Part 286

It is lawful for you to fish in the sea, and to eat fish, as provision for you and for those who travel; but it is unlawful for you to hunt by land while ye are still on pilgrimage: fear ye God, therefore, before whom ye shall be assembled.

God hath appointed the Caaba,36 the sacred house, to be a station for mankind, and the sacred month, and the offering, and its ornaments. This, that ye may know that God knoweth all that is in the heavens and on the earth, and that God hath knowledge of everything. Know that God is severe in punishing, and that God is Forgiving, Merciful.

The Apostle is only bound to preach: and God knoweth what ye bring to light, and what ye conceal.

SAY: The evil and the good shall not be valued alike, even though the abundance of evil please thee; therefore fear God, O ye of understanding! that it may be well with you.

O believers! ask us not of things which if they were told might only pain you; but if ye ask of such things when the entire Koran shall have been sent down, they will be declared to you: God will pardon you for this, for God is Forgiving, Gracious. They who were before you, asked concerning such things, and afterwards quickly disbelieved therein

God hath not ordained anything on the subject. of Bahira, or Saïba, or Wasila, or Hami;37 but the unbelievers have invented this lie against God: and most of them had no understanding.

And when it was said to them, "Accede to that which God hath sent down, and to the Apostle:" they said, "Sufficient for us is the faith in which we found our fathers." What! though their fathers knew nothing, and had no guidance?

O believers! take heed to yourselves.38 He who erreth shall not hurt you when ye have the "guidance:" to God shall ye all return, and He will tell you that which ye have done.

O believers! let there be witnesses between you, when death draweth nigh to any of you, at the time of making the testament; two witnesses-just men from among yourselves, or two others of a different tribe from yourselves-if ye be journeying in the earth, and the calamity of death surprise you. Ye shall shut them both up, after the prayer; and if ye doubt them, they shall swear by God, "We will not take a bribe though the party be of kin to us, neither will we conceal the testimony of God, for then we should be among the wicked."

But if it shall be made clear that both have been guilty of a falsehood, two others of those who have convicted them thereof, the two nearest in blood shall stand up in their place, and they shall swear by God, "Verily our witness is more true than the witness of these two; neither have we advanced anything untrue, for then should we be of the unjust."

Thus will it be easier for men to bear a true39 witness, or fear lest after their oath another oath be given. Therefore fear God and hearken; for God guideth not the perverse.

One day will God assemble the Apostles, and say, "What reply was made to you?" They shall say, "We have no knowledge, but Thou art the Knower of Secrets."

When He shall say: O Jesus! Son of Mary! call to mind my favour upon thee and upon thy mother, when I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit, that thou shouldest speak40 to men alike in the cradle, and when grown up;-

And when I taught thee the Scripture, and Wisdom, and the Law, and the Evangel: and thou didst create of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by my leave, and didst breathe into it, and by my leave it became a bird; and thou didst heal the blind and the leper, by my leave; and when, by my leave, thou didst bring forth the dead; and when I withheld the children of Israel from thee, when thou hadst come to them with clear tokens: and such of them as believed not said, "This is nought but plain sorcery;"41

And when I revealed unto the Apostles, "Believe on me and on my Sent One," they said, "We believe; and bear thou witness that we are Muslims."

Remember when the Apostles42 said-"O Jesus, Son of Mary! is thy Lord able to send down a furnished TABLE to us out of Heaven?" He said-"Fear God if ye be believers."

They said-"We desire to eat therefrom, and to have our hearts assured; and to know that thou hast indeed spoken truth to us, and to be witnesses thereof."

Jesus, Son of Mary, said-"O God, our Lord! send down a table to us out of Heaven, that it may become a recurring festival to us, to the first of us and to the last of us, and a sign from thee; and do thou nourish us, for thou art the best of nourishers."

And God said-Verily, I will cause it to descend unto you; but whoever among you after that shall disbelieve, I will surely chastise him with a chastisement, wherewith I will not chastise any other creature.43

And when God shall say-"O Jesus, Son of Mary: hast thou said unto mankind- 'Take me and my mother as two Gods, beside God?"' He shall say-"Glory be unto Thee! it is not for me to say that which I know to be not the truth; had I said that, verily thou wouldest have known it: Thou knowest what is in me, but I know not what is in Thee; for Thou well knowest things unseen!

"I spake not to them aught but that which thou didst bid me-'Worship God, my Lord and your Lord;' and I was a witness of their actions while I stayed among them; but since thou hast taken me to Thyself, Thou hast Thyself watched them, and Thou art witness of all things:

"If Thou punish them, they are Thy servants, and if Thou forgive them. . . .44 Thou, verily, art the Mighty, the Wise!"

God will say-This day shall their truth advantage the truthful. Gardens shall they have 'neath which the rivers flow, and remain therein for ever: God is well pleased with them and they with Him. This shall be the great bliss.

Unto God belongeth the sovereignty of the Heavens and of the Earth, and of all that they contain; and He hath power over all things.

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1 The garlands, etc., attached to the victims offered at Mecca.

2 When you have again returned to your common and everyday life by laying aside the ihram, or pilgrim's robe. This generally consists of two pieces of cotton, or linen, or woollen cloth, without seam or ornament, one of which is wrapped round the loins, and the other thrown over the shoulders. The instep, heel, and head must be bare.

3 The Koreisch sent to meet Muhammad, who was on his way to visit the Caaba with 1400 men, at Hudaibiya (An. Hej. 6) to prohibit his nearer approach. A truce for ten years was ultimately concluded.