— give them glad tidings of grievous woe ! 35 On the day when it shall be heated in the fire of hell, and their brows shall be branded therewith, and their sides and their backs ! — ‘ This is what ye stored up for yourselves, taste then what ye stored up !’
Verily, the number of months with God is twelve months in God’s Book, on the day when He created the heavens and the earth ; of these are four that are sacred ; that is the subsisting religion. Then do not wrong yourselves therein, but fight the idolaters one and all, as they fight you one and all, and know that God is with those who fear.
Verily, putting off is but an increase in misbelief[1] to lead astray therewith those who misbelieve. They make it lawful one year, but they make it unlawful another year, that they may come to an understanding as to the number which God has made sacred, and make lawful what God has prohibited. Seemly to them are their evil works, but God guides not a misbelieving people.
O ye who believe ! what ailed you when ye were told to march forth in God’s way, that ye sank down heavily upon the earth ? were ye content with the life of this world instead of the next ? but the provision of this world’s life is but a little to the next. Unless ye march forth He will punish you with grievous woe, and will put in your stead a people other than you ! ye cannot hurt Him at all, for God is mighty over all !
- ↑ The pagan Arabs used to put off the observance of a sacred month when it was inconvenient to them and observe another instead ; this Mohammed deprecates.
