Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
12 The angel Gabriel. 8 The Quran. * Infidelity. 5 See Part I, p. 50. . © See Part I, p. 250, note 2. XXVI, 216-XXVII, 4. THE CHAPTER OF THE ANT. 99 do, and rely thou upon the mighty, merciful One, who sees thee when thou dost stand up, and thy posturing amongst those who adore?. [220] Verily, He both hears and knows! Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend ? they descend upon every sinful liar, and impart what they have heard?; but most of them are liars. And the poets do those follow who go astray! [225] Dost thou not see that they wander distraught in every vale ? and that they say that which they do not do? save those who believe, and do right, and remember God much, and defend themselves after they are wronged; but those who do wrong shall know with what a turn they shall be turned ®. Tue CHAPTER OF THE ANT. (X XVII. Mecca.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. T.S. Those are the signs of the Qur'an and the perspicuous Book; a guidance and glad tidings to the believers, who are steadfast at prayer, and give alms, and of the hereafter are sure; verily, those who believe not in the hereafter we have made seemly for them their works, and they shall wander 1 Or, it may be thy going to and fro amongst believers, as Mohammed is reported to have done one night, to see what they were about, and he found the whole settlement ‘buzzing like a hornet’s nest with the sound of the recitation of the Qur’4n and of their prayers.’ 3 That is, by listening at the door of heaven; see Part I, p. 50, note 2. 5 That is, in what condition they shall be brought before God. H 2 100 THE QUR'AN. XXVII, 4-16. blindly on! [5] These are they who shall have an evil torment, and they in the hereafter shall be those who most lose! Verily, thou dost meet with this Qur’4n from the wise, the knowing One! When Moses said to his people, ‘Verily, I perceive a fire, I will bring you therefrom news; or I will bring you a burning brand; haply ye may be ' warmed.’ But when he came to it he was called to, ‘Blessed be He who is in the fire, and he who is about it! and celebrated be the praises of God, the Lord of the worlds! O Moses! verily, 1 am God, the mighty, wise ; [10] throw down thy staff!’ and when he saw it quivering, as though it were a snake, he turned back fleeing, and did not return. ‘O Moses! fear not; verily, as for me—apostles fear not with me; save only those who have done wrong and then substitute good for evil; for, verily, I am forgiving, merciful! but put thy hand in thy bosom, it shall come forth white without hurt ;—one of nine signs to Pharaoh and his people; verily, they are a people who act abominably.’ And when our signs came to them visibly, they said, ‘ This is obvious sorcery!’ and they gainsaid them—though their souls made sure of them— unjustly, haughtily; but, behold what was the end of the evildoers!
2[15] And we gave David and Solomon knowledge ; and they both said, ‘ Praise belongs to God, who hath preferred us over many of His servants who believe !’ ° And Solomon was David’s heir; and said, ‘O ye folk! we have been taught the speech of birds, and we have been given everything ; verily, this is an obvious grace!’ XXVIT, 17-28. THE CHAPTER OF THE ANT. Io! And assembled for Solomon were his hosts of the ginns, and men, and birds, and they were marshalled ; until they came upon the valley of the ants. Said an ant, ‘O ye ants! go into your dwellings, that _ Solomon and his hosts crush you not while they do not perceive.’ And he smiled, laughing at her speech, and said, .‘O Lord! excite me to be thankful for Thy favour, wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and to do righteousness which may please Thee ; and make me enter into Thy mercy amongst Thy righteous servants !’ , [20] And he reviewed the birds, and said, ‘ How is it I see not the hoopoe ? is he then amongst the absent ? I will surely torment him with a severe torment ; or I will surely slaughter him; or he shall bring me obvious authority.’ ‘ And he tarried not long, and said, ‘I have compassed what ye compassed not; for I bring you from Sebd! a sure information: verily, I found a woman ruling over them, and she was given all things, and she had a mighty throne; and I found her and her people adoring the sun instead of God, for Satan had made seemly to them their works, and turned them from the path, so that they are not guided. [25] Will they not adore God who brings forth the secrets in the heavens, and knows what they hide and what they manifest >—God, there is no god but He, the Lord of the mighty throne !’ Said he, ‘We will see whether thou hast told the truth, or whether thou art of those who lie. Go with this my letter and throw it before them, 1 The Sheba of the Bible, in the south of the Arabian peninsula, 102 THE QuR’AN. XXVII, 28-40. then turn back away from them, and see what they return.’ Said she, ‘O ye chiefs! verily, a noble letter has been thrown before me. [30] It is from Solomon, and, verily, it is, “In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. Do not rise up against me, but come to me resigned!”’ She said, ‘O ye chiefs! pronounce sentence for me in my affair. I never decide an affair until ye testify for me.’ They said, ‘We are endowed with strength, and endowed with keen violence; but the bidding is thine, see then what it is that thou wilt bid.’ She said, ‘Verily, kings when they enter a city despoil it, and make the mighty ones of its people the meanest; thus it is they do! [35] So, verily, I am going to send to them a gift, and will wait to see with what the messengers return.’
3[35] So, verily, I am going to send to them a gift, and will wait to see with what the messengers return.’ And when he came to Solomon, he said, ‘ Do ye proffer me wealth, when what God has given me is better than what He has given you? nay, ye in your gifts rejoice! return to them, for we will surely come to them with hosts which they cannot confront; and we will surely drive them out therefrom mean and made small!’ Said he, ‘O ye chiefs! which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me resigned ?’ Said a demon of the ginns, ‘I will bring’ thee it before thou canst rise up from thy place, for I therein am strong and faithful.’ [40] He who had the knowledge of the Book! said, ‘I will bring it to thee before thy glance can 1 The commentators are uncertain as to whether this was ’Azaf, Solomon’s prime minister, or whether it was the prophet ‘/idhr, or the angel Gabriel, or, indeed, Solomon himself. XXVII, 40-48. THE CHAPTER OF THE ANT. 103 turn. And when he saw it settled down beside him, he said, ‘This is of my Lord’s grace, that He may try me whether I am grateful or ungrateful, and he who is grateful is only grateful for his own soul, and he who is ungrateful,—verily, my Lord is rich and generous.’ Said he, ‘ Disguise for her her throne; let us see whether she is guided, or whether she is of those who are not guided.’ And when she came it was said, ‘Was thy throne like this?’ She said, ‘It might be it;’ and we were given knowledge before her, but we were resigned 1. But that which she served beside God turned her away ; verily, she was of the unbelieving people. And it was said to her, ‘ Enter the court ;’ and when she saw it, she reckoned it to be an abyss of water, and she uncovered her legs. Said he, ‘ Verily, it is a court paved with glass!’ [45] Said she, ‘My Lord! verily, I have wronged myself, but I am resigned with Solomon to God the Lord of the worlds!’ And we sent unto Thamfd their brother Zali‘h, ‘Serve God;’ but behold, they were two parties who contended ! Said he, ‘O my people! why do ye hasten on evil acts before good deeds? why do ye not ask forgiveness of God? haply ye may obtain mercy.’ They said, ‘We have taken an augury concerning thee and those who are with thee.’ Said he, ‘ Your augury is in God’s hands; nay, but ye are a people who are tried!’ 1 Commentators differ as to whether the last words are to be taken as the conclusion of the Queen of Sheba’s speech, or as Solomon’s comment upon it. 104 THE QuR’AN. XXVII, 49-61. And there were in the city nine persons who despoiled the land and did not right. [50] Said they, ‘Swear to each other by God, we will surely fall on him by night and on his people; then we will surely say unto his next of kin, “We witnessed not the destruction of his. people, and we do surely tell the truth!”’ And they plotted a plot, and we plotted a plot, but they did not perceive. Behold, how was the end of their plot, that we destroyed them and their people all together!
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
12 The angel Gabriel. 8 The Quran. * Infidelity. 5 See Part I, p. 50. . © See Part I, p. 250, note 2. XXVI, 216-XXVII, 4. THE CHAPTER OF THE ANT. 99 do, and rely thou upon the mighty, merciful One, who sees thee when thou dost stand up, and thy posturing amongst those who adore?. [220] Verily, He both hears and knows! Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend ? they descend upon every sinful liar, and impart what they have heard?; but most of them are liars. And the poets do those follow who go astray! [225] Dost thou not see that they wander distraught in every vale ? and that they say that which they do not do? save those who believe, and do right, and remember God much, and defend themselves after they are wronged; but those who do wrong shall know with what a turn they shall be turned ®. Tue CHAPTER OF THE ANT. (X XVII. Mecca.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. T.S. Those are the signs of the Qur'an and the perspicuous Book; a guidance and glad tidings to the believers, who are steadfast at prayer, and give alms, and of the hereafter are sure; verily, those who believe not in the hereafter we have made seemly for them their works, and they shall wander 1 Or, it may be thy going to and fro amongst believers, as Mohammed is reported to have done one night, to see what they were about, and he found the whole settlement ‘buzzing like a hornet’s nest with the sound of the recitation of the Qur’4n and of their prayers.’ 3 That is, by listening at the door of heaven; see Part I, p. 50, note 2. 5 That is, in what condition they shall be brought before God. H 2 100 THE QUR'AN. XXVII, 4-16. blindly on! [5] These are they who shall have an evil torment, and they in the hereafter shall be those who most lose! Verily, thou dost meet with this Qur’4n from the wise, the knowing One! When Moses said to his people, ‘Verily, I perceive a fire, I will bring you therefrom news; or I will bring you a burning brand; haply ye may be ' warmed.’ But when he came to it he was called to, ‘Blessed be He who is in the fire, and he who is about it! and celebrated be the praises of God, the Lord of the worlds! O Moses! verily, 1 am God, the mighty, wise ; [10] throw down thy staff!’ and when he saw it quivering, as though it were a snake, he turned back fleeing, and did not return. ‘O Moses! fear not; verily, as for me—apostles fear not with me; save only those who have done wrong and then substitute good for evil; for, verily, I am forgiving, merciful! but put thy hand in thy bosom, it shall come forth white without hurt ;—one of nine signs to Pharaoh and his people; verily, they are a people who act abominably.’ And when our signs came to them visibly, they said, ‘ This is obvious sorcery!’ and they gainsaid them—though their souls made sure of them— unjustly, haughtily; but, behold what was the end of the evildoers!
2[15] And we gave David and Solomon knowledge ; and they both said, ‘ Praise belongs to God, who hath preferred us over many of His servants who believe !’ ° And Solomon was David’s heir; and said, ‘O ye folk! we have been taught the speech of birds, and we have been given everything ; verily, this is an obvious grace!’ XXVIT, 17-28. THE CHAPTER OF THE ANT. Io! And assembled for Solomon were his hosts of the ginns, and men, and birds, and they were marshalled ; until they came upon the valley of the ants. Said an ant, ‘O ye ants! go into your dwellings, that _ Solomon and his hosts crush you not while they do not perceive.’ And he smiled, laughing at her speech, and said, .‘O Lord! excite me to be thankful for Thy favour, wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and to do righteousness which may please Thee ; and make me enter into Thy mercy amongst Thy righteous servants !’ , [20] And he reviewed the birds, and said, ‘ How is it I see not the hoopoe ? is he then amongst the absent ? I will surely torment him with a severe torment ; or I will surely slaughter him; or he shall bring me obvious authority.’ ‘ And he tarried not long, and said, ‘I have compassed what ye compassed not; for I bring you from Sebd! a sure information: verily, I found a woman ruling over them, and she was given all things, and she had a mighty throne; and I found her and her people adoring the sun instead of God, for Satan had made seemly to them their works, and turned them from the path, so that they are not guided. [25] Will they not adore God who brings forth the secrets in the heavens, and knows what they hide and what they manifest >—God, there is no god but He, the Lord of the mighty throne !’ Said he, ‘We will see whether thou hast told the truth, or whether thou art of those who lie. Go with this my letter and throw it before them, 1 The Sheba of the Bible, in the south of the Arabian peninsula, 102 THE QuR’AN. XXVII, 28-40. then turn back away from them, and see what they return.’ Said she, ‘O ye chiefs! verily, a noble letter has been thrown before me. [30] It is from Solomon, and, verily, it is, “In the name of the merciful and compassionate God. Do not rise up against me, but come to me resigned!”’ She said, ‘O ye chiefs! pronounce sentence for me in my affair. I never decide an affair until ye testify for me.’ They said, ‘We are endowed with strength, and endowed with keen violence; but the bidding is thine, see then what it is that thou wilt bid.’ She said, ‘Verily, kings when they enter a city despoil it, and make the mighty ones of its people the meanest; thus it is they do! [35] So, verily, I am going to send to them a gift, and will wait to see with what the messengers return.’
3[35] So, verily, I am going to send to them a gift, and will wait to see with what the messengers return.’ And when he came to Solomon, he said, ‘ Do ye proffer me wealth, when what God has given me is better than what He has given you? nay, ye in your gifts rejoice! return to them, for we will surely come to them with hosts which they cannot confront; and we will surely drive them out therefrom mean and made small!’ Said he, ‘O ye chiefs! which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me resigned ?’ Said a demon of the ginns, ‘I will bring’ thee it before thou canst rise up from thy place, for I therein am strong and faithful.’ [40] He who had the knowledge of the Book! said, ‘I will bring it to thee before thy glance can 1 The commentators are uncertain as to whether this was ’Azaf, Solomon’s prime minister, or whether it was the prophet ‘/idhr, or the angel Gabriel, or, indeed, Solomon himself. XXVII, 40-48. THE CHAPTER OF THE ANT. 103 turn. And when he saw it settled down beside him, he said, ‘This is of my Lord’s grace, that He may try me whether I am grateful or ungrateful, and he who is grateful is only grateful for his own soul, and he who is ungrateful,—verily, my Lord is rich and generous.’ Said he, ‘ Disguise for her her throne; let us see whether she is guided, or whether she is of those who are not guided.’ And when she came it was said, ‘Was thy throne like this?’ She said, ‘It might be it;’ and we were given knowledge before her, but we were resigned 1. But that which she served beside God turned her away ; verily, she was of the unbelieving people. And it was said to her, ‘ Enter the court ;’ and when she saw it, she reckoned it to be an abyss of water, and she uncovered her legs. Said he, ‘ Verily, it is a court paved with glass!’ [45] Said she, ‘My Lord! verily, I have wronged myself, but I am resigned with Solomon to God the Lord of the worlds!’ And we sent unto Thamfd their brother Zali‘h, ‘Serve God;’ but behold, they were two parties who contended ! Said he, ‘O my people! why do ye hasten on evil acts before good deeds? why do ye not ask forgiveness of God? haply ye may obtain mercy.’ They said, ‘We have taken an augury concerning thee and those who are with thee.’ Said he, ‘ Your augury is in God’s hands; nay, but ye are a people who are tried!’ 1 Commentators differ as to whether the last words are to be taken as the conclusion of the Queen of Sheba’s speech, or as Solomon’s comment upon it. 104 THE QuR’AN. XXVII, 49-61. And there were in the city nine persons who despoiled the land and did not right. [50] Said they, ‘Swear to each other by God, we will surely fall on him by night and on his people; then we will surely say unto his next of kin, “We witnessed not the destruction of his. people, and we do surely tell the truth!”’ And they plotted a plot, and we plotted a plot, but they did not perceive. Behold, how was the end of their plot, that we destroyed them and their people all together!
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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