The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

4: 52
Women 55
43 You who believe, do not come anywhere near the prayer if you
are intoxicated, a not until you know what you are saying; nor if you
are in a state of major ritual impurity – though you may pass
through the mosque b – not until you have bathed; if you are ill, on a
journey, have relieved yourselves, or had intercourse, and cannot find
any water, then find some clean sand c and wipe your faces and hands
with it. God is always ready to pardon and forgive.
44 [Prophet], have you not considered how those who were given a
share of the Scripture purchase misguidance and want you
[believers], too, to lose the right path? 45 God knows your enemies
best: God is enough to protect and to help you. 46 Some Jews distort
the meaning of [revealed] words: they say, ‘We hear and disobey,’ and
‘Listen,’ [adding the insult] ‘May you not hear,’ and ‘Raina [Look at
us],’ d twisting it abusively with their tongues so as to disparage
religion. If they had said, ‘We hear and obey,’ ‘Listen,’ and ‘Unzurna
[Look at us],’ that would have been better and more proper for them.
But God has spurned them for their defiance; they believe very little.
47 People of the Book, believe in what We have sent down to confirm
what you already have before We wipe out [your sense of ]
direction, e turning you back, or reject you, as We rejected those who
broke the Sabbath: God’s will is always done. 48 God does not forgive
the joining of partners with Him: anything less than that He forgives
to whoever He will, but anyone who joins partners with God has
concocted a tremendous sin. 49 [Prophet], have you considered those
who claim purity for themselves? No! God purifies whoever He
will: no one will be wronged by as much as the husk of a date stone.
50 See how they invent lies about God, this in itself is a flagrant
sin! 51 Do you not see how those given a share of the Scripture,
[evidently] now believe in idols and evil powers? They say of the
disbelievers, ‘They are more rightly guided than the believers.’ f
52 Those are the ones God has rejected: you [Prophet] will not find
a The prohibition of intoxicants was introduced by stages, and they were eventually
made completely unlawful. Cf. 2: 219; 5: 90–1.
b or ‘unless you are on a journey’.
c The term said means dust or earth or soil or sand.
d Cf. note to 2: 104.
e Literally ‘obliterate faces’. Another meaning of wujuh (faces) is ‘directions’ (Razi).
f This is taken to refer to an actual event in which a group of disbelieving Meccans
went to two eminent Jewish figures for counsel on the truth of Muhammad’s teachings
and were told that the pagans were more rightly guided than the Muslims.