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XXXIII, 30-35. THE CHAPTER OF THE CONFEDERATES. 143
[30] O ye women of the prophet! whosoever of you commits manifest fornication, doubled shall be her torment twice; and that is easy unto God!
But that one of you who is devoted to God and His Apostle and does right we will give her her hire twice over, and we have prepared for her a noble provision.
O ye women of the prophet! ye are not like any other women ; if ye fear God then be not too complaisant in speech, or he in whose heart is sickness will lust after you; but speak a reasonable speech.
And stay still in your houses and show not yourselves with the ostentation of the ignorance of yore; and be steadfast in prayer, and give alms, and obey God and his Apostle ;-God only wishes to take away from you? the horror as people of His House and to purify you thoroughly.
And remember what is recited in your houses of the signs of God and of wisdom; verily, God is subtle and aware!
[35] Verily, men resigned and women resigned ?, and believing men and believing women, and devout men and devout women, and truthful men and truthful women, and patient men and patient women, and humble men and humble women, and almsgiving men and almsgiving women, and fasting men and fasting women, and men who guard their private parts and women who guard their private parts, and
1 Here the pronoun is changed from feminine to masculine, and the passage is appealed to by the Shiahs as showing the intimate relations that existed between Mohammed and 'Als, for they say that by his household' are particularly meant Fatimah and 'Ali. In the next paragraph the feminine is again used.
' I.e. Muslims; see Part I, p. 15, note 1.
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