What they spend
In the life
Of this (material) world
May be likened to a Wind
Which brings a nipping frost:
It strikes and destroys the harvest
Of men who have wronged
Their own souls: it is not God
That hath wronged them, but
They wrong themselves.
In blasphemy indeed
Are those that say
That God is Christ
The son of Mary.
Say: "Who then
Hath the least power
Against God, if His Will
Were to destroy Christ
The son of Mary, his mother,
And all—every one
That is on the earth?
For to God belongeth
The dominion of the heavens
And the earth, and all
That is between. He createth
What He pleaseth. For God
Hath power over all things."
See they not how many
Of those before them
We did destroy?—
Generations We had established
On the earth, in strength
Such as We have not given
To you—for whom
We poured out rain
From the skies in abundance,
And gave (fertile) streams
Flowing beneath their (feet):
Yet for their sins
We destroyed them,
And raised in their wake
Fresh generations
(To succeed them).
They said: "We have had
(Nothing but) trouble, both before
And after thou camest
To us." He said:
"It may be that your Lord
Will destroy your enemy
And make you inheritors
In the earth; that so
He may try you
By your deeds."
And Moses chose seventy
Of his people for Our place
Of meeting: when they
Were seized with violent quaking,
He prayed: "O my Lord!
If it had been Thy Will
Thou couldst have destroyed,
Long before, both them
And me: wouldst Thou
Destroy us for the deeds
Of the foolish ones among us?
This is no more than
Thy trial: by it Thou causest
Whom Thou wilt to stray,
And Thou leadest whom
Thou wilt into the right path.
Thou art our Protector:
So forgive us and give us
Thy mercy; for Thou art
The Best of those who forgive.
Or lest ye should say:
"Our fathers before us
May have taken false gods,
But we are (their) descendants
After them: wilt Thou then
Destroy us because of the deeds
Of men who were futile?"
"(Deeds) after the manner
Of the People of Pharaoh
And those before them":
They treated as false the Signs
Of their Lord: so We
Destroyed them for their crimes,
And We drowned the People
Of Pharaoh: for they were all
Oppressors and wrong-doers.
If there had been
Immediate gain (in sight),
And the journey easy,
They would (all) without doubt
Have followed thee, but
The distance was long,
(And weighed) on them.
They would indeed swear
By God, "If we only could,
We should certainly
Have come out with you:"
They would destroy their own souls;
For God doth know
That they are certainly lying.
Generations before you
We destroyed when they
Did wrong: their Apostles
Came to them with Clear Signs,
But they would not believe!
Thus do We requite
Those who sin!
And the Unbelievers said
To their apostles: "Be sure
We shall drive you out
Of our land, or ye shall
Return to our religion."
But their Lord inspired
(This Message) to them:
"Verily We shall cause
The wrong-doers to perish!
When We decide to destroy
A population, We (first) send
A definite order to those
Among them who are given
The good things of this life
And yet transgress; so that
The word is proved true
Against them: then (it is)
We destroy them utterly.