Page 717 - An Index to the Qur'an

No, rather it is you who delight in your gift. We gave Dawud Sulayman. What an excellent
Return to them. We will come to them with servant! He truly turned to his Lord. When swift
troops they cannot face and we will expel them horses, champing at the bit, were displayed be-
from it abased and humiliated.’ He said, fore him in the afternoon, he said, ‘Truly do I love
‘Council! Who among you will bring me her the love of good, with a view to the glory of my
throne before they come to me in submission?’ A Lord until the sun disappeared behind its veil.
demon of the jinn said, ‘I will bring it to you be- Return them to me!’ And he set about slashing
fore you get up from your seat. I am strong and through their shanks and necks. We tested
trustworthy enough to do it.’ He who possessed Sulayman and placed a lifeless body on his
knowledge of the Book said, ‘I will bring it to you throne. Then he repented. He said, ‘My Lord, for-
before your glance returns to you.’ And when he give me and give me a kingdom the like of which
saw it standing firmly in his presence, he said, will never be granted to anyone after me. Truly
‘This is part of my Lord's favour to test me to see You are the Ever-Giving.’ So We subjected the
if I will give thanks or show ingratitude. Whoever wind to him to blow at his command, softly, wher-
gives thanks only does so to his own gain. ever he directed. And the Satans, every builder
Whoever is ungrateful, my Lord is Rich Beyond and diver, and others of them, yoked together in
Need, Generous.’ He said, ‘Disguise her throne. chains. ‘This is Our gift: so bestow it or withhold it
We shall see whether she is guided or someone without reckoning.’ He will have nearness to Us
who is not guided.’ Then when she came, she and a good Homecoming. (38:30-40)
was asked, ‘Is your throne like this?’ She said, ‘It
is exactly like it.’ ‘We were given knowledge be- SUMMONING
fore her and were already Muslims, but what she Remember when you were scrambling up the
worshipped besides Allah impeded her. She was slope, refusing to turn back for anyone, and the
from an unbelieving people.’ She was told: ‘Enter Messenger was calling to you from the rear. Allah
the courtyard,’ but when she saw it she supposed rewarded you with one distress in return for an-
it to be a pool and bared her legs. He said, ‘It is a other so you would not feel grief for what es-
courtyard paved with glass.’ She said, ‘My Lord, I caped you or what assailed you. Allah is aware
have wronged myself but I have submitted with of what you do. (3:153)
Sulayman to the Lord of all the worlds.’ (27:15-44) (Believers say,) ‘Our Lord, we heard a caller call-
And We gave Sulayman power over the wind–a ing us to faith: "Believe in your Lord!" and we be-
month’s journey in the morning and a month in lieved. Our Lord, forgive us our wrong actions,
the afternoon. And We made a fount of molten erase our bad actions from us and take us back to
brass flow out for him. And some of the jinn You with those who are truly good.’ (3:193)
worked in front of him by his Lord’s permission. They said, ‘Salih, we had great hopes in you be-
And if a single one of them deviates at all from fore this happened. Do you forbid us to worship
Our command, We let him taste the punishment what our fathers worshipped? We have grave
of the Searing Blaze. They made for him anything doubts about what you are calling us to.’ (11:62)
he wished: high arches and statues, huge dishes Say: ‘This is my way. I call to Allah with inner
like cisterns, great built-in cooking vats. ‘Work, sight, I and all who follow me. Glory be to Allah!
family of Dawud, in thankfulness!’ But very few I am not one of the idolaters!’ (12:108)
of My servants are thankful. Then when We de- Those to whom We gave the Book rejoice at
creed that he should die, nothing divulged his what has been sent down to you but some of the
death to them except the worm which ate his parties refuse to acknowledge part of it. Say: ‘I
staff; so that when he fell down it was made clear have only been ordered to worship Allah and not
to the jinn that if they had truly had knowledge of to associate anything with Him. I summon to
the Unseen they need not have stayed there suf- Him and to Him I will return.’ (13:36)
fering humiliating punishment. (34:12-14) Has news not reached you of those who came
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