So he watered for them-then retired to the shade and said, "O my Lord, of the good thou hast caused me to meet with I stand in need."9 And one of them came to him, walking bashfully. Said she, "My father calleth thee, that he may pay thee wages for thy watering for us." And when he came to him and had told him his STORY, "Fear not," said he, "thou hast escaped from an unjust people."
One of them said, "O my father, hire him: for the best thou canst hire is the strong, the trusty."
He said, "Truly to one of these my two daughters I desire to marry thee, if for eight years thou wilt be my hired servant:10 and if thou fulfil ten, it shall be of thine own accord, for I wish not to deal hardly with thee. Thou wilt find me, if God will, one of the upright."
He said, "Be it so between me and thee: Whichever of the two terms I fulfil, there will be no injustice to me. And God is witness of what we say."
And when Moses had fulfilled the term, and was journeying with his family, he perceived a fire on the mountain side. He said to his family, "Wait ye, for I perceive a fire. Haply I may bring you tidings from it, or a brand from the fire to warm you."
And when he came up to it, a Voice cried to him11 out of the bush from the right side of the valley in the sacred hollow, "O Moses, I truly am God, the Lord of the Worlds: Throw down now thy rod." And when he saw it move as though it were a serpent, he retreated and fled and returned not. "O Moses," cried the Voice, "draw near and fear not, for thou art in safety.
Put thy hand into thy bosom; it shall come forth white, but unharmed: and draw back thy hand12 to thee without fear. These shall be two signs from thy Lord to Pharaoh and his nobles; for they are a perverse people."
He said, "O my Lord! truly I have slain one of them, therefore fear I lest they slay me.
My brother Aaron is clearer of speech than I. Send him, therefore, with me as a help, and to make good my cause, for I fear lest they treat me as an impostor."
He said, "We will strengthen thine arm with thy brother, and we will give power unto you both, and they shall not equal you in our signs. Ye twain and they who shall follow you, shall gain the day."
And when Moses came to him with our demonstrative signs they said, "This is nought but magical device. We never heard the like among our sires of old."
And Moses said, "My Lord best knoweth on whom He hath bestowed His guidance, and whose shall be the recompense of the abode of Paradise. Verily, the wicked shall not prosper."
And Pharaoh said, "O ye nobles, ye have no other God that I know of but myself. Burn me then, Haman, bricks of clay,13 and build me a tower that I may mount up to the God of Moses, for in sooth, I deem him a liar."
And he and his hosts behaved themselves proudly and unjustly on the earth, and thought that they should never be brought back to us.
But we seized on him and his hosts and cast them into the sea: Behold, then, the end of the wrongful doers: And we made them imâms who invite to the fire of hell, and on the day of Resurrection they shall not be helped.
We followed them with a curse in this world, and covered shall they be with shame on the day of Resurrection.
And after we had destroyed the former generations, we gave the book of the Law to Moses for man's enlightening, and a guidance and a mercy, that haply they might reflect.
And thou wast not on the western slope of Sinai when we laid his charge on Moses, nor wast thou one of the witnesses; But we raised up generations after Moses, men whose days were lengthened;14 neither didst thou dwell among the inhabitants of Madian to rehearse to them our signs, but we sent Apostles to them.15 Nor wast thou on the slope of Sinai when we called to Moses, but it is of the mercy of thy Lord that thou warnest a people, to whom no warner had come before thee, to the intent that they should reflect: And that they should not say when a calamity shall befal them for their previous handy work, "O our Lord! why hast thou not sent an Apostle to us? Then we should have followed thy signs and have been of the believers."
Yet when the truth came to them from our very presence, they said, "Unless the like powers be given to him that were given to Moses..."16 But did they not disbelieve in what of old was given to Moses? They said, "Two works of sorcery17 have helped each other;" and they said, "We disbelieve them both."
SAY: Bring then a Book from before God which shall be a better guide than these, that I may follow it; if ye speak the truth.
And if they answer thee not, then know that verily they are following their own caprices: and who goeth more widely astray than he who followeth his own caprice without guidance from God? for God guideth not the wicked.
And now have we caused our word to come unto them, that they may be warned: They18 to whom we gave the Scriptures before IT, do in IT believe.
And when it is recited to them they say, "We believe in it, for it is the truth from our Lord. We were Muslims before it came."
Twice shall their reward be given them, for that they suffered with patience, and repelled evil with good, and gave alms out of that with which we provided them.
And when they hear light discourse they withdraw from it, and say, "Our works for us and your works for you! Peace be on you! We are not in quest of fools!"
Thou truly canst not guide whom thou desirest; but God guideth whom He will; and He best knoweth those who yield to guidance.
But they say, "If we follow the way in which thou art guided,19 we shall be driven from our country." But have we not established for them a sacred secure precinct, to which fruits of every kind, our gift for their support, are gathered together? But most of them have no knowledge.
And how many cities have we destroyed that flourished in wanton ease! And these their dwellings have not been inhabited since their time save by a few, and it is we who became their heirs.
But thy Lord did not destroy the cities till He had sent an apostle to their mother-city to rehearse our signs to its people: nor did we destroy the cities unless its people were unjust.
And all that hath been bestowed on you is merely for enjoyment and pomp of this life present: but that which is with God is better and more lasting. Will ye not be wise?
Shall he then to whom we have promised a goodly promise and who obtaineth it, be as he on whom we have bestowed the enjoyments of this life present, and who on the day of Resurrection shall be brought up for punishment?
On that day will God cry to them and say, "Where are my companions, as ye supposed them?"
They on whom doom shall be justly pronounced will say, "O our Lord! these are they whom we led astray: we led them astray even as we had been led astray ourselves: Thou hast no cause of blame against us: It was not we whom they worshipped.20 And it shall be said, "Call now on those whom ye made God's companions:" and they shall call on them, but they will not answer them. And they shall see the punishment, and wish that they had been guided aright.
And on that day shall God call to them and say, "How answered ye the apostles?"
But on that day they shall be too blinded with confusion to give an account,21 nor shall they ask it of one another.
Yet as to him who shall turn to God and believe and do the thing that is right, it may come to pass that he shall be among the happy.
And thy Lord createth what he will and hath a free choice. But they, the false gods, have no power to choose. Glory be to God! and high let him be exalted above those whom they associate with him.
And thy Lord knoweth what their breasts conceal and what they bring to light.
And He is God! There is no god but He! His, all praise in this life and in the next, and His the power supreme,22 and to Him shall ye be brought back!
SAY: What think ye? If God should enshroud you with a long night until the day of resurrection, what god beside God would bring you light? Will ye not then hearken?
SAY: What think ye? If God should make it one long day for you until the day of resurrection, what god but God could bring you the night in which to take your rest? Will ye not then see?
Of His mercy he hath made for you the night that ye may take your rest in it; and the day that ye may seek what ye need out of his bounteous supplies, and that ye may give thanks.
One day God will call to them and say, "Where are my companions as ye supposed them?
And we will bring up a witness out of every nation and say, "Bring your proofs." And they shall know that the truth is with God alone, and the gods of their own devising shall desert them.
Now Korah23 was of the people of Moses: but he behaved haughtily toward them; for we had given him such treasure that its keys would have burdened a company of men of strength. When his people said to him, "Exult not, for God loveth not those who exult; But seek, by means of what God hath given thee, to attain the future Mansion; and neglect not thy part in this world, but be bounteous to others as God hath been bounteous to thee, and seek not to commit excesses on the earth; for God loveth not those who commit excesses:" He said, "It hath been given me only on account of the knowledge that is in me." Did he not know that God had destroyed before him generations that were mightier than he in strength and had amassed more abundant wealth? But the wicked shall not be asked of their crimes.
And Korah went forth to his people in his pomp. Those who were greedy for this present life said, "Oh that we had the like of that which hath been bestowed on Korah! Truly he is possessed of great good fortune."
But they to whom knowledge had been given said, "Woe to you! the reward of God is better for him who believeth and worketh righteousness, and none shall win it but those who have patiently endured."
And we clave the earth for him and for his palace, and he had no forces, in the place of God,24 to help him, nor was he among those who are succoured.
And in the morning those who the day before had coveted his lot said, "Aha! God enlargeth supplies to whom he pleaseth of his servants, or is sparing. Had not God been gracious to us, He had caused it to cleave for us. Aha! the ungrateful can never prosper."
As to this future mansion, we will bestow it on those who seek not to exalt them in the earth or to do wrong: And there is a happy issue for the God- fearing.
Whoso doeth good shall have reward beyond its merits, and whoso doeth evil, they who do evil shall be rewarded only as they shall have wrought.
He who hath sanctioned the Koran to thee will certainly bring thee to thy home.25 SAY: My Lord best knoweth who hath guidance, and who is in undoubted error.
Thou didst never expect that the Book would be given thee. Of thy Lord's mercy only hath it been sent down. Be not thou helpful then to the unbelievers: Neither let them turn thee aside from the signs of God after they have been sent down to thee, but bid men to thy Lord; and be not among those who add gods to God: And call not on any other god with God. There is no god but He! Everything shall perish except Himself! Judgment is His, and to Him shall ye return!
2 Lit. Imâms.
3 Comp. [xci.] ii. 58.
4 That is, This child will be a comfort to us. See Sura [lviii.] xix. 26.
5 "Why must the nurse be a Hebrew woman? (Ex. ii. 7.) This shews that he refused the breast of all the Egyptian women. For the Holy, blessed be He, had said, Shall the mouth that is to speak with me suck an unclean thing?" Sotah. xii. 2.
6 Lit. in the time of neglect on the part of its people, i.e. at the hour of the noon sleep.
7 Lit. I have acted unjustly to my soul.
8 Comp. Ex. ii. 16, 17, where the daughters are said to be seven.
9 That is, of a wife.
10 The compact (Gen. xxix. 15-39) between Laban and Jacob must have been present to the mind of Muhammad when composing this tale.
11 Lit. he was cried to. According to Muhammad, Moses had resolved to quit Madian previously to the Vision of the Bush, which, according to Ex. iii., was the real occasion.
12 Lit. thy wing.
13 Lit. kindle upon the clay. Comp. [lxxviii.] xl. 38-49. "He (Pharaoh) said to them: From the first have ye spoken an untruth, for Lord of the Worlds am I. I created myself and the Nile, as it is said (Ez. xxix. 3), 'My river is mine own and I have made it for myself."' (E.T.) Mid. Rab. on Ex. Par. 5.
14 So that the oral traditions would be easily handed down.
15 Or, yet have we sent thee as an Apostle to them.
16 Supply, we will not believe.
17 That is, the Pentateuch and the Koran.
18 The Meccan Jews and Christians who had formerly embraced Islam, and could now affirm that they had always held the same faith. This passage could not have been written after Muhammad's experience of Jewish unbelief at Medina.
19 Lit. the guidance with thee.
20 But their own imaginations and passions.
21 Lit. the account shall be blind or dark to them. Sie werden vor Bestürzung keine Rechenschaft geben. Ullm.
22 Potestas judiciaria. Mar. Richteramt. Ullm.
23 Ar. Karun. "Joseph concealed three treasures in Egypt, one of which became known to Korah...the keys of Korah's treasure chambers were a burden for 300 white mules." Midr. Jalkut on Eccl. v. 12, "Riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt,"-which may have furnished Muhammad with the nucleus of this story. Compare also Tract. Psachim. fol. 119 a.
24 Or, against God.
25 Probably to Paradise, according to others to Mecca, as a conqueror. But this latter interpretation involves the revelation of this verse at least, at Medina.
SURA XXXIX.-THE TROOPS [LXXX.]
MECCA.-75 Verses In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful THE Book1 sent down from God, the Mighty, the Wise!
We have sent down the Book to thee with the truth: serve thou God then, and be sincere in thy worship: Is not a sincere worship due to God?
But they who take others beside him as lords saying, "We serve them only that they may bring us near to God"-God will judge between them and the faithful, concerning that wherein they are at variance.
Verily God will not guide him who is a liar, an infidel.
Had God desired to have had a son, he had surely chosen what he pleased out of his own creation. But praise be to Him! He is God, the One, the Almighty.
For truth2 hath he created the Heavens and the Earth: It is of Him that the night returneth upon the day and that the day returneth upon the night: and He controlleth the sun and the moon so that each speedeth to an appointed goal. Is He not the Mighty, the Gracious?
He created you all of one man, from whom He afterwards formed his wife; and of cattle He hath sent down to you four pairs.3 In the wombs of your mothers did He create you by creation upon creation in triple darkness. It is He who is God your Lord: the kingdom is His: There is no God but He. How then are ye so turned aside from Him?
Suppose ye render him no thanks! yet forsooth is God rich without you: but He is not pleased with thanklessness in His servants: yet if ye be thankful He will be pleased with you. The soul burdened with its own works shall not be burdened with the burden of another: hereafter shall ye return to your Lord, and he will tell you of all your works, For he knoweth the very secrets of your breasts.
When some trouble toucheth a man, he turneth to his Lord and calleth on him: yet no sooner hath He enriched him with his favour than he forgetteth Him on whom he before had called, and setteth up peers with God, that he may beguile others from His way. SAY: Enjoy thou thyself yet a little in thine ingratitude! but thou shalt surely be one of the inmates of the fire.
Shall he who observeth the hours of the night, prostrate or standing in devotion, heedful of the life to come, and hoping for the mercy of his Lord...? SAY: Shall they who have knowledge and they who have it not, be treated alike? In sooth, men of understanding only will take the warning.
SAY: O my believing servants, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world there is good: and broad is God's earth4-verily those who endure with patience shall be repaid: their reward shall not be by measure.
SAY: I am bidden to serve God with a sincere worship: and I am bidden to be the first of those who surrender themselves to him (Muslims).
SAY: Verily I fear if I rebel against my Lord the punishment of a great day.
SAY: God will I serve, presenting him with a sincere worship: And serve ye what ye choose beside Him. SAY: The losers truly will they be who shall lose their own souls and their families on the day of resurrection: Is not this the clear ruin?
Canopies of fire shall be over them, and floors of fire beneath them. With this doth God alarm his servants: Fear ye me, then, O my servants!
But good tidings are there for those who shun the worship of Thagout and are turned to God. Cheer then with good tidings those my servants who hearken to my word and follow its excellence. These are they whom God guideth, and these are men of insight.
Him then on whom the sentence of punishment hath justly lighted-him who is doomed to the fire canst thou rescue?
But for those who fear their Lord are storied pavilions beneath which shall the rivers flow: it is the promise of God, and God will not fail in his promise.
Seest thou not that God sendeth down water from heaven, and guideth it along so as to form springs in the earth-then bringeth forth by it corn of varied sorts-then causeth he it to wither, and thou seest it become yellow-then crumbleth it away? Lo! herein is teaching for men of insight.
Shall he then whose breast God hath opened to Islam, and who hath light from his Lord...? But woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of God! They plainly err.
The best of recitals hath God sent down a book in unison with itself, and teaching by iteration.5 The very skins of those who fear their Lord do creep at it! Then do their skins and their hearts soften at the remembrance of their Lord! This is God's guidance: by it will He guide whom He pleaseth; and, whom God shall mislead, no guide shall there be for him.
Shall he who shall have nought but his own face to shelter him with from the torment of the punishment on the day of the resurrection...? Aye, to the evil doers it shall be said, "Taste what ye have earned."
They who were before them said it was a lie; but a punishment came upon them whence they looked not for it: And God made them taste humiliation in this present life: but greater surely will be the punishment of the life to come. Did they but know it!
Now have we set before man in this Koran every kind of parable for their warning: An Arabic Koran, free from tortuous wording, to the intent that they may fear God.
God setteth forth the comparison of a man with associates6 at variance among themselves, and of a man devoted wholly to a man. Are these to be held alike? No, praise be to God! But the greater part of them understand not.
Thou truly shall die, O Muhammad, and they too shall die: Then, at the day of resurrection, ye shall wrangle with one another in the presence of your Lord.
And who acteth more unjustly than he who lieth of God, and treateth the truth when it cometh to him as a lie? Is there not a dwelling-place in Hell for the infidels?
But he who bringeth the truth, and he who believeth it to be the truth: these are the God-fearing.
Whatever they shall desire, awaiteth them with their Lord! This is the reward of the righteous; That God may do away the guilt of their worst actions, and for their best actions render them their reward.
Is not God all-sufficient for his servant? Yet would they scare thee by their idols. But no guide shall there be for him whom God misleadeth: And he whom God guideth shall have none to mislead him. Is not God, all- mighty, able to revenge?
And if thou ask them who hath created the Heavens and the Earth, they will surely answer, God. SAY: Think ye, then, that they7 on whom ye call beside God, if God choose to afflict me, could remove his affliction? or if he choose to show me mercy, could they withhold His mercy? SAY: God sufficeth me: in Him let the trusting trust.
SAY: O my people, act your part as best ye can, I too will act mine; and in the end ye shall know On whom shall light a punishment that shall shame him, and on whom a lasting punishment shall fall.
Assuredly we have sent down the Book to thee for man and for the ends of truth. Whoso shall be guided by it-it will be for his own advantage, and whoso shall err, shall only err to his own loss. But not to thy keeping are they entrusted.
God taketh souls unto Himself at death; and during their sleep those who do not die:8 and he retaineth those on which he hath passed a decree of death, but sendeth the others back till a time that is fixed. Herein are signs for the reflecting.
Have they taken aught beside God as intercessors? SAY: What! though they have no power over anything, neither do they understand?
SAY: Intercession is wholly with God:9 His the kingdom of the Heavens and of the Earth! To him shall ye be brought back hereafter!
But when the One God is named, the hearts of those who believe not in the life to come, shrivel up: but when the deities who are adored beside Him are named, lo! they are filled with joy.
SAY: O God, creator of the Heaven and of the Earth, who knowest the hidden and the manifest, thou shalt judge between thy servants as to the subject of their disputes.
If the wicked possessed all that is in the earth and as much again therewith, verily they would ransom themselves with it from the pain of the punishment on the day of the resurrection; and there shall appear to them, from God, things they had never reckoned on: And their own ill deeds shall be clearly perceived by them, and that fire at which they mocked shall encircle them on every side.
When trouble befalleth a man he crieth to Us; afterwards, when we have vouchsafed favour to him, he saith, "God knew that I deserved it."10 Nay, it is a trial. But the greater part of them knew it not.
The same said those who flourished before them; but their deeds profited them not.
And their own ill deeds recoiled upon them. And whoso among these (Meccans) shall do wrong, on them likewise their own misdeeds shall light, neither shall they invalidate God.
Know they not that God giveth supplies with open hand, and that He is sparing to whom He will? Of a truth herein are signs to those who believe.
SAY: O my servants who have transgressed to your own hurt,11 despair not of God's mercy, for all sins doth God forgive. Gracious, Merciful is He!
And return ye to your Lord, and to Him resign yourselves, ere the punishment come on you, for then ye shall not be helped: And follow that most excellent thing which hath been sent down to you from your Lord, ere the punishment come on you suddenly, and when ye look not for it: So that a soul say, "Oh misery! for my failures in duty towards God! and verily I was of those who scoffed:" Or say, "Had God guided me, I had surely been of those who feared Him:" Or say, when it seeth the punishment, "Could I but return, then I would be of the righteous."
Nay! my signs had already come to thee, and thou didst treat them as untruths, and wast arrogant, and becamest of those who believed not.
And on the resurrection day, thou shalt see those who have lied of God, with their faces black. Is there not an abode in Hell for the arrogant?
But God shall rescue those who fear him into their safe retreat: no ill shall touch them, neither shall they be put to grief.
God is the creator of all things, and of all things is He the guardian! His the keys of the Heavens and of the Earth! and-who believe not in the signs of God-these! they shall perish!
SAY: What! do ye then bid me worship other than God, O ye ignorant ones?
But now hath it been revealed to thee and to those who flourished before thee,-"Verily, if thou join partners with God, vain shall be all thy work, and thyself shalt be of those who perish.
Nay, rather worship God! and be of those who render thanks."
But they have not deemed of God as is His due;12 for on the resurrection day the whole Earth shall be but his handful, and in his right hand shall the Heavens be folded together. Praise be to Him! and high be He uplifted above the partners they join with Him!
And there shall be a blast on the trumpet, and all who are in the Heavens and all who are in the Earth shall expire, save those whom God shall vouchsafe to live. Then shall there be another blast on it, and lo! arising they shall gaze around them: And the earth shall shine with the light of her Lord, and the Book shall be set, and the prophets shall be brought up, and the witnesses; and judgment shall be given between them with equity; and none shall be wronged: And every soul shall receive as it shall have wrought, for well knoweth He men's actions.
And by TROOPS shall the unbelievers be driven towards Hell, until when they reach it, its gates shall be opened, and its keepers shall say to them, "Came not apostles from among yourselves to you, reciting to you the signs of your Lord, and warning you of the meeting with Him on this your day?"13 They shall say, "Yes." But just is the sentence of punishment on the unbelievers.
It shall be said to them, "Enter ye the gates of Hell, therein to dwell for ever;" and wretched the abode of the arrogant!
But those who feared their Lord shall be driven on by troops to Paradise, until when they reach it, its gates shall be opened, and its keepers shall say to them, "All hail! virtuous have ye been: enter then in, to abide herein for ever."
And they shall say, "Praise be to God, who hath made good to us His promise, and hath given to us the earth as our heritage, that we may dwell in Paradise wherever we please!" And goodly is the reward of those who travailed virtuously.
And thou shalt see the Angels circling around the Throne with praises of their Lord: and judgment shall be pronounced between them with equity: and it shall be said, "Glory be to God the Lord of the Worlds."
1 Lit. the sending down, or revelation, of the Book is, etc.
2 Lit. in truth, i.e. for a serious and earnest purpose, and not as mere pastime.
3 That is, camels, oxen, sheep and goats.
4 The wording of this verse would seem to indicate a period when Muhammad was meditating flight from Mecca. Comp. [lxxxi.] xxix. 56.
5 See on the word Mathani, Sura xv. 87, p. 116. Or, by rhyming couplets.
6 The word associates contains an implied allusion to the deities associated with God, and who distract the idolaters in their worship.
7 In the fem. gender in the Ar. This passage was revealed shortly after the circumstances mentioned, liii. 20, n. p. 70.
8 See Sura [lxxxix.] vi. 60.
9 That is, none may intercede with Him but those whom He permits to do so.
10 Lit. It was only given to me on account of knowledge. Mar. Deus sciebat me esse dignum eo. Thus Sale.
11 By becoming apostates from Islam. Comp. Sura [lxxiii.] xvi. 108. This and the two following verses are said to have originated at Medina. His 230, Wah. Omar ben Muhammad. Beidh. Itq. 19.
12 Lit. they have not esteemed God according to the truth of His estimation.
13 Adventum diei hujus. Mar.
SURA XXIX.-THE SPIDER [LXXXI.]
MECCA-69 Verses In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful ELIF. LAM. MIM.1 Think men that when they say, "We believe," they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?
We put to proof those who lived before them; for God will surely take knowledge of those who are sincere, and will surely take knowledge of the liars.
Think they who work evil that they shall escape Us? Ill do they judge.
To him who hopeth to meet God, the set time of God will surely come. The Hearer, the Knower, He!
Whoso maketh efforts for the faith, maketh them for his own good only. Verily God is rich enough to dispense with all creatures.
And as to those who shall have believed and done the things that are right, their evil deeds will we surely blot out from them, and according to their best actions will we surely reward them.
Moreover we have enjoined on man to shew kindness to parents: but if they strive with thee that thou join that with Me of which thou hast no knowledge,2 obey them not. To me do ye return, and then will I tell you of your doings: And those who shall have believed and done the things that are right, we will surely give them an entering in among the just.
But some men say, "We believe in God," yet when they meet with sufferings in the cause of God, they regard trouble from man as chastisement from God. Yet if a success come from thy Lord they are sure to say, "We were on your side!" Doth not God well know what is in the breasts of his creatures?
Yes, and God well knoweth those who believe, and He well knoweth the Hypocrites.
The unbelievers say to the faithful, "Follow ye our way, and we will surely bear your sins." But not aught of their sins will they bear-verily they are liars!
But their own burdens, and burdens beside their own burdens shall they surely bear: and inquisition shall be made of them on the day of Resurrection as to their false devices.
Of old sent we Noah to his people: a thousand years save fifty did he tarry among them; and the flood overtook them in their wrongful doings: But we rescued him and those who were in the vessel; and we made it a sign to all men: And Abraham; when he said to his people, "Worship God and fear Him. This will be best for you, if ye have knowledge;" Ye only worship idols beside God, and are the authors of a lie. Those whom ye worship beside God can give you no supplies: seek, then, your supplies from God; and serve Him and give Him thanks. To Him shall ye return.
Suppose that ye treat me as a liar! nations before you have treated God's messenger as a liar; but open preaching is his only duty.
See they not how God bringeth forth creation? and then causeth it to return again? This truly is easy for God.
SAY,3 Go through the earth, and see how he hath brought forth created beings. Hereafter, with a second birth will God cause them to be born again; for God is Almighty.
Whom He pleaseth will He chastise, and on whom He pleaseth will He have mercy, and to Him shall ye be taken back.
And ye shall not invalidate his power either in the Earth or in the Heaven:4 and, save God, ye shall have neither patron nor helper.
As for those who believe not in the signs of God, or that they shall ever meet him, these of my mercy shall despair, and these doth a grievous chastisement await."
And the only answer of his people was to say, "Slay him or burn him." But from the fire did God save him! Verily, herein are signs to those who believe.
And Abraham said, "Of a truth ye have taken idols along with God as your bond of union5 in this life present; But on the day of resurrection some of you shall deny the others, and some of you shall curse the others; and your abode shall be the fire, and ye shall have none to help."
But Lot believed on him,6 and said, "I betake me to my Lord, for He truly is the Mighty, the Wise."
And we bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob,7 and placed the gift of prophecy and the Scripture among his posterity; And we gave him his reward in this world, and in the next he shall be among the just.
We sent also Lot: when he said to his people, "Proceed ye to a filthiness in which no people in the world hath ever gone before you?
Proceed ye even to men? attack ye them on the highway? and proceed ye to the crime in your assemblies?" But the only answer of his people was to say, "Bring God's chastisement upon us, if thou art a man of truth."
He cried: My Lord! help me against this polluted people.
And when our messengers came to Abraham with the tidings of a son, they said, "Of a truth we will destroy the in-dwellers in this city, for its in-dwellers are evil doers."
He said, "Lot is therein." They said, "We know full well who therein is. Him and his family will we save, except his wife; she will be of those who linger.
And when our messengers came to Lot, he was troubled for them, and his arm was too weak8 to protect them; and they said, "Fear not, and distress not thyself, for thee and thy family will we save, except thy wife; she will be of those who linger.9 We will surely bring down upon the dwellers in this city vengeance from Heaven for the excesses they have committed."
And in what we have left of it is a clear sign to men of understanding.
And to Madian we sent their brother Shoaib. And he said, "Oh! my people! worship God, and expect the latter day, and enact not in the land deeds of harmful excess."
But they treated him as an impostor: so an earthquake assailed them; and at morn they were found prostrate and dead in their dwellings.
And we destroyed Ad and Themoud. Already is this made plain to you in the ruins of their dwellings. For Satan had made their own works fair seeming to them, and drew them from the right path, keen-sighted though they were.
And Corah and Pharaoh and Haman. With proofs of his mission did Moses come to them, and they behaved proudly on the earth; but us they could not outstrip;10 For, every one of them did we seize in his sin. Against some of them did wesend a stone-charged wind: Some of them did the terrible cry of Gabriel surprise: for some of them we cleaved the earth; and some of them we drowned. And it was not God who would deal wrongly by them, but they wronged themselves.
The likeness for those who take to themselves guardians instead of God is the likeness of the SPIDER who buildeth her a house: But verily, frailest of all houses surely is the house of the spider. Did they but know this!
God truly knoweth all that they call on beside Him; and He is the Mighty, the Wise.
These similitudes do we set forth to men: and none understand them except the wise.
God hath created the Heavens and the Earth for a serious end.11 Verily in this is a sign to those who believe.
Recite the portions of the Book which have been revealed to thee and discharge the duty of prayer: for prayer restraineth from the filthy and the blame-worthy. And the gravest duty is the remembrance of God; and God knoweth what ye do.
Dispute not, unless in kindly sort, with the people of the Book;12 save with such of them as have dealt wrongfully with you: And say ye, "We believe in what hath been sent down to us and hath been sent down to you. Our God and your God is one, and to him are we self-surrendered" (Muslims).
Thus have we sent down the Book of the Koran to thee: and they to whom we have given the Book of the law believe in it: and of these Arabians there are those who believe in it: and none, save the Infidels, reject our signs.
Thou didst not recite any book (of revelation) before it: with that right hand of thine thou didst not transcribe one: else might they who treat it as a vain thing have justly doubted: But it is a clear sign in the hearts of those whom "the knowledge" hath reached. None except the wicked reject our signs.
And they say, "Unless a sign be sent down to him from his Lord..." SAY: Signs are in the power of God alone. I am only a plain spoken warner.