Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 6.djvu/269

This page needs to be proofread.
Ⅶ, 42-51.
the chapter of al aarâf.
143

Lord promised you is true ?’ They will say, ‘ Yea !’ And a crier from amongst them will cry out, ‘ The curse of God is on the unjust who turn from the way of God and crave to make it crooked, while in the hereafter they do disbelieve !’

And betwixt the two there is a veil, and on al Aarâf are men who know each by marks ; and they shall cry out to the fellows of Paradise, ‘Peace be upon you !’ they cannot enter it although they so desire. 45 But when their sight is turned towards the fellows of the Fire, they say, ‘ O our Lord ! place us not with the unjust people.’ And the fellows on al Aarâf will cry out to the men whom they know by their marks, and say, ‘ Of no avail to you were your collections, and what ye were so big with pride about ; are these those ye swore that God would not extend mercy to ? Enter ye Paradise ; there is no fear for you, nor shall ye be grieved.’

But the fellows of the Fire shall cry out to the fellows of Paradise, ‘ Pour out upon us water, or something of what God has provided you with[1].’ They will say, ‘ God has prohibited them both to those who misbelieve; who took their religion for a sport and a play; whom the life of the world beguiled.’ — To-day do we forget them as they forgot the meeting of this day, and for that they did deny our signs !

50 Now we have brought them a book explaining it in knowledge, a guidance and a mercy to a people who believe.

Do they wait now for aught but its interpretation ? — on the day when its interpretation shall come,


  1. The fruits of Paradise.