Surah Al-Hajj English Translation & Transliteration

¹—O people, guard yourselves against your Lord's punishment, for the quake of the Hour, the breaking down of this world, is a tremendous thing.

²On that dreadful day when the end of this world comes, every nursing woman will forget the baby she is suckling, and every pregnant woman will miscarry. You will see people as if drunk, though they are not drunk. But Allah's punishment is more severe.

³Among people there are some who follow insolent ones of satanic nature and talk recklessly about Allah without relying on any knowledge.

⁴Yet it has been written concerning that devil: "Whoever takes Satan as a friend, he leads him astray and drags him to the scorching, raging punishment."

⁵—O people! If you are in any doubt about being raised again, do not forget that We created you first from earth, then from a drop of fluid/sperm, then from a fertilized egg clinging to the wall of the womb, then from a lump of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed. Thus do We explain to you the stages of your creation. Then We keep in the wombs for an appointed term whatever We will to be born, and bring you out as infants; then We enable you to grow and mature. Some of you are made to die early, and some of you are kept on to the feeblest stage of life, senility, so that they no longer know what they once knew. It is just as you see the bone-dry earth: when We send down rain on it, the soil swells and comes to life and is adorned with beautiful plants of every kind.

⁶This is because Allah is the True and the only God. Have no doubt that it is He who will raise the dead to life, and He who has power over all things.

⁷Know well that the Hour will surely come; there is no doubt about it, and without doubt Allah will raise to life again the dead in the graves.

⁸And among people there are some who talk recklessly about Allah without relying on any knowledge, any guide, or any illuminating book.

⁹He takes on every color to lead people astray from Allah's path. The share of such a person in this world is disgrace and humiliation, and on the Day of Resurrection We will make him taste the scorching punishment.

¹⁰And this is the recompense for the crimes you committed. There is no possibility of Allah wronging and oppressing His servants.

¹¹And among people there are some who serve Allah on the very edge of a cliff. If he gains some advantage from the religion, he is pleased with it; but if he is tried with some hardship, he at once falls back on his face. Thus he loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the manifest loss.

¹²Then, besides Allah, he implores in prayer lifeless things that can neither harm nor benefit him. That is the deepest misguidance.

¹³Then he implores one whose harm is greater than his benefit. What an evil patron and master he is, and what an evil company!

¹⁴There is no doubt that Allah will admit those who believe and do good and beneficial deeds into gardens beneath which rivers flow. Allah brings about whatever He wills.

¹⁵Whoever thinks that Allah will never help him directly in this world and the Hereafter, let him then lay hold of some means and turn toward the heights; then let him cut off his ties with those he imagines will help him, and see whether what he has done will remove the trouble he has fallen into or not.

¹⁶Thus We have sent down the Quran as clear proofs. There is no doubt that Allah shows His right path to whoever wishes.

¹⁷There is no doubt that on the Day of Resurrection Allah will judge between those who believe, the Jews, the Sabians, the Christians, the Magians, and those who associate partners with Allah. Surely Allah is witness to all things.

¹⁸Do you not see that everyone in the heavens and on the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the living creatures, and many of the people submit in prostration to Allah's laws? And many of the people have deserved the punishment. No one can bring honor and esteem to the one whom Allah has disgraced and abased. Without doubt Allah brings about whatever He wills.

¹⁹These two opposing groups have always disputed about their Lord. For those of them who do not believe, garments of fire will be cut out, and boiling water will be poured down over their heads.

²⁰With that water their insides and their skins will melt away.

²¹They will be punished with maces of iron.

²²Whenever, overwhelmed by pain and anguish, they try to get out, they will be driven back in and told: "You are condemned to suffer this scorching punishment."

²³But Allah will settle those who believe and do good and beautiful deeds in gardens beneath which rivers flow. There they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and with pearls, and their garments there will be of silk.

²⁴For they turned to the Quran, the finest of words, and so to the path of the One worthy of praise.

²⁵But as for the disbelievers who cover up the truth and bar people from Allah's path and from al-Masjid al-Haram, which We have made a place of worship equal for all, residents and strangers alike, let them know well that whoever seeks there to lead people into wrong by tyranny and force, We will make him taste a painful punishment.

²⁶Recall when We showed Abraham the site of the Kaaba and commanded him: —Never associate anything with Me as a partner, and keep My House pure for those who will circle it, who stand in prayer, and who bow and prostrate.

²⁷And proclaim the pilgrimage (Hajj) among the people, so that they may come to you from every corner of the world, on foot and on mounts.

²⁸Thus they may witness the benefits the pilgrimage brings them, and on appointed days slaughter the sacrificial animals He has bestowed on them, mentioning Allah's name over them. Then eat of the meat of these sacrifices yourselves, and feed the poor who are in want.

²⁹Then let them come out of the state of ihram, wash and clean themselves, fulfill their vows, and circle the Ancient House (al-Bayt al-Atiq)/the House of Freedom, the Kaaba.

³⁰So it is; and whoever honors Allah's prohibitions, that is better for him with his Lord. All animals have been made lawful for you, apart from those made known to you. So keep away from the filth that comes from idolizing, and from every kind of baseless belief.

³¹Be hanifs/monotheists, turning away from shirk to Allah alone. For whoever associates partners with Allah is like one who has fallen from the sky, whose pieces birds of prey peck at, or whom the wind hurls away to some desolate place.

³²Such is the state of those who associate partners with Allah; but whoever shows reverence and care/attention to Allah's symbols, this surely comes from hearts that are attentive and aware.

³³You may benefit from the sacrificial animals until an appointed time; then their final destination for sacrifice is the Ancient House (al-Bayt al-Atiq), the Kaaba.

³⁴For every community We have made the offering of sacrifice an act of worship, so that they may mention Allah's name over the animals He has given them as provision. Do not forget that your God is one God. So submit to Him with your whole being. And give good news to those who humbly submit to Allah from the heart!

³⁵They are those whose hearts tremble whenever Allah's name is mentioned, who are patient in the hardships that befall them, who perform the prayer, and who give from the provision We have given them.

³⁶We have also made the sacrifice of camels one of Allah's symbols; there is much good in these animals for you. So mention Allah's name over them as you sacrifice them, kneeling in rows; then, when they have fallen on their sides, eat of them yourselves and feed the needy, both those who are able to ask and those who are not. In this way We have placed these animals at your service, so that you may give the blessings their due.

³⁷For neither their flesh nor their blood reaches Allah. What reaches Allah from you is only your sincerity in your religion. In this way He has placed these animals at your service, so that you may glorify Allah, proclaiming His greatness (takbir), for the blessings He has bestowed on you. So give good news to those who carry out this act of worship well!

³⁸Surely Allah defends those who believe and trust. For Allah does not love any treacherous, ungrateful disbeliever.

³⁹Permission to fight has been given to those who are attacked unjustly. And Allah certainly has the power to help them.

⁴⁰They are those who have been driven out of their homes unjustly, only because they said, "Our Lord is Allah." Had Allah not repelled some people by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which Allah's name is much remembered would have been destroyed. Allah will certainly help those who support His religion. For Allah is all-strong and absolutely supreme.

⁴¹If We give them power and means on the earth, they will perform the prayer properly, give zakat, command what is good, and prevent what is evil. In the end, it is for Allah to determine the outcome of all affairs.

⁴²If they deny you, know that before them the people of Noah, Ad, and Thamud also accused their messengers of lying,

⁴³and the people of Abraham and the people of Lot,

⁴⁴and the people of Midian too. Moses too was denied. I gave the disbelievers respite, and then I seized them firmly. How was the end of those who did not believe?

⁴⁵How many lands that had gone off the rails have We destroyed in the past! In the end We turned those cities upside down, so that their wells dried up and their mighty palaces were razed to the ground.

⁴⁶Have they never traveled through these lands, so that their minds might grasp some things and their ears hear the truths, and they might take a lesson? But it is not the eyes alone that go blind; it is the eyes of the heart within the breasts that go blind.

⁴⁷And they even go so far as to ask you to hasten the punishment. Let them know well that Allah never goes back on His promise. But a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning.

⁴⁸How many lands there are whose people had gone off the rails, to whom I first gave respite, and then seized them firmly! In the end the return is to Me.

⁴⁹Say: —O people! I am nothing but a clear warner to you.

⁵⁰For those who believe and do good and beautiful deeds there is boundless forgiveness and a fine blessing.

⁵¹But those who strive to render Our verses void, it is they who will end up in Hell.

⁵²We never sent before you any messenger or prophet without Satan casting whisperings into his wish when he wished for something. But Allah removes what Satan casts in, and Allah makes His verses firm. For Allah knows all things, and His every judgment is right.

⁵³Through these words that Satan casts in, Allah has tested those in whose hearts there is sickness and whose hearts are hardened. There is no doubt that the wrongdoers who seek to tamper with Allah's message are in deep hostility.

⁵⁴At the same time it has been a test so that those who have been given knowledge may know that the Quran is the true Book from your Lord, believe in it, and so let their hearts settle into calm assurance. Surely Allah guides those who believe to His right path.

⁵⁵But the disbelievers who cover up the truth will go on in doubt about this Quran until the Hour, the end of this world, comes upon them suddenly, or the punishment of a day without salvation comes upon them.

⁵⁶On that day sovereignty belongs wholly to Allah. He will judge between them. Those who believe and do good and beautiful deeds will be in gardens full of blessings.

⁵⁷But for the disbelievers who cover up the truth and cling to lies in the face of Our verses, for them there is a humiliating punishment.

⁵⁸And as for those who emigrated for Allah's cause and were then killed or died for it, Allah will certainly bestow on them provision of matchless beauty. For Allah is the best of providers.

⁵⁹Allah will certainly settle them in places that will please them greatly. For Allah knows all things and is not hasty in punishing.

⁶⁰That is Allah's ruling. Whoever responds to an attack made on him in like manner and is then attacked again, Allah will certainly help him. Surely Allah is most pardoning and most forgiving.

⁶¹That is Allah's ruling on help. For Allah merges the night into the day, lengthening the day, and merges the day into the night, lengthening the night. Surely Allah hears and sees His servants.

⁶²Such is His power and might. For Allah is the Truth itself, and what they implore in prayer, placing it between themselves and Allah, is falsehood itself. For it is Allah who is the Most High, the Most Great.

⁶³Do you not see how the earth turns green when Allah sends down water from the sky? Allah possesses knowledge beyond comprehension and is aware of all things.

⁶⁴For whatever is in the heavens and on the earth belongs to Him. Truly, Allah needs nothing and is worthy of praise.

⁶⁵Do you not see that Allah has placed at your service everything on the earth, and the ships that sail on the sea according to the laws He has laid down; and that the law which holds the sky up and keeps it from collapsing onto the earth exists only by His power? For Allah is truly most compassionate and most merciful toward people.

⁶⁶For it is He who gives you life, then will cause you to die, then will raise you to life again. It is a fact that the human being is most ungrateful for these blessings.

⁶⁷For every community We have laid down a form of worship that they observe. So let no one draw you into dispute on this matter; just call people to your Lord! Without doubt you are on the straight path.

⁶⁸If they argue with you, say: —Allah knows very well what you do.

⁶⁹On the Day of Resurrection Allah will judge between you concerning the matters you keep disputing.

⁷⁰Do you not know that Allah knows all that is in the heaven and on the earth? Surely all of this is recorded in a law, a book. That is very easy for Allah.

⁷¹Instead of Allah, they serve things for which He has sent down no proof, and of which they themselves have no knowledge. These people who associate partners with Allah will have no helper.

⁷²For when Our clear verses are recited to them, you can at once see the hatred in the faces of the ungrateful disbelievers. They all but attack those who recite Our verses to them. Say: —Shall I tell you of something worse than this? Hell! Allah has promised it to the disbelievers who do not believe. What a wretched final destination it is!

⁷³—O people, an example is being given; now listen well! Those you implore in prayer besides Allah could not create even a fly, even if they all came together for it. And if a fly were to snatch something away from them, they could not rescue it from it. Weak is the seeker, and weak the sought.

⁷⁴They have not valued Allah as He deserves. Yet Allah possesses infinite power and is absolutely supreme and victorious.

⁷⁵Allah chooses messengers from among the angels and from among people. Surely Allah hears all and sees all.

⁷⁶He knows both what they have done and what they will do. For all matters in the end return to Allah.

⁷⁷—O you who believe! Bow, prostrate, and serve your Lord alone, and do good and beautiful deeds, so that you may attain true salvation.

⁷⁸Strive in Allah's way as is worthy of Him. He has chosen you and has placed no hardship on you in religion. So follow the belief system of your forefather Abraham. For He named you simply "Muslims" in earlier times and in this Quran, so that the Messenger might be a witness, an example, and a model for you, and you might be witnesses, examples, and models for humankind. So perform the prayer, give zakat, and hold fast to Allah. For Allah is your Patron (Mawla). What an excellent Patron and what an excellent Helper He is!