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Or another similitude is that of a rain-laden cloud from the sky: In it are zones of darkness, and thunder and lightning: They press their fingers in their ears to keep out the stunning thunder-clap, the while they are in terror of death. But God is ever round the rejecters of Faith! But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say: "Why, this is what we were fed with before.", for they are given things in similitude; and they have therein companions pure and Holy; and they abide therein for ever. And remember We took your covenant and We raised above you The towering height of Mount Sinai : Saying: "Hold firmly to what We have given you and bring ever to remembrance what is therein: Perchance you may fear God." Nay, those who seek gain in evil, and are wrapped about by their sins. They are companions of the Fire: Therein will they abide For ever. But those who have faith and work righteousness, they are companions of the Garden: Therein will they abide For ever. God is the Protector of those who have faith: From the depths of darkness He will lead them forth into light. Of those who reject faith the patrons are the evil ones: From light they will lead them forth into the depths of darkness. They will be companions of the fire, to dwell therein For ever. Or take the similitude of one who passed by a hamlet, all in ruins to its roofs. He said: "Oh! How will God bring it ever to life, after this its death?" But God caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up again. He said: "How long did you tarry thus?" He said: Perhaps a day or part of a day." He said: "Nay, you have tarried thus a hundred years; but look at your food and your drink; they show no signs of age; and look at your donkey: And that We may make of you a sign unto the people, Look further at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh." When this was shown clearly to him, he said: "I know that God has power over all things." Those who devour usury will not stand except as stand one whom the Evil one by his touch Has driven to madness. That is because they say: "Trade is like usury.", but God has permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who after receiving direction from their Lord, desist, will be pardoned for the past; their case is for God to judge; but those who repeat The offence are companions of the Fire: They will abide therein for ever. But those whose faces will be lit with white, they will be in the light of God's mercy: Therein to dwell for ever. Those who reject Faith, neither their possessions nor their numerous progeny will avail them anything against God. They will be companions of the Fire, dwelling therein for ever. Remember two of your parties Meditated cowardice; but God was their protector, and in God should the faithful Ever put their trust. No prophet could ever be false to his trust. If any person is so false, He will, on the Day of Judgment, restore what he misappropriated; then will every soul receive its due, whatever it earned. And none will be dealt with unjustly. And they returned with Grace and bounty from God, no harm ever touched them: For they followed the good pleasure of God, and God is the Lord of bounties unbounded. On the other hand, for those who fear their Lord, are Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath; therein are they to dwell for ever, a gift from the presence of God. And that which is in the presence of God is the best bliss for the righteous. O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered like seeds countless men and women. Reverence God, through whom you demand your mutual rights, and reverence the wombs That bore you: For God ever watches over you. Those are limits set by God. Those who obey God and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide therein for ever, and that will be the supreme achievement. But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, We will soon admit to Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath, their eternal home: Therein will they have companions pure and Holy: We will admit them to shades, cool and ever deepening. If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein For ever: And the wrath and the curse of God are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him. But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, we will soon admit them to gardens, with rivers flowing beneath, to dwell therein for ever. God's promise is the truth, and whose word can be truer than God's? Except the way of Hell, to dwell therein for ever, and this to God is easy. But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard; they change the words from their right places and forget a good part of the message that was sent them, nor will you cease to find them - barring a few - ever bent on new deceits: But forgive them, and overlook their misdeeds: For God loves those who are kind. The Jews say: "God's hand is tied up." Be their hands tied up and be they accursed for the blasphemy they utter. Nay, both His hands are widely outstretched: He gives and spends of His bounty as He pleases. But the revelation that comes to you from God increases in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. Among them we have placed enmity and hatred till the Day of Judgment. Every time they kindle the fire of war, God does extinguish it; but they ever strive to do mischief on earth, and God loves not those who do mischief. When you see men engaged in vain discourse about Our signs, turn away from them unless they turn to a different theme. If Satan ever makes you forget, then after recollection, sit not you in the company of those who do wrong. Eat not of meats on which God's name has not been pronounced: That would be impiety. But the evil ones ever inspire their friends to contend with you if you were to obey them, you would indeed be Pagans. One day will He gather them all together, and say: "O you assembly of Jinns! Much toll did you take of men." Their friends among men will say: "Our Lord! We made profit from each other: But alas! we reached our term - which you did appoint for us." He will say: "The Fire be your dwelling-place: You will dwell therein for ever, except as God wills." For your Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge. Then began Satan to whisper suggestions to them, bringing openly before their minds all their shame that was hidden from them before: he said: "Your Lord only forbade you this tree, lest you should become angels or such beings as live for ever." But those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, they are companions of the Fire, to dwell therein for ever. But those who believe and work righteousness, no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear. They will be Companions of the Garden, therein to dwell for ever. We also sent Lot: He said to his people: "Do you commit lewdness such as no people in creation ever committed before you? When We shook the Mount over them, as if it had been a canopy, and they thought it was going to fall on them We said: "Hold firmly to what We have given you, and bring ever to remembrance what is therein; perchance you may fear God." It is He Who created you from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her in love. When they are united, she bears a light burden and carries it about unnoticed. When she grows heavy, they both pray to God their Lord, saying: "If You give us a goodly child, we vow we will ever be grateful." They will dwell therein for ever. Verily in God's presence is a reward, the greatest of all. Nor do you ever pray for any of them that dies, nor stand at his grave; for they rejected God and His Messenger, and died in a state of perverse rebellion. The vanguard of Islam - the first of those who forsook their homes and of those who gave them aid, and also those who follow them in all good deeds, well-pleased is God with them, as are they with Him: For them has He prepared gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: That is the supreme felicity. Marked as from your Lord: Nor are they ever far from those who do wrong! Say to those who do not believe: "Do what ever you can: We will do our part; The king said to the ladies: "What was your affair when you did seek to seduce Joseph from his true self?" The ladies said: "God preserve us! No evil know we against him!" Said the 'Aziz's wife: "Now is the truth manifest to all: It was I who sought to seduce him from his true self: He is indeed of those who are ever true and virtuous. There no sense of fatigue will touch them, nor will they ever be asked to leave. Wherein they will remain for ever: Without adding, "So please God." And call your Lord to mind when you forget, and say, "I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer even than this to the right road." He went into his garden in a state of mind unjust to his soul: He said, "I deem not that this will ever perish, "Nor do I deem that the Hour of Judgment will ever come: Even if I am brought back to my Lord, I will surely find there something better in exchange." Moses said: "If ever I ask you about anything after this, keep me not in your company: Then would you have received full excuse from my side." "For You are He that ever regards us." To Him belong all creatures in the heavens and on earth: Even those who are in His very Presence are not too proud to serve Him, nor are they ever weary of His service: They celebrate His praises night and day, nor do they ever flag or intermit. So We listened to him: And We granted him John: We cured his wife's Barrenness for him. These three were ever quick in emulation in good works; they used to call on Us with love and reverence, and humble themselves before Us. Who will inherit Paradise: They will dwell therein for ever. "Our Lord! bring us out of this: If ever we return to Evil, then will we be wrong-doers indeed!" And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses to support their allegations, flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their evidence ever after: For such men are wicked transgressors; O you who believe! follow not Satan's footsteps: If any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will but command what is shameful and wrong: And were it not for the grace and mercy of God on you, not one of you would ever have been pure: But God does purify whom He pleases: And God is One Who hears and knows all things. But the Unbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But he finds God ever with him, and God will pay him his account: And God is swift in taking account. "And do you get for yourselves fine buildings in the hope of living therein for ever? And remember Lot: Behold, he said to his people: "You do commit lewdness, such as no people in Creation ever committed before you. Only those believe in Our Signs, who, when they are recited to them, fall down in adoration, and celebrate the praises of their Lord, nor are they ever puffed up with pride. To dwell therein for ever: No protector will they find, nor helper. Say: "If I am astray, I only stray to the loss of my own soul: But if I receive guidance, it is because of the inspiration of my Lord to me: It is He Who hears all things, and is ever near." Have patience at what they say, and remember our servant David, the man of strength: for he ever turned to God. To David We gave Solomon for a son, How excellent in Our service! Ever did he turn to Us! "And take in your hand a little grass, and strike therewith: And break not your oath." Truly We found him full of patience and constancy, how excellent in Our service! Ever did he turn to Us! Gardens of Eternity, whose doors will ever be open to them; Warn them of the Day that is ever drawing near, when the hearts will come right up to the throats to choke them; No intimate friend nor intercessor will the wrong-doers have, who could be listened to. "Soon will you remember what I say to you now, My own affair I commit to God. for God ever watches over His Servants." Whoever works righteousness benefits his own soul; whoever works evil, it is against his own soul: Nor is your Lord ever unjust in the least to His Servants. When we give him a taste of some Mercy from Ourselves, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say, "This is due to my merit: I think not that the Hour of Judgment will ever be established; but if I am brought back to my Lord, I have much good stored in His sight!" But We will show the Unbelievers the truth of all that they did, and We will give them the taste of a severe Penalty. We sent it down during a Blessed Night: For We ever wish to warn against Evil. By command, from Our Presence. For We ever send revelations, And on the Day that the Unbelievers will be placed before the Fire, It will be said to them: "You received your good things in the life of the world, and you took your pleasure out of them: But today will you be recompensed with a Penalty of humiliation: For that you were arrogant on earth without just cause, and that you ever transgressed." Here is a Parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised: In it are rivers of water incorruptible; rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clear. In it there are for them all kinds of fruits; and Grace from their Lord. Can those in such Bliss be compared to such as will dwell for ever in the Fire, and be given, to drink, boiling water, so that it cuts up their bowels to pieces? For God is He Who gives all Sustenance. Lord of Power. Steadfast for ever. The Judgment ever approaching draws nigh: But will abide for ever the Face of your Lord, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honor. You will not find any people who believe in God and the Last Day, loving those who resist God and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred. For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a Spirit from Himself, and He will admit them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever. God will be well pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the Party of God. Truly it is the Party of God that will achieve Felicity. The end of both will be that they will go into the Fire, dwelling therein for ever. Such is the reward of the wrong-doers. There is for you an excellent example to follow in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people: "We are clear of you and of whatever you worship besides God. We have rejected you, and there has arisen, between us and you, enmity and hatred for ever, unless you believe in God and Him alone.": But not when Abraham said to his father: "I will pray for forgiveness for you, though I have no power to get anything on your behalf from God." They prayed: "Our Lord! In You do we trust, and to You do we turn in repentance: To You is our Final Goal. The Day that He assembles you all for a Day of Assembly, that will be a Day of mutual loss and gain among you, and those who believe in God and work righteousness. He will remove from them their ills, and He will admit them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: That will be the Supreme Achievement. Thus when they fulfil their term appointed, either take them back on equitable terms or part with them on equitable terms; and take for witness two persons from among you, endued with justice, and establish the evidence as before God. Such is the admonition given to him who believes in God and the Last Day, and for those who fear God, He ever prepares a way out, An Messenger, who rehearses to you the Signs of God containing clear explanations, that he may lead forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of Darkness into Light. And those who believe in God and work righteousness, He will admit to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: God has indeed granted for them a most excellent Provision. "Unless I proclaim what I receive from God and His Messages: For any that disobey God and His Messenger. For them is Hell: They will dwell therein for ever." O you man! Verily you are ever toiling on towards your Lord - painfully toiling. But you will meet Him. Nay, nay! For his Lord was ever watchful of him! Their reward is with God, gardens of Eternity, beneath which rivers flow; they will dwell therein for ever; God well pleased with them, and they with Him: All this for such as fear their Lord and Cherisher. Thinking that his wealth would make him last for ever!
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