the fire of hell. Shall we deal with those who believe and do good works, as with those who act corruptly in the earth? Shall we deal with the pious as with the wicked? A blessed book have we sent down unto thee, O Mohammed, that they may attentively meditate on the signs thereof, and that men of understanding may be warned. And we gave unto David Solomon; how excellent a servant! for he frequently turned himself unto God. When the horses standing on three feet, and touching the ground with the edge of the fourth foot, and swift in the course, were set in parade before him in the evening, he said, Verily I have loved the love of earthly good above the remembrance of my LORD: and have spent the time in viewing these horses, until the sun is hidden by the veil of night; bring the horses back unto me. And when they were brought back, he began to cut off their legs and their necks. We also tried Solomon, and placed on his throne a counterfeit body: afterwards he turned unto God, and said, O LORD, forgive me, and give me a kingdom which may not be obtained by any after me; for thou art the giver of kingdoms. And we made the wind subject to him; it ran gently at his command, whithersoever we directed. And we also put the devils in subjection under him; and among them such as were every way skilled in building, and in diving for pearls: and others we delivered to him bound in chains, saying, This is our gift: therefore be bounteous, or be sparing unto whom thou shalt think fit, without rendering an account. And he shall approach near unto us, and shall have an excellent abode in paradise. And remember our servant Job, when he cried unto his LORD, saying, Verily Satan hath afflicted me with calamity and pain. And it was said unto him, Strike the earth with thy foot; which when he had done, a fountain sprang up, and it was said to him, This is for thee to wash in, to refresh thee, and to drink. And we restored unto him his family, and as many more with them, through our mercy; and for an admonition unto those who are endued with understanding. And we said unto him, Take a handful of rods in thy hand, and strike thy wife therewith; and break not thine oath. Verily we found him a patient person: how excellent a servant was he! for he was one who frequentlyturned himself unto us. Remember also our servants Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, who were men strenuous and prudent. Verily we purified them with a perfect purification, through the remembrance of the life to come; and they were, in our sight, elect and good men. And remember Ismael, and Elisha, and Dhu'lkefl: for all these were good men. This is an admonition. Verily the pious shall have an excellent place to return unto, namely, gardens of perpetual abode, the gates whereof shall stand open unto them. As they lie down therein, they shall there ask for many sorts of fruits, and for drink; and near them shall sit the virgins of paradise, refraining their looks from beholding any besides their spouses, and of equal age with them. This is what ye are promised, at the day of account. This is our provision, which shall not fail. This shall be the reward of the righteous. But for the transgressors is prepared an evil receptable, namely, hell: they shall be cast into the same to be burned, and a wretched couch shall it be. This let them taste, to wit, scalding water, and corruption flowing from the bodies of the damned, and divers other things of the same kind. And it shall be said to the seducers, This troop which was guided by you shall be thrown, together with you, headlong into hell: they shall not be bidden welcome; for they shall enter the fire to be burned. And the seduced shall say to their seducers, Verily ye shall not be bidden welcome: ye have brought it upon us; and a wretched abode is hell. They shall say, O LORD, doubly increase the torment of him who hath brought this punishment upon us, in the fire of hell. And the infidels shall say, Why do we not see the men whom we numbered among the wicked, and whom we received with scorn? Or do our eyes miss them? Verily this is a truth; to wit, the disputing of the inhabitants of hell fire. Say, O Mohammed, unto the idolaters, Verily I am no other than a 'warner: and there is no god, except the one only GOD, the Almighty, the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatsoever is between them; the mighty, the forgiver of sins. Say, it is a weighty message, from which ye turn aside. I had no knowledge of the exalted princes, when they disputed concerning the creation of man: (it hath been revealed unto me only as a proof that I am a public preacher :) when thy LORD said unto the angels, Verily I am about to create man of clay: when I shall have formed him, therefore, and shall have breathed my spirit into him, do ye fall down and worship him. And all the angels worshipped him, in general, except Eblis, who was puffed up with pride, and became an unbeliever. God said unto him, O Eblis, what hindereth thee from worshipping that which I have created with my hands? Art thou elated with vain pride? Or art thou really one of exalted merit? He answered, I am more excellent than he: thou hast created me of fire, and thou hast created him of clay. God said unto him, Get thee hence therefore; for thou shalt be driven away from mercy; and my curse shall be upon thee, until the day of judgment. He replied, O LORD, respite me, therefore, until the day of resurrection. God said, Ver ily thou shalt be one of those who are respited until the day of the determined time. Eblis said, By thy might do I swear, I will surely seduce them all, except thy servants who shall be peculiarly chosen from among them. God said, It is a just sentence; and I speak the truth: I will surely fill hell with thee, and with such of them as shall follow thee, altogether. Say unto the Meccans, I ask not of you any reward for this my preaching: neither am I one of those who assume a part which belongs not to them. The Koran is no other than an admonition unto all creatures: and ye shall surely know what is delivered therein to be true, after a season. CHAPTER XXXIX. INTITLED, THE TROOPS; REVEALED AT MECCA. IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise GOD. Verily we have revealed this book unto thee with truth wherefore serve GOD, exhibiting the pure religion unto him. Ought not the pure religion to be exhibited unto GOD? But as to those who take other patrons besides him, saying, We worship them only that they may bring us nearer unto GOD; verily GOD will judge between them concerning that wherein they disagree. Surely GOD will not direct him who is a liar, or ungrateful. If GOD had been minded to have had a son, he had surely chosen what he pleased out of that which he hath created. But far be such a thing from him! He is the sole, the almighty God. He hath created the heavens and the earth with truth: he causeth the night to succeed the day, and he causeth the day to succeed the night, and he obligeth the sun and the moon to perform their services; each of them hastening to an appointed period. Is not he the mighty, the forgiver of sins? He created you of one man, and afterwards out of him formed his wife and he hath bestowed on you four pair of cattle. He formeth you in the wombs of your mothers, by several gradual formations, within three veils of darkness. This is GOD, your LORD: his is the kingdom: there is no God but he. Why therefore are ye turned aside from the worship of him to idolatry? If ye be ungrateful, verily God hath no need of you; yet he liketh not ingratitude in his servants: but if ye be thankful, he will be well pleased with you. A burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another; hereafter shall ye return unto your LORD, and he shall declare unto you that which ye have wrought, and will reward you accordingly; for he knoweth the innermost parts of your breasts. When harm befalleth a man, he calleth upon his LORD, and turneth unto him: yet afterwards, when God hath bestowed on him favor from himself, he forgetteth that Being which he invoked before, and setteth up equals unto GOD, that he may seduce men from his way. Say unto such a man, Enjoy this life in thy infidelity for a little while; but hereafter shalt thou surely be one of the inhabitants of hell fire. Shall he who giveth himself up to prayer in the hours of the night, prostrate, and standing, and who taketh heed as to the life to come, and hopeth for the mercy of his LORD, be dealt with as the wicked unbeliever? Say, Shall they who know their duty, and they who know it not, be held equal? Verily the men of understanding only will be warned. Say, O my servants who believe, fear your LORD. They who do good in this world shall obtain good in the next; and GOD's earth is spacious: verily those who persevere with patience shall receive their recompense without measure. Say, I am commanded to worship GOD, and to exhibit the pure religion unto him: and I am commanded to be the first Moslem. Say, Verily I fear, if I be disobedient unto my LORD, the punishment of the great day. Say, I worship GOD, exhibiting my religion pure unto him; but do ye worship that which ye will, besides him. Say, Verily they will be the losers, who shall lose their own souls, and their families, on the day of resurrection: is not this manifest loss? Over them shall be roofs of fire, and under them shall be floors of fire. With this doth GoD terrify his servants: wherefore, oh my servants, fear him. But those who eschew the worship of idols, and are turned unto GOD, shall receive good tidings. Bear good tidings therefore unto my servants, who hearken unto my word, and follow that which is most excellent therein: these are they whom GOD directeth, and these are men of understanding. Him, therefore, on whom the sentence of eternal punishment shall be justly pronounced, canst thou, O Mohammed, deliver him who is destined to dwell in the fire of hell? But for those who fear their LORD will be prepared high apartments in paradise, over which shall be other apartments built; and rivers shall run beneath them: this is the promise of GOD; and GOD will not be contrary to the promise. Dost thou not see that GOD sendeth down water from heaven, and causeth the same to enter and form sources in the earth; and produceth thereby corn of various sorts? Afterwards he causeth the same to wither; and thou seest it become yellow afterwards he maketh it crumble into dust. Verily, herein is an instruction to men of understanding. Shall he, therefore, whose breast GOD hath enlarged to receive the religion of Islam, and who followeth the light from his LORD, be as he whose heart is hardened? But woe unto those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of GOD! they are in a manifest error. GOD hath revealed a most excellent discourse; a book conformable to itself, and containing repeated admonitions. The skins of those who fear their LORD shrink for fear thereat; afterwards their skins grow soft, and their hearts also, at the remembrance of their LORD. This is the direction of GOD: he will direct thereby whom he pleaseth; and whomsoever GOD shall cause to err, he shall have no director. Shall he therefore who shall be obliged to screen himself with his face from the severity of the punishment on the day of resurrection, be as he who is secure therefrom? And it shall be said unto the ungodly, Taste that which ye have deserved. Those who were before them accused their apostles of imposture; wherefore a punishment came upon them from whence they expected it not: and GOD caused them to take shame in this present life; but the punishment of the life to come will certainly be greater. If they were men of understanding, they would know this. Now have we proposed unto mankind, |