Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 9.djvu/307

ⅬⅩⅥ, 2-8. God is your sovereign, and He is the knowing, the wise !

And when the prophet told as a secret to one of his wives a recent event, and when she gave information thereof and exposed it, he acquainted her with some of it and avoided part of it. But when he informed her of it, she said, ‘ Who told thee this ?’ he said, ‘ The wise one, the well-aware informed me.

‘ If ye both turn repentant unto God, — for your hearts have swerved ! — but if ye back each other up against him, — verily, God, He is the sovereign ; and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers, and the angels after that, will back him up.

‘ It may be that his Lord if he divorce you will give him in exchange wives better than you, Muslims, believers, devout, repentant, worshipping, giving to fasting — such as have known men and virgins too.’

O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from the fire, whose fuel is men and stones ; — over it are angels stout and stern ; they disobey not God in what He bids them, but they do what they are bidden !

O ye who disbelieve ! excuse not yourselves to-day; — ye shall only be rewarded for that which ye have done.

O ye who believe! turn repentant to God with sincere repentance; it may be that thy Lord will cover for you your offences and will bring you into gardens beneath which rivers flow ! — the day God will not disgrace the Prophet nor those who believe with him ; their light shall run on before them, and at their right hands ! they shall say, ‘ Our Lord ! perfect for us our light and forgive us ; verily, Thou art mighty over all !’ U 2