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to them with manifestations, and they believed not: but God overtook them; verily He is strong and heavy in punishment.
We sent Moses of old with our signs and with plain authority,
To Pharaoh, and Haman, and Korah: and they said, “A lying wizard.”
And when he came to them with truth from us they said, “Slay the sons of those who believe with them, and spare their women;” but the plot of the unbelievers was at fault:
And Pharaoh said, “Let me alone to kill Moses; and let him call upon his Lord: verily I fear lest he change your religion, or cause iniquity in the earth.”
And Moses said, “Verily I take refuge with my Lord and your Lord from every one puffed up who believeth not in the day of reckoning.”
And there spake a man of the family of Pharaoh, a Believer, who concealed his faith, “Will ye kill a man because he saith my Lord is God, when he hath come unto you with manifestations from your Lord? for if he be a liar, upon him alone is his lie, but if he be a man of truth, somewhat of that which he threateneth will befall you. Verily God guideth not him who is an outrageous liar.
O my people, to-day is the kingdom yours who are uppermost in the earth! but who will defend us against the might of God if it come upon us?” Pharaoh said, “I will only show you what I think, and I will not guide you save in a right way.”
Then said he who believed, “O my people, verily I fear for you the like of the day of the allies,
The like of the state of the people of Noah, and Ad, and Thamūd,
And of those who came after them; and God willeth not injustice to His servants.
And, O my people! verily I fear for you the day of crying out:
The day when ye shall turn your backs in flight, ye shall have no protector against God; and he whom God misleads, no guide has he.
Moreover, Joseph came unto you before with manifestations; but ye ceased not to doubt about [the message] he brought you, until when he died ye said, ‘God will by no means send an apostle after him.’ Thus God misleadeth him who is an outrageous doubter.
They who dispute about the signs of God, and no proof coming to them, are very hateful to God and to those who believe. Thus God sealeth the heart of all who are puffed up and arrogant.”
And Pharaoh said, “O Haman, build me a tower, mayhap I shall reach the avenues,
The avenues of the heavens, and may ascend to the God of Moses: but verily I hold him a liar.”
And thus the wickedness of his deed seemed good to Pharaoh, and he was turned away from the right path; but the plot of Pharaoh only came to ruin.
And he who believed said, “O my people, follow me: I will guide you the right way.
O my people, the life of this world is but a passing joy; but the life to come, that is the abode imperishable.
Whosoever doeth evil shall not be rewarded save with its like; and whosoever doeth right, whether male or female, being a believer—these shall enter paradise; and be provided therein without count.
And O my people! how is it that I bid you to salvation, but that ye bid me to the Fire?
Ye call me to disbelieve in God and join to Him that of which I have no knowledge: and I call you to the Mighty, the Very Forgiving.
There is no doubt but that those ye call me to are not to be called on in this world or in the world to come, and that we shall return unto God, and the transgressors shall be inmates of the Fire.
Then shall ye call to mind what I said to you: and I commit my case to God: verily God regardeth His servants.”
So God kept him from the evil which they devised, and there encompassed the people of Pharaoh the woeful torment—
The Fire, to which they shall be exposed morning and evening; and on the day when the Hour cometh—“Enter, ye people of Pharaoh, into the sorest torment.”
And when they shall wrangle together in the fire, the feeble shall say to those who were puffed up, “Verily we followed you: will ye then remove from us aught of the Fire?”
And those who were puffed up will say, “Verily we are all in it. Behold! God hath judged between His servants.”
And they who are in the Fire shall say to the keepers of Hell, “Call on your Lord, that He remit us one day from the torment.”
The keepers shall say, “Did there not come to you your apostles with manifestations?” They shall say, “Yea.” The keepers shall say, “Call then,” but the cry of the unbelievers shall be vain.
Verily we will help our apostles and those who believe, both in the life of this world and on the day when the witness shall stand forth;—
A day whereon the excuse of the wicked shall not profit them; but they shall have the curse and the abode of woe.
And of old gave we Moses the guidance, and the Children of Israel made we heirs of the Book,—a guidance and a warning to those who have understanding.
Be patient, therefore; verily the promise of God is true; and seek pardon for thy sins, and magnify the praises of thy Lord at eve and early morn.
Verily those who dispute about the signs of God, without proof reaching them, there is naught in their breasts but pride: and they shall not win. But seek refuge with God; verily, He heareth and seeth.
Surely the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of man. But most men do not know.
Moreover the blind and the seeing are not equal, nor the sinner and they who believe and do the things that are right;—little do they mind!
Verily the Hour is assuredly coming: there is no doubt of it;—but most men do not believe.
And your Lord saith, “Call upon me;—I will hearken unto you: but as to those who are too puffed up for my service, they shall enter Hell in contempt.”
It is God who made you the night to rest in, and the day for seeing: verily God is bounteous to man, but most men are not thankful.
That is God your Lord, Creator of all things: there is no god but He: then why do ye turn away?
Thus do they turn away who gainsay the signs of God—
God, who made you the earth for a resting-place and the heaven for a tent, and formed you and made goodly your forms and provided you with good things—that is God, your Lord.
Then blessed be God, the Lord of the worlds!
He is the Living One. No god is there but He! then call upon Him, purifying your service to Him. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds!
Say: Verily I am forbidden to serve those whom ye call on beside God, since there came to me manifestations from my Lord, and I am bidden to resign myself to the Lord of the worlds.
He it is who created you of dust, then of a germ, then of blood; then bringeth you forth a babe: then ye come to your strength, then ye become old men (but some of you die before) and reach the appointed term: haply ye will understand!
It is He who giveth life and death; and when He decreeth a thing, He only saith to it, “Be,” and it is.
Hast thou not beheld those who cavil at the signs of God, how they are turned aside?
They who call the Book, and that with which we have sent our apostles, a lie: they shall soon know!
When the shackles shall be on their necks, and the chains, whilst they are dragged into Hell—then in the fire shall they be burned—
Then shall it be said to them, “Where is that which ye joined in worship beside God?” They shall say, “They are lost to us, Nay! we did not call before upon anything.” Thus God misleadeth the unbelievers.
“That is because ye exulted on earth in what was not true, and because ye were insolent.”
Enter the gates of Hell to abide therein for ever: and wretched is the abode of the proud!
But be thou patient: verily the promise of God is true: and whether we show thee part of what we threatened them, or whether we make thee to die; yet to us shall they return.
We have sent apostles before thee. Of some we have told thee and of some we have not told thee: but no apostle was able to bring a sign unless by the permission of God. But when God’s behest cometh, everything is decided with truth: and those perish who think it vain.
It is God who hath made for you the cattle, some to ride and some to eat,
(And ye have profit from them) and to attain by them the aims of your hearts, for on them and in ships are ye borne:
And He showeth you His signs: which then of the signs of God will ye deny?
Have they not journeyed in the earth, and seen what was the end of those who were before them? They were in number more than they, and mightier in strength, and in their footprints on the earth: but what they had earned availed them nothing;
And when their apostles came to them with manifestations, they exulted in what knowledge they had; but that which they had scoffed at encompassed them.
And when they beheld our might they said, “We believe in God alone, and we disbelieve in what we joined in worship with Him.”
And naught availed their faith, after they witnessed our might. Such the way of God which was reserved for his servants—and therein the unbelievers have lost.

(xl.)

JONAH.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
A. L. R. These are the signs of the wise Book!
Is it a matter of wonder to the people that we revealed to a man from among themselves, “Warn the people; and bring good tidings to those who believe, that the reward of their good faith is with their Lord?” The unbelievers say, “Lo! this is an evident sorcerer!”
Verily your Lord is God, who made the heavens and the earth in six days—then ascended the throne to govern all things: there is none to plead with Him save by His permission.—This is God, your Lord! then worship ye Him: will ye not mind?
Unto Him shall ye all return by the sure promise of God: behold! He produces a creature, then maketh it return again, that He may reward with equity those who believe and do the things that are right: but those who believe not, for them is the scalding drink, and an aching torment—because they did not believe.
It is He who hath made the sun for shining, and the moon for light, and ordained him mansions that ye may learn the number of years and the reckoning of time. God did not create that but in truth. He maketh His signs plain to a people who know.
Verily in the alterations of
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