Quran chapter 9 Repentance with new English translation

Translated, written and read by: Sinead Brick Hassen

Immeasurable and continuous glory and praise to the holy and noble lord of heavens
and earth: to the one and only God, honorable and wise, just, honest and sincere
judge.

The decision from God and the messenger regarding the agreement with the joiners:
move about the land for another four months, but know that you cannot harm God and
that God will disgrace the disbelievers. Notice from God and the messenger to the
people during the pilgrimage: God has given a solution for the joiners, and so has
the messenger. If they repent: it will be better for them, and if they turn away:
let them know that they will not harm God. And inform the disbelievers of a great
punishment. Regarding those joiners with whom you have an agreement: if they have
not violated anything in it and if they have not supported others against you, in
that case fulfill the agreement to the end, because God loves the careful. And when
the forbidden months are over, fight the joiners wherever you meet them, capture
them, surround them, and welcome them in ambushes. And if they repent, perform
prayer and give charity: in that case let them go, for God is forgiving and
merciful. If some of those who join ask you for protection, give it to them so that
they may hear God's decrees, then leave them in a safe place. It is so because they
are people who do not know.

How can there be an agreement of joiners with God and the messenger, except with
those with whom it has already been agreed at the forbidden temple and therefore as
long as they adhere to the agreement: you therefore also adhere, because God loves
those who are careful. If they get power over you, they will not adhere to family
ties or agreements, because they are flattering with their mouths: while they are
opposing you with their hearts and most of them are criminals. They exchanged God's
signs for a small profit and seduce others from his path, and what they do is evil
because they do not even adhere to family ties or agreements with believers and
they cross all boundaries. If they repent, perform prayer and give charity: in that
case they are your neighbors in faith. In this way the signs are explained to a
reasonable people. If they break the agreement and oppose the faith: in that case
you fight against the leaders of disbelief, because with such the agreement is not
valid for them to stop.

Are you not going to fight against the people who broke the agreement, supported
the expulsion of the messenger and were the first to attack you? Are you afraid of
them? Better fear God if you are believers. Fight against them: God will punish
them with your hands, shame them, support you against them, heal the breasts of the
faithful people, remove rage from their hearts and God will accept repentance from
whom He wills, for God knows and is wise. Do you think that you will be left aside,
even though God has not yet tested those who fight on his path and those who have
not taken anyone except God, the messenger and the believers as protectors? And God
is aware of what you do. Those who join have no right to visit God's temple,
because they are witnesses of their own disbelief. Their deeds are void and they
will dwell in the fire. God's temple can be visited only by those who believe in
God and the other world, who perform prayer, give charity, and fear no one but God:
such are on the right path.

Do you think that they are the same, one who gives drink to pilgrims and maintains
God's temple: as one who believes in God and the other world and fights on God's
way? They are not the same before God, and God does not guide an evil people. Those
who believe, emigrate, and fight on God's way with their possessions and their
selves: they are on a higher level with God and such will succeed. Gladden them
with the Lord's grace, his favor and the gardens of paradise where they will be in
eternal bliss. They will dwell in them forever and with God is a great reward. O
you who believe: "do not take your fathers or your relatives as protectors if they
prefer disbelief to faith, and those of you who take them as protectors: such are
criminals." Say: "if it is your fathers, children, relatives, wives, families and
property that you acquire and the slowness of trade that you fear and the homes
that you love, if you prefer all of these to God and the messengers and fighting on
his way, then wait until God fulfills his command, and God does not guide a
criminal people." God helped you in many battles, even at Huneyn when your great
numbers did not help you, but the land became narrow for you and you retreated in
flight. Then God sent tranquility upon the messenger and the believers and sent
armies which you have not seen to punish the disbelievers, and that is the
recompense for the disbelievers. God then received repentance from whomever He
wills, because God is forgiving and merciful.

O believers: the joiners are impure and therefore they should not approach the
forbidden temple after this year. If you are afraid of poverty, know that God takes
care of whomever he wants with his blessings. God knows and is wise. Fight against
those who do not believe in God and the other world, and who do not forbid what God
has forbidden, and the messenger also, nor sincerely follow the faith of those who
have been given the book, until they pay the tax obediently. Jews say: Uzeir is the
son of God, while Christians say: Messiah is the son of God. These are only their
words and they imitate the sayings of the former disbelievers. God destroys them
because where are they turning away? They took their monks and priests as lords
besides God and also the Messiah son of Mary, and they were ordered to serve only
God, because there is no God but him. Glory to him besides to what they are
joining. They want to extinguish the light with their mouths, but God will complete
his light, even if it bothers the disbelievers. He sent a messenger with a guidance
and sincere faith to make it prevail over all other faiths, despite the aversion of
the joiners.

O you who believe: many priests and monks sinfully eat other people's property and
turn away from God's path. And those who accumulate gold and silver, and do not
spend it on the way of God: inform them of a painful punishment. And on the day
when gold and silver glows in the fire of hell: their foreheads, their sides and
backs will be branded with it, and it will be said to them: that is because you
were hoarding and therefore experience the punishment for what you were
accumulating.

The number of months with God is twelve according to God's book since he created
the heavens and the earth, and four of them are forbidden and this is a sincere
faith, so do not do evil during them. Fight all together against the joiners as
they all fight against you together and know that God is on the side of the careful
ones. Moving the forbidden months increases the disbelief with which the
disbelievers turn astray, because one year they break them, and the next year they
declare them forbidden so that they can agree on their number. In this way, they
violate what God has forbidden and their evil deeds appear beautiful to them, and
God does not guide the disbelieving people.

O you who believe: what happened to you when you were told to fight on God's way,
that you appeared as if you were frozen motionless on the ground? Do you prefer
this life to another? And the enjoyment of this life is insignificant when compared
to another one. If you do not go: he will punish you with a painful punishment,
replace you with another people and you will not harm him, because God has power
over everything. If you do not help him, then God helped him when the disbelievers
expelled him, and when he was alone with someone else in the cave to whom he said:
"do not be sad because God is with us." After that God sent tranquility upon them
and strengthened them with an army they had not seen. He made the word of
disbelievers the lowest and made God's word the highest because God is powerful and
wise. Fight equally when it's easy, but also when it's hard on God's path with your
self and your property, because that is better for you if you only knew it. And if
it were easy and nearby: in that case they would have followed you, but the journey
seemed long and hard to them. And they swear by God: "if we could we would go with
you" - but with that statement they are only ruining themselves and God knows that
they are liars.

God pardon's you for allowing them to be absent, until you saw those who speak the
truth from those who lie. Those who believe in God and the other world, and God
knows those who are careful, they will not ask you to be absent in the fight with
their selves and their property. Absence from you is only requested by those who do
not believe in God and the other world. Their hearts doubt, and because of doubt
they change their minds. And if they sincerely wanted to go: they would have
acquired weapons and equipment, but God did not want them to go and that's why he
left them, and they have been told: stay away with those who stay away. And if they
had gone with you, they would not have done anything useful except to cause
disorder and sow temptations among you, because there are some among you who would
listen to them, and God knows evildoers. Even before this, they sowed temptations
and created difficulties for you until the truth and God's decree prevailed, to
which they are opposed. And among them there are those who say: leave me alone and
do not tempt me. Because of this they have already fallen into temptation, and will
hell not encompass the disbelievers?

If something good happens to you: they are saddened, and if trouble befalls you,
they say: "we were careful even before this" - while they turn their backs with
satisfaction. Say: "nothing can happen to us except what God decides. He is our
protector and let believers trust in God." Say: "do you expect anything for us
except the two best things? And we expect God to punish you with Himself or with
us, so wait, because we will wait too." Say: whether you give voluntarily or
against your will, it will not be accepted because you are a people who make
disorder. And nothing prevents their sharing from being accepted except that they
do not believe in God and the messenger. They do not perform prayer except lazily
and do not share except against their will. Do not be enchanted by their wealth and
offspring, because God wants to punish them with it in this life and that they
destroy themselves with disbelief. They swear by God that they are with you, when
in fact they are not with you because they are a frightened people. If they could
find somewhere to escape to some kind of cave or some other shelter: there they
would hastily run.

There are those who attack you because of charity, because if it is given to them:
they are satisfied, and if it is not given to them: they get angry. And if they
were satisfied with what God and the messenger give them and that they say: "God is
sufficient for us and God will give us from his bounty, and the messenger too. We
only want God." Charity is for the poor and beggars, and for those who work in
collecting it, and to unite hearts, and for the redemption of the captives and for
the over-indebted, for needs on God's way and for travelers: this is God's
commandment, because God knows and is wise.

There are those who insult the messenger by saying: "he hears everything." Say: "he
hears what is good for you, believes in God and believes in the believers, and
mercy is for those who believe among you, and those who insult God's messenger:
they will be painfully punished." They swear by God to please you, and it is better
for them to please God and the messenger if they are believers. Don't they know
that anyone who opposes God and the messenger will end up in hell fire where they
will reside? It's a great shame. The hypocrites fear that a chapter will be
revealed that will inform them of what is in their hearts. Say: "you may only
insult, and God will point out what you fear." If you ask them, they will surely
say: "we were just talking and having fun." Say: "are you insulting God's signs and
messenger?" Do not make excuses because you became unfaithful after your belief,
for if He forgives some of you, He will punish others who did evil.
Hypocrite men and hypocrite women are the same because they do evil, oppose good
and are stingy. They forgot God, so he left them into forgetfulness. Hypocrites are
the ones who make a disorder. God has promised the hypocrite men, hypocrite women
and disbelievers the hell fire in which they will reside. That is enough for them
because God has cursed them and will give them eternal punishment. You are similar
to those before you, they were even stronger than you and had more wealth and
offspring - so you enjoy the same as they enjoyed, you also enter into debates as
they entered into debates. Their deeds are void in this world and the next, and
they are losers. Did not news reach them about those before them: about Noah's
people, Ad and Semud, Abraham's people, the settlers of Medyen and those who were
turned upside down? The messengers came to them with an explanation, so God did not
harm them, but instead they harmed themselves.

Believing men and believing women are protectors of each other, they enjoin good
and defend from evil, perform prayer and give to charity, and are obedient to God
and the messenger. God will grant them his grace, because God is powerful and wise.
God promises believers gardens of paradise through which rivers flow to dwell in
them and virtuous homes in gardens of bliss, and God's satisfaction is the greatest
and that is the greatest success. O messenger: "fight against the disbelievers and
the hypocrites, and do not yield to them, for their abode is hell, and that is a
terrible place. And they swear by God that they did not speak, and they spoke
disbelieving words and they disobeyed after their submission: striving in their
opposition in which they failed and they spoke thus after God and the messenger had
given them favors. If they repent, it will be better for them, but if they turn
their backs: God will punish them with a painful punishment in this world and the
next one, and they will have neither a protector nor a helper on earth.

There are those who promised God that if he gave them from his grace that they
would give and do good deeds, but when he gave them from his grace: they became
stingy and turned away in opposition. The consequences of that is the hypocrisy in
their hearts, until the day they meet him, because it is that they did not do what
they promised God and because they lied. Do they not know that God knows hidden
thoughts and secret talks, and that God knows the unknown? And those who make fun
of the believers because they share and those who have nothing to share except
their effort: God will make them as laughing subjects and punish them painfully. If
you ask for their forgiveness or you do not, and even if you ask for their
forgiveness seventy times: God will not forgive them, because they do not believe
in God and the messenger, and God does not guide a people who make disorder.

Those who were absent: they are satisfied with the fact that they remained behind
God's messenger and oppose the fight on God's way with their possessions and their
selves, saying: "do not go in the heat." Say: "hellfire is much hotter, if only you
understood it." Therefore, let them laugh a little, but they will cry a lot: they
will be paid for what they have done. If God meets you with them and they ask you
for permission to go with you, tell them: "you will never go with us, nor will you
ever fight with us against the enemy, because you had already decided to stay away
before, so stay with those who are absent. And do not pray for any of them when
they die and do not stand by their graves, because they do not believe in God and
the messenger, and die in a state of disorderly conduct. Do not be enchanted with
their wealth or offspring, because God wants to punish them with it in this world
and for them to leave it with their selves in a state of disbelief.

And when the chapter is revealed that they believe in God and fight together with
the messenger: the wealthy asked permission from you, saying: "leave us with those
who are absent." They are content to stay with those who are absent, because their
hearts are closed so they do not understand. The messenger and those who believe
with him: they fight with their property and their selves. They will achieve good
and they will succeed. God will give them gardens of paradise with rivers flowing
through them to dwell in.
Some Arabs came with excuses, asking for permission to be absent, thus lying to God
and the messenger, and the disbelievers will be punished painfully. It is not a sin
to be absent for the weak, nor for the sick, nor for those who are unable to get
equipment: as long as they are honest with God and the messenger, because there is
no blame on benefactors. God is forgiving and merciful. And there is no blame
against those who came to you asking to give them a ride, but you told them: "I
have nothing to ride you with" - so they returned with tears of sorrow because they
were not able to get the equipment needed. And it is a sin for those who ask for
permission to be absent even though they are wealthy, because they chose to be
absent with those who stay. God has closed their hearts, so they do not understand.
They will make excuses to you when you return from the battle, so tell them: "don't
make excuses, because we don't believe you and God has informed us about you. God
sees what you do, and so does the messenger. Then afterwards you will return to the
knower of the unknown and the known, and he will inform you of all that you have
done."

And they will swear by God also when you return from the battle, to leave them
aside, so leave them aside because they are unclean. Their destination will be hell
and it is the payment they deserved. They will swear to you, so that you would be
pleased with them, and even if you are pleased with them, then know that God is not
pleased with a people who make a disorder. The Arabs are the most fierce
disbelievers and hypocrites, and they are more prone to ignorance of the commands
that God revealed to the messenger, because God knows and is wise.

Among the Arabs there are those who think that is the tax: what they give to
charity and they hope that trouble will befall you, and trouble will befall them,
because God hears and knows. And there are also Arabs who believe in God and the
other world, and think that what they share brings them closer to God and the
messenger's prayers. They will gain closeness and God will grant them his mercy,
because the lord is forgiving and merciful. And as for those who were the first of
the exiles and their helpers, and those who follow them in the good: God is pleased
with them and they are pleased with him. He will give them gardens of paradise
through which rivers flow so that they can dwell in them forever and that is a
great success.

There are hypocritical Arabs around you and also in Medina, but they are skilled in
hypocrisy, so you do not know them, but he knows them, so he will punish them twice
and then return them to a great punishment. And as for others who have confessed
their sins and mixed good with bad deeds: God will accept their repentance, because
God is forgiving and merciful. Take charity from their possessions to purify and
bless them, and pray for them, because prayer will calm them, and God hears and
knows. Don't they know that God accepts repentance from his servants and that he
accepts charity? God accepts repentance and is merciful. Say: "work and God sees
what you do, and so do the messenger and the believers, then you will return to the
knower of the unknown and the known, and he will inform you of everything you have
done. And there are others who are waiting to see if they will be punished or if
their repentance will be accepted, because God knows and is wise.

Those who built the temple in order to promote injustice and disbelief, and to
cause discord among the believers, and as a den for those who have already fought
against God and the messenger: they will swear that they wanted nothing but good,
and God bears witness that they are liars. Never stand inside, because a temple
built on humility is a better place to stand. There are people in it who like to
clean themselves, and God likes the clean ones. Aren't those who build a foundation
on carefulness to God and his satisfaction better than those who build a foundation
on a cracked cliff which will collapse with them into hell fire? And God does not
direct a criminal people. The building they have built will always be a source of
unrest in their hearts, until their hearts are broken, for God knows and is wise.
God accepted from the believers their selves and property in exchange for the
gardens of paradise: they will fight on God's way, so they will be killed and they
will kill. This is a true promise from the Torah, the Gospel and the Reader, and
who has a more sincere promise than God? Therefore, rejoice in the sincere promise
because it is a great success for repenters, servants, celebrants, fasting,
devotees, worshipers, those who guide to the good and point to the bad, those who
keep the decrees of God. Because of this, make the believers happy.

It is not appropriate for the faith herald and believers to seek forgiveness for
the joiners, even if they are their relatives, after it has become clear to them
that they are the inhabitants of hell. And Abraham did ask for forgiveness for his
father because of the promise he made to him, but after it became clear to him that
he is God's opponent: he also renounced him. Abraham is gentle and kind.

It is not fitting for God to let people go back into delusion after he has guided
them: until he explains to them what they should be careful about, for God knows
everything. God's authority is over the heavens and the earth: he gives life and
death, and besides God there is no protector or helper. God accepted the repentance
of the messenger, the exiles and their helpers who followed him in difficult
moments, when some of them almost lost their hearts, then later he accepted their
repentance, because he is compassionate and merciful.

And those three who were absent, so later the earth began to be narrow for them
despite its vastness and they felt cramped in their own self: knowing that there is
no refuge beside God, except with him and then he accepted their repentance so that
they would be repenting. He accepts repentance and is merciful. O you who believe:
"be careful to God and be with the sincere." And it is not fitting for the settlers
of Medina and the surrounding area from the Arabs to stay behind the messenger, nor
to want to precede themselves rather than him, because they are not thirsty, tired,
nor hungry on God's way and do not go in a direction that angers the disbelievers,
nor achieve against the disbelievers what he achieves, and everything they do is
all written about it. God will not withhold the reward of those who do good. And
they spend neither little, nor much, nor travel through the valleys: without it
being all written down, so that God would give them the best reward for what they
have done.

It is not appropriate for all believers to go to the battle altogether at once,

And when the chapter was revealed, some said: "whose faith did it increase?" As for
the believers, their belief has increased and they rejoice in it. And as for those
whose hearts are corrupted: it only increases their filth upon filth, and they die
disbelieving. Do they not see that they are tempted once or twice a year, and
despite this they do not repent, nor do they remind themselves. And when the
chapter is revealed, they just glance at each other saying: "is anyone watching
us?" - and then turn away. God turned their hearts away because they are an
ignorant people.

Your messenger has come to you, who is very sorry if you are in trouble and who
cares a lot for you. He is compassionate and merciful towards believers, and if
they turn away, tell them: "God is sufficient for me and there is no god but him. I
trust in him and he is the lord of the great throne."