Sura 48

Surah 48. Victory, Conquest

48:1. Verily We have granted thee a manifest Victory:
48:2. That "I AM" may forgive thee thy faults of the past and those to follow; fulfill His favour to thee; and guide thee on The Straight Way;
48:3. And that "I AM" may help thee with powerful help.
48:4. It is He Who sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the Believers, that they may add Faith to their Faith;- for to "I AM" belong the Forces of the heavens and the Earth; and "I AM" is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom;-
48:5. That He may admit the men and women who believe, to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever, and remove their ills from them;- and that is, in the sight of "I AM", the highest achievement (for man),-
48:6. And that He may punish the Hypocrites, men and women, and the Polytheists, men and women, who imagine an evil opinion of "I AM". On them is a (vicious) circle of Evil: the Wrath of "I AM" is on them: He has cursed them and got Hell-Fire ready for them: and evil it is for a destination.
48:7. For to "I AM" belong the Forces of the heavens and the Earth; and "I AM" is Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom.
48:8. We have truly sent thee as a witness, as a bringer of Glad Tidings, and as a Warner:
48:9. In order that ye (O men) may believe "I AM" and His Messenger, that ye may assist and honour Him, and celebrate His praise morning and evening.
48:10. Verily those who plight their loyalty to thee do no less than plight their loyalty to "I AM": the "Hand of God" is over their hands: then any one who violates his oath, does so to the harm of his own soul, and any one who fulfills what he has Covenanted with "I AM",- "I AM" will soon grant him a great Reward.
48:11. The desert Arabs who lagged behind will say to thee: "We were engaged in (looking after) our flocks and herds, and our families: do thou then ask forgiveness for us." They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say: "Who then has any power at all (to intervene) on your behalf with "I AM", if His Will is to give you some loss or to give you some profit? But "I AM" is well acquainted with all that ye do.
48:12. Nay, ye thought that the Messenger and the Believers would never return to their families; this seemed pleasing in your hearts, and ye conceived an evil thought, for ye are a people lost (in wickedness)."
48:13. And if any believe not "I AM" and His Messenger, We have prepared, for those who reject "I AM", a Blazing Fire!
48:14. To "I AM" belongs the Dominion of the heavens and the Earth: He forgives whom He wills, and He punishes whom He wills: but "I AM" is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
48:15. Those who lagged behind (will say), when ye (are free to) march and take booty (in war): "Permit us to follow you." They wish to change "I AM"'s decree: say: "Not thus will ye follow us: "I AM" has already declared (this) beforehand": then they will say, "But ye are jealous of us." Nay, but little do they understand (such things).
48:16. Say to the desert Arabs who lagged behind: "Ye shall be summoned (to fight) against a people given to vehement war: then shall ye fight, or they shall submit. Then if ye show obedience, "I AM" will grant you a goodly reward, but if ye turn back as ye did before, He will punish you with a grievous Penalty."
48:17. No blame is there on the blind, nor is there blame on the lame, nor on one ill (if he joins not the war): but he that obeys "I AM" and His Messenger,- ("I AM") will admit him to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow and he who turns back, ("I AM") will punish him with a grievous Penalty.
48:18. "I AM"'s Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they swore Allegiance to thee under the Tree: He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down Tranquillity to them; and He rewarded them with a speedy Victory;
48:19. And many gains will they acquire (besides): and "I AM" is Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom.
48:20. "I AM" has promised you many gains that ye shall acquire, and He has given you these beforehand; and He has restrained the hands of men from you; that it may be a Sign for the Believers, and that He may guide you to The Straight Way;
48:21. And other gains (there are), which are not within your power, but which "I AM" has compassed: and "I AM" has power over all things.
48:22. If the Unbelievers should fight you, they would certainly turn their backs; then would they find neither protector nor helper.
48:23. (Such has been) the practice (approved) by "I AM" already in the past: NO CHANGE wilt thou find in the practice (approved) by "I AM" (Heb. 13:8).
48:24. And it is He Who has restrained their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of the physical altercation, after that He gave you the victory over them. And "I AM" sees well all that ye do.
48:25. They are the ones who denied revelation and hindered you from the Holy Place and the sacrificial animals, detained from reaching their place of sacrifice. Had there not been believing men and believing women whom ye did not know that ye were trampling down and on whose account a crime would have accrued to you without (your) knowledge, ("I AM" would have allowed you to force your way, but He held back your hands) that He may admit to His Mercy whom He will. If they had been apart, We should certainly have punished the Unbelievers among them with a grievous Punishment.
48:26. While the Unbelievers got up in their hearts heat and empty talk - the heat and empty talk of Ignorance,- "I AM" sent down His Tranquillity to His Messenger and to the Believers, and made them stick close to the command of "self"-restraint; and well were they entitled to it and worthy of it. And "I AM" has full knowledge of all things.
48:27. Truly did "I AM" fulfill the vision for His Messenger: ye shall enter the Holy Place, if "I AM" wills, with minds secure, heads shaved, hair cut short, and without fear. For He knew what ye knew not, and He granted, besides this, a speedy victory.
48:28. It is He Who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion: and enough is "I AM" for a Witness.
48:29. Muhammad is an Apostle of "I AM"; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from "I AM" and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat (The Torah); and their similitude in The Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. "I AM" has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds Forgiveness, and a great Reward.

JAH