In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
1. Praise GOD, who revealed to His servant this scripture, and made it flawless.
2. A perfect (scripture) to warn
of severe retribution from Him,
and to deliver good news to the believers who lead a righteous life,
that they have earned a generous recompense.
3. Wherein they abide forever.
4. And to warn those who said, "GOD has begotten a son!"
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5. They possess no knowledge about this, nor did their parents. What
a blasphemy
coming out of their mouths! What they utter is a gross lie.
6. You may blame yourself on account of their response to this narration,
and their disbelieving in it; you may be saddened.
8. Inevitably, we will wipe out everything
9. Why else do you think we are telling
10. When the youths took refuge in the
11. We then sealed their ears in the cave
12. Then we resurrected them to see
13. We narrate to you their history,
14. We strengthened their hearts when
15. "Here are our people setting up gods beside Him.
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and thus distinguish those among them who work righteousness.
on it, leaving it completely barren.*
you about the people of the cave, and
the numbers connected with them?
They are among our wondrous signs.
cave, they said, "Our Lord, shower us
with Your mercy, and bless our affairs
with Your guidance."
for a predetermined number of years.
which of the two parties could count
the duration of their stay therein.
truthfully. They were youths who
believed in their Lord, and we
increased their guidance.
they stood up and proclaimed:
"Our only Lord is the Lord of the
heavens and the earth. We will never
worship any other god beside Him. Otherwise, we would be far astray.
If only they could provide any proof to support their stand!
Who is more evil than the one who fabricates lies and attributes
them to
GOD?
*18:8-9 As it turns out, the history of
these Christian believers, the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, is directly connected
with the end of the world as stated in 18:9 & 21. The role of these
believers in unveiling the end of the world is detailed in Appendix
25.
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The Seven
Sleepers of Ephesus*
let us take refuge in the cave. May your Lord shower you with His
mercy
and direct you to the right decision."
A Guiding
Teacher is a Prerequisite
18. You would think that they were
19. When we resurrected them,
20. "If they discover you, they will stone
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and when it set, it shone on them from the left,
as they slept in the hollow thereof. This is one of GOD's portents.*
Whomever GOD guides is the truly
guided one, and whomever He sends
astray, you will not find for him
a guiding teacher.
awake, when they were in fact asleep.
We turned them to the right side and
the left side, while their dog stretched
his arms in their midst. Had you
looked at them, you would have fled
from them, stricken with terror.
they asked each other,
"How long have you been here?"
"We have been here one day
or part of the day," they answered.
"Your Lord knows best how long
we stayed here, so let us send
one of us with this money to the city.
Let him fetch the cleanest food, and
buy some for us. Let him keep a low
profile, and attract no attention.
you, or force you to revert to their
religion, then you can never succeed."
*18:16-20 Ephesus is located about 200
miles south of ancient Nicene, and 30 miles south of today's Izmir in Turkey.
The dwellers of the cave were young Christians who wanted to follow the
teachings of Jesus, and worship God alone. They were fleeing the persecution
of neo-christians who proclaimed a corrupted Christianity three centuries
after Jesus, following the Nicene Conferences,
when the Trinity doctrine was announced. In 1928, Franz Miltner, an Austrian
archeologist discovered the tomb of the seven sleepers of Ephesus. Their
history is well documented in several encyclopedias.
*18:17 This sign, or hint, tells us that
the cave was facing north.
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Connection
With the End of the World*
22. Some would say, "They were three; their dog being the fourth,"
while
Remembering
God
23. You shall not say that you will do
24. without saying, "GOD willing."*
25. They stayed in their cave three
26. Say, "GOD is the best knower of
27. You shall recite what is revealed to you of your Lord's scripture.
Nothing shall
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true, and to remove all doubt concerning the end of the world.*
The people
then disputed among themselves regarding them. Some said, "Let us
build a
building around them." Their Lord is the best knower about them.
Those who
prevailed said, "We will build a place of worship around them."
others would say, "Five; the sixth being their dog," as they guessed.
Others said, "Seven," and the eighth
was their dog. Say, "My Lord is the
best knower of their number."
Only a few knew the correct number.
Therefore, do not argue with them;
just go along with them. You
need not consult anyone about this.
Every Chance We Get
anything in the future,
If you forget to do this, you must
immediately remember your Lord
and say, "May my Lord guide me
to do better next time."
hundred years, increased by nine.*
how long they stayed there."
He knows all secrets in the heavens
and the earth. By His grace you can see;
by His grace you can hear. There is none beside Him as Lord and
Master,
and He never permits any partners to share in His kingship.
abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside
it.
*18:21 As detailed in Appendix
25, this story helped pinpoint the end of the world.
*18:24 This important commandment gives
us daily opportunities to remember God.
*18:25 The difference between 300 solar
years and 300 lunar years is nine years. Thus, discovering the end of the
world was predetermined by the Almighty to take place in 1980 AD (1400
AH), 300 years (309 lunar years) before the end of the world (see 72:27
& Appendix 25).
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Quranic Study
Groups
seeking Him alone. Do not turn your eyes away from them, seeking
the vanities
of this world. Nor shall you obey one whose heart we rendered oblivious
to our
message; one who pursues his own desires, and whose priorities are
confused.
Absolute
Freedom of Religion
30. As for those who believe
31. They have deserved gardens of Eden
32. Cite for them the example of
33. Both gardens produced their crops on time, and generously,
34. Once, after harvesting, he boastfully told his friend: "I am
far more prosperous
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35. When he entered his garden, he wronged his soul by saying,
36. "Moreover, I think this is it; I do not think that the Hour (the
Hereafter)
37. His friend said to him, as he debated with him,
38. "As for me, GOD is my Lord, and
39. "When you entered your garden, you
40. "My Lord may grant me better
41. "Or, its water may sink deeper,
42. Indeed, his crops were wiped out,
43. No force on earth could have helped him against GOD,
44. That is because the only true Lord and master is GOD;
45. Cite for them the example of this life as water that we send
down from the sky
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and whoever wills let him disbelieve. We have prepared for the transgressors
a fire that will completely surround
them. When they scream for help,
they will be given a liquid like
concentrated acid that scalds the
faces. What a miserable drink!
What a miserable destiny!
and lead a righteous life,
we never fail to recompense
those who work righteousness.
wherein rivers flow. They will be
adorned therein with bracelets
of gold, and will wear clothes
of green silk and velvet, and will
rest on comfortable furnishings.
What a wonderful reward; what
a wonderful abode!
Property as an Idol*
two men: we gave one of them
two gardens of grapes, surrounded
by date palms, and placed other
crops between them.
for we caused a river to run through them.
than you, and I command more respect from the people."
*18:32-42 The Quran cites many examples
of the different gods that people worship beside God; they include children
(7:190), religious leaders and scholars (9:31), property (18:42), dead
saints and prophets (16:20-21, 35:14, & 46:5-6), and the ego (25:43,
45:23).
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"I do not think that this will ever end.
will ever come to pass. Even if I am returned to my Lord, I will
(be clever enough to) possess
an even better one over there."
"Have you disbelieved in the One who created you from dust,
then from a tiny drop, then perfected you into a man?
I will never set up any other god
besides my Lord.
should have said, 'This is what GOD
has given me (Maa Shaa Allaah).
No one possesses power except GOD
(Laa Quwwata Ellaa Bellaah).'
You may see that I possess less
money and less children than you.
than your garden. He may send
a violent storm from the sky
that wipes out your garden,
leaving it completely barren.
out of your reach."
and he ended up sorrowful, lament-
ing what he had spent on it in vain,
as his property lay barren. He finally
said, "I wish I never set up my property as a god beside my Lord."
nor was it possible for him to receive any help.
He provides the best recompense, and with Him is the best destiny.
to produce plants of the earth, then they turn into hay that is
blown away
by the wind. GOD is able to do all things.
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Rearranging Our Priorities
47. The day will come when we wipe out the mountains, and you will
see the earth
48. They will be presented before your Lord in a row. You have come
to us
49. The record will be shown, and you
Classification
of God's Creatures
50. We said to the angels, "Fall prostrate
51. I never permitted them to witness the
52. The day will come when He says, "Call upon My partners, whom
you claimed
53. The guilty will see Hell, and will realize that they will fall
into it.
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eternal recompense from your Lord, and a far better hope.
barren. We will summon them all, not leaving out a single one of
them.
as individuals, just as we created you initially. Indeed, this is
what you claimed
will never happen.
will see the guilty fearful of its con-
tents. They will say, "Woe to us.
How come this book leaves nothing,
small or large, without counting it?"
They will find everything they had
done brought forth. Your Lord is
never unjust towards anyone.
before Adam." They fell prostrate,
except Satan. He became a jinn, for
he disobeyed the order of His Lord.*
Will you choose him and his descen-
dants as lords instead of Me, even
though they are your enemies?
What a miserable substitute!
creation of the heavens and the
earth, nor the creation of them-
selves. Nor do I permit the wicked
to work in My kingdom.*
to be gods beside Me," they will call on them, but they will not
respond to them.
An insurmountable barrier will separate them from each other.
They will have no escape therefrom.
*18:50 When the great feud in the heavenly
society took place (38:69), all creatures became classified into angels,
jinns, and humans (Appendix 7).
*18:51 God knew that Satan and his supporters
(jinns and humans) were going to make the wrong decision. Hence their exclusion
from witnessing the creation process.
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Disbelievers Refuse to Accept the Completeness of the Quran
55. Nothing prevented the people from believing, when the guidance
came to them,
56. We only send the messengers as simply deliverers of good news,
57. Who are more evil than those who
58. Yet, your Lord is the Forgiver,
59. Many a community we annihilated
but the human being is the most argumentative creature.
and from seeking the forgiveness of their Lord, except that they
demanded
to see the same (kind of miracles)
as the previous generations,
or challenged to see the retribution beforehand.
as well as warners. Those who dis-
believe argue with falsehood
to defeat the truth, and they take
My proofs and warnings in vain.
are reminded of their Lord's proofs,
then disregard them, without
realizing what they are doing.
Consequently, we place shields on
their hearts to prevent them from
understanding it (the Quran),
and
deafness in their ears. Thus, no
matter what you do to guide them,
they can never ever be guided.
full of mercy. If He called them to
account for their deeds, He would
annihilate them right there and then.
Instead, He gives them a respite
until a specific, predetermined time;
then they can never escape.
because of their transgressions,
we designated a specific time for their annihilation.
Valuable Lessons from Moses and His Teacher
61. When they reached the point where they met,
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62. After they passed that point, he said to his servant, "Let us
have lunch.
63. He said, "Remember when we sat by the rock back there?
64. (Moses) said, "That was the
place we were looking for."
65. They found one of our servants,
66. Moses said to him, "Can I follow you,
67. He said, "You cannot stand to be
68. "How can you stand that which you
69. He said, "You will find me, GOD
70. He said, "If you follow me, then you
71. So they went. When they boarded a
72. He said, "Did I not say that you
73. He said, "I am sorry. Do not punish me
74. So they went. When they met a young boy, he killed him.
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75. He said, "Did I not tell you that you cannot stand to be with
me?"
76. He said, "If I ask you about anything else, then do not keep
me with you.
77. So they went. When they reached a certain community,
There
is a Good Reason for Everything
78. He said, "Now we have to part
79. "As for the ship, it belonged to poor
80. "As for the boy, his parents were
81. "We willed that your Lord substitute
82. "As for the wall, it belonged to two
where the two rivers meet, no matter how long it takes."
they forgot their fish, and it found its way back to the river,
sneakily.
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All this traveling has thoroughly exhausted us."
I paid no attention to the fish. It was the devil who made me forget
it,
and it found its way back to the river, strangely."
They traced their steps back.
whom we blessed with mercy,
and bestowed upon him
from our own knowledge.
that you may teach me some of the
knowledge and the guidance
bestowed upon you?"
with me.
do not comprehend?"
willing, patient. I will not disobey
any command you give me."
shall not ask me about anything,
unless I choose to tell you about it."
ship, he bore a hole in it. He said,
"Did you bore a hole in it to drown
its people? You have committed
something terrible."
cannot stand to be with me?"
for my forgetfulness; do not be too harsh with me."
He said, "Why did you kill such an innocent soul,
who did not kill another soul?
You have committed something horrendous."
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You have seen enough apologies from me."
they asked the people for food, but they refused to host them.
Soon, they found a wall about to collapse, and he fixed it.
He said, "You could have demanded a wage for that!"
company. But I will explain to you
everything you could not stand.
fishermen, and I wanted to render
it defective. There was a king coming
after them, who was confiscating
every ship, forcibly.
good believers, and we saw that he
was going to burden them with his
transgression and disbelief.*
in his place another son; one who is
better in righteousness and kindness.
orphan boys in the city. Under it,
there was a treasure that belonged to
them. Because their father was a
righteous man, your Lord wanted
them to grow up and attain full
strength, then extract their treasure.
Such is mercy from your Lord.
I did none of that of my own volition.
This is the explanation of the things you could not stand."
Zul-Qarnain:
The One With the Two Horns or Two Generations
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84. We granted him authority on earth, and provided him with all
kinds of means.
85. Then, he pursued one way.
86. When he reached the far west, he found the sun setting in a vast
ocean,
87. He said, "As for those who transgress, we will punish them, then,
88. "As for those who believe and lead a
89. Then he pursued another way.
90. When he reached the far east, he
91. Naturally, we were fully aware
92. He then pursued another way.
93. When he reached the valley
94. They said, "O Zul-Qarnain, Gog and
95. He said, "My Lord has given me
96. "Bring to me masses of iron." Once he filled the gap between
the two palisades,
97. Thus, they could not climb it, nor could they bore holes in it.
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98. He said, "This is mercy from my Lord. When the prophecy of my
Lord comes
99. At that time, we will let them invade with one another,
100. We will present Hell, on that day, to the disbelievers.
101. They are the ones whose eyes were too veiled
102. Do those who disbelieve think that
103. Say, "Shall I tell you who the worst
104. "They are the ones whose works in
105. Such are the ones who disbelieved
106. Their just requital is Hell, in return
107. As for those who believe and lead a
108. Forever they abide therein; they will never want any other substitute.
Say, "I will narrate to you some of his history."
*18:80 Adolf Hitler was a cute and seemingly
innocent child. Had he died as a child, many would have grieved, and many
would have even questioned God's wisdom. We learn from these profound lessons
that there is a good reason behind everything.
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and found people there. We said, "O Zul-Qarnain,
you can rule as you wish; either punish, or be kind to them."
when they return to their Lord,
He will commit them to more retribution.
righteous life, they receive a good
reward; we will treat them kindly."
found the sun rising on people who
had nothing to shelter them from it.
of everything he found out.
between two palisades,
he found people whose language
was barely understandable.
Magog are corruptors of the earth.
Can we pay you to create a
barrier between us and them?"
great bounties. If you cooperate with
me, I will build a dam between you and them.
he said, "Blow." Once it was red hot, he said,
"Help me pour tar on top of it."
*18:94-98 One of my duties as God's Messenger
of the Covenant is to state that Gog and Magog, the final sign before the
end of the world, will reappear in 2270 AD (1700 AH), just 10 years before
the end. Note that Gog and Magog occur in Suras 18 and 21, precisely 17
verses before the end of each sura, representing 17 lunar centuries (72:27).
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to pass, He will cause the dam to crumble. The prophecy of my Lord
is truth."
then the horn will be blown, and we will summon them all together.
to see My message. Nor could they hear.
they can get away with setting up
My servants as gods beside Me?
We have prepared for the disbe-
lievers Hell as an eternal abode.
losers are?
this life are totally astray, but they
think that they are doing good."
in the revelations of their Lord and
in meeting Him. Therefore, their
works are in vain; on the Day of
Resurrection, they have no weight.
for their disbelief, and for mocking
My revelations and My messengers.
righteous life they have deserved a
blissful Paradise as their abode.
The
Quran: Everything We Need
110. Say, "I am no more than a human like you, being inspired that
your god
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the ocean would run out, before the words of my Lord run out,
even if we double the ink supply."
is one god. Those who hope to meet their Lord shall work righteousness,
and never worship any other god beside his Lord."
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