Read Koran Curious - A Guide for Infidels and Believers Online
Authors: C.J. Werleman
[71:22] “They schemed terrible schemes.
[71:23] “They said, ‘Do not abandon your gods. Do not abandon Wadd, Suwaa’, Yaghouth, Ya’ooq, and Nasr.’
[71:24] “They misled many. Therefore, let the wicked plunge deeper into loss.”
[71:25] Because of their sins they were drowned and assigned to the hellfire. They found no helpers to protect them from GOD.
[71:26] Noah also said, “My Lord, do not leave a single disbeliever on earth.
[71:27] “For if you let them, they will only mislead your servants and give birth to nothing but wicked disbelievers.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
A Meccan sura of twenty-eight verses, ‘Jinn’ refers to the spirits who inhabit the earth, as opposed to the angels who reside in the sky. In other words, angels are on the side of good, whereas jinns are a member of the axis of evil.
Muhammad warns of the jinns who will lead people to blasphemy.
[72:5] “ ‘We thought that neither the humans, nor the jinns, could possibly utter lies about GOD.
[72:6] “ ‘Human beings used to seek power through jinn beings, but they only afflicted them with a lot of adversity.
[72:7] “ ‘They thought, just like you thought, that GOD would not send another (messenger).
[72:8] “ ‘We touched the heaven and found it filled with formidable guards and projectiles.
[72:9] “ ‘We used to sit there in order to spy. Anyone who listens is pursued by a powerful projectile.
[72:10] “ ‘We have no idea if something bad is intended for the inhabitants of Earth, or if their Lord wills to redeem them.
[72:11] “ ‘Some of us are righteous, and some are less than righteous; we follow various paths.
Muhammad’s covenant with God.
[72:19] When GOD’s servant advocated Him alone, almost all of them banded together to oppose him.
[72:20] Say, “I worship only my Lord; I never set up any idols beside Him.”
[72:21] Say, “I possess no power to harm you, nor to guide you.”
[72:22] Say, “No one can protect me from GOD, nor can I find any other refuge beside Him.
[72:23] “I deliver GOD’s proclamations and messages.” Those who disobey GOD and His messenger incur the fire of Hell, wherein they abide forever.
[72:24] Once they see what is awaiting them, they will find out who is really weaker in power, and fewer in number.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
A Meccan sura of only twenty verses, ‘The Enfolded’ is an appeal to Muslims to accept their mission to spread Islam and to oppose those who attack the faith or the prophet. Also significant is Muhammad encourages Muslims to recite the Koran to heart by meditating and using its words in prayer every night.
Reciting the Koran brings you closer to God.
[73:2] Meditate during the night, except rarely.
[73:3] Half of it, or a little less.
[73:4] Or a little more. And read the Quran from cover to cover.
[73:5] We will give you a heavy message.
[73:6] The meditation at night is more effective, and more righteous.
[73:7] You have a lot of time during the day for other matters.
The disbelievers will be punished.
[73:11] And let Me deal with the rejectors, who have been generously blessed; just give them a little time.
[73:12] We have severe punishments, and Hell.
[73:13] Food that can hardly be swallowed, and painful retribution.
[73:14] The day will come when the earth and the mountains will quake, and the mountains will turn into a weightless pile.
[73:15] We have sent to you a messenger, just as we sent to Pharaoh a messenger.
[73:16] Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger and, consequently, we punished him severely.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
An early Meccan sura, ‘The Enwrapped’ comprises fifty-six verses and is more or less a ridicule of Quraysh materialism. Essentially, Muhammad chastises them for not thanking God for the wealth they’ve achieved, for it is God that permitted them to become successful.
[74:12] I provided him with lots of money.
[74:13] And children to behold.
[74:14] I made everything easy for him.
[74:15] Yet, he is greedy for more.
[74:16] He stubbornly refused to accept these proofs.
[74:31] We appointed angels to be guardians of Hell, and we assigned their number (19) (1) to disturb the disbelievers, (2) to convince the Christians and Jews (that this is a divine scripture), (3) to strengthen the faith of the faithful, (4) to remove all traces of doubt from the hearts of Christians, Jews, as well as the believers, and (5) to expose those who harbor doubt in their hearts, and the disbelievers; they will say, “What did GOD mean by this allegory?” GOD thus sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills. None knows the soldiers of your Lord except He. This is a reminder for the people.
[74:35] This is one of the great miracles.
[74:36] A warning to the human race.
[74:37] For those among you who wish to advance, or regress.
[74:38] Every soul is trapped by its sins.
[74:39] Except for those on the right.
[74:40] While in Paradise, they will ask.
[74:41] About the guilty.
[74:42] “What brought you to this retribution?”
[74:43] They will say, “We did not observe the contact prayers (Salat).
[74:44] “We did not feed the poor.
[74:45] “We blundered with the blunderers.
[74:46] “We disbelieved in the Day of Judgment.
[74:47] “Until certainty came to us now.”
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
A Meccan sura comprising forty verses, ‘The Resurrection’ is concerned with the Day of Judgment.
The Day of Judgment forewarned.
[75:1] I swear by the Day of Resurrection.
[75:2] And I swear by the blaming soul.
[75:5] But the human being tends to believe only what he sees in front of him.
[75:6] He doubts the Day of Resurrection!
[75:10] The human being will say on that day, “Where is the escape?”
[75:11] Absolutely, there is no escape.
[75:12] To your Lord, on that day, is the final destiny.
Muhammad explains that becoming a righteous Muslim means learning the Koran to memory. Only then will the words of God be in your heart.
[75:16] Do not move your tongue to hasten it.
[75:17] It is we who will collect it into Quran.
[75:18] Once we recite it, you shall follow such a Quran.
[75:19] Then it is we who will explain it.
[75:20] Indeed, you love this fleeting life.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
A Medinan sura of only twenty verses, the central message of ‘Man’ is to remind Muslims of the central purpose of their life on earth, that being to obey God, so as they can reside for eternity in paradise.
[76:2] We created the human from a liquid mixture, from two parents, in order to test him. Thus, we made him a hearer and a seer.
[76:3] We showed him the two paths, then he is either appreciative, or unappreciative.
[76:4] We prepared for the disbelievers chains, shackles, and a blazing Hell.
[76:9] “We feed you for the sake of GOD; we expect no reward from you, nor thanks.
[76:10] “We fear from our Lord a day that is full of misery and trouble.”
[76:11] Consequently, GOD protects them from the evils of that day, and rewards them with joy and contentment.
[76:12] He rewards them for their steadfastness with Paradise, and silk.
[76:23] We have revealed to you this Quran; a special revelation from us.
[76:24] You shall steadfastly carry out your Lord’s commandments, and do not obey any sinful disbeliever among them.
[76:25] And commemorate the name of your Lord day and night.
[76:26] During the night, fall prostrate before Him, and glorify Him many a long night.
[76:27] These people are preoccupied with this fleeting life, while disregarding - just ahead of them - a heavy day.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
A Meccan sura comprising fifty-verses, ‘The Sent’ is primarily concerned with explaining the Hereafter to the early Muslims.
[77:4] Distribute the provisions.
[77:5] Deliver messages.
[77:6] Good news, as well as warnings.
[77:7] What is promised will come to pass.
[77:8] Thus, when the stars are put out.
[77:9] The sky is opened up.
[77:10] The mountains are blown up.
[77:11] The messengers are summoned.
[77:12] That is the appointed day.
[77:13] The Day of Decision.
[77:14] What a Day of Decision!