یٰۤاَیُّهَا O you الَّذِیْنَ who اٰمَنُوْا believe! لَا (Do) not تَاْكُلُوا eat الرِّبٰۤوا the usury اَضْعَافًا doubled مُّضٰعَفَةً ۪ multiplied وَّ اتَّقُوا And fear اللّٰهَ Allah لَعَلَّكُمْ so that you may تُفْلِحُوْنَۚ (be) successful وَ اتَّقُوا And fear النَّارَ the Fire الَّتِیْۤ which اُعِدَّتْ is prepared لِلْكٰفِرِیْنَۚ for the disbelievers وَ اَطِیْعُوا And obey اللّٰهَ Allah وَ الرَّسُوْلَ and the Messenger لَعَلَّكُمْ so that you may تُرْحَمُوْنَۚ receive mercy 3. Ali 'Imran Page 67 وَ سَارِعُوْۤا And hasten اِلٰی to مَغْفِرَةٍ forgiveness مِّنْ from رَّبِّكُمْ your Lord وَ جَنَّةٍ and a Garden عَرْضُهَا its width السَّمٰوٰتُ (is like that of) the heavens وَ الْاَرْضُ ۙ and the earth اُعِدَّتْ prepared لِلْمُتَّقِیْنَۙ for the pious الَّذِیْنَ Those who یُنْفِقُوْنَ spend فِی in السَّرَّآءِ [the] ease وَ الضَّرَّآءِ and (in) the hardship وَ الْكٰظِمِیْنَ and those who restrain الْغَیْظَ the anger وَ الْعَافِیْنَ and those who pardon عَنِ [from] النَّاسِ ؕ the people وَ اللّٰهُ and Allah یُحِبُّ loves الْمُحْسِنِیْنَۚ the good-doers وَ الَّذِیْنَ And those اِذَا when فَعَلُوْا they did فَاحِشَةً immorality اَوْ or ظَلَمُوْۤا wronged اَنْفُسَهُمْ themselves ذَكَرُوا they remember اللّٰهَ Allah فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا then ask forgiveness لِذُنُوْبِهِمْ ۪ for their sins وَ مَنْ and who یَّغْفِرُ (can) forgive الذُّنُوْبَ the sins اِلَّا except اللّٰهُ ۪۫ Allah وَ لَمْ And not یُصِرُّوْا they persist عَلٰی on مَا what فَعَلُوْا they did وَ هُمْ while they یَعْلَمُوْنَ know اُولٰٓىِٕكَ Those جَزَآؤُهُمْ their reward مَّغْفِرَةٌ (is) forgiveness مِّنْ from رَّبِّهِمْ their Lord وَ جَنّٰتٌ and Gardens تَجْرِیْ flows مِنْ from تَحْتِهَا underneath it الْاَنْهٰرُ the rivers خٰلِدِیْنَ abiding forever فِیْهَا ؕ in it وَ نِعْمَ And an excellent اَجْرُ reward الْعٰمِلِیْنَؕ (for) the (righteous) workers قَدْ Verily خَلَتْ passed مِنْ from قَبْلِكُمْ before you سُنَنٌ ۙ situations فَسِیْرُوْا then travel فِی in الْاَرْضِ the earth فَانْظُرُوْا and see كَیْفَ how كَانَ was عَاقِبَةُ (the) end الْمُكَذِّبِیْنَ (of) the deniers هٰذَا This بَیَانٌ (is) a declaration لِّلنَّاسِ for the people وَ هُدًی and guidance وَّ مَوْعِظَةٌ and admonition لِّلْمُتَّقِیْنَ for the God-fearing وَ لَا And (do) not تَهِنُوْا weaken وَ لَا and (do) not تَحْزَنُوْا grieve وَ اَنْتُمُ and you (will be) الْاَعْلَوْنَ [the] superior اِنْ if كُنْتُمْ you are مُّؤْمِنِیْنَ believers اِنْ If یَّمْسَسْكُمْ touched you قَرْحٌ a wound فَقَدْ so certainly مَسَّ (has) touched الْقَوْمَ the people قَرْحٌ wound مِّثْلُهٗ ؕ like it وَ تِلْكَ And this الْاَیَّامُ [the] days نُدَاوِلُهَا We alternate them بَیْنَ among النَّاسِ ۚ the people وَ لِیَعْلَمَ [and] so that makes evident اللّٰهُ Allah الَّذِیْنَ those who اٰمَنُوْا believe[d] وَ یَتَّخِذَ and take مِنْكُمْ from you شُهَدَآءَ ؕ martyrs وَ اللّٰهُ And Allah لَا (does) not یُحِبُّ love الظّٰلِمِیْنَۙ the wrongdoers 3. Ali 'Imran Page 68 وَ لِیُمَحِّصَ And so that may purify اللّٰهُ Allah الَّذِیْنَ those who اٰمَنُوْا believe وَ یَمْحَقَ and destroy الْكٰفِرِیْنَ the disbelievers اَمْ Or حَسِبْتُمْ do you think اَنْ that تَدْخُلُوا you will enter الْجَنَّةَ Paradise وَ لَمَّا while has not yet یَعْلَمِ made evident اللّٰهُ Allah الَّذِیْنَ those who جٰهَدُوْا strove hard مِنْكُمْ among you وَ یَعْلَمَ and made evident الصّٰبِرِیْنَ the steadfast وَ لَقَدْ And certainly كُنْتُمْ you used to تَمَنَّوْنَ wish الْمَوْتَ (for) death مِنْ from قَبْلِ before اَنْ [that] تَلْقَوْهُ ۪ you met it فَقَدْ then indeed رَاَیْتُمُوْهُ you have seen it وَ اَنْتُمْ while you (were) تَنْظُرُوْنَ۠ looking on
(3:130) Believers! Do not swallow interest, doubled and redoubled, and be mindful of Allah so that you may attain true success.98
(3:131) And have fear of the Fire which awaits those who deny the Truth.
(3:132) And obey Allah and the Messenger, that you may be shown mercy.
(3:133) And hasten to the for-giveness of your Lord and to a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the God-fearing.
(3:134) who spend in the way of Allah both in plenty and hardship, who restrain their anger, and forgive others. Allah loves such good-doers." 99
(3:135) These are the ones who, when they commit any indecency and wrong against themselves, instantly remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins - for who will forgive sins save Allah? - and who do not wilfully persist in the wrong they did.
(3:136) They shall be recompensed by forgiveness from their Lord and by gardens beneath which rivers flow; there they shall abide. How good is the reward of those who labour!
(3:137) Many eras have passed before you. Go about, then, in the land and behold the end of those who gave the lie to (the directives and ordinances of Allah).
(3:138) This is a plain exposition for men, and a guidance and admonition for the Godfearing.
(3:139) Do not, then, either lose heart or grieve: for you shall surely gain the upper hand if you are true men of faith.
(3:140) If a wound has befallen you a similar wound has already befallen the people who are opposed to you.100 We make such movements to men in turn so that Allah might mark out those who are the true men of faith and select from among you those who do really bear witness (to the Truth):101 for Allah does not love the wrong-doers,
(3:141) and makes men go through trials in order that He might purge the believers and blot out those who deny the Truth.
(3:142) Did you think that you would enter Paradise even though Allah has not yet seen who among you strove hard in His way and remained steadfast?
(3:143) You previously longed for death (in the way of Allah): now you have faced it, observing it with your own eyes.102
98. The major cause of the setback suffered at Uhud was that precisely at the moment of their victory the Muslims succumbed to the desire for worldly possessions, and turned to collecting booty rather than completing their task of crushing the enemy. Hence God thought fit to raise a barrier against this excessive adoration of money, and to urge them to give up usury which keeps man constantly absorbed in considering ways and means of amassing wealth and generally whets his appetite for money.
99. The existence of interest in a society generates two kinds of moral disease. It breeds greed and avarice, meanness and selfishness among those who receive interest. At the same time, those who have to pay interest develop strong feelings of hatred, resentment, spite and jealousy. God intimates to the believers that the attributes bred by the spread of interest are the exact opposite of those which develop as a result of spending in the way of God, and that it is through the latter rather than the former that man can achieve God's forgiveness and Paradise. (For further explanation see (Surah 2, n. 320 above.)
100. This alludes to the Battle of Badr. The intention is to point out to the Muslims that if the unbelievers were not demoralized by the setback they suffered at Badr then the Muslims should not be disheartened by the setback thev suffered in the Battle of Uhud.
101. The actual words of this verse, can be interpreted in two ways. One meaning could be that God wanted to select some of them so that He could bestow upon them the honour of martyrdom. The second meaning could be that out of the hotch-potch of true believers and hypocrites which their community consisted of at that moment, God wanted to sift those who were truly His witnesses over all mankind. See( Qur'an 2: 143 - Ed.)
102. This is with reference to those Companions who had urged the Prophet to go out of Madina and take on the enemy there because of their ardent desire for martyrdom. (See Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, vol. 2, p. 38 - Ed.)