Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 9.djvu/40

24 And they will ask thee about u ʼl Qarnâin, say, ‘ I will recite to you a mention of him ; verily, we stablished for him in the earth, and we gave him a way to everything; and he followed a way until when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a black muddy spring , and he found thereat a people.’

We said, ‘ O u ʼl Qarnâin ! thou mayest either torment these people, or treat them well.’ Said he, ‘ As for him who does wrong, I will torment him, then shall he be sent back to his Lord, and He will torment him with an unheard-of torment ; but as for him who believes and acts aright, for him is an excellent reward, and we will tell him our easy bidding.’

Then he followed a way until when he reached the rising of the sun, he found it rise upon a people to whom we had given no shelter therefrom.

So ! And we comprehended the knowledge of what (forces) he had with him.

Then he followed a way until when he reached the point between the two mountains, he found below them both a people who could scarcely