_In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful._
H. M. The revelation of the Book is from God the Mighty, the Wise,
Forgiver of sin, and accepter of repentance,--heavy in punishment,
Long-suffering: there is no God but He, to whom is your journeying.
None dispute about the signs of God save those who disbelieve; but
let not their trafficking in the land deceive thee.
Before them the people of Noah, and the allies after them, denied,
and every folk hath purposed against its apostle to overmaster
him, and they argued with falsehood to rebut the truth therewith;
but I did overmaster them and how great was my punishment!
And thus was the sentence of thy Lord accomplished upon those who
disbelieved, that they should be inmates of the Fire!
They that bear the Throne and they that are round about it magnify
the praise of their Lord and believe in Him and beg forgiveness
for those who believe:--“O our Lord! thou embracest all things in
mercy and knowledge, give pardon to those who repent and follow
thy path, and keep them from the torment of hell,
O our Lord, and bring them into the gardens of eternity which thou
hast promised to them and to the just among their fathers and
their wives and their offspring; verily thou art the Mighty, the
Wise;
And keep them from evil; for he whom thou keepest from evil on that
day, on him hast thou had mercy--and that is the great prize!”
Verily to those who disbelieve shall come a voice, “Surely the
hatred of God is greater than your hatred among yourselves, when
ye are called to the faith, and disbelieve.”
They shall say, “O our Lord, twice hast thou given us death, and
twice hast thou given us life: and we acknowledge our sins: is
there then a way to escape?”--
“That hath befallen you because when one God was proclaimed, ye
disbelieved: but when Partners were ascribed to Him, ye believed:
but judgment belongeth unto God, the High, the Great.”
It is He who showeth you His signs, and sendeth down to you
provision from heaven: but none mindeth except the repentant.
Then call on God with due obedience, though loth be the infidels;
Of high degree, Lord of the throne; He sendeth down the Spirit at
His will upon whom He pleaseth of His servants to warn men of the
day of the Tryst:--
The day when they shall come forth, and when nothing of theirs
shall be hidden from God. Whose is the kingship on that day? It
is God’s, the One, the Conqueror!
The day every soul shall be rewarded for what it hath earned: no
injustice shall there be on that day! Verily God is swift to
reckon.
And warn them of the approaching Day, when their hearts shall choke
in their throats,
When the wicked have no friend nor intercessor to prevail.
He knoweth the deceitful of eye, and what the breast concealeth,
And God judgeth with truth; but those gods whom they call on beside
Him cannot judge aught. Verily it is God that heareth and seeth!
Have they not journeyed in the earth, and seen what was the end
of those who were before them? Those were mightier than they in
strength, and in their footprints on the earth: but God overtook
them in their sins, and there was none to keep them from God.
That was because apostles had come to them with manifestations, and
they believed not: but God overtook them; verily He is strong and
heavy in punishment.
We sent Moses of old with our signs and with plain authority,
To Pharaoh, and Haman, and Korah: and they said, “A lying wizard.”
And when he came to them with truth from us they said, “Slay the
sons of those who believe with them, and spare their women;” but
the plot of the unbelievers was at fault:
And Pharaoh said, “Let me alone to kill Moses; and let him call
upon his Lord: verily I fear lest he change your religion, or
cause iniquity in the earth.”
And Moses said, “Verily I take refuge with my Lord and your
Lord from every one puffed up who believeth not in the day of
reckoning.”
And there spake a man of the family of Pharaoh, a BELIEVER, who
concealed his faith, “Will ye kill a man because he saith my Lord
is God, when he hath come unto you with manifestations from your
Lord? for if he be a liar, upon him alone is his lie, but if he
be a man of truth, somewhat of that which he threateneth will
befall you. Verily God guideth not him who is an outrageous liar.
O my people, to-day is the kingdom yours who are uppermost in the
earth! but who will defend us against the might of God if it come
upon us?” Pharaoh said, “I will only show you what I think, and I
will not guide you save in a right way.”
Then said he who believed, “O my people, verily I fear for you the
like of the day of the allies,
The like of the state of the people of Noah, and Ad, and Thamūd,
And of those who came after them; and God willeth not injustice to
His servants.
And, O my people! verily I fear for you the day of crying out:
The day when ye shall turn your backs in flight, ye shall have no
protector against God; and he whom God misleads, no guide has he.
Moreover, Joseph came unto you before with manifestations; but ye
ceased not to doubt about [the message] he brought you, until
when he died ye said, ‘God will by no means send an apostle after
him.’ Thus God misleadeth him who is an outrageous doubter.
They who dispute about the signs of God, and no proof coming to
them, are very hateful to God and to those who believe. Thus God
sealeth the heart of all who are puffed up and arrogant.”
And Pharaoh said, “O Haman, build me a tower, mayhap I shall reach
the avenues,
The avenues of the heavens, and may ascend to the God of Moses: but
verily I hold him a liar.”
And thus the wickedness of his deed seemed good to Pharaoh, and he
was turned away from the right path; but the plot of Pharaoh only
came to ruin.
And he who believed said, “O my people, follow me: I will guide you
the right way.
O my people, the life of this world is but a passing joy; but the
life to come, that is the abode imperishable.
Whosoever doeth evil shall not be rewarded save with its like;
and whosoever doeth right, whether male or female, being a
believer--these shall enter paradise; and be provided therein
without count.
And O my people! how is it that I bid you to salvation, but that ye
bid me to the Fire?
Ye call me to disbelieve in God and join to Him that of which
I have no knowledge: and I call you to the Mighty, the Very
Forgiving.
There is no doubt but that those ye call me to are not to be called
on in this world or in the world to come, and that we shall
return unto God, and the transgressors shall be inmates of the
Fire.
Then shall ye call to mind what I said to you: and I commit my case
to God: verily God regardeth His servants.”
So God kept him from the evil which they devised, and there
encompassed the people of Pharaoh the woeful torment--
The Fire, to which they shall be exposed morning and evening; and
on the day when the Hour cometh--“Enter, ye people of Pharaoh,
into the sorest torment.”
And when they shall wrangle together in the fire, the feeble shall
say to those who were puffed up, “Verily we followed you: will ye
then remove from us aught of the Fire?”
And those who were puffed up will say, “Verily we are all in it.
Behold! God hath judged between His servants.”
And they who are in the Fire shall say to the keepers of Hell,
“Call on your Lord, that He remit us one day from the torment.”
The keepers shall say, “Did there not come to you your apostles
with manifestations?” They shall say, “Yea.” The keepers shall
say, “Call then,” but the cry of the unbelievers shall be vain.
Verily we will help our apostles and those who believe, both in the
life of this world and on the day when the witness shall stand
forth;--
A day whereon the excuse of the wicked shall not profit them; but
they shall have the curse and the abode of woe.
And of old gave we Moses the guidance, and the Children of Israel
made we heirs of the Book,--a guidance and a warning to those who
have understanding.
Be patient, therefore; verily the promise of God is true; and seek
pardon for thy sins, and magnify the praises of thy Lord at eve
and early morn.
Verily those who dispute about the signs of God, without proof
reaching them, there is naught in their breasts but pride: and
they shall not win. But seek refuge with God; verily, He heareth
and seeth.
Surely the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than
the creation of man. But most men do not know.
Moreover the blind and the seeing are not equal, nor the sinner and
they who believe and do the things that are right;--little do
they mind!
Verily the Hour is assuredly coming: there is no doubt of it;--but
most men do not believe.
And your Lord saith, “Call upon me;--I will hearken unto you: but
as to those who are too puffed up for my service, they shall
enter Hell in contempt.”
It is God who made you the night to rest in, and the day for
seeing: verily God is bounteous to man, but most men are not
thankful.
That is God your Lord, Creator of all things: there is no god but
He: then why do ye turn away?
Thus do they turn away who gainsay the signs of God--
God, who made you the earth for a resting-place and the heaven for
a tent, and formed you and made goodly your forms and provided
you with good things--that is God, your Lord.
Then blessed be God, the Lord of the worlds!
He is the Living One. No god is there but He! then call upon Him,
purifying your service 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 came to me manifestations from my Lord, and I am
bidden to resign myself to the Lord of the worlds.
He it is who created you of dust, then of a germ, then of blood;
then bringeth you forth a babe: then ye come to your strength,
then ye become old men (but some of you die before) and reach the
appointed term: haply ye will understand!
It is He who giveth life and death; and when He decreeth a thing,
He only saith to it, “Be,” and it is.
Hast thou not beheld those who cavil at the signs of God, how they
are turned aside?
They who call the Book, and that with which we have sent our
apostles, a lie: they shall soon know!
When the shackles shall be on their necks, and the chains, whilst
they are dragged into Hell--then in the fire shall they be
burned--
Then shall it be said to them, “Where is that which ye joined in
worship beside God?” They shall say, “They are lost to us, Nay!
we did not call before upon anything.” Thus God misleadeth the
unbelievers.
“That is because ye exulted on earth in what was not true, and
because ye were insolent.”
Enter the gates of Hell to abide therein for ever: and wretched is
the abode of the proud!
But be thou patient: verily the promise of God is true: and whether
we show thee part of what we threatened them, or whether we make
thee to die; yet to us shall they return.
We have sent apostles before thee. Of some we have told thee and
of some we have not told thee: but no apostle was able to bring
a sign unless by the permission of God. But when God’s behest
cometh, everything is decided with truth: and those perish who
think it vain.
It is God who hath made for you the cattle, some to ride and some
to eat,
(And ye have profit from them) and to attain by them the aims of
your hearts, for on them and in ships are ye borne:
And He showeth you His signs: which then of the signs of God will
ye deny?
Have they not journeyed in the earth, and seen what was the end of
those who were before them? They were in number more than they,
and mightier in strength, and in their footprints on the earth:
but what they had earned availed them nothing;
And when their apostles came to them with manifestations, they
exulted in what knowledge they had; but that which they had
scoffed at encompassed them.
And when they beheld our might they said, “We believe in God alone,
and we disbelieve in what we joined in worship with Him.”
And naught availed their faith, after they witnessed our might.
Such the way of God which was reserved for his servants--and
therein the unbelievers have lost.
(xl.)