SURA XVII.-THE NIGHT JOURNEY [LXVII.]
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Rodwell, J. M. (John Medows)
MECCA.1-111 Verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
GLORY be to Him who carried his servant by night2 from the sacred temple of Mecca to the temple3 that is more remote, whose precinct we have blessed, that we might shew him of our signs! for He is the Hearer, the Seer.
And4 we gave the Book to Moses and ordained it for guidance to the children of Israel-"that ye take no other Guardian than me."
O posterity of those whom we bare with Noah! He truly was a grateful servant!
And we solemnly declared to the children of Israel in the Book, "Twice surely will ye enact crimes in the earth, and with great loftiness of pride will ye surely be uplifted."
So when the menace for the first crime5 came to be inflicted, we sent against you our servants endued with terrible prowess; and they searched the inmost part of your abodes, and the menace was accomplished.
Then we gave you the mastery over them6 in turn, and increased you in wealth and children, and made you a most numerous host.
We said, "If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do well: and if ye do evil, against yourselves will ye do it. And when the menace for your latter crime7 came to be inflicted, then we sent an enemy to sadden your faces, and to enter the temple as they entered it at first, and to destroy with utter destruction that which they had conquered.
Haply your Lord will have mercy on you! but if ye return, we will return:8 and we have appointed Hell-the prison of the infidels.
Verily, this Koran guideth to what is most upright; and it announceth to believers
Who do the things that are right, that for them is a great reward;
And that for those who believe not in the life to come, we have got ready a painful punishment.
Man prayeth for evil as he prayeth for good; for man is hasty.
We have made the night and the day for two signs: the sign of the night do we obscure, but the sign of the day cause we to shine forth, that ye may seek plenty from your Lord, and that ye may know the number of the years and the reckoning of time; and we have made everything distinct by distinctiveness.
And every man's fate9 have we fastened about his neck: and on the day of resurrection will we bring forth to him a book which shall be proffered to him wide open:
-"Read thy Book:10 there needeth none but thyself to make out an account against thee this day."
For his own good only shall the guided yield to guidance, and to his own loss only shall the erring err; and the heavy laden shall not be laden with another's load. We never punished until we had first sent an apostle:
And when we willed to destroy a city, to its affluent ones did we address our bidding; but when they acted criminally therein, just was its doom, and we destroyed it with an utter destruction.
And since Noah, how many nations have we exterminated! And of the sins of his servants thy Lord is sufficiently informed, observant.
Whoso chooseth this quickly passing life, quickly will we bestow therein that which we please-even on him we choose; afterward we will appoint hell for him, in which he shall burn-disgraced, outcast:
But whoso chooseth the next life, and striveth after it as it should be striven for, being also a believer,-these! their striving shall be grateful to God:
To all-both to these and those-will we prolong the gifts of thy Lord; for not to any shall the gifts of thy Lord be denied.
See how we have caused some of them to excel others! but the next life shall be greater in its grades, and greater in excellence.
Set not up another god with God, lest thou sit thee down disgraced, helpless.11
Thy Lord hath ordained that ye worship none but him; and, kindness to your parents, whether one or both of them attain to old age with thee: and say not to them, "Fie!" neither reproach them; but speak to them both with respectful speech;
And defer humbly to them12 out of tenderness; and say, "Lord, have compassion on them both, even as they reared me when I was little."
Your Lord well knoweth what is in your souls; he knoweth whether ye be righteous:
And gracious is He to those who return to Him.
And to him who is of kin render his due, and also to the poor and to the wayfarer; yet waste not wastefully,
For the wasteful are brethren of the Satans, and Satan was ungrateful to his Lord:
But if thou turn away from them, while thou thyself seekest boons from thy Lord for which thou hopest, at least speak to them with kindly speech:
And let not thy hand be tied up to thy neck; nor yet open it with all openness, lest thou sit thee down in rebuke, in beggary.
Verily, thy Lord will provide with open hand for whom he pleaseth, and will be sparing. His servants doth he scan, inspect.
Kill not your children for fear of want:13 for them and for you will we provide. Verily, the killing them is a great wickedness.
Have nought to do with adultery; for it is a foul thing and an evil way:
Neither slay any one whom God hath forbidden you to slay, unless for a just cause: and whosoever shall be slain wrongfully, to his heir14 have we given powers; but let him not outstep bounds in putting the manslayer to death, for he too, in his turn, will be assisted and avenged.
And touch not the substance of the orphan, unless in an upright way, till he attain his age of strength: And perform your covenant; verily the covenant shall be enquired of:
And give full measure when you measure, and weigh with just balance. This will be better, and fairest for settlement:
And follow not that of which thou hast no knowledge;15 because the hearing and the sight and the heart,-each of these shall be enquired of: