shall the fifth time call for the curse of God to be upon them if they be lyars The wife shall be exempt from punishment if she swear four times that her husband is a lyar and if the fifth time she pray that the wrath and indignation of God may be upon her if what her husband hath said be true in this manner doth God gratifie you that ye may understand the truth he is most gracious and most wise That Troup that made defection from the True believers with a lye and false testimony did you no harm on the contrary they did advantage you every one shall bear the burden of his sins the most malicious among them shall be thrown headlong into the torments of Hell It was an happiness that ye heard the sense of the Believers from their own mouth when they said that those men lyed impudently if they had not presented those four witnesses they had found none other they are lyars without the grace and mercy of God they should have already felt great torments in this world and in the other because of that imposture When they spake of what they were ignorant ye deemed it to be nothing but it is an exceeding great sin before God if when ye heard it ye said that to speak of those things did not concern you ye knew it to be an imposture God forbiddeth you to relapse if ye believe in his Law he thus declareth to you his pleasure he is Omniscient and most Prudent such as desire to cast obloquy among the True-believers shall be rigorously chastised in this World and in the other God knoweth that of which ye are ignorant Had not God been favourable to you he had chastised you in burning fury he is gracious and merciful Oh ye that are True-believers follow not the foot-steps of the Devil he will enjoyn you vice and sin had not God gratified you with his Mercy not any among you should have been purged from that imposture but God purifieth whom he seeth good he heareth all and knoweth all your intentions The most rich and powerful among you have not sworn to do no good to their Parents the Poor or to them that fight for the Law of God nevertheless they do it not to them and flie them desire they not that God should pardon them He is neither gentle nor pitiful but towards True-believers They that accuse of immodesty Women chaste innocent and faithful shall be accursed in this World and shall suffer great torments at the day when their Tongues their Hands and their Feet shall testifie against them at the same time shall God pay to them what shall be due unto them without injustice and they shall know that God is truth it self The wicked Women shall speak as the wicked men and the wicked men as the wicked Women The good Women shall speak as the good men and the good men as the good Women the good are innocent of the imposture of the wicked they shall enjoy the Grace of God and the Treasures of Paradise Oh ye that are True-believers enter not into anothers House without permission if ye salute them that dwell there ye shall do well peradventure ye will be mindful it ye find none of the House enter not without permission if they speak to you to return ye shall return it is better than to stay at the door God beholdeth all that ye do ye shall not offend God to enter into houses inhabited if ye have affairs there God knoweth all your intentions Speak unto the True-believers that they contain their sight that they be chaste that they do good and that God knoweth all their actions Speak unto the True-believing Women that they contain their sight and that they be chaste that they suffer nothing of their beauty to be seen but what ought to be seen that they cover their bosom and their visage that they permit them not to be be seen but by their Husbands their Children the Children of their Husbands their Brothers their Nephews their Sisters their Women and their Daughters Maid-servants and Slaves by their Domestiques that are not capable of Marriage by Children that regard not the beauty of Women and that they move not their feet to shew they are well shod Implore pardon of God peradventure ye shall be happy many Maidens of your own Religion the Daughters of the Righteous or your Slaves if they be poor God shall enrich them with his Grace he is most liberal and Omniscient Such as have not Means to Marry shall live chastly until God hath given them means Such as have desire to marry their Slaves shall have power to pass a Contract of Marriage if they know them to be wise and shall give them part of the wealth that God hath bestowed on them Despise not your Wives that are chaste to commit Whoredom if ye desire good in this World if ye contemn them God shall be to them propitious and merciful we have sent to you these Precepts clear and intelligible like to them that were taught your Predecessors to be preached to the Righteous God illuminateth the Heaven and the Earth as the Lamp that is in the Lanthorn of Chrystal fed with Oyl of the blessed Olive it seemeth to be a Star full of Light which goeth neither to the West nor to the East and yeildeth brightness upon brightness God guideth by his light whom it pleaseth him he teacheth his People Parables and is Omniscient he permitteth you to praise him in your Houses there to be mindful of his name and to exalt him evening and morning Oh ye men your affairs ought not to hinder your remembrance of his divine Majesty to make your prayers at the time appointed neither to pay Tithes Fear the day when the hearts of men shall be perplexed and their sight troubled when God shall reward and chastise every one after his works and shall augment his grace upon the good he enricheth with his innumerable benefits whom to him seemeth good The good works of the wicked are like to mists in a spacious plain they seem to be water when afar off and being approached nothing is to be there found They shall find before God the Book wherein is written whatsoever they have done he shall punish them according to their demerits he is exact to keep account Their actions are moreover like to the darkness that is in the bottom of the sea that is covered with wave upon wave obscurity and darkness upon one another he that is in this darkness cannot see his hand he that shall not be illuminated by God shall not see a jot Seest thou not that whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth exalteth the glory of God the Birds extend their wings before him to praise him he heareth the prayers of all his creatures and understandeth the praises that they give him he knoweth all that they do he is King of Heaven and earth the refuge of all the world
am innocent of what ye do There be persons among them that have inclination to hear thee but art thou able to cause the deaf to hear Should they not be deaf they would learn nothing Others there be who look toward thee but art thou able to guide the blind should they see clearly they would not follow the right way God doth no injustice to Men they do injury to themselves through the enormity of their offences I will cause them to rise again at the Day of Judgment as if they had remained but one hour of a day in the Grave they shall know each other and the wicked who have not believed in the Resurrection shall be damned I will shew thee many of them whom I will chastise I will cause thee to die before they be chastised and they all shall appear before me to be judged God is witness of their actions he shall punish them according to their demerits every Nation of the World hath had a Prophet sent from God who hath judged with reason and without injustice the differences that were among them touching Religion They have said at what time shall the wrath of God appear Say unto them I of my self can neither procure good nor evil if God doth not permit it every one hath his destiny when the time of their destiny arriveth they can neither retard or advance it one hour Have ye considered the punishment which God heretofore sent by day and by night against the wicked When ye felt it ye believed it and fell into it headlong It shall be said to the wicked at the Day of Judgment taste eternal torments shall you not be punished according to your demerits They will ask of thee if the pains denounced against the wicked and if the Resurrection be matters of Truth Say unto them yes my Lord is most exact in his words and all the Treasures of the World shall not be able to redeem one Soul. They shall repent of their sins when they shall feel the punishment of their offences but shall be condemned without injustice whatsoever is in Heaven and in Earth appertaineth to God he is exact in his Promise yet the greatest part of the World do not know him He it is who causeth to die and giveth life and shall assemble Men at the Day of Judgment O People God hath sent you instructions and remedies for your infirmities he hath sent a guide to conduct true believers into the way of his mercy it shall be to them of more advantage than the treasures that they accumulate Have ye considered the good things which he hath created for you Ye have appointed one part to be eaten and have prohibited to eat of another Hath God permitted you to blaspheme against him The opinion of such as blaspheme against God shall be but misery at the Day of Judgment God is full of goodness for the people but most of them are ingrateful In whatsoever place thou art whether thou teach what is contained in the Alcoran or whether thou labour I am always present nothing is concealed from thy Lord of whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth be it great or little all is written in the intelligible Book that explaineth all things There needeth no fear for such as recommend themselves to God they shall be exempt from the pains of Hell. The true believers who have his fear before their eyes shall suffer no torments in the other World it is declared to them on Earth that they shall have all content the word of God admits of no alteration they shall enjoy perfection of felicity in Paradise Afflict not thy self for the words of the impious vertue proceedeth from God he understandeth and knoweth all things whatsoever is in Heaven and in Earth appertaineth to him They who worship Idols follow but their opinion and are lyars God hath created the night for repose and the day for labour such as hear his Word find therein marks of his Omnipotency They have said Do ye believe that God hath a Son Praised be God he is most rich and hath no need of any person he possesseth whatsoeever is in Heaven and Earth you have no reason in what ye alledge will you speak of God what ye know not God doth not aid in this World them that blaspheme against him he shall cause them to feel after their death great torments because of their impiety Instruct them in the History of Noah how he spâ—…ke to his People and said O People if my abode with you and the preaching of the Commandments of God be irksom to you know that all my support is in God assemble your Doctors with your Idols and conceal not what ye do go whither you will ye shall find none to protect you if ye contemn my instructions I require not of you a reward for my pains I desire to receive of none other than God the Omnipotent and recommend my self to the will of his Divine Majesty They slandered Noah then did we save him in the Ark and them that were with him we prolonged their posterity on Earth and drowned the wicked consider the end of such as heard the Word of God and contemned it We sent to them other Prophets after Noah they made them to see Miracles and gave them most salutary instructions but they did not believe in what they had no will before to believe Thus I harden the heart of the wicked We after them sent Moses to Pharaoh and his Subjects with our miracles they arose against our Commandments when the truth was preached to them and said it was but Magick and Enchantment Moses said to them Will you say that the Truth is Sorcery God doth not assist Magicians and Sorcerers they said Art thou with thy Brother come to divert us from the Religion of our Fathers and to be esteemed on Earth We will believe in thy words Then Pharaoh commanded to summon the most skilful of his Magicians they being assembled Moses said to them cast down what ye have a will to cast down on the ground having cast down their Cords and Staves Moses said to them know ye none other thing but Magick God shall render it vain and unprofitable he abhoreth such as defile the Earth he confirmeth the Truth through his Word although it be against the will of the wicked Few Men believed in Moses because of their fear to displease Pharaoh and his Ministers Pharaoh was powerful on Earth and in the number of the wicked Moses said O People if ye believe in God resign your selves to his will they answered All our confidence is in God Lord do not thou abandon us to the malice of the unjust deliver us through thy mercy from the hands of Infidels We inspired Moses and his Brother to dwell some time in Egypt with their people and to make Oratories in their Houses therein to make their prayers and preach to true believers Lord said Moses thou hast enriched Pharaoh and
his people in this World they go astray from the way of thy Law confound their riches and harden your hearts they will not believe until they see thy judgments and feel the effect of thy wrath he said I have heard the prayers of you both be faithful in your Embassie and follow not the way of the ignorant We gave passage through the Sea to the Children of Israel Pharaoh pursued them with hatred and envy until his people were drowned Then said Pharaoh believe there is none other God but the God of the Children of Israel and I wholly recommend my self to his Will. Thou dost now believe in God O Pharaoh and wert before disobedient to his Commandments filling the Earth with they enormities I have delivered thee from this peril that thou maist be an example to posterity for many among the people are ignorant of my Omnipotency We gave the Children of Israel to dwell in places full of delights and enriched them with the good things of the Earth they knew the differences that arose among them touching Religion thy Lord shall judge them at the Day of Judgment If thou doubtest what we have taught thee repair to them that have read the Scripture before thee what thy Lord hath taught thee is most true be not thou of them that doubt neither of such as derogate from the Commandments of God thou shalt be in the number of the wretched Those whom God will chastise shall not believe in his Divine Majesty should they behold all the miracles of the World until they see the torments of Hell. The faith is exceeding profitable to the Cities that have received it when the Inhabitants of the City of Ionas embraced it we delivered them from our punishment we delivered them from ignominy and enriched them until the time appointed if it pleased thy Lord all the World should believe in him wilt thou abhor the People until they believe in God No Man can embrace the faith without his permission he sendeth his indignation against them that disobey his Commandments Say unto them Consider all that is in Heaven and Earth miracles and preaching are of no use to such as will not believe shall they expect what their Predecessors expected Say unto them expect I will expect with you I will deliver my Prophets and the true believers from the torments of Hell it is reasonable that I deliver them that obey my Commandments O People who causeth you to doubt of the Law which I teach you I will not worship the Idols that you adore I worship one God alone who shall cause you all to dye I will embrace his Law it commandeth to profess his Unity I am not of them that say he hath a Companion equal to him Adore not what can neither benefit nor hurt thee if thou do it thou shalt be in the number of the unjust If God will afflict thee none can deliver thee from affliction if God will do good to thee none can deprive thee of his grace he hath given it to whom seemeth good to himself he is gracious and merciful O people God teacheth you the truth whosoever shall follow the right way shall save his Soul and whosoever shall go astray shall destroy it I am not your Tutor I do but what is inspired into me I have patience in my perseverance I will expect the judgment of God there is no better Judge than he CHAP. XI The Chapter of Hod containing an hundred twenty and three Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful I am the merciful God. The signs contained in this Book are most true they proceed from the most wise who knoweth all things Worship ye but one God alone I preach to you from him the torments of Hell and declare the Joys of Paradise that ye may implore pardon of his Divine Majesty and be converted he shall give you an happy Life in the World until the time appointed and shall reward every one according to his works I fear lest you should be chastised at the Day of Judgment if you forsake the right way you all shall be assembled before God to be judged The heart of the impious inclined to hatred of the Prophet and they would have concealed themselves for some time from God they are covered with their garments that they may not be known but God knoweth what is in their Souls he understandeth whatsoever they conceal and whatsoever they make manifest All the Creatures of the World live of his grace he knoweth the place of their repair and the place where they must die all is written in an intelligible Book that explaineth all things He it is that created Heaven and Earth in six days his Throne was before upon the Waters the Alcoran exhorteth you to well-doing If thou saist to the wicked that they shall rise again after their Death they will say it is but Witchcraft and Sorcery if we retard some time to chastise them they say there is no punishment for their crimes but they shall not avoid it in the day when it shall appear and they shall feel the rigour of the pains which they contemn If we confer riches and health on the impious and deprive them of them they despair in their impiety if we give them good after their evil they say misery hath forsaken them they rejoyce and become arrogant Such as are humble and patient in their afflictions and do good works shall obtain pardon of their sins and a very great reward Perhaps thou wilt forget to teach something of what I have inspired into thee and be afflicted because they say that what thou speakest shall bring thee no profit Certainly thou art sent only to reprove them of their sin thy Lord is Omnipotent and shall chastise them after their demerits Assuredly they will say thou hast forged the Alcoran and that it is of thy invention Say unto them Come and bring with you ten Chapters of your invention like to the Alcoran in instruction and eloquence and call to your aid the Idols that ye adore if you be righteous if they hear not your prayers neither afford you succours know then that the Alcoran descended from Heaven through Gods permission and that there is but one sole God will ye not trust in him I will bestow the riches and honours of the Earth on many persons that affect them and in the end they shall be confined in the fire of Hell and the good works that they shall do in this World shall be unprofitable in the other They who observe what God hath ordained study the Alcoran and believe that it proceedeth from his Divine Majesty to teach the right way and to obtain his mercy as before it was the Book of Moses Such as shall believe in the Alcoran shall be happy doubtless the fire of Hell is prepared for the Infidels who will not believe therein but the greatest part of the World is incredulous
have seduced them from the right way and have not known it They that were before them were deceivers God overthrew their Habitations the Ruins fell upon them and he chastised them when they least thought of it he shall make them ashamed at the Day of Judgment and shall demand of them where be the Idols for which they disputed against true Believers Such as have knowledge of Gods Commandments assure that shame shall be upon the Foreheads of Infidels and that the Angels shall cause them to die because of the enormity of their sins They will say at the hour of death that they believe in God and are penitent for their faults God knoweth what they have done he shall command them to enter into Hell where is the abode of the proud He shall command them who have his fear before their eyes to enter the house of Eternity and the Gardens of Eden wherein flow many Rivers there shall they dwell eternally with the height of their desire Shall the wicked continue in their sin until the Angels cause them to die or until the Day of Judgment Thus did their Predecessours God was not unjust towards them they drew mischief on themselves through their iniquity they were chastised and felt the punishment which they had despised they have said had it so pleased God our Fathers and we had adored him alone so spake their Predecessours The Prophets are not obliged but to preach and instruct the people We sent a Prophet to every Nation to instruct it and to command the worship of one sole God and to quit the Adoration of Tagot and of Idols God guided some into the right way and others were seduced consider what is the end of the wicked if thou endeavourest to put them into the right path thou shalt lose thy time God guideth not them that desire to erre they shall be deprived of Protection at the Day of Judgment they have sworn by their Faith that God will not make the dead to rise again but he shall cause them to rise again to chastise them according to his Promises but the greatest part of Men do not know it did they know it they would acknowledge their Errours and the impious would acknowledge their blasphemies When we willed any thing we said be thou and it was They that depart from the wicked for the love of their Lord and shall convert themselves shall be rewarded in this World and yet more in the other had they knowledge to understand it Such as patiently endure the injuries of Unbelievers and trust in their Lord shall be recompenced when they least think of it We heretofore sent but Men to preach our Law ask of them that have knowledge of the written Law if it be not true We have sent to them the Alcoran to the end thou mayst instruct Men in our Commandments peradventure they will consider it The Earth shall produce nothing to them that shall conspire against the Prophet they shall be chastised when they least think of it God shall afflict them in their commerce they shall not escape his punishment and their substance shall diminish by little and little before their eyes God is gracious and merciful to them only that honour him See they not the shadow of that which God hath created sometimes at the right hand sometimes at the left to adore his Divine Majesty they certainly are contemptible whatsoever is on the Earth and in the Heavens Beast and Angels worship God with Humility fear their Lord and obey his Commandments God hath commanded them to worship and to fear one God alone to whom obedience is due eternally whom will ye fear but God who but God shall protect you when evil befalleth you you have recourse to his Divine goodness being delivered some of you give him thanks and yet believe not in his Law You seek only the riches of the Earth but you shall see what shall be your end they say that their wealth proceedeth from their Idols by God! an account of their blasphemies shall be required of them they affirm that God hath Daughters assuredly they deceive themselves and are not well satisfied when it is said to them that a Daughter is born to them they fly such as declare to them the punishment of their sins God shall leave them in ignominy and they shall be contemned as the Earth which they trample under their Feet because they believe not in the Day of Judgment misery shall perpetually pursue them God shall command for ever and be eternally powerful and Victorious Should God chastise Men when they offend he should leave no living Creature upon the Earth he deferreth their punishment until the time appointed they can neither advance nor retard it they affirm God to have that which themselves are not satisfied to have they lye when they say that Paradise is for them doubtless they are erroneous and shall be precipitated into the fire of Hell. By God! we have sent heretofore Prophets to the people the Devil seduced Men and was Master of the wicked in this World but in the other they shall resent great torments We have sent thee the Alcoran to clear to Men the doubts touching Religion and to guide true Believers into the right way God sendeth rain from Heaven to refresh the Earth this is an evident sign of his Omnipotency to them that hear his word ye have yet a token of his Omnipotency in the Beasts that give you Milk to nourish you and another mark in the Fruits of the Earth in the Fruits of Date Trees and the Vines from which you extract Wine and receive profit These things are signs of his Omnipotency to such as comprehend them The Lord inspired the Bee to dwell in the Fields to lodge in Trees in Hives and to eat of all sorts of Fruits it produceth Honey of divers colours that serveth for a remedy to the diseases of Men these things are signs of Gods Omnipotency to them that consider them God hath created you and shall cause you to dye There be Persons among you that shall be full of ignominy in their life to the end they may understand that God is Omnipotent conferreth benefits on some more than on others Slaves have no part in the faculties of their Masters neither are they associate with them nevertheless they associate to God another God equal to him and blaspheme against his Grace God hath created you Men and Women and hath given you Children and Children to your Children he hath enriched you with the riches of the Earth Will you after this Grace believe in your Idols which are things inanimate vain and unprofitable Will ye be ingrateful for the benefits of God Will ye worship what can neither benefit nor hurt you Believe not that there is another God Companion and associate with God He knoweth what ye know not he teacheth you a Parable A Slave that is poor cannot give Alms and he who is rich giveth
unto thee it is easie to thy Lord who created thee he said Lord give me some sign of the Conception of my Wife he said to him Thou shalt not speak for Three nights Then went he out of his Oratory and made signs to the People to make their prayers Evening and Morning Oh Iohn learn the Scripture with affection we from his Infancy gave him knowledg clemency charity piety affection towards his Father and Mother and not violence and disobedience We blessed the day of his Nativity the day that he shall die and the day that he shall rise again Remember thou what is written of Mary she retired towards the East into a place far remote from her Kindâ—…ed and took a Vail to cover her we sent her our Spirit in form of a man she was afraid and said God will preserve me from thee if thou have his fear before thine eyes he said Oh Mary I am the Messenger of God thy Lord who shall give thee a Son active and prudent She answered How shall I have a Son without the touch of man I desire not to be unchaste he said The thing shall be as I have told thee it is facile to thy Lord thy Son shall be a token of the Omnipotency of God and of his special grace towards such as shall believe in his Divine Majesty she became with Child and retired some time into a place remote from People where she sustained the dolours of Child-birth at the foot of a Date-tree and said Why am I not dead Wherefore am I not in the number of persons forgotten The Angel said to her Afflict not thy self God hath placed a brook under thee shake the foot of this Palm and the Dates shall fall gather them up eat and drink and wash thine eyes say unto them that thou shall meet that thou fastest and hast made a Vow not to speak to any one until the fast be accomplished Her Parents met her while she bare her Infant and said unto her Oh Mary behold a strange thing Oh Sister of Aaron thy Father did not command thee to do evil neither was thy Mother unchaste she made signs to her Infant to answer them they said How shall the Infant in the Cradle speak Then her infant spake and said I am the Servant of God he hath taught me the Scripture hath made me a Prophet blessed me in all places and commanded me to pray unto him he hath recommended to me purity through the whole course of my life and to honour my Father and Mother he hath not made me either violent or malicious praised shall be the day of my birth the day that I shall die and the day of my resurrection Thus spake Jesus the Son of Mary with truth of which ye doubt God approveth not the discourse of them that say he hath a Son praised be God when he willeth any thing he saith Be thou and it is he is mine and your Lord worship him this is the right way there be persons who in this regard have been of different opinion but misery is upon the incredulous They shall be miserable at the Day of Judgment The Infidels are manifestly erroneous from the right way if thou preach to them the â—…orments of Hell and their ignorance they will not hear thee We are Lords of whatsoever is on Earth and dispose of every thing at our pleasure they shall be one day assembled before us to be judged Remember thou what is written of Abraham he was a Righteous man and a Prophet he said to his Father Adore not what neither seeth nor understandeth any thing and that cannot be profitable I know what ye know not follow me and I will conduct you into the right way worship not the Devil he is disobedient unto God otherwise I fear that God may chastise you and you may be in the number of the damned He answered Oh Abraham dost thou abhor my Gods Unless thou change thy discourse I will stone thee depart from me for a long time he said May God inspire you I will pray for yoâ—… he is exceeding good and will hear my prayers Whom will ye adore when I shall be gone from you Worship God my Lord and your prayers shall be heard he departed from them and worshipped one God We gave him two Sons Isaac and Iacob both Prophets we conferred our grace upon him with an eloquent and true Tongue Remember thou what is written of Moses he was a Righteous man our Prophet and Messenger we called him on the right side of the Mount Sinai drew him near unto us and taught him our secrets we through special grace gave him a Brother named Aaron Remember thou what is written of Ismael he exactly observed what he promised was a Prophet and an Apostle of the Lord preached Purity and recommended to men to make their prayers often and was pleasing to his Lord. Remember thou what is written of Enoch he was a just man and a Prophet and we took him up to an exceeding high place God gave his grace to these men among the Prophets of the Lineage of Adam among them whom we caused to embark with Noah among those of the Lineage of Abraham and Israel and among those that we assembled and guided into the right way When the miracles of the merciful were related to them they fell prostrate and adored him with tears in their eyes their Posterity forsook their footsteps abandoned the Law and followed their own Appetites but they shall be precipitated into Hell except such as shall be converted and do good works they shall enter into Paradise and no injustice shall be done to them they shall enter into the Garden of Eden what the merciful God doth promise is infallible they shall hear nothing spoken in Paradise that shall displease them they shall hear the salutation of Angels and Morning and Evening shall have what they desire such is Paradise which God giveth to his Creatures that have his fear before their eyes I descend not from Heaven but by the permission of thy Lord he is master of our actions in Heaven and Earth and of whatsoever is between them he hath not forgot thee worship him and pâ—…rsevere in thy adoâ—…ation knowest thou any person that is named like him Man saith What shall I dye and rise again He considereth not that God hath created him of nothing I will one day assemble the Infidels and Devils I will cause them to appear at the Gate of Hell upon their Knees and will cast upon them all manner of misery because they have encreased their impiety towards their Lord. I know such as deserve to burn in Hell they shall be thrown thither headlong this is a most just Sentence pronounced by the Lord. I will save the Righteous and forbid Infidels to fall on their Knees before Idols when the unbelievers and many of the Faithful heard my Commandments preached they said among themselves that they were in
a better way than their Neighbour how many have we destroyed before them in past Ages more Rich than they and Hypocrites like unto them Say unto them God prolongeth the life of the erroneous that they may know their errors and learn the knowledge of the pains prepared for them they shall understand who shall be the most miserable And who shall have been most weak in their Faith and least affectionate to the Service of his Divine Majesty God shall encrease their Faith who shall follow the right way and such as be obedient to him shall enjoy his grace Hast thou considered the action of the wicked They demand if they shall have Riches and Children after their Resurrection Would you know what shall be would you capitulate with the merciful I will not do it I will write all that they say and will add to their miseries I will give to them in this World what they require and they shall rise again naked without Treasure and Children They adored Idols to have their protection Certainly they erred in that adoration they shall renounce them and be their enemies at the Day of Judgment Seest thou not how we have sent the Devils against unbelievers to seduce them Be not impatient to see them punished they shall be judged at the day appointed â—…e thou mindful of the day when I shall assemble all the Righteous in the presence of God and precipitate all the wicked into Hell their prayer shall not be heard except such as have accomplished their promises made to the merciful They have said Do ye believe that God hath a Son You utter a strange thing it wanteth not much but that Heaven and Earth open themselves and that the Mountains fall with their utter destruction They call God God the Son God hath not to do with a Son whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth adore him he knoweth the account and number of all things of the World Men shall appear before him at the Day of Judgment and the True believers that shall do good works shall be beloved of his Divine Majesty We have sent thee the Alcoran written in thine own Language that thou maist proclaim the delights of Paradise to them that fear me and preach the Torments of Hell to such as dispute with obstinacy against the Faith. How many of the wicked have we destroyed in past Ages Hast thou heard speak of them Hast thou heard mention of their Memory CHAP. XX. The Chapter of Beatitude and of Hell containing an hundred and thirty Verses written at Mecca Reader the Mahometans have entituled this Chapter Tthe which is two letters of the Arabique Alphabet to wit Tt and He where in this place Tt signifieth Thouba that is to say Beatitude and He Haoihe that is to say Hell. See the gloss and interpretation of Gelaldin and Bedaoi they have intituled this The Chapter of Beatitude and of Hell. IN the name of God gracious and merciful We have not given thee the Alcoran to torment thee but to instruct therein the righteous It was sent thee by him that created the Heavens and the Earth the merciful sitteth on his Throne whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth whatsoever is between them and beneath the Earth appertaineth to him He knoweth thy thoughts he understandeth what thou keepest secret and what thou makest manifest God! there is but one God all the glorious names of the world are due unto him Knowest thou the History of Moses When he beheld the fire he said to his family Stay ye here I see a great fire I will bring to you a spark and you shall find in it the right way When he approached it was said unto him O Moses I am thy Lord put off thy shooes thou art in the holy Valley of Toi I have elected thee among my people hear my word and receive mine inspirations I am God there is none other God but I worship me alone and make thy prayers as it is ordained The hour unknown to the world approacheth wherein I will recompence and chastise every one after his works Take heed lest the wicked seduce thee from the right way if thou follow their appetite thou shalt be destroyed Is it not what thou hast sworn to me he answered Lord I will apply my self unto thee and will lean upon my staff I will beat the fruits of the Trees to make them fall upon my flocks I have yet another manner to nourish my sheep with this staff I will make use of it to defend and preserve them from mischief God said unto him O Moses cast that staff to the ground behold a Serpent it creepeth take it and be not afraid I will cause it to return to its former condition draw back thine hand and put it under thy arm it shall become white and shining without harm and pain it shall be a most certain sign of my Unity I will give thee to see the miracles of my Omnipotency Go to Pharoab he is in an exceeding great error and seduced from the right way Moses said Lord rejoyce my heart and facilitate my commission unloose the knot of my tongue that they may understand my speech give me Aaron to assist me in this business that I may praise thee and highly exalt thy glory thou only art our protector God said Thy prayer is heard we were favourable to thee another time when we inspired thy mother to put thee into a coffer and expose thee to the river of Nile the water drove thee to the shore whence Pharoah took thee I caused thee to be beloved of him to have care of my people when thy sister sought tidings of what was become of thee she said Who will guide us where he is who will conduct us to him that keepeth him we sent thee back to thy mother to stop her tears and put an end to her affliction Thou slewest a man we have deliver'd thee from the hands of thine enemies and have approved thy perseverance thou hast continued some time with the inhabitants of Madian after this we sent thee to preach our Commandments I have made choice of thee go with thy brother to Pharoah and lie not in speaking of me he is gone astray from the right way speak to him both of you with mildness peradventure he will hearken to you and will fear the fire of hell they answered Lord We fear that he may torment and rise up against us he said Fear nothing I will be with you hear what he will say consider his actions address your selves to him and say We are the Messengers of the Omnipotent God dismiss with us the children of Israel and no more torment them we are come hither by the Commandment of God thy Lord. Salvation is for such as follow the right way damnation for them that blaspheme against his Law and depart from his Commandments Pharoah said unto them Who is your God Moses said My God is he that created the world and
shall tear them up and level them with the Earth thou shalt see them levelled and beaten down Then shall men without retardment follow him that shall summon them to universal Judgment they shall humble themselves before God thou shalt that Day hear low and humble voices that day shall prayers be ineffectual except of them that shall be pleasing to God whom he will permit to speak He knoweth whatsoever men do in this World and what must befull them in the other and they know it not they shall humble themselves and hang down the Head before the Living and Eternal Lord all Infidels shall be damned and the Righteous of True-believers that have done good works shall not fear injustice We have sent the Alcoran in the Arabique Tongue it teacheth men our Commandments peradventure they will fear impiety it teacheth them what they ought to know Exalt the glory of God King of the World he is truth it self press not thy self to read the Alcoran until thou hast well understood it Say Lord encrease my knowledge We heretofore prohibited Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit he was unmindful of our Commandment I found in him no perseverance Remember thou that we commanded the Angels to humble themselves before him they humbled themselves except the Devil who refused to do it Remember that we said Adam the Devil is thine enemy and the enemy of thy Wife he will endeavour to make you miserable to cause you both to go out of Paradise where thou sufferest neither hunger nor thirst nor cold nor heat the Devil tempted them and said oh Adam I will conduct thee to the Tree of Eternity a treasure that shall never perish they did both eat of the fruit of that Tree then knew they their filthiness and took the leaves of Trees to cover their nakedness Adam disobeyed his Lord and became miserable nevertheless he heard and pardoned him and shewed him the right he said descend from Paradice ye Enemies of each other I will hereafter send you a guide he that shall follow him shall not err and shall be blessed he that shall go astray and will not believe in me shall be miserable in the World and blind at the Day of Judgment that Day shall he say Lord wherefore hast thou made me blind I had good sight when I was in the World I did this day forget thee as thou didst forget my Commandments thus do I intreat Infidels The torments of the other World are more grievous than those of the Earth and of longer continuance do not unbelievers tremble when they consider how many men upon Earth we have destroyed in past Ages Their misery shall serve for example to them that are wise had not thy Lord said that he will defer the punishment of the wicked until the time appointed he had already destroyed them Be patient and endure their Discourse praise thy Lord before the Sun arise before it setteth an hour before Night and at the end of Day thou shalt do a thing acceptable to him The life of the World is sweet to tempt you but the Riches of thy Lord are better and Eternal Command the People to make their prayers at the time appointed and be not impatient towards them I require no Riches of thee I will enrich thee and in the end Paradise shall be for the Righteous The unbelievers have said if Mahomet sheweth not some Miracle from God and knoweth not the exposition of the Books of our Predecessors we will not believe in him we before his coming destroyed many wicked persons who said Lord hadst thou sent us a Prophet we had observed thy Commandments before we became infamous and laden with ignominy Say unto them every one expecteth his end expect ye and ye shall one day know them that follow the right way and have not erred CHAP. XXI The Chapter of the Prophets containing an Hundred and Twelve Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God Gracious and merciful The Day approacheth wherein the People shall render an account of their actions but they consider it not and depart from the Commandments of God if they hear them they laugh they understand them not and keep secret their evil intentions Is not Mahomet a man like to you Will ye say that he is a Magician You see the contrary God heareth whatsoever is spoken both in Heaven and Earth and knoweth all things They say certainly Mahomet hath dreamed what he speaketh he hath invented it and is a Poet we will not believe him unless he shew some Miracle as did the Prophets that were before him We have layed waste many Cities because their inhabitants were incredulous we sent before thee but men who were inspired of us Enquire of them to whom heretofore was given the knowledge of the written Law if ye know it not they were men that did eat and drink and were mortal we effected what we promised to them we preserved them with such as believed and destroyed the incredulous we have sent you a Book to instruct you will ye understand it How many Infidel Cities have we made desolate How many new People have we established in their place When they felt our punishment they fled fly not and return to what hath delighted you return into your houses peradventure ye will yet covet the Riches of the Earth they said Misery is upon us we are too blame thus did they talk until they were destroyed We have not created Heaven and Earth and whatsoever is between them to sport with had it been our will that they should have scoffed on Earth they should scoff likewise in Heaven On the contrary I oppose the truth to falsehood to confound it and in effect it doth confound it Misery shall be upon you because of your blasphemies whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth is Gods the Angels are not ashamed to worship him they praise him Day and Night and exalt his glory without blasphemy The Infidels worship Gods made of Earth have they power to create any thing Were there in Heaven and on Earth another God they would not accord praised be God Lord of the Universe what the Infidels relate is untrue He asketh no counsel when he will do any thing as do men will they worship any other God but him Say unto them produce your arguments behold what we have to speak unto you behold our reasons and those of our predecessors Certainly the greatest part of them are ignorant of the Truth and go astray We inspired into all the Prophets which we sent that there was but one God that ought to be worshipped They said believe ye that the Angels are the Sons of God Praised be God on the contrary they are his Creatures he loveth them they speak not but after him and obey what he commandeth them he knoweth all their actions past and future they pray for no man but through his permission and fear to displease him Who among them will say I am God
that should there make processions Men shall come thither to visit thee from all parts on foot and on Horse-back they shall receive profit they shall there make their prayers at the times appointed and the days nominated they shall thank the Lord for his benefits towards them and the Riches which he hath given them and shall make likewise processions at the old Temple He that shall reverence it shall do exceeding well and shall be recompenced of his Lord. It is lawful for you to eat of all clean Beasts except of such as have been heretofore prohibited Depart from the pollution of Idols beware of bearing false witness and be obedient to God. He that saith God hath a Companion is like to him that fell headlong from Heaven whom the Birds devoured and the wind cast into a remote place full of miseries He that shall reverence the signs of the power of God will not doubt of his Law and shall be rewarded for his good works at the time appointed if he visit the old Temple of Mecca We have given to all Nations of the World a Law to offer their Sacrifices and to return thanks to their Lord for having given them advantage above all sorts of Beasts Your God is one God obey his Commandments proclaim a great reward to them that are obedient to him to them that tremble with fear when they hear mention of his name that are patient in their adversity that pray at the time appointed and dispence in alms some part of the wealth that we have given them We have created the female Camel for a sign of our unity she shall be profitable to you in this World. Remember to pronounce the Name of God when ye shall sacrifice her standing on her feet when she shall fall dead on the ground eat of her flesh if it like you and give to eat to such as shall require it We have made her subject to you peradventure ye will be thankful to me for this grace God promoteth before him neither the flesh of this Beast nor the blood but onely the good works that ye perform He hath thus subjected it That ye may exalt it and give him thanks for having guided you into the right way Proclaim to the righteous That God will remove far from them the malice of the wicked he abhorreth Traytors and the ingrateful Declare to such as fight against Infidels to repair the injury they have done them that God is sufficiently powerful to protect them When they were driven from their houses without reason they said God is our Lord Had not God stirred up the people against each other the Covents of the Religious the Churches of the Christians the Synagogues of the Jews and the Temples of the Believers had been ruined through the multitude of the wicked and their malice The name of God is exalted in the Temples of believers and therein is his Law defended and protected God is most strong he hath all power over his people Those whom God hath established on Earth with victory over their enemies make their prayers in the manner ordained pay Tithes and enjoin to do what is honest and civil forbid to do what is prohibited of God who knoweth the end of all things If the Infidels traduce thee their predecessors traduced Noah Aad Chaib Abraham and Lot they also slandered Moses God for a time deferred their punishment but in the end most severely chastised them How many Cities have we destroyed because of their impiety We have overthrown and made them desart through the death of their inhabitants Shall those of Mecca walk for ever upon Earth with an hard heart without reflecting upon what hath heretofore befaln the Infidels Their eyes are not blind but their hearts are blind and hardned They will require thee to cause the wicked to be speedily chastised God will not go against what he hath promised One day before thy Lord is as a thousand years before men How often hath the punishments of impâ—…ous Cities been deferred that in the end were destroyed The whole world shall one day be assembled before me to be recompenced after their merits Say unto them O people I preach unto you publickly the torments of Hell such as shall believe and do good works shall receive pardon of their sins and a precious treasure they that shall endeavour to make void the faith shall be damned We sent our Prophet to read only our Commandments to the people the unbelievers read many things that are not in the Alcoran but God hath made vain what the Devil had there inserted and confirmed the precepts of his Law What the Devil there inserted serveth for sâ—…dition to them that are weak in their faith and have an hard heart The Infidels are in an exceeding great error and are far from the Truth Such as have the knowledge of Scripture know that the Alcoran is truth it self which proceedeth from thy Lord They believe in it and humble their heart in reading it God guideth into the right way such as believe in the truth The Infidels shall be in doubt until they be surprized of the day of Judgment That day shall they be rigorously chastised that day shall God command and judg the good and the bad the righteous that shall have believed and done good works shall enter into delicious Gardens and the Infidels that shall have disobeyed his Commandments shall suffer exceeding great torments They that departed from Mecca and went to Medina to abandon the society of unbelievers and were slain or died of sickness shall be rewarded of his divine Majesty God is the greatest benefactor in the world he shall give them to enter where they shall desire he is omniscient and most merciful The believers that shall take revenge of the injury that the unbelievers have done them shall be protected of God He is gracious and merciful towards his people he maketh day to enter into night and night into day he heareth the prayers of True believers and seeth whatsoever they do and will protect them because he is truth it self Idols are but vanity and God is most high and omnipotent Dost thou not consider that God sendeth the rain from Heaven and that the Earth becometh green He is benign to his people and knoweth all things whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth is his he hath no need of his people and ought to be exalted Seest thou not that God hath subjected to you all the beasts that are upon the earth Seest thou not that the ship runneth upon the sea through his command to transport you and your substance Seest thou not that he hindreth Heaven to fall upon the Earth certainly he is benign and merciful He it is that hath given you life and death he shall make you to die and shall raise you again nevertheless man is ingrateful for his favours We have given a law to all the Nations of the World to guide them into the right
up the Mountains upon the Earth to fasten and hinder it to move he hath thereon dispersed many Beasts and sent Rain from Heaven which causeth Plants to spring forth and Herbs of divers sorts Behold here what God hath created shew me what your Idols have created assuredly Idolaters are manifestly seduced from the right way We inspired knowledg into Locman and spake unto him to give God thanks he that returneth thanks to God for his Graces doth good for his Soul. God rejecteth the ingrateful and praise is due to him in all places Remember thou that Locman said unto his Son O my Son believe not thou that God hath a companion it is an exceeding great Sin We have commanded man to honour his Father and Mother his Mother beareth him with grief upon grief and weaneth him at the age of Two years be thou not ingrateful for God's benefits honour Father and Mother thou shalt be one day before God to be judged If thy Parents press thee to believe that God hath companions obey them not follow the way of them that obey him all men shall be one day assembled before him to be rewarded according to their works O my Son if thou dost evil of the weight of a Grâ—…n of Mustardseed or of the weight of a Rock or of the greatness of Heaven and Earth God will know it and put it in account he is exact and Omniscient O my Son make thy prayers at the time appointed do what is honest and civil fly what is not approved and be patient in thy adversities regard not the World disordered through pride converse not with the proud God detesteth the haughty observe thy steps walk with modesty speak gently they be persons that bray like Asses when they speak seest thou not that God hath created for men all that is in Heaven and Earth and conferreth on them his Graces in general and particular There be ignorant persons that dispute of the Deity without reason when it is said unto them Do what God hath appointed they answer We will do what we saw done by our Fathers They consider not that the Devil calleth them and their Fathers to the pains of Hell. He that obeyeth God and doth good works fastneth him to the strongest Knot and will have a care of him at the Hour of his end The impiety of the wicked ought not to afflict thee they shall be one day assembled in our presence to be chastised I will shew them all that they have done I know what is in the hearts of men I will prolong awhile their punishment upon Earth and precipitate them in the other World into the Fire of Hell. Hast thou not demanded of them who created Heaven and Earth They said It is God say unto them therefore praised be God nevertheless the greatest part of them are ignorant Whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth is Gods he hath no want of the World praise is due unto him in all that he doth if all the Trees of the World were Pens and the Sea Ink they could not comprehend the effect of his Omnipotency he is Omnipotent and knoweth all things He created and shall make you to rise again with one word he understandeth and seeth all things Consider they not that God causeth the Night to enter into the Day and the Day into the Night that he created the Sun and the Moon that move in the Heaven until the day appointed he knoweth whatsoever ye do because he is truly God they that invoke other than him invoke things vain and unprofitable God alone is most high and most mighty Seest thou not how the Ship runneth upon the Water for a token of his Omnipotency to such as acknowledg his Graces When the Wars arose against the Infidels many called upon God with resolution to follow his Law when he saved them on the Land some persevered to do well and others returned to their impiety none but deceivers and ingrateful persons despise his Commandments O People fear God and the day when the Father shall not be able to succour his Child neither the Child serve his Father God's promises are infallible be not proud of your Riches neither that God tolerateth and suffereth you he knoweth the time when ye shall be chastised the hour that the Rain shall fall upon the Earth he knoweth what is in the wombs of women whether it be Male or Female none but God knoweth what thou wilt do to morrow none but he knoweth the place where thou shalt die he knoweth all he knoweth all CHAP. XXXII The Chapter of Worship containing an Hundred and Thirty Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful I am the most Wise God. Doubtless this Book was sent by the Lord of the Universe will the wicked say that thou hast invented it On the contrary it is the truth it self which proceedeth from thy Lord to preach to them that heretofore had none to instruct them peradventure they will follow the right way God created Heaven and Earth and all that is between them in Six days and sitteth on his Throne Who shall protect you Who shall hear your prayers but he Will you never consider it He disposeth all things in Heaven and Earth all men shall one day be assembled before him to be judged a Thousand years are but one day before his Divine Majesty he knoweth what is past present and future he is Omnipotent and Merciful he hath created every thing for his People he formed man of the Dirt and Dust of the Earth he inspired the Soul into his Body he giveth you hearing sight and sense but few men return him thanks for his Graces They say What shall we die and return to be a new People Certainly they believe not in the Resurrection Say unto them The Angel of Death shall cause you to die and ye shall return before God to be judged Thou shalt then see how the Infidel will hang down the Head before their Lord and say Lord we now see the certainty of the Resurrection we this day know the truth of thy words permit us to return into the World we will be Righteous we now understand what is profitable and necessary for us we could have given a guide to every Person my word is most true I will fill Hell with the wicked and Paradise with the Righteous thus shall men be rewarded and chastised according to their works Taste O ye wicked the pains that ye have deserved in refusing to believe in this day which ye have found we leave you in the miseries due to your incredulity taste the eternal torments that ye have merited through your impiety Such as believe in the mysteries of my Law are humble they worship me alone and praise me when they hear mention of me they are not proud rebel not against my Commandments They arise from their Bed to make their prayers with fear and hope and imploy in pious works some part of
taketh heed of offending him laboureth for himself all the World shall be one day assembled before him to be judged the blind are not like to such as see clear darkness is not like to light the shade and coolness are not like to the heat of the Sun the Living are not like the Dead God causeth himself to be understood of whom he pleaseth thou canst not make the Commandments of God to be understood by them that are in their Sepulchers we have sent only to preach the pains of Hell and the joys of Paradise there is no place in the World where they have not been preached if the Infidels traduce thee their predecessors likewise traduced them whom we sent heretofore to preach to them the Mysteries of Faith and the Scriptures they were surprised in their sins were rigorusly chastised Seest thou not how thy Lord caused Rain to fall from Heaven to make the Earth produce many fruits of sundry sorts and to nourish in the Mountains the Goats the Stags and Hinds To nourish the Crows and Ravens the men and beasts of divers kinds and form God gratifieth his Creatures that acknowledg his benefits he is Omnipotent and merciful They who devoutly read the Book of God who make their prayers at the time appointed and bestow in pious works secretly or publickly part of the wealth that we have given them have hope of a recompence that shall never perish God shall recompence and augment his graces upon them he is merciful towards the good and accepteth the acknowledgment of his graces The Book that we have sent thee containeth the Truth it confirmeth the ancient Scriptures God knoweth and seeth all things We have given the understanding of the Alcoran to such as we have chosen among our creatures there be some who have ill discharged what we have taught them some have perfromed what was enjoyned them and others have taught it with affection and diligence through Gods permission This is a great grace they shall enter into the Garden of Eden where they shall remain eternally they shall be adorned with Collars of Gold enriched with precious stones they shall be cloathed with fine silk and shall say praised be God who hath delivered us from affliction he is most merciful and accepteth the thanks of his creatures such as through his special grace shall enjoy the house of eternity shall be free from all pain and the Infidels shall be cast headlong into the fire of Hell. They shall not die in those torments and their torture shall never be asswaged thus shall the wicked be chastised they shall in vain implore succour of God and say Lord deliver us from these pains we will do better than we have done heretofore I will no more prolong your life on Earth I have sent you my Prophets and Apostles They preached unto you my Commandments you would not hear them taste now the pains of Hell which ye have merited the wicked shall this day be deprived of protection Certainly God knoweth whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth he knoweth all that is in the hearts of men He it is that hath made you to multiply on Earth impiety shall rise against the impious it shall render them abominable before God and put them into the number of the damned Say unto them have ye well considered the Idols that ye have worshipped Tell me What have they created on Earth Were they Gods companions in the Creation of the Heavens Hath God sent to them a Book and reasons to authorize their impiety Certainly the wicked instruct one another only in pride and arrogancy God sustaineth the Heavens and the Earth he alone is able to sustain them he is gracious and merciful The wicked swore to fight for the encrease of the faith if there should come to them a Preacher to instruct them and when he came they augmented their wickedness became proud in the Earth and conspired against the true believers their conspiracy fell upon themselves and they can expect none other things than what was ordained against their predecessors the Law of God admitteth none alteration Consider they not what was the end of their Predecessors who were more wealthy and powerful than they Nothing is impossible to God he knoweth all things and is omnipotent Should God punish the people when they offend him he should leave no living creature on the Earth he deferreth the chastisement of the wicked until the time appointed when their time shall be come he will punish them according to their demerits he seeth all CHAP. XXXVI The Chapter intituled O Man containing fourscore and eight Verses written at Mecca Reader the Mahometans have entituled this Chapter with two Letters of the Arabique Alphabet i. s. The Bedaoi saith that i signifieth ia that is to say O particula voâ—…ativa and s is an abreviation that signifieth insan i. e. Man and that the Angel speaking to Mahomet began this Chapter in this manner O man I swear by the Alcoran c. See Tefsir Kitab el tenoir IN the name of God gracious and merciful Oh man I swear by the Alcoran full of Doctrine that thou art a Prophet sent to teach the people the right way This Book was sent by the Omnipotent and merciful that thou maist instruct men in that which was not taught their Predecessors Certainly what was said is true viz. That the greatest part of them is incredulous We will put a chain upon their neck and bind their hands to the very chin they shall lift up the head to complain but we will place before and behind them a great obstacle we will cover their sight with darkness and they shall not see a jot Misery is upon them whether thou dost reprove or not reprove them they shall not be converted If thou preachest to them that believe in the Alcoran and to such as believe in what they have seen proclaim to them a general pardon of their sins and a very great reward I make the dead to arise again and write exactly in a Book the good and the evil that men commit Relate to them the â—…ble of those of the City whither thy Lord sent his Prophets we sent unto them two Prophets â—… they slandered both of them we succored them by 〈◊〉 third they all three said to the Inhabitants of this City we are sent from God to preach to you his Commandments They answered ye are but men like us God hath not sent us a sign to make you known ye are lyars They said certainly God knoweth that he sent us to you we are obliged only to preach to you his Commandments They answered would ye make us Infidels like your selves If ye end not this discourse we will â—…one you and make you to suffer heavy torments They said be your evil with you Who hath heretofore so ill instructed you Certainly you are wicked Then a man came running from the utmost part of the City who said unto them Oh people obey the
idle They that have judgment will understand this discourse Say unto them oh ye people that believe in your Lord have his fear before your eyes such as shall do good works in this world shall enjoy abundantly the riches of the earth God will innumerably reward them that persevere in obedience to his Commandments Say unto them I am commanded to worship one God to profess his Unity and to be obedient to him Say unto them I apprehend the day of Judgment if I disobey God my Lord. Say unto them I will worship but one God worship ye others whom ye will. Such as shall despise the Law of God shall lose their souls and families at the day of Judgment These are two great losses and most certain they be involved in eternal fire Thus God preacheth to true believers O my creature speak unto them that have my fear before their eyes that they adore not Idols and that if they turn to their Lord they shall enjoy the delights of Paradise Proclaim to them that hear my Word and obey my Commandments that they are in the right way and well advised canst thou deliver from the fire of hell him that shall be condemned Certainly such as obey God shall enjoy the pleasures of Paradise wherein flow many rivers and there shall they dwell eternally This is the promise of God he swerveth not from that which he promiseth Seest thou not that God sendeth rain from heaven and maketh the rivers to run upon the earth he causeth plants to spring forth and herbs of divers colours thou seest them become yellow and then altogether drie this is a sign of his omnipotency Hath not he to whom God hath given the light of faith received a great grace from his divine Majesty Misery is upon them that have an heart hardned and forget his Law they are manifestly seduced he hath sent an excellent book for the instruction of men his precepts are alike in purity and without contradiction They that fear God tremble when they hear mention of this book and find their rest in the word of his divine Majesty This book is the guide of the righteous God by it guideth whom pleaseth him He whom God shall seduce shall find none to guide him he shall be precipitated into the fire of hell at the day of Judgment It shall be said that day to the wicked taste the torments that ye have merited their predecessors defamed the Prophets and were punished when they least thought of it God rendred them ignominious in this world and they shall feel in the other torments much more grievous and they know it not We have taught in this book what is necessary for the salvation of the people peradventure they will learn it it is in the Arabique tongue without falshood and contradiction perhaps the people will fly from impiety God teacheth you a parable Two men are associates in their traffique the one is wicked the other an honest man are they alike Praise is due to one sole God the greatest part of the Infidels understand it not Thou shalt die all men shall die and ye shall be assembled at the day of Judgment when ye shall dispute together Who is more unjust than he that blasphemeth against God and against the known truth Shall not the wicked be damned Such as shall believe the Prophet and fly impiety shall obtain from God what they desire such is the recompence of the righteous God shall pardon their sins and reward them for their good works doth not he protect his servant They will terrifie thee with the Idols which they adore but he whom God shall mislead shall find none able to guide him and none shall be able to seduce him whom he shall guide is not he the omnipotent and revenging If thou ask of the Infidels who created heaven and earth they will say it is God Say unto them have ye therefore considered the Idols which ye adore can they exempt you from the wrath of God when it shall be his pleasure to chastise you Shall they be able to hinder his grace when it shall be his will to pardon you Say unto them my refuge is God I am resigned to his Will the wise trust in his divine Majesty Say unto them oh people do as you understand him I will do as I understand him ye shall know in the end that whosoever shall be condemned shall be ashamed and be precipitated into eternall torments We have sent unto thee the most true Book to instruct the people He that shall follow the right way shall meet with nothing but good and he that shall go astray shall meet with nothing but evill thou art not the guardian of the wicked God causeth men to die when the hour of their death is arrived he deferreth the death of many during their sleep and remitteth that of others to the time appointed this is a sign of his Omnipotencie to such as consider it Will ye worship any but God Say unto them how shall your Idols be able to intercede for you since they want power know you not this Say unto them we ought to invoke one God alone King of the heaven and earth you all shall one day be assembled before him to be judged The Infidels tremble with fear when they hear mention of one sole God and rejoyce when they hear speak of their Idols Say unto them God is Creator of the heavens and the earth he knoweth the past present and future Lord thou shalt one day judge the differences of thy creatures Should the Infidels possess all the riches of the earth and yet as much more they would not be able to escape the fire of hell at the day of Judgment they shall be punished more grievously than they imagine their sins shall be set before them and they shall feel the rigors of the torments which they despise Man calleth upon us when he is in affliction and when we give him our grace he saith he meriteth it on the contrary this is to prove him but most of them are ignorant of it their predecessors spake as they the good that they have done hath profited them nothing and the misery that they have merited is faln upon them they shall not escape the punishment of their crimes Know they not that God giveth and taketh away wealth from whom pleaseth him This is a sign of his omnipotency for the righteous Say unto them oh people they who have offended God ought not to despair of his grace he is gracious and merciful be ye converted and recommend your selves to his will before ye be condemned otherwise ye shall remain without protection follow the instruction that God hath sent to you before ye be 〈◊〉 the punishment of your crimes shall surprise you ye know not the time the wicked shall be afflicted for that they have not obeyed Gods Commandments they shall know their damnation and the sin that they have committed in scorning the
conspired against them think they that I know not their secrets and whatsoever they utter The Angels our Messengers keep account say unto them If God have a Son who shall we first adore Praised be God King of the Heavens and of the Earth the matter is not as the Infidels deliever it Leave them implunged in their impiety let them laugh and rejoyce until the day of their punishment arrive One God alone ought to be worshipped in Heaven and Earth he is most wise and Omniscient Praised be he to whom appertaineth the Kingdom of the Heavens and Earth and whatsoever is between them He knoweth the hour and the day that all the World shall be assembled before him to be judged The Idols that the Infidels adore shall not be able to intercede for them the good intercede for them that have knowledge of the truth if thou ask of men Who created them They will say It is God How can they then depart from his Commandments Lord this People is incredulous Depart thou far from their company they shall in the end too late acknowledg their errors CHAP. XLIV The Chapter of Smoke containing Fifty nine Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and merciful God is Prudent and Wise. I swear by the Book that distinguisheth good from evil that we sent it the Night of blessing to teach the People the torments of Hell this Book explaineth our Commandments and all that we heretofore commanded the Prophets this is a special grace of thy Lord he heareth and knoweth all things he is Lord of Heaven and Earth and of all that is between them believe in his Omnipotency There is no God but he he giveth life and death to whom he listeth he is your Lord the Lord of your fathers and predecessors the wicked deride this discourse but the Day of Judgment attends them that day the Heaven shall resemble Smoak that shall cover the World that day shall the People say Behold here grievous torments Lord deliver us from this misery we will believe in thy Law Their conversion shall be in vain because when the Prophet preached to them they scorned his words and said That he was a foolish Teacher and when they were comforted on Earth they returned to their impiety Remember thou the day when they were vanquished and taken by force and that we were revenged on their impiety We heretofore tryed the People of Pharoah my beloved Prophet preached to them my Commandments and said Come follow me Oh ye servants of God! I am a faithful â—…essenger of his divine Majesty resist not his law will teach you his Commandments he shall defend me from your malice he shall preserve me from being stoned but if he will not believe me depart far from me He prayed to his Lord when he knew that that people was unbelieving â—…nd impious God said unto him Go forth by night out of the City with my servants if the men of Pharoah pursue thee enter into the Sea through a path large and spacious thine enemies that shall follow thee shall be drowned How many Gardens Fountains and places of Pleasure wherein they took delight did â—…hey forsake They fell into the power of anoâ—…her with all their treasures and none lamented â—…hem either in Heaven or Earth they expected â—…ot that punishment We delivered the Children of Israel from Pharoahs tyranny he was â—…owerful and a great sinner We elected them through our certain knowledg among all the world â—…nd tryed them through our Miracles and Commandments The wicked say we shall dye and not rise again if the Resurrection be true cause our fathers to revive to evidence the truth of thy words Are they more powerful than their predecessors whom we destroyed because of their â—…mpiety We have not created in vain the Heaven and the Earth and whatsoever is between them we created them for certain signs of our â—…nity the greatest part of the world understand â—…t not the day of Judgment is the time appointed for their punishment that day none shall be able to save his neighbour or parent or friend nor shall any be saved but those to whom God shall give his mercy he is omnipotent and merciful The fruit of the Tree of Hell called Zacon shall serve for food to the wicked it shall boyl in their bellies like pitch or water They shall cry Take the wicked drag them into the fire of Hell pour upon their heads all manner of torments It shall be said unto them taste the pains oâ—… Hell ye believed your selves to be thâ—… omnipotent and precious on Earth behold thâ—… punishment of which ye doubted The righteouâ—… shall be in delicious places in Gardens adorneâ—… with Fountains they shall be clothed with purple they shall behold each other face to face wâ—… will assemble them with women pure and cleaâ—… who shall have most beautiful eyes they shall havâ—… fruits savoury and delicious of all seasons the shall never dye and shall be delivered from thâ—… torments of Hell through the special grace 〈◊〉 thy Lord behold supreme felicity Certainly we have sent the Alcoran in thy tongue peradveâ—… ture the Arabians will learn it they covet thy 〈◊〉 ine but persevere thou and expect the time of 〈◊〉 punishment of their crimes CHAP. XLV The Chapter of Genuflexion or Knee-bowinâ—… containing fifty nine Verses 〈◊〉 at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and mercifâ—… God is most prudent and Wise. This Book sent by the Omnipotent and Wise. The Heaveâ—… and the Earth are most certain signs of his Uniâ—… to such as believe in his Law your Creation aâ—… â—…he Creation of all Creatures are markâ—… of his greatness to them that have his fear before their eyes the difference of the night and the day the rain that he sendeth from Heaven to cause fruits to spring out of the Earth and to revive it after its death and the diversity of winds are signs of his Omnipotency to them that have knowledg to comprehend it I relate to thee the wonders of God with truth in what will 〈◊〉 believe if they believe not in the word of his divine Majesty Misery is upon them that hear the Commandments of God and become proud as if they had not heard them Preach unto such men that they shall suffer the rigors of infinite pains They deride the Faith when they are spoken to Certainly they shall be punished in the fire of Hell their riches shall not be able to save them neither the Idols which they adore they shall be eternally damned This Book guideth men into the way of salvation they that shall not believe in the Law of God shall feel the effects of his fury He created the Seas that bear the Ships for the advantage of your commerce peradventure ye will acknowlged this grace He hath created for you all that is in Heaven and on Earth it is a sign of his goodness to such as consider it Speak unto them that believe
Earth and return into the World Behold a very strong return we know assuredly what the Earth will do with us we have a Book wherein all is written they impugn the known truth and are in a great confusion See they not Heaven above them how we have built it how we have adorned it and how there is no defect We have extended the Earth raised the Mountains and caused all sorts of fruits to spring forth for a sign of our Omnipotency We have sent the blessed Rain from Heaven made Gardens to produce Grain pleasing to the Reapers and Date-trees exceeding each other in height to enrich our creatures We have given life to the dead dry and barren Earth so shall the dead come out of their sepulchres The People of Noah's time those that inhabited near the Well Temod Pharaoh the fellow-citizens of Lot they that dwelt in the Forest and People of King Teba did heretofore traduce our Prophets and felt the punishment denounced against Infidels Was it a trouble to us to create men at first Nevertheless they are in doubt if they shall rise again We created man without difficulty we know the motions of his Soul and penetrate into his heart as the blood into the veins of his Body O man think upon the day that thou shalt see thy good and evil Angel near thee at the right hand and on thy left they have observed and written all that thou hast done represent to thy self death before thine eyes it is inevitable Think on the Angel that shall sound the Trumpet at the Day of the Resurrection that day shall the wicked behold what was promised them and all men shall come before God to be judged Their guardian Angels shall conduct them and be the witnesses of their deportments It shall be said to the Infidels Behold the day of which ye would have no thoughts we have now opened your eyes ye shall see this day more hard than Iron their guardian Angels shall say unto them Behold here before your eyes all that ye have done cast into Hell those obstinate Infidels that have hindred their Neighbour to do good that have offended in doubting of God's Law and have affirmed there was another God with God cast them into the most grievous torments Then shall the Devil say to them Lord I did not seduce them they seduced themselves God shall say Dispute not before me what was heretofore promised you is infallible my Word admitteth no alteration and I will do injustice to none God shall ask at the Day of Judgment If Hell be full It shall answer Is there any more Paradise is prepared for the Righteous who shall have the fear of God before their eyes it is promised to them that shall be converted that shall obey the Commandments of his Divine Majesty and persevere in their obedience It shall be said to them Enter ye into Paradise exempt from all evil behold the eternal day ye shall have all that ye shall desire and more How rich and powerful Cities have we in times past destroyed Their inhabitants sought in their Countries places of retreat and escaped not the puishment of their crimes this ought to serve for example to them that comprehend it to them that hear it and to such that saw it Certainly we created in Six days without difficulty the Heaven and Earth and all that is betweem them Persevere be not impatient for the words of unbelievers exalt the glory of thy Lord before the Sun go down and before it rise pray to thy Lord at the entrance of the Night the last of all shall be worship Hearken when the Angel shall call thee to general Judgment that day shall all the World hear the Trumpet the people shall come out of their sepulchres and Earth shall open before the eyes of men I give life and death and all the World shall be assembled before me to be judged This assembly is easie for me to accomplish I know what the wicked say thou shalt not cause them by force to embrace my Law Teach it those that fear the torments prepared for Infidels CHAP. LI. The Chapter of Things dispersed containing Sixty Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and merciful I swear by the Winds that disperse the dust by the Clouds charged with Rain by the Ship that runneth upon the Waters and by them that divide the Wealth of the Earth that what hath been promised to you is true and that the Day of Judgment is infallible I swear by Heaven and the Stars thereof that ye are in an exceeding great error God expelleth lyars far from him he curseth them that blaspheme and such as believe not in the Resurrection They ask When shall be the Day of Judgment That day shall they be punished in the Fire of Hell. It shall be said unto them Taste the torments that ye have with impatience demanded They who had the fear of God before their eyes shall be in Gardens adorned with Fountains they shall enjoy the pleasures prepared for them by God because they are Righteous they sleep very little by Night implore pardon of God at the dawning of the Day and give alms to the poor that beg and the poor that are bashful God manifesteth on the Earth and in your persons the signs of his Omnipotency consider ye not that what is promised to you is written in Heaven God is Lord of Heaven and Earth he is truth it self will ye not confess him Did the Angels convey to thee the books of Abraham When they entred into his House they saluted him he likewise saluted them made signs to his servants to bring a fat Calf roasted which he presented to them he said unto them Wherefore do ye not eat And was afraid in his mind of their coming They said Fear not we are the Messengers of God they declared to him that he should have a Son that should be a great personage Then his wife drew near crying with a loud voice and smiting her Face said One that is barren beareth no Child they said The thing shall come to pass as we have spoken thy Lord ordaineth what pleaseth him and knoweth all Abraham said unto them O ye Messengers of God! what is your design They replied We are sent from God to destroy the Cities inhabited by the wicked and cast upon them stones of Fire whereon are inscribed the names of them that they shall strike We will cause all the Righteous to depart from among them if we find there but one Family of Righteous we will there leave an example to Posterity for them that fear the torments of Hell. Moses is a sign of our omnipotency we sent him to Pharaoh with reasons clear and intelligible he despised my Commandments and said That Moses was a Magician and possessed of the Devil but we surprised him and drowned his People to his great displeasure Aad is an example of our Omnipotency We sent an
themselves from these pains through the loss of their Children their Wives their Brethren their Companions their Neighbours and the loss of all that is on Earth The flame of Fire shall rise upon them and shall burn the skin of their head they shall call upon those that are behind them that have like themselves abandoned the Law of God and the covetous that shall have heaped up Treasures Man was created timerous he is afraid when evil befalleth him and is arrogant when good hapneth to him except the believers who are stable in their Faith that persevere in their prayers that give alms to the poor that beg and those that are bashful that believe in the Day of Judgment fear the punishment of God and know none other Women but their own and their Slaves they shall be exempt from affliction at the Day of Judgment those that shall act the contrary shall be in the number of the unjust They who effect what they have promised and preserve faithfully what to them hath been entrusted who speak the truth in testimony and who make their prayers at the time appointed shall be honoured in Paradise Wherefore is it that the Infidels who are about thee cast their eyes to the right Hand and to the left with pride Do they require to enter into Paradise and be saved We have created them as other men I swear by the Lord of the East and West That we are able to change them into a People better than they and that it is a thing easie for us to perform leave them in their errors until they be come to the day when they are promised to be chastised and that they shall come out of their Sepulchres to repair to Universal Judgment they shall repair thither terrified and their sight shall be covered with shame this is the day that hath been heretofore preached to them CHAP. LXXI The Chapter of Noah containing Twenty eight Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful Before men were chastised we sent Noah to preach to them the pains of hell he said unto them O ye people I preach to you the pains of hell worship one only God and fear him obey me he shall pardon your sins â—…e deferreth your punishment until the day appointed and shall not retard it when his hour shall be come did he know it ye would be converted Afterward he said Lord I have exhorted this people night and day but mine exhortations have been very much in vain they have strengthned themselves in their impiety and when I preached to them they put their fingers into their ears and covered their heads with their garments that they might not hear they continue in their impiety and become proud I have preached to them publickly I lifted up my voice I have expounded to them the mysteries of thy Law I said unto them Implore pardon of God he is most merciful he shall send you abundance of rain to water the earth he shall give you store of wealth and many children he shall give you gardens embellished with fountains and rivers who hindereth you to honour God He it is that hath created you in the condition wherein you are consider ye not that he hath created seven heavens the one upon the other that he created the Moon with her brightness and the Sun with his light he hath caused the earth to bring forth all sorts of plants he will cause you all to return to earth and to revive he hath extended it to the end ye may walk in the ways thereof large and spacious Lord said Noah this people hath disobeyed me they have followed that which can give them neither posterity nor profit but rather a most certain damage they have conspired against me and said among themselves Forsake not your gods forsake not Od Soa Igout Iaoc and Nesar they err from the right way Lord add to their confusion Then were they drowned because of their sins they shall be cast headlong into the fire whence none but God is able to deliver them Noah said Lord leave not a wicked man upon the earth they will seduce thy creatures from the right way they will leave children lyars and impious like themselves pardon my sins pardon the sins of my father my lineage and those that shall believe in thy Law and destroy the unjust CHAP. LXXII The Chapter of Devils containing twenty eight Verses written at Mecca Some Mahometans intitle this The Chapter of Spirits IN the Name of God gracious and merciful Say to the people I have received an inspiration which some devils heard of me when I read the Alcoran and that they said We have heard the miraculous Alcoran read it teacheth the right way we believe in what it contains we believe not that God hath companions we believe there is but one God we believe not that he hath wives or children our ignorant persons blaspheme against his divine Majesty nevertheless we imagine that they could not do it There are who require aid of the devils and augment their confusion because they say that God will not cause any to rise again some devils have said We have been as high as heaven and found it furnished with guards and stars we stayed in a place a little distant to hear there is one star that watcheth them that hearken and drives them away we know not if God hateth the men that are upon earth or if he will teach them the right way but we are now in the number of them that believe in the unity of his divine Majesty they said Oh ye people we were before in the way of error we heretofore believed that God did not operate on earth but no person in whatsoever place he be can avoid obeying his Will we heard the book read that teacheth the right way we believe in what it contains he that believeth in God will not fear any misery or injustice there be of us that are good and that trust in God others there are who are wicked and impious such as obey the Commandments of God follow the right way and the wicked shall be precipitated into the fire of hell Had the Infidels followed the right way we had sent them from heaven abundance of rain and given them our grace I will try them and such as shall despise the Alcoran shall be punished The Temples belong to God invoke one sole God in the Temples when his servant riseth he worshippeth his divine Majesty it wanteth not much but these devils had published the plurality of Deities Say unto the people worship God my Lord I believe in one God who hath no companion I can neither guide nor seduce you but through his permission If I disobey him none shall be able to save me and I shall want protection at the day of Judgment I can do no more for you than to preach to you his Law this is the subject of my Embassie He who shall disobey God
of God gracious and merciful What do the wicked enquire of each other touching the great news of which they are in different Opinion They shall learn it they shall learn it Have not I created and extended the Earth Have not I raised the Mountains to establish it Have not we created you Male and Female Have not we created Sleep and the Night for repose and the Day of Labour Have we not built over you Seven heavens and the Sun full of light Have we not caused Rain to descend from the Clouds to cause the Earth to produce its Plants and Gardens of divers fashions The day of Judgment shall be a day of Joy and Sorrow When the Angel shall sound the Trumpet all the World shall come in Troops to Universal Judgment Heaven shall open its Gates the Mountains shall walk and Hell is the place prepared for the seduced there shall they remain eternally They shall find there no rest neither drink but of boyling and most stinking Water a reward conformed to their works the Infidels believe not that they must render an account of their actions and blaspheme but we keep account and write exactly what they do It will be said to them at the Day of Judgment Taste this day the punishment that ye have merited your pains shall be augmented and pains upon pains They who shall have had the fear of God before their eyes shall be in a place of felicity in the Gardens of a most fertile Land enriched with Grapes and Pomegranats they shall drink in Cups full of a delicious Liquor and shall hear no vain speeches nor lying such is the recompence of them that obey the Commandments of God He is Lord of the Heavens and Earth none shall dare to speak when the Spirits and Angels shall be assembled before him none shall be able to speak or pray for another without his permission This day shall be the day of truth they that shall be acceptable to him shall retire towards his Divine Majesty We have preached unto you that the punishment of God shall speedily come upon you every one shall see all that he shall have done and the wicked shall say at the Day of Judgment Would to God that I had been earth and dust CHAP. LXXXIX The Chapter of Them that take away containing Forty six Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful I swear by the Angels that take away the Souls from the Bodies of Infidels and the wicked by the Angels that accompany the Souls of Believers by the Angels that exalt the glory of God By the Angels that guide the Souls of the Righteous when they go into Paradise and by the Angels that are appointed for the affairs of the World That all People shall rise again at the Day of Judgment that Day the Earth shall tremble and the hearts of men shall tremble at the first time that the Trumpet shall sound at the second their sight shall be troubled with fear and they shall say Behold we we are returned upon Earth to the place whence we departed our bones were rotten and our return to the World shall bring upon us only misery this second sound of the Trumpet is a sign of the wrath of God then shall they be out of their Sepulchres revived upon the Earth Hast thou learned the History of Moses and how God his Lord called him in the Holy Valley called Toi and how he said Go towards Pharaoh he is seduced from the right way and is in a great error say unto him I called thee to the way of Salvation I will purifie and guide thee into the way of the Law of God to the end thou maist have his fear before thine eyes Moses made Pharaoh to see one of his great Miracles nevertheless he contemned Moses disobeyed him and departed from the right way he caused his People to assemble and made Proclamation that he was their God but God rigorously chastised him because of his Blasphemies this is an example of his Omnipotency to them that are Righteous Oh ye wicked were ye more difficult to create than Heaven God hath raised the roof thereof and proportioned it he hath made the Night obscure and the day full of splendor he hath stretched forth the Earth hath made Fountains to spring forth to water the Plants and to give drink to Beasts he hath elevated and established the Mountains for you and for your Flocks Men shall call to mind the good and the evil that they have done at the second sound of the Trumpet and Hell shall appear open before their eyes The wicked that have followed their own appetites on Earth shall be precipitated into Hell and such as have had the fear of God before their eyes and have subdued their passions in this World shall go into Paradise The wicked will ask of thee when the Day of Judgment shall be None knoweth it but thy â—…ord Thou art not sent but to preach the pains of Hell to them that fear that day as if they saw it present before their eyes they shall imagine that they have not remained in the Tomb but from Evening until Morning when they rise again CHAP. LXXX The Chapter of the Blind containing Forty two Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and merciful The Prophet frowned had a surly countenance and withdrew himself when the blind came towards him He will not tell thee if he will believe in God and if he will profess thy preaching depart thou from him that shall depart from the Law of God thou art obliged only to preach to him and not to make him to believe but forsake not them that shall come to see thee to be instructed and shall fear God. The Alcoran is sent for the instruction of men it was copied upon the Book that is kept in Heaven to which Honour and praise is due eternally Wherefore is man impious 〈◊〉 because he is created of a little Water retaâ—…d in tâ—… womb of his Mother until the timâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And because he found the way to come forth Is it for that God caused him to dye and to revive when it seems good to him He performeth not what God commandeth neither considereth the good things that nourish him We have sent rain we opened the treasures of the earth we have made all sorts of grain to spring forth Blites Olives Dates Gardens and fields full of Fruits and herbs to nourish you and your flocks When the Angel shall sound the Trumpet the second time Man shall fly his brother his mother wife and children every one shall take thought for himself that day shall the wicked have countenances covered with affliction the countenance of the good shall be joyful and such as have sought the way between faith and impiety shall have their countenance covered with earth and dust CHAP. LXXXI The Chapter of Roundness containing Twenty nine Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of
an infinite pain by reason of their lying When it was said to them Pollute not the earth they said We are true observers of the Law of God notwithstanding they were they that polluted the earth but they knew it not When it was said to them Believe ye as the world believeth They said Shall we believe as fools believe they themselves are fools and know it not When they met with such as believed in God they said We believe as you do And when they returned towards the Devils their Companions they said We believe as you and mock at those men Certainly God mocketh them and continueth them in their Errours to their confusion They that have purchased Errour for the right way have gained nothing in their commerce and are not well directed they are like to such as kindled fire and when it hath enlightened what is about them God hath deprived them of light and left them in darkness deaf dumb blind and they shall never be converted or as a cloud of Heaven full of darkness thunder and lightning they stop their ears with their fingers by reason of the noise and for fear of death but God seeth the unbelievers he caused lightning to approach that ravished from them their sight they have followed what appeared to them and are detained in darkness But if God had pleased he had deprived them both of hearing and sight for he is Omnipotent O People worship your Lord who created you and all that were before you it may be that you will fear him that hath extended the Earth that raised the Heaven and caused Rain to descend that caused the production of Fruits to enrich you Say not That God hath a Companion equal to him because you know the contrary If you doubt that I have sent my servant come and bring some Chapters like to the Alcoran and call to witness the Idols that you adore if you are good men if you have not done it or cannot perform it Fear the fire of Hell prepared for Infidels and Idolaters and declare to true believers who do good works That they shall enjoy the immense pleasures of Paradise wherein flow many Rivers they shall there find all sorts of fair and savoury Fruits which God hath prepared for them they shall consider if they be like to such as they had before in the world They shall there have Wives fair and delicate and shall dwell in eternal felicity God is not ashamed to compare a little Puny to an extream Greatness Now so it is that true believers know that it proceedeth from their Lord. The wicked demand what God doth mean by that comparison He by this means mis-leadeth and directeth many men but mis-leadeth none but the disobedient Such as pervert his Testament and his Promises such as retrench his Commandments and defile the Earth are damned Why will you be impious seeing that God hath given you life after death He will cause you to die he will raise you again and you shall all return before him to be judged He it is that created whatever is upon Earth and ascending to Heaven hath ordained seven Heavens knowing all things Remember to instruct men that thy Lord said to his Angels I would create a Vicar upon Earth and when they answered Wilt thou there place him that shall defile it and shed Blood while we exalt thy Glory and sanctifie thee I know said he what you know not He taught Adam the Names of all things who discovered them to the Angels to whom God said Declare to me the Names of all things that I have created if you know them they replyed Praise is due to thy Divine Majesty we know nothing but what thou hast taught us thou alone art knowing and wise He said to Adam Declare to them the Names of all things that I have created After he had taught them God said Did I not tell you that I knew what is not neither in Earth nor Heaven and that I understand whatever you make manifest and whatever you keep most secret Remember thou that we said to the Angels Humble your selves before Adam they all humbled themselves except the Devil He was already proud and in the number of the wicked We said unto Adam Dwell thou and thy Wife in Paradise and eat there what thou likest but approach not that Tree lest thou be in the number of the unjust The Devil made them to sin and depart from the Grace in which they were then we said to them Descend you enemies one to another you shall have a dwelling upon Earth and goods wherewith to live for a time Adam begged pardon for his fault of his Lord he pardoned him because he is gracious and merciful and said Descend and go all of you out of Paradise there shall hereafter come to you a guide from me Such as shall follow him shall be delivered from fear and affliction at the day of Judgment such as shall be impious and conceal my Commandments shall burn eternally in the fire of Hell. O Children of Israel remember the Grace I have done you I will satisfie my Promises perform yours fear me and believe in what I have sent from Heaven confirming what was before taught you be not the first impious and forsake not my Law at any rate fear me and cover not the Truth with a lye neither willingly conceal it Make your Prayers at the time appointed pay Tithes and worship your Lord with them that adore him Will you command people that have no care of their Souls to do good Will you meditate upon Scripture with observing it Entreat for succour with Patience and with Prayers they abound not but in them that are obedient that believe they shall one day behold their Lord and shall return before him to be judged O Children of Israel call to mind my favours I have preferred you to all the world fear the day wherein one Soul shall not be chastised for another when Prayer shall not be heard neither ransom succours nor protection be found for the wicked Remember that we delivered you from the hands of Pharaoh who afflicted you through the violence of torments who murthered your Children abused your Wives and that your Lord encreased your Miseries because of the Enormity of your Crimes Remember that we divided the Seas to save you and that we drowned Pharaoh's men in your view nevertheless you worshipped the Calf when we detained Moses with us forty Nights in which you were extreamly to blame after this we pardoned you it may be that you will give me thanks We gave unto Moses the Book that distinguisheth good from evil perhaps you will be converted Remember that Moses said to his people You were to blame for having adored the Calf repent and be converted to your Creator Slay one another that will be a thing acceptable to God he will pardon your Crime he is gracious and merciful You said O Moses
Resurrection such as place their content in the wealth of this World they that trust in their Riches and that are ignorant of the Commandments of God shall be precipitated into the fire of Hell because of their sins and the true Believers shall be conducted by his Divine Majesty into delicious Gardens wherein flow many Rivers they shall there find whatsoever they shall desire and shall say at the beginning of their Prayers praised be God afterwards they shall say Salvation be to God and at the end of their Prayers praise be to God Lord of the Universe Although God doth sometimes suddenly chastise Men he always attendeth the time of their Destiny I will leave them that shall not believe in the Resurrection in their Errours to their confusion When Man is afflicted he invoketh us standing sitting lying and in all postures and when we have delivered him from his affliction he persisteth in his wickedness It seemeth good to the wicked to do in this manner we destroyed their Predecessours when they believed not in the Prophets neither obeyed the Precepts that we sent them and have established you on the Earth in their place after them to see your Deportments When thou teachest our Commandments to them that believe not in the Resurrection they say that the Precepts of the Alcoran are altogether contrary to what thou preachest and that thou hast altered them Say unto them I have no Will to alter them of my self I do but what is inspired into me of God I fear to be punished at the Day of Judgment should I disobey his Divine Majesty Say unto them Had it pleased God I had neither read nor taught you his Commandments I sojourned a long time with you before I taught you will you not learn them Who is more unjust than he that blasphemeth God doth not aid the Infidels that worship what can neither benefit nor hurt them and say their Idols shall intercede for them will you instruct God in any thing that he knoweth not of what is in Heaven or in Earth Praised be God he hath no Companion Men were all of one Religion before Infidelity took place and if God had not said that he would defer the punishment of the wicked until the Day of Judgment he had already destroyed them in this World because of their impiety They say we will not believe in the Prophet if God make not some Miracles to appear in him Say unto them God knoweth what shall be expect I will expect with you When we gave them to taste of content after their affliction they had subtilty upon our Commandments Say unto them God is more subtile than you his Messengers shall write your subtilties he it is that made Men to travel upon the Earth and Sea It is he that sendeth them a favourable wind to rejoyce them in their Ships when Tempest surprizeth them they believe that the Waves will overwhelm them then they invoke God with desire to embrace his Law and say if God doth deliver us from this danger we will believe in his Unity and return him thanks for this mercy and being delivered from peril persist in their wickedness O People you draw mischief on your selves you require nothing but the wealth of this World you all shall appear before us to be judged according to your works the life of the World is like to the Rain which we cause to descend from Heaven it causeth with mixture all sorts of herbage to spring forth for the nourishment of Men and Beasts When the Earth is adorned with Flowers and enriched with its Fruits the Inhabitants oftentimes believe they have the power to cause their production then send we our chastiiements Day and Night upon the Earth and render it as mown and as if the Day before it had brought no Fruit. Thus do I discover Mysteries to such as have knowledge to comprehend them They beg their Salvation of God he saveth and putteth in the way of Salvation whom it pleaseth him He shall not cover the Visage of them that have done good works they shall appear without shame and dwell in Paradise where they shall remain eternally and such as shall have done evil shall be punished after their demerits they shall be covered with shame and none shall be able to protect them they shall be as if a great part of the obscurity of the Night had covered their countenance they shall be condemned to the fire of Hell where they shall dwell eternally Think on the Day wherein we will â—…ssemble all the World and will say to the Infidels Hâ—…ll shall be your habitation where be the â—…dols you adored we have separated you from each other Their Idols shall say to them You have not worshipped us God is witness was there any thing between us and you that rendred us ignorant of your adorations That Day shall every one see what he hath done and know that God is Truth it self their Idols shall be separated far from them and they shall understand their blasphemies Say unto them who enricheth you with the wealth of Heaven and Earth Who causeth life to come out of death and death out of life Who disposeth all things in the World They shall answer it is God Say unto them why have you not therefore his fear before your eyes God is indeed your Lord what is there after the Truth but falshood How will you depart from his Law his Word shall be accomplished against Infidels Say unto them Have your Idols the power to cause Men to die and to make them rise again God causeth them to die and to rise again how shall they be able to blaspheme after these reasons Say unto them Are your Idols able to conduct you into the right way God guideth the People into the way of Salvation who ought rather to be followed he that guideth the People into the right way or he that misleadeth them What reason have ye to follow the evil way The greatest part of them follow but their own opinion but their opinion is not conformable to the Truth God knoweth all their actions there is no falshood in the Alcoran it confirmeth the ancient Scriptures and perspicuously explaineth them there is no doubt but it proceedeth from the Lord of the Universe They say Mahomet hath invented this Book say unto them Come and bring any thing that resembleth it in Doctrine and Eloquence and call the Idols which ye adore we shall see if you are sincere on the contrary they have blasphemed and have talked of what they understood not when they heard the exposition of the Alcoran Thus did their Predecessors but consider what is the end of the unjust There be among them who will believe in this Book and others that will not believe Thy Lord knoweth them that defile the Earth if they slander thee say unto them I will answer with my actions and ye shall answer with yours ye are innocent of what I act and I
convert and do good works Abraham was obedient to God and professed his unity he adored 〈◊〉 Idols and gave thanks to God for his 〈◊〉 God elected and guided him into the right way he gave him wealth in this World and placed him in the other in the number of the blessed We have inspired thee to follow the Law of Abraham he professed the Unity of God and adored not Idols he established the Sabbath among the Iews of which they dispute God shall judge their difference at the Day of Judgment Call the People to the Law of God with prudence and preachings and dispute against them with good arguments God knoweth them that depart from the right way if they evilly intreat you intreat them as they shall inteat you if ye be patient patience is advantagious to them that take it willingly have patience for the love of God and afflict not your selves with the deportments and malice of the wicked God is with the Righteous who have his fear before their eyes CAAP. XVII The Chapter of the Voyage by Night containing an Hundred and eleven Verses written at Mecca Reader The Turks believe that this Night of the Voyage Mahomet ascended into Heaven with the Angel Gabriel He was mounted on a white Burac which is a beast partly Mule partly Ass and partly Horse He saw all the Prophets that preceded him all the wonders of Paradise and saw God who sate on his Throne See Kitab el tenoir Tefslir anf Giauhoir and the Exposition of Gelaldin The Bedaoi intituled this Chapter The Chapter of the Children of Israel IN the Name of God gracious and merciful Praise be to him that caused his servant to go in one night from the Temple of Mecca to the Temple of Ierusalem we have blessed that Temple and whatsoever is about it in token of our Omnipotency We gave to Moses the Old Testament to instruct the Children of Israel and to deter them from the worship of any other God but of me to forbid them to adore the Lineage of Noah or the Lineage of them that we preserved in his Ark. Noah is my creature and my servant acknowledging my benefits we prohibited in Scripture the Children of Israel to defile twice the Earth lest they kindled too great a fire when that befel you we stirred up our servants against you and they entred by force into the midst of your houses this was as soon executed as promised In the end we gave you advantage over your Enemies we gave you Wealth and Children to succour you and ye were more numerons than the Infidels the good and the evil that you shall do shall be for your souls We stirred up the wicked against you because of your sins to afflict you through the Murther and Boâ—…dage of your persons and they destroyed the Temple of Ierusalem as they had ruined it the first time Your Lord shall pardon you if you convert we have established Hell for a perpetual Prison of Infidels The Alcoran guideth the Righteous into the right way it declareth to them a great reward preacheth to the wicked the torments of Hell and exhorteth men to well-doing although they are inclining to evil and prompt to sin We created the Day and the Night they are two signs of our Omnipotency We caused the Night to pass away and the Day to appear for labour and to the end ye might know the number of Ages of Months and of Years we explained our Mysteries without obscurity and have enjoyned every one to bear the burden of his iniquities at the Day of Judgment that day will make men to see the account of their sins they shall be recompenced and chastised according to the good and the evil that they shall have committed and none shall bear the burden of his Neighbour We sent to the People Prophets and Apostles to preach to them our Commandments before they were chastised before the destruction of a City we advertised the Principal Inhabitants thereof when they disobeyed us we chastised them according to our word and destroyed them How many Cities have we ruined since Noah's 〈◊〉 The sins of the People are known to their Lord he giveth the riches of this world to them that desire them to cause them to fall headlong into Hell where they shall repent of their iniquites and be deprived of mercy He who shall labour to acquire the riches of Heaven shall be protected of thy Lord in this world and enriched with the Treasures of Heaven in the other Consider how we prefer our Creatures one to another the reward of Heaven is much greater than that of the Earth Believe not that there be two Gods otherwise you shall repent of it and be deprived of protection at the day of judgment Thy Lord hath ordained to worship him alone and to honour your father and mother especially in their old age and say nothing to them that may afflict them neither vex them speak to them with respect do not contemn them pray to God to compassionate them as they have pitied you when they brought you up in your infancy God knoweth whatsoever is in your souls he will be merciful to you if ye obey him Give to your parents what appertaineth to them do good to the poor and to pilgrims be not prodigal the prodigal are brethren of the Devil ingrateful for the favours of their Lord. Contemn not the poor if ye desire to obtain the mercy of God speak to them with mildness and endeavour to content them do not entirely shut your hands neither altogether extend them if ye do otherwise ye shall offend Thy Lord giveth and taketh away his graces as â—…meth good to him he knoweth his people and understandeth all their actions Slay not your children for fear of necessity I will give whatsoever shall be necessary for them the murther of children is an exceeding great sin flie whoredom it is a thing unclean kill no man without reason we have commanded to pursue him that shall have slain his neighbour but let not the heir sin maliciously prosecuting the innocent for the guilty The innocent is in Gods protection take not the goods of Orphans and be careful of them until they be in years of discretion satisfie your promises an account shall be required of you measure with good measure and weigh with just weights Busie your selves not with that which you ought not to know There shall be required of you an account of the sins ye have committed in seeing hearing and thinking Be not proud ye shall never be so long as the Earth neither so high as the Mountains such sins are exceeding great before thy Lord It is one part of what he hath inspired into thee to preach to his people Say not there be two Gods lest thou be confined to the fire of Hell. Your Lord hath elected you with all those men and women that obey his Commandments for his sons and daughters as the Angels yet say
pleased him he could have deprived you of the knowledge he hath given you you shall find nothing that is able to protect you but his mercy Say unto them If the devils and men were all assembled against me they should not be able to compose a Book like the Alcoran We have taught in the Alcoran whatsoever is necessary for the salvation of men nevertheless the greatest part of the people depart from the Truth and say We will not believe thee unless thou cause fountains to spring out of the Earth and make in this place a garden beautified with Date Trees and Vines with rivers flowing in the midst or unless we see descend from Heaven a part of the pains which thou preachest we will not believe thee unless God and the Angels come to thy assistance unless thy house be of fine gold and that we see the Book of Truth sent from heaven we will not believe in thy Parchment unless we see descend from heaven a Book which we may be able to read Say unto them Praised be my Lord am I any thing but a man sent from him what hindereth men to believe since there hath been sent to them a Pilot to conduct them into the way of salvation They say that thou art a man and not an Angel Say unto them should the Angels have inhabited the earth God would have sent an Angel to instruct them it sufficeth that he is the witness of mine actions between you and me he knoweth and seeth all things he whom God guideth is well guided and such as God shall cause to err shall find none to put them into the right way he will assemble all of them at the day of Judgment they shall be infamous deaf mute and blind and condemned to the flames of hell because they are wicked and have said through derision that they are bones and flesh and that they shall rise again as new creatures see they not that God hath created heaven and earth that he can create yet more and hath established a destiny indubitabe and infallible The unbelievers are exceedingly too blame Say unto them should you possess all the treasures of the world yet would ye fear to make expence for the service of God man is too avaricious We gave to Moses nine marks of our Omnipotency known to the children of Israel Pharaoh told him that he was a Magician Assuredly said Moses the signs and miracles that thou seest proceed from God Lord of heaven and earth I believe O Pharaoh that thou forsakest the truth Then would Pharaoh have driven him out of Egypt but we drowned all those that were with him and commanded the children of Israel to inhabit the land we will assemble them at the end of the world to reward them after their works We have indeed sent thee the Alcoran from heaven to proclaim the joys of Paradise and to preach the torments of hell we have sent it to the end thou maist teach it to the people we have sent it clear and intelligible that it may be understood according to occurrences Say unto them Believe or believe it not when those that have knowledge in the written Law heard it read they prostrated themselves on the ground with humility and said Praised be God what be promiseth is infallible and incontinently is his command executed they wept prostrating the face towards the earth and the reading of the Alcoran augmented their devotion Say unto them Implore God call God merciful all his Attributes are most glorious Make it not appear to the world how often thou shalt pray neither how often thou shalt read the Alcoran and fear not to pray to God and to read the Alcoran follow in this the middle path and say Praised be God he hath no Son he hath no companion neither protector to preserve him from contempt his greatness is perfect and compleat CHAP. XVIII The Chapter of the Cave containing an hundred and ten Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and merciful Praise be to God who hath sent the Alcoran to his servant There is no contradiction in this Book it teacheth the right way it preacheth to the wicked that they shall suffer great torments and proclaimeth to the righteous that they shall enjoy an eternal felicity he preacheth the torments of Hell principally to such as affirm That God hath a Son they are ignorant like to their predecessors they are ignorant in their discourse and utter nothing but blasphemies Wilt thou destroy thy self in following their footsteps If they believe not in the Alcoran they shall one day have sorrow and shall repent it We adorned the Earth with whatsoever is upon it for the advantage of men One part thereof is happy and plentiful and the other unfruitful and desart Do ye not believe that the sleepers that entred the Cave and the Paper wherein their names were written be our miracles When those men entred the Cave they said Lord give us thy mercy and guide us into the right way Then did we cause them to sleep for the space of some years and awaked them having continued some time in that Cave to make it appear which of the two Religions was the most just I will relate to thee their History with truth they were young men who had the fear of their Lord before their eyes we strengthned them and encreased their faith when they were with the Infidels they said Our God is Lord of heaven and Earth we will never worship but one God otherwise we shall separate our selves from the truth This people have adored Idols without reason who is more unjust than he who blasphemeth against God When they deserted the Infidels they worshipped one God alone Enter into the Cave God shall make his mercy towards you to appear and shall guide you through a path smooth and pleasant When the Sun arose he cast his rayes on the right side of their Cave and on the left at his going down they in the mean time were in the most spacious place of this Cave This is one of Gods miracles he whom he guideth is well guided and whom he misleadeth shall find none to give him succor or to guide him Believe ye that they should be awake Assuredly they slept and turned themselves sometimes to one side sometimes to another Consider how their Dog extended his feet before that old habitation of stone if any one had entred towards them he would have caused them to fly and had affrighted them In the end we awaked them and they mutually enquired of each other in what place they were and how long they had there continued one of them replyed That they had been there a day or two then they all said God knoweth the time that we have abode here send one of us to the City with money to buy bread and meat let him not be fearful neither make himself known to any if we be known they will murther or constrain us
way if they observe it they will not dispute against thee Invoke thy Lord thou art in the right way if they dispute against thee say unto them God knoweth all your actions he shall judge your differences at the day of Judgment knowest thou not that God knoweth whatsoever is in heaven or in earth All is written and this is most easie to his divine Majesty Idolaters adore without reason Idols that understand not whether they be gods or no that shall be without protection at the day of Judgement when they preach to men my Commandments they know by their countenance those that are impious and ingrateful for my graces they would with wrath fall upon them that instruct them Say unto them I declare unto you things more grievous God hath prepared the fire of hell to chastise Infidels O people A parable is related to you hear it All the Idols that ye adore cannot create a flie when they shall be assembled to do it if the flies corrupt any thing that is offered to them they have not the power to drive them away because of their impotency and the weakness of them that adore them They praise not God in that manner as is just and reasonable he is most strong and most powerful he hath chosen messengers to bear and execute his Commandments among Angels and men he heareth whatsoever they say beholdeth whatsoever they do he knoweth whatsoever they have done and all things obey him O ye that believe honor and worship your Lord and do good perhaps you shall be blessed Fight for the establishment of his Law with affection he hath chosen you to follow it he hath not given you a Law heavy and troublesom It is the Law of Abraham your Father he hath stiled you the Resigned to God before the coming of the Alcoran the Prophet shall testifie against you at the day of Judgment and ye shall testifie against the people that the Prophet hath preached to them the right way persevere in your prayers pay tithes and trust in God he is your Lord and your Protector CHAP. XXIII The Chapter of True believers containing an Hundred and Eighteen Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and mericiful Certainly the true believers shall be blessed that make their prayers with humility they abstain from reviling they pay tithes they commit not whoredom they touch not other women than their own and their slaves such as covet other transgress the bounds of reason they that faithfully preserve what hath been entrusted to them they that effect what they have promised and that make their prayers at the time appointed shall be heirs of Paradise where they shall dwell eternally We formed man of the dust of the Earth with mire blood congealed with a little flesh and bones which we invested with skin we another time created him when we breathed to him the Soul into the Body and blessed him as one of our fairest Ornaments O men ye all shall die and shall rise again at the Day of Judgment we created above you Seven Heavens and have care of the conservation of all People that are beneath we send Water from Heaven to satisfie your necessities we make it to fall upon the Earth and have power to cause to pass away and deprive you of it We have created and made gardens to bring forth Date-trees Grapes and many other fruits by which ye live we created trees in the Mountain of Sinai that produce Oyl and tincture ye receive great advantage by beasts they sustain you with Milk and afford you many other profits ye mount them and Ships also to carry you whither ye desire to go We sent Noah who spake to the People and said worship one God alone what other god will ye implore but him Will ye not fear to worship another The chief among the People that were Idolaters said to their adherents This man is a man like your selves he would appear and be esteemed more than you if God would be adored alone as he saith he would cause an Angel to descend that should bring his Commandments we have not heard spoken to our Predecessors what he saith he is a man possessed of the Devil tarry and ye shall see what will become of him Then Noah said Lord protect me against them and defend me from their Blasphemies we commanded him to build an Ark when our Commandment was given to destroy the wicked and when the Water of his Caldron boyled we commanded him to enter into the Ark with two beasts of every kind and species all men we destroyed except them of whom we have before spoken we said unto him speak not to me for Infidels they shall be drowned when thou shalt have taken order for every thing that must enter into the Ark with thee Say praise be to God who hath delivered us from the malice of the wicked Lord give us to descend in a blessed place thou art the best Pilot in the World. It was a sign of my Omnipotency to prove the People of Noah We created after them another People to whom we sent an Apostle to instruct them to worship one God and he said What God will ye adore other than God Will ye not fear his wrath Their Doctors that were impious who denied the Resurrection of the flesh and on whom we had conferred the Wealth of the Earth said he is a man he eateth and drinketh like you if ye obey not a man like to your selves shall ye be destroyed Doth he promise you to return into the World after having been bones and dust O abuse O abuse ye are abused in what he promiseth he is a man like others he is a lyar we will not believe him That Apostle said Lord preserve me from their Blasphemies they shall repent suddenly of their impiety then thunder surprised them and destroyed them as they deserved we made the Land dry and barren without fruit and created other persons in their place Man cannot die before his hour and none can retard it we sent our Apostles and our Prophets to instruct the People but they were slain one after another every Nation traduced the Prophet that we sent them and we made them serve for examples to Posterity and destroyed the wicked We sent Moses and his Brother Aaron to Pharoah and his Doctors with our Miracles and with most intelligible reasons they arose against the Faith they tormented the Children of Israel and said shall we believe in a man like to our selves of them that obey us They slandred both of them and were in number of the damned We gave to Moses the Book of the Law peradventure it will guide the Children of Israel into the right way we created Iesus and Mary his Mother they are signs of our Unity we established them in an eminent place where they stayed near a Fountain O Apostles and Prophets eat of the Fruits of the Earth and do good I know whatsoever
ye do your Law is one Law and I alone am your Lord take heed to your selves follow not the Law of the Infidels every one liketh what he doth depart from the wicked and leave them in their errors an account shall be required of them of the riches and of the Children that we have given them but they know it not Such as fear the punishment of their Lord that obey his Commandments profess his Unity give Alms of the substance that he hath given them and fear in their Heart that they are not acceptable to them shall appear in his presence such as shall obey him shall enjoy his grace he requireth not of any man what he is unable to perform We have a Book that declareth the truth no injustice shall be done to him that shall do what he is able certainly the Infidels are in ignorance of the Alcoran they act what is quite contrary to that which is commanded True believers but we have punished the chief among them in their prosperity Be not this Day resolute ye shall not be protected of us Our Commandments are taught you nevertheless ye are returned upon your steps and are risen against the Faith and in discoursing by Night withdrew your selves from the Righteous Consider they not the words of the Alcoran Doth it contain any thing that hath not been ordained to their Predecessors Know they not the Prophet that God hath sent to them Wherefore will they not acknowledg him Will they say that he is possessed of the Devil On the contrary he teacheth them the truth nevertheless the greatest part of them detest him if their will had place Heaven and Earth and whatsoever is betwixt them should be confounded we have instructed them in the Law which they ought to observe but they have renounced it Dost thou require of them any recompence for thy instructions Thy Lord shall reward thee there is none that is of power to recompence thee better than He. Call them to the right way such as shall not believe the Resurrection shall err If we pardon and deliver them from affliction they will still continue in their errors to their confusion we heretofore chastised them nevertheless they humble not themselves neither implored their Lord and when we opened upon them the gate of our Judgments they became desperate God hath given you sight hearing and sense but few among you return him thanks he it is that hath created you of earth ye shall one day be assembled before him to be judged he it is that giveth life and death and maketh the difference of day and night will you not honor him neither consider On the contrary they have said as did their predecessors wherefore shall we die our bones shall be dust and shall we rise again This was heretofore promised to our fathers and to us certainly it is but an old song Say unto them to whom appertaineth the earth and whatsoever is in the earth if ye know its Creator and King They will say it is God's Say unto them know ye not then that he that created you can raise you again Who is Lord of the seven heavens who possesseth the throne of heaven They will say it is God say unto them will ye not fear then to worship any other God but him Say unto them who is King of all things who sustaineth them and is sustained of none They will say that it is God Say unto them why then do ye deceive your selves we have taught them the truth but they have rejected it and said that God had a son were there another God with God the one would undo what the other hath done and they would rise the one against the other Praised be God what they affirm is not true God knoweth that is past the present and the future he hath no companion Say Lord give me to see the effect of all that thou hast promised to them and put me not among the unjust deliver us from evil and do good to us I know their impiety Lord deliver me from the temptations of the devil deliver me from their malice when any one among them dieth he saith Lord permit me to return into the world I will do better than I have done there is no return it is to speak in vain there is an obstacle behind them that detaineth them until the day of Judgment when the Trumpet shall sound nothing shall retard them they shall not glory nor discourse with each other the ballance of the blessed shall be heavy with good works and the ballance of the cursed shall be light of good works Have not my Commandments been preached unto you wherefore did ye contemn them They shall say Lord our misery prevailed over us we are mislead Lord deliver us from this misery the contrary was promised to us truly we are exceedingly too blame It shall be said unto them depart into the fire and never speak to come out Many of them that worship me say Lord we believe in thee pardon our sins thou art merciful Ye have derided them O ye wicked and have despised my Commandments but I will reward them for their perseverance and they shall be blessed It shall be said to those that rise again how many years have ye remained in the earth they shall answer we have been there a day or some days ask of the Angels appointed to keep the account ye have been there but a litte time did ye know it do ye believe that I have created and assembled you before me in vain Praise and exalt God King of Truth there is no God but he he is King of heaven he is void of reason that invoketh another god with Him he shall give account of his actions and the Infidels shall be miserable Say Lord pardon the sins of the righteous thou art the great merciful CHAP. XXIV The Chapter of Light containing Seventy and four Verses written at MEDINA IN the name of God gracious and merciful We have sent this Chapter containing our Commandments clear and intelligible peradventure ye will learn them The Catamite and the Concubine shall be whipt with an hundred stripes take heed left clemency cause you to forget the precepts of the Law of God believe in his divine Majesty and the day of Judgment Some of the True believers shall be witnesses of their punishment The Catamite lying with a Concubine or an Infidel the Concubine lying with a Catamite or Infidel these things are forbidden the True believers He that shall accuse an honest woman of adultery shall be whipt with twenty four stripes unless he prove his accusation by four witnesses and shall never be credited in testimony They that do such things are without the obedience of God except those that repent and satisfie what they owe God shall be to them gracious and merciful They that shall accuse their wives of adultery and have no witnesses shall swear four times that they speak the truth and
At her arrival they shewed it her and asked if it resembled her own she replyed It resembleth it as if it were the same She had knowledg of the right way but that which the People and the 〈◊〉 instead of God had seduced them from the obedience of his divine Majesty They spake to her to enter into a gallery when she beheld the pavement she believed it to be Water and in lifting up her Robe fearing to wet it discovered her Leg. Solomon told her that the pavement was of pollished glass and exhorted her to embrace the Law of God. Then she said Lord I am too blame in having offended thee I am obedient with Solomon to the Commandments of the God of the Universe We sent Salhe to Temod and his People to exhort them to worship one God He said unto them O People flie to the Mercy of God if ye implore pardon of him ye shall be pardoned They said Wouldst thou draw us into thine error And into the error of them that are with thee He said God shall chastise you ye are Seditious They were Nine persons in the City that defiled the Earth and did no good they said among them Let us this Night kill the Prophet and his adherents We will say to them that seek him That we saw him not neither them that slew him and will swear that we speak truth They were cunning but we were more subtil than they and they knew it not Consider what was the issue of their stratagems we destroyed them with their followers and their Houses are become desart because of their impiety This shall serve for example to them that have knowledg of our Omnipotency We served the Prophet and all the True believers that were with him Remember thou the History of Lot who said to his Citizens Will ye alway defile your selves in uncleanness in each others view Will ye love men more than women Ye are ignorant They replyed Let us drive Lot and his Family out of our City they defile not themselves like us We preserved him with all his Family except his Wife she remained among them that were chastised We caused it to Rain upon them a Rain that gave them to know the severity of our chastisements Say unto them Praised be God that destroyeth the wicked and Salvation to all those who he hath chosen are they not more happy than such as believe there are many Gods Who created the Heavens and the Earth Who caused Rain to fall from Heaven Who hath made many delicious Gardens to bring forth You have not the power to cause the plants to spring forth without the assistance of God. Certainly unbelievers do err from the right way Who hath established the Earth and made the Rivers to flow Who hath made heavy the Mountains Who but God hath put separation that is between Seas The greatest part of the World know it not Who rendreth men miserable Who delivereth them from affliction when they invoke him Who hath caused you to multiply and leave your Posterity on Earth but God Nevertheless few men give him thanks Who guideth in the darkness of the Earth and Sea Who but God sendeth the Winds the forerunners of Rain He is most high and most powerful but the wicked will not consider the effects of his Omnipotency Who formeth men Who maketh them to live die and rise again Who enricheth them with the Wealth of Heaven and of Earth but God Say unto them produce your reasons bring your arguments if what ye alledg be true say unto them None but God knoweth what is in Heaven and Earth no man knoweth the future present and past do men know the day of the Resurrection Contrariwise they doubt and are blind The wicked have said What we shall be dust as are our Fathers and shall come forth out of our Graves This was heretofore promised to our Fathers and to us this is but a Fable of old men Tell them that they consider not what was heretofore the end of the wicked afflict not thy self for that they conspire against thee and that they demand at what time they shall see the punishment that is foretold them Say unto them it is not far from you ye throw your selves headlong into it but God is pitiful towards his People nevertheless the greatest part give him no thanks for his Grace thy Lord knoweth what is in their Heart and whatsoever they speak there is nothing in Heaven or Earth that is not written in a most intelligible Book the Alcoran explaineth to the Children of Israel the greatest part of their difficulties it will guide them in the right way and deliver from Hell them that shall believe thee thy Lord shall judge them at the day of Judgment he is Omnipotent and wise trust thou in God thou art in the way of truth the Dead and Deaf shall not hear thee and unbelievers shall depart from thee pensive and astonished thou oughtest not to guide the blind neither to make the deaf to hear except such as shall believe in the Alcoran and be obedient when the time of the punishment that is denounced against them shall be come we will cause a Beast to come from under the Earth that shall speak unto them and shall say The People believe not in the Law of God they know not his wondrous works Be thou mindful of the Day when I will assemble a Multitude of all Nations that have disobeyed my Commandments to give account of their actions I will say unto them Ye have traduced my Prophets ye know â—…ot what ye said What have ye done Then shall they be punished for their sins and be inexcusable they shall not speak a word Do not Infidels see that we have created the Night for rest and the Day for travel This is a sign of my Omnipotency be thou mindful of the Day wherein the Angel shall sound the Trumpet and whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth shall tremble with fear except such as shall be in the favour of God that Day shalt thou see the Mountains suspended to move like the Clouds this shall be a work of God who created all things and knoweth their end he that shall have done good works shall be rewarded he shall be without fear and they that had done evil shall remain in the Fire of Hell it shall be said unto them Are ye not chastised according to your demerits Say unto the People I command you to worship the Lord of this priviledged City all things appertain to him I command you to believe in the Unity of his Divinâ—… Majesty and to study the Alcoran who so doth good shall find good Say unto them that shall be seduced I am sent only to preach the Torments of Hell say to True believers Praised be God that hath given you to see his Miracles and hath given you knowledg of the right way thy Lord is not ignorant of what they do CHAP. XXVIII The Chapter of
most miserable Pharoah said to his Ministers do ye know any other God but me O Hâ—…min let me offer sacrifices and build a Temple shall I deceive my self with the God of Mâ—…ses I believe him to be in the number of lyars He became proud on earth with his Ministers and they believed that they should never be assembled 〈◊〉 me to be judged we surprized him with his people and caused him to perish in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of unbelievers we abandoned them and they are in the number of the condemned to the fire of hell They shall find none to protect them at the day of Judgment we cursed them on earth and at the day of the Resurrection they shall be abominable to all the world We taught Moses our Commandments after the destruction of many Infidels before his coming We gave him the Book to be a light to the people to conduct them into the right way and acquire our grace peradventure they will remember Thou wert not with Moses when we spake to him to him we created another age after him thou didst not at that time dwell with the Inhabitants of Madian neither didst thou teach them our Commandments it is we that have instructed thee in the History of past ages thou wert not on the mountain when we spake to Moses we sent thee through our special grace to preach to men the torments of hell they have not yet had a preacher like unto thee perhaps they will consider it when they felt any punishment for their sins they said Lord hadst thou sent us an Apostle to instruct us we should have obeyed thy Commandments and have believed in thy Law and when on our part they were instructed in the Truth they said doth Mahomet work miracles like Moses Do they not traduce what Moses did when they say that Moses and Mahomet are two apparent Sorcerers and when they said that they believed neither Prophet nor Scripture Say unto them bring any book from God that better teacheth the right way than the Old Testament and more savingly than the Alcoran I will follow it if ye speak the truth If they be not heard when they shall require this book know that they follow only their own appetites and their impiety who is more erroneous than he that followeth but his own passion and is not guided of God He guideth not Infidels Certainly we have sent them the Alcoran peradventure they will believe in it they to whom we heretofore sent this Book believe in the contents thereof when they hear it read they say we believe in those words it is the very Truth that proceedeth from God we believe in the Unity of his Divine Majesty they shall be doubly rewarded because they have persevered in well-doing they have overcome evil through their good deeds and have expended in good works part of the Wealth that we gave them When they heard the Faith evil spoken of they withdrew themselves took leave of the company and said Ye shall answer for your selves and we for our actions Regard not the ignorant thou shalt not convert all them that thou shalt desire to convert God converteth and guideth into the right way whom he pleaseth and knoweth such as serve him They said if I follow with thee the right way I must forsake my Country Shall not I establish them in a place of safety where they shall find all sorts of fruits to enrich them But the greatest part of the People know it not How many Cities have we destroyed that took pleasure in their evil life No man inhabited them any more except very few and we became heirs of their riches God shall not destroy Mecca until he have sent an Apostle to instruct the Inhabitants thereof in the right way God destroyeth not a City if the Inhabitants be not unjust and disobey not his Commandments the Wealth of this World which ye possess pleaseth you but the Riches of Heaven are much better and eternal will ye not understand it Have we not kept promise with them to whom we promised Paradise And with them to whom we promised the Riches of this World and in the end were in the number of the damned Be thou mindful of the day when thy Lord shall call them and say unto them where are your Idols which ye believed to be my Companions The chief of them shall say Lord behold those that were seduced like us we are innocent of their Idolatry they adored not us they shall speak that day to the Idolaters to invoke their Idols but they shall not hear them they shall be visibly chastised on Earth Be thou mindful of the day when thy Lord shall call them and say unto them Wherefore have ye not believed my Apostles and my Prophets They shall be confounded and remain dumb He that shall be converted and do good works shall be happy Thy Lord createth what pleaseth him and maketh choice of what seemeth to him good Praised be God he hath no Companion he knoweth what is in the hearts of men and what they make manifest he is God there is no God but he praise is due to him in the beginning and in the end he commandeth over all things and all People shall one day be assembled before him to be judged say unto them Had God given a continual Night even until the Day of Judgment what other God is there that is able to give you light Will ye not hear me Had God given you a continual Day until the Day of Judgment what other God could have given the Night to refresh you Will ye not consider his benefits and his grace He hath created the Night for repose and the Day for Labour peradventure ye will give him thanks Be thou mindful of the Day when thy Lord shall call the Infidels and shall say unto them where are the Idols that ye worshipped We will call a witness of every Nation and will say to the Idolaters Bring your arguments that may prove the Plurality of Gods Ye shall this day know your Blasphemies and that there is but one God. Caron was of the People of Moses he was proud because of his riches we gave so great treasures that many men were burthened when they conveyed away the Keyes Remember how his People said unto him Rejoyce not above measure in thy great wealth God abhorreth them that rejoyce without reason beg of him Paradise with thy Riches forget not to do good in this World give alms of the substance which God hath given thee be not disobedient to him on Earth he abhorreth those that disobey him these Riches were given thee because thou didst instruct the People in the Old Testament knowest thou not that God destroyed in times past many rich and opulent persons Who is more strong more powerful more rich than God He will not enquire of the wicked the number of their sins he knoweth all and the accompt Caron one daâ—… went forth
causeth the barren earth to revive and grow green after its death in like manner will he cause you to arise again and come out of your sepulchres it is a sign of his Omnipotency to have created you of earth to have given you flesh and bones and to have created the woman of the rib of the man to dwell with him he hath commanded you to love mutually and to exercise charity among you these things are signs of his Omnipotency to them that consider his graces The creation of heaven and earth the diversity of tongues the differences of your visages and of your colour the night created for repose and the day for travel the lightning that terrifieth the people and which through raâ—…n causeth the earth again to flourish are signs of his Omnipotency It is a token of his Omnipotency to sustain the heaven and the earth ye shall come out of your sepulchers when he shall call you whatsoever is in heaven and earth obey him he causeth men to die and to rise again he alone is God in heaven and earth he is Omnipotent and knoweth all things He speaketh to you in a parable drawn from your selves your slaves are they your companions do they equally partake with you in the goods which God hath given you How then will ye say that God hath a companion equal to him Thus do I unfold his mysteries to persons that have knowledg to 〈◊〉 them certainly the wicked have followed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with ignorance who shall guide him whom God 〈◊〉 cause to err he shall find no protector embrace the law of Salvation God hath established it that men may observe it It admitteth no alteration but the greatest part of the world are ignorant of it Fear God make your prayers at the time appointed be not like to them that say God hath a companion neither like to them that are at present in the number of Heretiques and were before as ye are every Sect is pleased in its opinions when any evil befalleth them that call upon God and are converted nevertheless some of them return to their Idolatry after the reception of his grace they are ingrateful They shall awhile be tolertaed and in the end they shall too late understand their error Have we taught them reasons and arguments that prove that I have a companion The People rejoyced when we enlarged to them our Graces and became desperate when evil befel them see they not that I give and take away Wealth as to me seemeth good This is a token of my Unity to such as obey my Commandments Give to your Neighbour what appertaineth to him and particularly to the poor and true believers if ye desire to see the Face of God such as shall do it shall be blessed The Money which ye put to Usury encreaseth in the hands of men God shall not suffer it to prosper the Alms which ye give shall make you to see the Face of his Divine Majesty and shall be doubly restored to you God hath created you he enricheth you and causeth you to die and rise again can your Idols do as much Praised be God he hath no companion disorder appeared in the Earth and in the Sea because of the iniquities of men peradventure they will be converted when they shall feel the punishment of their Crimes say unto them Go throughout the Earth and consider the end of your Predecessors the greatest part of them were Idolaters embrace the true Law before the Day cometh when none shall be heard that Day shall the wicked be separated from the good the impious shall give an account of their impiety and such as shall have lived well shall enjoy the joys of Paradise the Grace of God shall be their recompence God abhorreth Infidels It is a sign of his Omnipotency to send the Winds to bring you Rain and make you to taste the Fruits of his Grace the Ship runneth upon the Water through his permission for the advantage of your commerce will ye not be thankful to him for his benefits We sent to every Nation Prophets and Apostles before thee they came with most intelligible Precepts and with many Miracles we chastised those that slandred them and protected the faithful God sendeth the winds that elevate the Clouds and extendeth them in the Air in many pieces at his pleasure he causeth the Rain to fall where he listeth and rejoyceth whom to him seemeth good of them that expect it with impatience consider the effects of his bounty he causeth the dry and barren Earth to flourish again and restoreth the Dead to Life he is Omnipotent We sent the Winds to assemble the Clouds that covered Men with their shadow nevertheless they are returned to their impiety the dead shall not understand thee neither likewise the dumb thou art not obliged to lead the Blind none shall hearken to thee but such as shall believe in my Law and be obedient Say unto them God created you impotent he hath given you strength and after having reduced you to the weakness of Old age doth what to him seemeth good he knoweth mens secrets and doth what pleaseth him the wicked shall swear at the Day of Judgment that they have remained but an hour in their sepulchres they lye in like manner when they deny the Resurrection the True Believers that know the Truth shall say unto them Ye have remained there the time appointed in the Book of God to wit until the Day of Resurrection behold the Day of Resurrection ye knew not at what time it should arrive this day excuses shall be unprofitable to Infidels they shall be deprived of protection We have taught in the Alcoran all that is profitable for the Salvation of Men if thou teachest them my Commandments unbelievers will say Thou bringest nothing but disorder thus God hardneth the hearts of the ignorant Be patient and persevere what God promiseth is infallible beware lest unbelievers shake thy perseverance CHAP. XXXI The Chapter of Locman containing Thirty Four Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God Gracious and Merciful I am the most Wise God. These Precepts are the Precepts of the Book filled with Doctrine it guideth into the way of Salvation the Righteous who make their prayers at the time appointed that pay Tithes and believe in the Day of Judgment they are guided by their Lord and shall be blessed There be who deride this Book they ignorantly depart from the Law of God and have despised it but shall one day be severely punished When they are taught the Commandments of God they turn the back with disdain they will not hear and have Ears stopped say unto them You shall in the end suffer infinite pains Such as believe in the Law of God and do good works shall eternally enjoy the Delights of Paradise what God promiseth is infallible he is Omnipotent and altogether wise he created the Heaven and sustaineth it without a Pillar appearing to your Eyes he lifted
spoken in the Firmament they are shamefully driven away on all sides and shall be eternally tormented if they hear any thing spoken they hear it greedly and follow it speedily but the shining Planet pursueth them and detecteth their malice The wicked have demanded if we created any thing more illustrious than they Certainly we created them all of the dust of the Earth Thou art amazed at their blasphemies they deride thy amazement and shall never be converted When they shall see Miracles they shall scoff and say that it is but evident Magick to believe that they shall dye and after being earth bones and dust they shall rise again with their fathers and predecessors Say unto them that they shall rise again and that they are seduced from the right way that the world shall be but once destroyed and they shall see what will befall them at the day of Judgment They shall that day say they are wretched and the Angel shall say unto them behold the day of Judgment behold the day that the godly shall be separated from the wicked behold the day which ye would not believe It shall be said to the Angels gather them together assemble their wives and their Idols put them into the way of Hell and stay them to give account of their deportments and why their Idols do not succour them Certainly they shall desire to be in the number of them that have obeyed Gods Commandments They shall quarrel among them and shall say it is you that have seduced us from the right way through your Oaths ye swore that ye followed the Law of God and observed his Commandments They shall answer on the contrary We have no power over you you your selves were in manifest error the word of God shall be accomplished against us and we shall for company suffer the tormens of Hell if we seduced you we were likewise seduced and we shall this day be your companions in punishment That day shall the wicked be in this manner afflicted they become insolent on earth when it is told them there is but one God and say shall we abandon our gods for a foolish and lying Poet On the contrary he teacheth you the truth as did the Prophets that were before him ye shall be chastised and intreated according to your demerits Such as shall obey Gods Commandments shall have a place of safety wherein to rest with all sorts of fruits in pleasant gardens sitting orderly on delicious beds with glasses full of a drink pleasing to the taste which shall not make them drunk Their wives white as fresh Eggs shall not cast an eye upon any but upon them they shall talk together and one among them shall say I had on earth a companion who asked me if I believed in the Resurrection and if after being reduced to earth bones and dust we shall rise again come with me let us go see what he doth he shall see him in the bottom of Hell and shall say unto him by God it wanted little but that thou hadst seduced me without the grace of God I had been damned as thou art we are not in the number of the dead we shall not suffer any pain on the contrary we are in exceeding great happiness thus are the righteous rewarded who are the more happy they who are in our felicity or such as are near to Zacon the tree of hell This tree cometh out of the bottom of hell it riseth high and the branches themselves resemble the heads of Devils the damned shall eat of the fruit thereof they shall drink boiling water and Hell shall be the place of their habitation their fathers were Infidels they followed their footsteps and the way of them that were seduced before them we sent unto them Preachers whom they refused to hear but consider what is the end of the righteous and that of the wicked We saved Noah and gave grace to such as obeyed him we delivered him with his family from a great danger and perpetuated his progeny he shall be praised of all them that shall come after him because we gave him our blessing thus do I recompence the righteous he was in the number of them that obeyed my Commandments we saved him and them that followed him and drowned the Infidels Remember Abraham God gave him an heart free from impiety and malice he said to his father and his people wherefore worship ye false gods instead of the true God think ye to escape the punishment of your crimes Then he had a vision in heaven and said I am sick of your Idolatry they departed from him with purpose to be converted and empty the Temples of Idols of their Treasures he said to the Idols wherefore eat ye not the sacrifices that are before you wherefore speak ye not and gave them a great blow with his right hand the people came together with wrath because he had stricken their gods he said unto them Will ye worship the works of your hands know ye not that it is God that created you Then they said among them let us build a great pile and put fire to it and cast Abraham into the fire they conspired against him but we rendred them ashamed and confounded Abraham said unto them I go towards my Lord he shall guide me into the way of salvation Lord give me a son that may be in the number of the righteous we declared to him that he should have a son exceeding wise when he arrived to years of discretion he said unto him my son I dreamed this night that I must sacrifice thee what wilt thou that I do He replied my father do what is commanded you ye shall find me full of patience when his father laid him on the ground and put the knife nigh unto his throat we said unto him O Abraham it is enough thou hast satisfied thy dream thus do I intreat the righteous thus were we wont to prove them We redeemed his son with a fair Ram he shall be praised of posterity and those that shall come after him shall bless his memory Thus do I reward the righteous he was in the number of them that obey my Commandments We declared to him that he should have a son called Isaac from whom should issue many believers and unbelievers Certainly we gave our grace to Moses and Aaron we delivered them with their followers from an evident peril we protected them and they were in the number of the victorious we gave them the Book full of light and conducted them into the right way they shall be praised in ages to come and posterity shall bless their memory Thus do I recompence the righteous they were in the number of them that obeyed my Commandments Elias is in the number of my Prophets and Apostles he said unto the people wherefore fear ye not God wherefore worship ye the Idol Balan and forsake the Creator of the world God is your Lord and the Lord of your predecessors they
knowledg of the truth are without reason their arguments shall be vain with God they shall be the object of his wrath and shall suffer exceeding great pains God hath sent the Alcoran with truth and ballance he will not instruct thee when the day of Judgment shall be Such as have no faith in him ask when it shall come and they that believe him fear the coming thereof and know it to be infallible such as doubt are erroneous from the right way God is merciful to his people and enricheth whom he pleaseth he is strong and omnipotent he increaseth the graces of him that desireth the riches of Heaven he giveth the wealth of the Earth to them that affect it and depriveth them of the riches of Heaven Are there wicked ones among men that teach them a false Religion prohibited of God God hath not revealed it to them had he not deferred their punishment until the day of Judgment he had already destroyed them they shall in the end feel grievous torments ye shall see them fear their own deportments ye shall see them chastised after their demerits and the believers that do good works shall enjoy the delights of Paradise where they shall find whatsoever they shall desire this is the great grace of God this is that which he hath proclaimed to the faithful that believed and have done good works Say unto them I require none other recompence for the pains that I take in preaching to you than to love my kindred he that shall do any good work shall be rewarded God is merciful and good works are pleasing to him Will they say that thou hast blasphemed against God If it please God he shall hinder thee to hear this discourse or will imprint patience in thine heart he abolisheth lyes and confirmeth the truth through his words he knoweth whatsoever is in the hearts of men he accepteth the conversion of his Creatures he pardoneth their sins and knoweth all their actions he heareth the prayers of the faithful that do good works and augmenteth his grace upon them but Infidels shall undergo the rigors of eternal pains Had God equally enriched all his Creatures they had been in confusion upon earth he enricheth whom he pleaseth he seeth and knoweth all he sendeth rain when men despair of his grace he is the Protector of believers and praise is due to him eternally the Creation of the Heavens and of the Earth and of all that moveth between them is a sign of thine Omnipotency If evil befal you believe that ye have deserved it nevertheless he pardoneth you many things ye cannot escape his punishment on earth and none is able to protect you against him the vessel that runneth upon the water big as a mountain is a token of his Omnipotency to them that persevere in his Law and acknowledg his graces He shall reprove the wicked for their sins and shall pardon many They that dispute against his Commandments cannot escape their punishment the riches that we possess are the riches of the earth the riches that God bestoweth on them that trust in him are eternal They that depart from mortal sins that repent to have committed them that beg of God to be heard and persevere in their supplications they that take counsel and consult among them what they ought to do that employ in good works part of the wealth that God hath given them that implore his help in their afflictions such as do good and such as commit evil shall be recompensed and punished according to their works God abhorreth Infidels ye have no power over them that implore his assistance in their affliction and repent your power extendeth over them that do injustice to the people and disobey on earth the Commandments of his divine Majesty they shall suffer great torments Such as persevere in well-doing and pardon their neighbour do what God hath Commanded He whom God shall mislead shall find none to guide him Thou shalt see that the Infidels shall ask if they may return into the world when they shall behold the fire of hell thou shalt see them flie with extream fear of external ignominy they shall look awry upon hell and the believers shall see that the wicked that have lost their souls that have mislead their family and all the impious shall be eternally damned none shall be able to save them and he that God shall mislead shall not find the right way Say unto them beg pardon of God before the day come that ye shall find no way to return into the world nor excuse for your sins If they disobey thee we have not sent thee to be their Tutor thou art sent only to preach unto them When we give to man any prosperity he rejoyceth and when affliction befalleth him he is ingrateful for the graâ—…e of his Lord King of the heavens and 〈◊〉 God giveth children sons and daughrers to whom he pleaseth he knoweth all things and is omnipotent he speaketh not to man but by inspiration and parable without being seen he sendeth his Prophets and Apostles into whom he inspireth what pleaseth him he knoweth all things and is omnipotent Thus have we sent thee our spirit to teach thee our Commandments thou knowest not before what was written in the Alcoran neither thy mysteries of faith we have sent it to thee to be a light to the world I will guide into the way of Salvation whom I please I will guide him into the way of the Lord to whom belongeth all that is in Heaven and Earth and who disposeth of all things CHAP. XLIII The Chapter of Ornament containng Eighty and nine Verses written at Mecca Exteri intituled this Chapter The Chapter of Gold. IN the name of God gracious and merciful God is prudent and wise I swear by the Book that teacheth to do well that we have sent it in the Arabique tongue peradventure ye shall understand the Alcoran it is written in our original Book majestique and mysterious Shall I conceal from you the Book of Salvation if ye be wicked How many Prophets and Apostles have we sent in past Ages whom unbelievers have despised We destroyed the most powerful among them and all have incurred the pain of their predecessors If thou ask of them who created Heaven and Earth they will say that it is the Omnipotent who knoweth all things Who hath extended the Earth under you Who established the wayes to guide you It is God he causeth the rain to descend from Heaven in your necessity he maketh the dead dry and barren fields to revive in like manner shall the dead come out of their Sepulchers He it is that created whatsoever is in the world of divers kinds and species and created the Ships and beast to carry you Remember the grace of your Lord say praised be he that created for us these things we had not the power to create them They also shall return before the Lord to be judged The Infidels have divided God
into many parts Certainly he that saith that there are many Gods is impious hath he appointed you to say that the Angels which he hath created are his daughters seeing that he giveth you Sons When it is declared to some Infidels that a daughter is born to him he is not satisfied he desireth to have a son will they say that God adorneth himself and taketh Ornaments to beautifie him like their Idols It is a manifest error they say that the Angels that worship God are the daughters of his divine Majesty I will write what they say and will require of them an account of their discourse at the day of Judgement They have said had it pleased God we had not adored the Angels They know not what they say and ignorantly blaspheme do they observe any Scripture that hath been taught them heretofore On the contrary they say that their fathers lived in like manner and that they follow their steps they have said as much to all the Prophets that were sent unto them When thou spakest to them to observe what is contained in the Alcoran and to abandon the Idols which their fathers worshipped they answered that they believed neither in thee nor in thy mission but we avenged our selves upon them Consider what is the end of blasphemers Remember thou that Abraham said to his father and his people I am innocent of the sin that you commit in adoring Idols I worship him alone that created me he shall guide me into the way of Salvation and hath left his words to posterity perhaps the Infidels shall be converted I deferred heretofore the punishment of Idolaters untill they had learned the truth and that a Prophet came to instruct them When he preached unto them the truth they said that it is but witchcraft and that they would give no faith to it Had the Alcoran been sent to a man Master and Lord of two Cities or Villages they had esteemed and approved it Would they dispose of the graces of God He hath divided the riches of the world among men Some there be that are more eminent and scorn each other but the mercy of God is more advantageous than the riches of the Earth which they accumulate Although all the people be not of the same Religion we cease not to bestow on the wicked houses adorned with seelings enchased with silver stairs doors and beds of silver and gold These things are the riches of the Earth and Paradise is for them that are righteous I will cause to fall headlong with the Devils such as shall reject the Law of the merciful the Devils shall be their companions they shall seduce them from the way of Salvation and they shall not know it When we shall come to judg the Universe they shall say Would to God we had been as remote from you as the West is from the East Oh what company for you This day your repentance and your hopes shall be vain ye were Infidels for company ye shall be companions in the Fire of Hell. Wilt thou make the blind to see and the deaf to hear Wilt thou guide them that wilfully err If they dye before being punished on Earth I will be avenged on them in the other World. Shall I shew thee during thy life the punishment that we have prepared for them We can do it but do thou only what hath been commanded thee thou art in the way of Salvation instruct men therein an account of thy mission shall be required of thee I will require an account of their mission that we sent heretofore to instruct the People we will demand of them if we appointed them to worship any other God but us We sent Moses to Pharaoh and his Ministers he caused them to see our Miracles and preached to them our Commandments he told them that he was the Messenger of the God of the Universe nevertheless they scoffed I shewed them no greater Miracle than that of Moses his sister and we chastised them because of their incredulity They said unto Moses Oh Magician pray unto thy Lord that he deliver us from these evils and we will be converted when they were delivered they violated their promises and Pharaoh said to his people Am not I King of Aegypt doth not the River Nilus flow under my obedience Know ye not that I am more powerful than that poor wretch Moses that knows not what he says Give him Bracelets of Gold we will see if the Angels and those that follow his Doctrine will testifie the truth of his words He terrified his Subjects they obeyed him for they were Infidels but we were avenged on them when they provoked us we drowned them and made them serve for example to Posterity like those that preceded them in impiety The people would not hearken to the Son of Mary when he spake by Parable they said Our Gods are more profitable to us than his lyes and questions On the contrary they were refractory he is our Servant we conferred on him our grace and made him like to the other Prophets of the Children of Israel Had it pleased me I had created Angels on Earth in your place the coming of Jesus the Son of Mary shall be a sign of the certainty of the day of Judgment doubt not concerning that day He said unto men Follow me it is the right way beware lest the Devil seduce you he is your open Enemy I come to teach you the Commandments of God to resolve the doubts and judge the differences that are among you fear God and obey him he is your Lord and mine worship him it is the right way the people doubted his Doctrine but misery shall be upon the wicked they shall suffer great torments at the Day of Judgment will they expect that day for their conversion It shall surprize them and they know it not that day shall they be enemies one of another God shall say to the righteous fear not ye shall not this Day resent any affliction the believers that have obeyed my Commandments shall enter into Paradise you and your wives shall there rejoyce ye shall drink in cups of fine Gold ye shall there find whatsoever ye shall desire and all that can content the mind and delight the eyes and ye shall dwell eternally in supreme felicity behold the Paradise that ye have gained by your good life it is enriched with abundance of fruits which ye shall eat with contentment and the wicked shall remain eternally in the Fire of Hell they shall not be eased in their miseries and shall be dumb with dispair we do no injustice to them they draw mischief on themselves through their disobedience they shall demand of the Keeper of the Fire will thy Lord never deliver us from these pains He shall answer them Ye shall abide there eternally We have taught men the truth but the greatest part of them would not believe it The wicked have conspired against thee and we
knoweth all things hath revealed it to me that ye may be converted your hearts are inclined to do what is forbidden if ye act any thing against the Prophet know that God is his protector the Angel Gabriel and all the believers will defend him the Angels shall protect him against you If it be his will to repudiate you God shall give him for the future other wives in your place that shall be obedient True believers humble faithful devout contented mild clean Virgins and not Virgins Oh ye that believe in God! strengthen your selves you and your Families in obedience to his Commandments the Idolaters shall burn in the Fire of Hell with their Idols the Angels deputed to torment them disobey not God they execute whatsoever is commanded them Oh ye that are Infidels there is no excuse for you ye shall be chastised after your demerits Oh ye that believe turn to God with affection he shall pardon your sins and make you to enter into Gardens wherein flow many Rivers the light of Faith shall go before the Prophet and them that have followed him when God shall recompence them they shall say Lord give us thy light pardon our sins thou art Omnipotent Oh Prophet fight against the Infidels and the wicked fortifie thy self against them Hell shall be their habitation God teacheth unbelievers a Parable and saith the wives of Noah and the wives of Lot were under the power of my two Servants righteous men they betrayed them but did not escape the punishment of their sin It was said unto them enter into the Fire of Hell with them that go into it God teacheth them a Parable that follow his Law take example by the Wife of Pharaoh she prayed to God and said Lord build me an House in Paradise deliver me from Pharoah from his works and unjust men Mary the daughter of Iosâ—…phat preserved her Virginity we inspired into her our Spirit she believed the words of her Lord and the Scriptures she was in the number of them that obey CHAP. LXVII The Chapter of Empire containing Thirty Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful Praised be he to whom belongeth the Empire oâ—… the World who is Omnipotent and hath created Life and Death to let you know which is the better he is Omnipotent and merciful He hath created seven Heavens one upon another thou seest nothing of what he hath created that is not proportioned raise yet thy sight to Heaven thou shalt not there see any thing defective behold it twice or more often thou shalt not perceive therein any thing vain or imperfect We have adorned the Heaven and the World with Stars we expelled thence the Devils we prepared for them a great fire and the torments of Hell for unbelievers They shall hear horrible and terribble voices that proceed from despair and wrath when they shall be cast thither headlong when they shall enter into Hell by Troops the Overseer of the torments shall say unto them Had you none on Earth that preached to you the pains of Hell Yes shall they reply they were preached to us but we traduced our preachers we said that God did not command to do what they declared that they were lyars and seduced from the right way had we heard them and had we been wise we should not this day have been in the number of the damned they shall confess their sins in the bottom of Hell. Such as fear God without seeing him shall receive pardon of their offences and an exceeding great reward Speak secretly or publickly God knoweth whatsoever ye have in your hearts since the time of your creation he is blessed and omniscient He hath established ways upon the earth go on all sides and live of his good things ye all shall revive and be one day assembled before him to be judged Believe ye that he who is in heaven cannot render the earrh dry and barren and cause it to tremble Believe ye that he who is in heaven is not able to send against you an impetuous wind to destroy you Ye shall hereafter feel what are the torments of hell Your predecessors would not believe them and were chastised for their incredulity Consider ye not the birds that flie over your heads how they extend and shut their wings nothing supporteth them but that mercy that beholdeth all things Who but God shall protect you in your miseries The Infidels are proud Who shall enrich you if God restraineth his grace nevertheless ye persevere in your sins and flie the truth Is he that creepeth on his face like to him that goeth on his feet in the right way Say unto them God hath created you he hath given you sight hearing and sense but few among you return him thanks for his graces Say unto them he created you of earth and ye shall one day be assembled before him to render account of your actions The wicked demand when the day of Judgment shall be Say unto them God knows I am sent only to preach to you the pains of hell Their visages shall become black when they shall see the punishment of their sins approach It shall be said to them behold that which ye have demanded with so much impatience Say unto them did you see that God destroyed me and them that were with me No he gave us his grace Who shall deliver the Infidels from the torments of hell Say unto them God is merciful we believe in him and we are resigned to the will of his divine Majesty ye shall know hereafter them that shall be seduced If the water that watereth your flocks enter under the earth who shall give you other water or another Fountain to supply you CHAP. LXVIII The Chapter of the Pen containing fifty two Verses written at Mecca Bedaoi entituleth this the Chapter of the Letter Noun n and saith that it is as much as to say Whale or great Fish Some other Doctors say that Noun n is the name of the Ink or Table on which the Angels write the Commandments of God Others affirm it to signifie the Inkhorn but many of the Mahometan Doctors intitle this the Chapttr of the Pen. IN the name of God gracious and merciful I swear by the Pen and by all that is written that thou art not possessed of the Devil through the grace of thy Lord thou shalt have an infinite reward God hath created thee with a creation high and most illustrious Thou shalt hereafter know and the Infidels likewise shall know one day them among you that are ignorant Certainly thy Lord knoweth them that are seduced and them that follow the right way Obey not the wicked they desire thee to be more inâ—…ulgent towards them and themselves more â—…ild towards thee Obey not those infamous â—…ars those bablers sinners and seducers and wicked persons full of treasures and children When the Mysteries of faith are related to them â—…hey say that they are but fables of antiquity we
will put upon their noses a mark of shame and igâ—…ominy we have tried them as Gardeners when â—…hey have resolved in the evening to cut off the morâ—…ing followng some fruits of their garden for â—…heir refection and have not said if it please God By night while they slept God sent fire â—…nto their gardens that consumed them in the morning they called each other and said Come â—…o put order to your garden if ye desire to gaâ—…her the fruits they believed the poor would enâ—…er they ran to drive them away and found their â—…ruits black and their gardens blasted Then they â—…aid We are seduced we are sinners one of them â—…aid that it was requisite to praise God then they â—…aid Praised be God we are great sinners they â—…pproached each other and complained among â—…hemselves they said misery is upon us we were â—…n a great error peradventure God will give us â—…ereafter more than the value of what we have lost we must beg his grace thus God chastiseth on earth whom he pleaseth but the torments of the other world are much more grievous They that have â—…his fear before their eyes shall dwell in gardens full of delights Shall I entreat the good like the wicked How can ye judg it have ye a book wherein you read what pleaseth you have we promised to you any content at the day of Judgment Shall you have that day what ye have promised to your selves Ask of them who will be surety for their belief will their Idols and companions be their surety Let them cause them to come if they be true Be thou mindful of the day when sins shall be detected and the wicked shall be commanded to worship God but they shall not be able to behold him their eyes shall be troubled with fear and their sight covered with shame They are enjoyned in the world to worship his divine Majesty but they refuse to perform it I will punish them by little and little when they shall least think of it I will defer the punishments of their crimes because my wrath is strong Dosâ—… thou demand of men any reeompence for thy preaching are they charged with any expence Have they in their power the book wherein is the future to write therein what they affirm Attend the Judgment of thy Lord and be not like him that was swallowed of the Whale He invoked his Lord in his affliction if his Lord had not sent him his grace he should never have come upon earth when he repented of his sin his Lord pardoned and placed him in the number of the righteous The unbelievers labour to shake thee througâ—… their looks and that through envy they affirm that thou art possessed of the Devil when the hear thee read the Alcoran It was not sent but tâ—… instruct the world CHAP. LXIX The Chapter of Verification containing Fifty two Verses written at Mecca Exteri intituleth this The Chapter of Iudgment because that day all shall be verified IN the Name of God gracious and merciful Verification approacheth Verification approacheth God hath not told thee in what time shall be the day of Verification Temod and Aad would not believe him that preached to them the day of affliction and sorrow but Temod was destroyed by an extraordinary noise and Aad by an impetuous wind that God sent against them Seven nights and eight days together they were overthrown stretched out like Palms faln upon the Earth Did any one among them save himself Pharaoh and his predecessors with the Inhabitants of the Cities that were overthrown because of their sins disobeyed the Prophets and Apostles of God and were rudely chastised We preserved you in Noah's Ark when the waters swelled to serve for example of our Omnipotency to them that saw it and to such as shall hear it mentioned Be thou mindful of the day when the Angel shall sound the Trumpet when the Earth shall lift it self up and the Mountains tremble then what must come to pass shall come to pass Heaven with Weakness shall open and the Angel that shall bear the Throne of God shall be upon the border of the Heaven Then shall Eight Angels present the books wherein shall be written the sins of Men and nothing shall be concealed Such as shall take in the right hand the Book of the account of their actions shall say We find what we believed to be true we know with certain knowledg the coming of this day and the felicity of Life is in Paradise It shall be said to them Eat and drink of the good things of Paradise at your pleasure They that shall take the Book of account of their actions in their left Hand shall say Would to God that this Book had been lost I know not what is this account would to God that I had been eternally buried in the Earth the Riches Authority and Treasures of the World are to me unprofitable It shall be said to the Devils Take them bind them and throw them headlong in to Hell put Chains seventy Cubits long upon their arms and cast them into fire they would not believe in the Unity of God the Omnipotent they have eaten the Bread of the Poor they are this day without protection and want Bread and shall find nothing but the pains of Hell prepared for the wicked I swear Although ye see and although ye do not see the Alcoran it is the word of the Prophet the Apostle of God it is not the word of a Poet but few persons will believe it It is not the word of one that is wicked but few men remember it it is sent from God Lord of the Universe The Infidels say Oh Prophet if thou speak we will not hear thee thy speech shall not enter into our hearts Say unto them There is none among you able to deliver you from the punishment of your crimes the Alcoran instructeth in the way of Salvation them that believe in his Divine Majesty I know that there are Lyars among you whom God shall put into the number of Infidels The Alcoran is truth it self Praised be the Name of God Omnipotent and Majestick CHAP. LXX The Chapter of the Ascent containing Forty four Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and merciful Some persons have demanded when shall be the Day of Judgment and in what time the wicked shall be chastised None but God is able to deliver men from the torments of Hell he is Lord of the way that ascendeth to Heaven the Angels and Spirits shall ascend towards him at the Day of Judgment that day shall seem to the wicked to endure Fifty thousand years expect with patience the wicked imagine they are far from that day but thou shalt see it speedily that day shall the Heaven resemble dissolved Metal the Mountains shall be like to carded Wool which bendeth downwards none shall ask his Neighbour who he is and they shall look one upon another the unbelievers shall desire to redeem