The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

278
The Quran 35: 12
two sexes; no female conceives or gives birth without His knowledge;
no person grows old or has his life cut short, except in accordance
with a Record: all this is easy for God.
12 The two bodies of water are not alike – one is palatable, sweet,
and pleasant to drink, the other salty and bitter – yet from each you
eat fresh fish and extract ornaments to wear, and in each you see the
ships ploughing their course so that you may seek God’s bounty and
be grateful. 13 He makes the night merge into the day and the day
into the night; He has subjected the sun and the moon – each runs
for an appointed term. Such is God your Lord: all control belongs to
Him. Those you invoke beside Him do not even control the skin of a
date stone; 14 if you call them they cannot hear you; if they could
hear, they could not answer you; on the Day of Resurrection they
will disown your idolatry. None can inform you [Prophet] like the
One who is all aware.
15 People, it is you who stand in need of God – God needs nothing
and is worthy of all praise – 16 if He wills, He can do away with you
and bring in a new creation, 17 that is not difficult for God. 18 No
burdened soul will bear the burden of another: even if a heavily laden
soul should cry for help, none of its load will be carried, not even by a
close relative. But you [Prophet] can only warn those who fear their
Lord, though they cannot see Him, and keep up the prayer –
whoever purifies himself does so for his own benefit– everything
returns to God. 19 The blind and the seeing are not alike, 20 nor are
darkness and light; 21 shade and heat are not alike, 22 nor are the living
and the dead. God makes anyone He wills hear [His message]: you
cannot make those in their graves hear. 23 You are only here to warn
them – 24 We have sent you with the Truth as a bearer of good news
and warning – every community has been sent a warner. 25 If they
call you a liar, their predecessors did the same: messengers came to
them with clear signs, scriptures, and enlightening revelation 26 and
afterwards I seized the disbelievers – how terrible My punishment
was!
27 Have you [Prophet] not considered how God sends water down
from the sky and that We produce with it fruits of varied colours;
that there are in the mountains layers of white and red of various
hues, and jet black; 28 that there are various colours among human
beings, wild animals, and livestock too? It is those of His servants
who have knowledge who stand in true awe of God. God is almighty,