The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

a
the religion. This is the natural disposition God
a
Literally ‘set your face to’.
The Qur
an
30: 14
258

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instilled in mankind –
– there is no altering God’s creation –
– and this
is the right religion, though most people do not realize it. 
31Turn
to Him alone, all of you. Be mindful of Him; keep up the prayer;
do not join those who ascribe partners to God, 
32those who divide
their religion into sects, with each party rejoicing in their own.
33When something bad happens to people, they cry to their Lord
and turn to Him for help, but no sooner does He let them taste His
blessing than –
– lo and behold! –
– some of them ascribe partners to
their Lord, 
34showing no gratitude for what We have given them.
‘Take your pleasure! You will come to know.’
35Did We send them
down any authority that sanctions the partners they ascribe to
God?
36When We give people a taste of Our blessing, they rejoice, but
when something bad happens to them –
– because of their own
actions –
– they fall into utter despair. 
37Do they not see that God
gives abundantly to whoever He will and sparingly [to whoever He
will]? There truly are signs in this for those who believe. 
38So give
their due to the near relative, the needy, and the wayfarer –
– that is
best for those whose goal is God’s approval:
a
these are the ones who
will prosper. 
39Whatever you lend out in usury to gain value through
other people’s wealth will not increase in God’s eyes, but whatever
you give in charity, in your desire for God’s approval, will earn
multiple rewards. 
40It is God who created you and provided for you,
who will cause you to die and then give you life again. Which of
your ‘partners’ can do any one of these things? Glory be to God, and
exalted be He above the partners they attribute to Him. 
41Corrup-
tion has 
flourished on land and sea as a result of people’s actions and
He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own
actions so that they may turn back. 
42Say, ‘Travel through the land,
and see how those before you met their end –
– most of them were
idolaters.’
43[Prophet], stand firm in your devotion to the upright
religion, before an irresistible Day comes from God. On that Day,
mankind will be divided: 
44those who rejected the truth will bear the
burden of that rejection, and those who did good deeds will have
made good provision for themselves. 
45From His bounty God will
reward those who believe and do good deeds; He does not like those
who reject the truth.
a
Literally ‘face’.
The Byzantines
259
30: 45

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46Another of His signs is that He sends out the winds bearing
good news, giving you a taste of His grace, making the ships sail at
His command, enabling you to [journey in] search of His bounty so
that you may be grateful. 
47Before you [Muhammad], We sent mes-
sengers, each to their own people: they brought them clear proofs
and then We punished the evildoers. We make it Our duty to help
the believers. 
48It is God who sends out the winds; they stir up the
clouds; He spreads them over the skies as He pleases; He makes
them break up and you see the rain falling from them. See how they
rejoice when He makes it fall upon whichever of His servants He
wishes, 
49though before it is sent they may have lost all hope. 50Look,
then, at the imprints of God’s mercy, how He restores the earth to
life after death: this same God is the one who will return people to
life after death –
– He has power over all things. 
51Yet they will con-
tinue in their disbelief, even if We send a [scorching] wind and they
see their crops turn yellow. 
52You [Prophet] cannot make the dead
hear and you cannot make the deaf hear your call when they turn
their backs and leave; 
53you cannot lead the blind out of their error:
the only ones you can make hear you are those who believe in Our
revelations and devote themselves [to Us]. 
54It is God who creates
you weak, then gives you strength, then weakness after strength,
together with your grey hair: He creates what He will; He is the All
Knowing, the All Powerful.
55On the Day the Hour comes, the guilty will swear they lingered
no more than an hour –
– they have always been deluded –
–
56but those
endowed with knowledge and faith will say, ‘In accordance with
God’s decree, you actually lingered till the Day of Resurrection: this
is the Day of Resurrection, yet you did not know.’
57On that Day the
evildoers’ excuses will be of no use to them: they will not be allowed
to make amends.
58In this Quran We have set every kind of illustration before
people, yet if you [Prophet] brought them a miracle, the disbelievers
would still say, ‘You [prophets] deal only in falsehood.’
59In this
way God seals the hearts of those who do not know, 
60so be patient,
for God’s promise is true: do not let those with no 
firm beliefs
discourage you.