Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 6.djvu/382

256 portion of what we have bestowed upon them. — By God ! ye shall be questioned concerning that which ye have devised.

They make for God daughters; — celebrated be His praise! — and for themselves they like them not.

When any one of them has tidings of a female child, his face is overclouded and black, and he has to keep back his wrath.

He skulks away from the people, for the evil tidings he has heard; — is he to keep it with its disgrace, or to bury it in the dust ? — aye ! evil is it that they judge !

For those who disbelieve in the future life is a similitude of evil : but for God is the loftiest similitude ; for He is the mighty, the wise !

If God were to punish men for their wrong-doing He would not leave upon the earth a single beast ; but He respites them until a stated time ; and when their time comes they cannot put it off an hour, nor can they bring it on.

They set down to God what they abhor themselves ; and their tongues describe the lie that ‘good is to be theirs.’ Without a doubt theirs is the Fire, for, verily, they shall be sent on there !

By God ! we sent (messengers) to nations before thee, but Satan made their works seemly to them, for he is their patron to-day, and for them is grievous woe !