Part 240

And the Jews plotted, and God plotted: But of those who plot is God the best.

Remember when God said, "O Jesus! verily I will cause thee to die,22 and will take thee up to myself and deliver thee from those who believe not; and I will place those who follow thee above those who believe not, until the day of resurrection. Then, to me is your return, and wherein ye differ will I decide between you.

And as to those who believe not, I will chastise them with a terrible chastisement in this world and in the next; and none shall they have to help them."

But as to those who believe, and do the things that are right, He will pay them their recompense. God loveth not the doers of evil.

These signs, and this wise warning do we rehearse to thee.

Verily, Jesus is as Adam in the sight of God.23 He created him of dust: He then said to him, "Be"-and he was.

The truth from thy Lord! Be not thou, therefore, of those who doubt.

As for those 24 who dispute with thee about Him, after "theknowledge" hath come to thee, SAY: Come,25 let us summon our sons and your sons, our wives and your wives, and ourselves and yourselves. Then will we invoke and lay the malison of God on those that lie!

This recital is very truth, and there is no god but God; and verily God is the Mighty, the Wise.

But if they turn away, then verily God hath knowledge of the corrupt doers.

SAY: O people of the Book! come ye to a just judgment between us and you-That we worship not aught but God, and that we join no other god with Him, and that the one of us take not the other for lords,26 beside God. Then if they turn their backs, SAY: Bear ye witness that we are Muslims.

O people of the Book! Why dispute about Abraham,27 when the Law and the Evangel were not sent down till after him? Do ye not then understand?

Lo! ye are they who dispute about that in which ye have knowledge; 28 but why dispute ye about that of which ye have no knowledge? God hath knowledge, but ye know nothing.

Abraham was neither Jew nor Christian; but he was sound in the faith,29 a Muslim; and not of those who add gods to God.

They among men, who are nearest of kin to Abraham, are surely those who follow him, and this prophet Muhammad, and they who believe on him. And God is the protector of the faithful.

A party among the people of the Book would fain mislead you: but they only mislead themselves, and perceive it not.

O people of the Book! why disbelieve the signs of God, of which yourselves have been witnesses?

O people of the Book! why clothe ye the truth with falsehood? Why wittingly hide the truth?

Others of the people of the Book say: "Believe in what hath been sent down to the believers, at daybreak, and deny it at its close"-Thus do they go back-

"And believe in those only who follow your Religion." SAY: True guidance is guidance from God-that to others may be imparted the like of what hath been imparted to you. Will they wrangle then with you in the presence of their Lord? SAY: Plenteous gifts are in the hands of God: He imparteth them unto whom He will, and God is Bounteous, Wise.

He will vouchsafe His mercy to whom He will, for God is of great bounteousness.

Among the people of the Book are some, to one of whom if thou entrust a thousand dinars, he will restore them to thee: And there is of them to whom if thou entrust a dinar, he will not restore it to thee, unless thou be ever instant with him.

This-because they say, "We are not bound to keep faith with the ignorant (Pagan) folk, and they utter a lie against God, and know they do so:"

But whoso is true to his engagement, and feareth God,-verily God loveth those that fear Him.

Verily they who barter their engagement with God, and their oaths, for some paltry price-These! no portion for them in the world to come! and God will not speak to them, and will not look on them, on the day of resurrection, and will not assoil them! for them, a grievous chastisement!

And some truly are there among them who torture the Scriptures with their tongues, in order that ye may suppose it to be from the Scripture, yet it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from God;" yet it is not from God: and they utter a lie against God, and they know they do so.

It beseemeth not a man, that God should give him the Scriptures and the Wisdom, and the gift of prophecy, and that then he should say to his followers, "Be ye worshippers of me, as well as of God;" 30 but rather, "Be ye perfect in things pertaining to God, since ye know the Scriptures, and have studied deep."

God doth not command you to take the angels or the prophets as lords.31 What! would he command you to become infidels after ye have been Muslims?