Vie in hasting after pardon from your Lord, and Paradise–whose outspread is as the outspread of the Heaven and of the Earth: Prepared is it for those who believe in God and His apostles: Such is the bounty of God: to whom He will He giveth it: and of immense bounty is God! No mischance chanceth either on earth or in your own persons, but ere we created them, it was in the Book;7–for easy is this to God– Lest ye distress yourselves if good things escape you, and be over joyous for what falleth to your share. God loveth not the presumptuous, the boaster, Who are covetous themselves and incite others to covetousness. But whose turneth away from almsgiving–Ah! God is the Rich, the Praiseworthy. We have sent our apostles with the clear tokens, and we have caused the Book and the balance8 to descend with them, that men might observe fairness. And we have sent down IRON. Dire evil9 resideth in it, as well as advantage, to mankind! God would know who will assist Him and his apostle in secret. Verily, God is Powerful, Strong. And of old sent we Noah and Abraham, and on their seed conferred the gift of prophecy, and the Book; and some of them we guided aright; but many were evil doers. Then we caused our apostles to follow in their footsteps; and we caused Jesus the son of Mary to follow them; and we gave him the Evangel,10 and we put into the hearts of those who followed him kindness and compassion: but as to the monastic life, they invented it themselves. The desire only of pleasing God did we prescribe to them, and this they observed not as it ought to have been observed: but to such of them as believed gave we their reward, though many of them were perverse. O ye who believe! fear God and believe in his apostle: two portions of his mercy will He give you. He will bestow on you light to walk in, and He will forgive you: for God is Forgiving, Merciful; That the people of the Book may know that they have no control over aught of the favours of God, and that these gifts of grace11 are in the hands of God, and that He vouchsafeth them to whom he will; for God is of immense bounty. _______________________ 1 The general tone of this Sura shews it to have been revealed at Medina, and from verse 22 it may be inferred that its true date lies between the battle of Ohod and the battle of the Ditch. 2 Lit. the exterior and the interior. 3 To guide them on their route to paradise. 4 Patronus. Mar. Beschutzer. Ullm. Or, what ye have deserved. 5 Against the infidels. 6 Supellex deceptionis. Mar. 7 Of our eternal decrees. 8 Brought by Gabriel to Noah, who imparted its use to his posterity. So say the commentators. But the expression seems rather to be figurative. Comp. Sura lv. 6, p. 74. 9 Or, mighty warlike strength, but the antithesis requires the rendering given in the text. Comp. Gen. iv. 22, and Michna Tr. Aboth, 5, 9.