Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 6.djvu/183

This page needs to be proofread.
Ⅲ, 75-85.
the chapter or Imrân’s family.
57

He said, ‘ Then bear witness, for I am witness with you ; but he who turns back after that, these are sinners[1].’

What is it other than God’s religion that they crave ? when to Him is resigned whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, will he or nill he, and to him shall they return !

Say, ‘ We believe in God, and what has been revealed to thee, and what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and what was given to Moses, and Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord, — we will make no distinction between any of them, — and we are unto Him resigned. Whosoever craves other than Islam for a religion, it shall surely not be accepted from him, and he shall, in the next world, be of those who lose.’

80 How shall God guide people who have disbelieved after believing and bearing witness that the Apostle is true, and after there come to them manifest signs ? God guides the unjust folk.

These, their reward is, that on them is the curse of God, and of the angels, and of men together ; they shall dwell therein for aye — the torment shall not be alleviated from them, nor shall they be respited; save those who repent after that, and act aright, for verily, God is forgiving and merciful.

Verily, those who misbelieve after believing, and then increase in misbelief, their repentance shall not be accepted ; these are those who err.

85 Verily, those who misbelieve and die in mis-


  1. The legend, borrowed from Talmudic sources, is that God assembled all past, present, and future prophets on Mount Sinai and entered into the compact mentioned in the text.