Chapter VI: Part 6

We created you; _that is, your father Adam_: then we formed you; _we formed him, and you in him_: then We said unto the angels, Prostrate yourselves unto Adam, _by way of salutation_; whereupon they prostrated themselves, except Iblees, _the father of the jinn, who was amid the angels_: he was not of those who prostrated themselves. _God_ said, What hath hindered thee from prostrating thyself, when I commanded thee? He answered, I am better than he: Thou hast created me of fire, and Thou hast created him of earth. [God] said, Then descend thou from it; _that is, from Paradise; or, as some say, from the heavens_; for it is not fit for thee that thou behave thyself proudly therein: so go thou forth: verily thou [shalt be] of the contemptible. He replied, Grant me respite until the day when they (_that is, mankind_) shall be raised from the dead. He said, Thou shalt be of those [who are] respited: _and, in another verse_ [in xv. 38, it is said], _until the day of the known period; that is, until the period of the first blast_ [of the trumpet]. [And the devil] said, Now, as Thou hast led me into error, I will surely lay wait for them (_that is, for the sons of Adam_) in Thy right way, _the way that leadeth to Thee_: then I will surely come upon them, from before them, and from behind them, and from their right hands, and from their left, _and hinder them from pursuing the way_ (_but, saith Ibn-´Abbás, he cannot come upon them above, lest he should intervene between the servant and God’s mercy_), and Thou shalt not find the greater number of them grateful, _or believing_. [God] said, Go forth from it, despised and driven away _from mercy_. Whosoever of them (_that is, of mankind_) shall follow thee, I will surely fill hell with you all; _with thee, and thy offspring, and with men_.

(vii. 10-17.)

And we said, O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife (_Howwá_ [or Eve], _whom God created from a rib of his left side_) in the garden, and eat ye therefrom plentifully, wherever ye will; but approach ye not this tree, _to eat thereof_; (_and it was wheat, or the grape-vine, or some other tree_;) for _if ye do so_, ye will be of _the number of_ the offenders. But the devil, _Iblees_, caused them to slip from it, _that is, from the garden, by his saying unto them, Shall I show you the way to the tree of eternity? And he swore to them by God that he was one of the faithful advisers to them: so they ate of it_, and He ejected them from that _state of delight_ in which they were. And We said, Descend ye[193] _to the earth, ye two with the offspring that ye comprise_ [yet unborn], one of you (_that is, of your offspring_) an enemy to another; and there shall be for you, in the earth, a place of abode, and a provision, _of its vegetable produce_, for a time, _until the period of the expiration of your terms of life_. And Adam learned, from his Lord, words, _which were these_:—_O Lord, we have acted unjustly to our own souls, and if Thou do not forgive us, and be merciful unto us, we shall surely be of those who suffer loss_.[194] _And he prayed in these words_; and He became propitious towards him, _accepting his repentance_; for He is the Very Propitious, the Merciful. We said, Descend ye from it (_from the garden_) altogether; and if there come unto you from Me a direction (_a book and an apostle_), those who follow my direction, _there shall come_ no fear on them, nor shall they grieve _in the world to come; for they shall enter paradise_: but they who disbelieve and accuse our signs[195] of falsehood, these shall be the companions of the fire: they shall remain therein for ever.

(ii. 33-37.)

_ABEL AND CAIN._

Recite, _O Moḥammad_, unto them (_that is, to thy people_) the history of the two sons of Adam, _namely, Abel and Cain_,[196] with truth. When they offered [their] offering _to God_[197] (_Abel’s being a ram, and Cain’s being produce of the earth_), and it was accepted from one of them (_that is, from Abel; for fire descended from heaven, and devoured his offering_), and it was not accepted from the other, _Cain was enraged; but he concealed his envy until Adam performed a pilgrimage, when_ he said _unto his brother_, I will assuredly slay thee. _Abel said, Wherefore? Cain answered, Because of the acceptance of thine offering to the exclusion of mine. Abel_ replied, God only accepteth from the pious. If thou stretch forth to me thy hand to slay me, I will not stretch forth to thee my hand to slay thee; for I fear God, the Lord of the worlds. I desire that thou shouldst bear the sin [which thou intendest to commit] against me, _by slaying me_, and thy sin _which thou hast committed before_, and thou wilt be of the companions of the fire.—And that is the recompense of the offenders.—But his soul suffered him to slay his brother: so he slew him; and he became of [the number of] those who suffer loss. _And he knew not what to do with him; for he was the first dead person upon the face of the earth of the sons of Adam. So he carried him upon his back._ And God sent a raven, which scratched up the earth _with its bill and its talons and raised it over a dead raven that was with it until it hid it_, to show him how he should hide the corpse of his brother. He said, O my disgrace! Am I unable to be like this raven, and to hide the corpse of my brother?—And he became of [the number of] the repentant. _And he digged_ [a grave] _for him, and hid him_.—On account of this _which Cain did_ We commanded the children of Israel that he who should slay a soul (not for _the latter’s having slain_ a soul or _committed_ wickedness in the earth, _such as infidelity, or adultery, or intercepting the way, and the like_) [should be regarded] as though he had slain all mankind; and he who saveth it alive, _by abstaining from slaying it_, as though he had saved alive all mankind.

(v. 30-35.)

_NOAH AND THE FLOOD._

We formerly sent Noah [Nooḥ] unto his people, _saying_, Verily I am unto you a plain admonisher that ye worship not [any] but God. Verily I fear for you, _if ye worship any other_, the punishment of an afflictive day _in this world and in the world to come_.—But the chiefs who disbelieved among his people replied, We see thee not to be other than a man, like unto us; and we see not any to have followed thee except the meanest of us, _as the weavers and the cobblers_, at first thought (_or rashly_), nor do we see you to have any excellence above us: nay, we imagine you to be liars _in your claim to the apostolic commission_. He said, O my people, tell me, if I have an evident proof from my Lord and He hath bestowed on me mercy (_the gift of prophecy_) from Himself which is hidden from you, shall we compel you to _receive_ it when ye are averse thereto? _We cannot do so._ And, O my people, I ask not of you any riches for it; _namely, for delivering my message_. My reward is not due from any but God; and I will not drive away those who have believed _as ye have commanded me_ [because they are poor people]. Verily they shall meet their Lord _at the resurrection, and He will recompense them, and will exact for them_ [reparation] _from those who have treated them with injustice, and driven them away_. But I see you [to be] a people who are ignorant _of the end of your case_. And, O my people, who will defend me against God if I drive them away? Will ye not then consider? And I do not say unto you, I have the treasures of God; nor [do I say], I know the things unseen; nor do I say, Verily I am an angel; nor do I say, of those whom your eyes contemn, God will by no means bestow on them good: (God best knoweth what is in their minds:) verily I should in that case be [one] of the offenders.—They replied, O Noah, thou hast disputed with us and multiplied disputes with us: now bring upon us that _punishment_ wherewith thou threatenest us, if thou be of those that speak truth. He said, Only God will bring it upon you, if He please _to hasten it unto you; for it is His affair, not mine_; and ye shall not escape _God_: nor will my counsel profit you, if I desire to counsel you, if God desire to lead you into error. He is your Lord; and unto Him shall ye be brought back.

(xi. 27-36.)

And it was said by revelation unto Noah, Verily there shalt not believe of thy people [any] but they who have already believed; therefore be not grieved for that which they have done.

(xi. 38.)

_And he uttered an imprecation upon them, saying_, O my Lord, leave not upon the earth any one of the unbelievers; for if Thou leave them, they will lead Thy servants into error, and will not beget [any] but a wicked, ungrateful [offspring]. O my Lord, forgive me and my parents (_for they were believers_), and whomsoever entereth my house (_my abode, or my place of worship_), being a believer, and the believing men, and the believing women, (_to the day of resurrection_), and add not to the offenders [aught] save destruction.

(lxxi. 27-29.)

_And God answered his prayer, and said_, Construct the ark in our sight and according to our revelation, and speak not unto Me concerning those who have offended, _to beg Me not to destroy them_; for they [shall be] drowned. And he constructed the ark; and whenever a company of his people passed by him, they derided him. He said, If ye deride us, we will deride you, like as ye deride, _when we are saved and ye are drowned_, and ye shall know on whom shall come a punishment which shall render him vile, and whom shall befall a lasting punishment. [Thus he was employed] until when Our decree _for their destruction_ came to pass, and the _baker’s_ oven overflowed _with water_[198] (_for this was a signal unto Noah_), We said, Carry into it (_that is, into the ark_) of every pair, _male and female, of each of these descriptions_, two (_and it is related that God assembled for Noah the wild beasts and the birds and other creatures, and he proceeded to put his hands upon each kind, and his right hand fell always upon the male, and his left upon the female, and he carried them into the ark_), and thy family (excepting him upon whom the sentence _of destruction_ hath already been pronounced, _namely, Noah’s wife, and his son Canaan: but Shem and Ham and Japheth and their three wives he took_), and those who have believed; but there believed not with him save a few: _they were six men and their wives: and it is said that all who were in the ark were eighty, half of whom were men and half women_. And _Noah_ said, Embark ye therein. In the name of God [be] its course and its mooring.[199] Verily my Lord is very forgiving [and] merciful.—And it moved along with them amid waves like mountains; and Noah called unto his son, _Canaan_, who was apart _from the ark_, O my child, embark with us, and be not with the unbelievers! He replied, I will betake me to a mountain which will secure me from the water. [Noah] said, There is nought that will secure to-day from the decree of God [any] but him on whom He hath mercy. And the waves intervened between them; so he became [one] of the drowned. And it was said, O earth, swallow up thy water (_whereupon it drank it up, except what had descended from heaven, which became rivers and seas_), and, O heaven, cease _from raining_;—and the water abated, and the decree was fulfilled, and it (_namely, the ark_) rested on El-Joodee (_a mountain of El-Jezeereh, near El-Mósil_); and it was said, Perdition to the offending people![200]

(xi. 38-46.)

And Noah called upon his Lord, and said, O my Lord, verily my son is of my family, _and Thou hast promised me to save them_, and verily Thy promise is true, and Thou art the most just of those who exercise judgment. _God_ replied, O Noah, verily he is not of thy family _who should be saved, or of the people of thy religion_. Verily it (_namely, thine asking me to save him_) is not a righteous act; _for he was an unbeliever, and there is no safety for the unbelievers_; therefore ask not of me that wherein thou hast no knowledge. I admonish thee, lest thou become [one] of the ignorant.—_Noah_ said, O my Lord, I beg Thee to preserve me from asking Thee that wherein I have no knowledge; and if Thou do not forgive me and have mercy upon me, I shall be of those who suffer loss.—It was said, O Noah, descend _from the ark_,[201] with peace from Us, and blessings, upon thee and upon peoples [that shall proceed] from those who are with thee _in the ark_ (_that is, their believing posterity_); but peoples [that shall proceed] _from those who are with thee_ We will permit to enjoy _the provisions of this world_; then a painful punishment shall befall them from Us, _in the world to come; they being unbelievers_.

(xi. 47-50.)

_´AD AND THAMOOD._

And _we sent_ unto _the former_ [tribe of] ´Ád[202] their brother Hood.[203] He said, O my people, worship God: _assert His unity_. Ye have no other deity than Him. Will ye not then fear _Him, and believe_?—The chiefs who disbelieved among his people answered, Verily we see thee to be in a foolish way, and verily we esteem thee one of the liars _with respect to the apostolic commission_. He replied, O my people, there is no folly in me; but I am an apostle from the Lord of the worlds. I bring unto you the messages of my Lord, and I am unto you a counsellor, intrusted _with the apostolic office_. Do ye wonder that an admonition hath come unto you from your Lord by _the tongue of_ a man from among you, that he may warn you? And remember how He hath appointed you vicegerents _in the earth_ after the people of Noah, and increased you in tallness of stature. (_For the tall among them was a hundred cubits, and the short among them sixty._) Remember, then, the benefits of God, that ye may prosper. They said, Art thou come unto us that we may worship God alone, and relinquish what our fathers worshipped? Then bring upon us that _punishment_ with which thou threatenest us, if thou be of those who speak truth.—He replied, Punishment and indignation from your Lord have become necessary for you. Do ye dispute with me concerning names which ye and your fathers have given _to idols which ye worship_, concerning which (_that is, the worship of which_) God hath not set down any convincing proof? Then await ye _the punishment_. I am with you, of those who await _that, for your accusing me of falsehood. And the unprofitable wind was sent upon them._ But We delivered him (_namely, Hood_) and them who were with him (_of the believers_) by Our mercy; and We cut off the uppermost part of those who charged Our signs with falsehood and who were not believers.

(vii. 63-70.)

And _We sent_ unto _the tribe of_ Thamood[204] their brother Ṣáliḥ. He said, O my people, worship God. Ye have no other deity than Him. A _miraculous_ proof _of my veracity_ hath come unto you from your Lord, this she-camel of God being a sign unto you. [He had caused her, at their demand, to come forth from the heart of a rock.] Therefore let her feed in God’s earth, and do her no harm, lest a painful punishment seize you. And remember how He hath appointed you vicegerents _in the earth_ after [the tribe of] ´Ád, and given you a habitation in the earth: ye make yourselves, on its plains, pavilions _wherein ye dwell in summer_, and cut the mountains into houses _wherein ye dwell in winter_. Remember then the benefits of God, and do not evil in the earth, acting corruptly.—The chiefs who were elated with pride, among his people, said unto those who were esteemed weak, _namely_, to those who had believed among them, Do ye know that Ṣáliḥ hath been sent _unto you_ from his Lord? They answered, _Yea_: verily we believe in that wherewith he hath been sent. Those who were elated with pride replied, Verily we disbelieve in that wherein ye have believed.—_And the she-camel had a day to water; and they had a day; and they became weary of this._ And they hamstrung the she-camel (_Ḳudár_ [the son of Sálif] _doing so by their order and slaying her with the sword_);[205] and they impiously transgressed the command of their Lord,[206] and said, O Ṣáliḥ, bring upon us that _punishment_ with which thou threatenest us _for killing her_, if thou be [one] of the apostles. And the violent convulsion (_a great earthquake, and a cry from heaven_[207]) assailed them, and in the morning they were in their dwellings prostrate _and dead_. So he turned away from them, and said, O my people, I have brought unto you the message of my Lord and given you faithful counsel; but ye loved not faithful counsellors.

(vii. 71-77.)

_DHU-L-ḲARNEYN._

They (_namely, the Jews_) will ask thee concerning Dhu-l-Ḳarneyn.[208] (_His name was El-Iskender, and he was not a prophet._) Answer, I will recite unto you an account of him. We gave him ability in the earth, _by facilitating his journeying therein_, and gave him a way to _attain_ everything _that he required_. And he followed a way _towards a place where the sun setteth_, until, when he came to the place where the sun setteth, he found that it set in a spring of black mud, _as it appeared to the eye; but really that spring was greater than the world_; and he found near it a people _who were unbelievers_.[209] We said, _by inspiration_, O Dhu-l-Ḳarneyn, either punish _the people by slaughter_, or proceed against them gently, _taking them captive_. He said, As to him who offendeth _by polytheism_, we will punish him _by slaughter_: then he shall be taken back to his Lord, and He will punish him with a severe punishment, _in the fire of hell_. But as to him who believeth, and doeth that which is right, he shall have as a reward paradise, and We will say unto him, in Our command, _that which will be_ easy _unto him_.—Then he followed a way _towards the place where the sun riseth_, until, when he came to the place where the sun riseth, he found that it rose upon a people (_namely, the Zenj_) unto whom We had not given anything wherewith to shelter themselves therefrom, _neither clothing nor roof; for their land bore no building; but they had subterranean dwellings, into which they retired at sunrise, and they came forth when the sun was high_. Thus _was the case_; and We comprehended with Our knowledge what were with him (_namely, Dhu-l-Ḳarneyn_), _of weapons and forces and other things_.—Then he followed a way until, when he came between the two barriers (_or mountains, at the confines of the country of the Turks, between which is the barrier of El-Iskender, as will be related presently_), he found before them a people who could scarce understand speech. They said, O Dhu-l-Ḳarneyn, verily Yájooj and Májooj [Gog and Magog[210]] are corrupting in the earth, _by plunder and tyranny, when they came forth unto us_. Shall we therefore pay thee tribute, on the condition that thou make a barrier between us and them?—He answered, The ability which my Lord hath given me, _by wealth and other things_, is better _than your tribute, which I need not. I will make the barrier for you gratuitously_: but assist me strenuously _by doing that which I desire_: I will make between you and them a strong barrier. Bring me pieces of iron _of the size of the blocks of stone used in building.—And he built with them, and placed amid them firewood and charcoal_, until, when it [the mass] filled up the space between the upper parts of the two mountains, _and he had put the bellows and fire around that mass_, he said, Blow ye [with the bellows]. _So they blew_ until, when he had made it (_that is, the iron_) _like_ fire, he said, Bring me molten brass, that I may pour upon it. _And he poured the molten brass upon the heated iron, so that it entered between its pieces and the whole became one mass._ And they (_namely, Yájooj and Májooj_) were not able to ascend to its top _by reason of its height and smoothness_; nor were they able to perforate it _by reason of its hardness and thickness_. _Dhu-l-Ḳarneyn_ said, This (_namely, the barrier, or the gift of the ability to construct it_) is a mercy from my Lord: but when the promise of my Lord, _as to the eruption of Yájooj and Májooj shortly before the resurrection_, shall come _to be fulfilled_, He will reduce it (_namely, the barrier_) to dust; and the promise of my Lord concerning _their eruption and other events_ is true. And We will suffer some of them, on that day (_the day of their eruption_), to pour tumultuously among others: and the trumpet shall be blown _for the resurrection_, and We will gather them (_namely, all creatures_) together in a body, _in one place_. And We will set hell, on that day, _near_ before the unbelievers, whose eyes have been veiled from my admonition (_the Ḳur-án_), _and who, being blind, have not been directed by it_, and who could not hear _what the prophet recited unto them, by reason of their hatred of him; wherefore they believed not in him_.

(xviii. 82-101.)

_ABRAHAM, ISHMAEL, ISAAC._

_Remember_ when Abraham [Ibráheem] said to his father A´zar (_this was the surname of Terah_), Dost thou take images as deities?[211] Verily I see thee and thy people to be in a manifest error.—(And thus, _as We showed him the error of his father and his people_, did We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and [We did so] that he might be of [the number of] those who firmly believe.) And when the night overshadowed him, he saw a star (_it is said that it was Venus_), [and] he said _unto his people, who were astrologers_, This is my Lord, _according to your assertion_.—But when it set, he said, I like not those that set, _to take them as Lords, since it is not meet for a Lord to experience alteration and change of place, as they are of the nature of accidents_. _Yet this had no effect upon them._ And when he saw the moon rising, he said _unto them_, This is my Lord.—But when it set, he said, Verily if my Lord direct me not (_if He confirm me not in the right way_), I shall assuredly be of the erring people.—_This was a hint to his people that they were in error; but it had no effect upon them._ And when he saw the sun rising, he said, This is my Lord. This is greater _than the star and the moon_.—But when it set, _and the proof had been rendered more strong to them, yet they desisted not_, he said, O my people, verily I am clear of the [things] which ye associate _with God; namely, the images and the heavenly bodies_. _So they said unto him, What dost thou worship? He answered_, Verily I direct my face unto Him who hath created the heavens and the earth, following the right religion, and I am not of the polytheists.—And his people argued with him; [but] he said, Do ye argue with me respecting God, when He hath directed me, and I fear not what ye associate with Him, unless my Lord will _that_ aught _displeasing should befall me_? My Lord comprehendeth everything by _His_ knowledge. Will ye not therefore consider? And wherefore should I fear what ye have associated _with God_, when ye fear not for your having associated with God that of which He hath not sent down unto you a proof? Then which of the two parties is the more worthy of safety? _Are we, or you?_ If ye know _who is the more worthy of it, follow him_.—_God saith_, They who have believed, and not mixed their belief with injustice (_that is, polytheism_), for these shall be safety _from punishment_, and they are rightly directed.

(vi. 74-82.)

Relate _unto them_, in the book (_that is, the Ḳur-án_), _the history of_ Abraham. Verily he was a person of great veracity, a prophet. When he said unto his father _A´zar, who worshipped idols_, O my father, wherefore dost thou worship that which heareth not, nor seeth, nor averteth from thee aught, _whether of advantage or of injury_? O my father, verily [a degree] of knowledge hath come unto me, that hath not come unto thee: therefore follow me: I will direct thee into a right way. O my father, serve not the devil, _by obeying him in serving idols_; for the devil is very rebellious unto the Compassionate. O my father, verily I fear that a punishment will betide thee from the Compassionate, _if thou repent not_, and that thou wilt be unto the devil an aider, _and a companion in hell-fire_.—He replied, Art thou a rejector of my Gods, O Abraham, _and dost thou revile them_? If thou abstain not, I will assuredly assail thee _with stones or with ill words; therefore beware of me_, and leave me for a long time.—_Abraham_ said, Peace _from me_ be on thee! I will ask pardon for thee of my Lord; for He is gracious unto me: and I will separate myself from you and from what ye invoke instead of God; and I will call upon my Lord: perhaps I shall not be unsuccessful in calling upon my Lord, _as ye are in calling upon idols_.—And when he had separated himself from them, and from what they worshipped instead of God, _by going to the Holy Land_, We gave him _two sons, that he might cheer himself thereby, namely_, Isaac and Jacob; and each [of them] We made a prophet; and We bestowed upon them (_namely, the three_), of our mercy, _wealth and children_; and We caused them to receive high commendation.

(xix. 42-51.)

We gave unto Abraham his direction formerly, _before he had attained to manhood_; and We knew him _to be worthy of it_. When he said unto his father and his people, What are these images, to _the worship of_ which ye are devoted?—they answered, We found our fathers worshipping them, _and we have followed their example_. He said _unto them_, Verily ye and your fathers have been in a manifest error. They said, Hast thou come unto us with truth _in saying this_, or art thou of those who jest? He answered, Nay, your Lord (_the being who deserveth to be worshipped_) is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, who created them, _not after the similitude of anything pre-existing_; and I am of those who bear witness thereof. And, by God, I will assuredly devise a plot against your idols after ye shall have retired, turning your backs.—So, _after they had gone to their place of assembly, on a day when they held a festival_, he brake them in pieces _with an axe_, except the chief of them, _upon whose neck he hung the axe_; that they might return unto it (_namely, the chief_) _and see what he had done with the others_. They said, _after they had returned and seen what he had done_, Who hath done this unto our gods? Verily he is of the unjust.—_And some of them_ said, We heard a young man mention them _reproachfully_: he is called Abraham. They said, Then bring him before the eyes of the people, that they may bear witness _against him of his having done it_. They said _unto him, when he had been brought_, Hast thou done this unto our gods, O Abraham? He answered, Nay, this their chief did it: and ask ye them, if they [can] speak. And they returned unto themselves, _upon reflection_, and said _unto themselves_, Verily ye are the unjust, _in worshipping that which speaketh not_. Then they reverted to their obstinacy, _and said_, Verily thou knowest that these speak not: _then wherefore dost thou order us to ask them?_ He said, Do ye then worship, instead of God, that which doth not profit you at all, nor injure you _if ye worship it not_? Fy on you, and on that which ye worship instead of God! Do ye not then understand?—They said, Burn ye him, and avenge your gods, if ye will do _so_. _So they collected abundance of firewood for him, and set fire to it; and they bound Abraham, and put him into an engine, and cast him into the fire. But, saith God_, We said, O fire, be thou cold, and a security unto Abraham! _So nought of him was burned save his bonds: the heat of the fire ceased, but its light remained; and by God’s saying, Security,—Abraham was saved from dying, by reason of its cold._ And they intended against him a plot; but he caused them to be the sufferers.[212] And We delivered him and Lot, _the son of_ _his brother Haran, from El-´Eráḳ_, [bringing them] unto the land which we blessed for the peoples, _by the abundance of its rivers and trees, namely, Syria. Abraham took up his abode in Palestine, and Lot in El-Mu-tekifeh, between which is a day’s journey._ And _when Abraham had asked a son_, We gave unto him Isaac, and Jacob as an additional gift, _beyond what he had asked, being a son’s son_; and all of them We made righteous persons _and prophets_. And We made them models of religion who directed _men_ by Our command _unto Our religion_; and We commanded them by inspiration to do good works and to perform prayer and to give the appointed alms; and they served Us. And unto Lot We gave judgment and knowledge; and We delivered him from the city which committed filthy actions; for they were a people of evil, shameful doers; and We admitted him into our mercy; for he was [one] of the righteous.

(xxi. 52-75.)

Hast thou not considered him who disputed with Abraham concerning his Lord, because God had given him the kingdom? _And he was Nimrod._ When Abraham said, (_upon his saying unto him, Who is thy Lord, unto whom thou invitest us?_), My Lord is He who giveth life and causeth to die,—he replied, I give life and cause to die.—_And he summoned two men, and slew one of them, and left the other. So when he saw that he understood not_, Abraham said, And verily God bringeth the sun from the east: now do thou bring it from the west.—And he who disbelieved was confounded; and God directeth not the offending people.

(ii. 260.)

And Our messengers came formerly unto Abraham with good tidings _of Isaac and Jacob, who should be after him_. They said, Peace. He replied, _Peace be on you_. And he tarried not, but brought a roasted calf. And when he saw that their hands touched it not, he disliked them and conceived a fear of them. They said, Fear not: for we are sent unto the people of Lot, _that we may destroy them_. And his wife _Sarah_ was standing _serving them_, and she laughed, _rejoicing at the tidings of their destruction_. And we gave her good tidings of Isaac [Isḥáḳ]; and after Isaac, Jacob [Yaạḳoob]. She said, Alas! shall I bear a child when I am an old woman, _of nine and ninety years_, and when this my husband is an old man, _of a hundred or a hundred and twenty years_? Verily this [would be] a wonderful thing.—They said, Dost thou wonder at the command of God? The mercy of God and His blessings be on you, O people of the house (_of Abraham_)! for He is praiseworthy, glorious.—And when the terror had departed from Abraham, and the good tidings had come unto him, he disputed with Us (_that is, with Our messengers_) respecting the people of Lot; for Abraham was gentle, compassionate, repentant. _And he said unto them, Will ye destroy a city wherein are three hundred believers? They answered, No. He said, And will ye destroy a city wherein are two hundred believers? They answered, No. He said, And will ye destroy a city wherein are forty believers? They answered, No. He said, And will ye destroy a city wherein are fourteen believers? They answered, No. He said, And tell me, if there be in it one believer? They answered, No. He said, Verily in it is Lot. They replied, We know best who is in it. And when their dispute had become tedious, they said_, O Abraham, abstain from this _disputation_; for the command of thy Lord hath come _for their destruction_, and a punishment not [to be] averted is coming upon them.

(xi. 72-78.)

And when Our decree for _the destruction of the people of Lot_ came [to be executed], We turned them (_that is, their cities_) upside-down; _for Gabriel raised them to heaven, and let them fall upside-down to the earth_;[213] and We rained upon them stones of baked clay, sent one after another, marked with thy Lord, _each with the name of him upon whom it should be cast_: and they [are] not far distant from the offenders; _that is, the stones are not, or the cities of the people of Lot were not, far distant from the people of Mekkeh_.

(xi. 84.)

And [Abraham] said [after his escape from Nimrod], Verily I am going unto my Lord, who will direct me _unto the place whither He hath commanded me to go, namely, Syria. And when he had arrived at the Holy Land, he said_, O my Lord, give me _a son_ [who shall be one] of the righteous. Whereupon We gave him the glad tidings of a mild youth. And when he had attained to the age when he could work with him (_as some say, seven years; and some, thirteen_), he said, O my child, verily I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice thee (_and the dreams of prophets are true; and their actions, by the command of God_); therefore consider what thou seest advisable _for me to do_. He replied, O my father, do what thou art commanded: thou shalt find me, if God please, [of the number] of the patient. And when they had resigned themselves, and he had laid him down on his temple, _in_ [the valley of] _Mind, and had drawn the knife across his throat_ (_but it produced no effect, by reason of an obstacle interposed by the divine power_), We called unto him, O Abraham, thou hast verified the vision. Verily thus do We reward the well-doers. Verily this was the manifest trial. And We ransomed him _whom he had been commanded to sacrifice_ (_and he was Ishmȧel_ [Ismá´eel] _or Isaac; for there are two opinions_)[214] with an excellent victim, _a ram from Paradise, the same that Abel had offered: Gabriel_ (_on whom be peace!_) _brought it, and the lord Abraham sacrificed it, saying, God is most great!_ And We left _this salutation_ [to be bestowed] on him by the latter generations, Peace [be] on Abraham! Thus do We reward the well-doers: for he was of our believing servants.

(xxxvii. 97-111.)

_Remember_ when Abraham said, O my Lord, show me how Thou will raise to life the dead.[215]—He said, Hast thou not believed? He answered, Yea: but _I have asked Thee_ that my heart may be at ease. He replied, Then take four birds and draw them towards thee, _and cut them in pieces and mingle together their flesh and their feathers_; then place upon each mountain _of thy land_ a portion of them, then call them _unto thee_: they shall come unto thee quickly: and know thou that God is mighty [and] wise.—_And he took a peacock and a vulture and a raven and a cock, and did with them as hath been described, and kept their heads with him, and called them; whereupon the portions flew about, one to another, until they became complete: then they came to their heads._

(ii. 262.)

_Remember_ when his Lord had tried Abraham by [certain] words, _commands and prohibitions_, and he fulfilled them, _God_ said _unto him_, I constitute thee a model of religion unto men.[216] He replied, And of my offspring _constitute models of religion_. [God] said, My covenant doth not apply to the offenders, _the unbelievers among them_.—And when We appointed the house (_that is, the Kaạbeh_) to be a place for the resort of men, and a place of security (_a man would meet the slayer of his father there and he would not provoke him_ [to revenge],) and [said], Take, _O men_, the station of Abraham (_the stone upon which he stood at the time of building the House_) as a place of prayer, _that ye may perform behind it the prayers of the two rek´ahs_[217] [which are ordained to be performed after the ceremony] _of the circuiting_ [of the Kaạbeh].—And We commanded Abraham and Ishmael, [saying], Purify my House (_rid it of the idols_) for those who shall compass [it], and those who shall abide _there_, and those who shall bow down and prostrate themselves.—And when Abraham said, O my Lord, make this _place_ a secure territory (_and God hath answered his prayer, and made it a sacred place, wherein the blood of man is not shed, nor is any one oppressed in it, nor is its game hunted_ [or shot], _nor are its plants cut or pulled up_), and supply its inhabitants with fruits _which hath been done by the transporting of Eṭ-Ṭáïf from Syria thither, when it_ [that is, the territory of Mekkeh] _was desert, without sown land or water_,[218] such of them as shall believe in God and the last day.—_He mentioned them peculiarly in the prayer agreeably with the saying of God, My covenant doth not apply to the offenders._—_God_ replied, And _I will supply_ him who disbelieveth: I will make him to enjoy _a supply of food in this world_, a little _while_: then I will force him, _in the world to come_, to the punishment of the fire; and evil shall be the transit.

(ii. 118-120.)

And _remember_ when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House[219] (_that is, building it_), together with Ishmael, _and they said_, O our Lord, accept of us _our building_; for Thou art the Hearer _of what is said_, the Knower _of what is done_. O our Lord, also make us resigned[220] unto Thee, and _make_ from among our offspring a people resigned unto Thee, and show us our rites (_the ordinances of our worship, or our pilgrimage_), and be propitious towards us; for Thou art the Very Propitious, the Merciful. (_They begged Him to be propitious to them, notwithstanding their honesty, from a motive of humility, and by way of instruction to their offspring._) O our Lord, also send unto them (_that is, the people of the House_) an apostle from among them (_and God hath answered their prayer by sending Moḥammad_), who shall recite unto them Thy signs (the Ḳur-án), and shall teach them the book (_the Ḳur-án_), and the knowledge _that it containeth_, and shall purify them _from polytheism_; for Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.—And who will be averse from the religion of Abraham but he who maketh his soul foolish, _who is ignorant that it is God’s creation, and that the worship of Him is incumbent on it; or who lightly esteemeth it and applieth it to vile purposes_; when We have chosen him in this world _as an apostle and a friend_, and he shall be in the world to come one of the righteous _for whom are high ranks?—And remember_ when his lord said unto him, Resign thyself:—he replied, I resign myself unto the Lord of the worlds.—And Abraham commanded his children to follow it (_namely, the religion_); and Jacob,_ his children; saying_, O my children, verily God hath chosen for you the religion _of El-Islám_;[221] therefore die not without your being Muslims.—_It was a prohibition from abandoning El-Islám and a command to persevere therein unto death._

(ii. 121-126.)

_When the Jews said, Abraham was a Jew, and we are of his religion,—and the Christians said the like_, [the following] _was revealed_:—O people of the Scripture, wherefore do ye argue respecting Abraham, _asserting that he was of your religion_, when the Pentateuch and the Gospel were not sent down but after him _a long time_? Do ye not then understand the _falsity of your saying_? So ye, O people, have argued respecting that of which ye have knowledge, _concerning Moses and Jesus, and have asserted that ye are of their religion_: then wherefore do ye argue respecting that of which ye have no knowledge, _concerning Abraham_? But God knoweth _his case_, and ye know _it_ not. Abraham was not a Jew nor a Christian: but he was orthodox, a Muslim [or one resigned], _a unitarian_, and he was not of the polytheists.

(iii. 58-60.)

_JACOB, JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN._

_Remember_, when Joseph [Yoosuf] said unto his father, O my father, verily I saw _in sleep_ eleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them making obeisance unto me. He replied, O my child, relate not thy vision to thy brethren, lest they contrive a plot against thee, _knowing its interpretation to be that they are the stars and that the sun is thy mother and the moon thy father_; for the devil is unto man a manifest enemy. And thus, _as thou sawest_, thy Lord will choose thee, and teach thee the interpretation of events, _or dreams_, and will accomplish his favour upon thee _by the gift of prophecy_, and upon the family of Jacob, as He accomplished it upon thy fathers before, Abraham and Isaac; for thy Lord is knowing [and] wise.—Verily in _the history of_ Joseph and his brethren are signs to the inquirers.—When they (_the brethren of Joseph_) said, _one to another_, Verily Joseph and his brother _Benjamin_ are dearer unto our father than we, and we are a number of men; verily our father is in a manifest error; slay ye Joseph, or drive him away into a _distant_ land; so the face of your father shall be directed alone unto you, _regarding no other_, and ye shall be after it a just people:—a speaker among them, _namely, Judah_, said, Slay not Joseph, but throw him to the bottom of the well; then some of the travellers may light upon him, if ye do _this_. _And they were satisfied therewith_. They said, O our father, wherefore dost thou not intrust us with Joseph, when verily we are faithful unto him? Send him with us tomorrow _into the plain_, that he may divert himself and sport; and we will surely take care of him.—He replied, Verily your taking him away will grieve me, and I fear lest the wolf devour him while ye are heedless of him. They said, Surely if the wolf devour him, when we are a number of men, we shall in that case be indeed weak. _So he sent him with them._ And when they went away with him, and agreed to put him at the bottom of the well, _they did so_.[222] _They pulled off his shirt, after they had beaten him and had treated him with contempt and had desired to slay him; and they let him down; and when he had arrived half-way down the well they let him fall, that he might die; and he fell into the water. He then betook himself to a mass of rock; and they called to him; so he answered them, imagining that they would have mercy upon him. They however desired to crush him with a piece of rock; but Judah prevented them._ And We said unto him by revelation, _while he was in the well (and he was seventeen years of age, or less), to quiet his heart_, Thou shalt assuredly declare unto them this their action, and they shall not know _thee at the time_.[223] And they came to their father at nightfall weeping. They said, O our father, we went to run races,[224] and left Joseph with our clothes, and the wolf devoured him; and thou wilt not believe us, though we speak truth. And they brought false blood upon his shirt. _Jacob_ said _unto them_, Nay, your minds have made a thing seem pleasant unto you, _and ye have done it_;[225] but patience is seemly, and God’s assistance is implored with respect to that which ye relate.

And travellers came _on their way from Midian (Medyen) to Egypt, and alighted near the well_;[226] and they sent their drawer of water,[227] and he let down his bucket _into the well: so Joseph caught hold upon it, and the man drew him forth; and when he saw him_, he said, O good news! This is a young man!—_And his brethren thereupon knew his case; wherefore they came unto him_, and they[228] concealed his case, _making him_ as a piece of merchandise; _for they said, He is our slave who hath absconded. And Joseph was silent, fearing lest they should slay him._ And God knew that which they did. And they sold him for a mean price, [for] some dirhems counted down, _twenty, or two-and-twenty_; and they were indifferent to him. _The travellers then brought him to Egypt, and he who had bought him sold him for twenty deenárs and a pair of shoes and two garments._ And the Egyptian who bought him, _namely, Ḳiṭfeer_,[229] said unto his wife _Zeleekha_, Treat him hospitably; peradventure he may be advantageous to us, or we may adopt him as a son. _For he was childless._ And thus We prepared an establishment for Joseph in the land _of Egypt_, to teach him the interpretation of events, _or dreams_; for God is well able to effect His purpose; but the greater number of men, _namely, the unbelievers_, know not _this_. And when he had attained his age of strength (_thirty years, or three-and-thirty_), We bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge _in matters of religion, before he was sent as a prophet_; for thus do We recompense the well-doers. (xii. 4-22.—_Then follows an account of his temptation by his mistress, Zeleekha._)

Then it seemed good unto them,[230] after they had seen the signs of _his innocence, to imprison him_. They will assuredly imprison him for a time, _until the talk of the people respecting him cease_. _So they imprisoned him._ And there entered with him into the prison two young men, _servants of the king, one of whom was his cup-bearer and the other was his victualler_. _And they found that he interpreted dreams; wherefore_ one of them, _namely, the cup-bearer_, said, I dreamed that I was pressing grapes: and the other said, I dreamed that I was carrying upon my head some bread, whereof the birds did eat: acquaint us with the interpretation thereof; for we see thee to be [one] of the beneficent.—He replied, There shall not come unto you any food wherewith ye shall be fed _in a dream_, but I will acquaint you with the interpretation thereof _when ye are awake_, before _the interpretation of_ it come unto you. This is _a part_ of that which my Lord hath taught me. Verily I have abandoned the religion of a people who believe not in God and who disbelieve in the world to come; and I follow the religion of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It is not _fit_ for us to associate anything with God. This _knowledge of the unity_ [hath been given us] of the bounty of God towards us and towards mankind; but the greater number of men are not thankful. O ye two companions (_or inmates_) of the prison, are sundry lords better, or is God, the One, the Almighty? Ye worship not, beside Him, [aught] save names which ye and your fathers have given _to idols_, concerning which God hath not sent down any convincing proof. Judgment belongeth not [unto any] save unto God _alone_. He hath commanded that ye worship not [any] but Him. This is the right religion; but the greater number of men know not. O ye two companions of the prison, as to one of you, _namely, the cup-bearer_, he will serve wine unto his lord _as formerly_; and as to the other, he will be crucified, and the birds will eat from off his head.—_Upon this they said, We dreamed not aught. He replied_, The thing is decreed concerning which ye [did] ask a determination, _whether ye have spoken truth or have lied_. And he said unto him whom he judged to be the person who should escape of them two, _namely the cup-bearer_, Mention me unto thy Lord, _and say unto him, In the prison is a young man imprisoned unjustly.—And he went forth._ But the devil caused him to forget to mention _Joseph_ unto his lord:[231] so he remained in the prison some years: _it is said, seven; and it is said, twelve._

And the king of _Egypt,[232] Er-Reiyán the son of El-Weleed_ said, Verily I saw [in a dream] seven fat kine which seven lean _kine_ devoured, and seven green ears of corn and _seven_ other _ears_ dried up. O ye nobles, explain unto me my dream, if ye interpret a dream.—They replied, _These are_ confused dreams, and we know not the interpretation of dreams. And he who had escaped, of the two _young men, namely the cup-bearer_, said (for he remembered after a time _the condition of Joseph_), I will acquaint you with the interpretation thereof; wherefore send me. _So they sent him; and he came unto Joseph, and said_, O Joseph, O thou of great veracity, give us an explanation respecting seven fat kine which seven lean [kine] devoured, and seven green ears of corn and other [seven] dried up, that I may return unto the men (_the king and his companions_), that they may know _the interpretation thereof_. He replied, Ye shall sow seven years as usual: (_this is the interpretation of the seven fat kine_:) and what ye reap do ye leave in its ear, _lest it spoil_; except a little, whereof ye shall eat. Then there shall come, after that, seven grievous [years]: (_this is the interpretation of the seven lean kine_:) they shall consume what ye shall have provided for them, _of the grain sown in the seven years of plenty_, except a little which ye shall have kept. Then there shall come, after that, a year wherein men shall be aided _with rain_, and wherein they shall press _grapes and other fruits_.—And the king said, _when the messenger came unto him and acquainted him with the interpretation of the dream_, Bring unto me him _who hath interpreted it_.

(xii. 35-50.)

And when he had spoken unto him,[233] he said _unto him_, Thou art this day firmly established with us, and intrusted _with our affairs_. _What then seest thou fit for us to do?—He answered, Collect provision, and sow abundant seed in these plentiful years, and store up the grain in its ear: then the people will come unto thee that they may obtain provision from thee. The king said, And who will act for me in this affair? Joseph_ said, Set me over the granaries of the land; for I am careful [and] knowing.—Thus did We prepare an establishment for Joseph in the land, that he might take for himself a dwelling therein wherever he pleased.—_And it is related that the king crowned him, and put a ring on his finger, and instated him in the place of Ḳiṭfeer, whom he dismissed from his office; after which, Ḳiṭfeer died, and thereupon the king married him to his wife Zeleekha, and she bore him two sons._[234] We bestow Our mercy on whom We please, and We cause not the reward of the well-doers to perish: and certainly the reward of the world to come is better for those who have believed and have feared.