Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 6.djvu/215

Ⅳ, 116-124. whomsoever He will ; but whoso associates aught with God, he hath erred a wide error.

Verily, they call not beside Him on aught save females; and they do not call on aught save a rebellious devil.

God curse him ! for he said, ‘ I will take from thy servants a portion due to me ; and I will lead them astray ; and I will stir up vain desires within them ; and I will order them and they shall surely crop the ears of cattle ; and I will order them and they shall surely alter God's creation ;’ but he who takes the devil for his patron instead of God, he loses with a manifest loss. He promises them, and stirs up vain desires within them ; but the devil promises only to deceive.

These, their resort is hell; they shall not find an escape therefrom ! But those who believe, and do what is right, we will make them enter into gardens beneath which rivers flow, to dwell therein for aye, — God's promise in truth ; and who is truer than God in speech? Not for your vain desires, nor the vain desires of the people of the Book. He who doeth evil shall be recompensed therewith, and shall not find for him beside God a patron, or a help. But he who doeth good works, — be it male or female, — and believes, they shall enter into Paradise, and they shall not be wronged a jot.

Who has a better religion than he who resigns his face to God, and does good, and follows the faith of