their covenant when they make a covenant; and the patient in poverty, and distress, and in time of violence ; these are they who are true, and these are those who fear.
O ye who believe ! Retaliation is prescribed for you for the slain : the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the female for the female; yet he who is pardoned at all by his brother, must be prosecuted in reason, and made to pay with kindness[1].
That is an alleviation from your Lord, and a mercy; and he who transgresses after that for him is grievous woe.
175 For you in retaliation is there life, O ye possessors of minds ! it may be ye will fear.
It is prescribed for you that when one of you is face to face with death, if he leave (any) goods, the legacy is to his parents, and to his kinsmen, in reason. A duty this upon all those that fear.
But he who alters it[2] after that he has heard it, — the sin thereof is only upon those who alter it ; verily, God doth hear and know.
And he who fears from the testator a wrong intention, or a crime, and doth make up the matter between the parties, it is no sin to him ; verily, God is forgiving and merciful.
O ye who believe ! There is prescribed for you the fast as it was prescribed for those before you ; haply ye may fear. 180 A certain number of days, but he amongst you who is ill or on a journey, then (let him fast) another number of days. And
