Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses': An Islamic Response
References to the Holy Quran
1. Light upon Light!
Allah doth guide
Whom He will
To His Light.
(Lit is such a Light)
In houses, which Allah
Hath permitted to be raised
To honour; for the celebration
In them, of His name:
In them is He glorified
In the mornings and
In the evenings.
(XXIV, 35�36)
Can
he who was dead,
To whom We gave life,
And a Light whereby
He can walk amongst men,
Be like him who is
In the depths of darkness,
From which he can
Never come out?
Thus to those without Faith
Their own deeds seem pleasing.
(VI 122)
2.
Verily God will not deal
Unjustly with man in aught:
It is man that wrongs
His own soul.
(X44)
3.
If a suggestion from Satan
Assail thy (mind)
Seek refuge with Allah;
For He heareth and knoweth
(All things).
Those
who fear Allah
When a thought of evil
From Satan assaults them,
Bring Allah to remembrance,
When lo! they see (aright)!
(VII 200�1)
4.
Verily, to thy Lord
Is the return (of all).
(XCVI 8)
5. The Unbelievers spend their wealth
To hinder (men) from the path
Of Allah, and so will they
Continue to spend, but
In the end they will have
(Only) regrets and sighs.
(VIII 36)
6. And (the unbelievers)
Plotted and planned,
And God too planned,
And the best of planners
Is God.
(III 54)
7. Strongest among men in enmity
To the Believers wilt
thou
Find the Jews and Pagans
(V 82)
8. Anyone who, after accepting
Faith in Allah, utters Unbelief, -
Except under compulsion,
His heart remaining firm
In Faith - but such as
Open their breast to Unbelief, -
On them is wrath from Allah,
And theirs will be
A dreadful Penalty.
This because they love
The life of this world
Better than the Hereafter:
And Allah will not guide
Those who reject Faith.
(XVI 106-7)
8a. The Unbelievers are
Protectors, one of another.
(VII 73)
Say: "Truly, my prayer
And my service of sacrifice,
My life and my death,
Are (all) for Allah,
The Cherisher of the Worlds.
(VI 162)
9. Mocked were (many) apostles
Before thee: [O Muhammed) but I granted
Respite to the Unbelievers,
And finally I punished them:
Then how (terrible) was My requital!)
(XIII 32)
10. That they said (in boast),
"We killed Christ Jesus
The son of Mary,
The Apostle of Allah":
But they killed him not,
Nor crucified him,
But so it was made
To appear to them
Nay, Allah raised him up
Unto Himself: and Allah
Is Exalted in Power, Wise.
(IV 157, 158)
11. The Unbelievers will be led to Hell in crowds;
Until, when they arrive there, Its gates will be opened,
And its Keepers will say, "Did not apostles come
To you from among yourselves,
Rehearsing to you the Signs
Of your Lord, and warning you
Of the Meeting of this Day
Of yours?" The answer
will be: "True: but
The Decree of Punishment
Has been proved true
Against the Unbelievers!"
(To Them) will be said:
"Enter ye the gates of Hell,
To dwell therein:
And evil is (this)
Abode of the arrogant!"
(XXXIX 71-2)
12. What is the life of this world
But play and amusement?
But best is the Home
In the Hereafter, for those
Who are righteous
Will ye not then understand?
(VI 32)
13. O Mankind! We created
You from a single (pair)
Of a male and a female
And made you into
Nations and tribes, that
Ye may know each, other
(Not that ye may despise each other).
(XLIX 13)
14. Those who devour usury
Will not stand except
As stands one whom
The Evil One by his touch
Hath driven to madness
That is because they say:
"Trade is like usury,"
But Allah hath permitted trade
And forbidden usury
Allah will deprive
Usury of all blessings,
But will give increase
For deeds of charity
For He loveth not
Creatures ungrateful
And wicked.
(II 275, 276)
15. Nay, seek (Allah�s) Help
With patient perseverance
And prayer:
It is indeed hard, except
To those who bring a lowly spirit,-
Who bear in mind the certainty
That they are to meet their
Lord,
And that they are to return to Him
(II 46)
16. How can ye reject,
The faith in Allah?
Seeing that ye were without life,
And He gave you life;
Then will He cause you to die,
And will again bring you to life.
And again to Him will ye return.
(II 28)
17. And be ye not like
Those who forget Allah;
And He made them forget
Their own souls! Such
Are the rebellious transgressors!
(LIX 19)
18. Those who desire
The life of the Present
And its glitter, - to them
We shall pay (the price
Of) their deeds therein, -
Without distinction.
They are those for whom
There is nothing in the Hereafter
But the Fire: vain
Are the designs they frame therein
And of no effect
Are the deeds that they do!
(XI 15-16)
19. And remember, Jesus,
Then son of Mary, said:
"O Children of Israel!
I am the apostle of Allah
(Sent) to you confirming
The Law (which came)
Before me, and giving
Glad Tidings of an Apostle
To come after me,
Whose name shall be Ahmad"
But when he came to them
With Clear Signs,
They said, "This is
Evident sorcery!"
(LXI 6)
20. And this is a book
Which We have revealed
As a blessing: so follow it
And be righteous, that ye
May receive Mercy.
(VI 155)
21. Nothing is said to thee (O Muhammed)
That was not said
To the apostles before thee:
That thy Lord has
At His Command (all) Forgiveness
As well as a most
Grevious Penalty.
(XL1 43)
22. (Muhammed is)
The Apostle of Allah,
And the seal of the Prophets:
And Allah has full knowledge
Of all things.
(XXXIII 40)
23. Verily We have brought
The truth to you: [O Mankind]
But most of you
Have a hatred for Truth
(XLIII 78)
24. Ah woe, that Day,
To the Rejecters of Truth!
(It will be said:)
"Depart ye to that
Which ye used to reject
As false!*
* Hell
"Depart ye to a Shadow
(Of smoke ascending)
In three columns,
"(Which yields) no shade
Of coolness, and is
Of no use against
The fierce Blaze.
"Indeed it throws about
Sparks (huge) as Forts,
"As if there were
(A string of yellow camels
(Marching swiftly)".
Ah woe, that Day,
To the Rejecters of Truth!
That will be a Day
When they shall not
Be able to speak,
Nor will it be
Open to them
To put forth pleas
Ah woe, that Day,
To the Rejecters of Truth!
That will be a day
Of Sorting out! We shall
Gather you together
And those before (you)!
Now, if you have
A trick (or plot),
Use it against Me!
Ah woe, that Day,
To the Rejecters of Truth!
As to the Righteous,
They shall be amidst
(Cool) shades and springs
(Of water),
And (they shall have)
Fruits, - all they desire
"Eat ye and drink ye
To your heart�s content:
For that ye worked
(Righteousness)".
Thus do We certainly
Reward the Doers of Good.
Ah woe, that Day
To the Rejecters of Truth!
(O ye Unjust!)
Eat ye and enjoy yourselves
(But) a little while,
For that ye are Sinners.
Ah woe, that Day
To the Rejecters of Truth!
And when it is said
To them, "prostrate yourselves!�
They do not so.
Ah woe, that Day
To the Rejecters of Truth!
Then what Message:
After that, Will they believe in?
(LXXVII 28�50)
25. Thy Lord is Self-Sufficient,
Full of Mercy: if it were
His Will, He could destroy
You, and in your place
Appoint whom He will
As your successors, even as
He raised you up
From the posterity
Of other people.
(VI 133)
26. Verily God will not deal
Unjustly with man in aught:
It is man that wrongs
His own soul.
(X 44)
27. Evil as an example are
People who reject Our Signs
And wrong their own souls.
Whom Allah doth guide, -
He is on the right path:
Whom He rejects from His guidance, -
Such are the persons who perish.
Many are the Jinns and men
We have made for Hell:
They have hearts wherewith they
Understand not, eyes wherewith
They see not, and ears wherewith
They hear not. They are
Like Cattle, - nay more
Misguided - for they
Are heedless (of warning).
(VII 178-9)
28. O ye that believe!
Fear Allah, and believe
In His Apostle, arid He will
Bestow on you a double
Portion of His Mercy:
He will provide for you
A Light by which ye
Shall walk (straight
In your path), and He
Will forgive you (your past):
For Allah is Oft - Forgiving,
Most Merciful.
(LVII 28)
29. O ye who believe!
Follow not Satan�s footsteps:
If any will follow the footsteps,
Of Satan, he will (but) command
What is shameful and wrong:
And were it not for the grace
And Mercy of Allah on you,
Not one of you would ever
Have been pure: but Allah
Doth purify whom He pleases:
And Allah is One Who
Hears and Knows (all things).
(XXIV 21)
30. Let not Unbelievers
Think that they can
Get the better (of the Godly):
They will never frustrate (them).
Against them make ready
Your strength to the utmost
Of your power, including
Steeds of war, to strike terror
Into (the hearts of) the enemies,
And others besides, whom
Ye may not Know, but whom
Allah doth know. Whatever
Ye spend in the Cause
Of Allah shall be repaid
Unto you, and ye shall not
Be treated unjustly.
(VII 59-60)
31. Say: "Shall we tell you
Of those who lost most
In respect of their deeds?
"Those whose efforts have
Been wasted in this life,
While they thought that
They were acquiring good
By their works? -
They are those who deny
The Signs of their Lord
And the fact of their
Having to meet Him
(In the Hereafter):vain
Will be their works,
Nor shall We, on the Day
Of Judgement, give them
Any weight.
That is their reward -
Hell; because they rejected
Faith, and took My Signs
And My Messengers
By way of jest.
(XVIII 103-6)
32. Men said to them:
"A great army is gathering
Against you":
And frightened them:
But it (only) increased
Their faith: they said:
"For us Allah sufficient
And He is the best
Disposer of affairs.
And they returned
With Grace and Bounty
From Allah: no harm
Ever touched them;
For they followed
The good pleasure of Allah:
And Allah is the Lord
Of bounties unbounded.
(III 173-4)
33. Behold, the Lord said
To the angels: "I am
About to create man
From clay:
When I have fashioned him,
(In due proportion) and breathed
Into him of My spirit,
Fall ye down in obeisance
Unto him."
So the angels prostrated themselves,
All of them together;
Not so Iblis: he
Was haughty, and became
One of those who reject Faith.
(Allah) said: "O Iblis!
What prevents thee from
Prostrating thyself to one
Whom I have created
With My hands?
Art thou haughty?
Or art thou one
Of the high (and mighty) ones?"
(Iblis) said: "I am better
Than he: Thou createdst
Me from fire, and him
Thou createdst from clay."
(Allah) said: "Then get thee
Out from here: for thou
Art rejected, accursed
"And My Curse shall be
On thee �till the
Day of Judgement."
(Iblis) said: "O my Lord!
Give me then respite
Till the Day
The (dead) are raised."
(Allah) said: "Respite then
Is granted thee -
"Till the Day
Of the Time Appointed."
(Iblis) said: "Then,
By Thy Power, I will
Put them all in the wrong, -
"Except Thy Servants
Amongst them, sincere
And purified (by Thy Grace)."
(Allah) said: "Then
It is just and fitting -
And I say what is
Just and fitting -
"That I will certainly fill
Hell with thee
And those that follow thee, -
Everyone."
XXXVIII 71-85
34. Those who believe
Fight in the cause of Allah,
And those who reject Faith
Fight in the cause of Evil:
So fight ye against the
Friends of Satan: feeble indeed
Is the cunning of Satan.
(IV 76)
35. No misfortune can happen
On earth or in your souls
But is recorded in
A decree before We bring
It into existence:
That is truly easy for Allah.
(LVII 22)
36. As to those who are
Rebellious and wicked, their abode
Will be the Fire: every time
They wish to get away
Therefrom, they will be forced
Thereinto, and it will be said
To them: "Taste ye
The Penalty of the fire,
That which ye were wont
To reject as false".
(XXXII 20)
37. Say to the Unbelievers,
If (now)they desist (from Unbelief)
Their past would be forgiven them
But if they persist, the punishment
Of those before them is already
(A matter of warning for them).
(VII 38)
But (even so), if they (the unbelievers) repent,
Establish regular prayers,
And practise regular charity, -
They are your (believers�) brethren in Faith:
(Thus) do We explain Signs
In detail, for those who understand.
(IX 11)