We gave Moses the Book
And followed him up
With a succession of Apostles;
We gave Jesus the son of Mary
Clear (Signs) and strengthened him
With the holy spirit. Is it
That whenever there comes to you
An Apostle with what ye
Yourselves desire not, ye are
Puffed up with pride?—
Some ye called impostors,
And others ye slay!
And when there came to them
An Apostle from God,
Confirming what was with them,
A party of the People of the Book
Threw away the Book of God
Behind their backs,
As if (it had been something)
They did not know!
Would ye question
Your Apostle as Moses
Was questioned of old?
But whoever changeth
From Faith to Unbelief,
Hath strayed without doubt
From the even way.
"Our Lord! send amongst them
An Apostle of their own,
Who shall rehearse Thy Signs
To them and instruct them
In Scripture and Wisdom,
And sanctify them:
For Thou art the Exalted in Might,
The Wise."
Thus have We made of you
An Ummat justly balanced,
That ye might be witnesses
Over the nations,
And the Apostle a witness
Over yourselves;
And We appointed the Qibla
To which thou wast used,
Only to test those who followed
The Apostle from those
Who would turn on their heels
(From the Faith). Indeed it was
(A change) momentous, except
To those guided by God.
And never would God
Make your faith of no effect.
For God is to all people
Most surely full of kindness,
Most Merciful.
A similar (favour
Have ye already received)
In that We have sent
Among you an Apostle
Of your own, rehearsing to you
Our Signs, and sanctifying
You, and instructing you
In Scripture and Wisdom,
And in new Knowledge.
Or do ye think
That ye shall enter
The Garden (of Bliss)
Without such (trials)
As came to those
Who passed away
Before you?
They encountered
Suffering and adversity,
And were so shaken in spirit
That even the Apostle
And those of faith
Who were with him
Cried: "When (will come)
The help of God?"
Ah! Verily, the help of God
Is (always) near!
Those apostles
Were endowed with gifts,
Some above others
To one of them God spoke;
Others He raised
To degrees (of honour);
To Jesus the son of Mary
We gave Clear (Signs),
And strengthened him
With the holy spirit.
If God had so willed,
Succeeding generations
Would not have fought
Among each other, after
Clear (Signs) had come to them,
But they (chose) to wrangle,
Some believing and Others
Rejecting. If God had so willed,
They would not have fought
Each other; but God
Fulfilleth His plan.
If ye do it not,
Take notice of war
From God and His Apostle:
But if ye turn back,
Ye shall have
Your capital sums:
Deal not unjustly,
And ye shall not
Be dealt with unjustly.
The Apostle believeth
In what hath been revealed
To him from his Lord,
As do the men of faith.
Each one (of them) believeth
In God, His angels,
His books, and His apostles.
"We make no distinction (they say)
Between one and another
Of His apostles." And they say:
"We hear, and we obey:
(We seek) Thy forgiveness,
Our Lord, and to Thee
Is the end of all journeys."
"And (appoint him)
An apostle to the Children
Of Israel, (with this message):
"'I have come to you,
With a Sign from your Lord,
In that I make for you
Out of clay, as it were,
The figure of a bird,
And breathe into it,
And it becomes a bird
By God's leave:
And I heal those
Born blind, and the lepers,
And I quicken the dead,
By God's leave;
And I declare to you
What ye eat, and what ye store
In your houses. Surely
Therein is a Sign for you
If ye did believe;
Behold! God took
The Covenant of the Prophets,
Saying: "I give you
A Book and Wisdom;
Then comes to you
An Apostle, confirming
What is with you;
Do ye believe in him
And render him help."
God said: "Do ye agree,
And take this my Covenant
As binding on you?"
They said: "We agree."
He said: "Then bear witness,
And I am with you
Among the witnesses."
How shall God
Guide those who reject
Faith after they accepted it
And bore witness
That the Apostle was true
And that Clear Signs
Had come unto them?
But God guides not
A people unjust.
And how would ye
Deny Faith while unto you
Are rehearsed the Signs
Of God, and among you
Lives the Apostle?
Whoever holds
Firmly to God
Will be shown
A Way that is straight.
Muhammad is no more
Than an Apostle: many
Were the Apostles that passed away
Before him. If he died
Or were slain, will ye then
Turn back on your heels?
If any did turn back
On his heels, not the least
Harm will he do to God;
But God (on the other hand)
Will swiftly reward those
Who (serve him) with gratitude.
Behold! ye were climbing up
The high ground, without even
Casting a side glance
At any one, and the Apostle
In your rear was calling you
Back. There did God give you
One distress after another
By way of requital,
To teach you not to grieve
For (the booty) that had escaped you
And for (the ill) that had befallen you.
For God is well aware
Of all that ye do.