The Holy Quran, tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934], at sacred-texts.com
In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful
1. When the Hypocrites
Come to thee, they say,
"We bear witness that thou
Art indeed the Apostle
Of God." Yea, God
Knoweth that thou art
Indeed His Apostle,
And God beareth witness
That the Hypocrites are
Indeed liars.
2. They have made their oaths
A screen (for their misdeeds):
Thus they obstruct (men)
From the Path of God:
Truly evil are their deeds.
3. That is because they believed,
Then they rejected Faith:
So a seal was set
On their hearts: therefore
They understand not.
4. When thou lookest
At them, their exteriors
Please thee; and when
They speak, thou listenest
To their words. They are
As (worthless as hollow)
Pieces of timber propped up,
(Unable to stand on their own).
They think that every
Cry is against them.
They are the enemies;
So beware of them.
The curse of God be
On them! How are they
Deluded (away from the Truth)!
5. And when it is said
To them, "Come, the Apostle
Of God will pray for your
Forgiveness" they turn aside
Their heads, and thou wouldst
See them turning away
Their faces in arrogance.
6. It is equal to them
Whether thou pray for
Their forgiveness or not.
God will not forgive them.
Truly God guides not
Rebellious transgressors.
7. They are the ones who say,
"Spend nothing on those
Who are with God's Apostle,
To the end that they
May disperse (and quit Medina)."
But to God belong
The treasures of the heavens
And the earth; but
The Hypocrites understand not.
8. They say, "If we
Return to Medina, surely
The more honourable (element)
Will expel therefrom the meaner".
But honour belongs to God
And His Apostle, and
To the Believers; but
The Hypocrites know not.
9. O ye who believe!
Let not your riches
Or your children divert you
From the remembrance of God.
If any act thus,
The loss is their own.
10. And spend something (in charity)
Out of the substance
Which We have bestowed
On you, before Death
Should come to any of you
And he should say,
"O my Lord! Why didst
Thou not give me
Respite for a little while?
I should then have given
(Largely) in charity, and I
Should have been one
Of the doers of good".
11. But to no soul
Will God grant respite
When the time appointed
(For it) has come; and God
Is well acquainted
With (all) that ye do.