And now is an apostle come unto the inhabitants of Mecca from among themselves; and they accuse him of imposture: wherefore a punishment shall be inflicted on them, while they are acting unjustly.

Eat of what G.o.d hath given you for food, that which is lawful and good; and be thankful for the favors of G.o.d, if ye serve him.

He hath only forbidden you that which dieth of itself, and blood, and swine's flesh, and that which hath been slain in the name of any, besides G.o.d. But unto him who shall be compelled by necessity to eat of these things, not l.u.s.ting nor wilfully transgressing, G.o.d will surely be gracious and merciful.

And say not that wherein your tongues utter a lie; This is lawful, and this is unlawful; that ye may devise a lie concerning G.o.d: for they who devise concerning G.o.d shall not prosper.

They shall have small enjoyment in this world, and in that which is to come they shall suffer a grievous torment.

Unto the Jews did we forbid that which we have told thee formally: and we did them no injury in that respect; but they injured their own souls.

Moreover thy LORD will be favorable unto those who do evil through ignorance, and afterwards repent and amend: verily unto these will thy LORD be gracious and merciful, after their repentance.

120 Abraham was a model of true religion, obedient unto G.o.d, orthodox, and was not an idolater: he was also grateful for his benefits: wherefore G.o.d chose him, and directed him into the right way.

And we bestowed on him good in this world; and in the next he shall surely be one of the righteous.

We have also spoken unto thee, O Mohammed, by revelation, saying, Follow the religion of Abraham, who was orthodox, and was no idolater.

The sabbath was only appointed unto those who differed with their prophet concerning it; and thy LORD will surely judge between them, on the day of resurrection, as to that concerning which they differed.

Invite men unto the way of thy LORD, by wisdom, and mild exhortation; and dispute with them in the most condescending manner: for thy LORD well knoweth him who strayeth from his path, and he well knoweth those who are rightly directed.

If ye take vengeance on any, take a vengeance proportionable to the wrong which hath been done you; but if ye suffer wrong patiently, verily this will be better for the patient.

Wherefore, do thou bear opposition with patience; but thy patience shall not be practicable, unless with G.o.d'S a.s.sistance. And be thou not grieved on account of the unbelievers; neither be thou troubled for that which they subtilely devise; for G.o.d is with those who fear him, and are upright.

CHAPTER XVII.

ENt.i.tLED, THE NIGHT JOURNEY; REVEALED AT MECCA.

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

PRAISE be unto him who transported his servant by night, from the sacred temple of Mecca to the farther temple of Jerusalem, the circuit of which we have blessed, that we might show some of our signs; for G.o.d is he who heareth, and seeth.

And we gave unto Moses the book of the law, and appointed the same to be a direction unto the children of Israel, commanding them, saying, Beware that ye take not any other patron besides me.

O posterity of those whom we carried in the ark with Noah: verily he was a grateful servant.

And we expressly declared unto the children of Israel in the book of the law, saying, Ye will surely commit evil in the earth twice, and ye will be elated with great insolence.

And when the punishment threatened for the first of those transgressions came to be executed, we sent against you our servants, endued with exceeding strength in war, and they searched the inner apartments of your houses; and the prediction became accomplished.

Afterwards we gave you the victory over them, in your turn, and we granted you increase of wealth and children, and we made you a more numerous people, saying, If ye do well, ye will do well to your own souls; and if ye do evil, ye will do it unto the same. And when the punishment threatened for your latter transgression came to be executed, we sent enemies against you to afflict you, and to enter the temple, as they entered it the first time, and utterly to destroy that which they had conquered.

Peradventure your LORD will have mercy on you hereafter: but if ye return to transgress a third time, we also will return to chastise you; and we have appointed h.e.l.l to be the prison of the unbelievers.

Verily this Koran directeth unto the way which is most right, and declareth unto the faithful, who do good works, that they shall receive a great reward; 10 and that for those who believe not in the life to come, we have prepared a grievous punishment.

Man prayeth for evil, as he prayeth for good; for man is hasty.

We have ordained the night and the day for two signs of our power: afterwards we blot out the sign of the night, and we cause the sign of the day to shine forth, that ye may endeavour to obtain plenty from your LORD by doing your business therein, and that ye may know the number of years, and the computation of time; and everything necessary have we explained by a perspicuous explication.

The fate of every man have we bound about his neck; and we will produce unto him, on the day of resurrection, a book wherein his actions shall be recorded: it shall be offered him open, and the angels shall say unto him, Read thy book; thine own soul will be a sufficient accountant against thee, this day.

He who shall be rightly directed, shall be directed to the advantage only of his own soul; and he who shall err shall err only against the same: neither shall any laden soul be charged with the burden of another. We did not punish any people, until we had first sent an apostle to warn them.

And when we resolved to destroy a city, we commanded the inhabitants thereof, who lived in affluence, to obey our apostle; but they acted corruptly therein: wherefore the sentence was justly p.r.o.nounced against that city; and we destroyed it with an utter destruction.

And how many generations have we consumed since Noah? for thy LORD sufficiently knoweth and seeth the sins of his servants.

Whosoever chooseth this transitory life, we will bestow on him therein beforehand that which we please; on him, namely, whom we please: afterwards will we appoint him h.e.l.l for his abode; he shall be thrown into the same to be scorched, covered with ignominy, and utterly rejected from mercy.

But whosoever chooseth the life to come, and directeth his endeavour towards the same, being also a true believer; the endeavour of these shall be acceptable unto G.o.d.

20 On all will we bestow the blessings of this life, both on these and on those, of the gift of thy LORD; for the gift of thy LORD shall not be denied unto any.

Behold, how we have caused some of them to surpa.s.s others in wealth and dignity: but the next life shall be more considerable in degrees of honour, and greater in excellence.

Set not up another G.o.d with the true G.o.d, lest thou sit down in disgrace, and dest.i.tute.

Thy LORD hath commanded that ye worship none besides him; and that ye show kindness unto your parents, whether the one of them, or both of them attain to old age with thee. Wherefore, say not unto them, Fie on you!

neither reproach them, but speak respectfully unto them and submit to behave humbly towards them, out of tender affection and say, O LORD, have mercy on them both, as they nursed me when I was little.

Your LORD well knoweth that which is in your souls; whether ye be men of integrity: and he will be gracious unto those who sincerely return unto him.

And give unto him who is of kin to you his due, and also unto the poor, and the traveller. And waste not thy substance profusely: for the profuse are brethren of the devils: and the devil was ungrateful unto his LORD.

But if thou turn from them, in expectation of the mercy which thou hopest from thy LORD; at least, speak kindly unto them.

And let not thy hand be tied up to thy neck; neither open it with an unbounded expansion, lest thou become worthy of reprehension, and be reduced to poverty.

30 Verily thy LORD will enlarge the store of whom he pleaseth, and will be sparing unto whom he pleaseth; for he knoweth and regardeth his servants.

Kill not your children for fear of being brought to want; we will provide for them and for you; verily the killing them is a great sin.

Draw not near unto fornication; for it is wickedness, and an evil way.

Neither slay the soul which G.o.d hath forbidden you to slay, unless for a just cause; and whosoever shall be slain unjustly, we have given his heir power to demand satisfaction; but let him not exceed the bounds of moderation in putting to death the murderer in too cruel a manner, or by revenging his friend's blood on any other than the person who killed him; since he is a.s.sisted by this law.

And meddle not with the substance of the orphan, unless it be to improve it, until he attain his age of strength: and perform your covenant; for the performance of your covenant shall be inquired into hereafter.

And give full measure, when you measure aught; and weigh with a just balance. This will be better, and more easy for determining every man's due.

And follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge; for the hearing, and the sight, and the heart, every of these shall be examined at the last day.

Walk not proudly in the land, for thou canst not cleave the earth, neither shalt thou equal the mountains in stature.

All this is evil, and abominable in the sight of thy LORD.

These precepts are a part of the wisdom which they LORD hath revealed unto thee. Set not up any other G.o.d as equal unto G.o.d, lest thou be cast into h.e.l.l, reproved and rejected.

40 Hath your LORD preferably granted unto you sons, and taken for himself daughters from among the angels? Verily in a.s.serting this ye utter a grievous saying.

And now have we used various arguments and repet.i.tions in this Koran, that they may be warned: yet it only rendereth them more disposed to fly from the truth.

Say unto the idolaters, If there were other G.o.ds with him, as ye say, they would surely seek an occasion of making some attempt against the possessor of the throne: G.o.d forbid! and far, very far, be that from him which they utter!

The seven heavens praise him, and the earth, and all who are therein: neither is there anything which doth not celebrate his praise; but ye understand not their celebration thereof: he is gracious and merciful.

When thou readest the Koran, we place between thee and those who believe not in the life to come a dark veil; and we put coverings over their hearts, lest they should understand it, and in their ears thickness of hearing. And when thou makest mention, in repeating the Koran, of thy LORD only, they turn their backs, flying the doctrine of his unity.

We well know with what design they hearken, when they hearken unto thee, and when they privately discourse together: when the unG.o.dly say, Ye follow no other than a madman.

Behold! what epithets they bestow on thee. But they are deceived; neither can they find any just occasion to reproach thee.

They also say, After we shall have become bones and dust, shall we surely be raised a new creature?

50 Answer, Be ye stones, or iron, or some creature more improbable in your opinions to be raised to life.

But they will say, Who shall restore us to life? Answer, He who created you the first time: and they will wag their heads at thee, saying, When shall this be? Answer, Peradventure it is nigh.

On that day shall G.o.d call you forth from your sepulchres, and ye shall obey, with celebration of his praise; and ye shall think that ye tarried but a little while.

Speak unto my servants, that they speak mildly unto the unbelievers, lest ye exasperate them; for Satan soweth discord among them, and Satan is a declared enemy unto man.

your LORD well knoweth you; if he pleaseth, he will have mercy on you, or, if he pleaseth, he will punish you: and we have not sent thee to be a steward over them.

Thy LORD well knoweth all persons in heaven and on earth. We have bestowed peculiar favors on some of the prophets, preferably to others; and we gave unto David the psalms.

Say, Call upon those whom ye imagine to be G.o.ds besides him; yet they will not be able to free you from harm, or to turn it on others.

Those whom ye invoke, do themselves desire to be admitted to a near conjunction with their LORD; striving which of them shall approach nearest unto him: they also hope for his mercy, and dread his punishment; for the punishment of thy LORD is terrible.

There is no city but we will destroy the same before the day of resurrection, or we will punish it with a grievous punishment. This is written in the book of our eternal decrees.

Nothing hindered us from sending thee with miracles, except that the former nations have charged them with imposture. We gave unto the tribe of Thamud, at their demand, the she-camel visible to their sight: yet they dealt unjustly with her: and we send not a prophet with miracles, but to strike terror.

60 Remember when we said unto thee, Verily thy LORD encompa.s.seth men by his knowledge and power. We have appointed the vision which we showed thee, and also the tree cursed in the Koran, only for an occasion of dispute unto men, and to strike them with terror; but it shall cause them to transgress only the more enormously.

And remember when we said unto the angels, Worship Adam; and they all worshipped him except Eblis, who said, Shall I worship him whom thou hast created of clay?

And he said, What thinkest thou, as to this man whom thou hast honoured above me? verily, if thou grant me respite until the day of resurrection, I will extirpate his offspring, except a few.

G.o.d answered, Begone, I grant thee respite: but whosoever of them shall follow thee, h.e.l.l shall surely be your reward; an ample reward for your demerits!

And entice to vanity such of them as thou canst, by thy voice; and a.s.sault them on all sides with thy hors.e.m.e.n and thy footmen; and partake with them in their riches, and their children; and make them promises; (but the devil shall make them no other than deceitful promises:) as to my servants, thou shalt have no power over them; for thy LORD is a sufficient protector of those who trust in him.

It is your LORD who driveth forward the ships for you in the sea, that ye may seek to enrich yourselves of his abundance by commerce; for he is merciful towards you.

When a misfortune befalleth you at sea, the false deities whom ye invoke are forgotten by you, except him alone: yet when he bringeth you safe to dry land, ye retire afar off from him, and return to your idols; for man is ungrateful.

Are ye therefore secure that he will not cause the dry land to swallow you up, or that he will not send against you a whirlwind driving the sands to overwhelm you? Then shall ye find none to protect you.

Or are ye secure that he will not cause you again to commit yourselves to the sea another time, and send against you a tempestuous wind, and drown you; for that ye have been ungrateful? then shall ye find none to defend you against us, in that distress.

70 And now have we honoured the children of Adam by sundry peculiar privileges and endowments; and we have given them conveniences of carriage by land and by sea, and have provided food for them of good things; and we have preferred them before many of our creatures which we have created, by granting them great prerogatives.

On a certain day we will call all men to judgment with their respective leader: and whosoever shall have his book given him into his right hand, they shall read their book with joy and satisfaction; and they shall not be wronged a hair.

And whoever hath been blind in this life shall be also blind in the next, and shall wander more widely from the path of salvation.

It wanted little but the unbelievers had tempted thee to swerve from the instructions which we had revealed unto thee, that thou shouldest devise concerning us a different thing; and then would they have taken thee for their friend: and unless we had confirmed thee, thou hadst certainly been very near inclining unto them a little.

Then would we surely have caused thee to taste the punishment of life, and the punishment of death; and thou shouldest not have found any to protect thee against us.

The unbelievers had likewise almost caused thee to depart the land, that they might have expelled thee thence: but then should they not have tarried therein after thee, except a little while.

This is the method of dealing which we have prescribed ourselves in respect to our apostles, whom we have already sent before thee: and thou shalt not find any change in our prescribed method.

Regularly perform thy prayer at the declension of the sun, at the first darkness of the night, and the prayer of daybreak; for the prayer of daybreak is borne witness unto by the angels.

And watch some part of the night in the same exercise, as a work of supererogation for thee: peradventure thy LORD will raise thee to an honourable station.

80 And say, O LORD, cause me to enter with a favorable entry, and cause me to come forth with a favorable coming forth; and grant me from thee an a.s.sisting power.

And say, Truth is come, and falsehood is vanished: for falsehood is of short continuance.

We send down of the Koran that which is a medicine and mercy unto the true believers; but it shall only increase the perdition of the unjust.