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from thy Lord is naught but the truth, like to him who is blind? but men of understanding alone will mind,
Who fulfil their covenant with God and break not the compact;
And who join what God hath bidden to be joined, and who fear their Lord and dread the evil reckoning;
And who are patient, seeking the face of their Lord, and perform prayer and give alms secretly and openly of what we have provided them, and turn away evil with good: for these is the reward of the Abode,—
Gardens of eternity, into which they shall enter together with those who were just of their fathers and their wives and their offspring: and the angels shall go in unto them at every gate [saying]:—
“Peace be upon you! because ye were patient.” And pleasant is the reward of the Abode!
But those who break God’s covenant after they have pledged it, and cut asunder what God hath bidden to be joined, and work iniquity in the earth, for these is a curse and a sore abode!
God is lavish with provision to whom He pleaseth, or He stinteth it. And they rejoice in the life of this world; but the life of this world is but a passing joy to the life to come.
And they who disbelieve say, “Unless a sign be sent down to him from his Lord ...” Say: God truly misleadeth whom He will; and He guideth to himself those who repent,
Who believe, and whose hearts are at peace in the remembrance of God! yea, in the remembrance of God shall the hearts be at peace of those who believe and do the things that are right—good betide them, and happy be their goal!
Thus have we sent thee among a nation, before whom other nations have passed away, that thou mayest tell them what we have inspired thee with: yet they disbelieve in the Merciful! Say: He is my Lord—there is no God but Him. In Him do I put my trust, and unto Him is my return.
Though there were a Korān by which the mountains were removed or the earth cloven or the dead given speech—Nay! to God belongeth the rule in all: know not they who believe, that if God pleased, He would certainly have guided men in all?
And calamity shall not cease to befal the unbelievers for what they have done, or settle hard by their dwellings, until the promise of God shall come to pass. Verily God will not fail in what He promised.
Before thee apostles have been mocked at—and long I suffered those who disbelieved; then I took hold of them; and how great was my punishment!
Who then is he that is standing over every soul to mark what it hath earned? Yet they made Partners with God! Say: Name them! could ye inform him of what He knoweth not in the earth, or are they aught beyond words? Nay, their artifice commended itself to those who disbelieve; and they are turned aside from the road; and whom God misleadeth, he hath no guide.
Torment is theirs in the life of this world, and assuredly the torment of the world to come shall be worse, and they shall have no one to ward them from God.
A likeness of the Paradise which is promised to those that fear God:—The rivers flow beneath it; its food and its shades are everlasting. That is the end of those who fear God: but the end of the unbelievers is the Fire.
They to whom we have given the Book rejoice in what hath been sent down to thee, yet some of the confederates deny a part of it. Say: I am commanded only to worship God, and not to associate any with Him: on Him I cry, and unto Him is my goal.
Thus have we sent down the Korān as an Arabic judgment; and assuredly, if thou followed their desires after the knowledge had come to thee, thou shouldst have no protector nor warder against God.
And we have sent apostles before thee, and gave them wives and offspring. But to no apostle was it given to bring a sign save by God’s permission: to each age its Book.
God wipeth out or confirmeth what He pleaseth, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.
And whether we show thee somewhat of that which we promised them, or take thee hence before; verily, it is thine to announce only, and ours to take account.
See they not that we come into the land and cut down its chiefs? And when God judgeth, there is none to reverse His sentence: and He is swift to reckon.
And those who were before them plotted: but God’s is the master plot: He knoweth what every one soul earneth, and the infidels shall know for whom is the reward of the abode.
And those who disbelieve shall say, “Thou art not sent from God.” Say: God is witness enough between me and you, and he that hath knowledge of the Book.

(xii.)

THE SPEECHES OF MEDINA

THE PERIOD OF HARANGUE

Aet. 53-63
A.H. 1-11 = A.D. 622-632

DECEPTION.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
All that is in the heavens, and all that is in the earth, magnifieth God: His is the kingdom, His is the praise, and He is powerful over all things.
It is He who hath created you; and one of you is an unbeliever, and another a believer; and God seeth what ye do.
He created the heavens and the earth in truth; and He hath fashioned you and made goodly your forms; and to Him is your journeying.
He knoweth what is in the heavens and the earth; and He knoweth what ye hide and what ye manifest; and God knoweth well the secrets of the breast.
Hath not the story come to you of those who disbelieved aforetime, and tasted the evil fruit of their doings, and received an aching torment?
That was because when their apostles had come to them with manifestations, they said, “Shall mortal men guide us?” And they believed not and turned their backs. But God had no need of them; and God is Self-sufficient and worthy to be praised!
The unbelievers pretend that they shall by no means be raised again. Say: Nay, by my Lord, but ye shall be raised; then shall ye certainly be told of what ye have done: and that is easy with God.
Believe then in God and His Apostle, and in the light which we have sent down; for God knoweth perfectly what ye do.
The day when He shall gather you together for the Day of Assembly, that is the day of Deception. And whoso believeth in God and doeth that which is right, God shall take away his sins, and He will bring him into the gardens beneath which rivers flow, to dwell there evermore: that is the great prize!
But those who believe not, but deny our signs—those shall be the inmates of the fire, to dwell therein for ever; and evil is their journey.
There happeneth no misfortune but by God’s permission; and whoso believeth in God, He guideth his heart; and God knoweth all things.
Obey God, therefore, and obey the Apostle: but if ye turn away, our Apostle is only charged with a plain message:—
God, there is no God but He! Then in God let the faithful trust.
O ye who believe! verily in your wives and your children ye have an adversary, wherefore beware of them. But if ye relent and pardon and forgive, then verily God too is Forgiving and Merciful.
Your wealth and your children are but a snare: but God, with Him is the great reward.
Then fear God with all your might, and hear and obey, and give alms for your own sakes; and whoso is saved from his own covetousness,—these it is who prosper.
If ye lend God a good loan, He will double it to you, and will forgive you: for God is Grateful, Mild,
Knowing the secret and the open; the Mighty, the Wise!

(lxiv.)

IRON.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifieth God, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.
His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, He giveth life and giveth death, and He is powerful over all things.
He is the first and the last, the seen and the unseen, and all things doth He know.
It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then ascended the Throne; He knoweth what goeth into the earth and what cometh out of it, and what cometh down from the sky and what riseth up into it; and He is with you, wherever ye be; and God seeth what ye do.
His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and to God shall all things return.
He maketh the night to follow the day, and He maketh the day to follow the night, and He knoweth the secrets of the breast.
Believe in God and His apostle, and give alms of what He hath made you to inherit; for to those of you who believe and give alms shall be a great reward.
What aileth you that ye do not believe in God and His Apostle who calleth you to believe in your Lord? He hath already accepted your covenant if ye believe.
It is He who hath sent down to His servant manifest signs to lead you from darkness into light: for God is indeed kind and merciful towards you.
And what aileth you that ye give not alms in the path of God, when God’s is the heritage of the heavens and the earth? Those of you who give before the victory, and fight, shall not be deemed equal,—they are of nobler degree than those who give afterwards and fight. Yet to all hath God promised the beauteous reward; and God knoweth what ye do.
Who is he who will lend God a good loan?—He will double it for him, and his shall be a noble recompense.
The day ye shall see the faithful, men and women, their light running in front and on their right hand—“Glad tidings for you this day!—gardens whereunder rivers flow, to abide therein for ever:” that is the great prize!
The day when the hypocrites, men and women, will say to those who believe, “Stay for us, that we may kindle our light from yours.” It shall be said, “Go back and find a light.” And there shall be set up between them a wall, with a gate in it; and inside, within it, shall be Mercy, and outside, in front of it, Torment! They shall cry out, “Were we not with you?” The others shall say, “Yea! but ye fell into temptation, and waited, and doubted, and your desires deceived you, till the behest of God came,—and the arch-tempter beguiled you from God.”
And on that day no ransom shall be accepted from you, nor from those who disbelieved—your goal is the Fire, which is your master; and evil is the journey thereto.
Hath not the Hour come to those who believe, to humble their hearts to the warning of God and the truth which He hath sent down? and that they may not be like those who received the Scripture
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