on thee to associate with me that concerning which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not: bear them company in this world in what shall be reasonable; but follow the way of him who sincerely turneth unto me. Hereafter unto me shall ye return, and then will I declare unto you that which ye have done. Oh my son, verily every matter, whether good or bad, though it be of the weight of a grain of mustard-seed, and be hidden in a rock, or in the heavens, or in the earth, GOD will bring the same to light; for GOD is clear-sighted and knowing. Oh my son, be constant at prayer, and command that which is just, and forbid that which is evil: and be patient under the afflictions which shall befall thee; for this is a duty absolutely incumbent on all men. Distort not thy face out of contempt to men, neither walk in the earth with insolence; for GOD loveth no arrogant, vain-glorious person. And be moderate in thy pace; and lower thy voice; for the most ungrateful of all voices surely is the voice of asses. Do ye not see that GOD hath subjected whatever is in heaven and on earth to your service, and hath abundantly poured on you his favors, both outwardly and inwardly? There are some who dispute concerning GOD without knowledge, and without a direction, and without an enlightening book. And when it is said unto them, Follow that which God hath revealed, they answer, Nay, we will follow that which we found our fathers to practise. What, though the devil invite them to the torment of hell? Whosoever resigneth himself unto GOD, being a worker of righteousness, taketh hold on a strong handle; and unto GOD belongeth the issue of all things. But whoever shall be an unbeliever, let not his unbelief grieve thee: unto us shall they return; then will we declare unto them that which they have done, for GOD knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men. We will suffer them to enjoy this world for a little while: afterwards we will drive them to a severe punishment. If thou ask them who hath created the heavens and the earth, they will surely answer, GOD. Say, GOD be praised! but the greater part of them do not understand. Unto GOD belongeth whatever is in heaven and earth: for GOD is the self-sufficient, the praiseworthy. If whatever trees are in the earth were pens, and he should after that swell the sea into seven seas of ink, the words of GOD would not be exhausted; for GOD is mighty and wise. Your creation and your resuscitation are but as the creation and resuscitation of one soul: verily GOD both heareth and seeth. Dost thou not see that GOD causeth the night to succeed the day, and causeth the day to succeed the night, and compelleth the sun and the moon to serve you? Each of those luminaries hasteneth in its course to a determined period: and GOD is well acquainted with that which ye do. This is declared concerning the divine knowledge and power, for that GOD is the true Being, and for that whatever ye invoke, besides him is vanity; and for that GOD is the high, the great God. Dost thou not see that the ships run in the sea, through the favor of GOD, that he may show you of his signs? Verily herein are signs unto every patient, grateful person. When waves cover them, like overshadowing clouds, they call upon GOD, exhibiting the pure religion unto him; but when he bringeth them safe to land, there is of them who halteth between the true faith and idolatry. Howbeit, none rejecteth our signs, except every perfidious, ungrateful person. O men, fear your LORD, and dread the day whereon a father shall not make satisfaction for his son, neither shall a son make satisfaction for his father at all: the promise of GOD is assuredly true. Let not this present life, therefore, deceive you; neither let the deceiver deceive you concerning GOD. Verily the knowledge of the hour of judgment is with GOD; and he causeth the rain to descend at his own appointed time; and he knoweth what is in the wombs of females. No soul knoweth what it shall gain on the morrow; neither doth any soul know in what land it shall die; but GOD is knowing and fully acquainted with all things. CHAPTER XXXII. INTITLED, ADORATION; REVEALED AT MECCA. IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. A. L. M. THE revelation of this book, there is no doubt thereof, is from the LORD of all creatures. Will they say, Mohammed hath forged it? Nay it is the truth from thy : LORD, that thou mayest preach to a people, unto whom no preacher hath come before thee; peradventure they will be directed. It is GOD who hath created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, in six days; and then ascended his throne. Ye have no patron or intercessor besides him. Will ye not therefore consider? He governeth all things from heaven even to the earth: hereafter shall they return unto him, on the day whose length shall be a thousand years, of those which ye compute. This is he who knoweth the future, and the present; the mighty, the merciful. It is he who hath made everything which he hath created exceeding good; and first created man of clay, and afterwards made his posterity of an extract of despicable water; and then formed him into proper shape, and breathed of his spirit into him; and hath given you the senses of hearing and seeing, and hearts to understand. How small thanks do ye return! And they say, When we shall lie hidden in the earth, shall we be raised thence a new creature? Yea, they deny the meeting of their LORD at the resurrection. Say, The angel of death, who is set over you, shall cause you to die then shall ye be brought back unto your LORD. If thou couldest see, when the wicked shall bow down their heads before their LORD, saying, O LORD, we have seen, and have heard: suffer us therefore to return into the world, and we will work that which is right; since we are now certain of the truth of what hath been preached to us: thou wouldest see an amazing sight. If we had pleased we had certainly given unto every soul its direction: but the word which hath proceeded from me must necessarily be fulfilled, when I said, Verily I will fill hell with genii and men, altogether. Taste therefore the torment prepared for you, because ye have forgotten the coming of this your day: we also have forgotten you; taste therefore the punishment of eternal duration, for that which ye have wrought. Verily they only believe in our signs, who, when they are warned thereby, fall down adoring, and celebrate the praise of their LORD, and are not elated with pride; their sides are raised from their beds, calling on their LORD with fear and with hope; and they distribute alms out of what we have bestowed on them. soul knoweth the complete satisfaction which is secretly prepared for them, as a reward for that which they have wrought. Shall he, therefore, who is a true believer, be as he who is an No impious transgressor? They shall not be held equal. As to those who believe and do that which is right, they shall have gardens of perpetual abode, an ample recompense for that which they shall have wrought: but as for those who impiously transgress, their abode shall be hell fire; so often as they shall endeavor to get thereout, they shall be dragged back into the same, and it shall be said unto them, Taste ye the torment of hell fire, which ye rejected as a falsehood. And we will cause them to taste the nearer punishment of this world, besides the more grievous punishment of the next; peradventure they will repent. Who is more unjust than he who is warned by the signs of his LORD, and then turnetb aside from the same? We will surely take vengeance on the wicked. We heretofore delivered the book of the law unto Moses; wherefore be not thou in doubt as to the revelation thereof: and we ordained the same to be a direction unto the children of Israel; and we appointed teachers from among them, who should direct the people at our command, when they had, persevered with patience, and had firmly believed in our signs. Verily thy LORD will judge between them, on the day of resurrection, concerning that wherein they have disagreed. Is it not known unto them how many generations we have destroyed before them, through whose dwellings they walk? Verily herein are signs: will they not therefore hearken? Do they not see that we drive rain unto a land bare of grass and parched up, and thereby produce corn, of which their cattle eat, and themselves also? Will they not therefore regard? The infidels say to the true believers, When will this decision be made between us, if ye speak truth? Answer, On the day of that decision, the faith of those who shall have disbelieved shall not avail them; neither shall they be respited any longer. Wherefore avoid them, and expect the issue: verily they expect to obtain some advantage over thee. CHAPTER XXXIII. INTITLED, THE CONFEDERATES; REVEALED AT MEDINA. IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. () PROPHET, fear GOD, and obey not the unbelievers and the hypocrites: verily GOD is knowing and wise. But follow that which is revealed unto thee from thy LORD; for GOD is well acquainted with that which ye do; and put thy trust in GOD; for GOD is a sufficient protector. GOD hath not given a man two hearts within him; neither hath he made your wives (some of whom ye divorce, regarding them thereafter as your mothers) your true mothers; nor hath he made your adopted sons your true sons. This is your saying in your mouths: but GOD speaketh the truth; and he directed the right way. Call such as are adopted, the sons of their natural fathers: this will be more just in the sight of GOD. And if ye know not their fathers, let them be as your brethren in religion, and your companions: and it shall be no crime in you, that ye err in this matter; but that shall be criminal which your hearts purposely design; for GOD is gracious and merciful. The prophet is nigher unto the true believers than their own souls; and his wives are their mothers. Those who are related by consanguinity are nigher of kin the one of them unto the others, according to the book of GOD, than the other true believers, and the Mohâjerûn: unless that ye do what is fitting and reasonable to your relations in general. This is written in the book of God. Remember when we accepted their covenant from the prophets, and from thee, O Mohammed, and from Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary, and received from them a firm covenant; that God may examine the speakers of truth concerning their veracity: and he hath prepared a painful torment for the unbelievers. O true believers, remember the favor of GOD towards you, when armies of infidels came against you, and we sent against them a wind, and hosts of angels which ye saw not: and GOD beheld that which ye did. When they came against you from above you, and from below you, and when your sight became |