Richard Wagner (translated by Edward Dannreuther) - "On Conducting (Ueber das Dirigiren):"

Mary Roberts Rinehart - "Long Live the King"

Sara Yorke Stevenson - "Maximilian in Mexico"

Mary J. Holmes - "Cousin Maude"

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 XXVII.

ENTITLED, THE ANT; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

T.S. THESE are the signs of the Koran, and of the perspicuous book:
a direction, and good tidings unto the true believers?
who regularly perform their prayer, and give alms, and firmly believe in the
life to come.
As to those who believe not in the life to come, we have prepared their
works for them; and they shall be struck with astonishment at their
disappointment, when they shall be raised again:
these are they whom an evil punishment awaiteth in this life; and in that
which is to come they shall be the greatest losers.
Thou hast certainly received the Koran from the presence of a wise, a
knowing God.
Remember when Moses said unto his family, Verily I perceive fire; I will
bring you tidings thereof, or I will bring you a lighted brand, that ye may be
warmed.
And when he was come near unto it, a voice cried unto him, saying,
Blessed be he who is in the fire, and whoever is about it; and praise be unto
GOD, the LORD of all creatures!
O Moses, verily I am GOD, the mighty, the wise:
10 cast down now thy rod. And when he saw it, that it moved, as though it
had been a serpent, he retreated, and fled, and returned not. And God said, O
Moses, fear not; for my messengers are not disturbed with fear in my sight:
except he who shall have done amiss, and shall have afterwards
substituted good in lieu of evil; for I am gracious and merciful.
Moreover put thy hand into thy bosom; it shall come forth white, without
hurt: this shall be one among the nine signs unto Pharaoh and his people: for
they are a wicked people.
And when our visible signs had come unto them, they said, This is a
manifest sorcery.
And they denied them, although their souls certainly knew them to be from
God, out of iniquity and pride: but behold what was the end of the corrupt
doers.
We heretofore bestowed knowledge on David and Solomon; and they said,
Praise be unto GOD, who hath made us more excellent than many of his faithful
servants!
And Solomon was David's heir; and he said, O men, we have been taught
the speech of birds, and have had all things bestowed on us; this is manifest
excellence.
And his armies were gathered together unto Solomon, consisting of genii,
and men, and birds; and they were led in distinct bands,
until they came unto the valley of ants. And an ant, seeing the hosts
approaching, said, O ants, enter ye into your habitations, lest Solomon and
his army tread you under foot, and perceive it not.
And Solomon smiled, laughing at her words, and said, O LORD, excite me
that I may be thankful for thy favor, wherewith thou hast favored me, and my
parents; and that I may do that which is right, and well-pleasing unto thee:
and introduce me, through thy mercy, into paradise, among thy servants the
righteous.
20 And he viewed the birds, and said, What is the reason that I see not the
lapwing? Is she absent?
Verily I will chastise her with a severe chastisement, or I will put her
to death; unless she bring me a just excuse.
And she tarried not long before she presented herself unto Solomon, and
said, I have viewed a country which thou hast not viewed; and I come unto thee
from Saba, with a certain piece of news.
I found a woman to reign over them, who is provided with everything
requisite for a prince, and hath a magnificent throne.
I found her and her people to worship the sun, besides GOD: and Satan
hath prepared their works for them, and hath turned them aside from the way of
truth (wherefore they are not rightly directed),
lest they should worship GOD, who bringeth to light that which is hidden
in heaven and earth, and knoweth whatever they conceal, and whatever they
discover.
GOD! there is no GOD but he; the LORD of the magnificent throne.
Solomon said, We shall see whether thou hast spoken the truth, or whether
thou art a liar.
Go with this my letter, and cast it down unto them; then turn aside from
them, and wait to know what answer they will return.
And when the Queen of Saba had received the letter, she said, O nobles,
verily an honourable letter hath been delivered unto me;
30 it is from Solomon, and this is the tenor thereof: In the name of the
most merciful GOD,
Rise not up against me: but come and surrender yourselves unto me.
She said, O nobles, advise me in my business: I will not resolve on
anything, until ye be witnesses and approve thereof.
The nobles answered, We are endued with strength, and are endued with
great prowess in war; but the command appertaineth unto thee: see therefore
what thou wilt command.
She said, Verily kings, when they enter a city by force, waste the same,
and abase the most powerful of the inhabitants hereof: and so will these do
with us.
But I will send gifts unto them; and will wait for what further
information those who shall be sent shall bring back.
And when the queen's ambassador came unto Solomon, that prince said,
Will ye present me with riches? Verily that which GOD hath given me is better
than what he hath given you: but ye do glory in your gifts.
Return unto the people of Saba. We will surely come unto them with
forces, which they shall not be able to withstand; and we will drive them out
from their city, humbled; and they shall become contemptible.
And Solomon said, O nobles, which of you will bring unto me her throne,
before they come and surrender themselves unto me?
A terrible genius answered, I will bring it unto thee, before thou arise
from thy place: for I am able to perform it, and may be trusted.
40 And one with whom was the knowledge of the scriptures said, I will
bring it unto thee, in the twinkling of an eye. And when Solomon saw the
throne placed before him, he said, This is a favor of my LORD, that he may
make trial of me, whether I will be grateful, or whether I will be ungrateful;
and he who is grateful is grateful to his own advantage, but if any shall be
ungrateful, verily my LORD is self-sufficient and munificent.
And Solomon said unto his servants, Alter her throne, that she may not
know it, to the end we may see whether she be rightly directed, or whether she
be one of those who are not rightly directed.
And when she was come unto Solomon, it was said unto her, is thy throne
like this? She answered, As though it were the same. And we have had
knowledge bestowed on us before this, and have been resigned unto God.
But that which she worshipped, besides GOD, had turned her aside from the
truth; for she was of an unbelieving people.
It was said unto her, Enter the palace. And when she saw it, she
imagined it to be a great water; and she discovered her legs, by lifting up
her robe to pass through it. Whereupon Solomon said unto her, Verily this is
a palace evenly floored with glass. Then said the queen, O LORD, verily I have
dealt unjustly with my own soul; and I resign myself, together with Solomon,
unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures.
Also we heretofore sent unto the tribe of Thamud their brother Saleh; who
said unto them, Serve ye GOD. And behold, they were divided into two parties,
who disputed among themselves.
Saleh said, O my people why do ye hasten evil rather than good? Unless
ye ask pardon of GOD, that ye may obtain mercy, ye are lost.
They answered, We presage evil from thee, and from those who are with
thee. Saleh replied, The evil which ye presage is with GOD: but ye are a
people who are proved by a vicissitude of prosperity and adversity.
And there were nine men in the city, who acted corruptly in the earth,
and behaved not with integrity.
And they said unto one another, Swear ye reciprocally by GOD, that we
will fall upon Saleh and his family by night: and afterwards we will say unto
him who hath right to avenge his blood, We were not so much as present at the
destruction of his family; and we certainly speak the truth.
50 And they devised a plot against him: but we devised a plot against them;
and they perceived it not.
And see what was the issue of their plot: we utterly destroyed them and
their whole people;
and these their habitations remain empty, because of the injustice which
they committed. Verily herein is a sign unto people who understand.
And we delivered those who believed, and feared God.
And remember Lot; when he said unto his people, Do ye commit a
wickedness, though ye see the heinousness thereof?
Do ye approach lustfully unto men, leaving the women? Ye are surely an
ignorant people.
But the answer of his people was no other than that they said, Cast the
family of Lot out of your city: for they are men who preserve themselves pure
from the crimes of which ye are guilty.
Wherefore we delivered him and his family, except his wife, whom we
decreed to be one of those who remained behind to be destroyed.
And we rained on them a shower of stones: and dreadful was the shower
which fell on those who had been warned in vain.
Say, Praise be unto GOD; and peace be upon his servants whom he hath
chosen! Is GOD more worthy, or the false gods which they associate with him?
60 Is not he to be preferred, who hath created the heavens and the earth,
and sendeth down rain for you from heaven, whereby we cause delicious groves
to spring up? It is not in your power to cause the trees thereof to shoot
forth. Is there any other god partner with the true GOD? Verily these are a
people who deviate from the truth.
Is not he more worthy to be adored, who hath established the earth, and
hath caused rivers to flow through the midst thereof, and placed thereon
immovable mountains, and set a bar between the two seas? Is there any other
god equal with the true GOD? Yet the greater part of them know it not.
Is not he more worthy who heareth the afflicted, when he calleth upon
him, and taketh off the evil which distressed him: and who hath made you the
successors of your forefathers in the earth? Is there any other god who can
be equalled with the true GOD? How few consider these things!
Is not he more worthy who directeth you in the dark paths of the land and
of the sea; and who sendeth the winds driving abroad the clouds, as the
forerunners of his mercy! Is there any other god who can be equalled with
the true God? Far be GOD from having those partners in his power, which ye
associate with him.
Is not he more worthy, who produceth a creature, and after it hath been
dead restoreth it to life; and who giveth you food from heaven and earth? Is
there any other god with the true GOD, who doth this? Say, Produce your proof
thereof, if ye speak truth.
Say, None either in heaven or earth knoweth that which is hidden, besides
GOD: neither do they understand when they shall be raised.
However, their knowledge attaineth some notion of the life to come: yet
they are in an uncertainty concerning the same; yea, they are blind as to the
real circumstances thereof.
And the unbelievers say, When we and our fathers shall have been reduced
to dust, shall we be taken forth from the grave?
Verily we have been threatened with this, both we and our fathers,
heretofore. This is no other than fables of the ancients.
Say unto them, pass through the earth, and see what hath been the end of
the wicked.
70 And be not thou grieved for them; neither be thou in any concern on
account of the plots which they are contriving against thee.
And they say, When will this threat be accomplished, if ye speak true?
Answer, Peradventure some part of that punishment, which ye desire to be
hastened may follow close behind you:
verily thy LORD is endued with indulgence towards mankind; but the
greater part of them are not thankful.
Verily thy LORD knoweth what their breasts conceal, and what they
discover:
and there is nothing hidden in heaven or on earth, but it is written in a
clear book.
Verily this Koran declareth unto the children of Israel most of those
points concerning which they disagree:
and it is certainly a direction, and a mercy unto the true believers.
Thy LORD will decide the controversy between them, by his definitive
sentence: and he is the mighty, the wise.
Therefore, put thy trust in GOD; for thou art in the manifest truth.
80 Verily thou shalt not make the dead to hear, neither shalt thou make the
deaf to hear thy call to the true faith, when they retire and turn their
backs:
neither shalt thou direct the blind to extricate themselves out of their
error. Thou shalt make none to hear thee, except him who shall believe in our
signs: and they are wholly resigned unto us.
When the sentence shall be ready to fall upon them, we will cause a
beast to come forth unto them from out of the earth, which shall speak unto
them: verily men do not firmly believe in our signs.
On the day of resurrection we will assemble, out of every nation, a
company of those who shall have charged our signs with falsehood; and they
shall be prevented from mixing together,
until they shall arrive at the place of judgment. And God shall say unto
them, Have ye charged my signs with falsehood, although ye comprehended them
not with your knowledge. Or what is it that ye were doing?
And the sentence of damnation shall fall on them, for that they have
acted unjustly: and they shall not speak in their own excuse.
Do they not see that we have ordained the night, that they may rest
therein, and the day giving open light? Verily herein are signs unto people
who believe.
On that day the trumpet shall be sounded; and whoever are in heaven and
on earth shall be struck with terror, except those whom GOD shall please to
exempt therefrom: and all shall come before him in humble guise.
And thou shalt see the mountains, and shalt think them firmly fixed; but
they shall pass away, even as the clouds pass away. This will be the work of
GOD, who hath rightly disposed all things: and he is well acquainted with that
which ye do.
Whoever shall have wrought righteousness, shall receive a reward beyond
the desert thereof; and they shall be secure from the terror of that day;
90 but whoever shall have wrought evil, shall be thrown on their faces into
hell fire. Shall ye receive the reward of any other than of that which ye
shall have wrought?
Verily I am commanded to worship the LORD of this territory of Mecca, who
hath sanctified the same: unto him belong all things. And I am commanded to
be a Moslem,
and to rehearse the Koran: he who shall be directed thereby will be
directed to his own advantage;
and to him who shall go astray, say, Verily I am a warner only. And say,
Praise be unto GOD! he will show you his signs, and ye shall know them: and
thy LORD is not regardless of that which they do.



________


CHAPTER XXVIII.

ENTITLED, THE STORY; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

T.S.M.
THESE are the signs of the perspicuous book.
We will dictate unto thee, O Mohammed, some parts of the history of Moses
and Pharaoh, with truth; for the sake of people who believe.
Now Pharaoh lifted himself up in the land of Egypt; and he caused his
subjects to be divided into parties; he weakened one party of them, by
slaying their male children, and preserving their females alive; for he was an
oppressor.
And we were minded to be gracious unto those who were weakened in the
land, and to make them models of religion; and to make them the heirs of the
wealth of Pharaoh and his people,
and to establish a place for them in the earth; and to show Pharaoh and
Haman, and their forces, that destruction of their kingdom and nation by
them, which they sought to avoid.
And we directed the mother of Moses by revelation, saying, give him suck:
and if thou fearest for him, cast him into the river; and fear not, neither be
afflicted; for we will restore him unto thee, and will appoint him one of our
apostles.
And when she had put the child in the ark, and had cast it into the
river, the family of Pharaoh took him up; providence designing that he should
become an enemy, and a sorrow unto them. Verily Pharaoh and Haman, and their
forces were sinners.
And the wife of Pharaoh said, This child is a delight of the eye to me,
and to thee: kill him not; peradventure it may happen that he may be
serviceable unto us; or we may adopt him for our son. And they perceived not
the consequence of what they were doing.
10 And the heart of the mother of Moses became oppressed with fear; and she
had almost discovered him, had we not armed her heart with constancy, that she
might be one of those who believe the promises of God.
And she said unto his sister, Follow him. And she watched him at a
distance; and they perceived it not.
And we suffered him not to take the breasts of the nurses who were
provided before his sister came up; and she said, Shall I direct you unto
some of his nation, who may nurse him for you, and will be careful of him?
And, at their desire, she brought his mother to them. So we restored him
to his mother, that her mind might be set at ease, and that she might not be
afflicted; and that she might know that the promise of GOD was true: but the
greater part of mankind know not the truth.
And when Moses had attained his age of full strength, and was become a
perfect man, we bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge: and thus do we reward
the upright.
And he went into the city, at a time when the inhabitants thereof
observed not what passed in the streets: and he found therein two men
fighting; the one being of his own party, and the other of his enemies. And
he who was of his party begged his assistance against him who was of the
contrary party; and Moses struck him with his fist, and slew him: but being
sorry for what had happened, he said, This is of the work of the devil; for
he is a seducing and an open enemy.
And he said, O LORD, verily I have injured my own soul: wherefore forgive
me. So God forgave him; for he is ready to forgive, and merciful.
He said, O LORD, by the favors with which thou hast favored me, I will
not be an assistant to the wicked for the future.
And the next morning he was afraid in the city, and looked about him, as
one apprehensive of danger: and behold, he whom he had assisted the day before
cried out unto him for help a second time. But Moses said unto him, Thou art
plainly a quarrelsome fellow.
And when he sought to lay hold on him who was an enemy unto them both, he
said, O Moses, dost thou intend to kill me, as thou killedst a man yesterday?
Thou seekest only to be an oppressor in the earth, and seekest not to be a
reconciler of quarrels.
20 And a certain man came from the farther part of the city, running
hastily, and said, O Moses, verily the magistrates are deliberating concerning
thee, to put thee to death: depart therefore; I certainly advise thee well.
Wherefore he departed out of the city in great fear, looking this way
and that, lest he should be pursued. And he said, O LORD, deliver me from the
unjust people.
And when he was journeying towards Madian, he said, Peradventure my LORD
will direct me in the right way.
And when he arrived at the water of Madian, he found about the well a
company of men, who were watering their flocks.
And he found, besides them, two women, who kept off their sheep at a
distance. And he said unto them, What is the matter with you? They answered,
We shall not water our flock, until the shepherds shall have driven away
theirs; for our father is an old man, stricken in years.
So Moses watered their sheep for them; and afterwards retired to the
shade, saying, O LORD, verily I stand in need of the good which thou shalt
send down unto me.
And one of the damsels came unto him, walking bashfully, and said, My
father calleth thee, that he may recompense thee for the trouble which thou
hast taken in watering our sheep for us. And when he was come unto Shoaib,
and had told him the story of his adventures, he said unto him, Fear not: thou
hast escaped from unjust people.
And one of the damsels said, My father, hire him for certain wages: the
best servant thou canst hire is an able and trusty person.
And Shoaib said unto Moses, Verily I will give thee one of these my two
daughters in marriage, on condition that thou serve me for hire eight years;
and if thou fulfil ten years, it is in thine own breast; for I seek not to
impose a hardship on thee: and thou shalt find me, if GOD please, a man of
probity.
Moses answered, Let this be the covenant between me and thee: whichsoever
of the two terms I shall fulfil let it be no crime in me if I then quit thy
service; and GOD is witness of that which we say.
And when Moses had fulfilled the term, and was journeying with his
family towards Egypt, he saw fire on the side of Mount Sinai. And he said
unto his family, Tarry ye here; for I see fire: peradventure I may bring you
thence some tidings of the way, or at least a brand out of the fire, that ye
may be warmed.
30 And when he was come thereto, a voice cried unto him from the right side
of the valley, in the sacred bottom, from the tree, saying, O Moses, verily I
am GOD, the LORD of all creatures:
cast down now thy rod. And when he saw it that it moved, as though it
had been a serpent, he retreated and fled, and returned not. And God said
unto him, O Moses, draw near, and fear not; for thou art safe.
Put thy hand into thy bosom, and it shall come forth white, without any
hurt: and draw back thy hand unto thee which thou stretchest forth for fear.
These shall be two evident signs from thy LORD, unto Pharaoh and his princes;
for they are a wicked people.
Moses said, O LORD, verily I have slain one of them; and I fear they will
put me to death:
but my brother Aaron is of a more eloquent tongue than I am; wherefore
send him with me for an assistant, that he may gain me credit; for I fear lest
they accuse me of imposture.
God said, We will strengthen thine arm by thy brother, and we will give
each of you extraordinary power, so that they shall not come up to you, in our
signs. Ye two, and whoever shall follow you, shall be the conquerors.
And when Moses came unto them with our evident signs, they said, This is
no other than a deceitful piece of sorcery: neither have we heard of anything
like this among our forefathers.
And Moses said, My LORD best knoweth who cometh with a direction from
him; and who shall have success in this life, as well as the next: but the
unjust shall not prosper.
And Pharaoh said, O princes, I did not know that ye had any other god
besides me. Wherefore do thou, O Haman, burn me clay into bricks; and build
me a high tower, that I may ascend unto the GOD of Moses: for I verily
believe him to be a liar.
And both he and his forces behaved themselves insolently and unjustly in
the earth; and imagined that they should not be brought before us to be
judged.
40 Wherefore we took him and his forces, and cast them into the sea.
Behold, therefore, what was the end of the unjust.
And we made them deceitful guides, inviting their followers to hell fire;
and on the day of resurrection they shall not be screened from punishment.
We pursued them with a curse in this life; and on the day of resurrection
they shall be shamefully rejected.
And we gave the book of the law unto Moses, after he had destroyed the
former generations, to enlighten the minds of men, and for a direction, and a
mercy; that peradventure they might consider.
Thou, O prophet, wast not on the west side of Mount Sinai, when we
delivered Moses his commission: neither wast thou one of those who were
present at his receiving it:
but we raised up several generations after Moses; and life was prolonged
unto them. Neither didst thou dwell among the inhabitants of Madian,
rehearsing unto them our signs; but we have sent thee fully instructed in
every particular.
Nor wast thou present on the side of the mount, when we called unto
Moses; but thou art sent as a mercy from thy LORD; that thou mightest preach
unto a people to whom no preacher hath come before thee, that peradventure
they may be warned;
and lest, if a calamity had befallen them, for that which their hands had
previously committed, they should have said, O LORD, since thou hast not sent
an apostle unto us, that we might follow thy signs, and become true believers,
are we not excusable?
Yet when the truth is come unto them from before us, they say, Unless he
receive the same power to work miracles as Moses received, we will not
believe. Have they not likewise rejected the revelation which was heretofore
given unto Moses? They say, Two cunning impostures have mutually assisted
one another: and they say, Verily we reject them both.
Say, Produce therefore a book from GOD, which is more right than these
two, that I may follow it; if ye speak truth.
50 But if they return thee no answer, know that they only follow their own
desires: and who erreth more widely from the truth than he who followeth his
own desire, without a direction from GOD? Verily GOD directeth not the unjust
people.
And now have we caused our word to come unto them, that they may be
admonished.
They unto whom we have given the scriptures which were revealed before
it, believe in the same;
and when it is read unto them, say, We believe therein; it is certainly
the truth from our LORD: verily we were Moslems before this.
These shall receive their reward twice, because they have persevered,
and repel evil by good, and distribute alms out of that which we have bestowed
on them;
and when they hear vain discourse, avoid the same, saying, We have our
works, and ye have your works; peace be on you; we covet not the acquaintance
of the ignorant.
Verily thou canst not direct whom thou wilt: but GOD directeth whom he
pleaseth; and he best knoweth those who will submit to be directed.
The Meccans say, If we follow the same direction with thee, we shall be
forcibly expelled our land. Have we not established for them a secure
asylum, to which fruits of every sort are brought, as a provision for our
bounty? but the greater part of them do not understand.
How many cities have we destroyed, whose inhabitants lived in ease and
plenty? and these their dwellings are not inhabited after them, unless for a
little while; and we were the inheritors of their wealth.
But thy LORD did not destroy those cities, until he had sent unto their
capital an apostle, to rehearse our signs unto them: neither did we destroy
those cities, unless their inhabitants were injurious to their apostle.
60 The things which are given you are the provisions of this present life,
and the pomp thereof; but that which is with GOD is better and more durable:
will ye not therefore understand?
Shall he then, unto whom we have promised an excellent promise of future
happiness, and who shall attain the same, be as he on whom we have bestowed
the provision of this present life, and who, on the day of resurrection, shall
be one of those who are delivered up to eternal punishment?
On that day God shall call unto them, and shall say, Where are my
partners, which ye imagined to be so?
And they upon whom the sentence of damnation shall be justly pronounced
shall answer, These, O LORD, are those whom we seduced: but now we clearly
quit them, and turn unto thee. They did not worship us, but their own lusts.
And it shall be said unto the idolaters, Call now upon those whom ye
associated with God: and they shall call upon them, but they shall not answer
them; and they shall see the punishment prepared for them, and shall wish that
they had submitted to be directed.
On that day, God shall call unto them, and shall say, What answer did ye
return to our messengers?
But they shall not be able to give an account thereof on that day;
neither shall they ask one another for information.
Howbeit whoso shall repent and believe, and shall do that which is right,
may expect to be happy.
Thy LORD createth what he pleaseth; and chooseth freely: but they have no
free choice. Praise be unto GOD; and far be he removed from the idols which
they associate with him!
Thy LORD knoweth both the secret malice which their breasts conceal, and
the open hatred which they discover.
70 He is GOD; there is no GOD but he. Unto him is the praise due, both in
this life and in that which is to come: unto him doth judgment belong; and
before him shall ye be assembled at the last day.
Say, What think ye? If GOD should cover you with perpetual night, until
the day of resurrection; what god, besides GOD, would bring you light? Will
ye not therefore hearken?
Say, What think ye? If GOD should give you continual day, until the day
of resurrection; what god, besides GOD, would bring you night, that ye might
rest therein? Will ye not therefore consider?
Of his mercy he hath made for you the night and the day, that ye may rest
in the one, and may seek to obtain provision for yourselves of his abundance,
by your industry, in the other; and that ye may give thanks.
On a certain day God shall call unto them, and shall say, Where are my
partners, which ye imagined to share the divine power with me?
And we will produce a witness out of every nation, and will say, Bring
hither your proof of what ye have asserted. And they shall know that the
right is GOD'S alone; and the deities which they have devised shall abandon
them.
Karun was of the people of Moses; but he behaved insolently towards
them: for we had given him so much treasure, that his keys would have loaded
several strong men. When his people said unto him, Rejoice not immoderately;
for GOD loveth not those who rejoice in their riches immoderately:
but seek to attain by means of the wealth which GOD hath given thee, the
future mansion of paradise. And forget not thy portion in this world; but be
thou bounteous unto others, as GOD hath been bounteous unto thee; and seek not
to act corruptly in the earth; for GOD loveth not the corrupt doers.
He answered, I have received these riches, only because of the knowledge
which is with me. Did he not know that GOD had already destroyed, before
him, several generations, who were mightier than he in strength, and had
amassed more abundance of riches? And the wicked shall not be asked to
discover their crimes.
And Karun went forth unto his people, in his pomp. And they who loved
this present life said, Oh that we had the like wealth, as hath been given
unto Karun? verily he is master of a great fortune.
80 But those on whom knowledge had been bestowed answered, Alas for you!
the reward of GOD in the next life will be better unto him who shall believe
and do good works; but none shall attain the same, except those who persevere
with constancy.
And we caused the ground to cleave in sunder, and to swallow up him and
his palace: and he had no forces to defend him, besides GOD; neither was he
rescued from punishment.
And the next morning, those who had coveted his condition the day before
said, Aha! verily GOD bestoweth abundant provision on such of his servants as
he pleaseth; and he is sparing unto whom he pleaseth. Unless GOD had been
gracious unto us, certainly the earth had swallowed us up also. Aha! the
unbelievers shall not prosper.
As to this future mansion of paradise, we will give it unto them who seek
not to exalt themselves in the earth, or to do wrong; for the happy issue
shall attend the pious.
Whoso doth good shall receive a reward which shall exceed the merit
thereof: but as to him who doth evil, they who work evil shall be rewarded
according to the merit only of that which they shall have wrought.
Verily he who hath given thee the Koran for a rule of faith and practice
will certainly bring thee back home unto Mecca. Say, My LORD best knoweth
who cometh with a true direction, and who is in a manifest error.
Thou didst not expect that the book of the Koran should be delivered unto
thee: but thou hast received it through the mercy of thy LORD. Be not
therefore assisting to the unbelievers;
neither let them turn thee aside from the signs of GOD, after they have
been sent down unto thee: and invite men unto thy LORD. And be not thou an
idolater;
neither invoke any other god, together with the true GOD: there is no god
but he. Everything shall perish, except himself: unto him belongeth judgment:
and before him shall ye be assembled at the last day.