Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 6.djvu/264

138  . (Ⅶ. Mecca.) In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.

A. L. M. S. A book revealed to thee, — so let there be no straitness in thy breast, that thou mayest warn thereby, — and a reminder to the believers.

Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord, and follow not beside Him patrons ; little is it that ye mind.

Yet how many a town have we destroyed, and our violence came upon it by night, or while they slept at noon ; and their cry, when our violence came upon them, was only to say, ‘Verily, we were unjust!’ But we will of a surety question those to whom the prophets were sent, and we will narrate to them with knowledge, for we were not absent. The balance on that day is true, and whosesoever scales are heavy, they are prosperous ; but whosesoever scales are light, they it is who lose themselves, for that they did act unjustly by our signs.

We have established you in the earth, and we have made for you therein livelihoods; little is it that ye thank; and we created you, then we fashioned you, then we said unto the angels, ‘ Adore Adam,’ and they adored, save Iblis, who was not of those who did adore.

Said He, ‘ What hinders thee from adoring when