Talbot Mundy - "The Ivory Trail"

Annie Besant - "An Introduction to Yoga"

Paul Bourget - "Cosmopolis, v2"

Hugh Walpole - "Jeremy"

New Philadelphia Book Publisher Highlights Local Talent
Book and Publishing News from Publishers Newswire(tm)

Looking for Child to be on Cover of a New Book, 'The Model Child'
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

FlatSigned Press Alleges Don Imus Remarks Damage Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nathan Yungerberg, an accomplished model scout and professional child photographer is launching a nation-wide casting call to find the cover model for his highly anticipated book release, 'The Model Child: A Parents Guide to the Child Modeling Industry' (ISBN: 978-0-9817018-0-6).

Books: The Koran (without footnotes)

U >> Unknown >> The Koran (without footnotes)






________


CHAPTER XIX.

ENTITLED, MARY; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

C.H.Y.A.S.
A COMMEMORATION of the mercy of thy LORD towards his
servant Zacharias.
When he called upon his LORD, invoking him in secret,
and said, O LORD, verily my bones are weakened, and my head is become
white with hoariness, and I have never been unsuccessful in my prayers to
thee, O LORD.
But now I fear my nephews, who are to succeed after me, for my wife is
barren:
wherefore, give me a successor of my own body from before thee; who
may be my heir, and may be an heir of the family of Jacob; and grant, O LORD,
that he may be acceptable unto thee.
And the angel answered him, O Zacharias, verily we bring thee tidings of
a son, whose name shall be John; we have not caused any to bear the same
name before him.
Zacharias said, LORD, how shall I have a son, seeing my wife is barren,
and I am now arrived at a great age, and am decrepit?
The angel said, So shall it be: thy LORD saith, This is easy with me;
since I created thee heretofore, when thou wast nothing.
10 Zacharias answered, O LORD, give me a sign. The angel replied, Thy sign
shall be that thou shalt not speak to men for three nights, although thou be
in perfect health.
And he went forth unto his people, from the chamber, and he made signs
unto them, as if he should say, Praise ye God in the morning and in the
evening.
And we said unto his son, O John, receive the book of the law, with a
resolution to study and observe it. And we bestowed on him wisdom, when he
was yet a child,
and mercy from us, and purity of life; and he was a devout person,
and dutiful towards his parents, and was not proud or rebellious.
Peace be on him the day whereon he was born, and the day whereon he shall
die, and the day whereon he shall be raised to life.
And remember in the book of the Koran the story of Mary; when she retired
from her family to a place towards the east,
and took a veil to conceal herself from them; and we sent our spirit
Gabriel unto her, and he appeared unto her in the shape of a perfect man.
She said, I fly for refuge unto the merciful God, that he may defend me
from thee: if thou fearest him, thou wilt not approach me.
He answered, Verily I am the messenger of thy LORD, and am sent to give
thee a holy son.
20 She said, How shall I have a son, seeing a man hath not touched me, and I
am no harlot?
Gabriel replied, So shall it be: thy LORD saith, This is easy with me;
and we will perform it, that we may ordain him for a sign unto men, and a
mercy from us: for it is a thing which is decreed.
Wherefore she conceived him; and she retired aside with him in her womb
to a distant place;
and the pains of child-birth came upon her near the trunk of a palm-
tree. She said, Would to GOD I had died before this, and had become a thing
forgotten, and lost in oblivion.
And he who was beneath her called to her, saying, be not grieved; now
hath GOD provided a rivulet under thee;
and do thou shake the body of the palm-tree, and it shall let fall ripe
dates upon thee ready gathered.
And eat, and drink, and calm thy mind. Moreover, if thou see any man,
and he question thee, say, Verily I have vowed a fast unto the Merciful:
wherefore I will by no means speak to a man this day.
So she brought the child to her people, carrying him in her arms. And
they said unto her, O Mary, now hast thou done a strange thing:
O sister of Aaron, thy father was not a bad man, neither was thy mother
a harlot.
But she made signs unto the child to answer them; and they said, How
shall we speak to him, who is an infant in the cradle?
30 Whereupon the child said, Verily I am the servant of GOD; he hath given
me the book of the gospel, and hath appointed me a prophet.
And he hath made me blessed, wheresoever I shall be; and hath commanded
me to observe prayer, and to give alms, so long as I shall live;
and he hath made me dutiful towards my mother, and hath not made me proud
or unhappy.
And peace be on me the day whereon I was born, and the day whereon I
shall die, and the day whereon I shall be raised to life.
This was JESUS, the son of Mary; the Word of truth, concerning whom they
doubt.
It is not meet for GOD, that he should have any son; GOD forbid! When he
decreeth a thing, he only saith unto it, Be; and it is.
And verily GOD is my LORD and your LORD; wherefore, serve him: this is
the right way.
Yet the sectaries differ among themselves concerning Jesus; but woe be
unto those who are unbelievers, because of their appearance at the great day.
Do thou cause them to hear, and do thou cause them to see, on the day
whereon they shall come unto us to be judged: but the ungodly are this day in
a manifest error.
And do thou forewarn them of the day of sighing, when the matter shall
be determined, while they are now sunk in negligence, and do not believe.
40 Verily we will inherit the earth, and whatever creatures are therein;
and unto us shall they all return.
And remember Abraham in the book of the Koran; for he was one of great
veracity, and a prophet.
When he said unto his father, O my fatherf why dost thou worship that
which heareth not, neither seeth, nor profiteth thee at all?
O my father, verily a degree of knowledge hath been bestowed on me, which
hath not been bestowed on thee: wherefore follow me; I will lead thee into an
even way.
O my father, serve not Satan; for Satan was rebellious unto the Merciful.
O my father, verily I fear lest a punishment be inflicted on thee from
the Merciful, and thou become a companion of Satan.
His father answered, Dost thou reject my gods, O Abraham? If thou
forbear not, I will surely stone thee: wherefore leave me for a long time.
Abraham replied, Peace be on thee: I will ask pardon for thee of my LORD;
for he is gracious unto me.
And I will separate myself from you, and from the idols which ye invoke
besides GOD; and I will call upon my LORD; it may be that I shall not be
unsuccessful in calling on my LORD, as ye are in calling upon them.
And when he had separated himself from them, and from the idols which
they worshipped besides GOD, we gave him Isaac and jacob; and we made each of
them a prophet,
50 and we bestowed on them, through our mercy, the gift of prophecy, and
children and wealth; and we caused them to deserve the highest commendations.
And remember Moses in the book of the Koran: for he was sincerely
upright, and was an apostle and a prophet.
And we called unto him from the right side of Mount Sinai, and caused him
to draw near, and to discourse privately with us.
And we gave him, through our mercy, his brother Aaron a prophet, for his
assistant.
Remember also Ismael in the same book; for he was true to his promise,
and was an apostle, and a prophet.
And he commanded his family to observe prayer, and to give alms; and he
was acceptable unto his LORD.
And remember Edris in the same book; for he was a just person, and a
prophet:
and we exalted him to a high place.
These are they unto whom GOD hath been bounteous, of the prophets of the
posterity of Adam, and of those whom we carried in the ark with Noah; and of
the posterity of Abraham, and of Israel, and of those whom we have directed
and chosen. When the signs of the Merciful were read unto them, they fell
down, worshipping, and wept:
but a succeeding generation have come after them, who neglect prayer,
and follow their lusts; and they shall surely fall into evil:
60 except him who repenteth, and believeth, and doth that which is right;
these shall enter paradise, and they shall not in the least be wronged:
gardens of perpetual abode shall be their reward, which the Merciful hath
promised unto his servants, as an object of faith; for his promise will surely
come to be fulfilled.
Therein shall they hear no vain discourse, but peace; and their
provision shall be prepared for them therein morning and evening.
This is paradise, which we will give for an inheritance unto such of our
servants as shall be pious.
We descend not from heaven, unless by the command of thy LORD: unto him
belongeth whatsoever is before us, and whatsoever is behind us, and whatsoever
is in the intermediate space; neither is thy LORD forgetful of thee.
He is the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatsoever is between them:
wherefore worship him, and be constant in his worship. Dost thou know any
named like him?
Man saith, After I shall have been dead, shall I really be brought forth
alive from the grave?
Doth not man remember that we created him heretofore, when he was
nothing?
But by thy LORD we will surely assemble them and the devils to judgment;
then will we set them round about hell on their knees:
afterwards we will draw forth from every sect such of them as shall have
been a more obstinate rebel against the Merciful;
70 and we best know which of them are more worthy to be burned therein.
There shall be none of you but shall approach near the same: this is an
established decree with thy LORD.
Afterwards we will deliver those who shall have been pious, but we will
leave the ungodly therein on their knees.
When our manifest signs are read unto them, the infidels say unto the
true believers, Which of the two parties is in the more eligible condition,
and formeth the more excellent assembly?
But how many generations have we destroyed before them, which excelled
them in wealth, and in outward appearance?
Say, Whosoever is in error, the Merciful will grant him a long and
prosperous life, until they see that with which they are threatened, whether
it be the punishment of this life, or that of the last hour; and hereafter they
shall know who is in the worse condition, and the weaker in forces.
GOD shall more fully direct those who receive direction; and the good
works which remain forever are better in the sight of thy LORD than worldly
possessions, in respect to the reward, and more eligible in respect to the
future recompense.
Hast thou seen him who believeth not in our signs, and saith, I shall
surely have riches and children bestowed on me?
Is he acquainted with the secrets of futurity; or hath he received a
covenant from the Merciful that it shall be so?
By no means. We will surely write down that which he saith; and
increasing we will increase his punishment;
80 and we will be his heir as to that which he speaketh of, and on the last
day he shall appear before us alone and naked.
They have taken other gods, besides GOD, that they may be a glory unto
them.
By no means. Hereafter shall they deny their worship; and they shall
become adversaries unto them.
Dost thou not see that we send the devils against the infidels, to incite
them to sin by their instigations?
Wherefore be not in haste to call down destruction upon them; for we
number unto them a determined number of days of respite.
On a certain day we will assemble the pious before the Merciful in an
honourable manner, as ambassadors come into the presence of a prince:
but we will drive the wicked into hell, as cattle are driven to water:
they shall obtain no intercession, except he only who hath received a
covenant from the Merciful.
They say, The Merciful hath begotten issue.
Now have ye uttered an impious thing:
90 it wanteth little but that on occasion thereof the heavens be rent,
and the earth cleave in sunder, and the mountains be overthrown and fall,
for that they attribute children unto the Merciful;
whereas it becometh not GOD to beget children.
Verily there is none in heaven or on earth but shall approach the
Merciful as his servant.
He encompasseth them by his knowledge and power, and numbereth them
with an exact computation:
and they shall all come unto him on the day of resurrection, destitute
both of helpers and followers.
But as for those who believe and do good works, the Merciful will bestow
on them love.
Verily we have rendered the Koran easy for thy tongue, that thou mayest
thereby declare our promises unto the pious, and mayest thereby denounce
threats unto contentious people.
And how many generations have we destroyed before them? Dost thou find
one of them remaining? Or dost thou hear so much as a whisper concerning
them?



________


CHAPTER XX.

ENTITLED, T.H.; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

T.H.
WE have not sent down the Koran unto thee, that thou shouldest be
unhappy;
but for an admonition unto him who feareth God:
being sent down from him who created the earth, and the lofty heavens.
The Merciful sitteth on his throne:
unto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth, and whatsoever
is between them, and whatsoever is under the earth.
If thou pronounce thy prayers with a loud voice, know that it is not
necessary in respect to God; for he knoweth that which is secret, and what is
yet more hidden.
GOD! there is no GOD but he, he hath most excellent names.
Hast thou been informed of the history of Moses?
10 When he saw fire, and said unto his family, Tarry ye here; for I perceive
fire: peradventure I may bring you a brand thereout, or may find a direction
in our way by the fire.
And when he was come near unto it, a voice called unto him, saying, O
Moses,
verily I am thy LORD: wherefore put off thy shoes; for thou art in the
sacred valley Towa.
And I have chosen thee; therefore hearken with attention unto that which
is revealed unto thee.
Verily I am GOD; there is no god besides me; wherefore worship me, and
perform thy prayer in remembrance of me.
Verily the hour cometh: I will surely manifest the same, that every soul
may receive its reward for that which it hath deliberately done.
Let not him who believeth not therein, and who followeth his lust,
prevent thee from believing in the same, lest thou perish.
Now what is that in thy right hand, O Moses?
He answered, It is my rod whereon I lean, and with which I beat down
leaves for my flock; and I have other uses for it.
God said unto him, Cast it down, O Moses.
20 And he cast it down, and behold, it became a serpent, which ran about.
God said, Take hold on it, and fear not: we will reduce it to its former
condition.
And put thy right hand under thy left arm: it shall come forth white,
without any hurt. This shall be another sign:
that we may show thee some of our greatest signs.
Go unto Pharaoh: for he is exceedingly impious.
Moses answered, LORD, enlarge my breast,
and make what thou hast commanded me easy unto me:
and loose the knot of my tongue,
that they may understand my speech.
And give me a counsellor of my family,
30 namely, Aaron my brother.
Gird up my loins by him,
and make him my colleague in the business:
that we may praise thee greatly,
and may remember thee often;
for thou regardest us.
God replied, Now hast thou obtained thy request, O Moses:
and we have heretofore been gracious unto thee, another time;
when we revealed unto thy mother that which was revealed unto her,
saying, Put him into the ark, and cast him into the river and the river
shall throw him on the shore; and my enemy and his enemy shall take him and
bring him up; and I bestowed on thee love from me, that thou mightest be bred
up under my eye.
40 When thy sister went and said, Shall I bring you unto one who will nurse
the child? So we returned thee unto thy mother, that her mind might be set
at ease, and that she might not be afflicted. And thou slewest a soul, and we
delivered thee from trouble; and we proved thee by several trials: and
afterwards thou didst dwell some years among the inhabitants of Madian.
Then thou camest hither according to our decree, O Moses;
and I have chosen thee for myself;
wherefore go thou and thy brother with my signs; and be not negligent in
remembering me.
Go ye unto Pharaoh, for he is excessively impious:
and speak mildly unto him; peradventure he will consider, or will fear
our threats.
They answered, O LORD, verily we fear lest he be precipitately violent
against us, or lest he transgress more exorbitantly.
God replied, Fear not; for I am with you: I will hear and will see.
Go ye therefore unto him, and say, Verily we are the messengers of thy
LORD: wherefore send the children of Israel with us, and do not afflict them.
Now are we come unto thee with a sign from thy LORD: and peace be upon him who
shall follow the true direction.
Verily it hath been revealed unto us, that a punishment shall be
inflicted on him who shall charge us with imposture, and shall turn back.
And when they had delivered their message, Pharaoh said, Who is your
LORD, O Moses?
50 He answered, Our LORD is he who giveth all things: he hath created them,
and directeth them by his providence.
Pharaoh said, What therefore is the condition of the former generations?
Moses answered, The knowledge thereof is with my LORD, in the book of his
decrees: my LORD erreth not, neither doth he forget.
It is he who hath spread the earth as a bed for you, and hath made you
paths therein; and who sendeth down rain from heaven, whereby we cause various
kinds of vegetables to spring forth:
saying, Eat of part, and feed your cattle with other part thereof.
Verily herein are signs unto those who are endued with understanding.
Out of the ground have we created you; and to the same will we cause you
to return, and we will bring you forth from thence another time.
And we showed Pharaoh all our signs which we had empowered Moses to
perform: but he accused him of imposture, and refused to believe;
and he said, Art thou come unto us that thou mayest dispossess us of our
land by the enchantments, O Moses?
Verily we will meet thee with the like enchantments; wherefore fix an
appointment between us and thee; we will not fail it, neither shalt thou, in
an equal place.
Moses answered, Let your appointment be on the day of your solemn feast;
and let the people be assembled in open day.
60 And Pharaoh turned away from Moses, and gathered together the most
expert magicians to execute his stratagem; and then came to the appointment.
Moses said unto them, Woe be unto you! do not devise a lie against GOD, lest
he utterly destroy you by some judgment: for he shall not prosper who deviseth
lies.
And the magicians disputed concerning their affair among themselves, and
discoursed in private:
and they said, These two are certainly magicians: they seek to dispossess
you of your land by their sorcery; and to lead away with them your chiefest
and most considerable men.
Wherefore collect all your cunning, and then come in order: for he shall
prosper this day, who shall be superior.
They said, O Moses, whether wilt thou cast down thy rod first, or shall
we be the first who cast down our rods?
He answered, Do ye cast down your rods first. And behold, their cords
and their rods appeared unto him, by their enchantment, to run about like
serpents;
wherefore Moses conceived fear in his heart.
But we said unto him, Fear not; for thou shalt be superior:
therefore cast down the rod which is in thy right hand; and it shall
swallow up the seeming serpents which they have made: for what they have made
is only the deceit of an enchanter; and an enchanter shall not prosper,
withersoever he cometh.
70 And the magicians, when they saw the miracle which Moses performed, fell
down and worshipped, saying, We believe in the LORD of Aaron and of Moses.
Pharaoh said unto them, Do ye believe in him before I give you
permission? Verily this is your master, who hath taught you magic. But I
will surely cut off your hands and your feet on the opposite sides; and I will
crucify you on trunks of palm-trees: and ye shall know which of us is more
severe in punishing, and can longer protract your pains.
They answered, We will by no means have greater regard unto thee than
unto those evident miracles which have been shown us, or than unto him who
hath created us. Pronounce therefore that sentence against us which thou art
about to pronounce: for thou canst only give sentence as to this present life.
Verily we believe in our LORD, that he may forgive us our sins, and the
sorcery which thou hast forced us to exercise: for GOD is better to reward,
and more able to prolong punishment than thou.
Verily whosoever shall appear before his LORD on the day of judgment,
polluted with crimes, shall have hell for his reward; he shall not die
therein, neither shall he live.
But whoever shall appear before him, having been a true believer, and
shall have worked righteousness, for these are prepared the highest degrees of
happiness;
namely, gardens of perpetual abode, which shall be watered by rivers;
they shall remain therein forever: and this shall be the reward of him who
shall be pure.
And we spake by revelation unto Moses, saying, Go forth with my servants
out of Egypt by night; and smite the waters with thy rod, and make them a dry
path through the sea: be not apprehensive of Pharaoh's overtaking thee;
neither be thou afraid.
And when Moses had done so, Pharaoh followed them with his forces; and
the waters of the sea overwhelmed them. And Pharaoh caused his people to err,
neither did he direct them aright.
80 Thus, O children of Israel, we delivered you from your enemy; and we
appointed you the right side of Mount Sinai to discourse with Moses and to
give him the law; and we caused manna and quails to descend upon you,
saying, Eat of the good things which we have given you for food; and
transgress not therein, lest my indignation fall on you; and on whomsoever my
indignation shall fall, he shall go down headlong into perdition.
But I will be gracious unto him who shall repent and believe, and shall
do that which is right; and who shall be rightly directed.
What hath caused thee to hasten from thy people, O Moses, to receive the
law?
He answered, These follow close on my footsteps; but I have hastened unto
thee, O LORD, that thou mightest be well pleased with me.
God said, We have already made a trial of thy people, since thy
departure; and al Sâmeri hath seduced them to idolatry.
Wherefore Moses returned unto his people in great wrath, and exceedingly
afflicted. And he said, O my people, had not your LORD promised you a most
excellent promise? Did the time of my absence seem long unto you? Or did ye
desire that indignation from your LORD should fall on you, and therefore failed
to keep the promise which ye made me?
They answered, We have not failed in what we promised thee of our own
authority; but we were made to carry in several loads of gold and silver, of
the ornaments of the people, and we cast them into the fire; and in like
manner al Sâmeri also cast in what he had collected,
and he produced unto them a corporeal calf, which lowed. And al Sâmeri
and his companions said, This is your god, and the god of Moses; but he hath
forgotten him, and is gone to seek some other.
Did they not therefore see that their idol returned them no answer, and
was not able to cause them either hurt or profit?
90 And Aaron had said unto them before, O my people, verily ye are only
proved by this calf; for your LORD is the Merciful: wherefore, follow me, and
obey my command.
They answered, We will by no means cease to be devoted to its worship,
until Moses return unto us.
And when Moses was returned, he said, O Aaron, what hindered thee, when
thou sawest that they went astray,
that thou didst not follow me? Hast thou, therefore, been disobedient to
my command?
Aaron answered, O son of my mother, drag me not by the beard, nor by the
hair of my head. Verily I feared lest thou shouldest say, Thou hast made a
division among the children of Israel, and thou hast not observed my saying.
Moses said unto al Sâmeri, What was thy design, O Sâmeri? He answered, I
saw that which they saw not; wherefore I took a handful of dust from the
footsteps of the messenger of God, and I cast it into the molten calf; for so
did my mind direct me.
Moses said, Get thee gone; for thy punishment in this life shall be, that
thou shalt say unto those who shall meet thee, Touch me not; and a threat is
denounced against thee of more terrible pains, in the life to come, which thou
shalt by no means escape. And behold now thy god, to whose worship thou hast
continued assiduously devoted; verily we will burn it; and we will reduce it
to powder, and scatter it in the sea.
Your GOD is the true GOD, besides whom there is no other god: he
comprehendeth all things by his knowledge.
Thus do we recite unto thee, O Mohammed, relations of what hath passed
heretofore; and we have given thee an admonition from us.
100 He who shall turn aside from it shall surely carry a load of guilt on the
day of resurrection:
they shall continue thereunder forever; and a grievous burden shall it be
unto them on the day of resurrection;
On that day the trumpet shall be sounded; and we will gather the wicked
together on that day, having grey eyes.
They shall speak with a low voice to one another, saying, Ye have not
tarried above ten days.
We well know what they will say; when the most conspicuous among them for
behavior shall say, Ye have not tarried above one day.
They will ask thee concerning the mountains: Answer, My LORD will reduce
them to dust, and scatter them abroad;
and he will leave them a plain equally extended:
thou shalt see no part of them higher or lower than another.
On that day mankind shall follow the angel who will call them to
judgment, none shall have power to turn aside from him; and their voices
shall be low before the Merciful, neither shalt thou hear any more than the
hollow sound of their feet.
On that day, the intercession of none shall be of advantage unto another,
except the intercession of him to whom the Merciful shall grant permission,
and who shall be acceptable unto him in what he saith.
110 God knoweth that which is before them, and that which is behind them;
but they comprehend not the same by their knowledge:
and their faces shall be humbled before the living, the self-subsisting
God; and he shall be wretched who shall bear his iniquity.
But whosoever shall do good works, being a true believer, shall not fear
any injustice, or any diminution of his reward from God.
And thus have we sent down this book, being a Koran in the Arabic tongue;
and we have inserted various threats and promises therein, that men may fear
God, or that it may awaken some consideration in them:
wherefore, let GOD be highly exalted, the King, the Truth! Be not over-
hasty in receiving or repeating the Koran before the revelation thereof be
completed unto thee; and say, LORD, increase my knowledge.
We heretofore gave a command unto Adam; but he forgot the same, and
ate of the forbidden fruit; and we found not in him a firm resolution.
And remember when we said unto the angels, Worship ye Adam; and they
worshipped him: but Eblis refused.
And we said, O Adam, verily this is an enemy unto thee, and thy wife:
wherefore, beware lest he turn you out of paradise; for then shalt thou be
miserable.
Verily we have made a provision for thee, that thou shalt not hunger
therein, neither shalt thou be naked:
and there is also a provision made for thee, that thou shalt not thirst
therein, neither shalt thou be incommoded by heat.
120 But Satan whispered evil suggestions unto him, saying, O Adam, shall I
guide thee to the tree of eternity, and a kingdom which faileth not?
And they both ate thereof: and their nakedness appeared unto them; and
they began to sew together the leaves of paradise, to cover themselves. And
thus Adam became disobedient unto his LORD, and was seduced.
Afterwards his LORD accepted him, on his repentance, and was turned unto
him, and directed him.
And God said, Get ye down hence, all of you: the one of you shall be an
enemy unto the other. But hereafter shall a direction come unto you from me:
and whosoever shall follow my direction shall not err, neither shall he be
unhappy;
but whosoever shall turn aside from my admonition, verily he shall lead a
miserable life, and we will cause him to appear before us on the day of
resurrection, blind.
And he shall say, O LORD, why hast thou brought me before thee blind,
whereas before I saw clearly?
God shall answer, Thus have we done, because our signs came unto thee,
and thou didst forget them; and in the same manner shalt thou be forgotten
this day.
And thus will we reward him who shall be negligent, and shall not believe
in the signs of his LORD: and the punishment of the life to come shall be more
severe, and more lasting, than the punishment of this life.
Are not the Meccans, therefore, acquainted how many generations we have
destroyed before them; in whose dwellings they walk? Verily herein are signs
unto those who are endued with understanding.
And unless a decree had previously gone forth from thy LORD for their
respite, verily their destruction had necessarily followed: but there is a
certain time determined by God for their punishment.
130 Wherefore, do thou, O Mohammed, patiently bear that which they say; and
celebrate the praise of thy LORD before the rising of the sun, and before the
setting thereof, and praise him in the hours of the night, and in the
extremities of the day, that thou mayest be well-pleased with the prospect of
receiving favor from God.
And cast not thine eyes on that which we have granted divers of the
unbelievers to enjoy, namely, the splendor of this present life, that we may
prove them thereby; for the provision of thy LORD is better, and more
permanent.
Command thy family to observe prayer; and do thou persevere therein. We
require not of thee that thou labor to gain necessary provisions for thyself
and family; we will provide for thee; for the prosperous issue shall attend on
piety.
The unbelievers say, Unless he come unto us with a sign from his LORD, we
will not believe on him. Hath not a plain declaration come unto them, of that
which is contained in the former volumes of scripture, by the revelation of
the Koran?
if we had destroyed them by a judgment before the same had been revealed,
they would have said, at the resurrection, O LORD, how could we believe since
thou didst not send unto us an apostle, that we might follow thy signs, before
we were humbled and covered with shame?
Say, Each of us wait the issue: wait, therefore; for ye shall surely know
hereafter who have been the followers of the even way, and who hath been
rightly directed.