compass it, and those who should be devoutly assiduous
there, and those who should bow down and worship.
And when Abraham said, Lord, make this a territory
of security, and bounteously bestow fruits on its
inhabitants, such of them as believe in God and the
last day; God answered, And whoever believeth not,
I will bestow on him little: afterwards I will
drive him to the punishment of hell fire; an ill journey
shall it be! And when Abraham and Ismael raised
the foundations of the house, saying, Lord, accept
it from us, for thou art he who heareth and knoweth:
Lord, make us also resigned unto thee, and of our
posterity a people resigned unto thee, and show us
our holy ceremonies, and be turned unto us, for thou
art easy to be reconciled, and merciful; Lord, send
them likewise an apostle from among them, who may
declare thy signs unto them, and teach them the book
of the Koran and wisdom, and may purify them; for thou
art mighty and wise. Who will be averse to the
religion of Abraham, but he whose mind is infatuated?
Surely we have chosen him in this world, and in that
which is to come he shall be one of the righteous.
When his Lord said unto him, Resign thyself unto me,
he answered, I have resigned myself unto the Lord
of all creatures. And Abraham bequeathed this
religion to his children, and Jacob did the same,
saying, My children, verily, God hath chosen this
religion for you, therefore die not, unless ye also
be resigned. Were ye present when Jacob was at
the point of death? when he said to his sons, Whom
will ye worship after me? They answered, We will
worship thy God, and the God of thy fathers, Abraham
and Ismael, and Isaac, one God, and to him will we
be resigned. That people are now passed away,
they have what they have gained, and ye shall have
what ye gain; and ye shall not be questioned concerning
that which they have done. They say, Become Jews
or Christians that ye may be directed. Say, Nay,
we follow the religion of Abraham the orthodox, who
was no idolater. Say, We believe in God, and
that which hath been sent down unto us, and that which
hath been sent down unto Abraham, and Ismael, and
Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which was
delivered unto Moses, and Jesus, and that which was
delivered unto the prophets from their Lord:
We make no distinction between any of them, and to
God are we resigned. Now if they believe according
to what ye believe, they are surely directed, but
if they turn back, they are in schism. God shall
support thee against them, for he is the hearer, the
wise. The baptism of God[30] have we received,
and who is better than God to baptize? him do we worship.
Say, Will ye dispute with us concerning God, who is
our Lord, and your Lord? we have our works, and ye
have your works, and unto him are we sincerely devoted.
Will ye say, Truly Abraham, and Ismael, and Isaac,
and Jacob, and the tribes were Jews or Christians?
Say, Are ye wiser, or God? And who is more unjust
than he who hideth the testimony which he hath received