The Qur'an

And to recite the Koran: and whoever is rightly guided, assuredly will be rightly guided to his own behoof. And as to him who erreth, SAY, I truly am a warner only.And SAY, Praise be to God! He will shew you His signs, and ye shall acknowledge them: and of what ye do, thy Lord is not regardless.

PRAISE be to God, who hath sent down the Book to his servant, and hath not made it tortuous But direct; that it may warn of a grievous woe from him, and announce to the faithful who do the things that are right, that a goodly reward, wherein they shall abide for ever, awaiteth them; And that it may warn those who say, "God hath begotten a Son." No knowledge of this have either they or their fathers! A grievous saying to come out of their mouths! They speak no other than a lie! And haply, if they believe not in this new revelation, thou wilt slay thyself, on their very footsteps, out of vexation.

Verily, we have made all that is on earth as its adornment, that we might make trial who among mankind would excel in works: But we are surely about to reduce all that is thereon to dust! Hast thou reflected that the Inmates of THE CAVE and of Al Rakim were on our wondrous signs? When the youths betook them to the cave they said, "O our Lord! grant us mercy from before thee, and order for us our affair aright." Then struck we upon their ears with deafness in the cave for many a year: Then we awaked them that we might know which of the two parties could best reckon the space of their abiding.

We will relate to thee their tale with truth. They were youths who had believed in their Lord, and in guidance had we increased them; And we had made them stout of heart, when they stood up and said, "Our Lord is Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth: we will call on no other God than Him; for in that case we had said a thing outrageous. These our people have taken other gods beside Him, though they bring no clear proof for them; but, who more iniquitous than he who forgeth a lie of God? So when ye shall have separated you from them and from that which they worship beside God, then betake you to the cave: Your Lord will unfold his mercy to you, and will order your affairs for you for the best."

And thou mightest have seen the sun when it arose, pass on the right of their cave, and when it set, leave them on the left, while they were in its spacious chamber. This is one of the signs of God. Guided indeed is he whom God guideth; but for him whom He misleadeth, thou shalt by no means find a patron, director. And thou wouldst have deemed them awake, though they were sleeping: and we turned them to the right and to the left. And in the entry lay their dog with paws outstretched. Hadst thou come suddenly upon them, thou wouldst surely have turned thy back on them in flight, and have been filled with fear at them.

So we awaked them that they might question one another. Said one of them, "How long have ye tarried here?" They said, "We have tarried a day or part of day." They said, "Your Lord knoweth best how long ye have tarried: Send now one of you with this your coin into the city, and let him mark who therein hath purest food, and from him let him bring you a supply: and let him be courteous, and not discover you to any one. For they, if they find you out, will stone you or turn you back to their faith, and in that case it will fare ill with you for ever."

And thus made we their adventure known to their fellow citizens, that they might learn that the promise of God is true, and that as to "the Hour" there is no doubt of its coming. When they disputed among themselves concerning what had befallen them, some said, "Build a building over them; their Lord knoweth best about them." Those who prevailed in the matter said, "A place of worship will we surely raise over them." Some say, "They were three; their dog the fourth:" others say, "Five; their dog the sixth," guessing at the secret: others say, "Seven; and their dog the eighth." SAY: My Lord best knoweth the number: none, save a few, shall know them.

Therefore be clear in they discussions about them, and ask not any Christian concerning them. Say not thou of a thing, " I will surely do it to-morrow;" without , "If God will." And when thou hast forgotten, call thy Lord to mind; and say, "Haply my Lord will guide me, that I may come near to the truth of this story with correctness." And they tarried in their cave 300 years, and 9 years over. SAY: God best knoweth how long they tarried: With Him are the secrets of the Heavens and of the Earth: Look thou and hearken unto Him alone. Man hath no guardian but Him, and none may bear part in his judgments:-

And publish what hath been revealed to thee of the Book of thy Lord-none may change his words,-and thou shalt find no refuge beside Him. Be patient with those who call upon their Lord at morn and even, seeking his face: and let not thine eyes be turned away from them in quest of the pomp of this life; neither obey him whose heart we have made careless of the remembrance of Us, and who followeth his own lusts, and whose ways are unbridled. And SAY: the truth is from your Lord: let him then who will, believe; and let him who will, be an infidel. But for the offenders we have got ready the fire whose smoke shall enwrap them: and if they implore help, helped shall they be with water like molten brass which shall scald their Wretched the drink! and an unhappy couch!

But as to those who have believed and done the things that are right,-Verily we will not suffer the reward of him whose works were good, to perish! For them, the gardens of Eden, under whose shades shall rivers flow: decked shall they be therein with bracelets of gold, and green robes of silk and rich brocade shall they wear, reclining them therein on thrones. Blissful the reward! and a pleasant couch! And set forth to them as a parable two men; on one of whom we bestowed two gardens of grape vines, and surrounded both with palm trees, and placed corn fields between them: Each of the gardens did yield its fruit, and failed not thereof at all:

And we caused a river to flow in their midst: And this man received his fruit, and said, disputing with him, to his companion, "More have I than thou of wealth, and my family is mightier." And he went into his garden-to his own soul unjust. He said, "I do not think that this will ever perish: And I do not think that 'the Hour' will come: and even if I be taken back to my Lord, I shall surely find a better than it in exchange." His fellow said to him, disputing with him, "What ! hast thou no belief in him who created thee of the dust, then of the germs of life, then fashioned thee a perfect man?

But God is my Lord; and no other being will I associate with my Lord. And why didst thou not say when thou enteredst thy garden, 'What God willeth! There is no power but in God.' Though thou seest that I have less than thou of wealth and children, Yet haply my Lord may bestow on me better than thy garden, and may send his bolts upon it out of Heaven, so that the next dawn shall find it barren dust; Or its water become deep sunk, so that thou art unable to find it." And his fruits were encompassed by destruction. Then began he to turn down the palms of his hands at what he had spent on it; for its vines were falling down on their trellises, and he said, "Oh that I had not joined any other god to my Lord!"

And he had no host to help him instead of God, neither was he able to help himself. Protection in such a case is of God-the Truth: He is the best rewarder, and He bringeth to the best issue. And set before them a similitude of the present life. It is as water which we send down from Heaven, and the herb of the Earth is mingled with it, and on the morrow it becometh dry stubble which the winds scatter: for God hath power over all things. Wealth and children are the adornment of this present life: but good works, which are lasting, are better in the sight of thy Lord as to recompense, and better as to hope.

And call to mind the day when we will cause the mountains to pass away, and thou shalt see the earth a levelled plain, and we will gather mankind together, and not leave of them any one. And they shall be set before thy Lord in ranks:-"Now are ye come unto us as we created you at first: but ye thought that we should not make good to you the promise." And each shall have his book put into his hand: and thou shalt see the wicked in alarm at that which is therein: and they shall say, "O woe to us! what meaneth this Book? It leaveth neither small nor great unnoted down!" And they shall find all that they have wrought present to them, and thy Lord will not deal unjustly with any one.

When we said to the angels, "Prostrate yourselves before Adam," they all prostrated them save Eblis, who was of the Djinn, and revolted from his Lord's behest. behest.-What! will ye then take him and his offspring as patrons rather than Me? and they your enemies? Sad exchange for the ungodly! I made them not witnesses of the creation of the Heavens and of the Earth, nor of their own creation, neither did I take seducers as my helpers. On a certain day, God shall say, "Call ye on the companions ye joined with me, deeming them to be gods:" and they shall call on them, but they shall not answer them: then will we place a valley of perdition between them:

And the wicked shall see the fire, and shall have a foreboding that they shall be flung into it, and they shall find no escape from it. And now in this Koran we have presented to man similitudes of every kind: but, at most things is man a caviller. And what, now that guidance is come to them, letteth men from believing and from asking forgiveness of their Lord-unless they wait till that the doom of the ancients overtake them, or the chastisement come upon them in the sight of the universe? We send not our Sent Ones but to announce and to warn: but the infidels cavil with vain words in order to refute the truth; and they treat my signs and their own warnings with scorn.

But who is worse than he who when told of the signs of his Lord turneth him away and forgetteth what in time past his hands have wrought? Truly we have thrown veils over their hearts lest they should understand this Koran, and into their ears a heaviness: And if thou bid them to "the guidance" yet will they not even then be guided ever. The gracious one, full of compassion, is thy Lord! if he would have chastised them for their demerits he would have hastened their chastisement. But they have a time fixed for the accomplishment of our menaces: and beside God they shall find no refuge. And those cities did we destroy when they became impious; and of their coming destruction we gave them warning.

Remember when Moses said to his servant, "I will not stop till I reach the confluence of the two seas, or for years will I journey on." But when they reached their confluence, they forgot their fish, and it took its way in the sea at will. And when they had passed on, said Moses to his servant, "Bring us our morning meal; for now have we incurred weariness from this journey." He said, "What thinkest thou? When we repaired to the rock for rest I forgot the fish; and none but Satan made me forget it, so as not to mention it; and it hath taken its way in the sea in a wondrous sort."

He said, "It is this we were in quest of." And they both went back retracing their footsteps. Then found they one of our servants to whom we had vouchsafed our mercy, and whom we had instructed with our knowledge. And Moses said to him, "Shall I follow thee that thou teach me, for guidance, of that which thou too hast been taught?" He said, "Verily, thou canst not have patience with me; How canst thou be patient in matters whose meaning thou comprehendest not?" He said, "Thou shalt find me patient if God please, nor will I disobey thy bidding." He said, "Then, if thou follow me, ask me not of aught until I have given thee an account thereof."

So they both went on, till they embarked in a ship, and he-the unknown-staved it in. "What!" said Moses, "hast thou staved it in that thou mayest drown its crew? a strange thing now hast thou done!" He said, "Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not have patience with me?" He said, "Chide me not that I forgat, nor lay on me a hard command." Then went they on till they met a youth, and he slew him. Said Moses, "Hast thou slain him who is free from guilt of blood? Now hast thou wrought a grievous thing!" He said, "Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not have patience with me?"

Moses said, "If after this I ask thee aught, then let me be thy comrade no longer; but now hast thou my excuse." They went on till they came to the people of a city. Of this people they asked food, but they refused them for guests. And they found in it a wall that was about to fall, and he set it upright. Said Moses, "If thou hadst wished, for this thou mightest have obtained pay." He said, "This is the parting point between me and thee. But I will first tell thee the meaning of that which thou couldst not await with patience. "As to the vessel, it belonged to poor men who toiled upon the sea, and I was minded to damage it, for in their rear was a king who seized every ship by force.

As to the youth his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should trouble them by error and infidelity. And we desired that their Lord might give them in his place a child, better than he in virtue, and nearer to filial piety. And as to the wall, it belonged to two orphan youths in the city, and beneath it was their treasure: and their father was a righteous man: and thy Lord desired that they should reach the age of strength, and take forth their treasure through the mercy of thy Lord. And not of mine own will have I done this. This is the interpretation of that which thou couldst not bear with patience."

They will ask thee of Dhoulkarnain [the two-horned]. SAY: I will recite to you an account of him. We stablished his power upon the earth, and made for him a way to everything. And a route he followed, Until when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it to set in a miry fount; and hard by he found a people. We said, "O Dhoulkarnain! either chastise or treat them generously." "The impious," said he, "will we surely chastise;" then shall he be taken back to his Lord, and he will chastise him with a grievous chastisement. But as to him who believeth and doeth that which is right, he shall have a generous recompense, and we will lay on them our easy behests.

Then followed he a route, Until when he reached the rising of the sun he found it to rise on a people to whom we had given no shelter from it. Thus it was. And we had full knowledge of the forces that were with him. Then followed he a route Until he came between the two mountains, beneath which he found a people who scarce understood a language. They said, "O Dhoulkarnain! verily, Gog and Magog waste this land; shall we then pay thee tribute, so thou build a rampart between us and them?" He said, "Better than your tribute is the might wherewith my Lord hath strengthened me; but help me strenuously, and I will set a barrier between you and them.

Bring me blocks of iron,"-until when it filled the space between the mountain sides-"Ply," said he, "your bellows,"-until when he had made it red with heat (fire), he said,-"Bring me molten brass that I may pour upon it." And Gog and Magog were not able to scale it, neither were they able to dig through it. "This," said he, "is a mercy from my Lord: But when the promise of my Lord shall come to pass, he will turn it to dust; and the promise of my Lord is true." On that day we will let them dash like billows one over another; and there shall be a blast on the trumpet, and we will gather them together in a body.

And we will set Hell on that day close before the infidels, Whose eyes were veiled from my warning, and who had no power to hear. What! do the infidels think that they can take my servants as their patrons, beside Me? Verily, we have got Hell ready as the abode of the infidels. SAY: Shall we tell you who they are that have lost their labour most? Whose aim in the present life hath been mistaken, and who deem that what they do is right? They are those who believe not in the signs of the Lord, or that they shall ever meet him. Vain, therefore, are their works; and no weight will we allow them on the day of resurrection.

This shall be their reward-Hell. Because they were unbelievers, and treated my signs and my Apostles with scorn. But as for those who believe and do the things that are right, they shall have the gardens of Paradise for their abode: They shall remain therein for ever: they shall wish for no change from it. SAY: Should the sea become ink, to write the words of my Lord, the sea would surely fail ere the words of my Lord would fail, though we brought its like in aid. SAY: In sooth I am only a man like you. It hath been revealed to me that your God is one only God: let him then who hopeth to meet his Lord work a righteous work: nor let him give any other creature a share in the worship of his Lord.

ELIF. LAM. MIM. This Book is without a doubt a Revelation sent down from the Lord of the Worlds. Will they say, He hath forged it? Nay, it is the truth from thy Lord that thou mayest warn a people to whom no warner hath come before thee, that haply they may be guided. God it is who hath created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is between them in six days; then ascended his throne. Save Him ye have no patron, and none to plead for you. Will ye not then reflect? From the Heaven to the Earth He governeth all things: hereafter shall they come up to him on a day whose length shall be a thousand of such years as ye reckon.

This is He who knoweth the unseen and the seen; the Mighty, the Merciful, Who hath made everything which he hath created most good; and began the creation of man with clay; Then ordained his progeny from germs of life, from sorry water: Then shaped him, and breathed of His Spirit into him, and gave you hearing and seeing and hearts: what little thanks do ye return! And they say, "What! when we shall have lain hidden in the earth, shall we become a new creation?" Yea, they deny that they shall meet their Lord. SAY: The angel of death who is charged with you shall cause you to die: then shall ye be returned to your Lord.

Couldst thou but see when the guilty shall droop their heads before their Lord, and cry, "O our Lord! we have seen and we have heard: return us then to life: we will do that which is right. Verily we believe firmly!" (Had we pleased we had certainly given to every soul its guidance. But true shall be the word which hath gone forth from me-I will surely fill hell with Djinn and men together.) "Taste then the recompense of your having forgotten the meeting with this your day. We, too, we have forgotten you: taste then an eternal punishment for that which ye have wrought." They only believe in our signs, who, when mention is made of them, fall down in ADORATION, and celebrate the praise of their Lord, and are not puffed up with disdain:

Who, as they raise them from their couches, call on their Lord with fear and desire, and give alms of that with which we have supplied them. No soul knoweth what joy of the eyes is reserved for the good in recompense of their works. Shall he then who is a believer be as he who sinneth grossly? they shall not be held alike. As to those who believe and do that which is right, they shall have gardens of eternal abode as the meed of their works: But as for those who grossly sin, their abode shall be the fire: so oft as they shall desire to escape out of it, back shall they be turned into it. And it shall be said to them, Taste ye the torment of the fire, which ye treated as a lie.

And we will surely cause them to taste a punishment yet nearer at hand, besides the greater punishment, that haply they may turn to us in penitence. Who acteth worse than he who is warned by the signs of his Lord, then turneth away from them? We will surely take vengeance on the guilty ones. We heretofore gave the Book of the law to Moses: have thou no doubt as to our meeting with him: and we appointed it for the guidance of the children of Israel. And we appointed Imâms from among them who should guide after our command when they had themselves endured with constancy, and had firmly believed in our signs.

Now thy Lord! He will decide between them on the day of resurrection as to the subject of their disputes. Is it not notorious to them how many generations, through whose abodes they walk, we have destroyed before them? Truly herein are sings: will they not then hear? See they not how we drive the rain to some parched land and thereby bring forth corn of which their cattle and themselves do eat? Will they not then behold? They say, "When will this decision take place? Tell us, if ye are men of truth?" SAY: On the day of that decision, the faith of infidels shall not avail them, and they shall have no further respite.

Stand aloof from them then, and wait thou, for they too wait.

HA. MIM. A Revelation from the Compassionate, the Merciful! A Book whose verses (signs) are MADE PLAIN-an Arabic Koran, for men of knowledge; Announcer of glad tidings and charged with warnings! But most of them withdraw and hearken not: And they say, "Our hearts are under shelter from thy teachings, and in our ears is a deafness, and between us and thee there is a veil. Act as thou thinkest right: we verily shall act as we think right." SAY: I am only a man like you. It is revealed to me that your God is one God: go straight then to Him, and implore his pardon. And woe to those who join gods with God;

Who pay not the alms of obligation, and in the life to come believe not! But they who believe and do the things that are right shall receive a perfect recompense. SAY: Do ye indeed disbelieve in Him who in two days created the earth? and do ye assign Him peers? The Lord of the worlds is He! And he hath placed on the earth the firm mountains which tower above it; and He hath blessed it, and distributed food throughout it, for the cravings of all alike, in four days: Then He applied himself to the Heaven, which then was but smoke: and to it and to the Earth He said, "Come ye, whether in obedience or against your will?" and they both said, "We come obedient."

And He made them seven heavens in two days, and in each heaven made known its office: And we furnished the lower heaven with lights and guardian angels. This, the disposition of the Almighty, the All-knowing. If they turn away, then SAY: I warn you of a tempest, like the tempest of Ad and Themoud! When the apostles came to them on every side, saying, "Worship none but God," they said, "Had our Lord been pleased to send down, He had surely sent down angels; and in sooth, your message we do not believe." As to Ad, they bore them proudly and unjustly in the land, and said, "Who more mighty than we in prowess?" Saw they not that God their creator was mightier than they in prowess? And they rejected our signs.

Therefore on ill-omened days did we send against them an impetuous blast that we might make them taste the chastisement of shame in this world:-but more shameful shall be the chastisement of the life to come; and they shall not be protected. And as to Themoud, we had vouchsafed them guidance; but to guidance did they prefer blindness; wherefore the tempest of a shameful punishment overtook them for their doings: But we rescued the believing and the God-fearing: And warn of the day when the enemies of God shall be gathered unto the fire urged on in bands: Until when they reach it, their ears and their eyes and their skins shall bear witness against them of their deeds:

And they shall say to their skins, "Why witness ye against us?" They shall say, "God, who giveth a voice to all things, hath given us a voice: He created you at first, and to Him are ye brought back. And ye did not hide yourselves so that neither your ears nor your eyes nor your skins should witness against you: but ye thought that God knew not many a thing that ye did! And this your thought which ye did think of your Lord hath ruined you, so that ye are become of those who perish." And be they patient, still the fire shall be their abode: or if they beg for favour, yet shall they not be of favoured.

And we will appoint Satans as their fast companions; for it was they who made their present and future state seem fair and right to them; and the sentence passed on the peoples of Djinn and men who flourished before them hath become their due, and they shall perish. Yet the unbelievers say, "Hearken not to this Koran, but keep up a talking, that ye may overpower the voice of the reader." Surely therefore will we cause the unbelievers to taste a terrible punishment; And recompense them according to the worst of their actions. This the reward of the enemies of God,-the Fire! it shall be their eternal abode, in requital for their gainsaying our signs.

And they who believed not shall say, "O our Lord! shew us those of the Djinn and men who led us astray: both of them will we put under out feet, that they may be of the humbled." But as for those who say, "Our Lord is God;" and who go straight to Him, angels shall descend to them and say, "Fear ye not, neither be ye grieved, but rejoice ye in the paradise which ye have been promised. We are your guardians in this life and in the next: your's therein shall be your soul's desire, and your's therein whatever ye shall ask for, The hospitality of a Gracious, a Merciful One."

And who speaketh fairer than he who biddeth to God and doth the thing that is right, and saith, "I for my part am of the Muslims"? Moreover, good and evil are not to be treated as the same thing. Turn away evil by what is better, and lo! he between whom and thyself was enmity, shall be as though he were a warm friend. But none attain to this save men steadfast in patience, and none attain to it except the most highly favoured. And if an enticement from Satan entice thee, then take refuge in God, for He is the Hearing, the Knowing. And among his signs are the night, and the day, and the sun, and the moon. Bend not in adoration to the sun or the moon, but bend in adoration before God who created them both, if ye would serve Him.

But if they are too proud for this, yet they who are with thy Lord do celebrate His praises night and day, and cease not. And among His signs is this, that thou seest the earth drooping: but, when we send down the rain upon it, it is stirred and swelleth; verily He who giveth it life, will surely give life to the dead; for His might extendeth over all things. They truly who with obloquy disown our signs are not hidden from us. Is he then who shall be cast into the fire, or he who shall come forth secure on the day of resurrection, in the better position? Do what ye will: but His eye is on all your doings.

Verily, they who believe not in "the warning," after it hath come to them . . . and yet the Koran is a glorious book! Falsehood, from whatever side it cometh, shall not come night it; it is a missive down from the Wise, the Praiseworthy. Nothing hath been said to thee which hath not been said of old to apostles before thee. Verily with thy Lord is forgiveness, and with Him is terrible retribution. Had we made it a Koran in a foreign tongue, they had surely said, "Unless its signs be made clear . . . ! What! in a foreign tongue? and the people Arabian?" SAY: It is to those who believe a guide and a medicine; but as to those who believe not, there is a thickness in their ears, and to them it is a blindness: they are like those who are called to from afar.

Of old we gave the Book to Moses, and disputes arose about it: and if a decree of respite from thy Lord had gone before, there would surely have been a decision between them: for great were their doubts and questionings about it. He who doth right-it is for himself: and he who doth evil-it is for himself: and thy Lord will not deal unfairly with his servants. With Him alone is the knowledge of "the Hour." No fruit cometh forth from its coverings, neither doth any female conceive, nor is she delivered, but with His knowledge. And on that day He shall call men to Him, saying, "Where are the companions ye gave me?" They shall say, "We own to thee, there is no one of us can witness for them."

And what they erst called on shall pass away from them, and they shall perceive that there will be no escape for them. Man ceaseth not to pray for good: but if evil betide him he despondeth, despairing. And if we cause him to taste our mercy after affliction hath touched him, he is sure to say, "This is my due: and I take no thought of the Hour of Resurrection: and if I be brought back to my Lord, I shall indeed attain with Him my highest good." But we will then certainly declare their doings to the Infidels, and cause them to taste a stern punishment. When we are gracious to man, he withdraweth and turneth him aside: but when evil toucheth him, he is a man of long prayers.

SAY: What think ye? If this Book be from God and ye believe it not, who will have gone further astray than he who is at a distance from it? We will shew them our signs in different countries and among themselves, until it become plain to them that it is the truth. Is it not enough for thee that thy Lord is witness of all things? Are they not in doubt as to the meeting with their Lord? But doth he not encompass all things?

HA. MIM. This Book is sent down from God, the Mighty, the Wise! Assuredly in the Heavens and the Earth are signs for those who believe: And in your own creation, and in the beasts which are scattered abroad are signs to the firm in faith: And in the succession of night and day, and in the supply which God sendeth down from the Heaven whereby He giveth life to the earth when dead, and in the change of the winds, are signs for a people of discernment. Such are the signs of God: with truth do we recite them to thee. But in what teaching will they believe, if they reject God and his signs?

Woe to every lying sinner, Who heareth the signs of God recited to him, and then, as though he heard them not, persisteth in proud disdain! Apprise him of an afflictive punishment. And when he becometh acquainted with any of our signs he turneth them into ridicule. These! a shameful punishment for them! Hell is behind them! and neither their gains nor the lords whom they have adopted beside God shall avail them in the least: and theirs, a great punishment! This is "Guidance:" and for those who disbelieve the signs of their Lord is the punishment of an afflictive torment. It is God who hath subjected the sea to you that the ships may traverse it at his bidding, and that ye may go in quest of the gifts of his bounty, and that ye may be thankful.

And he hath subjected to you all that is in the Heavens and all that is on the Earth: all is from him. Verily, herein are signs for those who reflect. Tell the believers to pardon those who hope not for the days of God in which He purposeth to reward men according to their deeds. He who doth that which is right, doth it to his own behoof, and whoso doth evil, doth it to his own hurt. Hereafter, to your Lord shall ye be brought back. To the children of Israel gave we of old the Book and the Wisdom, and the gift of Prophecy, and we supplied them with good things, and privileged them above all peoples:

And we gave them clear sanctions for our behests: neither did they differ, through mutual envy, till after they had become possessed of knowledge; but thy Lord will judge between them on the day of resurrection, as to the subject of their disputes. Afterwards we set thee over our divine law: follow it then: and follow not the wishes of those who have no knowledge, For against God shall they avail thee nothing. And in sooth, the doers of evil are one another's patrons; but the patron of them that fear Him is God himself. This Book hath insight for mankind, and a Guidance and Mercy to a people who are firm in faith.

Deem they whose gettings are only evil, that we will deal with them as with those who believe and work righteousness, so that their lives and deaths shall be alike? Ill do they judge. In all truth hath God created the Heavens and the Earth, that he may reward every one as he shall have wrought; and they shall not be wronged. What thinkest thou? He who hath made a God of his passions, and whom God causeth wilfully to err, and whose ears and whose heart he hath sealed up, and over whose sight he hath placed a veil-who, after his rejection by God, shall guide such a one? Will ye not then be warned?

And they say, "There is only this our present life: we die and we live, and nought but time destroyeth us." But in this they have no knowledge: it is merely their own conceit. And when our clear signs are recited to them, their only argument is to say, "Bring back our fathers, if ye speak the truth." Say: God giveth you life, then causeth you to die: then will He assemble you on the day of resurrection: there is no doubt of it: but most men have not this knowledge. And God's is the kingdom of the Heavens and of the Earth; and on the day when the Hour shall arrive, on that day shall the despisers perish.

And thou shalt see every nation KNEELING: to its own book shall every nation be summoned:-”This day shall ye be repaid as ye have wrought. This our Book will speak of you with truth: therein have we written down whatever ye have done." As to those who have believed and wrought righteously, into his mercy shall their Lord cause them to enter. This shall be undoubted bliss! But as to the Infidels-"Were not my signs recited to you? but ye proudly scorned them, and became a sinful people." And when it was said, "Verily the Promise of God is truth; and as to the Hour, there is no doubt of it;" ye said, "We know not what the hour is-we conceive it a mere conceit,-we have no assurance of it."

And the evils they have wrought shall rise up into their view, and that at which they mocked shall hem them in on every side. And it shall be said to them, "This day will we forget you as ye forgat your meeting with us this day, and your abode shall be the fire, and none shall there be to succour you:- This, because ye received the signs of God with mockery, and this present life deceived you." On that day therefore they shall not come out from it; and they shall not be asked to win the favour of God. Praise then be to God, Lord of the Heavens and Lord of the Earth; the Lord of the worlds!

And His be the greatness in the Heavens and on the Earth; for He is the Mighty, the Wise!

THE doom of God cometh to pass. Then hasten it not. Glory be to Him! High let Him be exalted above the gods whom they join with Him! By his own behest will He cause the angels to descend with the Spirit on whom he pleaseth among his servants, bidding them, "Warn that there is no God but me; therefore fear me." He hath created the Heavens and the Earth to set forth his truth; high let Him be exalted above the gods they join with Him! Man hath He created from a moist germ; yet lo! man is an open caviller. And the cattle! for you hath He created them: in them ye have warm garments and gainful uses; and of them ye eat:

And they beseem you well when ye fetch them home and when ye drive them forth to pasture: And they carry your burdens to lands which ye could not else reach but with travail of soul: truly your Lord is full of goodness, and merciful: And He hath given you horses, mules, and asses, that ye may ride them, and for your ornament: and things of which ye have no knowledge hath he created. Of God it is to point out "the Way." Some turn aside from it: but had He pleased, He had guided you all aright. It is He who sendeth down rain out of Heaven: from it is your drink; and from it are the plants by which ye pasture.

By it He causeth the corn, and the olives, and the palm-trees, and the grapes to spring forth for you, and all kinds of fruits: verily, in this are signs for those who ponder. And He hath subjected to you the night and the day; the sun and the moon and the stars too are subjected to you by his behest; verily, in this are signs for those who understand: And all of varied hues that He hath created for you over the earth: verily, in this are signs for those who remember. And He it is who hath subjected the sea to you, that ye may eat of its fresh fish, and take forth from it ornaments to wear-thou seest the ships ploughing its billows-and that ye may go in quest of his bounties, and that ye might give thanks.

And He hath thrown firm mountains on the earth, least it move with you; and rivers and paths for your guidance, And way marks. By the stars too are men guided. Shall He then who hath created be as he who hath not created? Will ye not consider? And if ye would reckon up the favours of God, ye could not count them. Aye! God is right Gracious, Merciful! And God knoweth what ye conceal, and what ye bring to light, While the gods whom they call on beside God, create nothing, but are themselves created: Dead are they, lifeless! and they know not When they shall be raised! Your God is the one God: and they who believe not in a future life, have hearts given to denial, and are men of pride:-

Beyond a doubt God knoweth what they conceal and what they manifest:- He truly loveth not the men of pride. For when it is said to them, "What is this your Lord hath sent down?" they say, "Fables of the ancients,"- That on the day of resurrection they may bear their own entire burden, and the burden of those whom they, in their ignorance, misled. Shall it not be a grievous burden for them? They who were before them did plot of old. But God attacked their building at its foundation the roof fell on them from above; and, whence they looked not for it, punishment overtook them: On the day of resurrection, too, will He shame them. He will say, "Where are the gods ye associated with me, the subjects of your disputes?" They to whom "the knowledge" hath been given will say, Verily, this day shall shame and evil fall upon the infidels.

The sinners against their own souls whom the angels shall cause to die will proffer the submission, "No evil have we done." Nay! God knoweth what ye have wrought: Enter ye therefore the gates of Hell to remain therein for ever: and horrid the abiding place of the haughty ones! But to those who have feared God it shall be said, "What is this that your Lord hath awarded?" They shall say, "That which is best. To those who do good, a good reward in this present world; but better the mansion of the next, and right pleasant the abode of the God-fearing!" Gardens of Eden into which they shall enter; rivers shall flow beneath their shades; all they wish for shall they find therein! Thus God rewardeth those who fear Him;

To whom, as righteous persons, the angels shall say, when they receive their souls, "Peace be on you! Enter Paradise as the meed of your labours." What can the infidels expect but that the angels of death come upon them, or that a sentence of thy Lord take effect? Thus did they who flourished before them. God was not unjust to them, but to their ownselves were they unjust; And the ill which they had done recoiled upon them, and that which they had scoffed at encompassed them round about. They who have joined other gods with God say, "Had He pleased, neither we nor our fathers had worshipped aught but him; nor should we, apart from him, have forbidden aught." Thus acted they who were before them. Yet is the duty of the apostles other than public preaching?

And to every people have we sent an apostle saying:-Worship God and turn away from Taghout. Some of them there were whom God guided, and there were others decreed to err. But go through the land and see what hath been the end of those who treated my apostles as liars! If thou art anxious for their guidance, know that God will not guide him whom He would lead astray, neither shall they have any helpers. And they swear by God with their most sacred oath that "God will never raise him who once is dead." Nay, but on Him is a promise binding, though most men know it not,-

That He may clear up to them the subject of their disputes, and that the infidels may know that they are liars. Our word to a thing when we will it, is but to say, "Be," and it is. And as to those who when oppressed have fled their country for the sake of God, we will surely provide them a goodly abode in this world, but greater the reward of the next life, did they but know it They who bear ills with patience and put their trust in the Lord! None have we sent before thee but men inspired ask of those who have Books of Monition, if ye know it not-

With proofs of their mission and Scriptures: and to thee have we sent down this Book of Monition that thou mayest make clear to men what hath been sent down to them, and that they may ponder it. What! Are they then who have plotted mischiefs, sure that God will not cause the earth to cleave under them? or that a chastisement will not come upon them whence they looked not for it? Or that He will not seize upon them in their comings and goings, while they shall not be able to resist him? Or that he will not seize them with some slowly wasting scourge? But verily your Lord is Good, Gracious.

Have they not seen how everything which God hath created turneth its shadow right and left, prostrating itself before God in all abasement? And all in the Heavens and all on the Earth, each thing that moveth, and the very angels, prostrate them in adoration before God, and are free from pride; They fear their Lord who is above them, and do what they are bidden: For God hath said, "Take not to yourselves two gods, for He is one God: me, therefore! yea, me revere! All in the Heavens and in the Earth is His! His due unceasing service! Will ye then fear any other than God? And all your blessings are assuredly from God: then, when trouble befalleth you, to Him ye turn for help:

Then when He relieveth you of the trouble, lo! some of you join associates with your Lord:- To prove how thankless are they for our gifts! Enjoy yourselves then: but in the end ye shall know the truth. And for idols, of which they know nothing, they set apart a share of our bounties! By God ye shall be called to account for your devices! And they ascribe daughters unto God! Glory be to Him! But they desire them not for themselves: For when the birth of a daughter is announced to any one of them, dark shadows settle on his face, and he is sad: He hideth him from the people because of the ill tidings: shall he keep it with disgrace or bury it in the dust? Are not their judgments wrong?

To whatever is evil may they be likened who believe not in a future life; but God is to be likened to whatever is loftiest: for He is the Mighty, the Wise. Should God punish men for their perverse doings, he would not leave on earth a moving thing! but to an appointed term doth He respite them; and when their term is come, they shall not delay or advance it an hour. Yet what they loathe themselves do they assign to God; and their tongues utter the lie, that theirs shall be a goodly lot. But beyond a doubt is it that the fire awaiteth them, and that they shall be the first sent into it.

By God we have sent Apostles to nations before thee, but Satan prepared their work for them, and this day is he their liege; and a woeful punishment doth await them. And we have sent down the Book to thee only, that thou mightest clear up to them the subject of their wranglings, and as a guidance and a mercy to those who believe. And God sendeth down water from Heaven, and by it giveth life to the Earth after it hath been dead: verily, in this is a sign to those who hearken. Ye have also teaching from the cattle. We give you drink of the pure milk, between dregs and blood, which is in their bellies; the pleasant beverage of them that quaff it.

And among fruits ye have the palm and the vine, from which ye get wine and healthful nutriment: in this, verily, are signs for those who reflect. And thy Lord hath taught the BEE, saying: "Provide thee houses in the mountains, and in the trees, and in the hives which men do build thee: Feed, moreover, on every kind of fruit, and walk the beaten paths of thy Lord." From its belly cometh forth a fluid of varying hues, which yieldeth medicine to man. Verily in this is a sign for those who consider. And God hath created you; by and bye will he take you to himself; and some among you will he carry on to abject old age, when all that once was known is known no longer. Aye, God is Knowing, Powerful.

And God hath abounded to some of you more than to others in the supplies of life; yet they to whom He hath abounded, impart not thereof to the slaves whom their right hands possess, so that they may share alike. What! will they deny, then, that these boons are from God? God, too, hath given you wives of your own race, and from your wives hath He given you sons and grandsons, and with good things hath he supplied you. What, will they then believe in vain idols? For God's boons they are ungrateful! And they worship beside God those who neither out of the Heavens or Earth can provide them a particle of food, and have no power in themselves!

Make no comparisons, therefore, with God. Verily, God hath knowledge, but ye have not. God maketh comparison between a slave the property of his lord, who hath no power over anything, and a free man whom we have ourselves supplies, and who giveth alms therefrom both in secret and openly. Shall they be held equal? No: praise be to God! But most men know it not. God setteth forth also a comparison between two men, one of whom is dumb from his birth, and hath no power over anything, and is a burden to his lord: send him where he will, he cometh not back with success. Shall he and the man who enjoineth what is just, and keepeth in the straight path, be held equal?

God's are the secrets of the Heavens and of the Earth! and the business of the last hour will be but as the twinkling of an eye, or even less. Yes! for all things is God Potent. God hath brought you out of your mothers' wombs devoid of all knowledge; but hath given you hearing, and sight, and heart, that haply ye might render thanks. Have they never looked up at the birds subjected to Him in Heaven's vault? None holdeth them in hand but God! In this are signs for those who believe. And God hath given you tents to dwell in: and He hath given you the skins of beasts for tents, that ye may find them light when ye shift your quarters, or when ye halt; and from their wool and soft fur and hair, hath He supplied you with furniture and goods for temporary use.

And from the things which He hath created, hath God provided shade for you, and hath given you the mountains for places of shelter, and hath given you garments to defend you from the heat, and garments to defend you in your wars. Thus doth He fill up the measure of His goodness towards you, that you may resign yourselves to Him. But if they turn their backs, still thy office is only plain spoken preaching. They own the goodness of God-then they disown it-and most of them are infidels. But one day, we will raise up a witness out of every nation: them shall the infidels have no permission to make excuses, and they shall find no favour.

And when they who have acted thus wrongly shall behold their torment, it shall not be made light to them, nor will God deign to look upon them. And when they who had joined associates with God shall see those their associate-gods, they shall say, "O our Lord! these are our associate-gods whom we called upon beside Thee." But they shall retort on them, "Verily, ye are liars." And on that day shall they proffer submission to God; and the deities of their own invention shall vanish from them. As for those who were infidels and turned others aside from the way of God, to them we will add punishment on punishment for their corrupt doings.

And one day we will summon up in every people a witness against them from among themselves; and we will bring thee up as a witness against these Meccans: for to thee have we sent down the Book which cleareth up everything, a guidance, and mercy, and glad tidings to those who resign themselves to God (to Muslims). Verily, God enjoineth justice and the doing of good and gifts to kindred, and he forbiddeth wickedness and wrong and oppression. He warneth you that haply ye may be mindful. Be faithful in the covenant of God when ye have covenanted, and break not your oaths after ye have pledged them: for now have ye made God to stand surety for you. Verily, God hath knowledge of what ye do.

And, because you are a more numerous people than some other people, be not like her who unravelleth the thread which she had strongly spun, by taking your oaths with mutual perfidy. God is making trial of you in this: and in the day of resurrection he will assuredly clear up to you that concerning which ye are now at variance. Had God pleased, He could have made you one people: but He causeth whom He will to err, and whom He will He guideth: and ye shall assuredly be called to account for your doings. Therefore take not your oaths with mutual fraud, lest your foot slip after it hath been firmly fixed, and ye taste of evil because ye have turned others aside from the way of God, and great be your punishment.

And barter not the covenant of God for a mean price; for with God is that which is better for you, if ye do but understand. All that is with you passeth away, but that which is with God abideth. With a reward meet for their best deeds will we surely recompense those who have patiently endured. Whoso doeth that which is right, whether male or female, if a believer, him will we surely quicken to a happy life, and recompense them with a reward meet for their best deeds. When thou readest the Koran, have recourse to God for help against Satan the stoned, For no power hath he over those who believe, and put their trust in their Lord,

But only hath he power over those who turn away from God, and join other deities with Him. And when we change one (sign) verse for another, and God knoweth best what He revealeth, they say, "Thou art only a fabricator." Nay! but most of them have no knowledge. SAY: The Holy Spirit hath brought it down with truth from thy Lord, that He may stablish those who have believed, and as guidance and glad tidings to the Muslims. We also know that they say, "Surely a certain person teacheth him." But the tongue of him at whom they hint is foreign, while this Koran is in the plain Arabic.

As for those who believe not in the signs of God, God will not guide them, and a sore torment doth await them. Surely they invent a lie who believe not in the signs of God-and they are the liars. Whoso, after he hath believed in God denieth him, if he were forced to it and if his heart remain steadfast in the faith, shall be guiltless: but whoso openeth his breast to infidelity-on such shall be wrath from God, and a severe punishment awaiteth them. This, because they have loved this present life beyond the next, and because God guideth not the unbelievers! These are they whose hearts and ears and eyes God hath sealed up: these are the careless ones: in the next world shall they perish beyond a doubt.

To those also who after their trials fled their country, then fought and endured with patience, verily, thy Lord will in the end be forgiving, gracious. On a certain day shall every soul come to plead for itself, and every soul shall be repaid according to its deeds; and they shall not be wronged. God proposeth the instance of a city, secure and at ease, to which its supplies come in plenty from every side. But she was thankless for the boons of God; God therefore made her taste the woe of famine and of fear, for what they had done. Moreover, an apostle of their own people came to them, and they treated him as an impostor. So chastisement overtook them because they were evil doers.

Of what God hath supplied you eat the lawful and good, and be grateful for the favours of God, if ye are his worshippers. Forbidden to you is that only which dieth of itself, and blood, and swine's flesh, and that which hath been slain in the name of any other than God: but if any be forced, and neither lust for it nor wilfully transgress, then verily God is forgiving, gracious. And say not with a lie upon your tongue, "This is lawful and this is forbidden:" for so will ye invent a lie concerning God: but they who invent a lie of God shall not prosper: Brief their enjoyment, but sore their punishment!

To the Jews we have forbidden that of which we before told thee; we injured them not, but they injured themselves. To those who have done evil in ignorance, then afterwards have repented and amended, verily thy Lord is in the end right gracious, merciful. Verily, Abraham was a leader in religion: obedient to God, sound in faith: he was not of those who join gods with God. Grateful was he for His favours: God chose him and guided him into the straight way; And we bestowed on him good things in this world: and in the world to come he shall be among the just. We have moreover revealed to thee that thou follow the religion of Abraham, the sound in faith. He was not of those who join gods with God.

The Sabbath was only ordained for those who differed about it: and of a truth thy Lord will decide between them on the day of resurrection as to the subject of their disputes. Summon thou to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and with kindly warning: dispute with them in the kindest manner: thy Lord best knoweth those who stray from his way, and He best knoweth those who have yielded to his guidance. If ye make reprisals, then make them to the same extent that ye were injured: but if ye can endure patiently, best will it be for the patiently enduring. Endure then with patience. But thy patient endurance must be sought in none but God. And be not grieved about the infidels, and be not troubled at their devices; for God is with those who fear him and do good deeds.

ELIF. LAM. MIM. THE GREEKS have been defeated In a land hard by: But after their defeat they shall defeat their foes, In a few years. First and last is the affair with God. And on that day shall the faithful rejoice In the aid of their God: He aideth whom He will; and He is the Mighty, the Merciful. It is the promise of God: To his promise God will not be untrue: but most men know it not. They know the outward shews of this life present, but of the next life are they careless. Have they not considered within themselves that God hath not created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is between them but for a serious end, and for a fixed term? But truly most men believe not that they shall meet their Lord.

Have they never journeyed through the land, and seen what hath been the end of those who were before them? Mightier were they than these in strength; and they broke up the land, and dwelt in it in greater numbers than they who dwell there now; and their apostles came to them with proofs of their mission: and it was not God who would wrong them, but they wronged themselves. Then evil was the end of the evil doers; because they had treated our signs as lies, and laughed them to scorn. God bringth forth the creation-then causeth it to return again-then to Him shall ye come back. And on the day when the hour shall arrive, the guilty shall be struck dumb for despair,

And they shall have no intercessors from among the gods whom they have joined with God, and they shall deny the gods they joined with Him. And on that day when the Hour shall arrive, shall men be separated one from another; And as for those who shall have believed and done the things that are right, they shall enjoy themselves in a flowery mead; But as for those who shall not have believed, but treated our signs and the meeting of the next life as lies, they shall be given over to the torment. Glorify God therefore when ye reach the evening, and when ye rise at morn: And to Him be praise in the Heavens and on the Earth; and at twilight, and when ye rest at noon.

He bringeth forth the living out of the dead, and He bringeth forth the dead out of the living: and He quickeneth the earth when dead. Thus is it that ye too shall be brought forth. And one of his signs it is that He hath created you out of dust; then lo! ye become men who spread themselves far and wide: And one of his signs it is, that He hath created wives for you of your own species, that ye may dwell with them, and hath put love and tenderness between you. Herein truly are signs for those who reflect. And among his signs are the creation of the Heavens and of the Earth, and your variety of tongues and colour. Herein truly are signs for all men.

And of his signs are your sleep by night and by day, and your goings in quest of his bounties. Herein truly are signs to those who hearken. And of his signs are, that He sheweth you the lightning, a source of awe and hope; and that He sendeth down rain from the heaven and giveth life by it to the earth when dead. Herein truly are signs to those who understand. And of his signs also one is that the Heaven and the Earth stand firm at his bidding: hereafter, when with one summons He shall summon you out of the earth,-lo! forth shall ye come. His, whatsoever is in the Heavens and on the Earth: all are obedient to him.

And He it is who bringeth a creature forth, then causeth it to return again; and to him is this most easy. To whatever is loftiest in heaven and earth is He to be likened; and He is the Mighty, the Wise. He setteth forth to you an instance drawn from yourselves. Have ye among the slaves whom your right hands have won, any partner in what we have bestowed on you, so that ye share alike? Fear ye them as ye fear each other? (Thus make we our signs clear to men of understanding.) No, ye do not. But the wicked, devoid of knowledge, follow their own desires: and those whom God shall mislead, who shall guide, and who shall be their protector?

Set thou thy face then, as a true convert, towards the Faith which God hath made, and for which He hath made man. No change is there in the creation of God. This is the right Faith, but the greater part of men know it not. And be ye turned to Him, and fear Him, and observe prayer, and be not of those who unite gods with God: Of those who have split up their religion, and have become sects, where every party rejoices in what is their own. When some evil toucheth men, they turn to their Lord and call upon him: then when he hath made them taste his mercy, lo, a part of them join other gods with their Lord,

Ungrateful for our favours! Enjoy yourselves then. But in the end ye shall know your folly. Have we sent down to them any mandate which speaketh in favour of what they join with God? When we cause men to taste mercy they rejoice in it; but if, for that which their hands have aforetime wrought, evil befall them, they despair. See they not that God bestoweth full supplies on whom He pleaseth and giveth sparingly to whom He pleaseth? Signs truly are there herein to those who believe. To him who is of kin to thee give his due, and to the poor and to the wayfarer: this will be best for those who seek the face of God; and with them it shall be well.

Whatever ye put out at usury to increase it with the substance of others shall have no increase from God: but whatever ye shall give in alms, as seeking the face of God, shall be doubled to you. It is God who created you-then fed you-then will cause you to die-then will make you alive. Is there any of your companion-gods who can do aught of these things? Praise be to Him! and far be He exalted above the gods they join with Him. Destruction hath appeared by land and by sea on account of what men's hands have wrought, that it might make them taste somewhat of the fruit of their doings, that haply they might turn to God.

SAY: Journey through the land, and see what hath been the end of those who were before you! The greater part of them joined other gods with God. Set thy face then towards the right faith, ere the day come which none can hinder God from bringing on. On that day shall they be parted in twain: Unbelievers on whom shall be their unbelief; and they who have wrought righteousness, and prepared for themselves couches of repose: That of his bounty He may reward those who have believed and wrought righteousness; for the unbelievers He loveth not. And one of his signs is that He sendeth the winds with glad tidings of rain, both that He may cause you to taste his mercy, and that ships may sail at his command, that out of his bounties ye may seek wealth, and that haply ye may render thanks.

We have sent apostles before thee to their peoples, and they presented themselves to them with clear proofs of their mission; and while it behoved us to succour the faithful, we took vengeance on the guilty. It is God who sendeth the winds and uplifteth the clouds, and, as He pleaseth, spreadeth them on high, and breaketh them up; and thou mayest see the rain issuing from their midst; and when He poureth it down on such of his servants as He pleaseth, lo! they are filled with joy, Even they who before it was sent down to them, were in mute despair. Look then at the traces of God's mercy-how after its death he quickeneth the earth! This same God will surely quicken the dead, for to all things His might is equal.

Yet should we send a blast, and should they see their harvest turn yellow, they would afterwards shew themselves ungrateful. Thou canst not make the dead to hear, neither canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they withdraw and turn their backs: Neither canst thou guide the blind out of their error: in sooth, none shalt thou make to hear, save him who shall believe in our signs: for they are resigned to our will (Muslims). It is God who hath created you in weakness, then after weakness hath given you strength: then after strength, weakness and grey hairs: He createth what He will; and He is the Wise, the Powerful.

And on the day whereon the Hour shall arrive, the wicked will swear That not above an hour have they waited: Even so did they utter lies on earth: But they to whom knowledge and faith have been given will say, "Ye have waited, in accordance with the book of God, till the day of Resurrection: for this is the day of the Resurrection-but ye knew it not." On that day their plea shall not avail the wicked, neither shall they again be bidden to seek acceptance with God. And now have we set before men, in this Koran, every kind of parable: yet if thou bring them a single verse of it, the infidels will surely say, "Ye are only utterers of vain things."

It is thus that God hath sealed up the hearts of those who are devoid of knowledge. But do thou, Muhammad, bear with patience, for true is the promise of God; and let not those who have no firm belief, unsettle thee.

ELIF. LAM. RA. A book whose verses are stablished in wisdom and then set forth with clearness from the Wise, the All-informed- That ye worship none other than God-Verily I come to you from Him charged with warnings, announcements; And that ye seek pardon of your Lord, and then be turned unto Him! Goodly enjoyments will He give you to enjoy until a destined time, and His favours will He bestow on every one who deserves his favours. But if ye turn away, then verily I fear for you the chastisement of the great day. Unto God shall ye return, and over all things is he Potent. Do they not doubly fold up their breasts, that they may hide themselves from Him?