THE CHAPTER OF THE INFALLIBLE.

(LXIX. Mecca.)

IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.

The Infallible, what is the Infallible? and what should make thee know what the Infallible is?

Thamûd and 'Âd called the Striking ¹ Day a lie; [5] but as for Thamûd they perished by the shock; and as for 'Âd they perished with the violent cold blast of wind, which He subjected against them for seven nights and eight days consecutively. Thou mightest see the people therein prostrate as though they were palm stumps thrown down, and canst thou see any of them left?

And Pharaoh and those before him of the overturned cities ² committed sins, [10] and they rebelled against the apostle of their Lord, and He seized them with an excessive punishment.

Verily, we, when the water surged, bore you on

it in a sailing ship, to make it a memorial for you, and that the retentive ear might hold it.

And when the trumpet shall be blown with one blast, and the earth shall be borne away, and the mountains too, and both be crushed with one crushing; [15] on that day shall the inevitable happen; and the heaven on that day shall be cleft asunder, for on that day shall it wane! and the angels upon the sides thereof; and above them on that day shall eight bear the throne of thy Lord!

On the day when ye shall be set forth no hidden thing of yours shall be concealed.

And as for him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall say, 'Here! take and read my book. [20] Verily, I thought that I should meet my reckoning;' and he shall be in a pleasing life, in a lofty garden, whose fruits are nigh to cull - 'Eat ye and drink with good digestion, for what ye did aforetime in the days that have gone by!'

[25] But as for him who is given his book in his left hand he shall say, 'O, would that I had not received my book! I did not know what my account would be. O, would that it ¹ had been an end of me! my wealth availed me not! my authority has perished from me!' [30] 'Take him and fetter him, then in hell broil him! then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits force him! verily, he believed not in the mighty God, nor was he particular to feed the poor: [35] therefore he has not here to-day any warm friend, nor any food except foul ichor, which none save sinners shall eat Y

I need not swear by what ye see or what ye do

not see, [40] verily, it is the speech of a noble apostle; and it is not the speech of a poet:-little is it ye believe!

And it is not the speech of a soothsayer,-little is it that ye mind!-a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

Why if he had invented against us any sayings, [45] we would have seized him by the right hand, then we would have cut his jugular vein; nor could any one of you have kept us off from him.

Verily, it is a memorial to the pious; and, verily, we know that there are amongst you those who say it is a lie; [50] and, verily, it is a source of sighing to the misbelievers; and, verily, it is certain truth!

Therefore celebrate the name of thy mighty Lord!