49. And We verily gave Moses the Scripture, that haply they might go aright.
50. And We made the son of Mary and his mother a portent, and We gave them refuge on a height, a place of flocks and water-springs.
51. O ye messengers! Eat of the good things, and do right. Lo! I am Aware of what ye do.
52. And lo! this your religion is one religion and I am your Lord, so keep your duty unto Me.
53. But they (mankind) have broken their religion among them into sects, each sect rejoicing in its tenets.
54. So leave them in their error till a time.
352 THE GLORIOUS KORAN surah 55. Think they that in the wealth and sons wherewith We provide them 56. We hasten unto them with good things? Nay, but they perceive not.
57. Lo! those who go in awe for fear of their Lord, 58. And those who believe in the revelations of their Lord, 59. And those who ascribe not partners unto their Lord, 60. And those who give that which they give with hearts afraid because they are about to return unto their Lord, 61. These race for the good things, and they shall win them in the race.
62. And We task not any soul beyond its scope, and with Us is a Record which speaketh the truth, and they will not be wronged. 63. Nay, but their hearts are in ignorance of this (Qur'an), and they have other works, besides, which they are doing; 64. Till when We grasp their luxurious ones with the punishment, behold! they supplicate.
65. Supplicate not this day! Assuredly ye will not be helped by Us.
66. My revelations were recited unto you, but ye used to turn back on your heels, 67. In scorn thereof. Nightly did ye rave together.
68. Have they not pondered the Word, or hath that come unto them which came not unto their fathers of old?
69. Or know they not their messenger, and so reject him?
70. Or say they: There is a madness in him? Nay, but he bringeth them the Truth; and most of them are haters of the Truth.
71. And if the Truth had followed their desires, verily the heavens and the earth and whosoever is therein had been corrupted. Nay, We have brought them their Reminder, but from their Reminder they now turn away.
XXIII THE BELIEVERS 353 72. Or dost thou ask of them (O Muhammad) any tribute? But the bounty of thy Lord is better, for He is best of all who make provision.
73. And lo! thou summonest them indeed unto a right path.
74. And lo! those who believe not in the Hereafter are indeed astray from the path. 75. Though We had mercy on them and relieved them of the harm afflicting them, they still would wander blindly on in their contumacy.
76. Already have We grasped them with punishment, but they humble not themselves unto their Lord, nor do they pray, 77. Until, when We open for them the gate of extreme punishment, behold! they are aghast thereat.
78. He it is Who hath created for you ears and eyes and hearts. Small thanks give ye!
79. And He it is Who hath sown you broadcast in the earth, and unto Him ye will be gathered.
80. And He it is Who giveth life and causeth death, and His is the difference of night and day. Have ye then no sense?
81. Nay, but they say the like of that which said the men of old; 82. They say: When we are dead and have become (mere) dust and bones, shall we then, forsooth, be raised again?
83. We were already promised this, we and our forefathers. Lo! this is naught but fables of the men of old.
84. Say: Unto Whom (belongeth) the earth and whosoever is therein, if ye have knowledge?
85. They will say: Unto Allah. Say: Will ye not then remember?
86. Say: Who is Lord of the seven heavens, and Lord of the Tremendous Throne?
THE GLORIOUS KORAN SURAH 87. They will say: Unto Allah (all that belongeth). Say: Will ye not then keep duty (unto Him)?
88. Say; In Whose hand is the dominion over all things and He protecteth, while against Him there is no protection, if ye have knowledge?
89. They will say: Unto Allah (all that belongeth). Say; How then are ye bewitched?
90. Nay, but We have brought them the Truth, and lo! they are liars.
91. Allah hath not chosen any son, nor is there any God along with Him; else would each God have assuredly championed that which he created, and some of them would assuredly have overcome others. Glorified be Allah above all that they allege.
92. Knower of the invisible and the visible! and exalted be He over all that they ascribe as partners (unto Him)!
93. Say: My Lord! If thou shouldst show me that which they are promised, 94. My Lord! then set me not among the wrongdoing folk.
95. And verily We are Able to show thee that which We have promised them.
96. Repel evil with that which is better. We are best Aware of that which they allege.
97. And say: My Lord! I seek refuge in Thee from suggestions of the evil ones, 98. And I seek refuge in Thee, my Lord, lest they be present with me, 99. Until, when death cometh unto one of them, he saith: My Lord! Send me back, 100. That I may do right in that which I have left behind! But nay! It is but a word that he speaketh; and behind them is a barrier until the day when they are raised.
xxin THE BELIEVERS 101. And when the trumpet is blown there will be no kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another.
102. Then those whose scales are heavy, they are the successful.
103. And those whose scales are light are those who lose their souls, in hell abiding.
104. The fire burneth their faces, and they are glum therein.
105. (It will be said); Were not My revelations recited unto you, and then ye used to deny them?
106. They will say: Our Lord! Our evil fortune conquered us, and we were erring folk.
107. Our Lord! Oh, bring us forth from hence! If we return (to evil) then indeed we shall be wrong-doers.
108. He saith: Begone therein, and speak not unto Me.
109. Lo! there was a party of My slaves who said: Our Lord! We believe, therefor forgive us and have mercy on us for Thou art best of all who show mercy; 110. But ye chose them for a laughing-stock until they caused you to forget remembrance of Me, while ye laughed at them. in. Lo! I have rewarded them this day forasmuch as they were stedfast; and they verily are the triumphant.
112. He will say; How long tarried ye in the earth, counting by years?
113. They will say: We tarried but a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep count!
114. He will say: Ye tarried but a little if ye only knew.
115. Deemed ye then that We had created you for naught, and that ye would not be returned unto Us?
116. Now Allah be exalted, the True King! There is no God save Him, the Lord of the Throne of Grace.
556 THE GLORIOUS KORAN s6rah xxin 117. He who crieth unto any other god along with Allah hath no proof thereof. His reckoning is only with his Lord. Lo! disbelievers will not be successful, 118. And (O Muhammad) say: My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for Thou art best of all who show mercy.
SORAH XXIV An-Nnr, "Light,” takes its name from vv. 35-40, descriptive of the Light of God as it should shine in the homes of believers, the greater part of the Surah being legislation for the purifying of home life. All its verses were revealed at Al-Madinah. Tradition says that vv. 11—20 relate to the slanderers of Ayeshah in connection with an incident which occurred in the fifth year of the Hijrah when the Prophet was returning from the campaign against theBani’l-Mustaliq, Ayeshah, having been left behind on a march, and found and brought back by a young soldier who let her mount his camel and himself led the camel. A weaker tradition places the revelation of vv. i—10 as late as the ninth year of the Hijrah.
The period of revelation is the fifth and sixth years of the Hijrah.
LIGHT Revealed at Al-Madtnah In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. (Here is) a Surah which We have revealed and enjoined, and wherein We have revealed plain tokens, that haply ye may take heed. 2. The adulterer and the adulteress, scourge ye each one of them (with) a hundred stripes. And let not pity for the twain withhold you from obedience to Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of believers witness their punishment.
3. The adulterer shall not marry save an adulteress or an idolatress, and the adulteress none shall marry save an adulterer or an idolater. All that is forbidden unto believers.
4. And those who accuse honourable women but bring St^RAH 358 THE GLORIOUS KORAN not four witnesses, scourge them (with) eighty stripes and never (afterward) accept their testimony—They indeed are evil-doers— 5. Save those who afterward repent and make amends. (For such) lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
6. As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves; let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies, (swearing) by Allah that he is of those who speak the truth; 7. And yet a fifth, invoking the curse of Allah on him if he is of those who lie.
8. And it shall avert the punishment from her if she bear witness before Allah four times that the thing he saith is indeed false, 9. And a fifth (time) that the wrath of Allah be upon her if he speaketh truth.
10. And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, and that Allah is Clement, Wise, (ye had been undone).
11. Lo! they who spread the slander are a gang among you. Deem it not a bad thing for you; nay, it is good for you. Unto every man of them (will be paid) that which he hath earned of the sin; and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be an awful doom.
12. Why did not the believers, men and women, when ye heard it, think good of their own folk, and say: It is a manifest untruth?
13. Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.
14. Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you in the world and the Hereafter an awful doom had overtaken you for that whereof ye murmured.
XXIV LIGHT 15. When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is’ very great.
16. Wherefor, when ye heard it, said ye not: It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be to Thee (O Allah)! This is awful calumny. 17. Allah admonisheth you that ye repeat not the like thereof ever, if ye are (in truth) believers.
18. And He expotmdeth unto you His revelations, Allah is Knower, Wise.
19. Lo! chose who love that slander should be spread concerning those who believe, theirs will be a painful punishment in the world and the Hereafter. Allah knoweth. Ye know not, 20. Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy and that Allah is Clement, Merciful, (ye had been 21. O ye who believe! Follow not the footsteps of the devil. Unto whomsoever followeth the footsteps of the devil, lo! he commandeth filthiness and wrong. Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, not one of you would ever have grown pure. But Allah causeth whom He will to grow. And Allah is Hearer, Knower.
22. And let not those who possess dignity and ease among you swear not to give to the near of kin and to the needy, and to fugitives for the cause of Allah." Let them forgive and show indulgence. Yearn ye not that Allah may forgive you? Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
23. Lo! as for those who traduce virtuous, believing * Tradition says that Abu Bakr, when he heard that a kinsman of his own whom he had supported had been among the slanderers of his daughter Ayeshah, swore no longer to support him, and that this verse was revealed on that occasion.
unto you, undone). 360 THE GLORIOUS KORAN slJrah women (who are) careless, cursed are they in the world and the Hereafter. Theirs will be an awful doom 24. On the day when their tongues and their hands and their feet testify against them as to what they used to do, 25. On that day Allah will pay them their just due, and they will know that Allah, He is the Manifest Truth.
26. Vile women are for vile men, and vile men for vile women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women; such are innocent of that which people say; For them is pardon and a bountiful provision.
27. O ye who believe! Enter not houses other than your own without first announcing your presence and invoking peace upon the folk thereof. That is better for you, that ye may be heedful.
28. And if ye find no one therein, still enter not until permission hath been given. And if it be said unto you: Go away again, then go away, for it is purer for you. Allah kiioweth what ye do.
29. (It is) no sin for you to enter uninhabited houses wherein is comfort for you. Allah knoweth what ye proclaim and what ye hide.
30. Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is Aware of what they do. 31. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or children who know naught of women’s nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so XXIV LIGHT as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed.
32. And marry such of you as are solitary and the pious of your slaves and maid-servants. If they be poor, Allah will enrich them of His bounty. Allah is of ample means. Aware. 33. And let those who cannot find a match keep chaste till Allah give them independence by His grace. And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), write it for them if yc are aware of aught of good in them, and bestow upon them of the wealth of Allah which He hath bestowed upon you. Force not your slave-girls to whoredom that ye may seek enjoyment of the life of the world, if they would preserve their chastity. And if one force them, then (unto them), after their compulsion, lo! Allah will be Forgiving, Merciful.
34. And verily We have sent down for you revelations that make plain, and the example of those who passed away before you. An admonition unto those who ward off (evil).
35. Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things.
36. (This lamp is found) in houses which Allah hath allowed to be exalted and that His name shall be remembered therein. Therein do offer praise to Him at morn and evening 37. Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned; 362 THE GLORIOUS KORAN siGrah 38. That Allah may reward them with the best of what they did, and increase reward for them of His bounty. Allah giveth blessings without stint to whom He will.
39. As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one supposeth it to be water till he cometh unto it and findeth it naught, and findeth, in the place thereof, Allah, Who payeth him his due; and Allah is swift at reckoning.
40. Or as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covereth him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness. When he holdeth out his hand he scarce can see it. And he for whom Allah hath not appointed light, for him there is no light.
41. Hast thou not seen that Allah, He it is Whom all who are in the heavens and the earth praise, and the birds in their flight? Of each He knoweth verily the worship and the praise; and Allah is Aware of what they do.
42. And unto Allah belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and unto Allah is the journeying. 43. Hast thou not seen how Allah wafteth the clouds, then gathereth them, then maketh them layers, and thou seest the rain come forth from between them; He sendeth down from the heaven mountains wherein is hail, and smiteth therewith whom He will, and averteth it from whom He will. The flashing of His lightning all but snatcheth away the sight.
44. Allah causeth the revolution of the day and the night. Lo! herein is indeed a lesson for those who see.
45. Allah hath created every animal of water. Of them is fa kind) that goeth upon its belly and (a kind) that goeth upon two legs and (a kind) that goeth upon four. Allah createth what He will. Lo! Allah is Able to do all things.
46. Verily We have sent down revelations and explained them. Allah guideth whom He will unto a straight path.
XXIV LIGHT 47. And they say: We believe in Allah and the messenger, and we obey; then after that a faction of them turn away. Such are not believers.
48. And when they appeal unto Allah and His messenger to judge between them, lo! a faction of them are averse; 49. But if right had been with them they would have come unto him willingly.
50. Is there in their hearts a disease, or have they doubts, or fear they lest Allah and His messenger should wrong them in judgement? Nay, but such are evil-doers. 51. The saying of (all true) believers when they appeal unto Allah and His messenger to judge between them is only that they say: We hear and we obey. And such are the successful.
52. He who obeyeth Allah and His messenger, and feareth Allah, and keepeth duty (unto Him): such indeed are the victorious.
53. They swear by Allah solemnly that, if thou order them, they will go forth. Say: Swear not; known obedience (is better). Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do.
54. Say: Obey Allah and obey the messenger. But if ye turn away, then (it is) for him (to do) only that wherewith he hath been charged, and for you (to do) only that wherewith ye have been charged. If ye obey him, ye will go aright. But the messenger hath no other charge than to convey (the message) plainly.
55. Allah hath promised such of you as believe and do good works that He will surely make them to succeed (the present rulers) in the earth even as He caused those who were before them to succeed (others); and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He hath approved for them, and will give them in exchange safety after their fear. They serve Me. They ascribe no thing as partner unto Me. Those who disbelieve henceforth, they are the miscreants.
THE GLORIOUS KORAN sOrah 56. Establish worship and pay the poor-due and obey the messenger, that haply ye may find mercy, 57. Think not that the disbelievers can escape in the land. Fire will be their home—a hapless journey’s end!
58. O ye who believe! Let your slaves, and those of you who have not come to puberty, ask leave of you at three times (before they come into your presence); Before the prayer of dawn, and when ye lay aside your raiment for the heat of noon, and after the prayer of night,' Three times of privacy for you. It is no sin for them or for you at other times, when some of you go round attendant upon others (if they come into your presence without leave). Thus Allah maketh clear the revelations for you. Allah is Knower, Wise.
59. And when the children among you come to puberty then let them ask leave even as those before them used to ask it. Thus Allah maketh clear His revelations for you. Allah is Knower, Wise, 60. As for women past child-bearing, who have no hope of marriage, it is no sin for them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show adornment. But to refrain is better for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower. 61. No blame is there upon the blind nor any blame upon the lame nor any blame upon the sick nor on yourselves if ye eat from your houses, or the houses of your fathers, or the houses of your mothers, or the houses of your brothers, or the houses of your sisters, or the houses of your fathers’ brothers, or the houses of your fathers’ sisters, or the houses of your mothers’ brothers, or the houses of your mothers’ sisters, or (from that) whereof ye hold the keys, or (from the house) of a friend. No sin shall it be for you whether ye eat together or apart. But when ye enter houses, salute one another with a greeting from Allah, blessed and sweet. Thus ' The prayer to be offered when the night has fully come.
XXIV LIGHT 365 Allah maketh clear His revelations for you, that haply ye may understand.
62. They only are the true believers who believe in Allah and His messenger and, when they are with him on some common errand, go not away until they have asked leave of him. Lo! those who ask leave of thee, those are they who believe in Allah and His messenger. So, if they ask thy leave for some affair of theirs, give leave to whom thou wilt of them, and ask for them forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
63. Make not the calling of the messenger among you as your calling one of another. Allah knoweth those of you who steal away, hiding themselves. And let those who conspire to evade orders beware lest grief or painful punishment befall them.
64. Lo! verily unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. He knoweth your condition. And (He knoweth) the Day when they are returned unto Him so that He may inform them of what they did. Allah is Knower of all things.
SORAH XXV Al-Fur^dn, “The Criterion,” takes its name from a word occurring in V. 1. The subject is the folly of superstition and the craving for miraculous events in face of the wonders of God’s creation.
It belongs to the middle group of Meccan Surahs, except vv. 68— 70 which were revealed at Al-Madinah.
THE CRITERION (OF RIGHT AND WRONG) Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Blessed is He Who hath revealed unto His slave the Criterion (of right and wrong), that he may be a warner to the peoples.
2. He unto Whom belongeth the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, He hath chosen no son nor hath He any partner in the sovereignty. He hath created everything and hath meted out for it a measure.
3. Yet they choose beside Him other gods who create naught but are themselves created, and possess not hurt nor profit for themselves, and possess not death nor life, nor power to raise the dead. 4. Those who disbelieve say: This is naught but a lie that he hath invented, and other folk have helped him with it, so that they have produced a slander and a lie.
5. And they say: Fables of the men of old which he hath had written down so that they are dictated to him morn and evening.
sdRAH XXV THE CRITERION 367 6. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): He Who knoweth the secret of the heavens and the earth hath revealed it. Lo! He ever is Forgiving, Merciful.
7. And they say; What aileth this messenger (of Allah) that he eateth food and walketh in the markets? Why is not an angel sent down unto him, to be a warner with him.
8. Or (why is not) a treasure thrown down unto him, or why hath he not a paradise from whence to eat? And the evildoers say: Ye are but following a man bewitched.
9. See how they coin similitudes for thee, so that they are all astray and cannot find a road!
10. Blessed is He Who, if He will, will assign thee better than (all) that—Gardens underneath which rivers flow —and will assign thee mansions.
11. Nay, but they deny (the coming of) the Hour, and for chose who deny (the coming of) the Hour We have prepared a flame.
12. When it seeth them from afar, they hear the crackling and the roar thereof. 13. And when they are flung into a narrow place thereof, chained together, they pray for destruction there.
14. Pray not that day for one destruction, but pray for many destructions!
15. Say: Is that (doom) better or the Garden of Immortality which is promised unto those who ward oflF (evil)? It will be their reward and journey’s end.
16. Therein abiding, they have all that they desire. It is for thy Lord a promise that must be fulfilled.
17. And on the day when He will assemble them and that which they worship instead of Allah and will say: Was it ye who misled these my slaves or did they (themselves) wander from the way?
18. They will say; Be Thou glorified! It was not for us to 368 THE GLORIOUS KORAN surah choose any protecting friends beside Thee; but Thou didst give them and their fathers ease till they forgot the warning and became lost folk.
19. Thus they will give you the lie regarding what ye say, then ye can neither avert (the doom) nor obtain help. And whoso among you doeth wrong, We shall make him taste great torment.
20. We never sent before thee any messengers but lo! they ate food and walked in the markets. And We have appointed some of you a test for others: Will ye be stedfast? And thy Lord is ever Seer. 21. And those who look not for a meeting with Us say: Why are angels not sent down unto us and (why) do we not see our Lord? Assuredly they think too highly of themselves and are scornful with great pride.
22. On the day when they behold the angels, on that day there will be no good tidings for the guilty; and they will cry: A forbidding ban!
23. And We shall turn unto the work they did and make it scattered motes.
24. Those who have earned the Garden on that day will be better in their home and happier in their place of noonday rest; 25. A day when the heaven with the clouds will be rent asunder and the angels will be sent down, a grand descent.
26. The Sovereignty on that day will be the True (Sovereignty) belonging to the Beneficent One, and it will be a hard day for disbelievers.
27. On the day when the wrong-doer gnaweth his hands, he will say: Ah, would that I had chosen a way together with the messenger (of Allah)!
28. Alas for me! Ah, would that I had never taken such an one for friend!
29. He verily led me astray from the Reminder after it had XXV THE CRITERION 369 reached me. Satan was ever man’s deserter in the hour of need.
30. And the messenger saith: O my Lord! Lo! mine own folk make this Qur’an of no account. 31. Even so have We appointed unto every Prophet an opponent from among the guilty; but Allah sufficeth for a Guide and Helper.
32. And those who disbelieve say; Why is the Qur’an not revealed unto him all at once? (It is revealed) thus that We may strengthen thy heart therewith; and We have arranged it in right order.
33. And they bring thee no similitude but We bring thee the Truth (as against it), and better (than their similitude) as argument.
34. Those who will be gathered on their faces unto Hell: such are worse in plight and further from the right road.
35. We verily gave Moses the Scripture and placed with him his brother Aaron as henchman.
36. Then We said: Go together unto the folk who have denied Our revelations. Then We destroyed them, a complete destruction.
37. And Noah’s folk, when they denied the messengers, We drowned them and made of them a portent for mankind. We have prepared a painful doom for evil-doers.
38. And (the tribes of) A‘ad and Thamud, and the dwellers in Ar-Rass,' and many generations in between.
39. Each (of them) We warned by examples, and each (of them) We brought to utter ruin. 40. And indeed they have passed by the township whereon was rained the fatal rain.^ Can it be that they have not seen it? Nay, but they hope for no resurrection.
' Said to have been a town in Yamamah.
* The great trade caravans from Mecca into Syria passed by the Dead Sea.
BB THE GLORIOUS KORAN StjRAH 41. And when they see thee (O Muhammad) they treat thee only as a jest (saying): Is this he whom Allah sendeth as a messenger?
42. He would have led us far away from our gods if we had not been staunch to them. They will know, when they behold the doom, who is more astray as to the road.
43. Hast thou seen him who chooseth for his god his own lust? Wouldst thou then be guardian over him?
44. Or deemest thou that most of them hear or understand? They are but as the cattle—nay, but they are farther astray!
45. Hast thou not seen how thy Lord hath spread the shade—And if He willed He could have made it still—then We have made the sun its pilot; 46. Then We withdraw it unto Us, a gradual withdrawal?
47. And He it is Who maketh night a covering for you, and sleep repose, and maketh day a resurrection.
48. And He it is Who sendeth the winds, glad tidings heralding His mercy, and We send down purifying water from the sky, 49. That We may give life thereby to a dead land, and We give many beasts and men that We have created to drink thereof.
50. And verily We have repeated it among them that they may remember, but most of mankind begrudge aught save ingratitude.
51. If We willed. We could raise up a warner in every village.
52. So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them herewith with a great endeavour.
53. And He it is Who hath given independence to the two (though they meet); one palatable, sweet, and the seas i.t, the two kinds of water in the earth.
XXV THE CRITERION other saltish, bitter; and hath set a bar and a forbidding ban between them.
54. And He it is Who hath created man from water, and hath appointed for him kindred by blood and kindred by marriage; for thy Lord is ever Powerful.
55. Yet they worship instead of Allah that which can neither benefit them nor hurt them. The disbeliever was ever a partisan against his Lord.
56. And We have sent thee (O Muhammad) only as a bearer of good tidings and a warner.
57. Say: I ask of you no reward for this, save that whoso will may choose a way unto his Lord. 58. And trust thou in the Living One Who dieth not, and hymn His praise. He sufhceth as the Knower of His bond- men’s sins, 59. Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six Days,* then He mounted the Throne. The Beneficent! Ask any one informed concerning Him!
60. And when it is said unto them; Adore the Beneficent! they say: And what is the Beneficent? Are we to adore whatever thou (Muhammad) biddest us? And it increaseth aversion in them.
61. Blessed be He Who hath placed in the heaven mansions of the stars, and hath placed therein a great lamp and a moon giving light!
62. And He it is Who hath appointed night and day in succession, for him who desireth to remember, or desireth thankfulness.
63. The (faithful) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish ones address them answer: Peace; ' See XXII 47, XXXII 5, and LXX 4.
THE GLORIOUS KORAN surah xxv 64. And who spend the night before their Lord, prostrate and standing, 65. And who say; Our Lord! Avert from us the doom of hell; lo! the doom thereof is anguish; 66. Lo! it is wretched as abode and station; 67. And those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two; 68. And those who cry not unto any other god along with Allah, nor take the life which Allah hath forbidden save in (course of) justice, nor commit adultery—and whoso doeth this shall pay the penalty; 69. The doom will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein disdained for ever; 70. Save him who repenteth and believeth and doth righteous work; as for such, Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.
71. And whosoever repenteth and doeth good, he verily repenteth toward Allah with true repentance— 72. And those who will not witness vanity, but when they pass near senseless play, pass by with dignity.
73. And those who, when they are reminded of the revelations of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat.
74. And who say: Our Lord! Vouchsafe us comfort of our wives and of our offspring, and make us patterns for (all) those who ward off (evil).
75. They will be awarded the high place forasmuch as they were stedfast, and they will meet therein with welcome and the word of peace, 76. Abiding there for ever. Happy is it as abode and station! 77. Say (O Muhammad, unto the disbelievers): My Lord would not concern himself with you but for your prayer. But now ye have denied (the Truth), therefor there will be judgement.
SORAH XXVI Ash-Shu'ara, “The Poets,” takes its title from v. 224 ff., where the difference between poets and a Prophet is tersely pointed out; poets being those who say what they do not mean, while a Prophet always practises what he preaches. The pagan Arabs and their poets believed the poetic inspiration to be the work of Jinn.
The story of a number of former Prophets, is here given to console the believers at a time of persecution, with the assurance that it is no new thing for a messenger of God to be persecuted, but that the persecutors always suffer in the end. It shows also that all the messengers of God came with the same message.
It belongs to the middle group of Meccan Surahs, with the exception of vv. 224—227, which were revealed at Al-Madinah.
THE POETS Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, 1. T'a. Sin. Mim.'
2. These are revelations of the Scripture that maketh plain.
3. It may be that thou tormentest thyself (O Muhammad) because they believe not. 4. If We will. We can send down on them from the sky a portent so that their necks would remain bowed before it.
5. Never cometh there unto them a fresh reminder from the Beneficent One, but they turn away from it.
“ See Sur. II, v. i, footnote.
S^>RAH 374 THE GLORIOUS KORAN 6. Now they have denied (the Truth); but there will come unto them tidings of that whereat they used to scoff.
7. Have they not seen the earth, how much of every fruitful kind We make to grow therein?
8. Lo! herein is indeed a portent; yet most of them are not believers.
9. And lol thy Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
10. And when thy Lord called Moses, saying: Go unto the wrongdoing folk, 11. The folk of Pharaoh. Will they not ward off (evil)?
12. He said: My Lord! Lo! I fear that they will deny me, 13. And I shall be embarrassed, and my tongue will not speak plainly, therefor send for Aaron (to help me).
14. And they have a crime against me, so I fear that they will kill me.
15. He said: Nay, verily. So go ye twain with Our tokens. Lo! We shall be with you. Hearing.
16. And come together unto Pharaoh and say: Lo! we bear a message of the Lord of the Worlds, 17. (Saying): Let the Children of Israel go with us. 18. (Pharaoh) said (unto Moses); Did we not rear thee among us as a child? And thou didst dwell many years of thy life among us, 19. And thou didst that thy deed which thou didst, and thou wast one of the ingrates.
20. He said: I did it then, when I was of those who are astray.
21. Then I fled from you when I feared you, and my Lord vouchsafed me a command and appointed me (of the number) of those sent (by Him).
22. And this is the past favour wherewith thou reproach- est me: that thou hast enslaved the Children of Israel.
XXVI THE POETS 23. PharaoK said; And what is the Lord of the Worlds?
24. (Moses) said: Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, if ye had but sure belief.
25. (Pharaoh) said unto those around him: Hear ye not?
26. He said: Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers.
27. (Pharaoh) said: Lo! your messenger who hath been sent unto you is indeed a madman!
28. He said: Lord of the East and the West and all that is between them, if ye did but understand.
29. (Pharaoh) said: If thou choosest a god other than me, I assuredly shall place thee among the prisoners.
30. He said; Even though I show thee something plain?
31. (Pharaoh) said: Produce it then, if thou art of the truthful!