The Koran
CHAPTER XVI.
ENTITLED, THE BEE; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
The sentence of God will surely come to be executed: wherefore do not hasten
it. Praise be unto him! and far be that from him which they associate with
him! He shall cause the angels to descend with a revelation by his command,
unto such of his servants as he pleaseth, saying, Preach that there is
no God, except myself; therefore fear me. He hath created the heavens and
the earth to manifest his justice: far be that from him which they associate
with him! He hath created man of seed; and yet behold, he is a professed
disputer against the resurrection. He hath likewise created the cattle
for you: from them ye have wherewith to keep yourselves warm, and other
advantages; and of them do ye also eat. And they are likewise a credit
unto you, when ye drive them home in the evening, and when ye lead them
forth to feed in the morning: and they carry your burthens to a distant
country, at which ye could not otherwise arrive, unless with great difficulty
to yourselves; for your Lord is compassionate and merciful. And he hath
also created horses, and mules, and asses, that ye may ride thereon, and
for an ornament unto you; and he likewise createth other things which ye
know not. It appertaineth unto God to instruct men in the right way; and
there is who turneth aside from the same: but if he had pleased, he would
certainly have directed you all. It is he who sendeth down from heaven
rain water, whereof ye have to drink, and from which plants, whereon ye
feed your cattle, receive their nourishment. And by means thereof he causeth
corn, and olives, and palm-trees, and grapes, and all kinds of fruits to
spring forth for you. Surely herein is a sign of the divine power and wisdom
unto people who consider. And he hath subjected the night and the day to
your service; and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, which are compelled
to serve by his command. Verily herein are signs unto people of understanding.
And he hath also given you dominion over whatever be hath created for you
in the earth, distinguished by its different color. Surely herein is a
sign unto people who reflect. It is he who hath subjected the sea unto
you, that ye might eat fish thereout, and take from thence ornaments for
you to wear: and thou seest the ships ploughing the waves thereof, that
ye may seek to enrich yourselves of his abundance, by commerce; and that
ye might give thanks. And he hath thrown upon the earth mountains firmly
rooted, lest it should move with you, and also rivers, and paths, that
ye might be directed: and he hath likewise ordained marks whereby men may
know their way; and they are directed by the stars. Shall God therefore
who createth, be as he who createth not? Do ye not therefore consider?
If ye attempt to reckon up the favors of God, ye shall not be able to compute
their number: God is surely gracious, and merciful: and God knoweth that
which ye conceal and that which ye publish. But the idols which ye invoke,
besides God, create nothing, but are themselves created. They are dead,
and not living; neither do they understand when they shall be raised. Your
God is one God. As to those who believe not in the life to come, their
hearts deny the plainest evidence, and they proudly reject the truth. There
is no doubt but God knoweth that which they conceal and that which they
discover; verily he loveth not the proud. And when it is said unto them,
What hath your Lord sent down unto Mohammed? they answer, Fables of ancient
times. Thus are they given up to error, that they may bear their own burthens
without diminution on the day of resurrection, and also a part of the burthens
of those whom they caused to err, without knowledge. Will it not be an
evil burthen which they shall bear? Their predecessors devised plots heretofore;
but God came unto their building, to overthrow it from the foundations:
and the roof fell on them from above, and a punishment came upon them,
from whence they did not expect. Also on the day of resurrection he will
cover them with shame; and will say, Where are my companions, concerning
whom ye disputed? Those unto whom knowledge shall have been given, shall
answer, This day shall shame and misery fall upon the unbelievers. They
whom the angels shall cause to die, having dealt unjustly with their own
souls, shall offer to make their peace in the article of death, saying
We have done no evil. But the angels shall reply, Yea; verily God well
knoweth that which ye have wrought: wherefore enter the gates of hell,
therein to remain for ever; and miserable shall be the abode of the proud.
And it shall be said unto those who shall fear God, What hath your Lord
sent down? They shall answer, Good: unto those who do right shall be given
an excellent reward in this world; but the dwelling of the next life shall
be better; and happy shall be the dwelling of the pious! namely, gardens
of eternal abode, into which they shall enter; rivers shall flow beneath
the same; therein shall they enjoy whatever they wish. Thus will God recompense
the pious. Unto the righteous whom the angels shall cause to die, they
shall say, Peace be upon you; enter ye into paradise, as a reward for that
which ye have wrought. Do the unbelievers expect any other than that the
angels come unto them, to part their souls from their bodies; or that the
sentence of thy Lord come to be executed on them? So did they act who were
before them; and God was not unjust towards them in that he destroyed them;
but they dealt unjustly with their own souls: the evils of that which they
committed, reached them; and the divine judgment which they scoffed at,
fell upon them. The idolaters say, If God had pleased, we had not worshipped
anything besides him, neither had our fathers: neither had we forbidden
anything, without him. So did they who were before them. But is the duty
of the apostles any other, than public preaching? We have heretofore raised
up in every nation an apostle to admonish them, saying, Worship God, and
avoid Taghut. And of them there were some whom God directed, and there
were others of them who were decreed to go astray. Wherefore go through
the earth, O tribe of Koreish, and see what hath been the end of those
who accused their apostles of imposture. If thou, O prophet, doth earnestly
wish for their direction; verily God will not direct him whom he hath resolved
to lead into error; neither shall they have any helpers. And they swear
most solemnly by God, saying, God will not raise the dead. Yea; the promise
thereof is true: but the greater part of men know it not. He will raise
them that he may clearly show them the truth concerning which they now
disagree, and that the unbelievers may know that they are liars. Verily
our speech unto anything, when we will the same, is, that we only say unto
it, Be; and it is. As for those who have fled their country for the sake
of God, after they had been unjustly persecuted; we will surely provide
them an excellent habitation in this world, but the reward of the next
life shall be greater; if they knew it. They who persevere patiently, and
put their trust in their Lord, shall not fail of happiness in this life
and in that which is to come. We have not sent any before thee, as our
apostles, other than men, unto whom we spake by revelation. Inquire therefore
of those who have the custody of the scriptures, if ye know not this to
be truth. We sent them with evident miracles, and written revelations:
and we have sent down unto thee this Koran, that thou mayest declare unto
mankind that which hath been sent down unto them, and that they may consider.
Are they who have plotted evil against their prophet secure, that God will
not cause the earth to cleave under them, or that a punishment will not
come upon them, from whence they do not expect; or that he will not chastise
them while they are busied in travelling from one place to another, and
in traffic? (for they shall not be able to elude the power of God,) or
that he will not chastise them by a gradual destruction? But your Lord
is truly gracious and merciful in granting you respite. Do they not consider
the things which God hath createth; whose shadows are cast on the right
hand and on the left, worshipping God, and become contracted? Whatever
moveth both in heaven and on earth, worshippeth God, and the angels also;
and they are not exalted with pride, so as to disdain his service: they
fear their Lord, who is exalted above them, and perform that which they
are commanded. God said, Take not unto yourselves two gods; for there is
but one God; and revere me. Unto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven
and on earth; and unto him is obedience eternally due. Will ye therefore
fear any besides God? Whatever favors ye have received, are certainly from
God; and when evil afflicteth you, unto him do ye make your supplication;
yet when he taketh the evil from off you, behold, a part of you give a
companion unto their Lord, to show their ingratitude for the favors we
have bestowed on them. Delight yourselves in the enjoyments of this life:
but hereafter shall ye know that ye cannot escape the divine vengeance.
And they set apart unto idols which have no knowledge, a part of the food
which we have provided for them. By God, ye shall surely be called to account
for that which ye have falsely devised. They attribute daughters unto God;
(far be it from him!) but unto themselves children of the sex which they
desire. And when any of them is told the news of the birth of a female,
his face becometh black, and he is deeply afflicted: he hideth himself
from the people, because of the ill tidings which have been told him; considering
within himself whether he shall keep it with disgrace, or whether he shall
bury it in the dust. Do they not make an ill judgment? Unto those who believe
not in the next life, the similitude of evil ought to be applied, and unto
God the most sublime similitude; for he is mighty and wise. If God should
punish men for their iniquity he would not leave on the earth any moving
thing: but he giveth them respite unto an appointed time; and when their
time shall come, they shall not be respited an hour, neither shall their
punishment be anticipated. They attribute unto God that which they dislike
themselves, and their tongues utter a lie; namely, that the reward of paradise
is for them. There is no doubt but that the fire of hell is prepared for
them, and that they shall be sent thither before the rest of the wicked.
By God, we have heretofore sent messengers unto the nations before thee:
but Satan prepared their works for them; he was their patron in this world,
and in that which is to come they shall suffer a grievous torment. We have
not sent down the book of the Koran unto thee, for any other purpose, than
that thou shouldest declare unto them that truth concerning which they
disagree; and for a direction and mercy unto people who believe. God sendeth
down water from heaven, and causeth the earth to revive after it hath been
dead. Verily herein is a sign of the resurrection unto people who hearken.
Ye have also in cattle an example of instruction: we give you to drink
of that which is in their bellies, a liquor between digested dregs, and
blood: namely pure milk, which is swallowed with pleasure by those who
drink it. And of the fruits of palm-trees, and of grapes, ye obtain an
inebriating liquor, and also good nourishment. Verily herein is a sign
unto people who understand. Thy Lord spake by inspiration unto the bee,
saying, provide thee houses in the mountains, and in the trees, and of
those materials wherewith men build hives for thee: then eat of every kind
of fruit, and walk in the beaten paths of thy Lord. There proceedeth from
their bellies a liquor of various colors; wherein is a medicine for men.
Verily herein is a sign unto people who consider. God hath created you,
and he will hereafter cause you to die: and some of you shall have his
life prolonged to a decrepit age, so that he shall forget whatever he knew;
for God is wise and powerful. God causeth some of you to excel others in
worldly possessions: yet they who are caused to excel, do not give their
wealth unto the slaves whom their right hands possess, that they may become
equal sharers therein. Do they therefore deny the beneficence of God? God
hath ordained you wives from among yourselves, and of your wives hath granted
you children and grandchildren; and hath bestowed on you good things for
food. Will they therefore believe in that which is vain, and ungratefully
deny the goodness of God? They worship, besides God, idols which possess
nothing wherewith to sustain them, either in heaven, or on earth; and have
no power. Wherefore liken not anything unto God: for God knoweth, but ye
know not. God propoundeth as a parable a possessed slave, who hath power
over nothing, and him on whom we have bestowed a good provision from us,
and who giveth alms thereout both secretly and openly: shall these two
be esteemed equal? God forbid! But the greater part of them know it not.
God also propoundeth as a parable two men; one of them born dumb, who is
unable to do or understand anything, but is a burthen unto his master;
whithersoever he shall send him, he shall not return with any good success:
shall this man, and he who hath his speech and understanding, and who commandeth
that which is just, and followeth the right way, be esteemed equal? Unto
God alone is the secret of heaven and earth known. And the business of
the last hour shall be only as the twinkling of an eye, or even more quick:
for God is almighty. God hath brought you forth from the wombs of your
mothers; ye knew nothing, and he gave you the senses of hearing and seeing,
and understandings, that ye might give thanks. Do they not behold the fowls
which are enabled to fly in the open firmament of heaven? none supporteth
them except God. Verily herein are signs unto people who believe. God hath
also provided your houses for habitations for you; and hath also provided
you tents of the skins of cattle, which ye find light to be removed on
the day of your departure to new quarters, and easy to be pitched on the
day of your sitting down therein: and of their wool, and their fur, and
their hair hath he supplied you with furniture and household-stuff for
a season. And God hath provided for you, of that which he hath created,
conveniences to shade you from the sun, and he hath also provided you places
of retreat in the mountains, and he hath given you garments to defend you
from the heat, and coats of mail to defend you in your wars. Thus doth
he accomplish his favor towards you, that ye may resign yourselves unto
him. But if they turn back; verily thy duty is public preaching only. They
acknowledge the goodness of God, and afterwards they deny the same; but
the greater part of them are unbelievers. On a certain day we will raise
a witness out of every nation: then they who shall have been unbelievers
shall not be suffered to excuse themselves, neither shall they be received
into favor. And when they who shall have acted unjustly shall see the torment
prepared for them; (it shall not be mitigated unto them, neither shall
they be respited;) and when those who shall have been guilty of idolatry
shall see their false gods, they shall say, O Lord, these are our idols
which we invoked, besides thee. But they shall return an answer unto them,
saying, Verily ye liars. And on that day shall the wicked offer submission
unto God; and the false deities which they imagined shall abandon them.
As for those who shall have been infidels, and shall have turned aside
others from the way of God, we will add unto them punishment upon punishment,
because they have corrupted others. On a certain day we will raise up in
every nation a witness against them, from among themselves; and we will
bring thee, O Mohammed, as a witness against these Arabians. We have sent
down unto thee the book of the Koran, for an explication of every thing
necessary both as to faith and practice, and a direction, and mercy, and
good tidings unto the Moslems. Verily God commandeth justice, and the doing
of good, and the giving unto kindred what shall be necessary; and he forbiddeth
wickedness, and iniquity, and oppression: he admonisheth you that ye may
remember. Perform your covenant with God, when ye enter into covenant with
him; and violate not your oaths, after the ratification thereof; since
ye have made God a witness over you. Verily God knoweth that which ye do.
And be not like unto her who undoeth that which she hath spun, untwisting
it after she hath twisted it strongly; taking your oaths between you deceitfully,
because one party is more numerous than another party. Verily God only
tempteth you therein; and he will make that manifest unto you, on the day
of resurrection, concerning which ye now disagree. If God had pleased,
he would surely have made you one people: but he will lead into error whom
he pleaseth, and he will direct whom he pleaseth; and ye shall surely give
an account of that which ye have done. Therefore take not your oaths between
you deceitfully, lest your foot slip, after it hath been steadfastly fixed,
and ye taste evil in this life, for that ye have turned aside from the
way of God; and ye suffer a grievous punishment in the life to come. And
sell not the covenant of God for a small price; for with God is a better
recompense prepared for you, if ye be men of understanding. That which
is with you will fail; but that which is with God is permanent: and we
will surely reward those who shall persevere, according to the utmost merit
of their actions. Whoso worketh righteousness, whether he be male or female,
and is a true believer, we will surely raise him to a happy life; and we
will give them their reward, according to the utmost merit of their actions.
When thou readest the Koran, have recourse unto God, that he may preserve
thee from Satan driven away with stones: he hath no power over those who
believe, and who put their confidence in their Lord; but his power is over
those only, who take him for their patron, and who give companions unto
God. When we substitute in the Koran an abrogating verse in lieu of a verse
abrogated, (and God best knoweth the fitness of that which he revealeth,)
the infidels say, Thou art only a forger of these verses: but the greater
part of them know not truth from falsehood. Say, The holy spirit hath brought
the same down from thy Lord with truth; that he may confirm those who believe,
and for a direction and good tidings unto the Moslems. We also know that
they say, Verily, a certain man teacheth him to compose the Koran. The
tongue of the person unto whom they incline, is a foreign tongue; but this,
wherein the Koran is written, is the perspicuous Arabic tongue. Moreover
as for those who believe not in the signs of God, God will not direct them,
and they shall suffer a painful torment: verily they imagine a falsehood
who believe not in the signs of God, and they are really the liars. Whoever
denieth God, after he hath believed, except him who shall be compelled
against his will, and whose heart continueth steadfast in the faith, shall
be severely chastised: but whoever shall voluntarily profess infidelity,
on those shall the indignation of God fall, and they shall suffer a grievous
punishment. This shall be their sentence, because they have loved the present
life above that which is to come, and for that God directeth not the unbelieving
people. These are they whose hearts, and hearing, and sight God hath sealed
up; and these are the negligent: there is no doubt but that in the next
life they shall perish. Moreover thy Lord will be favorable unto those
who have fled their country, after having suffered persecution, and been
compelled to deny the faith by violence, and who have since sought in defense
of the true religion, and have persevered with patience; verily unto these
will thy Lord be gracious and merciful, after they shall have shown their
sincerity. On a certain day shall every soul come to plead for itself,
and every soul shall be repaid that which it shall have wrought; and they
shall not be treated unjustly. God propoundeth as a parable a city which
was secure and quiet, unto which her provisions came in abundance from
every side: but she ungratefully denied the favors of God: wherefore God
caused her to taste the extreme famine, and fear, because of that which
they had done. And now is an apostle come unto the inhabitants of Mecca
from among themselves; and they accuse him of imposture: wherefore a punishment
shall be inflicted on them, while they are acting unjustly. Eat of what
God hath given you for food, that which is lawful and good; and be thankful
for the favors of God, if ye serve him. He hath only forbidden you that
which dieth of itself, and blood, and swine’s flesh, and that which hath
been slain in the name of any, besides God. But unto him who shall be compelled
by necessity to eat of these things, not lusting nor willfully transgressing,
God will surely be gracious and merciful. And say not that wherein your
tongues utter a lie; This is lawful, and this is unlawful; that ye may
devise a lie concerning God: for they who devise a lie concerning God,
shall not prosper. They shall have small enjoyment in this world, and in
that which is to come they shall suffer a grievous torment. Unto the Jews
did we forbid that which we have told thee formally: and we did them no
injury in that respect; but they injured their own souls. Moreover thy
Lord will be favorable unto those who do evil through ignorance; and afterwards
repent and amend: verily unto these will thy Lord be gracious and merciful,
after their repentance. Abraham was a model of true religion, obedient
unto God, orthodox, and was not an idolater: he was also grateful for his
benefits: wherefore God chose him, and directed him into the right way.
And we bestowed on him good in this world; and in the next he shall surely
be one of the righteous. We have also spoken unto thee, O Mohammed, by
revelation, saying, Follow the religion of Abraham, who was orthodox, and
was no idolater. The sabbath was only appointed unto those who differed
with their prophet concerning it; and thy Lord will surely judge between
them, on the day of resurrection, as to that concerning which they differed.
Invite men unto the way of thy Lord, by wisdom, and mild exhortation; and
dispute with them in the most condescending manner: for thy Lord well knoweth
him who strayeth from his path, and he well knoweth those who are rightly
directed. If ye take vengeance on any, take a vengeance proportionable
to the wrong which hath been done you; but if ye suffer wrong patiently,
verily this will be better for the patient. Wherefore do thou bear opposition
with patience; but thy patience shall not be practicable, unless with God’s
assistance. And be not thou grieved on account of the unbelievers; neither
be thou troubled for that which they subtilely devise; for God is with
those who fear him, and are upright.
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