When we bestow favors on man, he retireth and withdraweth himself ungratefully from us: but when evil toucheth him, he despaireth of our mercy.

Say, Every one acteth after his own manner: but your LORD best knoweth who is most truly directed in his way.

They will ask thee concerning the spirit: answer, The spirit was created at the command of my LORD: but ye have no knowledge given unto you, except a little.

If we pleased, we should certainly take away that which we have revealed unto thee; in such case thou couldst not find any to a.s.sist thee therein against us, unless through mercy from thy LORD; for his favor towards thee hath been great.

Say, Verily if men and genii were purposely a.s.sembled, that they might produce a book like this Koran, they could not produce one like unto it, although the one of them a.s.sisted the other.

And we have variously propounded unto men in this Koran every kind of figurative argument; but the greater part of men refuse to receive it, merely out of infidelity.

90 And they say, We will by no means believe on thee, until thou cause a spring of water to gush forth for us out of the earth; or thou have a garden of palm-trees and vines, and thou cause rivers to spring forth from the midst thereof in abundance; or thou cause the heaven to fall down upon us, as thou hast given out, in pieces; or thou bring down G.o.d and the angels to vouch for thee; or thou have a house of gold; or thou ascend by a ladder to heaven: neither will we believe thy ascending thither alone, until thou cause a book to descend unto us, bearing witness of thee, which we may read. Answer My LORD be praised! Am I other than a man, sent as an apostle?

And nothing hindereth men from believing, when a direction is come unto them, except that they say, Hath G.o.d sent a man for his apostle?

Answer, If the angels had walked on earth as familiar inhabitants thereof, we had surely sent down unto them from heaven an angel for our apostle.

Say, G.o.d is a sufficient witness between me and you: for he knoweth and regardeth his servants.

Whom G.o.d shall direct, he shall be the rightly directed; and whom he shall cause to err, thou shalt find none to a.s.sist, besides him. And we will gather them together on the day of resurrection, creeping on their faces, blind, and dumb, and deaf: their abode shall be h.e.l.l; so often as the fire thereof shall be extinguished, we will rekindle a burning flame to torment them.

This shall be their reward, because they disbelieve in our signs, and say, When we shall have been reduced to bones and dust, shall we surely be raised new creatures?

Do they not perceive that G.o.d, who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create other bodies, like their present? And he hath appointed them a limited term; there is no doubt thereof: but the unG.o.dly reject the truth, merely out of unbelief.

100 Say, If ye possessed the treasures of the mercy of my LORD, ye would surely refrain from using them, for fear of spending them; for man is covetous.

We heretofore gave unto Moses the power of working nine evident signs.

And do thou ask the children of Israel, as to the story of Moses; when he came unto them, and Pharaoh said unto him, Verily I esteemed thee, O Moses, to be deluded by sorcery.

Moses answered, Thou well knowest that none hath sent down these evident signs except the LORD of heaven and earth; and I surely esteem thee, O Pharaoh, a lost man.

Wherefore Pharaoh sought to drive them out of the land; but we drowned him and all those who were with him.

And we said unto the children of Israel, after his destruction, Dwell ye in the land: and when the promise of the next life shall come to be fulfilled, we will bring you both promiscuously to judgment. We have sent down the Koran with truth, and it hath descended with truth: and we have not sent thee otherwise than to be a bearer of good tidings, and a denouncer of threats.

And we have divided the Koran, revealing it by parcels, that thou mightest read it unto men with deliberation: and we have sent it down, causing it to descend as occasion required.

Say, Whether ye believe therein, or do not believe, verily those who have been favored with the knowledge of the scriptures which were revealed before it, when the same is rehea.r.s.ed unto them, fall down on their faces, worshipping, and say, Our LORD be praised, for that the promise of our LORD is surely fulfilled!

and they fall down on their faces, weeping; and the hearing thereof increaseth their humility.

110 Say, call upon G.o.d, or call on the Merciful: by whichsoever of the two names ye invoke him, it is equal; for he hath most excellent names.

p.r.o.nounce not thy prayer aloud, neither p.r.o.nounce it with too low a voice, but follow a middle way between these: and say, Praise be unto G.o.d, who hath not begotten any child; who hath no partner in the kingdom, nor hath any to protect him from contempt: and magnify him by proclaiming his greatness.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ENt.i.tLED, THE CAVE; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL G.o.d.

PRAISE be unto G.o.d, who hath sent down unto his servant the book of the Koran, and hath not inserted therein any crookedness, but hath made it a straight rule: that he should threaten a grievous punishment unto the unbelievers, from his presence; and should bear good tidings unto the faithful, who work righteousness, that they should receive an excellent reward, namely, paradise, wherein they shall remain forever: and that he should warn those who say, G.o.d hath begotten issue; of which matter they have no knowledge, neither had their fathers. A grievous saying it is, which proceedeth from their mouths: they speak no other than a lie.

Peradventure thou wilt kill thyself with grief after them, out of thy earnest zeal for their conversion, if they believe not in this new revelation of the Koran.

Verily we have ordained whatsoever is on the earth for the ornament thereof, that we might make trial of men, and see which of them excelleth in works: and we will surely reduce whatever is thereon to dry dust.

Dost thou consider that the companions of the cave, and Al Rakim, were one of our signs, and a great miracle?

10 When the young men took refuge in the cave, they said, O LORD, grant us mercy from before thee, and dispose our business for us to a right issue.

Wherefore we struck their ears with deafness, so that they slept without disturbance in the cave for a great number of years: then we awaked them, that we might know which of the two parties was more exact in computing the s.p.a.ce which they had remained there.

We will relate unto thee their history with truth. Verily they were young men who had believed in their LORD: and we had abundantly directed them: and we fortified their hearts with constancy when they stood before the tyrant; and they said, Our LORD is the LORD of heaven and earth: we will by no means call on any G.o.d besides him; for then should we surely utter an extravagance.

These our fellow people have taken other G.o.ds, besides him; although they bring no demonstrative argument for them: and who is more unjust than he who deviseth a lie concerning G.o.d?

And they said the one to the other, When ye shall separate yourselves from them, and from the deities which they worship, except G.o.d, fly into the cave: your LORD will pour his mercy on you abundantly, and will dispose your business for you to advantage.

And thou mightest have seen the sun, when it had risen, to decline from their cave towards the right hand, and when it went down, to leave them on the left hand: and they were in the s.p.a.cious part of the cave. This was one of the signs of G.o.d. Whomsoever G.o.d shall direct, he shall be rightly directed: and whomsoever he shall cause to err, thou shalt not find any to defend, or to direct.

And thou wouldest have judged them to have been awake, while they were sleeping; and we caused them to turn themselves to the right hand, and to the left. And their dog stretched forth his forelegs in the mouth of the cave: if thou hadst come suddenly upon them, verily thou wouldest have turned thy back and fled from them, and thou wouldest have been filled with fear at the sight of them.

And so we awaked them from their sleep, that they might ask questions of one another. One of them spake and said, How long have ye tarried here? They answered, We have tarried a day, or part of a day. The others said, Your LORD best knoweth the time ye have tarried: and now send one of you with this your money into the city; and let him see which of its inhabitants hath the best and cheapest food, and let him bring you provision from him; and let him behave circ.u.mspectly, and not discover you to any one.

20 Verily if they come up against you, they will stone you, or force you to return to their religion; and then shall ye not prosper forever.

And so we made their people acquainted with what had happened to them; that they might know that the promise of G.o.d is true, and that there is no doubt of the last hour; when they disputed among themselves concerning their matter. And they said, Erect a building over them: their LORD best knoweth their condition. Those who prevailed in their affair answered, We will surely build a chapel over them.

Some say, The sleepers were three; and their dog was the fourth; and others say, They were five; and their dog was the sixth; guessing at a secret matter: and others say, They were seven; and their dog was the eighth. Say, My LORD best knoweth their number: none shall know them, except a few.

Wherefore dispute not concerning them, except with a clear disputation, according to what hath been revealed unto thee: and ask not any of the Christians concerning them.

Say not of any matter, I will surely do this to-morrow; unless thou add, If G.o.d please. And remember thy LORD, when thou forgettest, and say, My LORD is able to direct me with ease, that I may draw near unto the truth of this matter rightly.

And they remained in their cave three hundred years, and nine years over.

Say, G.o.d best knoweth how long they continued there: unto him are the secrets of heaven and earth known; do thou make him to see and to hear. The inhabitants thereof have no protector besides him; neither doth he suffer any one to have a share in the establishment or knowledge of his decree.

Read that which hath been revealed unto thee, of the book of thy LORD, without presuming to make any change therein: there is none who hath power to change his words; and thou shalt not find any to fly to, besides him, if thou attempt it.

Behave thyself with constancy towards those who call upon their LORD morning and evening, and who seek his favor; and let not thine eyes be turned away from them, seeking the pomp of this life; neither obey him whose heart we have caused to neglect the remembrance of us, and who followeth his l.u.s.ts, and leaveth the truth behind him.

And say, The truth is from your LORD; wherefore let him who will, believe, and let him who will, be incredulous. We have surely prepared for the unjust h.e.l.l fire, the flame and smoke whereof shall surround him like a pavilion: and if they beg relief, they shall be relieved with water like molten bra.s.s, which shall scald their faces: O how miserable a potion, and how unhappy a couch!

30 As to those who believe, and do good works, we will not suffer the reward of him who shall work righteousness to perish; for them are prepared gardens of eternal abode, which shall be watered by rivers; they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they shall be clothed in green garments of fine silk and brocades, reposing themselves therein on thrones. O how happy a reward, and how easy a couch!

And propound unto them as a parable two men: on the one of whom we had bestowed two vineyards, and had surrounded them with palm-trees, and had caused corn to grow between them.

Each of the gardens brought forth its fruit every season, and failed not at all; and we caused a river to flow in the midst thereof: and he had great abundance. And he said unto his companion by way of debate, I am superior to thee in wealth, and have a more powerful family.

And he went into his garden, being guilty of injustice against his own soul, and said, I do not think that this garden will decay forever; neither do I think that the last hour will come: and although I should return unto my LORD, verily I shall find a better garden than this in exchange.

And his companion said unto him, by way of debate, Dost thou not believe in him who created thee of the dust, and afterwards of seed; and then fashioned thee into a perfect man?

But as for me, G.o.d is my LORD; and I will not a.s.sociate any other deity with my LORD.

And when thou enterest thy garden, wilt thou not say, What G.o.d pleaseth shall come to pa.s.s; there is no power but in G.o.d alone? Although thou seest me to be inferior to thee in wealth and number of children, 40 my LORD is well able to bestow on me a better gift than thy garden, and to shoot his arrows against the same from heaven, so that it shall become barren dust; or its water may sink deep into the earth, that thou canst not draw thereof.

And his possessions were encompa.s.sed with destruction, as his companion had forewarned him; wherefore he began to turn down the palms of his hands out of sorrow and regret for that which he had expended thereon; for the vines thereof were fallen down on their trails: and he said, Would to G.o.d that I had not a.s.sociated any other deity with my LORD!

And he had no party to a.s.sist him besides G.o.d, neither was he able to defend himself against his vengeance.

In such case protection belongeth of right unto G.o.d alone; he is the best rewarder, and the best giver of success.

And propound to them a similitude of the present life. It is like water which we send down from heaven; and the herb of the earth is mixed therewith, and after it hath been green and flourishing, in the morning it becometh dry stubble, which the winds scatter abroad: and G.o.d is able to do all things.

Wealth and children are the ornament of this present life: but good works, which are permanent, are better in the sight of thy LORD, with respect to the reward, and better with respect to hope.

On a certain day we will cause the mountains to pa.s.s away, and thou shalt see the earth appearing plain and even; and we will gather mankind together, and we will not leave any one of them behind.

And they shall be set before thy LORD in distinct order, and he shall say unto them, Now are ye come unto us naked, as we created you the first time: but ye thought that we should not perform our promise unto you.

And the book wherein every one's actions are recorded shall be put into his hand; and thou shalt see the wicked in great terror, because of that which is written therein, and they shall say, Alas for us! what meaneth this book?

it omitteth neither a small action nor a great one, but it compriseth the same; and they shall find that which they have wrought, present before their eyes: and thy LORD will not deal unjustly with any one.

50 Remember when we said unto the angels, Worship ye Adam: and they all worshipped him, except Eblis, who was one of the genii, and departed from the command of his LORD. Will ye therefore take him and his offspring for your patrons besides me, notwithstanding they are your enemies? Miserable shall such a change be to the unG.o.dly!

I called not them to be present at the creation of the heavens and of the earth, nor at the creation of themselves, neither did I take those seducers for my a.s.sistants.

On a certain day, G.o.d shall say unto the idolaters, Call those whom ye imagined to be my companions, to protect you: and they shall call them, but they shall not answer them; and we will place a valley of destruction between them: and the wicked shall see h.e.l.l fire: and they shall know that they shall be thrown into the same, and they shall find no way to avoid it.

And now have we variously propounded unto men, in this Koran, a parable of every kind; but man cavilleth at most things therein.

Yet nothing hindereth men from believing, now a direction is come unto them, and from asking pardon of their LORD, excepting that they wait until the punishment of their predecessors come to be inflicted on them, or that the chastis.e.m.e.nt of the next life come upon them publicly.

We send not our messengers, but to bear good tidings, and to denounce threats. Those who believe not dispute with vain arguments, that they may thereby render the truth of no effect; and they hold my signs, and the admonitions which have been made them, in derision.

And who is more unjust than he who hath been acquainted with the signs of his LORD, and retireth afar off from the same, and forgetteth that which his hands have formerly committed? Verily we have cast veils over their hearts, lest they should understand the Koran, and into their ears thickness of hearing: if thou invite them to the true direction, yet will they not therefore be directed forever.

Thy LORD is gracious, endued with mercy; if he would have punished them for that which they have committed, he would doubtless have hastened their punishment: but a threat hath been denounced against them, and they shall find no refuge, besides him.

And those former cities did we destroy, when they acted unjustly; and we gave them previous warning of their destruction.

60 And remember when Moses said unto his servant Joshua the son of Nun, I will not cease to go forward, until I come to the place where the two seas meet; or I will travel for a long s.p.a.ce of time.

But when they were arrived at the meeting of the two seas, they forgot their fish, which they had taken with them; and the fish took its way freely in the sea.

And when they had pa.s.sed beyond that place, Moses said unto his servant, Bring us our dinner; for now are we fatigued with this our journey.

His servant answered, Dost thou know what has befallen me? When we took up our lodging at the rock, verily I forgot the fish: and none made me to forget it, except Satan, that I should not remind thee of it. And the fish took its way into the sea, in a wonderful manner.

Moses said, This is what we sought after. And they both went back, returning by the way they came.

And coming to the rock they found one of our servants, unto whom we had granted mercy from us, and whom we had taught wisdom from before us.

And Moses said unto him, Shall I follow thee, that thou mayest teach me part of that which thou hast been taught, for a direction unto me?

He answered, Verily thou canst not bear with me: for how canst thou patiently suffer those things, the knowledge whereof thou dost not comprehend?

Moses replied, Thou shalt find me patient, if G.o.d please; neither will I be disobedient unto thee in anything.

70 He said, If thou follow me, therefore, ask me not concerning anything, until I shall declare the meaning thereof unto thee.

So they both went on by the sea-sh.o.r.e, until they went up into a ship; and he made a hole therein. And Moses said unto him, Hast thou made a hole therein, that thou mightest drown those who are on board? now hast thou done a strange thing.

He answered, Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me?

Moses said, Rebuke me not, because I did forget; and impose not on me a difficulty in what I am commanded.

Wherefore they left the ship and proceeded, until they met with a youth; and he slew him. Moses said, Hast thou slain an innocent person, without his having killed another? now hast thou committed an unjust action.

He answered, Did I not tell thee that thou couldest not bear with me?

Moses said, If I ask thee concerning anything hereafter, suffer me not to accompany thee: now hast thou received an excuse from me.

They went forwards, therefore, until they came to the inhabitants of a certain city: and they asked food of the inhabitants thereof; but they refused to receive them. And they found therein a wall, which was ready to fall down; and he set it upright. Whereupon Moses said unto him, If thou wouldest thou mightest doubtless have received a reward for it.