And when it is said to them bow down, they bow not down.
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
[50] And in what new discourse after it will they believe ?
THe CHAPTER OF THE INFORMATION. (LXXVIII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Of what do they ask each other ?—Of the mighty information whereon they do dispute!? nay, they shall know too well! [5] Again, nay, they shall know too well!
Have we not set the earth as a couch, and the mountains as stakes, and created you in pairs, and made your sleep for rest, [10] and made the night a garment, and made the day for livelihood, and built above you seven solid (heavens) and set a burning lamp, and sent down from the rain expressing clouds water pouring forth, [15] to bring out
1 T.e. the news of the resurrection.
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thereby the grain and herb and gardens thickly planted ?
7 Verily, the day of decision is an appointed time; and the day when the trumpet shall be blown, and ye shall come in troops, and the heavens shall be opened, and shall be all doors, [20] and the mountains shall be moved, and shall be like a mirage!
Verily, hell is an ambuscade; a reward for the outrageous, to tarry therein for ages. They shall not taste therein cool nor drink, [25] but only boiling water and pus ;—a fit reward !}
Verily, they did not hope for the account ; but they ever said our signs were lies.
Everything have we remembered in a book.
[30] ‘Then taste, for we will only increase your torment !’
Verily, for the pious is a blissful place,—gardens and vineyards, and girls with swelling breasts of the same age as themselves, and a brimming cup ; [35] they shall hear therein no folly and no lie;—a reward from thy Lord, a sufficient gift! The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and what is between them both,—the Merciful,—they cannot obtain audience of Him! °
The day when the Spirit and the angels shall stand in ranks, they shall not speak save to whom the Merciful permits, and who speaks aright.
That is the true day; and whoso pleases let him take to a resort unto his Lord!
[40] Verily, we have warned you of a torment that is nigh: on a day when man shall see what his two hands have sent forward; and the misbeliever shall say, ‘Would that I were dust!’
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THE CHAPTER OF THOSE WHO TEAR OUT.
(LX XIX. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By those who tear out violently !
And by those who gaily releas€?)
And by those who float through the air!
And the preceders who precede?!
[5] And those who manage the affair!
On the day when the quaking® quakes which the following one shall succeed! Hearts on that day shall tremble; eyes thereon be humbled!
[10] They say, ‘Shall we be sent back to our old course ?—What! when we are rotten bones ?’ they say, ‘That then were a losing return!’ |
But it will only be one scare, and lo! they will be on the surface !
Hearts on that day shall tremble; eyes thereon be humbled!
[10] They say, ‘Shall we be sent back to our old course ?—What! when we are rotten bones ?’ they say, ‘That then were a losing return!’ |
But it will only be one scare, and lo! they will be on the surface !
[15] Has the story of Moses‘ come to you? when his Lord addressed him in the holy valley of Tuva, ‘Go unto Pharaoh, verily, he is outrageous; and say, “ Hast thou a wish to purify thyself, and that I may guide thee to thy Lord, and thou mayest fear ?””’
[20] So he showed him the greatest sign; but
1 Referring to the angel of death and his assistants, who tear away’ the souls of the wicked violently, and gently release the souls of the good.
* The angels who precede the souls of the righteous to Paradise.
5 The trumpet blast at the last day, which shall make the- universe quake.
“ See Chapter XX, verse 12, p. 35.
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he called him a liar and rebelled. Then he retreated hastily, and gathered, and proclaimed, and said, ‘I am your Lord most High!’ [25] but God seized him with the punishment of the future life and of the former.
Verily, in that is a lesson to him who fears !
Are ye harder to create or the heaven that He has built? He raised its height and fashioned it ; and made its night to cover it, and brought forth its noonday light ; [30] and the earth after that He did stretch out. He brings forth from it its water and its pasture.
And the mountains He did firmly set, a provision for you and for your cattle.
~~ And when the great predominant calamity shall come, [35] on the day when man shall remember what he strove after, and hell shall be brought out for him who sees !
And as for him who was outrageous and preferred the life of this world, verily, hell is the resort |
[40] But as for him who feared the station of his Lord, and prohibited his soul from lust, verily,
Paradise is the resort! ipa® They shall ask thee about the Hour, for when it "is set. Whereby canst thou mention it? Unto thy Lord its period belongs. [45] Thou art only a warner to him who fears it. On thé day they see it, it will be as though they had only tarried an evening or the noon thereof._| e
320 THE QuR’AN. LXXX, 1-22.
Tue CuHaptTer ‘He FrRownep,’ (LXXX. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
He frowned and turned his back, for that ‘there came to hima blind man?! :
But what should make thee know whether haply he may be purified? or may be mindful and the reminder profit him ?
[5] But as for him who is wealthy, thou dost attend to him; and thou dost not care that he is not purified ; but as for him who comes to thee earnestly fearing the while, [10] from him thou art diverted !
Nay! verily, it is a memorial; and whoso pleases will remember it.
In honoured pages exalted, purified, [15] in the hands of noble, righteous scribes!
May man be killed! how ungrateful he is!
Nay! verily, it is a memorial; and whoso pleases will remember it.
In honoured pages exalted, purified, [15] in the hands of noble, righteous scribes!
May man be killed! how ungrateful he is!
Of what did He create him? Of a clot. He created him and fated him; [20] then the path He did make easy for him; then He killed him, and laid him in the tomb; then when He pleases will He raise him up again.
? One Abdallah ibn Umm Maktdm, a poor blind man, once interrupted Mohammed while the latter was in conversation with Walid ibn Mugdirah and some others of the Qurais chiefs. The prophet taking no notice of him, the blind man raised his voice and earnestly begged for religious instruction, but Mohammed, annoyed at the interruption, frowned and turned away. This passage is a reprimand to the prophet for his conduct on the occasion. Afterwards, whenever he saw the blind Abdallah, Mohammed used to say, ‘Welcome to him on whose account my Lord reproved me!’ and subsequently made him governor of Medinah.
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Nay, he has not fulfilled his bidding!
But let man look unto his foods. [25] Verily, we have poured the water out in torrents : then we have cleft the earth asunder, and made to grow therefrom the grain, and the grape, and the hay, and the olive, and the palm, [30] and gardens closely planted, and fruits, and grass,—a provision for you and for your cattle !
*— But when the stunning noise shall come, on the day when man shall flee from his brother [35] and his mother and his father and his spouse and his sons! Every man among them on that day shall have a business to employ him.
Faces on that day shall be bright,—laughing, joyous! [40] and faces shall have dust upon them,— darkness shall cover them! those are the wicked misbelievers ! i
THE CHAPTER OF THE FoLpinc UP. (LXXXI. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
When the sun is folded up,
And when the stars do fall,
And when the mountains are moved,
And when the she-camels ten months’ gone with young shall be neglected},
[5] And when the beasts shall be crowded together?,
* Such camels being among the most valuable of an Arab’s possessions, neglect of them must imply some terribly engrossing calamity.
2 The terrors of the judgment day will drive all the wild beasts together for mutual shelter.
[9] Y :
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And when the seas shall surge up,
And when souls shall be paired with bodies,
And when the child who was buried alive shall be asked for what sin she was slain!,
[10] And when the pages shall be spread out,
And when the heaven shall be flayed,
And when hell shall be set ablaze,
And when Paradise shall be brought nigh,
The soul shall know what it has produced !
[15] I need not swear by the stars that slink back, moving swiftly, slinking into their dens!
Nor by the night when darkness draws on !
Nor by the morn when it first breathes up!
[15] I need not swear by the stars that slink back, moving swiftly, slinking into their dens!
Nor by the night when darkness draws on !
Nor by the morn when it first breathes up!
Verily, it is the speech of a noble apostle, [20] mighty, standing sure with the Lord of the throne, obeyed and trusty too!
Your comrade is not mad; he saw him? on the plain horizon’, nor does he grudge to communicate the unseen‘,
[25] Nor is it the speech of a pelted devil®.
Then whither do ye go? -
It is but a reminder to the worlds, to whomsoever of you pleases to go straight :—but ye will not please, except God, the Lord of the world, should please.
1 See Part I, p. 132, note 3, and p. 256, note 2. See also Introduction, p. x.
3 Gabriel.
5 See Chapter LIII, verses 1-19, pp. 251, 252.
* Some copies have a various reading, ‘ suspicious of.’ 5 See Part I, note 2, pp. 50, 51.
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THE CHAPTER OF THE CLEAVING ASUNDER.
(LXXXII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
When the heaven is cleft asunder,
And when the stars are scattered,
And when the seas gush together,
And when the tombs are turned upside down, [5] The soul shall know what it has sent on or
kept back !
O man! what has seduced thee concerning thy generous Lord, who created thee, and fashioned thee, and gave thee symmetry, and in what form He pleased composed thee ?
Nay, but ye call the judgment a lie! [10] but over you are guardians set',—noble, writing down! they know what ye do!
Verily, the righteous are in pleasure, and, verily, the wicked are in hell; [15] they shall broil therein upon the judgment day; nor shall they be absent therefrom !
And what shall make thee know what is the judgment day ? Again, what shall make thee know what is the judgment day ? a day when no soul shall control aught for another; and the bidding on that day belongs to God! |
Tue CHAPTER OF THOSE WHO GIVE SHORT WEIGHT.
(LXXXIII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Woe to those who give short weight! who when
1 See p. 243, note 1. Y2
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they measure against others take full measure; but when they measure to them or weigh to them, di i= Bees these think that they shall be raised again [5] at the mighty day? the day when men shall stand before the Lord of the worlds !
Nay, verily, the book of the wicked is in Siggin'; and what shall make thee know what Siggin is ?— a book inscribed !
[10] Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Who call the judgment day a lie! but none shall call it a lie except every sinful transgressor, who, when our signs are read to him, says, ‘Old folks’ tales !’
Nay, but that which they have gained has settled upon their hearts.
= Nay, verily, [15] from their Lord on that day are they veiled ; and then, verily, they shall broil in hell; then it shall be said, ‘ This is what ye once did call a lie !’|
= Nay, verily, [15] from their Lord on that day are they veiled ; and then, verily, they shall broil in hell; then it shall be said, ‘ This is what ye once did call a lie !’|
Nay, verily, the book of the righteous is in ‘IlliyQn?; and what shall make thee know what ‘IHiydn is?—{20] a book inscribed! those nigh to God shall witness it.
i Verily, the righteous shall be in pleasure; upon _ couches shall they gaze; thou mayest recognise in their faces the brightness of pleasure; [25] they shall be given to drink wine that is sealed, whose seal is musk; for that then let the aspirants aspire !
* Siggin, the ‘ prison’ of hell, whence the register of the wicked is named. ? ‘Illiyan means ‘high places.’
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—and it shall be tempered with Tasnim 1,—a spring from which those nigh to God shall drink.
Verily, those who sin do laugh at those who believe; [30] and when they pass by they wink at one another, and when they return to their family they return ridiculing them ; and when they see them they say, ‘Verily, these do go astray !’— but they are not sent as guardians over them!
But to-day those who believe shall at the misbelievers laugh! [35] Upon couches shall they gaze; are the misbelievers rewarded for what they have done?
THe CHAPTER OF THE RENDING ASUNDER.
(LXXXIV. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
When the heaven is rent asunder and gives ear unto its Lord, and is dutiful !
And when the earth is stretched out and casts forth what is in it, and is empty, [5] and gives ear unto its Lord, and is dutiful !
O man! verily, thou are toiling after thy Lord, toiling ; wherefore shalt thou meet Him!
And as for him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall be reckoned with by an easy reckoning; and he shall go back to his family joyfully.
[10] But as for him who is given his book behind his back?, he shall call out for destruction, but he
1 Name of a fountain in Paradise, so called because it is conveyed to the highest apartments there.
2 T.e. in the left hand, which will be chained behind the back, the right hand being fettered to the neck.
p. 7
shall broil in a blaze! Verily, he was amongst his family joyful. Verily, he thought that he should never return to God.
[15] Yea, verily, his Lord on him did look !
I need not swear by the evening glow,
Or by the night, and what it drives together,
_Or by the moon when it is at its full, a Ye shall be surely transferred from state to state!) “[20] What ails them that they do not believe?” and, when the Qur’an is read to them, do not adore ? Nay, those who misbelieve do say it is a lie, but
God knows best the (malice) that they hide.
So give them the glad tidings of grievous woe! [25] save those who believe and act aright, for them is hire that is not grudged !
Tue CHAPTER OF THE ZODIACAL SIGNS.
(LXXXV. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
So give them the glad tidings of grievous woe! [25] save those who believe and act aright, for them is hire that is not grudged !
Tue CHAPTER OF THE ZODIACAL SIGNS.
(LXXXV. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the heaven with its zodiacal signs?!
And the promised day !
And the witness and the witnessed?!
The fellows of the pit were slain ;
[5] And the fire with its kindling,
When they sat over it
And witnessed the while what they were doing with those who believed ‘.
1 From life to death, and from death to the future life.
? Literally, ‘ towers.’
* Various interpretations are given of these words, the most probable perhaps being that ‘the witness’ is Mohammed, and ‘the witnessed’ the faith. .
* Alluding to the persecution of the Christians at Negran by aa
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And they took not vengeance on them save for their belief in God,
The mighty, the praiseworthy,
Whose is the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth ; .
For God is witness over all!
[10] Verily, those who make trial of the believers, men and women, and then do not repent, for them is the torment of hell, and for them is the torment of the burning !
Verily, those who believe and act aright, for them are gardens beneath which rivers flow,—that is the great bliss!
Verily, the violence of thy Lord is keen!
Verily, He produces and returns, and He is- the forgiving, the loving, [15] the Lord of the glorious throne; the doer of what He will!
Has there come to thee the story of the hosts of Pharaoh and Thamfd?
Nay, those who misbelieve do say it is a lie; [20] but God is behind them—encompassing !
Nay, it is a glorious Qur’4n in a preserved tablet’.
Tue CyHapTer oF THE NIGHT STAR.
(LXXXVI. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. By the heaven and by the night star! And what
Duu ’n Navv4s, king of Yemen, who had embraced the Jewish religion, and who commanded all his subjects who would not do the same to be flung into a pit filled with fire, and burnt to death. 1 See Part I, p. 2, note 2.
p. 8
shall make thee know what the night star is ?>—The star of piercing brightness.
Verily, every soul has a guardian over it.
[5] Then let man look from what he is created : he is created from water poured forth, that comes out from between the loins and the breast bones?.
Verily, He is able to send him back again, on the day when the secrets shall be tried, [10] and he shall have no strength nor helper.
By the heaven that sends back the rain!
And the earth with its sprouting !
Verily, it is indeed a distinguishing speech, and it is no frivolity !
[15] Verily, they do plot a plot!
But I plot my plot too! let the misbelievers bide ; do thou then let them bide awhile !
Tue CuHaptTer oF THE Most Hicu. (LXXXVII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Verily, it is indeed a distinguishing speech, and it is no frivolity !
[15] Verily, they do plot a plot!
But I plot my plot too! let the misbelievers bide ; do thou then let them bide awhile !
Tue CuHaptTer oF THE Most Hicu. (LXXXVII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Celebrated the name of thy Lord most High, who created and fashioned, and who decreed and guided, and who brings forth the pasture, [5] and then makes it dusky stubble!
We will make thee recite, and thou shalt not forget®, save what God pleases. Verily, He knows the open and what is concealed ; and we will send
1 From the loins of the man and the breast bones of the woman.—Al Baidhavi. 2 See Chapter II, verse 100, Part I,.p. 14.
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thee easily to ease; wherefore remind, for, verily, the reminder is useful.
[10] But he who fears will be mindful; but the wretch will avoid it; he who will broil on the great fire, and then therein shall neither die nor live !
Prosperous is he who purifies himself, [15] and remembers the name of his Lord and prays!
Nay! but ye prefer the life of this world, while the hereafter is better and more lasting.
Verily, this was in the books of yore,—the books of Abraham and Moses.
Tue CHAPTER OF THE OVERWHELMING), (LXXXVIII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Has there come to thee the story of the overwhelming ? .
Faces on that day shall be humble, labouring, toiling,—shall broil upon a burning fire ; [5] shall be given to drink from a boiling spring! no food shall they have save from the foul thorn, which shall not fatten nor avail against hunger !
Faces on that day shall be comfortable, content with their past endeavours,—[10] in a lofty garden wherein they shall hear no foolish word; wherein is a flowing fountain ; wherein are couches raised on high, and goblets set down, [15] and cushions arranged, and carpets spread !
1 Another name of the last day.
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Do they not look then at the camel how she is created’ ?
And at the heaven how it is reared ?
And at the mountains how they are set up ?
[20] And at the earth how it is spread out ?
But remind: thou art only one to remind; thou art not in authority over them; except such as turns his back and misbelieves, for him will God torment with the greatest torment.
[25] Verily, unto us is their return, and, verily, for us is their account !
Tue CHAPTER OF THE Dawn. (LXXXIX. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the dawn and ten nights?!
And the single and the double !
And the night when it travels on!
Is there in that an oath for a man of sense ?
[5] Hast thou not seen how thy Lord did with ‘Ad ?—with Iram of the columns? ? the like of which has not been created in the land ?
* So useful an animal as a camel being to an Arab a singular instance of divine wisdom.
? The first ten nights of the sacred months of Duu ’! Heggeh.
[5] Hast thou not seen how thy Lord did with ‘Ad ?—with Iram of the columns? ? the like of which has not been created in the land ?
* So useful an animal as a camel being to an Arab a singular instance of divine wisdom.
? The first ten nights of the sacred months of Duu ’! Heggeh.
® Shedd&d, the son of ‘Ad, is related to have ordered the construction of a terrestrial paradise in the desert of Aden, ostensibly in rivalry of the celestial one, and to have called it Irem, after the name of his great-grandfather Irem (Aram). On going to take possession of it, he and all his people were struck dead by a noise from heaven, and the paradise disappeared. Certain Arab travellers are declared to have come across this mysterious garden.
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And Thamiad when they hewed the stones in the valley ?
And Pharaoh of the stakes1?
[10] Who were outrageous in the land, and did multiply wickedness therein, and thy Lord poured out upon them the scourge of torment.
Verily, thy Lord is on a watch tower! and as for man, whenever his Lord tries him and honours him and grants him favour, then [15] he says, ‘My Lord has honoured me;’ but whenever he tries him and doles out to him his subsistence, then he says, ‘My Lord despises me!’
Nay, but ye do not honour the orphan, nor do ye urge each other to feed the poor, [20] and ye devour the inheritance (of the weak) with a general devouring’, and ye love wealth with a complete love !
Nay, when the earth is crushed to pieces, and thy Lord comes with the angels, rank on rank, and hell is brought on that day,—on that day shall man be reminded! but how shall he have a reminder ?
[25] He will say, ‘Would that I had sent something forward for my life!’
But on that day no one shall be tormented with a torment like his, and none shall be bound with bonds like his!
O thou comforted soul! return unto thy Lord, well pleased and well pleased with!
And enter amongst my servants, [30] and enter my Paradise!
1 Cf. p. 176, note 1.
2 Cf. Part I, p. 72, note 1.
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Tue CHAPTER OF THE Lanp. (XC. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
I need not swear by the Lord of this land}, and thou a dweller in this land?!
Nor by the begetter and what he begets !
We have surely created man in trouble.
[5] Does he think that none can do aught against him ?
He says, ‘I have wasted wealth in plenty;’ does he think that no one sees him ?
Have we not made for him two eyes and a tongue, and two lips? [10] and guided him in the two highways? but he will not attempt the steep!
And what shall make thee know what the steep is? It is freeing captives, or feeding on the day of famine, [15] an orphan who is akin, or a poor man who lies in the dust ; and again (it is) to be of these who believe and encourage each other to patience, and encourage each other to mercy,—these are the fellows of the right®!
It is freeing captives, or feeding on the day of famine, [15] an orphan who is akin, or a poor man who lies in the dust ; and again (it is) to be of these who believe and encourage each other to patience, and encourage each other to mercy,—these are the fellows of the right®!
But those who disbelieve in our signs, they are the fellows of the left, [20] for them is fire that closes in!
1 J.e. the sacred territory of Mecca. 2 Or, ‘art at liberty to act as thou pleasest.’ 5 See pp. 263, 264.
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Tue CHAPTER OF THE SUN. (XCI. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the sun and its noonday brightness!
And the moon when it follows him!
And the day when it displays him !
And the night when it covers him!
[5] And the heaven and what built it!
And the earth and what spread it !
And the soul and what fashioned it, and taught it its sin and its piety !
_ Prosperous is he who purifies it !
[10] And disappointed is he who corrupts it !
Thamid called the apostle a liar’ in their outrage, when their wretch rose up and the apostle of God said to them, ‘God’s she-camel! so give her to drink.’
But they called him a liar, and they ham-strung her; but their Lord destroyed them in their sins, and served them all alike; [15] and He fears not the result thereof!
Tue CHAPTER OF THE NIGHT. (XCII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the night when it veils !
And the day when it is displayed!
And by what created male and female! Verily, your efforts are diverse !
} See Part I, p. 147, note 1.
p. 6
[5] But as for him who gives alms and fears God,
And believes in the best,
We will send him easily to ease!
But as for him who is niggardly,
And longs for wealth,
And calls the good a lie,
[10] We will send him easily to difficulty!
And his wealth shall not avail him
When he falls down (into hell)!
Verily, it is for us to guide ;
And, verily, ours are the hereafter and the former life !
And I have warned you of a fire that flames! [15] None shall broil thereon, but the most
wretched, who says it is a lie and turns his back. __ But the pious shall be kept away from it, he who gives his wealth in alms, and who gives no favour to any one for the sake of reward, [20] but only craving the face of his Lord most High; in the end he shall be well pleased!
Tue CHAPTER OF THE FORENOON.
(XCIII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the forenoon !
And the night when it darkens !
Thy Lord has not forsaken thee, nor hated thee! and surely the hereafter is better for thee than the former ; [5] and in the end thy Lord will give thee, and thou shalt be well pleased!
Did He not find thee an orphan, and give thee
XCIll, 6-XCV,1. THE CHAPTER OF THE FIG. 335 shelter ? and find thee erring, and guide thee ? and find thee poor with a family, and nourish thee ?
Did He not find thee an orphan, and give thee
XCIll, 6-XCV,1. THE CHAPTER OF THE FIG. 335 shelter ? and find thee erring, and guide thee ? and find thee poor with a family, and nourish thee ?
But as for the orphan oppress him not; [10] and as for the beggar drive him not away; and as for the favour of thy Lord discourse thereof.
THe CHAPTER OF ‘HAVE WE NOT EXPANDED ?’ (XCIV. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. °
Have we not expanded for thee thy breast! ? and set down from thee thy load which galled thy back ? and exalted for thee thy renown ?
[5] Verily, with difficulty is ease! verily, with difficulty is ease!
And when thou art at leisure then toil, and for thy Lord do thou yearn! .
Tue CHAPTER OF THE Fic, (XCV. Place of origin doubtful.) - In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. - co By the fig! . And by the olive!
1 I.e. expanded it for the reception of the truth. Taking the words literally some Muslims have supposed it to refer to the legend, that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mohammed while he was a child, and having cut open his breast took out his heart, and cleansed it from the black drop of original sin. This explanation
is, however, rejected by the more sensible of the orthodox Muslim divines.
336 THE QuR’AN. XCV, 2-XCVI, 10.
And by Mount Sinai!
And by this safe land?!
We have indeed created man in the best of symmetry. [5] Then we will send him back the lowest of the low; save those who believe and act aright ; for theirs is a hire that is not grudged.
But what shall make thee call the judgment after this a lie?
Is not God a most just of judges ?
THe CHAPTER OF CONGEALED BLoop?.
(XCVI. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
ReaD, in the name of thy Lord!
Who created man from congealed blood!
Read, for thy Lord is most generous!
[5] Who taught the pen !
Taught man what he did not know!
Nay, verily, man is indeed outrageous at seeing himself get rich !
Verily, unto thy Lord is the return !
Hast thou considered him who forbids [10] a servant? when he prays‘ ?
1 Alluding to the inviolable character of the sacred territory of Mecca.
? The five opening verses of the chapter are generally allowed to have been the first that were revealed. See Introduction, p. xx, and note 1, idem.
5 T.e. Mohammed.
* The allusion is to Abu Gahl, who threatened to set his foot on Mohammed’s neck if he caught him in the act of adoration.
p. 337
Hast thou considered if he were in guidance or bade piety ?
Hast thou considered if he said it was a lie, and turned his back ?
Did he not know that God can see ?
[15] Nay, surely, if he do not desist we will drag him by the forelock !—the lying sinful forelock !
So let him call his counsel : we will call the guards of hell!
Nay, obey him not, but adore and draw nigh !
THE CHAPTER OF POWER}.
(XCVII. Place of origin doubtful.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
So let him call his counsel : we will call the guards of hell!
Nay, obey him not, but adore and draw nigh !
THE CHAPTER OF POWER}.
(XCVII. Place of origin doubtful.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Verily, we sent it down on the Night of Power !
And what shall make thee know what the Night of Power is ?—the Night of Power is better than a thousand months!
The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord with every bidding.
[5] Peace it is until rising of the dawn!
Tue CHAPTER OF THE MANIFEST SIGN.
(XCVIII. Place of origin doubtful.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate
God. _ Those of the people of the Book and the idolaters
’ The word el Qadr signifies ‘ power,’ ‘ worth,’ ‘measure,’ and ‘the divine decree.’
{9] z
338 —ti THE QUR'AN, XCVIII, 1-XCIX, 6.
who misbelieve did not fall off until there came to them the manifest sign,—
An apostle from God reading pure pages wherein are right scriptures :
Nor did those who were given the Book divide into sects until after there came to them the manifest sign.
But they were not bidden aught but to worship God, being sincere in religion unto Him as ‘Hanifs, and to be steadfast in prayer, and to give alms: for that is the standard religion.
[5] Verily, those who disbelieve amongst the people of the Book and the idolaters shall be in the fire of hell,to dwell therein for aye ; they are wretched creatures !
Verily, those who believe and act aright, they are the best of creatures ; their reward with their Lord is gardens of Eden, beneath which rivers flow, to dwell therein for aye; God shall be well pleased with them, and they with Him! that is for him who fears his Lord!
Tue CHAPTER OF THE EARTHQUAKE. (XCIX. Place of origin doubtful.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
When the earth shall quake with its quaking !
And the earth shall bring forth her burdens, and man shall say, ‘What ails her !’
On that day she shall tell her tidings, [s] because thy Lord inspires her. On the day when men shall come up in Geparatep. 339 bands to show their works: and he who does the weight of an atom.of good shall see it! and he who does the weight of an atom of evil shall see it!
Tue CHAPTER OF THE CHARGERS.
(C. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the snorting chargers!
And those who strike fire with their hoofs !
And those who make incursions in the morning,
And raise up dust therein,
[5] And cleave through a host therein !
Verily, man is to his Lord ungrateful ; and, verily, he is a witness of that.
Verily, he is keen in his love of good.
Does he not know when the tombs are exposed, [10] and what is in the breasts is brought to light ?
Verily, thy Lord upon that day indeed is well aware,
Tue CHAPTER OF THE SMITING.
(CI. Mecca.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. The smiting! What is the smiting?
Does he not know when the tombs are exposed, [10] and what is in the breasts is brought to light ?
Verily, thy Lord upon that day indeed is well aware,
Tue CHAPTER OF THE SMITING.
(CI. Mecca.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. The smiting! What is the smiting?
And what shall make thee know what the smiting is? “ig The day when men shall be like scattered moths: and the mountains shall be like flocks of carded
_wool ! Z2
340 THE QUR'AN. Cl, 5-CIII, 3.
[5] And as for him whose balance is heavy, he shall be in a well-pleasing life.
But as for him whose balance is light, his dwelling shall be the pit of hell}.
And who shall make thee know what it is ?—a burning fire !
Tue CHAPTER OF THE CONTENTION ABOUT NUMBERS.
(CII. Place of origin doubtful.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
The contention about numbers deludes you till ye visit the tombs?!
Not so! In the end ye shall know! And again not so! In the end ye shall know!
[5] Not so! Did ye but know with certain knowledge!
Ye shall surely see hell! And again ye shall surely see it with an eye of certainty.
Then ye shall surely be asked about pleasure®!
THe CHAPTER OF THE AFTERNOON‘.
(CIII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. By the afternoon! verily, man is in loss! save
El Hawiyeh, see Introduction, p. lxx.
? The commentators say that in one of the frequent contentions about the respective nobility of the Arab tribes, that the Abu Menaf clan disputed with that of Sahm, which was the most numerous, and the latter, having lost many men in battle, declared that their dead should be taken into account as well as the living.
* That is, the pleasures of this life.
* Or, ‘the age.’
p. 341
those who believe and do right, and bid each other be true, and bid each other be patient.
Tue CHAPTER OF THE BACKBITER.
(CIV. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Woe to every slanderous backbiter, who collects wealth and counts it.
He thinks that his wealth can immortalize him.
Not so! he shall be hurled into El] ‘Hu¢amah!
[5] And what shall make thee understand what El ‘Huéamah! is ?—the fire of God kindled; which rises above the hearts. Verily, it is an archway over them on long-drawn columns,
THe CHAPTER OF THE ELEPHANT. (CV. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. ,
Hast thou not seen what thy Lord did with the fellows of the elephant? ?
Did He not make their stratagem lead them astray, and send down on them birds in flocks, to throw down on them stones of baked clay, [5] and make them like blades of herbage eaten down?
1 See Introduction, p. lxx.
,
Hast thou not seen what thy Lord did with the fellows of the elephant? ?
Did He not make their stratagem lead them astray, and send down on them birds in flocks, to throw down on them stones of baked clay, [5] and make them like blades of herbage eaten down?
1 See Introduction, p. lxx.
2 Abrahat el Asram, an Abyssinian Christian, and viceroy of the king of Sanaa in Yemen in the year in which Mohammed was born, marched with a large army and some elephants upon Mecca, with the intention of destroying the Kaabah. He was defeated and his army destroyed in so sudden a manner as to have given rise to the
p. 1
THE CHAPTER OF THE QurRAls.
(CVI. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. .
For the uniting of the Qurdais; uniting them for the caravan of winter and summer.
So let them serve the Lord of this house who feeds them against hunger and makes them safe against fear?.
Tue CuHapTer oF ‘ NECESSARIES.
(CVII. Place of origin doubtful.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate
God.
Hast thou considered him who calls the judgment a lie? He it is who pushes the orphan away ; and urges not (others) to feed the poor.
But woe to those who pray [5] and who are careless in their prayers,
Who pretend and withhold necessaries ®.
Tue CuHaprer or Ext KAUuTHAR.
(CVIII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. Verily, we have given thee El] Kéutuar?;
legend embodied in the text. It is conjectured that small-pox broke out amongst his men.
1 See Introduction, p. xvi. Some connect the first sentence with the last chapter.
2 Or, ‘alms.’ The word might be rendered ‘resources.’
5 The word signifies ‘abundance.’ It is also the name of a river in Paradise.
°
CVIII, 2-CXI, r. THE CHAPTER OF ABU LAHEB. 343
So pray to thy Lord and slaughter (victims). Verily, he who hates thee shall be childless +.
Tue CHAPTER OF MISBELIEVERS.
(CIX. Mecca.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate
God.
Say, ‘O ye misbelievers! I do not serve what ye serve; nor will ye serve what I serve; nor will I serve what ye serve; [5] nor will ye serve what I serve ;—ye have your religion, and I have my religion !’
THe CuHaPTerR oF HELP.
(CX. Mecca.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate
God.
When there comes God’s help and victory,
And thou shalt see men enter into God’s religion by troops,
Then celebrate the praises of thy Lord, and ask forgiveness of Him, verily, He is relentant!
Tue CuHapter or Apu LAvEB?,
(CXI. Mecca.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate
God. , Abu Laheb’s two hands shall perish, and he shall
perish !
1 This is directed against As ibn Wail, who, when Mohammed’s son El Qasim died, called him abtar, which means ‘ docktailed,’
i.e. childless. ? See Introduction, p. xxviii. Abu Laheb, ‘the father of the flame,’
p. 5
His wealth shall not avail him, nor what he has earned !
childless. ? See Introduction, p. xxviii. Abu Laheb, ‘the father of the flame,’
p. 5
His wealth shall not avail him, nor what he has earned !
He shall broil in a fire that flames!, and his wife carrying faggots !—[5] on her neck a cord of palm fibres.
Tue CuapTer oF Unity’. (CXII. Place of origin doubtful.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Say, ‘He is God alone ! God the Eternal! He begets not and is not begotten ! Nor is there like unto Him any one!’
THe CHAPTER OF THE DayBREAK. (CXIII. Place of origin doubtful.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak, from the evil of what He has created; and from the evil of the night when it cometh on’; and from the evil of the blowers upon knots‘; [5]and from the evil of the envious when ‘he envies.’
was the nickname of ‘Abd el ’Huzz4, uncle of Mohammed, and a bitter opponent of Islim.
1 A pun upon his name. ' 2 The chapter is generally known in Arabic by the name of El I‘hlas, ‘ clearing oneself, i.e. of belief in any but one God.
5 Or, according to a traditional explanation given by the prophet to ‘Ayeshah, ‘the moon when it is eclipsed.’
* Witches who make knots in string and blow upon them, uttering at the same time some magical formula and the name of the ‘persons they wish to injure.
p. 345
Tue CuartTer oF MEn.
(CXIV. Place of origin doubtful.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of men, the King of men, the God of men, from the evil of the whisperer}, who slinks off, [5] who whispers into the hearts of men!—from ginns and men!’
1 The devil.
INDEX,
(al) Aar€f, bridge of, Int. p. Ixix; Part I, p. 143; Part II, p. 32 noter.
Aaron, I, 38, 94, 125,152, 154, 201; II, 29 n, 36, 39, 41, 50, 51, 68,
; 86, 91, 92, 110, 172, 240N.
Abbas, xxxii, xli, xlii.
‘Abd ad Dar, xvii, xviii.
‘Abdallah ibn Sa’hd ibn Abi Sar‘h, Mohammed’s secretary, Ivii; I, 126 n.
‘Abdallah ibn Ubai, xxxv,
‘Abdallah ibn Ubbai, chief of the ‘Hypocrites,’ Ixiii; II, 74 n 2, 77 1 4, 284n.
— — formula for avoiding the evil influence of ginns in lonely places, II, 305 n.
— — formula of deprecation of hostilities during the sacred months, II, 85.
— — idols, xii.
~~ — Jewish tribes, xiv, xv.
— — manners, ix, x.
— — position of women amongst, xi.
— — pride of birth, x.
— — religion, xi, xiv, xv.
— — superstitions, xi, xii.
— — tribes of, I, 145 ni.
— — vices, x.
— battles, II, 221.
— desert, I, 216n1, 259, n13 II, 36
— — idols, xii.
~~ — Jewish tribes, xiv, xv.
— — manners, ix, x.
— — position of women amongst, xi.
— — pride of birth, x.
— — religion, xi, xiv, xv.
— — superstitions, xi, xii.
— — tribes of, I, 145 ni.
— — vices, x.
— battles, II, 221.
— desert, I, 216n1, 259, n13 II, 36
N13, 234, 235, 240. — desert, ask to be excused from fighting, I, 185, 187.
— desert and town, ix.
— dislike of female offspring, IT, 212.
— disregard of treaties if they are themselves of superior strength to their enemy, I, 260 n2,
— Himyarite, I, 219 n.
Arabs, hospitality, II, 147 n. — hypocrisy, I, 186, 190. — Jewish, xxx. — pagan, burying female children alive, I, 132 n. — — mutilate the ears of cattle, I, 89 nI. — — offerings to idols, I, 132 n. — — superstitions, I, 132 n, 134n. — — superstitious customs respecting cattle, I, 112, 115 nz. — practise of divination amongst, II, 2n2. — relations to their adopted children, IJ, 144. — sacred months not to be put off,
I, 178 ni. — superstitious, II, 7n1. — superstitious about entering
houses by the doors on their return from Mecca, I, 27 ni. ‘Arafat, Ixxiv; I, 29. Arafat, Mount, xliv. Archangels, lxix. ‘Arish, I, 133 n2. Ark, I, 38; II, 164 n. Ar Rahman, Ixi; II, 13 nr. Ashram, Abraha, the, xviii; I1, 341n. Athar, I, 124. . Athar Nagat en Nebf, I, 147 n1. Aus, xxx, xxxiv, xxxix; I, 59 n135 . HI, 217, 239, 258. Ayatu ’] Kursiy, I, g4onr. ‘Ayeshah, xliv; I], 74 02, 75 01,77 N 5, 290, 307 N, 344 N. zar, I, 124.
Baal, priests of, I, 68 n 2.
Babel, tower of, I, 253.
Babylon, I, 14,14 n 2.
Babylonia, ix.
Ba‘hirah, I, 112, 112 nI.
Ba‘dtnazr, I, 41 nt.
Baidsavi, Ixxx; I, 33 n 1, 177 1; IT, 328 n.
Bait allah, xiii; I, 17 n 2.
Balaam, I, 159 nt.
Bedawin, modern, xiv; I, 147n1, 256 n2.
Bedr, battle of, xxxvi, xxxvii; I, 47 ni, 61, 66n1, 86n1, 165n1, 171nt; II, zon, 62n2, 7on2, 257, 274 N, 276.
Bee, similitude of, I, 4 n 3.
Bekkah, xvi; I, 58.
Benu Bakr, xvii.
INDEX.
p. 349
Benu Ghanm, I, 188 n 1, 189 n 1. Benu ‘Huza’hah, xvii.
Benu Kenfnah, xvii.
Bethel, xiii; I, 17 n 2.
Bilal, the first Muezzin, xxiii. Bismillah, Ixviii; 1, 24 n 2, 172 n. Byzantium, ix, xl.
Cain, I, 161 nz.
Calf, golden, I, 6, 7, 12, 13, 155.
Camels, II, 321.
Captives, ransom of, I, 171.
Carmel, Mount, I, 68 n 2.
Cave, fellows of the, II, 14.
Chaldea, xi.
Christianity, x, xiv, xv, li, lii, lix, Ixi.
Christians, I, 8, 15, 19, 54) 99, 105, 107, 1093 II, 16 n1, 58.
— accused of perverting the Scriptures, I, 250 n 3.
Christian traditions, xlvii.
Confederates the, siege of Medinah by, xxxix; II, 138, 138 n 1, 140 n, 142 Nn.
Constantinople, IT, 125 n.
Creator, the, I, 128.
(ed) Daggal, Ixxi.
Dan, xiin1; I, 13 n2.
Dar al Qarar (Chapter xl, 42), the Abode of Rest, Ixx.
Dar as Salam (Chapter vi, 127), the Abode of Peace, Ixx.
David, I, 9 n1, 39, 52, 52 N, 94, 108, 1253 II, 7, 100.
— taught to make coats of mail, II,
151.
— the parable of the ewe lamb, II, 177,178.
Death, angel of, II, 136.
Dar al Qarar (Chapter xl, 42), the Abode of Rest, Ixx.
Dar as Salam (Chapter vi, 127), the Abode of Peace, Ixx.
David, I, 9 n1, 39, 52, 52 N, 94, 108, 1253 II, 7, 100.
— taught to make coats of mail, II,
151.
— the parable of the ewe lamb, II, 177,178.
Death, angel of, II, 136.
Deluge, Mohammedan account of the, I, 209 ni.
Demons, lii.
Denarius, I, 55 n 2.
Deputations, year of, xliii,
Dervishes, I, 53 n 4.
Deuteronomy xxi. 1-9, I, 9 n 2.
Devil, the, I, 162.
— tempts man, II, 276,
Devils, Il, 168 n, 179 n.
— appointed to watch unbelievers, II, 201.
— are not allowed to listen at the gate of heaven, II, 98, 99, 250 n.
— do not descend with the Qur’an, II, 98.
Devils, on whom they do descend,
I, 98.
— pelted with shooting-stars, I, 51n; IT, 293, 305, 330 n.
Duu ’] ‘Heggeh, xxxix; II, 59 n1.
Duu ’! Kifl, 11, 53, 180.
Duu 71 Qa’hdah, xxxix, xl; I, 274.
DuHu 7] Qarnain, II, 24, 24 n 14, 25.
Duu ’n Nawvas, II, 327 n.
Duu ’nndn, I, 53.
Dinar = denarius.
Diodorus, xvi.
Dioscuri, liv.
Discrimination, the, I, 7, 26, 46, 55, 55 n 2, 166, 168; II, 50, 83. Divorce, II, 138,146, 270 n, 288, 289.
— chapter of, II, 288.
Dog-star, II, 254. Dolmens, I, 97 n 2. Dualism, lii; I, 115 n 2. Duwér, xiii.
Eden, gardens of, I, 183, 235, 253; II, 160, 180, 191, 282, 338.