The Koran (Al-Qur'an) Part 46

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, 50 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 receptacle, namely, h.e.l.l: 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 d.a.m.ned, 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 h.e.l.l: they shall not be bidden welcome: for they shall enter the fire to be burned.

60 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 h.e.l.l.

They shall say, O LORD, doubly increase the torment of him who hath brought this punishment upon us, in the fire of h.e.l.l.

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 h.e.l.l fire.

Say, O Mohammed, unto the idolaters, Verily I am no other than a warner: and there is no G.o.d, except the one only G.o.d, 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: 70 (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 wors.h.i.+p him.

And all the angels wors.h.i.+pped him, in general, except Eblis, who was puffed up with pride, and became an unbeliever.

G.o.d said unto him, O Eblis, what hindereth thee from wors.h.i.+pping 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.

G.o.d 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.

80 G.o.d said, Verily 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.

G.o.d said, It is a just sentence; and I speak the truth: I will surely fill h.e.l.l 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 a.s.sume 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 x.x.xIX.

ENt.i.tLED, THE TROOPS; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL G.o.d.

THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise G.o.d.

Verily we have revealed this book unto thee with truth: wherefore serve G.o.d, exhibiting the pure religion unto him.

Ought not the pure religion to be exhibited unto G.o.d? But as to those who take other patrons besides him, saying, We wors.h.i.+p them only that they may bring us nearer unto G.o.d; verily G.o.d will judge between them concerning that wherein they disagree. Surely G.o.d will not direct him who is a liar, or ungrateful.

If G.o.d 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 G.o.d.

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 G.o.d, your LORD: his is the kingdom: there is no G.o.d but he. Why therefore are ye turned aside from the wors.h.i.+p of him to idolatry?

If ye be ungrateful, verily G.o.d hath no need of you; yet he liketh not ingrat.i.tude 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 b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

When harm befalleth a man, he calleth upon his LORD, and turneth unto him: yet afterwards, when G.o.d hath bestowed on him favor from himself, he forgetteth that Being which he invoked before, and setteth up equals unto G.o.d, 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 h.e.l.l 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.

10 Say, O my servants who believe, fear your LORD. They who do good in this world shall obtain good in the next; and G.o.d'S earth is s.p.a.cious: verily those who persevere with patience shall receive their recompense without measure.

Say, I am commanded to wors.h.i.+p G.o.d, 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 wors.h.i.+p G.o.d, exhibiting my religion pure unto him; but do ye wors.h.i.+p 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 G.o.d terrify his servants: wherefore, oh my servants, fear him.

But those who eschew the wors.h.i.+p of idols, and are turned unto G.o.d, 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 G.o.d directeth, and these are men of understanding.

Him, therefore, on whom the sentence of eternal punishment shall be justly p.r.o.nounced, canst thou, O Mohammed, deliver him who is destined to dwell in the fire of h.e.l.l?

20 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 G.o.d; and G.o.d will not be contrary to the promise.

Dost thou not see that G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d! they are in a manifest error.

G.o.d 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 G.o.d: he will direct thereby whom he pleaseth; and whomsoever G.o.d 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 unG.o.dly, 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 G.o.d 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, in this Koran, every kind of parable; that they may be warned: an Arabic Koran, wherein there is no crookedness; that they may fear G.o.d.

G.o.d propoundeth as a parable a man who hath several companions which are at mutual variance, and a man who committeth himself wholly to one person: shall these be held in equal comparison? G.o.d forbid! But the greater part of them do not understand.

30 Verily thou, O Mohammed, shalt die, and they also shall die: and ye shall debate the matter with one another before your LORD, at the day of resurrection.

Who is more unjust than he who uttereth a lie concerning G.o.d, and denieth the truth when it cometh unto him? Is there not a dwelling provided in h.e.l.l for the unbelievers?

But he who bringeth the truth, and giveth credit thereto, these are they who fear G.o.d; they shall obtain whatever they shall desire, in the sight of their LORD: this shall be the recompense of the righteous; that G.o.d may expiate from them the very worst of that which they have wrought, and may render them their reward according to the utmost merit of the good which they have wrought.

Is not G.o.d a sufficient protector of his servant? yet they will attempt to make thee afraid of the false deities which they wors.h.i.+p besides G.o.d. But he whom G.o.d shall cause to err, shall have none to direct him: and he whom G.o.d shall direct, shall have none to mislead him. Is not G.o.d most mighty, able to avenge?

If thou ask them who hath created the heavens and the earth, they will surely answer, G.o.d. Say, Do ye think, therefore, that the deities which ye invoke besides G.o.d, if G.o.d be pleased to afflict me, are able to relieve me from his affliction? or if he be pleased to show mercy unto me, that they are able to withhold his mercy? Say, G.o.d is my sufficient support: in him let those put their trust, who seek in whom to confide.

Say, O my people, do ye act according to your state; verily I will act according to mine: hereafter shall ye know 40 on which of us will be inflicted a punishment that shall cover him with shame, and on whom a lasting punishment shall fall.

Verily we have revealed unto thee the book of the Koran, for the instruction of mankind, with truth. Whoso shall be directed thereby shall be directed to the advantage of his own soul; and whoso shall err, shall only err against the same: and thou art not a guardian over them.

G.o.d taketh unto himself the souls of men at the time of their death; and those which die not he also taketh in their sleep: and he withholdeth those on which he hath pa.s.sed the decree of death, but sendeth back the others till a determined period. Verily herein are signs unto the people who consider.

Have the Koreish taken idols for their intercessors with G.o.d? Say, What, although they have not dominion over anything, neither do they understand?

Say, Intercession is altogether in the disposal of G.o.d: his is the kingdom of heaven and earth; and hereafter shall ye return unto him.

When the one sole G.o.d is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the life to come, shrink with horror: but when the false G.o.ds, which are wors.h.i.+pped besides him, are mentioned, behold they are filled with joy.

Say, O G.o.d, the creator of heaven and earth, who knowest that which is secret, and that which is manifest; thou shalt judge between thy servants concerning that wherein they disagree.

If those who act unjustly were masters of whatever is in the earth, and as much more therewith, verily they would give it to ransom themselves from the evil of the punishment, on the day of resurrection: and there shall appear unto them, from G.o.d, terrors which they never imagined; and there shall appear unto them the evils of that which they shall have gained; and that which they mocked at shall encompa.s.s them.

When harm befalleth man, he calleth upon us; yet afterwards, when we have bestowed on him favor from us, he saith, I have received it merely because of G.o.d's knowledge of my deserts. On the contrary, it is a trial; but the greater part of them know it not.

50 Those who were before them said the same: but that which they had gained, profited them not: and the evils which they had deserved, fell upon them. And whoever of these Meccans shall have acted unjustly, on them likewise shall fall the evils which they shall have deserved; neither shall they frustrate the divine vengeance.

Do they not know that G.o.d bestoweth provision abundantly on whom he pleaseth, and is sparing unto whom he pleaseth? Verily herein are signs unto people who believe.

Say, O my servants who have transgressed against your own souls, despair not of the mercy of G.o.d: seeing that G.o.d forgiveth all sins, for he is gracious and merciful.

And be turned unto your LORD, and resign yourselves unto him, before the threatened punishment overtake you; for then ye shall not be helped.

And follow the most excellent instructions which have been sent down unto you from your LORD, before the punishment come suddenly upon you, and ye perceive not the approach thereof; and a soul say, Alas! for that I have been negligent in my duty to G.o.d; verily I have been one of the scorners: or say, If G.o.d had directed me, verily I had been one of the pious: or say, when it seeth the prepared punishment, If I could return once more into the world, I would become one of the righteous.

But G.o.d shall answer, My signs came unto thee heretofore, and thou didst charge them with falsehood, and wast puffed up with pride; and thou becamest one of the unbelievers.

60 On the day of resurrection, thou shalt see the faces of those who have uttered lies concerning G.o.d, become black: is there not an abode prepared in h.e.l.l for the arrogant?

But G.o.d shall deliver those who shall fear him, and shall set them in their place of safety: evil shall not touch them, neither shall they be grieved.

G.o.d is the creator of all things, and he is the governor of all things.

His are the keys of heaven and earth: and they who believe not in the signs of G.o.d, they shall perish.

Say, Do ye therefore bid me to wors.h.i.+p other than G.o.d, oh ye fools?

since it hath been spoken by revelation unto thee, and also unto the prophets who have been before thee, saying, Verily if thou join any partners with G.o.d, thy work will be altogether unprofitable, and thou shalt certainly be one of those who perish: wherefore rather fear G.o.d, and be one of those who give thanks.

But they make not a due estimation of G.o.d: since the whole earth shall be but his handful, on the day of resurrection; and the heavens shall be rolled together in his right hand. Praise be unto him! and far be he exalted above the idols which they a.s.sociate with him!

the trumpet shall be sounded, and whoever are in heaven, and whoever are on earth, shall expire; except those whom G.o.d shall please to exempt from the common fate. Afterwards it shall be sounded again; and behold, they shall arise and look up.

And the earth shall s.h.i.+ne by the light of its LORD: and the book shall be laid open, and the prophets and the martyrs shall be brought as witnesses; and judgment shall be given between them with truth, and they shall not be treated unjustly.

70 And every soul shall be fully rewarded, according to that which it shall have wrought; for he perfectly knoweth whatever they do.

And the unbelievers shall be driven unto h.e.l.l by troops, until, when they shall arrive at the same, the gates thereof shall be opened: and the keepers thereof shall say unto them, Did not apostles from among you come unto you, who rehea.r.s.ed unto you the signs of your LORD, and warned you of the meeting of this your day? They shall answer, Yea: but the sentence of eternal punishment hath been justly p.r.o.nounced on the unbelievers.