By the DAYBREA
and ten nights
By that which is double and that which is single
By the night when it pursues its course
Is there not in this an oath becoming a man of sense
Hast thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with Ad
At Irem adorned with pillars
Whose like have not been reared in these lands
And with Themoud who hewed out the rocks in the valley
And with Pharaoh the impaler
Who all committed excesses in the lands
And multiplied wickedness therein
Wherefore thy Lord let loose on them the scourge of chastisement
For thy Lord standeth on a watch tower
As to man, when his Lord trieth him and honoureth him and is bounteous to him, Then saith he, "My Lord honoureth me:"
But when he proveth him and limiteth his gifts to him, He saith, "My Lord despiseth me."
Aye. But ye honour not the orphan
Nor urge ye one another to feed the poor
And ye devour heritages, devouring greedily
And ye love riches with exceeding love
Aye. But when the earth shall be crushed with crushing, crushing
And thy Lord shall come and the angels rank on rank
And Hell on that day shall be moved up, - Man shall on that day remember himself. But how shall remembrance help him
He shall say, Oh! would that I had prepared for this my life
On that day none shall punish as God punisheth
And none shall bind with such bonds as He
Oh, thou soul which art at rest
Return to thy Lord, pleased, and pleasing him
Enter thou among my servants
And enter thou my Paradise