G. Margoliouth

“ You have no God beside Him. Ye only devise a lie.
O my people! I ask of you no recompense for this: my recompense is with Him only who hath made me. Will ye not then understand?
O my people! ask pardon of your Lord; then be turned unto Him: He will send down the heavens upon you with copious rains:
And with strength on strength will He increase you: only turn not back with deeds of evil."
They said, "O Houd, thou hast not brought us proofs of thy mission: we will not abandon our gods at thy word, and we believe thee not.
We can only say that some of our gods have smitten thee with evil." ”

“ SAY: I say not to you, "In my possession are the treasures of God;" neither say I, "I know things secret;" neither do I say to you, "Verily, I am an angel:" Only what is revealed to me do I follow. SAY: Shall the blind and the seeing be esteemed alike? Will ye not then reflect?
And warn those who dread their being gathered to their Lord, that patron or intercessor they shall have none but Him,-to the intent that they may fear Him!
And thrust not thou away those who cry to their Lord at morn and even, craving to behold his face. ”

“ The alms which they bestow in this present life, are like a freezing wind, which falleth upon and destroyeth the cornfields of a people who have been to themselves unjust. God doeth them no injustice, but to themselves are they unjust.
O ye who have believed! form not intimacies among others than yourselves. They will not fail to corrupt you. They long for your ruin. Hatred hath already shewn itself out of their mouths, but more grievous is what their breasts conceal. The tokens thereof we have already made plain to you, if ye will comprehend. ”

“ How shall God guide a people who, after they had believed and bore witness that the apostle was true, and after that clear proofs of his mission had reached them, disbelieved? God guideth not the people who transgress.
These! their recompense, that the curse of God, and of angels, and of all men, is on them!
Under it shall they abide for ever; their torment shall not be assuaged! ”

“ O Believers! give alms of that with which we have supplied you, before the day cometh when there shall be no trafficking, nor friendship, nor intercession. And the infidels are the wrong-doers.
God! There is no God but He; the Living, the Eternal; Nor slumber seizeth Him, nor sleep; His, whatsoever is in the Heavens and whatsoever is in the Earth! Who is he that can intercede with Him but by His own permission? He knoweth what hath been before them and what shall be after them; yet nought of His knowledge shall they grasp, save what He willeth. ”

“ But whosoever shall follow me, he truly shall be of me; and whosoever shall disobey me. . . . Thou truly art Gracious, Merciful.
O our Lord! verily I have settled some of my offspring in an unfruitful valley, nigh to thy holy house;4 O our Lord, that they may strictly observe prayer! Make thou therefore the hearts of men to yearn toward them, and supply them with fruits that they may be thankful.
O our Lord! thou truly knowest what we hide and what we bring to light; nought on earth or in heaven is hidden from God. Praise be to God who hath given me, in my old age, Ismael and Isaac! ”

“ Thy mercy, Lord! for unto thee must we return."
God will not burden any soul beyond its power. It shall enjoy the good which it hath acquired, and shall bear the evil for the acquirement of which it laboured. O our Lord! punish us not if we forget, or fall into sin; O our Lord! and lay not on us a load like that which thou hast laid on those who have been before us; O our Lord! and lay not on us that for which we have not strength: but blot out our sins and forgive us, and have pity on us. Thou art our protector: give us victory therefore over the infidel nations. ”

“ Verily, God and His Angels bless the Prophet! Bless ye Him, O Believers, and salute Him with salutations of Peace.
Verily, they who affront God and His Apostle, the curse of God is on them in this world, and in the world to come: and He hath prepared for them a shameful chastisement.
And they who shall affront believing men and believing women, for no fault of theirs, they shall surely bear the guilt of slander, and of a clear wrong. ”

“ O ye who believe! when it is said to you, "Make room in your assemblies," then make ye room. God will make room for you in Paradise! And when it is said to you, "Rise up," then rise ye up. God will uplift those of you who believe, and those to whom "the Knowledge" is given, to lofty grades! and God is cognisant of your actions.
O ye who believe! when ye go to confer in private with the Apostle, give alms before such conference. Better will this be for you, and more pure. But if ye have not the means, then truly God is Lenient, Merciful. ”

“ O believers! take not infidels for friends rather than believers. Would ye furnish God with clear right to punish you?
Verily the hypocrites shall be in the lowest abyss of the fire: and, by no means shalt thou find a helper for them;
Save for those who turn and amend, and lay fast hold on God, and approve the sincerity of their religion to God; these shall be numbered with the faithful, and God will at last bestow on the faithful a great reward.
Why should God inflict a chastisement upon you, if ye are grateful, and believe? God is Grateful, Wise! ”

“ So, with like words, said those who were before them: their hearts are alike: Clear signs have we already shewn for those who have firm faith:
Verily, with the Truth have we sent thee, a bearer of good tidings and a warner: and of the people of Hell thou shalt not be questioned.
But until thou follow their religion, neither Jews nor Christians will be satisfied with thee. SAY: Verily, guidance of God,-that is the guidance! And if, after "the Knowledge" which hath reached thee, thou follow their desires, thou shalt find neither helper nor protector against God. ”

“ Lost are they who deny the meeting with God until "the Hour" cometh suddenly upon them! Then will they say, "Oh, our sighs for past negligence of this hour!" and they shall bear their burdens on their back! Will not that be evil with which they shall be burdened?
The life in this world is but a play and pastime; and better surely for men of godly fear will be the future mansion! Will ye not then comprehend?
Now know we that what they speak vexeth thee:7 But it is not merely thee whom they charge with falsehood, but the ungodly gainsay the signs of God. ”

“ Truly this Koran declareth to the children of Israel most things wherein they disagree:
And it is certainly guidance and a mercy to the faithful.
Verily, by his wisdom will thy Lord decide between them: for He is the
Mighty, the Knowing.
Put thou then thy trust in God: for thou hast clear truth on thy side.13
Thou shalt not make the dead to hear; neither shalt thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they turn away backward;
Neither art thou the guide of the blind out of their errors: none truly shalt thou make to hear but those who believe our signs: and they are Muslims. ”

“ All mankind shall come forth before God; and the weak shall say to the men of might, "Verily, we were your followers: will ye not then relieve us of some part of the vengeance of God?"
They shall say, "If God had guided us, we surely had guided you. It is now all one whether we be impatient, or endure with patience. We have no escape."
And after doom hath been given, Satan shall say, "Verily, God promised you a promise of truth: I, too, made you a promise, but I deceived you. ”

“ Thou raisest up whom thou wilt, and whom thou wilt thou dost abase! In thy hand is good; for thou art over all things potent.
Thou causest the night to pass into the day, and thou causest the day to pass into the night. Thou bringest the living out of the dead, and thou bringest the dead out of the living; and thou givest sustenance to whom thou wilt, without measure.
Let not believers take infidels for their friends rather than believers: whoso shall do this hath nothing to hope from God-unless, indeed, ye fear a fear from them: But God would have you beware of Himself ”

“ But God is witness of your doings.
SAY: O people of the Book! why repel believers from the way of God? Ye fain would make it crooked, and yet ye are its witnesses! But God is not regardless of what ye do.
O believers! if ye obey some amongst those who have received the Scripture, after your very Faith will they make you infidels!
But how can ye become infidels, when the signs of God are recited to you, and his prophet is among you? Whoever holdeth fast by God, is already guided to a straight path.
O ye believers! fear God as He deserveth to be feared! and die not till ye have become Muslims. ”

“ God will be turned unto whom He will: and God is Knowing, Wise.
Think ye that ye shall be forsaken as if God did not yet know those among you who do valiantly, and take none for their friends beside God, and His Apostle, and the faithful? God is well apprised of your doings.
It is not for the votaries of other gods with God, witnesses against themselves of infidelity, to visit the temples of God. These! vain their works: and in the fire shall they abide for ever! ”

“ O men! bear in mind the favour of God towards you. Is there a creator other than God, who nourisheth you with the gifts of heaven and earth? There is no God but He! How then are ye turned aside from Him?
If they treat thee as an impostor, then before thee have apostles been treated as impostors. But to God shall all things return.
O men! assuredly the promise of God is true: let not then the present life deceive you: and let not the Deceiver deceive you as to God.
Yes, Satan is your foe. For a foe then hold him. He calleth his followers to him that they may become inmates of the flame. ”

“ Other apostles have been scoffed at before thee: but that doom at which they mocked encompassed the scoffers.
SAY: Who shall protect you by night and by day from the God of Mercy? Yet turn they away from the warning of their Lord.
Have they gods beside Us who can defend them? For their own succour have they no power; neither shall the gods they join with God screen them from Us. ”

“ Verily, this present life is like the water which we send down from Heaven, and the produce of the earth, of which men and cattle eat, is mingled with it, till the earth hath received its golden raiment, and is decked out: and they who dwell on it deem that they have power over it! but, Our behest cometh to it by night or by day, and we make it as if it had been mown, as if it had not teemed only yesterday! ”

“ Wherever ye be, death will overtake you-although ye be in lofty towers! If good fortune betide them, they say, "This is from God;" and if evil betide them, they say, "This is from thee." SAY: All is from God: But what hath come to these people that they are not near to understanding what is told them?
Whatever good betideth thee is from God, and whatever betideth thee of evil is from thyself; and we have sent thee to mankind as an apostle: God is thy sufficing witness. ”