The Koran
CHAPTER XI.
ENTITLED, HUD; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
A. L. R. This book, the verses whereof are guarded against corruption,
and are also distinctly explained, is a revelation from the wise, the knowing
God: that ye serve not any other than God (verily I am a denouncer of threats,
and a bearer of good tidings unto you from him); and that ye ask pardon
of your Lord, and then be turned unto him. He will cause you to enjoy a
plentiful provision, until a prefixed time: and unto every one that hath
merit by good works, will he give his abundant reward. But if ye turn back,
verily I fear for you the punishment of the great day: unto God shall ye
return; and he is almighty. Do they not double the folds of their breasts,
that they may conceal their designs from him? When they cover themselves
with their garments, doth not he know that which they conceal, and that
which they discover? For he knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts
of men. (XII.) There is no creature which creepeth on the earth, but God
provideth its food; and he knoweth the place of its retreat, and where
it is laid up. The whole is written in the perspicuous book of his decrees.
It is he who hath created the heavens and the earth in six days (but his
throne was above the waters before the creation thereof), that he might
prove you, and see which of you would excel in works. If thou say, Ye shall
surely he raised again, after death; the unbelievers will say, This is
nothing but manifest sorcery. And verily if we defer their punishment unto
a determined season, they will say, What hindereth it from falling on us?
Will it not come upon them on a day wherein there shall be none to avert
it from them; and that which they scoffed at shall encompass them? Verily,
if we cause man to taste mercy from us, and afterwards take it away from
him, he will surely become desperate, and ungrateful. And if we cause him
to taste favor, after an affliction hath befallen him, he will surely say,
The evils which I suffered are passed from me; and he will become joyful
and insolent: except those who persevere with patience, and do that which
is right: they shall receive pardon and a great reward. Peradventure thou
wilt omit to publish part of that which hath been revealed unto thee, and
thy breast will become straitened, lest they say, Unless a treasure be
sent down unto him, or an angel come with him, to bear witness unto him,
we will not believe. Verily thou art a preacher only; and God is the governor
of all things. Will they say, He hath forged the Koran? Answer, Bring therefore
ten chapters like unto it, forged by yourselves; and call on whomsoever
ye may to assist you, except God, if ye speak truth. But if they whom ye
call to your assistance hear you not, know that this book hath been revealed
by the knowledge of God only, and that there is no God but he. Will ye
therefore become Moslems? Whoso chooseth the present life, and the pomp
thereof, unto them will we give the recompense of their works therein,
and the same shall not be diminished unto them. These are they for whom
no other reward is prepared in the next life, except the fire of hell:
that which they have done in this life shall perish; and that which they
have wrought shall be vain. Shall he therefore be compared with them, who
followeth the evident declaration of his Lord, and whom a witness from
him attendeth, preceded by the book of Moses, which was revealed for a
guide, and out of mercy to mankind? These believe in the Koran: but whosoever
of the confederate infidels believeth not therein, is threatened with the
fire of hell, which threat shall certainly be executed: be not therefore
in a doubt concerning it; for it is the truth from thy Lord: but the greater
part of men will not believe. Who is more unjust than he who imagineth
a lie concerning God? They shall be set before their Lord, at the day of
judgment, and the witnesses shall say, These are they who devised lies
against their Lord. Shall not the curse of God fall on the unjust; who
turn men aside from the way of God, and seek to render it crooked, and
who believe not in the life to come? These were not able to prevail against
God on earth, so as to escape punishment; neither had they any protectors
besides God: their punishment shall be doubled unto them. They could not
hear, neither did they see. These are they who have lost their souls; and
the idols which they falsely imagined have abandoned them. There is no
doubt but they shall be most miserable in the world to come. But as for
those who believe, and do good works, and humble themselves before their
Lord, they shall be the inhabitants of paradise; they shall remain therein
for ever. The similitude of the two parties is as the blind and the deaf,
and as he who seeth and heareth: shall they be compared as equal? Will
ye not therefore consider? We formerly sent Noah unto his people; and he
said, Verily I am a public preacher unto you; that ye worship God alone:
verily I fear for you the punishment of the terrible day. But the chiefs
of his people, who believed not, answered, We see thee to be no other than
a man, like unto us; and we do not see that any follow thee, except those
who are the most abject among us, who have believed on thee by a rash judgment;
neither do we perceive any excellence in you above us: but we esteem you
to be liars. Noah said, O my people, tell me; if I have received an evident
declaration from my Lord, and he hath bestowed on me mercy from himself,
which is hidden from you, do we compel you to receive the same, in case
ye be averse thereto? O my people, I ask not of you any riches, for my
preaching unto you: my reward is with God alone. I will not drive away
those who have believed: verily they shall meet their Lord, at the resurrection;
but I perceive that ye are ignorant men. O my people, who shall assist
me against God, if I drive them away? Will ye not therefore consider? I
say not unto you, The treasures of God are in my power; neither do I say,
I know the secrets of God; neither do I say, Verily I am an angel; neither
do I say of those whom your eyes do contemn, God will by no means bestow
good on them (God best knoweth that which is in their souls); for then
should I certainly be one of the unjust. They answered, O Noah, thou hast
already disputed with us, and hast multiplied disputes with us; now therefore
do thou bring that punishment upon us wherewith thou hast threatened us,
if thou speakest truth. Noah said, Verily God alone shall bring it upon
you, if he pleaseth; and ye shall not prevail against him, so as to escape
the same. Neither shall my counsel profit you although I endeavor to counsel
you aright, if God shall please to lead you into error. He is your Lord,
and unto him shall ye return. Will the Meccans say, Mohammed hath forged
the Koran? Answer, If I have forged it, on me by my guilt; and let me be
clear of that which ye are guilty of. And it was revealed unto Noah, saying,
Verily none of thy people shall believe, except he who hath already believed:
be not therefore grieved for that which they are doing. But make an ark
in our presence, according to the form and dimensions which we have revealed
unto thee: and speak not unto me in behalf of those who have acted unjustly;
for they are doomed to be drowned. And he built the ark; and so often as
a company of his people passed by him, they derided him: but he said, Though
ye scoff at us now, we will scoff at you hereafter, as ye scoff at us;
and ye shall surely know on whom a punishment shall be inflicted, which
shall cover him with shame, and on whom a lasting punishment shall fall.
Thus were they employed until our sentence was put in execution, and the
oven poured forth water.
And we said unto Noah, Carry into the ark of every species of animals one
pair; and thy family (except him on whom a previous sentence of destruction
hath passed), and those who believed. But there believed not with him,
except a few. And Noah said, Embark thereon, in the name of God; while
it moveth forward, and while it standeth still; for my Lord is gracious
and merciful. And the ark swam with them between waves like mountains:
and Noah called unto his son, who was separated from him, saying, Embark
with us, my son, and stay not with the unbelievers. He answered, I will
get on a mountain, which will secure me from the water. Noah replied, There
is no security this day from the decree of God, except for him on whom
he shall have mercy. And a wave passed between them, and he became one
of those who were drowned. And it was said, O earth, swallow up thy waters,
and thou, O heaven, withhold thy rain. And immediately the water abated,
and the decree was fulfilled, and the ark rested on the mountain Al Judi;
and it was said, Away with the ungodly people! And Noah called upon his
Lord, and said, O Lord, verily my son is of my family; and thy promise
is true: for thou art the most just of those who exercise judgment. God
answered, O Noah, verily he is not of thy family: this intercession of
thine for him, is not a righteous work. Ask not of me therefore that wherein
thou hast no knowledge: I admonish thee that thou become not one of the
ignorant. Noah said, O Lord, I have recourse unto thee for the assistance
of thy grace, that I ask not of thee that wherein I have no knowledge:
and unless thou forgive me, and be merciful unto me, I shall be one of
those who perish. It was said unto him, O Noah, come down from the ark,
with peace from us, and blessings upon thee and upon a part of those who
are with thee: but as for a part of them, we will suffer them to enjoy
the provision of this world; and afterwards shall a grievous punishment
from us be inflicted on them, in the life to come. This is a secret history,
which we reveal unto thee: thou didst not know it, neither did thy people,
before this. Wherefore persevere with patience: for the prosperous issue
shall attend the pious. And unto the tribe of Ad we sent their brother
Hud. He said, O my people, worship God; ye have no God besides him: ye
only imagine falsehood, in setting up idols and intercessors of your own
making. O my people, I ask not of you for this my preaching, any recompense:
my recompense do I expect from him only who hath created me. Will ye not
therefore understand? O my people, ask pardon of your Lord; and be turned
unto him: he will send the heaven to pour forth rain plentifully upon you,
and he will increase your strength by giving unto you farther strength:
therefore turn not aside to commit evil. They answered, O Hud, thou hast
brought us no proof of what thou sayest; therefore we will not leave our
gods for thy saying, neither do we believe thee. We say no other than that
some of our gods have afflicted thee with evil. He replied, Verily I call
God to witness, and do ye also bear witness, that I am clear of that which
ye associate with God, besides him. Do ye all therefore join to devise
a plot against me, and tarry not; for I put my confidence in God, my Lord
and your Lord. There is no beast, but he holdeth it by its forelock: verily
my Lord proceedeth in the right way. But if ye turn back, I have already
declared unto you that with which I was sent unto you; and my Lord shall
substitute another nation in your stead; and ye shall not hurt him at all:
for my Lord is guardian over all things. And when our sentence came to
be put in execution, we delivered Hud, and those who had believed with
him, through our mercy; and we delivered them from a grievous punishment.
And this tribe of Ad wittingly rejected the signs of their Lord, and were
disobedient unto his messengers, and they followed the command of every
rebellious perverse person. Wherefore they were followed in this world
by a curse, and they shall be followed by the same on the day of resurrection.
Did not Ad disbelieve in their Lord? Was it not said, Away with Ad, the
people of Hud? And unto the tribe of Thamud we sent their brother Saleh.
He said unto them, O my people, worship God; ye have no god besides him.
It is he who hath produced you out of the earth, and hath given you an
habitation therein. Ask pardon of him, therefore, and be turned unto him;
for my Lord is near, and ready to answer. They answered, O Saleh, thou
wast a person on whom we placed our hopes before this. Dost thou forbid
us to worship that which our fathers worshipped? But we are certainly in
doubt concerning the religion to which thou dost invite us, as justly to
be expected. Saleh said, O my people, tell me; if I have received an evident
declaration from my Lord, and he hath bestowed on me mercy from himself;
who will protect me from the vengeance of God, if I be disobedient unto
him? For ye shall not add unto me, other than loss. And he said, O my people,
this she-camel of God is a sign unto you; therefore dismiss her freely
that she may feed in God’s earth, and do her no harm, lest a swift punishment
seize you. Yet they killed her; and Saleh said, Enjoy yourselves in your
dwellings for three days; after which ye shall be destroyed. This is an
infallible prediction. And when our decree came to be executed, we delivered
Saleh and those who believed with him, through our mercy, from the disgrace
of that day; for thy Lord is the strong, the mighty God. But a terrible
noise from heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly; and in the morning
they were found in their houses, lying dead and prostrate; as though they
had never dwelt therein. Did not Thamud disbelieve in their Lord? Was not
Thamud cast far away? Our messengers also came formerly unto Abraham, with
good tidings: they said, Peace be upon thee. And he answered, And on you
be peace! and he tarried not, but brought a roasted calf. And when he saw
that their hands did not touch the meat, he misliked them, and entertained
a fear of them. But they said, Fear not: for we are sent unto the people
of Lot. And his wife Sarah was standing by, and she laughed; and we promised
her Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob. She said, Alas! shall I bear a son,
who am old; this my husband also being advanced in years? Verily this would
be a wonderful thing. The angels answered, Dost thou wonder at the effect
of the command of God? The mercy of God and his blessings be upon you,
the family of the house: for he is praiseworthy, and to be glorified. And
when his apprehension had departed from Abraham, and the good tidings of
Isaac’s birth had come unto him, he disputed with us concerning the people
of Lot: for Abraham was a pitiful, compassionate, and devout person. The
angels said unto him, O Abraham, abstain from this; for now is the command
of thy Lord come, to put their sentence in execution, and an inevitable
punishment is ready to fall upon them. And when our messengers came unto
Lot, he was troubled for them, and his arm was straitened concerning them,
and he said, This is a grievous day. And his people came unto him, rushing
upon him: and they had formerly been guilty of wickedness. Lot said unto
them, O my people, these my daughters are more lawful for you: therefore
fear God, and put me not to shame by wronging my guests. Is there not a
man of prudence among you? They answered, Thou knowest that we have no
need of thy daughters; and thou well knowest what we would have. He said,
If I had strength sufficient to oppose you, or I could have recourse unto
a powerful support, I would certainly do it. The angels said, O Lot, verily
we are the messengers of thy Lord; they shall by no means come in unto
thee. Go forth therefore with thy family, in some part of the night, and
let not any of you turn back; but as for thy wife, that shall happen unto
her, which shall happen unto them. Verily the prediction of their punishment
shall be fulfilled in the morning: is not the morning near? And when our
command came, we turned those cities upside down, and we rained upon them
stones of baked clay, one following another, and being marked, from thy
Lord; and they are not far distant from those who act unjustly. And unto
Madian we sent their brother Shoaib: he said, O my people, worship God;
ye have no God but him: and diminish not measure and weight. Verily I see
you to be in a happy condition: but I fear for you the punishment of the
day which will encompass the ungodly. O my people, give full measure and
just weight; and diminish not unto men ought of their matters; neither
commit injustice in the earth, acting corruptly. The residue which shall
remain unto you as the gift of God, after ye shall have done justice to
others, will be better for you than wealth gotten by fraud; if ye be true
believers. I am no guardian over you. They answered, O Shoaib, do thy prayers
enjoin thee, that we should leave the gods which our fathers worshipped;
or that we should not do what we please with our substance? Thou only,
it seems, art the wise person, and fit to direct. He said, O my people,
tell me; if I have received an evident declaration from my Lord, and he
hath bestowed on me an excellent provision, and I will not consent unto
you in that which I forbid you: do I seek any other than your reformation,
to the utmost of my power? My support is from God alone; on him do I trust,
and unto him do I turn me. O my people, let not your opposing of me draw
on you a vengeance like unto that which fell on the people of Noah, or
the people of Hud, or the people of Saleh: neither was the people of Lot
far distant from you. Ask pardon therefore of your Lord; and be turned
unto him: for my Lord is merciful and loving. They answered, O Shoaib,
we understand not much of what thou sayest; and we see thee to be a man
of no power among us: if it had not been for the sake of thy family, we
had surely stoned thee, neither couldst thou have prevailed against us.
Shoaib said, O my people, is my family more worthy in your opinion than
God? and do ye cast him behind you with neglect? Verily my Lord comprehendeth
that which ye do. O my people, do ye work according to your condition;
I will surely work according to my duty. And ye shall certainly know on
whom will be inflicted a punishment which shall cover him with shame, and
who is a liar. Wait therefore the event; for I also will wait it with you.
Wherefore when our decree came to be executed, we delivered Shoaib and
those who believed with him, through our mercy: and a terrible noise from
heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly; and in the morning they were
found in their houses lying dead and prostrate, as though they had never
dwelt therein. Was not Madian removed from off the earth, as Thamud had
been removed? And we formerly sent Moses with our signs, and manifest power,
unto Pharaoh and his princes: but they followed the command of Pharaoh;
although the command of Pharaoh did not direct them aright. Pharaoh shall
precede his people on the day of resurrection, and he shall lead them into
hell fire; an unhappy way shall it be which they shall be led. They were
followed in this life by a curse, and on the day of resurrection miserable
shall be the gift which shall be given them. This is a part of the histories
of the cities, which we rehearse unto thee. Of them there are some standing;
and others which are utterly demolished. And we treated them not unjustly,
but they dealt unjustly with their own souls: and their gods which they
invoked, besides God, were of no advantage unto them at all, when the decree
of thy Lord came to be executed on them, neither were they any other than
a detriment unto them. And thus was the punishment of thy Lord inflicted,
when he punished the cities which were unjust; for his punishment is grievous
and severe. Verily herein is a sign unto him who feareth the punishment
of the last day: that shall be a day whereon all men shall be assembled,
and that shall be a day whereon witness shall be borne; we defer it not,
but to a determined time. When that day shall come, no soul shall speak
to excuse itself, or to intercede for another, but by the permission of
God. Of them one shall be miserable, and another shall be happy. And they
who shall be miserable, shall be thrown into hell fire; there shall they
wail and bemoan themselves: they shall remain therein so long as the heavens
and the earth shall endure; except what thy Lord shall please to remit
of their sentence; for thy Lord effecteth that which he pleaseth. But they
who shall be happy, shall be admitted into paradise; they shall remain
therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure; besides what thy Lord
shall please to add unto their bliss; a bounty which shall not be interrupted.
Be not therefore in doubt concerning that which these men worship; they
worship no other than what their fathers worshipped before them; and we
will surely give them their full portion, not in the least diminished.
We formerly gave unto Moses the book of the law; and disputes arose among
his people concerning it: and unless a previous decree had proceeded from
thy Lord, to bear with them during this life, the matter had been surely
decided between them. And thy people are also jealous and in doubt concerning
the Koran. But unto every one of them will thy Lord render the reward of
their works; for he well knoweth that which they do. Be thou steadfast,
therefore, as thou hast been commanded; and let him also be steadfast who
shall be converted with thee; and transgress not: for he seeth that which
ye do. And incline not unto those who act unjustly, lest the fire of hell
touch you: for ye have no protectors, except God; neither shall ye be assisted
against him. Pray regularly morning and evening; and in the former part
of the night, for good works drive away evils. This is an admonition unto
those who consider: wherefore persevere with patience; for God suffereth
not the reward of the righteous to perish. Were such of the generations
before you, endued with understanding and virtue, who forbade the acting
corruptly in the earth, any more than a few only of those whom we delivered?
But they who were unjust followed the delights which they enjoyed in this
world, and were wicked doers: and thy Lord was not of such a disposition
as to destroy the cities unjustly, while their inhabitants behaved themselves
uprightly. And if thy Lord pleased, he would have made all men of one religion:
but they shall not cease to differ among themselves, unless those on whom
thy Lord shall have mercy: and unto this hath he created them; for the
word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled, when he said, Verily I will fill hell
altogether with genii and men. The whole which we have related of the histories
of our apostles do we relate unto thee, that we may confirm thy heart thereby;
and herein is the truth come unto thee, and an admonition, and a warning
unto the true believers. Say unto those who believe not, Act ye according
to your condition; we surely will act according to our duty: and wait the
issue; for we certainly wait it also. Unto God is known that which is secret
in heaven and earth; and unto him shall the whole matter be referred. Therefore
worship him, and put thy trust in him; for thy Lord is not regardless of
that which ye do.
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