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The Koran

J.M. Rodwell (translator)

Section 20 of 27 - Table of Contents
SURA XCVIII.-CLEAR EVIDENCE [XCII.]

MEDINA.-8 Verses

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

THE unbelievers among the people of the Book, and the Polytheists, did not
waver, until the CLEAR EVIDENCE had come to them;

A messenger from God, reciting to them the pure pages wherein are true
Scriptures!

Neither were they to whom the Scriptures were given divided into sects, till
after this clear evidence had reached them!

Yet was not aught enjoined on them but to worship God with sincere religion,
sound in faith; and to observe prayer and pay the stated alms. For this is
true religion.

But the unbelievers among the people of the Book, and among the Polytheists,
shall go into the fire of Gehenna to abide therein for aye. Of all creatures
are they the worst!

But they who believe and do the things that are right-these of all creatures
are the best!

Their recompense with their Lord shall be gardens of Eden, 'neath which the
rivers flow, in which they shall abide for evermore.

God is well pleased in them and they in Him! This, for him who feareth his
Lord.


SURA LXIV.-MUTUAL DECEIT [XCIII.]

MEDINA.1-18 Verses

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

ALL that is in the Heavens, and all that is in the Earth, praiseth God: His
the Kingdom and His the Glory! And He hath power over all things!

It is He who hath created you all; yet some of you are infidel and others
believers: but God beholdeth all your actions.

He hath created the Heavens and the Earth in Truth; and He hath fashioned you
and given you goodly forms; and to Him must ye all return.

He knoweth all that passeth in the Heavens and in the Earth; and He knoweth
what ye hide and what ye bring to light; and God knoweth the very secrets of
men's breasts.

Hath not the story reached you of those who disbelieved of yore, and
therefore tasted the evil consequences of their doings? And a sore punishment
doth await them.

This, for that when their apostles came to them with the clear tokens, they
said, "What! shall men be our guides?" And they believed not and turned their
backs. But God can dispense with them; for God is the Rich, the Praiseworthy!

The infidels pretend that they shall not be raised from the dead. SAY: Yea,
by my Lord, ye shall surely be raised; then shall ye surely be told of your
deeds! And easy is this for God.

Believe then in God and his apostle and in the light which we have sent down;
for God is fully aware of all ye do.

The day when He shall gather you together for the day of mutual gathering,
will be the day of MUTUAL DECEIT,2 and whoso shall have believed in God and
done what is right, for him will He cancel his deeds of evil; and He will
bring him into the gardens beneath whose shades the rivers flow, to abide
therein for evermore. This will be the great bliss!

But the unbelieving-those who gave the lie to our signs-shall be the inmates
of the fire, wherein they shall remain for ever. And a wretched passage
thither!

No mischance chanceth but by God's permission; and whoso believeth in God,
that man's heart will he guide: and God knoweth all things.

Obey God then and obey the apostle: but if ye turn away, our apostle is not
to blame, for he is only charged with plain preaching.

God! there is no God but He! On God, then, let the faithful trust.

O ye who believe! Verily, in your wives and your children ye have an enemy:
wherefore beware of them. But if ye pass it3 over and pardon, and are
lenient, then God too is Lenient, Merciful.

Your wealth and your children are only a source of trial! but God! with Him
is the great recompense.

Fear God, then, with all your might, and hear and obey: and give alms for
your own weal; for such as are saved from their own greed, shall prosper.

If ye lend God a generous loan, He will double it to you and will forgive
you, for God is Grateful, Long-suffering.

He knoweth alike the Hidden and the Manifest: the Mighty, the Wise!


_______________________

1 The first verse of this Sura, and the phrase obey God and the Apostle
(verses 8, 12), which usually occurs only in Medina Suras, the phrases in
verse 16 compared with Sura [cii.] lix. 9, as well as the subject matter,
incline me to follow those Muslim commentators who are of opinion that the
whole Sura was revealed at Medina. Weil and Muir suppose it to be Meccan.

2 That is, the day on which it will be found that if the just had been wicked
they would have taken the place of the reprobates, while the reprobates will
see that if they had been just persons they would have gone to Paradise.

3 Their occasionally beguiling you from your duty, especially that of
contending for the faith. Comp. 1 Cor. vii. 32.


SURA LXII.-THE ASSEMBLY [XCIV.]

MEDINA.-II Verses

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

ALL that is in the Heavens, and all that is on the Earth, uttereth the Praise
of God, the King! the Holy! the Mighty! the Wise!

It is He who hath sent to the pagan folk (Arabs) an Apostle from among
themselves, to rehearse His signs to them, and to purify them, and to impart
to them a knowledge of "the Book" and wisdom; for aforetime were they in
manifest error.

And others among them have not yet overtaken those who preceded them in the
faith. But He is the Mighty, the Wise!

This is the goodness of God: He bestoweth it on whom He will: God is of
immense goodness!

They on whom the burden of the law was laid, and would not bear it, are like
an ass beneath a load of books. A sorry likeness this, for the people who
give the lie to the signs of God! God guideth not the people who do this
wrong!

SAY: O ye Jews, if ye profess that ye rather than other men are the friends
of God, then wish for death if ye are men of truth.

But never on account of their previous handywork will they wish for it, and
God knoweth the wrong doers.

SAY: Verily the death from which ye flee will surely meet you. Then shall ye
be brought back to Him who knoweth alike the things done in secret and
openly: and He will tell you of your actions.

O ye who believe! When ye are summoned to prayer on the day of THE ASSEMBLY,1
haste to the commemoration of God, and quit your traffic. This, if ye knew
it, will be best for you.

And when the Prayer is ended, then disperse yourselves abroad and go in quest
of the bounties of God; and, that it may be well with you, oft remember God.

But when they get a sight of merchandise or sport, they disperse after it,
and leave thee standing alone.2 SAY: God hath in reserve what is better than
sport or wares. And God is the best provider!


_______________________

1 Friday; the day on which Muhammad made his first entry into Medina, and the
day on which creation was finished.

2 It is said that when Muhammad was preaching, Dahya Alkalbi, while yet a
heathen, came, on a Friday, into Medina at the head of a caravan, and that
all the congregation, attracted by the music of the tambours which preceded
it, left the sermon for the spectacle. Muquātil ap. Alfarrā. If this account
be accurate, we may approximate to the date of this Sura as in Hej. 5
(towards the close). Dahya is known to have fought in the ranks of the
Muslims at the battle of the Ditch. And as the former part is aimed at the
Jews, it is probably of the same period as Sura [xci.] ii.


SURA VIII.-THE SPOILS1 [XCV.]

MEDINA.-76 Verses

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

THEY will question thee about THE SPOILS. SAY: The spoils are God's and the
apostle's. Therefore, fear God, and settle this among yourselves; and obey
God and his apostle, if you are believers.

Believers are they only whose hearts thrill with fear when God is named, and
whose faith increaseth at each recital of his signs, and who put their trust
in their Lord;

Who observe the prayers, and give alms out of that with which we have
supplied them;

These are the believers: their due grade awaiteth them in the presence of
their Lord, and forgiveness, and a generous provision.

Remember how thy Lord caused thee to go forth from thy home2 on a mission of
truth, and part of the believers were quite averse to it:

They disputed with thee about the truth3 which had been made so clear, as if
they were being led forth to death, and saw it before them:

And remember when God promised you that one of the two troops4 should fall to
you, and ye desired that they who had no arms should fall to you: but God
purposed to prove true the truth of his words, and to cut off the uttermost
part ofthe infidels;

That he might prove his truth to be the truth, and bring to nought that which
is nought,5 though the impious were averse to it:

When ye sought succour of your Lord, and he answered you, "I will verily aid
you with a thousand6 angels, rank on rank:"

And God made this promise as pure good tidings, and to assure your hearts by
it: for succour cometh from God alone! Verily God is Mighty, Wise.

Recollect when sleep, a sign of security from Him, fell upon you, and he sent
down upon you water from Heaven that he might thereby cleanse you, and cause
the pollution of Satan to pass from you, and that he might gird up your
hearts, and stablish your feet by it:

When thy Lord spake unto the angels, "I will be with you: therefore stablish
ye the faithful. I will cast a dread into the hearts of the infidels." Strike
off their heads then, and strike off from them every finger-tip.

This, because they have opposed God and his apostle: And whoso shall oppose
God and his apostle. . . .  Verily, God will be severe in punishment.

"This for you! Taste it then! and for the infidels is the torture of the
fire!"

O ye who believe! when ye meet the marshalled hosts of the infidels, turn not
your backs to them:

Whoso shall turn his back to them on that day, unless he turn aside to fight,
or to rally to some other troop, shall incur wrath from God: Hell shall be
his abode and wretched the journey thither!

So it was not ye who slew them, but God slew them; and those shafts were
God's, not thine!7 He would make trial of the faithful by a gracious trial
from Himself: Verily, God Heareth, Knoweth.

This befel, that God might also bring to nought the craft of the infidels.

O Meccans! if ye desired a decision, now hath the decision come to you.8 It
will be better for you if ye give over the struggle. If ye return to it, we
will return; and your forces, though they be many, shall never avail you
aught, for God is with the faithful.

O ye faithful! obey God and his apostle, and turn not away from Him, now that
ye hear the truth;

And be not like those who say "We hear," when they hear not;

For the vilest beasts in God's sight, are the deaf, the dumb, who understand
not.

Had God known any good in them, he would certainly have made them hear. But
even if He had made them hear, they would certainly have turned back and
withdrawn afar.

O ye faithful! make answer to the appeal of God and his apostle when he
calleth you to that which giveth you life. Know that God cometh in between a
man and his own heart, and that to him shall ye be gathered.

And be afraid of temptation: the evil doers among you will not be the only
ones on whom it will light: And know ye that God is severe in punishment.

And remember when ye were few, and reputed weak in the land:9 ye feared lest
men should pluck you away; then was it that He took you in and strengthened
you with his help, and supplied you with good things, that haply ye might
give thanks.

O ye who believe! deal not falsely with God and his apostle; and be not false
in your engagements, with your own knowledge:

And know that your wealth and your children are a temptation; and that God!
with Him is a glorious recompense.

O ye who believe! if ye fear God he will make good your deliverance, and will
put away your sins from you, and will forgive you. God is of great
bounteousness!

And call to mind when the unbelievers plotted against thee, to detain thee
prisoner, or to kill thee, or to banish thee: They plotted-but God plotted:
and of plotters is God the best!

And oft as our signs were rehearsed to them, they said, "Now have we heard:
if we pleased we could certainly utter its like! Yes, it is mere tales of the
ancients."

And when they said, "God! if this be the very truth from before thee, rain
down stones upon us from Heaven, or lay on us some grievous chastisement."

But God chose not to chastise them while thou wast with them, nor would God
chastise them when they sued for pardon.

But because they debarred the faithful from the holy temple, albeit they are
not its guardians, nothing is there on their part why God should not chastise
them. The Godfearing only are its guardians; but most of them know it not.

And their prayer at the house of God is no other than whistling through the
fingers and clapping of the hands-"Taste then the torment, for that ye have
been unbelievers."

The infidels spend their riches10 with intent to turn men aside from the way
of God: spend it they shall; then shall sighing be upon them, and then shall
they be overcome.

And the infidels shall be gathered together into Hell,

That God may separate the bad from the good, and put the bad one upon the
other, and heap them all up and put them into Hell! These are they who shall
be lost.

SAY to the infidels: If they desist from their unbelief, what is now past
shall be forgiven them; but if they return to it, they have already before
them11 the doom of the ancients!

Fight then against them till strife be at an end, and the religion be all of
it God's. If they desist, verily God beholdeth what they do:

But if they turn their back, know ye that God is your protector: Excellent
protector! excellent helper!

And know ye, that when ye have taken any booty, a fifth12 part belongeth to
God and to the Apostle, and to the near of kin, and to orphans, and to the
poor, and to the wayfarer, if ye believe in God, and in that which we have
sent down to our servant on the day of the victory,13 the day of the meeting
of the Hosts. Over all things is God potent.

When ye were encamped on the near side of the valley, and they were on the
further side, and the caravan was below you, if ye had made an engagement to
attack ye would have failed the engagement; but ye were led into action
notwithstanding, that God might accomplish the thing destined to be done:

That he who should perish might perish with a clear token14 before him, and
that he who liveth might live with it. And verily, God Heareth, Knoweth.

Remember when God shewed them to thee in thy dream, as few: Had he shown them
numerous, ye would certainly have become fainthearted, and would certainly
have disputed about the matter-But from this God kept you-He knoweth the very
secrets of the breast-

And when, on your meeting, he made them to appear to your eyes as few, and
diminished you in their eyes, that God might carry out the thing that was to
be done.15 To God do all things return.

Believers! when ye confront a troop, stand firm and make frequent mention of
the name of God, that it may fare well with you:

And obey God and his Apostle; and dispute not, lest ye become fainthearted
and your success go from you; but endure with steadfastness, for God is with
the steadfastly enduring.

And be not like those Meccans who came out of their houses insolently and to
be seen of men, and who turn others from the way of God: God is round about
their actions.

When Satan prepared their works for them, and said, "No man shall conquer you
this day; and verily I will be near to help you:" But when the two armies
came in sight, he turned on his heel and said, "Ay, I am clear of you: ay, I
see what ye see not:16 ay, I fear God; for God is severe in punishing."

When the hypocrites and the diseased of heart said, "Their Religion hath
misled the Muslims:17 But whoso putteth his trust in God. , , ,  Yes, verily
God is Mighty, Wise!

If thou didst see, when the angels cause the infidels to die! They smite
their faces and their backs, and-"Taste ye the torture of the burning:

This, for what your hands have sent on before you:"-and God is not unjust to
his servants.

Their state is like that of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them
who believed not in the signs of God: therefore God seized upon them in their
sin! God is Mighty, severe in punishing.

This, because God changeth not the favour with which he favoureth a people,
so long as they change not what is in their hearts; and for that God Heareth,
Knoweth.

Their state is like that of the people of Pharaoh, and of those before them
who treated their Lord's signs as lies. We therefore destroyed them in their
sins, and we drowned the people of Pharaoh; for they were all doers of wrong.

The worst beasts truly in the sight of God are the thankless who will not
believe;

They with whom thou hast leagued, and who are ever breaking their league, and
who fear not God!

If thou take them in war, then, by the example of their fate, scatter those
who shall follow them-that they may be warned:

Or if thou fear treachery from any people, throw back their treaty to them as
thou fairly mayest,18 for God loveth not the treacherous.

And think not that the infidels shall escape Us! They shall not weaken God.

Make ready then against them what force ye can, and strong squadrons whereby
ye may strike terror into the enemy of God and your enemy, and into others
beside them whom ye know not, but whom God knoweth. All that you shall expend
for the cause of God shall be repaid you; and ye shall not be wronged.

And if they lean to peace, lean thou also to it; and put thy trust in God:
for He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

But if they seek to betray thee, God will be all-sufficient for thee. He it
is who hath strengthened thee with His help, and with the faithful, and hath
made their hearts one. Hadst thou spent all the riches of the earth, thou
couldst not have united their hearts; but God hath united them, for He is
Mighty, Wise.

O prophet! God, and such of the faithful as follow thee, will be all-
sufficient for thee.

O prophet! stir up the faithful to the fight. Twenty of you who stand firm
shall vanquish two hundred: and if there be a hundred of you they shall
vanquish a thousand of the infidels, for they are a people devoid of
understanding.

Now hath God made your work easy, for he knoweth how weak ye are. If there be
an hundred of you who endure resolutely, they shall vanquish two hundred; and
if there be a thousand of you, they shall vanquish two thousand19 by God's
permission; for God is with those who are resolute to endure.

No prophet hath been enabled to take captives until he had made great
slaughter in the earth. Ye desire the passing fruitions of this world, but
God desireth the next life for you. And God is Mighty, Wise.

Had there not been a previous ordinance20 from God, a severe chastisement had
befallen you, for the ransom which ye took.

Eat therefore of the spoils ye have taken what is lawful and good; and fear
God: God is Gracious, Merciful.

O prophet! say to the captives who are in your hands, "If God shall know
good21 to be in your hearts, He will give you good beyond all that hath been
taken from you, and will forgive you: for God is Forgiving, Merciful."

But if they seek to deal treacherously with you-they have already dealt
treacherously22 with God before! Therefore hath He given you power over them.
God is Knowing, Wise.

Verily, they who have believed and fled their homes and spent their substance
for the cause of God, and they who have taken in the prophet and been helpful
to him, shall be near of kin the one to the other. And they who have
believed, but have not fled their homes, shall have no rights of kindred with
you at all, until they too fly their country. Yet if they seek aid from you
on account of the faith, your part it is to give them aid, except against a
people between whom and yourselves there shall be a treaty. And God beholdeth
your actions.

The infidels lend one another mutual help. Unless ye do the same, there will
be discord in the land and great corruption.

But as for those who have believed and fled their country, and fought on the
path of God, and given the prophet an asylum, and been helpful to him, these
are the faithful; Mercy is their due and a noble provision.

And they who have believed and fled their country since, and have fought at
your side, these also are of you. Those who are united by ties of blood23 are
the nearest of kin to each other. This is in the Book of God. Verily, God
knoweth all things.

_______________________

1 On this Sura, which relates mainly to the battle of Bedr, see Weil's M. der
Prophet, p. 268.

2 At Medina.

3 The necessity for the combat and its probable result.

4 Muhammad had conceived the design of attacking an unarmed caravan belonging
to the Koreisch on its way from Syria to Mecca. Abu Sofian, who had charge of
it, sent to Mecca for succour, whence a body of nearly 1000 armed men at once
set out to his assistance. Some of the Muslims were anxious to attack the
caravan: others, notwithstanding the disparity of numbers, proposed to throw
themselves upon the succours.

5 Idolatry.

6 In Sura [xcvii.] iii. the angels are said to be 3000.

7 Lit. thou didst not cast when thou didst cast, but God cast. This is
explained of the miracle of the gravelstones and sand cast by God into the
eyes of the Meccans at Bedr.

8 That is, by our victory over you.

9 Muhammad specially addresses the Mohadjers in this verse, i.e. those who
had fled with him to Medin.

10 Twelve of the Koreisch had given camels and a large sum of money in aid of
the Meccan succours.

11 Lit. hath preceded.

12 Before Islam it had been the custom among the Arabians to assign a fourth
part of the booty to the leader of an expedition. See Freyt. Einl. p. 266.

13 That is, on the day of the battle of Bedr. See Sura xxi. 49, p. 154.

14 The mission of Gabriel to Muhammad with the promise of victory.

15 Compare the different account in Sura [xcvii.] iii. II. The commentators,
however, get over the discropancy by explaining the apparent diminution of
the Muslims at the commencement only of the battle, which had the effect of
drawing on the enemy in self-confidence.

16 The angels fighting for the Muslims.

17 By inducing them to attack so greatly superior a force.

18 Thus Beidh. Or, more simply, render them the like.

19 Comp. Lev. xxvi. 8; Josh. xxiii. 10.

20 Authorising the ransom of captives.

21 That is, a disposition to become Muslims.

22 That is, on account of their infidelity.

23 See Weil. Life of M. p. 84, n.
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