The Koran
CHAPTER XXVI.
ENTITLED, THE POETS; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
T. S. M. These are the signs of the perspicuous book. Peradventure thou
afflictest thyself unto death, lest the Meccans become not true believers.
If we pleased, we could send down unto them a convincing sign from heaven,
unto which their necks would humbly submit. But there cometh unto them
no admonition from the Merciful, being newly revealed as occasions require,
but they turn aside from the same; and they have charged it with falsehood:
but a message shall come unto them, which they shall not laugh to scorn.
Do they not behold the earth, how many vegetables we cause to spring up
therein, of every noble species? Verily herein is a sign: but the greater
part of them do not believe. Verily thy Lord is the mighty, the merciful
God. Remember when thy Lord called Moses, saying, Go to the unjust people,
the people of Pharaoh; will they not dread me? Moses answered, O Lord,
verily I fear lest they accuse me of falsehood, and lest my breast become
straitened, and my tongue be not ready in speaking: send therefore unto
Aaron, to be my assistant. Also they have a crime to object against me;
and I fear they will put me to death. God said, They shall by no means
put thee to death: wherefore go ye with our signs; for we will be with
you, and will hear what passes between you and them. Go ye therefore unto
Pharaoh, and say, Verily we are the apostle of the Lord of all creatures:
send away with us the children of Israel. And when they had delivered their
message, Pharaoh answered, Have we not brought thee up among us, when a
child; and hast thou not dwelt among us for several years of thy life?
Yet hast thou done thy deed which thou hast done: and thou art an ungrateful
person. Moses replied, I did it indeed, and I was one of those who erred;
wherefore I fled from you, because I feared you; but my Lord hath bestowed
on me wisdom, and hath appointed me one of his apostles. And this is the
favor which thou hast bestowed on me, that thou hast enslaved the children
of Israel. Pharaoh said, And who is the Lord of all creatures? Moses answered,
The Lord of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them: if ye are
men of sagacity. Pharaoh said unto those who were about him, Do ye not
hear? Moses said, Your Lord, and the Lord of your forefathers. Pharaoh
said unto those who were present, Your apostle, who is sent unto you, is
certainly distracted. Moses said, The Lord of the east, and of the west,
and of whatever is between them; if ye are men of understanding. Pharaoh
said unto him, Verily if thou take any god besides me, I will make thee
one of those who are imprisoned. Moses answered, What, although I come
unto you with a convincing miracle? Pharaoh replied, Produce it, therefore,
if thou speakest truth. And he cast down his rod, and behold, it became
a visible serpent: and he drew forth his hand out of his bosom; and behold,
it appeared white unto the spectators. Pharaoh said unto the princes who
were about him, Verily this man is a skillful magician: he seeketh to dispossess
you of your land by his sorcery; what therefore do ye direct? They answered,
Delay him and his brother by good words for a time; and send through the
cities men to assemble and bring unto thee every skilful magician. So the
magicians were assembled at an appointed time, on a solemn day. And it
was said unto the people, Are ye assembled together? Perhaps we may follow
the magicians, if they do get the victory. And when the magicians were
come, they said unto Pharaoh, Shall we certainly receive a reward, if we
do get the victory? He answered, Yea; and ye shall surely be of those who
approach my person. Moses said unto them, Cast down what ye are about to
cast down. Wherefore they cast down their ropes and their rods, and said,
By the might of Pharaoh, verily we shall be the conquerors. And Moses cast
down his rod, and behold, it swallowed up that which they had caused falsely
to appear changed into serpents. Whereupon the magicians prostrated themselves,
worshipping, and said, We believe in the Lord of all creatures, the Lord
of Moses and of Aaron. Pharaoh said unto them, Have ye believed on him,
before I have given you permission? Verily he is your chief, who hath taught
you magic: but hereafter ye shall surely know my power. I will cut off
your hands and your feet, on the opposite sides, and I will crucify you
all. They answered, It will be no harm unto us; for we shall return unto
our Lord. We hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins, since we are
the first who have believed. And we spake by revelation unto Moses, saying,
March forth with my servants by night; for ye will be pursued. And Pharaoh
sent officers through the cities to assemble forces, saying, Verily these
are a small company; and they are enraged against us: but we are a multitude
well provided. So we caused them to quit their gardens, and fountains,
and treasures, and fair dwellings: thus did we do; and we made the children
of Israel to inherit the same. And they pursued them at sunrise. And when
the two armies were come in sight of each other, the companions of Moses
said, We shall surely be overtaken. Moses answered, By no means: for my
Lord is with me, who will surely direct me. And we commanded Moses by revelation,
saying, Smite the sea with thy rod. And when he had smitten it, it became
divided into twelve parts, between which were as many paths, and every
part was like a vast mountain. And we drew thither the others; and we delivered
Moses and all those who were with him: then we drowned the others. Verily
herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe. Verily
thy Lord is the mighty, and the merciful. And rehearse unto them the story
of Abraham: when he said unto his father and his people, What do ye worship?
They answered, We worship idols; and we constantly serve them all the day
long. Abraham said, Do they hear you, when ye invoke them? Or do they either
profit you, or hurt you? They answered, But we found our fathers do the
same. He said, What think ye? The gods which ye worship, and your forefathers
worshipped, are my enemy: except only the Lord of all creatures, who hath
created me and directeth me; and who giveth me to eat and to drink, and
when I am sick, healeth me; and who will cause me to die, and will afterwards
restore me to life; and who, I hope, will forgive my sins on the day of
judgment. O Lord, grant me wisdom; and join me with the righteous; and
grant that I may be spoken of with honor among the latest posterity; and
make me an heir of the garden of delight: and forgive my father, for that
he hath been one of those who go astray. And cover me not with shame on
the day of resurrection; on the day in which neither riches nor children
shall avail, unless unto him who shall come unto God with a sincere heart:
when paradise shall be brought near to the view of the pious, and hell
shall appear plainly to those who shall have erred; and it shall be said
unto them, Where are your deities which ye served besides God? will they
deliver you from punishment, or will they deliver themselves? And they
shall be cast into the same, both they, and those who have been seduced
to their worship; and all the host of Eblis. The seduced shall dispute
therein with their false gods, saying, By God, we were in a manifest error,
when we equalled you with the Lord of all creatures: and none seduced us
but the wicked. We have now no intercessors, nor any friend who careth
for us. If were allowed to return once more into the world, we would certainly
become true believers. Verily herein was a sign: but the greater part of
them believed not. Thy Lord is the mighty, the merciful. The people of
Noah accused God’s messengers of imposture: when their brother Noah said
unto them, Will ye not fear God? Verily I am a faithful messenger unto
you; wherefore fear God, and obey me. I ask no reward of you for my preaching
unto you; I expect my reward from no other than the Lord of all creatures:
wherefore fear God, and obey me. They answered, Shall we believe on thee,
when only the most abject persons have followed thee? Noah said, I have
no knowledge of that which they did; it appertaineth unto my Lord alone
to bring them to account, if ye understand; wherefore I will not drive
away the believers: I am no more than a public preacher. They replied,
Assuredly, unless thou desist, O Noah, thou shalt be stoned. He said, O
Lord, verily my people take me for a liar: wherefore judge publicly between
me and them; and deliver me and the true believers who are with me. Wherefore
we delivered him, and those who were with him, in the ark filled with men
and animals; and afterwards we drowned the rest. Verily herein was a sign:
but the greater part of them believed not. Thy Lord is the mighty, the
merciful. The tribe of Ad charged God’s messengers with falsehood: when
their brother Hud said unto them, Will ye not fear God? Verily I am a faithful
messenger unto you; wherefore fear God, and obey me. I demand not of you
any reward for my preaching unto you: I expect my reward from no other
than the Lord of all creatures. Do ye build a landmark on every high place,
to divert yourselves? And do ye erect magnificent works, hoping that ye
may continue in their possession for ever? And when ye exercise your power,
do ye exercise it with cruelty and rigor? Fear God, by leaving these things;
and obey me. And fear him who hath bestowed on you that which ye know:
he hath bestowed on you cattle, and children, and gardens, and springs
of water. Verily I fear for you the punishment of a grievous day. They
answered, It is equal unto us whether thou admonish us, or dost not admonish
us: this which thou preachest is only a device of the ancients; neither
shall we be punished for what we have done. And they accused him of imposture:
wherefore we destroyed them. Verily herein was a sign: but the greater
part of them believed not. Thy Lord is the mighty, the merciful. The tribe
of Thamud also charged the messengers of God with falsehood. When their
brother Saleh said unto them, Will ye not fear God? Verily I am a faithful
messenger unto you: wherefore fear God, and obey me. I demand no reward
of you for my preaching unto you; I expect my reward from no other than
the Lord of all creatures. Shall ye be left for ever secure in the possession
of the things which are here; among gardens, and fountains, and corn, and
palm-trees, whose branches sheathe their flowers? And will ye continue
to cut habitations for yourselves out of the mountains, behaving with insolence?
Fear God, and obey me; and obey not the command of the transgressors, who
act corruptly in the earth, and reform not the same. They answered, Verily
thou art distracted; thou art no other than a man like unto us: produce
now some sign, if thou speakest truth. Saleh said, This she-camel shall
he a sign unto you: she shall have her portion of water, and ye shall have
your portion of water alternately, on a several day appointed for you;
and do her no hurt, lest the punishment of a terrible day be inflicted
on you. But they slew her, and were made to repent of their impiety: for
the punishment which had been threatened overtook them. Verily herein was
a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe. Thy Lord is the mighty,
the merciful. The people of Lot likewise accused God’s messengers of imposture.
When their brother Lot said unto them, Will ye not fear God? Verily I am
a faithful messenger unto you: wherefore fear God, and obey me. I demand
no reward of you for my preaching: I expect my reward from no other than
the Lord of all creatures. Do ye approach unto the males among mankind,
and leave your wives which your Lord hath created for you? Surely ye are
people who transgress. They answered; unless thou desist, O Lot, thou shalt
certainly be expelled our city. He said, Verily I am one of those who abhor
your doings: O Lord, deliver me and my family from that which they act.
Wherefore we delivered him, and all his family; except an old woman, his
wife, who perished among those who remained behind: then we destroyed the
rest; and we rained on them a shower of stones; and terrible was the shower
which fell on those who had been warned in vain. Verily herein was a sign;
but the greater part of them did not believe. Thy Lord is the mighty, the
merciful. The inhabitants of the wood also accused God’s messengers of
imposture. When Shoaib said unto them, Will ye not fear God? Verily I am
a faithful messenger unto you: wherefore fear God, and obey me. I ask no
reward of you for my preaching: I expect my reward from no other than the
Lord of all creatures. Give just measure, and be not defrauders; and weigh
with an equal balance; and diminish not unto men aught of their matters;
neither commit violence in the earth, acting corruptly. And fear him who
hath created you, and also the former generations. They answered, Certainly
thou art distracted: thou art no more than a man, like unto us; and we
do surely esteem thee to be a liar. Cause now a part of the heaven to fall
upon us, if thou speakest truth. Shoaib said, My Lord best knoweth that
which ye do. And they charged him with falsehood: wherefore the punishment
of the day of the shadowing cloud overtook them; and this was the punishment
of a grievous day. Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them
did not believe. Thy Lord is the mighty, the merciful. This book is certainly
a revelation from the Lord of all creatures, which the faithful spirit
hath caused to descend upon thy heart, that thou mightest be a preacher
to thy people, in the perspicuous Arabic tongue: and it is borne witness
to in the scriptures of former ages. Was it not a sign unto them, that
the wise men among the children of Israel knew it? Had we revealed it unto
any of the foreigners, and he had read the same unto them, yet they would
not have believed therein. Thus have we caused obstinate infidelity to
enter the hearts of the wicked: they shall not believe therein, until they
see a painful punishment. It shall come suddenly upon them, and they shall
not foresee it: and they shall say, Shall we be respited? Do they therefore
desire our punishment to be hastened? What thinkest thou? If we suffer
them to enjoy the advantage of this life for several years, and afterwards
that with which they are threatened come upon them; what will that which
they have enjoyed profit them? We have destroyed no city, but preachers
were first sent unto it, to admonish the inhabitants thereof; neither did
we treat them unjustly. The devils did not descend with the Koran, as the
infidels give out: it is not for their purpose, neither are they able to
produce such a book; for they are far removed from hearing the discourse
of the angels in heaven. Invoke no other god with the true God, lest thou
become one of those who are doomed to punishment. And admonish thy more
near relations. And behave thyself with meekness towards the true believers
who follow thee: and if they be disobedient unto thee, say, Verily I am
clear of that which ye do. And trust in the most mighty, the merciful God;
who seeth thee when thou risest up, and thy behavior among those who worship;
for he both heareth and knoweth. Shall I declare unto you upon whom the
devils descend? They descend upon every lying and wicked person: they learn
what is heard; but the greater part of them are liars. And those who err
follow the steps of the poets: dost thou not see that they rove as bereft
of their senses through every valley, and that they say that which they
do not? except those who believe, and do good works, and remember God frequently;
and who defend themselves, after they have been unjustly treated. And they
who act unjustly shall know hereafter, with what treatment they shall be
treated.
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