Together with Christianity, Islam was the other great world religion to emerge in the first millennium A.D. The basis of Islam found in the Koran, which Muslims consider the direct word of God through the Prophet Muhammad. Unlike the Old and New Testaments, the Koran is a book of revelation composed of the prophetic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Below are selected chapters of the holy scriptures of Islam, translated from the Arabic. Note the similarities and differences between the message and form of the Koran and Islam with those of the New Testament and Christianity.
THE CHAPTER OF CONGEALED BLOOD
(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!
- 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 a servant when he prays?
- 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?
- 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 THE 'COVERED'
(LXXIV. Mecca.)
And when the trump is blown,-for that day is a difficult day! for the misb elievers aught but easy! Leave me alone with him I have created, and for whom I have made extensive wealth, and sons that he may look upon, and for whom I have smoothed things down. Then he desires that I should increase! nay, verily, he is hostile to our signs! I will drive him up a hill! Then he reflected and planned! May he be killed,-how he planned! Again, may he be killed,-how he planned! Then he looked; then he frowned and scowled; then he retreated and was big with pride and said, 'This is only mag ic exhibited! this is only mortal speech!'- Iwill broil him in hell-fire! and what shall make thee know what hell-fire is? It will not leave and will not let alone. It scorches the flesh; over it are nineteen (angels).
We have made only angels guardians of the fire, and we have only made their number a trial to those who misbelieve; that those who have been given the Book may be certain, and that those who believe may be increased in faith; and that those who have been given the Book and the believers ma y not doubt; and that those in whose hearts issickness, and the misbelievers may say, 'What does God mean by this as a parable?'
Thus God leads astray whom He pleases, and guides him He pleases: and none knows the hosts of thy Lord save Himself; and it is only a reminder to mortals!
Verily, it is one of the greatest misfortunes; a warning to mortals; for him amongst you who wishes to press forward or to tarry ! Every soul is pledged for what it earns; except the fellows of the right: in gardens shall they ask each other about the sinners!-'What drove you into hell-fire?'
They shall say, 'We weren't of those who prayed; we didn't feed the poor; but we did plunge into discussion with those who plunged, and we called the judgment day a lie until the certainty did come to us!'
But there shall not profit them the intercession of the intercessors.
What ailed them that they turned away from the memorial as thou ghthey were timid asses fleeing from a lion?
Nay, every man of them wished that he might have given him books spread open!
Nay, but they did not fear the hereafter!
Nay, it is a memorial! and let him who will remember it; but none will remember it except God please. He is most worthy of fear; and he is most worthy to forgive!
THE CHAPTER OF THE ENWRAPPED
(LXXIII. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
O thou who art enwrapped! rise by night except a little- the half, or deduct therefrom a little, or add thereto, and chant the Koran chanting. Verily, we will cast on thee a heavy speech.
Verily, the early part of the night is stronger in impressions and more upright in speech!
Verily, thou hast by day a long employment; but mention the name of thy Lord and devote thyself thoroughly to Him, the Lord of the east and the west; th ere is no god but He; then take Him for a guardian! And endure patiently what they say, and flee from them with a decorous flight.
And leave me and those who say it is a lie, who are possessed of comfort; and let them bide for a while.
Verily with us are heavy fetters and hell-fire, and food that chokes, and mighty woe!
On the day when the earth and the mountains shall tremble and the earth shall be as a crumbling sand-hill!
Verily, we have sent unto yoti an apostle bearing witness against you, as we sent an apostle unto Pharaoh. But Pharaoh rebelled against the apostle, and we seized him with an overpowering punishment.
Then how will ye shield yourselves if ye misbelieve from the day which shall make children grey-headed, whereon the heaven cleaves-its promise shall be fulfilled!
Verily, this is a memorial, and whoso will, let him take unto his Lord a way.
Verily, thy Lord knows that thou dost stand up to pray nearly two-thirds of the night, or the half of it or the third of it, as do part of those who are with thee; for God measures the night and theday; He knows that ye cannot calculate it, and He turns relentant towards you.
So read what is easy of the Koran. He knows that there will be of you some who are sick and others who beat about in the earth craving the grace of God, and others who are fighting in the cause of God. Then read what is easy of it and be steadfast in prayer, and give alms, and lend to God a goodly loan, for what ye send forward for yourselves of good ye will find it with God. It is better and agreater hire; and ask ye pardon of God: verily, God is forgiving, merciful!
THE 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; and in the end thy Lord will give thee, and thou shalt be well pleased!
Did He not find thee an orphan, and give the shelter? and find thee erring, and guide thee? and find thee poor with a family, and nourish thee?
But as for the orphan op press him not; and as for the beggar drivehim not away; and as for the favour of thy Lord discourse thereof.
THE OPENING CHAPTER
(I. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds, the merciful, the compassionate, the ruler of the day of judgment! Thee we serve and Thee we ask for aid. Guide us in the right path, the path of those Thou art gracious to; not of those Thou art wroth with; nor of those who err.
THE 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; nor will ye serve what I serve;-ye have your religion, and I have my religion!'
THE CHAPTER 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 '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 and who are careless in their prayers,
Who pretend and withhold necessaries.
THE 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!
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,
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!
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, but only craving the face of his Lord most High; in the end he shall be well pleased!
THE CHAPTER OF THE LAND
(XC. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
I need not swear by the Lord of this land, and though a dweller in this land!
Nor by the begetter and what he begets!
We have surely created man in trouble.
Does he think that none can do aught ag ainst 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? 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, 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,-t hese are the fellows of the right! But those who disbelieve in our signs, they are the fellows of the left, for them is fire that closes in!
THE CHAPTER 'HE FROWNED'
(LXXX. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
He frowned and turned his back, for that there came to him a blindman!
But what should make thee know whether haply he may be purified? or may be mindful and the reminder profit him?
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, from him thou art diverted!
Nay! verily, it is a memorial; and whoso pleases will remember it.
In honoured pages exalted, purified, in the hands of noble, righteous scribes!
May man be ki lled! how ungrateful he is! Of what did He create him? Of a clot. He created him and fated him; 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.
Nay, he has not fulfilled his bidding!
But let man look unto his foods. 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, and gardens closely planted, and fruits, and grass,-aprovision for you and for your cattle!
But when the stunning noise shall come, on the day when man shall flee from his brother 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! and faces shall have dust upon them,-darkness shall cover them! those are the wicked misbelievers!
THE 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?
The day when men shall be like scattered moths; and the mountains shall be like flocks of carded wool!
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 !
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,
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! but over you are guardians set,-noble, writing down! they know what ye do!
Verily, the righteous are in pleasure, and, verily, the wicked a rein hell; 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!
THE CHAPTER OF THE FOLDING 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,
And when the beasts shall be crowded together,
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,
And when the pages shall be spread o ut, 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!
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, mighty, standing sure with the Lord of the throne, obeyed and
trusty too!
Your comrade is not mad; he saw him on the plainhorizon, nor does he grudge to communicate the unseen.
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.
THE CHAPTER OF THOSE WHO TEAR OUT
(LXXIX. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By those who tear out violently!
And by those who gaily release!
And by those who float through the air!
And the preceders who precede!
And those who manage the affair!
On the day when the quaking quakes which the following one shallsucceed! Hearts on that day shall tremble; eyes thereon be humbled!
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!
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 guidethee to thy Lord, and thou mayest fear?"'
So he showed him the greatest sign; but he called him a liar and rebelled. Then he retreated hastily, and gathered, and proclaimed, and said, 'I am your Lord most High!' 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; and the earth after that He didstretch 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, 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!
But as for him who feared the station of his Lord, and pr ohibitedhis soul from lust, verily, Paradise is the resort!
They shall ask thee about the Hour, for when it is set. Whereby canst thou mention it? Unto thy Lord its period belongs.
Thou art only a warner to him who fears it.
On the day they see it, it will be as though they had only tarried an evening or the noon thereof.
THE CHAPTER OF THOSE SENT
(LXXVII. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By those sent in a series!
And by those who speed swiftly!
And by the dispensers abroad!
And by the separators apart!
And by those who instil the reminder, as an excuseor warning!
Verily, what ye are threatened with shall surely happen!
And when the stars shall be erased!
And when the heaven shall be cleft!
And when the mountains shall be winnowed!
And when the apostles shall have a time appointed for them!
For what day is the appointment made?
For the day of decision! and what shall make thee know what the decision is?
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Have we not destroyed those of yore, and then followedthem up with those of the latter day? Thus do we with the sinners.
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Did we not create you from contemptible water, and place it in a sure depository unto a certain. decreed term? for we are able and well able too!
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Have we not made for them the earth to hold the living and the dead? and set thereon firm mountains reared aloft? and given you to dr ink water in streams? Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Go off to that which ye did call a lie! Go off to the shadow of three columns, that shall not shade nor avail against the flame! Verily, it throws off sparks like towers,-as though they were yellow camels!
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
This is the day when they may not speak,- when they are not permitted to excuse themselves!
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
This is the day of decision! We have assembled you with those of yore; if ye have any stratagem employ it now!
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Verily, the pious are amid shades and springs and fruit such as they love.-'Eat and drink with good digestion, for that which ye have done!'
Verily, thus do we reward those who do well.
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
'Eat and enjoy yourselves for a little; verily, ye are sinners!'
Woe on that day for those who say it is a l ie! 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!
And in what new discourse after it will they believe?
THE CHAPTER OF THE RESURRECTION
(LXXV. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
I need not swear by the resurre ction day! Nor need I swear by the self-accusing soul!
Does man think that we shall not collect his bones? Able are we to arrange his finger tips!
Nay, but man wishes to be wicked henceforward! he asks, When is the resurrection day?
But when the sight shall be dazed, and the moon be eclipsed, and the sun and the moon be together, and man shall say upon that day, 'Where is a place to flee to?'-nay, no refuge! and to thy Lord that day is the sure settlement: He will inform man on that day of what He h as sent forward or delayed! Nay, man is an evidence against himself, and even if he thrusts forward his excuses-.
Do not move thy tongue thereby to hasten it. It is for us to collect it and to read it; and when we read it then follow its reading. And again it is for us to explain it.
Nay, indeed, but ye love the transient life, and ye neglect the hereafter!
Faces on that day shall be bright, gazing on their Lord!
And faces on that day shall be dismal!
Thou wilt think that a back-breaking calamit y has happened to them! Nay, but when the [soul] comes up into the throat, and it is said, 'Who will charm it back?' and he will think that it is his parting [hour]. And leg shall be pressed on leg; unto thy Lord on that day shall the driving be.
For he did not believe and did not pray; but he said it was a lie, and turned his back! Then he went to his people haughtily- woe to thee, and woe to thee! again woe to thee, and woe to thee!
Does man think that he shall be left to himself?
Wasn't he a clot of emitted seed? Then he was congealed blood, and(God) created him, and fashioned him, and made of him pairs, male and female.
Is not He able to quicken the dead?
THE CHAPTER OF THE INFALLIBLE
(LXIX. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
The Infallible, what is the Infallible? and what should make thee know what the Infallible is?
Thamud and 'Ad called th e Striking Day a lie; but as for Thamud theyperished by the shock; and as for 'Ad they perished with the violent cold blast of wind, which He subjected against them for seven nights and eight days consecutively. Thou mightest see the people therein prostrate as though they were palm stumps thrown down, and canst thou see any of them left?
And Pharaoh and those before him of the overturned cities committed sins, and they rebelled against the apostle of their Lord, and He seized them with an excessive puni shment. Verily, we, when the water surged, bore you on it in a sailing ship, to make it a memorial for you, and that the retentive ear might hold it.
And when the trumpet shall be blown with one blast, and the earth shall be borne away, and the mountains too, and both be crushed with one crushing; on that day shall the inevitable happen; and the heaven on that day shall be cleft asunder, for on that day shall it wane! and the angels upon the sides thereof; and above them on that day shall eight bear the throne of thy Lord! On the day when ye shall be set forth no hidden thing of yours shall be concealed.
And as for him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall say, 'Here! take and read my book. Verily, I thought that I should meet my reckoning;' and he shall be in a pleasing life, in a lofty garden, whose fruits are nigh to cull- 'Eat ye and drink with good digestion, for what ye did aforetime in the days that have gone by!'
But as for him who is given his book in his left hand he shall say, 'O, would that I had not received my book! I did not know what myaccount would be. O, would that it had been an end of me! my wealth availed me not! my authority has perished from me!' him and fetter him, then in hell broil him! then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits force him! verily, he believed not in the mighty God, nor was he particular to feed the poor: therefore he has not here to-day any warm friend, nor any food except foul ichor, which none save sinners shall eat!'
I need not swear b y what ye see or what ye do not see, verily, it isthe speech of a noble apostle; and it is not the speech of a poet:-little is it ye believe!
And it is not the speech of a soothsayer,-little is it that ye mind!-a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
Why if he had invented against us any sayings, we would have seized him by the right hand, then we would have cut his jugular vein; nor could any one of you have kept us off from him.
Verily, it is a memorial to the pious; and, verily, we know that the re are amongst you those who say it is-a lie; and, verily, it isa source of sighing to the misbelievers; and, verily, it is certain truth!
Therefore celebrate the name of thy mighty Lord!
THE CHAPTER OF THE MOUNT
(LII. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the mount! by the Book inscribed upon an outstretched vellum! by the frequented house! by the elevated roof! by the swelling sea! verily, the torment of thy Lord will come to pass;-there is none to avert it!
The day when the heavens shall reel about, and the mountains shall move about,-then woe upon that day to those who call (the apostles) liars, who plunge into discussion for a sport!
On the day when they shall be thrust away into the fire of hell,-'This is the fire, the which ye used to call a lie!-Is it magic, this? or can ye not see?-broil ye therein, and be patient thereof or be not patient, it is the same to you: ye are but rewarded for that which ye did do!'
Verily, the pious (shall be) in gardens and pleasure, enjoying what their Lord has given them; for their Lord will save them from the torment of hell.
'Eat and drink with good digestion, for that which ye have done!'
Reclining on couches in rows; and we will wed them to large-eyed maids.
And those who believe and whose seed follows them in the faith, we will unite their seed with them; and we will not cheat them of their work at all;- every man is pledged for what he earns.
And we will extend to them fruit and flesh such as they like. They shall pass to and fro therein a cup in which is neither folly nor sin.
And round them shall go boys of theirs, as though they were hidden pearls.
And they shall accost each other and ask questions, and shall say, 'Verily, we were before amidst our families shrinking with terror, but God has been gracious to us and saved us from the torment of the hot blast.
'Verily, we used to call on Him before; verily, He is the righteous, the compassionate!'
Wherefore do thou remind them: for thou art, by the favour of thy Lord, neither a soothsayer nor mad!
Will they say, 'A poet; we wait for him the sad accidents of fate?'
Say, 'Wait ye then; for I too am of those who wait!'
Do their dreams bid them this? or are they an outrageous people?
Or will they say, 'He has invented it?'-nay, but they do not believe!
But let them bring a discourse like it, if they tell the truth!
Or were they created of nothing, or were they the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth?- nay, but they are not sure!
Or have they the treasures of thy Lord? or are they the governors supreme?
Or have they a ladder whereon they can listen?-then let their listener bring obvious authority.
Has He daughters, while ye have sons?
Or dost thou ask them a hire, while they are borne down by debt?
Or have they the unseen, so that they write it down?
Or do they desire a plot?- but those who misbelieve it is who are plotted against!
Or have they a god beside God? celebrated be God's praises above what they join with Him!
But if they should see a fragment of the sky falling down, they would say, 'Clouds in masses!'
But leave them till they meet that day of theirs whereon they shall swoon; the day when their plotting shall avail them naught, and they shall not be helped!
And, verily, there is a torment beside that for those who do wrong; but most of them do not know!
But wait thou patiently for the judgment of thy Lord, for thou art in our eyes. And celebrate the praises of thy Lord what time thou risest, and in the night, and at the fading of the stars!
THE CHAPTER OF THE INEVITABLE
(LVI. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
When the inevitable happens; none shall call its happening a lie!- abasing- exalting!
When the earth shall quake, quaking! and the mountains shall crumble, crumbling, and become like motes dispersed!
And ye shall be three sorts;
And the fellows of the right hand-what right lucky fellows!
And the fellows of the left hand-what unlucky fellows!
And the foremost foremost!
These are they who are brought nigh,
In gardens of pleasure!
A crowd of those of yore,
And a few of those of the latter day!
And gold-weft couches, reclining on them face to face.
Around them shall go eternal youths, with goblets and ewers and a cup of flowing wine; no headache shall they feel therefrom, nor shall their wits be dimmed!
And fruits such as they deem the best;
And flesh of fowl as they desire;
And bright and large-eyed maids like hidden pearls;
A reward for that which they have done!
They shall hear no folly there and no sin;
Only the speech, 'Peace, Peace!'
And the fellows of the right-what right lucky fellows!
Amid thornless lote trees.
And tal'h trees with piles of fruit;
And outspread shade,
And water out-poured;
And fruit in abundance, neither failing nor forbidden;
And beds upraised!
Verily, we have produced them a production.
And made them virgins, darlings of equal age (with their spouses) for the fellows of the right!
A crowd of those of yore, and a crowd of those of the latter day!
And the fellows of the left-what unlucky fellows!
In hot blasts and boiling water;
And a shade of pitchy smoke,
Neither cool nor generous!
Verily, they were affluent ere this, and did persist in mighty crime; and used to say, 'What, when we die and have become dust and bones, shall we then indeed be raised? or our fathers of yore?'
Say, 'Verily, those of yore and those of the latter day shall surely be gathered together unto the tryst of the well-known day.'
Then ye, O ye who err! who say it is a lie! shall eat of the Zaqqum tree! and fill your bellies with it! and drink thereon of boiling water! and drink as drinks the thirsty camel.
This is their entertainment on the judgment day!
We created you, then why do ye not credit?
Have ye considered what ye emit?
Do we create it, or are we the creators?
We have decreed amongst you death; but we are not forestalled from making the likes of you in exchange, or producing you as ye know not of.
Ye do know the first production-why then do ye not mind?
Have ye considered what ye till?
Do ye make it bear seed, or do we make it bear seed?
If we pleased we could make it mere grit, so that ye would pause to marvel:
'Verily,we have got into debt and we are excluded.'
Have ye considered the water which ye drink?
Do ye make it come down from the clouds, or do we make it come down?
If we pleased we could make it pungent-why then do ye not give thanks?
Have ye considered the fire which ye strike?
Do ye produce the tree that gives it, or do we produce it?
We have made it a memorial and a chattel for the traveller of the waste?
Then celebrate the grand name of thy Lord!
So I will not swear by the positions of the stars; and, verily, it is a grand oath if ye did but know--that, verily, this is the honourable Koran- in the laid-up Book!
Let none touch it but the purified!
A revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
What! this new discourse will ye despise?
And make for your provision, that you call it a lie?
Why then-when it comes up to the throat, and ye at that time look on, though we are nearer to him than you are, but ye cannot see,- why, if ye are not to be judged, do ye not send it back, if ye do tell the truth?
But either, if he be of those brought nigh to God,- then rest and fragrance and the garden of pleasure!
Or, if he be of the fellows of the right! then 'Peace to thee!' from the fellows of the right!
Or, if he be of those who say it is a lie,-who err! then an entertainment of boiling water! and broiling in hell!
Verily, this is surely certain truth!
So celebrate the grand name of thy Lord!
THE CHAPTER OF THE STAR
(LIII. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the star when it falls, your comrade errs not, nor is he deluded! nor speaks he out of lust! It is but an inspiration inspired! One mighty in power taught him, endowed with sound understanding, and appeared, he being in the loftiest tract.
Then drew he near and hovered o'er! until he was two bows' length off or nigher still! Then he inspired his servant what he inspired him; the heart belies not what he saw! What, will ye dispute with him on what he saw?
And he saw him another time, by the lote tree none may pass; near which is the garden of the Abode! When there covered the lote tree what did cover it! The sight swerved not nor wandered. He saw then the greatest of the signs of his Lord.
Have ye considered Allat and Al 'Huzza, and Manat the other third? Shall there be male offspring for Him and female for you? That were an unfair division! They are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers! God has sent down no authority for them! They do but follow suspicion and what their souls lust after!-And yet there has come to them guidance from their Lord.
Shall man have what he desires? But God's is the hereafter and the present!
How many an angel in the heaven!-their intercession avails not at all, save after God has given permission to whomsoever He will and is pleased with!
Verily, those who believe not in the hereafter do surely name the angels with female names!-but they have no knowledge thereof; they do but follow suspicion, and, verily, suspicion shall not avail against the truth at all!
But turn aside from him who turns his back upon our remembrance and desires naught but this world's life! This is their sum of knowledge; verily, thy Lord knows best who has erred from His way, and He knows best who is guided!
God's is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth, that He may reward those who do evil for what they have done; and may reward those who do good with good! those who shun great sins and iniquities,-all but venial faults,-verily, thy Lord is of ample forgiveness; He knows best about you, when He produced you from the earth, and when ye were embryos in the wombs of your mothers.
Make not yourselves out, then to be pure; He knows best who it is that fears.
Hast thou considered him who turns his back? who gives but little and then stops? Has he then the knowledge of the unseen, so that he can see?
Has he not been informed of what is in the pages of Moses and Abraham who fulfilled his word? that no burdened soul shall bear the burden of another? and that man shall have only that for which he strives; and that his striving shall at length be seen? Then shall he be rewarded for it with the most full reward; and that unto thy Lord is the limit; and that it is He who makes men laugh and weep; and that it is He who kills and makes alive; and that He created pairs, male and female, from a clot when it is emitted; and that for Him is the next production; and that he enriches and gives possession; and that He is the Lord of the Dog-star, and that He it was who destroyed 'Ad of yore, and Thamud, and left none of them; and the people of Noah before them,-verily, they were most unjust and outrageous!
And the overthrown (cities) He threw down; and there covered them what did cover them!
Which then of your Lord's benefits do ye dispute?
This is a warner, one of the warners of yore!
The approaching day approaches; there is none to discover it but God.
At this new discourse then do ye wonder? and do ye laugh and not weep? and ye divert yourselves the while!
But adore God and serve (Him).
THE CHAPTER OF THE MERCIFUL
(LV. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
The Merciful taught the Koran;
He created man, taught him plain speech.
The sun and the moon have their appointed time;
The herbs and the trees adore;
And the heavens, He raised them and set the balance, that ye should not be outrageous in the balance;
But weigh ye aright, and stint not the balance.
And the earth He has set it for living creatures therein are fruits and palms, with sheaths; and grain with chaff and frequent shoots;
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
He created men of crackling clay like the potters.
And He created the ginn from smokeless fire.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
The Lord of the two easts and the Lord of the two wests!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
He has let loose the two seas that meet together; between them is a barrier they cannot pass!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
He brings forth from each pearls both large and small!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
His are the ships which rear aloft in the sea like mountains.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Every one upon it is transient, but the face of thy Lord endowed with majesty and honour shall endure.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Of Him whosoever is in the heaven and the earth does beg; every day He is in (some fresh) business!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
We shall be at leisure for you, O ye two weighty ones!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
O assembly of ginns and mankind! if ye are able to pass through the confines of heaven and earth then pass through them!-ye cannot pass through save by authority!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
There shall be sent against you a flash of fire, and molten copper, and ye shall not be helped!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
And when the heaven is rent asunder and become rosy red
- (melting) like grease!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
On that day neither man nor ginn shall be asked about his crime!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
The sinners shall be known by their marks, and shall be seized by the forelock and the feet!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
'This is hell, which the sinners did call it lie! they shall circulate between it and water boiling quite!'
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
But for him who fears the station of his Lord are gardens twain!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Both furnished with branching trees.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
In each are flowing springs.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
In each are, of every fruit, two kinds.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Reclining on beds the linings of which are of brocade, and the fruit of the two gardens within reach to cull.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Therein are maids of modest glances whom no man nor ginn has deflowered before.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
As though they were rubies and pearls.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Is the reward of goodness aught but goodness?
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
And besides these, are gardens twain,
Then which of your Lord's bounties will be twain deny?
With dark green foliage.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
In each two gushing springs.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
In each fruit and palms and pomegranates.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
In them maidens best and fairest!
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Bright and large-eyed maids kept in their tents.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Whom no man nor ginn has deflowered before them.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Reclining on green cushions and beautiful carpets.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Blessed be the name of thy Lord possessed of majesty and honour!
THE CHAPTER OF THE POETS
(XXVI. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
TA SIN MIM. Those are the signs of the perspicuous Book; haply thou art vexing thyself to death that they will not be believers!
If we please we will send down upon them from the heaven a sign, and their necks shall be humbled thereto. But there comes not to them any recent Reminder from the Merciful One that they do not turn away from. They have called (thee) liar! but there shall come to them a message of that at which they mocked.
Have they not looked to the earth, how we caused to grow therein of every noble kind? verily, in that is a sign; but most of them will never be believers! but, verily, thy Lord He is mighty and merciful.
And when thy Lord called Moses (saying), 'Come to the unjust people, to the people of Pharaoh, will they not fear?' Said he, 'My Lord! verily, I fear that they will call me liar; and my breast is straitened, and my tongue is not fluent; send then unto Aaron, for they have a crime against me, and I fear that they may kill me.' Said He, 'Not so; but go with our signs, verily, we are with you listening.
'And go to Pharaoh and say, "Verily, we are the apostles of the Lord of the worlds (to tell thee to) send with us the children of Israel."'
And he said, 'Did we not bring thee up amongst us as a child? and thou didst dwell amongst us for years of thy life; and thou didst do thy deed which thou hast done, and thou art of the ungrateful!'
Said he, 'I did commit this, and I was of those who erred.
'And I fled from you when I feared you, and my Lord granted me judgment, and made me one of His messengers; and this is the favour thou hast obliged me with, that thou hast enslaved the children of Israel!'
Said Pharaoh, 'Who is the Lord of the worlds? Said he, 'The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between the two, if ye are but sure.'
Said he to those about him, 'Do ye not listen?' Said he, 'Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers of yore!'
Said he, 'Verily, your apostle who is sent to you is surely mad!'
Said he, 'The Lord of the east and of the west, and of what is between the two, if ye had but sense!'
Said he, 'If thou dost take a god besides Me I will surely make thee one of the imprisoned!'
Said he, 'What, if I come to thee with something obvious?'
Said he, 'Bring it, if thou art of those who tell the truth!'
And he threw down his rod, and, behold, it was an obvious serpent! and he plucked out his hand, and, behold, it was white to the spectators!
He said to the chiefs around him, 'Verily, this is a knowing sorcerer, he desires to turn you out of your land! what is it then ye bid?'
They said, 'Give him and his brother some hope, and send into the cities to collect and bring to thee every knowing sorcerer.'
And the sorcerers assembled at the appointed time on a stated day, and it was said to the people, 'Are ye assembled? haply we may follow the sorcerers if we gain the upper hand.'
And when the sorcerers came they said to Pharaoh, 'Shall we, verily, have a hire if we gain the upper hand?' Said he, 'Yes; and, verily, ye shall then of those who are nigh (my throne).' And Moses said to them, 'Throw down what ye have to throw down.' So they threw down their ropes and their rods and said, 'By Pharaoh's might, verily, we it is who shall gain the upper hand!'
And Moses threw down his rod, and, lo, it swallowed up what they falsely devised!
And the sorcerers threw themselves down, adoring. Said they, 'We believe in the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron!' Said he, 'Do ye believe in Him ere I give you leave? Verily, he is your chief who has taught you sorcery, but soon ye shall know. I will surely cut off your hands and your feet from opposite sides, and I will crucify you all together!'
They said, 'No harm; verily, unto our Lord do we return! verily, we hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins, for we are the first of believers!'
And we inspired Moses, 'Journey by night with my servants; verily, ye are pursued.'
And Pharaoh sent into the cities to collect; 'Verily, these are a small company. And, verily, they are enraged with us; but we are a multitude, wary!
'Turn them- out of gardens and springs, and treasuries, and a noble station!'- thus,- and we made the children of Israel to inherit them.
And they followed them at dawn; and when the two hosts saw each other, Moses' companions said, 'Verily, we are overtaken!' Said he, 'Not so; verily, with me is my Lord, He will guide me.'
And we inspired Moses, 'Strike with thy rod the sea;' and it was cleft asunder, and each part was like a mighty mountain. And then we brought the others. And we saved Moses and those with him all together; then we drowned the others; and that is a sign: but most of them will never be believers! And, verily, thy Lord He is mighty, merciful.
And recite to them the story of Abraham; when he said to his father and his people, 'What do ye serve?' They said, 'We serve idols, and we are still devoted to them.' He said, 'Can they hear you when ye call, or profit you, or harm?'
They said, 'No; but we found our, fathers doing thus.' He said, 'Have ye considered what ye have been serving, ye and your fathers before you? Verily, they are foes to me, save only the Lord of the worlds, who created me and guides me, and who gives me food and drink. And when I am sick He heals me; He who will kill me, and then bring me to life; and who I hope will forgive me my sins on the day of judgment! Lord, grant me judgment, and let me reach the righteous; and give me a tongue of good report amongst posterity; and make me of the heirs of the paradise of pleasure; and pardon my father, verily, he is of those who err; and disgrace me not on the day when they are raised up again; the day when wealth shall profit not, nor sons, but only he who comes to God with a sound heart. And paradise shall be brought near to the pious; and hell shall be brought forth to those who go astray, and it shall be said to them, "Where is what ye used to worship beside God? can they help you, or get help themselves?" And they shall fall headlong into it, they and those who have gone astray, and the hosts of Iblis all together!
'They shall say, while they quarrel therein, By God! we were surely in an obvious error, when we made you equal to the Lord of the worlds! but it was only sinners who led us astray. But we have no intercessors and no warm friend; but had we a turn we would be of the believers."'-Verily, in that is a sign, but most of them will never be believers; and, verily, thy Lord He is mighty and merciful.
The people of Noah said the apostles were liars, when their brother Noah said to them, 'Will ye not fear? verily, I am a faithful apostle to you; then fear God and obey me. I do not ask you for it any hire; my hire is only with the Lord of the worlds. So fear God and obey me.' They said, 'Shall we believe in thee, when the reprobates follow thee? 'He said, I did not know what they were doing; their account is only with my Lord, if ye but perceive. And I am not one to drive away the believers, I am only a plain warner.'
They said, 'Verily, if thou desist not, O Noah! thou shalt surely be of those who are stoned!' Said he, 'My Lord! verily, my people call me liar; open between me and between them an opening, and save me and those of the believers who are with me!'
So we saved him and those with him in the laden ark, then we drowned the rest; verily, in that is a sign, but most of them will never be believers; and, verily, thy Lord He is mighty and merciful.
And 'Ad called the apostles liars; when their brother Hud said to them, 'Will ye not fear? Verily, I am to you a faithful apostle; then fear God and obey me. I do not ask you for it any hire; my hire is only with the Lord of the worlds. Do ye build on every height a landmark in sport, and take to works that haply ye may be immortal?
'And when ye assault ye assault like tyrants; but fear God and obey me; and fear Him who hath given you an extent of cattle and sons, and gardens and springs. Verily, I fear for you the torment of a mighty day!'
They said, 'It is the same to us if thou admonish or art not of those who do admonish; this is nothing but old folks' fictions, for we shall not be tormented!'
And they called him liar! but we destroyed them. Verily, in that is a sign, but most of them will never be believers. And, verily, thy Lord is mighty, merciful.
Thamud called the apostles liars; when their brother Zali'h said to them, 'Do ye not fear? verily, I am to you a faithful apostle; so fear God and obey me. I do not ask you for it any hire; my hire is only with the Lord of the worlds. Shall ye be left here in safety with gardens and springs, and corn-fields and palms, the spathes whereof are fine? and ye hew out of the mountains houses skilfully. But fear God and obey me; and obey not the bidding of the extravagant, who do evil in the earth and do not act aright!'
They said, 'Thou art only of the infatuated; thou art but mortal like ourselves; so bring us a sign, if thou be of those who speak the truth!'
He said, 'This she-camel shall have her drink and you your drink on a certain day; but touch her not with evil, or there will seize you the torment of a mighty day!'
But they hamstrung her, and on the morrow they repented; and the torment seized them; verily, in that is a sign; but most of them will never be believers: but verily, thy Lord He is mighty, merciful.
The people of Lot called the apstles liars; when their brother Lot said to them, 'Do ye not fear? verily, I am to you a faithful apostle; then fear God and obey me. I do not ask you for it any hire; my hire is only with the Lord of the worlds. Do ye approach males of all the world and leave what God your Lord has created for you of your wives? nay, but ye are people who transgress!'
They said, 'Surely, if thou dost not desist, O Lot! thou shalt be of those who are expelled!'
Said he, 'Verily, I am of those who hate your deed; my Lord! save me and my people from what they do.'
And we saved him and his people all together, except an old woman amongst those who lingered. Then we destroyed the others; and we rained down upon them a rain; and evil was the rain of those who were warned. Verily, in that is a sign; but most of them will never be believers. And, verily, thy Lord He is mighty, merciful, compassionate.
The fellows of the Grove called the apostles liars; Sho'haib said to them, 'Will ye not fear? verily, I am to you a faithful apostle, then fear God and obey me. I do not ask you for it any hire; my hire is only with the Lord of the worlds. Give good measure, and be not of those who diminish; and weigh with a fair balance, and do not cheat men of their goods; and waste not the land, despoiling it; and fear Him who created you and the races of yore!' Said they, 'Thou art only of the infatuated; and thou art only a mortal like ourselves; and, verily, we think that thou art surely of the liars; so make a portion of the heaven to fall down upon us, if thou art of those who tell the truth!'
Said he, 'My Lord knows best what ye do! but they called him liar, and the torment of the day of the shadow seized them; for it was the torment of a mighty day: verily, in that is a sign; but most of them will never be believers; but, verily, thy Lord He is mighty, merciful!
And, verily, it is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds; the Faithful Spirit came down with it upon thy heart, that thou shouldst be of those who warn;-in plain Arabic language, and, verily, it is (foretold) in the scriptures of yore! Have they not a sign, that the learned men of the children of Israel recognise it? Had we sent it down to any barbarian, and he had read it to them, they would not have believed therein. Thus have we made for it a way into the hearts of the sinners; they will not believe therein until they see the grievous woe! and it shall come to them suddenly while they do not perceive! They will say, 'Shall we be respited?- What! do they wish to hasten on our torment?'
What thinkest thou? if we let them enjoy themselves for years, and then there come to them what they are threatened, that will not avail them which they had to enjoy! But we do not destroy any city without its having warners as a reminder, for we are never unjust.
The devils did not descend therewith; it is not fit work for them; nor are they able to do it. Verily, they are deposed from listening; call not then with God upon other gods, or thou wilt be of the tormented; but warn thy clansmen who are near of kin. And lower thy wing to those of the believers who follow thee; but if they rebel against thee, say, 'Verily, I am clear of what ye do,' and rely thou upon the mighty, merciful One, who sees thee when thou dost stand up, and thy posturing amongst those who adore. 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! 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.
THE CHAPTER OF MARY
(XIX. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
KAF HA YA AIN SAD. The mention of thy Lord's mercy to His servant Zachariah, when he called on his Lord with a secret calling. Said he, 'My Lord! verily, my bones are weak, and my head flares with hoariness;-and I never was unfortunate in my prayers to Thee, my Lord! But I fear my heirs after me, and my wife is barren; then grant me from Thee a successor, to be my heir and the heir of the family of Jacob, and make him, my Lord! acceptable.'
'O Zachariah! verily, we give thee glad tidings of a son, whose name shall be John. We never made a namesake of his before.'
Said he, 'My Lord! how can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached through old age to decrepitude?'
He said, 'Thus says thy Lord, It is easy for Me, for I created thee at first when yet thou wast nothing.'
Said he, 'O my Lord! make for me a sign. He said, 'Thy sign is that thou shalt not speak to men for three nights (though) sound.'
Then he went forth unto his people from the chamber, and he made signs to them: 'Celebrate (God's) praises morning and evening!'
O John! take the Book with strength; and we gave him judgment when a boy, and grace from us, and purity; and he was pious and righteous to his parents, and was not a rebellious tyrant.
So peace upon him the day he was born, and the day he died, and the day he shall be raised up alive.
And mention, in the Book, Mary; when she retired from her family into an eastern place; and she took a veil (to screen herself) from them; and we sent unto her our spirit; and he took for her the semblance of a well-made man. Said she, 'Verily, I take refuge in the Merciful One from thee, if thou art pious.' Said he, 'I am only a messenger of thy Lord to bestow on thee a pure boy.'
Said she, 'How can I have a boy when no man has touched me, and when I am no harlot?' He said, 'Thus says thy Lord, It is easy for Me! and we will make him a sign unto man, and a mercy from us; for it is a decided matter.'
So she conceived him, and she retired with him into a remote place. And the labour pains came upon her at the trunk of a palm tree, and she said, 'O that I had died before this, and been forgotten out of mind!' and he called to her from beneath her 'Grieve not, for thy Lord has placed a stream beneath thy feet, and shake towards thee the trunk of the palm tree, it will drop upon thee fresh dates fit to gather; so eat, and drink, and cheer thine eye; and if thou shouldst see any mortal say, "Verily, I have vowed to the Merciful One a fast, and I will not speak to-day with a human being."'
Then she brought it to her people, carrying it; said they, 'O Mary! thou hast done an extraordinary thing! O sister of Aaron! thy father was not a bad man, nor was thy mother a harlot!'
And she pointed to him, and they said, 'How are we to speak with one who is in the cradle a child?' He said, 'Verily, I am a servant of God; He has brought me the Book, and He has made me a prophet, and He has made me blessed wherever I be; and He has required of me prayer and almsgiving so long as I live, and piety towards my mother, and has not made me a miserable tyrant; and peace upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised up alive.'
That is, Jesus the son of Mary,-by the word of truth whereon ye do dispute!
God could not take to himself any son! celebrated be His praise! when He decrees a matter He only says to it, 'BE,' and it is; and, verily, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him; this is the right way.
And the parties have disagreed amongst themselves, but woe to those who disbelieve, from the witnessing of the mighty day! they can hear and they can see, on the day when they shall come to us; but the evildoers are to-day in obvious error!
And warn them of the day of sighing, when the matter is decreed while they are heedless, and while they do not believe.
Verily, we will inherit the earth and all who are upon it, and unto us shall they return!
And mention, in the Book, Abraham; verily, he was a confessor,-a prophet. When he said to his father, 'O my sire! why dost thou worship what can neither hear nor see nor avail thee aught? O my sire! verily, to me has come knowledge which has not come to thee; then follow me, and I will guide thee to a level way.
O my sire! serve not Satan; verily, Satan is ever a rebel against the Merciful. O my sire! verily, I fear that there may touch thee torment from the Merciful, and that thou mayest be a client of Satan.'
Said he, 'What! art thou averse from my gods, O Abraham? verily, if thou dost not desist I will certainly stone thee; but get thee gone from me for a time!'
Said he, 'Peace be upon thee! I will ask forgiveness for thee from my Lord; verily, He is very gracious to me: but I will part from you and what ye call on beside God, and will pray my Lord that I be not unfortunate in my prayer to my Lord.'
And when he had parted from them and what they served beside God, we granted him Isaac and Jacob, and each of them we made a prophet; and we granted them of our mercy, and we made the tongue of truth lofty for them.
And mention, in the Book, Moses; verily, he was sincere, and was an apostle,-a prophet. We called him from the right side of the mountain; and we made him draw nigh unto us to commune with him, and we granted him, of our mercy, his brother Aaron as a prophet.
And mention, in the Book, Ishmael; verily, he was true to his promise, and was an apostle, a prophet; and he used to bid his people prayers and almsgiving, and was acceptable in the sight of his Lord.
And mention, in the Book, Idris; verily, he was a confessor,-a prophet; and we raised him to a lofty place.
These are those to whom God has been gracious, of the prophets of the seed of Adam, and of those whom we bore with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham and Israel, and of those we guided and elected; when the signs of the Merciful are read to them, they fall down adoring and weeping.
And successors succeeded them, who lost sight of prayer and followed lusts, but they shall at length find themselves going wrong, except such as repent and believe and act aright; for these shall enter Paradise and shall not be wronged at all,-gardens of Eden, which the Merciful has promised to His servants in the unseen; verily, His promise ever comes to pass!
They shall hear no empty talk therein, but only peace;' and they shall have their provision therein, morning and evening; that is Paradise which we will give for an inheritance to those of our servants who are pious!
We do not descend save at the bidding of thy Lord; His is what is before us, and what is behind us, and what is between those; for thy Lord is never forgetful,-the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and of what is between the two; then serve Him and persevere in His service. Dost thou know a namesake of His?
Man will say, 'What! when I have died shall I then come forth alive? Does not man then remember that we created him before when he was naught?'
And by thy Lord! we will surely gather them together, and the devils too; then we will surely bring them forward around hell, on their knees!
Then we will drag off from every sect whichever of them has been most bold against the Merciful.
Then we know best which of them deserves most to be broiled therein.
There is not one of you who will not go down to it,-that is settled and decided by thy Lord.
Then we will save those who fear us; but we will leave the evildoers therein on their knees.
And when our signs are recited to them manifest, those who misbelieve say to those who believe, 'Which of the two parties is best placed and in the best company?'
And how many generations before them have we destroyed who were better off in property and appearance?
Say, 'Whosoever is in error, let the Merciful extend to him length of days!-until they see what they are threatened with, whether it be the torment or whether it be the Hour, then they shall know who is worse placed and weakest in forces!'
And those who are guided God will increase in guidance.
And enduring good works are best with thy Lord for a reward, and best for restoration.
Hast thou seen him who disbelieves in our signs, and says, 'I shall surely be given wealth and children?'
Has he become acquainted with the unseen, or has he taken a compact with the Merciful? Not so! We will write down what he says, and we will extend to him a length of torment, and we will make him inherit what he says, and he shall come to us alone. They take other gods besides God to be their glory. Not so! They shall deny their worship and shall be opponents of theirs!
Dost thou not see that we have sent the devils against the misbelievers, to drive them on to sin? but, be not thou hasty with them. Verily, we will number them a number (of days),-the day when we will gather the pious to the Merciful as ambassadors, and we will drive the sinners to hell like (herds) to water! They shall not possess intercession, save he who has taken a compact with the Merciful.
They say, 'The Merciful has taken to Himself a son:'-ye have brought a monstrous thing! The heavens well-nigh burst asunder thereat, and the earth is riven, and the mountains fall down broken, that they attribute to the Merciful a son! but it becomes not the Merciful to take to Himself a son! there is none in the heavens or the earth but comes to the Merciful as a servant; He counts them and numbers them by number, and they are all coming to Him on the resurrection day singly.
Verily, those who believe and act aright, to them the Merciful will give love.
We have only made it easy for thy tongue that thou mayest thereby give glad tidings to the pious, and warn thereby a contentious people.
How many a generation before them have we destroyed? Canst thou find any one of them, or hear a whisper of them?
THE CHAPTER OF THE NIGHT JOURNEY
(XVII. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Celebrated be the praises of Him who took His servant a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Remote Mosque, the precinct of which we have blessed, to show him of our signs! verily, He both hears and looks.
And we gave Moses the Book and made it a guidance to the children of Israel: 'Take ye to no guardian but me.'
Seed of those we bore with Noah (in the ark)! verily, he was a thankful servant!
And we decreed to the children of Israel in the Book, 'Ye shall verily do evil in the earth twice, and ye shall rise to a great height (of pride).'
And when the threat for the first (sin) of the two came, we sent over them servants of ours, endued with violence, and they searched inside your houses; and it was an accomplished threat.
Then we rallied you once more against them, and aided you with wealth and sons, and made you a numerous band.
'If ye do well, ye will do well to your own souls; and if ye do ill, it is against them!
'And when the threat for the last came- to harm your faces and to enter the mosque as they entered it the first time, and to destroy what they had got the upper-hand over with utter destruction.'
It may be that thy Lord will have mercy on you;- if ye return we will return, and we have made hell a prison for the misbelievers.
Verily, this Koran guides to the straightest path, and gives the glad tidings to the believers who do aright that for them is a great hire; and that for those who believe not in the hereafter, we have prepared a mighty woe.
Man prays for evil as he prays for good; and man was ever hasty.
We made the night and the day two signs; and we blot out the sign of the night and make the sign of the day visible, that ye may seek after plenty from your Lord, and that ye may number the years and the reckoning; and we have detailed everything in detail.
And every man's augury have we fastened on his neck; and we will bring forth for him on the resurrection day a book offered to him wide open. 'Read thy book, thou art accountant enough against thyself to-day!'
He who accepts guidance, accepts it only for his own soul: and he who errs, errs only against it; nor shall one burdened soul bear the burden of another.
Nor would we punish until we had sent an apostle. And when we desired to destroy a city we bade the opulent ones thereof; and they wrought abomination therein; and its due sentence was pronounced; and we destroyed it with utter destruction.
How many generations have we destroyed after Noah! but thy Lord of the sins of his servant is well aware, and sees enough.
Whoso is desirous of this life that hastens away, we will hasten on for him therein what we please,- for whom we please. Then we will make hell for him to broil in- despised and outcast.
But whoso desires the next life, and strives for it and is a believer- these, their striving shall be gratefully received.
To all- these and those- will we extend the gifts of thy Lord; for the gifts of thy Lord are not restricted.
See how we have preferred some of them over others, but in the next life are greater degrees and greater preference.
Put not with God other gods, or thou wilt sit despised and forsaken.
Thy Lord has decreed that ye shall not serve other than Him; and kindness to one's parents, whether one or both of them reach old age with thee; and say not to them, 'Fie!' and do not grumble at them, but speak to them a generous speech. And lower to them the wing of humility out of compassion, and say, 'O Lord! have compassion on them as they brought me up when I was little!' Your Lord knows best what is in your souls if ye be righteous, and, verily, He is forgiving unto those who come back penitent.
And give thy kinsman his due and the poor and the son of the road; and waste not wastefully, for the wasteful were ever the devil's brothers; and the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.
But if thou dost turn away from them to seek after mercy from thy Lord, which thou hopest for, then speak to them an easy speech.
Make not thy hand fettered to thy neck, nor yet spread it out quite open, lest thou shouldst have to sit down blamed and straitened in means. Verily, thy Lord spreads out provision to whomsoever He will or He doles it out. Verily, He is ever well aware of and sees his servants.
And slay not your children for fear of poverty; we will provide for them; beware! for to slay them is ever a great sin!
And draw not near to fornication; verily, it is ever an abomination, and evil is the way thereof.
And slay not the soul that God has forbidden you, except for just cause; for he who is slain unjustly we have given his next of kin authority; yet let him not exceed in slaying; verily, he is ever helped.
And draw not near to the wealth of the orphan, save to improve it, until he reaches the age of puberty, and fulfil your compacts; verily, a compact is ever enquired of.
And give full measure when ye measure out, and weigh with a right balance; that is better and a fairer determination.
And do not pursue that of which thou hast no knowledge; verily, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, all of these shall be enquired of.
And walk not on the earth proudly; verily, thou canst not cleave the earth, and thou shalt not reach the mountains in height.
All this is ever, evil in the sight of your Lord and abhorred.
That is something of what thy, Lord has inspired thee with of wisdom; do not then put with God other gods, or thou wilt be thrown into hell reproached and outcast. What! has your Lord chosen to give you sons, and shall He take for Himself females from among the angels? verily, ye are speaking a mighty speech.
Now have we turned it in various ways in this Koran so let them bear in mind; but it will only increase them in aversion.
Say, 'Were there with Him other gods, as ye say, then would they seek a way against the Lord of the throne.'
Celebrated be His praises, and exalted be He above what they say with a great exaltation!
The seven heavens and the earth celebrate His praises, and all who therein are; nor is there aught but what celebrates His praise: but ye cannot understand their celebration;- verily, He is clement and forgiving.
And when thou readest the Koran we place between thee and those who believe not in the hereafter a covering veil. And we place covers upon their hearts, lest they should understand, and dulness in their ears.
And when thou dost mention in the Koran thy Lord by Himself they turn their backs in aversion. We know best for what they listen when they listen to thee; and when they whisper apart- when the wrong-doers say, 'Ye only follow a man enchanted.'
Behold, how they strike out for you parables, and err, and cannot find the way!
They say, 'What! when we have become bones and rubbish are we to be raised up a new creature?' Say, 'Be ye stones, or iron, or a creature, the greatest your breasts can conceive-!' Then they shall say, 'Who is to restore us?' Say, 'He who originated you at first;' and they will wag their heads and say, 'When will that be? Say, 'It may, perhaps, be nigh.'
The day when He shall call on you and ye shall answer with praise to Him, and they will think that they have tarried but a little.
And say to my servants that they speak in a kind way; verily, Satan makes ill-will between them; verily, Satan was ever unto man an open foe.
Your Lord knows you best; if He please He will have mercy upon you, or if He please He will torment you: but we have not sent thee to take charge of them.
And thy Lord best knows who is in the heavens and the earth; we did prefer some of the prophets over the others, and to David did we give the Psalms.
Say, 'Call on those whom ye pretend other than God;' but they shall not have the power to remove distress from you, nor to turn it off.
Those on whom they call, seek themselves for a means of approaching their Lord, (to see) which of them is nearest: and they hope for His mercy and they fear His torment; verily, the torment of thy Lord is a thing to beware of.
There is no city but we will destroy it before the day of judgment, or torment it with keen torment;- that is in the Book inscribed.
Naught hindered us from sending thee with signs, save that those of yore said they were lies; so we gave Thamud the visible she-camel, but they treated her unjustly for we do not send (any one) with signs save to make men fear.
And when we said to thee, 'Verily, thy Lord encompasses men!' and we made the vision which we showed thee only a cause of sedition unto men, and the cursed tree as well; for we will frighten them, but it will only increase them in great rebellion.
And when we said to the angels, 'Adore Adam;' and they adored, save Iblis, who said, 'Am I to adore one whom Thou hast created out of clay?
Said he, 'Dost thou see now? this one whom Thou hast honoured above me, verily, if Thou shouldst respite me until the resurrection day, I will of a surety utterly destroy his seed except a few.'
Said He, 'Begone! and whoso of them follows thee- verily, hell is your recompense, an ample recompense. Entice away whomsoever of them thou canst with thy voice; and bear down upon them with thy horse and with thy foot; and share with them in their wealth and their children; and promise them,- but Satan promises them naught but deceit. Verily, my servants, thou hast no authority over them; thy Lord is guardian enough over them!'
It is your Lord who drives the ships for you in the sea that ye may seek after plenty from Him; verily, He is ever merciful to you. And when distress touches you in the sea, those whom ye call on, except Him, stray away from you; but when He has brought you safe to shore, ye turn away; for man is ever ungrateful.
Are ye sure that He will not cleave with you the side of the shore, or send against you a heavy sand-storm? then ye will find no guardian for yourselves.
Or are ye sure that He will not send you back therein another time, and send against you a violent wind, and drown you for your misbelief? then ye will find for yourselves no protector against us.
But we have been gracious to the children of Adam, and we have borne them by land and sea, and have provided them with good things, and have preferred them over many that we have created.
The day when we will call all men by their high priest; and he whose book is given in his right hand- these shall read their book, nor shall they be wronged a straw. But he who in this life is blind shall be blind in the next too, and err farther from the way.
They had well-nigh beguiled thee from what we inspired thee with, that thou shouldst forge against us something else, and then they would have taken thee for a friend; and had it not been that we stablished thee, thou wouldst have well-nigh leant towards them a little then would we have made thee taste of torment both of life and death, then thou wouldst not have found against us any helper.
And they well-nigh enticed thee away from the land, to turn thee out therefrom; but then- they should not have tarried after thee except a little.
[This is] the course of those of our prophets whom we have sent before thee; and thou shalt find no change in our course.
Be thou steadfast in prayer from the declining of the sun until the dusk of the night, and the reading of the dawn; verily, the reading of the dawn is ever testified to.
And for the night, watch thou therein as an extra service. It may be that thy Lord will raise thee to a laudable station.
And say, 'O my Lord! make me enter with a just entry; and make me come forth with a just coming forth; and grant me from Thee authority to aid.'
And say, 'Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished! verily, falsehood is transient.'
And we will send down of the Koran that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, but it will only increase the wrong-doers in loss.
And when we favour man he turns away and retires aside, but when evil touches him he is ever in despair. Say, 'Every one acts after his own manner, but your Lord knows best who is most guided in the way.'
They will ask thee of the spirit. Say, 'The spirit comes at the bidding of my Lord, and ye are given but a little knowledge thereof.'
If we had wished we would have taken away that with which we have inspired thee; then thou wouldst have found no guardian against us, unless by a mercy from thy Lord; verily, His grace towards thee is great!
Say, 'If mankind and ginns united together to bring the like of this Koran, they could not bring the like, though they should back each other up!'
We have turned about for men in this Koran every parable; but most men refuse to accept it, save ungratefully.
And they say, 'We will by no means believe in thee, until there gush forth for thee a fountain from the earth; or there be made for thee a garden of palms and grapes, and rivers come gushing out amidst them; or thou make the sky to fall down upon us in pieces; or thou bring us God and the angels before us; or there be made for thee a house of gold; or thou climb up into the heaven; and even then we will not believe in thy climbing there, until thou send down on us a book that we may read!'
Say, 'Celebrated be the praises of my Lord! was I aught but a mortal apostle?'
Naught prohibited men from believing when the guidance came to them, save their saying, 'God has sent a mortal for an apostle.'
Say, 'Were there angels on the earth walking in quiet, we had surely sent them an angel as an apostle.'
Say, 'God is witness enough between me and you; verily, He is ever of His servants well aware, and sees.'
He whom God guides, he is guided indeed; and he whom God leads astray, thou shalt never find patrons for them beside Him; and we will gather them upon the resurrection day upon their faces, blind, and dumb, and deaf; their resort is hell; whenever it grows dull we will give them another blaze!
That is their reward for that they disbelieved in our signs, and said, 'What! when we are bones and rubbish, shall we then be raised up a new creation?'
Could they not see that God who created the heavens heavens and the earth is able to create the like of them, and to set for them an appointed time; there is no doubt therein, yet the wrong-doers refuse to accept it, save ungratefully!
Say, 'Did ye control the treasuries of the mercy of my Lord, then ye would hold them through fear of expending; for man is ever niggardly!'
And we did bring Moses nine manifest signs; then ask the children of Israel (about) when he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him, 'Verily, I think thee, O Moses! enchanted.'
He said, 'Well didst thou know that none sent down these save the Lord of the heavens and the earth as visible signs; and, verily, I think thee, O Pharaoh! ruined.'
And he desired to drive them out of the land; but we drowned him and those with him, one and all.
And after him we said to the children of Israel, Dwell ye in the land; and when the promise of the hereafter comes to pass, we will bring you in a mixed crowd (to judgment).
'In truth have we sent it down, and in truth has it come down; and we have not sent thee as aught but a herald of glad tidings and a warner.
'And a Koran which we have divided, that thou mayst read it to mankind leisurely, and we sent it down, sending it down.'
Say, 'Believe ye therein, or believe not; verily, those who were given the knowledge before it, when it is read to them fall down upon their beards adoring! and they say, "Celebrated be the praises of our Lord! verily, the promise of our Lord is ever fulfilled"- they fall down upon their beards weeping, and it increases their humility.'
Say, 'Call on God, or call on the Merciful One, whichever ye may call on Him by; for His are the best of names.'
And do not say thy prayers openly, nor yet murmur them, but seek a way between these.
And say, 'Praise belongs to God, who has not taken to Himself a son, and has not had a partner in His kingdom, nor had a patron against (such) abasement.' And magnify Him greatly!
THE CHAPTER OF THE BELIEVER
(XL. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
HA MIM. The sending down of the Book from God, the mighty, the knowing, the forgiver of sin and accepter of repentance, keen at punishment, long-suffering! 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.
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!
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!'
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! Exalted of degrees! The Lord 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. He knows the deceitful of eye and what men's breasts conceal, and God decides with 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 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, unto Pharaoh and Haman and Qarun. 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!
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. 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 ike of the day of the confederates, the like of the- wont of the people of Noah and 'Ad and Haman, 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,-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 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.'
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? 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 God, verily, God looks upon His servants!'
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.
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: 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 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.
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? 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!
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.
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.
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!
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, 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.'
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!