CHAPTER LXV.

ENt.i.tLED, DIVORCE; REVEALED AT MEDINA.

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

O PROPHET, when ye divorce women, put them away at their appointed term; and compute the term exactly: and fear G.o.d, your LORD. Oblige them not to go out of their apartments, neither let them go out, until the term be expired, unless they be guilty of manifest uncleanness. These are the statutes of G.o.d: and whoever transgresseth the statutes of G.o.d a.s.suredly injureth his own soul.

Thou knowest not whether G.o.d will bring something new to pa.s.s, which may reconcile them after this.

And when they shall have fulfilled their term, either retain them with kindness, or part from them honourably: and take witnesses from among you, men of integrity; and give your testimony as in the presence of G.o.d. This admonition is given unto him who believeth in G.o.d and the last day: and whoso feareth G.o.d, unto him will he grant a happy issue out of all his afflictions, and he will bestow on him an ample provision from whence he expecteth it not: and whoso trusteth in G.o.d, he will be his sufficient support; for G.o.d will surely attain his purpose. Now hath G.o.d appointed unto everything a determined period.

As to such of your wives as shall despair having their courses, by reason of their age; if ye be in doubt thereof, let their term be three months: and let the same be the term of those who have not yet had their courses. But as to those who are pregnant, their term shall be, until they be delivered of their burden. And whoso feareth G.o.d, unto him will he make his command easy.

This is the command of G.o.d, which he hath sent down unto you. And whoso feareth G.o.d, he will expiate his evil deeds from him, and will increase his reward.

Suffer the women whom ye divorce to dwell in some part of the houses wherein ye dwell; according to the room and conveniences of the habitations which ye possess: and make them not uneasy, that ye may reduce them to straits. And if they be with child, expend on them what shall be needful, until they be delivered of their burden. And if they suckle their children for you, give them their hire; and consult among yourselves, according to what shall be just and reasonable. And if ye be put to a difficulty herein, and another woman shall suckle the child for him, let him who hath plenty expend proportionably in the maintenance of the mother and the nurse, out of his plenty: and let him whose income is scanty expend in proportion out of that which G.o.d hath given him. G.o.d obligeth no man to more than he hath given him ability to perform: G.o.d will cause ease to succeed hardship.

How many cities have turned aside from the command of the LORD and his apostles! Wherefore we brought them to a severe account; and we chastised them with a grievous chastis.e.m.e.nt: and they tasted the evil consequence of their business; and the end of their business was perdition.

10 G.o.d hath prepared for them a severe punishment: wherefore fear G.o.d, O ye who are endued with understanding. True believers, now hath G.o.d sent down unto you an admonition, an apostle who may rehea.r.s.e unto you the perspicuous signs of G.o.d; that he may bring forth those who believe and do good works, from darkness into light. And whoso believeth in G.o.d, and doth that which is right, him will he lead into gardens beneath which rivers flow, to remain therein forever: now hath G.o.d made an excellent provision for him.

It is G.o.d who hath created seven heavens, and as many different stories of the earth: the divine command descendeth between them; that ye may know that G.o.d is omnipotent, and that G.o.d comprehendeth all things by his knowledge.

CHAPTER LXVI.

ENt.i.tLED, PROHIBITION; REVEALED AT MEDINA.

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

O PROPHET, why holdest thou that to be prohibited which G.o.d hath allowed thee, seeking to please thy wives; since G.o.d is inclined to forgive, and merciful?

G.o.d hath allowed you the dissolution of your oaths: and G.o.d is your master; and he is knowing and wise.

When the prophet intrusted as a secret unto one of his wives a certain accident; and when she disclosed the same, and G.o.d made it known unto him; he acquainted her with part of what she had done, and forbore to upbraid her with the other part thereof. And when he had acquainted her therewith, she said, Who hath discovered this unto thee? He answered, The knowing, the sagacious G.o.d hath discovered it unto me.

If ye both be turned unto G.o.d (for your hearts have swerved) it is well: but if ye join against him, verily G.o.d is his patron; and Gabriel, and the good man among the faithful, and the angels also are his a.s.sistants.

If he divorce you, his LORD can easily give him in exchange other wives better than you, women resigned unto G.o.d, true believers, devout, penitent, obedient, given to fasting, both such as have been known by other men, and virgins.

O true believers, save your souls, and those of your families, from the fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which are set angels fierce and terrible; who disobey not G.o.d in what he hath commanded them, but perform what they are commanded.

O unbelievers, excuse not yourselves this day; ye shall surely be rewarded for what ye have done.

O true believers, turn unto G.o.d with a sincere repentance: peradventure your LORD will do away from you your evil deeds, and will admit you into gardens, through which rivers flow; on the day whereon G.o.d will not put to shame the prophet, or those who believe with him: their light shall run before them, and on their right hands, and they shall say, LORD, make our light perfect, and forgive us: for thou art almighty.

O prophet, attack the infidels with arms, and the hypocrites with arguments; and treat them with severity: their abode shall be h.e.l.l, and an ill journey shall it be thither.

10 G.o.d propoundeth as a similitude unto the unbelievers, the wife of Noah, and the wife of Lot: they were under two of our righteous servants, and they deceived them both; wherefore their husbands were of no advantage unto them at all, in the sight of G.o.d: and it shall be said unto them, at the last day, Enter ye into h.e.l.l fire, with those who enter therein.

G.o.d also propoundeth as a similitude unto those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh; when she said, LORD, build me a house with thee in paradise; and deliver me from Pharaoh and his doings, and deliver me from the unjust people: and Mary the daughter of Imran; who preserved her chast.i.ty, and into whose womb we breathed of our spirit, and who believed in the words of her LORD, and his scriptures, and was a devout and obedient person.

CHAPTER LXVII.

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

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

BLESSED be he in whose hand is the kingdom, for he is almighty!

Who hath created death and life, that he might prove you, which of you is most righteous in his actions: and he is mighty, and ready to forgive.

Who hath created seven heavens, one above another: thou canst not see in a creature of the most Merciful any unfitness or disproportion.

Lift up thine eyes again to heaven, and look whether thou seest any flaw: then take two other views; and thy sight shall return unto thee dull and fatigued.

Moreover we have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and have appointed them to be darted at the devils, for whom we have prepared the torment of burning fire: and for those who believe not in their LORD is also prepared the torment of h.e.l.l; and ill journey shall it be thither.

When they shall be thrown thereinto, they shall hear it bray like an a.s.s; and it shall boil, and almost burst for fury. So often as a company of them shall be thrown therein, the keepers thereof shall ask them, saying, Did not a warner come unto you?

They shall answer, Yea, a warner came unto us: but we accused him of imposture, and said, G.o.d hath not revealed anything; ye are in no other than a great error: 10 and they shall say, If we had hearkened, or had rightly considered, we should not have been among the inhabitants of burning fire: and they shall confess their sins; but far be the inhabitants of burning fire from obtaining mercy!

Verily they who fear their LORD in secret shall receive pardon and a great reward.

Either conceal your discourse, or make it public; he knoweth the innermost part of your b.r.e.a.s.t.s: shall not he know all things who hath created them; since he is the sagacious, the knowing?

It is he who hath levelled the earth for you: therefore walk through the regions thereof, and eat of his provision; unto him shall be the resurrection.

Are ye secure that he who dwelleth in heaven will not cause the earth to swallow you up? and behold, it shall shake.

Or are you secure that he who dwelleth in heaven will not send against you an impetuous whirlwind, driving the sands to overwhelm you? then shall ye know how important my warning was.

Those also who were before you disbelieved; and how grievous was my displeasure!

Do they not behold the birds above them, extending and drawing back their wings? None sustaineth them, except the Merciful; for he regardeth all things.

20 Or who is he that will be as an army unto you, to defend you against the Merciful? Verily the unbelievers are in no other than a mistake.

Or who is he that will give you food, if he withholdeth his provision?

yet they persist in perverseness, and flying from the truth.

Is he, therefore, who goeth grovelling upon his face, better directed than he who walketh upright in a straight way?

Say, It is he who hath given you being, and endued you with hearing, and sight, and understanding; yet how little grat.i.tude have ye!

Say, It is he who hath sown you in the earth, and unto him shall ye be gathered together.

They say, When shall this menace be put in execution, if ye speak truth?

Answer, The knowledge of this matter is with G.o.d alone: for I am only a public warner.

But when they shall see the same nigh at hand, the countenance of the infidels shall grow sad: and it shall be said unto them, This is what ye have been demanding.

Say, What think ye? Whether G.o.d destroy me and those who are with me, or have mercy on us; who will protect the unbelievers from a painful punishment?

Say, He is the Merciful; in him do we believe, and in him do we put our trust. Ye shall hereafter know who is in a manifest error.

30 Say, What think ye? If your water be in the morning swallowed up by the earth, who will give you clear and running water?

CHAPTER LXVIII.

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

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

N. BY the pen, and what they write, thou, O Mohammed, through the grace of thy LORD, art not distracted.

Verily there is prepared for thee an everlasting reward: for thou art of a n.o.ble disposition.

Thou shalt see, and the infidels shall see, which of you are bereaved of your senses.

Verily thy LORD well knoweth him who wandereth from his path; and he well knoweth those who are rightly directed: wherefore obey not those who charge thee with imposture.

They desire that thou shouldest be easy with them, and they will be easy with thee.

10 But obey not any who is a common swearer, a despicable fellow, a defamer, going about with slander, who forbiddeth that which is good, who is also a transgressor, a wicked person, cruel, and besides this, of spurious birth: although he be possessed of wealth and many children: when our signs are rehea.r.s.ed unto him, he saith, They are fables of the ancients.