Quran — Page 338

And [so, O Muhammad,] they challenge thee to hasten the coming upon them of [God’s] chastisement: but God never fails to fulfill His promise - and, behold, in thy Sustainer’s sight a day is like a thousand years of your reckoning.

And to how many a community that was im­mersed in evildoing have I given rein for a while! But then I took it to task: for with Me is all journeys’ end!

SAY [O Muhammad]: “O men! I am but a plain warner [sent by God] unto you!”

And [know that] those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds shall be granted forgiveness of sins and a most excellent sustenance;

whereas those who strive against Our messages, seeking to defeat their purpose - they are destined for the blazing fire.

Yet whenever We sent forth any apostle or prophet before thee, and he was hoping [that his warnings would be heeded], Satan would cast an asper­sion on his innermost aims: but God renders null and void whatever aspersion Satan may cast; and God makes His messages clear in and by themselves for God is all-knowing, wise.

[And He allows doubts to arise] so that He might cause whatever aspersion Satan may cast [against His prophets] to become a trial for all in whose hearts is disease and all whose hearts are hardened: for, verily, all who are [thus] sinning [against themselves] are most deeply in the wrong.

And [God renders Satan’s aspersions null and void] so that they who are endowed with [innate] knowledge might know that this [divine writ] is the truth from thy Sustainer, and that they aught believe in it, and that their hearts might humbly submit unto Him. For, behold, God does guide onto a straight way those who have attained to faith –

whereas those who are bent on denying the truth will not cease to be in doubt about Him until the Last Hour comes suddenly upon them and [supreme] suffering befalls them on a Day void of all hope.