Sura XLIII (43)
Ornaments Of Gold
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Ha.
Mim. By the Luminous Book!
We
have made it an Arabic Koran that you may understand:
And it
is a transcript of the archetypal Book, kept by us; it is lofty, filled with
wisdom,
Shall
we then turn aside this warning form you because you are a people who
transgress?
Yet
how many prophets sent we among those of old!
But no
prophet came to them whom they made not the object of their scorn:
Wherefore
we destroyed nations mightier than these Meccans in strength; and the example
of those of old hath gone before!
And if
thou ask them who created the Heavens and the Earth, they will say: "The Mighty, the Sage, created them
both,"
Who
hath made the Earth as a couch for you, and hath traced out routes therein for
your guidance;
43:10 And who sendeth down out of Heaven the
rain in due degree, by which we quicken a dead land; thus shall you be brought
forth from the grave:
And
who hath created the sexual couples, all of them, and hath made for you the
ships and beasts whereon you ride:
That
you may sit balanced on their backs and remember the goodness of your Lord as
you sit so evenly therein, and say:
"Glory to Him who hath subjected these to us! We could not have attained
to it of ourselves:
And
truly unto our Lord shall we return."
You do
they assign to him some of his own servants for offspring! Verily man is an
open ingrate!
Hath
God adopted daughters from among those whom he hath created, and chosen sons
for you?
But
when that is announced to any one of them, which he affirmeth to be the case
with the God of Mercy, his face settleth into darkness and he is silent-sad.
What!
make they a being to be the offspring of God who is brought up among trinkets,
and is every contentious without reason?
And
they make the angels who are the servants of God of Mercy, females. What! did
they witness their creation? Their witness shall be taken down, and they shall
hereafter be enquired at.
And
they say: "Had the God of Mercy so willed
it we should never have worshipped them." No knowledge have they in this: they only lie.
43:20 Have we ere this given them a Book?
and do they possess it still?
But
say they: "Verily we found our fathers of
that persuasion, and verily, by their footsteps do we guide ourselves."
And
thus never before thy time did we send a warner to any city but its wealthy
ones said: "Verily we found our fathers
with a religion, and in their tracks we tread."
Say,
-- such was our command to that apostle -- "What! even if I bring you a
religion more right than that you found your fathers following?" And they
said, "Verily we believe not in your message."
Wherefore
we took vengeance on them, and behold what hath been the end of those who
treated our messengers as liars!
And
bear in mind when Abraham said to his father and to his people, "Verily I
am clear of what you worship,
Save
Him who hath created me; for he will vouchsafe me guidance."
And
this he established as a doctrine that should abide among his posterity, that
to God might they be turned.
In
sooth to these idolatrous Arabians and to their fathers did I allow their full
enjoyments, till the truth should come to them, and an undoubted apostle:
But
now that the truth hath come to them, they say, "'Tis sorcery, and we
believe it not."
43:30 And they say, 'Had but this Koran been
sent down to some great one of the two cities. . .!"
Are
they then the distributors of thy Lord's Mercy? It is we who distribute their
subsistence among them in this world's life; and we raise some of them by
grades above others, that the one may take the other to serve him: but better is the mercy of thy Lord than all their
hoards.
But
for fear that all mankind would have become a single people of unbelievers,
verily we would certainly have given to those who believe not in the God of
Mercy roofs of silver to their houses, and silver stairs to ascend by;
And
doors of silver to their houses, and couches of silver to recline on;
And
ornaments of gold: for all these are merely
the good things of the present life; but the next life doth thy Lord reserve
for those who fear Him.
And
whoso shall withdraw from the Warning of the God of Mercy, we will chain a
Satan to him, and he shall be his fast companion:
For
the Satans will turn men aside from the Way, who yet shall deem themselves
rightly guided;
Until
when man shall come before us, he shall say, "O Satan, would that between
me and thee were the distance of the East and West." And a wretched
companion is a Satan.
But it
shall not avail you on that day, because you were unjust: partners shall you be in the torment.
What!
Canst thou then make the deaf to hear, or guide the blind and him who is in
palpable error?
43:40 Whether therefore we take thee off by
death, surely will we avenge ourselves on them;
Or
whether we make thee a witness of the accomplishment of that with which we
threatened them, we will surely gain the mastery over them.
Hold
thou fast therefore what hath been revealed to thee, for thou art on a right
path:
For
truly to thee and to thy people it is an admonition; and you shall have an
account to render for it at last.
And
ask our Sent Ones whom we have sent before thee, "Appointed we gods beside
the God of Mercy whom they should worship?"
Of old
sent we Moses with our signs to Pharaoh and his nobles:
and he aid, "I truly am the Apostle of the Lord of the world."
And
when he presented himself before them with our signs, lo! they laughed at them,
Though
we shewed them no sign that was not greater than its fellow: and therefore did we lay hold on them with
chastisement, to the intent that they might be turned to God.
Then
they said, "O Magician! call on thy Lord on our behalf to do as he hath
engaged with thee, for truly we would fain be guided."
But
when we relieved them from the chastisement, lo! they broke their pledge.
43:50 And Pharaoh made proclamation among
his people. Said he, "O my people! is not the kingdom of Egypt mine, and
these rivers which flow at my feet? Do you not behold?
Am I
not mightier than this despicable fellow,
And
who scarce can speak distinctly?
Have
bracelets of gold then been put upon him, or come there with him a train of
Angels?"
And he
inspired his people with levity, and they obeyed him; for they were a perverse
people:
And
when they had angered us, we took vengeance on them, and we drowned them all.
And we
made them a precedent and instance of divine judgments to those who came after
them.
And
when the Son of Mary was set forth as an instance of divine power, lo! thy
people cried out for joy thereat:
And
they said, "Are our gods or is he the better?" They put this forth to
thee only in the spirit of dispute. Yea, they are a contentious people.
Jesus
is no more than a servant whom we favoured, and proposed as an instance of
divine power to the children of Israel.
43:60 (And if we pleased, we could from
yourselves bring forth Angels to succeed you on earth:)
And he
shall be a sign of the last hour; doubt not then of it, and follow you me: this is the right way;
And
let not Satan turn you aside from it, for he is your manifest foe.
And
when Jesus came with manifest proofs, he said, "Now am I come to you with
wisdom; and a part of those things about which you are at variance I will clear
up to you; fear you God therefore and obey me.
Verily,
God is my Lord and your Lord; wherefore worship you him:
this is a right way."
But
the different parties feel into disputes among themselves; but woe to those who
thus transgressed, because of the punishment of an afflictive day!
For
what wait they but for the hour "to come suddenly on them, while they
expect it not?"
Friends
on that day shall become foes to one another, except the God-fearing:-
"O
my servants! on this day shall not fear come upon you, neither shall you be put
to grief,
Who
have believed in our signs and become Muslims:
43:70 Enter you and your wives into
Paradise, delighted."
Dishes
and bowls of gold shall go round unto them:
there shall they enjoy whatever their souls desire, and whatever their eyes
delight in; and therein shall you abide for ever.
This
is Paradise, which you have received as your heritage in recompense for your
works;
Therein
shall you have fruits in abundance, of which you shall eat.
But in
the torment of Hell shall the wicked remain for ever:
It
shall not be mitigated to them,. and they shall be mute for despair therein,
For it
is not we who have treated them unjustly, but it was they who were unjust to
themselves.
And
they shall cry, "O Malec! would that thy Lord would make an end of
us!" He saith: "Here must you
remain."
We
have come to you with the truth (O Meccans), but most of you abhor the truth.
Have
they drawn tight their toils for thee? We too will tighten ours.
43:80 Think they that we hear not their
secrets and their private talk? yes, and our angels who are at their sides
write them down.
Say: If the God of Mercy had a son, the first would I
be to worship him:
But
far be the Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth, the Lord of the Throne, from
that which they impute to Him!
Wherefore
let them alone, to plunge on, and sport, until they meet the day with which
they are menaced.
He who
is God in the Heavens is God in earth also:
and He is the Wise, the Knowing.
And
Blessed be He whose is the kingdom of the Heavens and of the Earth and of all
that is between them; for with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, and to Him
shall you be brought back.
The
gods whom they call upon beside Him shall not be able to intercede for others: they only shall be able who bore witness to the
truth and knew it."
If
thou ask them who hath created them, they will be sure to say, "God."
How then hold they false opinions?
And
one saith, "O Lord! verily these are people who believe not."
Turn
thou then from them, and say, "Peace:"
In the end they shall know their folly.