Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 9.djvu/60

44 Adam,’ they adored, save Iblîs, who refused. And we said, ‘ O Adam ! verily, this is a foe to thee and to thy wife ; never then let him drive you twain forth from the garden or thou wilt be wretched. Verily, thou hast not to be hungry there, nor naked ! and, verily, thou shalt not thirst therein, nor feel the noonday heat !’

But the devil whispered to him. Said he, ‘ O Adam ! shall I guide thee to the tree of immortality, and a kingdom that shall not wane ?’

And they eat therefrom, and their shame became apparent to them ; and they began to stitch upon themselves some leaves of the garden ; and Adam rebelled against his Lord, and went astray.

Then his Lord chose him, and relented towards him, and guided him. Said he, ‘ Go down, ye twain, therefrom altogether, some of you foes to the other. And if there should come to you from me a guidance ; then whoso follows my guidance shall neither err nor be wretched. But he who turns away from my reminder, verily, for him shall be a straitened livelihood ; and we will gather him on the resurrection day blind !’

He shall say, ‘ My Lord! wherefore hast Thou gathered me blind when I used to see ?’ He shall say, ‘ Our signs came to thee, and thou didst forget them ; thus to-day art thou forgotten !’

Thus do we recompense him who is extravagant and believes not in the signs of his Lord ; and the torment of the hereafter is keener and more lasting !

Does it not occur to them how many generations