The Koran Part 99

And the heart of Moses' mother became a blank through fear: and almost had she discovered him, but that we girt up her heart with constancy, in order that she might be one of those who believe.

She said to his sister, "Follow him." And she watched him from afar: and they perceived it not.

And we caused him to refuse the nurses,5 until his sister came and said, Shall I point out to you the family of a house that will rear him for you, and will be careful of him?

So we restored him to his mother, to be the joy of her eyes, and that she might not fret, and that she might know that the promise of G.o.d was true. But most men knew it not.

And when he had reached his age of strength, and had become a man, we bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge; for thus do we reward the righteous.

And he entered a city at the time when its inhabitants would not observe him,6 and found therein two men fighting: the one, of his own people; the other, of his enemies. And he who was of his own people asked his help against him who was of his enemies. And Moses smote him with his fist and slew him. Said he, "This is a work of Satan; for he is an enemy, a manifest misleader."

He said, "O my Lord, I have sinned to mine own hurt:7 forgive me." So G.o.d forgave him; for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

He said, "Lord, because thou hast showed me this grace, I will never again be the helper of the wicked."

And in the city at noon he was full of fear, casting furtive glances round him: and lo! the man whom he had helped the day before, cried out to him again for help. Said Moses to him, "Thou art plainly a most depraved person."

And when he would have laid violent hands on him who was their common foe, he said to him, "O Moses, dost thou desire to slay me, as thou slayedst a man yesterday? Thou desirest only to become a tyrant in this land, and desirest not to become a peacemaker."

But a man came running up from the city's end. He said, "O Moses, of a truth, the n.o.bles consult to slay thee-Begone then-I counsel thee as a friend."

So forth he went from it in fear, looking warily about him. He said, "O Lord, deliver me from the unjust people."

And when he was journeying toward Madian, he said, "Haply my Lord will direct me in an even path."

And when he arrived at the water of Madian, he found at it a company of men watering.

And he found beside them, two women8 keeping back their flock: "Why do ye,"

said he, "thus?" They said "We shall not water till the shepherds shall have driven off; for our father is very aged."

So he watered for them-then retired to the shade and said, "O my Lord, of the good thou hast caused me to meet with I stand in need."9

And one of them came to him, walking bashfully. Said she, "My father calleth thee, that he may pay thee wages for thy watering for us." And when he came to him and had told him his STORY, "Fear not," said he, "thou hast escaped from an unjust people."

One of them said, "O my father, hire him: for the best thou canst hire is the strong, the trusty."

He said, "Truly to one of these my two daughters I desire to marry thee, if for eight years thou wilt be my hired servant:10 and if thou fulfil ten, it shall be of thine own accord, for I wish not to deal hardly with thee. Thou wilt find me, if G.o.d will, one of the upright."

He said, "Be it so between me and thee: Whichever of the two terms I fulfil, there will be no injustice to me. And G.o.d is witness of what we say."

And when Moses had fulfilled the term, and was journeying with his family, he perceived a fire on the mountain side. He said to his family, "Wait ye, for I perceive a fire. Haply I may bring you tidings from it, or a brand from the fire to warm you."

And when he came up to it, a Voice cried to him11 out of the bush from the right side of the valley in the sacred hollow, "O Moses, I truly am G.o.d, the Lord of the Worlds:

Throw down now thy rod." And when he saw it move as though it were a serpent, he retreated and fled and returned not. "O Moses," cried the Voice, "draw near and fear not, for thou art in safety.

Put thy hand into thy bosom; it shall come forth white, but unharmed: and draw back thy hand12 to thee without fear. These shall be two signs from thy Lord to Pharaoh and his n.o.bles; for they are a perverse people."

He said, "O my Lord! truly I have slain one of them, therefore fear I lest they slay me.

My brother Aaron is clearer of speech than I. Send him, therefore, with me as a help, and to make good my cause, for I fear lest they treat me as an impostor."

He said, "We will strengthen thine arm with thy brother, and we will give power unto you both, and they shall not equal you in our signs. Ye twain and they who shall follow you, shall gain the day."

And when Moses came to him with our demonstrative signs they said, "This is nought but magical device. We never heard the like among our sires of old."

And Moses said, "My Lord best knoweth on whom He hath bestowed His guidance, and whose shall be the recompense of the abode of Paradise. Verily, the wicked shall not prosper."

And Pharaoh said, "O ye n.o.bles, ye have no other G.o.d that I know of but myself. Burn me then, Haman, bricks of clay,13 and build me a tower that I may mount up to the G.o.d of Moses, for in sooth, I deem him a liar."

And he and his hosts behaved themselves proudly and unjustly on the earth, and thought that they should never be brought back to us.

But we seized on him and his hosts and cast them into the sea: Behold, then, the end of the wrongful doers:

And we made them imams who invite to the fire of h.e.l.l, and on the day of Resurrection they shall not be helped.

We followed them with a curse in this world, and covered shall they be with shame on the day of Resurrection.

And after we had destroyed the former generations, we gave the book of the Law to Moses for man's enlightening, and a guidance and a mercy, that haply they might reflect.

And thou wast not on the western slope of Sinai when we laid his charge on Moses, nor wast thou one of the witnesses;

But we raised up generations after Moses, men whose days were lengthened;14 neither didst thou dwell among the inhabitants of Madian to rehea.r.s.e to them our signs, but we sent Apostles to them.15

Nor wast thou on the slope of Sinai when we called to Moses, but it is of the mercy of thy Lord that thou warnest a people, to whom no warner had come before thee, to the intent that they should reflect:

And that they should not say when a calamity shall befal them for their previous handy work, "O our Lord! why hast thou not sent an Apostle to us?

Then we should have followed thy signs and have been of the believers."

Yet when the truth came to them from our very presence, they said, "Unless the like powers be given to him that were given to Moses... ."16 But did they not disbelieve in what of old was given to Moses? They said, "Two works of sorcery17 have helped each other;" and they said, "We disbelieve them both."

SAY: Bring then a Book from before G.o.d which shall be a better guide than these, that I may follow it; if ye speak the truth.

And if they answer thee not, then know that verily they are following their own caprices: and who goeth more widely astray than he who followeth his own caprice without guidance from G.o.d? for G.o.d guideth not the wicked.

And now have we caused our word to come unto them, that they may be warned:

They18 to whom we gave the Scriptures before IT, do in IT believe.

And when it is recited to them they say, "We believe in it, for it is the truth from our Lord. We were Muslims before it came."

Twice shall their reward be given them, for that they suffered with patience, and repelled evil with good, and gave alms out of that with which we provided them.

And when they hear light discourse they withdraw from it, and say, "Our works for us and your works for you! Peace be on you! We are not in quest of fools!"

Thou truly canst not guide whom thou desirest; but G.o.d guideth whom He will; and He best knoweth those who yield to guidance.

But they say, "If we follow the way in which thou art guided,19 we shall be driven from our country." But have we not established for them a sacred secure precinct, to which fruits of every kind, our gift for their support, are gathered together? But most of them have no knowledge.