgets --
53He who appointed the earth to be a cradle for you, and therein threaded roads for you, and sent down water out of heaven, and therewith We have brought forth divers kinds of plants.
54Do you eat, and pasture your cattle! Surely in that are signs for men possessing reason.
55Out of the earth We created you, and We shall restore you into it, and bring you forth from it a second time.'
56So We showed Pharaoh all Our signs, but he cried lies, and refused.
57'Hast thou come, Moses, ' he said, 'to expel us out of our land
58by thy sorcery? We shall assuredly bring thee sorcery the like of it; therefore appoint a tryst between us and thee, a place mutually agreeable, and we shall not fail it, neither thou.'
59'Your tryst shall be upon the Feast Day.' said Moses. 'Let the people be mustered at the high noon.'
60Pharaoh then withdrew, and gathered his guile. Thereafter he came again,
61and Moses said to them, 'O beware! Forge not a lie against God, lest He destroy you with a chastisement. Whoso forges has ever failed.'
62And they disputed upon their plan between them, and communed secretly
63saying, 'These two men are sorcerers and their purpose is to expel you out of your land by their sorcery, and to extirpate your justest way.
64So gather your guile; then come in battle-line. Whoever today gains the upper hand shall surely prosper.
65They said, 'Moses, either thou wilt cast, or we shall be the first to cast.'
66'No, ' said Moses. 'Do you cast!' And lo, it seemed to him, by their sorcery, their ropes and their staffs were sliding;
67and Moses conceived a fear within him.
68We said unto him, 'Fear not; surely thou art the uppermost.
69Cast down what is in thy right hand, and it shall swallow what they have fashioned; for they have fashioned only the guile of a sorcerer, and the sorcerer prospers not; wherever he goes.'
70And the sorcerers cast themselves down prostrating. 'We believe, ' they said, 'in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.'
71Pharaoh said, 'Have you believed him before I gave you leave? Why, he is the chief of you, the same that taught you sorcery; I shall assuredly cut off alternately your hands and feet, then I shall crucify you upon the trunks of palm-trees; you shall know of a certainty which of us is more terrible in chastisement, and more abiding.'
72They said, 'We will not prefer thee over the clear signs that have come to us, nor over Him who originated us. Decide then what thou wilt decide; thou canst only decide touching this present life.
73We believe in our Lord, that He may pardon us our offences, and the sorcery thou hast constrained us to practise; God is better, and more abiding.'
74Whosoever comes unto his Lord a sinner, for him awaits Gehenna wherein he shall neither die nor live.
75And whoso comes unto Him a believer having done deeds of righteousness, those -- for them await the most sublime degrees;
76Gardens of Eden, underneath which rivers flow, therein dwelling forever; that is the recompense of the self-purified.
77Also We revealed unto Moses, 'Go with My servants by night; strike for them a dry path in the sea, fearing not overtaking, neither afraid.'
78Pharaoh followed them with his hosts, but they were overwhelmed by the sea;
79so Pharaoh had led his people astray, and was no guide to them.
80Children of Israel, We delivered you from your enemy; and We made covenant with you upon the right side of the Mount, and sent down on you manna and quails:
81'Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you; but exceed not therein, or My anger shall alight on you; and on whomsoever My anger alights, that man is hurled to ruin.
82Yet I am All-forgiving to him who repents and believes, and does righteousness, and at last is guided.'
83'What has sped thee far from thy people, Moses?'
84'They are upon my tracks, ' Moses said. 'I have hastened, Lord, only that I may please Thee.'
85Said He, 'We have tempted thy people since thou didst leave them. The Samaritan has misled them into error.'
86Then Moses returned very angry and sorrowful to his people, saying, 'My people, did your Lord not promise a fair promise to you? Did the time of the covenant seem so long to you, or did you desire that anger should alight on you from your Lord, so that you failed in your tryst with me?'
87'We have not failed in our tryst with thee, ' they said, 'of our volition; but we were loaded with fardels, even the ornaments of the people, and we cast them, as the Samaritan also threw them, into the fire.'
88(Then he brought out for them a Calf, a mere body that lowed; and they said, 'This is your god, and the god of Moses, whom he has forgotten.'
89What? Did they not see that thing returned no speech unto them, neither had any power to hurt or profit them?
90Yet Aaron had aforetime said to them, 'My people, you have been tempted by this thing, no more; surety your Lord is the All-merciful; therefore follow me, and obey my commandment!'
91'We will not cease, ' they said, 'to cleave to it, until Moses returns to us.')
92Moses said, 'What prevented thee, Aaron, when thou sawest them in error,
93so that thou didst not follow after me? Didst thou then disobey my commandment?'
94'Son of my mother, ' Aaron said, 'take me not by the beard, or the head! I was fearful that thou wouldst say, "Thou hast divided the Children of Israel, and thou hast not observed my word."
95Moses said, 'And thou, Samaritan, what was thy business?'
96'I beheld what they beheld not, ' he said, 'and I seized a handful of dust from the messenger's track, and cast it into the thing. So my soul prompted me.'
97'Depart!' said Moses. 'It shall be thine all this life to cry "Untouchable!" And thereafter a tryst awaits thee thou canst not fail to keep Behold thy god, to whom all the day thou wast cleaving! We will surely burn it and scatter its ashes into the sea.
98Your God is only the One God; there is no god, but He alone who in His knowledge embraces everything.'
99So We relate to thee stories of what has gone before, and We have given thee a remembrance from Us.
100Whosoever turns away from it, upon the Day of Resurrection He shall bear a fardel,
101therein abiding forever; how evil upon the Day of Resurrection that burden for them!
102On the day the Trumpet is blown; and We shall muster the sinners upon that day with eyes staring,
103whispering one to another, 'You have tarried only ten nights.'
104We know very well what they will say, when the justest of them in the way will say, 'You have tarried only a day.'
105They will question thee concerning the mountains. Say: 'My Lord will scatter them as ashes;
106then He will leave them a level hollow
107wherein thou wilt see no crookedness neither any curving.'
108On that day they will follow the Summoner in whom is no crookedness; voices will be hushed to the All-merciful, so that thou hearest naught but a murmuring.
109Upon that day the intercession will not profit, save for him to whom the All-merciful gives leave, and whose speech He approves.
110He knows what is before them and behind them, and they comprehend Him not in knowledge.
111And faces shall be humbled unto the Living, the Eternal. He will have failed whose burden is of evildoing;
112but whosoever does deeds of righteousness, being a believer, shall fear neither wrong nor injustice.
113Even so We have sent it down as an Arabic Koran, and We have turned about in it something of threats, that haply they may be godfearing, or it may arouse in them remembrance.
114So high exalted be God, the true King! And hasten not with the Koran ere its revelation is accomplished unto thee; and say, 'O my Lord, increase me in knowledge.'
115And We made covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We found in him no constancy.
116And when We said to the angels, 'Bow yourselves to Adam'; so they bowed themselves, save Iblis; he refused.
117Then We said, 'Adam, surely this is an enemy to thee and thy wife. So let him not expel you both from the Garden, so that thou art unprosperous.
118It is assuredly given to thee neither to hunger therein, nor to go naked,
119neither to thirst therein, nor to suffer the sun.'
120Then Satan whispered to him saying, 'Adam, shall I point thee to the Tree of Eternity, and a Kingdom that decays not?'
121So the two of them ate of it, and their shameful parts revealed to them, and they took to stitching upon themselves leaves of the Garden. And Adam disobeyed his Lord, and so he erred.
122Thereafter his Lord chose him, and turned again unto him, and He guided him.
123Said He, 'Get you down, both of you together, out of it, each of you an enemy to each; but if there comes to you from Me guidance, then whosoever follows My guidance shall not go astray, neither shall he be unprosperous;
124but whosoever turns away from My remembrance, his shall be a life of narrowness, and on the Resurrection Day We shall raise him blind.'
125He shall say, 'O my Lord, why hast thou raised me blind, and I was wont to see?'
126God shall say, 'Even so it is. Our signs came unto thee, and thou didst forget them; and so today thou art forgotten.'
127So We recompense him who is prodigal and believes not in the signs of his Lord; and the chastisement of the world to come is more terrible and more enduring.
128Is it not a guidance to them, how many generations We destroyed before them in whose dwelling-places they walk? Surely in that are signs for men possessing reason.
129And but for a word that preceded from thy Lord, and a stated term, it had been fastened.
130So be thou patient under what they say, and proclaim thy Lord's praise before the rising of the sun, and before its setting, and proclaim thy Lord's praise in the watches of the night, and at the ends of the day; haply thou wilt be well-pleasing.
131Stretch not thine eyes to that We have given pairs of them to enjoy - the flower of the present life, that We may try them therein and thy Lord's provision is better, and more enduring.
132And bid thy family to pray, and be thou patient in it; We ask of thee no provision, but it is We who provide thee and the issue ultimate is to godfearing.
133They say, 'Why does he not bring us a sign from his Lord?' Has there not come to them the clear sign of what is in the former scrolls?
134Had We destroyed them with a chastisement aforetime, they would have said, 'Our Lord, why didst Thou not send us a Messenger, so that we might have followed Thy signs before that we were humiliated and degraded?'
135Say: 'Everyone is waiting; so wait, and assuredly you shall know who are the travellers on the even path, and who is guided.'