the mountains like wool of various colors, scattered abroad by the wind: and a friend shall not ask a friend concerning his condition, although they see one another. The wicked shall wish to redeem himself from the punishment of that day, by giving up his children, and his wife, and his brother, and his kindred who showed kindness unto him, and all who are in the earth; and that this might deliver him: by no means: for hell fire, dragging them by their scalps, shall call him who shall have turned his back, and fled from the faith, and shall have amassed riches, and covetously hoarded them. Verily man is created extremely impatient: when evil toucheth him, he is full of complaint; but when good befalleth him, he becometh niggardly: except those who are devoutly given, and who persevere in their prayers; and those of whose substance a due and certain portion is ready to be given unto him who asketh, and him who is forbidden by shame to ask: and those who sincerely believe the day of judgment, and who dread the punishment of their LORD: (for there is none secure from the punishment of their LORD:) and who abstain from the carnal knowledge of women other than their wives, or the slaves which their right hands possess (for as to them they shall be blameless; but whoever coveteth any woman besides these, they are transgressors :) and those who faithfully keep what they are intrusted with, and their covenant; and who are upright in their testimonies, and who carefully observe the requisite rites in their prayers: these shall dwell amidst gardens, highly honored. What aileth the unbelievers, that they run before thee in companies, on the right hand and on the left? Doth every man of them wish to enter into a garden of delight? By no means: verily we have created them of that which they know. I swear by the LORD of the east and of the west, that we are able to destroy them, and to substitute better than them in their room; neither are we to be prevented, if we shall please so to do. Wherefore suffer them to wade in vain disputes, and to amuse themselves with sport: until they meet their day with which they have been threatened; the day whereon they shall come forth hastily from their graves, as though they were troops hastening to their standard: their looks shall be downcast; ignominy shall attend them. This is the day with which they have been threatened.

CHAPTER LXXI.

INTITLED, NOAH; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

VERILY we sent Noah unto his people, saying, Warn thy people, before a grievous punishment overtake them. Noah said, O my people, verily I am a public warner unto you; wherefore serve GOD, and fear him, and obey me; he will forgive you part of your sins; and will grant you respite until a determined time: for God's determined time, when it cometh, shall not be deferred; if ye were men of understanding, ye would know this. He said, LORD, verily I have called my people night and day; but my calling only increaseth their aversion: and whensoever I call them to the true faith, that thou mayest forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, and cover themselves with their garments, and persist in their infidelity, and proudly disdain my counsel. Moreover I invited them openly, and I spake to them again in public; and I also secretly admonished them in private; and I said, Beg pardon of your LORD; for he is inclined to forgive: and he will cause the heaven to pour down rain plentifully upon you, and will give you increase of wealth and of children; and he will provide you gardens, and furnish you with rivers. What aileth you, that ye hope not for benevolence in GOD; since he hath created you variously? Do ye not see how GOD hath created the seven heavens, one above another; and hath placed the moon therein for a light, and hath appointed the sun for a taper? GOD hath also produced and caused you to spring forth from the earth hereafter he will cause you to return into the same; and he will again take you thence, by bringing you forth from your graves. And God hath spread the earth as a carpet for you, that ye may walk therein through spacious paths. Noah said, LORD, verily they are disobedient unto me; and they follow him whose riches and children do no other than increase his perdition. And they devised a dangerous plot against Noah: and the chief men said to the others, Ye shall by no means leave your gods; neither shall

ye forsake Wadd, nor Sowa, nor Yaghuth, and Yauk, and Nesr. And they seduced many; (for thou shalt only increase error in the wicked :) because of their sins they were drowned, and cast into the fire of hell; and they found none to protect them against GOD. And Noah said, LORD, leave not any families of the unbelievers on the earth: for if thou leave them, they will seduce thy servants, and will beget none but a wicked and unbelieving offspring. LORD, forgive me and my parents, and every one who shall enter my house, being a true believer, and the true believers of both sexes; and add unto the unjust doers nothing but destruction.

CHAPTER LXXII.

INTITLED, THE GENII; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

SAY, It hath been revealed unto me that a company of genii attentively heard me reading the Koran, and said, Verily we have heard an admirable discourse; which directeth unto the right institution; wherefore we believe therein, and we will by no means associate any other with our LORD. He (may the majesty of our LORD be exalted!) hath taken no wife, nor hath he begotten any issue. Yet the foolish among us hath spoken that which is extremely false of GOD; but we verily thought that neither man nor genius would by any means have uttered a lie concerning GOD. And there are certain men who fly for refuge unto certain of the genii; but they increase their folly and transgression: and they also thought, as ye thought, that GOD would not raise any one to life. And we formerly attempted to pry into what was transacting in heaven; but we found the same filled with a strong guard of angels, and with flaming darts: and we sat on some of the seats thereof to hear the discourse of its inhabitants; but whoever listeneth now, findeth a flame laid in ambush for him, to guard the celestial confines. And we know not whether evil be hereby intended against those who are in the

earth, or whether their LORD intendeth to direct them aright. There are some among us who are upright; and there are some among us who are otherwise: we are of different ways. And we verily thought that we could by no means frustrate GOD in the earth, neither could we escape him by flight: wherefore, when we had heard the direction contained in the Koran, we believed therein. And whoever believeth in his LORD, need not fear any diminution of his reward, nor any injustice. There are some Moslems among us; and there are others of us who swerve from righteousness. And whoso embraceth Islam, they earnestly seek true direction: but those who swerve from righteousness shall be fuel for hell. If they tread in the way of truth, we will surely water them with abundant rain; that we may prove them thereby but whoso turneth aside from the admonition of his LORD, him will he send into a severe torment. Verily the places of worship are set apart unto GOD: wherefore invoke not any other therein together with GOD. When the servant of GOD stood up to invoke him, it wanted little but that the genii had pressed on him in crowds, to hear him rehearse the Koran. Say, Verily I call upon my LORD only, and I associate no other god with him. Say, Verily I am not able, of myself, to procure you either hurt, or a right institution. Say, Verily none can protect me against GOD; neither shall I find any refuge besides him. I can do no more than publish what hath been revealed unto me from GOD, and his messages. And whosoever shall be disobedient unto GOD, and his apostle, for him is the fire of hell prepared; they shall remain therein forever. Until they see the vengeance with which they are threatened, they will not cease their opposition: but then shall they know who were the weaker in a protector, and the fewer in number. Say, I know not whether the punishment with which ye are threatened be nigh, or whether my LORD will appoint for it a distant term. He knowethr the secrets of futurity; and he doth not communicate his secrets unto any, except an apostle in whom he is well pleased: and he causeth a guard of angels to march before him, and behind him; that he may know that they have executed the commissions of their LORD; he comprehendeth whatever is with them; and counteth all things by number.

CHAPTER LXXIII.

INTITLED, THE WRAPPED UP; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O THOU wrapped up, arise to prayer, and continue therein during the night, except a small part; that is to say, during one half thereof: or do thou lessen the same a little or add thereto. And repeat the Koran with a distinct and sonorous voice: for we will lay on thee a weighty word. Verily the rising by night is more efficacious for steadfast continuance in devotion, and more conducive to decent pronunciation: for in the daytime thou hast long employment. And commemorate the name of thy LORD; and separate thyself unto him, renouncing wordly vanities. He is the LORD of the east, and of the west; there is no GOD but he. Wherefore take him for thy patron and patiently suffer the contumelies which the infidels utter against thee; and depart from them with a decent departure. And let me alone with those who charge the Koran with falsehood, who enjoy the blessings of this life; and bear with them for a while: verily with us are heavy fetters, and a burning fire, and food ready to choke him who swalloweth it, and painful torment. On a certain day the earth shall be shaken, and the mountains also, and the mountains shall become a heap of sand poured forth. Verily we have sent unto you an apostle, to bear witness against you; as we sent an apostle unto Pharaoh ; but Pharaoh was disobedient unto the apostle; wherefore we chastised him with a heavy chastisement. How, therefore, will ye escape, if ye believe not, the day which shall make children become gray-headed through terror? The heaven shall be rent in sunder thereby the promise thereof shall surely be performed. Verily this is an admonition; and whoever is willing to be admonished will take the way unto his LORD. Thy LORD knoweth that thou continuest in prayer and meditation sometimes near two third parts of the night, and sometimes one half thereof, and at other times one third part thereof; and a part of thy companions, who are with thee, do the same. But GOD measureth the night and the day; he knoweth that ye cannot exactly compute the same: wherefore he turneth favorably unto you. Read, therefore,