________________
188
THE QUR'ÂN.
IX, 104-110.
Take from their wealth alms to cleanse and purify them thereby; and pray for them ; verily, thy prayer is a repose for them; for God both hears and knows.
[105] Do they not know that God accepts repentance from His servants, and takes alms; and that God is He who is easily turned and merciful.
And say, 'Act ye;' and God and His Apostle and the believers shall see your acts, and ye shall be brought back to Him who knows the seen and the unseen, and He shall inform you of that which ye have done.
And others are in hopes of God's bidding ; whether He will torment them, or whether He turn again towards them; for God is knowing, wise.
And there are those who have taken to a mosque for mischief, and for misbelief, and to make a breach amongst the believers, and for an ambush for him who made war against God and His Apostle before ; they surely swear, We only wished for what was good ;' but God bears witness that they are liars.
Never stand up therein!- there is a mosque founded on piety from the first day 1: it is more right that thou shouldst stand therein ;-therein are men who love to be clean; for God doth love the clean.
[110] Is he who has laid his foundation upon the
1 The Mosque of Quba', about two miles from Medînah, the foundation stone of which was laid by Mohammed four days before he entered Medînah on his flight from Mecca, was the first place of public prayer in Islâm. The Beni Ghanm had built another mosque to rival this, at the instigation of Abu 'Hâmir, a monk who was opposed to Mohammed, and wished the prophet to consecrate it.
Digitized by Google