History of the World/History of the World (Bureau Development, Inc.)(1992).BIN/dp/0247/02477.txt

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$Title{Koran (Qu'ran)
[C.]}
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Title:       Koran (Qu'ran)
Author:      Allah

[C.]

Sura IV. - Women ^2

[Footnote 2: Most of the events alluded to in this Sura fall between the end
of the third and the close of the fifth year after the Flight to Medina.]

Medina. - 175 Verses

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

     O men! fear your Lord, who hath created you of one man (nafs, soul), and
of him created his wife, and from these twain hath spread abroad so many men
and Women.  And fear ye God, in whose name ye ask mutual favours, - and
reverence the wombs that bare you.  Verily is God watching over you!

     And give to the orphans their property; substitute not worthless things
of your own for their valuable ones, and devour not their property after
adding it to your own; for this is a great crime.

     And if ye are apprehensive that ye shall not deal fairly with orphans,
then, of other women who seem good in your eyes, marry but two, or three, or
four; ^1 and if ye still fear that ye shall not act equitably, then one only;
or the slaves whom ye have acquired: this will make justice on your part
easier.  Give women their dowry freely; but if of themselves they give up
aught thereof to you, then enjoy it as convenient, and profitable:

[Footnote 1: Muhammad assumed to himself the privilege of having a yet
greater number of wives.  But in doing so, he was probably actuated by a
desire for male offspring.  Chadijah was his only wife until quite a late
period of his career.  Comp. Arbah Turim. Ev. Hazaer I, "A man may marry many
wives, for Rabba saith it is lawful to do so, if he can provide for them.
Nevertheless, the wise men have given good advice, that a man should not
marry more than four wives."  See also Yad Hachazakah Hilchoth Ishuth. 14,
3.]

     And entrust not to the incapable the substance which God hath placed
with you for their support; but maintain them therewith, and clothe them, and
speak to them with kindly speech.

     And make trial of orphans until they reach the age of marriage; and if
ye perceive in them a sound judgment, then hand over their substance to them;
but consume ye it not wastefully, or by hastily entrusting it to them;

     Because they are growing up.  And let the rich guardian not even touch
it; and let him who is poor use it for his support (eat of it) with
discretion.

     And when ye make over their substance to them, then take witnesses in
their presence: God also maketh a sufficient account.

     Men ought to have a part of what their parents and kindred leave; and
women ^2 a part of what their parents and kindred leave: whether it be little
or much, let them have a stated portion.

[Footnote 2: Verses 8 and 12 are said by the commentators to have been
revealed in consequence of the complaints of Omm Kuhha that, in accordance
with the ante-Islamitic custom, she had been excluded from any portion of her
deceased husband's property.  The unsatisfactory nature of the Muhammadan
traditions may be inferred from the fact, that no less than six different
names are assigned to him.  It is, however, probable that these and similar
laws relative to inheritances were given at a time when many heads of
families had fallen, as at Ohod, in battle.  This remark applies to verses
33-45.]

     And when they who are of kin are present at the division, and the
orphans and the poor, let them too have a share; and speak to them with
kindly speech.

     And let those be afraid to wrong the orphans, who, should they leave
behind them weakly offspring, would be solicitous on their account.  Let
them, therefore, fear God, and let them propose what is right.

     Verily they who swallow the substance of the orphan wrongfully, shall
swallow down only fire into their bellies, and shall burn in the flame!

     With regard to your children, God commandeth you to give the male the
portion of two females; and if they be females more than two, then they shall
have two-thirds of that which their father hath left: but if she be an only
daughter, she shall have the half; and the father and mother of the deceased
shall each of them have a sixth part of what he hath left, if he have a
child; but if he have no child, and his parents be his heirs, then his mother
shall have the third: and if he have brethren, his mother shall have the
sixth, after paying the bequests he shall have bequeathed, and his debts.  As
to your fathers, or your children, ye know not which of them is the most
advantageous to you.  This is the law of God.  Verily, God is Knowing, Wise!

     Half of what your wives leave shall be your's, if they have no issue;
but if they have issue, then a fourth of what they leave shall be your's,
after paying the bequests they shall bequeath, and debts.

     And your wives shall have a fourth part of what ye leave, if ye have no
issue; but if ye have issue, then they shall have an eighth part of what ye
leave, after paying the bequests ye shall bequeath, and debts.

     If a man or a woman make a distant relation their heir, and he or she
have a brother or a sister, each of these two shall have a sixth; but if
there are more than this, then shall they be sharers in a third, after
payment of the bequests he shall have bequeathed, and debts,

     Without loss to any one.  This is the ordinance of God, and God is
Knowing, Gracious!

     These are the precepts of God; and whoso obeyeth God and his prophet,
him shall God bring into gardens beneath whose shades the rivers flow,
therein to abide for ever: and this, the great blessedness!

     And whoso shall rebel against God and his apostle, and shall break His
bounds, him shall God place in the fire to abide therein for ever; and his
shall be a shameful torment.

     If any of your women be guilty of whoredom, then bring four witnesses
against them from among yourselves; and if they bear witness to the fact,
shut them up within their houses till death release them, ^1 or God make some
way for them.

[Footnote 1: Women found guilty of adultery and fornication were punished at
the first rise of Islam, by being literally immured.  But this was exchanged,
in the case of a maiden, for one year's banishment and 100 stripes; and in
the case of a married woman, for stoning.]

     And if two men among you commit the same crime, then punish them both;
but if they turn and amend, then let them be: for God is He who turneth,
Merciful!

     With God himself will the repentance of those who have done evil
ignorantly, and then turn speedily unto Him, be accepted.  These!  God will
turn unto them: for God is Knowing, Wise!

     But no place of repentance shall there be for those who do evil, until,
when death is close to one of them, he saith, "Now verily am I turned to
God;" nor to those who die unbelievers.  These! we have made ready for them a
grievous torment!

     O believers! it is not allowed you to be heirs of your wives against
their will; nor to hinder them from marrying, in order to take from them part
of the dowry you had given them, unless they have been guilty of undoubted
lewdness; but associate kindly with them: for if ye are estranged from them,
haply ye are estranged from that in which God hath placed abundant good.

     And if ye be desirous to exchange one wife for another, and have given
one of them a talent, make no deduction from it.  Would ye take it by
slandering her, and with manifest wrong?

     How, moreover, could ye take it, when one of you hath gone in unto the
other, and they have received from you a strict bond of union?

     And marry not women whom your fathers have married: for this is a shame,
and hateful, and an evil way: - though what is past ^2 may be
allowed.

[Footnote 2: What took place in the times of ignorance, previous to the
revelation of the Koran.  See Freytag's Einl. p. 201, as to the incestuous
nature of the ante-Islamitic Arabian marriages.]

     Forbidden to you are your mothers, and your daughters, and your sisters,
and your aunts, both on the father and mother's side, and your nieces on the
brother and sister's side, and your foster-mothers, and your foster-sisters,
and the mothers of your wives, and your step-daughters who are your wards,
born of your wives to whom ye have gone in: (but if ye have not gone in unto
them, it shall be no sin in you to marry them;) and the wives of your sons
who proceed out of your loins; and ye may not have two sisters; except where
it is already done.  Verily, God is Indulgent, Merciful!

     Forbidden to you also are married women, except those who are in your
hands as slaves: This is the law of God for you.  And it is allowed you,
beside this, to seek out wives by means of your wealth, with modest conduct,
and without fornication.  And give those with whom ye have cohabited their
dowry.  This is the law.  But it shall be no crime in you to make agreements
over and above the law.  Verily, God is Knowing, Wise!

     And whoever of you is not rich enough to marry free believing women,
then let him marry such of your believing maidens as have fallen into your
hands as slaves; God well knoweth your faith.  Ye are sprung the one from the
other.  Marry them, then, with the leave of their masters, and give them a
fair dower: but let them be chaste and free from fornication, and not
entertainers of lovers.

     If after marriage they commit adultery, then inflict upon them half the
penalty enacted for free married women.  This law is for him among you who is
afraid of doing wrong: ^1 but if ye abstain, ^2 it will be better for you.  And
God is Lenient, Merciful.

[Footnote 1: By marrying without means adequate to the support of a free
wife, or by remaining single.]

[Footnote 2: From marrying slaves.]

     God desireth to make this known to you, and to guide you into the ways
of those who have been before you, and to turn Him unto you in mercy.  And
God is Knowing, Wise!

     God desireth thus to turn him unto you: but they who follow their own
lusts, desire that with great swerving should ye swerve!  God desireth to
make your burden light: for man hath been created weak.

     O believers! devour not each other's substance in mutual frivolities; ^3
unless there be a trafficking among you by your own consent: and commit not
suicide: - of a truth God is merciful to you.

[Footnote 3: Games of chance, usury, etc.]

     And whoever shall do this maliciously and wrongfully, we will in the end
cast him into the fire; for this is easy with God.

     If ye avoid the great sins which ye are forbidden, we will blot out your
faults, and we will cause you to enter Paradise with honourable entry.

     Covet not the gifts by which God hath raised some of you above others.
The men shall have a portion according to their deserts, and the women a
portion according to their deserts.  Of God, therefore, ask his gifts.
Verily, God hath knowledge of all things.

     To every one have we appointed kindred, as heirs of what parents and
relatives, and those with whom ye have joined right hands in contract, leave.
Give therefore, to each their portion.  Verily, God witnesseth all things.

     Men are superior to women on account of the qualities with which God
hath gifted the one above the other, and on account of the outlay they make
from their substance for them.  Virtuous women are obedient, careful, during
the husband's absence, because God hath of them been careful. ^1  But chide
those for whose refractoriness ye have cause to fear; remove them into beds
apart, and scourge them: but if they are obedient to you, then seek not
occasion against them: verily, God is High, Great!

[Footnote 1: By providing for them a home and the protection of a husband.
Or, of that which God would have them care for.]

     And if ye fear a breach between man and wife, then send a judge chosen
from his family, and a judge chosen from her family: if they are desirous of
agreement, God will effect a reconciliation between them; verily, God is
knowing, apprised of all!

     Worship God, and join not aught with Him in worship.  Be good to
parents, ^2 and to kindred, and to orphans, and to the poor, and to a
neighbour, whether kinsman or new-comer, and to a fellow traveller, and to
the wayfarer, and to the slaves whom your right hands hold; verily, God
loveth not the proud, the vain boaster,

[Footnote 2: An undutiful child is very seldom heard of among the Egyptians,
or the Arabs in general.  Sons scarcely ever sit, or eat, or smoke, in the
presence of the father unless bidden to do so; and they often wait upon him
and upon his guests at meals and on the other occasions: they do not cease to
act thus when they have become men.  Lane's Mod. Egypt. vol. i. p. 69.]

     Who are niggardly themselves, and bid others be niggards, and hide away
what God of his bounty hath given them.  We have made ready a shameful
chastisement for the unbelievers,

     And for those who bestow their substance in alms to be seen of men, and
believe not in God and in the last day.  Whoever hath Satan for his
companion, an evil companion hath he!

     But what blessedness would be theirs, if they should believe in God and
in the last day, and bestow alms out of what God hath vouchsafed them; for
God taketh knowledge of them!

     God truly will not wrong any one of the weight of a mote; and if there
be any good deed, he will repay it doubly; and from his presence shall be
given a great recompense.

     How! when we shall bring up against them witnesses from all peoples, and
when we shall bring thee up as a witness against these?  On that day they who
were Infidels and rebelled against the prophet, shall wish that the earth
were levelled with them!  But nothing shall they hide from God.

     O ye true believers, ^1 come not to prayer when ye are drunken, but wait
till ye can understand what ye utter; nor when ye are polluted, unless ye be
travelling on the road, until ye have washed you.  If ye be sick, or on a
journey, or have come from the unclean place, or have touched a woman, and ye
find not water, then rub pure sand, and bathe your face and your hands with
it: verily, God is Lenient, Merciful.

[Footnote 1: The Koranic precepts as to prayer savour of Jewish origin.
Thus, "Prayer should be said standing," is a Rabbinic precept. - Comp. Sura
[xci.] ii. 240. - Misch. Berachoth 10 - may be shortened in dangerous places,
ib. iv. 10 - is forbidden to the drunken, ib. 31, 2.  Erubin, 64 - and to
the polluted; Berachoth iii. 4 - and is to be preceded, in this case, by
washings with water or sand.  See Sura xvii. 110, note 2, p. 173.  1 Cor. xi.
21.]

     Hast thou not remarked those ^2 to whom a part of the Scriptures hath
been given?  Vendors are they of error, and are desirous that ye go astray
from the way.  But God knoweth your enemies; and God is a sufficient patron,
and God is a sufficient helper!

[Footnote 2: The Jews and their Rabbis.]

     Among the Jews are those who displace the words of their Scriptures, and
say, "We have heard, and we have not obeyed.  Hear thou, but as one that
heareth not; and Look At Us;" ^3 perplexing with their tongues, and wounding
the Faith by their revilings.

[Footnote 3: See Sura [xci.] ii. 98.]

     But if they would say, "We have heard, and we obey; hear thou, and
Regard Us;" it were better for them, and more right.  But God hath cursed
them for their unbelief.  Few only of them are believers!

     O ye to whom the Scriptures have been given! believe in what we have
sent down confirmatory of the Scripture which is in your hands, ere we efface
your features, and twist your head round backward, or curse you as we cursed
the sabbath-breakers: ^1 and the command of God was carried into effect.

[Footnote 1: Lit. the companions of the sabbath.  See [xci.] ii. 61.]

     Verily, God will not forgive the union of other gods with Himself!  But
other than this will He forgive to whom He pleaseth.  And He who uniteth gods
with God hath devised a great wickedness.

     Hast thou not marked those who hold themselves to be righteous?  But God
holdeth righteous whom He will; and they shall not be wronged the husk of a
date stone.

     Behold how they devise a lie of God!  Therein is wickedness manifest
enough!

     Hast thou not observed those to whom a part of the Scriptures hath been
given? ^2  They believe in Djibt and Thagout, and say of the infidels, "These
are guided in a better path than those who hold the faith."

[Footnote 2: This refers to certain renegade Jews, who out of hatred against
Muhammad, went over to the Koreisch.  See Noldeke, p. 149.]

     These are they whom God hath cursed: and for him whom God hath cursed,
thou shalt by no means find a helper.

     Shall they have a share in the kingdom who would not bestow on their
fellow men even the speck in a date stone?

     Envy they other men what God of his bounty hath given them?  We gave of
old the Scriptures and wisdom to the line of Abraham, and we gave them a
grand kingdom:

     - Some of them believe on the prophet and some turn aside from him: -
the flame of Hell is their sufficing punishment!

     Those who disbelieve our signs we will in the end cast into the fire: so
oft as their skins shall be well burnt, ^3 we will change them for fresh
skins, that they may taste the torment.  Verily God is Mighty, Wise!

[Footnote 3: Lit. ripened.]

     But as for those who have believed, and done the things that are right,
we will bring them into gardens 'neath which the rivers flow - therein to
abide eternally; therein shall they have wives of stainless purity: and we
will bring them into aye-shadowing shades.

     Verily, God enjoineth you to give back your trusts to their owners, and
when ye judge between men, to judge with fairness.  Excellent is the practice
to which God exhorteth you.  God Heareth, Beholdeth!

     O ye who believe! obey God and obey the apostle, and those among you
invested with authority; and if in aught ye differ, bring it before God and
the apostle, if ye believe in God and in the latter day.  This is the best
and fairest way of settlement.

     Hast thou not marked those who profess that they believe in what hath
been sent down to thee, and what hath been sent down before thee?  Fain would
they be judged before Thagout, though commanded not to believe in him; and
fain would Satan make them wander with wanderings wide of truth.

     And when it is said to them, "Accede to that which God hath sent down,
and to the apostle," thou seest the hypocrites avert them from thee with
utter aversion.

     But how, when some misfortune shall fortune them, for their previous
handywork?  Then will they come to thee, swearing by God, "We desire nothing
but to promote good and concord!"

     These are they whose hearts God knoweth.  Therefore break off from them,
and warn them, and speak words that may penetrate their souls.

     We have not sent any apostle but to be obeyed, if God so will: but if
they, after they have sinned to their own hurt by unbelief, come to thee and
ask pardon of God, and the apostle ask pardon for them, they shall surely
find that God is He who turneth unto man, Merciful.

     And they will not - I swear by thy Lord - they will not believe, until
they have set thee up as judge between them on points where they differ.
Then shall they not find in their own minds any difficulty in thy decisions,
and shall submit with entire submission.

     Had we laid down such a law for them as "Kill yourselves, or abandon
your dwellings," but few of them would have done it.  But had they done that
to which they were exhorted, better had it been for them, and stronger for
the confirmation of their faith.

     In that case we had surely given them from ourself a great recompense,
and on the straight path should we surely have guided them.

     And whoever shall obey God and the Apostle, these shall be with those of
the Prophets, and of the Sincere, and of the Martyrs, and of the Just, to
whom God hath been gracious.  These are a goodly band!

     This is the bounty of God; and in knowledge doth God suffice.

     O ye who believe! make use of precautions; and advance in detachments,
or, advance in a body.

     There is of you who will be a laggard: and if a reverse befall you he
saith, "Now hath God dealt graciously with me, since I was not with you in
the fight:"

     But if a success from God betide you, he will say, as if there had never
been any friendship between you and him, "Would I had been with them! a rich
prize should I have won!"

     Let those then fight on the path of God, who barter this present life
for that which is to come; for whoever fighteth on God's path, whether he be
slain or conquer, we will in the end give him a great reward.

     But what hath come to you that ye fight not on the path of God, and for
the weak among men, women and children, who say, "O our Lord! bring us forth
from this city ^1 whose inhabitants are oppressors; give us a champion from
thy presence; and give us from thy presence a defender."

[Footnote 1: Mecca.]

     They who believe, fight on the path of God; and they who believe not,
fight on the path of Thagout: Fight therefore against the friends of Satan.
Verily the craft of Satan shall be powerless!

     Hast thou not marked those to whom it was said, "Withhold your hands
awhile from war; and observe prayer, and pay the stated alms."  But when war
is commanded them, lo! a portion of them fear men as with the fear of God, or
with a yet greater fear, and say: "O our Lord! why hast thou commanded us
war?  Couldst thou not have given us respite till our not distant end?"  Say:
Small the fruition of this world; but the next life is the true good for him
who feareth God! and ye shall not be wronged so much as the skin of a date
stone.

     Wherever ye be, death will overtake you - although ye be in lofty
towers!  If good fortune betide them, they say, "This is from God;" and if
evil betide them, they say, "This is from thee."  Say: All is from God: But
what hath come to these people that they are not near to understanding what
is told them?

     Whatever good betideth thee is from God, and whatever betideth thee of
evil is from thyself; and we have sent thee to mankind as an apostle: God is
thy sufficing witness.

     Whoso obeyeth the Apostle, in so doing obeyeth God: and as to those who
turn back from thee, we have not sent thee to be their keeper.

     Moreover, they say: "Obedience!" but when they come forth from thy
presence, a party of them brood by night over other than thy words; but God
writeth down what they brood over: therefore separate thyself from them, and
put thou thy trust in God.  God is a sufficient protector!

     Can they not consider the Koran?  Were it from any other than God, they
would surely have found in it many contradictions.

     And when tidings, either of security or alarm, reach them, they tell
them abroad; but if they would report them to the apostle, and to those who
are in authority among them, those who desire information would learn it from
them.  But for the goodness and mercy of God towards you, ye would have
followed Satan except a few!

     Fight, therefore, on God's path: lay not burdens on any but thyself; and
stir up the faithful.  The might of the infidels haply will God restrain, for
God is the stronger in prowess, and the stronger to punish.

     He who shall mediate between men for a good purpose shall be the gainer
by it.  But he who shall mediate with an evil mediation shall reap the fruit
of it.  And God keepeth watch over everything.

     If ye are greeted with a greeting, then greet ye with a better greeting,
or at least return it; God taketh count of all things.

     God! there is no god but He!  He will certainly assemble you on the day
of resurrection.  There is no doubt of it.  And whose word is more true than
God's?

     Why are ye two parties on the subject of the hypocrites, when God hath
cast them off for their doings?  Desire ye to guide those whom God hath led
astray?  But for him whom God leadeth astray, thou shalt by no means find a
pathway.

     They desire that ye should be infidels as they are infidels, and that ye
should be alike.  Take therefore none of them for friends, till they have
fled their homes for the cause of God.  If they turn back, then seize them,
and slay them wherever ye find them; but take none of them as friends or
helpers,

     Except those who shall seek an asylum among your allies, and those who
come over to you - their hearts forbidding them to make war on you, or to
make war on their own people.  Had God pleased, he would have given them
power against you, and they would have made war upon you!  But, if they
depart from you, and make not war against you and offer you peace, then God
alloweth you no occasion against them.

     Ye will find others who seek to gain your confidence as well as that of
their own people: So oft as they return to sedition, they shall be overthrown
in it: But if they leave you not, nor propose terms of peace to you nor
withhold their hands, then seize them, and slay them, wherever ye find them.
Over these have we given you undoubted power.

     A believer killeth not a believer but by mischance: and whoso killeth a
believer by mischance shall be bound to free a believer from slavery; and the
blood-money shall be paid to the family of the slain, unless they convert it
into alms.  But if the slain believer be of a hostile people, then let him
confer freedom on a slave who is a believer; and if he be of a people between
whom and yourselves there is an alliance, then let the blood-money be paid to
his family, and let him set free a slave who is a believer: and let him who
hath not the means, fast two consecutive months.  This is the penance
enjoined by God; and God is Knowing, Wise!

     But whoever shall kill a believer of set purpose, his recompense shall
be hell; for ever shall he abide in it; God shall be wrathful with him, and
shall curse him, and shall get ready for him a great torment.

     O believers! when ye go forth to the fight for the cause of God, be
discerning, and say not to every one who meeteth you with a greeting, "Thou
art not a believer" ^1 in your greed after the chance good things of this
present life!  With God are abundant spoils.  Such hath been your wont in
times past; but God hath been gracious to you.  Be discerning, then, for God
well knoweth what ye do.

[Footnote 1: And therefore a fit subject for plunder.]

     Those believers who sit at home free from trouble, and those who do
valiantly in the cause of God with their substance and their persons, shall
not be treated alike.  God hath assigned to those who contend earnestly with
their persons and with their substance, a rank above those who sit at home.
Goodly promises hath He made to all.  But God hath assigned to the strenuous
a rich recompense, above those who sit still at home,

     Rank of his own bestowal, and forgiveness, and mercy; for God is
Indulgent, Merciful.

     The angels, ^1 when they took the souls of those who had been unjust to
their own weal, demanded, "What hath been your state?" ^2  They said, "We were
the weak ones ^3 of the earth."  They replied, "Was not God's earth broad
enough for you to flee away in?"  These! their home shall be Hell, and evil
the passage to it -

[Footnote 1: Some of the Meccans after embracing Islam did not thoroughly
break with the infidels and fly their country.  These persons were
miraculously slain by angels at Bedr.  Others suppose the angels to be Nakir
and Monkir, who examine the dead in the grave.]

[Footnote 2: That is, to what religion did ye belong?]

[Footnote 3: And therefore could not resist the unbelievers.]

     Except the men and women and children who were not able, through their
weakness, to find the means of escape, and were not guided on their way.
These haply God will forgive: for God is Forgiving, Gracious.

     Whoever flieth his country for the cause of God, will find in the earth
many under like compulsion, and abundant resources; and if any one shall quit
his home and fly to God and his apostle, and then death overtake him, - his
reward from God is sure: for God is Gracious, Merciful!

     And when ye go forth to war in the land, it shall be no crime in you to
cut short your prayers, ^4 if ye fear lest the infidels come upon you; Verily,
the infidels are your undoubted enemies!

[Footnote 4: Thus the Rabbins Tr. Berachoth, iv. 4, "He that goeth in a
dangerous place may pray a short prayer."]

     And when thou, O apostle! shalt be among them, and shalt pray with them,
then let a party of them rise up with thee, but let them take their arms; and
when they shall have made their prostrations, let them retire to your rear:
then let another party that hath not prayed come forward, and let them pray
with you; but let them take their precautions and their arms.  Pleased would
the infidels be for you to neglect your arms and your baggage, that they
might turn upon you at once!  And it shall be no crime in you to lay down
your arms if rain annoy you, or if ye be sick.  But take your precautions. ^5
Verily, God hath made ready a shameful torment for the infidels.

[Footnote 5: See Mischna Tr. Berachoth, 10.]

     And when ye shall have ended the prayer, make mention of God, standing,
and sitting, and reclining: and as soon as ye are secure, observe the prayer;
for to the faithful, prayer is a prescribed duty, and for stated hours.

     Slacken not in pursuit of the foe.  If ye suffer, assuredly they suffer
also as ye suffer; but ye hope from God for what they cannot hope!  And God
is Knowing, Wise!

     Verily, we have sent down the Book to thee with the truth, thou that
mayest judge between men according as God hath given thee insight: But with
the deceitful ones dispute not: and implore pardon of God.  Verily, God is
Forgiving, Merciful. ^1

[Footnote 1: This verse is said to have been revealed when Muhammad was about
to acquit a Muslim who had committed theft, and laid the guilt at the door of
a Jew.  But the particulars are given in a very contradictory manner.  See
Noldeke, p. 151.]

     And plead not with us for those who are self-deceivers; for God loveth
not him who is deceitful, criminal.

     From when they hide themselves; but they cannot hide themselves from
God: and when they hold nightly discourses which please Him not, He is with
them.  God is round about their doings!

     Oh! ye are they who plead in their favour in this present life; but who
shall plead with God for them on the day of the resurrection?  Who will be
the guardian over them?

     Yet he who doth evil, or shall have acted against his own weal, and then
shall ask pardon of God, will find God Forgiving, Merciful:

     And whoever committeth a crime, committeth it to his own hurt.  And God
is Knowing, Wise!

     And whoever committeth an involuntary fault or a crime, and then layeth
it on the innocent, shall surely bear the guilt of calumny and of a manifest
crime.

     But for the grace and the mercy of God upon thee, a party among them had
resolved to mislead thee, but they shall only mislead themselves; nor in
aught shall they harm thee.  God hath caused the Book and the wisdom to
descend upon thee: and what thou knowest not He hath caused thee to know: and
the grace of God toward thee hath been great.

     In most of their secret talk is nothing good; but only in his who
enjoineth almsgiving, or that which is right, or concord among men.  Whoso
doth this, out of desire to please God, we will give him at the last a great
reward:

     But whoso shall sever himself from the prophet after that "the guidance"
hath been manifested to him, and shall follow any other path than that of the
faithful, we will turn our back on him as he hath turned his back on us, and
we will cast him into Hell; - an evil journey thither!

     God truly will not forgive the joining other gods with Himself.  Other
sins He will forgive to whom He will: but he who joineth gods with God, hath
erred with far-gone error.

     They call, beside Him, upon mere goddesses! they invoke a rebel Satan!

     On them is the malison of God.  For he said, "A portion of thy servants
will I surely take, and will lead them astray, and will stir desires within
them, and will command them and they shall cut the ears of animals; ^1 and I
will command them, and they shall alter the creation of God." ^2  He who
taketh Satan rather than God for his patron, is ruined with palpable ruin:

[Footnote 1: In allusion to an idolatrous and superstitious custom of the old
Arabians.]

[Footnote 2: By the mutilation of slaves, branding their bodies, filing the
teeth, etc.]

     He hath made them promises, and he hath stirred desires within them; but
Satan promiseth, only to beguile!

     These! their dwelling Hell! no escape shall they find from it!

     But they who believe and do the things that are right, we will bring
them into gardens beneath which the rivers flow; For ever shall they abide
therein.  Truly it is the promise of God: And whose word is more sure than
God's?

     Not according to your wishes, or the wishes of the people of the Book,
shall these things be.  He who doth evil shall he recompensed for it.  Patron
or helper, beside God, shall be find none.

     But whoso doth the things that are right, whether male or female, and he
or she a believer, - these shall enter Paradise, nor shall they be wronged
the skin of a date stone.

     And who hath a better religion than he who resigneth himself to God, who
doth what is good, and followeth the faith of Abraham in all sincerity?  And
God took Abraham for his friend.

     All that is in the Heavens and all that is on the Earth is God's: and
God encompasseth all things!

     Moreover, they will consult thee in regard to women: Say: God hath
instructed you about them; and His will is rehearsed to you, in the Book,
concerning female orphans to whom ye give not their legal due, and whom ye
refuse to marry; also with regard to weak children; and that ye deal with
fairness towards orphans.  Ye cannot do a good action, but verily God knoweth
it.

     And if a wife fear ill usage or aversion on the part of her husband,
then shall it be no fault in them if they can agree with mutual agreement,
for agreement is best.  Men's souls are prone to avarice; but if ye act
kindly and fear God, then, verily, your actions are not unnoticed by God!

     And ye will not have it at all in your power to treat your wives alike,
even though you fain would do so; but yield not wholly to disinclination, so
that ye leave one of them as it were in suspense; if ye come to an
understanding, and fear God, then, verily, God is Forgiving, Merciful;

     But if they separate, God can compensate both out of His abundance; for
God is Vast, Wise;

     And whatever is in the Heavens and in the Earth is God's!  We have
already enjoined those to whom the Scriptures were given before you, and
yourselves, to fear God.  But if ye become unbelievers, yet know that
whatever is in the Heavens and in the Earth is God's: and God is Rich,
Praiseworthy.

     All that is in Heaven and all that is in Earth is God's!  God is a
sufficient protector!

     If he pleased, he could cause you to pass away, O mankind! and create
others in your stead: for this hath God power.

     If any one desire the reward of this world, yet with God is the reward
of this world and of the next!  And God Heareth, Beholdeth.

     O ye who believe! stand fast to justice, when ye bear witness before
God, though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kindred,
whether the party be rich or poor.  God is nearer than you to both.
Therefore follow not passion, lest ye swerve from truth.  And if ye wrest
your testimony or stand aloof, God verily is well aware of what ye do.

     O ye who believe! believe in God and his Apostle, and the Book which he
hath sent down to his Apostle, and the Book which he hath sent down
aforetime.  Whoever believeth not on God and his Angels and his Books and his
Apostles, and in the last day, he verily hath erred with far-gone error.

     Verily, they who believed, then became unbelievers, then believed, and
again became unbelievers, and then increased their unbelief - it is not God
who will forgive them or guide them into the way.

     Announce ^1 to the hypocrites that a dolorous torment doth await them.

[Footnote 1: See Sura lxxxiv. 24, p. 47, note.]

     Those who take the unbelievers for friends besides the faithful - do
they seek honour at their hands?  Verily, all honour belongeth unto God!

     And already hath He sent this down to you in the Book ^1 "When ye shall
hear the signs of God they shall not be believed but shall be mocked at."
Sit ye not therefore with such, until they engage in other discourse;
otherwise, ye will become like them.  Verily God will gather the hypocrites
and the infidels all together in Hell.

[Footnote 1: Sura vi.]

     They watch you narrowly.  Then if God grant you a victory, they say,
"Are we not with you?" and if the infidels meet with a success, they say to
them, "Were we not superior to you: and did we not defend you from those
believers?"  God shall judge betwixt ye on the day of the resurrection, and
God will by no means make a way for the infidels over the believers.

     The hypocrites would deceive God, but He will deceive them!  When they
stand up for prayer, they stand carelessly, to be seen of men, and they
remember God but little:

     Wavering between the one and the other - belonging neither to these nor
those! and by no means shalt thou find a path for him whom God misleadeth.

     O believers! take not infidels for friends rather than believers.  Would
ye furnish God with clear right to punish you?

     Verily the hypocrites shall be in the lowest abyss of the fire: and, by
no means shalt thou find a helper for them;

     Save for those who turn and amend, and lay fast hold on God, and approve
the sincerity of their religion to God; these shall be numbered with the
faithful, and God will at last bestow on the faithful a great reward.

     Why should God inflict a chastisement upon you, if ye are grateful, and
believe?  God is Grateful, Wise!

     God loveth not that evil be matter of public talk, unless any one hath
been wronged: God it is who Heareth, Knoweth!

     Whether ye publish what is good, or conceal it, or pardon evil, verily
God is Pardoning, Powerful!

     Of a truth they who believe not on God and his Apostles, and seek to
separate God from his Apostles, and say, "Some we believe, and some we
believe not," and desire to take a middle way;

     These! they are veritable infidels! and for the infidels have we
prepared a shameful punishment.

     And they who believe on God and his Apostles, and make no difference
between them - these! we will bestow on them their reward at last.  God is
Gracious, Merciful!

     The people of the Book will ask of thee to cause a Book to come down
unto them out of Heaven.  But a greater thing than this did they ask of
Moses! for they said, "Shew us God plainly!" and for this their wickedness
did the fire-storm lay hold on them.  Then took they the calf as the object
of their worship, after that our clear tokens had come to them; but we
forgave them this, and conferred on Moses undoubted power.

     And we uplifted the mountain ^1 over them when we made a covenant with
them, and we said to them, "Enter the gate adoring:" and we said to them,
"Transgress not on the Sabbath," and we received from them a strict
covenant.

[Footnote 1: See Sura [xci.] ii. 7.]

     So, for that they have broken their covenant, and have rejected the
signs of God, and have put the prophets to death unjustly, saying the while,
"Our hearts are uncircumcised," - Nay, but God hath sealed them up for their
unbelief, so that but few believe.

     And for their unbelief, - and for their having spoken against Mary a
grievous calumny, -

     And for their saying, "Verily we have slain the Messiah, Jesus the son
of Mary, an Apostle of God."  Yet they slew him not, and they crucified him
not, but they had only his likeness. ^2  And they who differed about him were
in doubt concerning him: No sure knowledge had they about him, but followed
only an opinion, and they did not really slay him, but God took him up to
Himself.  And God is Mighty, Wise!

[Footnote 2: Lit. one was made to appear to them like (Jesus).  Comp. [xcvii.]
iii. 48. Photius, Bibl. Cod. cxiv. says that the Apocr. Book.  - This
individual according to the Basilidans was Simon of Cyrene; according to the
Evang. Barnabae, Judas. - Mani, Ep. Fund. ap. Evodium: "Princeps itaque
tenebrarum cruci est affixus, idemque eoronam spineam portavit."

     By believing too much, like the Christians who regarded Jesus as God; or
too little, like the Jews who would not believe on Muhammad.]

     There shall not be one of the people of the Book but shall believe in
Him before his death, and in the day of resurrection, He will be a witness
against them.

     For the wickedness of certain Jews, and because they turn many from the
way of God, we have forbidden them goodly viands which had been before
allowed them.

     And because they have taken usury, though they were forbidden it, and
have devoured men's substance in frivolity, we have got ready for the
infidels among them a grievous torment.

     But their men of solid knowledge, and the believers who believe in that
which hath been sent down to thee, and in what hath been sent down before
thee, and who observe prayer, and pay the alms of obligation, and believe in
God and the latter day, - these! we will give them a great reward.

     Verily we have revealed to thee as we revealed to Noah and the Prophets
after him, and as we revealed to Abraham, and Ismael, and Isaac, and Jacob,
and the tribes, and Jesus, and Job, and Jonah, and Aaron, and Solomon; and to
David gave we Psalms.

     Of some apostles we have told thee before: of other apostles we have not
told thee - And discoursing did God discourse with Moses -

     Apostles charged to announce and to warn, that men, after those
apostles, might have no plea against God.  And God is Mighty, Wise!

     But God is himself witness of what He hath sent down to thee: In His
knowledge hath He sent it down to thee.  The angels are also its witnesses:
but God is a sufficient witness!

     Verily, they who believe not and pervert from the way of God, have
indeed erred with error wide of truth.

     Verily, those who believe not, and act wrongfully, God will never
pardon, and never will he guide them on path,

     Than the path to Hell, in which they shall abide for ever!  And this is
easy for God.

     O men! now hath an apostle come to you with truth from your Lord.
Believe then, it will be better for you.  But if ye believe not, then, all
that is in the Heavens and the Earth is God's; and God is Knowing, Wise!

     O ye people of the Book! overstep not bounds in your religion; ^1 and of
God, speak only truth.  The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only an apostle
of God, and his Word which he conveyed into Mary, and a Spirit ^2 proceeding
from himself.  Believe therefore in God and his apostles, and say not,
"Three:" (there is a Trinity) - Forbear - it will be better for you.  God is
only one God!  Far be it from His glory that He should have a son!  His,
whatever is in the Heavens, and whatever is in the Earth!  And God is a
sufficient Guardian.

[Footnote 2: That is, a Being possessing a Spirit.]

     The Messiah disdaineth not to be a servant of God, nor do the angels who
are nigh unto Him.

     And whoso disdaineth His service, and is filled with pride, God will
gather them all to Himself.

     And to those who believe and do the things that are right, will He pay
them their due recompense, and out of His bounty will He increase them: but
as for those who are disdainful and proud, with a grievous chastisement will
He chastise them;

     And none beside God shall they find to protect or to help them.

     O men! now hath a proof come to you from your Lord, and we have sent
down to you a clear light.  As to those who believe in God and lay fast hold
on Him, these will He cause to enter into his mercy and grace, and along the
straight way unto Himself will He guide them.

     They will consult thee.  Say: God instructeth you as to distant kindred.
If a man die childless, but have a sister, half what he shall have shall be
her's; and if she die childless he shall be her heir.  But if there be two
sisters, two-third parts of what he shall have shall be theirs; and if there
be both brothers and sisters, the male and shall have the portion of two
females.  God teacheth you plainly, that ye err not!  God knoweth all things.