The Koran
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
ENTITLED, S; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
S. By the Koran full of admonition. Verily the unbelievers are addicted
to pride and contention. How many generations have we destroyed before
them; and they cried for mercy, but it was not a time to escape. They wonder
that a warner from among themselves hath come unto them. And the unbelievers
said, This man is a sorcerer and a liar: doth he affirm the gods to be
but one God? Surely this is a wonderful thing. And the chief men among
them departed, saying to one another, Go, and persevere in the worship
of your gods. Verily this is the thing which is designed. We have not heard
anything like this in the last religion: this is no other than a false
contrivance. Hath an admonition been sent unto him preferably to any other
among us? Verily they are in a doubt concerning my admonition: but they
have not yet tasted my vengeance. Are the treasuries of the mercy of thy
Lord, the mighty, the munificent God, in their hands? Is the kingdom of
the heavens and the earth, and of whatever is between them, in their possession?
If it be so, let them ascend by steps unto heaven. But any army of the
confederates shall even here be put to flight. The people of Noah, and
the tribe of Ad, and Pharaoh the contriver of the stakes, and the tribe
of Thamud, and the people of Lot, and the inhabitants of the wood near
Madian, accused the prophets of imposture before them: these were the confederates
against the messengers of God. All of them did no other than accuse their
apostles of falsehood: wherefore my vengeance hath been justly executed
upon them. And these wait only for one sounding of the trumpet; which there
shall be no deferring. And they scoffingly say, O Lord, hasten our sentence
unto us, before the day of account. Do thou patiently bear that which they
utter: and remind them of our servant David, endued with strength; for
he was one who seriously turned himself unto God. We compelled the mountains
to celebrate our praise with him, in the evening and at sunrise, and also
the birds, which gathered themselves together unto him: all of them returned
frequently unto him for this purpose. And we established his kingdom, and
gave him wisdom and eloquence of speech. Hath the story of the two adversaries
come to thy knowledge; when they ascended over the wall into the upper
apartment, when they went in unto David, and he was afraid of them? They
said, Fear not: we are two adversaries who have a controversy to be decided.
The one of us hath wronged the other: wherefore judge between us with truth,
and be not unjust; and direct us into the even way. This my brother had
ninety and nine sheep; and I had only one ewe: and he said, Give her me
to keep; and he prevailed against me in the discourse which we had together.
David answered, Verily he hath wronged thee, in demanding thine ewe as
an addition to his own sheep: and many of them who are concerned together
in business, wrong one another, except those who believe and do that which
is right; but how few are they! And David perceived that we had tried him
by this parable, and he asked pardon of his Lord: and he fell down and
bowed himself, and repented. Wherefore we forgave him this fault; and he
shall be admitted to approach near unto us, and shall have an excellent
place of abode in paradise. O David, verily we have appointed thee a sovereign
prince in the earth: judge therefore between men with truth; and follow
not thy own lust, lest it cause thee to err from the way of God: for those
who err from the way of God, shall suffer a severe punishment, because
they have forgotten the day of account. We have not created the heavens
and the earth, and whatever is between them, in vain. This is the opinion
of the unbelievers: but woe unto those who believe not, because of the
fire of hell. Shall we deal with those who believe and do good works, as
with those who act corruptly in the earth? Shall we deal with the pious
as with the wicked? A blessed book have we sent down unto thee, O Mohammed,
that they may attentively meditate on the signs thereof, and that men of
understanding may be warned. And we gave unto David Solomon; how excellent
a servant! for he frequently turned himself unto God. When the horses standing
on three feet, and touching the ground with the edge of the fourth foot,
and swift in the course, were set in parade before him in the evening,
he said, Verily I have loved the love of earthly good above the remembrance
of my Lord; and have spent the time in viewing these horses, until the
sun is hidden by the veil of night: bring the horses back unto me. And
when they were brought back, he began to cut off their legs and their necks.
We also tried Solomon, and placed on his throne a counterfeit body: afterwards
he turned unto God, and said, O Lord, forgive me, and give me a kingdom
which may not be obtained by any after me; for thou art the giver of kingdoms.
And we made the wind subject to him; it ran gently at his command, whithersoever
he directed. And we also put the devils in subjection under him; and among
them such as were every way skilled in building, and in diving for pearls:
and others we delivered to him bound in chains; saying, This is our gift:
therefore be bounteous, or be sparing unto whom thou shalt think fit, without
rendering an account. And he shall approach near unto us, and shall have
an excellent abode in paradise. And remember our servant Job; when he cried
unto his Lord, saying, Verily Satan hath afflicted me with calamity and
pain. And it was said unto him, Strike the earth with thy foot; which when
he had done, a fountain sprang up, and it was said to him, This is for
thee to wash in, to refresh thee, and to drink. And we restored unto him
his family, and as many more with them, through our mercy; and for an admonition
unto those who are endued with understanding. And we said unto him, Take
a handful of rods in thy hand, and strike thy wife therewith; and break
not thine oath. Verily we found him a patient person: how excellent a servant
was he! for he was one who frequently turned himself unto us. Remember
also our servants Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, who were men strenuous
and prudent. Verily we purified them with a perfect purification, through
the remembrance of the life to come; and they were, in our sight, elect
and good men. And remember Ismael, and Elisha, and Dhu’lkefl: for all these
were good men. This is an admonition. Verily the pious shall have an excellent
place to return unto, namely, gardens of perpetual abode, the gates whereof
shall stand open unto them. As they lie down therein, they shall there
ask for many sorts of fruits, and for drink; and near them shall sit the
virgins of paradise, refraining their looks from beholding any besides
their spouses, and of equal age with them. This is what ye are promised
at the day of account. This is our provision; which shall not fail. This
shall be the reward of the righteous. But for the transgressors is prepared
an evil receptacle, namely, hell: they shall be cast into the same to be
burned, and a wretched couch shall it be. This let them taste, to wit,
scalding water, and corruption flowing from the bodies of the damned, and
divers other things of the same kind. And it shall be said to the seducers,
This troop which was guided by you, shall be thrown, together with you,
headlong into hell: they shall not be bidden welcome; for they shall enter
the fire to be burned. And the seduced shall say to their seducers, Verily
ye shall not be bidden welcome: ye have brought it upon us; and a wretched
abode is hell. They shall say, O Lord, doubly increase the torment of him
who hath brought the punishment upon us, in the fire of hell. And the infidels
shall say, Why do we not see the men whom we numbered among the wicked,
and whom we received with scorn? Or do our eyes miss them? Verily this
is a truth; to wit, the disputing of the inhabitants of hell fire. Say,
O Mohammed, unto the idolaters, Verily I am no other than a warner: and
there is no god, except the one only God, the Almighty, the Lord of heaven
and earth, and of whatsoever is between them; the mighty, the forgiver
of sins. Say It is a weighty message, from which ye turn aside. I had no
knowledge of the exalted princes, when they disputed concerning the creation
of man (it hath been revealed unto me only as a proof that I am a public
preacher): when thy Lord said unto the angels, Verily I am about to create
man of clay: when I shall have formed him, therefore, and shall have breathed
my spirit into him, do ye fall down and worship him. And all the angels
worshipped him, in general; except Eblis, who was puffed up with pride,
and became an unbeliever. God said unto him, O Eblis, what hindereth thee
from worshipping that which I have created with my hands? Art thou elated
with vain pride? Or art thou really one of exalted merit? He answered,
I am more excellent than he: thou hast created me of fire, and hast created
him of clay. God said unto him, Get thee hence therefore, for thou shalt
be driven away from mercy: and my curse shall be upon thee, until the day
of judgment. He replied, O Lord, Respite me, therefore, until the day of
resurrection. God said, Verily thou shalt be one of those who are respited
until the day of the determined time. Eblis said, By thy might do I swear,
I will surely seduce them all, except thy servants who shall be peculiarly
chosen from among them. God said, It is a just sentence: and I speak the
truth: I will surely fill hell with thee, and with such of them as shall
follow three, altogether. Say unto the Meccans, I ask not of you any reward
for this my preaching: neither am I one of those who assume a part which
belongs not to them. The Koran is no other than an admonition unto all
creatures: and ye shall surely know what is delivered therein to be true,
after a season.
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