The Quran (Koran), 1st translation, - [red queen free ebook txt] 📗

opened to them, nor shall they enter Paradise, until the camel8 passeth through the eye of the needle. After this sort will we recompense the transgressors.

They shall make their bed in Hell, 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 God who hath guided us hither!
We had not been guided had not God 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 God be upon the evil doers,

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

And between them shall be a partition; 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 amassings and your pride have availed you nothing.

Are these they on whom ye sware God 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 God hath given you?" They shall say, "Truly God 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 God, 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 God 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 God is nigh unto the righteous.

And He it is who sendeth forth the winds as the heralds of his compassion,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! worship God. Ye have no God but Him: indeed I fear for you the chastisement 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 God 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, "worship
God: ye have no other god 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.

The messages of my Lord do I announce to you, and I am your faithful18 counsellor.

Marvel ye that a warning hath come to you from your Lord through one of yourselves that He may warn you? Remember how he hath made you the successors of the people of Noah, and increased you in tallness of stature. Remember then the favours of God, that it may haply be well with you."

They said, "Art thou come to us in order that we may worship one God alone, and leave what our fathers worshipped? Then bring that upon us with which thou threatenest us, if thou be a man of truth."

He said, "Vengeance and wrath shall suddenly light on you from your Lord. Do ye dispute with me about names that you and your fathers have given your idols, and for which God hath sent you down no warranty? Wait ye then, and I too will wait with you."

And we delivered him, and those who were on his side, by our mercy, and we cut off, to the last man, those who had treated our signs as lies, and who were not believers.

And to Themoud we sent their brother Saleh.19 He said, O my people! worship God: ye have no other god than Him: now hath a clear proof of my mission come to you from your Lord, this she-camel of God being a sign to you: therefore let her go at large to pasture on God's earth: and touch her not to harm her, lest a grievous chastisement seize you.

And remember how he hath made you successors to the Adites, and given you dwellings on the earth, so that on its plains ye build castles, and hew out houses in the hills. And bear in mind the benefits of God, and lay not the earth waste with deeds of licence.

Said the chiefs of his people puffed up with pride, to those who were esteemed weak, even to those of them who believed, "What! know ye for certain that Saleh is sent by his Lord?" They said, "Truly we believe in that with which he hath been sent."

Then said those proud men, "Verily, we reject that in which ye believe."

And they ham-strung the she-camel, and rebelled against their Lord's command, and said, "O Saleh, let thy menaces be accomplished upon us if thou art one of the Sent Ones."

Then the earthquake surprised them; and in the morning they were found dead on their faces in their dwellings.

So he turned away from them, and said, "O my people! I did indeed announce to you the message of my Lord: and I gave you faithful counsel, but ye love not faithful counsellors.20

We also sent Lot, when he said to his people, commit ye this filthy deed in which no creature hath gone before you?

Come ye to men, instead of women, lustfully? Ye are indeed a people given up to excess.

But the only answer of his people was to say, "Turn them out of your city, for they are men who vaunt them pure."

And we delivered him and his family, except his wife; she was of those who lingered:

And we rained a rain upon them: and see what was the end of the wicked!

And we sent to Madian21 their brother Shoaib. He said, "O my people! worship God; ye have no other God than Him: now hath a clear sign come to you from your Lord: give therefore the full in measures and weights; take from no man his chattels, and commit no disorder on the earth after it has been made so good. This will be better for you, if you will believe it.

And lay not in ambush by every road in menacing sort; nor mislead him who believeth in God, from His way, nor seek to make it crooked; and remember when ye were few and that he multiplied you, and behold what hath been the end of the authors of disorder!

And if a part of you believe in that with which I am sent, and a part of you believe not, then wait steadfastly until God shall judge between us, for He is the best of judges."

Said the chiefs of his people puffed up with pride, "We will surely banish thee, O Shoaib, and thy fellow-believers from our cities, unless indeed ye shall come back to our religion." "What!" said he, "though we abhor it?

Now shall we have devised a lie concerning God, if after he hath delivered us from your religion we shall return to it; nor can we return to it, unless by the will of God our Lord: our Lord embraceth all things in his ken. In God have we put our trust: O our Lord! decide between us and between our people, with truth; for the best to decide art Thou."

And the chiefs of his people who believed not, said, "If ye follow Shoaib, ye shall then surely perish."

An earthquake therefore surprised them, and they were found in the morning dead on their faces, in their dwellings.

Those who had treated Shoaib as an impostor, became as though they had never dwelt in them: they who treated Shoaib as an impostor, were they that perished.

So he turned away from them and said, O my people! I proclaimed to you the messages of my Lord, and I counselled you aright; but how should I be grieved for a people who do not believe?

Nor did we ever send a prophet to any city without afflicting its people with adversity and trouble, that haply they might humble them.22

Then changed we their ill for good, until they waxed wealthy, and said, "Of old did troubles and blessings befall our fathers:" therefore did we seize upon them suddenly when they were unaware.

But if that the people of these cities had believed and feared us, we would surely have laid open to them blessings out of the Heaven and the Earth: but they treated our signs as lies, and we took vengeance on them for their deeds.

Were the people, therefore, of those cities secure that our wrath would not light on them by night, while they were slumbering?

Were the people of those cities secure that our wrath would not light on them in broad day, while they were disporting themselves?

Did they, therefore, deem themselves secure from the deep counsel23 of God? But none deem themselves secure from the deep counsel of God, save those who perish.

Is it not proved to those who inherit this land after its ancient occupants, that if we please we can smite