They will ask thee concerning the mountains: Answer, My LORD will reduce them to dust, and scatter them abroad; and he will leave them a plain equally extended: thou shalt see no part of them higher or lower than another.

On that day mankind shall follow the angel who will call them to judgment, none shall have power to turn aside from him; and their voices shall be low before the Merciful, neither shalt thou hear any more than the hollow sound of their feet.

On that day, the intercession of none shall be of advantage unto another, except the intercession of him to whom the Merciful shall grant permission, and who shall be acceptable unto him in what he saith.

110 G.o.d knoweth that which is before them, and that which is behind them; but they comprehend not the same by their knowledge: and their faces shall be humbled before the living, the self-subsisting G.o.d; and he shall be wretched who shall bear his iniquity.

But whosoever shall do good works, being a true believer, shall not fear any injustice, or any diminution of his reward from G.o.d.

And thus have we sent down this book, being a Koran in the Arabic tongue; and we have inserted various threats and promises therein, that men may fear G.o.d, or that it may awaken some consideration in them: wherefore, let G.o.d be highly exalted, the King, the Truth! Be not over- hasty in receiving or repeating the Koran before the revelation thereof be completed unto thee; and say, LORD, increase my knowledge.

We heretofore gave a command unto Adam; but he forgot the same, and ate of the forbidden fruit; and we found not in him a firm resolution.

And remember when we said unto the angels, Worship ye Adam; and they worshipped him: but Eblis refused.

And we said, O Adam, verily this is an enemy unto thee, and thy wife: wherefore, beware lest he turn you out of paradise; for then shalt thou be miserable.

Verily we have made a provision for thee, that thou shalt not hunger therein, neither shalt thou be naked: and there is also a provision made for thee, that thou shalt not thirst therein, neither shalt thou be incommoded by heat.

120 But Satan whispered evil suggestions unto him, saying, O Adam, shall I guide thee to the tree of eternity, and a kingdom which faileth not?

And they both ate thereof: and their nakedness appeared unto them; and they began to sew together the leaves of paradise, to cover themselves. And thus Adam became disobedient unto his LORD, and was seduced.

Afterwards his LORD accepted him, on his repentance, and was turned unto him, and directed him.

And G.o.d said, Get ye down hence, all of you: the one of you shall be an enemy unto the other. But hereafter shall a direction come unto you from me: and whosoever shall follow my direction shall not err, neither shall he be unhappy; but whosoever shall turn aside from my admonition, verily he shall lead a miserable life, and we will cause him to appear before us on the day of resurrection, blind.

And he shall say, O LORD, why hast thou brought me before thee blind, whereas before I saw clearly?

G.o.d shall answer, Thus have we done, because our signs came unto thee, and thou didst forget them; and in the same manner shalt thou be forgotten this day.

And thus will we reward him who shall be negligent, and shall not believe in the signs of his LORD: and the punishment of the life to come shall be more severe, and more lasting, than the punishment of this life.

Are not the Meccans, therefore, acquainted how many generations we have destroyed before them; in whose dwellings they walk? Verily herein are signs unto those who are endued with understanding.

And unless a decree had previously gone forth from thy LORD for their respite, verily their destruction had necessarily followed: but there is a certain time determined by G.o.d for their punishment.

130 Wherefore, do thou, O Mohammed, patiently bear that which they say; and celebrate the praise of thy LORD before the rising of the sun, and before the setting thereof, and praise him in the hours of the night, and in the extremities of the day, that thou mayest be well-pleased with the prospect of receiving favor from G.o.d.

And cast not thine eyes on that which we have granted divers of the unbelievers to enjoy, namely, the splendor of this present life, that we may prove them thereby; for the provision of thy LORD is better, and more permanent.

Command thy family to observe prayer; and do thou persevere therein. We require not of thee that thou labor to gain necessary provisions for thyself and family; we will provide for thee; for the prosperous issue shall attend on piety.

The unbelievers say, Unless he come unto us with a sign from his LORD, we will not believe on him. Hath not a plain declaration come unto them, of that which is contained in the former volumes of scripture, by the revelation of the Koran?

if we had destroyed them by a judgment before the same had been revealed, they would have said, at the resurrection, O LORD, how could we believe since thou didst not send unto us an apostle, that we might follow thy signs, before we were humbled and covered with shame?

Say, Each of us wait the issue: wait, therefore; for ye shall surely know hereafter who have been the followers of the even way, and who hath been rightly directed.

CHAPTER XXI.

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

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

THE time of giving up their account draweth nigh unto the people of Mecca; while they are sunk in negligence, turning aside from the consideration thereof.

No admonition cometh unto them from their LORD, being lately revealed in the Koran, but when they hear it, they turn it to sport: their hearts are taken up with delights. And they who act unjustly discourse privately together, saying, Is this Mohammed any more than a man like yourselves? Will ye therefore come to hear a piece of sorcery, when ye plainly perceive it to be so?

Say, My LORD knoweth whatever is spoken in heaven and on earth: it is he who heareth and knoweth.

But they say, The Koran is a confused heap of dreams: nay, he hath forged it; nay, he is a poet: let him come unto us therefore with some miracle, in like manner as the former prophets were sent.

None of the cities which we have destroyed believed the miracles which they saw performed before them: will these therefore believe, if they see a miracle?

We sent none as our apostles before them, other than men, unto whom we revealed our will. Ask those who are acquainted with the scripture, if ye know not this.

We gave them not a body which could be supported without their eating food; neither were they immortal.

But we made good our promise unto them: wherefore we delivered them, and those whom we pleased; but we destroyed the exorbitant transgressors.

10 Now have we sent down unto you, O Koreish, the book of the Koran; wherein there is honourable mention of you: will ye not therefore understand?

And how many cities have we overthrown, which were unG.o.dly; and caused other nations to rise up after them?

And when they felt our severe vengeance, behold, they fled swiftly from those cities.

And the angels said scoffingly unto them, Do not fly; but return to that wherein ye delighted, and to your habitations; peradventure ye will be asked.

They answered, Alas for us! verily we have been unjust.

And this their lamentation ceased not, until we had rendered them like corn which is mown down and utterly extinct.

We created not the heavens and the earth, and that which is between them, by way of sport.

If we had pleased to take diversion, verily we had taken it with that which beseemeth us; if we had resolved to have done this.

But we will oppose truth to vanity, and it shall confound the same; and behold, it shall vanish away. Woe be unto you, for that which ye impiously utter concerning G.o.d!

since whoever is in heaven and on earth is subject unto him; and the angels who are in his presence do not insolently disdain his service, neither are they tired therewith.

20 They praise him night and day; they faint not.

Have they taken G.o.ds from the earth? Shall they raise the dead to life?

If there were either in heaven or on earth G.o.ds besides G.o.d, verily both would be corrupted. But far be that which they utter from G.o.d, the LORD of the throne!

No account shall be demanded of him for what he shall do; but an account shall be demanded of them.

Have they taken other G.o.ds besides him! Say, Produce your proof thereof.

This is the admonition of those who are contemporary with me, and the admonition of those who have been before me: but the greater part of them know not the truth, and turn aside from the same.

We have sent no apostle before thee, but we revealed unto him that there is no G.o.d beside myself, wherefore serve me.

They say, The Merciful hath begotten issue; and the angels are his daughters. G.o.d forbid! They are his honoured servants, they prevent him not in anything which they say; and they execute his command.

He knoweth that which is before them, and that which is behind them; they shall not intercede for any, except for whom it shall please him; and they tremble for fear of him.

Whoever of them shall say, I am a G.o.d besides him; that angel will we reward with h.e.l.l: for so will we reward the unjust.

30 Do not the unbelievers therefore know, that the heavens and the earth were solid, and we clave the same in sunder; and made every living thing of water? Will they not therefore believe?

And we placed stable mountains on the earth, lest it should move with them; and we made broad pa.s.sages between them for paths, that they might be directed in their journeys: and we made the heaven a roof well supported. Yet they turn aside from the signs thereof, not considering that they are the workmanship of G.o.d.

It is he who hath created the night, and the day, and the sun, and the moon; all the celestial bodies move swiftly, each in its respective orb.

We have not granted unto any man before thee eternal permanency in this world; if thou die, therefore, will they be immortal?

Every soul shall taste of death: and we will prove you with evil, and with good, for a trial of you; and unto us shall ye return.

When the unbelievers see thee, they receive thee only with scoffing, saying, Is this he who mentioneth your G.o.ds with contempt? Yet themselves believe not what is mentioned to them of the Merciful.

Man is created of precipitation. Hereafter will I show you my signs, so that ye shall not wish them to be hastened.

They say, When will this threat be accomplished, if ye speak truth?

If they who believe not knew that the time will surely come, when they shall not be able to drive back the fire of h.e.l.l from their faces, nor from their backs, neither shall they be helped, they would not hasten it.

40 But the day of vengeance shall come upon them suddenly, and shall strike them with astonishment: they shall not be able to avert it, neither shall they be respited.

Other apostles have been mocked before thee; but the punishment which they scoffed at fell upon such of them as mocked.

Say unto the scoffers, Who shall save you by night and by day from the Merciful? Yet they utterly neglect the remembrance of their LORD.

Have they G.o.ds who will defend them, besides us? They are not able to help themselves; neither shall they be a.s.sisted against us by their companions, But we have permitted these men and their fathers to enjoy worldly prosperity, so long as life was continued unto them. Do they not perceive that we come unto the land of the unbelievers, and straiten the borders thereof? Shall they therefore be the conquerors?

Say, I only preach unto you the revelation of G.o.d: but the deaf will not hear thy call, whenever they are preached unto.

Yet if the least breath of the punishment of thy LORD touch them, they will surely say, Alas for us! verily we have been unjust.

We will appoint just balances for the day of resurrection; neither shall any soul be injured at all: although the merit or guilt of an action be of the weight of a grain of mustard-seed only, we will produce it publicly; and there will be sufficient accountants with us.

We formerly gave unto Moses and Aaron the law, being a distinction between good and evil, and a light and admonition unto the pious; who fear their LORD in secret, and who dread the hour of judgment.

50 And this book also is a blessed admonition, which we have sent down from heaven: will ye therefore deny it?

And we gave unto Abraham his direction heretofore, and we knew him to be worthy of the revelations wherewith he was favored.

Remember when he said unto his father, and his people, What are these images, to which ye are so entirely devoted?

They answered, We found our fathers worshipping them.

He said, Verily both ye and your fathers have been in a manifest error.

They said, Dost thou seriously tell us the truth, or art thou one who jestest with us?

He replied, Verily your LORD is the LORD of the heavens and the earth; it is he who hath created them: and I am one of those who bear witness thereof.

By G.o.d, I will surely devise a plot against your idols, after ye shall have retired from them, and shall have turned your backs.

And in the people's absence he went into the temple where the idols stood, and he brake them all in pieces, except the biggest of them; that they might lay the blame upon that. And when they were returned, and saw the havoc which had been made, they said, Who hath done this to our G.o.ds? He is certainly an impious person.

60 And certain of them answered, We heard a young man speak reproachfully of them: he is named Abraham.

They said, Bring him therefore before the people, that they may bear witness against him.

And when he was brought before the a.s.sembly, they said unto him, Hast thou done this unto our G.o.ds, O Abraham?

He answered, Nay, that biggest of them hath done it: but ask them, if they can speak.

And they returned unto themselves, and said the one to the other, Verily ye are the impious persons.

Afterwards they relapsed into their former obstinacy, and said, Verily thou knowest that these speak not.

Abraham answered, Do ye therefore worship, besides G.o.d, that which cannot profit you at all, neither can it hurt you?

Fie on you: and upon that which ye worship besides G.o.d! Do ye not understand?

They said, Burn him, and avenge your G.o.ds: if ye do this it will be well.