And if thou art in doubt as to what we have sent down to thee, inquire at those who have read the Scriptures before thee.12 Now hath the truth come unto thee from thy Lord:  be not therefore of those who doubt.

Neither be of those who charge the signs of God with falsehood, lest thou be of those who perish.

Verily they against whom the decree of thy Lord is pronounced, shall not believe,

Even though every kind of sign come unto them, till they behold the dolorous torment!

Were it otherwise, any city, had it believed, might have found its safety in its faith.  But it was so, only with the people of Jonas.  When they believed, we delivered them from the penalty of shame in this world, and provided for them for a time.

But if thy Lord had pleased, verily all who are in the earth would have believed together.  What! wilt thou compel men to become believers?

No soul can believe but by the permission of God:  and he shall lay his wrath on those who will not understand.

Say:  Consider ye whatever is in the Heavens and on the Earth:  but neither signs, nor warners, avail those who will not believe!

What then can they expect but the like of such days of wrath as befel those who flourish before them?  Say:  Wait; I too will wait with you: 

Then will we deliver our apostles and those who believe.  Thus is it binding on us to deliver the faithful.

Say:  O men! if ye are in doubt as to my religion, verily I worship not what ye worship beside God; but I worship God who will cause you to die:  and I am commanded to be a believer.

And set thy face toward true religion, sound in faith, and be not of those who join other gods with God: 

Neither invoke beside God that which can neither help nor hurt thee:  for if thou do, thou wilt certainly then be one of those who act unjustly.

And if God lay the touch of trouble on thee, none can deliver thee from it but He:  and if He will thee any good, none can keep back his boons.  He will confer them on such of his servants as he chooseth:  and He is the Gracious, the Merciful!

Say:  O men! now hath the truth come unto you from your Lord.  He therefore who will be guided, will be guided only for his own behoof:  but he who shall err will err only against it; and I am not your guardian!

And follow what is revealed to thee:  and persevere steadfastly till God shall judge, for He is the best of Judges.

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1 See Sura 1xviii. n. 3, p. 32.

2 That is, for a serious end, to manifest the Divine Unity.

3 Gen. xi. 1.

4 This refers to the seven years of scarcity with which Mecca had been visited.

5 Paradise.

6 Verses 27, 28 are to be noted, as defining the proportion to be observed in rewards and punishments, the severity of the latter being only in proportion to the crime, the excellence of the former being above and beyond its strict merits.