The Koran Part 113

And, O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in Paradise, and eat ye whence ye will, but to this tree approach not, lest ye become of the unjust doers."

Then Satan whispered them to shew them their nakedness, which had been hidden from them both. And he said, "This tree3 hath your Lord forbidden you, only lest ye should become angels, or lest ye should become immortals."

And he sware to them both, "Verily I am unto you one who counselleth aright."

So he beguiled them by deceits: and when they had tasted of the tree, their nakedness appeared to them, and they began to sew together upon themselves the leaves of the garden. And their Lord called to them, "Did I not forbid you this tree, and did I not say to you, 'Verily, Satan is your declared enemy.' "

They said, "O our Lord! With ourselves have we dealt unjustly: if thou forgive us not and have pity on us, we shall surely be of those who perish."

He said, "Get ye down, the one of you an enemy4 to the other; and on earth shall be your dwelling, and your provision for a season."

He said, "On it shall ye live, and on it shall ye die, and from it shall ye be taken forth."

O children of Adam! now have we sent down to you raiment to hide your nakedness, and splendid garments; but the raiment of piety-this is best. This is one of the signs of G.o.d, that man haply may reflect.

O children of Adam! let not Satan bring you into trouble, as he drove forth your parents from the Garden, by despoiling them of their raiment, that he might cause them to see their nakedness: He truly seeth you, he and his comrades, whence ye see not them. Verily, we have made the Satans tutelars of those who believe not.

And when the wicked commit some filthy deed, they say, "We found our fathers practising it, and to us hath G.o.d commanded it"-SAY: G.o.d enjoineth not filthy deeds. Will ye speak of G.o.d ye know not what?

SAY: My Lord hath enjoined what is right. Turn your faces therefore towards every place where he is wors.h.i.+pped5 and call upon him with sincere religion.

As he created you, to him shall ye return: some hath he guided, and some hath he justly left in error, because they have taken the Satans as their tutelars beside G.o.d, and have deemed that they were guided aright.

O children of Adam! wear your goodly apparel when ye repair to any mosque,6 and eat ye and drink; but exceed not, for He loveth not those who exceed.

SAY: Who hath prohibited G.o.d's goodly raiment, and the healthful viands which He hath provided for his servants? SAY: These are for the faithful in this present life, but above all on the day of the resurrection. Thus make we our signs plain for people of knowledge.

SAY: Truly my Lord hath forbidden filthy actions whether open or secret, and iniquity, and unjust violence, and to a.s.sociate with G.o.d that for which He hath sent down no warranty, and to speak of G.o.d that ye know not.

Every nation hath its set time. And when their time is come, they shall not r.e.t.a.r.d it an hour; and they shall not advance it.

O children of Adam! there shall come to you Apostles from among yourselves, rehearsing my signs to you; and whoso shall fear G.o.d and do good works, no fear shall be upon them, neither shall they be put to grief.

But they who charge our signs with falsehood, and turn away from them in their pride, shall be inmates of the fire: for ever shall they abide therein.

And who is worse than he who deviseth a lie of G.o.d, or treateth our signs as lies? To them shall a portion here below be a.s.signed in accordance with the Book of our decrees, until the time when our messengers,7 as they receive their souls, shall say, "Where are they on whom ye called beside G.o.d?" They shall say: "Gone from us." And they shall witness against themselves that they were infidels.

He shall say, "Enter ye into the Fire with the generations of Djinn and men who have preceded you. So oft as a fresh generation entereth, it shall curse its sister, until when they have all reached it, the last comers shall say to the former, 'O our Lord! these are they who led us astray: a.s.sign them therefore a double torment of the fire:"' He will say, "Ye shall all have double." But of this are ye ignorant.

And the former of them shall say to the latter, "What advantage have ye over us? Taste ye therefore the torment for that which ye have done."

Verily, they who have charged our signs with falsehood and have turned away from them in their pride, Heaven's gates shall not be opened to them, nor shall they enter Paradise, until the camel8 pa.s.seth through the eye of the needle. After this sort will we recompense the transgressors.

They shall make their bed in h.e.l.l, and above them shall be coverings of fire!

After this sort will we recompense the evil doers.

But as to those who have believed and done the things which are right (we will lay on no one a burden beyond his power) These shall be inmates of Paradise: for ever shall they abide therein;

And we will remove whatever rancour was in their bosoms: rivers shall roll at their feet: and they shall say, "Praise be to G.o.d who hath guided us. .h.i.ther!

We had not been guided had not G.o.d guided us! Of a surety the Apostles of our Lord came to us with truth." And a voice shall cry to them, "This is Paradise, of which, as the meed of your works, ye are made heirs."

And the inmates of Paradise shall cry to the inmates of the fire, "Now have we found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have ye too found what your Lord promised you to be true?" And they shall answer, "Yes." And a Herald shall proclaim between them: "The curse of G.o.d be upon the evil doers,

Who turn men aside from the way of G.o.d, and seek to make it crooked, and who believe not in the life to come!"

And between them shall be a part.i.tion; and on the wall AL ARAF9 shall be men who will know all,10 by their tokens, and they shall cry to the inmates of Paradise, "Peace be on you!" but they shall not yet enter it, although they long to do so.

And when their eyes are turned towards the inmates of the Fire, they shall say, "O our Lord! place us not with the offending people."

And they who are upon Al Araf shall cry to those whom they shall know by their tokens, "Your ama.s.sings and your pride have availed you nothing.

Are these they on whom ye sware G.o.d would not bestow mercy? Enter ye11 into Paradise! where no fear shall be upon you, neither shall ye be put to grief."

And the inmates of the fire shall cry to the inmates of Paradise: "Pour upon us some water, or of the refreshments12 G.o.d hath given you?" They shall say, "Truly G.o.d hath forbidden both to unbelievers,

Who made their religion a sport and pastime, and whom the life of the world hath deceived." This day therefore will we forget them, as they forgot the meeting of this their day, and as they did deny our signs.

And now have we brought them the Book: with knowledge have we explained it; a guidance and a mercy to them that believe.

What have they to wait for now but its interpretation? When its interpretation13 shall come, they who aforetime were oblivious of it shall say, "The Prophets of our Lord did indeed bring the truth; shall we have any intercessor to intercede for us? or could we not be sent back? Then would we act otherwise than we have acted." But they have ruined themselves; and the deities of their own devising have fled from them!

Your Lord is G.o.d, who in six days created the Heavens and the Earth, and then mounted the throne: He throweth the veil of night over the day: it pursueth it swiftly: and he created the sun and the moon and the stars, subjected to laws by His behest: Is not all creation and its empire His? Blessed be G.o.d the Lord of the Worlds!

Call upon your Lord with lowliness and in secret, for He loveth not transgressors.

And commit not disorders on the earth after it hath been well ordered; and call on Him with fear and longing desire: Verily the mercy of G.o.d is nigh unto the righteous.

And He it is who sendeth forth the winds as the heralds of his compa.s.sion,14 until they bring up the laden clouds, which we drive along to some dead land and send down water thereon, by which we cause an upgrowth of all kinds of fruit.-Thus will we bring forth the dead. Haply ye will reflect.

In a rich soil, its plants spring forth abundantly by the will of its Lord, and in that which is bad, they spring forth but scantily. Thus do We diversify our signs for those who are thankful.

Of old sent We Noah to his people,15 and he said, "O my people! wors.h.i.+p G.o.d.

Ye have no G.o.d but Him: indeed I fear for you the chastis.e.m.e.nt of the great day."

The chiefs of his people said, "We clearly see that thou art in a palpable error."

He said, "There is no error in me, O my people! but I am a messenger from the Lord of the Worlds.

I bring to you the messages of my Lord, and I give you friendly counsel; for I know from G.o.d what ye know not.

Marvel ye that a Warning should come to you from your Lord through one of yourselves, that he may warn you, and that ye may fear for yourselves, and that haply ye may find mercy?"

But they treated him as a liar: so we delivered him and those who were with him in the ark, and we drowned those who charged our signs with falsehood; for they were a blind people.

And to Ad16 we sent their brother Houd.17 "O my people!" said he, "wors.h.i.+p G.o.d: ye have no other G.o.d than Him: Will ye not then fear Him?"

Said the unbelieving chiefs among his people, "We certainly perceive that thou art unsound of mind; and we surely deem thee an impostor."

He said, "O my people! it is not unsoundness of mind in me, but I am an Apostle from the Lord of the Worlds.