Sura XL (40)
The Believer
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
40:1 Ha. Mim. The Revelation (sending down)
of the Book is from God the Almighty, the All-knowing,
Forgiver
of sin, and receiver of penitence, -- vehement in chastisement,
Long-suffering!
There is no God but He: to Him shall be the
final gathering.
None
but infidels gainsay the signs of God: but let
not their prosperity in the land deceive thee.
The
people of Noah, and the confederates after them, have brought the charge of
imposture before these Meccans: each nation
schemed against their apostle to lay violent hold on him, and disputed with
vain words to refute the truth. Therefore did I lay violent hold on them; and
how greater was my chastisement!
Thus
is it that thy Lord's sentence, that inmates shall they be of the fire, was
accomplished upon the infidels.
They
who bear the throne and they who encircle it, celebrate the praise of their
Lord and believe in Him, and implore forgiveness for the believers: -- "O our Lord! thou embracest all things in
mercy and knowledge; forgive, therefore, those who turn to thee and follow thy
path; keep them from the pains of hell:
O our
Lord! and bring them into the Gardens of
And
keep them from evil: for on him hast thou
mercy whom on that day thou shalt keep from evil;" and this will be the
great felicity.
40:10 But to the infidels shall a voice cry,
"Surely the hatred of God is more grievous than your hatred of yourselves,
when you were called to the faith, and remained unbelievers."
They
shall say, "Twice, O our Lord, hast thou given us death, and twice hast
thou given us life: and we acknowledge our
sins: is there no way to escape?"
"This
hath befallen you, for that when One God was proclaimed to you, you believed
not: but when partners had been united with
him, you believed: But judgment belongeth unto
God, the High, the Great."
It is
He who sheweth you his signs, and sendeth down supplies to you from Heaven: but none will receive warning save he who turneth
to God.
Call
then on God, offering him a pure worship, though the infidels abhor it.
Of
exalted grade, of the throne possessed, He sendeth forth the Spirit at His own
behest on whomsoever of His servants He pleaseth, that He may warn of the day
of meeting,
The
day when they shall come forth from their graves, when nought that concerneth
them shall be hidden from God. With whom shall be the power supreme on that
day? With God, the One, the Almighty.
On
that day shall every soul be recompensed as it hath deserved: no injustice on that day! Verily, God will be
swift to reckon.
Warn
them, then, of the approaching day, when men's hearts shall rise up, choking
them, into their throats.
The
evil-doers shall have no friend or intercessor who shall prevail.
40:20 God knoweth the deceitful of eye, and
what men's breasts conceal.
And
everything will God decide with truth: But
nothing shall those gods whom men call on beside him, decide. Verily, God! the
Hearer, the Beholder, He!
Have
they never journeyed in this land, and seen what hath been the end of those who
flourished before them? Mightier were they in strength than these Meccans, and
their races remain in the land: Yet God took
them in their sins, and there was none to defend them against God.
This,
because they apostles had come to them with proofs of their mission, and they
believed not: so God took them in hand; for He
is mighty, vehement in punishing.
Moreover
we had sent Moses of old with our signs and with clear authority.
To Pharaoh,
and Haman, and Karun: and they said,
"Sorcerer, impostor."
And
when he came to them from our presence with the truth, they said, "Slay
the sons of those who believe as he doth, and save their females alive;"
but the stratagem of the unbelievers issued only in failure.
And
Pharaoh said, "Let me alone, that I may kill Moses; and let him call upon
his Lord: I fear lest he change your religion,
or cause disorder to dhew itself in the land."
And
Moses said, "I take refuge with my Lord and your Lord from every proud one
who believeth not in the day of reckoning."
And a
man of the family of Pharaoh, who was a believer, but hid his faith, said,
"Will you slay a man because he saith my Lord is god, when he hath already
come to you with proofs of his mission from your Lord? and if he be a liar, on
him will be his life: but if he be a man of
truth, part at least of what he threateneth will fall upon you. Truly God
guideth not him who is a transgressor, a liar.
40:30 O my people! this day is the kingdom
yours, the eminent of the earth! but who shall defend us from the vengeance of
God if it come on us?" Pharaoh said, "i would have you see only what
I see; and in a right way only will I guide you."
Then
said he who believed, "O my people! truly I fear for you the like of the
day of the allies,
The
like of the state of the people of Noah and Ad and Themoud,
And of
those who came after them; yet God willeth not injustice to his servants.
And, O
my people! I indeed fear for you the day of mutual outcry --
The
day when you shall be turned back from the Judgment into hell. No protector
shall you have then against God. And he whom God shall mislead no guide shall
there be for him.
Moreover,
Joseph had come to you before with clear tokens, but you ceased not to doubt of
the message with which he came to you, until when he died, you said, 'God will
by no means raise up an apostle after him.'" Thus God misleadeth him who
is the transgressor, the doubter.
They
who gainsay the signs of the God without authority having come to them, are
greatly hated by the God and by those who believe. Thus God sealeth up every
proud, contumacious heart.
And
Pharaoh said, "O Haman, Build for me a tower that I may reach the avenues,
The
avenues of the heavens, and may mount to the God of Moses, for I verily deem
him a liar."
40:40 And thus the evil of his doings was
made fair-seeming to Pharaoh, and he turned away from the path of truth; but
the artifice of Pharaoh ended only in his ruin.
And he
who believed said, "O my people! follow me:
into the right way will I guide you.
O my
people! this present life is only a passing joy, but the life to come is the
mansion that abideth.
Whoso
shall have wrought evil shall not be recompensed but with its life; but whoso
shall have done the things that are right, whether male or female, and is a
believer -- these shall enter paradise: good
things unreckoned shall they enjoy therein.
And, O
my people! how is it that I bid you to salvation, but that you bid me to the
fire?
You
invite me to deny God, and to join with him gods of whom I know nothing; but I
invite you to the Mighty, the Forgiving.
No
doubt is there that they to whom you invite me are not to be invoked either in
this world or in the world to come: and that
unto God is our return, and that the transgressors shall be in the inmates of
the fire.
Then
shall you remember what I am saying unto you:
and to God commit I my case: Verily, God
beholdeth his servants."
So God
preserved him from the evils which they had planned, and the woe of the
punishment encompassed the people of Pharaoh.
It is
the fire to which they shall be exposed morning and evening, and on the day
when "the Hour" shall arrive -- "Bring in the people of Pharaoh
into the severest punishment."
40:50 And when they shall wrangle together
in the fire, the weak shall say to those who had borne themselves so proudly,
"It is your we followed: will you
therefore relieve us from aught of the fire?"
And
those proud ones shall say, "Verily we are all in it; for now hath God
judged between his servants."
And
they who are in the fire shall say to the keepers of Hell, "Implore your
Lord that he would give us ease but for one day from this torment."
They
shall say, "Came not your apostles to you with the tokens?" They
shall say, "Yes." They shall say, "Cry you then aloud for help:" but the cry of the unbelievers shall be only
in vain.
Assuredly,
in this present life will we succour our apostles and those who shall have
believed, and on the day when the witnesses shall stand forth;
A day
whereon the plea of the evil doers shall not avail them; but theirs shall be a
curse, and theirs the woe of the abode in Hell.
And of
old gave we Moses the guidance, and we made the children of Israel the heritors
of the Book, -- a guidance and warning to men endued with understanding.
Therefore
be steadfast thou and patient; for true is the promise of God: and seek pardon for thy fault, and celebrate the
praise of thy Lord at evening and at morning.
As to
those who cavil at the signs of God without authority having reached them,
nought is there but pride in their breasts:
but they shall not succeed. Fly thou for refuge then to God, for He is the
Hearer, the Beholder.
Greater
surely than the creation of man is the creation of the heavens and of the earth: but most men know it not.
40:60 Moreover, the blind and the seeing,
and the evil doer and they who believe and do the things that are right, shall
not be deemed equal. How few ponder this!
Aye,
"the Hour" will surely come: there
is no doubt of it: but most men believe it
not.
And
your Lord saith, "Call upon me -- I will hearken unto you: but they who turn in disdain from my service shall
enter Hell with shame."
It is
God who hath ordained the night for your rest, and the day to give you light: verily God is rich in bounties to men: but most men render not the tribute of thanks.
This
is God your Lord, Creator of all things: no
god is there but He: why then do you turn away
from Him?
Yet
thus are they turned aisde who gainsay the signs of God.
It is
God who hath given you the earth as a sure foundation, and over it built up the
Heaven, and formed you, and made your forms beautiful, and feedeth you with
good things. This is God your Lord. Blessed then be Goid the Lord of the World!
He is
the Living One. No God is there but He. Call then upon Him and offer Him a pure
worship. Praise be to God the Lord of the Worlds!
Say: Verily I am forbidden to worship what you call on
beside God, after that the clear tokens have come to me from my Lord, and I am
bidden to surrender myself to the Lord of the Worlds.
He it
is who created you of the dust, then of the germs of life, then of thick blood,
then brought you forth infants: then he
letteth you reach your full strength, and then become old men (but some of you
die first), and reach the ordained term. And this that haply you may
understand.
40:70 It is He who giveth life and death;
and when He decreeth a thing, He only saith of it, "Be," and it is.
Seest
thou not those who cavil at the signs of God? how are they turned aside!
They
who treat "the Book," and the message with which we have sent our
Sent Ones, as a lie, shall know the truth hereafter.
When
the collars shall be on their necks and the chains to drag them into Hell: then in the fire shall they be burned.
Then
shall it be said to them, "Where are they whom you made the objects of
joint worship with God?" They shall say, "They have vanished away
from us. Yea, it was nought on which we called heretofore." Thus God
leadeth the unbelievers astray.
-
"This for you, because of your unrighteous insolence and immoderate joys
on earth.
Enter
you the portal of Hell to abide therein for ever. And, wretched the abode of
the haughty ones!"
`Therefore
be thou steadfast in patience: for the promise
of God is truth: and whether we shall make
thee see part of the woes with which we threatened them, or whether we cause
thee first to die, unto us shall they be brought back.
And we
have already sent apostles before thee: of
some we have told thee, and of others we have told you nothing: but no apostle had the power to work a miracle
unless by the leave of God. But when God's behest cometh, everything will be
decided with truth: and then they perish who
treated it as a vain thing.
It is
God who hath given you the cattle that on some of them you may ride, and of
some may eat:
40:80 (Other advantages too do you derive
from them) and that by them you may effect the projects you cherish in your
breasts; for on them, and on ships are you borne:
And He
sheweth you His signs: which, then, of the
signs of God will you deny?
Have
they not journeyed in this land, and seen what hath been the end of those who
flourished before them? More were they than these in number and mightier in
strength, and greater are the traces of their power remaining in the land: yet their labours availed them nothing.
And
when their apostles had come to them with the tokens of their mission, they
exulted in what they possessed of knowledge; but that retribution at which they
scoffed, encompassed them.
And
when they beheld our vengeance they said, "We believe in God alone, and we
disbelieve in the deities we once associated with Him."
But
their faith, after they had witnessed our vengeance, profited them not. Such is
the procedure of God with regard to his servants who flourished of old. And
then the unbelievers perished.