Quran — Page 475

It is He who creates you out of dust, and then out of a drop of sperm, and then out of a germ-cell; and then He brings you forth as children; and then [He ordains] that you reach maturity, and then, that you grow old - though some of you [He causes to] die earlier -: and [all this He ordains] so that you might reach a term set [by Him], and that you might [learn to] use your reason.

It is He who grants life and deals death; and when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, “Be” - and it is.

ART THOU NOT aware of how far they who call God’s messages in question have lost sight of the truth?

they who give the lie to this divine writ and [thus] to all [the messages] with which We sent forth Our apostles [of old]? But in time they will come to know [how blind they have been: they will know it on Judgment Day],

when they shall have to carry the shackles and chains [of their own making] around their necks,

and are dragged into burning despair, and in the end become fuel for the fire [of hell].

And then they will be asked: “Where now are those [powers] to which you were wont to ascribe divinity

side by side with God?” They will answer: “They have forsaken us - or, rather, what we were wont to invoke aforetime did not exist at all!” And they will be told:] “It is thus that God lets the deniers of the truth go astray:

this is an out­come of your having arrogantly exulted on earth without any [concern for what is] right, and of your having been so full of self-conceit!

Enter [now] the gates of hell, therein to abide: and how vile an abode for all who are given to false pride!”

HENCE, remain thou patient in adversity - for, verily, God’s promise always comes true. And whether We show thee [in this world] something of what We hold in store for those [deniers of the truth], or whether We cause thee to die [ere that retribution takes place - know that, in the end], it is unto Us that they will be brought back.