Yusuf 12
JosephHow to read the Hangul
الرَّحْمَٰنِ르r라흐마니 بِسْمِ비스밀
- Bold = the stressed syllable of the word; a little stronger.
- Overline = long vowel (madd): hold it about two beats. Length matters most in recitation.
- Tiny = no vowel in the Arabic here — just the consonant, short.
- Small Latin letter = a sound Korean lacks, on the next syllable: f upper teeth on lower lip · θ/ð tongue tip between the teeth · r rolled tongue tip (a bare ㄹ is l).
How to read the Hangul
beginning the Christ salvation
- Bold, larger (ˈ) = say it strong and a little longer — the stressed syllable.
- Faint = weak and short (a reduced vowel). Don't give every syllable equal weight.
- Tiny 으 · 트 · 스 = barely voiced. English has no vowel there — stop on the consonant.
- Whole word faint (the, of, and, to…) = light and quick in a sentence; stress the content words.
- Small f v θ ð r = sounds Korean doesn't have — f: upper teeth on the lower lip; v: the same, voiced; θ/ð: tongue tip between the teeth; r: tongue curled back, touching nothing.
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Surah
About this surah
Classed as a Meccan sura, it is almost entirely one continuous story, that of Joseph. As a boy Joseph dreams that eleven stars, the sun and the moon bow down to him, and his father Jacob tells him to keep it from his brothers. Out of jealousy they throw him into a well; a passing caravan pulls him out and sells him, and he is raised in the house of an Egyptian official. He resists the seduction of the official's wife and is sent to prison, where he interprets the dreams of two fellow prisoners and later the king's dream of seven fat and seven lean cows, and is placed in charge of the storehouses. During the famine his brothers come for grain; he keeps his youngest brother with him, while Jacob, blinded by grief, refuses to despair of God's mercy. Joseph finally reveals himself, forgives his brothers, and the family is reunited as his dream comes true. It ends by calling these stories a lesson for the thoughtful.
- Joseph's dream
- Jealousy and forgiveness
- Resisting temptation
- Jacob's patience
- God's quiet planning
The name It is named after Joseph because the whole sura tells his life story, from his childhood dream (verse 4) to its fulfilment (verse 100).
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1
Alif Lam Ra. Those are the verses of the Book that makes things plain.
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Truly We have revealed it as a Quran in Arabic, so that you may grasp [its meaning].
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We relate to you the finest of stories in revealing this Quran to you, though before it you were among the unaware.
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4
[Recall] when Joseph said to his father, "Father, I saw eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them bowing down to me."
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5
He said, "My dear son, do not tell your dream to your brothers, or they will devise a plot against you. Satan is a clear enemy to man.
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So will your Lord choose you, and teach you the interpretation of events, and complete His favour upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He completed it before upon your forefathers Abraham and Isaac. Your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise."
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In Joseph and his brothers there are indeed signs for those who ask.
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8
When they said, "Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we are, though we are a strong band. Our father is clearly in error.
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9
Kill Joseph or cast him away to some land, so that your father's attention will be yours alone, and after that you can be righteous people."
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10
One of them said, "Do not kill Joseph. If you must do something, throw him into the depths of the well, and some travellers will pick him up."
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11
They said, "Father, why do you not trust us with Joseph, when we truly wish him well?
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12
Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play; we will surely look after him."
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13
He said, "It grieves me that you should take him away, and I fear that the wolf may eat him while you are not paying attention to him."
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14
They said, "If the wolf were to eat him while we are a strong band, then we would truly be losers."
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So when they took him away and agreed to put him in the depths of the well, We revealed to him: "You will surely tell them of this deed of theirs while they do not realise [who you are]."
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16
And they came to their father at nightfall, weeping.
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They said, "Father, we went off racing one another and left Joseph with our belongings, and the wolf ate him. But you will not believe us, even though we are telling the truth."
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18
And they brought his shirt with false blood on it. He said, "No, your souls have tempted you into something. So [for me] patience is fitting, and it is God whose help is sought against what you describe."
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19
Then a caravan came, and they sent their water-drawer, and he let down his bucket. He said, "Good news! Here is a boy!" And they hid him away as merchandise. And God knew well what they were doing.
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20
And they sold him for a paltry price, a few silver coins, for they set little value on him.
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21
The man from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, "Make his stay honourable. Perhaps he will be of use to us, or we may adopt him as a son." Thus We established Joseph in the land, and [did so] that We might teach him the interpretation of events. God has full power over His affair, but most people do not know.
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22
When he reached his full strength, We gave him judgement and knowledge. Thus do We reward those who do good.
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23
The woman in whose house he was sought to seduce him. She locked the doors and said, "Come to me!" He said, "God forbid! He is my master; he has made my stay good. Wrongdoers never prosper."
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She was intent on him, and he would have been intent on her had he not seen the proof of his Lord. Thus [it was], so that We might turn evil and indecency away from him. He was one of Our chosen servants.
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They both raced to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind, and they found her husband at the door. She said, "What is the penalty for one who intended evil against your wife, other than prison or a painful punishment?"
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He said, "It was she who sought to seduce me." And a witness from her own household testified: "If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth and he is one of the liars.
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But if his shirt has been ripped from the back, then she is lying and he is telling the truth."
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So when he saw that his shirt was torn from behind, he said, "This is one of your women's schemes. Your scheming is great indeed.
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Joseph, turn away from this. And you [woman], ask forgiveness for your sin; you have been one of the wrongdoers."
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Some women in the city said, "The governor's wife is trying to seduce her young servant; love for him has struck her to the heart. We see that she is clearly in error."
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When she heard of their scheming talk, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them, and gave each of them a knife. Then she said [to Joseph], "Come out before them." When they saw him, they were awed by him and cut their hands, and said, "God preserve us! This is no human being; this is none other than a noble angel!"
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She said, "This is the one you blamed me about. I did try to seduce him, but he held himself firmly back. If he does not do what I order him, he will surely be imprisoned and will be one of the humbled."
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He said, "My Lord, prison is dearer to me than what they are inviting me to. Unless You turn their scheming away from me, I will incline towards them and become one of the ignorant."
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So his Lord answered him and turned their scheming away from him. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
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Then, after they had seen the signs [of his innocence], it occurred to them to imprison him for a time.
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36
Two young men entered the prison with him. One of them said, "I saw myself pressing wine." The other said, "I saw myself carrying bread on my head, from which the birds were eating. Tell us its interpretation; we see that you are one of those who do good."
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He said, "No food that is provided for you will come to you without my telling you its interpretation before it reaches you. That is part of what my Lord has taught me. I have abandoned the way of a people who do not believe in God and who deny the Hereafter.
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And I have followed the way of my forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is not for us to associate anything with God. That is from God's grace upon us and upon people, but most people are not grateful.
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My two fellow prisoners, are many separate lords better, or God, the One, the All-Conquering?
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What you worship besides Him are nothing but names that you and your forefathers have given, for which God has sent down no authority. Judgement belongs to God alone. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the upright religion, but most people do not know.
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My two fellow prisoners, one of you will pour wine for his master to drink. The other will be crucified, and birds will eat from his head. The matter you asked about has been decided."
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And he said to the one of the two whom he knew would be saved, "Mention me to your master." But Satan made him forget to mention [him] to his master, so he remained in prison for several years.
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43
The king said, "I saw seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green ears of corn and others dry. Counsellors, explain to me my dream, if you can interpret dreams."
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They said, "A jumble of dreams; we are not experts in the interpretation of dreams."
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Then the one of the two who had been saved, remembering after a long time, said, "I will tell you its interpretation, so send me [to Joseph]."
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"Joseph, man of truth, explain to us [the meaning of] seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green ears of corn and others dry, so that I may return to the people and they may know."
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He said, "You will sow for seven years in succession. Whatever you harvest, leave it in its ears, except a little that you eat.
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Then after that will come seven hard years which will consume what you stored up for them, except a little that you preserve.
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Then after that will come a year in which the people will be given abundant rain, and in which they will press [juice and oil]."
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The king said, "Bring him to me." But when the messenger came to him, he said, "Go back to your master and ask him about the case of the women who cut their hands. My Lord is fully aware of their scheming."
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The king said [to the women], "What was your business when you tried to seduce Joseph?" They said, "God preserve us! We know of no evil on his part." The governor's wife said, "Now the truth has come to light. It was I who tried to seduce him, and he is truly one of the truthful."
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"That is so that he may know that I did not betray him behind his back, and that God does not guide the scheming of the treacherous.
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Nor do I declare myself free [of blame]. The soul is ever inclined to evil, except when my Lord shows mercy. My Lord is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."
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The king said, "Bring him to me; I will take him for my own service." And when he had spoken with him, he said, "From this day you are with us, established in position and trusted."
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He said, "Put me in charge of the storehouses of the land; I am a knowledgeable guardian."
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Thus We established Joseph in the land, to settle in it wherever he wished. We bestow Our mercy on whom We will, and We do not let the reward of those who do good be lost.
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Yet the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and are mindful of God.
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58
Joseph's brothers came and entered his presence. He recognised them, but they did not recognise him.
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When he had furnished them with their provisions, he said, "Bring me a brother of yours from your father. Do you not see that I give full measure and that I am the best of hosts?
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If you do not bring him to me, there will be no measure [of grain] for you from me, and do not come near me."
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They said, "We will try to persuade his father to let him go; we will certainly do it."
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He said to his young servants, "Put their goods back in their saddlebags, so that they may recognise them when they return to their family, and perhaps they will come back."
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Once they had gone back to their father, they said, "Father, we have been refused any more measure [of grain], so let our brother go with us and we will receive our measure. We will certainly guard him."
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He said, "Should I trust you with him as I trusted you with his brother before? But God is the best guardian, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy."
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When they opened their belongings, they found their goods had been returned to them. They said, "Father, what more could we want? Here are our goods returned to us. We will bring provisions for our family, look after our brother, and get an extra camel-load. That is an easy measure [to obtain]."
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He said, "I will never send him with you until you give me a solemn pledge before God that you will bring him back to me, unless you are completely overwhelmed." When they had given him their pledge, he said, "God is the guardian over what we say."
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And he said, "My sons, do not enter by one gate, but enter by separate gates. I cannot avail you anything against God. Judgement belongs to God alone. In Him I put my trust, and in Him let all who trust put their trust."
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When they entered as their father had instructed them, it did not avail them anything against God; it was only a need in Jacob's soul which he fulfilled. He was a man of knowledge, because We had taught him, but most people do not know.
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When they entered Joseph's presence, he drew his brother close to himself and said, "I am your brother, so do not grieve over what they used to do."
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When he had furnished them with their provisions, he put the drinking cup in his brother's saddlebag. Then a crier called out, "You of the caravan, you are thieves!"
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They said, turning towards them, "What is it you are missing?"
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They said, "We are missing the king's measuring cup. Whoever brings it will have a camel-load, and I guarantee it."
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They said, "By God, you know well that we did not come to cause corruption in the land, and we are not thieves."
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They said, "Then what shall be the penalty for it, if you are lying?"
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They said, "Its penalty: the one in whose saddlebag it is found shall himself be the penalty. That is how we punish wrongdoers."
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So he began with their bags before his brother's bag, then he brought it out of his brother's bag. Thus did We devise a plan for Joseph. He could not have taken his brother under the king's law unless God willed. We raise in rank whom We will, and above everyone who has knowledge is One who knows more.
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They said, "If he steals, a brother of his stole before." But Joseph kept it to himself and did not reveal it to them. He said [inwardly], "You are in a worse position, and God knows best what you describe."
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They said, "Governor, he has a father, a very old man, so take one of us in his place. We see that you are one of those who do good."
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He said, "God forbid that we should take anyone but the one with whom we found our property; then we would be wrongdoers."
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When they had despaired of him, they withdrew to confer privately. The eldest of them said, "Do you not know that your father took a solemn pledge from you before God, and how you failed before regarding Joseph? I will not leave this land until my father permits me or God judges for me, and He is the best of judges.
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Go back to your father and say, 'Father, your son stole. We testify only to what we know, and we could not guard against the unseen.
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Ask the town where we were and the caravan with which we came. We are telling the truth.'"
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He said, "No, your souls have tempted you into something. So patience is fitting. Perhaps God will bring them all back to me. He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."
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And he turned away from them and said, "Oh, my sorrow for Joseph!" And his eyes turned white from grief, and he held back his anguish.
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They said, "By God, you will not stop remembering Joseph until you waste away or perish."
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He said, "I complain of my anguish and my grief only to God, and I know from God what you do not know.
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My sons, go and seek news of Joseph and his brother, and do not despair of God's comfort. None despairs of God's comfort except the disbelieving people."
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When they entered his presence, they said, "Governor, hardship has struck us and our family, and we have brought goods of little worth. So give us full measure and be charitable to us. God rewards the charitable."
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He said, "Are you aware of what you did with Joseph and his brother in your ignorance?"
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They said, "Are you indeed Joseph?" He said, "I am Joseph, and this is my brother. God has been gracious to us. Whoever is mindful of God and patient, God does not let the reward of those who do good be lost."
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They said, "By God, God has truly preferred you over us, and we were indeed in the wrong."
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He said, "There is no reproach upon you today. May God forgive you; He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.
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Take this shirt of mine and cast it over my father's face; he will regain his sight. Then bring me your whole family."
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When the caravan set out, their father said, "I truly sense the scent of Joseph, if you would not think me senile."
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They said, "By God, you are still in your old error."
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Then when the bearer of good news came, he cast it over his face, and he regained his sight. He said, "Did I not tell you that I know from God what you do not know?"
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They said, "Father, ask forgiveness for our sins; we were indeed in the wrong."
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He said, "I will ask my Lord to forgive you. He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful."
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When they entered Joseph's presence, he drew his parents close to himself and said, "Enter Egypt, God willing, in safety."
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100
And he raised his parents upon the throne, and they all fell down prostrating before him. He said, "Father, this is the interpretation of my dream of long ago. My Lord has made it come true. He was good to me when He brought me out of prison and brought you from the desert, after Satan had sown discord between me and my brothers. My Lord is subtle in bringing about what He wills. He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
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My Lord, You have given me a share of sovereignty and taught me the interpretation of events. Originator of the heavens and the earth, You are my protector in this world and the Hereafter. Take my soul as one who submits [to You], and join me with the righteous."
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That is from the tidings of the unseen which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they agreed on their plan while they were plotting.
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Yet most people will not believe, however eagerly you may wish it.
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You ask them no reward for it. It is nothing but a reminder for all the worlds.
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How many a sign in the heavens and the earth they pass by, while they turn away from it!
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And most of them do not believe in God without associating partners [with Him].
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Do they feel secure that an overwhelming punishment from God will not come upon them, or that the Hour will not come upon them suddenly while they are unaware?
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Say, "This is my way: I call to God with clear insight, I and those who follow me. Glory be to God! I am not one of the idolaters."
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Before you We sent only men from among the people of the towns, to whom We gave revelation. Have they not travelled through the land and seen what was the end of those before them? The home of the Hereafter is better for those who are mindful of God. Will you not understand?
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Until, when the messengers despaired and thought that they had been denied, Our help came to them, and whoever We willed was saved. Our might is not turned back from the guilty people.
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In their stories there is truly a lesson for those of understanding. This is not a fabricated tale, but a confirmation of what came before it, a detailed explanation of all things, and guidance and mercy for people who believe.