Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 9.djvu/62

46 . (ⅩⅪ. Mecca.)

In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.

Their reckoning draws nigh to men, yet in heedlessness they turn aside.

No reminder comes to them from their Lord of late, but they listen while they mock, and their hearts make sport thereof! And those who do wrong discourse secretly (saying), ‘ Is this man aught but a mortal like yourselves ? will ye accede to magic, while ye can see ?’

Say, ‘ My Lord knows what is said in the heavens and the earth, He hears and knows !’

‘ Nay !’ they say, ‘ — a jumble of dreams ; nay ! he has forged it ; nay ! he is a poet ; but let him bring us a sign as those of yore were sent.’

No city before them which we destroyed believed — how will they believe ? Nor did we send before them any but men whom we inspired ? Ask ye the people of the Scriptures if ye do not know. Nor did we make them bodies not to eat food, nor were they immortal. Yet we made our promise to them good, and we saved them and whom we pleased ; but we destroyed those who committed excesses.

We have sent down to you a book in which is a reminder for you ; have ye then no sense ?

How many a city which had done wrong have we broken up, and raised up after it another people! And when they perceived our violence they ran away from it. ‘ Run not away, but return to what