IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Say, 'I have been inspired that there listened a company of the ginn 1, and they said, "We have heard a marvellous Qur’ân that guides to the right direction; and we believe therein, and we join no one with our Lord, for, verily, He--may the majesty of our Lord be exalted!--has taken to Himself neither consort nor son.
'"And, verily, a fool among us spake against God wide of the mark!
'"[5] And we thought that men and ginn would never speak a lie against God.
'"And there are persons amongst men who seek for refuge with persons amongst the ginn 1; but they increase them in their perverseness. And they thought, as ye thought, that God would not raise up any one from the dead.
'"But we touched the heavens and found them filled with a mighty guard and shooting-stars; and we did sit in certain seats thereof to listen; but whoso of us listens now finds a shooting-star for him on guard.
'"[10] And, verily, we know not whether evil be meant for those who are in the earth, or if their Lord means right by them.
'"And of us are some who are pious, and of us are some who are otherwise: we are in separate bands.
'"And we thought that we could not frustrate God in the earth, and could not frustrate Him by flight.
'"But, verily, when we heard the guidance we believed therein, and he who believes in his Lord shall fear neither diminution nor loss.
'"And, verily, of us are some who are Muslims, and of us some are trespassers; but those of us who are Muslims they strive after right direction; [15] and as for the trespassers they are fuel for hell."'
And if they 2 will go right upon the way, we will irrigate them with copious water to try them there-by; and whoso turns from the remembrance of his Lord He will drive him to severe torment.
And (say) that the mosques are God's, and that ye
should not call on any one with God, and that when God's servant 1 stood up to pray they 2 called out to him and well-nigh crowded upon him. [20] Say, 'I only call upon my Lord, and I join no one with Him.'
Say, 'Verily, I cannot control for you either harm, or right direction.'
Say, 'Verily, as for me none can protect me against God, nor do I find any refuge beside Him,--except delivering the message from God and His errands: and whoso rebels against God and His Apostle, verily, for him is the fire of hell for them to dwell therein for ever and for aye!'
[25] Until when they see what they are threatened with, then shall they surely know who is most weak at helping and fewest in numbers!
Say, 'I know not if what ye are threatened with be nigh, or if my Lord will set for it a term. He knows the unseen, and He lets no one know His unseen, save such apostle as He is well pleased with: for, verily, He sends marching before him and behind him a guard!'
That He may know that they have delivered the errands of their Lord, for He compasses what they have, and reckons everything by number.
304:1 See Introduction, pp. xiii-xiv. The occasion of Mohammed's preaching to the ginn was on his returning from his unsuccessful errand to Tâ’if; see Introduction, p. xxx.
305:1 The pagan Arabs when they found themselves in a lonely place, such as they supposed the ginn to haunt, used to say, 'I take refuge in the Lord of this valley from the foolish among his people!'
305:2 The Meccans.
306:1 Mohammed.
306:2 The ginn.