Surah Al-Ahzab English Translation & Transliteration

¹—O Prophet, guard yourself against defying Allah, and do not comply with the wishes of the disbelievers who cover up the truth and of the two-faced hypocrites who pretend to believe when they do not! There is no doubt that Allah knows all things, and His every judgment is right.

²Follow only the Quran revealed to you from your Lord! For Allah is aware of everything you do.

³And rely and trust in Allah alone. For Allah is enough as a guardian.

⁴Just as Allah has not placed two hearts, two separate personalities, in anyone's breast, so He has never made your mothers the wives you divorce by likening their bodies to your mothers' bodies, nor has He made your adopted sons your real sons. These are merely empty words you utter with your mouths. But Allah speaks the truth and shows what is right and what is wrong.

⁵So call your adopted sons by the names of their own fathers, for that is most just in Allah's sight. If you do not know their fathers, then they are your brothers in religion and your friends. If you make a mistake in this, there is no sin on you; but you are responsible for what you do consciously and deliberately. And Allah is matchless in forgiveness and an infinite source of mercy.

⁶The Prophet is closer and dearer to the believers than their own selves. Therefore the Prophet's wives have the status of their mothers. In Allah's law, believers who are relatives take precedence over those who emigrated in the matter of inheriting from one another. Nevertheless, you should continue to do good to your friends; this too is recorded in the divine law.

⁷Remember that We took a covenant/firm pledge from all the prophets that they would convey the messages in full, just as We took it from you: from Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus son of Mary; yes, We took a solemn covenant/firm pledge from them all on this matter.

⁸For this reason Allah will ask them all whether they fulfilled this duty faithfully; and for the disbelievers who cover up the truth He will prepare a painful punishment.

⁹—O you who believe! Reflect on this blessing of Allah upon you. Recall when enemy armies whose numbers were unknown attacked you, and We sent against them a very violent storm and armies you did not see. For Allah saw that day how difficult your situation was.

¹⁰They had surrounded you from above and from below where you were; at that moment eyes bulged out of their sockets in fear, hearts leapt into throats, and you were gripped by conflicting thoughts about Allah's promise.

¹¹There the believers were put through a heavy test and violently shaken.

¹²At that moment the two-faced hypocrites who pretend to believe when they do not, and those with weakness of faith in their hearts, were saying: "The victory Allah and His Messenger promised us was nothing but a lie and a deception."

¹³A group of them were saying: —O people of Medina, you have no chance of holding out on this front; go back to your homes; and another group were asking the Prophet for permission to leave, saying their homes were unprotected, though their homes were not unprotected against the enemy. In truth, all of them only wanted to run away from the battle.

¹⁴Yet had the enemy surrounded their homeland from every side and incited them against the Muslims, they would have done what was asked of them at once and would not have hesitated.

¹⁵Yet they had previously given Allah a covenant/promise that they would never flee from battle. They will certainly be called to account for going back on this covenant they gave to Allah.

¹⁶Say to them: —If you are fleeing from dying or being killed, it will do you no good. Suppose you do flee; the pleasures you enjoy in this world last only a few days anyway.

¹⁷Say: —If Allah wills some calamity for you, who can protect you against Him? Or if He ordains some mercy for you, who can prevent it? The truth is that besides Allah they will find neither protector nor helper.

¹⁸Surely Allah knows very well those among you who try to hinder others from joining the battle and say to their associates, "Come, join us"; in any case, even if they join the battle, they do not fight properly.

¹⁹This is out of envy toward you. They are miserly and will not share with you in the costs of war. When fear of the enemy grips them, you see them looking at you with eyes full of fear, like one over whom the swoon of death has come; but when the battle is over and the fear of death has passed, they lash out at you with their sharp tongues, greedy for a share of the spoils, and say hurtful things. These people have not truly believed, and Allah has brought all their deeds to nothing. In any case, what they do has no weight with Allah. And this is very easy for Allah.

²⁰These two-faced people think that the enemy forces have not gone away. Should the enemy forces attack again, they would wish they were among the Bedouin in the desert, receiving news of you from far away. In any case, even if they were among you, they would not fight properly.

²¹Indeed, in Allah's Messenger there is a fine example for you, for everyone who places hope in Allah and the Last Day and keeps Allah constantly in mind.

²²When the believers saw the enemy forces before them, they said: —This is exactly what Allah and His Messenger, who conveys Allah's messages, promised us. "Yes, Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth." This only increased their faith and submission.

²³Among the believers are brave men who have been true to the covenant/promise they gave to Allah. Some of them have given their lives in Allah's way, and some are awaiting their turn to be martyred; but they have never gone back on the covenant they gave to Allah.

²⁴For Allah will reward those who are true to their word for their faithfulness. As for the two-faced hypocrites who pretend to believe when they do not, He will punish them if He so wills, or accept their repentance if they repent. There is no doubt that Allah is matchless in forgiveness and an infinite source of mercy.

²⁵Allah drove back the disbelievers, with all their rancor and hatred, without their gaining any success. Thus Allah was sufficient for the believers as a helper in the fighting too. For Allah is all-strong and overcomes every difficulty.

²⁶Some of the People of the Book, who had supported the enemy and stabbed you in the back, Allah brought down from the fortresses in which they had taken refuge by casting fear into their hearts; some of them you were killing, and some you were taking captive.

²⁷Thus Allah made you heirs to their lands, their homes, and their wealth, and to many lands you had not yet set foot on. For Allah has power over all things.

²⁸O Prophet! Say to your wives: —If you desire the life of this world and its comforts, come, let me give you your divorce settlement and release you in a fine manner.

²⁹But if you desire Allah, His Messenger, and the abode of the Hereafter, know that Allah has prepared a tremendous reward for those of you who make such a fine choice.

³⁰—O wives of the Prophet, whoever among you commits a flagrant indecency, the known penalty for her will be doubled. For that is very easy for Allah.

³¹But whoever among you submits wholeheartedly to Allah and His Messenger and does good deeds, We will give her reward twice over. And We will prepare for her very fine provision in Paradise.

³²—O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women, that is, if you wish to conduct yourselves as befits the wives of the Prophet. Do not speak in a coquettish tone to men who are strangers; otherwise one whose heart is sick may conceive a wrong hope. So always speak in a natural manner.

³³Maintain your dignity, and do not go about immodestly displaying yourselves as in the former age of ignorance. Perform the prayer, give zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger, who conveys Allah's messages. O household of the Prophet! Through these commands Allah only wishes to cleanse you of every kind of impurity and so make you thoroughly pure.

³⁴And reflect on Allah's verses that are recited in your homes, and especially on the wisdom/the method of understanding them. For Allah penetrates the essence of all things and is aware of everything.

³⁵Men and women who have become Muslims to Allah from the heart, men and women who believe in Allah and are believers, men and women who submit to Allah wholeheartedly, men and women who are true to their pledge of obedience to Allah, men and women who are patient, bearing up under difficulties and hardships, men and women who hold Allah in heartfelt reverence, men and women who spend their wealth in Allah's way, men and women who fast, men and women who guard their chastity and honor, men and women who remember Allah much... For them Allah has prepared boundless forgiveness and a tremendous reward.

³⁶Once Allah has given His judgment on a matter and His Messenger has conveyed it, no believing man or believing woman has the right to act on any matter according to personal preference. Whoever defies Allah and His Messenger, who conveys Allah's messages, has fallen into manifest error.

³⁷O Prophet, recall how you were saying to the man on whom Allah had bestowed favor and whom you too had been looking after: —Do not divorce your wife, and guard yourself against defying Allah! Meanwhile, out of wariness of people, you were hiding within yourself what Allah was going to make known. Yet it is Allah who truly deserves to be feared. At last, when Zayd divorced that woman and ended his relationship with her, We married you to her, "so that there would be no legal obstacle for the believers to marrying the wives of their adopted sons once these have divorced them and ended their relationships." Thus Allah's command was fulfilled.

³⁸No blame can be attached to the Prophet for carrying out a matter Allah has commanded him. For this way/law of Allah was applied in the same manner to the prophets who came before. For Allah's command is a carefully measured decree.

³⁹Those who convey Allah's verses are people who fear Allah alone and fear no one but Him. For Allah suffices as a reckoner.

⁴⁰Do not forget that Muhammad is not the father of any of your men. But he is Allah's Messenger and the last of the prophets. And Allah knows all things fully.

⁴¹O you who believe, remember Allah very much.

⁴²And proclaim His glory morning and evening.

⁴³Remember that it is He who, together with His angels, supports you with revelation to bring you out of darkness into light. For Allah is most compassionate and merciful toward the believers.

⁴⁴On the day they meet Allah, their welcome will be the greeting of "Peace," wishing them happiness. And Allah has prepared for them a most precious reward.

⁴⁵—O Prophet! We have sent you as an example bearing witness to truth and reality, as a bearer of good news, and as a warner.

⁴⁶And, by His leave, as one who calls to Allah and as one who lights up his surroundings with revelation!

⁴⁷So give the believers the good news that a great bounty awaits them from Allah!

⁴⁸Never comply with the disbelievers and the two-faced hypocrites who pretend to believe when they do not, and pay no heed to the harm they do! Rely and trust in Allah alone! For Allah suffices as a protecting authority.

⁴⁹O you who believe, if you marry believing women and then divorce them before consummating the marriage, you have no right to require them to observe a waiting period (iddah). So give them the dowry (mahr) you set and their divorce settlement, and release them in a fine manner.

⁵⁰—O Prophet! We have permitted you to marry, as wives to whom you give their dowries, women without protectors from among those who emigrated with you, and the daughters of your paternal uncles and paternal aunts and of your maternal uncles and maternal aunts who emigrated with you. We have also made lawful for you believing women who wish to become the Prophet's wife without asking for a dowry, and whom the Prophet too agrees to marry. But this last ruling is for you alone, not for the believers. We had already made known Our ruling concerning the believers' wives and those they possess; We have laid down special rulings for you so that you would not be in difficulty. And Allah is matchless in forgiveness and possesses infinite mercy.

⁵¹—O Prophet, you may keep away for a time from whichever of your wives you wish, and take to you whichever you wish. There is no blame on you if you wish to be again with a wife from whom you kept away for a time. This conduct of yours will ensure that they are happy, that they do not grieve when attention to them lessens, and that they are content and satisfied with the time and attention you give them. Allah knows the feelings and thoughts that pass through your hearts. And Allah knows all things and does not hasten to punish for bad thoughts and feelings.

⁵²After this, it is not lawful for you to marry any woman other than these. Even if their beauty pleases you, you may not divorce any of your present wives to marry other women in their place, except one to whom you have become entitled by agreement. Allah sees and watches over all things.

⁵³—O you who believe, do not enter the Prophet's houses as uninvited guests. And when you are invited to a meal, do not go early and wait for the food to be prepared; come at mealtime, and when you have eaten, rise and leave, and do not linger in conversation, for this behavior of yours troubles the Prophet. He says nothing because he is shy of you, but Allah is not shy of saying what needs to be said. If you are going to ask his wives for something, ask from behind a screen; for this is most fitting for keeping both your hearts and theirs pure. From now on, just as it does not befit you to trouble Allah's Messenger, it is never lawful for you to marry his wives after his death. Know that failing to observe these commands is a very grave sin in Allah's sight.

⁵⁴Whether you disclose something or conceal it, do not forget that Allah knows all things very well.

⁵⁵There is no blame on the Prophet's wives in freely meeting and speaking with their fathers, their sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, believing women, and those they possess. O wives of the Prophet, be mindful of Allah's commands and prohibitions, for Allah is witness to all things.

⁵⁶There is no doubt that Allah and His angels support the Prophet. O you who believe! You too support him, and keep him clear of every taint and ugly attribution.

⁵⁷From now on, as for those who distress Allah and His Messenger with ugly attributions, Allah has shut them out of His mercy in this world and the Hereafter and has prepared for them a humiliating punishment.

⁵⁸Those who distress believing men and women by accusing them of what they have not done have committed outright slander and a great sin.

⁵⁹—O Prophet! Tell your wives, your daughters, and the wives of the believers to draw their outer garments over themselves when they go out. This is the most suitable way of dressing, so that they are recognized as chaste women and are not subjected to harassment. And Allah is a source of boundless forgiveness and infinite mercy.

⁶⁰If the two-faced hypocrites who pretend to believe when they do not, those with weakness of faith in their hearts, and those who stir up unrest in Medina by spreading baseless rumors do not put an end to this, We will set you upon them in such a way that they will no longer be able to remain in the same city as you.

⁶¹Accursed, they will be seized wherever they are found and killed on the spot.

⁶²This is Allah's established way/law, which has held for all the corrupters who came and went before. And you will find no change in Allah's way/law.

⁶³People ask you when the Hour, the end of this world, will come. Say: —Knowledge of it is with Allah alone. And how could you know? Perhaps the Hour is very near.

⁶⁴There is no doubt that Allah has cursed the disbelievers who cover up the truth and has prepared for them a blazing fire.

⁶⁵There they will remain forever; they will find neither protector/friend nor helper.

⁶⁶On the day their faces are turned over in the Fire: —Oh, if only we had obeyed Allah, and obeyed the Messenger who conveyed His messages, and put into practice what he conveyed!

⁶⁷—Our Lord, we obeyed our masters/chiefs/sheikhs and our elders, and they led us astray.

⁶⁸—Our Lord, multiply their punishment many times over and curse them with a great curse! they will say.

⁶⁹—O you who believe, do not be like those who tormented Moses. Allah cleared him of all their accusations and slanders. For Moses was highly esteemed in Allah's sight.

⁷⁰—O you who believe! Guard yourselves against defying Allah and always speak what is right, so that

⁷¹Allah may set your affairs right and forgive your sins. Know that whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, who conveys Allah's messages, and puts into practice what he conveys, has attained a great salvation.

⁷²We offered the trust (will and responsibility) to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, but they shrank from taking on the trust, fearing that they could not do justice to this responsibility; and the human being took on the trust. He acted wrongfully and ignorantly.

⁷³Because of this, Allah will punish the two-faced hypocrite men and hypocrite women, who pretend to believe when they do not, and the men and women who associate partners with Him; whereas He will accept the repentance/turning back of the believing men and believing women and forgive them. And Allah is matchless in forgiveness and an infinite source of mercy.