________________
72
THE QUR'ÂN.
XXIII, 102-116.
Not so !-a mere word he speaks !—but behind them is a bar until the day they shall be raised.
And when the trumpet shall be blown, and there shall be no relation between them on that day, nor shall they beg of each other then!
[105] And he whose scales are heavy,--they are the prosperous. But he whose scales are light,these are they who lose themselves, in hell to dwell for aye! The fire shall scorch their faces, and they shall curl their lips therein! Were not my signs recited to you ? and ye said that they were lies!' They say, 'Our Lord ! our misery overcame us, and we were a people who did err! Our Lord ! take us out therefrom, and if we return", then shall we be unjust.'
[110] He will say, 'Go ye away into it and speak not to me!'
Verily, there was a sect of my servants who said, Our Lord! we believe, so pardon us, and have mercy upon us, for Thou art the best of the merciful ones.' · And ye took them for a jest until ye forgat my reminder and did laugh thereat. Verily, I have recompensed them this day for their patience; verily, they are happy now.
He will say, 'How long a number of years did ye tarry on earth ?' [115] They will say, 'We tarried a day or part of a day, but ask the Numberers ?'
He will say, 'Ye have only tarried a little, were ye but to know it. Did ye then reckon that we created you for sport, and that to us ye would not return?' But exalted be God, the true; there is no god but He, the Lord of the noble throne! and
.
1 To our evil ways.
? That is, the recording angels.
Digitized by Google