may send upon [thine] thunderbolts from heaven, so that it shall
become a smooth and slippery ground;
Or its water may become deep-sunk [in the earth], so that thou shalt
not be able to draw it.’—
And his possessions were encompassed _with destruction_, and he began
to turn down the palms of his hands for that which he had expended
thereon; for it[s vines were] falling down upon its trellises; and he
said, ‘O would that I had not associated any one with my Lord!’
And there was no party for him to assist him instead of God, nor was
he able to defend himself.
In that case[183] protection [belongeth] unto God, the True; He is the
best rewarder and the best giver of success.
(xviii. 31-42.)
LXXXII.
Thou shalt certainly find[184] the Jews and those who have attributed
partners to God[185] the most violent of men in hatred of those who
have believed; and thou shalt certainly find the nearest of them to
friendship to those who have believed those who say, ‘We are
Christians.’ This is because there are among them priests and monks,
and because they are not proud.[186]
And when they hear that which hath been sent down unto the Apostle,
thou seest their eyes overflow with tears because of the truth that
they know: they say, ‘O our Lord, we believe, therefore write us down
among those who bear witness.’
(v. 85, 86.)
LXXXIII.
The likeness of those who were charged to bear in mind the Law [of
Moses], then bore it not in mind,[187] is as the likeness of the ass
that beareth books. Evil is the likeness of the people who have
charged the signs of God with falsehood: and God directeth not the
unjust people.
(lxii. 5.)
LXXXIV.
[188] Among men are those who say, We believe in God and in
the Last Day: but they are not believers.
They try to deceive God and those who have believed; but they deceive
not any except themselves, and they know [it] not.
In their hearts is a disease, and God hath increased their disease,
and for them [is ordained] a painful punishment, because they have
charged with falsehood _the prophet of God_.
And when it is said unto them, Corrupt not in the earth, they reply,
‘We are only rectifiers.’
Assuredly they are the corrupters; but they know [it] not.
And when it is said unto them, Believe ye as _other_ men have
believed, they say, ‘Shall we believe as the fools have believed?’
Assuredly they are the fools; but they know it not.
And when they meet those who have believed, they say, ‘We believe:’
but when they retire privately to their devils,[189] they say, ‘We
_hold_ with you: we only mock _at them_.’
God will mock at them, and keep them in their exceeding wickedness,
wandering about in perplexity.
These are they who have purchased error in exchange for right
guidance: but their traffic hath not been profitable; and they have
not been rightly guided.
Their likeness is as the likeness of those who have kindled a fire _in
the dark_, and when it hath enlightened what is around them, God
taketh away their light and leaveth them in darkness, seeing not.
_They are_ deaf, dumb, blind: therefore they will not turn back.
Or _they are_ like _people in_ a storm of rain from heaven, wherein
are darkness and thunder and lightning: they put their fingers in
their ears because of the vehement sounds of the thunder, for fear of
death. And God encompasseth the unbelievers.
The lightning almost snatcheth away their eyes: whenever it shineth on
them they walk in _the light of_ it, but when darkness cometh on them
they stand still. And if God pleased He would certainly take away
their ears and eyes: for God is all-powerful.
(ii. 7-19.)
LXXXV.
O ye who have believed, take not the Jews and Christians as friends.
They are friends one to another; and whosoever of you taketh them as
his friends, verily he is _of the number_ of them.
O ye who have believed, take not as friends those who have made your
religion a laughing-stock and a jest, of those who have received the
Scripture before you, and the unbelievers: (But fear God if ye be
believers:)
And _those who_ when ye call to prayer make it a laughing-stock and a
jest. This _they do_ because they are a people who do not understand.
(v. 56, 62, 63.)
LXXXVI.
†The servants of the Merciful are they that walk upon the
earth softly; and when the ignorant speak unto them, they reply
‘Peace!’—
And they that pass the night worshipping their Lord, prostrate and
standing;—
And that say, ‘O our Lord, turn away from us the torment of Hell:
verily its torment is endless; verily it is an ill abode and
resting-place!’—
And those who when they spend are neither lavish nor niggard, but keep
the mean;—
And those who call on no other gods with God, nor slay whom God hath
forbidden to be slain, except for a just cause; nor are unchaste;—
And they who bear not witness to a lie, and when they pass by vain
discourse pass it by with dignity;—
These shall be rewarded with the highest Heaven, for that they
persevered, and they shall be accosted therein with ‘Welcome and
Peace,’ to live therein for ever—a fair abode and resting-place!
(xxv. 64-75.)
_PART THE SECOND._
_PROPHETS, APOSTLES, AND DIVINE BOOKS._[190]
SAY YE, We believe in God, and in that which hath been sent down unto
us (_namely, the Ḳur-án_), and what hath been sent down unto Abraham
(_the ten books_), and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes,
_his children_, and what Moses received (_namely, the Pentateuch_),
and Jesus (_namely, the Gospel_), and what the prophets received from
their Lord (_namely, books and signs_): we make no separation of any
of them, _believing in some, and disbelieving in some, like the Jews
and the Christians_; and we resign ourselves unto Him.
(ii. 130.)
_ADAM AND EVE._
_Remember, O Moḥammad_, when thy Lord said unto the angels, I am about
to place in the earth a vicegerent _to act for me in the execution of
my ordinances therein, namely, Adam_,—they said, Wilt Thou place in it
one who will corrupt in it _by disobediences_, and will shed blood
(_as did the sons of El-Jánn,[191] who were in it; wherefore, when
they acted corruptly, God sent to them the angels, who drove them away
to the islands and the mountains_), when we [on the contrary]
celebrate the divine perfection, _occupying ourselves_ with Thy
praise, and extol Thy holiness? _Therefore we are more worthy of the
vicegerency._—_God_ replied, Verily, I know that which ye know not,
_as to the affair of appointing Adam vicegerent, and that among his
posterity will be the obedient and the rebellious, and the just will
be manifest among them. And He created Adam from the surface of the
earth, taking a handful of every colour that it comprised, which was
kneaded with various waters; and He completely formed it, and breathed
into it the soul: so it became an animated sentient being._[192] And
He taught Adam the names of all things, _infusing the knowledge of
them into his heart_. Then He showed them (_namely, the things_) to
the angels, and said, Declare unto me the names of these _things_, if
ye say truth _in your assertion that I will not create any more
knowing than ye, and that ye are more worthy of the vicegerency_. They
replied, [_We extol_] Thy perfection! We have no knowledge excepting
what Thou hast taught us; for Thou art the Knowing, the Wise.—_God_
said, O Adam, tell them their names. And when he had told them their
names, _God_ said, Did I not say unto you that I know the secrets of
the heavens and the earth, and know what ye reveal _of your words,
saying, Wilt thou place in it_, etc., and what ye did conceal _of your
words, saying, He will not create any more generous towards Him than
we, nor any more knowing_?
(ii. 28-31.)
We created you; _that is, your father Adam_: then we formed you; _we
formed him, and you in him_: then We said unto the angels, Prostrate
yourselves unto Adam, _by way of salutation_; whereupon they
prostrated themselves, except Iblees, _the father of the jinn, who was
amid the angels_: he was not of those who prostrated themselves. _God_
said, What hath hindered thee from prostrating thyself, when I
commanded thee? He answered, I am better than he: Thou hast created me
of fire, and Thou hast created him of earth. [God] said, Then descend
thou from it; _that is, from Paradise; or, as some say, from the
heavens_; for it is not fit for thee that thou behave thyself proudly
therein: so go thou forth: verily thou [shalt be] of the contemptible.
He replied, Grant me respite until the day when they (_that is,
mankind_) shall be raised from the dead. He said, Thou shalt be of
those [who are] respited: _and, in another verse_ [in xv. 38, it is
said], _until the day of the known period; that is, until the period
of the first blast_ [of the trumpet]. [And the devil] said, Now, as
Thou hast led me into error, I will surely lay wait for them (_that
is, for the sons of Adam_) in Thy right way, _the way that leadeth to
Thee_: then I will surely come upon them, from before them, and from
behind them, and from their right hands, and from their left, _and
hinder them from pursuing the way_ (_but, saith Ibn-´Abbás, he cannot
come upon them above, lest he should intervene between the servant and
God’s mercy_), and Thou shalt not find the greater number of them
grateful, _or believing_. [God] said, Go forth from it, despised and
driven away _from mercy_. Whosoever of them (_that is, of mankind_)
shall follow thee, I will surely fill hell with you all; _with thee,
and thy offspring, and with men_.
(vii. 10-17.)
And we said, O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife (_Howwá_ [or Eve], _whom
God created from a rib of his left side_) in the garden, and eat ye
therefrom plentifully, wherever ye will; but approach ye not this
tree, _to eat thereof_; (_and it was wheat, or the grape-vine, or some
other tree_;) for _if ye do so_, ye will be of _the number of_ the
offenders. But the devil, _Iblees_, caused them to slip from it, _that
is, from the garden, by his saying unto them, Shall I show you the way
to the tree of eternity? And he swore to them by God that he was one
of the faithful advisers to them: so they ate of it_, and He ejected
them from that _state of delight_ in which they were. And We said,
Descend ye[193] _to the earth, ye two with the offspring that ye
comprise_ [yet unborn], one of you (_that is, of your offspring_) an
enemy to another; and there shall be for you, in the earth, a place of
abode, and a provision, _of its vegetable produce_, for a time, _until
the period of the expiration of your terms of life_. And Adam learned,
from his Lord, words, _which were these_:—_O Lord, we have acted
unjustly to our own souls, and if Thou do not forgive us, and be
merciful unto us, we shall surely be of those who suffer loss_.[194]
_And he prayed in these words_; and He became propitious towards him,
_accepting his repentance_; for He is the Very Propitious, the
Merciful. We said, Descend ye from it (_from the garden_) altogether;
and if there come unto you from Me a direction (_a book and an
apostle_), those who follow my direction, _there shall come_ no fear
on them, nor shall they grieve _in the world to come; for they shall
enter paradise_: but they who disbelieve and accuse our signs[195] of
falsehood, these shall be the companions of the fire: they shall
remain therein for ever.
(ii. 33-37.)
_ABEL AND CAIN._
Recite, _O Moḥammad_, unto them (_that is, to thy people_) the history
of the two sons of Adam, _namely, Abel and Cain_,[196] with truth.
When they offered [their] offering _to God_[197] (_Abel’s being a ram,
and Cain’s being produce of the earth_), and it was accepted from one
of them (_that is, from Abel; for fire descended from heaven, and
devoured his offering_), and it was not accepted from the other, _Cain
was enraged; but he concealed his envy until Adam performed a
pilgrimage, when_ he said _unto his brother_, I will assuredly slay
thee. _Abel said, Wherefore? Cain answered, Because of the acceptance
of thine offering to the exclusion of mine. Abel_ replied, God only
accepteth from the pious. If thou stretch forth to me thy hand to slay
me, I will not stretch forth to thee my hand to slay thee; for I fear
God, the Lord of the worlds. I desire that thou shouldst bear the sin
[which thou intendest to commit] against me, _by slaying me_, and thy
sin _which thou hast committed before_, and thou wilt be of the
companions of the fire.—And that is the recompense of the
offenders.—But his soul suffered him to slay his brother: so he slew
him; and he became of [the number of] those who suffer loss. _And he
knew not what to do with him; for he was the first dead person upon
the face of the earth of the sons of Adam. So he carried him upon his
back._ And God sent a raven, which scratched up the earth _with its
bill and its talons and raised it over a dead raven that was with it
until it hid it_, to show him how he should hide the corpse of his
brother. He said, O my disgrace! Am I unable to be like this raven,
and to hide the corpse of my brother?—And he became of [the number of]
the repentant. _And he digged_ [a grave] _for him, and hid him_.—On
account of this _which Cain did_ We commanded the children of Israel
that he who should slay a soul (not for _the latter’s having slain_ a
soul or _committed_ wickedness in the earth, _such as infidelity, or
adultery, or intercepting the way, and the like_) [should be regarded]
as though he had slain all mankind; and he who saveth it alive, _by
abstaining from slaying it_, as though he had saved alive all mankind.
(v. 30-35.)
_NOAH AND THE FLOOD._
We formerly sent Noah [Nooḥ] unto his people, _saying_, Verily I am
unto you a plain admonisher that ye worship not [any] but God. Verily
I fear for you, _if ye worship any other_, the punishment of an
afflictive day _in this world and in the world to come_.—But the
chiefs who disbelieved among his people replied, We see thee not to be
other than a man, like unto us; and we see not any to have followed
thee except the meanest of us, _as the weavers and the cobblers_, at
first thought (_or rashly_), nor do we see you to have any excellence
above us: nay, we imagine you to be liars _in your claim to the
apostolic commission_. He said, O my people, tell me, if I have an
evident proof from my Lord and He hath bestowed on me mercy (_the gift
of prophecy_) from Himself which is hidden from you, shall we compel
you to _receive_ it when ye are averse thereto? _We cannot do so._
And, O my people, I ask not of you any riches for it; _namely, for
delivering my message_. My reward is not due from any but God; and I
will not drive away those who have believed _as ye have commanded me_
[because they are poor people]. Verily they shall meet their Lord _at
the resurrection, and He will recompense them, and will exact for
them_ [reparation] _from those who have treated them with injustice,
and driven them away_. But I see you [to be] a people who are ignorant
_of the end of your case_. And, O my people, who will defend me
against God if I drive them away? Will ye not then consider? And I do
not say unto you, I have the treasures of God; nor [do I say], I know
the things unseen; nor do I say, Verily I am an angel; nor do I say,
of those whom your eyes contemn, God will by no means bestow on them
good: (God best knoweth what is in their minds:) verily I should in
that case be [one] of the offenders.—They replied, O Noah, thou hast
disputed with us and multiplied disputes with us: now bring upon us
that _punishment_ wherewith thou threatenest us, if thou be of those
that speak truth. He said, Only God will bring it upon you, if He
please _to hasten it unto you; for it is His affair, not mine_; and ye
shall not escape _God_: nor will my counsel profit you, if I desire to
counsel you, if God desire to lead you into error. He is your Lord;
and unto Him shall ye be brought back.
(xi. 27-36.)
And it was said by revelation unto Noah, Verily there shalt not
believe of thy people [any] but they who have already believed;
therefore be not grieved for that which they have done.
(xi. 38.)
_And he uttered an imprecation upon them, saying_, O my Lord, leave
not upon the earth any one of the unbelievers; for if Thou leave them,
they will lead Thy servants into error, and will not beget [any] but a
wicked, ungrateful [offspring]. O my Lord, forgive me and my parents
(_for they were believers_), and whomsoever entereth my house (_my
abode, or my place of worship_), being a believer, and the believing
men, and the believing women, (_to the day of resurrection_), and add
not to the offenders [aught] save destruction.
(lxxi. 27-29.)
_And God answered his prayer, and said_, Construct the ark in our
sight and according to our revelation, and speak not unto Me
concerning those who have offended, _to beg Me not to destroy them_;
for they [shall be] drowned. And he constructed the ark; and whenever
a company of his people passed by him, they derided him. He said, If
ye deride us, we will deride you, like as ye deride, _when we are
saved and ye are drowned_, and ye shall know on whom shall come a
punishment which shall render him vile, and whom shall befall a
lasting punishment. [Thus he was employed] until when Our decree _for
their destruction_ came to pass, and the _baker’s_ oven overflowed
_with water_[198] (_for this was a signal unto Noah_), We said, Carry
into it (_that is, into the ark_) of every pair, _male and female, of
each of these descriptions_, two (_and it is related that God
assembled for Noah the wild beasts and the birds and other creatures,
and he proceeded to put his hands upon each kind, and his right hand
fell always upon the male, and his left upon the female, and he
carried them into the ark_), and thy family (excepting him upon whom
the sentence _of destruction_ hath already been pronounced, _namely,
Noah’s wife, and his son Canaan: but Shem and Ham and Japheth and
their three wives he took_), and those who have believed; but there
believed not with him save a few: _they were six men and their wives:
and it is said that all who were in the ark were eighty, half of whom
were men and half women_. And _Noah_ said, Embark ye therein. In the
name of God [be] its course and its mooring.[199] Verily my Lord is
very forgiving [and] merciful.—And it moved along with them amid
waves like mountains; and Noah called unto his son, _Canaan_, who was
apart _from the ark_, O my child, embark with us, and be not with the
unbelievers! He replied, I will betake me to a mountain which will
secure me from the water. [Noah] said, There is nought that will
secure to-day from the decree of God [any] but him on whom He hath
mercy. And the waves intervened between them; so he became [one] of
the drowned. And it was said, O earth, swallow up thy water
(_whereupon it drank it up, except what had descended from heaven,
which became rivers and seas_), and, O heaven, cease _from
raining_;—and the water abated, and the decree was fulfilled, and it
(_namely, the ark_) rested on El-Joodee (_a mountain of El-Jezeereh,
near El-Mósil_); and it was said, Perdition to the offending
people![200]
(xi. 38-46.)
And Noah called upon his Lord, and said, O my Lord, verily my son is
of my family, _and Thou hast promised me to save them_, and verily Thy
promise is true, and Thou art the most just of those who exercise
judgment. _God_ replied, O Noah, verily he is not of thy family _who
should be saved, or of the people of thy religion_. Verily it
(_namely, thine asking me to save him_) is not a righteous act; _for
he was an unbeliever, and there is no safety for the unbelievers_;
therefore ask not of me that wherein thou hast no knowledge. I
admonish thee, lest thou become [one] of the ignorant.—_Noah_ said, O
my Lord, I beg Thee to preserve me from asking Thee that wherein I
have no knowledge; and if Thou do not forgive me and have mercy upon
me, I shall be of those who suffer loss.—It was said, O Noah, descend
_from the ark_,[201] with peace from Us, and blessings, upon thee and
upon peoples [that shall proceed] from those who are with thee _in the
ark_ (_that is, their believing posterity_); but peoples [that shall
proceed] _from those who are with thee_ We will permit to enjoy _the
provisions of this world_; then a painful punishment shall befall them
from Us, _in the world to come; they being unbelievers_.
(xi. 47-50.)
_´AD AND THAMOOD._
And _we sent_ unto _the former_ [tribe of] ´Ád[202] their brother
Hood.[203] He said, O my people, worship God: _assert His unity_. Ye
have no other deity than Him. Will ye not then fear _Him, and
believe_?—The chiefs who disbelieved among his people answered, Verily
we see thee to be in a foolish way, and verily we esteem thee one of
the liars _with respect to the apostolic commission_. He replied, O my
people, there is no folly in me; but I am an apostle from the Lord of
the worlds. I bring unto you the messages of my Lord, and I am unto
you a counsellor, intrusted _with the apostolic office_. Do ye wonder
that an admonition hath come unto you from your Lord by _the tongue
of_ a man from among you, that he may warn you? And remember how He
hath appointed you vicegerents _in the earth_ after the people of
Noah, and increased you in tallness of stature. (_For the tall among
them was a hundred cubits, and the short among them sixty._) Remember,
then, the benefits of God, that ye may prosper. They said, Art thou
come unto us that we may worship God alone, and relinquish what our
fathers worshipped? Then bring upon us that _punishment_ with which
thou threatenest us, if thou be of those who speak truth.—He replied,
Punishment and indignation from your Lord have become necessary for
you. Do ye dispute with me concerning names which ye and your fathers
have given _to idols which ye worship_, concerning which (_that is,
the worship of which_) God hath not set down any convincing proof?
Then await ye _the punishment_. I am with you, of those who await
_that, for your accusing me of falsehood. And the unprofitable wind
was sent upon them._ But We delivered him (_namely, Hood_) and them
who were with him (_of the believers_) by Our mercy; and We cut off
the uppermost part of those who charged Our signs with falsehood and
who were not believers.
(vii. 63-70.)
And _We sent_ unto _the tribe of_ Thamood[204] their brother Ṣáliḥ.
He said, O my people, worship God. Ye have no other deity than Him. A
_miraculous_ proof _of my veracity_ hath come unto you from your Lord,
this she-camel of God being a sign unto you. [He had caused her, at
their demand, to come forth from the heart of a rock.] Therefore let
her feed in God’s earth, and do her no harm, lest a painful punishment
seize you. And remember how He hath appointed you vicegerents _in the
earth_ after [the tribe of] ´Ád, and given you a habitation in the
earth: ye make yourselves, on its plains, pavilions _wherein ye dwell
in summer_, and cut the mountains into houses _wherein ye dwell in
winter_. Remember then the benefits of God, and do not evil in the
earth, acting corruptly.—The chiefs who were elated with pride, among
his people, said unto those who were esteemed weak, _namely_, to those
who had believed among them, Do ye know that Ṣáliḥ hath been sent
_unto you_ from his Lord? They answered, _Yea_: verily we believe in
that wherewith he hath been sent. Those who were elated with pride
replied, Verily we disbelieve in that wherein ye have believed.—_And
the she-camel had a day to water; and they had a day; and they became
weary of this._ And they hamstrung the she-camel (_Ḳudár_ [the son of
Sálif] _doing so by their order and slaying her with the sword_);[205]
and they impiously transgressed the command of their Lord,[206] and
said, O Ṣáliḥ, bring upon us that _punishment_ with which thou
threatenest us _for killing her_, if thou be [one] of the apostles.
And the violent convulsion (_a great earthquake, and a cry from
heaven_[207]) assailed them, and in the morning they were in their
dwellings prostrate _and dead_. So he turned away from them, and said,
O my people, I have brought unto you the message of my Lord and given
you faithful counsel; but ye loved not faithful counsellors.
(vii. 71-77.)
_DHU-L-ḲARNEYN._