The Koran Part 160

He it is who hath sent His Apostle with the Guidance and a religion of the truth, that He may make it victorious14 over every other religion, albeit they who a.s.sign partners to G.o.d be averse from it.

O Believers! of a truth, many of the teachers and monks do devour man's substance in vanity, and turn them from the Way of G.o.d. But to those who treasure up gold and silver and expend it not in the Way of G.o.d, announce tidings of a grievous torment.

On that day their treasures shall be heated in h.e.l.l fire, and their foreheads, and their sides, and their backs, shall be branded with them...

. "This is what ye have treasured up for yourselves: taste, therefore, your treasures!"

Twelve months is the number of months with G.o.d,15 according to G.o.d's book, since the day when He created the Heavens and the Earth: of these four are sacred: this is the right usage: But wrong not yourselves therein; attack those who join G.o.ds with G.o.d in all, as they attack you in all: and know that G.o.d is with those who fear Him.

To carry over a sacred month to another, is only a growth of infidelity. The Infidels are led into error by it. They allow it one year, and forbid it another, that they may make good the number of months which G.o.d hath hallowed, and they allow that which G.o.d hath prohibited. The evil of their deeds hath been prepared for them by Satan: for G.o.d guideth not the people who do not believe.

O Believers! what possessed you, that when it was said to you, "March forth on the Way of G.o.d," ye sank heavily earthwards? What! prefer ye the life of this world to the next? But the fruition of this mundane life, in respect of that which is to come, is but little.16

Unless ye march forth, with a grievous chastis.e.m.e.nt will He chastise you; and He will place another people in your stead, and ye shall in no way harm Him: for over everything is G.o.d potent.

If ye a.s.sist not your Prophet ... G.o.d a.s.sisted him formerly, when the unbelievers drove him forth, in company with a second only!17 when they two were in the cave; when the Prophet said to his companion, "Be not distressed; verily, G.o.d is with us." And G.o.d sent down His tranquillity upon him, and strengthened him with hosts ye saw not, and made the word of those who believed not the abased, and the word of G.o.d was the exalted: for G.o.d is Mighty, Wise.

March ye forth the light and heavy armed,18 and contend with your substance and your persons on the Way of G.o.d. This, if ye know it, will be better for you.

Had there been a near advantage and a short journey, they would certainly have followed thee; but the way seemed long to them.19 Yet will they swear by G.o.d, "Had we been able, we had surely gone forth with you:" they are self- destroyers! And G.o.d knoweth that they are surely liars!

G.o.d forgive thee! Why didst thou give them leave to stay behind, ere they who make true excuses had become known to thee, and thou hadst known the liars?

They who believe in G.o.d and in the last day will not ask leave of thee to be exempt from contending with their substance and their persons. But G.o.d knoweth those who fear Him!

They only will ask thy leave who believe not in G.o.d and the last day, and whose hearts are full of doubts, and who are tossed up and down in their doubtings.

Moreover, had they been desirous to take the field, they would have got ready for that purpose the munitions of war.20 But G.o.d was averse to their marching forth, and made them laggards; and it was said, "Sit ye at home with those who sit."

Had they taken the field with you, they would only have added a burden to you, and have hurried about among you, stirring you up to sedition; and some there are among you who would have listened to them: and G.o.d knoweth the evil doers.

Of old aimed they at sedition, and deranged thy affairs, until the truth arrived, and the behest of G.o.d became apparent, averse from it though they were.

Some of them say to thee, "Allow me to remain at home, and expose me not to the trial." Have they not fallen into a trial already? But verily, h.e.l.l shall environ the Infidels!

If a success betide thee, it annoyeth them: but if a reverse betide thee, they say, "We took our own measures before:" and they turn their backs and are glad.

SAY: Nothing can befall us but what G.o.d hath destined21 for us. Our liege- lord is He; and on G.o.d let the faithful trust!

SAY: Await ye for us, other than one of the two best things?22 But we await for you the infliction of a chastis.e.m.e.nt by G.o.d, from himself, or at our hands. Wait ye then; we verily will wait with you.

SAY: Make ye your offerings willingly or by constraint; it cannot be accepted from you, because ye are a wicked people:

And nothing hindreth the acceptance of their offerings, but that they believe not in G.o.d and His Apostle, and discharge not the duty of prayer but with sluggishness, and make not offerings but with reluctance.

Let not, therefore, their riches or their children amaze thee. G.o.d is only minded to punish them by means of these, in this life present, and that their souls may depart while they are unbelievers.23

And they swear by G.o.d that they are indeed of you, yet they are not of you, but they are people who are afraid of you:

If they find a place of refuge, or caves, or a hiding place, they a.s.suredly turn towards it and haste thereto.

Some of them also defame thee in regard to the alms; yet if a part be given them, they are content, but if no part be given them, behold, they are angry!

Would that they were satisfied with that which G.o.d and His Apostle had given them, and would say "G.o.d sufficeth us! G.o.d will vouchsafe unto us of His favour, and so will His Apostle: verily unto G.o.d do we make our suit!"

But alms are only to be given to the poor and the needy,24 and those who collect them, and to those25 whose hearts are won to Islam, and for ransoms, and for debtors, and for the cause of G.o.d, and the wayfarer. This is an ordinance from G.o.d: and G.o.d is Knowing, Wise.

There are some of them who injure26 the Prophet and say, "He is all ear."

Say: An ear of good to you! He believeth in G.o.d, and believeth the believers: and is a mercy to such of you as believe:

But they who injure the Apostle of G.o.d, shall suffer a dolorous chastis.e.m.e.nt.

They swear to you by G.o.d to please you; but worthier is G.o.d, and His Apostle, that they should please Him, if they are believers.

Know they not, that for him who opposeth G.o.d and His Apostle, is surely the fire of h.e.l.l, in which he shall remain for ever? This is the great ignominy!

The hypocrites are afraid lest a Sura should be sent down concerning them, to tell them plainly what is in their hearts. SAY: Scoff ye; but G.o.d will bring to light that which ye are afraid of.

And if thou question them, they will surely say, "We were only discoursing and jesting." SAY: What! do ye scoff at G.o.d, and His signs, and His Apostle?

Make no excuse: from faith ye have pa.s.sed to infidelity! If we forgive some of you, we will punish others: for that they have been evil doers.

Hypocritical men and women imitate one another.27 They enjoin what is evil, and forbid what is just, and shut up their hands.28 They have forgotten G.o.d, and He hath forgotten them. Verily, the hypocrites are the perverse doers.

G.o.d promiseth the hypocritical men and women, and the unbelievers, the fire of h.e.l.l-therein shall they abide-this their sufficing portion! And G.o.d hath cursed them, and a lasting torment shall be theirs.

Ye act like those who flourished before you. Mightier were they than you in prowess, and more abundant in wealth and children, and they enjoyed their portion: so ye also enjoy your portion, as they who were before you enjoyed theirs; and ye hold discourses like their discourses. These! vain their works both for this world and for that which is to come! These! they are the lost ones.

Hath not the history reached them of those who were before them?-of the people of Noah,29 and of Ad, and of Themoud, and of the people of Abraham, and of the inhabitants of Madian, and of the overthrown cities? Their apostles came to them with clear proofs of their mission: G.o.d would not deal wrongly by them, but they dealt wrongly by themselves.

The faithful of both s.e.xes are mutual friends: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil; they observe prayer, and pay the legal impost, and they obey G.o.d and His Apostle. On these will G.o.d have mercy: verily, G.o.d is Mighty, Wise.

To the faithful, both men and women, G.o.d promiseth gardens 'neath which the rivers flow, in which they shall abide, and goodly mansions in the gardens of Eden. But best of all will be G.o.d's good pleasure in them. This will be the great bliss.

O Prophet! contend against the infidels and the hypocrites, and be rigorous with them: h.e.l.l shall be their dwelling place! Wretched the journey thither!

They swear by G.o.d that they said no such thing: yet spake they the word of infidelity, and from Muslims became unbelievers! They planned what they could not effect;30 and only disapproved of it because G.o.d and His Apostle had enriched them by His bounty! If they repent it will be better for them; but if they fall back into their sin, with a grievous chastis.e.m.e.nt will G.o.d chastise them in this world and the next, and on earth they shall have neither friend nor protector!

Some there are of them who made this agreement with G.o.d-"If truly He give us of His bounties, we will surely give alms and surely be of the righteous."

Yet when he had vouchsafed them of His bounty, they became covetous thereof, and turned their backs, and withdrew afar off:

So He caused hypocrisy to take its turn in their hearts, until the day on which they shall meet Him-for that they failed their promise to G.o.d, and that they were liars!

Know they not that G.o.d knoweth their secrets and their private talk, and that G.o.d knoweth the secret things?

They who traduce such of the faithful as give their alms freely, and those who find nothing to give but their earnings, and scoff at them, G.o.d shall scoff at them; and there is a grievous torment in store for them.

Ask thou forgiveness for them, or ask it not, it will be the same. If thou ask forgiveness for them seventy times, G.o.d will by no means forgive them.