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4
167-176

  • In the time of ‘Umar, that Prince of the Faithful gave a thief over to the executioner and officer of police.
  • The thief cried out, saying, ‘O Prince of the land, this is my first offence. Mercy!’
  • ‘God forfend,’ said ‘Umar, ‘that God should inflict severe punishment the first time.
  • He covers up (the sin) many times in order to manifest His grace; then again, He chastises (the sinner) in order to manifest His justice, 170
  • To the end that both these attributes may be displayed, and the former be hope-inspiring and the latter deterrent.’
  • The woman, too, had committed this wickedness many times: it passed lightly (over her) and seemed light to her.
  • The feeble intelligence (which she had) was unaware that the pitcher does not for ever come (back) whole from the brook.
  • That (Divine) destiny brought her to such straits as sudden death does (in the case of) the (religious) hypocrite,
  • (When there is) neither way (of escape) nor comrade (to help) nor (hope of) quarter, (and when) the Angel (of Death) has put out his hand to (seize) the soul. 175
  • (Such is the state of the hypocrite), even as this woman in that chamber of iniquity was paralysed, she and her companion, by the tribulation.