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SURE
Ali İmran Suresi
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(The Book He has sent down bears an important Principle. ) He it is Who has revealed to you (O Prophet) the Scripture. In it some verses are Literal, while some verses are Allegorical. The verses that pertain to Permanent Values have been presented literally. These verses, MUHKAMAT, are the Essence of the Divine Law. On the other hand, abstract phenomena, historical events, and the World of the Unseen are described in similes, metaphors and allegories for your understanding (MUTASHABIHAT). But those who are given to crookedness in their hearts pursue the allegories and try to give them literal meanings, thus creating dissension. None knows their final meaning (of such as the Essence of God, His Throne, His Book of Decree, the Eternity) but Allah. Those who are well founded in knowledge understand why the allegories have been used and they keep drawing lessons from them (74:31). They proclaim the belief that the entire Book is from their Lord. As the human knowledge evolves, many of the other allegories will unfold their literal meaning (41:53). But only the men and women of understanding will bear this fact in mind. (Each of the verses in the Qur'an is MUHKAM, Absolute Truth and you can understand which ones are to be taken literally and which ones are to be taken allegorically, by the context (11:1), (47:20). And each verse in the Book complements the other (39:23)).
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(Only recently at Badr), there was a Sign for you in the two armies that met in combat. One was fighting in the Cause of Allah, the other denying Him. With their own eyes the two armies saw each other as twice their number. (The believers in their motivation saw the manifold enemy just twice their own numbers, while the deniers saw the smaller opponents twice the size they actually were). But Allah strengthens people with His support according to His Laws. (Allah helps those who help themselves). This must be a lesson for people of vision for all times.
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Beautiful for mankind is love of the joys that come from women and children, and heaps of gold and silver, and branded horses, and cattle and well-tilled land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode. (Believers in the Divine Laws see this comfort as the means to a higher Goal --- Service --- Self-actualization --- Paradise).
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(O Messenger) Say, "Shall I inform you of something better than these, with which those who walk aright will be rewarded by their Lord? Gardens with flowing streams beneath, where they will live forever with spouses of spotless character and the Blissful Approval of Allah. Allah is Seer of His servants."
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If they argue with you (O Messenger), tell them, "I have submitted to Allah; I and those who follow me. " Say to the People of the Scripture, and to those who claim no scripture, "Would you submit?" If they submit, then they have been guided but if they turn away, then your duty is only to convey the Message. Allah is Seer of His servants.
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Say, "O Allah! Owner of all Dominion! You give power to nations according to Your Laws and You strip off power from nations according to Your Laws. You have established Rules for attaining honor and facing humiliation. All good emanates from Your Hand. You are all-Powerful and You have appointed due measure for all things in the Universe. Therefore Your Rule is the Rule of Law."
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(Those who reject the Laws of such an Omnipotent Creator, will not support the Divine Ideology). Believers should not expect them to be their supporters in the establishment of the Divine System instead of their fellow believers. If a believer did that, he would have nothing to do with (the Cause of) Allah. Exempted are those who are forced to do this to avoid persecution. Allah warns you of His Law of Requital, and to Allah is the Journeying.
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(This is the Final Perfected Guidance for all humanity). But Allah has chosen people before to convey the Message. Adam, the first humans were chosen (to have free will apart from the animal kingdom). Then Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran were chosen above other peoples of their times.
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In one lineage. Allah is the Hearer, Knower of all things and events. (Muhammad belongs to the same progeny of Abraham through Ishmael, and Jesus belongs to it through the family of Imran). Now is related to you the truth about Jesus son of Mary. History has made fiction of these two real great servants of Allah).
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When she was delivered she said, "My Lord! I am delivered of a female. " Allah knew best what she delivered; the male is not the same as the female. (The male she had prayed for could have not been like the outstanding daughter she was granted). "I have named her Mary, I request Your protection for her and for her descendants from the rejected Satan." (Allah knew that this female would have a role, which no male could have, in breaking the shackles of asceticism. As a custom, nuns were allowed to marry only monks during those times).
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And her Lord accepted her graciously. (Mary was dedicated to the Temple) and she grew up in beauty and purity, a gracious upbringing, under the guardianship of Zechariah. (He was a Prophet of Allah and a distant uncle of Mary). Whenever he entered the chamber of Mary, he found that she had food. Knowingly he asked, "O Mary! Where does this food come from?" (Mary's devotees were taking good care of her. Like all saints) she said, "It is from Allah. Allah provides according to His Laws and sometimes in unexpected ways."
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Thankful, Zechariah asked, "My Lord! Give a message unto me. " He said, "The Message unto you is that you shall not speak to people three days, except by signs. Remember your Lord much and keep striving in His Cause night and day." (Abstaining from speech would save the elderly couple from people's curiosity).
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(Mary kept a spotless character as she grew up into a young lady). Angels told her, "Allah has chosen you, given you spotless character and given you distinction among the women of your times." (She guarded her chastity and built a strong character in very adverse circumstances. Many monks and devotees of temples used to see the nuns with evil intentions. She was the first revolutionary feminine voice against the exploitations of monasteries).
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And he will be a Messenger to the Children of Israel. He will say to them, "I come to you with Revelation from your Lord. If you follow me, I will raise you from dust to the heights of glory by the Command of Allah (7:176). The blind among you will begin to see the Truth. Those of you who are spotted with sin, I will heal them, and I shall grant real life to those who are just dragging on without purpose; all according to the Laws of Allah. I am here to establish justice and equity. I shall see to it how much you hoard in your houses and how much you spend on the community. My teachings are sufficient signs for you to believe."
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"O Jesus! I will cause you to die of natural causes and I will exalt you in honor in My Court and I will clear you of the slander of the disbelievers. I will cause those who truly follow you to dominate the rejecters until the Day of Resurrection. Eventually, all of you will return to Me, then I will judge among you about what you used to differ."
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Verily, with Allah, the example or nature of Jesus is that of Adam (the other humans) who were initially created from dust and then evolved through different stages of life (22:5), (30:20)). He created mankind beginning from hydrated inorganic matter, then He said unto him, "Be! And he is." (The process of procreation of the humans goes on, "IS").
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If anyone disputes with you regarding Jesus; after the correct knowledge has come to you, say, "Come! We will advise our families and followers and your families and followers, and ourselves and yourselves to maintain our respective beliefs and leave one another alone. Rejection of the Divine Truth deprives people of Allah's Grace." ('Bahl' = Leave alone).
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Say, "O People of the Book! Let us come to a mutual agreement, that we shall worship and obey none but God. That neither shall we ascribe divinity to anyone beside Him, nor shall we take human beings as our lords beside God." And if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto Him."
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Some People of the Book say to one another, "Declare belief in what has been revealed to the believers in the morning, and reject belief in the evening so that the believers might waver and revert. Or let us declare belief in some part of the Revelation and deny the other to sound fair and cause confusion."
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"And do not really believe in anyone who does not follow your own religion. " Say (O Messenger), "The True Guidance is God's Guidance that has been revealed to this Prophet as it came to you before. Do you wish to contend about your Sustainer?" Say, "All Grace is in Allah's hand. He bestows His Grace of Revelation according to His Laws. Allah is all-Embracing, all-Knowing." And He has chosen a non-Israelite Prophet for this Grace (7:157).
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Among People of the Scripture are some who can be trusted with a treasure, and they will give it back to you. Others among them cannot be trusted with a single gold coin; they will not repay you unless you keep after them. This is because they say, "We do not have to be honest when dealing with the Gentiles." Thus, they attribute lies to Allah and they know it.
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Those who trade away Allah's pledge and their oaths for worldly gains, will have no portion in the Hereafter. Allah shall neither speak to them nor look upon them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He make them grow their "Self". Development of the personality can only be accomplished in this life. They have incurred a torment of suffering.
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Allah made a Covenant with all the Prophets, and through them with their respective nations, that they would welcome each of the next Messengers in the process of Divine Revelations and support him. Allah said to the Prophets, "I give you the Scripture and Wisdom. Afterward there would come a Messenger who would confirm the Truth in your Scripture. You shall believe in him and help him." He said, "Do you agree and take this Covenant as binding on you?" They said, "We agree." He said, "Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses." (This was the Covenant with their nations. The personal covenant made with each Messenger is mentioned in (33:7))
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Do they seek other than the DEEN of Allah, when all things in the heavens and the earth, willingly and unwillingly submit to Him, and to Him they will be returned. (All things in the Universe surrender to Allah, either by free will as the believers do, or through their innate nature such as animals, trees, stars, or the deniers in their physical as distinct from moral life etc.)
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Say, "We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Prophets of the Israelite Tribes, and that which was given to Moses, Jesus and other Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them (See (2:253), (17:55)). Unto Him we have surrendered."
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Even Allah will not guide those who go back to their old ways after experiencing the blessings of Faith, and after witnessing that the Messenger is true and after they have been given solid proofs. According to Allah's Laws those who choose conjecture instead of Realities of life, will not attain Guidance.
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(Jews wonder how certain foods have been declared Permissible in the Qur'an, while they were forbidden for them!) All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, except what Jacob had forbidden for himself before the revelation of the Torah. And there were things that were forbidden to you as a punishment for your transgressions (4:160), (6:147). Say, "Produce the Torah and read it to show what, in the DEEN of Abraham, was contrary to the Qur'an concerning food. Read it unto us if you are truthful."
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Therein are clear signs, the place where Abraham once took stand and was bestowed with leadership of humanity (2:124-125). Anyone who enters it finds inner peace and security. Pilgrimage to this House is a duty owed to God by all those who are able to undertake it. People can realize the blessings of unity by rallying around this Center (22:28). As for those who deny the Truth, verily, Allah is Independent of all creation.
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O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! If you obey a party of those who have received the Scripture before, they will make you disbelievers after your belief. (The very act of obeying others against the Messages of Allah is an indication that such believers have not understood the beauty in these Messages).
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You shall hold fast, all of you together, to the Cable of Allah and be not divided among yourselves. The Cable of Allah is your conviction in the Qur'an which is an Unbreakable Support and gives you the noble Ideology (2:256). Remember Allah's Favor upon you how you were enemies and He made friendship in your hearts. You became brothers and sisters by His Grace. You were on the brink of the Pit of fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes clear His verses to you that you may be rightly guided.
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On the Day, the faces of those who convey the Word of Allah clearly, will be lit up by the Light, and the faces of those who becloud the Light with their sectarian beliefs, shall be portraits of gloom. This is because choosing a sect in DEEN is tantamount to disbelief. So taste a befitting chastisement for your disbelief.
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Since you have been empowered by the Qur'an, you are the best suited Community that has been raised up for the good of mankind. It is your duty to enjoin the Right and forbid the Wrong, since you accept the Final Word of God as the Criterion (3:4). The Qur'an clearly educates you on the Permanent Moral Value System and decrees authoritatively what the otherwise vague terms of 'right' and 'wrong', and 'good' and 'evil' might mean. Now if the People of the Scripture had attained this kind of belief, it would have been for their own good. But only few among them are believers, while most of them are drifting away from the Truth.
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Humiliated are they wherever they may be, unless they grasp a bond with God, and a bond with the people. They have incurred displeasure of God, and are committed to disgrace. This is because they have been rejecting the Divine Revelations and have been opposing the Messengers of God, even wrongfully killing some of them. All this, because they rebelled, and persisted in transgressing the bounds of what is right.
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The likeness of what they spend in this life of the world is the likeness of a biting, frosty wind that destroys the harvest of a people who wronged their own "Self". Allah wronged them not, but they wronged themselves. (They spent their wealth on themselves although it was a trust given to them to share with fellow human beings).
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O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Do not take as intimates others than your own folk. They will do all they can to harm you. They love to see you in distress. Many of them have already voiced their hatred and what they hide in their chests is far worse. We thus clarify Our Commands for you so that you use your intellect.
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(The battle was about protection from the external threat. Your prime duty remains to preserve a benevolent society, to which usury is a big detriment). Usury is the return on money while trade is the return on labor (2:275). O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Do not eat up other people's money by way of usury that appears to you ever-increasing. But Allah's Law blights usury and flourishes acts of caring (2:276). Walk aright in the Way of Allah to attain true prosperity.
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The candidates to this Paradise keep their wealth open for mankind in favorable as well as in adverse circumstances. They divert and sublimate their anger and potentially virulent emotions to creative energy, and become a source of tranquility and comfort to people. They pardon people gracefully. Allah loves the benefactors of humanity.
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If you suffer hardship, the enemy also suffers hardship. Such days of varying fortunes are governed by Universal Laws. Allah thus distinguishes the true believers, and blesses some of you with martyrdom. They have become witnesses to the power of Truth with their lives. Allah does not love those who displace courage with fear.
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Muhammad is but a Messenger. All Messengers before him have passed on. If he died or were slain, would you turn back on your heels? The System he has established is here to stay and to become a Beacon of Light for all humanity. If anyone turns away, he would not harm Allah. Allah will soon reward the appreciative. They will reap the fruit of the Benevolent System and then in the Hereafter.
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Allah's Law governs life and death. No one dies except by Allah's leave and at a term appointed per His Laws. Whoever seeks only the vanities of this world, We give him thereof, and whoever seeks the rewards of the Hereafter, We bless him thereof. The Qur'an shows you the Way to success in both worlds (24:55), (28:77). We will soon reward the appreciative.
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(Our Law removes fear and grief from the hearts of people who submit to the Divine Guidance alone. (2:38)) And causes fear in the hearts of those who are bent upon denying the Truth since they ascribe divine powers besides Allah. People and idols would have no authority against the Laws of Allah. Fire is their abode, a miserable resting place for the wrongdoers.
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Allah made good His promise to you when you routed them by His leave. But then you wavered, disputed among yourselves, and disobeyed after He had shown you the victory you wanted. You were winning the battle of Uhud, but then some of you were distracted by the spoils of the world, while others were concerned with the Hereafter. You disengaged from the enemy and were tested according to His Law. When you mended, Allah pardoned you. Allah is full of Grace for the true believers.
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You were climbing up the hill without looking around and the Messenger was calling you. You suffered according to Allah's Law of Requital. Grieve not about the loss and hardship you have suffered. Allah's Law has adequate provision to nullify the effects of your misgivings. Allah is Informed of all your actions.
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After the setback, He sent down upon you calm that pacified some of you. While another group was anxious with their own feelings and wrong assumptions about Allah due to ignorance. (They were hypocrites worried for their lives). They said, "Do we have any control?" Tell them, "All control belongs to Allah." You can control events only within the framework of His Laws. These hypocrites concealed within themselves what they did not reveal to you. They said, "If we had nothing to do with this battle and had stayed home we would not have been harmed." Say, "Had you stayed in your homes, those destined to be killed would have crawled themselves to the circumstance of death." Allah thus lets you test your real convictions. Allah is Aware of what is in the hearts.
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O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Do not be like disbelievers who grieve that if their brethren had stayed home with them, rather than going out traveling or defending, they wouldn't have died or been killed. Such attitude creates anguish in the hearts according to Allah's Laws. Fear of death takes away "life" out of life. Allah gives life and causes death and Allah is Seer of your behavior.
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It is a Mercy of Allah that you (O Messenger), are lenient and compassionate with people. If you were harsh and fierce of heart, they would have broken away from you. Pardon their imperfections, arrange their protection and consult with them about the conduct of affairs. Once you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah. Allah loves those who do their best and then trust in Allah.
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Allah verily has done a great favor to the believers. He has sent a Messenger from amongst them, who conveys and implements the Revelations of Allah. He shows them the way to grow in humanity, and teaches them the Book and Wisdom therein. Before the Messenger came to them, they were in flagrant error.
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And that He might distinguish the hypocrites from the believers. They were told, "Come fight in the Cause of Allah, or at least defend the city." They said, "If we knew that confrontation were forthcoming, we would have joined you." On that day they were closer to disbelief than belief. They say with their mouths what is not in their hearts. Allah is best Aware of what they conceal.
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Allah will not leave the believers confounded. He will clearly distinguish the good from the bad, the right from the wrong, and the true believers from the hypocrites. It is not the Purpose of Allah to let you know the unseen that the hypocrites hide in their hearts. But Allah chooses His Messengers to receive knowledge of the unseen as He Wills. So believe in Allah and His messengers. If you believe and walk aright, yours will be an Immense Reward.
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Let not those, who withhold what Allah has given them from His bounties think that this hoarding is good for them. Nay, it is bad for them. Their hoarded possessions shall be their collar on the Day of Resurrection. Whatever is in the heavens and in the earth is the heritage of Allah. He bestows His provision to humanity for equitable distribution to all (55:10). And Allah is fully Informed of all your actions.
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Allah has heard the taunt of those who said, "Allah is poor and we are rich!" They say this since most of the first followers of the Messengers have been indigent (11:27). We will record everything they say, just as We recorded their killing of the Prophets unjustly. We shall say, "Now taste the punishment of burning."
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It is they (the Children of Israel) who say, "God has taken a promise from us that we shall not believe in any Messenger unless he brings us a burnt offering. " (An animal sacrifice that a fire from the heaven shall consume, or that burning of the sacrifice shall be an ordinance). Say (O Prophet), " Messengers before me came to you with clear Revelations, and as you claim, with burnt offering. Why then did you slay them?" (I Thessalonians ii, 15 / Matthew xxiii, 37)
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Every living being shall have to taste death. On the Resurrection Day you shall be paid in full what you have earned. Whoever is drawn away from the Fire, and gets admitted to Paradise, will have gained supreme triumph. Those who consider the life of the world as the end in itself should know that it is only a comfort of self-deception. The real success depends on striving for this world and for the Hereafter (2:201), (10:63-64), (14:27).
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O You who have attained belief! You will be tried in (establishing and defending the Divine System) in wealth, life, labor and resolve. You will be tested in your families, your people and in your character. You will hear much ridicule from those who were given the scripture before you, and from the idolaters. If you persevere and walk aright, this will be a confirmation of your determination.
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Men and women of understanding keep learning how Allah's Laws are operational in the Universe. While standing, sitting and on their sides, whatever state they are in, they observe and reflect upon the wonders of Allah's creation in the heavens and the earth, in the Highs and the Lows. They exclaim, "Our Lord! You did not create all this in vain, be You glorified! Save us from the retribution of the Fire." As the humans harness the Universal Laws, coupled with adopting the Divine Value System, they shall move away from hell and get closer to establishing a Paradise on earth (45:13-14).
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Reflecting on the Universe and upon their own role on the Planet, such people work for the betterment of humanity (13:17). They say, "Our Lord, whomever You commit to Hell, are the ones You have forsaken because they had forsaken You (59:19). For those who displace reflection with conjecture there are no helpers."
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Our Lord! We have heard a caller calling to Faith, "Believe you in your Lord!" (The caller being the Book of Nature to which these verses are drawing our attention). And we have believed. Our Lord! Grant us the protection of your forgiveness, save us from trailing behind in humanity, help us correct our inequities, and let us be among those who advanced their personality before they passed on.
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They also say, "Our Lord! Since we have believed in the Messengers and tried to translate this belief into action, grant us what You promised through them. Save us from humiliation on the Day when humanity will stand on its feet, in this world and in the Hereafter. Verily, You never break Your Promise."
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And their Lord has heard them, "I never let the effort of any worker, male or female, go vain. Men and women are from one another, so their Recompense shall be equal. Those who emigrated, or were driven out of their homes, and suffered harm in My Cause, and fought and were slain, I shall blot their inequities. The imprints of their misdeeds on their "Self" will be erased. I shall admit them into Gardens with rivulets flowing beneath." A Reward from Allah. And with Allah is the best Reward.
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