The Koran Part 48

And when the hosts came in view of one another, the comrades of Moses said, "We are surely overtaken."

He said, "By no means:-for my Lord is with me-He will guide me."

And we revealed this order to Moses, "Strike the sea with thy rod." And it clave asunder, and each part became like a huge mountain.

Then made we the others to draw on;

And we saved Moses, and those who were with him, all;

But we drowned the others.

Truly in this was a sign; but most of them did not believe.

But verily thy Lord,-He is the Mighty, the Merciful!

And recite to them the story of Abraham

When he said to his Father and to his people, "What wors.h.i.+p ye?"

They said, "We wors.h.i.+p idols, and constant is our devotion to them."

He said, "Can they hear you when ye cry to them?

Or help you or do you harm?"

They said, "But we found our Fathers do the like."

He said, "How think ye? They whom ye wors.h.i.+p,

Ye and your fathers of early days,

Are my foes: but not so10 the Lord of the Worlds,

Who hath created me, and guideth me,

Who giveth me food and drink;

And when I am sick, he healeth me,

And who will cause me to die and again quicken me,

And who, I hope, will forgive me my sins in the day of reckoning.

My Lord! bestow on me wisdom and join me to the just,

And give me a good name11 among posterity,

And make me one of the heirs of the garden of delight,

And forgive my father, for he was one of the erring,

And put me not to shame on the day when mankind shall be raised up,

The day when neither wealth nor children shall avail,

Save to him who shall come to G.o.d with a sound heart:

When Paradise shall be brought near the pious,

And h.e.l.l shall lay open for those who have gone astray.

And it shall be said to them, 'Where are they whom ye wors.h.i.+pped

Beside G.o.d? Can they harm you or help themselves?'

And they shall be cast into it-the seducers and the seduced,

And all the host of Eblis.

They shall say, as they wrangle therein together,

'By G.o.d, we were in a plain error,

When we equalled you with the Lord of the Worlds:

And none misled us but the wicked,

And we have none to plead for us,

Nor friend who careth for us.

Could we but return, we would be of the believers."'

Verily, in this was a sign: but most of them believed not.

And truly thy Lord!-He is the Mighty, the Merciful!

The people of Noah gainsaid the Apostles,

When their brother Noah said to them, "Will ye not fear G.o.d?

Of a truth am I your faithful Apostle;

Fear G.o.d then and obey me.

I ask of you no reward for this, for my reward is of the Lord of the Worlds alone:

Fear G.o.d then and obey me."