righteous ;’ and we gave him glad tidings of a clement boy.
[100] And when he reached the age to work with him, he said, ‘O my boy! verily, I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice thee!, look then what thou seest right.’
Said he, ‘O my sire! do what thou art bidden; thou wilt find me, if it please God, one of the patient !’
And when they were resigned, and Abraham had thrown him down upon his forehead, we called to him, ‘O Abraham! [105] thou hast verified the vision ; verily, thus do we reward those who do well. This is surely an obvious trial.’ And we ransomed him with a mighty victim; and we left for him amongst posterity, ‘Peace upon Abraham ; [110] thus do we reward those who do well; verily, he was of our servants who believe!’ And we gave him glad tidings of Isaac, a prophet among the righteous ; and we blessed him and Isaac ;—of their seed is one who does well, and one who obviously wrongs himself.
And we were gracious unto Moses and Aaron. [115] We saved them and their people from mighty trouble, and we helped them and they had the upper hand; and we gave them both the perspicuous Book ; and we guided them to the right way; and we left for them amongst posterity, [120] ‘Peace upon Moses and Aaron; verily, thus do we reward those who do well; verily, they were both of our servants who believe !’ .
1 The Mohammedan theory is that it was Ishmael and not Isaac who was taken as a sacrifice,
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And verily Ely4s! was of the apostles; when he said to his people, ‘Will ye not fear ? [125] do ye call upon Baal and leave the best of Creators, God your Lord and the Lord of your fathers of yore ?’
But they called him liar; verily, they shall surely be arraigned, save God’s sincere servants. And we left for him amongst posterity, [130] ‘Peace upon Elydsin?; verily, thus do we reward those who do well; verily, he was-of our servants who believe!’
And, verily, Lot was surely among the apostles ; when we saved him and his people altogether, [135] except an old woman amongst those who lingered ; then we destroyed the others; verily, ye pass by them in the morning and at night; have ye then no sense ?
And, verily, Jonah was amongst the apostles; [140] when he ran away? into the laden ship; and he cast lots and was of those who lost; and a fish. swallowed him, for he was to be blamed; and had it not been that he was of those who celebrated
1 Supposed by the Mohammedans to be the same as Al ‘Hid/r. and Idris.
into the laden ship; and he cast lots and was of those who lost; and a fish. swallowed him, for he was to be blamed; and had it not been that he was of those who celebrated
1 Supposed by the Mohammedans to be the same as Al ‘Hid/r. and Idris.
® This is probably another form of the word Ely4s, on the model of many Hebrew words which have survived in the later Arabic dialect. The Mohammedan commentators however conjecturally interpret it in various ways, some consider it to be a plural form, including Elias and his followers ; others divide the wotd and read it Al-ya-stn, i.e. ‘the family of Ya-sin,’ namely, Elias and his father. Others imagine it to mean Mohammed or the Qur’én. Most probably however the final syllable -in was nothing more than a prolonged utterance of the case-ending, here improperly used in order to preserve the rhyme or final cadence of the verse. The modern Bedawin frequently do the same, and I have heard them singing a song commencing ‘ Zaidfin, Zaidfin, Zaidfn,’ when they should say, Zaidu, ‘O Zaid!’ &c. Trans.
5 The word used in the text is always applied to runaway slaves.
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God’s praises he would surely have tarried in the belly thereof to the day when men shall be raised.
[145] But we cast him on to the barren shore ; and he was sick; and we made to grow over him a gourd tree; and we sent him to a hundred thousand or more, and they believed; and we gave them enjoyment for a season.
Ask them}, ‘Has thy Lord daughters while they have sons?? [150] or have we created the angels females while they were witnesses ?’ is it not of their lie that they say, ‘God has begotten ?’ verily, they are liars.
Has he preferred daughters to sons? what ails you? how ye judge! [155] will ye not be mindful, or have ye obvious authority? then bring your Book if ye do speak the truth.
And they made him to be related to the ginns, while the ginns know that they shall be arraigned ; celebrated be God’s praises from what they attribute !—[160] save God’s sincere servants.
‘Verily, ye and what ye worship shall not try any one concerning him, save him who shall broil in hell; there is none amongst us but has his appointed place, and, [165] verily, we are ranged, and, verily, we celebrate His praises’
And yet they say, ‘Had we a reminder from those of yore we should surely have been of God’s sincere servants.’
[170] But they misbelieved in it*; but soon shall they know.
1 The Meccans.
2 See Part I, p. 256, note 2.
8 This speech is supposed to be the words of the angel Gabriel. “ Le. in the Quran.
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But our word has been passed to our servants who were sent that they should be helped; that, verily, our hosts should gain mastery for them. |
Then turn thou thy back upon them for a time, [175] and look upon them, for soon they too shall look.
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But our word has been passed to our servants who were sent that they should be helped; that, verily, our hosts should gain mastery for them. |
Then turn thou thy back upon them for a time, [175] and look upon them, for soon they too shall look.
Would they hasten on our torment ? but when it descends in their court, ill will the morning be of those who have been warned !
But turn thy back upon them for a time; and look, for soon they too shall look.
[180] Celebrated be the praises of thy Lord, the Lord of glory, above what they attribute! and peace be upon the apostles and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds!
THe CHAPTER OF S,} (XXXVIII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
S. By the Qur'4n with its reminder! nay, but those who misbelieve are in pride, schism !
How many a generation have we destroyed before them, and they cried out, but it was no time to escape !
And they wonder that a warner has come from amongst themselves, and the misbelievers say, ‘This
1 The Arabic commentators say of this title, ‘God only knows what He means by it.’ All the explanations given of it are purely conjectural. See the Introduction for this and the other mysterious letters used throughout the Qur’an.
176 THE QuR’AN. XXXVIII, 3-16.
is a magician, a liar!’ What! does he make the gods to be one God ? verily, this is a wondrous thing.
[5] And the chiefs of them went away: ‘Go on and persevere in your gods; this is a thing designed ; we never heard this in any other sect; this is nothing but a fiction! Has a reminder come down ‘upon him from amongst us?’ nay, they are in doubt concerning my reminder; nay, they have not yet tasted of my torment!
Have they the treasures of the mercy of thy mighty Lord, the giver ? or have they the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth, and what is between the two ?—then let them climb up the ropes thereof.
[to] Any host whatever of the confederates shall there be routed.
Before them did Noah’s people, and ‘Ad, and Pharaoh of the stakes! call the apostles liars; and Thamfd and the people of Lot, and the fellows of the Grove, they were the confederates too.
They all did naught but call the apostles liars, and just was the punishment! Do these? await aught else -but one noise for which there shall be no pause ?
[15] But they say, ‘O our Lord, hasten for us our share before the day of reckoning !’
Be patient of what they say, and remember our servant David endowed with might; verily, he
}’Some say this refers to the punishment which Pharaoh used to inflict upon those who had offended him, whom he used to tie to four stakes and then torture. Others take the expression to refer. to the stability of Pharaoh’s kingdom. The word in the original is applied to the pegs with which Arabs fasten their tents.
* The Meccans.
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Others take the expression to refer. to the stability of Pharaoh’s kingdom. The word in the original is applied to the pegs with which Arabs fasten their tents.
* The Meccans.
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turned frequently to us. Verily, we subjected the mountains to celebrate with him our praises at the evening and the dawn; and the birds too gathered together, each one would oft return to him; and we strengthened his kingdom, and we gave him wisdom and decisive address.
[20] Has there come to thee the story of the antagonists when they scaled the chamber wall ? when they entered in unto David, and he was startled at them, they said, ‘Fear not, we are two antagonists ; one of us has injured the other ; judge then between us with the truth and be not partial, but guide us to a level way. Verily, this is my brother: he had ninety-nine ewes and I had one ewe; and he said, “Give her over to my charge;” and he overcame me in the discourse.’ Said he, ‘ He wronged thee in asking for thy ewe in addition to his own ewes. Verily, many associates do injure one another, except those who believe and do what is right, and very few are they!’
And he thought that we were trying him; and he asked pardon of his Lord and fell down bowing, and did turn; and we pardoned him; for, verily, he has a near approach to us and an excellent resort.
[25] O David! verily, we have made thee a vicegerent, judge then between men with truth and follow not ‘lust, for it will lead thee astray from the path of God. Verily, those who go astray from the path of God, for them is keen torment, for that they did forget the day of reckoning !
And we have not created the heavens and the earth, and what is between the two, in vain. That is what those who misbelieved did think, but woe from the fire to those who misbelieve!
[9] N
178 THE Qur’AN. XXXVIII, 27-34.
Shall we make those who believe and do right like those who do evil in the earth? or shall we make the pious like the sinners ?
A blessed Book which we have sent down to thee that they may consider its verses, and that those endowed with minds may be mindful.
And we gave to David, Solomon, an excellent servant; verily, he turned frequently to us. [30] When there were set before him in the evening the steeds that paw the ground}, and he said, ‘Verily, I have loved the love of good things better than the remembrance of my Lord, until (the sun) was hidden behind the veil; bring them back to me;’ and he began to sever their legs and necks.
And we did try Solomon, and we threw upon his throne a form; then he turned repentant*. Said he,
And we did try Solomon, and we threw upon his throne a form; then he turned repentant*. Said he,
1 The word in Arabic signifies a horse that stands on three legs and just touches the ground with the fore part of the hoof of the fourth. The story is that Solomon was so lost in the contemplation of his horses one day that he forgot the time of evening prayer, and was so smitten with remorse on discovering his negligence that he sacrificed them all except a hundred of the best. God however recompensed him by giving him dominion over the winds instead.
® The Mohammedan legend, borrowed from the Talmud, is that having conquered the king of Sidon and brought away his daughter Gerddeh, he made her his favourite. She however so incessantly mourned her father that Solomon commanded the devils to make an image of him to console her, and to this she and her maids used to pay divine honours. To punish him for encouraging this idolatry, a devil named Sakhar one day obtained possession of his ring, which he used to entrust to a concubine named Aminah when he went out for any necessary purpose. As the whole secret of his power lay in this ring, which was engraved with the Holy Name, the devil was able to personate Solomon, who, being changed in form, was not recognised by his subjects, and wandered about for the space of forty days, the time during which the image had been worshipped in his house. After this Sakhar flew, away and threw
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‘My Lord, pardon me and grant me a kingdom that is not seemly for any one after me; verily, thou art He who grants!’
[35] And we subjected to him the wind to run on at his bidding gently wherever he directed it; and the devils—every builder and diver, and others bound in fetters—‘ this is our gift, so be thou lavish or withhold without account|!’
And, verily, he had with us a near approach, and a good resort.
[40] And remember our servant Job when he called upon his Lord that ‘the devil has touched me with toil and torment!’
‘Stamp with thy foot, this is a cool washing-place and a drink.’ And we granted him his family, and the like of them with them, as a mercy from us and a reminder to those endowed with minds,—‘ and take in thy hand a bundle, and strike therewith, and break not thy oath!’ Verily, we found him patient?, an excellent servant; verily, he turned frequently to us.
[45] And remember our servants Abraham and the signet into the sea, where it was swallowed by a fish, which was afterwards caught and brought to Solomon, who by this means recovered his kingdom and power.
[45] And remember our servants Abraham and the signet into the sea, where it was swallowed by a fish, which was afterwards caught and brought to Solomon, who by this means recovered his kingdom and power.
1 The Mohammedan legend is that when Job was undergoing his trials, the devil appeared to his wife and promised, if she would worship him, to restore their former prosperity; this she asked her husband to allow her to do. Job was so enraged at her conduct that he swore if he recovered to give her a hundred stripes. When Job had uttered the prayer recorded on page 52, line 19, Gabriel appeared and bade him in the words of the text to strike the ground with his feet. A fountain at once gushed forth, in which he washed and was healed, his wife also becoming young and beautiful again. In order not to break his oath he was commanded to strike her with a bundle of palm leaves, giving her a hundred painless blows at once.
N 2
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Isaac and Jacob, endowed with might and sight; verily, we made them sincere by a sincere quality —the remembrance of the abode ; and, verily, they were with us of the elect, the best.
And remember Ishmael and Elisha and Duu-lkifl, for each was of the righteous’. This is a reminder! verily, for the pious is there an excellent resort,—_{50] gardens of Eden with the doors open to them ;—reclining therein; calling therein for much fruit and drink ; and beside them maids of modest glance, of their own age,—‘ This is what ye were promised for the day of reckoning !’—‘ This is surely our provision, it is never spent!’
[55] This !—and, verily, for the rebellious is there an evil resort,—hell ; they shall broil therein, and an ill couch shall it be! This,—so let them taste it! —hot water, and pus, and other kinds of the same sort! ‘This is an army plunged in with you! there is no welcome for them! verily, they are going to broil in the fire!’
[60] They shall say, ‘Nay, for you too is there no welcome! it was ye who prepared it beforehand for us, and an ill resting-place it is!’
They shall say, ‘Our Lord! whoso prepared this beforehand for us, give him double torment in the fire!’ And they shall say, ‘What ails us that we do not see men whom we used to think amongst the wicked? whom we used to take for mockery? have our eyes escaped them ?’
Verily, that is the truth; the contention of the people of the fire.
[65] Say, ‘I am only a warner; and there is no
1 See page 53.
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god but God, the one, the victorious, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and what is between the two, the mighty, the forgiving!’
Say, ‘It is a grand story, and yet ye turn from it!’ I had no knowledge of the exalted chiefs when they contended.
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god but God, the one, the victorious, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and what is between the two, the mighty, the forgiving!’
Say, ‘It is a grand story, and yet ye turn from it!’ I had no knowledge of the exalted chiefs when they contended.
[70] I am only inspired that I am a plain warner. When thy Lord said to the angels, ‘Verily, I am about to create a mortal out of clay; and when I have fashioned him, and breathed into him of my spirit, then fall ye down before him adoring.’ And the angels adored all of them, save Iblis, who was too big with pride, and was of the misbelievers.
[75] Said He, ‘O Iblis! what prevents thee from adoring what I have created with my two hands? art thou too big with pride? or art thou amongst the exalted?’ Said he, ‘I am better than he, Thou hast created me from fire, and him Thou hast created from clay.’ Said He, ‘ Then go forth therefrom, for, verily, thou art pelted, and, verily, upon thee is my curse unto the day of judgment.’
[80] Said he,‘ My Lord! then respite me until the day when they are raised.’ Said He, ‘hen thou art amongst the respited until the day of the stated time.’ Said he, ‘Then, by Thy might! I will surely seduce them all together, except Thy servants amongst them who are sincere!’ [85] Said He, ‘It is the truth, and the truth I speak; I will surely fill hell with thee and with those who follow thee amongst them all together.’
Say, ‘1 do not ask thee for it any hire, nor am I of those who take too much upon myself. It is but a reminder to the servants, and ye shall surely know its story after a time.’
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Tue CHAPTER OF THE FROOPS. (XXXIX. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
The sending down of the Book from God, the mighty, the wise.
Verily, we have sent down to thee the Book in truth, then serve God, being sincere in religion unto Him. Aye! God’s is the sincere religion: and those who take beside Him patrons ‘We do not serve them save that they may bring us near to God Verily, God will judge between them concerning that whereon they do dispute.
[5] Verily, God guides not him who is a misbelieving liar.
Had God wished to take to Himself a child, He would have chosen what He pleased from what He creates;—celebrated be His praises! He is God, the one, the victorious. He created the heavens and the earth in truth! It is He who clothes the day with night; and clothes the night with day; and subjects the sun and the moon, each one runs on to an appointed time; aye! He is the mighty, the forgiving! He created you from one soul; then He made from it its mate; and He sent down upon you of the cattle four pairs}! He creates you in the bellies of your mothers,— creation after creation, in three darknesses*, That is God for you! His is the kingdom, there is no god but He; how then can ye be turned away ?
* Camel, oxen, sheep, and goats. ? Te. the belly, the womb, and the placenta.
He creates you in the bellies of your mothers,— creation after creation, in three darknesses*, That is God for you! His is the kingdom, there is no god but He; how then can ye be turned away ?
* Camel, oxen, sheep, and goats. ? Te. the belly, the womb, and the placenta.
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If ye be thankless, yet is God independent of you. He is not pleased with ingratitude in His servants ; but if ye give thanks, He is pleased with that in you. But no burdened soul shall bear the burden of another; then unto your Lord is your return, and He’ will inform you of that which ye have done. [10] Verily, He knows the natures of men’s breasts!
And when distress touches a man he calls his Lord, turning repentant to Him; then when He confers on him a favour from Himself he forgets what he had called upon Him for before, and makes peers for God to lead astray from His way! Say, ‘Enjoy thyself in thy misbelief a little, verily, thou art of the fellows of the Fire.’
Shall he who is devout throughout the night, adoring and standing, cautious. concerning the hereafter, and hoping for the mercy of his Lord...? Say, ‘Shall those who know be deemed equal with those who know not? only those will remember, who are endowed with minds!”
Say, ‘O my servants who believe! fear your Lord! for those who do well in this world is good, and God’s earth is spacious; verily, the patient shall be paid their hire without count !’
Say, ‘Verily, I am bidden to serve God, being sincere in religion to Him; and I am bidden that I be the first of those resigned.”
{15] Say, ‘Verily, I fear, if I rebel against my Lord, the torment of a mighty day.’ Say, ‘God do I serve, being sincere in my religion to Him; serve then what ye will beside Him!’ Say, ‘ Verily, the losers are those who lose themselves and their families on the resurrection day. Aye, that is the obvious loss.’
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They shall have over them shades of fire, and under them shades; with that does God frighten His servants: O my servants! then fear me.
But those who avoid 74ghit! and serve them not, but turn repentant unto God, for them shall be glad tidings. Then give glad tidings to my servants who listen to the word and follow the best thereof: they it is whom God guides, and they it is who are endowed with minds. [20] Him against whom the word of torment is due,—canst thou rescue him from the fire?
But for those who fear their Lord for them are upper chambers, and upper chambers above them built, beneath which rivers flow; God’s promise ! God does not fail in His promise.
Hast thou not seen that God sends down from the heaven water, and conducts it into springs in the earth? then He brings forth therewith corn varied in kind, then it dries up, and ye see it grow yellow ; then He makes it grit ;—verily, in that is a reminder for those endowed with minds,
Hast thou not seen that God sends down from the heaven water, and conducts it into springs in the earth? then He brings forth therewith corn varied in kind, then it dries up, and ye see it grow yellow ; then He makes it grit ;—verily, in that is a reminder for those endowed with minds,
Is he whose breast God has expanded for Isl4m, and who is in light from his Lord....? And woe to those whose hearts are hardened against a remembrance of God! those are in obvious error.
God has sent down the best of legends, a book uniform and repeating; whereat the skins of those who fear their Lord do creep! then their skins and their hearts soften at the remembrance of God. That is the guidance of God! He guides therewith whom He will. But he whom God leads astray there is no guide for him.
* See Part I, p. 40, note 2.
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[25] Shall he who must screen himself with his |
{ own face from the evil torment on the resurrection day....? And it shall be said of those who do wrong, taste what ye have earned.
Those before them called the (prophets) liars, and the torment came to them from whence they perceived it not; and God made them taste disgrace in the life of this world. But surely the torment of the hereafter is greater, if they did but know. We have struck out for men in this Qur’4n every sort of parable, haply they may be mindful. An Arabic Qur’4n with no crookedness therein; haply they may fear!
[30] God has struck out a parable, a man who has partners who oppose each other; and a man who is wholly given up to another ; shall they be deemed equal in similitude ? praise be to God! nay, but most of them know not!
YT Verily, thou shalt die, and, verily, they shall die ;
then, verily, on the resurrection day before your Lord shall ye dispute.
And who is more unjust than he who lies against God, and calls the truth a lie when it comes to him? Is there not in hell a resort for those who misbelieve ? but whoso brings the truth and believes in it, these are they who fear.
[35] For them is what they please with their Lord, that is the reward of those who do well; that God may cover for them their offences which they have done, and may reward them with their hire for the best of that which they have done. \
Is not God sufficient for His servants? and yet they would frighten thee with those beside Him}.
1 By their idols.
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But he whom God leads astray there is no guide for him ; and he whom God guides there is none to lead him astray: is not God mighty, the Lord of vengeance ?
And if thou shouldst ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say, ‘God!’ Say, ‘Have ye considered what ye call on beside God? If God wished me harm?, could they remove His harm ? or did He wish me mercy, could they withhold His mercy?’ Say, ‘God is enough for me, and on Him rely those who rely.’
If God wished me harm?, could they remove His harm ? or did He wish me mercy, could they withhold His mercy?’ Say, ‘God is enough for me, and on Him rely those who rely.’
[40] Say, ‘O my people! act according to your power; I too am going to act; and ye shall know.’
He to whom the torment comes it shall disgrace him, and there shall alight upon him lasting torment.
Verily, we have sent down to thee the Book for men in truth; and whosoever is guided it is for his own soul: but whoso goes astray it is against them, and thou art not a guardian for them.
God takes to Himself souls at the time of their death ; and those which do not die (He takes) in their sleep; and He holds back those on whom He. has decreed death, and sends others back till their appointed time ;—verily, in that are signs unto a people who reflect.
Do they take besides God intercessors? Say, ‘What! though they have no control over anything and have no sense.’
[45] Say, ‘God’s is the intercession, all of it; His
! The pronoun in Arabic is feminine, and refers to the false gods, especially to the favourite goddesses of the Qurais.
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is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; then unto Him shall ye be sent back.’
And when God alone is mentioned the hearts of those who believe not in the hereafter quake, and when those beside Him are mentioned, lo, they are joyful !
Say, ‘O God! originator of the heavens and the earth, who knowest the unseen and the visible, thou wilt judge between thy servants concerning that whereon they do dispute!’
And had those who do wrong all that is in the earth, and the like thereof with it, they would ransom themselves therewith from the evil of the torment on the resurrection day! but there shall appear to them from God that which they had not reckoned on; and the evils of what they have earned shall appear to them ; but that shall close in on them at which they mocked!
[50] And when harm touches man he alls on us; then, when we grant him favour from us, he says, ‘Verily, I am given it through knowledge!’ nay, it is a trial—but most of them do not know!
Those before them said it too, but that availed them not which they had earned, and there befel them the evil deeds of what they had earned: and those who do wrong of these (Meccans), there shall befall them too the evil deeds of what they had earned, nor shall they frustrate Him.
Have they not known that God extends His provision to whom He pleases, or doles it out? verily, in that are signs unto a people who believe.
Say, ‘O my servants! who have been extravagant against their own souls!’ be not in despair of thep. 65 mercy of God; verily, God forgives sins, all of them ; verily, He is forgiving, merciful.
verily, in that are signs unto a people who believe.
Say, ‘O my servants! who have been extravagant against their own souls!’ be not in despair of thep. 65 mercy of God; verily, God forgives sins, all of them ; verily, He is forgiving, merciful.
[55] But turn repentant unto your Lord, and resign yourselves to Him, before there comes on you torment! then ye shall not be helped: and follow the best of what has been sent down to you from your Lord, before there come on you the torment suddenly, ere ye can perceive!
Lest a soul should say, ‘O my sighing! for what I have neglected towards God! for, verily, I was amongst those who did jest!’ or lest it should say, ‘If God had but guided me, I should surely have been of those who fear!’ or lest it should say, when it sees the torment, ‘ Had I another turn I should be of those who do well!’
[60] ‘Yea! there came to thee my signs and thou didst call them lies, and wert too big with pride, and wert of those who misbelieved!’
And on the resurrection day thou shalt see those who lied against God, with their faces blackened. Is there not in hell a resort for those who are too big with pride ?
And God shall rescue those who fear Him, into their safe place ; no evil shall touch them, nor shall they be grieved.
God is the creator of everything, and He is guardian over everything; His are the keys of the heavens and the earth; and those who misbelieve in the signs of God, they it is who lose!
Say, ‘What! other than God would you bid me serve, O ye ignorant ones? [65] When He has inspired thee and those before thee that, “If thou dost associate aught with Him, thy work will surely be in vain, and thou shalt surely be of those whop. 189 lose!” N ay, but God do thou serve, and be of those who do give thanks!’
[65] When He has inspired thee and those before thee that, “If thou dost associate aught with Him, thy work will surely be in vain, and thou shalt surely be of those whop. 189 lose!” N ay, but God do thou serve, and be of those who do give thanks!’
And they do not value God at His true value; while the earth all of it is but a handful for Him on the resurrection day, and the heavens shall be rolled up in His right hand! Celebrated be His praise! and exalted be He above what they associate with Him! And the trumpet shall be blown, and those who are in the heavens and in the earth shall swoon, save whom: God pleases. Then it shall be blown again, and, lo! they shall stand up and look on. And the earth shall beam with the light of its Lord, and the Book shall be set forth, and the prophets and martyrs! shall be brought ; and it shall be decreed between them in truth, and they shall not be wronged! [70] And every soul shall be paid for what it has done, and He knows best that which they do; and those who misbelieve shall be driven to hell in troops; and when they come there, its doors shalt be opened, and its keepers shall say to them, ‘Did not apostles from amongst yourselves come to you to recite to you the signs of your Lord, and to warn you of the meeting of this day of yours?’ They shalt say, ‘Yea, but the sentence of torment was due against the misbelievers!’ It shall be said, ‘Enter ye the gates of hell, to dwell therein for aye! Hell is the resort of those who are too big with pride?’
But those who fear their Lord shall be driven to Paradise in troops; until they come there, its doors shall be opened, and its keepers shall say to them, ‘Peace be upon you, ye have done well!
1 Or witnesses.
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so enter in to dwell for aye!’ and they shall say, ‘Praise be to God, who hath made good His promise to us, and hath given us the earth to inherit! We establish ourselves in Paradise wherever we please ; and goodly is the reward of those who work!’ {
[75] And thou shalt see the angels circling round about the throne, celebrating the praise of their Lord; and it shall be decided between them in truth ; and it shall be said,‘ Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds!’
Tur CHAPTER OF THE BELIEVER. (XL. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
‘H.M. The sending down of the Book from God, the mighty, the knowing, the forgiver of sin and accepter of repentance, keen at punishment, longsuffering ! there is no god but He! to whom the journey is!
None wrangle concerning the signs of God but those who misbelieve; then let not their going to and fro in the cities deceive thee.
[5] The people of Noah before them called the prophets liars; and the confederates after them ; and every nation schemed against their Apostle to catch him. And they wrangled with falsehood that they might refute the truth thereby, but I seized them, and how was my punishment!
[5] The people of Noah before them called the prophets liars; and the confederates after them ; and every nation schemed against their Apostle to catch him. And they wrangled with falsehood that they might refute the truth thereby, but I seized them, and how was my punishment!
Thus was the sentence of thy Lord due against those who misbelieved, that they are the fellows of the Fire!
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Those who bear the throne and those around it celebrate the praise of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask pardon for those who believe: ‘ Our Lord! thou dost embrace all things in mercy and knowledge, then pardon those who turn repentant and follow thy way, and guard them from the torment of hell! Our Lord! make them enter into gardens of Eden which thou hast promised to them, and to those who do well of their fathers, and their wives, and their seed; verily, thou art the mighty, the wise! and guard them from evil deeds, for he whom thou shalt guard from evil deeds on that day, thou wilt have had mercy on, and that is mighty bliss!’
[10] Verily, those who misbelieve shall be cried out to, ‘Surely, God's hatred is greater than your hatred of each other when ye were called unto the faith and misbelieved !’ They shall say, ‘Our Lord! Thou hast killed us twice, and Thou hast quickened us twice!; and we do confess our sins: is there then a way for getting out ?’
That is because when God alone was proclaimed ye did disbelieve ; but when partners were joined to Him ye did believe ; but judgment belongs to God, the high, the great! He it is who shows you His signs, and sends down to you from heaven provision; but none is mindful except him who turns repentant; then call on God, being sincere in your religion to Him, averse although the misbelievers be! [15] Exalted of degrees! The Lord
1 Referring to the absence of life before birth and the deprivation of it at death, and to the being quickened at birth and raised again after death.
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of the throne! He throws the spirit by His bidding upon whom He will of His servants, to give warning of the day of meeting. The day when they shall be issuing forth, naught concerning them shall be hidden from God. Whose is the kingdom on that day ?—God’s, the one, the dominant! to-day shall every soul be recompensed for that which it has earned. There is no wrong to-day; verily, God is quick at reckoning up!
And warn them of the day that approaches, when hearts are choking in the gullets; those who do wrong shall have no warm friend, and no intercessor who shall be obeyed. [20] He knows the deceitful of eye and what men’s breasts conceal, and God decides with truth; but those they call on beside Him do not decide at all: verily, God, He both hears and looks.
[20] He knows the deceitful of eye and what men’s breasts conceal, and God decides with truth; but those they call on beside Him do not decide at all: verily, God, He both hears and looks.
Have they not journeyed on in the earth and seen how was the end of those who journeyed on before them? They were stronger than them in might, and their vestiges are in the land; but God caught them up in their sins, and they had none to guard them against God.
That is for that their apostles did come to them with manifest signs, and they misbelieved, and God caught them up; verily, He is mighty, keen to punish !
And we did send Moses with our signs, and with obvious authority, [25] unto Pharaoh and Hémén and Qartin. They said,‘A lying sorcerer!’ and when they came to them with truth from us, they said, ‘ Kill the sons of those who believe with him, and let their women live!’ but the stratagem of the misbelievers is only in error!
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And Pharaoh said, ‘ Let me kill Moses; and then let him call upon his Lord! verily, I fear that he will change your religion, or that he will cause evil doing to appear in the land.’
And Moses said, ‘Verily, I take refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every one who is big with pride and believes not on the day of reckoning.’
And a believing man of Pharaoh’s people, who concealed his faith, said, ‘Will ye kill a man for saying, My Lord is God, when he has come to you with manifest signs from your Lord ? and if he be a liar, against him is his lie; and if he be truthful, there will befall you ‘somewhat of that which he threatens you; verily, God guides not him who is an extravagant liar. [30] O my people! yours is the kingdom to-day, ye are eminent in the land, but who will help us against the violence of ‘God, if it comes upon us?’
Said Pharaoh, ‘I will only show you what I see, and I will only guide you into the way of right direction.’
And he who believed said, ‘O my people! verily, I fear for you the like of the day of the confederates, the like of the wont of the people of Noah and ‘Ad and H4méan, and of those after them ; for ‘God desires not injustice for His servants. O my people! verily, I fear for you the day of crying out,— [35] the day when ye shall turn your backs, fleeing, with no defender for you against God; for he whom God leads astray, for him there is no guide!
‘And Joseph came to you before with manifest signs, but ye ceased not to doubt concerning what he brought you, until, when he perished, ye said, “God will not send after him an apostle;” thus
[9] fe)
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does God lead astray him who is extravagant, a doubter.
‘Those who wrangle concerning the signs of God without authority having come to them are greatly hated by God and by those who believe; thus does God set a stamp upon the heart of every tyrant too big with pride!’
XL, 36-46.
does God lead astray him who is extravagant, a doubter.
‘Those who wrangle concerning the signs of God without authority having come to them are greatly hated by God and by those who believe; thus does God set a stamp upon the heart of every tyrant too big with pride!’
And Pharaoh said, ‘O Haman! build for me a tower, haply I may reach the tracts,—the tracts of heaven, and may mount up to the God of Moses, for, verily, I think him a liar.’
[40] And thus was his evil deed made seemly to Pharaoh, and he was turned from the way; but Pharaoh’s stratagem ended only in ruin, and he who believed said, ‘O my people! follow me, I will guide you to the way of the right direction. O my people! verily, the life of this world is but a provision, but, verily, the hereafter, that is the abode of stability! Whoso does evil, he shall only be recompensed with the like thereof; and whoso does right, be it male or female and a believer, these shall enter into Paradise; they shall be provided therein without count. O my people! why should I call you to salvation, and you call me to the fire? [45] Ye call on me to disbelieve in God, and to join with Him what I have no knowledge of; but I call you to the mighty forgiving One! no doubt that what ye call me to, ought not to be called on in this world or in the hereafter, and that we shall be sent back to God, and that the extravagant, they are the fellows of the Fire!
‘But ye shall remember what I say to you; and I entrust my affair to Gad, verily, God looks upon His servants !’
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And God guarded him from the evils of what they plotted, and there closed in upon Pharaoh evil woe.
The fire—they shall be exposed to it morning and evening; and ‘on the day the Hour shall arise, enter, O people of Pharaoh! into the keenest torment.
[50] And when they argue together in the fire, and the weak say to those who were big with pride, ‘Verily, we were followers of yours, can ye then avail us against a portion of the fire ?’
Those who were big with pride shall say, ‘ Verily, we are all in it; verily, God has judged between His servants.’
And those who are in the fire shall say unto the keepers of hell, ‘Call upon your Lord to lighten from us one day of the torment.’ They shall say, ‘ Did not your apostles come to you with manifest signs ?’ They shall say, ‘Yea!’ They shall say, ‘Then, call !’—-but the call of the misbelievers is only in error.
Verily, we will help our apostles, and those who believe, in the life of this world and on the day when the witnesses shall stand up: [55] the day when their excuse shall not avail the unjust; but for them is the curse, and for them is an evil abode.
And we did give Moses the guidance; and we made the children of Israel to inherit the Book, as a guidance and a reminder to those endowed with minds.
Be thou patient, then; verily, God’s promise is true: and ask thou forgiveness for thy sins, and
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And we did give Moses the guidance; and we made the children of Israel to inherit the Book, as a guidance and a reminder to those endowed with minds.
Be thou patient, then; verily, God’s promise is true: and ask thou forgiveness for thy sins, andp. 02p. 66 celebrate the praise of thy Lord in the evening and in the morn.
Verily, those who wrangle concerning the signs of God without authority having come to them, there is naught in their breasts but pride; but they shall not attain it: do thou then seek refuge in God; verily, He both hears and looks!
Surely the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of man: but most men know it not.
[60] The blind and the seeing shall not be deemed alike, nor those who believe and do right and the evildoer ; little is it that they remember.
Verily, the Hour will surely come; there is no doubt therein; but most men do not believe!
And your Lord said, ‘Call upon me, I will answer you; verily, those who are too big with pride to ~ worship shall enter into hell, shrinking up.’
God it is who has made for you the night to repose therein, and the day to see by; verily, God is Lord of grace to men, but most men give no thanks!
There is God for you! your Lord! the creator of everything! there is no god but He, how then can ye lie? [65] Thus did those lie who gainsaid the signs of God.
God it is who has made for you the earth as a resting-place, and a heaven as building, and has formed you and made excellent your forms; and has provided you with good things! there is God for you!—your Lord! then blessed be God, the Lord of the worlds!
1 Or ‘turn away.’
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He is the living One, there is no god but He! then call on Him, being sincere in your religion to Him; praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds!
Say, ‘ Verily, I am forbidden to serve those whom ye call on beside God, since there have come to me manifest signs from my Lord, and I am bidden to be resigned unto the Lord of the worlds.’
He it is who created you from the earth, then from a clot, then from congealed blood, then He brings you forth a child; then ye reach to puberty; then do ye become old men,—though of you there are some who are taken away before,—that ye may reach an appointed time, and haply ye may have some sense.
[70] He it is who quickens and kills, and when He decrees a matter, then He only says to it, ‘BE,’ and it is.
Hast thou not seen those who wrangle concerning the signs of God how they are turned away? Those who call the Book, and what we have sent our apostles with, a lie, soon shall they know—when the fetters are on their necks and the chains, as they are dragged into hell!—then in the fire shall they be baked.
Then it shall be said to them, ‘Where is what ye did associate beside God?’ They shall say, ‘They have strayed away from us; nay, we did not call before upon anything !’—thus does God lead the misbelievers astray.
Then it shall be said to them, ‘Where is what ye did associate beside God?’ They shall say, ‘They have strayed away from us; nay, we did not call before upon anything !’—thus does God lead the misbelievers astray.
[75] There! for that ye did rejoice in the land without right; and for that ye did exult; enter ye the gates of hell, to dwell therein for aye; for evil is the resort of those who are too big with pride!
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But be thou patient ; verily, the promise of God is true; and whether we show thee a part of what we promised them, or whether we surely take thee to ourself, unto us shall they be returned.
And we did send apostles before thee: of them are some whose stories we have related to thee, and of them are some:whose stories we have not related to thee; and no apostle might ever bring a sign except by the permission of God; but when God’s bidding came it was decided with truth, and there were those lost who deemed it vain!
God it is who has made for you cattle, that ye may ride on some of them ;—and of them ye eat, [80] and ye have in them advantages ;—and that ye may attain thereon a want which is in your breasts ; upon them and upon ships are ye borne.
He shows you His signs; which sign then of your Lord do ye deny?
Have they not journeyed on in the land and seen how was the end of those before them, who were more numerous than they and stronger in might, and in their vestiges which are still in the land? but of no avail to them was that which they had earned.
And when there came to them their apostles with manifest signs they rejoiced in what knowledge they had; but there closed in upon them that whereat they had mocked.
And when they saw our violence they said, ‘We believe in God alone, and we disbelieve in what we once associated with Him.’
[85] But their faith was of no avail to them when they saw our violence—the course of God with His servants in time past, and there the misbelievers lose !
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Tue Cuapter ‘ DETAILED.’ (XLI. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
‘H. M. A revelation from the ‘merciful, the compassionate; a book whose signs are detailed; an Arabic Qur’An for a people who do know; a-herald of glad tidings and a'warning. But most of them turn aside and do not hear, and say, ‘ Our hearts are veiled from what thou dost call us to, and in our ears is dulness, and between us and thee there is a veil. Act thou; verily, we are ‘acting too!’ [5] Say,. ‘I am but a mortal like yourselves, I am inspired that your God is one God; then go straight to Him, and ask forgiveness of Him; and woe to the idolaters, who give not alms, and in the hereafter disbelieve !’
Verily, those who believe and do right, for them is a hire that is not grudged.
Say, ‘What! do ye really misbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days, and-do ye make peers for Him ?—that is the Lord ‘of the worlds!’
Say, ‘What! do ye really misbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days, and-do ye make peers for Him ?—that is the Lord ‘of the worlds!’
And He placed thereon! firm mountains above it and blessed it, and apportioned therein its foods in four days alike for those who ask. [10] Then He made for the heaven and it was but smoke, and He said to it and to the earth, ‘Come, ye two, whether ye will or no!’ They said, ‘We come willingly!’
And He decreed them seven heavens in two days, and inspired every heaven with its bidding: and we
1 On the earth.
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adorned the lower heaven with lamps and guardian angels; that is the decree of the mighty, the knowing One.
But if they turn aside, then say, ‘I have warned you of a thunder-clap like the thunder-clap of ‘Ad and Thamtd; when their apostles came to them from before them and from behind them (saying), “Serve ye none but God.”’ They said, ‘If our Lord pleased He would send down angels; so we in what ye are sent with disbelieve.’
And as for ‘Ad, they were big with pride in the land, without right, and said, ‘Who is stronger than us in might?’ Did they not see that God who created them He was stronger than they in might? But they did gainsay our signs. [15] And we sent upon them a cold blast in unfortunate days, that we might make them taste the torment of disgrace in the life of this world ;—but the torment of the hereafter is more disgraceful, and they shall not be helped.
And as for Thamtid we guided them; but they preferred blindness to guidance, and the thunderclap of the torment of abasement caught them for what they had earned; but we saved those who believed and who did fear.
And the day when the enemies of God shall be gathered together into the fire, marshalled along; until when they come to. it, their hearing and their eyesight and their skins shall bear witness against them of that which they have done. [20] And they shall say to their skins, ‘Why have ye borne witness against us?’ they shall say, ‘God gave us speech who has. given. speech to everything ; He created you at first, and unto Him shall ye be returned ;
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and ye could not conceal yourselves that your hear- | ing and yeur eyesight should not be witness against you, nor your skins; but ye thought that God did not know much of what ye do. And that thought of yours which ye thought concerning your Lord has destroyed you, and ye have now become of those who lose!’
And if they are patient, still the fire is a resort for them ; and if they ask for favour again, they shall not be taken into favour.
We will allot to them mates!, for they have made seemly to them what was before them and what was behind them ; and due against them was the sentence on the nations who passed away before them ; both of ginns and of mankind; verily, they were the losers !
We will allot to them mates!, for they have made seemly to them what was before them and what was behind them ; and due against them was the sentence on the nations who passed away before them ; both of ginns and of mankind; verily, they were the losers !
[25] Those who misbelieve say, ‘Listen not to this Qur’4n, but talk foolishly about it, haply ye may gain the upper hand?” But we will make those who misbelieve taste keen torment; and we will recompense them with the worst of that which they have done. That is, the recompence of the enemies of God,—the fire! for them is an eternal abode therein: a recompence for that they did gainsay our signs.
And those who misbelieved say, ‘Our Lord, show us those who have led us astray amongst the ginns and mankind; we will place them beneath our feet, and they shall both be amongst those who are put down!’ [30] Verily, those who say, ‘Our Lord is God,’ and then go straight, the angels descend upon them—‘ fear not and be not grieved, but receive the glad tidings of Paradise which ye were promised ;
1 Devils, opposed to the guardian angels of the believers. 2 T.e. interrupt the reading of the Qur'an by talking, in order to overpower the voice of the reader.
202 THE Qur’AN. XLI, 31-40.
we are your patrons in the life of this world and in the next, and ye shall have therein what your souls desire, and ye shall have therein what ye call for,—an entertainment from the forgiving, the merciful !’
And who speaks better than he who calls to God and does right, and says, ‘Verily, I am of those resigned ?’
Good and evil shall not be deemed alike ; repel (evil) with what is best, and lo! He between whom and thyself was enmity is as though he were a warm patron. [35] But none shall meet with it save those who are patient; and none shall meet with it save those who are endowed with mighty good fortune.
And if an incitement from the devil incites you, then seek refuge in God; verily, He both hears and knows.
And of His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Adore ye not the sun, neither the moon; but adore God who created you, if it be Him ye serve.
But if they be too big with pride—yet those who are with thy Lord celebrate His praises by night and day, and they are never weary.
And of His signs (is this), that thou mayest see the earth drooping, and when we send down water upon it it stirs and swells; verily, He who quickens it will surely quicken the dead ; verily, He is mighty over all.
[40] Verily, those who are inclined to oppose our signs are not hidden from us. Is he who is cast into the fire better, or he who comes safe on the resurrection day? Do what ye will: verily, He on what ye do doth look.
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[40] Verily, those who are inclined to oppose our signs are not hidden from us. Is he who is cast into the fire better, or he who comes safe on the resurrection day? Do what ye will: verily, He on what ye do doth look.
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Verily, those who misbelieve in the reminder when it comes to them—and, verily, it is a glorious Book! falsehood shall not come to it, from before it, nor from behind it—a revelation from the wise, the praiseworthy One. Naught is said to thee but what was said to the apostles before thee, ‘Verily, thy Lord is Lord of forgiveness and Lord of grievous torment !’
And had we made it a foreign Qur’4n, they would have said, ‘Unless its signs be detailed. ... What! foreign and Arabic!?’ Say, ‘It is, for those who believe, a guidance and a healing. But those who believe not, in their ears is dulness, and it is blindness to them; these are called to from a far-off place.’
[45] And we gave Moses the Book, and it was disputed about; but had it not been for thy Lord’s word already passed it would have been decided between them, for, verily, they were in hesitating doubt thereon.
Whoso does right it is for his soul, and whoso does evil it is against it, for thy Lord is not unjust towards His servants.
To Him is referred the knowledge of the Hour: and no fruits come forth from their husks, and no female conceives, or is delivered, save with His knowledge.
And the day when He shall call to them, ‘ Where
1 Te. they would have said, ‘What! is the revelation in a foreign tongue, and we who are expected to read it Arabs?’ This is paraphrased by Sale: ‘If we had revealed the Qur’an in a foreign language, they had surely said, “ Unless the signs thereof be distinctly explained we will not receive the same: is the Book to be written in a foreign tongue, and the person unto whom it is directed an Arabian?”’
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are the partners ye did join with me?’ they shall say, ‘ We do own to thee there is no witness amongst us!’ and that on which they used to call before shall stray away from them, and they shall think there is no escape for them. Man is never tired of praying for good, but if evil touch him, then he is despairing and hopeless.
[50] But if we make him taste mercy from us after distress has touched him he will surely say, ‘ This is for me, and I do not think the Hour is imminent ; and if I be brought back to my Lord, verily, I shall surely have good with Him?;’ but we will inform those who misbelieve of what they have done, and we will surely make them taste wretched torment.
And when we have been gracious to man, he turns away and goes aside; but when evil touches him he is one of copious prayer.
Say, ‘Let us see now! if it be from God and ye disbelieve in it, who is more in error than he who is in a remote schism ?’
And when we have been gracious to man, he turns away and goes aside; but when evil touches him he is one of copious prayer.
Say, ‘Let us see now! if it be from God and ye disbelieve in it, who is more in error than he who is in a remote schism ?’
We will show them our signs in the regions and in themselves, until it is plain to them that it is the truth. Is it not enough for thy Lord that He is witness over all? Ay, verily, they are in doubt about the meeting of their Lord! Ay, verily, He encompasses all!
1 Or the words may be rendered, ‘ There is good with him still due to me.’
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Tue CHAPTER OF COUNSEL. (XLII. Mecca.)
In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
‘H. M. ’H.S.Q. Thus does God, the mighty, the wise, inspire thee and those before thee.
His is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth, and He is the high, the mighty!
The heavens well-nigh cleave asunder from above them ; and the angels celebrate the praises of their Lord, and ask forgiveness for those who are on the earth. Ay, verily, God, He is the forgiving and merciful! but those who take beside Him patrons, God watches over them, and thou hast not charge over them. .
[5] Thus have we revealed an Arabic Qur'an, that thou mayest warn the Mother of cities? and all around it; and warn them of a day of gathering, there is no doubt therein ;—a part in Paradise and a part in the blaze. _ But had God pleased He would have made them one nation; but He makes whom He will enter into His mercy; and the unjust have neither patron nor. help. Do they take other patrons besides Him, when God He is the patron, and He quickens the dead and He is mighty over all ?
But whatsoever ye dispute about, the judgment of it is God’s, There is God for you!—my Lord! upon Him do I rely, and unto Him I turn repentant. The originator of the heavens and the earth, He
1 Mecca.
206 THE QuR’AN. XLII, 9-15.
has made for you from yourselves wives; and of the cattle mates; producing you thereby. There is naught like Him, for He both hears and sees.
[10] His are the keys of the heavens and the earth, He extends provision to whom He will, or doles it out; verily, He knows everything.
He has enjoined upon you for religion what He prescribed to Noah and what we inspired thee with, and what we inspired Abraham and Moses and Jesus,—to be steadfast in religion, and not to part into sects therein—a great thing to the idolaters is that which ye call them to! God elects for Himself whom He pleases and guides unto Himself him who turns repentant.
But they did not part into sects until after the knowledge had come to them, through mutual envy; and had it not been for thy Lord’s word already passed for an appointed time, it would surely have been decided between them; but, verily, those who have been given the Book as an inheritance after them, are in hesitating doubt concerning it.