Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 6.djvu/231

V, 55-62. crave ? but who is better than God to judge for people who are sure?

O ye who believe! take not the Jews and Christians for your patrons: they are patrons of each other; but whoso amongst you takes them for patrons, verily, he is of them, and, verily, God guides not an unjust people.

Thou wilt see those in whose hearts is a sickness vieing with them; they say, ‘We fear lest there befall us a reverse.’ It may be God will give the victory, or an order from Himself, and they may awake repenting of what they thought in secret to themselves.

Those who believe say, ‘Are these they who swore by God with their most strenuous oath that they were surely with you ?’—their works are in vain and they shall wake the losers.

O ye who believe! whoso is turned away from his religion—God will bring (instead) a people whom He loves and who love Him, lowly to believers, lofty to unbelievers, strenuous in the way of God, fearing not the blame of him who blames. That is God’s grace! He gives it unto whom He pleases, for God both comprehends and knows.

[60] God only is your patron, and His Apostle and those who believe, who are steadfast in prayer and give alms, bowing down. Whoso taketh as patrons God and His apostles and those who believe ;— verily, God’s crew, they are victorious!

O ye who believe! take not for patrons those who