Surah Al-Baqarah 2
O Descendants of Israel (Jacob)! Remember My favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant towards Me, I shall fulfil My covenant towards you; and fear Me alone. (40) And accept faith in what I have sent down (the Qur’an), which confirms what is with you (the Torah / Bible), and do not be the first to disbelieve in it – and do not exchange My verses for an abject – and fear Me alone. (41) And do not mix the truth with falsehood, nor purposely conceal the truth. (42) And keep the (obligatory) prayer established, and pay the charity, and bow your heads with those who bow (in prayer). (43) What! You enjoin righteousness upon people while you forget (to practise it) yourselves, whereas you read the Book? Do you not have sense? (44) And seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard except for those who prostrate before Me with sincerity. (45) Who know that they have to meet their Lord, and that it is to Him they are to return. (46) O Descendants of Israel! Remember the favour of Mine, which I bestowed upon you and gave you superiority over others of your time. (by sending the Noble Messengers to your nation) (47) And fear the Day (of Resurrection) when no soul will be exchanged for another, nor will any intercession be accepted for the disbelievers, nor will they be set free in lieu of compensation nor will they be helped. (48)
(And remember) When We rescued you from Firaun’s people, for they were inflicting you with a dreadful torment, slaying your sons and sparing your daughters; that was a tremendous trial from your Lord (or a great reward). (49) And when We split the sea for you thereby rescuing you, and drowned the Firaun's people in front of your eyes. (50) And when We made a commitment with Moosa (Moses) for forty nights – then behind him you started worshipping the calf, and you were unjust. (51) Then after that We pardoned you so that you may be grateful. (52) And when We gave Moosa the Book (Taurat / Torah) and the criterion to judge right from wrong, so that you may attain guidance. (53) And when Moosa said to his people, “O my people! You have wronged yourselves by taking the calf,* therefore turn in repentance to your Creator, therefore kill each other; this is better for you before your Creator”; He therefore accepted your repentance; indeed He only is the Most Acceptor of Repentance, the Most Merciful. (* as your deity for worship) (54) And when you said “O Moosa! We will not believe you till we clearly see Allah”; so the thunder seized you while you were watching. (55) Then We brought you back to life after your death, so that you may be grateful. (56) And We made the clouds a canopy for you and sent down Manna and Salwa (birds) on you; “Eat of the pure things We have provided you”; they did not wrong Us in the least, but indeed they wronged themselves. (57)
And when We said, “Enter this town and eat freely from what is in it, and enter the gate whilst prostrating, and say, ‘May our sins be forgiven’ – We will forgive you your sins; and We will soon increase the reward for the righteous.” (58) But the unjust changed the word that had been ordered for another one, so We sent down a punishment on them from the skies, the recompense of their disobedience. (59) And when Moosa asked for water for his people, We said, “Strike this rock with your staff”; thereupon twelve springs gushed forth from it; each group recognised its drinking-place; “Eat and drink from what Allah has provided, and do not roam about the earth making turmoil in it.” (60) And when you said, “O Moosa! We shall never put up with only one kind of food, so call upon your Lord to produce for us what the earth grows – some herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils and onions”; he said, “What! You wish to exchange the better for something inferior? Therefore settle down in Egypt or any city, where you will get what you demand”; and disgrace and misery were destined for them; and they returned towards Allah’s wrath; that was because they disbelieved in Allah’s signs and wrongfully martyred the Prophets; that was for their disobedience and transgression. (61)
Indeed the believers (the Muslims) and those among the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabeans who sincerely accept faith in Allah and the Last Day* and do good deeds – their reward is with their Lord; and there shall be no fear upon them nor shall they grieve. (* i.e. convert to Islam) (62) And when We made a covenant with you and raised the Mount above you; “Accept and hold fast to what We give you, and remember what is in it, so that you may attain piety.” (63) Then after that, you turned away; and were it not for the munificence of Allah and His mercy, you would be among the losers. (64) And you certainly know of those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of Sabth (Sabbath – Saturday) – We therefore said to them, “Become apes, despised!” (65) So We made this incident (of that town) a warning to the surrounding towns (others of their time) and to succeeding generations, and a lesson for the pious. (66) And (remember) when Moosa said to his people, “Allah commands you to sacrifice a cow”; they said, “Are you making fun of us?” He answered, “Allah forbid that I should be of the ignorant!” (67) They said, “Pray to your Lord that He may describe the cow”; said Moosa, “He says that it is a cow neither old nor very young but between the two conditions; so do what you are commanded.” (68) They said, “Pray to your Lord that He may reveal its colour to us”; answered Moosa, “Indeed He says it is a yellow cow, of bright colour, pleasing to the beholders.” (69)
They said, “Pray to your Lord that He may clearly describe the cow to us, we are really in a doubt as to which cow it is; and if Allah wills, we will attain guidance.” (70) Said Moosa, “He says, ‘She is a cow not made to work, neither ploughing the soil nor watering the fields; flawless and spotless’; they said, “You have now conveyed the proper fact”; so they sacrificed it, but seemed not to be sacrificing it (with sincerity). (71) And (remember) when you slew a man and were therefore accusing each other concerning it; and Allah wanted to expose what you were hiding. (72) We therefore said, “Strike the dead man with a part of the sacrificed cow”; this is how Allah will bring the dead to life, and shows you His signs so that you may understand! (73) Then after it, your hearts hardened – so they are like rocks, or even harder; for there are some rocks that rivers gush forth from them; and some that water flows from them when they split asunder; and there are rocks that fall down for the fear of Allah; and Allah is not unaware of your deeds. (74) So O Muslims, do you wish for the Jews to accept faith in you whereas a group of them used to listen to the Words of Allah, and then after having understood it, purposely changed it? (75) And when they meet the believers, they say, “We believe”; but when they are in isolation with one another they say, “You clarify to the believers from what Allah has disclosed to you, so that they may evidence it against you before your Lord? So have you no sense?” (76)
Do they not know that Allah knows all whatever they hide and whatever they disclose? (77) And among them are the unlearned that do not know anything of the Book except to recite something therefrom or parts of their own fabrications; they are in absolute illusion. (78) Therefore woe is to those who write the Book with their hands; and they then claim, “This is from Allah” in order to gain an abject (worldly) price for it; therefore woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn with it. (79) And they said, “The fire will not touch us except for a certain number of days”; say, “Have you taken a covenant from Allah – then Allah will certainly not break His covenant – or do you say something concerning Allah what you do not know?” (80) Yes, why not?* The one who earns evil and his sin surrounds him; he is from the people of fire (hell); they will remain in it forever. (You will remain in the fire forever). (81) And those who believe and do good deeds – they are the People of Paradise; they will abide in it forever. (82) And (remember) when We took a covenant from the Descendants of Israel that, “Do not worship anyone except Allah; and be good to parents, relatives, orphans and the needy, and speak kindly to people and keep the prayer established and pay the charity”; thereafter you retracted, except some of you; and you are those who turn away. (83)
