SURA X.-JONAH, PEACE BE ON HIM! [LXXXIV.]
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Rodwell, J. M. (John Medows)
MECCA.-109 Verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
ELIF. LAM. RA.1 These are the signs of the wise Book!
A matter of wonderment is it to the men of Mecca, that to a person among themselves We revealed, "Bear warnings to the people: and, to those who believe, bear the good tidings that they shall have with their Lord the precedence merited by their sincerity." The unbelievers say, "Verily this is a manifest sorcerer."
Verily your Lord is God who hath made the Heavens and the Earth in six days- then mounted his throne to rule all things: None can intercede with him till after his permission: This is God your Lord: therefore serve him: Will ye not reflect?
Unto Him shall ye return, all together: the promise of God is sure: He produceth a creature, then causeth it to return again-that he may reward those who believe and do the things that are right, with equity: but as for the infidels!-for them the draught that boileth and an afflictive torment- because they have not believed.
It is He who hath appointed the sun for brightness, and the moon for a light, and hath ordained her stations that ye may learn the number of years and the reckoning of time. God hath not created all this but for the truth.2 He maketh his signs clear to those who understand.
Verily, in the alternations of night and of day, and in all that God hath created in the Heavens and in the Earth are signs to those who fear Him.
Verily, they who hope not to meet Us, and find their satisfaction in this world's life, and rest on it, and who of our signs are heedless;-
These! their abode the fire, in recompense of their deeds!
But they who believe and do the things that are right, shall their Lord direct aright because of their faith. Rivers shall flow at their feet in gardens of delight:
Their cry therein, "Glory be to thee, O God!" and their salutation therein, "Peace!"
And the close of their cry, "Praise be to God, Lord, of all creatures!"
Should God hasten evil on men as they fain would hasten their good, then were their end decreed! So leave we those who hope not to meet Us, bewildered in their error.
When trouble toucheth a man, he crieth to us, on his side, or sitting, or standing; and when we withdraw his trouble from him, he passeth on as though he had not called on us against the trouble which touched him! Thus are the deeds of transgressors pre-arranged for them.
And of old destroyed we generations before you, when they had acted wickedly, and their Apostles had come to them with clear tokens of their mission, and they would not believe:-thus reward we the wicked.
Then we caused you to succeed them on the earth, that we might see how ye would act.
But when our clear signs are recited to them, they who look not forward to meet Us, say, "Bring a different Koran from this, or make some change in it." SAY: It is not for me to change it as mine own soul prompteth. I follow only what is revealed to me: verily, I fear, if I rebel against my Lord, the punishment of a great day.
SAY: Had God so pleased, I had not recited it to you, neither had I taught it to you. Already have I dwelt among you for years, ere it was revealed to me. Understand ye not?
And who is more unjust than he who coineth a lie against God, or treateth his signs as lies? Surely the wicked shall not prosper!
And they worship beside God, what cannot hurt or help them; and say, "These are our advocates with God!" SAY: Will ye inform God of aught in the Heavens and in the Earth which he knoweth not? Praise be to Him! High be He exalted above the deities they join with Him!
Men were of one religion only:3 then they fell to variance: and had not a decree (of respite) previously gone forth from thy Lord, their differences had surely been decided between them!
They say: "Unless a sign be sent down to him from his Lord. . . ." But SAY: The hidden is only with God: wait therefore: I truly will be with you among those who wait.
And when after a trouble which you befallen them,4 we caused this people to taste of mercy, lo! a plot on their part against our signs! SAY: Swifter to plot is God! Verily, our messengers note down your plottings.
He it is who enableth you to travel by land and sea, so that ye go on board of ships-which sail on with them, with favouring breeze in which they rejoice. But if a tempestuous gale overtake them, and the billow come on them from every side, and they think that they are encompassed therewith, they call on God, professing sincere religion:-"Wouldst thou but rescue us from this, then will we indeed be of the thankful."
But when we have rescued them, lo! they commit unrighteous excesses on the earth! O men! assuredly your self-injuring excess is only an enjoyment of this life present: soon ye return to us: and we will let you know what ye have done!
Verily, this present life is like the water which we send down from Heaven, and the produce of the earth, of which men and cattle eat, is mingled with it, till the earth hath received its golden raiment, and is decked out: and they who dwell on it deem that they have power over it! but, Our behest cometh to it by night or by day, and we make it as if it had been mown, as if it had not teemed only yesterday! Thus make we our signs clear to those who consider.
And God calleth to the abode of peace;5 and He guideth whom He will into the right way.
Goodness6 itself and an increase of it for those who do good! neither blackness nor shame shall cover their faces! These shall be the inmates of Paradise, therein shall they abide for ever.
And as for those who have wrought out evil, their recompense shall be evil of like degree, and shame shall cover them-no protector shall they have against God: as though their faces were darkened with deep murk of night! These shall be inmates of the fire: therein they shall abide for ever.
And on that day will we gather them all together: then will we say to those who added gods to God, "To your place, ye and those added gods of yours!" Then we will separate between them: and those their gods shall say, "Ye served us not:7
And God is a sufficient witness between us and you: we cared not aught for your worship."
There shall every soul make proof of what itself shall have sent on before, and they shall be brought back to God, their true lord, and the deities of their own devising shall vanish from them.
SAY: Who supplieth you from the Heaven and the Earth? Who hath power over hearing and sight? And who bringeth forth the living from the dead, and bringeth forth the dead from the living? And who ruleth all things? They will surely say, "God:" then SAY: "What! will ye not therefore fear him?
This God then is your true Lord: and when the truth is gone, what remaineth but error? How then are ye so perverted?
Thus is the word of thy Lord made good on the wicked, that they shall not believe.
SAY: Is there any of the gods whom ye add to God who produceth a creature, then causeth it to return to him? SAY: God produceth a creature, then causeth it to return to Him: How therefore are ye turned aside?
SAY: Is there any of the gods ye add to God who guideth into the truth? SAY: God guideth into the truth. Is He then who guideth into the truth the more worthy to be followed, or he who guideth not unless he be himself guided? What then hath befallen you that ye so judge?
And most of them follow only a conceit:-But a conceit attaineth to nought of truth! Verily God knoweth what they say.
Moreover this Koran could not have been devised by any but God: but it confirmeth what was revealed before it, and is a clearing up of the Scriptures-there is no doubt thereof-from the Lord of all creatures.