The Qur'ân, Part II — Chapters XVII–CXIV — SBE Vol. 9 (trans. E. H. Palmer, Clarendon Press, 1880)

Said he, ‘This is of the work of
Satan, verily, he is a misleading obvious foe.’

[15] Said he, ‘My Lord! verily, I have wronged my soul, but forgive me. So He forgave him; for He is forgiving and merciful.

Said he, ‘My Lord! for that Thou hast been gracious to me, I will surely not back up the sinners.’

And on the morrow he was afraid in the city, expectant. And behold, he whom he had helped the day before cried (again) to him for aid. Said Moses to him, ‘ Verily, thou art obviously quarrelsome. And when he wished to assault him who was the enemy to them both, he said, ‘O Moses! dost thou desire to kill me as thou didst kill a person yesterday ? thou dost only desire to be a tyrant in the earth; and thou dost not desire to be of those who do right!’ And a man came from the remote parts of the city running, said he, ‘O Moses! verily, the chiefs are deliberating concerning thee to killp. 110 thee; go then forth ; verily, I am to you a sincere adviser !”

[20] So he went forth therefrom, afraid and expectant. Said he, ‘Lord, save me from the unjust people !’

And when he turned his face in the direction of Midian, he said, ‘It may be that my Lord will guide me to a level path!’ And when he went down to the water of Midian he found thereat a nation of people watering their flocks.

And he found beside them two women keeping back their flocks. Said he, ‘What is your design ?’ They said, ‘We cannot water our flocks until the herdsmen have finished ; for our father is a very old man.’ So he watered for them; then he turned back towards the shade and said, ‘My Lord! verily, I stand in need of what Thou sendest down to me of good.’

[25] And one of the two came to him walking modestly; said she, ‘Verily, my father calls thee, to reward thee with hire for having watered our flocks for us. And when he came to him and related to him the’ story, said he, ‘Fear not, thou art safe from the unjust people.’ Said one of them, ‘O my sire! hire him; verily, the best of those whom thou canst hire is the strong and faithful.’

Said he, ‘Verily, I desire to marry thee to one of these: daughters of mine, on condition that thou dost serve me for hire eight years; and if thou shalt fulfil ten it is of thyself; for I do not wish to make it wretched for thee; thou wilt find me, - if it please God, of the righteous!’

Said he,‘ That is between you and me; whichever of the two terms I fulfil, let there be no enmity against me, for God over what we say keeps guard.’

XXVIII, 29-36. THE CHAPTER OF THE STORY. IIt

And when Moses had fulfilled the appointed time, and was journeying with his people, he perceived from the side of the mountain a fire; said he to his people, ‘Tarry ye here; verily, I have perceived a fire, haply I may bring you good news therefrom, or a brand of fire that haply ye may be warmed 1,’

[30] And when he came to it he was called to, from.the right side of the wady, in the blessed valley, out of the tree, ‘O Moses! verily, I am God the Lord of the worlds; so throw down thy rod;’ and when he saw it quivering as though it were a snake, he turned away and fled and did not return. ‘O Moses! approach and fear not, verily, thou art amongst the safe. Thrust thy hand into thy bosom, it shall come out white, without hurt; and then fold again thy wing, that thou dost now _ Stretch out through dread; for those are two signs from thy Lord to Pharaoh and his chiefs; verily, they are a people who work abomination !’

Said he, ‘My Lord! verily, I hâve killed a person amongst them, and I fear that they will kill me: and my brother Aaron, he is more eloquent of tongue than I; send him then with me as a support, to verify me; verily, I fear that they will call me liar !’

[35] Said He, ‘We will strengthen thine arm with thy brother; and we will make for you both authority, and they shall not reach you in our signs ; ye two and those who follow you shall gain the upper hand.’

And when Moses came to them with our manifest signs, they said, ‘This is only sorcery devised ;

1 See Part II, p. 35, note 1.

p. 112

and we have not heard of this amongst our fathers of yore.’

Moses said, ‘My Lord knows best who comes with guidance from Him, and whose shall be the issue of the abode. Verily, the unjust shall not prosper !’ ’ And Pharaoh said, ‘ Oo ye chiefs! I do not know any god for you except me; then set fire, O Haman! to some clay and make for me a tower, haply I may mount up to the God of Moses ; for, verily, I think he is of those who lie!’

And he grew big with pride, he and his armies in the land, without right; and they thought that they to us should not return. [40] And we overtook him and his army, and we flung them into the sea; behold, then, how was the end of the unjust!

- But we made them models calling to the fire; and on the resurrection day they shall not be helped; and we followed them up in this world with a curse; and on®*the resurrection day they shall be abhorred!

And we gave Moses the Book, after that we had destroyed the former generations, as an insight to men and a guidance and a mercy; haply they may be mindful!

Thou wast not upon the western side when we decided for Moses, but afar off; nor wast thou of the witnesses. [45] But we raised up (other) generations, and life was prolonged for them; and thou wast not staying amidst the people of Midian, reciting to them our signs; but we were sending our apostles.

Nor wast thou by the side of the mountain when we called; but it is a mercy from thy Lord, that

p. 113

Nor wast thou by the side of the mountain when we called; but it is a mercy from thy Lord, thatp. 113 thou mayest warn a people to whom no warner has come before thee; haply they may be mindful! And lest there should befall them a mishap for what their hands-have sent before, and they should say, ‘Our Lord! why didst thou not send to us an apostle ? for we would have followed thy signs and been of the believers.’

And when the truth comes to them from us they say, ‘We are given the like of what Moses was given. Did they not disbelieve in what Moses was given before ?—they say, ‘Two works of sorcery? back up each other;’ and they say, ‘Verily, we do disbelieve in all.’

Say, ‘Bring, then, a book from God which shall be a better guide than both, and I will follow it, if ye do tell the truth!’

[50] And if they cannot answer thee, then know that they follow their own lusts; and who is more in error than he who follows his own lust without guidance from God? verily, God guides not an unjust people !

And we caused the word to reach them, haply they may be mindful!

Those to whom we gave the Book before it, they believe therein; and when it is recited to them they say, ‘We believe in it as truth from our Lord ; verily, we were resigned before it came!’ These shall be given their hire twice over, for that they were patient, and repelled evil with good, and of what we have bestowed upon them give alms.

[55] And when they hear vain talk, they turn away from it and say, ‘We have our works, and ye

1 That is, the Pentateuch and Qur’an.
[9] I

p. 114

have your works. Peace be upon you! we do not seek the ignorant!’.

Verily, thou canst not guide whom thou dost like, but God guides whom He pleases; for He knows best who are to be guided.

And they say, ‘ If we follow the guidance we shall be snatched away from the land.’ Have we not established for them a safe sanctuary, to which are imported the fruits of everything as a provision from us? but most of them do not know.

How many a city have we destroyed that exulted in its means of subsistence? These are their dwellings, never dwelt in after them, except a little; for we were the heirs.

But thy Lord would never destroy cities until He sent to the metropolis thereof an apostle, to recite to them our signs; nor would we destroy cities unless their people were unjust. [60] Whatever thing ye may be given, it is a provision for this world’s life and the adornment thereof; but what is with God is better and more enduring ; have ye then no sense?

im Is He to whom we have promised a goodly promise, which he shall meet with, like him to whom we have given the enjoyment of the life of this world, and who upon the resurrection day shall be of the arraigned ?