Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 6.djvu/246

120 and He will avert that which ye call upon Him for if He but please ; and ye shall forget that which ye did associate with Him.

Ere this we sent unto nations before thee, and we caught them in distress and trouble that haply they might humble themselves. And do they not, when our violence falls upon them, humble themselves ? — but their hearts were hard, and Satan made seemly to them that which they had done.

And when they forgot what they were reminded of, we opened for them the gates of everything, until when they rejoiced at what they had, we caught them up suddenly, and lo ! they were in despair.

And the uttermost part of the people who did wrong were cut off; praise be to God, Lord of the worlds !

Say, ‘Look you now ! if God should catch your hearing and your sight, and should set a seal upon your hearts — who is god but God to bring you it again?’

Say, ‘Look you now ! if God's torment should come upon you suddenly or openly, would any perish save the people who do wrong ?’

We do not send our messengers save as heralds of glad tidings and of warning, and whoso believes and acts aright, there is no fear for them, and they shall not be grieved, but those who say our signs are lies, torment shall touch them, for that they have done so wrong.

Say, ‘I do not say to you, mine are the treasuries of God, nor that I know the unseen ; I do not say to you, I am an angel — if I follow aught but what I am inspired with — :’ say, ‘Is the blind equal to him who sees — ?’ what ! do ye not reflect ?