had forgotten the same before shall say, Now are we convinced by demonstration that the messengers of our Lord came unto us with truth: shall we therefore have any intercessors, who will intercede for us? or shall we be sent back into the world, that we may do other works than what we did in our lifetime? But now have they lost their souls; and that which they impiously imagined hath fled from them.

Verily your Lord is God, who created the heavens and the earth in six days; and then ascended his throne: he causeth the night to cover the day; it succeedeth the same swiftly: he also created the sun and the moon, and the stars, which are absolutely subject unto his command. Is not the whole creation, and the empire thereof, his? Blessed be God, the Lord of all creatures! Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret; for he loveth not those who transgress. And act not corruptly in the earth, after its reformation; and call upon him with fear and desire: for the mercy of God is near unto the righteous. It is he who sendeth the winds, spread abroad before his mercy, until they bring a cloud heavy with rain, which we drive unto a dead country, and we cause water to descend thereon, by which we cause all sorts of fruits to spring forth. Thus will we bring forth the dead from their graves; that peradventure ye may consider. From a good country shall its fruit spring forth abundantly, by the permission of its Lord; but from the land which is bad, it shall not spring forth otherwise than scarcely. Thus do we explain the signs of divine providence unto the people who are thankful.

We formerly sent Noah unto his people: and he said, O my people, worship God: ye have no other God than him. Verily I fear for you the punishment of the great day. The chiefs of his people answered him, We surely perceive thee to be in a manifest error. He replied, O my people, there is no error in me; but I am a messenger from the Lord of all creatures. I bring unto you the messages of my Lord; and I counsel you aright: for I know from God that which ye know not. Do ye wonder that an admonition hath come unto you from your Lord by a man from among you, to warn you, that

ye may take heed to yourselves, and that peradventure ye may obtain mercy? And they accused him of imposture: but we delivered him and those who were with him in the ark, and we drowned those who charged our signs with falsehood; for they were a blind people.

And unto the tribe of Ad3 we sent their brother Hud. He said, O my people, worship God: ye have no other God than him; will ye not fear him? The chiefs of those among his people who believed not answered, Verily we perceive that thou art guided by folly; and we certainly esteem thee to be one of the liars. He replied, O my people, I am not guided by folly; but I am a messenger unto you from the Lord of all creatures: I bring unto you the messages of my Lord; and I am a faithful counselor unto you. Do ye wonder that an admonition hath come unto you from your Lord, by a man from among you, that he may warn you? Call to mind how he hath appointed you successors unto the people of Noah, and hath added unto you in stature largely. Remember the benefits of God, that ye may prosper. They said, Art thou come unto us, that we should worship God alone, and leave the deities which our fathers worshiped? Now bring down that judgment upon us, with which thou threatenest us, if thou speakest truth. Hud answered, Now shall there suddenly fall upon you from your Lord vengeance and indignation. Will ye dispute with me concerning the names which ye have named, and your fathers; as to which God hath not revealed unto you any authority? Do ye wait therefore, and I will be one of those who wait with you. And we delivered him, and them who believed with him, by our mercy; and we cut off the uttermost part of those who charged our signs with falsehood, and were not believers.

And unto the tribe of Thamud we sent their brother Saleh. He said, O my people, worship God: ye have no God besides

3 Ad was an ancient and potent tribe of Arabs, and zealous idolaters. They chiefly worshiped four deities, Sakia, Hafedha, Razeka, and Salema; the first, as they imagined, supplying them with rain, the second preserving them from all dangers abroad, the third providing food for their sustenance, and the fourth restoring them to health when afflicted with sickness, according to the signification of the several names.

him. Now hath a manifest proof come unto you from your Lord. This she-camel of God is a sign unto you: * therefore dismiss her freely, that she may feed in God's earth; and do her no hurt, lest a painful punishment seize you. And call to mind how he hath appointed you successors unto the tribe of Ad, and hath given you a habitation on earth; ye build yourselves castles on the plains thereof, and cut out the mountains into houses. Remember therefore the benefits of God, and commit not violence in the earth, acting corruptly. The chiefs among his people who were puffed up with pride said unto those who were esteemed weak, namely, unto those who believed among them, Do ye know that Selah hath been sent from his Lord? They answered, We do surely believe in that wherewith he hath been sent. Those who were elated with pride replied, Verily we believe not in that wherein ye believe. And they cut off the feet of the camel, and insolently transgressed the command of their Lord, and said, O Saleh, cause that to come upon us, with which thou hast threatened us, if thou art one of those who have been sent by God. Whereupon a terrible noise from heaven assailed them; and in the morning they were found in their dwellings prostrate on their beasts and dead. And Saleh departed from them, and said, O my people, now have I delivered unto you the

4 The Thamudites, insisting on a miracle, proposed to Saleh that he should go with them to their festival, and, that they should call on their gods, and he on his, promising to follow that deity which should answer. But after they had called on their idols a long time to no purpose, Jonda Ebn Amru, their prince, pointed to a rock standing by itself, and bade Saleh cause a she-camel big with young to come forth from it, solemnly engaging that, if he did, he would believe, and his people promised the same. Whereupon Saleh asked it of God, and presently the rock, after several throes as if in labor, was delivered of a she-camel answering the description of Jonda, which immediately brought forth a young one, ready weaned, and, as some say, as big as herself. Jonda, seeing this miracle, believed on the prophet, and some few with him; but the greater part of the Thamudites remained, notwithstanding, incredulous. Of this camel the commentators tell several stories: as that, when she went to drink, she never raised her head from the well or river till she had drunk up all the water in it, and then she offered herself to be milked, the people drawing from her as much milk as they pleased; and some say that she went about the town crying aloud, "If any wants milk let him come forth."

message of my Lord; and I advised you well, but ye love not those who advise you well.

And remember Lot, when he said unto his people, Do ye commit a wickedness, wherein no creature hath set you an example? Do ye approach lustfully unto men, leaving the women? Certainly ye are people who transgress all modesty. But the answer of his people was no other than that they said the one to the other, Expel them your city; for they are men who preserve themselves pure from the crimes which ye commit. Therefore we delivered him and his family, except his wife; she was one of those who stayed behind: and we rained a shower of stones upon them. Behold therefore what was the end of the wicked. And unto Madian we sent their brother Shoaib. He said unto them, O my people, worship God; ye have no God besides him. Now hath an evident demonstration come unto you from your Lord. Therefore give full measure and just weight, and diminish not unto men aught of their matters; neither act corruptly in the earth, after its reformation. This will be better for you, if ye believe. And beset not every way, threatening the passenger, and turning aside from the path of God him who be lieveth in him, and seeking to make it crooked. And remember, when ye were few, and God multiplied you: and behold, what hath been the end of those who acted corruptly. And if part of you believeth that wherewith I am sent, and part believe not, wait patiently until God judge between us; for he is the best judge.

Say, O men, Verily I am the messenger of God unto you all: unto him belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth; there is no God but he; he giveth life, and he causeth to die. Believe therefore in God and his apostle, the illiterate prophet, who believeth in God and his word; and follow him, that ye may be rightly directed. Of the people of Moses there is a party who direct others with truth, and act justly according to the same. And we divided them into twelve tribes, as into so many nations. And we spake by revelation unto Moses, when his people asked drink of him, and we said, Strike the rock with thy rod; and there gushed thereout