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PRESIDENT WHITE LIBRARY.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY.
 

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9 169 907
THE KORAN:

COMMONLY CALLED

THE ALCORAN OF MOHAMMED;

FRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH IMMEDIATELY FROM THE ORIGINAL ARABI

WITH

EXPLANATORY NOTES,

TAKEN FROM THE MOST APPROVED COMMENTATORS.

TO WHICH IS PREFIXED

A PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.

BY GEORGE SALE, GENT.

Nulla faisa doctrina est, que non aliquid veri pefmisceat.”—AveusTin. Quast. Evana. 1. 2, 6.40

Fifth Editing,

A MEMOIR OF THE TRANSLATOR,

AND WITH VARIOUS READINGS AND ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES FROM SAVARY’S VERSION OF
THE KORAN.

neers

PHILADELPHIA:
J. W. MOORE, 195 CHESTNUT STREET.
1856. eae

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TO THE

RIGHT HON. JOHN LORD CARTERET,

ONE OF THE LORDS OF HIS MAJESTY’S MOST HONOURABLE PRIVY COUNCIL.

i

My Lorp,

Norwirustanpine the great honour and respect generally and
deservedly paid to the memories of those who have founded states,
or obliged a people by the institution of laws which have made
them prosperous and considerable in the world, yet the legislator of
the Arabs has been treated in so very different a manner by ah
who acknow ledge not his claim to a divine mission, and by Christians
especially, that were not your lordship’s just discernment sufficiently
known, I should think myself under a necessity of making an
apology for presenting the following translation.

The remembrance of the calamities brought on so many nations
by the conquests of the Arabians may possibly raise some indig-
nation against him who formed them to empire; but this, being
equally applicable to all conquerors, could not, of itself, occasion
all the detestation with which the name of Mohammed is loaded.
He has given a new system of religion, which has had still greater
success than the arms of his followers, and to establish this religion
made use of an imposture; and on this account it is supposed that
he must of necessity have been a most abandoned villain, and his
nemory is become infamous. But as Mohammed gave his Arabs

the best religion he could, as well as the best laws, preferable,
(ii)
Iv DEDICATION.

at least, to those of the ancient pagan lawgivers, I confess J cannot
see why he deserves not equal respect, though not with Moses or
Jesus Christ, whose laws came really from heaven, yet with Minos
or Numa, notwithstanding the distinction of a learned writer, who
seems to think it a greater crime to make use of an imposture to
set up a new religion, founded on the acknowledgment of one true
God, and to destroy idolatry, than to use the same means to gain
reception to rules and regulations for the more orderly practice of
heathenism already established. .

To be acquainted with the various laws and constitutions of
civilized nations, especially of those who flourish in our own time,
is, perhaps, the most useful part of knowledge: wherein though
your lordship, who shines with so much distinction in the noblest
assembly in the world, peculiarly excels; yet as the law of
Mohammed, by reason of the odium it lies under, and the strange-
ness of the language in which it is written, has been so much
neglected, I flatter myself some things in the following sheets may
be new even to a person of your lordship’s extensive learning; and
if what I have written may be any way entertaining or acceptable
to your lordship, I shall not regret the pains it has cost me.

I join with the general voice in wishing your lordship all the
honour and happiness your known virtues and merit deserve, and
am with perfect respect,

My Lorp,
Your lordship’s most humble

And most obedient servant,

GEORGE SALE.
TO THE READER. °*

 

‘

I mmacine it almost needless either to make an apology for publishing
the following translation, or to go about to prove it a work of use as well
as curiosity. ‘They must have a mean opinion of the Christian religion, ©
or be but ill grounded therein, who can apprehend any danger from so
manifest a forgery: and if the religious and civil institutions of foreign
nations are worth our knowledge, those of Mohammed, the lawgiver of
the Arabians, and founder of an empire which in less than a century
spread itself over a greater part of the world than the Romans were
ever masters of, must needs be so; whether we consider their extensive
obtaining, or our frequent intercourse with those who are governed
thereby. I shall not here inquire into the reasons why the law of
Mohammed has met with so unexampled a reception in the world (for
they are greatly deceived who imagine it to have been propagated by
the sword alone), or by what means it came to be embraced by nations
which never felt the force of the Mohammedan arms, and even by
those which stripped the Arabians of their conquests, and put an end
to the sovereignty and very being of their Kalifs: yet it seems as
if there was something more than what is vulgarly imagined, in a
religion which has made so surprising a progress. But whatever use an
impartial version of the Koran may be of in other respects, it is abso-
lutely necessary to undeceive those who from the ignorant or unfair
translations which have appeared, have entertained too favourable an
opinion of the original, and also to enable us effectually to expose the
imposture: none of those who have hitherto undertaken that province,
not excepting Dr. Prideaux himself, having succeeded to the satisfaction
of the judicious, for want of being ¢omplete masters of the controversy.
The writers of the Romish communion, in particular, are so far from
having done any service in their refutations of Mohammedanism, that by
endeavouring to defend their idolatry and other superstitions, they have
rather contributed to the increase of that aversion which the Moham-
medans in general have to the Christian religion, and given them great
advantages in the dispute. The protestants alone are able to attack the
Koran with success; and for them, I trust, Providence has reserved the
glory of its overthrow. In the mean time, if I might presume to lay
down rules to be observed by those who attempt the conversion of the
Mohammedans, they should be the same which the learned and worthy

(¥),
vi TO THE READER.

bishop Kidder * has prescribed for the conversion of the Jews, and which
may, mutatis mutandis, be equally applied to the former, notwithstanding
the despicable opinion that writer, for want of being better acquainted
with them, entertained of those people, judging them scarce fit to be
argued with. The first of these rules is, To avoid compulsion ; which
though it be not in our power to employ at present, I hope will nt
be made use of when it is. The second is, To avoid teaching doctrines
against common sense; the Mohammedans not being such fools (whatever
we may think of them) as to be gained over in this case. The worshipping
of images and the doctrine of transubstantiation are great stumbling-blocks
to the Mohammedans, and the church which teacheth them is very unfit to
bring those people over. The third is, To avoid weak arguments: for the
Mohammedans are not to be converted with these, or hard words, We
must use them with humanity, and dispute against them with arguments
that are proper and cogent. It is certain that many Christians, who have
written against them, have been very defective this way: many have used
arguments that have no force, and advanced propositions that are void
of truth, This method is so far from convincing that it rather serves
to harden them. The Mohammedans will be apt to conclude we have
‘ittle to say, when we urge them with arguments that are trifling or
antrue. We do but lose ground when we do this; and instead: of
gaining them, we expose ourselves and our cause also. We must not
give them ill words neither; but must avoid all reproachful language,
all that is sarcastical and biting: this never did good from pulpit or press.
The softest words will make the deepest impression; and if we think
it a fault in them to give ill language, we cannot be excused when we
mitate them. The fourth rule is, Not to quit any article of the Christian
faith to gain the Mohammedans. It is a fond conceit of the Socinians,
that we shall upon, their principles be most like to prevail upon the
Mohammedans: it is not true in matter of fact. We must not give
up any article to gain them: but then the church of Rome ought to
part with many practices and some doctrines. We are not to design
to gain the Mohammedans over to a system of dogmas, but to the ancient
and primitive faith. I believe nobody will deny but that the ,rules
here laid down are just: the latter part of the third, which alone my
design has given me: occasion to practise, I think so reasonable, that
I have not, in’ speaking of Mohammed or his Koran, allowed myself
to use those opprobrious appellations, and unmannerly expressions, which
seem to be the strongest arguments of several who have written against
them. On the contrary, I have thought myself obliged to treat’ both
with common decency, and even to approve such particulars as seemed
to me to deserve approbation: for how criminal soever Mohammed may
have been in imposing a false religion on mankind, the praises due to
his real virtues ought not to be denied him; nor can I do otherwise

* In his Demonstr. of the Messias, part 3, chap. 2.
TO THE READER. vii

than applaud the candour of the pious and learned Spanhemius, who.
though he owned him to have been a wicked impostor, yet acknowledgea
him to have been richly furnished with natural endowments, beautiful
in his person, of a subtle wit, agreeable behaviour, showing liberality to the
poor, courtesy to every one, fortitude agaist his enemies, and above all a
high reverence for the name of God ; severe against the perjured, adulterers,
murderers, slanderers, prodigals, covetous, false witnesses, &c, a great
preacher of patience, charity, mercy, beneficence, gratitude, honouring of
parents and superiors, and a frequent celebrator of the divine praises.*

Of the several translations of the Koran now extant, there is but
one which tolerably represents the sense of the original; and that
being in Latin, a new version became necessary, at least to an English
reader. What Bibliander published for a Latin translation of that book
deserves not the name of a translation; the unaccountable liberties therein
taken, and the numberless faults, both of omission and commission,
leaving scarce any resemblance of the original. It was made near six
hundred years ago, being finished in 1148, by Robertus Retenensis, an
Englishman, with the assistance of Hermannus Dalmata, at the request
of Peter, abbot of Clugny, who paid them well for their pains,

From this Latin version was taken the Italian of Andrea Arrivabene
notwithstanding the pretences in his dedication of its being done imme-
diately from the Arabic ;} wherefore it is no wonder if the transcript be yet
more faulty and absurd than the copy.f

About the end of the fifteenth century, Johannes Andreas, a native
of Xativa in the kingdom of Valencia, who from a Mohammedan: doctor
became a Christian priest, translated not only the Koran, but also its
glosses, and the seven books of the Sonna, out of Arabic into the
Arragonian tongue, at the command of Martin Garcia,§ bishop of
Barcelona, and inquisitor of Arragon. Whether this translation were
ever published or not I am wholly ignorant; but it may be presumed
to have been the better done for being the work of one bred up in the
Mohammedan religion and learning; though his refutation of that religion,
which has had several editions, gives no great idea of his abilities,

Some years within the last century, Andrew du Ryer, who had been
consul of the French nation in Egypt, and was tolerably skilled in the

 

*Td certum, naturalibus egregié dotibus instructum Muhammedem, forma prestanti,
ingenio callido, moribus facetis, ac pre se ferentem liberalitatem in egenos, comitatem in
singulos, tortitudinem in hostes, ac pre ceteris reverentiam divini nominis.—Severus fuit
in perjuros, adulteros, homicidas, obtrectatores, prodigos, avaros, falsos testes, &c. Mag-
nus idem patientiz, charitatis, misericordiz, beneficientiz, gratitudinis, honoris in paren-
tes ac superiores praco, ut et divinarum laudum.—Hist. Eccles. sec. 7, c. 7, lem. 5, et 7.

+ His words are: ‘‘ Questo libro, che gid havevo 4 commune utilita di molti fatto dal
proprio testo Arabo tradurre nella nostra volgar lingua Italiana,”’ &c. And afterwards:
«* Gnesto é I’ Alcorano di Macometto, il quale, come ho gia detto, ho fatto dal suo idioma
tradurre,’’ &c.

t Vide Joseph. Scalig, Epist. 361 et 362; et Selden. de Success. ad Leges Ebreor. p. 9.

§J. Andreas, in pref. ad Tractat. suum de Confusione Secte Mahometane.
vill {TO THE READER.

Turkish and Arabic languages, took the pains to translate the Koran into
nis own tongue: but his performance, though it be beyond comparison pre
ferable to that of Retenensis, is far from being a just translation ; there being
mistakes in every page, besides frequent transpositions, omissions, and addi-
tions,* faults unpardonable in a work of this nature. And what renders it still
more incomplete, is the want of notes to explain a vast number of Paseeges:
some of which are difficult, and others impossible to be understood without
proper explications, were they translated ever so exactly i which the author
is so sensible of, that he often refers his readers to the Arabic commentators.t

The English version is no other than a translation of du Ryer’s, and that
a very bad one; for Alexander Ross, who did it, being utterly unacquainted
with the Arabic, and no great master of the French, has added a number
of fresh mistakes of his own to those of du Ryer; not to mention the mean-
ness of his language, which would make a better book ridiculous.

In 1698, a Latin translation of the Koran, made by Father Lewis Mar-
racci, who had been confessor to Pope Innocent XI., was published at
Padua, together with the original text, accompanied by explanatory notes
and a refutation. This translation of Marracci’s, generally speaking, is
very exact; but adheres to the Arabic idiom too literally to be easily under-
stood, unless I am much deceived, by those who are not versed in the
Mohammedan learning.{ The notes he has added are indeed of great use;
but his refutations, which swell the work to a large volume, are of little or
none at all, being often unsatisfactory, and sometimes impertinent. The
work, however, with all its faults, is very valuable, and J should be guilty of
ingratitude, did I not acknowledge myself much obliged thereto ; but still,
being in Latin, it can be of no use to those who understand not that tongue.

 

* Vide Windet. de Vita Functorem statu, sect. 9.

t “Tf,” says Savary, ‘‘ the Koran, which is extolled throughout the East for the perfec-
tion of its style, and the magnificence of its imagery, seems, under the pen of du Ryer, to
be only a dull and tiresome rhapsody, the blame must be laid on his manner of translat-
ing. This book is divided into verses, like the’ Psalms of David. This kind of writing,
which was adopted by the prophets, enables prose to make use of the bold terms and the
figurative expressions of poetry. Du Ryer, paying no respect whatever to the text, has
connected the verses together, and made of them a continuous discourse. To accomplish
this misshapen assemblage, he has had recourse to frigid conjunctions, and to trivial
phrases, which, destroying the dignity of the ideas, and the charm of the diction, render
it impossible to recognize the original. While reading his translation, no one could
ever imagine that the Korfn is the masterpiece of the Arabic language, which is fertile
in fine writers; yet this is the judgment which antiquity has passed on it.’’

t Of Marracci’s translation Savary says: ‘‘ Marracci, that learned monk, who spent
forty years in translating and refuting the{Koran, proceeded on the right system. He di-
vided it into verses, according to the text; but, neglecting the precepts of a great master,

‘ Nec verbum verbo curabis reddere, fidus
Interpres,’ &c,

he translated it literally. He has not expressed the ideas of the Koran, but t
the words of it into barbarous Latin. Yet, though all the beauties of the o:
ost in this translation, it is preferable to that by du Ryer.”’

ravestied
riginal are
TO THE READER. ix

Having therefore undertaken a new translation, I have endeavoured to
do the original impartial. justice, not having, to the best of my knowledge
represented it in any one instance, either better or worse than it really is.
I have thought myself obliged, indeed, in a piece which pretends to be the
Word of Gop, to keep somewhat scrupulously close to the text ; by which
means the language may, in some places, seem to express the Arabic a
little too literally to be elegant English: butt this, I hope, has not happened
‘often; and I flatter myself that the style I have made use of will not only
give a more genuine idea of the original than if I had taken more liberty
(which would have been much more for my ease), but will soon become
familiar ; for we must not expect to read a version of so extraordinary a
book with the same ease and pleasure as a modern composition.

In the notes my view has been briefly to explain the text, and especially
the difficult and obscure passages, from the most approved commentators,
and that generally in their own words, for whose opinions or expressions,
where liable to censure, I am not answerable; my province being only fair-
ly to represent their expositions, and the little I have added of my own, or
from European writers, being easily discernible. Where I met with any
circumstance which I imagined might be curious or entertaining, I have
not failed to produce it.

The Preliminary Discourse will acquaint the reader with the most
material particulars proper to be known previously to entering on the
Koran itself, and which could not so conveniently have been thrown into
the notes. And I have taken care both in the Preliminary Discourse and
the notes, constantly to quote my authorities and the writers to whom I
have been beholden; but to none have I been more so than to the learned
Dr. Pocock, whose Specimen Historie Arabum is the most useful and
accurate work that has been hitherto published concerning the antiquities
of that nation, and ought to be read by every curious inquirer into them.

As I have had no opportunity of consulting public libraries, the manu-
scripts of which I have made use throughout the whole work have been
such as I had in my own study, except only the Commentary of al Bei-
dawi, and the gospel of St. Barnabas. The first belongs to the library of
the Dutch church in Austin Friars, and for the use of it I have been chiefly
indebted to the Rev. Dr. Bolton, one of the ministers of that church: the
other was very obligingly lent me by the Rev. Dr. Holme, rector of Hedly
in Hampshire; and I take this opportunity of returning both those gentle-
men my thanks for their favours. The merit of al Beidawi’s Commentary
will appear from the frequent quotations I have made thence; but of the
gospel of St. Barnabas (which I had not seen when the little I have said
of it in the Preliminary Discourse,* and the extract I had borrowed from
M. de la Monnoye and Mr. Toland,t were printed off), I must beg leave
to give some further account.

* Sect. iv. p. 53. + In not. ad cap. 3, p. 42.
x TO THE READER.

The book is a moderate quarto, in Spanish, written in a very legible
hand, but a little damaged towards the latter end, It contains two hun-
dred and twenty-two chapters of unequal length, and four hundred and
twenty pages; and is said, in the front, to be translated from the Italian,
by an Arragonian Moslem, named Mostafa de Aranda. ‘There is a preface
prefixed to it, wherein the discoverer of the original MS., who was a Chris-
tian monk, called Fra Marino, tells us, that having accidentally met with
a writing of Irenzeus (among others), wherein he speaks against St. Paul,
alleging, for his authority, the gospel of St. Barnabas, he became exceedingly
desirous to find this gospel; and that Gop, of his mercy, having made him
very intimate with Pope Sixtus V., one day, as they were together in that
Pope’s library, his holiness fell asleep, and he, to employ himself, reaching
down a book to read, the first he laid his hand on proved to be the very
gospel he wanted; overjoyed at the discovery, he scrupled not to hide his
prize in his sleeve, and on the Pope’s awaking took leave of him, carrying
with him that celestial treasure, by reading of which he became a convert
to Mohammedism.

This gospel of Barnabas contains a complete history of Jesus Christ from
his birth to his ascension; and most of the circumstances of the four real
gospels are to be found therein, but many of them turned, and some artfully -
enough, to favour the Mohammedan system. From the design of the
whole, and the frequent interpolations of stories and passages wherein
Mohammed is spoken of and foretold by name, as the messenger of Gop,
and the great prophet who was to perfect the dispensation of Jesus, it
appears to be a most barefaced forgery. One particular I observe therein
induces me to believe it to have been dressed up by a renegade Christian,
slightly instructed in his new religion, and not educated a Mohammedan
(unless the fault be imputed to the Spanish, or perhaps the Italian translator,
and not to the original compiler), I mean the giving to Mohammed the title
of Messiah, and that not once or twice only, but in several places ; whereas
the title of the Messiah, or, as the Arabs write it, al Masih, i. e. Christ, is
appropriated to Jesus in the Koran, and is constantly applied by the
Mohammedans to him, and never to their own prophet. The passages
produced from the Italian MS. by M. de la Monnoye are to be seen in this
Spanish version almost word for word.

But to return to the following work. Though I have freely censured the —
former translation of the Koran, I would not therefore be suspected of a
design to make my own pass as free from faults: I am very sensible it is |
not; and I make no doubt but the few who are able to discern them, and
know the difficulty of the undertaking, will give me fair quarter. I like-
wise flatter myself that they, and all considerate persons, will excuse the
delay which has happened in the publication of this work, when they are
informed that it was carried out at leisure times only, and amidst the
necessary avocations of a troublesome profession.
A SKETCH

OF THE

LIFE OF GEORGE SALE.

OF the life of Gzorcz Saxe, a man of extensive learning, and con-
siderable literary talent, very few particulars have been transmitted to us
by his contemporaries. He is said to have been born in the county of
Kent, and the time of his birth must have been not long previous to the
close of the seventeenth century. His education he received at the
King’s School, Canterbury. Voltaire, who bestows high praise on the
version of the Koran, asserts him to have spent five and twenty years in
Arabia, and to have acquired in that country his profound knowledge of
the Arabic language and customs. On what authority this is asserted, it
would now be fruitless to endeavour to ascertain. But that the assertion
is an erroneous one, there can be no reason to doubt; it being opposed by
the stubborn evidence of dates and facts. It is almost certain that Sale
was brought up to the law, and that he practised it for many years, if not
till the end of his career. He is said, by a co-existing writer, to have
quitted his legal pursuits, for the purpose of applying himself to the
study of the eastern and other languages, both ancient and modern. His
guide through the labyrinth of the oriental dialects was Mr. Dadichi, the
king’s interpreter. If it be true that he ever relinquished the practice of
the law, it would appear that he must have resumed it before his decease ;
ror, in his address to the reader, prefixed to the Kor4n, he pleads, as an

apology for the delay which had occurred in publishing the volume, that
(xi)
xii LIFE OF GEORGE SALE. :

the work “ was carried on at leisure times only, and amidst the necessary
avocations of a troublesome profession.” This alone would suffice to
show that Voltaire was in error, But to this must be added, that the
existence of Sale was terminated at an early period, and that in at least
his latter years, he was engaged in literary labours of no trifling mag-
nitude. The story of his having, during a quarter of a century, resided
in Arabia, becomes, therefore, an obvious impossibility, and must be
dismissed to take its place among those fictions by which biography has
often been encumbered and disgraced.

Among the few productions of which Sale is known to be the author, is
a part of “The Genera’ Dictionary,” in ten volumes, folio. “To the
translation of Bayle, which is incorporated with this voluminous work, he
is stated to have been a large contributor.

When the plan of the Universal History was arranged, Sale was one of
those who were selected to carry it into execution. His coadjutors were
Swinton, eminent as an antiquary, and remarkable for absence of mind;
Shelvocke, originally a naval officer; the well-informed, intelligent, and
laborious Campbell; that singular character, George Psalmanazar; and
Archibald Bower, who afterwards became an object of unenviable noto-
riety. The portion of the history which was supplied by Sale comprises
“The Introduction, containing the Cosmogony, or Creation of the World ;”
and the whole, or nearly the whole, of the succeeding chapter, which
traces the narrative of events from the creation to the flood. In the per-
formance of his task, he displays a thorough acquaintance with his
subject; and his style, though not polished into elegance, is neat and
perspicuous. In a French biographical dictionary, of anti-liberal prin-
ciples, a writer accuses him of having adopted a system hostile to tradition
and the scriptures, and composed his account of the Cosmogony with the
view of giving currency to his heretical opinions. Either the accuser
never read the article which he censures, or he has wilfully misrepresented
it; for it affords the fullest contradiction to the charge, as does also the
sequent chapter ; and he must, therefore, be contented to choose between

the demerit of being a slanderer through blundering and reckless igno-

rance, or through sheer malignity of heart.
LIFE OF GEORGE SALE. xii

‘Inough his share in these publications affords proof of the erudition
and ability of Sale, it probably would not alone have been sufficient to
preserve his name from oblivion. His claim to be remembered rests
principally on his version of the Koran, which appeared in November,
1734, in a quarto volume, and was inscribed to Lord Carteret. The
dedicator does not disgrace himself by descending to that fulsome
adulatory style which was then too frequently employed in addressing the
great. As a translator, he had the field almost entirely to himself; there
being at that time no English translation of the Mohammedan civil and
spiritual code, except a bad copy of the despicable one by Du Ryer. His
performance was universally and justly approved of, still remains in
Tepute, and is not likely to be superseded by any other of the kind. It
may, perhaps, be regretted, that he did not preserve the division into
verses, as Savary has since done, instead of connecting them into
a continuous narrative. Some of the poetical spirit is unavoidably
lost by the change. But this is all that can be objected to him. It
is, I believe, admitted, that he is in no common degree faithful
to his original; and his numerous notes, and Preliminary Discourse,
manifest such a perfect knowledge of Eastern habits, manners, traditions,
and Jaws, as could have been acquired only by an acute mind, capable of
submitting to years of patient toil.

But, though his work passed safely through the ordeal of criticism, it
has been made the pretext for a calumny against him. It has been
declared, that he puts the Christian religion on the same footing with the
Mohammedan ; and some charitable persons have even supposed him to
have been a disguised professor of the latter. The origin of this slander
we may trace back to the strange obliquity of principles, and the blind
merciless rage, which are characteristic of bigotry. Sale was not one of
those who imagine that the end sanctifies the means, and that the best
interests of mankind can be advanced by violence, by railing, or by
deviating from the laws of truth, in order to blacken an adversary. He
enters into the consideration of the character of Mohammed with a calm

ohilosophic spirit ; repeatedly censuring his imposture, touching upon his
xiv LIFE OF GEORGE SALE.

supterfuges and inventions, but doing justice to him on those noints
on which the pretended prophet is really worthy of praise The rules
which, in his address to the reader, he lays down for the conversion
of Mohammedans, are dictated by sound sense and amiable feelings.
They are, however, not calculated to satisfy those who think the sword
and the faggot to be the only proper instruments for the extirpation
of heresy. That he places Islamism on an equality with Christianity is
a gross falsehood. “As Mohammed,” says he, “ gave his Arabs the best
religion he could, preferable, at least, to those of the ancient pagan law-
givers, I confess I cannot see why he deserves not equal respect, though
not with Moses or Jesus Christ, whose laws came really from heaven, yet
with Minos or Numa, notwithstanding the distinction of a learned writer,
who seems to think it a greater crime to make use of an imposture to set
up a new religion, founded on the acknowledgment of one true God, and
to destroy idolatry ‘fae to use the same means to gain reception to rules
and regulations for the more orderly practice of heathenism already estab-
lished.” This, and no more, is “the very head and front of his
offending ;” and from this it would, I think, be difficult to extract any
proof of his belief in the divine mission of Mohammed. If the charge
brought against him be not groundless, he must have added to his other
sins that of being a consummate hypocrite, and that, too, without any
obvious necessity ; he having been, till the period of his decease, a member
of the Society for the Promoting of Christian Knowledge.

_ In 1786 a society was established for the encouragement of learning.
It comprehended many noblemen, and some of the most eminent literary
men of that day. Sale was one of the founders of it, and was appointed
on the first committee. The meetings were held weekly, and the com-
mittee decided upon what works should be printed at the expense of the
society, or with its assistance, and what should be the price of them.
When the cost of printing was repaid, the property of the work reverted
tothe author. This establishment did not, I imagine, exist for any length

of time. The attention of the public has been recently called toa plan of

a similar kind.
LIFE OF GEORGE SALE, xv

Sale did not long survive the carrying of this scheme into effect. He
died of a fever, on the 18th of November, 1736, at his house in Surrey
street, Strand, after an illness of only eight days, and was buried at
St. Clement Danes. He was under the age of forty when he was thus
suddenly snatched from his family, which consisted of a wife and five
children. Of his sons, one was educated at New College, Oxford, of

hich he became Fellow, and he was subsequently elected to a Fellow-
ship in Winchester College. Sale is described as having had “a healthy
constitution, and a communicative mind in a comely person.” His
library was valuable, and contained many rare and beautiful manuscripts
in the Persian, Turkish, Arabic, and other languages; a circumstance
which seems to show, that poverty, so often the lot of men whose lives are
devoted to literary pursuits, was not one of the evils with which he was

compelled to encounter.

R. A. DAVENPORT,
ADVERTISEMENT.

Tue present Edition of Sale’s Translation of the Koran will, it
is hoped, be found to possess some advantages over every other.
Many useful notes, and several hundred various readings, are added
from the French version by Savary. Of the various readings, the
‘ major part give a different meaning from that which is adopted by
the English translator; while the others, though agreeing with his
idea of the text, are more poetically expressed. Great care has
been taken to prevent the work from being disfigured by typo-
graphical errors, which are peculiarly objectionable in a work of
this kind, because they render it unsafe to be consulted. A Sketch
of the Life of Sale is also prefixed, which, though brief, contains
several particulars not hitherto stated by any of his biographers,
and vindicates, and it is believed satisfactorily, his memory from

some aspersions that have been illiberally cast upon it by the pre-
judiced or the ignorant.
Sect.
1. Of the Arabs before Mohammed; or, as they express it, in the Time of Ignorance ;

CONTENTS.

A TABLE

OF THE

SECTIONS OF THE PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.

their History, Religion, Learning, and Customs.....secccessescccccasecsees

2. Of the State of Christianity, particularly of the Eastern Churches, and Judaism,

at the time of Mohammed’s appearance ; and of the methods taken by him for
the establishing his Religion, and the circumstances which concurred thereto...

3. Of the Koran itself, the Peculiarities of that book ; the Manner of its being written

and published, and the general Design Of iteccssseeseeccecveucccccerecseens

4. Of the Doctrines and positive Precepts of the Koran which relate to Faith and

Religious Duties .- +... ssecceeccecscrccceecevecesacseressreessseesresecees

5 Of certain negative Precepts in the Kordnssss+s+esseees aja idlavd ainie/aieleeiars aswiaraiere

Pr Of the Institutions of the Koran in Civil Affaira ..+.scecessccccccceeucsenceeas

8. Of the principal Sects among the Mohammedans; and of those who have pretended

Of the Months commanded by the Koran to be kept sacred; and of the setting
apart Friday for the especial service Of Gods+.eecercceseceecccreraceccsececs

to Prophecy among the Arabs, in or since the time of Mohammed «...+.-+ +00

(xvii)

Page

1

23
40

50
87
94°

105

107
A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS

OF

THE KORAN.*

 

 iniided: The Preface, or Introduction; containing 7 verseS.+++eee+sreeerrers 1”
Intitled, The Cow; containing 286 verses +++-+-+++++++

   

Intitled, Cattle (Flocks); containing 165 verses... -
Intitled, Al Araf; containing 206 (205) verses «++seeeeeseceeeseceeseereceeee 116
Intitled, The Spoils; containing 76 verses «--+++++seeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeceees 138
Intitled, The Declaration of Immunity (Conversion); containing 139 (130)
VETSES se cceccscccceccssceeeeccscesesssssccesscesaseccsssssosssosaseees 148
Intitled, Jonas; containing 109 versese..+seesseeeeeesseecceecteeceeseasens 166
Intitled, Hud; containing 123 verses....++..0+
Intitled, Joseph; containing 111 verses......
Intitled, Thunder ; containing 43 verses... kV eRRO eRe w ees BOD
Intitled, Abraham ; containing 52 verses.... Lesa ees toned kaa taseereew ee
Intitled, Al Hejr; containing 99 (100) verses .-.-... Syarkan eee bia sascasense 200
Intitled, The Bee (The Bees); containing 128 verses..+.sseseesssecseveceees 214

a ccccisccccnccsoenevessse 98

cee eccoeceseceeessenone 175

 
 
 
 

 

Intitled, The Cave; containing 111 (110) verses-...-.+-
Intitled, Mary ; containing 80 (98) verses ..+-+seeeseeesscceecersresssercees 248

Intitled, T. H.; containing 134 (135) verses ..+seeseseteceerceereeveevessees LOO
JIntitled, The Prophets; containing 112 verses.........- CRAG OE REN gees DOE
Intitled, The Pilgrimage ; containing 78 VEIRESs ev vicks sedi cvde clesnsesans coe O73

Intitled, The True Believers; containing 118 verses....seeseeeeee
Intitled, Light ; containing 74 (64) verses......+.seeeeeenee westetsls
Intitled, Al Forkan (The Korén); containing 77 verses.+-.e+eseeeceecceesees 296
Intitled, The Poets; containing 227 (228) verses. ....seceseccceceenccssessee BOL
Intitled, The Ant ; containing 93 (95) verses ....cseseceseeeseecssecceeesees 309
Intitled, The Story (The History); containing 87 (88: verses .......e+eeeee0+ 316
Intitled, The Spider; containing 69 verses....essecesseccscccevccesseceees 325
Intitled, The Greeks; containing 60 verses. ..+.esceccceeesencseecssecesees 330

  

Intitled, Lokman; containing 34 verses. ss... ccc ee cecceeeneeteccceeceeees oan
Intitled, Adoration; containing 29 (30) verses... ..seceecececceeccesscseuses 338
Intitled, The Confederates (The Conspirators) ; containing 73 verses. ...+.++++ 341
Intitled, Saba; containing 54 verses...... binesioueenak daractasew oo shone ene 351.

 

 

* The titles and figures within parentheses are those which are given in the translation by SavaRry

(xvii)
80.
81.
82.
83.

84,
85.
86.

np :
Tntitled, The Creator (The Angels); containing 45 verses .+..+++sseeeseeeees 357

‘Intitled, The troops; containing 75 verses .

TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS. xix
Page.

Intitled, Y. S. (1. S.); containing 83 verses......++-++-
Intitled, Those who rank themselves in Order (‘The Classes); containing 182 verses 365
Intitled, S.; containing 86 (88) verses..... » O71

Sess wieisievatss - 377
Intitled. The True Believer ; containing 85 v VETSES see e eee eaeeecereeteeeteees 383
Intitled, Are distinctly explained (The Explanation) ; containing 54 (55) verses.. 389
Intitled, Consultation (The Council); containing 53 verses .+..-+.e-seeeeerese 393
Intitled, The Ornaments of Gold (Dress) ; containing 89 verses »...+.+e++++++ 397
Intitled, Smoke ; containing 57 (59) verses........ ie kes AW EE LEROO NE RE ~- 402
Intitled, The Kneeling ; containing 36 verses ....+eesseeeececsercaceaccones 404
Intitled, Al Ahkaf; containing 35 verses - pasians ses ones seates ees. 4-406
Intitled, Mohammed (The Battle) ; coiatalcnge 38 (40) verses ...seeee » 410
Intitled, The Victory ; containing 29 verseS....+ssseeeseened Sea Wasdieutsintseiaees: 413
Intitled, The Inner Apartments (The Sanctuary); containing 18 verses ....-.. 417
Tntitled, K.; containing 45 verses ....ssesssccsecceesesenscncnesecees « 420
Intitled, The Dispersing (The Breath of the Winds); containing 60 verses.....- 422
Intitled, The Mountain ; containing 48 (49) verses sssssseccepeccsccsencceaes 425
Intitled, The Star; containing 61 verses......sseeeeee
Intitled, The Moon; containing 55 verses ...ssssecsaceeseeees
Intitled, The Merciful; containing 78 verses .-.+esceseseeeswseveeees a5
Intitled, The Inevitable (The Judgment); containing 99 (96) verses -..++++-++ 435
Intitled, Iron; containing 29 verses ..--+seseeeccececseccceercsssscsscecess 438
Intitled, She who disputed (The Complaint); containing 22 verses....++.e-++s 439

   

  

 

 

  

    

Intitled, She who is tried (The Proof); containing 13 verses -.-+.++++++0+

Intitled, Battle Array (The Array); containing 14 verses ........ oeeneee 449
Intitled, The Assembly (Friday); containing 11 verses ........+ exerts 450
Intitled, The Hypocrites (The Impious); containing 11 verses.... sb 451
Intitled, Mutual Deceit (Knavery) ; containing 18 verses ....+..seesseeeeeens 452

Intitled, Divorce; containing 12 verses ..+++sseeeeeseecereeeees
Intitled, Prohibition ; containing 12 verses ....-sessseereesseoes

 

Intitled, The Kingdom ; containing 30 verses --.++++se sees Since Saleem ae Gases 458
Intitled, The Pen; containing 52 verses--...se+eeserees slab aoroeeew even on ACO
Intitled, The Infallible (The Inevitable Day); containing 52 verses. seseee 462
Intitled, The Steps (The Classes or The Orders) ; ee 44 verses....+++. 464
Intitled, Noah; containing 28 verses .....esereceseeeee steeeeeeeeeesee 466
Intitled, The Genii;. containing 28 verses. +...ssseeeereeceevees Sdaraa trent se 467
Intitled, The Wrapped up (The Prophet clothed in his Dress); containing 19

(20) verses «ses iste d a Sap eee sein asiadarne’s ee sateceibavaisintece ae atu ateigis oer pete wieeee see 469,
Intitled, The Covered (The Mantle); containing 55 verses -..s.+seeeeeeeees + 471
Intitled, The Resurrection; containing 40 verses .+ssseeeescececeeeeseeces oa 473
Intitled, Man; containing 31 (30) verses .--++++ee+- icin tal wie yes Weenie 474
Inttled, Those which are sent (The Messengers); containing 50 verses .-.++++ 476
Intitled, The News (The Important News); containing 40 (41) verses ...+..++ 477
Intitled, Those who tear forth (The Ministers of Vengeance) ; containing 46 (47)

VETSES Se sceassneae ajarirayas bin saveh inte yelaie 'epeteiace:(e:cttereren (over bare bin iG wid oiese le wie @ueelas © 478
Intitled, He Frowned (The Frowning Brow); containing 42 verses..... bea tsie aie 479
Intitled, The Folding up (The Darkness); containing 29 (28) verses ..-.+++++» 480
Intitled, The Cleaving asunder (The Breaking); oontaining 19 verses --..-..+ 482
Intitled, Those who give short Measure or Weight (The ee Measure) ;

containing 36 verses.+-+--.seeeeeee- eee ne ee emcee eens ee eneeceee 482

Intitled, The Rending in sunder (The Opening) ; contaicitt 23 (25) verses «--- 484
Intitled, The Celestial Signs; containing 22 verses ...-+ssseeeeeeeceecereese 485
Intitled, The Star which eee by _ none Nachitnet ee 3 containing

17 .erses . et oven eect eeeene eens KOR Verne ve aicis Oode's vee 486
ax TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS

  

Chap. we
87. trailed, The Most High; containing 19 verses...-+++++ Cin etaseariedaleis were
88. Intitled, The Overwhelming (The Gloomy Veil); containing 26 (27) verses+++ 487
89. Iuititled, The Day-break; containing 30 verses-.+-+-+-+ Sei anad soon ee «-» 488
90. Intitled, The Territory (The City); containing 20 verses -++++++-+++ seceeeee 490
91. Intitled, The Sun; containing 15 (16) verses ++ -+++eseeeerercesctersree res AOL
92. Intitled, The Night; containing 21 verses -++++++++++++ spares patcdb esas 491
93. Intitled, The Brightness (The Sun in his Meridian) ; containing 1] verses -+- 492
94. Intitled, Have we not opened (The Expanding); containing 8B verses. --+++eee 493
95. Intitled, The Fig (The Fig-tree); containing 8 verseS «+++++-++rrseresreres » 493

96. Intitled, Congealed Blood (The Union of the Sexes); containing 19 verses. » 494
7. Intitled, Al Kadr (The Celebrated Night); containing 5 verses..++++++++s++++ 495
98. Intitled, The Evidence; containing 8 verses ---+++++++ denen ee eens ceenenes + 495
99. Intitled, The Earthquake ; containing 8 verseS++++s+erreesrecreertessceces 496
100. Intitled, The War Horses which run swiftly (The Cowrsers); con. 11 verses.. 497
101. Intitled, The Striking (The Day of Calamities); containing 10 (8) verses --.-. 497
102. Intitled, The Emulous Desire of Multiplying (The Love of Gain); con. 8 verses 498

 

    

103. Intitled, The Afternoon; containing 3 verses ...-+++++++++ tetee eee seseetee 498
104. Intitled, The Slanderer; containing 9 verses..+--++++- eee eeeeeewevasecees 499
105. Intitled, The Elephant; containing 5 verses..+s+eeseeceeeeeseees 499
106. Intitled, Koreish , The Koreishites); containing 4 verses --+-+++++++- secveees SOL
107. Intitled, Necessaries (The Succouring Hand); containing 7 verses ---++++- «+ 501
108. Intitled, Al Cawthar; containing 3 verses ...-+..sseese00s vee eeeebeeens eee 502
109. Intitled, The Unbelievers; containing 6 verses .-+seesseeeereceereerereeees 503
110. Intitled, Assistance; containing 3 verses ..++ssecseeceeeceneceecteeeeeeucs 503
111. Intitled, Abu Laheb ; containing 5 verses......+eceecsenceeeeceeeeeneseees SOF
112. Intitled, The Declination of God’s unity (Unity); containing 4 verses.......- 504

113. Intitled, The Day-break (The God of Morning); containing 5 verses ---+--.. 505
114. Intitled, Men; containing 6 verses sesessccsecccecccescrsescecsssacctseess BUS
THE

PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.

SECTION I.

wF THE ARABS BEFORE MOHAMMED, OR, AS THEY EXPRESS IT, IN THE TIME
OF IGNORANCE; THEIR HISTORY, RELIGION, LEARNING, AND CUSTOMS.

‘Vue Arabs, and thé country they inhabit, which themselves call Jezirat al
Arab, or the Peninsula of the Arabians, but we Arabia, were so named from
Araba,a smallterritory in the province of Tehama;' to which Yarab the son of
Kahtan, the father of the ancient Arabs, gave his name, and where, some
ages after, dwelt Ismael the son of Abraham by Hagar. The Christian
writers for several centuries speak of them under the appellation of Saxons;
the most certain derivation of which word is from shark, the east, where
the descendants of Joctan, the Kahtan of the Arabs, are placed by Moses?
and in which quarter they dwelt in respect to the Jews.°

The name of Arabia (used in a more extensive sense) sometimes com-
prehends all that large tract of land bounded by the river Euphrates, the
Persian gulf, the Sindian, Indian, and Red Seas, and part of the Mediter-
ranean: above two-thirds of which country, that is, Arabia properly so
called, the Arabs have possessed almost from the flood; and have made
themselves masters of the rest, either by settlements, or continual incur-
sions; for which reason the Turks and Persians at this day call the whole
Arabistan, or the country of the Arabs. :

But the limits of Arabia, in its more usual and proper sense, are much
narrower, as reaching no farther northward than the Isthmus, which runs
from Aila to the head of the Persian Gulf, and the borders of the territory
of Ciifa; which tract of land the Greeks nearly comprehended under the
name of Arabia the Happy. The eastern geographers make Arabia Petra
to belong partly to Egypt, and partly to Sham or Syria, and the desert
Arabia they call the deserts of Syria.

Proper. Arabia is by the oriental writers generally divided into five pro-
vinces,’ viz. Yaman, Hejiz, Tehama, Najd, and Yamama; to which some
add Bahrein, as a sixth, but this province the more exact make part of

 

* Pocock, Specim. Hist. Arab. 33. 2 Gen. x. 30. 3 See Pocock, Specim. 33, 34.
* Golius ad Alfragan. 78, 79. ’ Strabo says Arabia Felix was in his time divided into
five kingdoms, lib. 16, p. 1129. a
2 _ PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. I

Irak :® others reduce them all to two, Yaman and Hejaz, the last including
the three other provinces of Tehama, Najd, and Yamama. :

The province of Yaman, so called either from its situation to the right
hand, or south of the temple of Mecca, or else from the happiness and
verdure of its soil, extends itself along the Indian Ocean from Aden to cape
Rasalgat; part of the Red Sea bounds it on the west and south sides, and
the province of Hejéz on the north.’ It is subdivided into several lesser
provinces, as Hadramaut, Shihr, Oman, Najrin, &c. of which Shihr alone
produces the frankincense. The metropolis of Yaman Is Sanaa, a very
ancient city, in former times called Ozal, and much celebrated for its
delightful situation; but the prince at present resides about five leagues
northward from thence, at a place no less pleasant, called Hisn almawaheb, ©
or the Castle of delights. ; :

This country has been famous from all antiquity for the happiness of its
climate, its fertility and riches,! which induced Alexander the Great, after
his return from his Indian expedition, to form a design of conquering it,
and fixing there his royal seat; but his death, which happened soon after,
prevented the execution of this project.2 Yet in reality, great part of the
riches which the ancients imagined were the produce of Arabia, came really
from the Indies, and the coasts of Africa; for the Egyptians, who had en-
grossed that trade, which was then carried on by way of the Red Sea, to
themselves, industriously concealed the truth of the matter, and kept their
ports shut, to prevent foreigners penetrating into those countries, or receiving
any information thence: and this precaution of theirs on the one side, and
the deserts, unpassable to strangers, on the other, were the reason why
‘Arabia was so little known to the Greeks and Romans. The delightfulness
and plenty of Yaman are owing to its mountains; for all that part which
lies along the Red Sea is a dry, barren desert, in some places ten or twelve
leagues over, but in return bounded by those mountains, which being well
watered, enjoy an almost continual spring, and besides coffee, the peculiar
produce of this country, yield great plenty and variety of fruits, and in par.
ticular excellent corn, grapes, and spices. There are no rivers of note in
this country, for the streams which at certain times of the year descend
from the mountains, seldom reach the sea, being for the most part drunk
up and lost in the burning sands of that coast

The soil of the other provinces is much more barren than that of Yaman; °
the greater part of their territories being covered with dry sands, or rising
into rocks, interspersed here and there with some fruitful spots, which
receive their greatest advantages from their water and palm trees.
__ The province of Hejaz, so named because it divides Najd from Tehama,
is bounded on the south by Yaman and Tehama, on the west by the Red
Sea, on the north by the deserts of Syria, and on the east by the province
of Najd.* This province is famous for its two chief cities, Mecca and
Medina, one of which is celebrated for its temple, and having given birth
to Mohammed; and the other for being the place of his residence, for the
last ten years of his life, and of his interment, :

Mecca, sometimes also called Becca, which words are synonymous, and

signify a place of great concourse, is certainly one of the most ancient cities
in the world: it is by some thought to be the Mesa of the Scripture? a

6 Gol. ad Alfragan. 79. *La Roque, Voyage de I’ Arab. heur, 121 fe
Alfragan. 79. 87. ® Voyage de I’ Arab. heur. 232. * Vide Dionys. Bee
v, 927. &c. 2 Strabo, lib. 16. p. 1132. Arrian. 161. * Voyage de l’Arab. heur. [2]
422 143, ‘ Vide Gol. ad Alfrag. 98. Abulfeda Descr. Arab. p. 5. *R. Saadias in
version. Arab. Pentat. Sefer Juchasin. 135 b. ® Gen. x. 30.
SECT. I. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE, 3.

name not unknown to the Arabians, and supposed to be taken from one of
Ismael’s sons.’ It is seated in a stony and barren valley, surrounded on all
sides with mountains. The length of Mecca, from south to north, is about
two miles, and its breadth, from the foot of the mountain Ajyad to the top
of another called Koaikaan, about a mile.” In the midst of this space
stands the city, built of stone cut from the neighbouring mountains.’
There being no springs at Mecca, at least none but what are bitter and
unfit to drink, except only the well Zemzem, the water of which, though
far the best, yet cannot be drank for any continuance, being brackish, and
causing eruptions in those who drink plentifully of it,‘ the inhabitants are
obliged to use rain-water which they catch in cisterns.’ But this not being
sufficient, several attempts were made to bring water thither from other
places by aqueducts; and particularly about Mohammed’s time ; Zobair,
one of the principal men of the tribe of Koreish, endeavoured at a great
expense to supply the city with water from mount Arafat, but without
success; yet this was effected not many years ago, being begun at the
charge of a wife of Soliman the Turkish emperor.®’ But, long before this,
another aqueduct had been made froma spring at a considerable distance,
which was, after several years’ labour, finished by the Khalif al Moktader.7

The soil about Mecca is so very barren as to produce no fruits but what
are common in the deserts, though the prince or Sharif has a garden well
planted at his castle of Marbaa, about three miles westward from the city,
where he usually resides. Having therefore no corn or grain of their own
growth, they are obliged to fetch it from other places ;§ and Hashem, Mo.
Aammed’s great-grandfather, then prince of his tribe, the more effectually
to supply them with provisions, appointed two caravans to set out yearly
for that purpose, the one.in summer, and the other in winter these ca-
ravans of purveyors are mentioned in the Koran. The provisions brought
by them were distributed also twice a year, viz. in the month of Rajeb, and
at the arrival of the pilgrims. They are supplied with dates in great plenty
from the adjacent country, and with grapes from Tayef, about sixty miles
distant, very few growing at Mecca. The inhabitants of this city are gene-
rally very rich, being considerable gainers by the prodigious concourse of
people of almost all nations at the yearly pilgrimage, at which time there
is a great fair or mart for all kinds of merchandise. They have also great
numbers of cattle, and particularly of camels: however, the poorer sort
cannot but live very indifferently in a place where almost every necessary
of life must be purchased with money. Notwithstanding this great ste-
rility near Mecca, yet you are no sooner out of its territory than you meet
on all sides with plenty of good springs and streams of running water,
with a great many gardens and cultivated lands.

The temple of Mecca, and the reputed holiness of this territory, will
be treated of in a more proper place. :

Medina, which til] Mohammed’s retreat thither was called Yathreb, isa
walled city about half as big as Mecca, built in a plain, salt in many
places, yet tolerably fruitful, particularly in dates, but more especially near
the mountains, two of which, Ohod on the north, and Air on the south,
are about two leagues distant. Here lies Mohammed interred? in a mag-

 

* Gol. ad Alfrag. 82. See Gen. xxv. 15. ® Gol. ib. 98, See Pitts’ account of the
religion and manners of the Mohammedans, p. 96. . ° Sharif al Edrisi apud. Poce
Specim. 122. 1 Ibid. 2 Gol. ad Alfragan. 99. ® Sharif al Edrisi ubi supra, 124.
‘ Ibid. and Pitts ubi supra. p. 107. *Gol. al Alfrag.99. Ibid. * Sharif al
Edrisi ubi supr. ®%Idemib. °Poc. Specim.51. + Sharif al Edrisi ubi supra, 125.
21d Vulgo Geogr. Nubiensis, 5. : :

8 Though the notion of Mohammed's being buried at Mecca has been so long exploded
4 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. I

nificent building, covered with a cupola, and adjoining to the east side
of the great temple, which is built in the midst of the city.* i

The province of Tehama was so named from the vehement heat of its
sandy soil, and is also called Gaur from its low situation ; It 1s bounded
on the west by the Red Sea, and on the other sides by Hejaz and Yaman,
extending almost from Mecca to Aden.® a .

The province of Najd, which word signifies a rising country, lies be-
tween those of Yamima, Yaman, and Hejaz, and is bounded on the east
by Irak ; Sab ds

The province of YamAma, also called Artid from its oblique situation,
in respect of Yaman, is surrounded by the provinces of Najd, Tehama,
Bahrein, Oman, Shihr, Hadramaut, and Saba. The chief city is Yama-
ma, which gives name to the province: it was anciently called Jaw, and
is particularly famous for being the residence of Mohammed’s competi-
tor, the false prophet, Moseilama.” .

The Arabians, the inhabitants of this spacious country, which they have
possessed from the most remote antiquity, are distinguished by their own
writers into two classes, viz. the old lost Arabians, and the present.

The former were very numerous, and divided into several tribes, which
are now all destroyed, or else lost and swallowed up among the other
tribes, nor are any certain memoirs or records extant concerning them ;*
though the memory of some very remarkable events and the catastrophe
of some tribes have been preserved by tradition, and since confirmed by
the authority of the Koran.

The most famous tribes amongst these ancient Arabians were Ad, Tha-
miid, Tasm, Jadis, the former Jorham, and Amalek.

The tribe of Ad were descended from Ad, the son of Aws,® the son of
Aram,! the son of Sem, the son of Noah, who after the confusion of
tongues settled in al Ahk4f, or the winding sands, in the province of
Hadramaut, where his posterity greatly multiplied. Their first king was
Shedad the son of Ad, of whom the eastern writers deliver many fabulous
things, particularly that he finished the magnificent city his father had be-
gun, wherein he built a fine palace, adorned with delicious gardens, to em-
bellish which he spared neither cost nor labour, purposing thereby to create
in his subjects a superstitious veneration of himself as a God? This gar-
den or paradise was called the garden of Irem, and is mentioned in the
Koran, and often alluded to by the oriental writers. The city, they tell

 

yer several modern writers, whether through ignorance or negligence I will not determine,
“have fallen into it. I shall here take notice only of two; one is Dr. Smith, who having
lived some time in Turkey, seems to be inexcusable: that gentleman in his Epistles de
moribus ac institutis Turcarum, no less than thrice mentions the Mohammedans visitin,
the tomb of their prophet at Mecca, and once his being born at Medina, the reverse o
which is true (see Ep. 1. p. 22, Ep. 2+p. 63 and 64), The other is the publisher of the
last edition of Sir J. Mandevile’s travels; who, on his author’s saying very truly (p. 50)
that the said tomb was at Methone (i. e. Medina), undertakes to correct the name of the
town, which is something corrupted, by putting at the bottom of the page, Mecca. The
Abbot de Vertot in his history of the order of Malta (vol. i. p. 410, ed. 8vo.) seems also to
have confounded these two cities together, though he had before mentioned Mohammed's
sepulchre at Medina. However, he is certainly mistaken, when he says that one point
of the religion, both of the Christians and Mohammedans, was to visit, at least once in
their lives, the tomb of the author of their respective faith. Whatever may be the opinion
of some Christians, I am well assured the Mohammedans think themselves under no
Wanner se epee a a eel
‘Gol. a rag. 97. ulfeda Descr. Arab. p. 40. 5 Gol. ubi sup. 95. 6
ubi sup. 94. "tb. 95. ® Abulfarag. p. 159 ° Or Uz. Gen. x. 22, 23. 1 va
Kor. c. 89. Some make Ad the son of Amalek, the son of Ham; but the other is the
teceived opinion. See D’Herbel. 51. 2 Vide Eund. 498. ® Cap. 89.
SECT. I. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 5

us, is still standing in the deserts of Aden, being preserved by providence
as a monument of divine justice, though it be invisible, unless very rare-
ly, when God permits it to be seen; a favour one Colabah pretended to
have received in the reign of the Khalif Moawiyah, who sending for him
to know the truth of the matter, Colabah related his whole adventure ;
that as he was seeking a camel he had lost, he found himself on a sudden
at the gates of this city, and entering it saw not one inhabitant, at which
being terrified, he stayed no longer than to take with him some fine stones
which he showed the Khalif.4

~The descendants of Ad in process of time falling from the worship of
the true God into idolatry, God sent the prophet Hid (who is generally
agreed to be Heber‘) to preach to and reclaim them. But they refusing
to acknowledge his mission, or to obey him, God sent a hot and suffocating
wind, which blew seven nights and eight days together, and entering at
their nostrils passed through their bodies,® and destroyed them all, a very
few only excepted, who had believed in Had, and retired with him to
another place.’ That prophet afterwards returned into Hadramaut, and
was buried near Hasec, where there is a small town now standing called
Kabr Had, or the sepulchre of Hid. Before the Adites were thus severely
punished, God, to humble them, and incline them to hearken to the
preaching of his prophet, afflicted them with drought for four years, sc
that all their cattle perished, and themselves were very near it; upon
which they sent Lokman (different from one of the same name who live .
in David’s time) with sixty others to Mecca to beg rain, which they no
obtaining, Lokm4n with some of his company staid at Mecca, and there-
by escaped destruction, giving rise to atribe called the latter Ad, who
were afterwards changed into monkeys.

Some commentators on the Koran’ tell us these old Adites were of pro-
digious stature, the largest being a hundred cubits high, and the least
sixty ; which extraordinary size they pretend to prove by the testimony
of the Koran.!

The tribe of Thamid were the posterity of Thamad the son of Gather?
the son of Aram, who falting into idolatry, the prophet Saleh was sent to
bring them back to the worship of the true God. This prophet lived
between the time of Hid and of Abraham, and therefore cannot be the
same with the patriarch Selah, as M. D’Herbelot imagines.? The learned
Bochart with more probability takes him to be Phaleg.* A small number
of the people of Thamfd hearkened to the remonstrances of Saleh, but the
rest requiring, as a proof of his mission, that he should cause a she-camel
big with young to come out of a rock in their presence, he accordingly
obtained it of God, and the camel was immediately delivered of a young
one ready weaned ; but they, instead of believing, cut the hamstrings of
the camel and killed her ; at which act of impiety God being highly dis-
pleased, three days after struck them dead in their houses by an earthquake
and a terrible noise from heaven, which, some® say, was the voice of Ga-
briel. the archangel crying aloud, Die all of you. Saleh, with those who
were reformed by him, were saved from this destruction ; the prophet go- .
ing into Palestine, and from thence to Mecca,’ where he ended his days.

This tribe first dwelt in Yaman, but being expelled thence by Hamyar

 

4D’ Herbel. 51. ’ The Jews acknowledge Heber to have beenagreat prophet. Seder
Olam. p. 2. & Al Beidawi. 7 Poc. Spec. 35, &c. ® Ibid. 36. § Jallalo’ddin
et Zamakhshari. 1 Kor. c. 7. 2 Or Gether. Vide. Gen. x. 23. ° D’Herbel.
‘Bibl. Orient. 740. * Bochart. Geogr. Sac. 274 > § See D’Herbel. 366. ® Ebr

Shbohnah.

va
6 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. seorits

he son of Saba,’ they settled in the territory of Hejr in the province of
Hejie, where their habitations cut out of the rocks, mentioned in the
Koran; are still to be seen, and also the crack of the rock whence the
camel issued, which, as an eye witness* hath declared, is sixty cubits
wide. These houses of the Thamudites being of the ordinary propor-
tion, are used as an argument to convince those of a mistake, who make
this people to have been of a gigantic stature.’ __ eee
The tragical destructions of these two potent tribes are often insisted
on in the Koran, as instances of God’s judgment on obstinate unbelievers,
The tribe of Tasm were the posterity of Lid the son of Sem, and Jadis
of the descendants of Jether.2 These two tribes dwelt promiscuously
together under the government of Tasm, till a certain tyrant made a law,
that no maid of the tribe of Jadis should marry, unless first defloured by
him 3 which-the Jadisians not enduring, formed a conspiracy, and inviting
the king and chiefs of Tasm to an entertainment, privately hid their swords
in the sand, and in the midst of their mirth fell on them and slew them
all, and extirpated the greatest part of that tribe; however, the few who
escaped obtaining aid of the king of Yaman, then (as is said) Dhu Hab-
shin Ebn Akran,‘ assaulted the Jadis and utterly destroyed them, there
being scarce any mention made from that time of either of those tribes’
The former tribe of Jorham (whose ancestor some pretend was one of
the eighty persons saved in the ark with Noah, according to a Mohamme-
dan tradition®) was contemporary with Ad, and utterly perished.’ The
tribe of Amalek were descended from Amalek the son of Eliphaz the son
of Esau,® though some of the oriental authors say Amalek was the son of
Ham the son of Noah,? and others the son of Azd the son of Sem.’ The
posterity of this person rendered themselves very powerful,’ and before
the time of Joseph, conquered the lower Egypt under their king Walid,
the first who took the name of Pharaoh, as the eastern writers tell us;
seeming by these Amalekites to mean the same people which the Egyptian
histories call Phoenician shepherds.‘ But after they had possessed the
throne of Egypt for some descents, they were expelled by the natives, and
at length totally destroyed by the Israelites.® °
The present Arabians, according to their own historians, are sprung from
two stocks, Kahtan, the same with Joctan the son of Eber,’ and Adnan
descended in a direct line from Ismael the son of Abraham and Hagar ;
the posterity of the former they call al Arab al Ariba,’ i.e. the genuine or
pure Arabs, and those of the latter al Arab al mostareba, i. e. naturalized
or insititious Arabs, though some reckon the ancient lost tribes to have
been the only pure Arabians, and therefore call the posterity of Kahtan
also Motareba, which word likewise signifies insititious Arabs, though in
a nearer degree than Mostareba : the descendants of Ismael being the more
distant graff.

The posterity of Ismael have no claim to be admitted as pure Arabs ;

2 i: pea epee: 57. ® Kor.cap.xv. ° Abu Musa al Ashari. 1 Vide Poc Spec. 37.

* A like custom is said to have been in i
2 1 80
* in Scotland, where it was called C aE Dot ceatienl be eee,

Ili 1 i i
and abolished by Malcolm III. See'Bayl Ur a ce tee

V le’s Dict. Art. Sixte IV. .
Spec. 60. 5 Ibid. 37, dc. Ibid. 38. *Ebn aha eis eee xxvi. 12.
Vide D’Herbelot, p. 110. ibn Shohnah, ° Vide Numb. xxiv. 20. 3 Mirat.

Cainat. ‘ Vide Joseph. cont. Apion. lib. i ® Vide Exod. xvii. 18, &

id A « ib. i. Xvi. 18, &e. 1 . Xv.
2, &c. Ib. xxvii. 8,9. 1 Chron. iv.43. © R. Saad. in vers. Arab. Pentat. gore 2
Some writers make Kahtan a descendant of Ismael,“but against the current of oriental
aistorians, See Poc. Spec. 39. __7 An expression something like that of St. Paul, wh
cas himself the Hebrew of the Hebrews. Phil. iii, 5, ee
SECT. I. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. = 7

their ancestor being by origin and language an Hebrew, but having made
an alliance with the Jorhamites, by marrying a daughter of Modad, and
accustomed himself to their manner of living and language, his descend-
ants became blended with them into one nation. The uncertainty of the
descents between Ismael and Adnan, is the reason why they seldom trace
their genealogies higher than the latter, whom they acknowledge as father
of their tribes; the descents from him downwards being pretty certain
and uncontroverted.®

The genealogy of these tribes being of great use to illustrate the Ara-
bian history, I have taken the pains to form a genealogical table from
their most approved authors; to which I refer the curious.

Besides these tribes of Arabs, mentioned by their own authors, who
were all descended from the race of Sem, others of them were the posterity
of Ham by his son Cush, which name is in scripture constantly given to
the Arabs and their country, though our version renders it Ethiopia; but
strictly speaking, the Cushites did not inhabit Arabia properly so called,
but the banks of the Euphrates and the Persian Gulf, whither they came
from Chuzestan or Susiana, the original settlement of their father.» They
might probably mix themselves in process of time with the Arabs of the
other race, but the eastern writers take little or no notice of them.

The Arabians were for some centuries under the government of the
descendants of Kahtan; Yarab, one of his sons, founding the kingdom
of Yaman, and Jorham, another of them, that of Hejaz.

The province of Yaman, or the better part of it, particularly the pro-
vinces of Saba and Hadramaut, was governed by princes of the tribe of
Hamyar, though at length the kingdom was translated to the descendants
of Cahlan his brother, who yet retained the title of king of Hamyar, and
had all of them the general title of Tobba, which signifies successor, and
was affected to this race of princes, as that of Caesar was to the Roman
emperors, and Khalif to the successors of Mohammed. There were se-
veral lesser princes who reigned in other parts of Yaman, and were mostly,
if not altogether, subject to the king of Hamyar, whom they called the
great king, but of these history has recorded nothing remarkable or that
may be depended upon.!

The first great calamity that befell the tribes settled in Yaman was the
*nundation of Aram, which happened soon after the time of Alexander the
Great, and is famous in the Arabian history. No less than eight tribes were
forced to abandon their dwellings upon this occasion, some of which gave
rise to the two kingdoms of Ghassan and Hira. And this was probably the
time of the migration of those tribes or colonies which were led into Meso-
potamia by three chiefs, Becr, Modar, and Rabia, from whom the three pro-
vinces of that country are still named Diyar Becr, Diyar Modar, and Diyar
Rabia.2, Abdshems, surnamed Saba, having built the city from him called
Saba, and afterwards Mareb, made a vast mound or dam’ to serve as a basin
or reservoir to receive the water which came down from the mountains, not
only for the use of the inhabitants, and watgring their lands, but also to
keep the country they had subjected in greater awe by being masters of
the water. This building stood like a mountain above their city, and was
by them esteemed so strong, that they were in no apprehension of its ever
failing. The water rose to the height of almost twenty fathoms, and was
kept in on every side by a work so solid, that many of the inhabitants had
their houses built upon it. Every family had a certain portion of this

® Poc. Spec. p. 40. ® Vide Hyde Hist. Rel. veter. Persar. p. 37, &c. t Poc.
Spec. p. 65, 66. 2 Vide Gol. ad Alfrag. p. 232. 3 Poc. Spec. p. 57.
8 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. I.

water distributed by aqueducts. But at length God being highly dis-
pleased at their great pride and insolence, and resolving to humble and
disperse them, sent a mighty flood, which broke down the mound at night
while the inhabitants were asleep, and carried away the whole city with
the neighbouring towns and people.‘ : : : ;

The tribes which remained in Yaman after this terrible devastation still
continued under the obedience of the former princes, till about 70 years
before Mohammed, when the king of Ethiopia sent over forces to assist
the Christians of Yaman against the cruel persecution of their king Dhu
Nowas, a bigoted Jew, whom they drove to that extremity, that he forced
his horse into the sea, and so lost his life and crown; after which the
country was governed by four Ethiopian princes successively, till Seif the
son of*Dhu Yazan of the tribe of Hamyar, obtaining succours from Khos-
rd Anushirwan king of Persia, which had been denied him by the empe-
ror Heraclius, recovered the throne and drove out the Ethiopians, but was
himself slain by some of them who were left behind. The Persians ap-
pointed the succeeding princes till Yamah fell into the hands of Moham-
med, to whom Bazan, or rather Badh4n, the last of them, submitted, and
embraced his new religion. 24

This kingdom of the Hamyarites is said to have lasted 2020 years,7 or
as others say above 3000;° the length of the reign of each prince being
very uncertain,

It has been already observed that two kingdoms were founded by those
who left their country on occasion of the inundation of Aram; they were
both out of the proper limits of Arabia. One of them was the kingdom of
Ghassin. The founders of this kingdom were of the tribe of Azd, who
settling in Syria Damascena near a water called Ghassan, thence took their
name, and drove out the Dejaamian Arabs of the tribe of Salih, who before
possessed the country ;° where they maintained their kingdom 400 years,
as others say 600, or as Abulfeda more exactly computes 616. Five of
these princes were named Hareth, which the Greeks write Aretas: and
one of them it was whose governor ordered the gates of Damascus to be
watched to take St. Paul.’ This tribe were Christians, thsir last king
being Jabalah the son of al Ayham, who on the Arabs’ successes in Syria
professed Mohammedism under the Khalif Omar; but receiving a disgust
from him, returned to his former faith, and retired to Constantinople?

The other kingdom was that of Hira, which was founded by Malec of
the descendants of Cahlan? in Chaldea or Irak; but after three descents
the throne came by marriage to the Lakhmians, called also the Mondars
(the general name of those princes), who preserved their dominion, not-
withstanding some small interruption by the Persians, till the Khalifat of
Abubecr, when al Mondar al Maghrtir, the last of them, lost his life and
crown by the arms of Khaled Ebn al Walid. This kingdom lasted 622
years eight months.’ Its princes were under the protection of the kings of
Persia, whose lieutenants they were over the Arabs of Irak, as the kings
of Ghassin were for the Roman emperors over those of Syria®

Jorbam the son of Kahtan reigned in Hejaiz, where his posterity kept
the throne till the time of Ismael, but on his marrying the daughter of
Modad, by whom he had twelve sons, Kidar, one of them, had the crown

 

* Geogr. Nubiens. p. 52. * See Prideaux’s life of Moham. p. 61. eP
. p. 63,64, *Abulfeda,  * Al Jannabi and Ahmed Ebn Vitek. ® Poe. Spec. re
£2 Cor, xi. 32. Acts ix. 24, ° Vide Ockley’s History of the Saracens, vol i. p. 174.

* Poc. Spec. p. 66. ‘Ib. p.74. Ib. and Procop. in Pers, apud. Photium. p. 71, &c
SECT. J, PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 9g

resigned to him by his uncles the Jorhamites,® though others say the de-
scendants of Ismael expelled that tribe, who retiring to Johainah, were,
after various fortune, at last all destroyed by an inundation.’

Of the kings of Hamyar, Hira, Ghassn, and Jorham, Dr. Pocock has
given us catalogues tolerably exact, to which I refer the curious,®

After the expulsion of the Jorhamites, the government of Hejiz seems
not to have continued for many centuries in the hands of one prince, but
to have been divided among the heads of tribes; almost in the same man-
ner as the Arabs of the desert are governed at this day. At Mecca an
aristocracy prevailed, where the chief management of affairs till the time
of Mohammed was in the tribe of Koreish; especially after they had
gotten the custody of the Caaba from the tribe of Khozdah.

Besides the kingdoms which have been taken notice of, there were some
other tribes, which, in latter times, had princes of their own, and formed
states of lesser note; particularly the tribe of Kenda:' but as I am not
writing a just history of the Arabs, and an account of them would be of
no great use to my present purpose, I shall waive any further mention of
them. ‘

After the time of Mohammed, Arabia was for about three centuries un-
der the Khalifs his successors. But in the year 325 of the Hejra, great
part of that country was in the hands of the Karmatians,? a new sect who
had committed great outrages and disorders even in Mecca, and to whom
the Khalifs were obliged to pay tribute, that the pilgrimage thither might
be performed: of this sect I may have occasion to speak in another place.
Afterwards Yaman was governed by the house of Thabateba, descended
from Ali the son-in-law of Mohammed, whose sovereignty in Arabia some
place so high as the time of Charlemagne. However, it was the poste-°
rity of Ali, or pretenders to be such, who reigned in Yaman and Egypt
so early as the tenth century. The present reigning family in Yaman is
probably that of Ayub, a branch of which reigned there in the thirteenth
century, and took the title of Khalif and Imam, which they still retain?
They are not possessed of the whole province of Yaman,‘ there being.
several other independent kingdoms there, particularly that of Fartach.

- The crown of Yaman descends not regularly from father to son, but the
prince of the blood royal who is most in favour with the great ones, or
has the strongest interest, generally succeeds.’

The governors of Mecca and Medina, who have always been of the
race of Mohammed, also threw off their subjection to the Khalifs, since
which time four principal families, all descended from Hasan the son of
Ali, have reigned there under the title of Sharif which signifies noble,
as they reckon themselves to be on account of their descent. These are
Banu Kader, Banu Misa Thani, Banu Hashem, and Banu Kitada ;* which
last family now is, or lately was, in the throne of Mecca, where they have
reigned above 500 years. The reigning family at Medina are the Banu
Hashem, who also reigned at Mecca before those of Kitada.7

The kings of Yaman, as well as the princes of Mecca and Medina, are
absolutely independent,’ and not at all subject to the Turk, as some late
authors have imagined.? These princes often making cruel wars among
themselves, gave an opportunity to Selim I. and his son Soliman, to make
themselves masters of the coasts of Arabia on the Red Sea, and of part of

 

® Poc. Spec. p. 45. ‘Ib. p. 79. ® Tb. p. 55. seq. ® Vide Ib. p. 41, and Pn.
deaux’s Life of Moham. p.2. + Vide Poc. Spec. p. 79, &c. — * Vide Elmacin. in vita
al Radi. 2 Voyage de |’Arab. heur. p. 255. *Tb. 153,273. Ib. 254. ® Ib
143, Tb, 145. 8 Tb. 143, 148. ® Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 477.
10 - ‘PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. - SECT. T+

Yaman, by means of a fleet built at Sues: but their successors have not
been able to maintain their conquests ; for, except the port of J adda, where
they have a Basha whose authority is very small, they possess nothing con
siderable in Arabia.” : ;

Thus have the Arabs preserved their liberty, of which few nations can
produce so ancient monuments, with very little interruption from the very
deluge ; for though.very great armies have been sent against them, all

' attempts to subdue them were unsuccessful. The Assyrian or Median

.

empires never got footing among them." The Persian monarchs, though
they were their friends, and so far respected by them as to have an annual
present of frankincense yet could never make them tributary ; and were
so far from being their masters, that Cambyses, on his expedition against
Egypt; was obliged to ask their leave to pass through their territories ;* and
when Alexander had subdued that mighty empire, yet the Arabians had so
little apprehension of him, that they alone, of all the neighbouring nations,
sent no ambassadors to him, either first or last ; which, with a desire of
possessing so rich a country, made him form a design against it, and had
he not died before he could put it in execution,’ this people might possibly
have convinced him that he was not invincible; and I do not find that any
of his successors either in Asia or Egypt, ever made any attempt against
them® The Romans never conquered any part of Arabia properly so
called ; the most they did was to make some tribes in Syria tributary to
them, as Pompey did one commanded by Sampsiceramus or Shams’ alke-
ram who reigned at Hems or Emesa ;’ but none of the Romans, or any
other nations that we know of, ever penetrated so far into Arabia as Hlius

Gallus under Augustus Czesar ;* yet he was so far from subduing it, as

some authors pretend, that he was soon obliged to return without effecting
any thing considerable, having lost the best part of his army by sickness
and other accidents.! This ill success probably discouraged the Romans
from attacking them any more ; for Trajan, notwithstanding the flatteries
of the historians and orators of his time, and the medals struck by him, -
did not subdue the Arabs; the province of Arabia, which it is said he
added to the Roman empire, scarce reaching farther than Arabia Petrea,
or the very skirts of the country. And we are told by one author,’ that
this prince marching against the Agarens, who had revolted, met with
such a reception that he was obliged to return without doing any thing.

The religion of the Arabs before Mohammed, which they call the state
of ignorance, in opposition to the knowledge of God’s true worship re-
vealed to them by their prophet, was chiefly gross idolatry; the Sabian
religion having almost overrun the whole nation, though there were also
great numbers of Christians, Jews, and Magians, among them.

_Ishall not here transcribe what Dr. Prideaux® has written of the ori
ginal of the Sabian religion; but instead thereof insert a brief account
of the tenets and worship of that sect. They do not only believe one God,
but produce many strong arguments for his unity ; though they also pay an
adoration to the stars, or the angels and intelligences which. they suppose
reside in them, and govern the world under the supreme Deity. They en-
deavour to perfect themselves in the four intellectual virtues, and believe

19 Voy. de |’ Arab. heur. p. 148. ' Diodor. Sic. lib. 2. p. 131. 2 Herodot. li
* Idem ib. c. 91. Diodor. ubi sup. ¢ Herodot. lib. 3. 0.8 and 98. sBtrabo fib. ean
1276. 1132. 6 Vide Deodor. Sic. ubi supra. ™ Strabo, lib. 16. p, 1092. 8 Dion
Cassius, lib. 53. p. m. 516. _° Huet Hist.du commerce et de la navigation des anciens, ¢
50, * See the whowe expedition described at large by Strabo, lib. 16, p. 1126, &c. 2 Xie
philin. epit. * Connect. of the Hist. of the Old and New Test. p. 1. b. iii.
SECT. 1. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. “ 11

the souls of wicked men will be punished for 9000 ages, but' will after-
wards be received to mercy. They are obliged to pray three times‘ a day,
the first, half an hour or less before sun-rise, ordering it so that they may,
just as the sun rises, finish eight adorations, each containing: three pros
trations ;° the second prayer they end at noon, when the sun Wegins to de»
cline, in saying which they perform five such adorations as the former ;
and the same they do the third time, ending just as the sun sets. They
fast three times a year, the first time thirty days, the next nine days, and
the last seven. They offer many sacrifices, but eat no part of them, burn-
ing them all. They abstain from beans, garlick, and some other pulse
and vegetables.6 As to the Sabian Kebla, or part to which they turn their
faces in praying, authors greatly differ; one will have it to be the north,?
another the south, a third Mecca, and a fourth the star to which they pay
their devotions ;* and perhaps there may be some variety in their practice
in this respect. They go on pilgrimage to a place near the city of Har-
ran in Mesopotamia, where great numbers of them dwell, and they also
have a great respect for the temple at Mecca, and the pyramids of Egypt ;$
fancying these last to be the sepulchres of Seth, and of Enoch and Sabi
his two sons, whom they look on as the first propagators of their religion ;
at these structures they sacrifice a cock and a black calf, and offer up in
cense.! Besides the book of Psalms, the only true scripture they read,
they have other books which they esteem equally sacred, particularly one
in the Chaldee tongue which they call the book of Seth, and is full of
moral discourses. This sect say they took the name of Sabians from the
above mentioned Sabi, though it seems rather to be’ derived from xay Sa-
ba? or the host of heaven, which they worship Travellers commonly
call them Christians of St. John the Baptist, whose disciples also they
pretend to be, using a kind of baptism, which is the greatest mark they
bear of Christianity. This is one of the religions the practice of which
Mohammed tolerated (on paying tribute), and the professors of it are often
included in that expression of the Koran, those to whom the scriptures
have been given, or literally, the people of the book.

The idolatry of the Arabs then, as Sabians, chiefly consisted in worship-
ping the fixed stars and planets, and the angels and their images, which
they honoured as inferior deities, and whose intercession they begged, as
their mediators with God. For the Arabs acknowledged one supreme God,
the Creator and Lord of the universe whom they cal] Allah Tadla, the most

- high God, and their other deities, who were subordinate to him, they called
simply al Ilahat, i. e. the goddesses; which words the Grecians not un-
derstanding, and it being their constant custom to resolve the religion of

_ every other nation into their own, and find out gods of theirs to match the
others, they pretend that the Arabs worshipped only two deities, Orotalt
and Alilat, as those names are corruptly written, whom they will have to
be the same with Bacchus and Urania; pitching on the former as one of
the greatest of their own gods, and educated in Arabia, and on the other,
because of the veneration shown by the Arabs to the stars.‘

 

‘Some say seven. See D’Herbelot, p. 726, and Hyde de rel. vet. Pers. p. 128,
* Others say they use no incurvations or prostrations at all. Vide Hyde, ib. ® Abul-
farag, Hist. Dynast. p. 281, &c. ‘Idem ib. ° ® Hyde, ubi supr. p. 124, &e.
° D’Herbel. ubisupr. * See Greave’s Pyramidogr. p. 6, 7. _ ? Vide Poc. Spec. p. 138.
* Thabet Ebn Korrah, a famous astronomer, and himself a Sabian, wrote a treat.se in
Syriac, concerning the doctrines, rites, and ceremonies of this sect ; from which, if it could
be recovered, we might expect much better information than any taken from the Arabian
writers. Vide Abulfarag, ubi sup. * Vide Herodot. lib. 3. c. 8. Arrian, p. 161, 168.
and Strab. lib. 16.

4
12 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. I.

That they acknowledged oné supreme God appears, to omit other proof
from their usual form of addressing themselves to him, which was this,
“T dedicate myself to thy service, O God! I dedicate myself to thy ser-
vice, O God! Thou hast no companion, except thy companion of whom
thou art absolute master, and of whatever is his.’’s So that they suppose
the idols not to be sui juris, though they offered sacrifices and other offer-
ings to them, as well as to God, who was also often put off with the least
portion, as Mohammed upbraids them. Thus, when they planted fruit
trees, or sowed a field, they divided it by a line into two parts, setting one
apart for their idols, and the other for God; if any of the fruits happened
to fall from the idol’s part into God’s, they made restitution ; but if from
God’s part into the idol’s, they made no restitution, So when they watered
the idol’s grounds, if the water broke over the channels made for that
purpose, and ran on God’s part, they dammed it up again; but if the con-

- trary, they let it run on, saying they wanted what was God’s, but he want-
ed nothings In the same manner, if the offering designed for God hap-
pened to be better than that designed for the idol, they made an exchange,
but not otherwise.’

It was from this gross idolatry, or the worship of inferior deities, or
companions of God, as the Arabs continue to call them, that Mohammed
reclaimed his countrymen, establishing the sole worship of the true God
among them; so that how much soever the Mohammedans are to blame
in other points, they are far from being idolators, as some ignorant writers
have pretended.

The worship of the stars the Arabs might easily be led into, from their
observing the changes of weather to happen at the rising or setting of cer-
tain of them,’ which, after a long course of experience, induced them to
ascribe a divine power to those stars, and to think themselves indebted to
them for their rains, a very great benefit and refreshment to their parched
country: this superstition the Koran particularly takes notice of.’

The ancient Arabians and Indians, between which two nations was a
great conformity of religions, had seven celebrated temples, dedicated to
the seven planets; one of which in particular, called Beit Ghomdan, was
built in Sanaa the metropolis of Yaman, by Dahac,,to the honour of al
Zoharah or the planet Venus, and was demolished by the Khalif Othman ;'
by whose murder was fulfilled the prophetical inscription set, as is report-
ed, over his temple, viz. Ghomdan, he who destroyeth thee, shall be slain?
The temple of Mecca is also said to have been consecrated te Zohal or
Saturn?

Though these deities were generally reverenced by the whole nation,
yet each tribe chose some one as the more popular object of their worship.

Thus, as to the stars and planets, the tribe of Hamyar chiefly worshipped
the sun; Misam,* al Dabaran or the bull’s eye; Lakhm and Jodam, al
Moshtari or Jupiter ; Tay, Sohail or Canopus; Kais, Sirius or the dog-star;
and Asad, Otdred or Mercury. Among the worshippers of Sirius, one
Abu Cabsha was very famous; some will have him to be the same-with
Waheb, Mohammed’s grandfather by the mother, but others say he was of
the tribe of Khozdah. This man used his utmost endeavours to persuade
the Koreish to leave their images and worship this star; for which reason
Mohammed, who endeavoured also to make them leave their images, was

 

5 Al Shahrestani. ® Nodhm al dorr. ‘Al Beidawi. ® Vide Post. i
Poe. Spee. p. 163. *Shahrestani. * AlJannabi,* Shahrestam. * Thie nc’

seems to be corrupted, there being no such among the Arab tribes. Pac.
® Abulfarag, p. 160. : Peers a
SECT. 1 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 13

by them nicknamed the son of Abu Cabsha.® The worship of this star
is particularly hinted at in the Koran.’

Of the angels or intelligences which they worshipped, the Koran* makes
mention only of three, which were worshipped under female names ;°
Allat, al Uzza, and Manah. These were by them called goddesses, and
the daughters of God; an appellation they gave not only to the angels,
but also to their images, which they either believed to be inspired with
life by God, or else to become the tabernacles of the angels, and to be
animated by them; and they gave them divine worship, because they
imagined they interceded for them with God.

Allat was the idol of the tribe of Thakif who dwelt at Tayef, and hada
temple consecrated to her in a place called Nakhlah. The idol al Mog-
heirah destroyed by Mohammed’s order, who sent him and Abu Sofidn on
that commission in the ninth year of Hejra.!| The inhabitants of Tayef,
especially the women, bitterly lamented the loss of this their deity, which
they were so fond of, that they begged Mohammed, as a condition of peace,
that it might not be destroyed for three years, and not obtaining that,
asked only a month’s respite ; but he absolutely denied it.2 There are
several derivations of this word, which the curious may learn from Dr.
Pocock It seems most probably to be derived from the same root with
Allah, to which it may be a feminine, and will then signify the goddess.

Al Uzza, as some affirm, was the idol of the tribes of Koreish and Ke-
nanah,‘ and part of the tribes of Salim :° others® tell us it was a tree called
the Egyptian thorn, or Acacia, worshiped by the tribe of Ghatfan, first
consecrated by one Dhalem, who built a chapel over it, called Boss, so
contrived as to give a sound when any person entered. Kh&led Ebn Wa-
lid being sent by Mohammed in the eighth year of the Hejra, to destroy
this idol, demolished the chapel, and cutting down this tree or image,
burnt it: he also slew the priestess, who ran out with her hair dishevel-
Jed, and her hands on her head asa suppliant. Yet the author who re-
lates this, in another place says, the chapel was pulled down, and Dhalem
himself killed by one Zohair, because he consecrated this chapel with
design ‘to draw the pilgrims thither from Mecca, and lessen the reputation
of the Kaaba. The name of this deity is derived from the root azza, and
signifies the most mighty.

Manah was the object of worship of the tribes of Hodhail and Kho-
zaab,’ who dwelt between Mecca and Medina, and as some say,* of the
tribes of Aws, Khazraj, and Thakif also. This idol was a large stone,
demolished by one Saad in the eighth year of the Hejra, a year so fatal
to the idols of Arabia. The name seems to be derived from mana to flow,
from the flowing of the blood of the victims sacrificed to the deity ;
whence the valley of Mina’ near Mecca had also its name, where the pil-
grims at this day slay their sacrifices.”

Before we proceed to the other idols, let us take notice of five more,
which, with the former three, are all that the Koran mentions by name, and
they are Wadd, Saw4, Yaghith, Yatk, and Nasr. These are said to have
been antediluvian idols, which Noah preached against, and were afterwards

 

© Poc. Spec. p. 132. Cap. 53. — *Ibid. —_® Ibid. * Dr. Prideaux mentions
this expedition, but names only Abu Sofian, and mistaking the name of the idol for an
appellative, supposes he went only disarm the Tayefiens of their weapons and instru-
ments of war. See his life of Moham. p. 98. 2 Abulfeda, Vit. Moham. p. 127.
? Spec. p. 90. * Al Jauhari, apud eund. p. 91. 5 Al Shahrestani. ib. _S Al
Firauzabadi. ib. 7 Al Jauhari. ® Al Shabrestani, Abulfeda, &c. ° Al Beidawi,
al Zamakhshari. ‘ Poc. Spec. 91, &c. =? Ibid.

£
14 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. 1.

taken by the Arabs for gods, having been men of great merit and piety
in their time, whose statutes they reverenced at first with a civil honcur
only, which, in process of time, became heightened to a divine worship.

Wadd was supposed to be the heaven, and was worshipped under the
form of a man by the tribe of Calb in Daumat al Jandal.* —

Saw4 was adored under the shape of a woman, by the tribe of Hama-
dan, or, as others® write, of Hodhail in Rohat. This idol, lying under
water for some time after the deluge, was at length, it is said, discovered
by the devil, and was worshipped by those of Hodhail, who instituted pil-
grimages to it.® .

Yaghath was an idol in the shape of a lion, and was the deity of the
tribe of Madhaj and others who dwelt in Yaman.” Its name seems to be
derived from ghatha, which signifies to help. :

Yatk was worshipped by the tribe of Morad, or according to others, by
that of Hamadan,? under the figure of a horse. It is said he was a man
of great piety, and his death much regretted; whereupon the devil ap-
peared to his friends in a human form, and undertaking to represent him
to the life, persuaded them, by way of comfort, to place his effigies in
their temples, that they might have it in view when at their devotions.
This was done, and seven others of extraordinary merit had the same
honours shown them, till at length their posterity made idols of them in
earnest. The name Yadk probably comes from the verb aka, to prevent
or avert,!

Nasr was a deity adored by the tribe of Hamyar, or at Dhi’! Kalaah,
in their territories, under the image of an eagle, which the name signifies.

There are, or were, two statues at Bamiyan, a city of Cabul in the In.
dies, fifty cubits high, which some writers suppose to be the same with
Yaghith and Yaok, or else with Manah and Allat; and they also speak
of a third standing near the others, but something less, in the shape of
an old woman, called Nesrem or Nesr. These statues were hollow with-
in, for the secret giving of oracles ;? but they seem to have been different
from the Arabian idols. There was also an idol at Simenat in the Indies,
called Lat or al Lat, whose statue was fifty fathoms high, of a single
stone, and placed in the midst of a temple supported by fifty-six pillars
of massy gold: this idol Mahmad Ebn Sebecteghin, who conquered that
part of India, broke to pieces with his own hands?

Besides the idols we have mentioned, the Arabs worshipped also great
numbers of others, which would take up too much time to have distinct
accounts given of them, and not being named in the Koran, are not so
much to our present purpose: for besides that every housekeeper had his
household god, or gods, which he last took leave of, and first saluted at his
going abroad and returning home,‘ there were no less than 360 idols
. equalling in number the days of their year, in and about the Caaba of
Mecca; the chief of whom was Hobal$ brought from Belka in Syria,
into Arabia, by Amru Ebn Lohai, pretending it would procure them rain
when they wanted it.7 It was the statue of a man made of red agate,
which having by some accident lost a hand, the Koreish repaired it with
one of gold: he held in his hand seven arrows without heads or feathers,
such as the Arabs used in divination.2 This idol is supposed to have been

* Koran, c. 71. Comment. Persic. Vide Hyde de rel. vet. Pers. p. 13 4 5
hari, al Shahrestani. * Idem, al Firauzabadi, end Safio’ddin. * Al eiaseab: osha
restani. 8 Al Jauhari. ° Al Firauzabadi. * Poc. Spec. 94. ? Sce Hyde de rel
vet. Pers. p. 132. 3 D’ Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 512, * Al Mostatraf. * Al Jan
nab. * Avaited. Shahrest. &c, =" Poc, Spec. 95. * Safio’ddin.
SECT. I. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 15

the same with the image of Abraham,® found and destroyed by Mohammed
in the Caaba, on his entering it, in the eighth year of the Hejra, when he
took Mecca,' and surrounded with a great number of angels and prophets,
as inferior deities; among whom, as some say, was Ismael with divining
arrows in his hand also,2 ae

Asaf and Nayelah, the former the image of a man, the latter of a wo-
man, were also two idols brought with Hobal from Syria, and placed
the one en mount Safa, and the other on mount Merwa. They tell us
Asaf was the son of Amru, and Nayelah the daughter of Sahal, both of
the tribe of Jorham, who committing whoredom together in the Caaba,

“were by God converted into stone,4 and afterwards worshipped by the Ko-
reish, and so much reverenced by them, that though this superstition was
condemned by Mohammed, yet he was forced to allow them to visit those
mountains as monuments of divine justice.*

I shall mention but one idol more of this nation, and that was a lump
of dough worshipped by the tribe of Hanifa; who used it with more re-
spect than the papists do theirs, presuming not to eat it till they were
compelled to it by famine.®

Several of their idols, as Manah in particular, were no more than large
rude stones, the worship of which the posterity of Ismael first introduced ;

‘ for as they multiplied, and the territory of Mecca grew too strait for them,
great numbers were obliged to seek new abodes; and on such migrations
it was usual for them to take with them some of the stones of that reputed
holy land, and set them up in the places where they fixed; and these
stones they at first only compassed out of devotion, as they had accus-
tomed to do the Caaba. But this at last ended in rank idolatry, the
Ismaelites forgetting the religion left them by their father-so far, as to pay
divine worship to any fine stone they met with®

Some of the pagan Arabs believed neither a creation past, nor a resur-
rection to come, attributing the origin of things to nature, and their dis-
solution to age. Others believed both; among whom were those, who
when they died had their camel tied by their sepulchre, and so left with-
out meat or drink to perish, and accompany them to the other world, lest
they should be obliged, at the resurrection, to go on foot, which was reck-
oned very scandalous.’ Some believed a metempsychosis, and that of the
blood near the dead person’s brain, was formed a bird named Hamah,
which once in a hundred years visited the sepulchre ; though others say,
this bird is animated by the soul of him that is unjustly slain, and conti-
nually cries, “ Oscini, Osciini,”’ that is, ‘Give me to drink,” meaning of
the murderer’s blood, till his death be revenged; and then it flies away.
This was forbidden by Mohammed to be believed.?

I might here mention several superstitious rites and customs of the
ancient Arabs, some of which were abolished, and others retained by Mo-
hammed ; but I apprehend it will be more convenient to take notice of
them hereafter occasionally, as the negative or positive precepts of the
Koran, forbidding or allowing such practices, shall be considered.

Let us now turn our view from the idolatrous Arabs, to those among
them, who had embraced more rational religions.

The Persians had, by their vicinity and frequent intercourse with the
Arabians, introduced the Magian religion among some of their tribes, par-

 

® Poc. Spec.97. 1 Abulfeda. ?Ebnal Athir. al Jannab. &c.  —* Poc. Spec. 98.
Koran, cap. 2. 5 Al Mostatraf, al Jauhari. * Al Mostatraf. al Jannabi. 7 Abul-
grag. p. 160.  * Vide Poc. Spec. p. 135.
16 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. 1.

ticularly that of Tamin,® a long time before Mohammed, who was so fat
from being unacquainted with that religion, that he borrowed many of his
own institutions from it, as will be observed in the progress of this work.
I refer those who are desirous to have some notion of Magism to Dr.
Hyde’s curious account of it;? a succinct abridgement of which may be
read with much pleasure, in another learned performance?

The Jews, who fled in great numbers into Arabia, from the fearful de-
struction of their country by the Romans, made proselytes of several tribes,
those of Kendnah, al Hareth Ebn Caaba, and Kendah? in particular, and
in time became very powerful, and possessed of several towns and fort-
resses there. But the Jewish religion was not unknown to the Arabs, at
least above a century before; Abu Carb Asad, taken notice of in the Ko.
rin,* who was king of Yaman, about 700 years before Mohammed, is said
to have introduced Judaism among the idolatrous Hamyarites. Some of
his successors also embraced the same religion, one of whom, Yusef, sur-
named Dhu Nowds,® was remarkable for his zeal, and terrible persecution
of all who would not turn Jews, putting them to death by various tor-
tures, the most common of which was throwing them into a glowing pit
of fire, whence he had the opprobrious -appellation of -the “ Lord of the
pit.” This persecution is also mentioned in the Koran

Christianity had likewise made a very great progress among this nation, .
before Mohammed. Whether St. Paul preached in any part of Arabia, pro-
perly so called,’ is uncertain; but the persecutions and disorders which
happened in the eastern church, soon after the beginning of the third
century, obliged great numbers of Christians to seek for shelter in that
country of liberty ; who being for the most part of the Jacobite communion,
that sect generally prevailed among the Arabs.® The principal tribes that
embraced Christianity were Hamyar, Ghassan, Rabia, Taghlab, Bara, To-
nich, part of the tribes of Tay and Kodaa, the inhabitants of Najran,
and the Arabs of Hira.’ As to the two last, it may be observed, that
those of Najran became Christians in the time of Dhu Nowas,? and very
probably, if the story be true, were some of those who were converted on
the following occasion, which happened about that time, or not long before.
The Jews of Hamyar challenged some neighbouring Christians to a public
disputation, which was held sub dio for three days, before the king and his
nobility, and all the people; the disputants being Gregentius, bishop of
Tephra (which I take to be Dhafar) for the Christians, and Herbanus for
the Jews. On the third day, Herbanus, to end the dispute, demanded that
Jesus of Nazareth, if he were really living, and in heaven, and could hear
the prayers of his worshippers, should appear from heaven in their sight,
and they would then believe him; the Jews crying out with one voice,
‘ Show us your Christ, alas, and we will become Christians.” Whereupon,
after a terrible storm of thunder and lightning, Jesus Christ appeared in
the air, surrounded with rays of glory, walking on a purple cloud, having a
sword in his hand, and an inestimable diadem on his head, and spake these

words over the heads of the assembly—* Behold I appear to you in your
sight, I; who was crucified by your fathers.”” After which the cloud re-
ceived him from their sight. The Christians cried out, “ Kyrie eleeson,”

 

° Al Mostatraf. + _In his Hist. relig. vet. Persar. 9 Dr. Prideaux’
Old and New Tes‘. Part. I. Book bi ® Al Mostatraf. " Chap. 50. we Soba,
p. 8. and Baronii annal. ad sect. 6. ® Chap. 85. ‘See Gal. 1. 17. 7 Abul

p. ed * Al Mostatraf. ‘Vide Poc. Spec. p. 187. 2 Al Jannab. apud Poe. Spec,
p. 63.
cou T PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 17

thst is, “ Lord have mercy upon us!” but the Jews were stricken blind,
and recovered not, till they were all baptizeds

The Christians at Hira received a great accession by several tribes, wno
fled thither for retege from the persecution of Dhu Nowas. Al Nooman,
surnamed Abu Kapis, king of Hira, who was slain a few months before
Mohammed’s birth, professed himself a Christian on the following occasion.
This prince, in a drunken fii, ordered two of his intimate companions, who
overcome with liquor had failen asleep, to be buried alive. When he came
to himself, he was extremely conceined at what he had done, and to expiate
his crime, not only raised a monument is tiie memory of his friends, but set
apart two days, one of which he called the unfortunate, and the other the
fortunate day; making ita perpetual rule w himself, that whoever met him
on the former day should be slain, and his blood sprinkled on the monu-
ment, but he that met him on the other day should be dismissed in safety
with magnificent gifts. On one of these unfortunate cays, there came be-
fore him accidentally an Arab, of the tribe of Tay, who hac once enter-
tained this king, when fatigued with hunting, and separatea from his at-
tendants. The king, who could neither discharge him, contrary vo the
order of the day, nor put him to death, against the laws of hospiuality,
which the Arabians religiously observe, proposed, as an expedient, to give
the unhappy man a year’s respite, and to send him home with rich gifts,
for the support of his family, on condition that he found a surety for his
returning at the year’s end, to suffer death. One of the prince’s court,
out of compassion, offered himself as his surety, and the Arab was dis-
charged., When the last day of the term came, and no news of the Arab,
the king, not at all displeased to save his host’s life, ordered the surety to
prepare himself to die. Those who were by represented to the king.that
the day was not yet expired, and therefore he ought to have patience till
the evening: but in the middle of their discourse, the Arab appeared.
The king, admiring the man’s generosity, in offering himself to certain
death, which he might have avoided by letting his surety suffer, asked
him, what was his motive for so doing? to which he answered, that he
had been tauglit to act in that manner, by the religion he professed ; and
al Nooman demanding what religion that was, he replied the Christian.
Whereupon the king, desiring to have the doctrines of Christianity ex-
plained to him, was baptized, he and his subjects; and not only pardoned
the man and his surety, but abolished his barbarous custom.‘ This prince,
however, was not the first king of Hira who’ embraced Christianity ; al
Mondar, his grandfather, having also professed the same faith, and built
large churches in his capital.

Since Christianity had made so great a progress in Arabia, we may con
sequently suppose they had bishops in several parts, for the more orderly
governing of the churches. A bishop of Dhafar has been already named,
and we are told that Najran was also a bishop’s see.6 The Jacobites (of
which sect we have observed the Arabs generally were) had two bishops of
the Arabs subject to their Mafrian, or metropolitan of the east; one was
called the bishop of the Arabs absolutely, whose seat was for the most part
- at Akula, which some authors make the same with Cifa,’ others a different
town near Baghdad. The other had the title of the Bishop of the Scenite
Arabs, of the tribe of Thaalab in Hira, or Hirta, as the Syrians call it, whose
seat was in that city. The Nestorians had but one bishop, who presided

 

? Vide Gregentii disput. cum Herbano Judeo. ‘4 Al Meidani and Ahmed Ebn Yusef,
apud Poc. Spec. p. 72. __ * Abulfeda ap. eund. p. 74. _: Safio’ddin apud Poc. Spec. p.
137. * Abulfarag. in Chron. Syriac, ES. § Abulfeda in descr. Irace.

.
,

18 - PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. -  ggcT.t

aver both these dioceses, of Hira and Akula, and was immediately sub
ject to their patriarchs 5

These were the principal religions which obtained among the ancient
Arabs; but as freedom of thought was the natural consequence of their
political liberty and independence, sume of them fell into other different
opinions. The Koreish, in particular, were infected with Zendicism, an
error supposed to have very near affinity with that of the Sadducees among
the Jews, and, perhaps, not greatly different from deism ; for there were
several of that tribe, even before the time of Mohammed, who worship-
ped one God, and were free from idolatry, and yet embraced none of the
other religions of the country. ce :

The Arabians before Mohammed were, as they yet are, divided into two
sorts, those who dwell in cities and towns, and those who dwell in tents.
The former lived by tillage, the cultivation of palm trees, breeding and
feeding of cattle, and the exercise of all sorts of trades, particularly mer-
chandizing,* wherein they were very eminent, even in the time of Jacob.
The tribe of Koreish were much addicted to commerce, and Mohammed,
in his younger years, was brought up to the same business; it being cus-
tomary for the Arabians to exercise the same trade that their parents did.
The Arabs who dwelt in tents employed themselves in pasturage, and
sometimes in pillaging of passengers; they lived chiefly on the milk and
flesh of camels; they often changed habitations, as the convenience of
water and of pasture for their cattle invited them, staying in a place no
longer than that lasted, and then removing in search of other’ They
generally wintered in Irak, and the confines of Syria. This way of life
is what the greater part of Ismael’s posterity have used, as more agreea-
ble to the temper and way of life of their father; and is so well described
by a late author,7 that I cannot do better than refer the reader to his ac-
count of them.

The Arabic language is undoubtedly one of the most ancient in the
world, and arose soon after, if not at, the confusion of Babel. There were
several dialects of it, very different from each other: the most remarkable
were that spoken by the tribes of Hamyar and the other genuine Arabs, and
that of the Koreish. The Hamvyaritic seems to have approached nearer to
the purity of the Syriac than the dialect of any other tribe ; for the Arabs
acknowledge their father Yarab to have been the first whose tongue devi-
ated from the Syriac (which was his mother tongue, and is almost gene-
rally acknowledged by the Asiatics to be the most ancient) to the Arabic,
The dialect of the Koreish is usually termed the pure Arabic, or, as the
Koran, which is written in this dialect, calls it, the perspicuous and cleat
Arabic ; perhaps, says Dr. Pocock, because Ismael, their father, brought
the Arabic he had learned of the Jorhamites nearer to the original He-
brew. But the politeness and elegance of the dialect of the Koreish is
rather to be attributed to their having the custody of the Caaba, and dwell-
ing in Mecca, the centre of Arabia; as well more remote from intercourse
with foreigners, who might corrupt their language, as frequented by the
Arabs from the country all around, not only on a religious account, but also
tor the composing of their differences, from whose discourse and verses

© Vide Assemani Bibl. Orient. T. 2. in Dissert. de Monophvsitis; and 459 1 AL
Mostatraf, apud Poc. Spec. p. 136. 2 Vide Reland. ao Relig. Mohan, p. 270, and
Millium de Mohammedismo ante Moham. p. 311. 2 These seem to be the same whon
M. La Roque calls Moors. Voy. dans la Palestine, p. 110. ‘See Prideaux’s Life of
Moham. p. 6. ® Strabo, lib. 16. p. 1129, ® Ib, lib. 16, p. 1084, "La Roque,
Voyage dans la Palestine, p. 109, &c. act
SECT. I. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 15

they took whatever words or phrases they judged more pure and elegant;
by which means the beauties of the whole tongue became transfused inte
this dialect. The Arabians are full of the commendations of their lan
guage, and not altogether without reason ; for it claims the preference of
most others in many respects, as being very harmonious and expressive,
and withal so copious, that they say no man, without inspiration, can be
perfect master of it in its utmost extent; and yet they tell us, at the same
time, that the greatest part of it has been lost; which will not be thought
strange if we consider how late the art of writing was practised among
them. For though it was known to Job,® their countryman, and also to
he Hamyarites (who used a perplexed character called al Mosnad, where-
in the letters were not distinctly separate, and which was neither publicly
taught, nor suffered to be used without permission first obtained) many
centuries before Mohammed, as appears from some ancient monuments
said to be remaining in their character; yet the other Arabs, and those
of Mecca in particular, were, for many ages, perfectly ignorant of it, un-
less.such of them as were Jews or Christians :* Morimer Ebn Morra of
Anbar, a city of Irak, who lived not many years before Mohammed, was
the inventor of the Arabic character, which Bashar the Kendian is said ta
have learned from those of Anbar, and to have introduced at Mecca but
a little while before the institution of Mohammedism. These letters of
Moramer were different from the Hamyaritic ; and though they were very
rude, being either the same with or very much like the Cufic,! which
character is still found in inscriptions, and some ancient books, yet they
were those which the Arabs used for many years, the Koran itself being
at first written therein ; for the beautiful character they now use was first
formed from the Cufic by Ebn’Moklah, Wazir (or Visir) to the Khalifs al
Moktader, al Kaher, and al Radi, who lived about 300 years after Mo-
hammed, and was brought to great perfection by Ali Ebn Bow4b,? who
flourished in the following century, and whose name is yet famous among
them on that account; yet it is said, the person who completed it, and
reduced it to its present form, was Yakit al Mostasemi, secretary to al
Mostasem, the last of the Khalifs of the family of Abbas, for which rea-
son he was surnamed al Khattat, or the scribe.

The accomplishments the Arabs valued themselves chiefly on were,
1. Eloquence, and a perfect skill in their own tongue ; 2. Expertness in the
use of arms and horsemanship; and, 3. Hospitality. The first they exer-
cised themselves in by composing of orations and poems. Their orations
were of two sorts, metrical, or prosaic, the one being compared to pearls
strung, and the other to loose ones. They endeavoured to excel in both,
and whoever was able, in an assembly, to persuade the people toa great en-
terprise, or dissuade them from a dangerous one, or gave them other whole-
some advice, was honoured with the title of Khateb, or orator, which is now
given to the Mohammedan preachers. They pursued a method very dif-
ferent from that of the Greek and Roman orators; their sentences being
like loose gems, without connexion, so that tmis sort of composition struck
the audience chiefly by the fulness of the periods, the elegance of the ex-
pression, and the acuteness of the proverbial sayings; and so persuaded
were they of their excelling in this way, that they would not allow any
nation to understand the art of speaking in public except themselves and

 

* Job xix. 23, 24. ® See Prideaux’s life of Moham. p. 29, 30. 1 A epecimen of
tne Cufic character may be seen in Sir J. Chardin’s travels, vol. iii. p. 119. 2 Ebn
Khalicén. Yet others attribute the honour of the invention of this character to Ebn Mok-
.ah’s brother, Abdallah al Hasan; and the perfecting of it to Ebn Amid al Kateb, after
it had been reduced to near the present form by Abd’alhamid. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl.
Orient. p. 590, 108, and 194, > Poc. Orat. ante Carmen Tograi, p. 10. -
20 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECTS A

the Persians, which last were reckoned much inferior in that respect to the
Arabians.‘ Poetry was in so great esteem among them, that it was a great
accomplishment, and a proof of ingenuous extraction to be able to ex-
press one’s self-in verse with ease and elegance on any extraordinary oc-
currence, and even in their common discourse they made frequent appli-
cations of celebrated passages of their famous poets. In their poems were
preserved the distinction of descents, the rights of tribes, the memory of
great actions, and the propriety of their language ; for which reasons an
excellent poet reflected an honour on his tribe, so that as soon as any one
began to be admired for his performances of this kind in a tribe, the other
tribes sent publicly to congratulate them on the occasion, and themselves
made entertainments, at which the women assisted, dressed in their nuptial
ornaments, singing to the sound of timbrels the happiness of their tribe,
who had now one to protect their honour, to preserve their genealogies
and the purity of their language, and to transmit their actions to posterity,5
for this was all performed by their poems, to which they were solely obliged
for their knowledge and instructions, moral and economical, and to which
they had recourse, as to an oracle, in all doubts and differences® No
wonder then that a public congratulation was made on this account, which
honour they yet were so far from making cheap, that they never did it but
on one of these three occasions, which were reckoned great points of fe-
licity ; viz. on the birth of a boy, the rise of a poet, and the fall of a foal
’ of generous breed. To keep up an emulation among their poets, the tribes
had, once a year, a general assembly at Ocadh,7 a place famous on this
account, and where they kept a weekly mart or fair, which was held on
our Sunday. This annual meeting lasted a whole month, during which
time they employed themselves, not only in trading, but in repeating their
poetical compositions, contending and vying with each other for the prize ;
whence the place, it is said, took its name. The poems that were judged
to excel were laid up in their king’s treasuries, as were the seven cele-
brated poems, thence called al Moallakat, rather than from their being
hung up on the Caaba, which honour they also had by public order, being
written on Egyptian silk, and in letters of gold; for which reason they
had also the name of al Modhahabit, or the golden verses.!

The fair and assembly at Ocadh were suppressed by Mohammed, in
whose time, and for some years after, poetry seems to have been in some
degree neglected by the Arabs, who were then employed in their conquests;
which being completed, and themselves at peace, not only this study was
revived,’ but almost all sorts of learning were encouraged and greatly im-
proved by them. This interruption, however, occasioned the loss of most
of their ancient pieces of poetry, which were then chiefly preserved by
memory, the use of writing being rare among them in their time of igno-
rance.” Though the Arabs were so early acquainted with poetry, they did
not at first use to write poems of a just length, but only expressed them-
selves in verse occasionally ; nor was their prosody digested into rules till
some time after Mohammed 3 for this was done, as it is said, by al Khalil
Ahmed al Farahidi, who lived in the reign of the Khalif Hardin al Rashid.

‘ Poc. Spec. 161. ’ Ebn Rashik, apud Poc. Spec. 160. ® Poc. Orat. prefix.
Carm. Tograi, ubi supra. "Idem, Spec. p. 159. ® Geogr. Nub. p. 51. ® Poe.
Spec. 159. * Ibid. and p. 381. Et in calce Notar. in Carmen Tograi, p. 233. 2 Jal-
lalo'ddin al Soyati, apud Poc. Spec. p. 159, &c. > Tb. 160. “Ib. 161. Al Safadi
confirms this by a story of a grammarian, named Abu Jaafar, who sittin by the Mikyas
or Nilometer in Egypt, ina year when the Nile did not rise.to its usual heicht, so that
a famine was apprehended, and dividing a piece of poetry into its parts or feet, to examine
wee by ee males . oe Se who Lae by, ve understanding him, imagined he was
uttering a charm to hinder the rise of the river, and push im into the wi
tost his life. * Vide Clericum de Prosod. Arab. pv. 2 = rene
SECT. 7. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 21

The exercise of arms and horsemanship they were in a manner obliged
to practise and encourage, by reason of the independence of their tribes,
whose frequent jarrings made wars almost continual; and they chiefly
ended their disputes in field battles ; it being an usual saying among them,
that God had bestowed four peculiar things on the Arabs, that their tur-
bans should be to them instead of diadems, their tents instead of walls
and houses, their swords instead of intrenchments, and their poems in-
stead of written laws.®

Hospitality was so habitual to them, and so much esteemed, that the
examples of this kind among them exceed whatever can be produced from
other nations. Hatem of the tribe of Tay,’ and Hasn of that of Fezdrahs
were particularly famous on this account; and the contrary vice was so
much in contempt, that a certain poet upbraids the inhabitants of Waset,
as with the greatest reproach, that none of their men had the heart to give,
nor their women the heart to deny.®

Nor were the Arabs less propense to liberality after the coming of Mo
hammed than their ancestors had been. I could produce many remark-
able instances of this commendable quality among them,’ but shall content
myself with the following. Three men were disputing in the court of the
Caaba which was the most liberal person among the Arabs. One gave the
preference to Abdallah, the son of Jaafar, the uncle of Mohammed; an-
other to Kais Ebn Saad Ebn Obadah; and the third gave it to Ardbah of |
the tribe of Aws. After much debate, one that was present, to end the
dispute, proposed that each of them should go to his friend and ask his
assistance, that they might see what every one gave, and form a judgment
accordingly. This was agreed to; and Abdallah’s friend going to him,
found him with his foot in the stirrup, just mounting his camel for a jour-
ney, and thus accosted him: Son of the uncle of the apogtle of God, [am
travelling and in necessity. Upon which Abdallah alighted, and bid him
take the camel with all that was upon her, but desired him not to part
with a sword that happened to be fixed to the saddle, because it had be-
longed to Ali the son of Abutaleb. So he took the camel, and found on
her some vests of silk, and four thousand pieces of gold; but the thing of
greatest value was the sword. The second went to Kais Ebn Saad, whose
servant told him that his master was asleep, and desired to know his bu-
siness. The friend answered that he came to ask Kais’s assistance, being
in want on the road. Whereupon’the servant said, that he had rather
supply his necessity than wake his master, and gave him a purse of seven
thousand pieces of gold, assuring him that it was all the money then in the
house. He also directed him to go to those who had the charge of the
camels, with a certain token, and take a camel, and a slave, and return
home with them. When Kais awoke, and his servant informed him of
what he had ‘done, he gave him his freedom, and asked him why he did
not call him, for, says he, I would have given him more. The thi d man
went to Arabah, and met him coming out of his house, in order to go to
prayers, and leaning on two slaves, because his eye-sight failed him. The
friend no sooner made known his case, but Arabah let go the slaves, and
clapping his hands together, loudly lamented his misfortune in having no
money, but desired him to take the two slaves; which the man refused
to do, till Arabah protested that if he would not accept of them, he gave

 

& Pocock. in calee Notar. ad Carmen Tograi. 1 Vide Gentii Notas in Gulistan Sheikh
Sadi, p. 486, &c. * Poc. Spec. p. 48. _* Ebn al Hobeirah, apud Poe. in Not. ad Car-
men Tograi, p. 107. * Several may be found in D’Herbelot’s Bibl. Orient. particularly
in the articles of Hasan the son of Ali, Maan, Fadhel, and Ebn Yahya.
22 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SLC1. hs

them their liberty; and, leaving the slaves, groped his way along by the
wall. On the return of the adventurers, judgment was unanimously, and
with great justice, given by all who were present, that Arabah was the
most generous of the three. :

Nor were these the only good qualities of the Arabs; they are com-
mended by the ancients for being most exact to their words,? and respect.
ful to their kindred. And they have always been celebrated for their
quickness of apprehension and penetration, and the vivacity of their wit;
especially those of the desert.‘ f .

As the Arabs had their excellencies, so have they, like other nations,
their defects and vices. Their own writers acknowledge that they havea
natural disposition to war, bloodshed, cruelty and rapine; being so much
addicted to bear malice, that they scarce ever forget an old grudge 3 which
vindictive temper some physicians say is occasioned by their frequent
feeding on camel’s flesh (the ordinary diet of the Arabs of the desert, who
are therefore observed to be most inclined to these vices), that creature
being most malicious and tenacious of anger ;° which account suggests a
good reason for a distinction of meats.

The frequent robberies committed by these people on merchants and
travellers have rendered the name of an Arab almost infamous in Europe;
this they are sensible of, and endeavour to excuse themselves by alleging
the hard usage of their father Ismael, who being turned out of doors by

' Abraham, had the open plains and deserts given him by God for his patri-
mony, with permission to take whatever he could find there. And on this
account they think. they may, with a safe conscience, indemnify them-
selves, as well as they can, not only on the posterity of Isaac, but also on
every body else ; always supposing a sort of kindred between themselves
and those they glunder, And in relating their adventures of this kind,
they think it sufficient to change the expression, and instead of, I robbed
a man of such or such a thing, to say, I gained it.6 We must not, how-
ever, imagine that they are the less honest for this among themselves, or
towards those whom they receive as friends; on the contrary, the strictest
probity is observed in their camp, where every thing is open, and nothing
ever known to be stolen.”

The sciences the Arabians chiefly cultivated before Mohammedism were
three ; that of their genealogies and history, such a knowledge of the stars
as to foretell the changes of weather, and the interpretation of dreams?
They used to value themselves excessively on account of the nobility of
their families, and so many disputes happened on that occasion, that it is
no wonder if they took great pains in settling theirdescents. What know-
ledge they had of the stars was gathered from long experience, and not
from any regular study, or astronomical rules.2 The Arabians, as the In-
dians also did, chiefly applied themselves to observe the fixed stars, con-
trary to other nations, whose observations were almost confined to the
planets; and they foretold their effects from their influences, not their
nature ; and hence, as has been said, arose the difference of the idolatry of
the Greeks and Chaldeans, who chiefly worshipped the planets, and that
of the Indians, who worshipped the fixed stars. The stars or asterisms
they most usually foretold the weather by were those they call anwa, or
the houses of the moon. These are twenty-eight in number, and divide

9 Herodot. lib. iii, c. 8. Strabo, lib. xvi. p. 1129. ¢ Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient
fi 121, * Vide Poc. Spec. p. 87. Bochart, Hierozoic, lib. ii. c. 1. s Vows a
a

Palest. p. 220, &c. * ‘Ibid. p. 213, &c. 8 Al Shahrestani P i
ubi sup. p. 9, and Spec. 164. . bulfarag, p. 161. eee : ener
SECT. It. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 23

the zodiac into as many parts, through one of which the moon passes
every night ;' as some of them set in the morning, others rise opposite to
them, which happens every thirteenth night, and from their rising and
setting the Arabs, by long experience, observed what changes happened
in the air; and at length, as has been said, came to ascribe divine power
to them, saying, that their rain was from such or such a star; which ex-
oression Mohammed condemned, and absolutely forbade them to use it in
the old sense, unless they meant no more by it than that God had so
ordered the seasons, that when the moon was in such or such a mansion
or house, or at the rising or setting of such and such a star, it should rain
or be windy, hot or cold.2

The old Arabians, therefore, seem to have made no further progress in
astronomy, which science they afterwards cultivated with so much success
and applause, than to observe the influence of the stars on the weather, and
to give them names; and this it was obvious for them to do by reason of
their pastoral way of life, lying night and day in the open plains. The
names they imposed on the stars generally alluded to cattle and flocks, and
they were so nice in distinguishing them, that no language has so many
names of stars and asterisms as the Arabic; for though they have since
borrowed the names of several constellations from the Greeks, yet the far
greater part are of their own growth, and much more ancient, particularly
those of the more conspicuous stars, dispersed in several constellations,
and those of the lesser constellations which are contained within the
greater, and were not observed or named by the Greeks.*

Thus have I given the most succinct account I have been able, of the
state of the ancient Arabians before Mohammed, or, to use their expres-
sion, in the time of ignorance. I shall now proceed briefly to consider
the state of religion in the east, and of the two great empires which di- .
vided that part of the world between them, at the time of Mohammed’s
setting up for a prophet, and what were the conducive circumstances and
accidents that favoured his success.

SECTION II.

OF THE STATE OF CHRISTIANITY, PARTICULARLY OF THE EASTERN
CHURCHES, AND OF JUDAISM, AT THE TIME OF MOHAMMED’S - AP~
PEARANCE; AND OF THE METHODS TAKEN BY HIM FOR THE ESTAB-
LISHING OF HIS RELIGION, AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH CON-
CURRED THERETO.

Ir we look into the ecclesiastical historians even from the third century,
we shall find the Christian world to have then had a very different aspect
from what some authors have represented; and so far from being endued
with active grace, zeal, and devotion, and established within itself with
purity of doctrine, union, and firm profession of the faith,’ that, on the
contrary, what by the ambition of the clergy, and what by drawing the

-abstrusest niceties into controversy, and dividing and subdividing about
them into endless schisms and contentions, they had so destroyed that
peace, love, and charity from among them, which the gospel was given to
promote; and instead thereof continually provoked each other to that

 

* Vide Hyde, in not. ad Tabulas stellar. fixar. Ulugh Beigh, p. 5. 2, Vide Poe. Spec.
p. 163, &c. 2 Vide Hyde ubi sup. p. 4. 2 Ricaut’s State of the Ottoman Empire,
p. 187.”
free

24 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IL

malice, rancour, and every evil work; that they had lost the whole sub-
stance of their religion, while they thus eagerly contended for their own
imaginations concerning it; and in amanner quite drove Christianity out
of the world by those very controversies in which they disputed with each
other about it In these dark ages it was that most of those superstitions
and corruptions we now justly abhor in the church of Rome were not
only broached, but established ; which gave great advantages to the pro-
pagation of Mohammedism. The worship of saints and images, 1n par-
ticular, was then arrived of such a scandalous pitch, that it even surpassed
what is now practised among the Romanists.® ;

After the Nicene council, the eastern church was engaged in perpetual

controversies, and torn to pieces by the disputes of the Arians, Sabellians, ,

Nestorians, and Eutychians: the heresies of the two last of which have
been shown to have consisted more in the words and form of expression
than in the doctrines themselves :’ and were rather the pretences than
real motives of those frequent councils, to and from which the contentious
prelates were continually riding post, that they might bring every thing
to their own will and pleasure.® .And to support themselves by depend-
ants and bribery, the clergy in any credit at court undertook the protec-
tion of some officer in the army, under the colour of which justice was
publicly sold, and all corruption encouraged.

In the western church, Damasus and Ursicinus carried their contests at
Rome for the episcopal seat so high, that they came to open violence and
murder, which Viventius the governor not being able to suppress, he
retired into the country, and left them to themselves, ti]l Damasus prevail-
ed. Itis said that on this occasion, in the church of Sicininus, there
were no less than 137 found killed in one day. And no wonder they were
so fond of these seats, when they became by that means enriched by the
presents of matrons, and went abroad in their chariots and sedans in great
state, feasting sumptuously even beyond the luxury of princes, quite con-
trary to the way of the living of the country prelates, who alone seemed
to have some temperance and modesty left.®

These dissensions were greatly owing to the emperors, and particularly
to Constantius, who, confounding the pure and simple Christian religion
with anile superstitions, and perplexing it with intricate questions, instead
of reconciling different opinions, excited many disputes, which he fo-
mented as they proceeded with infinite altercations.! This grew worse
in the time of Justinian, who, not to be behind the bishops of the fifth
and sixth centuries in zeal, thought it no crime to condemn to death a
man of a different persuasion from his own.?

This corruption of doctrine and morals in the princes and clergy was
necessarily followed by a general depravity of the people ;? those of all con-
ditions making it their sole business to get money by any means, and then
to squander it away, when they had got it, in luxury and debauchery. -

But, to be more particular as to the nation we are now writing of,
Arabia was of old famous for heresies ;> which might be in some measure

 

+ Prideaux’s Pref. to his Life of Mohammed. § Vide La vie de Mohammed, par
Boulainvilliers, d. 219, &c. ™ Vide Simon, Hist. Crit. de la creance, &c. des nations
du Levant. *® Ammian. Marcellin. lib. 21. Vide etiam Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. 8. c.
1. Sozom. lib. 1, c. 14, &c. Hilar. and Sulpic. Sever. in Hist. Sacr. p. 112, &c. > Am-
mian. Marcellin. lib. 27. t Idem. lib. 21. 2 Procop. in Anecd. p. 60. 3 See
an instance of the wickedness of the Christian army even when they were under the ter-
ror of the Saracens, in Ockley’s Hist. of the Sarac. vol. i. p. 239. ‘ Vide Boulainvill.
Vie de Moh. uni. svp. _ * Vide Sozomen. Hist. Eccles. lib. 1. c. 16, 1%. Sulpic. Sever,

ubi supra. i
SECT. II. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 25

attributed to the liberty and independency of the tribes.. Some of the
Christians of that nation believed the soul died with the body, and was to
be raised again with it at the last day :* these Origen is said to have con-
vinced.”| Among the Arabs it was that the heresies of Ebion, Beryllus,
and the Nazareans,* and also that of the Collyridians, were broached, or
at least propagated ; the latter introduced the Virgin Mary for God, or
-worshipped her as such, offering her a sort of twisted cake called collyris,
whence the sect had its name.?

This notion of the divinity of the virgin Mary was also believed by some
at the council of Nice, who said there were two gods besides the Father,
viz. Christ and the virgin Mary, and were thence named Mariamites.'
Others imagined her to be exempt from humanity, and deified; which goes
_ but little beyond the popish superstition in calling her the complement of
the Trinity, as if it were imperfect without her. This foolish imagination
is justly condemned in the Koran? as idolatrous, and gave a handle to
Mohammed to attack the Trinity itself,

Other sects there were of many denominations within the borders of
Arabia, which took refuge there from the proscriptions of the imperial
edicts; several of whose notions Mohammed incorporated with his religion,
as may be observed hereafter.

Though the Jews were an inconsiderable and despised people in other
parts of the world, yet in Arabia, whither many of them fled from the
destruction of Jerusalem, they grew very powerful, several tribes and
princes embracing their religion; which made Mohammed at first show
great regard to them, adopting many of their opinions, doctrines, and cus--
toms ; thereby to draw them, if possible, into his interest. But that people,
agreeably to their wonted obstinacy, were so far from being his proselytes,
that they were some of the bitterest enemies he had, waging continual war
with him, so that their reduction cost him infinite trouble and danger, and
at last his life. This aversion of theirs created at length as great a one in
him to them, so that he used them, for the latter part of his life, much
worse than he did the Christians, and frequently exclaims against them in
his Koran ; his followers to this day observe the same difference between
them and the Christians, treating the former as the most abject and con-
temptible people on earth.

It has been observed by a great politician,’ that it is impossible a person
should make himself a prince and found astate without opportunities. Ifthe
distracted state of religion favoured the designs of Mohammed on that side,
the weakness of the Roman and Persian monarchies might flatter him with
no less hopes in any attempt on those once formidable empires, either of
which, had they been in their full vigour, must have crushed Mohammedism
inits birth; whereas nothing nourished it more than the success the Arabians
met within their enterprises against those powers, which success they failed
not to attribute to their new religion and the divine assistance thereof.

The Roman empire declined apace after Constantine, whose successors
were for the generality remarkable for their ill qualities, especially
cowardice and cruelty. By Mohammed’s time the western half of the
empire was overrun by the Goths; and the eastern so reduced by the
Huns on the one side, and the Persians on the other, that it was not in a
capacity of stemming the violence of a powerful invasion. The emperor
Maurice paid tribute to the Khagan or king of the Huns; and after Phocas

 

%Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. 6, c. 33. ‘Idem, ibid. c. 37. * Epiphan. de Heresi,
lib. 1, Her. 40. ° Idem, ibid. lib. 3, Heres. 75,79. *Elmacin. Eutych. 7% Cap. 5,
® Machiavelli, Prine. c. 6, p. 19.
26 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. 1.

A

had murdered his master, such lamentable havoc there was among the
soldiers, that when Hetaclius came, not above seven years after, to muster
the army, there were only two soldiers left alive, of all those who had
borne arms when Phocas first usurped the empire. And though Her-
aclius was a prince of admirable courage and conduct, and had done
what possibly could be done to restore the discipline of the army, and
had had great success against the Persians, so as to drive them not only out
of his own dominions, but even out of part of their own; yet still the very
vitals of the empire seemed to be mortally wounded ; that there could no
time have happened more fatal to the empire, or more favourable to the
enterprises of the Arabs; who seem to have been raised up on purpose by
God, to be a scourge to the Christian church, for not living answerably to
that most holy religion which they had received.* ; ;

The general luxury and degeneracy of manners, into which the Grecians
were sunk, also contributed not a little to the enervating their forces,
which were still further drained by those two great destroyers, monachism
and persecution.

The Persians had also been in a declining condition for some time before
Mohammed, occasioned chiefly by their intestine broils and dissensions ;
great part of which arose from the devilish doctrines of Manes and
Mazdak. The opinions of the former are tolerably well known: the latter
lived in the reign of Khosru Kobad, and pretended himself a prophet sent
from God to preach a community of women and possessions, since all men
were brothers and descended from the same common parents. This he
imagined would put an end to all feuds and quarrels among men, which
generally arose on account of one of the two. Kobad himself embraced
the opinions of this impostor, to whom he gave leave, according to his new
doctrine, to lie with the queen his wife; which permission Anushirwan,
his son, with much difficulty prevailed on Mazdak not to make use of.
These sects had certainly been the immediate ruin of the Persian empire,
had not Anushirwan, as soon as he succeeded his father, put Mazdak to
death with all his followers, and the Manicheans also, restoring the ancient
Magian religion.

In the reign of this prince, deservedly surnamed the.just, Mohammed was
born. He was the last king of Persia who deserved the throne, which after
him was almost perpetually contended for, till subverted by the Arabs.
His son Horméz lost the love of his subjects by his excessive cruelty :
having had his eyes put out by his wife’s brothers, he was obliged to resign
the crown to his son Khorsdi Parviz, who at the instigation of Bahram
Chubin had rebelled against him, and was afterwards strangled. Parviz
was soon obliged to quit the throne to Bahram; but obtaining succours of
the Greek emperor Maurice, he recovered the crown: yet towards the
latter end of a long reign he grew so tyrannical and hateful to his subjects,
that they held a private correspondence with the Arabs; and he was at
length deposed, imprisoned, and slain by his son Shirhyeh.® After Parviz
no less than six princes possessed the throne in less than six years. These
domestic broils effectually brought ruin upon the Persians; for though
they did, rather by the weakness of the Greeks than their own force,
ravage Syria and sack Jerusalem and Damascus under Khosri Parviz;
and, while the Arabs were divided and independent, had some power in
the province of Yaman, where they set up the four last kings, before

 

‘ Ockley’s Hist. of the Saracens, vol. i. p. 19, &c. * Vide Poc. S
Vide Teixeira, Relaciones de los Reyes de persis, p. 195, &c, ster oe eee
SECT. I. Pep renenrcr DISCOURSE. - 27

Mohammed ; yet when nitneleed by the Greeks under Heraclius, they not
only lost their new conquests, but part of their own dominions, and no
sooner were the Arabs united by Mohammedism, than they beat them i in
every battle, and in a few years totally subdued them.

As these empires were weak and declining, so Arabia, at Mohammed’s
setting up, was strong and flourishing; having been peopled at the expense
of the Grecian empire, whence the violent proceedings of the domineering
sects forced many to seek refuge in a free country, as Arabia then was,
where they who could not enjoy tranquillity and their conscience at home,
found a secure retreat. The Arabians were not only a populous nation,
but unacquainted with the luxury and delicacies of the Greeks and
Persians, and inured to hardships of all sorts; living in a most parsimonious
manner, seldom eating any flesh, drinking no wine, and sitting on the
ground, Their political government was also such as favoured the designs
of Mohammed; for the division and independency of their tribes were so
necessary to the first propagation of his religion, and the foundation of his
power, that it would have been scarce possible for him to have effected
either, had the Arabs been united in one society. But when they had
embraced his religion, the consequent union of their tribes was no less
necessary and conducive to their future conquests and grandeur.

This posture of public affairs in the eastern world, both as to its religious
and political state, it is more than probable Mohammed was well ac-
quainted with; he having had sufficient opportunities of informing himself
in those particulars, i in his travels as a merchant in his younger years: and
though it is not to be supposed his views at first were so extensive as
afterwards, when they were enlarged by his good fortune, yet he might
reasonably promise himself success in his first attempts from thence. As
he was a man of extraordinary parts and address, he knew how to make
the best of every incident, and turn what might seem dangerous to another
to his own advantage.

Mohammed came into the world under some disadvantages, which he soon
surmounted. His father Abd’allah was a younger son’ of Abd’almotalleb,
and dying very young and in his father’s lifetime, left his widow and infant
son in very mean circumstances; his whole substance consisting but of five
camels and one Ethiopian she- slave. ® Abd’almotalleb was therefore obliged
to take care of his grandchild Mohammed, which he not only did
during his life, but at his death enjoined his eldest son Abu Taleb, who
was brother to Abd’allah by the same mother, to provide for him for the
future ; which he very affectionately did, and instructed him in the business
of a merchant, which he followed ; and to that end he took him with him
into Syria when he was but thirteen, and afterward recommended him ta
Khadijah, a noble and rich widow, for her factor, in whose service he
behaved himself so well, that by making him her husband she soon raised
him to an equality with the richest in Mecca.

After he began by this advantageous match to live at his ease it was that
he formed the scheme of establishing a new religion, or, as he expressed it,
of replanting the only true and ancient one, professed by Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all the prophets,? by destroying the gross
idolatry into which the generality of his countrymen had fallen, and

 

* He Wis not his eldest son, as Dr. Prideaux tells us; whose reflections built on that
foundation must necessarily fail (see his life of Mohammed, p- 93) nor yet his youngest son,
as M. de Boulainvilliers (Vie de Mohammed, p. 182, &c.) supposes ; for Hamza and a
Abbas were both younger than Abd’allah.

* Abulfeda, Vit. Moham. p. 2. ® See Koran, c. 2.
58 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. J

weeding out the corruptions and superstitions which the latter Jews and
Christians had, as he thought, introduced into their religion, and reducing
it to its original purity, which consisted chiefly in the worship of one
only God. : , :

Whether this was the effect of enthusiasm, or only a design to Taise
jhimself to the supreme government of his country, I will not pretend to
determine. The latter is the general opinion of Christian writers, who
agree that ambition and the desire of satisfying his sensuality were the
motives of his undertaking. It may be so; yet his first views perhaps were
not so interested. His original design of bringing the pagan Arabs to the
knowledge of the true God was certainly noble, and highly to be com-
mended ; for I cannot possibly subscribe to the assertion of a late learned
writer,! that he made that nation exchange their idolatry for another
religion altogether as bad. Mohammed was no doubt fully satisfied in his
conscience of the truth of his grand point, the unity of God, which was
what he chiefly attended to; all his other doctrines and institutions being
rather accidental and unavoidable, than premeditated and designed.

Since then Mohammed was certainly himself persuaded of his grand
article of faith, which in his opinion was violated by all the rest of the
world ; not only by the idolaters, but by the Christians, as well those who
rightly worshipped Jesus as God, as those who superstitiously adored the
Virgin Mary, saints, and images; and also by the Jews, who are accused in
the Koran of taking Ezra for the son of God ;2 it is easy to conceive that
he might think it a meritorious work to rescue the world from such
ignorance and superstition; and by degrees, with the help of a warm
imagination, which an Arab seldom wants,? to suppose himself destined
by Providence for the effecting that great reformation. And this fancy of
his might take still deeper root in his mind, during the solitude he there-
upon affected, usually retiring for a month in the year to a cave in Mount
Hara near Mecca. One thing which may be probably urged against the
enthusiasm of this prophet of the Arabs, is the wise conduct and great
prudence he all along showed in pursuing his design, which seem incon-
sistent with the wild notions of a hot-brained religionist. But though all
enthusiasts or madmen do not behave with the same gravity and circum-
spection that he did, yet he will not be the first instance, by several, of a
person who has been out of the way only guoad hoc, and in all other
respects acted with the greatest decency and precaution.

The terrible destruction of the eastern churches, once so glorious and
flourishing, by the sudden spreading of Mohammedism, and the great .
successes of its professors against the Christians, necessarily inspire a
horror of that religion in those to whom it has been so fatal ; and no wonder
if they endeavour to set the character of its founder, and its doctrines, in the
most infamous light. But the damage done by Mohammed to Christianity
seems to have been rather owing to his ignoratice than malice; for his
great misfortune was, his not having a competent knowledge of the real
and pure doctrines of the Christian religion, which was in his time so
abominably corrupted, that it is not surprising if he went too far, and
resolved to abolish what he might think incapable of reformation.

It is scarce to be doubted but that Mohammed had a violent desire
of being reckoned an extraordinary person, which he could attain to by no
means more effectually than by pretending to be a messenger sgat from
God, to inform mankind of his will. This might be at first his utmost

 

ae Life of Moham. p. 76. 9 Koran, ¢. 9. 3 See Casaub. of Enthusiasm,
p. 148.
SECT. II. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 29

=

a

ambition, and had his fellow citizens treated him less injuriously, and not
obliged him by their persecutions to seek refuge elsewhere, and to take up
arms against them in his own defence, he had perhaps continued a private
person, and contented himself with the veneration and respect due to his
prophetical office; but being once got at the head of a little arfny, and en-
couraged by success, it is no wonder if he raised his thoughts to attempt
what had never before entered into his imagination.

That Mohammed was, as the Arabs are by complexion,‘ a great lover of

women, we are assured by his own confession; and he is constantly .

upbraided with it by the controversial writers, who fail not to urge the

number of women with whom he had to do as a demonstrative argument
of his sensuality, which they think sufficiently proves him to have been a
wicked man, and consequently an impostor. But it must be considered,
that polygamy, though it be forbidden by the Christian religion, was in
Mohammed’s time frequently practised in Arabia and other parts of the
east, and was not counted an immorality; nor was a man the worse esteemed
on that account; for which reason Mohammed permitted the plurality of
wives, with certain limitations, among his own followers, who argue for the
lawfulness of it from several reasons, and particularly from the examples of
persons allowed on all hands to have been good men; some of whom have
been honoured with the divine correspondence. The several laws relating
to marriages and divorcees, and the peculiar privileges granted to Mohammed
in his Koran, were almost all taken by him from the Jewish decisions, as

will appear hereafter ; and therefore he might think those institutions the

more just and reasonable, as he found them practised or approved by the
professors of a religion which was confessedly of divine original.

But whatever were his motives, Mohammed had certainly the personal
qualifications which were necessary to accomplish his undertaking. The
Mohammedan authors are excessive in their commendations of him, and
speak much of his religious and moral virtues; as his piety, veracity,

justice, liberality, clemency, humility, and abstinence. Hischarity in par--

ticular, they say, was so conspicuous, that he had seldom any money in his
house, keeping no more for his own use than was just sufficient to maintain
his family; and he frequently spared even some part of his own provisions
to supply the necessities of the poor; so that before the year’s end he had
generally little or nothing left.° God,” says al Bokhari, “offered him the
keys of the treasures of the earth, but he would not accept them.”’ Though
the eulogies of these writers are justly to be suspected of partiality, yet this
much, I think, may be inferred from thence, that for an Arab who had been
educated in paganism, and had but a very imperfect knowledge of his duty,
he was a man of at least tolerable morals, and not such a monster of wick-
edness as he is usually represented. And indeed it is scarce possible to
conceive that a wretch of so profligate a character should ever have suc-
ceeded in an enterprise of this nature; a little hypocrisy and saving of
appearances, at least, rnust have been absolutely necessary ; and the sin-
cerity of his intentions is what I pretend not to inquire into.

He had indisputably a very piercing and sagacious wit, and was thoroughly
versed in all the arts of insinuation.®© The eastern historians describe him
to have been a man of an excellent judgment, and a happy memory ; and
these natural parts were improved by a great experience and knowledge of
men, andthe observations he had madein his travels. They say he was a

 

“ Ammian. Marcell. lib. 14, c. 4. 5 Vide Abu'lfeda Vit. Moham. p. 144, &c
Vide Prid. Life of Mohammed, p. 105.
D
80 ' PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. Th -

person of few words, of an equal, cheerful temper, pleasant and familiar in
conversation, of inoffensive behaviour towards his friends, and of great con-
descension towards his inferiors.’ To all which were joined a comely,
agreeable person, and a polite address ; accomplishments of no small ser-
vice in preventing those in his favour whom he attempted to persuade.

As to acquired learning, it is confessed he had-none at all; having had
no other education than what was customary in his tribe, who neglected,
and perhaps despised, what we call literature ; esteeming no language in
.comparison with their own, their skill in which they gained by use and not
by books, and contenting ‘themselves with improving their private ex-
perience, by committing to memory such passages of their poets as they
judged might be of use to them in life. This defect was so far from being:
prejudicial or putting a stop to his degign, that he made the greatest use of
it; insisting that the writings which he produced as revelations from God,
could not possibly be a forgery of his own; because it was not conceivable
that a person who could neither write nor read should be able to compose
a book of such excellent doctrine, and in so elegant a style ; and thereby
obviating an objection that might have carried a great deal of weight.*
And for this reason his followers, instead of being ashamed of their master’s
ignorance, glory in it as an evident proof of his divine mission, and scruple
not to call him (as he is indeed called in the Koran itself*) the illiterate
prophet.

The scheme of religion which Mohammed framed, and the design and
artful contrivance of those written revelations (as he pretended them to be)
which compose his Koran, shall be the subject of the following sections: I
shall, therefore, in the remainder of this relate, as briefly as possible,
the steps he took towards the effecting of his enterprise, and the accidents
which concurred to his success therein.

Before he made any attempt abroad, he rightly judged that it was
necessary for him to begin by the conversion of his own household.
Having therefore retired with his family, as he had done several times
before, to the above-mentioned cave in Mount Hara, he there opened the
secret of his mission to his wife Khadijah: and acquainted her that the
angel Gabriel had just before appeared to him, and told him that he was ap-
pointed the apostle of God: he also repeated to her a passage! which he
pretended had been revealed to him by the ministry of the angel, with
those other circumstances of his first appearance which are related by the
Mohammedan writers. Khadijah received the news with great joy ;*
swearing by him in whose hands her soul was, that she trusted he would
be the prophet of his nation: and immediately communicated what she
had heard to her cousin Warakah Ebn Nawfal, who, being a Christian,
could write in the Hebrew character, and was tolerably well versed in the
Scriptures ;° and he as readily came into her opinion, assuring her that the
same angel who had formerly appeared unto Moses was now sent to
Mohammed.‘ This first overture thé prophet made'in the month of Rama

dan, in the fortieth year of his age, which is therefore usually called
the year of his mission. t

 

"Vide Abulfed. ubi sup. * See Koran, chap. xxix. Prid. Life of Moham. p. 28, &e.

® Chap. vii. * This passage is generally agreed to be the first five verses of the 96th
chapter. 2 I do not remember to have read in any eastern author, that Khadijah ever

rejected her husband’s pretences as delusions, or suspected him of i i
Prideaux’s Life of Mohammed, p. 11; &c. ‘a Vide Poe, Spee. tar Vide avelied
Vit. Moham. p. 16. Where the learned translator has mushaken the meaning of this
passage. ca :

t
SKCT, II. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 81

Encouraged by so good a beginning, he resolved to proceed, and try for
some time what he could do by private persuasion, not daring to hazard the
whole affair by exposing it too suddenly to the public. He soon made
proselytes of those under his own roof, viz. his wife Khadijah, his servant
Zeid Ebn Haretha (to whom he gave his freedom® on that occasion, which
afterwards became a rule to his followers), and his cousin and pupil Ali,
the son of Abu Taleb, though then very young: but this last, making no
account of the other two, used to style himself the first of believers. The
next person Mohammed applied to was Abdallah Ebn Abi Kohafa, sur-
named Abu Becr, a man of great authority among the Koreish, and one
whose interest he well knew would be of great service to-him, as it soon
appeared; for Abu Becr being gained over, prevailed also on Othman Ebn
Affan, Abd’alrahman Ebn Awf, Saad Ebn Abi Wakkas, al Zobeir Ebn al
Awam, and Telha Ebn Obeid’allah, all principal men in Mecca, to follow
his example. These men were the six chief companions, who, with a few
more, were converted in the space of three years; at the end of which
Mohamnied having, as he hoped, a sufficient interest to support him, made
his mission no longer a secret, but gave out that God had commanded him
to admonish his near relations,‘ and in order to do it with more convenience
and prospect of success, he directed Ali to prepare an entertainment, and
invite the sons and descendants of Abd’almotalleb, intending then to open
his mind to them; this was done, and about forty of them came, but Abu
Laheb, one of his uncles, making the company break up before Mohammed —
had an opportunity of speaking, obliged him to give them a second invita-
tion the next day; and when they were come, he made them the following
speech: “I know no man in all Arabia who can offer his kindred a more
excellent thing than I now do you; I offer you happiness both in this life,
and in that which is to come: God Almighty hath commanded me to call
you unto him; who, therefore, among you will be assisting to me herein,
and become my brother, and my vicegerent?” All of them hesitating, and
declining the matter, Ali at length rose up, and declared that he would be
his assistant; and vehemently threatened those who should oppose him.
Mohammed upon this embraced Ali with great demonstrations of affection,
and desired all who were present to hearken to and obey him as his deputy ;
at which the company broke out into great laughter, telling Abu Taleb
that he must now pay obedience to his son.

This repulse, however, was so far from discouraging Mohammed, that he
began to preach in public to the people, who heard him with some patience,
till he came to upbraid them with the idolatry, obstinacy, and perverseness
of themselves and their fathers; which so highly provoked them, that they
declared themselves his enemies, and would soon have procured his ruin
had’ he not been protected by Abu Taleb. The chief of the Koreish
warmly solicited this person to desert his nephew, making frequent remon-
strances against the innovations he was attempting; which proving in-
effectual, they at. length threatened him with an open rupture if he did not
prevail on Mohammed to desist. At this Abu Taleb was so far moved
that he earnestly dissuaded his nephew from pursuing the affair any farther,
representing the great danger he and his friends must otherwise run. But
Mohammed was not to be intimidated, telling his uncle plainly, that if they
set the sun against him on his right hand, and the moon on his left, he
would not leave his enterprise: and Abu Taleb, seeing him so firmly

 

5 For he was his purchased slave, as Abulfeda expressly tells us; and not his cousin-
erman, as M. de Boulainvilliers asserts (Vie de Moham. p. 273). *° Korfin. c. 74.
ee the notes thereon. '
32 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT we

resolved to proceed, used no further arguments, but promised to stand by’
him against all his enemies.’ ;

The Koreish finding they could prevail neither by fair words not
menaces, tried what they could do by force and ill treatment; using
Mohammed’s followers so very injuriously that it was not safe for them to
continue at Mecca any longer ; whereupon Mohammed gave leave to such
of them as had not friends to protect them to seek for refuge elsewhere.
And accordingly in the fifth year of the prophet’s mission, sixteen of them,
four of whom were women, fled into Ethiopia: and among them Othman
Ebn Affan and his wife Rakiah, Mohammed’s daughter. This was the.
first flight ; but afterwards several others followed them, retiring one after
another, to the number of eighty-three men and eighteen women, besides
children.’ These refugees were kindly received by the Najashi,® or king
of Ethiopia, who refused to deliver them up to those whom the Koreish
sent to demand them, and as the Arab writers unanimously attest, even ~
professed the Mohammedan religion. ;

In the sixth year of his mission! Mohammed had the pleasure of seeing
his party strengthened by the conversion of his uncle Hamza, a man of
great valour and merit, and of Omar Ebn al Khattéb, a person highly
esteemed, and once a violent opposer of the prophet. As persecution
generally advances rather than obstructs the spreading of a religion,
Islamism made so great a progress among the Arab tribes, that the
Koreish, to suppress it effectually, if possible, in the seventh year of
Mohammed’s mission, made a solemn league or covenant against the
Hashemites and the family of Al Motalleb, engaging themselves to contract
no marriages with any of them, and to have no communication with them ;
and to give it the greater sanction, reduced it into writing, and Jaid it upin
the Caaba, Upon this the tribe became divided into two factions; and the
family of Hashem all repaired to Abu Taleb, as their head, except only .
Abd’al Uzza, surnamed Abu Laheb, who, out of his invéterate hatred to
his nephew and his doctrine, went over to the opposite party, whose chief ©
was Abu Sofiin Ebn Harb, of the family of Ommeya. ;

The families continued thus at variance for three years; but in the tenth
year of his mission, Mohammed told his uncle Abu Taleb, that God had
manifestly showed his disapprobation of the league which the Koreish had
made against them, by sending a worm to eat out every word of the
instrument except the name of God. Of this accident Mohammed had
probably some private notice, for Abu Taleb went immediately to the
Koreish and acquainted them with it; offering, if it proved false, to
deliver his nephew up to them; but in case it were true, he insisted that
they ought to lay aside their animosity, and annul the league they had made .
against the Hashemites. To this they acquiesced, and, going ta inspect
the writing, to their great astonishment found it to be as Abu Taleb had
said ; and the league was thereupon declared void.

; Tn the same year Abu Taleb died, at the age of above fourscore; and it
is the general opinion that he died an infidel, though others say, that when
he was at the point of death he embraced Mohammedism, and produced
some passages out of his poetical compositions to confirm their assertion.
About a month, or, as some write, three days after the death of this great
benefactor and patron, Mohammed had the additional mortification to lose

* Abulfeda ubi supra. * Idem, Ebn Shohnah. ° Dr. Prideaux seems to take this
word for a proper name, but it is only the title the Arabs cive t i i
| Soe his Life of Mohammed, p. 55.” * Ebn Shobnah, © Al Tonsatee ots County:
SECT. 1. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 33

his wife Khadijah, who had so generously made his fortune. For which
reason this year is called the year of mourning®

On the death of these two persons, the Koreish began to be more
troublesome than ever to their prophet, and especially some who had
formerly been his intimate friends; insomuch that he found himself obliged
to seek for shelter elsewhere, and first pitched upon TAyef, about sixty
miles east from Mecca, for the place of his ~2treat. Thither therefore
he went, accompanied by his servant Zeid, aud applied himself to two of
the chief of the tribe of Thakif, who were the inhabitants of that place, but
they received him very coldly. However, he stayed there a month; and
some of the more considerate and better sort of men treated him with
a little respect: but the slaves and inferior people at length rose against
him, and bringing him to the wall of the city, obliged him to depart, and
return to Mecca, where he put himself under the protection of al Motaam
Ebn Adi.4

' . This repulse greatly discouraged his followers: however, Mohammed
was not wanting to himself, but boldly continued to preach to the public
assemblies at the pilgrimage, and gained several proselytes, and among
them six of the inhabitants of Yathreb of the Jewish tribe of Khazraj,
who, on their return home, failed not to speak much in commendation
of | «ir new religion, and exhorted their fellow-citizens to embrace the
same.

Tn ‘ne twetih year of his mission it was that Mohammed gave out that
he had made his-night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and thence
to heaven.* 3: much spoken of by all that write of him. Dr. Prideaux®
thinks be in, .‘9d it either to answer the expectati..s cf those who
demanded some mi‘ 7le as a proof of his mission; or ¢ .s©, by pretending to
have couvers-d wi a God, to establish the autho city of whatever ne should
think fit to leave b bind ‘-y way of oral tradition, and make wis sayings to
serve the same purpose.as the oral law of the Jews. ButI do not find
that Mohammed hims-lf ever expected so great a regard should be paid to
his sayings as his fo’lowe’s have since done: and seeing he all along
disclaimed any power c/ performing miracles, it seems rather to have been
a fetch of policy to raise his reputation, by pretending to have actually con-
versed with God in heavcn, as Moses had heretofore done on the Mount,
and to have receive: several institutions immediately from him, whereas
before he contented hiinself with persuading them that he had all by the
ministry of Gabriel.

However, this «ory seemed so absurd and incredible that several of his
followers left hym upon it, and it had-probably ruined his whole design, had
not Abu P = vouched for its veracity, and declared that if Mohammed
affirmec .. "10 oe true, he verily believed the whole. Which happy incident
not only retrieved the prophet’s credit, but increased it to such a degree,
that be wa- «ecure of being able to make his disciples swallow whatever he
pleased to impose on them for the future. And I am apt to think this
fiction, notwithstanding its extravagance, was one of the most artful
contrivances Mohammed ever put in practice, and what chiefly contributed
to the raising of his reputation to that great height to which it afterwards
arrived.

In this year, called by Mohammedans the accepted year, twelve men of
Yathreb or Medina, of whom ten were of the tribe of Khazraj, and the

 

3 Abulfed. p. 28. Ebn Shohnah. * Ebn Shohnah. 5 See the notes on the 17th
chap. of the Koran. © Life of Moham. p. 41, 51, &c.
34 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. fi.

other two of that of Aws, came to Mecca, and took an oath of fidelity to
Mohammed at al Akaba, a hill on the north of that city. This oath was
called the women’s oath; not that any women were present at this time,
but because a man was not thereby obliged to take up arms 1n defence of
Mohammed or his religion; it being the same oath that was afterwards
exacted of the women, the form of which we have in the Koran,’ and is to
this effect, viz. —“ That they should renounce all idolatry; that they should
not steal, nor commit fornication, nor kill their children (as the pagan —
Arabs used to do when they apprehended they should not be able to
maintain them®), nor forge calumnies; and that they should obey the
prophet in all things that were reasonable.” When they had solemnly
engaged to do all this, Mohammed sent one of his disciples, named Masab
Ebn Omair, home with them, to instruct them more fully in the grounds
and ceremonies of his new religion.

Masiab, being arrived at Medina, by the assistance of those who had
been formerly converted, gained several proselytes, particularly Osaid Ebn
Hodeira, a chief man of the city, and Saad Ebn Moadh, prince of the
tribe of Aws; Mohammedism spreading so fust, that there was scarce a
house wherein there were not some who had embraced it.

The next year, being the thirteenth of Mohammed’s mission, Masab
returned to Mecca, accompanied by seventy-three men and two women of
Medina who had professed Islamism, besides some others who were as yet
unbelievers. On their arrival, they immediately sent to Mohammed, and
offered him their assistance, of which he was-now in great need, for his
adversaries were by this time grown so powerful in Mecca, that he could not
stay there much longer without imminent danger. Wherefore he accepted
their proposal, and met them one night, by appointment, at al Akaba above-
mentioned, attended by his uncle al Abbas, who, though he was not then a
believer, wished his nephew well, and made a speech to those of Medina,
wherein he told them, that as Mohammed was obliged to quit his native
city, and seek an asylum elsewhere, and they had offered him their protec-
tion, they would do well not to deceive him; and that if they were not
firmly resolved to defend and not betray him, they had better declare their
minds, and let him provide for his safety in some other manner. Upon
their protesting their sincerity, Mohamined swore to be faithful to them; on
condition that they should protect him against all insults, as heartily
as they would their own wives and families. They then asked him what
recompense they were to expect if they should happen to be killed in his
quarrel ; he answered paradise. Whereupon they pledged their faith to
him, and so returned home ;9 after Mohammed had chosen twelve out
of their number, who were to have the same authority among them as
the twelve apostles of Christ had among his disciples.!

Hitherto Mohammed had propagated his religion by fair means, so that
the whole success of his enterprise before his flight to Medina must be at-
tributed to persuasion only, and not to compulsion. For before this second
oath of fealty or inauguration at al Akaba, he had no permission to use any
force at all; and in several places of the Koran, which he pretended
were revealed during his stay at Mecca, he declares his business was only
to preach and admonish, that he had no authority to compel any person

x to embrace his religion; and that whether people believed, or not, was none
of his concern, but belonged solely untoGod. And he was so far from allow:
ing his followers to use force, that he exhorted them to bear patiently those

7 Cap. 60 Vide Koran, chap. 6. * Abulfeda. Vit. Moham. p. 40, &c

 

* Ebn Ishak.
SECT. 11. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 35

injuries which were offered them on account of their faith ; and when per.
‘secuted himself, chose rather to quit the place of his birth and retire
to Medina, than to make any resistance. But this great passiveness and
moderation seems entirely owing to his want of power, and. the great supe-
riority of his opposers for the first twelve years of his mission; for no
sooner was he enabled, by the assistance of those of Medina, to make head
against his enemies, than he gave out, that God had allowed him and
his followers to defend themselves against the infidels; and at length,
‘as his forces increased, he pretended to have the divine leave even to
attack them and to destroy idolatry, and set up the true faith by the
Sword ; finding, by experience, that his designs would otherwise proceed
very slowly, if they were not utterly overthrown; and knowing on the
other hand that innovators, when they depend solely on their own strength,
and can compel, seldom run any risk; from whence, the politician ob-
serves, it follows, that all the armed prophets have succeeded, and the un-
armed ones have failed. Moses, Cyrus, Theseus, and Romulus would not
have been able to establish the observance of their institutions for any
length of time, had they not been armed. The first passage of the Koran
which gave Mohammed the permission of defending himself by arms is
said to have been that in the twenty-second chapter ; after which a great
number to the same purpose were revealed.

That Mohammed had a right to take up arms for his own defence against
his unjust persecutors, may perhaps be allowed; but whether he ought
afterwards to have made use of that means for the establishing of his reli-
gion is a question I will not here determine. How far the secular power
may or ought to interpose in affairs of this nature mankind are not agreed.
The method of converting by the sword gives no very favourable idea of
the faith which is so propagated, and is disallowed by every body in those
of another religion, thuagh the same persons are willing to admit of it for
the advancement of their own; supposing that though a false religion ought
not to be established by authority, yet a true one may; and accordingly
force is almost as constantly employed in these cases by those who have the
power in their hands, as it is constantly complained of by those who suffer
the violence. It is certainly one of the most convincing proofs that Moham-
medism was no other than a human invention, that it owed its progress and
establishment almost entirely to the sword ; and it is one of the strongest
demonstrations of the divine original of Christianity, that it prevailed against
all the force and powers of the world by the mere dint of its own truth,
after having stood the assaults of all manner of persecutions, as well as
other oppositions, for three hundred years together, and at length made the
Roman emperors themselves submit thereto ;? after which time indeed this
proof seems to fail, Christianity being then established and paganism
abolished by public authority, which has had great influence in the pro-
pagation of the one and destruction of the other ever since.* But to
return.

Mohammed having provided for the security of his companions as well as
his own, by the league offensive and defensive which he had now concluded
with those of Medina, directed them to repair thither, which they accord-
ingly did ; but himself with Abu Becr and Ali staid behind, having not yet
received the divine permission, as he pretended, to leave Mecca. The
Koreish, fearing the consequence of this new alliance, began to think it ab-
solutely necessary to prevent Mohammed’s escape to Medina, and having

9 Machiavelli, Princ. c. vi. 2 See Prideaux’s Letter to the Deists, p. 220, &c.
“ See Bayle’s Dict. Hist. Art. Moham. Rem. O.
386 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. Tt.

held a council thereon, after several milder expedients had been rejected,
they came to a resolution that he should be killed ; and agreed that a man
should be chosen out of every tribe for the execution of this design, and that
each man should have a blow at him with his sword, that the guilt of his
blood might fall equally on all the tribes, to whose united power the
Hashemites were much inferior, and therefore durst not attempt to re-
venge their kinsman’s death. .

This conspiracy was scarce formed when by some means or other it came
to Mohammed’s knowledge, and he gave out that it was revealed to him by
the angel Gabriel, who had now ordered him to retire to Medina. Where-
upon, to amuse his enemies, he directed Ali to lie down in his place and
wrap himself up in his green cloak, which he did, and Mohammed escaped
miraculously as they pretend,’ to Abu Becr’s house, unperceived by the
conspirators, who had already assembled at the prophet’s door. They in
the mean time, looking through the crevice and seeing Ali, whom they took
to be Mohammed himself, asleep, continued watching there till morning,
when Ali arose and they found themselves deceived.

,_ From Abu Becr’s house Mohammed and he went to a cave in mount
Thar, to the south-east of Mecca, accompanied only by Amer Ebn Foheirah,
Abu Becr’s servant, and Abd’allah Ebn Oreikat, an idolater, whom they
had hired for a guide. In this cave they lay hid three days to avoid
the search of their enemies, which they very narrowly escaped, and not
without the assistance of more miracles than one; for some say that the
Koreish were struck with blindness, so that they could not find the cave;
others, that after Mohammed and his companions were got in, two pigeons
laid their eggs at the entrance, and a spider covered the mouth of the cave
with her web,° which made them look no farther.7/ Abu Becr seeing the
prophet in such imminent danger became very sorrowful, whereupon
Mohammed comforted him with these words, recorded in the Koran,3—
“ Be not grieved, for God is with us.” Their enemies being retired, they
left the cave and set out for Medina, by a by-road, and having fortunately,
or as the Mohammedans tell us, miraculously escaped some who were sent
to pursue them, arrived safely in the city; whither Ali followed them in
three days, after he had settled some affairs at Mecca.

The first thing Mohammed did after his arrival at Medina was to build a
temple for his religious worship; and a house for himself, which he did on
. aparcel of ground which had before served to put camels in, or as others tell
us, for a burying ground, and belonged to Sahal and Soheil the sons
of Amru, who were orphans.’ This action Dr. Prideaux exclaims against,
Tepresenting it as a flagrant instance of injustice, for that, says he, he
violently dispossessed these poor orphans, the sons of an inferior artificer,
(whom the author he quotes? call a carpenter) of this ground, and so
founded the first fabric of his worship with the like wickedness as he did his
religion.’ But to say nothing of the improbability that Mohammed should
act in so impolitic a manner at his first coming, the Mohammedan writers
set this affair in a quite different light; one tells us that he treated with the
lads about the price of the ground, but they desired he would accept it as

5 See the notes to chap. 8. and 36. :

® Itis observable that the Jews have a like tradition concernin David, when he fled from
Saul into the cave; and the Targum paraphrases these words of the second verse of
Psalm lvii., (which was composed on occasion of that deliverance) ‘I will pray before the
most high God that performeth all things for me,”’ in this manner ; ‘* I will pray before the
most high God, who called a spider to weave a web for my sake in the mouth of the cave.”
* Al Beiddwi in Kor. cap. 9. Vide d’Herbel Bibl. Orient. p. 445. ® Chap. 9.
® Abulfeda Vit. Moham. p.50, &c, Ebn Shohnak. * Abulfeda, ib. p. 52, 53. 2 Dispu-
tatio Christiani contra Saracen. cap. iv. * Prideaux’s Life of Moham. p. 58
S8RCcT. I. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 37

a present ;4 however, as histcrians of good credit assure us, he actually
bought it,5 and the money was paid by Abu Becr® Besides, had Moham-
med accepted it as a present, the orphans were in circumstances sufficient
to have afforded it; for they were of a very good family, of the tribe Naj-
Jar, one of the most illustrious among the Arabs, and not the sons of
a carpenter, as Dr. Prideaux’s author writes, who took the word Najjar,
which signifies a carpenter, for an appellative, whereas it is a proper
name.

Mohammed being securely settled at Medina, and able not only to
defend himself against the insults of his enemies, but to attack them, began
to sénd out small parties to make reprisals on the Koreish ; the first party
consisting of no more than nine men, who intercepted and plundered a
caravan belonging to that tribe, and in the action took two prisoners.
But what established his affairs very much, and was the foundation on
which he built all his succeeding greatness, was the gaining of the battle of
Bedr, which was fought in the second year of the Hejra, and is so famous
in the Mohammedan history.6 As my design is not to write the life of
Mohammed, but only to describe the manner in which he carried on his
enterprise, I shall not enter into any detail of his subsequent battles and
expeditions, which amounted to a considerable number. Some reckon no
less than twenty-seven expeditions wherein Mohammed was personally
present, in nine of which he gave battle, besides several other expeditions
in which he was not present:° some of them however will be necessarily
taken notice of in explaining several passages of the Koran. His forces
he maintained partly by the contributions of his followers for this purpose,
which he called by the name of zacat or alms, and the paying of which he
very artfully made one main article of his religion ; and partly by ordering
a fifth part of the plunder to be brought into the public treasury for that
purpose, in which matter he likewise pretended to act by the divine
direction,

In a few years, by the success of his arms (notwithstanding he some-
times came off by the worst), he considerably raised his credit and power.
In the sixth year of the Hejra he set out with 1400 men to visit the
temple of Mecca, not with any intent of committing hostilities, but in a
peaceable manner. However when he came to al Hodeibiya, which is
situate partly within and partly without the sacred territory, the Koreish
sent to Jet him know that they would not permit him to enter Mecca,
unless he forced his way ; whereupon he called his troops about him, and
they all took a solemn oath of fealty or homage to him, and he resolved to
attack the city ; but those of Mecca sending Arwa Ebn Masud,* prince of
the tribe of Thakif, as their ambassador to desire peace, a truce was con-
cluded between them for ten years, by which any person was allowed
to enter into league either with Mohammed or with the Koreish as he
thought fit.

It may not be improper, to show the inconceivable veneration and
respect the Mohammedans by this time had for their prophet, to mention
the account which the above-mentioned ambassador gave the Koreish, at
his return, of their behaviour. He said he had been at the courts both of
the Roman emperor and of the king of Persia, and never saw any prince so
highly respected by his subjects as Mohammed was by his companions*

 

“ Al Bokhari in Sonna. 5 AlJannabi. ® Ahmed Ebn Yusef. * Vide Gagnier,
Not. in Abulfed. de Vit. Mahom. p. 52, 53. ® See the notes on the Koran, chap. 3.
p. 36. ° Vide Abulfed. vit. Moh. p. 158.

* This is erroneous. The ambassador was Sohail Ebn Amru. See note, chap. 48.

(
38 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. II.

for whenever he made the ablution, in order to say his prayers, they ran
and catched the water that he had used; and whenever he spit, they
immediately licked it up, and gathered every hair that fell from him with
great superstition." : :

In the seventh year of the Hejra, Mohammed began to think of propa-
gating his religion beyond the bounds of Arabia, and sent messengers to
the neighbouring princes with letters to invite them to Mohammedism,
Nor was this project without some success. Khosra Parviz, then king of
Persia, received his letter with great disdain, and tore it in a passion,
sending away the messenger very abruptly; which, when Mohammed
heard, he said, God shall tear his kingdom. And soon after a messenger
came to Mohammed from Badhan king of Yaman, who was a dependant
on the Persians, to acquaint him that he had received orders to send him
to Khosri. Mohammed put off his answer till the next morning, and
then told the messenger it had been revealed to him that night, that Khosra
was slain by his son Shirdyeh; adding that he was well assured his new
religion and empire should rise to as great a height as that of Khosri;
and therefore bid him advise his master to embrace Mohammedism. The
messenger being returned, Badhan in a few days received a letter from
Shirdyeh informing him of his father’s death, and ordering him to give the
prophet no further disturbance. Whereupon Badhan and the Persians
with him turned Mohammedans.*

The emperor Heraclius, as the Arabian historians assure us, received
Mohammed’s letter with great respect, laying it on his pillow, and dis-
missed the bearer honourably. And some pretend that he would have
professed this new faith, had he not been afraid of losing his crown.‘

Mohammed wrote to the same effect to the king of Ethiopia, though he
had been converted before, according to the Arab writers ; and to Mokaw-
kas, governor of Egypt, who gave the messenger a very favourable
reception, and sent several valuable presents to Mohammed, and among the
rest two girls, one of which, named Mary,’ became a great favourite with him.
He also sent letters of the like purport to several Arab princes, particu-
larly one to al Hareth Ebn Abi Shamer® king of Ghassan, who returning for
answer that he would go to Mohammed himself, the prophet said, May his
kingdom perish ; another to Hawdha Ebn Ali, king of Yamama, who was
a Christian, and having some time before professed Islamism, had lately
returned to his former faith; this prince sent back a very rough answer,
upon which, Mohammed cursing him, he died soon after; a third to al
Mondar Ebn Sawa, king of Bahrein, who embraced Mohammedism, and
all the Arabs of that country followed his example.”

The eighth year of the Hejra was a very fortunate year to Mohammed. In
the beginning of it Khaled Ebn al Walid and Amru Ebn al As, bothexcellent
soldiers, the first of whom afterwards conquered Syria and other countries,
and the latter Egypt, became proselytes of Mohammedism. And soon after ~
the prophet sent 3000 men against the Grecian forces, to revenge the death
of one of his ambassadors, who being sent to the governor of Bosra, on the
same errand as those who went to the above-mentioned princes, was slain
by an Arab of the tribe of Ghassén at Mata, a town in the territory of
Balka in Syria, about three days’ journey eastward from Jerusalem, near

 

t Abulfeda. Vit. Moh. p. 85. 7 See before, p. 8. 3 Abulfeda Vi :
“Al Jannabi, —_* It is however a different nae from that a He Visain Nieey. whtek
the orientals always write Maryam or Miriam, whereas this is written Mariya. "6 Thie
fbree is omilteg in Dr. Pocock’s list of the kings of Ghassan, Spec. p. 77. * Abulfeda

i sug. p. 94, &e. :
SECT. 11. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 3

whic: town they encountered. The Grecians being vastly superior in
number (for, including the auxiliary Arabs, they had an army of 100,000
men), the Mohammedans were repulsed in the first attack, and lost succes-
sively three of their generals, viz. Zeid Ebn Haretha, Mohammed’s freed
man, Jaafar the son of Abu Taleb, and Abdallah Ebn Rawadha; but
Khaled Ebn al Walid succeeding to the command overthrew the Greeks
with a great slaughter, and brought away abundance of rich spoil ;8 on
occasion of which action Mohammed gave him the honourable title of Seif
min soyif Allah, one of the swords of God.

In this year also Mohammed took the city of Mecca, the inhabitants where
of had broken the truce concluded on two years before. For the tribe of
Becr, who were confederates of the Koreish, attacking those of Khozdah,
who were allies of Mohammed, killed several of them, being supported in
the action by a party of the Koreish themselves. The consequence of this
violation was soon apprehended ; and Abu Sofién himself made a journey
to Medina on purpose to heal the breach and renew the truce;! but in
vain ; for Mohammed, glad of this opportunity, refused to see him; where-
upon he applied to Abu Becr and Ali, but they giving him no answer, he
was obliged to return to Mecca as he came.

Mohammed immediately gave orders for preparations to be made, that
he might surprise the Meccans while they were unprovided to receive him:
in a little time he began his march thither, and by that time he came near
the city his forces were increased to 10,000 men. Those of Mecca being
not in a condition to defend themselves against so formidable an army,
surrendered at discretion; and Abu Sofian saved his life by turning
Mohammedan. About twenty-eight of the idolaters were killed by a party
under the command of Khaled; but this happened contrary to Mohammed’s
orders, who, when he entered the town, pardoned all the Koreish on their
submission, except only six men and four women, who were more obnoxious
than ordinary (some of them having apostatized), and were solemnly pro-
scribed by the prophet himself; but of these no more than three men and
one woman were put to death, the rest obtaining pardon on their embracing
Mohammedism, and one of the women making her escape.

The remainder of this year Mohammed employed in destroying the idols
in and round about Mecca, sending several of his generals on expeditions
for that purpose, and to invite the Arabs to Islamism; wherein it is no
wonder if they now met with success.

The next year, being the ninth of the Hejra, the Mohammedans call
the year of embassies: for the Arabs had been hitherto expecting the issue
of the war between Mohammed and the Koreish; but so soon as that tribe,
the principal of the whole nation, and the genuine descendants of Ishmael,
whose prerogatives none offered to dispute, had submitted, they were satis.
fied that it was not in their power to oppose Mohammed, and therefore
began to come in to him in great numbers, and to send embassies to make
their submissions to him, both to Mecca while he stayed there, and also to
Medina whither he returned this year. Among the rest, five kings of
the tribe of Hamyar professed Mohammedism, and sent embassadors to
noetty the same.‘

‘In the tenth year Ali was sent into Yaman to propagate the Moham-

 

 

® Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 99, 100, &c. ® Al Bokhariin Sonna. ‘ This circumstance isa
plain proof that the Roreish had actually broken the truce, and that it ae not a mere
pretence of Mohammed’s, as Dr. Prideaux insinuates. Life of Moh. p. 94. 2 Vide
Abulfed. ubi sup. c. 51, 52. * Vide Gagnier, Not. ad Abulfec. p. ia * Abulfeda.
ubi sup. p, 128.
40 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IIT.

a

medan faith there, and, as it is said, converted the whole tribe of Hamdan
inone day. Their example was quickly followed by all the inhabitants of
that province, except only those of Najran, who, being Christians, chose
rather to pay tribute , ;

Thus was Mohammedism established, and idolatry rooted out, even In
Mohammed’s life-time (for he died the next year) throughout all Arabia,
except only Yamama; where Moseilama, who set up also for a prophet as
Mohammed’s competitor, had a great party, and’was not reduced tll the
Khalifat of Abu Becr. And the Arabs being then united in one faith and
under one prince, found themselves in a condition of making those con-
quests which extended the Mohammedan faith over so great a part of the
world. : ‘

SECTION III.

OF THE KORAN ITSELF, THE PECULIARITIES OF THAT BOOK ; THE MANNER
OF ITS BEING WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED, AND THE GENERAL DESIGN
OF IT.

Tue word Koran, derived from the verb karaa, to read, signifies properly
in Arabic, the reading, or rather, that which ought to be read; by which
name the Mohammedans denote not only the entire book or volume of the
Koran, but also any particular chapter or section of it; just as the Jews
call either the whole scripture or any part of it by the name of Karah, or
Mikra,® words of the same origin and import. Which observation seems
to overthrow the opinion of some learned Arabians, who would have the
Koran so named, because it is a collection of the loose chapters or sheets
which compose it ; the verb karaa signifying also to gather or collect :? and
may also, by the way, serve as an answer to those who object® that the
Koran must be a book forged at once, and could not possibly be revealed
by parcels at different times, during the course of several years, as the
Mohammedans affirm; because the Koran is often mentioned, and called
by that name, in the very book itself. It may not be amiss to observe,
that the syllable Al in the word Alkoran is only the Arabic article,
signifying the ; and therefore ought to be omitted when the English article
is prefixed. ‘

Besides this peculiar name, the Koran is also honoured with several
appellations common to other books of scripture : as al Forkdn, from the
verb faraka, to divide or distinguish ; not as the Mohammedan doctors say,
because those books are divided into chapters or sections, or distinguish
between good and evil, but in the same notion that the Jews use the word
Perek, or Pirka, from the same root, to denote a section or portion of
Scriptures Itis also called al Moshf, the volume, and al Kitab, the book,
by way of eminence, which answers to the Biblia of the Greeks ; and
al Dhikr, the admonition, which name is also given to the Pentateuch and
Gospel.

The Koran is divided into one hundred and fourteen larger portions of

* Abulfeda, ubi sup. p. 129. ®* This name was at first oi t lye
Nehem. viii. Vide Simon. Hist. Crit. du Vieux Test. ie ie, 6. . ne vite eee Wee
ad Hist, Jonah p. oa ee de Mest p. 41. ® Vide Gol. in append, ad

ram. Arab. Erpen. 175. chapter or sub-division of the Massict i is”
piso called Perek. Maimon. pref. in Seder Zeraim, p. 57. ee ree
SECT, III. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 4

very unequal length, which we call chapters, but the Arabians Sowar, in
the singular Sara, a word rarely used on any other occasion, and properly
signifying a row, order, or regular series ; as a course of bricks in building,
or a rank of soldiers in an army ; and is the same in use and import with
the Sdra, or Tora of the Jews, who also call the fifty-three sections of the
Pentateuch Sedarim, a word of the same signification.’

These chapters are not in the manuscript copies distinguished by their
numerical order, though, for the reader’s ease, they are numbered in this”
edition, but by particular titles, which (except that of the first, which is the
initial chapter, or introduction to the rest, and by the old Latin translator
not numbered among the chapters) are taken sometimes from a particular
matter treated of, or person mentioned therein; but usually from the’first
word of note, exactly in the same manner as the Jews have named their
_ Sedarim ; though the word from which some chapters are denominated be
very far distant, towards the middle, or perhaps the end of the chapter,
which seems ridiculous. But the occasion of this seems to have been, that
the verse or passage wherein such word occurs was, in point of time,
revealed and committed to writing before the other verses of the same
chapter which precede it in order ; and the title being given to the chapter
before it was completed, or the passages reduced to their present order, the
verse from whence such title was taken did not always happen to begin
the chapter. Some chapters have two or more titles, occasioned by the
difference of the copies.

Some of the chapters having been revealed at Mecca, and others at
Medina, the noting this difference makes a part of the title: but the reader
will observe that several of the chapters are said to have been revealed
partly at Mecca, and partly at Medina; and as to others, it is yet a dispute
among the commentators to which place of the two they belong.

Every chapter is subdivided into smaller portions, of very unequal length.
also, which we customarily call verses; but the Arabic word is Ayat, the!
same with the Hebrew Ototh, and signifies signs, or wonders ; such as are
the secrets of God, his attributes, works, judgments, and ordinances, de-
livered in those verses; many of which have their particular titles also,
imposed in the same manner as those of the chapters.

Notwithstanding this subdivision, is common, and well known, yet I
have never yet seen any manuscript wherein the verses are actually num-
bered ; though in some copies the number of verses in each chapter is set
down after the title, which we have therefore added in the table of the
chapters. And the Mohammedans seem to have some scruple in making
an actual distinction in their copies, because the chief disagreement betweer.
their several editions of the Koran consists in the division and number
of the verses; and for this reason I have not taken upon me to make any
such division,

Having mentioned the different editions of the Koran, it may not be
amiss here to acquaint the reader, that there are seven principal editions,

if I may so call them, or ancient copies of that book; two of which were \ _

published and used at Medina, a third at Mecca, a fourth at Cufa, a fifth
at Basra, a sixth in Syria, and a seventh called the common or vulgar
edition. Of these editions, the first of Medina makes the whole number of
the verses six thousand; the second and fifth, six thousand two hundred
and fourteen; the third, six thousand two hundred and nineteen; the fourth,

 

Vide Gol. ubi sup. 177. Each of the six grand divisions of the Mishna isalso called.
Seder. Maimon. ubi sup. p. 55.

ws
42 : PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. 111.

ak

aix thousand two hundred and thirty-six; the sixth, six thousand two
hundred and twenty-six; and the last, six thousand two hundred and
twenty-five. But they are all said to contain the same number of words,
namely, seventy-seven thousand six hundred and thirty-nine,’ and the same
“number of letters, viz. three hundred and twenty-three thousand and
fifteen :? for the Mohammedans have in this also imitated the Jews, that
they have superstitiously numbered the very words and letters of their
law; nay, they have taken the pains to compute (how exactly I know not)
the number of times each particular letter of the alphabet is contained in
the Koran. /

Besides these unequal divisions of chapter and verse, the Mohammedans
have also divided their Koran into sixty equal portions, which they call
Ahzab, in the singular Hizb, each subdivided into four equal parts ; which
is also an imitation of the Jews, who have an ancient division of their
Mishna into sixty portions called Massictoth:s but the Koran is more
asually divided into thirty sections only, named Ajza, from the singular
Joz, each of twice the length of the former, and in the like manner sub-
divided ‘into four parts. These divisions are for the use of the readers of
the Koran in the royal temples, or in the adjoining chapels where the
emperors and great men are interred. There are thirty of these readers
belonging to every chapel, and each reads his section every day, so that the
whole Koran is read over once aday.® , I have seén several copies divided
in this manner, and bound up in as many volumes; and have thought it
proper to mark these diyisions in the margin of this translation by nu-
meral letters, : ;

Next after the title, at the head of every chapter except only the ninth,
is prefixed the following solemn form, by the Mohammedans called the

Bismillah, “In the name of the most merciful God ;” which form they’
constantly place at the beginning of all their books and writings in general,

as a peculiar mark or distinguishing characteristic of their religion, it being
counted a sort of impiety to omit it. The Jews for the same purpose make
use of the form, In the name of the Lord, or, in the name of the great
God: and the eastern Christians that of, In the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. But I am apt to believe Mohammed
really took this form, as he did many other things, from the Persian Magi,
who used to begin their books in these words, Benam Yezdan bakhshaish+
gher dadar, that is, In the name of the most merciful, just God.’

This auspicatory form, and also the titles of the chapters, are by the
generality of the doctors and commentators believed to be of divine original,
no less than the text itself; but the more moderate are of opinion they
are only human additions, and not the very word of God.

There are twenty-nine chapters of the Koran, which have this peculiarity,
that they begin with certain letters of the alphabet, some with a single
one, others with more. These letters the Mohammedans believe to be the
peculiar marks of the Kor4n, and toconceal several profound mysteries, the
certain understanding of which, the more intelligent confess has not been
communicated to any mortal, their prophet only excepted. Notwith-
standing which, some will take the liberty of guessing at their meaning by

 

? Or as others reckon them, ninety-nine thousand four hund d and sixty- ;
de Rel. Moh. p. 25. * Or according to another computation, ae cae
thousand one hundred and thirteen. Ibid. V. Gol. ubi sup. p. 178. D’Herbelot, Bib!
Orient. p. 87.. + Vide Reland. de Relig Moh, p.25, _* Vide Gol. ubi sup, p. 178.

aimon. preef. in Seder Zeraim, p. 57. ® Vide Smi i it. Tn :
p. 58. " Hyde, Hist. Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 14. BE ena me aes

é
SECT. I. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. : 48

that species of Cabbala called by the Jews Notarikon,’ and suppose the
letters to stand for as many words expressing the names and attributes of
God, his works, ordinances, and ‘decrees; and therefore these mysterious
letters, as well as the verses themselves, seem in the Koran to be called
signs. Others explain the intent of these letters from their natufe or organ,
or else from their value in numbers, according to another species of the
Jewish Cabbala called Gematria ;° the uncertainty of which conjectures
sufficiently appears from their disagreement. Thus for example, five chap-
ters, one of which is the second, begin with these letters, A. L. M. which
some imagine to stand for Allah latif magid; God is gracidus and to be
glorified; or, Ana li minni, to me and from me, viz. belongs all perfection,
and proceeds all good: or else for Ana Allah alam, I am the most wise
God, taking the first letter to mark the beginning of the first word, the
second the middle of the second word, and the third the last of the third
word; or for Allah, Gabriel, Mohammed, the author, revealer, and preacher
of the Koran. Others say, as the letter A belongs to the lower part
of the throat, the first of the erties ect L tovthe palate, the middle
organ; and M to the lips, which are the last organ; so these letters signify
that God is the beginning, middle, and end, or ought to be praised in the
beginning, middle, and end, of all our words and actions: or, as the total
value of those three letters in numbers is seventy-one, they signify that in
the space of so many years, the religion preached in the Koran should be
fully established. The conjecture of a learned Christian’ is at least as
certain as any of the former, who supposes these letters were set there by
the amanuensis, for Amar li Mohammed, i. e. At the command of
Mohammed, as the five letters prefixed to the nineteenth chapter seem to
be there written by a Jewish scribe, for Cob Yaas, i. e. Thus he com-
manded.

- The Koran is universally allowed to be written with the utmost elegance
and purity of language, in the dialect of the tribe of Koreish, the most
noble and polite of all the Arabians, but with some mixture, though very
rarely, of other dialects. It is confessedly the standard of the Arabic
tongue, and as the more orthodox believe, and are taught by the book

itself, inimitable by any human pen (though some sectaries have been of |

another opinion,)? and therefore insisted: on as a permanent miracle,
greater than that of raising the dead,’ and alone sufficient to convince the
world of its divine original. :

And to this miracle did Mohammed himself chiefly appeal for the con
firmation of his mission, publicly challenging the most eloquent men ir
Arabia, which was at this time stocked with thousands whose sole study
and ambition it was to excel in elegance of style and composition,‘ to
produce even a single chapter that might be compared with it. I will
mention but one instance out of several, to show that this book was really

admired for the beauty of its composure by those who must be allowed -

to have been competent judges. A poem of Labid Ebn Rabia, one of the
greatest wits in Arabia in Mohammed’s time, being fixed up on the gate of

 

* Vide Buxtorf. Lexicon Rabbin. ®> Vide Ib. See also Schickardi Bechinat
happerushim, p. 62, &c. * Golius in append. ad Gram. Erp. p. 182. 2 See after.
* Ahmed Abd’alhalim apud Marrace. de Alc. p. 43. * A noble writer therefore mistakes
the question when he says, these eastern religionists leave their sacred writ the sole standard
of literate performance, by extinguishing all true learning. For though they were destitute
of what we call learning, yet they were far from being ignorant, or unable to compose ele-

antly in their own tongue. See L. Shaftesbury’s Characteristics, vol. iii. p. 235. * Al
Gaia apud Poe. Spec. 191. See Koran c. 17, and also c. 2. p. 3. and ¢. 11, &e.

AN
44 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. 111.

.the temple of Mecca, an honour allowed to none but the most esteemed
iperformances, none of the other poets durst offer any of their own 1n com-
| petition with it. But the second chapter of the Koran being fixed up by
‘it soon after, Labid himself (then an idolater) on reading the first verses
only, was struck with admiration, and immediately professed the religion
taught thereby, declaring that such words could proceed from an inspired
person only. This Labid was afterwards of great service to Mohammed,
in writing answers to the satires and invectives that were made on him
and his religion by the infidels, and particularly by Amri al Kais,® prince
of the tribe of Asad,’ and author of one of those seven famous poems
called al Moallakat.’ ;
The style of the Koran is generally beautiful and fluent, especially where

, it imitates the prophetic manner, and scripture phrases. It is concise, and
~ often obscure, adorned with bold figures after the eastern taste, enlivened

- with florid and sententious expressions, and in many places, especially
where the majesty and attributes of God are described, sublime and mag.
nificent; of which the reader cannot but observe several instances, though
he must not imagine the translation comes up to the original, notwith-
standing my endeavours to do it justice.

_,” Though it be written in prose, yet the sentences generally conclude ina

long continued rhyme, for the sake of which the sense is often interrupted,
and unnecessary repetitions too frequently made, which appear still more
ridiculous in a translation, where the ornament, such as it is, for whose
sake they were made, cannot be perceived. However the Arabians are
so mightily delighted with this jingling, that they employ it in their most
elaborate compositions, which they also embellish with frequent passages
of and allusions to the Koran, so that it is next to impossible to under-
stand them without being well versed in this book.

It is probable the harmony of expression which the Arabians find in the
Koran might contribute not a little to make them relish the doctrine there-
in taught, and give an efficacy to arguments, which, had they been nakedly
proposed without this rhetorical dress, might not have so easily prevailed.
Very extraordinary effects are related of the power of words well chosen
and artfully placed, which are no less powerful either to ravish or amaze
than music itself; wherefore as much has been ascribed by the best orators
to this part of rhetoric as to any other. He must have a very bad ear, wha
is not uncommonly moved with the very cadence of a well-turned sentence;
and Mohammed seems not to have been ignorant of the enthusiastic opera-
tion of rhetoric on the minds of men; for which reason he has not only
employed his utmost skill in these his pretended revelations, to preserve
that dignity and sublimity of style, which might seem not unworthy of the
majesty of that Being, whom he gave out to be the author of them; and to
imitate the prophetic manner of the Old Testament; but he has not neg-
lected even the other parts of oratory; wherein he succeeded so well, and
so strangely captivated the minds of his audience, that several of his
opponents thought it the effect of witchcraft and enchantment, as he
sometimes complains.

“The general design of the Koran,” (to use the words of a very learned
person), ‘seems to be this. To unite the professors of the three different
religions then followed in the populous country of Arabia, who for the most
part lived promiscuously, and wandered without guides, the far greater
number being idolaters, and the rest Jews and Christians mostly of

* D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 512, &c. " Poc. Spec. p. 80." ®°s i.
* See Casaubon, of Enthusiasm, chap. iv. 1 Korn, lan; 15, 21, ke. ea
SECT. II. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 45

erroneous and heterodox belief, in the knowledge and worship of one
eternal, invisible God, by whose power all things were made, and those
which are not, may be, the supreme Governor, Judge, and absolute Lord of
the creation ; established under the sanction of certain laws, and the out-
ward signs of certain ceremonies, partly of ancient and partly of novel
institution, and enforced by setting before them rewards and punishments,
both temporal and eternal: and to bring them all to the obedience of
Mohammed, as the prophet and ambassador of God, who after the repeated
admonitions, promises and threats of former ages, was at last to establish
and propagate God’s religion on earth by force of arms, and to be ac-
knowledged chief pontiff in spiritual matters, as well as supreme prince
in temporal.”2

woo

The great doctrine then of the Koran is the unity of God; to restore,‘

which point Mohammed pretended was the chief end of his mission; it
being laid down by him as a fundamental truth, that there never was
nor ever can be more than one true orthodox religion. For though the
particular laws or ceremonies are only temporary, and subject to alteration
according to the divine direction, yet the substance of it being eternal truth,
is not liable to change, but continues immutably the same. And he taught
that whenever this religion became. neglected, or corrupted in essentials,
God had the goodness to reinform and readmonish mankind thereof, by
several prophets, of whom Moses and Jesus were the most distinguished,
till the appearance of Mohammed, who is their seal, no other being to be
expected after him. And the more effectually to engage people to hearken
to him, great part of the Koran is employed in relating examples of dread-
ful punishments formerly inflicted by God on those who rejected and
abused his messengers; several of which stories or some circumstances
of them are taken from the Old and New Testament, but many more from
the apocryphal books and traditions of the Jews and Christians of those
ages, set up in the Koran as truths in opposition to the scriptures, which
the Jews and Christians are charged with having altered; and I am apt
to believe that few or none of the relations or circumstances in the Koran
were invented by Mohammed, as is generally supposed, it being easy to
trace the greatest part of them much higher, as the rest might be,
were more of those books extant, and it was worth while to make the
inquiry.

The other part of the Koran is taken up in giving necessary laws
and directions, in frequent admonitions to moral and divine virtues, and
above all to the worshipping and reverencing of the only true God, and
resignation to his will; among which are many excellent things inter-
mixed, not unworthy even a Christian’s perusal.

But besides these, there are a great number of passages which are occa-
sional, and relate to particular emergencies. For whenever any thing hap-
pened which perplexed and gravelled Mohammed, and which he could not
otherwise get over, he had constant recourse to a new revelation, as an in-
fallible expedient in all nice cases ; and he found the success of this method
answer his expectation. Jt was certainly an admirable and politic con-
trivance of his to bring down the whole Koran at once to the lowest
heaven only, and not to the earth, as a bungling prophet would have done ;
for if the whole had been published at once, innumerable objections might
have been made, which it would have been very hard, if not impossible,
for him to solve: but as he pretended to have vecetved it by parcels,
as God saw proper that they should be published for the conversion and

2 Golius, in append. ad Gram. Erp. p. 176.
E
46 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IH.

instruction of the people, he had a sure way to answer all emergencies, and
to extricate himself with honour from any difficulty which might occur.
If any objection be hence made to that eternity of the Koran, which
the Mohammedans are taught to believe, they easily answer it by their
doctrine of absolute predestination ; according to which all the accidents
for the sake of which these occasional passages were revealed were pre-
determined by God from all eternity. .

That Mohammed was really the author and chief contriver of the Koran,
is beyond dispute ; though it is highly probable that he had no small as
sistance in his design from others, as his countrymen failed not to object to
him; however they differed so much in their conjectures as to ‘the
particular persons who gave him such assistance,‘ that they were not able,
it seems, to prove the charge; Mohammed, it is to be presumed, having
taken his measures too well to be discovered. Dr, Prideaux® has given the
most probable account of this matter, though chiefly from Christian writers,
who generally mix such ridiculous fables with what they deliver, that they
deserve not much credit.

However it be, the Mohammedans absolutely deny the Koran was com-
posed by their prophet himself, or any other for him; it being their general
and orthodox belief that it is of divine original, nay that it is eternal and
uncreated, remaining, as some express it, in the very essence of God ; that
the first transcript has been from everlasting by God’s throne, written on a
table of vast bigness, called the preserved table, in which are also recorded
the divine decrees past and future; that a copy from this table, in one
volume on paper, was by the ministry of the angel Gabriel sent down to
the lowest heaven, in the month of Ramadan, on the night of power :§ from
whence Gabriel revealed it to Mohammed by parcels, some at Mecca and
some at Medina, at different times, during the space of twenty-three years,
as the exigency of affairs required: giving him however the consolation to
show him the whole (which they tell us was bound in silk, and adorned
with gold and precious stones of paradise) once a year; but in the last year
of his life he had the favour to see it twice. They say that few chapters
were delivered entire, the most part being revealed piece-meal, and written
down from time to time by the prophet’s amanuensis in such or such a part
of such or such a chapter till they were completed, according to the direc-
tions of the angel.” The first parcel that was revealed is generally agreed
to have been the first five verses of the ninety-sixth chapter®

After the new revealed passages had been from the prophet’s mouth
taken down in writing by his scribe, they were published to his followers,
several of whom took copies for their private use, but the far greater num-
ber got them by heart. The originals, when returned, were put promis-
cuously into a chest, observing no order of time, for which reason it is
uncertain when many passages were revealed,

When Mohammed died, he left his revelationsin the same disorder I have
mentioned, and not digested into the method, such as it is, which we now
find themin, This was the work of his successor Abu Becr, who consider-
ing that a great number of passages were committed to the memory of Mo-
hammed’s followers, many of whom were slain in their wars, ordered the

3 Vide Koran, chap. 16. and chap. 25. «See the notes on those 5 Life
of Moham. p. 31, &c. ® Vide Koran, c. 97, and note ibid. PY Theralete it ise
mistake of Dr. Prideaux to say it was brought him chapter by chapter. Life of Moham
E 6. The Jews also say the law was given to Moses by parcels. Vide Millium, de Mo-

al a

mmedismo ante Moham. p. 365. * Not the wh :
ad Gr, Erp. p. 180. whole chapter, as Golius says. Append.

‘
SECT. II. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 47

whole to be collected, not only from the palm-leaves and skins on which
they had been written, and which were kept between two boards or covers,
but also from the mouths of such as had gotten them by heart. And this
transcript, when completed, he committed to the custody ef Hafsa the
daughter of Omar, one of the prophet’s widows.

From this relation it is generally imagined that Abu Becr was really the
compiler of the Koran; though for aught appears to the contrary Moham-
med left the chapters complete as we now have them, excepting such
passages as his successor might add or correct from those who had gotten
them by heart; what Abu Becr did else being perhaps no more than to
range the chapters in their present order, which he seems to have done
without any regard to time, having generally placed the longest first.

However in the thirtieth year of the Hejra, Othman being then Khalif,
and observing the great disagreement in the copies of the Koran in the
several provinces of the empire, those of Irak, for example, follow-
ing the reading of Abu Musa al Ashari, and the Syrians that of
Macdad Ebn Aswad, he, by advice of the companions, ordered a
great number of copies to be transcribed from that of Abu Becr, in
Hafsa’s care, under the inspection of Zeid Ebn Thabet, Abd’allah Ebn
Zobair, Said Ebn al As, and Abd’alrahm4n Ebn al Hareth the Makhzu-
mite; whom he directed that wherever they disagreed about any word,
they should write it in the dialect of the Koreish, in which it was at first
delivered.!| These copies when made were dispersed in the several pro-
vinces of the empire, and the old ones burnt and suppressed. Though
many things in Hafsa’s copy were corrected by the above-mentioned su-
pervisors, yet some few various readings still occur; the most material of
which will be taken notice of in their proper places:

The want of vowels? in the Arabic character made Mokris, or readers,
whose peculiar study and profession it was to read the Koran with its pro-
per vowels, absolutely necessary. But these differing in their manner of
reading, occasioned still further variations in the copies of the Koran, as
they are now written with the vowels; and herein consist much the greater
part of the various readings throughout the book. The readers whose
authority the commentators chiefly allege, in admitting these various read-
ings, are seven in number.

There being some passages in the Koran which are contradictory, the
Mohammedan doctors obviate any objectiori from thence, by the doctrine
of abrogation; for they say, that God in the Koran commanded several
things which were for good reasons afterward revoked and abrogated.

Passages abrogated are distinguished into three kinds: the first, where
the Jetter and sense are both abrogated ; the second, where the letter only
is abrogated, but the sense remains; and the third where the sense is
abrogated, though the letter remains.

Of the first kind were several verses, which by the tradition of Malec Ebn
Ans were in the prophet’s lifetime read in the chapter of repentance, but
are not now extant, one of which, being all he remembered of them, was
the following, “If a son of Adam had two rivers of gold, he would covet
yet a third ; and if he had three, he would covet yet a fourth (to be added)
unto them; neither shall the belly of a son of Adam be filled, but with

 

® Elmacin. in Vita Abu Becr. Abulfeda. 1 Abulfeda, in Vitis Abubecr and Othman.
* The characters or marks of the Arabic vowels were not used till several years after Mo-
hammed. Some ascribe the invention of them to Yahya Ebn Yamer, some to Nasr Ebn
Asam, surnamed al Leithi, and others to Abu’laswad al Dili; all three of whom were
doetors of Basra, and immediately succeeded the companions. Sce D’Herbel. Bibl.
nent. p. 87.
48 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. "I.

dust. God will turn unto him who shall repent.” Another instance of this
kind we have from the tradition of Abd’allah Ebn Masid, who reported
that the prophet gave him a verse to read which he wrote down ; but the

"next morning looking in his book, he found it was vanished, and the leaf
blank: this he acquainted Mohammed with, who assured him the verse
was revoked the same night.

Of the second kind is a verse called the verse of stoning, which according
to the tradition of Omar, afterwards Khalif, was extant while Mohammed
was living, though it be not now to be found. The words are these, “Ab-
hor not your parents, for this would be ingratitude in you. If aman and
woman of reputation commit adultery, ye shall stone them both; it is
a punishment ordained by God; for God is mighty and wise.”

Of the last kind are observed several verses in sixty-three different chap-
ters, to the number of two hundred and twenty-five. Such as the precepts
of turning in prayer to Jerusalem ; fasting after the old custom ; forbear-
ance towards idolaters; avoiding the ignorant, and the like? The pas-
sages of this sort have been carefully collected by several writers, and
are most of them remarked in their proper places. —

Though it is the belief of the Sonnites or orthodox that the Koran is un-
created and eternal, subsisting in the very essence of God, and Mohammed
himself is said to have pronounced him an infidel who asserted the con-
trary,‘ yet several have been of a different opinion ; particularly the sect of
the Motazalites,’ and the followers of Isa Ebu Sobeib Abu Musa, surnamed
al Mozdar, who stuck not to accuse those who held the Koran to be un-
created of infidelity, as asserters of two eternal beings.

This point was controverted with so much heat that it occasioned many
calamities under some of the Khalifs of the family. of Abbas, al Mamin’
making a public edict declaring the Koran to be created, which was con-
firmed by his successors al Métasem® and al Wathek,’ who whipt, impri-
soned, and put to death those of the contrary opinion. But at length
al Motawakkel,! who succeeded al Wathek, put an end to these persecu-
tions, by revoking the former edicts, releasing those that were imprisoned
on that account, and leaving every man at liberty as to his belief in this

oint.?

AlGhazali seems to have tolerably reconciled both opinions, saying, that
the Koran is read and pronounced with the tongue, written in books, and
kept in memory ; and is yet eternal, subsisting in God’s essence, and not
possible to be separated thence by any transmission into men’s memories or
the Feaves of books ;* by which he seems to mean no more than that the
original idea of the Koran only is really in God, and consequently co-
essential and co-eternal with him, but that the copies are created, and the
work of man. ;

The opinion of al Jahedh, chief of a sect bearing his name, touching the
Korn, is too remarkable to be omitted: he used to say it was a body,
which might sometimes be turned into a man,‘ and sometimes into a

 

? Abu Hashem Hebatallah, apud Marracc. de Alc. p. 42. * Apud. Poe. Spec. 220.
* See after in sect. vill. 6 Vide Poe. Spec. p. 219, &c. T Anno Hej. 218. Abul-
farag. p. 245. v. etiam Elmacin. in Vita al Mamiin. * In the time of al Métasem, a

doctor named Abu Hariin Ebn al Baca found out a distinction to screen himself, by affirm.
ing that the Koran was ordained, because it is said in that book, ‘ And I have ordained
thee the Koran.” He went still farther to allow that what was ordained was created, and
yet he denied it thence followed that the Korfn wascreated. Abulfarag. p. 253. ° Ibid.
p.257. + Anno Hej. 242. ® Abulfarag. p. 262, 5 Al Ghazali in prof. fid.
« The Khalif al Walid Ebn Yazid, who was the eleventh of the race of Ommeya, and ig
looked on by the Mohammedans as a reprobate, and one of no religion, seems to have
treated this book asa rational creature. For dipping into it one day, the first words he met
SECT. II. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 49

beast ;5 which seems to agree with the notion of those who assert the
Koran to have fwo faces, one of a man, the other of beast ;° thereby, as I
conceive, intimating the double interpretation it will admit of, according
to the letter or the spirit.

As some have held the Koran to be created, so there have not been
wanting those who have asserted that there is nothing miraculous in that
book in respect to style or composition, excepting only the prophetical rela-
tions of things past, and predictions of things to come; and that had God
left men to their natural liberty, and not restrained them in that particular,
the Arabians could have composed something not only equal, but superior
to the Koran in eloquence, method, and purity of language. This was
another opinion of the Métazalites, and in particular of al Mozdar above-
mentioned and al Nodham.’

The Koran being the Mohammedang’ rule of faith and practice, it is no
wonder its expositors and commentators are so very numerous. And it
‘may not be amiss to take notice of the rules they observe in expounding it.

One of the most learned commentators? distinguishes the contents of the
Koran into allegorical and literal. The former comprehends the more
obscure, parabolical, and enigmatical passages, and such as are repealed

‘or abrogated ; the latter those which are plain, perspicuous, liable to no

doubt, and in full force.

To explain these severally in a right manner, it is necessary from tradi-
tion and study to know the time when each passage was revealed, its cir-
cumstances, state, and history, and the reasons or particular emergencies for
the sake of which it was revealed.2 Or more explicitly, whether the pas-
sage was revealed at Mecca, or at Medina ; whether it be abrogated, or does
itself abrogate any other passage; whether it be anticipated in order of
time, or postponed; whether it be distinct from the context, or depends
thereon ; whether it be particular or general ; and lastly whether it be im-
plicit by intention, or explicit in words.

By what has been said the reader may easily believe this book is in the
greatest reverence and esteem among the Mohammedans. They dare not
so much as touch it without being first washed or legally purified ;? which
lest they should do by inadvertence, they write these words on the cover or
label, ‘Let none touch it, but they who are clean.” They read it with
great care and respect, never holding it below their girdles. They swear
by it, consult it in their weighty occasions,3 carry it with them to war,
write sentences of it on their banners, adorn it with gold and precious
stones, and knowingly suffer it not to be in the possession of any of a
different persuasion.

The Mohammedans, far from thinking the Koran to be profaned by

 

with were these; ‘‘ Every rebellious perverse person shall not prosper :’? Whereupon he
stuck it on a lance and shot it to pieces with arrows, repeating these verses ;

“« Dost thou rebuke every rebellious perverse person? behold, I am that rebellious per-
verse person. ~

‘‘When thou appearest before thy Lord on the day of resurrection, say, O Lord, al
Walid has torn me thus.””—Ebn Shohnah. v. Poc. Spec. 223. 5 Poc. Spec. p. 222.
* Herbelot. p. 87. * Abulfeda, Shahrestani, &c. apud. Poc. Spec. p. 222, et Marrace.
de Kor, p. 44. ® Al Zamakhshari. Vide Koran, chap. 3. p. 35. ® Ahmed Ebn Mo-
ham. al Thalabi, in princip. Expos. Alc. * Yahya Ebn al Salam al Basri, in Princip.
Expos Alc. 2 The Jews have the same veneration for their law ; not daring to touchit
with unwashed hands, nor then neither without a cover. Vide Millium, de Mohammed
ismo ante Moham. p. 366. | * This they do by dipping into it, and taking an omen from
the words which they first light on: which practice they also learned of the Jews, who
do the same with the scriptures. Vide Millium, ubi sup.
50 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

a translation, as some authors have written,‘ have taken care to have their
scriptures translated not only into the Persian tongue, but into several
others, particularly the Javan and Malayan; though out of respect to the
original Arabic, these versions are generally (if not always) interlineary.

 

SECTION IV.

OF THE DOCTRINES AND POSITIVE PRECEPTS OF THE KORAN, WHICH
RELATE TO FAITH AND RELIGIOUS DUTIES.

Ir has been already observed more than once, that the fundamental
position on which Mohammed erected the superstructure of his religion
was, that from the beginning to the end of the world there has been, and
for ever will be, but one true orthodox belief; consisting,-as to matter
of faith, in the acknowledging of the only true God, and the believing in
and obeying such messengers or prophets as he should from time to time
send, with proper credentials, to reveal his will to mankind; and as to
matter of practice, in the observance of the immutable and eternal laws
of right and wrong, tegether with such other precepts and ceremonies
as God should think fit to order for the time being, according to the
different dispensations in different ages of the world: for these last he
allowed were things indifferent in their own nature, and became obligatory
by God’s positive precept only; and were therefore temporary and subject
to alteration according to his will and pleasure. And to this religion
he gives the name of Islam, which word signifies resignation, or submission
to the service and commands of God;§ and is used as the proper name of
the Mohammedan religion, which they will also have to be the same
at bottom with that of all the prophets from Adam. Under pretext
that this eternal religion was in his time corrupted, and professed in its
purity by no one sect of men, Mohammed pretended to be a prophet sent
by God, to reform those abuses which had crept into it, and to seduce it to
its primitive simplicity ; with the addition however of peculiar laws and
ceremonies, some of which had been used in former times, and others were
now first instituted. And he comprehended the whole substance of his
doctrine under these two propositions, or articles of faith; viz. that there is
but one God, and that himself was the apostle of God; in consequence of
which latter article, all such ordinances and institutions as he thought fit
to establish must be received as obligatory and of divine authority.

The Mohammedans divide their religion, which as, I just now said they
call Islém, into two distinct parts: Iman, i.e. faith, or theory, and Din,
i.e. religion, or practice ; and teach that it is built on five fundamental
points, one belonging to faith, and the other four to practice.

The first is that confession of faith which I have already mentioned,
that “there is no God but the true God; and that Mohammed is his
apostle.” Under which they comprehend six distinct branches; viz.
1. Belief in God; 2. In his angels; 3. In his scriptures; 4. In his pro

 

“Sionita. de Urb. Orient. p. 41. et Marracc. de Alc. p. 23. ® Reland, de oh.
p. 265. es The root Salama, from whence Islim is lonued, in the first a fee
jugations, signifies also to be saved, or to enter into a state of salvation ; according to
which, Islam may be translated the religion or state of salvation: tut the other sense is
ae eee 2 the Mohammedans, and alluded to inthe Koran itself. See c. 2, p.

,ande.f » 37.
SECT. Iv. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 51

phets; 5. In the resurrection and day of judgment; and, 6. In God’s
absolute decree and predetermination both of good and evil.

The four points relating to practice are, 1. Prayer, under which are
comprehended those washings or purifications which are necessary pre-
parations required before prayer; 2. Alms; 3. Fasting; and, 4. The
pilgrimage to Mecca. Of each of these I shall speak in their order.

That both Mohammed and those among his followers who are reckoned
orthodox had and continue to have just and true notions of God and
his attributes (always excepting their obstinate and impious rejecting of the
Trinity) appears so plain from the Koran itself, and all the Mohammedan

ivines, that it would be loss of time to refute those who suppose the God
of Mohammed to be different from the true God, and only a fictitious deity
or idol of his own creation.’ Nor shall I here enter into any of the
Mohammedan controversies concerning the divine nature and attributes,
because I shall have a more proper opportunity of doing it elsewhere.®

The existence of angels and their purity are absolutely required to
be believed in the Kordn; and he is reckoned an infidel who denies there
are such beings, or hates any of them,? or asserts any distinction of sexes
among them. They believe them to have pure and subtle bodies, created
of fire ;' that they neither eat nor drink, nor propagate their species; that
they have various forms and offices; some adoring God in different postures,
others singing praises to him, or interceding for mankind. They hold that
some of them are employed in writing down the actions of men; others in
carrying the throne of God and other services,

The four angels whom they look on as more eminently in God’s favour,
and often mention on account of the offices assigned them, are Gabriel, to
whom they give several titles, particularly those of the holy spirit? and the
angel of revelations,’ supposing him to be honoured by God with a greater
confidence than any other, and to be employed in writing down the divine
decrees;* Michael, the friend and protector of the Jews,° Azrael, the angel
of death, who separates men’s souls from their bodies ;° and Israfil, whose
office it will be to sound the trumpet at the resurrection.’ The Moham-
medans also believe that two guardian angels attend on every man, to ob-
serve and write down his actions,® being changed every day, and therefore
called al Moakkibat, or the angels who continually succeed one another.

This whole doctrine concerning angels Mohammed and his disciples have
borrowed from the Jews, who learned the names and offices of those beings
from the Persians, as themselves confess.? The ancient Persians firmly
believed the ministry of angels, and their superintendence over the affairs
of this world (as the Magians still do), and therefore assigned them distinct
charges and provinces, giving their names to their months and the days of
their months. Gabriel they called Sorish and Revan bakhsh, or the giver
of souls, in opposition to the contrary office of the angel of death, to whom
among other names they gave that of Mordad, or, the giver of death;
Michael they called Beshter, who according to them provides sustenance for

 

™ Marrace. in Alc. p. 102. 8 Sect. viii. * Koran, c. 2, p. 13. * Ibid &. 7,
and 38 *Ibidc.2,p.12. See the notes, ibid p. 13. ‘* Vide Hyde, Hist. Rel. Vet.
Pers, p. 262. 5 Vide ibid p. 271, and note in Kor. p. 13. 8 Vide note y, ibid p. 4.
* Kor. chap. 6, 13, and 86. The offices of these four angels are described almost in the
same manner in the apocryphal gospel of Barnabas; where it is said that Gabriel reveals
the segrets of God, Michael combats against his enemies, Raphael receives the souls of
those who die, and Uriel is to call'every one to judgment on the last day. See the Mena
giana. tom. iv. p. 333. = ® Kor. ¢. 10. ® Talmud Hieros. in Rosh hashan.
52 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

mankind.’ The Jews teach that the angels were created of fire :? that
they have several offices ;? that they intercede for men, and attend them.‘
The angel of death they name Dima, and say he calls dying persons by
their respective names at their last hour.’ . o

The devil, whom Mohammed names Eblis, from his despair, was once
one of those angels who are nearest to God’s presence, called Azazil,7 and
fell, according to the doctrine of the Koran, for refusing to pay homage
to Adam at the command of God#

Besides angels and devils, the Mohammedans are taught by the Koran
to believe the existence of an intermediate order of creatures, which they
call Jin or Genii, created also of fire,? but of a grosser fabric than angels:
since they eat’and drink, and propagate their species, and are subject
to death.’ Some of these are supposed to be good, and others bad, and
capable of future salvation or damnation, as men are; whence Mohammed
pretended to be sent for the conversion of Genii as well as men? The
Orientals pretend that these Genii inhabited the world for many ages
before Adam was created, under the government of several successive
princes, who all bore the common name of Solomon; but falling at length
into an almost general corruption, EbJis was sent to drive them into a
remote part of the earth, there to be confined ; that some of that generation
still remaining, were by Tahmdrath, one of the ancient kings of Persia,
who waged war against them, forced to retreat into the famous mountains
of Kaf. Of which successions and wars they have many fabulous and
romantic stories. They also make different ranks and degrees among
these beings (if they be not rather supposed to be of a different species),
some being called absolutely Jin, some Peri or fairies, some Div or giants,
others Tacwins or fates.3

The Mohammedan notions concerning these Genii agree almost exactly
with what the Jews write of a sort of demons, called Shedim, whom some
fancy to have been begotten by two angels named Aza and Azaél, on
Naamah the daughter of Lamech, before the flood. However the Shedim,
they tell us, agree in three things with the ministering angels; for that like
them, they have wings, and fly from one end of the world to the other,
and have some knowledge of futurity ; and in three things they agree with
men, like whom they éat and drink, are propagated, and die.® They also
say that some believe in the law of Moses, and are consequently good,
and that others of them are infidels and reprobates.§

As to the Scriptures, the Mohammedans are taught by the Koran that
God, in divers ages of the world, gave revelations of his will in writing
to several prophets, the whole and every word of which it is absolutely
necessary for a good Moslem to believe. The number of these sacred
books was, according to them, 104. Of which ten were given to Adam,
fifty to Seth, thirty to Edris or Enoch, ten to Abraham; and the other
four, being the Pentateuch, the Psalms, the Gospel, and the Koran, were
successively delivered to Moses, David, Jesus, and Mohammed; which last
being the seal of the prophets, those revelations are now closed, and no
more are to be expected. All these divine books, except the four last, they

 

1 Vide Hyde, ubi sup. c. xix. and xx. 2 Gemar. in Hagic. and B hit rabbah. &c.
Vide Psalm civ. 4. * Yalkut hadash. « Gemar. in Shebet, anid Bard Bathe, kee.

* Midrash, Yalkut Shemini. ® Gemar. Berachoth. ™ Vide Reland. ¥
Moh. p. 189, &c. ® Koran, c. 2, p.5. See also c. 7, 38, &c. : pends Hele
See the notes there. 1 Jallalo’ddin, in Koran c. 2, and 18. 2 Vide Koran, c. 55,

72, and 74. *See D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 369, 820, &ec. *In li 1
* Gemara, in Hagiga. ° Igrat Baale hayyim. c. 15, : as hora: Aobur,
SECT, IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 53

agree to be now entirely lost, and their contents unknown; though the
Sabians have several books which they attribute to some of the antediluvian
- prophets. And of those four, the Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospel, they
say, have undergone so many alterations and corruptions, that though there
may possibly be some part of the true word of God therein, yetmo credit is
to be given to the present copies in the hands of the Jews and Christians.
The Jews in particular are frequently reflected on in the Koran for
falsifying and corrupting their copies of their law; and some instances of
such pretended corruptions, both in that book and the two others, are pro-
duced by Mohammedan writers; wherein they merely follow their own
_ prejudices, and the fabulous accounts of spurious legends. Whether they
have any copy of the Pentateuch among them different from that of the
Jews or not, I am not entirely satisfied, since a person who travelled into
the east was told, that they had the books of Moses, though very much
corrupted ;7 but I know nobody that has ever seen them. However
they certainly have and privately read a book which they call the Psalms
of David, in Arabic and Persian, to which are added some prayers of
Moses, Jonas, and others. This Mr. Reland supposes to be a translation
from our copies (though no doubt falsified in more places than one) ; but
M. D’Herbelot says it contains not the same Psalms which are in our
Psalter, being no more than an extract from thence mixed with other very
different pieces.° The easiest way to reconcile these two learned gentlemen
is to presume that they speak of different copies. The Mohammedans
have also a Gospel in Arabic, attributed to St. Barnabas, wherein the history
of Jesus Christ is related in a manner very different from what we find in
the true Gospels, and correspondent to those traditions which Mohammed
has followed in his Koran. Of this Gospel the Moriscoes in Africa have a
translation in Spanish;” and there is in the library of prince Eugene
of Savoy a manuscript of some antiquity, containing an Italian translation
of the same Gospel,' made, it is to be supposed, for the use of renegades.
This book appears to be no original forgery of the Mohammedans, though they
have no doubt interpolated and altered it since, the better to serve their pur-
pose; and in particular, instead of the Paraclete or Comforter,” they have in
this apocryphal gospel inserted the word Periclyte, that is, the famous or il-
lustrious, by which they pretend their prophet was foretold by name, that
being the signification of Mohammed in Arabic :* and this they say to justify
that passage of the Koran,‘ where Jesus Christ is formally asserted to have
foretold his coming, under his other name of Ahmed; which is derived from
the same root as Mohammed, and of the same import. From these or some
other forgeries of the same stamp it is that the Mohammedans quote several
passages of which there are not the least footsteps in the New Testament.
But after all we must not hence infer that the Mohammedans, much less
all of them, hold these copies of theirs to be the ancient and genuine Scrip-
tures themselves. If any argue, from the corruption which they insist has
happened to the Pentateuch and Gospel, that the Koran may possibly be
corrupted also; they answer, that God has promised that he will take care
of the latter, and preserve it from any addition or diminution ;® but that
he left the two others to the care of men. However they confess there
are some various readings in the Koran,$ as has been observed.

 

™ Terry’s voyage to the Hast Indies, p. 277. ®De Rel. Moham. p. 23. | *A copy
of this kind he tells us is in the library of the Duke of Tuscany, Bibl. Orient. p. 924,
© Reland. ubi sup. 1 Menagian. tom. iv. p. 321, &c. 2 John xiv. 16, 26, xv. 26,
and xvi. 7, compared with Luke, xxiv. 49. > See Toland’s Nazarenus, the first eight
chapters. ‘*Chap.61. ‘Kor.c.15. © Reland, ubi sup. p. 24, 27. .
54 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. 1V

Besides the books above mentioned, the Mohammedans also take notice
of the writings of Daniel and several other prophets, and even make
quotations thence: but these they do not believe to be divine scripture,
or of any authority in matters of religion.’ :

The number of the prophets, which have been from time to time sent by
God into the world, amounts to no less than 224,000, according to one
Mohammedan tradition, or to 124,000, according to another; among whom
313 were apostles, sent with special commissions to reclaim mankind from
infidelity and superstition ; and six of them brought new laws or dispen-
sations, which successively abrogated the preceding: these were Adam,
Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed. All the prophets in
general the Mohammedans believe to have been free from great sins, and
errors of consequence, and professors of one and the same religion, that is
Islim, notwithstanding the different Jaws and institutions which they
observed. They allow of degrees among them, and hold some of them to
be more excellent and honourable than others. The first place they give
to the revealers and establishers of new dispensations, and the next to the
apostles. : =

In this great number of prophets, they not only reckon divers patriarchs
and persons named in Scripture, but not recorded to have been prophets,
(wherein the Jewish and Christian writers have sometimes led the way),
as Adam, Seth, Lot, Ismael, Nun, Joshua, &c. and introduce some of them
under different names, as Enoch, Heber, and Jethro, who are called in the
Koran, Edris, Hid, and Shoaib; but several others, whose very names do
not appear‘in Scripture (though they endeavour to find some persons there
to fix them on), as Saleh, Khedr, Dhu’lkefl, &c. Several of their fabu-
lous traditions concerning these prophets we shall occasionally mention
in the notes on the Koran. ,

As Mohammed acknowledged the divine authority of the Pentateuch,
Psalms, and Gospel, he often appeals to the consonancy of the Koran with
those writings, and to the prophecies which he pretended were therein con-
cerning himself, as proofs of his mission, and he frequently charges the
Jews and Christians with stifling the passages which bear witness to him.!
His followers also fail not to produce several texts even from our present
copies of the Old and New Testament, to support their master’s cause?

The next article of faith required by the Koran is the belief of a general
resurrection and a future judgment. But before we consider the Moham-
medan tenets in those points, it will be proper to mention what they are
taught to believe concerning the intermediate state, both of the body and
of the soul, after death.

When a corpse is laid in the grave, they say he is received by an angel,
who gives him notice of the coming of the two Examiners; who are two
black livid angels, of a terrible appearance, named Monker and Nakir.
These order the dead person to sit upright, and examine him concerning
his faith, as to the unity of God, and the mission of Mohammed: if
he answer rightly, they suffer the body to rest in peace, and it is refreshed
by the air of paradise; but if not, they beat him on the temples with iron
maces, till he roars out for anguish so loud, that he is heard by all from
east to west, except men and genii, Then they press the earth on the

 

™ Reland, ubi sup. p. 41. ® Kor. c. 2, p. 30, &c. * Thus Heber is said to have
been a prophet by the Jews; (Seder. Olam. p. 2.) and Adam by Epiphanius. (Adv.
Hates P ny See also Toren ane i 35,525 * Kor. c. 2, pp. 6, 12, 18, c. 3, a
ome of these texts are produced by Dr. Prideaux at th d of his Life of Mc med
and more by Marracci in Alcor. p. 26, &c. ae Paha
SRCT. IV. , PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 5D

f

corpse, which is gnawed and stung till the resurrection by ninety-nine
dragons with seven heads each: or, as others say, their sins will become
venomous beasts, the grievous ones stinging like dragons, the smaller like

~ scorpions, and the others like serpents: circumstances which some under-
stand in a figurative sense. :

This examination of the sepulchre is not only founded on an express
tradition of Mohammed, but ig also plainly hinted at, though not directly
taught, in the Koran, as the commentators agree. It is therefore believed
by the orthodox Mohammedans in general, who take care to have their
graves made hollow, that they may sit up with more ease while they
are examined by the angels ;® but is utterly rejected by the sect of the
Motazalites, and perhaps by some others.

These notions Mohammed certainly borrowed from the Jews, among
whom they were very anciently received.’ They say that the angel of death
coming and sitting on the grave, the soul immediately enters the body and
raises it on its feet; that he then examines the departed person, and strikes
him with achain half of iron and half of fire; at the first blow all his limbs
are loosened, at the second the bones are scattered, which are gathered to-
gether again by angels, and the third stroke reduces the body to dust and
ashes, and it returns intothe grave. This rack or torture they call Hibbat
hakkeber, or the beating of the sepulchre, and pretend that all men in
general must undergo it, except only those who die on the evening of the
sabbath, or have dwelt in the land of Israel.”

If it be objected to the Mohammedans that the cry of the persons under
such examination has been never heard; or if they be asked how those
can undergo it whose bodies are burnt or devoured by beasts or birds, or
otherwise consumed without burial; they answer, that it is very possible
notwithstanding, since men are not able to perceive what is transacted
on the other side the grave; and that it is sufficient to restore to life any
part of the body which is capable of understanding the questions put by
the angels.®

As to the soul, they hold that when it is separated from the body by the
angel of death, who performs his office with ease and gentleness towards
the good, and with violence towards the wicked,’ it enters into that state
which they call al Berzakh,' or the interval between death and the
resurrection. If the departed person was a believer, they say two angels
meet it, who convey it to heaven, that its place there may be assigned,
according to its merit and degree. For they distinguish the souls of the
faithful into three classes ; the first of prophets, whose souls are admitted
into paradise immediately ; the second of martyrs, whose spirits, according
to a tradition of Mohammed, rest in the crops of green birds which eat
of the fruits and drink of the river of paradise; and the third of other
believers, concerning the state of whose souls before the resurrection there
are various opinions. For, 1.Some say they stay near the sepulchres, with
liberty however of going wherever they please ; which they confirm from

- Mohammed’s manner of saluting them at their graves, and his affirming
that the dead heard those salutations as well as the living, though they
could not answer. Whence perhaps proceeded the custom of visiting
the tombs of relations, so common among the Mohammedans.? 2. Others

 

2 Al Ghazili. Vide Poc. not. in Port. Mofis, p. 241, &c. 4 Cap. 8. and 47, &ec.
5 Smith, De Morib. et Instit. Turcar. Ep. ii. p. 57. ® Vide Hyde, in notis ad Bobov. de
Visit. Aagrot. p. 19. 7R, Elias, in Tishbi. See also Buxtorf. Synag. Judaic. and
Lexic. Talmud. ® Vide Poc. ubi sup. ® Kor. c. 79. The Jews say the same, in
Nishmat bayim. f.77. + Vide Kor. c. 23, and note ibid.  ? Poc. ubi sup. p. 247.
56 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

imagine they are with Adam, in the lowest heaven; and also support their
opinion by the authority of their prophet, who gave out that in his return
from the upper heavens in his pretended night journey, he saw there the
souls of those who were destined to paradise on the right hand of Adam,
and of those who were condemned to hell on his left. 3. Others fancy the
souls of believers remain in the well Zemzem, and those of infidels in
a certain well in the province of Hadramaut, called Borbat; but this
opinion is branded as heretical. 4, Others say they stay near the graves
for seven days; but that whither they go afterwards is uncertain. 5, Others
that they are all in the trumpet, whose sound is to raise the dead. And,
6. Others that the souls of the good dwell in the forms, of white birds,
under the throne of God.! As to the condition of the souls of the wicked,
besides the opinions that have been already mentioned, the more orthodox
hold that they are offered by the angels to heaven, from whence being re-
pulsed as stinking and filthy, they are offered to the earth, and being also
refused a place there, are carried down to the seventh earth, and thrown
into a dungeon, which they call Sajin, under a green rock, or according to
a tradition of Mohammed, under the devil’s jaw,® to be there tormented,
till they are called up to be joined again to their bodies.
Though some among the Mohammedans have thought that the resur-
rection will be merely spiritual, and no more than the returning of the soul
to the place whence it first came (an opinion defended by Ebn Sina,’ and
called by some the opinion of the philosophers’); and others, who allow
man to consist of body only, that it will be merely corporeal; the received
‘opinion is, that both body and soul will be raised, and their doctors argue
strenuously for the possibility of the resurrection of the body, and dispute
with great subtlety concerning the manner of it.? "But Mohammed has
taken care to preserve one part of the body, whatever becomes of the rest,
to serve for a basis of the future edifice, or rather a leaven for the mass
which is to be joined toit. For he taught, that a man’s body was entirely
consumed by the earth, except only the bone called Ajb, which we name
the os coccygis, or rump-bone ; and that as it was the first formed in the
human body, it will also remain uncorrupted till the last day, as a seed
from whence the whole is to be renewed: and this he said will be effected
by a forty days’ rain which God should send, and which would cover the
earth to the height of twelve cubits, and cause the bodies to sprout forth
like plants.2 Herein also is Mohammed beholden to the Jews; who say
the same things of the bone Luz,' excepting that what he attributes to a
great rain will be effected according to them by a dew, impregnating the
dust of the earth.
The time of the resurrection the Mohammedans allow to be a perfect
secret to all but God alone ; the angel Gabriel himself acknowledging his
ignorance in this point when Mohammed asked him about it. However
they say the approach of that day may be known from certain signs which
are to precede it. These signs they distinguish into two sorts, the lesser,
and the greater; which I shall briefly enumerate after Dr. Pocock?
The lesser signs are, 1, The decay of faith among men® 2. The
advancing of the meanest persons to eminent dignity. 3. That a maid-
servant shall become the mother of her mistress (or master) ; by which is
2 Poc. ubi sup. p. 248. i i

pot On or Rak ar Rie OP rg” Vids Bea, Se RS
eldawl. lage Foc, ubl sup. p. a = .

‘ Renz al afrar. 8 Vide Pan, ubi sup. p. oo nae ace a a

shit. rabbah, &c. Vide Poc. ubi sup. p. 117, &c. 9 Ii
Luke, xviii. 8 ne : ent pane, Se seen
SECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 57

meant either that towards the end of the world men shall be much given
to sensuality, or that the Mohammedans shall then take many captives.
4. Tumults and seditions, 5, A war with the Turks. 6. Great distress
in the world, so that a man when he passes by another’s grave shall say,
Would to God I were in his place! 7. That the provinces of Irak and
Syria shall refuse to pay their tribute. And, 8. That the buildings of
Medina shall reach to Ahab, or Yahab.

The greater signs are,

1. The sun’s rising in the west. Which some have imagined it origin-
ally did.

2. The appearance of the beast, which shall rise out of the earth, in the
temple of Mecca, or on mount Safa, or in the territory of Tayef, or some
other place. This beast they say is to be sixty cubits high; though
others, not satisfied with so small a size, will have her reach to the clouds
and to heaven, when her head only is out; and that she will appear for
three days, but show only a third part of her body. They describe this
monster, as to her form, to be a compound of various species ; having the
head of a bull, the eyes of a hog, the ears of an elephant, the horns of
a stag, the neck of an ostrich, the breast of a lion, the colour of a tiger,
the back of a cat, the tail of a ram, the legs of a camel, and the voice of an
ass. Some say this beast is to appear three times in several places, and
that she will bring with her the rod of Moses, and the seal of Solomon;
and being so swift that none can overtake or escape her, will with the first
strike all the believers on the face, and mark them with the word Mimen,
i.e. believer ; and with the latter will mark the unbelievers on the face
likewise, with the word Cafer, i. e. infidel, that every person may be known
for what he really is. They add that the same beast is to demonstrate the
vanity of all religions except Islam, and to speak Arabic. All this stuff
seems to be the result of a confused idea of the beast in the Revelations.®

3. War with the Greeks, and the taking of Constantinople by seventy
thousand of the posterity of Isaac, who shall not win that city by force of
arms, but the walls shall fall down while they cry out, There is no God
but God: God is most great! As they are dividing the spoil, news will
come to them of the appearance of Antichrist ; whereupon they shall leave
all, and return back.

4. The coming of Antichrist, whom the Mohammedans call al Masih al
Dajjal, i.e. the false or lying Christ, and simply al Dajjal. He is to be
one-eyed, and marked on the forehead with the letters C. F. R. signifying
Cafer, or infidel. They say that the Jews give him the name of Messiah
Ben David, and pretend he is to come in the last days, and to be lord both
of land and sea, and that he will restore the kingdom to them. According
to the traditions of Mohammed, he is to appear first between Irak and
Syria, or according to others, in the province of Khorasan; they add that
he is to ride on an ass; that he will be followed by seventy thousand Jews
of Ispahan, and continue on earth forty days, of which one will be equal in
length to a year, another to a month, another to a week, and the rest will
be common days; that he is to lay waste all places, but will not enter
Mecca or Medina, which are to be guarded by angels; and that at length
he will be slain by Jesus, who is to encounter him at the gate of Lud. It
is said that Mohammed foretold several Antichrists, to the number of
about thirty ; but one of greater note than the rest,

5. The descent of Jesus on earth. They pretend that he is to descend

 

“See Whiston’s Theory of the Earth, book ii. p. 98, &c. 5 Chap. 13.
58 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

near the white tower to the east of Damascus, when the people are returned
from the taking of Constantinople ; that he is to embrace the Mohammedan
religion, marry a wife, get children, kill Antichrist, and at length die after
forty years’, or according to others twenty-four years’¢ continuance on earth,
Under him they say there will be great security and plenty in the world, all
hatred and malice being laid aside; when lions and camels, bears and
sheep, shall live in peace, and a child shall play with serpents unhurt.”

6. War with the Jews; of whom the Mohammedans are to make a
prodigious slaughter, the very trees and stones discovering such of them
as hide themselves, except only the tree called Gharkad, which is the
tree of the Jews. ,

The eruption of Gog and Magog, or, as they are called in the east,
Yajaj and Majaj; of whom many things are related in the Koran,’ and the
traditions of Mohammed. These barbarians, they tell us, having passed the
lake of Tiberias, which the vanguard of their vast army will drink dry, will
come to Jerusalem, and there greatly distress Jesus and his companions;
till at his request God will destroy them, and fill the earth with their car-
casses, which after some time God will send birds to carry away, at the
prayers of Jesus and his followers. Their bows, arrows, and quivers the
Moslems will burn for seven years together; and at last God will send
a rain to cleanse the earth, and to make it fertile. :

8. A smoke, which shall fill the whole earth.'

9. An eclipse of the moon. Mohammed jis reported to have said, that
there would be three eclipses before the last hour ; one to be seen in the
east, another in the west, and the third in Arabia. /

10. The returning of the Arabs to the worship of Allat and al Uzza, and
the rest of their ancient idols; after'the decease of every one in whose
heart there was faith equal to a grain of mustard-seed, none but the very
worst of men being left alive. For God, they say, vill send a cold odori-
ferous wind, blowing from Syria Damascena, which shall sweep away the
souls of all the faithful, and the Koran itself, so that men will remain in
the grossest ignorance for a hundred years.

11. The discovery of a vast heap of gold and silver by the retreating
of the Euphrates, which will be the destruction of many.

12. The demolition of the Caaba, or temple of Mecca, by the Ethio-
pians? :

13. The speaking of beasts and inanimate things.

14. The breaking out of fire in the province of Hejiz; or, according
to others, in Yaman.

15. The appearance of a man of the descendants of Kahtan, who shall
drive men before him with his staff.

16. The coming of the Mohdi, or director ; concerning whom Moham-
med prophesied, that the world should not have an end till one of his own
family should govern the Arabians, whose name should be the same with
his own name, and whose father’s name should also be the same with his
father’s name; and who should fill the earth with righteousness. This
person the Shiites believe to be now alive, and concealed in some secret
place, till the time of his manifestation; for they suppose him to be no other
than the last of the twelve Imams, named Mohammed Abu’Ikasem, as
their prophet was, and the son of Hassan al Askeri, the eleventh of that
suceession. He was born at Sermanrai in the two hundred and fifty-fifth

 

* Al Thalabi, in Kor. chap. 4. See Isaiah xi. 6, &c. 5 Chap. 21.
* See Ezek. xxxix. 9. Revel. xx. 8. * See Koran, chap. 44. and the en
Compare also Joel ii. 30, and Rev. ix. 2. ® See after, in this section.
BECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 59

year of the Hejras’ From this tradition, it is to be presumed, an opinion
pretty current among the Christians took its rise, that the Mohammedans
are in expectation of their prophet’s return.

17, A wind which shall sweep away the souls of all who have but
‘a grain of faith in their hearts, as has been mentioned under the tenth
sign. ‘

These are the grester signs which, according to their doctrine, are to pre-
cede the resurrection, but still leave the hour of it uncertain : for the im-
mediate sign of its heing come will be the first blast of the trumpet, which
they believe will Le sounded three times. The first they call the blast
of consternation ; at the hearing of which all creatures in heaven and earth
shall be struck with terror, except those whom God shall please to exempt
from it. The effects attributed to this first sound of the trumpet are very
wonderful : for they say, the earth will be shaken, and not only all build-
ings, but the very mountains, levelled; that the heavens shall melt, the sun
be darkened, the stars fall, on the death of the angels, who as some imagine
hold them suspended between heaven and earth, and the sea-shall be trou-
bled and dried up, or, according to others, turned into flames, the sun, moon,
and stars being thrown into it: the Koran, to express the greatness of the
terror of that day, adds that women who give suck shall abandon the care
oftheir infants, and even the she-camels which have gone ten months with
young (a most valuable part of the substance of that nation) shall be ut-
terly neglected. A farther effect of this blast will be that concourse of
beasts mentioned in the Koran,‘ though some doubt whether it be to pre-
cede the resurrection or not. They who suppose it will precede, think
that all kinds of animals, forgetting their respective natural fierceness and
timidity, will run together into one place, being terrified by the sound of
the trumpet and the sudden shock of nature.

The Mohammedans believe that this first blast will be followed by a
second, which they call the blast of exanimation ;* when all creatures both
in heaven and earth shall die or be annihilated, except those which God
shall please to exempt from the common fate; and this, they say, shall
happen in the twinkling of an eye, nay in an instant; nothing surviving
except God alone, with paradise and hell, and the inhabitants of those
two places, and the throne of glory.’_ The last who shall die will be the
angel of death.

Forty years after this will be heard the blast of resurrection, when the
trumpet shall be sounded the third time by Israfil, who, together with Ga-
briel and Michael, will be previously restored to life, and standing on the
rock of the temple of Jerusalem, shall at God’s command call together all
the dry and rotten bones, and other dispersed parts of the bodies, and the
very hairs, to judgment. This angel having, by the divine order, set the
trumpet to his mouth, and called together all the souls fromall parts, will
throw them into his trumpet, from whence, on his giving the last sound, at
the command of God, they shall fly forth like bees, and fill the whole space
between heaven and earth, and then repair to their respective bodies, which
the opening earth will suffer to arise; and the first who shall so arise,

 

2 Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 531. “Chap. 81. * Several writers however
make no distinction between this blast and the first, supposing the trumpet will sound but
twice. See the notes to Kor. chap. 39. ® Kor. chap. 39. ™ To these some

add the spirit who bears the waters on which the throne is placed, the preserved Table,
wherein the decrees of God are registered, and the pen wherewith they are written; all
which things the Mohammedans imagine were created before the world. —° In this cir-
eumstance the Mohammedans follow the Jews, who also agree that the trumpet will sound
more than once. Vide R. Bechai in Biur hattorah, and Otioth shel R. Akiba.
60 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

according to a tradition of Mohammed, will be himself. For this birth the
earth will be prepared by the rain above-mentioned, which is to fall conti-
nually for forty years, and will resemble the seed of a man, and be supplied
from the water under the throne of God, which is called living water ; by
the efficacy and virtue of which the dead bodies shall spring forth from
their graves, as they did in their mother’s womb, or as corn sprouts forth
by common rain, till they become perfect; after which, breath will be
breathed into them, and they will sleep in their sepulchres till they are
raised to life at the last trump. ¢

» As to the length of the day of judgment, the Koran in one place tells us
that it will last one thousand years,! and in another fifty thousand? To
reconcile this apparent contradiction, the commentators use several shifts:
some saying, they know not what measure of time God intends in those
passages ; others, that these forms of speaking are figurative, and not to be
strictly taken, and were designed only to express the terribleness of that
day, it being usual for the Arabs to describe what they dislike as of long
continuance, and what they like as the contrary ; and others suppose them
spoken only in reference to the difficulty of the business of the day, which
if God should commit to any of his creatures, they would not be able to
go through it in so many thousand years; to omit some other opinions
which we may take notice of elsewhere. ‘

Having said so much in relation to the time of the resurrection, let us
now see who are to be raised from the dead, in what manner and form
they shall be raised, in what place they shall be assembled, and to what
end; according to the doctrine of the Mohammedans.

That the resurrection will be general, and extend to all creatures, both
angels, genii, men, and animals, is the received opinion, which they support
by the authority of the Koran; though that passage which is produced to
prove the resurrection of brutes be otherwise interpreted by some.®

The manner of their resurrection will be very different. Those who are
destined to be partakers of eternal happiness will arise in honour and se-
curity ; and those who are doomed to misery, in disgrace and under dis-
mal apprehénsions. As to mankind, they say, that they will be raised
perfect in all their parts and members, and in the same state as they came
out of their mother’s wombs, that is, barefooted, naked, and uncircumcised;
which circumstances when Mohammed was telling his wife Ayesha, she,
fearing the rules of modesty might be thereby violated, objected that it
would be very indecent for men and women to look upon one another in
that condition: but he answered her, that the business of the day would be
too weighty and serious to allow them the making use of that liberty.
Others however allege the authority of their prophet for a contrary opinion
as to their nakedness, and pretend he asserted that the dead should arise
dressed in the same clothes in which they died ;‘ unless we interpret these
words, as some do, not so much of the outward dress of the body, as the in-
ward clothing of the mind; and understand thereby that every person will
tise again in the same state as to his faith or infidelity, his knowledge or
ignorance, his good or bad works. Mohammed is also said to have farther
taught, by another tradition, that mankind shall be assembled at the last
day, distinguished into three classes. The first, of those who go on foot;

 

* Elsewhere (see before, p. 56) this rain is said to continue only forty days ; but it rather
seems that it is to fall during the whole interval between the second and third blasts. -
* Kor. chap. 32. ? Th. chap. 70. * See the notes to Kor. chap. 81. and tae
preceding page. _ * In this also they follow their old guides, the Jews ; who say that if
the wheat which is sown naked rise clothed, it is no wonder the pious who are buried in
their clothes sfould rise with them. Gemar. Sanhedr. fol. 90, :
SECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 6]

the second, of those who ride; and the third, of those who creep grovelling
with their faces on the ground. The first class is toconsist of those believers
whose good works have been few; the second of those who are in greater
honour with God, and more acceptable to him ; whence Ali affirmed that
the pious, when they come forth from the sepulchres, shall find ready pre-
pared for them white winged camels, with saddles of gold ; wherein are to
be observed some footsteps of the doctrine of the ancient Arabians;° and
the third class, they say, will be composed of the infidels, whom God shall.
cause to make their appearance with their faces on the earth, blind, dumb,
and deaf. But the ungodly will not be thus only distinguished ; for, ac-
cording to a tradition of the prophet, there will be ten sorts of wicked men
on whom God shall on that day fix certain discretory marks. The first
will appear in the form of apes; these are the professors of Zendicism: the
second in that of swine ; these they who have been greedy of filthy lucre,
and enriched themselvesby public oppression: the third will be brought with
their heads reversed, and their feet distorted; these are the usurers: the
fourth will wander about blind ; these are unjust judges: the fifth will be
deaf, dumb, and blind, understanding nothing; these are they who glory
in their works: the sixth will gnaw their tongues, which will hang down
upon their breasts, corrupted blood flowing from their mouths like spittle,
so that every body shall detest them; these are the learned men and doc-
tors, whose actions contradict their sayings: the seventh will have their
hands and feet cut off; these are they who have injured their neighbours:
the eighth will be fixed to the trunks of palm-trees or stakes of wood,
these are the false accusers and informers: the ninth will stink worse than
a corrupted corpse; these are they who have indulged their passions and
voluptuous appetites, but refused God such part of their wealth as was
due to him: the tenth will be clothed with garments daubed with pitch ;
and these are the proud, the vainglorious, and the arrogant.

As to the place where they are to be assembled to judgment, the Koran
and the traditions of Mohammed agree that it will be on the earth, but in
what part of the earth it is not agreed. Some say their prophet mentioned
Syria for the place; others, a white and even tract of land, without inhabi-
tants or any signs of buildings. Al Ghazali imagines it will be a second
earth, which he supposes to be of silver; and others an earth which has
nothing in common with ours, but the name; having, it is possible, heard
something of the new heavens and new earth mentioned in scripture:
whence the Koran has this expression, “‘on the day wherein the earth
shall be changed into another earth.”®

The end of the resurrection the Mohammedans declare to be, that they
who are so raised may give an account of their actions, and receive the
reward thereof. And they believe that not only mankind, but the genii
and irrational animals also’ shall be judged on this great day ; when the
unarmed cattle shall take vengeance on the horned, till entire satisfaction
shall be given to the injured.® \

 

5 See before, sect. i. p. 15. ® Chap. 14. "Kor. chap. 6. Vide Maimonid. More Nev
part 3, chap. 17. ® This opinion the learned Greaves supposed to have taken its rise
from the following words of Ezekiel, wrongly understood ; ‘‘And as fof ye, O my flock,
thus saith the Lord God, Behold I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and
the he-goats.—Behold I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle, and between the lean
cattle ; because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased
with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad ; therefore will I save my flock, and
they shall no more be a prey, and I will judge between cattle and cattle,” &c. Ezek
xxxiv. 17, 20, 21, 22. Much might he said concerning brutes deserving future reward
and punishment. See Bayle, Dict. Hist. Art. Rorarius, Rem. D. &c.

P
62 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT, IVs

As to mankind, they hold that when they are all assemb.ed together,
they will not be immediately brought to judgment, but tne angels will keep
them in their ranks and order while they attend for that purpose: and this
attendance some say is to last forty years, others seventy, others three
hundred, nay some say no less than fifty thousand years, each of them
vouching their prophet’s authority. During this space they will stand
looking up to heaven, but without receiving any information or orders
thence, and are to suffer grievous torments, both the just and the unjust,
though with manifest difference. For the limbs of the former, particularly
those parts which they uséd to wash in making the ceremonial ablution
before prayer, shall shine gloriously, and their sufferings shall be light in
comparison, and shall last no longer than the time necessary to say the ap-
pointed prayers; but the latter will have their faces obscured with black-
ness, and disfigured with all the marks of sorrow and deformity, What
will then occasion not the least of their pain, is a wonderful and incre-
dible sweat, which will even stop their mouths, and in which they will
be immersed in various degrees according to their demerits, some to the
ankles only, and some to the knees, some to the middle, some so high
as their mouth, and others as their ears. And this sweat, they say
will be provoked not only by that vast concourse of all sorts of crea.
tures mutually pressing and treading on one another’s feet, but by the
near and unusual approach of the sun, which will be then no farther from
them than the distance of a mile, or (as some translate the word, the sig-
nification of which is ambiguous), than the length of a bodkin "So that
their skulls will boil like a pot’ and they will be all bathed in sweat
From this inconvenience, however, the good will be protected by the shade
of God’s throne; but the wicked will be so miserably tormented with it
and also with hunger and thirst, and a stifling air, that they will cry out,
Lord, deliver us from this anguish, though thou send us into hell-fire.! What
they fable of the extraordinary heat of the sun on this occasion ‘the Mo.
hammedans certainly borrowed from the Jews, who say that for the pun-
ne of os wicked on the last day, that planet shall be drawn forth

ee : :
Seis sh hal it is now put up, lest it should destroy all things

When those who Fave risen shall have wait imi i
Mohammedans believe God will at length iceectai ae ten ik
hammed undertaking the office of intercessor, after it shall have ‘been
declined by Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Jesus, who shall beg deliverance
_ only for their own souls. They say that on ‘this solemn ave ae God
will come in the clouds, surrounded by angels, and will produce the books
wherein the actions of every person are recorded by iit uardian angels,’
an@ will command the prophets to bear witness against ie to abo
have been respectively sent. Then every one will be examined c i
ing all his words and actions, uttered and done by hii i is li ns
God ueetled ania s, ut y him in this life ; not as

d any information in those respects, but to oblige the person
to make public confession and acknowledgment of God’s j th Th :
ticulars of which they shall give an account as Moh iene ce
rated on are; of their time, how they spent fhe of then’ Sioa
means they acquired it ay i : eae
in they Case them i ee ae oe ee
made of them. It is said So eae
no less than seventy aa a tal ee ae a

owers should be permitted to

* Al Ghazali. 1 Idem. i :
clove pe / lem. 2 Vide Pocock, Not. in Port, Mosis, p. 277. * See
SECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. _ 63

enter paradise without any previous examination; which seems to be con-
tradictory to what is said above. To the questions it is said each person
shall answer, and make his defence in the best manner he can, endeavour-
ing to excuse himself by casting the blame of his evil deeds gn others; sc
that a dispute shall arise even between the soul and the body, to which of
them their guilt ought to be imputed: the soul saying, “« O Lord, my body
I received from thee ; for thou createdst me without a hand to lay hokd
with, a foot to walk with, an eye to see with, or an understanding to ap-
prehend with, till I came and entered into this body ; therefore punish it
eternally, but deliver me.” The body on the other side will make this
apology, “ O Lord, thou createdst me like a stock of wood, having neither
hand that I could Jay hold with, nor foot that I could walk with, till this
soul, like a ray of light, entered into me, and my tongue began to spéak,
my eye to see, and my foot to walk; therefore punish it eternally, but
deliver me.” But’God will propound to them the following parable of
the blind man and the lame man, which, as well as the preceding dis-
pute, was borrowed by the Mohammedans from the Jews.‘ A certain king
having a pleasant garden, in which were ripe fruits, set two persons to
keep it, one of whom was blind, and the other lame, the former not being
able to see the fruit, nor the latter to gather it; the lame man, however,
seeing the fruit, persuaded the blind man to take him upon his shoulders;
and by that means he easily gathered the fruit, which they divided between
them. The lord of the garden coming some time after, and inquiring after
his fruit, each began to excuse himself; the blind man said he had no eyes
to see with; and the lame man that he had no feet to approach the trees.
But the king ordering the lame man to be set on the blind, passed sen-
tence on and punished them both. And in the same manner will God
deal with the body and the soul. As these apologies will not avail on
that day, so will it also be in vain for any one to deny his evil actions,
since men and angels and his own members, nay the very earth itself,
will be ready to bear witness against him.

Though the Mohammedans assign so long a space for the attendance of
the resuscitated before their trial, yet they tell us the trial itself will be over
in much less time, and, according to an expression of Mohammed, familiar
enough to the Arabs, will last no longer than while one may milk an ewe,
or than the space between two milkings of ashe-camel.5 Some, explaining
those words so frequently used in the Koran, “ God will be swift in taking
an account,” say that he will judge all creatures in the space of half a day,
and others that it will be done in less time than the twinkling of an eye.§

At this examination they also believe that each person will have the
book wherein all the actions of his life are written delivered to him;
which books the righteous will receive in their right hand, and read with
great pleasure and satisfaction; but the ungodly will be obliged to take
them against their wills in their left,”? which will be bound behind their
back, their right hand being tied up to their necks.®

To show the exact justice which will be observed on this great day of
trial, the next thing. they describe is the balance, wherein all things shall
be weighed. ‘hey say it will be held by Gabriel, and that it is of so vast
a size, that its two scales, one of which hangs over paradise, and the other
over hell, are capacious enough to contain both heaven and earth. Though

« Gemara, Sanhedr. chap. xi. R. Jos. Albo, Serm. 4. chap, xxxiii. See also Epiphan.
in Ancorat. sect. Ixxxix. ’ The Arabs use, after they have drawn some milk from the
camel, to wait awhile, and let hex Fours one suck a little, that she may give down her

milk more plentifully at the second milking. § Pocock Not.in Port. Mosis, p. 278—282,
See also Kor. chap. 2. p. 24 1 Kor. chap. 17, 18, 69, and 84. ® Jallalo’ddin,
64 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

some are willing to understand what is said in the Koran concerning this
balance allegorically, and only as a figurative representation of. God’s
equity, yet the more ancient and orthodox opinion is that it is to be taken
literally ; and since words and actions, being mere accidents, are not capa-
ble of being themselves weighed, they say that the books wherein they
are written will be thrown into the scales, and according as those wherein
the good or the evil actions are recorded shall preponderate, sentence will
be given; those whose balances laden with their good works shall be heavy
will be saved, but those whose balances are light will be condemned.’ Nor
will any one have cause to complain that God suffers any good action
to pass unrewarded, because the wicked for the good they do have their
reward in this life, and therefore can expect no favour in the next.

The old Jewish writers make mention as well of the books to be pro-
duced at the last day, wherein men’s actions are registered,’ as of the
balance wherein they shall be weighed ;# and the scripture itself seems to
have given the first notion of both. But what the Persian Magi believe of
the balance comes nearest to the Mohammedan opinion, They hold that
on the day of judgment two angels, named Mihr and Sorish, will stand
on the bridge we shall describe by and by, to examine every person as
he passes; that the former, who represents the divine mercy, will hold a
balance in his hand, to weigh the actions of men; that according to the
report he shall make thereof to God, sentence will be pronounced, and
those whose good works are found more ponderous, if they turn the scale
but by the weight of a hair, will be permitted to pass forward to paradise;
but those whose good works shal] be found light will be by the other angel,
who represents God’s justice, precipitated from the bridge into hell.‘

This examination being past, and every one’s works weighed in a
just balance, that mutual retaliation will follow, according to which
every creature will take vengeance one of another, or have satisfaction
made them for the injuries which they have suffered. And since there
will then be no other way of returning like for like, the manner of
giving this satisfaction will be, by taking away a proportionable part of
the good works of him who offered the injury, and adding it to those of him
who suffered it. Which being done, if the angels (by whose ministry this
is to be performed) say, ‘“ Lord, we have given to every one his due ; and
there remaineth of this person’s good works so much as equalleth the
weight of an ant,” God will of his mercy cause it to be doubled unto him,
that he may be admitted into paradise; but if on the contrary his good
works be exhausted, and there remain evil works only, and there be any
who have not yet received satisfaction from him, God will order that an
equal weight of their sins be added unto his, that he may be punished for
them in their stead, and he will be sent to hell laden with both. This
will be the method of God’s dealing with mankind. As to brutes, after
* they shall have likewise taken vengeance of one another, as we have men-
tioned above, he will command them to be changed into dust ;® wicked
men being reserved to more grievous punishment: so that they shall cry
out, on hearing this sentence pronounced on the brutes, “* Would to God
that we were dust also!” As to the genii, many Mohammedans are of
opinion that such of them as are true believers will undergo the same

 

9 Kor. chap. 33, 7, &c. 1 Midrasn, Yalkut Shemuni, fol. 153, chap. 3. 2 Gemar,
Sanhedr. f. 91, &eo. 5 Exod. xxxii. 32, 33. Dan, vii. 10. Rev. xx. 12, &c. and
Den. v. 27. ‘ * Hyde, de Kel Vet. Fete. E: 245, 401, &c. 5 Yet they say the dog
of the seven sleepers, and Ezra’s ass, which was raised to life, will, b liar favour,
be admitted into paradise. See Kor. chap. 18, and chap. 3. , Po gerer te
aECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 65

fate as the irrational animals, and have no other reward than the favour of
being converted into dust; and for this they quote the authority of their
prophet, But this, however, is judged not so very reasonable, since the
genii, being capable of putting themselves in the state of belieyers as well
as men, must consequently deserve, as it seems, to be rewarded for their
faith, as well as to be punished for their infidelity. Wherefore some enter-
tain a more favourable opinion, and assign the believing genii a place near
the confines of paradise, where they will enjoy sufficient felicity, though
they be not admitted into that delightful mansion. But the unbelieving
genil, it is universally agreed, will be punished eternally, and be thrown .
into hell with the infidels of mortal race. It may not be improper to
observe, that under the denomination of unbelieving genii, the Moham-
medans comprehend also the devil and his companions.

The trials being over and the assembly dissolved, the Mohammedans
hold, that those who are to be admitted into paradise will take the right
hand way, and those who are destined to hell-fire will take the left, but
both of them must first pass the bridge, called in Arabic, al Sirat, which
they say is laid over the midst of hell, and describe to be finer than a hair,
and sharper than the edge of a sword; so that it seems very difficult to
conceive how any one shall be able to stand upon it: for which. reason
most of the sect of the Motazalites reject it as a fable, though the orthodox
think it a sufficient proof of the truth of this article, that it was seriously.
affirmed by him who never asserted a falsehood, meaning their prophet ;
who, to add to the difficulty of the passage, has likewise declared that this
bridge is beset on each side with briars and hooked thorns; which will
however be no impediment to the good, for they shall pass with wonder-
ful ease and swiftness, like lightning, or the wind, Mohammed and his
Moslems leading the way ; whereas the wicked, what with the slipperiness
and extreme narrowness of the path, the entangling of the thorns, and
the extinction of the light which directed the former to paradise, will soon
miss their footing, and fall.down headlong into hell, which is gaping be-
neath them.’ ,

This circumstance Mohammed seems also to have borrowed from the
Magians, who teach that on the last day all mankind will be obliged to pass
a bridge which they call Pal Chinavad, or Chinavar, that is, the strait
bridge, leading directly’ into the other world; on the midst of which
they suppose the angels, appointed by God to perform that office, will
stand, who will require of every one a strict account of his actions, and
weigh them in the manner we have already mentioned.’ It is true the
Jews speak likewise of the bridge of hell, which they say is no broader
than a thread; but then they do not tell us that any shall be obliged to
pass it, except the idolaters, who will fall thence into perdition.®

As to the punishment of the wicked, the Mohammedans are taught that
hell is divided into seven stories, or apartments, one below another, designed
for the reception of as many distinct classes of the damned.’ The first,
which they call Jehennam, they say will be the receptacle of those who ac-
knowledged one God, that is, the wicked Mohammedans, who, after having
there been punished according to their demerits, will at length be released.
The second, named Ladh4, they assign to the Jews; the third, named al
Hotama, to the Christians; the fourth, named al Sair, to the Sabians: the
fifth, named Sakar, to the Magians; the sixth, named al Jahim, to the
idolaters; and the seventh, which is the lowest and worst of all, and

 

® Vide Kor. c. 18. Pocock, ubi aup. p. 282—289. __ * Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pecs.
pp. 245, 402, &e.  ° Midrash, Yalkut Reubeni, sect. Gehinnom. * Kor. c. 15.
66 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV,

is called al Hawiyat, to the hypocrites, or those who outwardly professed
- some religion, but in their hearts'were of none2 Over each of these apart.
ments they believe there will be set a guard of angels,’ nineteen in num-
ber ;4 to whom the damned will confess the just judgment of God, and beg
them to intercede with him for some alleviation of their pain, or that they
may be delivered by being annihilated.’ ‘
Mohammed has, in his Koran and traditions, been very exact In
describing the various torments of hell, which, according to him, the
wicked will suffer both from intense heat and excessive cold. We shall
however enter into no detail of them here, but only observe that the degrees
of these pains will also vary, in proportion to the crimes of the sufferer, and
the apartment he is condemned to; and that he who is punished most
lightly of all will be shod with shoes of fire, the fervour of which will cause
his scull to boil like a cauldron. The condition of these unhappy wretches,
as the same prophet teaches, cannot be properly called either life or death;
and their misery will be greatly increased by their despair of being delivered
from that place, since, according to that frequent expression in the Koran,
“they must remain therein forever.” It must be remarked, however, that
the infidels alone will be liable to eternity of damnation, for the Moslems,
or those who have embraced the true religion, and have been guilty of
heinous sins, will be delivered thence after they shall have expiated their
crimesby their sufferings. Thecontrary of eitheroftheseopinions isreckoned
heretical; for it is the constant orthodox doctrine of the Mohammedans
that no unbeliever or idolater will ever be released, nor any person who in
his lifetime professed and believed the unity of God be condemned to
eternal punishment. As to the time and manner of the deliverance of
those believers whose evil actions ‘shall outweigh their good, there is a
tradition of Mohammed that they shall be released after they shall have
been scorched and their skins burnt black, and shall afterwards be admitted
into paradise ; and when the inhabitants of that place shall in contempt
call them infernals, God will, on their prayers, take from them that oppro-
brious appellation. Others say, he taught that while they continue in hell
they shall be deprived of life, or (as his words are otherwise interpreted) be
cast into a most profound sleep, that they may be the less sensible of their
torments; and that they shall afterwards be received into paradise, and
there revive on their being washed with the water of life; though some
suppose they will be restored to life before they come forth from their place
of punishment, that at their bidding farewell to their pains, they may have
some little taste of them. The time which these believers shall be detained
there, according to a tradition handed down from their prophet, will not be
less than nine hundred years, nor more then seven thousand. And as to
the manner of their delivery, they say that they shall be distinguished by
the marks of prostration on those parts of their bodies with which they
used to touch the ground in prayer, and over which the fire will therefore
have no power; and that being known by this characteristic, they will be

 

Others fill these apartments with different company. Some place in the second, the .
idolaters; in the third, Gog and Magog, &c.; in the fourth, the devils; in the fifth, those
who neglect alms and prayers ; and crowd the Jews, Christians, and Magians together in’
the sixth. Some again will have the first to _be prepared for tk. Dahrians, or those who
deny the creation, and believe the eternity of the world; the second, for the Dualists, or
Manichees, and the idolatrous Arabs; the third, for the Bramins of the Indies: the fourth,-
for the Jews; the fi, for ne cctiatione 5 and the sixth, for the Magians. They all
agree in assigning the seventh to the hypocrites. Vide Millium, de g :

Moham, p. 412. D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 368, &c. Mohammedismo ante
* Kor. c. 40, 42, 74, &c. “Thid. c. 74. Ibid, o 40, 44
5

SECT. Iv. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 67

released by the mercy of God, at the intercession of Mohammed and the
blessed ; whereupon those who shall have been dead will be restored to’
life, as has been said ; and those whose bodies shall have contracted any
sootiness or filth from the flames and smoke. of hell will be immersed in
one of the rivers of paradise, called the river of life, which will wash them
whiter than pearls.é

For most of these circumstances relating to hell and the state of the
damned, Mohammed was likewise in all probability indebted to the Jews,
and in part to the Magians; both of whom agree in making seven distinct
apartments in hell,’ though they vary in other particulars. The former
place an angel as a guard over each of these infernal apartments, and sup-
pose he will intercede for the miserable wretches there imprisoned, who
will openly acknowledge the justice-of God in their condemnation. They
also teach that the wicked will suffer a diversity of punishments, and that
by intolerable cold® as well as heat, and that their faces shall become
black ;' and believe those of their own religion shall also be punished in
hell hereafter, according to their crimes, (for they hold that few or none
will be found so exactly righteous as to deserve no punishment at all), but
will soon be delivered thence, when they shall be sufficiently purged from
their sins, by their father Abraham, or at the intercession of him or some
other of the prophets.? The Magians allow but one’‘angel to preside over all
the seven hells, who is named by them Vanand Yezad, and, as they teach,
assigns punishments proportionate to each person’s crimes, restraining also
the tyranny and excessive cruelty of the devil, who would, if left to him-
self, torment the damned beyond their sentence. Those of this religion
do also mention and describe various kinds of torments, wherewith the
wicked will be punished in the next life; among which though they reckon
extreme cold to be one, yet they do not admit fire, out of respect, as it
seems, to that element, which they take to be the representation of
the divine nature; and therefore they rather choose to describe the
damned souls as suffering by other kinds of punishments: such as an in-
tolerable stink, the stinging and biting of serpents and wild beasts, thu
cutting and tearing of the flesh by the devils, excessive hunger and thirst,
and the like.‘

Before we proceed to a description of the Mohammedan paradise, we
must not forget to say something of the wall or partition which they ima-
gine to be between that place and hell, and seems to be copied from the
great gulf of separation mentioned in scripture.’ They call it al Orf, and
more frequently in the plural, al Araf, a word derived from the verb arafa,
which signifies to distinguish between things, or to part them; though some
commentators give another reason for the imposition of this name, because,
say they, those who stand on this partition will know and distinguish the
blessed from the damned, by their respective marks or characteristics :*
and others say the word properly intends any thing that is high raised or
elevated, as such a wall of separation must be supposed to be.7_ The Mo-
hammedan writers greatly differ as to the persons who are to be found on
al Araf. Some imagine it to be a sort of limbo, for the patriarchs and
prophets, or for the martyrs and those who have been most eminent for

 

ay

_ © Poc. Not. in Port. Mosis, p. 289—291. * Nishmat hayim, f. 32. Gemar, in Arubin,
4.19. Zohar. ad Exod. xxvi. 2, &c. and Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 245.  * Midrash,
Yalkut Shemuni, part 11. f. 116. ® Zohar, ad Exod. xix. * Yalkut Shemuni, ubi
sup. f. 86. ? Nishmat hayim, f. 82. Gemar. Arubin, f.19. Vide Kor. c. 2, p. 11,
and 3, p. 28, and notes there. 2 Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 182. ‘Vide Eundem,
ibid. p. 399, &c. 5 Luke xvi. 26. ® Jallalo’ddin, Vide Kor. c. 7. " Al Beidawi,
e
68 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

sanctity, among whom they say there will be also angels in the form of
nen. Others place here such whose good and evil works are so equal that
they exactly counterpoise each other, and therefore deserve neither reward
nor punishment; and these, they say, will on the last day be admitted into
paradise, after they shall have performed an act of adoration, which will be
imputed to them as a merit, and will make the,scale of their good works
to overbalance. Others suppose this intermediate space will be a receptacle
for those who have gone to war, without their parents’ leave, and therein
suffered martyrdom; being excluded paradise for their disobedience, and
escaping hell because they are martyrs. The breadth of this partition
wall-cannot be supposed ‘to be exceeding great, since not only those who
shall stand thereon will hold conference with the inhabitants both of para-
dise and of hell, but the blessed and the damned themselves will also be
able to talk to one another.’

If Mohammed did not take his notions of the partition we have been de-
scribing from scripture, he must at least have borrowed it at second-hand
from the Jews, who mention a thin wall dividing paradise from hell.

The righteous, as the Mohammedans are taught to believe, having sur-
mounted the difficulties, and passed the sharp bridge above-mentioned,
before they enter paradise will be refreshed by drinking at the pond of their
prophet, who describes it to be an exact square, of a month’s journey in
compass; its water, which is supplied by two pipes from al Cawthar, one
of the rivers of paradise, being whiter than milk or silver, and more
odoriferous than musk, with as many cups set around it as there are stars
in the firmament; of which water whoever drinks will thirst no more for
ever.' This is the first taste which the blessed will have of their future
and now near approaching felicity.

Though paradise be so very frequently mentioned in the Koran, yet it is
a dispute among the Mohammedans whether it be already created, or to be
created hereafter; the Motazalites and some other sectaries asserting that
there is not at present any such place in nature, and that the paradise which
the righteous will inhabit in the next life will be different from that from
which Adam was expelled. However, the orthodox profess the contrary,
maintaining that it was created even before the world, and describe it,
from their prophet’s traditions, in the following manner.

They say it is situate above the seven heavens (orin the seventh heaven),
and next under the throne of God; and to express the amenity of the place
tell us, that the earth of it is of the finest wheat flour, or of the purest
musk ; or, as others will have it, of saffron; that its stones are pearls and
jacinths, the walls of its buildings enriched with gold and silver, and that
the trunks of all its trees are of gold; among which the most remarkable is
the tree called Tiiba, or the tree of happiness. Concerning this tree they
fable that it stands in the palace of Mohammed, though a branch of it will
reach to the house of every true believer ;% that it will be loaden with.
pomegranates, grapes, dates, and other fruits of surprising bigness, and of
tastes unknown to mortals. So that if a man desire to eat of any particu-
lar kind of fruit, it will immediately be presented to him, or if he choose
flesh, birds ready dressed will be set before him, according to his wish.
They add, that the boughs of this tree will spontaneously bend down to the
hand of the person who would gather of its fruits, and that it will supply
the blessed not only with food, but also with silken garments, and beasts to
ride on ready saddled and bridled, and adorned with rich trappings, which

 

* Kor. ubi.sup. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 121, &c. = * Midrash, Yalkut Sioniy
$11. 1 Al Ghazali. 2 Yahya, in Kor. c. 13. oe :
BECT, IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 69

will burst forth from its fruits; and that this tree is so large, that a per-
son mounted on the fleetest horse would not be able to gallop from one
end of its shade to the other in a hundred years.*

As plenty of water is one of the greatest additions to the pleasantness of
any place, the Koran often speaks of the rivers of paradise as a principal
ornament thereof: some of these rivers, they say, flow with water, some
with milk, some with wine, and others with honey ; all taking their rise
from the root of the tree Taba; two of which rivers, named al Cawthar and
the river of life, we have already mentioned. And, lest these should not
be sufficient, we are told this garden is also watered by a great number
of lesser springs and fountains, whose pebbles are rubies and emeralds,
their earth of camphire, their beds of musk, and their sides of saffron; the
most remarkable among them being Salsabil and Tasnim.

But all these glories will be eclipsed by the resplendent and ravishing
girls of paradise, called, from their large black eyes, Har al oytin, the en-
joyment of whose company will be a principal felicity of the faithful.
These, they say, are created, not of clay, as mortal women are, but
of pure musk; being, as their prophet often affirms in his Koran, free from
all natural impurities, defects, and inconveniences incident to the sex, of
the strictest modesty, and secluded from public view in pavilions of
hollow pearls, so large, that, as some traditions have it, one of them will
be no less than four parasangs (or as others say, sixty miles) long, and as
many broad.

The name which the Mohammedans usually give to this happy mansion
is al Jannat, or the garden ; and sometimes they call it, with an addition,
Jannat al Ferdaws, the garden of paradise, Jannat Aden the garden of Eden
(though they generally interpret the word Eden, not according to its
acceptation in Hebrew, but according to its meaning in their own tongue,
wherein it signifies a settled or perpetual habitation), Jannat al Mawa, the
garden of abode, Jannat al Naim, the garden of pleasure, and the like; by
which several appellations some understand so many different gardens, or
at least places of different degrees of felicity (for they reckon no less than
a hundred such in all), the very meanest whereof will afford its inhabi-
tants so many pleasures and delights, that one would conclude they must
even sink under them, had not Mohammed declared, that in order to qua-
lify the blessed for a full enjoyment of them, God will give to every one
the abilities of a hundred men.

We have already described Mohammed’s pond, whereof the righteous are
to drink before their admission into this delicious seat; besides which
some authors’ mention two fountains, springing from under a certain tree
near the gate of paradise, and say that the blessed will also drink of one of
them, to purge their bodies and carry off all excrementitious dregs, and will.
wash themselves in the other. When they are arrived at the gate itself,
each person will there be met and saluted by the beautiful youths appointed
to serve and wait upon him, one of them running before, to carry the news
of his arrival to the wives destined for him; and also by two angels, bearing
the presents sent him by God, one of whom will invest him with a garment
of paradise, and the other will put a ring on each of his fingers, with in-
scriptions on them alluding to the happiness of his condition. By which
" of the eight gates (for so many they suppose paradise to have) they are
respectively to enter, is not worth inquiry; but it must be observed that
Mohammed has declared that no person’s good works will gain him ad-
mittance, and that even himself shall be saved, not by his merits, buc

3 Jallalo’ddin, in Kor. c. 13. * Al Ghazali, Kenz al Afrar.

 
70 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. EECT. Iv.

merely by the mercy of God. It is, however, the constant doctrine of the
Koran, that the felicity of each person will be proportioned to his deserts,
and that there will be abodes of different degrees of happiness ; the most
eminent degree being reserved for the prophets, the second for the doctors

_ and teachers of God’s worship, the next for the martyrs, and the lower-for
the rest of the righteous, according to their several merits. There will
also some distinction be made in respect to the time of their admission ;
Mohammed (to whom, if you will believe him, the gates will first be
opened) having affirmed, that the poor will enter paradise five hundred
years befére the rich: nor is this the only privilege which they will enjoy
in the next life; since the same prophet has also declared, that when he
took a view of paradise, he saw the majority of its inhabitants to be the
poor, and when he looked down into hell, he saw the greater part of the
wretches confined there to be women.

For the first entertainment of the blessed on their admission, they fable
that the whole earth will then be as one loaf of bread, which God will
reach to them with his hand, holding it like acake; and that for meat
they will have the ox Balam, and the fish Nan, the lobes of whose livers
will suffice seventy thousand men, being, as sorne imagine, to be set before
the principal guests, viz. those who, to that number, will be admitted into
paradise without examination,® though others suppose that a definite num-
ber is here put for an indefinite, and that nothing more is meant thereby
than to express a great multitude of people.

From this feast every one will be dismissed to the mansion designed for
him, where (as has, been said) he will enjoy such a share of felicity as will
be proportioned to his merits, but vastly exceed comprehension or expecta-
tion ; since the very meanest in paradise (as he who, it is pretended, must
know best, has declared) will have eighty thousand servants, seventy-two
wives of the girls of paradise, besides the wives he had in this world, and
a tent ‘erected for him of pearls, jacinths, and emeralds, of a very large
extent; and, according to another tradition, will be waited on by three
hundred attendants while he eats, will be served in dishes of gold, whereof
three hundred shall be set before him at once, containing each a different
kind of food, the last morsel of which will be as grateful as the first ; and
will also be supplied with as many sorts of liquors in vessels of the same
metal: and, to complete the entertainment, there will be no want of wine,
which, though forbidden in this life, will yet be freely allowed to be drunk
in the next, and without danger, since the wine of paradise will not ine-
briate, as that we drink here. The flavour of this wine we may conceive
to be delicious without a description, since the water of Tasnim, and the
other fountains which will be used to dilute it, is said to be wonderfully
sweet and fragrant. If any object to these pleasures, as an impudent Jew
did to Mohammed, that so much eating and drinking must necessarily re-
quire proper evacuations, we answer, as the prophet did, that the inhabi
tants of paradise will not need to ease themselves, nor even to blow their
nose, for that all superfluities will be discharged and carried off by per
spiration, or a sweat as odoriferous as musk, after which their appetite
shall return afresh,

The magnificence of the garments and furniture promised by the Koran
to the godly in the next life is answerable to the delicacy of their diet: for
they are to be clothed in the richest silks and brocades, chiefly of green
which will burst forth from the fruits of paradise, and will be also supplied
by the leaves of the tree Tiba; they will be adorned with bracelets of gold

* See before, p. 62.
SECT. IV, PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. : 71

and silver, and crowns set with pearls of incomparable lustre; and will
make use of silken carpets, litters of a prodigious size, couches, pillows,
and other rich furniture embroidered with gold and precious stones.

That we may the more readily believe what has been mentioned of the
extraordinary abilities of the inhabitants of paradise to taste these plea-
sures in their height, it is said they will enjoy a perpetual youth;
that in whatever age they happen to die, they will be raised in their
prime and vigour, that is, of about thirty years of age, which age they
will never exceed (and the same they say of the damned,) and that when
they enter paradise they will be of the same stature with Adam, who,
as they fable, was no less than sixty cubits high. And to this age and
stature their children, if they shall desire any (for otherwise their wives
will not conceive), shall immediately attain; according to that saying of
their prophet, “If any of the faithful in paradise be desirous of issue, it
shall be conceived, born, and grown up, within the space of an hour.”
And in the same manner, if any one shall have a fancy to employ himself
in agriculture (which rustic pleasure may suit the wanton fancy of sone),
what he shall sow will spring up and come to maturity in a moment.

Lest any of the senses should want their proper delight, we are told the
ear will there be entertained, not only with the ravishing songs of the angel
Israfil, who has the most melodious voice of all God’s creatures, and of
the daughters of paradise; but even the trees themselves will celebrate
the divine praises with a harmony exceeding whatever mortals have heard ;
to which will be joined the sound of the bells hanging on the trees, which
will be put in motion by the wind proceeding from the throne of God, so
often as the blessed wish for music: nay, the very clashing of the golden-
bodied trees, whose fruits are pearls and emeralds, will surpass human
imagination ; so that the pleasures of this sense will not be the least of
the enjoyments of paradise.

The delights we have hitherto taken a view of, it is said, will be common
to all the inhabitants of paradise, even those of the lowest order. Whatthen,
think we, must they enjoy who shall] obtain a superior degree of honour
and felicity? To these, they say, there are prepared, besides al] this,
“such things as eye hath not seen, nor hath ear heard, nor hath it entered
tito the heart of man to conceive ;” an expression most certainly borrowed
from scripture. That we may know wherein the felicity of those who shall
attain the highest degree will consist, Mohammed is reported to have said,
that the meanest of the inhabitants of paradise will see his gardens, wives,
servants, furniture, and other possessions, take up the space of a thousand
years’ journey (for so far and farther will the blessed see in the next life) ;
but that he will be in the highest honour with God, who shall behold
- his face morning and evening: and this favour al Ghazali supposes to
be that additional or superabundant recompense, promised in the Koran,°
which will give such exquisite delight, that in respect thereof all the other
pleasures of paradise will be forgotten and lightly esteemed; and not with-
out reason, since, as the author says, every other enjoyment is equally
tasted by the very brute beast who is turned’ loose into luxuriant pasture.’
The reader will observe, by the way, that this is a full confutation of
those who pretend the Mohammedans admit of no spiritual pleasure in
the next life, but make the happiness of the blessed to consist wholly in
corporeal enjoyments.?

Whence Mohammed took the greatest part of his paradise, it is easy to

 

“Isaiah Ixiv. 4. J Corinth. ii. 9. ® Chap. 10, &c. 1 Vide Poc. in not. ad Port
Mosis, p. 305. 2 Vide Reland, de Re? Moham. lib. 2. sect. 17.
Ta PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. Iv.

show. The Jews constantly describe the future mansion of the just as a
delicious garden, and make it also reach to the seventh heaven ;* they also
say it has three gates,‘ or, as others will have it, two,® and four rivers
(which last circumstance they copied, to be sure, from those of the garden
of Eden,‘) flowing with milk, wine, balsam, and honey.” Their Behemoth
and Leviathan, which they pretend will be slain for the entertainment of
the blessed, are so apparently the Balam and Nan of Mohammed, that
his followers themselves confess he is obliged to them for both.’ The
Rabbins likewise mention seven different degrees of, felicity,? and say that
the highest will be of those who perpetually contemplate the face of God.*
The Persian Magi had also an idea of the future happy estate of the good,

*_ very little different from that of Mohammed. Paradise they call Behisht,

and Minu which signifies crystal, where they believe the righteous shall
enjoy all manner of delights, and particularly the company of the Hur&ni
behisht, or black-eyed nymphs of paradise,‘ the care of whom they say is
committed to the angel Zamiy4d ;5 and hence Mohammed seems to have
taken the first hint of his paradisiacal ladies.

It is not improbable, however, but that he might have been obliged,
in some respect, to the Christian accounts of the felicity of the good in the
next life. As it is scarce possible to convey, especially to the apprehensions
of the generality of mankind, an idea of spiritual pleasures without intro-
ducing sensible objects, the scriptures have been obliged to represent the
celestial enjoyments by corporeal images; and to describe the mansion of
the blessed as a glorious and magnificent city, built of gold and precious
stones, with twelve gates; through the streets of which there runs a river
of water of life, and having on either side the tree of life, which bears
twelve sorts of fruits, and leaves of a healing virtue.® Our Saviour likewise
speaks of the future state of the blessed as of a kingdom, where they shall
eat and drink at his table.7. But then these descriptions have none of those
puerile imaginations® which reign throughout that of Mohammed, much
less any the most distant intimation of sensual delights, which he was
so fond of; on the contrary, we are expressly assured, that “in the resur-
rection they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, but will be as the
angels of God in heaven.”® Mohammed, however, to enhance the value of
paradise with his Arabians, chose rather to imitate the indecency of the
Magians than the modesty of the Christians in this particular, and lest his
beatified Moslems should complain that any thing was wanting, bestows on
them wives, as well as the other comforts of life ; judging, it is to be pre-
sumed, from his own inclinations, that like Panurgus’s ass,! they would

 

= Vide Gemar. Tanith, f. 25. Beracoth, f. 34, and Midrash sabboth, f. 37. ‘ Me-
gillah, Amkoth, p. 78. 5 Midrash, Yalkut Shemuni. © Genesis ii. 10, &c. _* Mid-
rash, Yalk. Shem. ® Gemar. Bava Bathra. f. 78. Rashi, in Job. i. 1 Vide Pac.

noc. in port. Mosis, p. 298. 2 Nishmat hayim, f. 32. 3 Midrash, Tehillim, f. 11.
‘ Sadder, porta 5. ’ Hyde, de Rel Vet. Pers. p. 265. ® Rev. xxi. 10, &c. and
eel, ¥5 2. 7 Luke xxii.29, 30, &c. ® IT would not, however, undertake to de-

fend all the Christian writers in this particular; witness that one passage of Ireneus,
wherein he introduces a tradition of St. Tab that our Lord should say, The days shall come
in which there shall be vines, which shall have each ten thousand branches, and every of thase
ranches shall have ten thousand lesser branches, and every of these branches shall have ten
thousand twigs, and every one of these twigs shall have ten thousand clusters of grapes, and
in guery one of these clusters there shall be ten thousand grapes, and every one of these grapes
being pressed shall yield two hundred and seventy-five gallons of wine ; and when a man
shall take hold of one of these sacred bunches, another bunch shall cry out, Tam a better
bunch, take me, and bless the Lord by me, &c. Iren. lib. 5. c. 33. * Matt. xxii. 30.
' Vide Rabelais, a lib. 5.¢.7. A better authority than this might however be
alleged in favour of Mohammed’s judgment in this respect ; I mean that of Plato, who is
SECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 73

think all other enjoyments not worth their acceptance if they were to
be debarred from this.

Had Mohammed, after all, intimated to his followers that what he had
told them of paradise was to be taken, not literally, but in a metaphorical
sense, (as it is said the Magians do the description of Zoroasfer’s),? this
might, perhaps, make some atonement; but the contrary is so evident from
the whole tenor of the Koran, that although some Mohammedans, whose
understandings are too refined to admit such gross conceptions, look on
their prophet’sdescriptionsas parabolical, and are willing to receive them in
an allegorical or spiritual acceptation,’ yet the general and orthodox doe-
trine is, that the whole is to be strictly believed in the obvious and literal
acceptation ; to prove which I need only urge the oath they exact from
Christians (who they know abhor such fancies), when they would bind
them in the most strong and sacred manner; for in such a case they make
them swear that if they falsify their engagement they will affirm that there
will be black-eyed girls in the next world, and corporeal pleasures.

Before we quit this subject, it may not be improper to observe the false-
hood of a vulgar imputation. on the Mohammedans, who are by several
writers® reported to hold that women have no souls, or, if they have, that
they will perish, like those of brute beasts, and will not be rewarded in the
next life. But whatever may be the opinion of some ignorant people among
them, it is certain that Mohammed had too great a respect for the fair sex
to teach such a doctrine; and there are several passages in the Koran which
affirm that women, in the next life, will not only be punished for their evil
actions, but will also receive the rewards of their good deeds, as well as the
men, and that in this case God will make no distinction of sexes.® It'is
true, the general notion is, that they will not be admitted into the same
abode as the men are, because their places will be supplied by the para-
disiacal females (though some allow that a man will there also have the
company of those who were his wives in this world, or at least such of them
as he shall desire) ;7 but that good women will go into a separate place of
happiness, where they will enjoy all sorts of delights ;* but whether one
of those delights will be the enjoyment of agreeable paramours created
‘for them, to complete the economy of the Mohammedan system, is what I
have nowhere found decided. One circumstance relating to these beatified
females, conformable to what he had asserted of the men, he acquainted his
followers with in the answer he returned to an old woman ; who desiring
him to intercede with God, that she might be admitted into paradise,
he told her that no old woman would enter that place ; which setting the
poor old woman a crying, he explained himself by saying, that God would
then make her young again.®

The sixth great point of faith, which the Mohammedans are taught by
the Koran to believe, is God’s absolute decree, and predestination both of
good and evil. For the orthodox doctrine is, that whatever hath or shall
come to pass in this world, whether it be good, or whether it be bad, pro-

 

said to have proposed, in his ideal commonwealth, as the reward of valiant men and con-
summate soldiers, the kisses of boys and beauteous damsels. Vide Gell Noct. Att. lib. 18.
@., 2. 2 Vide Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 266. ® Vide Eund. in not. ad Boboy. Lit
Turcar, p. 21. * Poc. ad Port. Mos. p. 305. 5 Hornbek, Sum. Contr, p. 16.
Grelot, Voyage de Constant. p. 275. Ricaut’s Present State of the Ottoman Empire, lib.
9.6 Ble ® See Kor. c. 3, p. 58, c. 4, p. 75. And also c. 13, 16, 40, 48, 57, &c.
Vide etiam Reland. de Rel. Moh. lib. 2, sect. 18, and Hyde, in Not. ad Bobov. de Visit.
fEgr. p. 21. 7 See before, p. 70. ® Vide Chardin, Voy. tom. ii. p. 328, and
Bayle, Dict. Hist. Art. Moham. Rem. Q. ® See Koran, c. 56, and notes there; and
Gagnier. not. in Abulfeda Vit. Moh. p. 145.
74 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECTy TVs:

ceedeth entirely from the divine will, and is irrevocably fixed and recorded
from all eternity in the preserved table ;1 God having secretly predeter-
mined not only the adverse and prosperous fortune of every person 1n this
world, in the most minute particulars, but also his faith or infidelity, his
obedience or disobedience, and consequently his everlasting happiness or
misery after death ; which fate or predestination it is not possible, by any
foresight or wisdom, to avoid.

Of this doctrine Mohammed makes great use in his Koran, for the ad-

_vancement of his designs ; encouraging his followers to fight without fear,
and even desperately, for the propagation of their faith, by representing
to them that all their caution could not avert their inevitable destiny, or
prolong their lives for a moment ;? and deterring them from disobeying
or rejecting him as an impostor, by setting before them the danger they
might thereby incur of being, by the judgment of God, abandoned to se-
duction, hardness of heart, and a reprobate mind, as a punishment for
their obstinacy?
~ As this doctrine of absolute election and reprobation has been thought
by many of the Mohammedan divines to be derogatory to the goodness
and justice of God, and to make God the author of evil; several subtle
distinctions have been invented, and disputes raised, to explicate or soften
it; and different sects have been formed, according to their several opi-
nions, or methods of explaining this point: some of them going so far as
even to hold the direct contrary position, of absolute free will in man, as
we shall see hereafter.‘

Of the four fundamental points of religious practice required by the
Koran, the first is prayer, under which, as has been said, are also com-
prehended those legal washings or purifications which are necessary pre-
parations thereto.

Of these purifications there are two degrees, one called Ghost, being
a total immersion or bathing of the body in water; and the other called
Wodi (by the Persians, abdest), which is the washing of their faces, hands,
and feet, after a certain manner. The first is required in some extraor-
dinary cases only, as after having lain with a woman, or being polluted
by emission of ‘seed, or by approaching a dead body ; women also being
obliged to it after their courses or childbirth. The latter is the ordinary
ablution in common cases, and before prayer, and must necessarily be
used by every person before he can enter upon that duty. It is performed
with certain formal ceremonies, which have been described by some wri- —
ters, but are much easier apprehended by seeing them done than by the
best description,

These purifications were perhaps borrowed by Mohammed of the Jews,
at feast they agree in a great measure with those used by that nation,® who
in process of time burdened the precepts of’ Moses in this point with so
many traditionary ceremonies, that whole books have been written about
them, and who were so exact and superstitious therein even in our Saviour’s
time, that they are often reproved by him for it.” But as it is certain that
the pagan Arabs used lustrations of this kind’ long before the time of
Mohammed, as most nations did, and still do in the east, where the warmth
of the climate requires a greater nicety and degree of cleanliness than these
colder parts ; perhaps Mohammed only recalled his countrymen to a more

 

1 See before, p. 46. 2 Kor. c. 3, p. 51, note t, and c. 4, p. 69, &c. 3 Kor. c.
4, p. 67 and 78, 79. And c. 2, and p. 2, &e. passim. $ Bech vei 5 Kor. c. 4, p. 66,
and c. 5, p. 82. Vide Reland. de Rel. Moh. lib. i. c. 8. 5 Poe. not. in Port. Mosis.

p 356, &c. . * Mark vii. 3, &c. —® Vide Herodot. lib. 3, c. 198.
SECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 75

strict observance of those purifying rites, which had been probably neg-
lected by them, or at least performed in a careless and perfunctory manner.
The Mohammedans, however, will have it that they are as ancient as
Abraham,’ who, they say, was enjoined by God to observe them, and was
showed the manner of making the ablution by the angel Gabriel, in the
form of a beautiful youth.' Nay, some deduce the matter higher, and im-
agine that these ceremonies were taught our first parents by the angels.

That his followers might be the more punctual in this duty, Mohammed ,

is said to have declared, that the practice of religion is founded on cleanli-
ness, which is the one half of the faith, and the key of prayer, without which
it will not be heard by God. That these expressigns may be the better
. understood, al Ghazali reckons four degrees of muethecuen of which the
first is, the cleansing of the body from all pollution, filth, and excrements;
the second, the cleansing of the members of the body from all wickedness
and unjust actions; the third, the cleansing of the heart from all blameable
inclinations, and odious vices; and the fourth, the purging of a man’s
secret thoughts from all affections which may divert their attendance on
God: adding that the body is but as the outward shell in respect to the
heart, which is as the kernel. And for this reason he highly complains of
those who are superstitiously solicitous in exterior purifications, avoiding
those persons as unclean who are not so scrupulously nice as themselves,
and at the same time have their minds lying waste, and overrun with

pride, ignorance, and hypocrisy.‘ Whence it plainly appears with how —

little foundation the Mohammedans have been charged, by some writers,’
with teaching or imagining that these formal washings alone cleanse them
from their sins.®

Lest so necessary a preparation to their devotions should be omitted,
either where water cannot be had, or when it may be of prejudice to a
person’s health, they are allowed in such cases to make use of fine sand
or dust in lieu of it ;7 and then they perform this duty by clapping their
open hands on the sand, and passing them over the parts, in the same
manner as if they were dipped in water, But for this expedient Moham-
med was not so much indebted to his own cunning,’ as to the example of
the Jews, or perhaps that of the Persian Magi, almost as scrupulous as the
Jews themselves in their lustrations, who both of them prescribe the same
method in cases of necessity ;° and there is a famous instance, in eccle-
siastical history, of sand being used, for the same reason, instead of water,
in the administration of the Christian sacrament of baptism, many years
before Mohammed’s time.!

Neither are the Mohammedans contented with bare washing, but think
themselves obliged to several other necessary points of cleanliness, which

 

» Al Jannabi in Vita Abrah. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 303. * Herewith agrees the spurious
’ Gospel of S. Barnabas, the Spanish translation of which (chap. 29), has these words: Dizo
Abraham Que haré yo para servir al Dios de los sanctos y prophetas? Respondio el angel,
Vea aquella fuente y lavate, porque Dios quiere hablar contigo. Dizo Abraham, Como tengo
de lovarme? Luego el angel se le apparecié como uno bello mancebo, y selavo en la fuente, y
le dizo, Abraham, has como yo. Y Abraham, selavo, &c. a "Al Kessai, Vide Reland.
de Rel. Moham. p. 81. 3°Al Ghazali, Ebn al Athir. * Vide Poc. Spec. p. 302, &c.
* Barthol. Edessen. Confut. Hagaren. p. 360. G. Sionita and J. Hesronita, in Tract. de
Urb. et Morib. Orient. ad Calcem. Geogr. Nubiens.c. 15. Du Ryer, dans le Sommaire
de la Rel. des Turcs, mis ala Téte de as Version de 1’ Alcor. St. Olon, Descr. du Roy-
-aume de Maroc, c. 2, Hyde, in Not. ad Bobov. de Prec. Moh. p. 1, Smith, de Morib. rt
Instit. Turcar. Ep. 1, p. 32. ° Vide Reland. de Rel. Moh. lib. 2, ¢.11. 1‘ Koran, c. 3,
p. 66, and 5, p. 82. ® Vide Smith, ubi sup. ° Gemar, Berachoth, c.2. Vide Poe.
not. ad Port. Mosis, p. 389. Sadder, porta 84. + Cedren. p. 250.
76 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

they make also parts of their duty ; such as combing the hair, cutting the
beard, paring the nails, pulling out the hairs of their arm-pits, shaving
their private parts, and circumcision ;2 of which last I will add a word or
two, lest I should not find a more proper place. ; i
Circumcision, though it be not so much as once mentioned in the Koran,
is yet held by the Mohammedans to be an ancient divine institution, con-
firmed by the religion of Islim,'and though not so absolutely necessary but
that it might be dispensed with in some cases, yet highly proper and ex-
pedient. ‘The Arabs used this rite for many ages before Mohammed, hav-
' ing probably learned it from Ismael, though not only his descendants, but
the Hamyarites,‘ and other tribes, practised the same. The Ismaelites, we
are told,® used to circumcise their children, not on the eighth day, as is the
custom of the Jews, but when about twelve or thirteen years old, at which
age their father underwent that operation :* and the Mohammedans imitate
them so far as not to circumcise children before they be able, at least, dis
tinctly to pronounce that profession of their faith, There is no God but God
Mohammed is the apostle of God ;7 but pitch-on what age they please for
the purpose between six and sixteen, or thereabouts. Though Moslem
doctors are generally of opinion, conformably to the Scripture, that this
precept was originally given to Abraham, yet some have imagined that
Adam was taught it by the angel Gabriel, to satisfy an oath he had made

to cut off that flesh which, after his fall, had rebelled against his spirit, :

whence an odd argument has been drawn for the universal obligation
of circumcision.? Though I cannot say the Jews led the Mohammedans
the way here, yet they seem so unwilling to believe any of the principal

patriarchs or prophets before Abraham were really uncircumcised, that -

they pretend several of them, as well as some holy men who lived after
his time, were born ready circumcised, or without a foreskin, and that
Adam, in particular, was so created ;! whence the Mohammedans affirm
the same thing of their prophet.?

Prayer was by Mohammed thought so necessary a duty, that he used to.

call it the pillar of religion, and the key of paradise ; and when the Thaki-
fites, who dwelt at Tayef, sending in the ninth year of the Hejra to make
their submission to that prophet, after the keeping of their favourite idol
had been denied them,’ begged, at least, that they might be dispensed with
as to their saying of the appointed prayers, he answered, That there could
be no good in that religion wherein was no prayer+

That s* important a duty, therefore, might not be neglected, Mohammed
obliged .1s followers to pray five times every twenty-four hours, at certain

stated times; viz. 1. In the morning, before sunrise: 2. When noon is past,

and the sun begins to decline from the meridian: 3. In the afternoon, be:
fore sun-set: 4. In the evening, after sun-set, and before day be shut in:

 

2 Vide Poc. Spec. p. 303. * Vide Bobov. de Circumcis. p. 22. * Philostorg.
Hist. Eccl. lib. 3. 5 Joseph. Ant. lib, 1, ¢. 23. 5 Gen. xvii. 25. ™ Vide Bobov. ubi
sup. and Poc. Spec. p. 19. * Vide Reland. de Rel. Moh. lib. 1, p. 75. 5 This

is the substance of the following passage of the Gospel of Barnabas, (chap. 23), viz. En

tonces dixo Jesus; Adam el primer hombre aviendo comido por engano del demonio la comida
prohibida por Dios en el parayso, se le rebeld su carne & su espiritu ; por lo qual juré dizi-
endo, Por Dios que yo te quiero contar ; y rompiendo una piedra tomo su carne para cortarla
con el corte de la piedra. Por loqual fue reprehendido del angel Gabriel, y elle divo ; Yohe
jurado por Dios que lo he de cortar, y mentiroso no le seré jamas. Ala hora el angel le en-
seno la superfluidad de su carne, y a quella cortd. De manera que ansi como todo hombre
toma carne de Adam, ansi esta obligado a cumplir aquello que Adam con juramento promett.
‘ Shalshe!. hakkabala. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 320. Gagnier, Not. in Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p- 2.
? Vide Pac. Spec. p. 304. * See before, p. 13. | * Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 127.

+
SECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 17

and, 5. After the day is shut in, and before the first watch of the nights
For this institution he pretended to have received the divine command from
the throne of God himself, when he took his night journey to heaven: and
the observing of the stated times of prayer is frequently insisted on in the
Koran, though they be not particularly prescribed therein. Accordingly,
at the aforesaid times, of which public notice is given by the Muedhdhins
or Criers, from the steeples of their Mosques (for they use no bell), every
conscientious Moslem prepares himself for prayer, which he performs either
in the Mosque or any other place, provided it be clean, after a prescribed
form, and with a certain number of praises or ejaculations (which the more
scrupulous count by a string of beads), and using certain postures of wor-
ship; all which have been particularly set down and described, though
with some few mistakes, by other writers,’ and ought not to be abridged,
unless in some special cases ; as on a journey, on preparing for battle, &c.

For the regular performance of the duty of. prayer among the Mo.
hammedans, besides the particulars above-mentioned, it is also requisite
that they turn their faces, while they pray, toward the temple of Mecca ;?
the quarter where the same is situate being for that reason pointed out
within their Mosques by a niche, which they call al Mehrab, and without
by the situation of the doors opening into the galleries of the steeples:
there are also tables calculated for the ready finding out their Keblah
or part towards which they ought to pray, in places where they have na
other direction.

But what is principally to be regarded in the discharge of this duty, say
the Moslem doctors, is the inward disposition of the heart, which is the
life and spirit of prayer; the most punctual observance of the external
tites and ceremonies before-mentioned being of little or no avail, if per-
formed without due attention, reverence, devotion, and hope :' so that we
must not think the Mohammedans, or the considerate part of them at
least, content themselves with the mere opus operatum, or imagine their
whole religion to be placed therein.? :

T had like to have omitted two things which in my mind deserve men-
tion on this head, and may, perhaps, be better defended than our con-
trary practice. One is, that the Mohammedans never address themselves
to God in sumptuous apparel, though they are obliged to be decently
clothed; but lay aside their costly habits and pompous ornaments, if they
wear any, when they approach the divine presence, lest they should seem
proud and arrogant. The other is, that they admit not their women to
pray with them in public; that sex being obliged to perform their devo-
tions at home, or if they visit the Mosques, it must be at a time when the
men are not there: for the Moslems are of opinion that their presence in-
spires a different kind of devotion from that which is requisite in a place
dedicated to the worship of God.*

 

* Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 38, 39. 5 Vide Hotting. Hist. Eccles. tom. 8, p. 470
—529, Bobov. in Liturg. Turcic. p.1, &c. Grelot, Voyage de Constant.‘p. 253—264.
Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. ii. p. 388, &c. and Smith, de Moribus ac Instit. Turcar.
Ep. 1, p. 33, &c. 7 Koran, chap. 2, p. 17. See the notes there. ® Vide Hyde, de
Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 8, 9, and 126. | ° Al Ghazali. 1 Vide Poc. Spec. p.305. Vide
Smith, ubisup. p.40. * Reland, de Rel. Moham. p. 96. See Kor. chap. 7.

“A Moor, named Ahmed Ebn Abdalla, in a Latin epistle by him written to Maurice
prince of Orange, and Emanuel prince of Portugal, containing a censure of the Christian
religion (a copy of which once belonged to Mr. Selden, who has thence transcribed a con-
siderable passaye in his Treatise De Synedriis Vet. Ebrmor. lib. i. c. 12, is now in the
Bodleian library), finds great fault with the unedifying manner in which mass is said
among the Roman Catholics, for this very reason among others. His words are: Ubi-
cunque congregantur simul viri et femine, ibi mens non est intenta et devota: nam, inter
78 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. 1¥

The greater part of the particulars comprised in the Mohammedan
institution of prayer their prophet seems to have copied from others, and
especially the Jews; exceeding their institutions only in the sumer
of daily prayers.® The Jews are directed to pray three times a day,® in
the morning, in the evening, and within night; in imitation of Abraham,’
Isaac,.and Jacob :° and the practice was as early, at least, as the time of
Daniel.! The several postures used by the Mohammedans in their pray-
ers are also the same with those prescribed by the Jewish Rabbins, and
particularly the most solemn act of adoration by prostrating themselves so
as to touch the ground with their forehead ;? notwithstanding the latter
pretend the practice of the former, in this respect, to be a relic of their
ancient manner of paying their devotions to Baal-Peor.? The Jews like- |
wise constantly pray with their faces turned towards the temple of Jerusa-
lem, which has been their Keblah from the time it was first dedicated by.
Solomon ;® for which reason Daniel, praying in Chaldea, had the windows
of his chamber open towards that city ;* and the same was the Keblah of
Mohammed and his followers for six or seven months,’ and till he found
himself obliged to change it for the Caaba. The Jews moreover are
obliged by the precepts of their religion to be careful that the place they
pray in, and the garments they have on when they perform their duty, be
clean ;® the men and women also among them pray apart (in which par-
ticular they were imitated by the eastern Christians); and several other
conformities might be remarked between the Jewish public worship and’
that of the Mohammedans.?

The next point of the Mohammedan religion is the giving of alms;
which are of two sorts, /egal and voluntary. The legal alms are of in-
dispensable obligation, being commanded by the law, which directs and
determines both the portion which is to be given, and of what things it
ought to be given; but the voluntary alms are left to every one’s liberty,
to give more or less, as he shall see fit. The former kind of alms some
think to be properly called Zacat, and the latter Sadakat; though this
name be also frequently given to the legal alms. They are called Zacat,
either because they increase a man’s store, by drawing down a blessing
thereon, and produce in his soul the virtue of liberality,’ or because they
purify the remaining part of one’s substance from pollution, and the soul
from the filth of avarice ;? and Sadakat, because they are a proof of a
man’s sincerity in the worship of God. Some writers have called the legal
alms tythes, but improperly, since in some cases they fall short, and in
others exceed that proportion. : :

The giving of alms is frequently commanded in the Koran, and often
recommended therein jointly with prayer; the former being held of great

 

celebrandum missam et sacrificia, femine et viri mutuis aspectibus, signis, ac nutibus ac-
cendunt pravorum appetitum, et desideriorum suorum ignes : et quando hoc non fieret, sal-
tew humana fragilitas delectatur mutuo et reciproco aspectu ; et ila non potest esse mens
quieta, attenta, et devota.

‘ The Sabians, according to some, exceed the Mohammedansin this point, praying seven
tmesaday. Sce before, p. 11. ® Gemar. Berachoth. ™ Gen xix. 27. ® Gen.
xxiv. 63. ® Gen. xxvili. 11, &c. 1 Dan. vi. 10. 2 Vide Millium, de Mohamme-
dismo ante Moham. p, 427, &c., and Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 5, &c. 2 Maimonid.
in Epist. ad Proselyt. Relig. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 306. « Gemar. Bava Bathra, and
Berachoth. 1 Kings viii. 29, &c. © Dan. vi. 10. ‘Some say eighteen months.
Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moham. p. 54. ® Maimon. in Halachoth. Tephilla, chap. 9, sect.
8,9. Menura hammeor, fol. 28, 2, * Vide Millium, ubi supra, p. 424, et seq. 1 Al
Beidiwi. See Kor. chap. 2, p. 32—34. | *Idem. Compare this with what our Saviour:
says, Luke xi. 41, ‘‘ Give alms of such things as ye have ; and behold, all things are clean:
mnto you.’ -
SECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 79

efficacy in causing the latter to. be heard of God: for which reason the
Khalif Omar Ebn Abd’alaziz used to say, “that prayer carries us half
way to God, fasting brings us to the door of his palace, and alms procure
us admission.””8 The Mohammedans therefore esteem alms:deeds to be
highly meritorious, and many of them have been illustrious for the exer-
cise thereof. Hasan the son of Ali, and grandson of Mohammed, in par-
ticular, is related to have thrice in his life divided his substance equally
between himself and the poor, and twice to have given away all he had:4
and the generality are so addicted to the doing of good, that they extend
their charity even to brutes.

Alms, according to the prescriptions of the Mohammedan law, are to be"
givem of five things; 1. Of cattle, that is to say, of camels, kine, and
sheep. 2. Of money. 38. Of corn. 4. Of fruits, viz. dates and raisins.
And 5. Of wares sold. Of each of these a certain portion is to be given
in alms, being usually one part in forty, or two and a half per cent. of the
value. But no alms are due for them, unless they amount to a certain
quantity or number; nor until} a man has been in possession of them
eleven months, he not being obliged to give alms thereout before the
twelfth month is begun: nor are alms due for cattle employed in tilling
the ground, or in carrying of burdens. In some cases a much larger por-
tion than the before-mentioned is reckoned due for alms: thus of what is
gotten out of mines, or the sea, or by any art or profession over and above
what is sufficient for the reasonable support of a man’s family, and espe-
cially where there is a mixture or suspicion of unjust gain, a fifth part
ought to be given in alms. Moreover, at the end of the fast of Ramadan,
every Moslem is obliged to give in alms for himself and for every one of
his family, if he has any, a measure® of wheat, barley, dates, raisins, rice,
or other provisions commonly eaten,’

The legal alms were at first collected by Mohammed himself, who em-
ployed them as he thoughi fit, in the relief of his poor relations and fol-
lowers, but chiefly applied them to the maintenance of those who served in
his wars, and fought, as he termed it, in the way of God. His successors
continued to do the same, till, in process of time, other taxes and tributes
being imposed for the support of the government, they seem to have been
weary of acting as almoners to’their subjects, and to have left the paying
them to their consciences.

In the foregoing rules concerning alms, we may observe also footsteps of
what the Jews taught and practised in respect thereto. Alms, which they
also call Sedaka, i. e. justice, or righteousness,* are greatly recommended by
their Rabbins, and preferred even to sacrifices ;* as a duty the frequent
exercise whereof will effectually free a man from hell fire,’ and merit ever-
lasting life:* wherefore, besides the corners of the field, and the gleanings
of their harvest and vineyard, commanded to be left for the poor and the
stranger by the law of Moses, a certain portion of their corn and fruits is
directed to be set apart for their relief, which portion is called the tithes
of the poor. The Jews likewise were formerly very conspicuous for their
charity. Zaccheus gave the half of his goods to the poor;* and we

 

> D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p.5. ‘Idem. p. 422. § Vide Busbeq. Epist. iii. p. 178.
Smith, De Morib. Ture. Epist. i. p. 66, &c. Compare Eccles. xi. 1, and Prov. xii. 10.
© This measure is a SaA, and contains about six or seven pounds weight. 7 Vide Reland.
de''Rel. Mohammed. lib. i. p. 99, &c. Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. ii. p. 415, &c.
® Hence alms are in the New Testament termed Atcatoovn. Matt. vi. 1, (Ed. Steph.:
and 2 Corinth. xi. 10. ® Gemar. in Bava bathra. ‘Thid. in Gittin. | ? Ibid.in Rosi
hashana. : ? Lev. xix. 9, 10. Deut. xxiv. 19, &c. * Vide Gemar. Hierosol. in Peak, anc
Maimon. in Halachoth matanoth Aniyyim. c. 6, Confer Pirke Avoth, v.9. * Luke xix. 8.
,

80 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. 1.

id

are told that some gave their whole substance: so that their doctors, at
length, decreed that no man should give above a fifth part of his goods in
alms.6 There were also persons publicly appointed in every synagogue
to collect and distribute the people’s contributions.

The third point of religious practice is fasting; a duty of so great moment,
that Mohammed used to say it was “ the gate of religion,” and that “ the
odour of the mouth of him who fasteth is more grateful to God, than that
of musk ;” and al Ghazali reckons fasting “ one fourth part of the faith.”
According to the Mohammedan divines, there are three degrees of fasting:
1. The restraining the belly and other parts of the body from satisfying
their lusts; 2. The restraining the ears, eyes, tongue, hands, feet, and
other members, from sin; and 3. The fasting of the heart from worldly
cares, and refraining the thoughts from every thing besides God

The Mohammedans are obliged, by the express command of the Koran,
to fast the whole month of Ramadan, from the time the new moon first
appears, till the appearance of the next new moon; during which time they
must abstain from eating, drinking, and women, from daybreak till night,9
or sunset. And this injunction they observe so strictly, that while they
fast they suffer nothing to enter their mouths, or other parts of their body,
esteeming the fast broken and null if they smell perfumes, take a clyster or
injection, bathe, or even purposely swallow their spittle ; some being so
cautious that they will not open their mouths to speak, lest they should
breathe the air too freely :! the fast is also deemed void if a man kiss or
touch a woman, or if he vomit designedly. But after sunset they are
allowed to refresh themselves, and to eat and drink, and enjoy the company
of their wives till daybreak ;2 though the more rigid begin the fast again at
midnight.s This fast is extremely rigorous and mortifying when the month
of Ramadan happens to fall in summer, (for the Arabian year being lunar,
each month runs through all the different seasons in the course of thirty-
three years), the length and heat of the days making the observance of it
much more difficult and uneasy then than in winter.

The reason given why the month of Ramadan was pitched on for this
purpose is, that on that month the Korén was sent down from heaven?
Some pretend that Abraham, Moses, and Jesus received their respective
revelations in the same month.® .

From the fast of Ramadan none are excused, except only travellers and
sick persons (under which last denomination the doctors comprehend all
whose health would manifestly be injured by their keeping the fast;

 

5 Vide Reland. Ant. Sacr. Vet. Hebr. p. 402. 1 Vide ibid. p. 138. ® Al Ghazali,
al Mostatraf. —*® Koran, chap. 2, p. 21, 22. + Hence we read that the Virgin Mary,
to avoid answering the reflections cast on her for bringing home a child, was advised by
the angel Gabriel to feign she had vowed a fast, and therefore ought not to speak. See
Koran, chap. 19.

2 The words of the Koran (chap. 2, p. 22), are, ‘‘ Until ye can distinguish a white thread
from a black thread by the daybreak ;’’ a form of speaking borrowed by Mohammed from
the Jews, who determine the time when they are to begin their morning lesson to be so
soon as a man can discern blue from white, i. e. the blue threads from the white threads in
the fringes of their garments. But this explication the commentators do not approve ; pre-
tending that by the ‘‘ white thread and the black thread’’ are to be understood the light
and dark streaks of the daybreak: and they say the passage was at first revealed without
the words ‘‘ of the daybreak ;’” but Mohammed’s followers taking the expression in the
first sense, regulated their practice accordingly, and continued eating and drinking till they
could distinguish a white thread from a black thread, as they lay before them; to prevent
which for the future, the words “‘ of the daybreak’’ were added as explanatory of the for-
mer. Al Beidawi. Vide Pocock. Not. in Carmen Tograi, p. 89, &c. Chardin, Voy.
de foe tom. il. eae Rie Chardin, pie age &c. Reland. de Rel. Moham.
p. , &e ee hereafter, sect. vi. * Kor, chap. 2, p. 22. » Ibe
® Al Beidawi, ex Trad. Mohammedis. ee pee alee
SECT IV, PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE, 81

as women with child, and giving suck, ancient people and young children);
hut then they are obliged, so soon as the impediment is removed, to fast
an equal number of other days; and the breaking the fast is ordered to
be expiated by giving alms to the poor.’ .

Mohammed seems to have followed the guidance of the Jews in his or-
dinances concerning fasting, no less than in the former particulars. That
nation, when they fast, abstain not only from eating and drinking, but
from women, and from anointing themselves,’ from daybreak until sunset,
and the stars begin to appear ;* spending the night in taking what refresh-
ments they please.'. And they allow women with child and giving suck,
old persons, and young children, to be exempted from keeping most of
the public fasts? ;

Though my design here be briefly to treat of those points only which are
of indispensable obligation on a Moslem, and expressly required by the
Koran, without entering into their practice as to voluntary and supereroga-
tory works; yet to show how closely Mohammed’s institutions follow the
Jewish, I shall add a word or two of the voluntary fasts of the Moham-
medans. These are such as have been recommended either by the exam-
ple or approbation of their prophet; and especially certain days of those
months which they esteem sacred: there being a tradition that he used to
say, That a fast of one day in a sacred month was better than a fast of
thirty days in another month: and that the fast of one day in Ramadan
was more meritorious than a fast of thirty days in a sacred month?
Among the more commendable days is that of Ashdra, the tenth of
Moharram; which, though some writers tell us it was observed by the
Arabs, and particularly the tribe of Koreish, before Mohammed’s time, yet,
as others assure us, that prophet borrowed both the name and the fast from
the Jews; it being, with them, the tenth of the seventh month, or Tisri,
and the great day of expiation commanded to be kept by the law of Moses.®
Al Kazwini relates, that when Mohammed came to Medina and found the
Jews there fasted on the day of Ashira, he asked them the reason of it;
and they told him, it was because on that day Pharaoh and his people were
drowned, Moses, and those who were with him, escaping ; whereupon he
said, that he bore a nearer relation to Moses than they; and ordered
his followers to fast on that day. However, it seems, afterwards he was
not so well pleased in having imitated the Jews herein; and therefore
declared, that if he lived another year, he would alter the day, and fast
on the ninth, abhorring so near an agreement with them.®

The pilgrimage to Mecca is so necessary a point of practice, that accord-
ing to a tradition of Mohammed, he who dies without performing it may as
well die a Jew or a Christian ;7 and the same is expressly commanded in
the Koran.’ Before [speak of the time and manner of performing this
pilgrimage, it may be proper to give a short account of the temple of Mecca,
the chief scene of the Mohammedan worship; in doing which I need be
the Jess prolix, because that edifice has been already described by several
writers,’ though they following different relations have been led into some

 

™ See Koran, chap. 2, p. 22. 8 Siphra, fol. 252, 2. ® Tosephoth ad Gemar. Yoma,

f. 34, 1 Vide Gemar. Yoma, f. 40, and Maimon. in Halachoth Tanioth, c. 5, sect. v.
? Vide Gemar. Tanith, f. 12, and Yoma, f. 83, and Es Hayim, ‘l'anith,c. 1. Al Gha-
zali. ‘ Al Bérezi, in Comment. ad Orat. Ebn Nobate. 5 Levit. xvi. 29, and xxiii.

27, ~®Ebnal Athir. Vide Pocock, Spac. p. 309. "Al Ghazali. * Chap. 3, p. 47.
See also chap. 22, and chap. 2, p. 16, &c. ° Chardin, Voy. de Perse, t. ii. p. 428, &c,

remond, Descrittioni dell ’Egitto, &c., lib. i. c. 29. Pitt’s Account of the Rel. &c., of
the Mohammedans, p. 98, &c., and Boulainvilliers, Vie de Mohammed, p. 54, &c., which
last author is the most particular.
42 : ® PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

mistakes, and agree not with one another in several particulars : nor, Ibe
deed, do the Arab authors agree in all things, one great reason whereof
is their speaking of different times. : .

The temple of Mecca stands in the midst of the city, and is honoured
with the title of Masjad al alharam, i. e. the sacred or inviolable temple.
What is principally reverenced in this place, and gives sanctity to the
whole, is a square stone building, called the Caaba, as some fancy from its
height, which surpasses that of the other buildings of Mecea,! but more pro-
bably from its quadrangular form, and Beit Allah, i.e. the house of God,
being peculiarly hallowed and set apart for his worship. The length of this
edifice, from north to south, is twenty-four cubits, its breadth from east to
west twenty-three cubits, and its height twenty-seven cubits: the door,
which is on the east side, stands about four cubits from the ground ; the
floor being level with the bottom of the door? In the corner next this
door is the black stone, of which I shall take notice by and by. On the
north side of the Caaba, within a semicircular enclosure fifty cubits long,
lies the white stone, said to be the sepulchre of.Ismael, which receives the
rain-water that falls off the Caaba by a spout, formerly of wood,’ but now
of gold. The Caaba has a double roof, supported within by three octan-
gular pillars of aloes wood: between which, on a bar of iron, hang some
silver lamps. The outside is covered with rich black damask, adorned
with an embroidered band of gold, which is changed every year, and was
formerly sent by the Khalifs, afterwards by the Soltans of Egypt, and
is now provided by the Turkish emperors. . At a small distance from the
Caaba, on the east side, is the station or place of Abraham, where is
another stone much respected by the Mohammedans, of which something
will be said hereafter.

The Caaba, at some distance, is surrounded, but not entirely, by a
circular enclosure of pillars joined towards the bottom by a low balustrade,
and towards the top by bars of silver. Just without this inner enclosure,
on the south, north, and west sides of the Caaba, are three buildings, which
are the oratories or places where three of the orthodox sects assemble
to perform their devotions (the fourth sect, viz. that of al Shafei, making
use of the station of Abraham for that purpose); and towards the south-
east stands the edifice which covers the well Zemzem, the treasury, and
the cupola of al Abbas.‘ —

All these buildings are inclosed, at a considerable distance, by a mag-
nificent piazza, or square colonnade, like that of the Royal Exchange in
London, but much larger, covered with small domes or cupolas ; from the
four corners whereof rise as many Minarets or steeples, with double
galleries, and adorned with gilded spires and crescents, as are the cupolas
which cover the piazza and-the other buildings. Between the pillars of
both enclosures hang a great number of lamps, which are constantly lignted
at night. The first foundations of this outward enclosure were laid by
Omar, the second Khalif, who built no more than a low wall, to prevent
the court of the Caaba, which before lay open, from being encroached on
by private buildings ; but the structure has been since raised, by the libe-
rality of many succeeding princes and great men, to its present lustre?

This is properly all that is called the temple, but the whole territory of
Mecea being also Haram or sacred, there is a third enclosure, distinguished
at certain distances by small turrets, some five, some seven, and others ten

 

= Ahmed Ebn Yusef. ? Sharif al Edrisi, and Kitab Masalec, apud Poe. Spec. p. 125
&o.  * Sharifal Edrisi, ibid. ‘Idem, ibid. *Poc, Spec’ p-1l6,
SECT. IV. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 83

miles distant from the city. Within this compass of ground it is not law-
ful to attack an enemy, or even to hunt or fowl, or cut a branch from a tree;
which is the true reason why the pigeons at Mecca are reckoned sacred,
and ‘not that they are supposed to be of the race of that imaginary pigeon
which some authors, who should have known better, would persuade us
Mohammed made pass for the Holy Ghost.’

The temple of Mecca was a place of worship, and in singular veneration

with the Arabs from great antiquity, and many centuries before Mohammed.
Though it was most probably dedicated at first to an idolatrous use,® yet
the Mohammedans are generally persuaded that the Caaba is almost coeval
with the world; for they say that Adam, after his expulsion from paradise,
begged of God that he might erect a building like that he had seen there,
called Beit al Mamiar, or the frequented house, and al Dorah, towards
which he might direct his prayers, and which he might compass, as the
angels do the celestial one. Whereupon God let down a representation of
that house in curtains of light,® and set it in Mecca, perpendicularly under
its original,! ordering the patriarch to turn towards it when he prayed,
and to compass it by way of devotion.2 After Adam’s death, his son Seth
built a house in the same form, of stones and clay, which being destroyed
by the deluge, was rebuilt by Abraham and Ismael, at God’s command,
in the place where the former had stood, and after the same model, they
being directed therein by revelation.‘
. After this edifice had undergone several reparations, it was a few years
after the birth of Mohammed rebuilt by the Koreish on the old foundation,§
and afterwards repaired by Abd’allah Ebn Zobeir, the Khalif of Mecca, and
at length again rebuilt by Yusof, surnamed al Hejaj Ebn Yisff, in the
seventy-fourth year of the Hejra, with some alterations, in the form
wherein it now remains.© Some years after, however, the Khalif Hartin al
Rashid (or, as others write, his father al Mohdi, or his grandfather al Man-
sur,) intended again to change what had been altered by al Hejaj, and to
reduce the Caaba to the old form in which it was left by Abd’allah; but
was dissuaded from meddling with it, lest so holy a place should become
the sport of princes, and being new-modelled after every one’s fancy, should
lose that reverence which was justly paid it.’ But notwithstanding the
antiquity and holiness of this building, they have a prophecy, by tradition
from Mohammed, that in the last times the Ethiopians shall come and
utterly demolish it; after which it will not be rebuilt again for ever.®

Before we leave the temple of Mecca, two or three particulars deserve
further notice. One is the celebrated black stone, which is set in silver,

 

® Gol. Not. in Alfrag. p.99. 7 Gab. Sionita, et Joh. Hesronita, de nonnullis Orient.
Urbib. ad Cale. Geogr. Nub. p. 21. Al Mogholtai, in his life of Mohammed, says the
pigeons of the temple of Mecca are of the breed of those which laid their eggs at the mouth
of the cave, where the prophet and Abu Becr hid themselves when they fled from that city.
See before, p. 36. * See before, p.12. ° Some say that the Beit al Mamir itself was
the Caaba of Adam, which, having been let down to him from heaven, was, at the flood,
taken up again into heaven, and is there kept. AI Zamakh. in Kor. c. 2. t Al Jizi ex
Trad. Eben Abbas. It has been observed, that the primitive Christian church held a
parallel opinion as to the situation of the celestial Jerusalem with respect to the terrestrial :
for in the apocryphal book of the revelations of St. Peter, (chap. xxvii.) after Jesus has
mentioned unto Peter the creation of the seven heavens (whence by the way,it appears
that this number of heavens was not devised by Mohammed), and of the angels, begins the
description of the heavenly Jerusalem in these words: We have created the upper Jeru-
salem above the waters which are above the third heaven, hanging directly over the lower Je-

rusalem, &c. Vide Gagnier, Not. ad Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 28. 2 AJ Shahrestani.
® Vide Kor. chap. 2, p. 16, 17. 4 Al Jannabi, in Vita Abrah. 6 Vide Abulfed. Vit.
Moh. p. 13. ® Idem, in Hist. Gen. Al Jannabi. 1 Al Jannabi, &c. ® Idem,

Ahmed Ebn Yusef. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 115, &c.
84 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

. and fixed in the south-east corner of the Caaba, being that which looks
towards Basra, about two cubits and one-third, or, which is the same thing,
seven spans from the ground. This stone is exceedingly respected by the
Mohammedans, and is kissed by the pilgrims with great devotion, being
called by some the right hand of God on earth. They fable that itis one of
the precious stones of paradise, and fell down to the earth with Adam, and
being taken up again, or otherwise preserved at the deluge, the angel
Gabriel afterwards brought it back to Abraham when he was building the
Caaba. It was at first whiter than milk, but grew black long since by the
touch of a menstruous woman, or, as others tell us, by the sins of mankind,
or rather by the touches and kisses of so many people; the superficies only
being black, and the inside still remaining white.) When the Karma-
tians? among other profanations by them offered to the temple of Mecca,
took away this stone, they could not be prevailed on for love or money to
restore it, though those of Mecca offered no less than five thousand pieces
of gold for its However, after they had kept it twenty-two years, seeing
they could not thereby draw the pilgrims from Mecca, they sent it back
of their own accord; at the same time bantering its devotees by telling
them it was not the true stone: but, as it is said, it was proved to be no
tounterfeit by its peculiar quality of swimming on water.!

Another thing observable in this temple is the stone in Abraham’s place,
wherein they pretend to show his footsteps, telling us he stood on it when
he built the Caaba,® and that it served him for a scaffold, rising and falling
of itself as he had occasion ;* though another tradition says he stood upon
it while the wife of his son Ismael, whom he paid a visit to, washed
his head.” It is now enclosed in an iron chest, out of which the pilgrims
drink the water of Zemzem,8 and are ordered to pray at it by the Koran
The officers of the temple took care to hide this stone when the Karma-
tians took the other.!

The last thing I shall take notice of in the temple is the well Zemzem
on the east side of the Caaba, and which is covered with a small building
and cupola. The Mohammedans are persuaded it is the very spring which
gushed out for the relief of Ismael, when Hagar his mother wandered with
him in the desert;? and some pretend it was so named from her calling to
him, when she spied it, in the Egyptian tongue, Zem, zem, that is, Stay,
stay,® though it seems rather to have had the name from the murmuring
of its waters. The water of this well is reckoned holy, and is highly
reverenced ; being not only drunk with particular devotion by the pilgrims,
but also sent in bottles, as a great rarity, to most parts of the Moham-
medan dominions.- Abd’allah, surnamed al Hafedh, from his great memory
particularly as to the traditions of Mohammed, gave out that he acquired
that faculty by drinking large draughts of Zemzem water,‘ to which I
really believe it as efficacious as that of Helicon to the inspiring of a
poet. :

To this temple every Mohammedan, who has health and meanssufficient®
ought once at least in his life to go on pilgrimage; nor are women excused
from the performance of this duty. The pilgrims meet at different places

 

® Al Zamakh, &c., in Kor. Ahmed Ebn Yusef.  Poc. Spec. p. 117, &c. 2 These
Karmatians were a sect which arose in the year of the Hejra 278, and whose opinions over-
turned the fundamental points of Mohammedism. See D’Herbelot’s Bibl. Orient. Art.
Carmath, and hereafter, sect. viii. ° D’Herbel.p. 40. Ahmed Ebn Yusef, Abulfeda,
Vide Poc. Spec. p, 119. * Abulfed. ° Vide Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 35. 7 Ahmed
Ebn Yusef, Safio’ddin. —® Ahmed Ebn Yusef. * Chap. 2, p. 16. _' Vide Poc. Spec.
p. 120. 2 Gen. xxi. 19. °G. Sionit. et J. Hesr. de nonnull. Urb. Orient. p. 19.
“D’Herbel. p. 5. * See Kor. chap. 3, p. 47, and the notes thereon.
SECT. IV. “PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 85

near Mecca, according to the different parts from whence they come,
during the months of Shawal and Dhu’lkaada; being obliged to be there
by the beginning of Dhu’lhajja; which month, as its name imports, is
peculiarly set apart for the celebration of this solemnity. *

At the places above-mentioned the pilgrims properly commence such ;
when the men put on the [hram or sacred habit, which consists only of two
woollen wrappers, one wrapped about their middle to cover their privates,
and the other thrown over their shoulders, having their heads bare, and a
kind of slippers which cover neither the heel nor the instep, and so enter
the sacred territory in their way to Mecca. While they have this habit on
they must neither hunt nor fowl,’ (though they are allowed to fish)* which
precept is so punctually observed, that they will not kill even a louse or
a flea, if they find them on their bodies: there are some noxious animals,
however, which they have permission to kill during the pilgrimage, as
kites, ravens, scorpions, mice, and dogs given to bite.® During the pil-
grimage it behoves a man to have a constant guard over his words and
actions, and to avoid all quarrelling, or ill language, and all converse with
women, and obscene discourse, and to apply his whole intention to the
good work he is engaged in.

The pilgrims, being arrived at Mecca, immediately visit the temple, and
then enter on the performance of the prescribed ceremonies, which consist
chiefly in going in procession round the Caaba, in running between the
mounts Safa and Merwé, in making the station on mount Arafat, and slay-
ing the victims, and shaving their heads in the valley of Mina. These
ceremonies have been so particularly described by others,! that I may be
excused if I but just mention the most material circumstances thereof,

In compassing the Caaba, which they do seven times, beginning at the
corner where the black stone is fixed, they use a short quick pace the three
first times they go round it, and a grave ordinary pace the four last; which
it is said was ordered by Mohammed, that his followers might show them-
selves strong and active, to cut off the hopes of the infidels, who gave out
that the immoderate heats of Medina had rendered them weak.?_ But the
aforesaid quick pace they are not obliged to use every time they perform
this piece of devotion, but only at some particular times.? So often as
they pass by the black stone they either kiss it, or touch it with their
hand, and kiss that.

The running between Safa and MerwA‘ is also performed seven times,
partly with a slow pace, and partly running:® for they walk gravely till they
come to a place between two pillars; and there they run, and afterwards
walk again; sometimes looking back, and sometimes stopping, like one
who has lost something, to represent Hagar seeking water for her son :°
for the ceremony is said to be as ancient as her time.’

On the ninth of Dhul’hajja, after morning prayer, the pilgrims ive the
valley of Mina, whither they come the day before, and proceed in a tumul-
tuous and rushing manner to mount Arafat,’ where they stay to perform
their devotions till sunset: then they go to Mozdalifa, an oratory between
Arafat and Mina, and there spend the night in prayer, and reading the
Koran. The next morning by day-break they visit al Mashér al haram, or

 

® Vide Bobov. de Peregr. Mecc. p, 12, &c ‘Koran, chap. 5. 8 Ibid. ° Al
Beid. 1 Bobov. de Peregr. Mece. p. 11, &c. Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. 2, p. 440,
&c. See also Pitts’s account of the rel. &c., of Mohammedans, p. 92, &c. Gagnier,
Vie de Moh. tom. 2, p. 258, &c, Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 130, &c., and Reland. de Rel.
ne p. 113, &e. 2 bn al Athir. 2 Vide Pocock, Spec. p 314. 4 See before.
Ee + AlGhazali.  * Reland. de Rel. Moh. p. 121. z ‘Eon al Athir.  * See
or. ‘chap. 2, p. 23.
&6 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. IV.

the sacred monument,’ and departing thence before sunrise, haste by Batn
Mohasser to the valley of Mina, where they throw seven stones! at three
marks or pillars, in imitation of Abraham, who meeting the devil in
that place, and being by him disturbed in his devotions, or tempted to dis-
obedience, when he was going to sacrifice his son, was commanded by
God to drive him away by throwing stones at him;? though others pre-
tend this rite to be as old as Adam, who also put the devil to flight in the
same place, and by the same means.$ ”

This ceremony being over, on the same day, the tenth of Dhu’lhajja,
the pilgrims slay their victims in the said valley of Mina; of which they
and their friends eat part, and the rest is given to the poor. These victims
must be either sheep, goats, kine, or camels ; males, of either of the two
former kinds, and females if of either of the latter, and of a fit age.* The
sacrifices being over, they shave their heads, and cut their nails, burying
them in the same place; after which the pilgrimage is looked on as com-
pleted :* though they again visit the Caaba, to take their leave of that
sacred building. . ; .

The above-mentioned ceremonies, by the confession of the Moham-
medans themselves, were almost all of them observed by the pagan Arabs
many ages before their prophet’s appearance ; and particularly the compass-
ing of the Caaba, the running between Safa and Merwé, and the throwing
of the stones in Mina; and were confirmed by Mohammed, with some al-
terations in such points as seemed most exceptionable : thus, for example,
he ordered that when they compassed the Caaba, they should be clothed ;*
whereas before his time they performed that piece of devotion naked, throw-
ing off their clothes as a mark that they had cast off their sins,’ or as
signs of their disobedience towards God.*

It is also acknowledged that the greater part of these rites are of
no intrinsic worth, neither affecting the soul, nor agreeing with natural
reason, but altogether arbitrary, and commanded merely to try the obe-
dience of mankind, without any farther view; and are therefore to be
complied with, not that they are good in themselves, but because God has
so appointed.? Some, however, have endeavoured to find out some reasons
for the arbitrary injunctions of this kind; and one writer,’ supposing men
ought to imitate the heavenly bodies, not only in their purity, but in their
circular motion, seems to argue the procession round the Caaba to be
therefore a rational practice. Reland? has observed that the Romans had
something like this in their worship, being ordered by Numa to use a cir-
cular motion in the adoration of the gods, either to represent the orbicular
motion of the world, or the perfecting the whole office of prayer to that God
who is maker of the universe, or else in allusion to the Egyptian wheels,
which were hieroglyphics of the instability of human fortune?

The pilgrimage to Mecca, and the ceremonies prescribed to those who
perform it, are, perhaps, liable to greater exception than any other of

 

_ * See Koran, chap. 2, p. 23. M. Gagnier has been twice guilty of a mistake in confound.
ing this monument with the sacred enclosure of the Caaba. Vide Gagn. Not. ad Abulfed.
Vit. Moh. p. 131, et Vie de Moh. tom. 2, p. 262. ? Dr. Pocock, from al Ghazili, says
seventy, at different times and places. Spec. p.315. — * Al Ghazali, Ahmed Ebn Yusef.
+ Ebn al Athir. * Vide Reland, ubi sup. p. 117. 5 See Kor. chap. 2, p. 23.
6 Idem. chap. 7. " Al Faik, de Tempore Ignor. Arabum, apud Millium de Moham
medmo ante Mon 332. Compare Isaiah Ixiv. 6. ® Jallal. al Beid. ‘This notion
comes very near, if it be not the same, with that of the Adamites. ° Al Ghazali, vide
Abulfar. Hist Dyn. p.171. —  * Abu Jéafar Ebn Tofail, in Vita Hai Ebn Yokdhan, p. ©
151. See Mr. Ockley’s English translation thereof, p.117. . De Rel. Moh. p. 123.

+ Plutarch. in Numa. ;
SECT. Y. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. : 87

Morammed’s institutions ; not only as silly and ridiculous in themselves,
but as relics of idolatrous superstition. Yet whoever seriously considers
how difficult it is to make people submit to the abolishing of ancient cus.
toms, how unreasonable soever, which they are fond of, espeeially where
the interest:of a considerable party is also concerned, and that a man may
with less danger change many things than one great one,® must excuse
Mohammed’s yielding some points of less moment, to gain the principal.
The temple of Mecca was held in excessive veneration by all the Arabs in
general (if we except only the tribes of Tay, and Khathaam, and some
of the posterity of al Hareth Ebn Caab,° who used not to go in pilgrimage
thereto), and especially by those of Mecca, who had a particular interest
to support that veneration ; and as the most silly and insignificant things
are generally the objects of the greatest superstition, Mohammed found
it much easier to abolish idolatry itself than to eradicate the supersti-
tious bigotry with which they were addicted to that temple, and the
rites performed there : wherefore, after several fruitless trials to wean
them therefrom,’ he thought it best to compromise the matter, and, rather
than to frustrate his whole design, to allow them to go on pilgrimage
thither, and to direct their prayers thereto: contenting himself with trans-
ferring the devotions there paid from their idols to the true God, and
changing such circumstances therein as he judged might give scandal.
And herein he followed the example of the most famous legislators, who
instituted not such Jaws as were absolutely the best in themselves, but
the best their people were capable of receiving: and we find God himself
had the same condescendence for the Jews, whose hardness of heart he
humoured in many things, giving them therefore statutes that were not
good, and judgments whereby they should not live?

SECTION V.
OF CERTAIN NEGATIVE PRECEPTS IN THE KORAN.

Havine in the preceding section spoken of the fundamental points of the
Mohammedan religion, relating both to faith and to practice, I shall, in
this and the two following discourses, speak in the same brief method of
some other precepts and institutions of the Koran, which deserve peculiar
notice, and first of certain things which are thereby prohibited.

The drinking of wine, under which name all sorts of strong and inebriating®
liquors are comprehended, is forbidden in the Koran in more places than
one. Some, indeed, have imagined that only excess therein is forbidden
and that the moderate use of wine is allowed by two passages in the same
book :' but the more received opinion is, that to drink any strong liquors
either in a lesser quantity or in a greater, is absolutely unlawful; and
though libertines indulge themselves in the contrary practice,? yet the more
ednscientious are so strict, especially if they have performed the pilgrimage
to Mecca,’ that they hold it unlawful not only to taste wine, but to press

 

* Maimonides (in Epist. ad Prosel. Rel.) pretends that the worship of Mercury was per-
formed by throwing of stones, and that of Chemosh, by making bare the head, and putting
on unsewn garments. # According to the maxim, Twtius est multa mutare quam unum
magnum. ® Al Shahrestani. 7 See Kor. chap. 2, p.17. ® Ezek. xx. 25. Vide
Spencer, de Urim et Thummim, cap. 4, sect. 7. ® See chap. 2, p. 25, and chap. 5.
* Chap. 2, p. 25, and chap. 16. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 696. 2 Vide Smith,
de Morib. et Instit. Turcar. Ep. 2, p. 28, &c. * Vide Chardin, ubi supra, p. 212.
RA PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. V.

grapes for the making of it, to buy or to sell it, or even to maintain them-
selves with the money arising by the sale of the liquor. - The Persians,
however, as well as the Turks, are very fond of wine; and if one asks them
how it comes to pass that they venture to drink it, when it 1s so directly
forbidden by their religion, they answer, that it is with them as with the
Christians, whose religion prohibits drunkenness and whoredom as great
sins, and who glory, notwithstanding, some in debauching girls and mar-
ried women, and others in drinking to excess.* ;

It has been a question whether coffee comes not under the above-
mentioned prohibition,® because the fumes of it have some effect on the
imagination. This drink, which was first publicly used at Aden, in Arabia
Felix, about the middle of the ninth century of the Hejra, and thence gra-
dually introduced into Mecca, Medina, Egypt, Syria, and other parts of the
Levant, has been the occasion of great disputes and disorders, having been
sometimes publicly condemned and forbidden, and again declared lawful
and allowed.6 At present the use of coffee is generally tolerated, if not
granted, as is that of tobacco, though the more religious make a scruple
of taking the latter, not only because it inebriates, but also out of respect
to a traditional saying of their prophet (which, if it could be made out to
be his, would prove him a prophet indeed), That in the latter days there
should be men who should bear the name of Moslems, but should not be really
such ; and that they should smoke a certain weed, which should be called
ToBacco ; however, the eastern nations are generally so addicted to both,
that they say, a dish of coffee and a pipe of tobacco are a complete enter-
tainment ; and the Persians have a proverb, that coffee without tobacco is
meat without salt.

Opium and beng (which latter is the leaves of hemp in pills or conserve)
are also by the rigid Mohammedans esteemed unlawful, though not men-
.tioned in the Koran, because they intoxicate and disturb the understand-
ing as wine does, and in a more extraordinary manner: yet these drugs
are now commonly taken in the east; but they who are addicted to them
are generally looked upon as dehauchees.

Several stories have been toldas the occasion of Mohammed’s prohibiting
the drinking of wine:® but the true reasons are given in the Koran, viz.,
because the ill qualities of that liquor surpass its good ones, the common
effects thereof being quarrels and disturbances in company, and neglect,
or at least indecencies, in the performance of religious duties.’ For these
reasons it was, that the priests were, by the Levitical law, forbidden to
drink wine or strong drink when they entered the tabernacle,? and that
the Nazarites* and Rechabites,t and many pious persons among the Jews
and primitive Christians, wholly abstained therefrom ; nay, some of the
latter went so far as to condemn the use of wine as sinful. But Moham-
med is said to have had a nearer example than any of these, in the more
devout persons of his own tribe.®

 

4 Chardin, abi sup. p. 344, * Abd’alkader Mohammed al Ansari has written a
treatise concerning coffee, wherein he argues for its lawfulness. Vide D’Herbel. Art. Cah-
vah. § Vide Le Traité Historique de I’ Origine et du Progrés du Café ala Fin du Voy.
de |’Arabie Heur. de la Roque. * Reland, Dissert. Miscell. tom. 2, p. 280. Vide
Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. 2, p. 14, and 66. * Vide Chardin, ibid. p. 68, &c., and -
D’Herbel. p. 200. * Vide Prid. Life of Moh. p. 82, &c. Busbeq. Epist. 3, p. 255, and
Maundeville’s Travels, p. 170. * Kor. chap. 2, p. 25, chap. 5, and chap. 4, p. 66. See
Prov. xxiii. 29, &c. 2 Levit. x. 9. 2? Num. vi. 2. *Jerem, xxxv. 5, &c.
5 This was the heresy of those called Encratite, and Aquarjj. Khwaf, a Magian heretic,
also declared wine unlawful; but this was after Mohammed’s time. Hyde, de Rel. Vet.
Pers. p. 300. ® Vide Reland. de Rel. Moh. p, 271.
SECT. V. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 88

Gaming is prohibited by the Koran’ in the same passages, and for the
same reasons, as wine. The word al Meisar, which is there used, signifies
a particular manner of casting lots by arrows, much practised by the pagan
Arabs, and performed in the following manner. A young camel being
bought and killed, and divided into ten, or twenty-eight parts, the persons
who cast lots for them, to the number of seven, met for that purpose; and
eleven arrows were provided, without heads of feathers, seven of which
were marked, the first with one notch, the second with two, and so on,

“and the other four had no mark at all;8 these arrows were put promis-
cuously into a bag, and then drawn by an indifferent person, who had
another near him to receive them, and to see he acted fairly; those to whom
the marked arrows fell won shares in proportion to their lot, and those
to whom the blanks fell were entitled to no part of the camel at all,
but were obliged to pay the full price of it. The winners, however, tasted
not of the flesh, any more than the losers, but the whole was distributed
among the poor; and this they did out of pride and ostentation, it being
reckoned a shame for a man to stand out, and not venture his money on
such an occasion.? This custom, therefore, though it was of some use to
the poor, and diversion to the rich, was forbidden by Mohammed,' as the
source of greater inconveniences, by occasioning quarrels and heart-burn-
ings, which arose from the winners insulting of those who lost.

Under the name of Jots the commentators agree that all other games
whatsoever, which are subject to hazard or chance, are comprehended and
forbidden; as dice, cards, tables, &c. And they are reckoned so ill in
themselves, that the testimony of him who plays at them is, by the more
rigid, judged to be of no validity in a court of justice. Chess is almost the
only game which the Mohammedan doctors allow to be lawful (though
it has been a doubt with some),? because it depends wholly on skill and
management, and not at all on chance: but then it is allowed under cer-
tain restrictions, viz., that it be no hindrance to the regular performance
of their devotions, and that no money or other thing be played for or
betted; which last the Turks and Sonnites religiously observe, but the Per-
sians and Mogols do not But what Mohammed is supposed chiefly to
have disliked in the game of chess, was the carved pieces, or men, with
which the Pagan Arabs played, being little figures of men, elephants, horses,
and dromedaries;‘ and these are thought, by some commentators, to be
truly meant by the images prohibited in one of the passages of the Koran
quoted above. That the Arabs in Mohammed’s time actually used such
images for chessmen appears from what is related, in the Sonna, of Ali,
who passing accidentally by some who were playing at chess, asked, What
images they were which they were so intent upon?® for they were perfectly
new to him, that game having been but very lately introduced into Arabia,
and not long before into Persia, whither it was first brought from India in
the reign of Khosri Nishirwin.7, Hence the Mohammedan doctors in-
fer that the game was disapproved only for the sake of the images: where-
fore the Sonnites always play with plain pieces of wood or ivory : but the
Persians and Indians, who are not so scrupulous, continue to make use
of the carved ones.

 

* Chap. 2, p.25, chap. 5. | * Some writers, as al Zamakh. and al Shirazi, mention bu.
three blank arrows. 2 Auctores Nodhm al dorr, and Nothr al dorr, al Zamakh, a.
Firauzabadi, al Shirazi in Orat. al Hariri, al Beidawi, &c. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 324, &¢
4 KorAn, chap. 5, p. 81. 2 Vide Hyde, de Ludis Oriental. in Proleg. ad Shahiludium.
3 Vide Eund. ibid. 4 Vide Eundem, ibid. and in Hist. Shahiludij, p. 135, &c
® Chap. 5. _ © Sokeiker al Dimishki, and Auctor libri al Mostatraf, apud Hyde, ubi sup
p.8. *Khondemir, apud eund. ibid. p.41. * Vide Hyde, ubisup. p. 9.
90 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. V.

The Mohammedans comply with the probibition of gaming much better
than they do with that of wine; for though the common people, among
the Turks more frequently, and the Persians more rarely, are addicted to
play, yet the better sort are seldom guilty of it.®

Gaming, at least to excess, has been forbidden in all well-ordered states,
Gaming-houses were reckoned scandalous places among the Greeks, anda
gamester is declared by Aristotle’ to be no better than a thief : ie Roman
senate made very severe laws against playing at games of hazard, except
only during the Saturnalia ; though the people played often at other times,
notwithstanding the prohibition: the civil law forbade all pernicious
games: and though the laity were, in some cases, permitted to play
for money, provided they kept within reasonable bounds, yet the clergy
were forbidden to play at tables (which is a game of hazard), or even to
look on while others played. Accursius, indeed, is of opinion they may
play at chess, notwithstanding that law, because it is a game not subject
to chance,’ and being but newly invented in the time of Justinian, was
not then known in the western parts. However the monks for some time
were not allowed even chess. 5

As to the Jews, Mohammed’s chief guides, they also highly disapprove
gaming: gamesters being severely censured in the Talmud, and their tes-
timony declared invalid.’

Another practice of the idolatrous Arabs, forbidden also in one of the
above-mentioned passages,8 was that of divining by arrows. The arrows
used by them for this purpose were like those with which they cast lots, be-
ing without heads or feathers, and were kept in the temple of some idol, in
whose presence they were consulted. Seven such arrows were kept at the
temple of Mecca;*but generally in divination they made use of three only,
on one of which was written, My Lord hath commanded me ; on another,
My Lord hath forbidden me ; and the third was blank. If the first was
drawn, they looked on it as an approbation of the enterprise in question; if
the second, they made a contrary conclusion ; but if the third happened to
be drawn, they mixed them and drew over again, till a decisive answer was
given by one of the others. These divining arrows were generally con-
sulted before any thing of moment was undertaken; as when a man was
about to marry, or about to go a journey, or the like.1. This superstitious
practice of divining by arrows was used by the ancient Greeks,? and other
nations ; and is particularly mentioned in scripture,? where it is said, that
“the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the
two ways, to use divination; he made his arrows bright,” (or, according~
to the version of the vulgate, which seems preferable in this place, he mixed
together, or shook the arrows) he consulted with images, Sc. : the commen-
tary of St. Jerome on which passage wonderfully agrees with what we are
told of the aforesaid custom of the old Arabs: “ He shall stand,” says he,
“in the highway, and sonsult the oracle after the manner of his nation,
that he may cast arrows into a quiver, and mix them together, being written

 

° Vide Eundem, in Prolg. and Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. 2, p. 46. eT deal
Nicom. _* Vide Horat. hb. 3. Carm. Od. 24. * De Aleatoribus. Novell. Just. 123,
&c., Vide Hyde, ubi sup. in Hist. Alew, p. 119. ‘ Authent. interdicimus, c. de epis-
copis., ‘In Com. ad Legem Praed. Du Fresne, in Gloss. —_* Bava Mesia, 84, 1.
Rosh hashana, and Sanhedr. 24, 2. Vide etiam Maimon. in Tract. Gezila. Among the
modern civilians, Mascardus thought common gamesters were not to be admitted as wit-
nesses, oeing infamous persons. Vide Hyde, ubi sup. in Proleg. et in Hist. Alem, sect.
iii, * Kor. chap. 5. ° See before, p.14. * Ebn al Athir, al Zamakh, and al Beid. in
Kor. c. 5. Al Mostatraf, &c. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 327, &c., and D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient.
Art. Acdih. ? Vide Potter, Antiq. of Greece, vol. 1, p.334. ? Ezek. xxi, 21.
SECT. V. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 91

. upon or marked with the namés-of each people, that he may see whose
arrow will come forth, and which city he ought first to attack.’’4

A distinction of meats was so generally used by the eastern nations, that
it is no wonder that Mohammed made some regulations in,that matter.
The Koran, therefore, prohibits the eating of blood, and swine’s flesh, and
whatever dies of itself, or is slain in the name or in honour of any idol, or
is strangled, or killed by a blow, or a fall, or by any other beast. In which
particulars Mohammed seems chiefly to have imitated the Jews, by whose
law, as is well known, all those things are forbidden; but he allowed seme
things to be eaten which Moses did not,§ as camels’ flesh’ in particular. In
cases of necessity, however, where a man may be in danger of starving, he
is allowed by the Mohammedan law to eat any of the said prohibited kinds
of food ;* and the Jewish doctors grant the same liberty in the like case.®
Though the aversion to blood and what dies of itself may seem natural, yet
some of the pagan Arabs used to eat both: of their eating of the latter
some instances will be given hereafter: and as to the former, it is said
they used to pour blood, which they sometimes drew from a live camel,
into a gut, and then broiled it on the fire, or boiled it, and ate it:' this food
they called moswadd, from aswad, which signifies black ; the same nearly
resembling our black-puddings in name as well as composition?

The eating of meat offered to idols I take to be commonly practised by
all idolaters, being looked on as a sort of communion in their worship, and
for that reason esteemed by Christians, if not absolutely unlawful, yet as
what may be the occasion of great scandal::? but the Arabs were particu-
larly superstitious in this matter, killing what they ate on stones erected on
purpose round the Caaba, or near their own houses, and calling, at the same
time, on the name of some idol.4 Swine’s flesh, indeed, the old Arabs
seem not to have eaten; and their prophet, in prohibiting the same,
appears to have only confirmed the common aversion of the nation.
Foreign writers tell us that the Arabs wholly abstained from swine’s flesh,*
thinking it unlawful to feed thereon,§ and that very few, if any, of those
animals are found in their country, because it produces not proper food
for them ;? which has made one writer imagine that if a hog were carried
thither, it would immediately die. :

In the prohibition of usury? I presume Mohammed also followed the
Jews, who are strictly forbidden by their law to exercise it among one
another, though they are so infamously guilty of it in their dealing with
those of a different religion: but I do not find the prophet of the Arabs
has made any distinction in this matter.

Several superstitious customs relating to cattle, which seem to have been
peculiar to the pagan Arabs, were also abolished by Mohammed. The
Koran” mentions four names by them given to certain camels or sheep,
which for some particular reasons were left at free liberty, and were not
made use of as other cattle of the same kind. These names are Bahira,
Saiba, Wasila, and Hami: of each whereof in their order.

As to-the first it is said that when a she-camel, or a sheep, had borne
young ten. times, they used to slit her ear, and turn her loose to feed at full

 

“Vide Poc. Spec. p. 329, &c. * Chap. 2, p. 20, chap. 5, p. 81, chap. 6, and chap. 16.
® Lev. xi. 4. 1 See Kor. chap. 3, pp. 42, 47, and chap. 6. ® Kor. chap. 5, p. 81,
and in the other passages last quoted. ° Vide Maimon. in Halachoth Melachim. chap. 8,
sect. 1, &c. +‘ Nothral dorr, al Firauz. al Zamakh. and al Beid. 2 Poc. Spec. p. 320.
® Compare Acts xv. 29, with 1 Cor. viii. 40, &c. ‘ See the fifth chap. of the Kor. p. 81,
and the notes there. * Solin. de Arab. cap. 33. 6 Hieronym. in vovin. lib. 2, ¢. 6,
‘Idem. ibid. ° Solinus, wbi supra. ® Kor. chap. 2, p. 33, 34. + Chap. 5.
92 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SEST. V.

liberty ; and when she died, her flesh was eaten by the men only, the
women being forbidden to eat thereof: and such a camel or sheep, from the
slitting of her ear, they called Bahira. Or the Bahira was a she-camel,
which was turned loose to feed, and whose fifth young one, if it proved
a male, was killed and eaten by men and women promiscuously : but if it
proved a female, had its ear slit, and was dismissed to free pasture, none
being permitted to make use of its flesh or milk, or to ride on it; though
the women were allowed to eat the flesh of it, when it died: or it was
the female young of the Saiba, which was used in the same manner as
its dam ; or else an ewe, which had yeaned five times.’ These, however,
are not all the opinions concerning the Bahira : for some suppose that name
was given toa she-camel, which after having brought forth young five times
(if the last was a male) had her ear slit, as a mark thereof, and was let go
loose to feed, none driving her from pasture or water, nor using her for
carriage ;? and others tell us, that when a camel had newly brought forth,
they used to slit the ear of her young one, saying, “‘O God, if it live, it
shall be for our use, but if it die, it shall be deemed rightly slain ;” and
when it died, they ate it.

Saiba signifies a she-camel turned loose to go where she will. And this
was done on various accounts : as when she had brought forth females ten
times together ; or in satisfaction of a vow ; or when a man had recovered
from sickness, or returned safe from a journey, or his camel had escaped
some signal danger either in battle or otherwise. A camel so turned loose
was declared to be Saiba, and, as a mark of it, one of the vertebre or bones
was taken out of her back, after which none might drive her from pasture
or water, or ride on her. Some say that the Saiba, when she had ten times
together brought forth females, was suffered to go at liberty, none being

“allowed to ride on her, and that her milk was not to be drunk by any but
her young one, or a guest, till she died; and then her flesh was eaten by
men as well as women, and her last female young one had her ear slit,
and was called Bahira, and turned loose as her dam had been.®

This appellation, however, was not so strictly proper to female camels,
but that it was given to the male when his young one had begotten another
young one :° nay a servant set at liberty and dismissed by his master was
also called Siiba:7 and some are of opinion that the word denotes any
animal which the Arabs used to turn loose in honour of their idols, allow-
ing none to make use of them thereafter, except women only.

Wasila is, by one author,’ explained to signify a she-camel which had
brought forth ten times, or an ewe which had yeaned seven times, and
every time twins; and if the seventh time she brought forth a male anda
female, they said, Wosilat akhaha, i.e., She is joined, or was brought forth
with her brother, after which none might drink the dam’s milk, except men
only ; and she was used as the Sdiba. Or Wasila was particularly meant
of sheep; as when an ewe brought forth a female, they took it to them-
selves, but when she brought forth a male, they consecrated it to their gods,
but if both a male and a female, they said, She is joined to her brother, and
did not sacrifice that male to their gods: or Wasila was an ewe which
brought forth first a male, and then a female, on which account, or because
she followed her brother, the male was not killed; but if she brought forth a
male only, they said, Let this be an offering to our gods.' - Another? writes,

! Al Firauzabadi. 2 Al Zamakh. al Beidawi, al Mostatraf. 2g Athir.
« Al Firauzab. al Zamakh. 5 Al Jawhari. Ebn al Athir.. we ‘Al Firauz. ue . ida,
al Jawhari, ézc. § Nothr al dorr, and Nodhm al dorr, 5 Al Firauz. t Idem, al
Zamakh, 2 Al Jawhari.
SECT. V. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 93

that if an ewe brought forth twins seven times together, and the eighth
time a male, they sacrificed that male to their gods; butif the eighth ume
she brought both a male and a female, they used to say, She is joined to her
brother, and for the female’s sake they spared the male, and pérmitted not
the dam’s milk to be drunk by women. A third writer tells us, that Wasila
was an ewe, which having yeaned seven times, if that which she brought
forth the seventh time was a male, they sacrificed it, but if a female, it
was suffered to go loose, and was made use of by women only ; and if the
seventh time she brought forth both a male and a female, they held them
both to be sacred, so that men only were allowed to make any use of
them, or to drink the milk of the female: and a fourth? describes it to be
an ewe which brought forth ten females at five births one after another,
i. €., every time twins, and whatever she brought forth afterwards was
allowed to men, and not to women, &c.

Hami was a male camel used for a stallion, which, if the females had
conceived ten times by him, was afterwards freed from labour, and let go
loose, none driving him from pasture or from water ; nor was any allowed
to receive the least benefit from him, not even to shear his hair.

These things were observed by the old Arabs in honour of their false
gods,° and as part of the worship which they paid them, and were ascribed
to the divine institution; but are all condemned in the Koran, and de-
clared to be impious superstitiong,®

The law of Mqhammed also put a stop to the inhuman custom, which had
been long practised by the pagan Arabs, of burying their daughters alive,
lest they should be reduced to poverty by providing for them, or else to
avoid the disgrace which would follow, if they should happen to be made
captives, or to become scandalous by their behaviour;7 the birth of a
daughter being, for these reasons, reckoned a great misfortune,’ and the
death of one as great a happiness.2 The manner of their doing this is dif-
ferently related : some say that when an Arab had a daughter born, if he
intended to bring her up, he sent her, clothed in a garment of wool or hair,
to kecp camels or sheep in the desert; but if he designed to put her to
death, he let her live till she became six years old, and then said to her
mother, ‘‘ Perfume her, and adorn her, that I may carry her to her mothers ;”
which being done, the father led her to a well or pit dug for that purpose,
and having bid her to look down into it, pushed her in headlong, as
he stood behind her, and then filling up. the pit, levelled it with the
rest of the ground: but others say, that when a woman was ready to fall in
labour, they dug a pit, on the brink whereof she was to be delivered, and if
the child happened to be a daughter, they threw it into the pit, but if a son,
they saved italive.! This custom, though not observed by all the Arabs in
general, was yet very common among several of their tribes, and particularly
those of Koreish and Kendah; the former using to bury their daughters alive
in mount Abu Dalama, near Mecca.? In the time of ignorance, while they
used this method to get rid of their daughters, Sasaa, grandfather to the ce-
lebrated poet al Farazdak, frequently redeemed female children from death,
giving for every one two she-camels big with young, and a he-camel; and
hereto al Farazdak alluded when, vaunting himself before one of the Kha-
lifs of the family of Omeyya, he said, ‘‘ I am the son of the giver of life to
the dead ;” for which expression being censured, he excused himself by

 

> Al Motarrezi. 4 Al Firauz. al Jawhari. 5 Jallal. in Kor. ® Kor. chap,
5, p. 95, and chap. 6. Vide’Poc. Spec. p. 330—334. 7 Al Beidawi, al Zamakh. a*
Mostatraf. ® See Koran, chap. 16. > Al Meidani, =‘ Al Zamakh. 2 Al Mos-
tatraf,
H
94 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VY.

alleging the following words of the Koran,3 “ He who saveth a soul alive
shall be as if he had saved the lives of all mankind.”* The Arabs, in thus
murdering of their children, were far from being singular ; the practice of
exposing infants and putting them to death being so common among the
ancients, that it is remarked as a thing very extraordinary in the Egyptians,
that they brought up all their children ;5 and by the laws of Lycurgusé
no child was allowed to be brought,up, without the approbation of public
officers. At this day, it is said, in China, the poorer sort of people fre-
quentiy put their children, the females especially, to death, with im.
punity.7

This wicked practice is condemned by the Koran in several passages ;8
one of which, as some commentators® judge, may also condemn another
custom of the Arabians, altogether as wicked, and as common among other
nations of old, viz., the sacrificing of their children to their idols; as was
frequently done, in particular, in satisfaction of a vow they used to make,
that if they had a certain number of sons born, they would offer one of
them in sacrifice.

Several other superstitious customs were likewise abrogated by Mo-
hammed ; but the same being of less moment, and not particularly men
tioned in the Koran, or having been occasionally taken notice of else-
where, I shall say nothing of them in this place.

SECTION VI.
OF THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE KORAN IN CIVIL AFFAIRS,

Tur Mohammedan civil law is founded on the precepts and determi-
nations of the Koran, as the civil Jaws of the Jews were on those of the
Pentateuch ; yet being variously interpreted, according to the different de-
cisions of their civilians, and especially of their four great doctors, Abu
Hanifa, Malec, al Shafei, and Ebn Hanbal,' to treat thereof fully and
distinctly, in the manner the curiosity and usefulness of the subject
deserves, would require a large volume: wherefore the most that can be
expected here is a summary view of the principal institutions, without
minutely entering into a detail of particulars. We shall begin with those
relating to marriage and divorce.

That polygamy, for the moral lawfulness of which the Mohammedan
doctors advance several arguments,? is allowed by the Koran, every one
knows; though few are acquainted with the limitations with which it is
allowed. Several learned men have fallen into the vulgar mistake, that

 

Koran, chap. 5, p. 86. ‘ Al Mostatraf, Vide Ebn Khalek§n, in Vita al Farazdak, and
Poe. Spec. p. 334. * Strabo, lib. 17. Vide Diodor. Sic. lib. 1, c. 80. * Vide Plutarch,
in Lycurgo. * Vide Pufendorf. de Jure Nat. et Gent. lib. 6, c. 7, sect.6. The Grecians
also treated daughters especially in this manner ; whence that saying of Posidippus,

‘Yidv rpépet tis egy wévns bv royp
Ovyarépa dé éxriOnot Kdv 7 wrovotos.

‘* A man though poor will not expose his son,
But if he’s rich, will scarce preserve his daughter.”

See Potter’s Antiq. of Greece, vol. 2, p.333.  * Chap. 6, thap! 16, and chap. 17. See
also chap. 81. * Al Zamakh. al Buid. Le nee
* See sect. 8. 2 See before, sect. 2, p. 29.
SECT. VI. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 95

Mohammed granted to his followers an unbounded plurality ; some pretend-
ing that a man may have as many wives,3 and others as many concubines,’
as he can maintain: whereas, according to the express words of the Koran,°
no man can have more than four, whether wives or concubirfes ;° and if
a man apprehend any inconvenience from even that number of ingenuous
wives, it is added, as an advice (which is generally followed by the mid-
dling and inferior people),” that he marry one only, or if he cannot be con-
tented with one, that he may take up with his she-slaves, not exceeding,
however, the limited number;8 and this is certainly the utmost Mohammed
allowed his followers: nor can we urge, as an argument against so plain
a precept, the corrupt manners of his followers, many of whom, especially
men of quality and fortune, indulge themselves in criminal excesses ;* nor
yet the example of the prophet himself, who had peculiar privileges in
this and other points, as will be observed hereafter. In making the above-
mentioned limitation, Mohammed was directed by the decision of the Jew-
ish doctors, who, by way of counsel, limit the number of wives to four,!
though their law confines them not to any certain number.

Divorce is also well known to be allowed by the Mohammedan law, as it
was by the Mosaic, with this difference only, that according to the latter a
man could not take again a- woman whom he had divorced, and who had
been married or betrothed to another ;* whereas Mohammed, to prevent
his followers from divorcing their wives on every light occasion, or out of an
inconstant humour, ordained that if a man divorced his wife the third time
(for he might divorce her twice without being obliged to part with her, if
‘he repented of what he had done), it should not be lawful for him to take
her again, until she had been first married and bedded by another, and
divorced by such second husband.' And this precaution has had so good
an effect, that the Mohammedans are seldom known to proceed to the
extremity of divorce, notwithstanding the liberty given them; it being
reckoned a great disgrace so to do: and there are but few, besides those
who have little or no sense of honour, that will take a wife again, on
the condition enjoined. It must be observed that though a man is al-
lowed by the Mohammedan, as by the Jewish law,’ to repudiate his wife
even on the slightest disgust, yet the women are not allowed to separate

_ themselves from their husbands, unless it be for ill usage, want of proper
maintenance, neglect of conjugal duty, impotency, or some cause of equal
import; but then she generally loses her dowry,’ which she does not,

 

2 Nic. Cusanus, in Cribrat. Alcor. lib. 2, cap. 19. Olearius, in Itinerar. P. Greg. Tholo-
sanus, in Synt. Juris, lib. 9, c. 2, sect. 22. Septemcastrensis (de Morib. Ture. p. 24), says
the Mohammedans may have twelve lawful wives and no more. Ricaut falsely asserts the
restraint of the number of their wives to be no precept of their religion, but a rule super-
induced on a politic consideration. Pres. State of the Ottoman Empire, book 3, chap. 21.
* Marrace. in Prodr. ad Refut. Alcor. part 4, p. 52, & 71. Prideaux, Life of Moh. p. 114.
Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. 1, p. 166. Du Ryer. Sommaire de la Rel. des Turcs, mis
& la téte de sa version de l’Alcor. Ricaut, ubi supra. Pufendorf, de Jure Nat. et Gent.
lib. 6, c. 1, sect. 18. 5 Chap. 4, p. 59. 5 Vide Gagnier, in notis ad Abulfede Vit.
Moh. p. 150. Reland, de Rel. Moh. p. 243, &c., and Selden. Ux. Hebr. lib. 1, cap. 9.
™ Vide Reland, ubi sup. p. 244. ® Kor. chap. 4, p. 59. ° Sir J. Maundeville (who,
excepting a few silly stories he tells from hear-say, deserves more credit than some travel-
lers of better reputation), speaking of the Koran, observes, among several other truths,
that Mohammed therein commanded a man should have two wives, or three, or four;
though the Mohammedans then took nine wives, and lemans as many as they might sustain.
Maundev. Travels, p. 164.‘ Maimon. in Halachoth Ishoth, c. 14. _? Idem, ibid. _Vide
Selden. Uxor. Hebr. lib. 1, ¢. 9. 2 Deut. xxiv. 3,4. Jer. iii. 1. Vide Selden, ubi sup.
lib. 1, ¢. 11. 4 Karan, chap. 2, p. 27. 5 Vide Selden, ubi sup. lib. 3, cap. 21, and
Ricaut’s State of the Ottoman Empire, book 2, chap.21. * Deut. xxiv.1. Leo Modena
Hist. degli Riti Heb:. part 1, ¢. 6. Vide Selden, ubi sup. ™ Vide Busbeq. Ep. 3, p.
96 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VI.

if divorced by her husband, unless she has been guilty of impudicity
r notorious disobedience. i

When a woman is divorced, she is obliged, by the direction of the Koran,
to wait till she hath had her courses thrice, or, if there be a doubt whether
she be subject to them or not, by reason of her age, three months, before
she marry another; after which time expired, in case she be found not with
child, she is at full liberty to dispose of herself as she pleases ; but if she
prove with child, she must wait till she be delivered : and during her whole
term of waiting, she may continue in the husband’s house, and is to be
maintained at his expense: it being forbidden to turn a woman out before
the expiration of the term, unless she be guilty of dishonesty. Where a
man divorces a woman before consummation, she is not obliged to wait
any particular time ;? nor is he obliged to give her more than, one half of
her dower? If the divorced woman have a young child,-she is to suckle
it till it be two years old; the father, in the mean time, maintaining her
in all respects: a widow is also obliged to do the same, and to wait four
months and ten days before she marry again.’

These rules are also copied from those of the Jews, according to whom
a divorced woman, or a widow, cannot marry another man till ninety days
be past, after the divorce or death of the husband :5 and she who gives
suck is to be maintained for two years, to be computed from the birth of the
child; within which time she must not marry, unless the child die, or her
milk be dried up

Whoredom, in single women as well as married, was, in the beginning of
Mohammedism, very severely punished ; such being ordered to be shut up
in prison till they died: but afterwards it was ordained by the Sonna, that
an adulteress should be stoned,’ and an unmarried woman guilty of forni-
cation scourged with an hundred stripes, and banished for a year.8 A she
slave, if convicted of adultery, is to suffer but half the punishment of a free
woman,’ viz., fifty stripes, and banishment for six months; but is not to be
put to death. To convict a woman of adultery, so as to make it capital, four
witnesses are expressly required,' and those, as the commentators say,
ought to be men: and if a man falsely accuse a woman of reputation of
whoredom of any kind, and is not able to support the charge by that num-
ber of witnesses, he is to receive fourscore stripes, and his testimony is to
be held invalid for the future. Fornication, in either sex, is by the sen-
tence of the Koran to be punished with an hundred stripes?

If a man accuses his wife of infidelity, and is not able to prove it by suff.
cient evidence, and will swear four times that it is true, and the fifth time
imprecate God’s vengeance on him if it be false, she is to be looked on as
convicted, unless she will take the like oaths, and make the like impreca-
tion, in testimony of her innocency; which if she do, she is free from
punishment, though the marriage ought to be dissolved.‘

 

184. Smith, de Morib. ac Instit. Turcar. Ep. 2, p. 52, and Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom.
2,p.169._ _ ? Koran, chap. 4, p. 62, 63. 1 Idem, chap. 2, p. 26, and 27, and chap.
65. 3 Thid. chap. 33. 3 Ibid. chap. 2, p. 27. ‘Ibid. chap. 2, p. 27, and chap.
65. __ _§ Mishna, tit. Yabimoth, c. 4, Gemar. Babyl. ad eund. tit. Maimon. in Halach.
Girushin, Shylhan Aruch, part 3. ® Mishna, and Gemara, and Maimon, ubi supra,
Gem. Babyl. ad tit. Cetuboth, c. 5, and Jos. Karo, in Shylhan Aruch, c. 50, sect. 2. Vide
Seldeni Ux. Hebr. lib. 2, c. 11, and lib. 3, c. 10, in fin. * And the adulterer also, ac-
cording to a passage once extant in the Korfn, and still in force as some suppose. See
the notes to Kor. chap. 3, p. 37, and the Prel. Disc. p. 48. ° Kor. chap. 4, p. 61, 62.
pee the potas eres : ane one P 63. : - Kor. chap. 4, p. 61, 62. See notes there.
® Kor. chap. 24. id. is law relates not to married people, as Selden supposes

Ux. Heb. lib. 3, c. 12. ‘Ibid. See the notes there. ar FP ;
SECT. VI. ‘ PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 97

In most of the last-mentioned particulars, the decisions of the Koran also
agree with those of the Jews. By the law of Moses, adultery, whether in a
married woman or a virgin betrothed, was punished with death; and the
man who debauched them was to suffer the same punishment.’ The penalty
of simple fornication was scourging, the general punishment in cases where
yone is particularly appointed: and a betrothed bond-maid, if convicted of
adultery, underwent the same punishment, being exempted from death,
because she was not free’ By the same law, no person was to be put
to death on the oath of one witness:7 and a man who slandered his
wife was also to be chastised, that is scourged, and fined one hundred
shekels of silver. The method of trying a woman suspected of adultery,
where evidence was wanting, by forcing her to drink the bitter water of
jealousy,9 though disused by the Jews long before the time of Mohammed,!
yet, by reason of the oath of cursing with which the woman was charged,
and to which she was obliged to say Amen, bears great resemblance to the
expedient devised by that prophet on the like occasion.

The institutions of Mohammed relating to the pollution of women dur-
ing their courses,’ the taking of slaves to wife and the prohibiting of
marriage within certain degrees,* have likewise no small affinity with the
institutions of Moses ;° and the parallel might be carried farther in seve-
ral other particulars.

As to the prohibited degrees, :t may be observed, that the pagan Arabs
abstained from marrying their mothers, daughters, and aunts both on the
father’s side, and on the mother’s, and held it a most scandalous thing to
marry two sisters, or for a man to take his father’s wife ;° which Jast was
notwithstanding too frequently practised,’ and is expressly forbidden in
the Koran.

Before I leave the subject of marriages, it may be proper to take notice
of peculiar privileges in relation thereto, which were granted by God
to Mohammed, as he gave out, exclusive of all other Moslems. One
of them was, that he might lawfully marry as many wives, and have
as many concubines, as he pleased, without being confined to any parti-
cular number ;° and this he pretended to have been the privilege of the
prophets before him. Another was, that he might alter the turns of his
wives, and take such of them to his bed as he thought fit, without being
tied to that order and equality which others are obliged to observe.’ A
third privilege was, that no man might marry any of his wives,’ either such
as he should divorce during his lifetime, or such as he should leave
widows at his death: which last particular exactly agrees with what the
Jewish doctors have determined concerning the wives of their princes; it
being judged by them to be a thing very indecent, and for that reason un-

 

5 Lev. xx. 10. Deut. xxii. 22. The kind of death to be inflicted on adulterers in com-
mon cases being not expressed, the Talmudists generally suppose it to be strangling ;
which they think is designed wherever the phrase shall be put to death, or shall die the
death, is used, as they imagine stoning is by the expression his blood shall be upon him :
and hence it has been concluded by some, that the woman taken in adultery, mentioned
in the gospel (John viii.) was a betrothed maiden, because such a one and her accomplice
were plainly ordered to be stoned. (Deut. xxii. 23, 24.) But the ancients seem to be of
a different opinion, and to have understood stoning to be the punishment of adulterers in
general. Vide Selden, Ux. Hebr. lib. 3, c. 11, and 12. ® Levit. xix. 20. 7 Deut.
xix. 15, xvii. 6, and Num. xxxv. 30. 8 Deut. xxii. 13—19. > Num. v. 11, &c.
1 Vide Selden, ubi supr. lib. 3, c. 15, and Leon. Modena, de’ Riti Hebraici, parte 4, c. 6.
* Kor. chap. 2, p. 26. 3 Ibid. chap: 4, p. 60, and 63, &c. 4 Chap. 4, p. 62.
®See Lev. xv. 24, xviii. 19, and xx. 18. Exod. xxi. 8-11. Deut. xxi. 10—14. Lev.
xviii, and xx. ® Abulfed. Hist. Gen. al Shahrestani, apud Poc. Spec. p, 321, and 338,
7 Vide Poe. ibid. p. 337, &c. ® Chap. 4, p. 62. . ® Kor. chap. 33. See also chap 64
and the notes there. 1 Kor. chap. 33. See the notes there. ® Kor. chap. 33.
98 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. ¥I

lawful, for another to marry either the divorced wife or the widow of a
king ;? and Mohammed, it seems, thought an equal respect, at least, due to
the prophetic as to the regal dignity, and therefore ordered that his relicts
should pass the remainder of their lives in perpetual widowhood.

The laws of the Koran concerning inheritances are also in_several
respects conformable to those of the Jews, though principally designed to
abolish certain practices of the pagan Arabs, who used to treat widows and
orphan children with great injustice, frequently denying them any share in
the inheritance of their fathers or their husbands, on pretence that the same
ought to be distributed among those only who were able to bear arms, and
disposing of the widows, even against their consent, as part of their hus-
band’s possessions.‘ To prevent such injuries for the future, Mohammed
ordered that women should be respected, and orphans have no wrong done
them; and in particular that women should not be taken against their
wills, as by right of inheritance, but should themselves be entitled toa dis-
tributive part of what their parents, husbands, and near relations, should
leave behind them, in a certain proportion.’ /

The general rule to be observed in the distribution of the deceased’s
estate is, that a male shall have twice as much as a female :¢ but to this
rule there are some few exceptions: a man’s parents, for example, and also
his brothers and sisters, where they are entitled not to the whole, but a
small part of the inheritance, being to have equal shares with one another
in the distribution thereof, without making any difference on account
of sex.7 The particular proportions, in several cases, distinctly and suf-
ficiently declare the intention of Mohammed ; whose decisions expressed
in the Koran® seem to be pretty equitable, preferring a man’s children
first, and then his nearest relations. ;

If a man dispose of any part of his estate by will, two witnesses, at the
least, are required to render the same valid; and such witnesses ought to
be of his own tribe, and of the Mohammedan religion, if such can be had.’
Though there be no express law to the contrary, yet the Mohammedan
doctors reckon it very wrong for a man to give away any part of his sub-
stance from his family, unless it be in legacies for pious uses; and even |
in that case a man ought not to give all that he bas in charity, but only a
reasonable part in proportion to his substance. On the other hand, though
aman make no will, and bequeath nothing for charitable uses, yet the
heirs are directed, on the distribution of the estate, if the value will per-
mit, to bestow something on the poor, especially such as are of kin to the
deceased, and to the orphans.” /

The first law, however, laid down by Mohammed touching inheritances
was not very equitable; for he declared that those who had fled with him
from Mecca, and those who had received and assisted him at Medina,
should be deemed the nearest of kin,and consequently heirs to one another,
preferably to and in exclusion of their relations by blood; nay, though a
man were a true believer, yet if he had not fled his country for the sake
of religion and joined the prophet, he was to be looked on as a stranger!
but this Jaw continued not long in force, being quickly abrogated.?

It must be observed that among the Mohammedans the children of their

 

2 Mishua, tit. Sanhedr. c. 2, and Gemar. in eund. tit. Maimon. Halachoth Melachim
c. 9. Vide Selden, Ux. Hebr. lib. i.c. 10. Prid. Life of Moham. p. 118. * ee
p. 59—62, and the nctes there. Vide etiam Poc. Spec. p. 337, 5 Kor. c. 4, ubi sup.
° Ibid. p. 60, and 80. Vide Chardin, Voy. de Perse, t. ii. p. 293. " Kor. Ibid.
p. 60, 61. ® Ibis. and p. 80. ® Kor. c. 5, p. 96. © Thid. c. 4, p. 60. 1 Tbid.
c. 8. 2 Tbid. ane -. 33. :
SECT. VI. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 99

ail

concubines or slaves are esteemed as equally legitimate with those of their
legal and ingenuous wives; none being accounted bastards, except such
only as are born of common women, and whose fathers are unknown.

As to private contracts between man and man, the conscientious perform.
ance of them is frequently recommended in the Koran.’ For the preventing
of disputes, all contracts are directed to be made before witnesses ;4 and
in case such Contracts are not immediately executed, the same ought to
be reduced into writing in the presence of two witnesses® at least, who
ought to be Moslems and of the male sex ; but if two men cannot be con-
veniently had, then one man and two women may suffice: the same method
is also directed to be taken for the security of debts to be paid at a future
day ; and where a writer is not to be found, pledges are to be taken.é
Hence, if people trust one another without writing, witnesses, or pledge,
the party on whom the demand is made is always acquitted if he denies
the charge on oath, and swears that he owes the plaintiff nothing, unless
the contrary be proved by very convincing circumstances.’

Wilful murder, though forbidden by the Koran under the severest
penalties to be inflicted in the next life,’ is yet by the same book allowed
to be compounded for, on payment of a fine to the family of the deceased,
and freeing a Moslem from captivity: but it is in the election of the next
of kin, or the revenger of blood, as he is called in the Pentateuch, either to
accept of such satisfaction, or to refuse it; for he may, if he pleases, insist
on having the murderer delivered into his hands, to put to death in such a
manner as he shall think fit.2 In this particular Mohammed has gone
against the express letter of the Mosaic law, which declares that no satis-
faction shall be taken for the life of a murderer; and he seems, in so
doing, to have had respect to the customs of the Arabs in his time,
who, being of a vindictive temper, used to revenge murder in too’ unmer-
ciful a manner,’ whole tribes frequently engaging in bloody wars on such
occasions, the natural. consequence of their independency, and having
no common judge or superior. +

If the Mohammedan laws seem light in case of murder, they may
perhaps be deemed tvo rigorous in case of manslaughter, or the killing of
aman undesignedly ; which must be redeemed by fine (unless the next of
kin shall think fit to remit it out of charity), and the freeing of a captive:
but if a man be not able to do this, he is to fast two months together, by
way of penance? The fine for a man’s blood is set in the Sonna at a
hundred camels;* and is to be distributed among the relations of the
deceased, according to the laws of inheritances; but it must be observed,
that though the person slain be a Moslem, yet if he be of a nation or party
at enmity, or not in confederacy with those to whom the slayer belongs, he
is not then bound to pay any fine at all; the redeeming a captive being, in
such case, declared a sufficient penalty.6 I imagine that Mohammed, by
these regulations, laid so heavy a punishment on involuntary manslaughter,
not only to make people beware incurring the same, but also to humour, in
some degree, the revengeful temper of his countrymen, which might be with
difficulty, if at all, prevailed on to accept a lighter satisfaction. Among the

 

* Kor. ¢. 5, p. 81, c. 17, ¢. 2, p. 34, &c. —_ * Chap. 2, p. 34. 5 The same seems to
have been required by the Jewish law, even in cases where life was not concerned. See
Deut. xix. 15, Matt. xviii. 16, John viii. 17, 2 Cor. xiii. 1. _* Kor. c. 2, p. 34. __* Vide
Chardin, Voy. de Perse, t. ii. p. 294, &c., and ‘the notes to Kor. c. 5, p. 96. * Kor. c. 4,
p.72. *Ibid.c. 2, p. 20, 21, c.17. Vide Chardin, ubi sup. p. 229, &c. * Numb.
xxxv. 31. 2 This is particularly forbidden in the Koran, c. 17. 3 Kor. c. 4, p. 72
“See the notes toc. 37. * Kor. c. 4, p. 72.
100 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VI.

Jews, who seem to have been no less addicted to revenge than their neigh-
bours, the manslayer who had escaped to a city of refuge was obliged
to keep himself within that city, and to abide there till the death of the
person who was high priest at the time the fact was committed, that his
absence and time might cool the passion and mitigate the resentment of
the friends of the deceased ; but if he quitted his asylum before that time®
the revenger of blood, if he found him, might kill him without guilt;
nor could any satisfaction be made for the slayer to return home before
the prescribed time.’ ;

Theft is ordered to be punished by cutting off the offending part, the
hand ;® which, at first sight, seems just enough: but the law of Justinian,
forbidding a thief to be maimed,’ is more reasonable ; because stealing
being generally the effect of indigence, to cut off that limb would be to
deprive him of the means of getting his livelihood in an honest manner.’
The Sonna forbids the inflicting of this punishment, unless the thing sto-
len be of a certain value. I have mentioned in another place the further
penalties which those incur who continue to steal, and of those who rob
or assault people on the road.? :

As to injuries done to men in their persons, the law of retaliation, which
was ordained by the law of Moses, is also approved by the Koran:¢ but
this law, which seems to have been allowed by Mohammed to his Arabians
for the same reason as it was to the Jews, viz., to prevent particular
revenges, to which both nations were extremely addicted,’ being neither
strictly just, nor practicable in many cases, is seldom put in execution, the
punishment being generally turned into a mulct or fine, which is paid
to the party injured. Or rather Mohammed designed the words of the
Koran relating thereto should be understood in the same manner as those
of the Pentateuch most probably ought to be; that is, not of an actual re-
taliation, according to the strict literal meaning, but of a retribution propor-
tionable to the injury : for a criminal had not his eyes put out, nor was a
man mutilated, according to the law of Moses, which, besides, condemned
those who had wounded any person, where death did not ensue, to pay a
fine only ;” the expression eye for eye, and tooth for tooth, being only a pro-
verbial manner of ‘speaking, the sense whereof amounts to this, That every
one shall be punished by the judges, according to the heinousness of the fact#

In injuries and crimes of an inferior nature, where no particular punish-
ment is provided by the Koran, and where a pecuniary compensation will
not do, the Mohammedans, according to the practice of the Jews in the like
case, have recourse to stripes or drubbing,’ the most common chastisement
used in the east at this day, as well as formerly ; the cudgel, which, for its
virtue and efficacy in keeping the people in good order, and within the
bounds of duty, they say came down from heaven, being the instrument
wherewith the judge’s sentence is generally executed.’

Notwithstanding the Koran is by the Mohammedans in general regarded
as the fundamental part of their civil law, and the decisions of the Sonna,

 

§ See Numb. xxxv. 26, 27, 28. " Thid. ver. 32. ® Kor. ¢. 5, p. 86. ° Novell.
184, ¢. 13. 1 Vide Puffendorf, de Jure Nat. et Gent. lib. viii. c. 3, sect 26. 2 See
the notes toc. 5, p. 86. 2 Exod. xxi. 24, &c., Lev. xxiv. 20, Deut. xix. 2]. * Chap.
5, p. 88. 5 Vide Grotium, de Jure Belli et Pacis, lib. i. c. 2, sect. 3. © Vide Char-
din, t. ii. p. 299. The talio, likewise established among the old Romans by the laws of
the twelve tables, was not to be inflicted, unless the delinquent could not agree with the
person injured. Vide A. Gell. Noct. Attic, lib. xx. c. 1, and Festum, in voce talio. 7% See
Exod. xxi. 18, 19, and 22. * Barbeyrac, in Grot. ubi sup. ° Vide Cleric. in Exod. xxi.
24, and Deut. xix. 21. ° See Deut. xxv. 2, 3. * Vide Grelot, Voy. de Constant.
p. 220, and Chardin, ubi sup. p. 302.
SECT. VI. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 101

among the Turks, and of the Imams, among those of the Persian sect, with

he explications of their several doctors, are usually followed in judicial
determinations, yet the secular tribunals do not think themselves bound tu
observe the same in all cases, but frequently give judgment against those
decisions, which are not always consonant to equity and reason; and there-
fore distinction is to be made between the written civil law, as adminis-
tered in the ecclesiastical courts, and the law of nature or common law,
(if I may so call it) which takes place in the secular courts, and has the
executive power on its side?

Under the head of civil laws may be comprehended the injunction of
warring against infidels, which is repeated in several passages of the Koran,’
and declared to be of high merit in the sight of God, those who are slain
fighting in defence of the faith being reckoned martyrs, and promised im-
mediate admission into paradise.* Hence this duty is greatly magnified by
the Mohammedan divines, who call the sword the key of heaven and hell,
and persuade their people that the least drop of blood spilt in the way of
God, as it is called, is most acceptable unto him, and that the defending the
territories of the Moslems for one night is more meritorious than a fast of
two months :® on the other hand, desertion, or refusing to serve in these
holy wars, or to contribute towards the carrying them on, if a man has
ability, is accounted a most heinous crime, being frequently declaimed
against in the Koran.6 Such a doctrine, which Mohammed ventured not to
teach till his circumstances enabled him to put it in practice,’ it must be
allowed, was well calculated for his purpose, and stood him and his suc-
cessors in great stead : for what dangers and difficulties may not be despised
and overcome by the courage and constancy which these sentiments neces-
sarily inspire? Nor have the Jews and Christians, how much soever they
detest such principles in others, been ignorant of the force of enthusiastic
heroism, or omitted to spirit up their respective partizans, by the like argu-
ments and promises. ‘Let him who has listed himself in defence of the
law,” says Maimonides,’ “ rely on him who is the hope of Israel, and the
saviour thereof in the time of trouble :9 and let him know that he fights for
the profession of the divine unity: wherefore let him put his life in his
hand, and think neither of wife nor children, but banish the memory of
them from his heart, having his mind wholly fixed on the war. For if he
should begin to waver in his thoughts, he would not only confound himself,
but sin against the law; nay, the blood of the whole people hangeth on his
neck; for if they are discomfited, and he has not fought stoutly with all
his might, it is equally the same as if he had shed the blood of them all;
according to that saying, let him return, lest his brethren’s heart fail as his
own.”’? To the same purpose doth the Kabala accommodate that other pas-
sage, “Cursed be he who doth the work of the Lord negligently, and cursed
be he who keepeth back his sword from blood.2 On the contrary, he who
behaveth bravely in battle, to the utmost of his endeavour, without trem-
bling, with intent to glorify God’s name, he ought to expect the victory
with confidence, and to apprehend no danger or misfortune, but may be
assured that he will have a house built him in Israel, appropriated to bim

“and his children for ever; as it is said, God shall certainly make my lord
a sure house, because he hath fought the battles of the Lord, and his life

 

2 Vide Chardin, ubi sup. p. 290, &c. 3 Chap. 22, c. 2, p. 22, c. 4, p. 69, &c., ¢. 8,
c. 9, c. 47, and c. 61, &c. "* Chap. 2, p _ 18, ¢. 3, p. 51, 35, c. 47, and e. 61. ° Reland.
de Jure Milit. Moham. r 5, &e.  & Vile. 9, and c. 3, p. 52, &ec. See before, p. 34,
* Halach. Melachim, c. ® Jer. xiv. 8, ! Job xiii, 14. 9 Deut. xx. 8.
® Jer. xlviii. 10. :
102 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT, VI.

shall be bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord his God.”* More
passages of this kind might be produced from the Jewish writers 5 and the
Christians come not far behind them. “We are desirous of knowing,’
says one, writing to the Franks engaged in the holy war, “ the charity of
you all; for that every one (which we speak not because we wish it) who
shall faithfully lose his life in this warfare shall be by no means denied
the kingdom of heaven.” And another® gives the following exhortation ;
“ Laying aside all fear and dread, endeavour to act effectually against the
enemies of the holy faith, and the adversaries of all religions: for the Al-
mighty knoweth, if any of you die, that he dieth for the truth of the faith,
and the salvation of his country, and the defence of Christians; and there-
fore he shall obtain of him a celestial reward.” The Jews, indeed, had a
divine commission, extensive and explicit enough, to attack, subdue, and
destroy the enemies of their religion: and Mohammed pretended to have
received one in favour of himself and his Moslems, in terms equally
plain and full; and therefore it is no wonder that they should act con-
sistently with their avowed principles: but that Christians should teach
and practise a doctrine so opposite to the temper and whole tenor of
the gospel, seems very strange; and yet the latter have carried matters
farther, and shown a more violent spirit of intolerance, than either of the
former.

The laws of war according to the Mohammedans have been already
so exactly set down by the learned Reland,’ that I need say very little of
them. I shall therefore only observe some conformity between their mili-
tary laws and those of the Jews.

While Mohammedism was in its infancy, the opposers thereof taken in
battle were doomed to death without mercy; but this was judged too
severe to be put into practice when that religion came to be sufficiently
established, and past the danger of being subverted by its enemies. The
same sentence was pronounced not only against the seven Canaanitish na-
tions,? whose possessions were given to the Israelites, and without whose
destruction, in a manner, they could not have settled themselves in the
country designed them, but against the Amalekites' and Midianites,? who
had done their utmost to cut them off in their passage thither. When the
Mohammedans declare war against people of a different faith, they give
them their choice of three offers, viz., either to embrace Mohammedism, in
which case they become not only secure in their persons, families, and

_ fortunes, but entitled to all the privileges of other Moslems; or to submit
and pay tribute,® by doing which they are allowed to profess their own
religion, provided it be not gross idolatry, or against the moral law; or else
to decide the quarrel by the sword, in which last case, if the Moslems
prevail, the women and children which are made captives become absolute
slaves, and the men*taken in the battle may either be slain, unless they
turn Mohammedans, or otherwise disposed of at the pleasure of the prince.4
Herewith agree the laws of war given to the Jews, which relate to the na-
tions not devoted to destruction ;* and Joshua is said to have sent even
to the inhabitants of Canaan, before he entered the land, three schedules,
in one of which was written, Let him fly, who will ; in the second, Let him .
surrender, who will; and in the third, Let him fight, who will ;5 though

 

«1Sam. xxv. 28, 29. * Nicolaus, in Jure Canon. c. Omnium, 23, quest. 5. * Leo IV.
ib. ques. 8. _ "In his treatise De Jure Militari Mohammedanor. in the third vol. of his
Dissertatisnes Miscellanesee. * See Kor. c. 47, and the notes there ; and c. 4, p. 71, 6. 5,
p. 86. ° Deut. xx. 16—18. 1 Tb. ce. xxv. 17—19, 2 Numb. xxxi. 17. >Seec 9,
and the notes there. ‘ See the notes to c. 47. * Deut. xx. 10—15. 5 Talmud.

§
SECT. VI. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 1028

none of those nations made peace with the Israelites {except onl» the
Gibeonites, who obtained terms of security by stratagem, after thev had
refused those offered by Joshua), it being of the Lord to harden their hearts,
that he might destroy them utterly.’ +

On the first considerable success of Mohammed in war, the dispute which
happened among his followers, in relation to the dividing of the spoil, ren-
dered it necessary for him to make some regulation therein: he therefore
pretended to have received the divine commission to distribute the spoil
among the soldiers at his own discretion,® reserving thereout, in tne first
place, one-fifth part® for the uses after mentioned; and in consequence
hereof, he took himself to be authorized on extraordinary occasions to
distribute it as he thought fit, without observing an equality. "(nus he did,
for example, with the spoil of the tribe of Hawdzen taken at the battle of
Honein, which he bestowed by way of presents on the NMeccans only,
passing by those of Medina, and highly distinguishing the principal Kora-
shites, that he might ingratiate himself with them, after he had become
master of their city." He was also allowed in the expedition against those
of al Nadir to take the whole booty to himself, and to dispose thereof as he
pleased, because no horses or camels were made use of in that expedition,!
but the whole army went on foot; and this became thenceforward a law :?
the reason of which seems to be, that the spoil taken by a party consisting
of infantry only should be considered as the more immediate gift of God?
and therefore property left to the disposition of his apostle. According to
the Jews, the spoil ought to be divided into two equal parts, one to be
shared among the captors, and the other to be taken by the prince,‘ and by
him employed for his own support and the use of the public. Moses, it is
true, divided one-half of the plunder of the Midianites among those who
went to battle, and the other half among all the congregation :° but this,
they say, being a peculiar case, and done by the express order of God
himself, must not be looked on as a precedent.’ It should seem, however,
from the words of Joshua, to the two tribes and half, when he sent them
home into Gilead after the conquest and division of the land of Canaan,
that they were to divide the spoil of their enemies with their brethren,
after their return :7 and the half which was in succeeding times taken by
the king was in all probability taken by him as head of the community, and
representing the whole body. It is remarkable, that the dispute among
Mohammed’s men about sharing the booty at Bedr® arose on the.same oc-
casion as did that among David’s soldiers in relation to the spoils recovered
from the Amalekites ;° those who had been in the action insisting that they
who tarried by the stuff should have no part of the spoil; and that the

 

Hierosol. apud Maimonid. Halach. Melachim, c. 6, sect. v. R. Bechai, ex lib. Siphre. Vide
Selden. de Jure Nat. et Gent. sec. Hebr. lib. 6, c. 13, 14, and Schickardi Jus Regium
Hebr. c. 5, Theor. 16. 1 Josh. xi. 20. The Jews. however, say that the Girgashites, be-
lieving they could not escape the destruction with which they were threatened by God, if
they persisted to defend themselves, fled into Africa in great numbers; (vide Talm. Hie-
ros. ubi sup.) And this is assigned as the reason why the Girgashites are not mentioned
among the other Canaanitish nations who assembled to fight against Joshua (Josh. ix. 1),
and who were doomed to utter extirpation (Deut. xx. 17). But it is observable, that the
Girgashites are not omitted by the Septuagint in either of those texts, and that their name
appears in the latter of them in the Samaritan Pentateuch: they are also joined with the
other Canaanites as having fought against Israel, in Josh. xxiv. 11. *Kor.c. 8. ° Ibid.
® Abulfed in Vit. Moh. p. 118, &c. Vide Kor. c. 9, and the notes there. + Kor. c. 59,
and the notes there. * Vide Abulfed. ubi sup. p. 91. ° Vide Kor. c. 59, ubisup. ‘4 Ge-
mar. Babyl. ad tit. Sanhedr. c. 2. Vide Selden de Jure Nat. et Gent. sec. Hebr. lib. 6,
c.16.  * Num. xxxi.27. © Vide Maim. Halach. Melach. c.4. 7 Josh. xxii. 8. * See
Kor ce. 8, and the notes there. °1 Sam. xxx, 21—25,
104 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VI.

same decision was given in both cases, which became a law for the future,
to wit, that they should part alike. ,

The fifth part, directed by the Koran to be taken out of the spoil before
it be divided among the captors, is declared to belong to God, and to the
apostle, and his kindred, and the orphans, and the poor, and the traveller :!
which words are variously understood. Al Shafei was of opinion that the
whole ought to be divided into five parts; the first, which he called God’s
part, to go to the treasury, and be employed in building and repairing
fortresses, bridges, and other public works, and in paying salaries to magis-
trates, civil officers, professors of learning, ministers of public worship, &c. :
the second part to be distributed among the kindred of Mohammed, that is,
the descendants of his grandfather Hasham, and of his great uncle al Mo-
talleb,? as well the rich as the poor, the children as the adult, the women
as the men; observing only to give a female but half the share of a male:
the third part to go to the orphans: the fourth part to the poor, who have
not wherewithal to maintain themselves the year round, and are not able to
get their livelihood: and the fifth part to travellers, who are in want on
the road, notwithstanding they may be rich men in their own country.
Aécording to Malec Ebn Ans, the whole is at the disposition of the Imam
or prince, who may distribute the same at his own discretion, where he sees
most need. Abu’l Aliya went according to the letter of the Koran, and
declared his opinion to be that the whole should be divided into six parts,
and that God’s part should be applied to the service of the Caaba: while
others suppose God’s part and the apostle’s to be one and the same. Abu
Hanifa thought that the share of Mohammed and his kindred sank at that
prophet’s death, since which the whole ought to be divided among the
orphans, the poor, and the traveller.£ Some insist that the kindred of
Mohammed entitled to a share of the spoils are the posterity of Hashem
‘only; but those who think the descendants of his brother al Mctalleb have
also a right to a distributive part allege a tradition in their favour, purport-
ing that Mohammed himself divided the share belonging to his relations
among both families, and when Othman Ebn Assan and Jobeir Ebn Matam
(who were descended from Abdshams and Nawfal, the other brothers of
Hashem), told him, that, though they disputed not the preference of the
Hashemites, they could not help taking it ill to see such difference made
between the family of al Motalleb and themselves, who were related to him
in an equal degree, and yet had no part in the distribution, the prophet
replied, that the descendants of al’ Motalleb had forsaken him neither in
the time of ignorance, nor since the revelation of Islam; and joined his
fingers together in token of the strict union between them and the Hashem-
ites.’ Some exclude none of the tribe of Koreish from receiving a part in
the division of the spoil, and make no distinction between the poor and the
rich; though, according to the more reasonable opinion, such of them as
are poor only are intended by the text of the Koran, as is agreed in the
case of the stranger; and others go so far as to assert that the whole fifth
commanded to be reserved belongs to them only, and that the orphans, and
the poor, and the traveller, are to be understood of such as are of that tribe.®
It must be observed, that immoveable possessions, as lands, &c., taken in
war, are subject to the same laws as the moveable; excepting only, that
the fifth part of the former is not actually divided, but the income and
profits thereof, or of the price thereof, if sold, are applied to public and

 

’ Koran, c. 8. _ ® Note, al Shafei himself was descended from this latter. * A] Beid.
ve Reland. ae ure Milit. Moham. p. 42, &c. “Idem. * Idem. ® Idem.
em. * Idem.
SECT. VII. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 105

pious uses, and distributed once a year, and that the prince may either
take the fifth part of the land itself, or of the fifth part of the income and
produce of the whole, as he shall make his election.

SECTION VII.

OF THE MONTHS COMMANDED BY THE KORAN TO BE KEPT SACRED; AND
OF THE SETTING APART OF FRIDAY FOR THE ESPECIAL SERVICE OF GOD.

Ir was a custom among the ancient Arabs to observe four months in the _
year as sacred, during which they held it unlawful to wage war, and took off
the heads from their spears, ceasing from incursions and other hostilities.
During those months, whoever was in fear of his enemy lived in full se-
curity ; so that if a man met the murderer of his father or his brother, he
durst not offer him any violence :! a great argument, says a learned writer,
of a humane disposition in that nation; who being, by reason of the inde-
pendent governments of their several tribes, and for the preservation of
their just rights, exposed_to frequent quarrels with one another, had yet
learned to cool their inflamed breasts with moderation, and restrain the
rage of war by stated times of truce. ' 3

This institution obtained among all the Arabian tribes, except only those
of Tay and Khathaam, and some of the descendants of al Hareth Ebn Caab
(who distinguished no time or place as sacred),> and was so religiously
observed, that there are but few instances in history (four, say some, six,
say others‘), of its being transgressed ; the wars which were carried on
without regard thereto being therefore termed impious. One of those
instances was in the war between the tribes of Koreish and Kais Ailan,
wherein Mohammed himself served under his uncles, being then fourteen,
or, as others say, twenty® years old.

The months which the Arabs held sacred were al Moharram, Rajeb,
Dhu’lkaada, and Dhu’lhajja; the first, the seventh, the eleventh, and the
twelfth in the year.”7. Dhu’]hajja being the month wherein they performed
the pilgrimage to Mecca, not only that month, but also the preceding: and
the following were for that reason kept inviolable, that every one might
safely and without interruption pass and repass to and from the festival.
Rajeb is said to have been more strictly observed than any of the other
three,® probably because in that month the pagan Arabs used to fast ;!
Ramadan, which was afterwards set apart by Mohammed for that purpose,

 

+ Al Kaswini, apud Golium in notis ad Alfrag. p. 4, &c. Al Shahrestani, apud Poc.
Spec. p. 311. Al Jawhari, al Firauzab. _ ? Golius, ubi sup. p. 5. 3 Al Shahrestani.
ubi sup. See before, p. 87. + Al Mogholtai. 5 Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 11
® Al Kodai, al Firauz. apud Poe. Spec. p. 174. Al Mogholtai mentions both opinions
™Mr. Bayle (Dict. Hist. et Crit. Art. la Mecque, Rem. F.) accuses Dr. Prideaux of an
inconsistency, for saying in one place (Life of Moh. p. 64), that these sacred months were
the first, the seventh, the eleventh, and the twelfth, and intimating in another place (ib.

. 89), that three of them were contiguous. But this must be mere absence of mind in Mr.
Bayles for are not the eleventh, the twelfth, and the first months contiguous? The two
learned professors, Golius and Reland, have also made a small slip in speaking of these
sacred months, which, they tell us, are the two first and the two last in the year. Vide
Golii and Lex. Arab. col. 601, et Reland. de Jure Milit. Mohammedanor. p. 5. _* Vide
Sol. in Alfrag. p. 9. ® Vide ibid. p. 6. * Al Makrizi, apud Poc. ubi sup.
106 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SEO ee

being in the time of ignorance dedicated to drinking in excess.’ By reason
of the profound peace and security enjoyed in this month, one part of the
provisions brought by the caravans of purveyors annually set out by the
Koreish for the supply of Mecca® was distributed among the people ; the
other part being, for the like reason, distributed at the pilgrimage.*

The observance of the aforesaid months seemed so reasonable to Mo-
hammed, that it met with his approbation; and the same is accordingly
confirmed and enforced by several passages of the Koran,® which forbid
war to be waged during those months against such as acknowledge them
to be sacred, but grant, at the same time, full permission to attack those
who make no such distinction, in the sacred months as well as in the
profane.®

One practice, however, of the Arabs, in relation to these sacred months,
Mohammed thought proper to reform: for some of them, weary of sitting
quiet for three months together, and eager to make their accustomed incur-
sions for plunder, used, by way of expedient, whenever it suited their in-
clinations or conveniency, to put off the observing of al Moharram to the
following month Safar,’ thereby avoiding to keep the former, which they
supposed it lawful for them to profane, provided they sanctified another
month in lieu of it, and gave public notice thereof at the preceding pil-
grimage. This transferring the observation of a sacred month to a pro-

-fane month is what is truly meant by the Arabic word al Nasi, and is
absolutely condemned, and declared to be an impious innovation, in a pag-
sage of the Koran® which Dr. Prideaux,? misled by Golius,' imagines to
relate to the prolonging of the year, by adding an intercalary month thereto.
It is true, the Arabs, who imitated the Jews in their manner of computing
by lunar years, had also learned their method of reducing them to solar
years, by intercalating a month sometimes in the third, and sometimes in
the second year ;? by which means they fixed the pilgrimage of Mecca
(contrary to the original institution) to a certain season of the year, viz., to
autumn, as most convenient for the pilgrims, by reason of the temperateness
of the weather and the plenty of provisions ;? and it is also true that Mo-
hammed forbade such intercalation by a passage in the same chapter of
the Koran: but then it is not the passage abovementioned, which prohibits a
different thing, but one a little before it, wherein the number of months in
the year, according to the ordinance of God, is declared to be twelve ;‘
whereas if the intercalation of a month were allowed, every third or second
year would consist of thirteen, contrary to God’s appointment.

The setting apart of one day in the week for the more peculiar attendance
on God’s worship, so strictly required by the Jewish and Christian religions,
appeared to Mohammed to be so proper an institution, that he could not
but imitate the professors thereof in that particular ; though for the sake of
distinction, he might think himself obliged to order his followers to observe
a different day from either, Several reasons are given why the sixth day
of the week was pitched on for this purpose :® but Mohammed seems .
to have preferred that day, chiefly because it was the day on which the
people used to be assembled long before his time,§ though such assemblies
were had, perhaps, rather on a civil than a religious account, However it

 

2 Al Makrizi, apud Poe. ubi sup. et Auctor Neshk al Azhar, ibid. 3 See Koran,
ce. 106. ‘ Al Edrisi apud Poc. Specim. p. 127. 5 Chap. 9, ¢. 2, p. 23. ¢. 4, p. 81,
c. 5, p. 95, &e. ® Chap. 9, c. 2, p. 23. ™See the notes toc. 9, ubi sup.
* Chap. 9, ibid. ® Life of Moham. p. 66. 'In Alfrag. p. 12. 2 See Prid.

Preface to the first vol. of his Connect. p. vi. &c. —_? Vide Gol. ubi sup. ‘Kor. c. 9
See also c. 2, p. 23. 5 See c. 63, and the notes there. ° Al Beidawi.
SECT. VIII, PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 107

be, the Mohammedan writers bestow very extraordinary encomiums on this
day, calling it the prince of days, and the most excellent day on which the
sun rises ;’ pretending also that it will be the day whereon the last judg
ment will be solemnized :® and they esteem it a peculiar hogour to Islam,
that God has been pleased to appoint this day to be the feast-day of the
Moslems, and granted them the advantage of having first observed it.2

Though the Mohammedans do not think themselves bound to keep their
day of public worship so holy as the Jews and Christians are certainly
obliged to keep theirs, there being a permission, as is generally supposed,
in the Koran,” allowing them to return to their employments or diversion
after divine service is over; yet the most devout disapprove the applying
of any part of that day to worldly affairs, and require it to be wholly dedi-
cated to the business of the life to come.!

Since I have mentioned the Mohammedan weekly feast, I beg leave just
to take notice of their two Beirams,? or principal annual feasts. The first
of them is called, in Arabic, Id al fetr, i.e. The feast of breaking the fast,
and begins the first of Shaw4l, immediately succeeding the fast of Rama-
dan ; and the other is called Id al korban, or Id al adhd, i.e. The feast of
the sacrifice, and begins on the tenth of Dhu’lhajja, when the victims are
slain ,at the pilgrimage of Mecca? The former of these feasts is properly
the lesser Beiram, and the latter the greater Beiram :* but the vulgar, and
most authors who have written of the Mohammedan affairs,’ exchange the
epithets, and call that which follows Ramadan the greater Beiram, because
it is observed in an extraordinary manner, and kept for three days together
at Constantinople and in other parts of Turkey, and in Persia for five or six
days, by the common people at least, with great demonstrations of public
joy, to make themselves amends, as it were, for the mortification of the
preceding month ;° whereas the feast of sacrifices, though it be also kept
for three days, and the first of them be the most solemn day of the pil-
grimage, the principal act of devotion among the Mohammedans, is taken
much less notice of by the generality of people, who are not struck there-
with because the ceremonies with which the same is observed are per-
formed at Mecca, the only scene of that solemnity.

SECTION VIII.

OF THE PRINCIPAL SECTS AMONG THE MOHAMMEDANS, AND OF THOSE
WHO HAVE PRETENDED TO PROPHECY AMONG THE ARABS, IN OR
SINCE THE TIME OF MOHAMMED.

Berore we take a view of the sects of the Mohammedans, it will
be necessary to say something of the two sciences by which all disputed
questions among them are determined, viz. their Scholastic and Practical
Divinity.

Their scholastic divinity is a mongrel science, consisting of logical, meta-
physical, theological, and philosophical disquisitions, and built on principles
and methods of reasoning very different from what are used by those who

 

7

* Ebn al Athir, et al 'Gharali, apud Poe. Spec. p. 317. * Tidem. ® Al Ghazali.
ibid. © Chap. 63, ubi sup. 1 Al Ghaz&li, ubi sup. p. 318. ‘2 The word Beiram
is Turkish, and properly signifies a feast-day or holiday. * See chap. 9, and before, sect.
iv.p.86. * Vide Reland.de Rel. Moham. p. 109, et D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Beiram.
8 Hyde, -in notis ad Bobov. p. 16. Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. ii. p. 450. Ricaut’s
State of the Ottoman Empire, lib. ii. c. 24, &c. © Vide Chardin, et Ricaut, ubi sup
108 ’ PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VITl.

pass among the Mohammedans themselves for the sounder divines or more
able philosophers,” and therefore in the partition of the sciences this is
generally left out, as unworthy a place among them.* The learned
Maimonides? has laboured to expose the principles and systems of the
scholastic divines, as frequently repugnant to the nature of the world and
the order of the creation, and intolerably absurd. : :

This art of handling religious disputes was not known in the infancy of
Mohammedism, but was brought in when sects sprang up, and articles of
religion began to be called in question, and was at first made use of to
defend the truth of those articles against innovators ;' and while it keeps
within those bounds is allowed to be a commendable study, being neces-
sary for the defence of the faith: but when it proceeds farther, out of an
itch of disputation, it is judged worthy of censure. :

This is the opinion of al Ghazali,? who observes a medium between those
who have too high a value for this science, and those who absolutely reject
it. Among the latter was al Sh4fei, who declared that, in his judgment, if ©
any man employed his time that way, he deserved to be fixed to a stake,
and carried about through all the Arab tribes, with the following proclama-
tion. to be made before him: This is the reward of him who, leaving the
Koran and the Sonna, applied himself to the study of scholastic divinity.
Al Ghazali, on the other hand, thinks that as it was introduced by the in-
vasion of heresies, it is necessary to be retained in order to quell them: but
then in the person who studies this science he requires three things,
diligence, acuteness of judgment, and probity of manners; and is by no
means for suffering the same to be publicly explained. This science,
therefore, among the Mohammedans, is the art of controversy, by which
they discuss points of faith, concerning the essence and attributes of God,
and the conditions of all possible things, either in respect to their creation,
or final restoration, ‘according to the rules of the religion of Islam5

The other science is practical divinity or jurisprudence, and is the
knowledge of the decisions of the law which regard practice, gathered
from distinct proofs.

Al Ghazali declares that he had much’the same opinion of this science
as‘ of the former, its original being owing to the corruption of religion and
morality ; and therefore judged both sciences to be necessary not in them-
selves, but by accident only, to curb the irregular imaginations and passions
of mankind (as guards become necessary in the highways by reason of
robbers) ; the end of the first being the suppressing of heresies, and of the
other the decision of legal controversies, for the quiet and peaceable living
of mankind in this world, and for the preserving the rule by which the
magistrate may prevent one man from injuring another, by declaring what
is lawful and what is unlawful, by determining the satisfaction to be given,
or punishment to be inflicted, and by regulating other outward actions; aud
not only so, but to decide of religion itself and its conditions, so far as
relates to the profession made by the mouth, it not being the business of
the civilian to inquire into the heart :® the depravity of men’s manners,
however, has made this knowledge of the laws so very requisite, that it is
usually called the science by way of excelleuce, nor is any man reckoned
searned who has not applied himself thereto.”

 

* Poc. Spec. p. 196. -* Apud Ebn Sina, in Libello de Divisione Scientiar. et Nasi-
ro’ddin al ‘Tiisi, in preefat. ad Ethic. ® More Nevoch. it, i. c. 71, et 3. ‘ vA
Ghazili, apud Poc. ubisup, | Ibid. —* Vide Poc. ibid. p. 197, * Al Ghazal, ibid.
* tbn al Kossa, apud eund. ibid. p. 198. * Al Ghazali. Vide ibid. p. 198-204.

Vide ibid. p. 204.

é
SECT. VIIL. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 109

The points of faith, subject to the examination and discussion of the
scholastic divines, are reduced to four general heads, which they call the
four bases, or great fundamental articles.®

The first basis relates to the attributes of God, and his unity consistent
therewith. Under this head are comprehended the questions concerning
the eternal attributes, which are asserted by some, and denied by others ;
and also the explication of the essential attributes, and attributes of ac-
tion ; what is proper for God to do, and what may be affirmed of him, and
what it is impossible for him to do, These things are controverted be-
tween the Asharians, the Keramians, the Mojassemians or Corporealists,
and the Motazalites.°

The second basis regards predestination, and the justice thereof: which
comprises the questions concerning God’s purpose and decree, man’s com:
pulsion or necessity to act, and his co-operation in producing actions, by
which he may gain to himself good or evil ; and also those which concern
God’s willing good and evil, and what things are subject to his power, and
what to his knowledge; some maintaining the affirmative, and others the
negative. These points are disputed among the Kadarians, the Najarians,
the Jabarians, the Ashdrians, and the Kerdmians.'

The third basis concerns the promises and threats, the precise accepta-
tion of names used in divinity, and the divine decisions ; and comprehends
questions relating to faith, repentance, promises, threats, forbearance, in-
fidelity, and error. The controversies under this head are on foot be-
tween the Morgians, the Waidians, the Motazalites, the Ashdrians, and
the Kerdmians.?

The fourth basis regards history and reason, that is, the just weight they
ought to have in matters belonging to faith and religion; and also the
mission of prophets, and the office of Imam, or chief pontiff. Under this
head are comprised al] casuistical questions relating to the moral beauty
or turpitude of actions ; inquiring whether things are allowed or forbidden
by reason of their own nature, or by the positive law; and also questions
concerning the preference of actions, the favour or grace of God, the in-
nocence which ought to attend the prophetical office, and the conditions
requisite in the office of Imam; some asserting it depends on right of suc-
cession, others on the consent of the faithful, and also the method of trans-
ferring it, with the former, and of confirming it, with the latter. These
matters are the subjects of dispute between the Shiites, the Motazalites,
the Kerdmians, and the Asharians.

The different sects of Mohammedans may be distinguished into twe
sorts; those generally esteemed orthodox, and those which are esteemed
heretical.

The former, by a general name, are called Sonnites or Traditionists ; be-
cause they acknowledge the authority of the Sonna, or collection of moral
traditions of the sayings and actions of their prophet, which is a sort of
supplement to the Koran, directing the observance of several things omit-
ted in that book, and in name, as well as design, answering to the Mishna
of the Jews.*

The Sonnites are subdivided into four chief sects, which, notwithstanding
some differences as to legal conclusions in their interpretation of the Koran,
and matters of practice, are generally acknowledged to be orthodox in

 

® Vide Abu’ lfarag. Hist. Dynast. p. 166. ® Al Shahrest&ni, apud Poc. ubi sup

, &e, 1 Idem, ibid. p. 205. 2 Idem, ibid. Be om 3 Tdem, ibid. ‘ Vide

Boe § Spec. p. 298. Prid. Life of Moham.’ ‘p. 51, &c. Reland. de Rel. Moham. p. 68, &&
Millium, ig Mohammedismo, ante Moham. p. 368, 369,
110 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT, VIII.

radicals, or matters of faith, and capable of salvation, and have each of
them their several stations or oratories in the temple of Mecca. Te

The founders of these sects are looked upon as the great masters of juris-
prudence, and are said to have been men of great devotion and self-denial,
well versed in the knowledge of those things which belong to the next life
and to man’s right conduct here, and directing all their knowledge to the
glory of God. This is al Ghazili’s encomium of them, who thinks it
derogatory to their honour that their names should be used by those who,
neglecting to imitate the other virtues which make up their character,
apply themselves only to attain their skill, and follow their opinions in
matters of legal practice.s

The first of the four orthodox sects is that of the Hanefites, so named
from their founder, Abu Hanifa al Néman Ebn Thabet, who was born at
Cufa, in the eightieth year of the Hejra, and died in the one hundred and
fiftieth, according to the more preferable opinion as to the time.’ He
ended his life in prison at Baghdad, where he had been confined because
he refused to be made KAdi or judge ;8 on which account he was very

-. hardly dealt with by his superiors, yet could not be prevailed on, either

by threats or ill treatment, to undertake the charge, choosing rather to be
punished by them than by God, says al Ghazali ; who adds, that when he
excused himself from accepting the office by alleging that he was unfit
for it, being asked the reason, he replied, “If I speak the trath, I am un-
fit; but if I tell a lie, a liar is not fit to be a judge.” It is said that he
read over the Koran in the prison where he died, no less than seven thou-
sand times.?

The Hanefites are called by an Arabian writer! the followers of reason,
and those of the three other sects, followers of tradition ; the former being
principally guided by their own judgment in their decisions, and the lat-
ter adhering more tenaciously to the traditions of Mohammed.

The sect of Abu Hanifa heretofore obtained chiefly in Irak,? but now
generally prevails among the Turks and Tartars : his doctrine was brought
into great credit by Abu Yisof, chief justice under the Khalifs al Hadi
and Harin al Rashid.’

The second orthodox sect is that of Malec Ebn Ans, who was born at ©
Medina, in the year of the Hejra, 90, 93, 94,‘ or 95,5 and died there in
177,° 178," or 1798 (for so much do authors differ). This doctor is said to
have paid great regard to the traditions of Mohammed.’ In his last illness,
a friend going to visit him found him in tears, and asking him the reason
of it, he answered, ‘‘ How should I not weep? and who has more reason to
weep than I? Would to God that for every question decided by me ac-
cording to my own opinion I had received so many stripes! then would
my accounts be easier. Would to God I had never given any decision of
my own!’’' Al Ghazali thinks it a sufficient proof of Malec’s directing
his knowledge to the glory of God, that being once asked his opinion as to
forty-eight questions, his answer to thirty-two of them was, that he did not

 

5 See before. p. 82. * Vide Poc. Spec. p. 293. 7 Ebn Khalecan. ® This was
the true cause of his imprisonment and death, and not his refusing to subscribe to the
opinion of absolute predestination, as D’Herbelot writes (Bibl. Orient. p. 21), misled by
the dubious acceptation of the word Kada, which signifies not only God’s decree in par-
ticular, but also the giving sentence as a judge in general: nor could Abu Hanifa have
been reckoned orthodox had he denied one of the principal articles of faith.  ° Poc. Spec.
p. 297, 298. 1 Al Shahrestani, ibid. 2 Idem: * Vide D’ Herbel. Bibl. Orient..p.
21,22. * Abulfeda. 5 Ebn Khalecan. 5 Idem. " Abulfeda. 8 Elmacinus,
p. 114. ® Ebn Khalec. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 294. + Tidem.
SECT. Vit. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 111

know ; it being no easy matter for one who has any other view than God's
glory to make so frank a confession of his ignorance?

The doctrine of Malec is chiefly followed in Barbary and other parts
of Africa.

The author of the third orthodox sect was Mohammed Ebn Edris a.
Shafei, born either at Gaza or Ascalon in Palestine, in the year of the
Hejra one hundred and fifty, the same day (as some will have it), that
Abu Hanifa died, and was carried to Mecca at two years of age, and there
educated.3 He died in two hundred and four,‘ in Egypt, whither he went
about five years before.’ This doctor is celebrated for his excellency in all
parts of learning, and was much esteemed by Ebn Hanbal his contemporary,
who used to say that ‘** he was as the sun to the world, and as health to the
body.” Ebn Hanbal, however, had so ill an opinion of al Shafei, at first,
that he forbade his scholars to go near him; but some time after one of
them, meeting his master trudging on foot after al Shafei, who rode on a
mule, asked him how it came about that he forbade them to follow him,
and did it himself? to which Ebn Hanbal replied, ‘ Hold thy peace ; if
thou but attend his mule, thou wilt profit thereby.”®

Al Shafei is said to have been the first who discoursed of jurisprudence,
and reduced that science into a method ;7 one wittily saying, that the
relators of the traditions of Mohammed were asleep till al Shafeicame and
waked them.’ He was a great enemy to the scholastic divines, as has been
already observed.® Al Ghazali tells us that al Shafei used to divide the
night into three parts, one for study, another for prayer, and the third for
sleep. It is also related of him that he never so much as once swore by God,
either to confirm a truth, or to affirm a falsehood; and that being once
asked his opinion, he remained silent for some time, and when the reason
of his silence was demanded he answered, “ J am considering first whether
it be better to speak or to hold my tongue.” The following saying is also
recorded of him, viz. “« Whoever pretends to love the world and its Crea-
tor at the same time is a liar.””!- The followers of this doctor are from him
called Shafeites, and were formerly spread into Mawara’lnahr and other
parts eastward, but are now chiefly of Arabia and Persia.

Ahmed Ebn Hanbal, the founder of the fourth sect, was born in the year
of the Hejra one hundred and sixty-four; but as to the place of his birth
there are two traditions: some say he was born at Merd in Khorasan, of
which city his parents were, and that his mother brought him from thence
to Baghdad at her breast; while others assure us that she was with child
of him when she came to Baghdad, and that he was born there. Ebn
Hanbal in process of time attained a great reputation on account of his
virtue and knowledge; being so well versed in the traditions of Mohammed,
in particular, that it is said he could repeat no Jess than a million of them?
He was very intimate with al Shafei, from whom he received most of his
traditionary knowledge, being his constant attendant till his departure for
Egypt! Refusing to acknowledge the Koran to be created,’ he was, by
order of the Khaljf al Métasem, severely scourged and imprisoned. Ebn
Hanbal died at Baghdad, in the year two hundred and forty-one, and was
followed to his grave by eight hundred thousand men, and sixty thousand
women. It is related, as something very extraordinary, if not miraculous,

 

2 Al Ghazali. Vide Poc. Specsp. 294. * Ebn Khalecin. “Yet Abulfeda says
he lived fifty-eight years. * Ebn Khalecan. Idem. ‘Idem. *Al Zafarani,
apud Poc. Spec. p. 296. ® See before, p. 109. 1 Vide Poc. Spec. p. 295—297,
?-Ebn Khalecin. ?Idem. ‘Idem. 5 See before, sect. iii. p. 48, Ebn. 6 Ebon
Khalecin, Abu’lfarag. Hist. Dyn. p. 252, &c.
112 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. sEcT. VI.

that on the day of his death no less than twenty thousand Christians, Jews,
and Magians, embraced the Mohammedan faith.’ This sect increased so
fast, and became so powerful and bold, that in the year three hundred and
twenty-three, in the Khalifat of al Radi, they raised a great commotion In
Baghdad, entering people’s houses, and spilling their wine, if they found
any, and beating the singing women they met with, and breaking their
instruments ; and a severe edict was published against them, before they
could be reduced to their duty :* but the Hanbalites at present are not
very numerous, few of them being to be met with out of the limits of
Arabia. s ;

The heretical sects among the Mohammedans are those which hold
heterodox opinions in fundamentals or matters of faith.

The first controversies relating to fundamentals began when most of the
companions of Mohammed were dead :? for in their days was no dispute,
unless about things of small moment, if we except only the dissensions
concerning the ImAms, or rightful successors of their propiet, which were
stirred up and fomented by interest and ambition; the Arabs’ continual
employment in the wars, during that time, allowing them little or no leisure
to enter into nice inquiries and subtle distinctions : but no sooner was the
ardour of conquest a little abated than they began to examine the Koran
more nearly ; whereupon differences in opinion became unavoidable, and at
length so greatly multiplied, that the number of their sects, according to the
common opinion, areseventy-three. Forthe Mohammedans seem ambitious
that their religion should exceed others even in this respect ; saying, that .
the Magians are divided into seventy sects, the Jews into seventy-one,
the Christians into seventy-two, and the Moslems into seventy-three, as
Mohammed had foretold :' of which sects they reckon one to be always
orthodox, and entitled to salvation.” :

The first heresy was that of the Kharejites, who revolted from Ali in the
thirty-seventh year of the Hejra; and not Jong after, Mabad al Johni,
Ghailan of Damascus, and Jonas al Aswari broached heterodox opinions
concerning predestination, and the ascribing of good and evil unto God;
whose opinions were followed by Wasel Ebn Ati. This latter was the
scholar of Hasan of Basra, in whose school a question being proposed,
whether he who had committed a grievous sin was to be deemed an infidel
or not, the Kharejites (who used to come and dispute there) maintaining
the affirmative, and the orthodox the negative, Wasel, without waiting his
master’s decision, withdrew abruptly, and began to publish among his
fellow-scholars a new opinion of his own, to wit, that such a sinner was
in a middle state ; and he was thereupon expelled the school; he and his
followers being thenceforth called Métazalites, or Separatists.‘

The several sects which have arisen since this time are variously com-
pounded and decompounded of the opinions of four chief sects, the Méta-
zalites, the Sefatians, the Kharejites, and the Shiites.

1. The Métazalites were the followers of the before-mentioned Wasel

 

7 Ebn Khalecan. ° Abu’'lfar. ubi sup. p. 301, &c. ® Al Shahrestani, apud Poc.
Spec. p. 194, Auctor Sharh al Mawakef. apud eund. p. 210. 1 Vide Poe. Spee: p. 194.
2 Al Shahrestani, apud eund. p. 211. 2 Idem, and Auctor Sharh al Mawakef, ubi
sup. 4 Tidem, ib. p. 211, 212. Et Ebn Khalecan, in Vita Waseli. ® Al Shahres-
tani, who also reduces them to four chief sects, puts the Kadarians in the place of the
Motazalites. Abu’Ifaragius (Hist. Dyn. p. 166), reckons six principal sects, adding the
Jabarians and the Mor, lans ; and the author of Sharh al MawAkef, eight, viz. the Motaza:
lites, the Shiites, the Kharejites, the Morgians, the Najarians, the Jabarians, the Moshab-
behites, and the sect which he calls al Najia, because that alone will be saved, being ac-
cording to him the sect of the Asharians. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 209. :

s

 
secT. VIIt. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 113

Ebn Ata. As to their chief and general tenets, 1. They entirely rejected
all eternal attributes of God, to avoid the distinction of persons made by
the Christians ; saying that eternity is the proper or formal attribute of his
essence ; that God knows by his essence, and not by his knowledge;® and
the same they affirmed of his other attributes’ (though all the Motazalites
do not understand these words in one sense) ; and hence this sect were also
named Moattalites, from their divesting God of his attributes :8 and they
went so far as to say, that to affirm these attributes is the same thing
as to make more eternals than one, and that the unity of God is incon-
sistent with such an opinion ;° and this was the true doctrine of Wasel
their master, who declared that whoever asserted an eternal attribute
asserted there were two gods.!_ This point of speculation concerning the -
divine attributes was not ripe at first, but was at length brought to ma-
turity by Wasel’s followers, after they had read the books of the philo-
sophers2 2. They believed the word of God to have been created in
subjecio (as the schoolmen term it), and to consist of letters and sound ;
copies thereof being written in books, to express or imitate the original.
They also went farther, and affirmed that whatever was created in subjecto
is also an accident, and liable to perish They denied absolute predes-
tination, holding that God was not the author of evil, but of good only ;
.and that man was a free agent :4 which being properly the opinion of the
Kadarians, we defer what may be farther said thereof till we come to speak
of that sect. On account of this tenet and the first, the Métazalites look
on themselves as the defenders of the unity and justice of God. 4, They
held that if a professor of the true religion be guilty of a grievous sin, and
die without repentance, he will be eternally damned, though his punish-
ment will be lighter than that of the infidels. 5. They denied all vision
of God in paradise by the corporeal eye, and rejected all comparisons or
similitudes applied to God."

This sect are said to have been the first inventors of scholastic divinity,®
and are subdivided into several inferior sects, amounting, as some reckon,
to twenty, which mutually brand one another with infidelity ;° the most
remarkable of them are :—

1, The Hodeilians, or followers of Hamdan Abu Hodeil, a Métazalite
doctor, who differed something from the common form of expression used
by this sect, saying that God knew by his knowledge, but that his know-
ledge was his essence; and so of the other attributes: which opinion he
took from the philosophers, who affirm the essence of God to be simple,
and without multiplicity, and that his attributes are not posterior or
accessory to his essence, or subsisting therein, but are his essence itself:
and this the more orthodox take to be next kin to making distinctions in
the deity, which is the thing they so much abhor in the Christians.! As
to the Koran’s being uncreated, he made some distinction; holding the
word of God to be partly not in sudjecto (and therefore uncreated), as
when he spake the word Kin, i. e. Fiat, at the creation, and partly in

 

® Maimonides teaches the same, not as the doctrine of the Motazalites, but his own.
Vide More Nev. lib. 1, c.57.. Al Shahrest4ni, apud Poc. Spec. p. 214. Abu’ lfarag.
p. 167. 8 Vide Poc. Spec. p. 224. ® Sharh al Mawakef, and al Shahrest. apud Por
p. 216. Maimonides (in Proleg. ad Pirke Aboth, sect. viii.) asserts the same thing.
1 Vide Poe. ibid. 2 Al Shahrest. ib. p. 215. 3 Abu’lfarag. and al Shahrest. ubi
sup. p. 217. See before, sect. iii. p. 48. * Vide Poc. Spec. p. 240. 5 Al Shahrest.
and Sharh al Mawakef, apud Poe. ubi sup. p. 214. 6 Marace. Prodr. ad Ref. Alcor.
part. iii. p. 74, ‘Idem. ib. ° * Vide Poc. Spec. p. 213, and D’Herbel. Art. Mota-
zelah. ® Auctor al Mawakef, apud Poe. ib. 1 Al Shahrestani, apud Poc.
p. 215—217. :
1l4 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VII.

subjecto, as the precepts, prohibitions, &c.2 Marracc. * mentions an opinion
of Abu Hodeil’s concerning predestination, from an Arab writer,* which
being by him expressed in a manner not very intelligible, I choose to omit,

2. The Jobbaians, or followers of Abu Ali Mohammed Ebn Abd al
Wabhab, surnamed al Jobbai, whose meaning when he made use of the
common expression of the Métazalites, that God knows by his essence, &e.
was, that God’s being knowing is not an attribute, the same with know-
ledge, nor such a state as rendered his being knowing necessary. He held
God’s word to be created in subjecto, as in the preserved table, for example,
the memory of Gabriel, Mahammed, &c.§ This sect, if Marracci has given
the true sense of his author, denied that God could be seen in paradise
without the assistance of corporeal eyes; and held that man eo his
acts by a power superadded to health of body and soundness of limbs ; that
he who was guilty-of a mortal sin was neither a believer nor an infidel,
but a transgressor (which was the original opinion of Wasel), and if he
died in his sins would be doomed to hell for eternity ; and that God con-
ceals nothing of whatever he knows from his servants.7

3. The Hashemians ; who were so named from their master Abu Hashem
al Salam, the son of Abu Ali al Jobbai, and whose tenets nearly agreed
with those of the preceding sect. Abu Hashem took the Motazalite form
of expression, that God knows by his essence, in a different sense from.
others, supposing it to mean, that God hath or is endued with a disposition,
which is a known property, or quality, posterior or accessory to his exist-
ence. His followers were so much afraid of making God the author of ,
evil, that they would not allow him to be said to create an infidel ; be-
cause, according to their way of afguing, an infidel is a compound of in.
fidelity and man, and God is not the creator of infidelity... Abu Hashem,
and his father Abu Ali al Jobbdi, were both celebrated for their skill in
scholastic divinity.?

4. The Nodhamians, or followers of Ibrahim al Nodhim; who, having
read books of philosophy, set up a new sect, and, imagining he could not
sufficiently remove God from being the author of evil, without divesting
him of his power in respect thereto, taught that no power ought to be
ascribed to God concerning evil and rebellious actions: but this he
affirmed against the opinion of his own disciples, who allowed that God
could do evil, but did not, because of its turpitude Of his opinion as to
the Koran being created, we have spoken elsewhere.‘

5. The Hayetians, so named from Ahmed Ebn Hayet, who had been of
the sect of the Nodhamians, but broached some new notions on reading the
philosophers. His peculiar opinions were, 1. That Christ was the eternal
Word incarnate, and took a true and real body, and will judge all creatures
in the life to come :® he also farther asserted, that there are two gods, or
creators ; the one eternal, viz. the most high God, and the other not eternal,
viz. Christ ;° which opinion, though Dr. Pocock urges the same as an ar-
gument that he did not rightly understand the Christian mysteries,” is not
much different from that of the Arians and Socinians, 2. That there isa
successive transmigration of the soul from one body into another ; and that

 

2 Al Shahrestani, apud Poe. p. 217, &c. 2 In Prodr. part 3, p. 74. « Al Shahrest.
* Idem, apud Poe. Spec. p. 215. i" ®Idem, and Auctor al Mawikef, ib. p. 218.
* Marracci, ubi sup. p. 75, ex al Shahrest. ® Vide Eund. ib. ® Al Shahrest. apud
Poe. p. 215. * Idem, p. 242. ? Ebn Khalecan, in vitis eorum. > Al Shahrest.
ubi sup. p. 241, 242. Vide Marracc. Prod. part 3, p. 74. . 4 See before, sect. iii. p. 49.
* Al Shahrest. ubi sup. p. 218. Abu’lfarag. p. 167. 5 Al Shahrest. al Mawakef, et
Ebn Kossa, apud Poc. ubi sup. p. 219. ™ Vide Poe. ib.
Becl. vO. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 115

the last bedy will enjoy the reward or suffer the punishment due to each
soul; and 3. That God will be seen at the resurrection, not with the
bodily eyes, but those of the understanding.»

6. The Jahedhians, or followers of Amru Ebn Bahr, surnamed al Jaheth,
a great doctor of the Métazalites, and very much admired for the elegance
of his composures;! who differed from his brethren in that he imagined the
damned would not be eternally tormented in hell, but should be changed
into the nature of fire, and that the fire would of itself attract them, with-
out any necessity of their going into it.2 He also taught that if a man
believed God to be his Lord, and Mohammed the apostle of God, he
became one of the faithful, and was obliged to nothing farther? His
peculiar opinion as to the Koran has been taken notice of before.‘

7. The Mozdarians, who embraced the opinions of Isa Ebn Sobeih al
Mozdar, and those very absurd ones: for, besides his notions relating to
the Koran,’ he went so directly counter to the opinion of those who
abridged God of the power to do evil, that he affirmed it possible for God
to be a liar, and unjust.6 He also pronounced him to be an infidel who
thrust himself into the supreme government :7 nay he went so far as to as-
sert men to be infidels while they said, There is no God but God, and even
condemned all the rest of mankind. as guilty of infidelity ; upon which
Ibrahim Ebn al Sendi asked him whether paradise, whose breadth equals

that of heaven and earth, was created only for him and two or three more
who thought as he did? to which it is said he could return no answer.’

8. The Basharians, who maintained the tenets of Bashar Ebn Motamer,
the master of al Mozdar,? and a principal man among the Motazalites. He
differed in some things from the general opinion of that sect, carrying man’s
free agency to a great excess, making it even independent: and yet he
thought God might doom an infant to eternal punishment, but granted he
would be unjust in so doing. He taught that God is not always obliged
to do that which is best, for if he pleased he could make all mén true
believers. These sectaries also held, that if a man repent of a mortal sin,
and afterwards return to it, he will be liable to suffer the punishment due
to the former transgression,! 7

9. The Thamamians, who followed Thamama Ebn Bashar, a chief Mé-
tazalite. Their peculiar opinions were, 1. That sinners should remain in
hell for ever. 2. That free actions have no producing author, 3. That
at the resurrection all infidels, idolaters, atheists, Jews, Christians, Ma-
gians, and heretics, shall be reduced to dust?

10. The Kadarians; which is really a more ancient name than that of
MOtazalites ; Mabad al Johni and his adherents being so called, who dis-
puted the doctrine of predestination before Wasel quitted his master ;? for
which reason some use the denomination of Kadarians as more extensive
than the other, and comprehend all the Métazalites under it This sect
deny absolute predestination, saying that evil and injustice ought not to be
attributed to God, but to man, who is a free agent, and may therefore be
rewarded or punished for his actions, which God has granted him power
either to do or to let alone.6 And hence it is said they are called Kada-
rians, because they deny al Kadr, or God’s absolute decree ; though others

 

® Marrace. et al Shahrest. ubi sup. ® Marrace. ibid. p. 75. 1 Vide D’ Herbel.
Bibl. Orient. Art. Giahedh. ? Al Shahrest. ubi sup. p. 260. 3 Marracc. ubi sup.
‘Sect. iii. p.49. — * Wide ibid. et. p.48. | ° Al Shahrest. apud Poc. p. 241. _* Mar-
race. ub: sup. p. 75. ® Al Shahrest&ni, ubi sup. p. 220. ® Poc. Spec. p. 22.
- Marracc. abi sup. 2Tdem, ibid. 3 Al Shahrest. 4 Al Firauzab, Vide Poc,
Spec. p. 231, 232, et 241. 5 Al Shahrest. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 235, et 240, &c,
116 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VITI.

thinking it not so proper to affix a name toa sect from a doctrine which
they combat, will have it come from Kadr, or Kodrat, i. e. power, because
they assert man’s power to act freely.6 Those, however, who give the name
of Kadarians to the Métazalites are their enemies, for they disclaim it, and
give it to their antagonists the Jabarians, who likewise refuse it as an 1n-
famous appellation,’ because Mohammed is said to have declared the Ka-
darians to be the Magians of his followers. But what the opinion of
the Kadarians in Mohammed’s time was is very uncertain: the Métaza-
lites say the name belongs to those who assert predestination, and make God
the author of good and evil,? viz. the Jabarians ; but all the other Moham-
medan sects agree to fix it on the Métazalites, who they say are like the
Magians in establishing two principles, light, or God, the author of good,
and darkness, or the devil, the author of evil: but this cannot absolutely be
said of the Métazalites, for they (at least the generality of them) ascribe
men’s good deeds to God, but their evil deeds to themselves ; meaning
thereby that man has a free liberty and power to do either good or evil, and
is master of his actions; and for this reason it is said that the other Moham-
medans call them Magians, because they assert another author of actions
besides God.' And, indeed, it is a difficult matter to say what Moham-
med’s own opinion was in this matter; for on the one side the Koran
itself is pretty plain for absolute predestination, and many sayings of
Mohammed are recorded to that purpose,? and one in particular, wherein
he introduces Adam and Moses disputing before God in this manner:
Thou, says Moses, art Adam; whom God created, and animated with the
breath of life, and caused to be worshipped by the angels, and placed
in paradise, from whence mankind have been expelled for thy fault:
whereto Adam answered, Thou art Moses; whom God chose for his
apostle, and entrusted him with his word, by giving thee the tables of the
law, and whom he vouchsafed to admit to discourse with himself: how
many years dost thou find the law was written before I was created? Says
Moses, Forty: And dost thou not find, replied Adam, these words therein;
And Adam rebelled against his Lord and transgressed ? which Moses con-
fessing, Dost thou therefore blame me, continued he, for doing that which
God wrote of me that I should do, forty years before I was created ; nay,
for what was decreed concerning me fifty thousand years before the creation
of heaven and earth? In the conclusion of which dispute Mohammed de-
clared that Adam had the better of Moses. On the other side, it is urged
in the behalf of the Métazalites, that Mohammed declaring that the Kada-
rians and Magians had been cursed by the tongues of seventy prophets, and
being asked who the Kadarians were, answered, Those who assert that God
predestinated them to be guilty of rebellion, and yet punishes them for it:
al Hasan is also said to have declared, that God sent Mohammed to the
Arabs while they were Kadarians, or Jabarians, and laid their sins upon
God: and to confirm the matter this sentence of the Koran is quoted ;*
When they commit a filthy action, they say, We found our fathers prac-
tising the same, and God hath commanded us so to do: Say, Verily God
commandeth not filthy actions.®

II. The Sefatians held the opposite opinion to the Métazalites in respect
to the eternal attributes of God, which they affirmed ; making no distinc-
tion between the essential attributes and those of operation: and hence

 

® Vide Poc. Spec. p. 238. 7 Al Motarrezi, al Shahrest. Vide ibid. p. 232. __* Tidem,
&c. ibid. |? Tidem, ibid. 1 Vide Poc. Spec. p. 233, &c. ® Vide ibid. p. 237.
* Ebn al Athir, al Bokhari, apud Poc. p. 236, * Chap. 7. * Al Motarrezi, apuc
eund. p. 237, 238,
eécr. vit. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 117

they were named Sefatians, or Attributists. Their doctrine was that of the
first Mohammedans, whbd were not yet acquainted with these nice distinc-
tions: but this sect afterwards introduced another species of declarative
attributes, or such as were necessarily used in historical narration, as hands,
face, eyes, &c., which they did not offer to explain, but contented them-
selves with saying they were in the law, and that they called them declara-
tive attributes. However, at length, by giving various explications and in-
terpretations of these attributes, they divided into many different opinions:
some, by taking the words in the literal sense, fell into the notion of a
likeness or similitude between God and created beings; to which it is said
the Karaites among the Jews, who are for the literal interpretation of
Moses’s law, had shown them the way :” others explained them in another
manner, saying that no creature was like God, but that they neither un-
derstood, nor thought it necessary to explain the precise signification of
the words which seem to affirm the same of both; it being sufficient to
believe that God hath no companion or similitude. Of this opinion was
Malec Ebn Ans, who declared as to the expression of God’s sitting on his
throne, in particular, that though the meaning is known, yet the manner
is unknown; and that it is necessary to believe it, but heresy to make
any question about it

The sects of the Sefatians are,

1. The Ashiarians, the followers of Abu’l Hasan al Ashari, who was first
a Métazalite, and the scholar of Abu Ali al Jobbai, but disagreeing from
his master in opinion as to God’s being bound (as the Métazalites assert)
to do always that which is best or most expedient, left him, and set up
a new sect of himself. The occasion of this difference was the putting
a case concerning three brothers, the first of whom lived in obedience to
God, the second in rebellion against him, and the third died an infant.
Al Jobbai being asked what he thought would become of them, answered,
that the first would be rewarded in paradise, the second punished in hell,
and the third neither rewarded nor punished : but what, objected al Asha-
ni, 1f the third say, O Lord, if thou hadst given me longer life, that I might
have entered paradise with my believing brother, it would have been better
for me; to which al Jobbai replied, that God would answer, I knew that
if thou hadst lived longer, thou wouldst have been a wicked person, and
therefore cast into hell. Then, retorted al Ashari, the second will say, O
Lord, why didst thou not take me away while I was an infant, as thou
didst my brother, that I might not have deserved to be punished for my sins,
nor be cast into hell? To which al Jobbai could return no other answer,
than that God prolonged his life to give him an opportunity of obtaining
the highest degree of perfection, which was best for him: but al Ashari
demanding farther, why he did not for the same reason grant the other a
longer life, to whom it would have been equally advantageous ; al Jobbai
was so put to it, that he asked whether the devil possessed him? No,
says al Ashari, but the master’s ass will not pass the bridge ;'i. e., he is
posed.

The opinions of the Ash4rians were, 1. That they allowed the attributes
of God to be distinct from his essence, yet so as to forbid any comparison
to be made between God and his creatures.2 This was also the opinion
of Ahmed Ebn Hanbal, and David al Ispahani, and others, who herein
followed Malec Ebn Ans, and were so cautious of any assimilation of God
to created beings, that they declared whoever moved his hand while he read

 

® Al Shahrest. apud Poc. Spee. p. 223. * Vide Poc. ibid. p. 224. 4 Vide eund.
ibid. 1 Auctor i Mecakee et al Safadi. apud Poe. ubi sup. p. 230, &c. Ebn Khalec.
in Vita al Jobbai. ? Al Shahrest. apud Poc. Spec. p. 230.
118 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. Vil.

these words: I have created with my hand; or stretched forth his finger
in repeating this saying of Mohammed: The heart of the believer i be-
tween two fingers of the Merciful ; ought to have his finger cut off : and
the reasons they gave for not explaining any such words were, that it is
forbidden in the Koran, and thatsuch explications were necessarily founded
on conjecture and opinion, from which no man ought to speak of the attri-
butes of God, because the words of the Koran might by that means come
to be understood differently from the author’s meaning: nay some have
been so superstitiously scrupulous in this matter as not to allow the words
hand, face, and the like, when they occur in the Koran, to be rendered into
Persian or any other language, but require them to be read in the very
original words, and this they call the safe way.‘ 2. As to predestination,
they held that God hath one eternal will, which is applied to whatsoever he
willeth, both of his own actions and those of men, so far as they are created
by him, but not as they are acquired or gained by them: that he willeth
both their good and their evil, their profit and their hurt, and as he willeth
and knoweth, he willeth concerning men that which he knoweth, and hath
commanded the pen to write the same in the preserved table: and this is
his decree, and eternal immutable counsel and purpose.’ They also went
so far as to say, that it may be agreeable to the way of God that man should
be commanded what he is not able to performs But while they allow man
some power, they seem to restrain it to such a power as cannot produce any
thing new; only God, say they, so orders his providence, that he creates,
after, or under, and together with every created or new power, an action
which is ready whenever a man wills it, and sets about it: and this action
is called Casb, i. e., Acquisition, being in respect to its creation, from God,
but in respect to its being produced, employed, and acquired, from man."
And this being generally esteemed the orthodox opinion, it may not be im-
proper farther to explain the same in the words of some other writers. The
elective actions of men, says one, fall under the power of God alone; nor is
{heir own power effectual thereto: but God causeth to exist in man power
and choice ; and if there be no impediment, he causeth his action to exist
also, subject to his power, and joined with that and his choice; which ac-
tion, as created, is to be ascribed to God, but as produced, employed, or
acquired, to man. So that by the acquisition of an action is properly meant
a man’s joining or connecting the same with his power and will, yet allow-
ing herein no impression or influence on the existence thereof, save only that
it is subject to his power.® Others, however, who are also on the side of al
Ashari, and reputed orthodox, explain the matter ina different manner, and
grant the impression or influence of the created power of man on his action,
and that this power is what is called Acquisition.? But the point will be stiil
clearer, if we hear a third author, who rehearses the various opinions, or ex:
plications of the opinion of this sect, in the following words, viz. Abu’] Hasan
al Ash4ri asserts all the actions of men to be subject to the power of God,
being created by him, and that the power of man hath no influence at all on
that which he is empowered to do; but that both the power, and what is
subject thereto, fall under the power of God: al Kadi Abu Becr says that
the essence or substance of the action is the effect of the power of God, but
its being either an action of obedience, as prayer, or an action of disobe-
dience, as fornication, are qualities of the action, which proceed from the
power of man; Abd’almalec, known by the title of Imam, al Haramein,

 

* Al Shahrest. apud Poe. Spec. p, 228, &c. “Vide Poe. ibid. 5 Al Shahrest. apud
eund. p. 245, &c. § Tdem, ibid. p. 246. * Al Shahrest, apud Poe. p, 245, &c.
* Auctor Sharh al Mawakef. apud eund. p. 247. ° Al Shahrest. ibid. p. 248.
ECT, VILL. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 119

Abu’l Hosein of Basra, and other learned men, held that the actions of
men are effected by the power which God hath created in man, and that
God causeth to exist in man both power and will, and that this power and
will do necessarily produce that which man is empowered to do: and Abu
shak al Isfarayeni taught, that that which maketh impression, or hath in-
fluence on an action, is a compound of the power of God and the power of
man.’ The same author observes, that their ancestors, perceiving a mani-
fest difference between those things which are the effects of the election of
man, and those things which are the necessary effects of inanimate agents,
destitute both of knowledge and choice, and being at the same time pressed
by the arguments which prove that God is the Creator of all things, and con-
sequently of those things which are done by men, to conciliate the matter,
chose the middle way, asserting actions to proceed from the power of God,
and the acquisition of man; God’s way of dealing with his servants being,
that when man intendeth obedience, God createth in him an action of
obedience, and when he intendeth disobedience, he createth in him an
action of disobedience ; so that man seemeth to be the effective producer of
his action, though he really be not.2 But this, proceeds the same writer, is
again pressed with its difficulties, because the very intention of the mind is
the work of God, so that no man hath any share in the production of his
own actions; for which reason the ancients disapproved of too nice an in-
quiry into this point, the end of the dispute concerning the same being, for
the most part, either the taking away of all precepts positive as well as
negative, or else the associating of a companion with God, by introducing
some other independent agent besides him. Those, therefore, who would
speak more accurately, use this form: There is neither compulsion nor free
liberty, but the way lies between the two; the power and will in man be-
ing both created by God, though the merit or guilt be imputed unto man.
Yet, after all, it is judged the safest way to follow the steps of the primitive
Moslems, and, avoiding subtle disputations and too curious inquiries, to
leave the knowledge of this matter wholly unto Gods 3. As to mortal sin

 

* Auctor Sharh al Taw4lea, apud eund. ibid. p. 248, &c. 2 Idem, ibid. p. 249, 250.

? Idem, ibid. p. 250, 251. I trust the reader will not be offended if, as a farther illustra-
tion of what has been said on this subject, (in producing of which I have purposely kept to
the original Mohammedan expressions) I transcribe a passage or two from a postscript sub-
joined to the epistle I have quoted above, (sect. iv. p. 77,) in which the point of free-will is
treated ex professo. Therein the Moorish author, having mentioned the two opposite
opinions of the Kadarians, who allow free-will, and the Jabarians, who make man a neces-
sary agent, (the former of which opinions, he says, seems to approach nearest to that of the
greater part of Christians, and of the Jews) declares the true opinion to be that of the Son-
nites, who assert that man hath power and will to choose good and evil, and can moreover
know he shall be rewarded if he do well, and shall be punished if he do ill; but that he
depends notwithstanding on God’s power, and willeth, if God willeth, but not otherwise,
Then he proceeds briefly to refute the two extreme opinions, and first to prove that of the
Kadarians, though it be agreeable to God’s justice, inconsistent with hisattributes of wisdom
and power: ‘‘ Sapientia enim Dei,’’ says he, ‘‘ comprehendit quicquid fuit et futurum est
ab eternitate in finem usque mundi et postea. Et ita novit ab zterno omnia opera creatu-
rarum, sive bona, sive mala, que fuerint creata cum potentia Dei, et ejus libera et deter-
minata voluntate, sicut ipsi visum fuit. Denique novit eum qui futurus erat malus, et ta-
men creavit eum, et similiter bonum, quem etiam creavit : neque negari potest quin, si ipsi
libuisset, potuisset omnes creare bonos: placuit tamen Deo creare bonos et malos, cum
Deo soli sit absoluta et libera voluntas, et perfecta electio, et non homini. Ita enim
Salomon in suis proverbiis dixit, Vitam et mortem, bonum et malum, divitias et pauper-
fatem, esse et venire 4 Deo. Christiani etiam dicunt S. Paulum dixisse in suis epis-
tolis; Dicet etiam lutum figulo, quare facis unum vas ad honorem, et aliud vas ad
zontumeliam? Cum igitur miser homo fuerit creatus 4 voluntate Dei et potentia, nihil
aliud potest tribui ipsi quam ipse sensus cognoscendi et sentiendi an bene vel maie
faciat. Que unica causa (id est, sensus cognoscendi) erit ejus glorie vel pene
vausa: per talem enim sensum novit quid boni vel mali adversus Dei preecepta fecerit,”’
12¢ PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VII

the Ashdrians taught, that if a believer guilty of such sin die without re-
pentance, his sentence is to be left to God, whether he pardon him out of
mercy, or whether the prophet intercede for him, (according to that saying
recorded of him, “ My intercession shall be employed for those among my
people who shall be guilty of grievous crimes,”) or whether he punish him
in proportion to his demerit, and afterwards, through his mercy, admit him
into paradise ; but that it is not to be supposed he will remain for ever
in hell with the infidels, seeing it is declared that whoever shall have faith
in his heart but of the weight of an ant shall be delivered from hell-fire.s
And this is generally received for the orthodox doctrine in this point,
and is diametrically opposite to that of the Métazalites.

These were the more rational Sefatians, but the ignorant part of them,
not knowing how otherwise to explain the expressions of the Koran
relating to the declarative attributes, fell into most gross and absurd
opinions, making God corporeal, and like created beings.® Such were,

2. The Moshabbebites, or assimilators ; who allowed a resemblance be-
tween God and his creatures,* supposing him to be a figure composed of
members or parts, either spiritual or corporeal, and capable of local motion,
of ascent and descent, &c.”7 Some of this sect inclined to the opinion of the

 

The opinion of the Jabarians, on the other hand, he rejects as contrary to man’s conscious-
ness of his own power and choice, and inconsistent with God’s justice, and his having
given mankind laws, to the observing or transgressing of which he has annexed rewards
and punishments. After this he proceeds to explain the third opinion in the following
words: ‘‘ Tertia opinio Zunis (i..e. Sonnitarum), que vera est, affirmat homini potestatem
esse, sed limitatam a sua causa, id est, dependentem a Dei potentia et voluntate, et prop-
ter illam cognitionem qua deliberat bené vel malé facere, esse dignum peena vel premio.
Manifestun: est in zeternitate non fuisse aliam potentiam preter Dei nostri omnipotentis, e
cujus potentia pendebant omnia possibilia, id est, que poterant esse, cum ab ipso fuerint
creata. Sapientia verd Dei novit etiam que non sunt futura; et potentia ejus, etsi non
creaverit ea, potuit tamen, si ita Deo placuisset. Ita novit sapientia Dei que erant impos-
sibilia, id est, quee non poterant esse ; que tamen nullo pacto pendent ab ejus potentia: ab
ejus enim potentia nulla pendent nisi possibilia—Dicimus enim a Dei potentia non pen-
dere creare Deum alium ipsi similem, nec creare aliquid quod moveatur et quiescat simul
eodem tempore, cum heec sint ex impossibilibus: comprehendit tamen sua sapientia tale
aliquid non pendere ab ejus potentia.—A potentia igitur Dei pendet soliim quod potest esse,
et possibile est esse: que semper parata est dare esse possibilibus. Et si hoc penitus
cognoscamus, cognoscemus pariter omne quod est, seu futurum est, sive sint opera nostra,
sive quidvis aliud, pendere a sola potentia Dei. Et hoc non privatim intelligitur. sed in
genere de omni eo quod est et movetur, sive in cclis, sive in terra; et nec aliqua poten-
tla potest impediri Dei potentia, cam iulla alia potentia absoluta sit, preter Dei; potentia
vero nostra non est a se, nisia Dei potentia: et cum potentia nostra dicitur esse a causa
sua, ideo dicimus potentiam nostram esse straminis comparatam cum potentia Dei: eo
enim modo quo stramen movetur 4 motu maris, ita nostra potentia et voluntas a Dei po-
tentia. Itaque Dei potentia semper est parata etiam ad occidendum aliquem; ut si quis
hominem occidat, non dicimus potentia hominis id factum, sed eterna potentia Dei: error
enim est id tribuere potenti hominis. Potentia enim Dei, cim semper sit parata, et ante
ipsum hominem, ad occidendum; si sola hominis potentia id factum esse diceremus, et
moreretur, potentia sané Dei (que anté erat) jam ibi esset frustra; quia post mortem non
potest potentia Dei eum iterum occidere ; ex quo sequeretur potentiam Dei impediri a po-
tentia hominis, et potentiam hominis anteire et antecellere potentiam Dei; quod est ab-
surdum et impossibile. Igitur Deus est qui operatur zterna sua potentia ; si vero homini
injiciatur culpa, sive in tali homicidio, sive in aliis, hoc est quantum ad precepta et legem.
Homini tribuitur sqlim opus externé, et ejus electio, que est a voluntate ejus et potentia;
non vero interné.—Hoc es punctum illud indivisibile et secretum, quod a paucissimis ,
capitur, ut sapientissimus Sidi Abo Hamet Elgaceli (i. e. Dominus Abu Hamed al Gha-
vali) affirmat kena spiritui Deus concedat gloriam, Amen!) sequentibus verbis: Ita ab-
ditum et profundum et abstrusum est intelligere punctum illud Liberi Arbitrii, ut neque
characteres ad scribendum, neque ulle rationes ad exprimendum sufficiant, et omnes;
quotquot de hac re locuti sunt, heserunt confusi in ripa tanti et tam spaciosi maris.’’

* Al Shahrest. apud Poc. Spec. p. 258. 5 Vide Poe. ibid. p. 255, &c. Abultar,
p. 167 dc. 5 Al Mawakef, apud Poe. ibid. 7 Al Shahrest. apud eund. ibid.
p. 226.
SECT, VIII. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 121

Holilians, who believed that the divine nature might be united with the
human in the same person; for they granted it possible that God might
appear in a human form, as Gabriel did: and to confirm their opinion they
allege Mohammed’s words, that he saw his lord in a most beautiful form,
and Moses talking with God face to faces And,

3. The Keramians, or followers of Mohammed Ebn Keram, called also
Mojassemians, or Corporealists; who not only admitted a resemblance
between God and created beings, but declared God to be corporeal.? The
more sober among them, indeed, when they applied the word body to God,
would be understood to,mean that he is a self-subsisting being, which with
them is the definition of body: but yet some of them affirmed him to be
finite, and circumscribed either on all sides, or on some only (as beneath,
for example), according to different opinions ;” and others allowed that he
might be felt by the hand, and seen by the eye. Nay, one David al Jawari
went so far as to say, that his deity was a body composed of flesh and
blood, and that he had members, as hands, feet, a head, a tongue, eyes, and
ears; but that he was a body, however, not like other bodies, neither was
he like to any created being: he is also said farther to have affirmed that
from the crown of the head to the breast he was hollow, and from the
breast downward solid, and that he had black curled hair... These most
blasphemous and monstrous notions were the consequence of the literal
acceptation of those passages in the Koran which figuratively attribute cor-
poreal actions to God, and of the words of Mohammed, when he said, that
God created man in his own image, and that he himself had felt the fingers
of God, which he laid on his back, to be cold: besides which, this sect are
charged with fathering on their prophet a great number of spurious and
forged traditions to support their opinion, the greater part whereof they
borrowed from the Jews, who are accused as naturally prone to assimilate
God to men, so that they describe him as weeping for Noah’s flood till his
eyes were sore. And indeed, though we grant the Jews may have im-
pgsed on Mohammed and his followers in many instances, and told them
as solemn truths things which themselves believed not or had invented, yet
many expressions of this kind are to be found in their writings; as when
they introduce God roaring like a lion at every watch of the night, and
crying, “ Alas! that I have laid waste my house, and suffered my temple to
be burnt, and sent my children into banishment among the heathen,” &c?

4, The Jabarians; who are the direct opponents of the Kadarians,
denying free agency in man, and ascribing his actions wholly unto God.
They take their denomination from al Jabr, which signifies necessity or
compulsion ; because they hold man to be necessarily and inevitably con-
strained to act as he does, by force of God’s eternal and immutable decree.5
This sect is distinguished into several species ; some being more rigid and
extreme in their opinion, who are thence called pure Jabarians, and others
more moderate, who are therefore called middle Jabarians. The former
will not allow men to be said either to act, or to have any power at all,
either operative or acquiring; asserting that man can do nothing, but
produces all his actions by necessity, having neither power, nor will, nor
choice, any more than an inanimate agent: they also declare that rewarding
and punishing are also the effects of necessity ; and the same they say of
the imposing of commands. This was the doctrine of the Jahmians, the

 

® Vide Marracc. Prodr. partiii.p.76. °®AlShahrest.ubisup. _ * Idem, ibid. p. 225,
* Idem, ibid. p. 226, 227. 2 Idem, ibid. p. 227, 228. *Talm. Berachoth. c. 1. Vide
Poc. ubi sup. p. 228. __* Vide Abulfarag. p.168. | * Al Shahrest. al Mawakef, et Ebn
al Kossé, apud Poc. ibid. p. 238, &c.
~

122 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VII.

followers of Jahm Ebn Safw4n, who likewise held that paradise and hell
will vanish, or be annihilated, after those who are destined thereto respec-
tively shall have entered them, so that at last there will remain no existing
being besides God ;§ supposing those words of the Koran, which declare
that the inhabitants of paradise and of hell shall remain therein forever, to
be hyperbolical only, and intended for corroboration, and not to denote an
eternal duration in reality.’’ The moderate Jabarians are they who ascribe
some power to man, but such a power as hath no influence on the action:
for as to those who grant the power of man to have a certain influence on
the action, which influence is called Acquisition, some*® will not admit them
to be called Jabarians; though others reckon those also to be called middle
Jabarians, and to contend for the middle opinion between absolute necessity
and absolute liberty, who attribute to man acquisition, or concurrence, in
producing the action, whereby he gaineth commendation or blame, (yet
without admitting it to have any influence on the action), and therefore
make the Ashdrians a branch of this sect.2 Having again mentioned the
term Acquisition, we may perhaps have a clearer idea of what the Moham-
medans mean thereby, when told, that it is defined to be an action directed
to the obtaining of profit, or the removing of hurt, and for that reason never
applied to any action of God, who acquireth to himself neither profit nor
burt.) Of the middle or moderate Jabarians, were the Najarians, and the
Derdrians. The Najarians were the adherents of Al Hasan Ebn Moham-
med al Najar, who taught that God was he who created the actions of
men, both good and bad, and that man acquired them, and also that man’s
power had an influence on the action, or a certain cooperation, which
he called acquisition ;, and herein he agreed with al Ashari.2 The Dera-
rians were the disciples of Derar Ebn Amru, who held also that men’s
actions are really created by God, and that man really acquired them.
The Jabarians also say, that God is absolute Lord of his creatures, and
may deal with them according to his own pleasure, without rendering
account to any, and that if he should admit all men without distinction
into paradise, it would be no impartiality, or if he should cast them all
into hell it would be no injustice. And in this particular likewise they
agree with the Ashdrians, who assert the same, and say that reward is a
favour from God, and punishment a piece of justice ; obedience being by
them considered as a sign only of future reward, and transgression as a
sign of future punishments

5. The Morgians; who are said to be derived from the Jabarians’
These teach that the judgment of every true believer, who hath been guilty

 

© Al Shahrest. al Motarezzi, et Ebn al Koss, apud eund. p. 239, 243, &c. 1Tdem,
ibid. p. 260. ® Al Shahrest. * Ebn al Kossa, et al Mawakef. + Ebn al Kossé,
apud Poc. ubi sup. p. 240. 2 Al Shahrest. apud eund. p. 245. # Idem, ibid. °* Abul-
farag, p. 168, &c. » A] Shahrestani, ubi sup. p. 252, &c. — * Sharh al Tawélea, ibid.
To the same effect writes the Moorish author quoted above, from whom I will venture to
transcribe the following passage, with which he concludes his discourse on Free-will.
“«JIntellectus feré lumine naturali novit Deum esse rectum judicem et justum, qui non ali-
ter afficit creaturam quam juste: etiam Deum esse absolutum Dominum, et hanc orbis
machinam esse ejus, et ab eo creatam; Deum nullis debere rationem reddere, cum quic-
quid agat, agat jure proprio sibi: ct ita absolute poterit afficere premio vel paena quem
vult, cum omnis creatura sit ejus, nec facit cuiquam injuriam, etsi eam tormentis et penis
zternis afficiat: plus enim boni et commodi accepit creatura quando accepit esse 4 suo
creatore, quam incommodi et damni quando ab eo damnata est et affecta tormentis et
penis. Hoc autem intelligitur si Deus absolute id faceret. Quando enim Deus, pietate
et misericordia motus, eee aliquos ut ipsi serviant, Dominus Deus gratia sua id facit ex
infinita bonitate ; et quando aliquos derelinquit, et pcenis et tormentis afficit, ex justitia et
rectitudine. Et tandem dicimus omnes penas esse justas que 4 Deo veniunt et nostra
tantum culpa, et omnia bone esse a pietate et misericordia ejus infinita.’’ 7 A] Shah-
rest. ubi sup. p. 256.
SECT. VIN, PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 128

of a grievous sin, will be deferred till the resurrection; for which reason
they pass no sentence on him in this world, either of absolution or con-
demnation. They also hold that disobedience with faith hurteth not; and
that on the other hand, obedience with infidelity profiteth net. As to the
reason of theirname the learned differ, because of the different significations
of its root, each of which they accommodate to some opinion of the sect.
Some think them so called because they postpone works to intention, that
is, esteem works to be inferio. in degree to intention and profession of the
faith ;9 others, because they allow hope, by asserting that disobedience with
faith hurteth not, &c.; others take the reason of the name to be, ‘their
deferring the sentence of the heinous sinner till the resurrection ;! and
others, their degrading of Ali, or removing him from the first degree to
the fourth :* for the Morgians, in some points relating to the office of
Imam, agree with the Kharejites. This sect is divided into four species:
three of which, according as they happen to agree in particular dogmas
with the Kharejites, the Kadarians, or the Jabarians, are distinguished
as Morgians of those sects, and the fourth is that of the pure Morgians;
which last species is again subdivided into five others.? The opinions of
Mokatel and Bashar, both of a sect of the Morgians called Thaubanians,
should not be omitted. The former asserted that disobedience hurts not
him who professes the unity of God, and is endued with faith; and that no
true believer shall be cast into hell: he also taught that God will surely
forgive all crimes besides infidelity ; and that a disobedient believer will be
punished, at the day of resurrection, on the bridge? laid over the midst of
hell, where the flames of hell-fire shall catch hold on him, and torment him
in proportion to his disobedience, and that he shall then be admitted
into paradise.’ The latter held, that if God do cast the believers guilty of
‘grievous sins into hell, yet they will be delivered thence after they shall
have been sufficiently punished ; but that it is neither possible nor con-
sistent with justice, that they should remain therein for ever: which, as
has been observed,‘was the opinion of a] Ashari.

III. The Khiarejites are they who depart or revolt from the lawful prince
‘established by public consent ; and thence comes their name, which signi-
fies revolters or rebels.° The first who were so called were twelve thousand
men who revolted from Ali, after they had fought under him at the battle
of Seffein, taking offence at his submitting the decision of his right to the
Khalifat, which Moawiyah disputed with him, to arbitration, though they
themselves had first obliged him to it.7 These were also called Mohak-
‘kemites, or Judiciarians; because the reason which they gave for their
revolt was, that Ali had referred a matter concerning the religion of God to
the judgment of men, whereas the judgment in such case, belonged only
unto God.’ The heresy of the Kharejites consisted chiefly in two things.
1. In that they affirmed a man might be promoted to the dignity of Imam,
or prince, though he was not of the tribe of Koreish, nor even a freeman,
provided he was a just and pious person, and endued with the other re-
quisite qualifications; and also held, that if the Imam turned aside from
the truth, he might be put to death or deposed; and that there was
‘no absolute necessity for any Imam at all in the world. 2.:In that they
charged Ali with sin, for having left an affair to the judgment of men,
which ought to have been determined by God alone ; and went so far as to
declare him guilty of infidelity, and to curse him on that account.’ In the

 

® Abulfar. p.169. —* Al Firauz. 1 Ebn al Athir, al Motarrezi. 2 Al Shahrest.
ubi sup. p. 254, &c. 2 Idem, ibid. ‘ See before, sect. iv. p. 65. 5 Al Shahrest.
ubi sup. p. 257. 8 Idem, ibid. p. 269. * See Ockley’s Hist. of the Sarac. vol. i.
p. 60, &c. ® Al Shahrest. ubi sup. p. 270. 4 Idem, ibid. :
124 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VIII.

38th year of the Hejra, which was the year following the revolt, all these
Kh§arejites, who persisted in their rebellion, to the number of four thousand,
were cut to pieces by Ali, and as several historians’ write, even to a man:
but others say nine of them escaped, and thattwo fled into Oman, two into
Kerman, two into Sejestan, two into Mesopotamia, and one to Tel Mawran;
and that these propagated their heresy in those places, the same remaining
there to this day.8 The principal sects of the Khérejites, besides the
Mohakkemites above mentioned, are six ; which, though they greatly differ
among themselves in other matters, yet agree in these, viz. that they abso-
lutely reject Othman and Ali, preferring the doing of this to the greatest
obedience, and allowing marriages to be contracted on no other terms;
that they account those who are guilty of grievous sins to be infidels ; and
that they hold it necessary to resist the Imam when he transgresses the
law. One sect of them deserves more particular notice, viz. .

The Waidians ; so called from al Waid, which signifies the threats de-
nounced by God against the wicked. These are the antagonists of the
Morgians, and assert that he who is guilty of a grievous sin ought to be
declared an infidel or apostate, and will be eternally punished in hell,
though he were a true believer:‘ which opinion of theirs, as has been
observed, occasioned the first rise of the Métazalites. One Jaafar Ebn
Mobashshar, of the sect of the NodhAmians, was yet more severe than the
Waidians, pronouncing him to be a reprobate and an apostate who steals
but a grain of corn?

IV. The Shiites are the opponents of the Kharejites: their name pro-
perly signifies sectaries or adherents in general, but is peculiarly used to
denote those of Ali Ebn Abi Taleb ; who maintain him to be lawful Khalif
and Imam, and that the supreme authority, both in spirituals and temporals,
of right belongs to his descendants, notwithstanding they may be deprived
of it by the injustice of others, or their own fear. They also teach, that the
office of Imam is not a common thing, depending on the will of the vulgar,
so that they may set up whom they please; but a fundamental affair of
religion, and an article which the prophet could not have neglected, or left
to the fancy of the common people :* nay some, thence called Imamians,
go so far as to assert, that religion consists solely in the knowledge of the
trueImam.’ The principal sects of the Shiitesare five, whichare subdivided
into an almost innumerable: number; so that some understand Moham-
med’s prophecy of the seventy odd sects, of the Shiites only. Their gene-
ral opinions are, 1. That the peculiar designation of the Imam, and the tes-
timonies of the Koran and Mohammed concerning him, are necessary points.
2. That the ImAms ought necessarily to keep themselves free from light sins
as well as more grievous. 3. That every one ought publicly to declare
who it is that he adheres to, and from whom he separates himself, by word,
deed, or engagement; and that herein there should be no dissimulation.
But in this last point some of the Zeidians, a sect so named from Zeid, the
son of Ali, surnamed Zein al dbedin, and great-grandson of Ali, dissented
from the rest of the Shiites.’ As to other articles, wherein they agreed not,
some of them came pretty near to the notions of the Métazalites, others to
those of the Moshabbehites, and others to those of the Sonnites.© Among
the latter of these, Mohammed al Baker, another son of Zein al Abedin’s,
seem to claim a place: for his opinion as to the will of God was, that God

 

? Abu'lfeda, al Jannabi. Elmacinus, p.40. __* AlShahrestani. See Ockley’s Hist. of
the Saracens, ubi sup. p. 63. * Abulfar. p. 169. Al Shahrest. apud Poc. Spec. p. 256.
® Vide Poe. ibid. p.257. ® Al Shahrest. ibid. p. 261. Abulfar. p.169. 7A] Shahrest ibid.
p. 262. ® Idem, ibid. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Schiah. ° Vide Poe. ibid,
SECT. rut. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 125

willeth something in us, and something from us, and that what he willeth:
from us he hath revealed to us; for which reason he thought it preposte-
rous that we should employ our thoughts about those things which God
willeth in us, and neglect those which he willeth from us: and as to God’s
decree, he held that the way lay in the middle, and that there was neither
compulsion nor free liberty.' A tenet of the Khattabians, or disciples of
one Abu’! Khattab, is too peculiar to be omitted. These maintained para-
dise to be no other than the pleasures of this world, and hell-fire to be
the pains thereof, and that the world will never decay : which proposition
being first laid down, it is no wonder they went farther, and declared it
lawful to indulge themselves in drinking wine and whoring, and to do
other things forbidden by the law, and also to omit doing the things com-
manded by the law.?

Many of the Shiites carried their veneration for Ali and his descendants
so far, that they transgressed all bounds of reason and decency ; though
some of them were less extravagant than others. The Gholaites, who had
their name from their excessive zeal for their Iméms, were so highly
transported therewith, that they raised them above the degrees of created
beings, and attributed divine properties to them; transgressing on either
hand, by deifying of mortal men, and by making God corporeal: for one
while they liken one of their Imams to God, and another while they liken
God to a creatures The sects of these are various, and have various
appellations in different countries. Abd’allah Ebn Saba (who had been a
Jew, and had asserted the same thing of Joshua the son of Nun) was the
ringleader of one of them. This man gave the following salutation to Ali,
viz. Thou art thou, i. e. Thou art God: and hereupon the Gholaites be-
came divided into several species; some maintaining the same thing, or
something like it, of Ali, and others of some one of his descendants ;
affirming that he was not dead, but would return again in the clouds, and
fill the earth with justice.‘ But how much soever they disagreed in other
things, they unanimously held a metempsychosis, and what they call al
Holal, or the descent of God on his creatures; meaning thereby,-that God
is present in every place, and speaks with every tongue, and appears in
some individual persons :° and heuce some of them asserted their Imims
to be prophets, and at length gods.6 The Nosairians and the Ishakians
taught that spiritual substances appear in grosser bodies; and that the
angels and the devil have appeared in this manner. They also assert that
God hath appeared in the form of certain men ; and since, after Mehammed,
there hath been no man more excellent than Ali, and after him, his sons
have excelled al] other men, that God hath appeared in their form,
spoken with their tongue, and made use of their hands, for which reason,
say they, we attribute divinity to them.” And, to support these blasphe-
mies, they tell several miraculous things of Ali, as his moving the gates
of Khaibar,’ which they urge as a plain proof that he was endued with a 1
particle of divinity and with sovereign power, and that he was the person
in whose form God appeared, with whose hands he created all things, and
with whose tongue he published his commands; and therefore they say he
was in being before the creation of heaven and earth. In so impious a
manner do they seem to wrest those things which are said in scripture of
Christ, by applying them to Ali. These extravagant fancies of the Shiites ;

 

1 Al Shahrest. ibid. p. 263. 2 Idem, et Ebn al Koss, ibid. p. 260, &c. *Tdem,
ibid. 4 Idem, ibid. p. 264. Vide Marracc. Prodr. part ili. p. 80, &c. | * Al Shahrest-
ibid. p. 265, ® Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Or. Art. Hakem beamrillah. 7 Idem, ibid.
Abulfar. p. 169. ® See Prid. Life of Moham. p. 93. ® Al Shah. ubi eup. p. 268,

K
126 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. vif.

however, in making their Imams partakers of the divine nature, and the
umpiety of some of those Imams jin laying claim thereto, are so far from
being peculiar to this sect, that most of the other Mohammedan sects are
tainted with the same madness; their being many found among them, ana
. among the Siifis especially, who pretend to be nearly related to heaven, and
who boast of strange revelations before the credulous people.! It may not
be amiss to hear what al Ghazali has written on this occasion. “ Matters
are come to that pass,” says he, “ that some boast of a union with God, and
of discoursing familiarly with him, without the interposition of a veil, say-
ing, It hath been thus said to us, and We have thus spoken ; affecting to
imitate Hosein al Hallaj, who was put to death for some words of this kind
uttered by him, he having said (as was proved by credible witnesses), I am
the Truth? or Abu Yazid al Bastami, of whom it is related that he often
used the expression, Sobhani, i. e. Praise be unto me! But this way of
talking is the cause of great mischief among the common people; insomuch
that husbandmen, neglecting the tillage of their land, have pretended to the
like privileges; nature being tickled with discourses of this kind, which
furnish men with an excuse for leaving their occupations, under pretence of
purifying their souls, and attaining I know not what degrees and conditions.
Nor is there any thing to hinder the most stupid fellows from forming the
like pretensions, and catching at such vain expressions : for whenever what
they say is denied to be true, they fail not to reply that our unbelief pro-
ceeds from learning and logic; affirming learning to be a veil, and: logic
the work of the mind; whereas what they tell us appears only within,
being discovered by the light of truth. But this is that truth the sparks
whereof have flown into several countries, and occasioned great mischiefs,
so that it is more for the advantage of God’s true religion to put to death
one of those who utter such things than to bestow life on ten others.”
Thus far have we treated of the chief sects among the Mohammedans of
the first ages; omitting to say any thing of the more modern sects, because
the same are taken little or no notice of by their own writers, and would
be of no use to our present design. It may be proper, however, to men-
tion a word or two of the great schism at this day subsisting between the
Sonnites and the Shiites, or partisans of Ali, and maintained on either side
with implacable hatred and furious zeal. Though the difference arose at
first on a political occasion, it has notwithstanding been so well improved
by additional circumstances, and the spirit of contradiction, that each party
detest and anathematize the other as abominable heretics, and farther
from the truth than either the Christians or the Jews.° The chief points
wherein they differ are, 1. That the Shiites reject Abu Becr, Omar, and
Othman, the first three Khalifs, as usurpers and intruders; whereas the
Sonnites acknowledge and respect them as rightful Imams, 2. The Shiites
, prefer Ali to Mohammed, or, at least, esteem them both equal; but the
Sonnites admit neither Ali nor any of the prophets to be equal to Moham-
med. 38. The Sonnites charge the Shiites with corrupting the Koran, and
neglecting its precepts; and the Shiites retort the same charge on the
Sonnites. 4. The Sonnites receive the Sonna, or book of traditions of their
prophet, as of canonical authority; whereas the Shiites reject itas apocryphal
and unworthy of credit. And to these disputes, and some others of less
moment, is principally owing the antipathy which has long reigned between

t Pocock, Spec. p. 267. 2 Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. [allace. 3 Vide
Ibid. Art. Bastham. “ Al Ghazali, apud Poc. ubi sup. : The rene may meet
with some account of them in Ricaut’s State of the Ottom. Empire, lib. 2.¢c.12. —* Vide
ibid. c. 10, et Chardin. Voy. de Perse, tom. ii. p. 169, 170, &c.
SECT. VIN. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 197

the Turks, who are Sonnites, and the Persians who ate of the sect of Ali.
Tt seems strange that Spinosa, had he known of no other schism among the
Mohammedans, should yet never have heard of one so publicly notorious
as this between the Turks and Persians; but it is plain he did not, or he
would never have assigned it as the reason of his preferring the order of
the Mohammedan church to that of the Roman, that there have arisen no
schisms in the former since its birth.”

As success in any project seldom fails to draw in imitators, Moham-
med’s having raised himself to such a degree of power and reputation by
acting the prophet induced others to imagine they might arrive at the
same height by the same means. His most considerable competitors in
the prophetic office were Moseilama and al Aswad, whom the Mohamme-
dans usually call the two liars.

The former was of the tribe of Honeifa, who inhabited the province of
Yamama, and a principal man among them. He headed an embassy sent
by his tribe to Mohammed in the ninth year of the Hejra, and professed
himself a Moslem ;® but on his return home, considering that he might
possibly share with Mohammed in his power, the next year he set up fora
prophet also, pretending to be joined with him in the commission to recall
mankind from idolatry to the worship of the true God :° and he published
written revelations, in imitation of the Koran, of which Abu’lfaragius” has
preserved the following passage, viz. Now hath God been gracious unto her
that was with child, and hath brought forth from her the soul which run-
neth between the peritonzeum and the bowels. Moseilama, having formed
a considerable party among those of Honeifa, began to think himself upon
equal terms with Mohammed, and sent him a letter, offering to go halves
with him,! in these words: From Moseilama the apostle of God, to Moham-
med the apostle of God. Now let the earth be half mine and half thine.
But Mohammed, thinking himself too well established to need a partner,
wrote him this answer: From Mohammed the apostle of God, to Moseilama
the liar. The earth is God’s; he giveth the same for inheritance unto such
of his servants as he pleaseth ; and the happy issue shall attend those who
fear him.2 During the few months which Mohammed lived after this re-
volt, Moseilama rather gained than lost ground, and grew very formidable;
but Abu Becr, his successor, in the eleventh year of the Hejra, sent a great
army against him, under the command of that consummate general Khaled
Ebn al Walid, who engaged Moseilama in a bloody battle, wherein the
false prophet happening to be slain by Wahsha, the negro slave who had
killed Hamza at Ohod, and by the same lance,’ the Moslems gained an
entire victory, ten thousand of the apostates being left dead on the spot,
and the rest returning to Mohammedism.*

Al Aswad, whose name was Aihala, was of the tribe of Ans, and governed
that and the other tribes of Arabs descended from Madhhaj.2 This man
was likewise an apostate from Mohammedism, and set up for himself the
very year that Moharnmed died. He was surnamed Dhu’lhemiar, or the
master of the ass, because he used frequently to say, The master of the ass

 

™The words of Spinosa are; *‘ Ordinem Romane ecclesia—politicum et plurimis lu-
crosum esse fateor; nec ad decipiendam plebem, et hominum animos coercendum com-
modiorem isto crederem, ni ordo Mahumedane ecclesie esset, qui longé eundem ante-
cellit. Nam 4 quo tempore hec superstitio incepit, nulla in eorum ecclesia schismata orta
sunt.” Opera Posth. p.613. _ ® Abulfed. p. 160. ® Idem, Elmac. p. 9. © Hist.
Dynast. p. 164. 1 Abulfed. ubi sup. 2 Al Beidawi, in Kor. c. 5. . Abulfed. ubi
stip. “Idem, ibid. Abulfarag. p. 173. Elmac. p./16, &c. See Ockley’s Hist of the
Sarac. vol. i. p. 15, &e. s Al Soheili, apud Gagnier. in not. ad Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 158.
5 Elmae. p. 9.
128 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. seoT. VIN.

is coming unto me ;7 and pretended to receive his revelations from two
angels named Sohaik and Shoraik.8 Having a good hand at legerdemain,
and a smooth tongue, he gained mightily on the multitude by the strange
feats which he showed them, and the eloquence of his discourse :* by these
means he greatly increased his power, and having made himself master of
Najran and the territory of al Tayef,! on the death of Badhan, the governor
of Yaman for Mohammed, he seized that province also, killing Shahr, the
son of Badhan, and taking to wife his widow, whose father, the uncle of
Firdz the Deilamite, he had also slain? These news being brought to
Mohammed, he sent to his friends, and to those of Hamdan; a party of
whom, conspiring with Kais Ebn Abd’ al Yaghith, who bore al Aswad a
grudge, and with Firdz and al Aswad’s wife, broke by night into his house,
where Firdz surprised him and cut off his head. While he was despatching
he roared like a bull; at which his guards came to the chamber door, but
were sent away by his wife, who told them the prophet was only agitated
by the divine inspiration. This was done the very night before Mohammed
died. The next morning the conspirators caused the following proclamation
to be made, viz. I bear witness that Mohammed is the apostle of God, and
that Aibala is a liar; and letters were immediately sent away to Moham-
ned, with an account of what had been done ; but a messenger from heaven
outstripped them, and acquainted the prophet with the news, which he
imparted to his companions a little before his death ; the letters themselves
not arriving till Abu Becr was chosen Khalif. It is said that Mohammed
on this occasion told those who attended him, that before the day of judg-
ment thirty more impostors, besides Moseilama and al Aswad, should
appear, and every one of them set up for a prophet. The whole time from
the beginning of Aswad’s rebellion to his death was about four months.?

In the same eleventh year of the Hejra, but after the death of Moham-
med, as seems most probable, Toleiha Ebn Khowailed set up for a pro-
phet, and Sejaj Bint al Mondar‘ for a prophetess.

Toleiha was of the tribe of Asad, which adhered to him, together with
great numbers of the tribes of Ghatfan and Tay. Against them likewise
was Khaled sent, who engaged and put them to flight, obliging Toleiha
with his shattered troops to retire into Syria, where he staid till the death
of Abu Becr: then he went to Omar and embraced Mohammedism in his
presence, and having taken the oath of fidelity to him, returned to his
own country and people. i

Sejaj, surnamed Omm Sader, was of the tribe of Tamim, and the wife of
Abu Cahdala, a soothsayer of Yamama. She was followed not only by
those of her own tribe, but by several others. Thinking a prophet the
most proper husband for her, she went to Moseilama, and married him;
but after she had staid with him three days, she left him, and returned
home.’ What became of her afterwards I do not find. Ebn Shohnah
has. given us a part of the conversation which passed at the interview
between those two pretenders to inspiration; but the same is a little too
immodest to be translated.

In succeeding ages several impostors from time to time started up, most
of whom quickly came to nothing: but some made a considerable figure,
and propagated sects which continued long after their decease. I shall give
a brief account of the most remarkable of them, in order of time.

 

* Abulfed. ubi sup. 8 Al Soheili, ubi sup. * Abulfed. ubi sup. ‘Abin ok
Hlaee bE. ee Jannabi, ubisup. ° Tidem, ibid. + Htbn Shohnah
and Elmacinus call her the daughter o: areth. *Elmac. p. 16, al Beidawi, in Kor.
ce. 5. ® Ebn Shohnah. Vide Elmac. p. 16. Ben eldawi, In
SECT. VIL. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. . 129

In the reign of al Mohdi, the third Khalif of the race of al Abbas, one
Hakem Ebn Hashem,’ originally of Meri in Khorasan, who had been an
under-secretary to Abu Moslem, the governor of that provinge, and after-
wards turned soldier, passed thence into Marwara’lnahr, where he gave
himself out for a prophet. He is generally named by the Arab writers al
Mokanna, and sometimes al Borkai, that is the veiled, because he used to
cover his face with a veil, or agilded mask, to conceal his deformity, having
lost an eye in the wars, and being otherwise of a despicable appearance ;
though his followers pretended he did it for the same reason as Moses did,
viz. lest the splendour of his countenance should dazzle the eyes of the
beholders. He made a great many proselytes at Nakhshab and Kash,
deluding the people with several juggling performances, which they
swallowed for miracles, and particularly by causing the appearance of a
moon to rise out of a well for many nights together ; whence he was also
called, in the Persian tongue, SAzendeh mah, or the moon-maker. ‘This
impious impostor, not content with being reputed a prophet, arrogated
divine honours to himself, pretending that the deity resided in his person:
and the doctrine whereon he built this was the same with that of the
Gholaites above-mentioned, who affirmed a transmigration or successive
manifestation of the divinity, through and in certain prophets and holy men,
trom Adam to these latter days (of which opinion was also Abu Moslem
himself®) ; but the particular doctrine of al Mokanna was, that the person
in whom the deity had last resided was the aforesaid Abu Moslem, and
that the same had, since his death, passed into himself. The faction of al
Mokanna, who had made himself master of several fortified places in the
neighbourhood of the cities above-mentioned, growing daily more and more
powerful, the Khalif was at length obliged to send an army to reduce him;
at the approach whereof al Mokanna retired into one of his strongest
fortresses, which he had well provided for a siege, and sent his emissaries
abroad to persuade people that he raised the dead to life, and knew future
events. But being straitly besieged by the Khalif’s forces, when he found
there was no possibility for him to escape, he gave poison in wine to his
whole family and all that were with him in the castle, and when they were
dead he burnt their bodies, together with their clothes, and all the pro-
visions, and cattle; and then, to prevent his own body being found, he
threw himself into the flames, or, as others say, into a tub of aqua fortis, or
some other preparation, which consumed every part of him, except only his
hair: so that when the besiegers entered the place they found no creature
in it, save one of al Mokanna’s concubines, who, suspecting his design, had
hid herself, and discovered the whole matter. This contrivance, however,
failed not to produce the effect which the impostor designed among the
remaining part of his followers; for he had promised them that his soul
should transmigrate into the form of a grey-headed man, riding on a greyish
beast, and that after so many years, he would return to them, and give
them the earth for their possession ; the expectation of which promise kept
the sect in being for several ages after,? under the name of Mobeyyidites,
or, as the Persians call them, Sefid jamehghian, i. e. the clothed in white,
because they wore their garments of that colour, in opposition, as is sup-
posed, to the Khalifs of the family of Abbas, whose banners and habits

 

7 Or Ebn Ata, according to Ebn Shohnah. 8 This explains a doubt of Mr. Bayle
concerning a passage of Elmacinus, as translated by Erpenius, and corrected by Bespier.
Vide Earle Dict. Hist. Art. Abumuslimus, vers la fin, et Rem. B. ® They were a sect
in the days of Abu’lfaragius, who lived about five hundred years after this extraordinary
event; and may, for aught I know, be so still.
130 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VAT.

were black. The historians place the death of al Mokanna in the 162nd
or 168rd year of the Hejra.’ .

In the year of the Hejra 201, Babec, surnamed al Khorremi and Khor-
remdin either because he was of a certain district near Adherbijan, called
Khorrem, or because he instituted a merry religion, which is the significa-
tion of the word in Persian, began to take on him the title of a prophet. I
do not find what doctrine he taught; but it is said he professed none of
the religions then known in Asia. He gained a great number of devotees
in Adherbijan and the Persian Irak, and grew powerful enough to wage
war with the Khalif al Mamin, whose troops he often beat, killing several
of his generals, and one of them with his own hand ; and by these victories
he became so formidable that al Métasem, the successor, of al Maman, was
obliged to employ the forces of the whole empire against him, The gene-
ral sent to reduce Babec was Afshid, who having overthrown him in bat-
tle, took his castles one after another with invincible patience, notwith-
standing the rebels gave him great annoyance, and at last shut up the
impostor in his principal fortress ; which being taken, Babec found means
to escape thence in disguise, with some of his family and principal fol-
lowers; but taking refuge in the territories of the Greeks, was betrayed in
the following manner. Sahel, an Armenian officer, happening to know
Babec, enticed him, by offers of service-and respect, into his power, and
treated him as a mighty prince, till, when he sat down to eat, Sahel clapt
himself down by him; at which Babec being surprised, asked him how he
dared to take that liberty unasked? “It is true, great king,” replied
Sahel, “I have committed a fault ; for who am I, that I should sit at your
majesty’s table.” And immediately sending for a smith, he made use of
«ais bitter sarcasm, “Stretch forth your legs, great king, that this man
may put fetters on them.” After this Sahel sent him to Afshid, though he
had offered a large sum for his liberty, having first served him in his own
kind, by causing his mother, sister, and wife, to be ravished before his face;
.for so Babec used to treat his prisoners. Afshid, having the arch-rebel in
ais power, conducted him to al Métasem, by whose order he was put to
an ignominious and cruel death. This man had maintained his ground
against the power of the Khalifs for twenty years, and had cruelly put to
death above two hundred and fifty thousand people; it being his custom
never to spare man, woman, or child, either of the Mohammedans or their
allies? The sectaries of Babec which remained after his death seem to
have been entirely dispersed, there being little or no mention made of
them by historians.

About the year 235, one Mahmid Ebn Faraj pretended to be Moses re-
suscitated, and played his part so well that several people believed in him,
and attended him when he was brought before the Khalif al Motawakkel.
That prince, having been an ear-witness of his extravagant discourses,
condemned him to receive ten buffets from every one of his followers, and
then to be drubbed to death; which was accordingly executed ; and his
disciples were imprisoned till they came to their right minds.3

The Karmatians, a sect which bore an inveterate malice against the
Mohammedans, began first to raise disturbances in the year of the Hejra
278, and the latter end of the reign of al Métamed. Their origin is not well
known ; but the common tradition is, that a poor fellow, whom some call

 

+ Ex Abu’ lfarag. Hist. Dyn. p. 226. Lobb al Tawarikh, Ebn Sh h, al Tab . et
ans - ‘ Ree er ea eee Ben Hoe , * Ex ‘Abu'l
arag. p. 252, &c. macin. p. 141, &c. and Khondamir. Vide D’H : . Babec.
°Ebn Shohnab. Vide D'Herbel. p. 537. TE ares
SECT. VIII. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 131

Karmata, came from Khizist4n to the villages near Cifa, and there feigned
great sanctity and strictness of life, and that God had enjoined him to pray
fifty times a day, pretending also to invite people to the obedience of a cer-
tain Imam of the family of Mohammed: and this way of life ,he continued
till he had made a very great party, out of whom he chose twelve, as
his apostles, to govern the rest, and to propagate his doctrines. But the
governor of the province, finding men neglected their work, and their
husbandry in particular, to say those fifty prayers a day, seized the fellow,
and having put him in prison, swore that he should die; which being over-
heard by a girl belonging to the governor, she, pitying the man, at night
took the key of the dungeon from under her master’s head as he slept, and
having let the prisoner out, returned the key to the place whence she had
it. The next morning the governor found the bird flown; and the acci-
dent being publicly known raised great admiration, his adherents giving
it out that God had taken him into heaven. Afterwards he appeared
in another province, and declared to a great number of people he had
‘got about him, that it was not in the power of any to do him hurt; not-
withstanding which, his courage failing him, he retired into Syria, and was
not heard of any more. His sect, however, continued and increased, pre-
tending that their master had manifested himself to be a true prophet, and
had left them a new law, wherein he had, changed the ceremonies and
form of prayer used by the Moslems, and introduced a new kind of fast ;
and that he had also allowed them to drink wine, and dispensed with seve-
ral things commanded in the Koran. They also turned the precepts
of that book into allegory; teaching that prayer was the symbol of
obedience to their Imam, and fasting that of silence, or concealing their
dogmas from strangers: they also believed fornication to be the sin of in-
fidelity ; and the guilt thereof to be incurred by those who revealed the
mysteries of their religion, or paid not a blind obedience to their chief.
They are said to have produced a book, wherein was written (among other
things), ‘In the name of the most merciful God. Al Faraj Ebn Othman,
of the town of Nasrana, saith, that Christ appeared unto him in a human
form, and said, Thou art the invitation: thou art the demonstration: thou
art the camel: thou art the beast: thou art John the son of Zacharias:
thou art the Holy Ghost.”4 From the year above-mentioned the Karma-
tians, under several leaders, gave almost continual disturbance to the
Khalifs and their Mohammedan subjects for several years; committing
great disorders and outrages in Chaldea, Arabia, Syria, and Mesopotamia,
and at length establishing a considerable principality, the power whereof
was in its meridian in the reign of Abu Dhaher, famous for his taking of
Mecca, and the indignities by. him offered to the temple there, but which
declined soon after his time, and came to nothing.®

To the Karmatians the Ismaelians of Asia were very near of kin, if they
were not a branch of them: for these, who were alsa called al Molahedah,
or the Impious, and by the writers of the history of the-holy wars, Assas
sins, agreed with the former in many respects; such as their inveterate
malice against those of other religions, and especially the Mohammedan ;
their unlimited obedience to their prince, at whose command they were
ready for assassinations, or any other bloody and dangerous enterprise ;
their pretended attachment to a certain Imam of the house of Ali, &e.
These Ismaelians, in the year 488, possessed themselves of al Jebal, in the
Persian Irak, under the conduct of Hasan Sabah ; and that prince and his

 

* Apud Abulfar. p, 275. 5 Ex Abulfar. ibid. Elmacino, p. 174, &c. Ebn Shuhuah,
Khondamir. Vide D’Herbel. Art. Carmath.
182 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. SECT. VIII.

descendants enjoyed the same for a hundred and seventy-one years, till
the whole race of them was destroyed by Holagu the Tartar
The Batenites, which name is also given to the Ismaelians by some
authors, and likewise to ‘the Karmatians,’ were a sect which professed the
same abominable principles, and were dispersed over several parts of the
East. The word signifies Esoterics, or people of inward or hidden light
or knowledge. . f ;
Abu’l Teyyeb Ahmed, surnamed al Motanabbi, of the tribe of Jéfa,
is too famous on another acconnt not to claim a place here. He was
one of the most excellent poets among the Arabians, there being none
besides Abu Tem4m who can dispute the prize with him. — His poeti-
cal inspiration was so warm and exalted, that he either mistook it, or
‘thought he could persuade others to believe it to be prophetical, and
therefore gave himself out to be a prophet indeed; and thence acquired
his surname, by which he is generally known. His accomplishments
were too great not to have some success; for several tribes of the Arabs
of the deserts, particularly that of Kelab, acknowledged him to be what
he pretended. But Lali, governor of those parts for Akhshid king of
Egypt and Syria, soon put a stop to the farther progress of this new
sect, by imprisoning their prophet, and obliging him to renounce his
chimerical dignity ; which having done,-he regained his liberty, and ap-
plied himself solely to his poetry, by means whereof he got very consi-
derable riches, being in high esteem at the courts of several princes.
Al Motanabbi lost his life, together with his son, on the bank of the
Tigris, in defending the money which had been given him by Adado-
*ddawla, soltan of Persia, against some Arabian robbers who demanded
it of him; with which money he was returning to Ciafa, his native
city. This accident happened in the year 354.9
The last pretender to prophecy I shall now take notice of is one
who appeared in the city of Amasia, in Natolia, in the year 638, and by
his wonderful feats seduced a great multitude of people there. He was
by nation a Turkman, and called himself Baba, and had a disciple named
Isaac, whom he sent about to invite those of his own nation to join him.
Isaac accordingly, coming to the territory of Someisat, published his com-
mission, and prevailed on many to embrace his master’s sect, especially
among the Turkmans; so that at last he had six thousand horse at his
heels, besides foot. With these Baba and his disciples made open wat
on all who would not cry out with them, There is no God but God ; Baba
is the anostle of God; and they put great numbers of Mohammedans, as
wellas Christians, to the sword in those parts; till at length both Moham-
medans and Christians, joined together, gave them battle, and having
entirely routed them, put them all to the sword, except their two
chiefs, who being taken alive, had their heads struck off by the execu-
tioner.° Tcould mention several other impostors of the same kind, which
have arisen among the Mohammedans since their prophet’s time, and very
near enough to complete the number foretold by him: but I apprehend
the reader is by this time tired as well as myself, and shall therefore here
conclude this discourse, which may be thought already too long for an
introduction.

 

5 Vide Abulfar. p. 505, &c. D’Herbel. p. 104, 437, 505, 620, and 784. * Vide El-
macin. p. 174, and 286. D’Herbel. p. 194. ® Vide Abulfar. p. 361, 374, 380, 483.
® Pref. in Opera Motanabbis MS. Vide D’Herbel, p. 638, &c. *° Abulfar. p. 479
Ebn Shohnah, D’Herbel. Art. Baba.
AL KORAN.

CHAPTER I.

INTITLED, THE PREFACE, OR INTRODUCTION ;} REVEALE
AT MECCA. ;

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.*

PratsE be to Gop, the Lorp of all creatures; the most merciful, the king
of the day of judgment. Thee do we worship, and of thee do we beg
assistance. Direct us in the right way, in the way of those to whom thea
hast been gracious; not of those against whom thou art incensed, nor of
those who go astray.°

 

*In Arabic al Fatihat. This chapter is a prayer, and held in great veneration by the
Mohammedans, who give it several other honourable titles; as the chapter of prayer, of
praise, of thanksgiving, of treasure, &c. They esteem it as the quintessence of the
whole Koran, and often repeat it in their devotions both public and private, as the
Christians do the Lord’s Prayer.

* «This formula is prefixed to all the chapters (with the exception of one). It is
expressly recommended in the Koran. The Mohammedans pronounce it whenever they
slaughter an animal, and at the commencement of their reading, and of all important
actions. It is with them that which the sign of the cross is with Christians. Gab, one
of their celebrated authors, says, that when these words were sent down from heaven, the
clouds fled on the side of the east, the winds were tulled, tle sea was moved, the ani-
* mals erected their ears to listen, the devils were precipitated from the celestial spheres,”’
&c.—Savary. , aioe .

> The original words are Rabbi’ldlamina, which literally signify, Lord of the worlds ;
but Glamina, in this and other places of the Koran, properly means the three species of
rational creatures, men, genii, and angels. Father Maracci has endeavoured to prove
from this passage that Mohammed believed a plurality of worlds, which he calls the error
of the Manichees, &c. :? but this imputation the learned Reland has shown to be entirely
groundless.? Savary translates it ‘‘ Sovereign of the worlds.”

¢ This last sentence contains a petition, that Gop would lead the supplicants into the true
religion, by which is meant the Mohammedan, in the Koran often called the right way ;
in this place more particularly defined to be, the way of those to whom Gop hath been gra-
cious, that is, of the prophets and faithful who preceded Mohammed ; under which appella-
tions are also comprehended the Jews and Christians, such as they were in the times of
their primitive purity, before they had deviated from'their respective institutions , not the way

4 Vide Bobovium de Precib. Mohammed. p. 3, et seq. ? In Prodromo ad Refut. Al-
corani, part iv. p. 76, et in notis ad Alc. cap.1.  * De Religione Mohammed. p. 262,

Q)
2 AL KORAN. OHAP. IL.

&

CHAPTER II.

INTITLED, THE COW; REVEALED PARTLY AT MECCA, AND
PARTLY AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

A. L. M.e There is no doubt in this book; i is a direction to the
pious, who believe in the mysteries t of faith, who observe the appointed
times of prayer, and distribute alms out of what we have bestowed on
them , and who believe in that revelation, which hath been sent down unto:
thee and that which hath been sent down unto the prophets before thee,¢
and have firm assurance of the life to come:* these are directed by their
Lorp, and they shall prosper. As for the unbelievers, it will be equal
to them whether thou admonish them, or do not admonish them; they will
not believe. Gop hath sealed up their hearts and their hearing; a dim-
ness covereth their sight, and they shall suffer a grievous punishment,
There are some who say, We believe in Gop, and the last day; but are
not really believers: they seek to deceive Gop, and those who do believe,
but they deceive themselves only, and are not sensible thereof. There
is an infirmity in their hearts, and Gop hath increased that infirmity ;:
and they shall suffer a most painful punishment, because they have dis-
believed. When one saith unto them, Act not corruptly * in the earth;

 

i the modern Jews, whose signal calamities are marks of the just anger of Gop against
them for their obstinacy and disobedience; nor of the Christians of this age, who have
departed from the true doctrine of Jesus, and are bewildered in a labyrinth of error.‘

This is the common exposition of the passage; though al Zamakhshari, and some
others, by a different application of the negatives, re“er the whole to the true believers; -
and then the sense will run thus: The way of those to whom thou hast: been gracious,
against whom thou art not incensed, and who have not erred. Which translation the origi-
nal will very well bear.

4 This title was occasioned by the story of the red heifer, mentioned pp. 9, 10.

° As to the meaning of these letters, see the preliminary discourse, sect. 3.

‘ The Arabic word is gheib, which properly signifies a thing that is absent, at a great
distance, or invisible, mick as the resurrection, paradise. and hell. And this is agreeable
to the language of scripture, which defines faith to be the evidence of things not seen.

® The Mohammedans believe that Gop gave written revelations not only to Moses,
Jesus, and Mohammed, but to several other prophets ;* though they acknowledge none ‘
of those which preceded the Koran to be now extant, except the Pentateuch of Moses,
the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus; which yet they say were even before
Mohammed’s time altered and corrupted by the Jews and Christians; and therefore will
not allow our present copies to be genuine. :

» The original word al-ékherat properly signifies the latter part of any thing, and by way
of excellence, the newt life, the latter or future state after death; and is opposed to al-
donya, this world ; and al-oula, the former or present life. The Hebrew word ahharith,
from the same root, is used by Moses in this sense, and is translated datter end." :

‘Mohammed here and elsewhere, frequently imitates the truly inspired writers, in
making Gop, by operation on the minds of reprobates, to prevent their conversion. This
fatality or predestination, as believed by the Mohammedans, hath been sufficiently
treated of in the preliminary discourse. ee

« Literally, corrupt not in the earth, by which some expositors understand the sowing
of false doctrine, and corrupting people’s principles.

‘4 Jallalo'ddin Al Beidawi, &c. 5 Heb. xi. 1. See also Rom. xxiv. 25. 2 Cor. iv
8, andv.7. _ ° Vide Reland. De Relig. Moham. p. 34, et Dissert. de Samaritans, p

34, &c. 7 Numb, xxiv. 20. Deut. viii. 16.
CHAP. Li. AL KORAN. s «8

they reply, Verily we are men of integrity.1 Are not they themselves
corrupt doers? but they are not sensible thereof. And when one saith
unto them, Believe ye as others™ believe; they answer, Shall we believe
as fools believe? Are not they themselves fools? but they know it not.
When they meet those who believe, they say, We do believe: but when
they retire privately to their devils," they say, We really hold with you,
and only mock at those people: Gop shall mock at them, and continue
them in their impiety; they shall wander in confusion. These are the
men who have purchased error at the price of true direction: but their
trafic hath not been gainful, neither have they been rightly directed.
They are like unto one who kindleth a fire,e and when it hath enlight-
ened all around him,’ Gop taketh away their light? and leaveth them
in darkness, they shall not see; they are deaf, dumb, and blind, therefore
will they not repent. Or like a stormy cloud from heaven, fraught with
darkness, thunder, and lightning, they put their fingers in their ears
because of the noise of the thunder, for fear of death; Gop encompassetl
the infidels: the lightning wanteth but little of taking away their sight; sc
often as it enlightenett them, they walk therein, but when darkness
cometh on them, they stand still; and if Gop so pleased, he would certainly
deprive them of their hearing and their sight, for Gop is almighty. Omen
of Mecca, serve your Lorp who hath created you, and those who have been
*before you: peradventure ye will fear 4im; who hath spread the earth as
a bed for you, and the heaven as a covering, and hath caused water to
descend from heaven, and thereby produced fruits for your sustenance.
Set not up therefore any equals unto Gop, against your own knowledge.
If ye be in. doubt concerning that revelation which we have sent down untc
our servant, produce a chapter like unto it, and call upon your witnesses

 

' According to the explication in the preceding note, this word must be translatea
reformers, who promote true piety by their doctrine and example. .

™ 'The first companions and followers of Mohammed.®

" The prophet, making use of the liberty zealots of all religions have, by prescription,
of giving ill language, bestows this name on the Jewish rabbins and Christian priests ;
Heongt he seems chiefly to mean the former, against whom he had by much the greater
spleen. . .

°In this passage, Mohammed compares those who believed not in him to a man who
wants to kindle a fire, but as soon as it burns up, and the flames give a light, shuts his
eyes, lest he should see. As if he had said; You, O Arabians, have long desired a
prophet of your own nation, and now I am sent unto you, and have plainly proved my
mission by the excellence of my doctrine and revelation, you resist conviction, and refuse
to believe in me; therefore shall Gop leave you in your ignorance.

? The sense seems to be here imperfect, and may be completed, by adding the words
he turns from it, shuts his eyes, or the like. ce ;

-/° That is of the believers, to whom the word their being in the plural, seems to refer ;
though it is not unusua\ for Mohammed, in affectation of the prophetic style, suddenly to
change the number against all rules of grammar.

* Here he compares the unbelieving Arabs to people caught in a violent storm. To per-
ceive the beauty of this comparison, it must be obServed, that the Mohammedan doctors
say, this tempest 1s a type or image of the Koran itself: the thunder signifying the threats
therein contained; the lightning, the promises; and the darkness, the mysteries. The

terror of the threats makes them stop their ears, unwilling to hear truths so disagreeable; -

when the promises are read to them, they attend with pleasure ; but when any thing mys-
terjous or difficult of belief occurs, they stand stock still; and will not submit to be directed.

8 Jallalo’ddin.
4 AL KORAN. CHAP. IT.

vesides Gon,' if ye say truth. But. if ye do it not, nor shal: ever be able to
do it; justly fear the fire whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the
unbelievers. But bear good tidings unto those who believe, and do good
works, that they shall have gardens watered by rivers; so often as they eat
of the fruit thereof for sustenance, they shall say, this is what we have for-
‘nerly eaten of; and they shall be supplied with several sorts of fruit
yaving a mutual resemblance to one another.! There shall they enjoy
wives subject to no impurity, and there shall they continue for ever.
Moreover, Gop will not be ashamed to propound in a parable a gnat,* or
even a more despicable thing:" for they who believe will know it to be
the truth from their Lorp; but the unbelievers will say, What meaneth
Gop by this parable? he will thereby mislead many, and will direct
many thereby: but he will not mislead any thereby, except the trans-
rressors, who make void the covenant of Gop after the establishing thereof,
and cut in sunder that which Gop hath commanded to be joined, and act
corruptly in the earth; they shall perish. How is it that ye believe not in
Gop? Since ye were dead, and he gave you life;* he will hereafter cause
you to die, and will again restore you to life; then shall ye return unto
him. It is he who hath created for you whatsoever is on earth, and then
set his mind to the creation of heaven, and formed it into seven heavens ;
he knoweth all things. When thy Lorp said unto the angels, I am going
to place a substitute on earth;¥ they said, Wilt thou place there one who”

 

*z, e. Your false gods and idols.

t Some commentators® approve of this sense, supposing the fruits of paradise, though
of various tastes, are alike in colour and outward appearance: but others‘ think the mean-
ing to be, that the inhabitants of that place will find their fruits of the same or the like
kinds, as they used to eat while on earth.

* «God is no more ashamed to propound a gnat as a parable, than to use a more dig-
nified illustration.’’—Savary.

" This was revealed to take off an objection made to the Koran by the infidels, for
pores ents to speak of such insignificant insects, as the spider, the pismire, the

ee, &c.

xi. e. Ye were dead while in the loins of your fathers, and he gave you life in your
mothers’ wombs; and after death ye shall be again raised at the resurrection.?-

¥ Concerning the creation of Adam, here intimated, the Mohammedans have several
peculiar traditions. ‘They say the angels Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil were sent by Goo,
one after another, to fetch for that purpose seven handfuls of earth from different depths,
and of different colours (whence some account for the various complexions of.mankind ;‘)
but the earth being apprehensive of the consequence, and desiring them to represent
her fear to Gop, that the creature he designed to form would rebel against him, and
draw down his curse upon her, they returned without performing Gov’s command;
whereupon he sent Azrail on the same errand, who executed his commission without
remorse ; for which reason, Gop appointed that angel to separate the souls from the bo-
dies, being therefore called the angel of death. The earth he had taken was carried into
Arabia, to a place between Mecca and Tayef, where being first kneaded by the angels,
it was afterwards fashioned by Gop himself into a human form, and left to dry ® for the
space of forty days, or, as others say, as many years; the angels in the mean time
often visiting it, and Eblis (then one of the angels who are nearest to Gov’s presence,
afterwards the devil) among the rest; but he, not contented with looking on it, kicked it
with his foot ull it rung, and knowing Gop designed that creature to be his superior, took
a secret resolution never to acknowledge him as such. After this, Gop animated the
figure of clay, and endued it with an intelligent soul, and when he had placed him in para-
dise, formed Eve out of his left side.*

® Jallalo’ddin. | * Al Zamakhshari. 2 Yahya. 3 Jallalo’ddin. ‘AIT di
from a tradition of Abu Musa al Ashari. § Koran, c. 55. . Khond aire ats
lalo’ddin. Comment. in Koran, &c. Vide D’Herbelot, Biblioth. Orient. p. 55.
CHAP. II. AL KORAN. 5

will do evil therein, and shed blood? but we celebrate thy praise, and
sanctify thee. Gop answered, Verily I know that which ye know not;
and he taught Adam the names of all things, and then prgposed them
to the angels, and said, Declare unto me the names of these things if ye
say truth. They answered, Praise be unto thee; we have no knowledge but
what thou teachest us, for thou art knowing and wise. Gop said,O Adam,
tell them their names. And when he had told them their names, Gop said,
Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and know
that which ye discover, and that which ye conceal? And when we said unto
the angels, Worship* Adam; they all worshipped him, except Eblis, who
refused, and was puffed up with pride, and became of the number of unbe-
lievers.> And we said,O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife in the garden,* and
eat of the fruit thereof plentifully wherever ye will; but approach not this
tree,’ lest ye become of the number of the transgressors. But Satan caused
them to forfeit paradise,* and turned them out of the state of happiness
wherein they had been; whereupon we said, Get ye down,‘ the one of you
an enemy unto the other; and there shall be a dwelling place for you on

 

? This story Mohammed borrowed from the Jewish traditions; which say, that the
angels having spoken of man with some contempt, when Gop consulted them about his
creation, Gop made answer, that the man was wiser than they; and to convince them
of it, he brought all kinds of animals to them, and asked them their names; which they
not being able to tell, he put the same question to the man, who named them one after
another ; and being asked his own name, and Gop’s name, he answered very justly, and
fre — the name of Jehovah."—The angels adoring of Adam is also mentioned in the
Talmud.?

* The original word signifies properly to prostrate one’s self, till the forehead touches the
ground, which is the humblest posture of adoration, and strictly due to Gop only; but
It is sometimes, as in this place, used to express that civil worship or homage, which may
be paid to creatures.°

> This occasion of the devil’s fall has some affinity with an opinion which has been
pretty much entertained among Christians, viz., that the sree being informed of Gop’s
intention to create man after his own image, and to dignify human nature by Christ’s
assuming it, some of them, thinking their glory to be eclipsed thereby, envied man’s
happiness, and so revolted.

© Mohammed, as appears by what presently follows, does not place this garden or
paradise on earth, but in the seventh heaven.?

4 Concerning this tree, or the forbidden fruit, the Mohammedans, as well as the
Christians, have various opinions. Some say it was an ear of wheat; some will have it
to have been a fig-tree, and others a vine.* The story of the fall is told, with some fur-
ther circumstances, in the beginning of the seventh chapter.

° They have a tradition that the devil, offering to get into paradise to tempt Adam,
was not admitted by the guard; whereupon he begged of the animals, one after another,
to carry him in, that he might speak to Adam and his wife; but they all refused him,
except the serpent, who took him between two of his teeth, and so introduced him.
ghey add, that the serpent was then of a beautiful form, and not in the shape he now

ears.*

* The Mohammedans say, that when they were cast down from paradise, Adam fell on
the isle of Ceylon or Serendib, and Eve near Joddah (the port of Mecca), in Arabia; and
that, after a separation of 200 years, Adam was, on his repentance, conducted by the
angel Gabriel to a mountain near Mecca, where he found and knew his wife, the mountain
being thence named Arafat; and that he afterwards retired with her to Ceylon, where
they continued to propagate their species.® 2

It may not be improper here to mention another tradition concerning the gigantic stature
of our first parents. Their prophet, they say, affirmed Adam to have been as tall as a high

alm-tree ;® but this would be too much in proportion, if that were really the print of his

foot, which is pretended to be such, on the top of a mountain in the isle of Ceylon, thence

7 Vide Rivin. Serpent. Seduct. p. 56. ® R. Moses Haddarshan, in Beresbit rabbah.
Jallalo’ddin. 1 Treneus, Lact. Greg. Nyssen, &c. 2 Vid. Marrace. in Alc. p. 24.
* Vide ibid. p. 22. 4 Vide ib. 5 D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 55. 5 Yahya.
6 ; AL KORAN. CRAP. Tt

earth,* and a provision for a season. And Adam learned words of prayer
from his Lorp, and Gop turned_unto him, for he is easy to be reconciled
and merciful. We said, Get ye all down from hence; hereafter shall there
come unto you a direction from me, and whoever shall follow my direction,
on them shall no fear come, neither shall they be grieved; but they who
shall be unbelievers, and accuse our signs* of falsehood, they shall be the
companions of hell fire, therein shall they remain for ever. O children of
Israel, remember my favour wherewith I have favoured you; and perform
your covenant with me, and I will perform my covenant with you; and
revere me: and believe in the revelation which I have sent down, con-
firming that which is with you, and be not the first who believe not therein,
neither exchange my signs for a small price ;f and fear me. Clothe not the
truth with vanity, neither conceal the truth against your own knowledge;
observe the stated times of prayer, and pay your legal alms, and bow down
yourselves with those who bow down. Will ye command men to do
justice, and forget your own souls? yet ye read the book of the law: do ye
not therefore understand? Ask help with perseverance and prayer; this
indeed is grievous unless to the humble, who seriously think they shall
meet their Lorp, and that to him they shall return. O children of Israel,
remember my favour wherewith I have favoured you, and that I have pre-
ferred you above all nations; dread the day wherein one soul shall not
make satisfaction for another soul, neither shall any intercession be accepted
from them, nor shall any compensation be received, neither shall they be
helped. Remember when we delivered you from the people of Pharaoh,
who grievously oppressed you, they slew your male children, and let your
* females live: therein was a great trial from your Lorp. And when we
‘divided the sea for you and delivered you, and drowned Pharaoh’s people
while ye looked on.* And when we treated with Moses forty nights;

 

named Pico de Adam, and by the Arab writers Rahiin, being somewhat above two spans
long’ (though others say it is seventy cubits long, and that when Adam set one foot here,
he had the other in the sea)*; and too little, if Eve were of so enormous a size, as it is
said, that when her head lay on one hill near Mecca, her knees rested on two others in
~ the plain, about two musket shots asunder.?

* “We said to them, Get ye down. You have been mutual enemies. The earth shall
be your habitation, and your inheritance, till the time.’’-—Savary.

® God here promises Adam that his will should be revealed to him and his posterity ;

which promise the Mohammedans believe was fulfilled at several times by the ministry of
several prophets from Adam himself, who was the first, to Mohammed, who was the last.
The number of books revealed unto Adam they say was ten.*
_ " This word has various significations insthe Koran; sometimes, as in this passage,
it signifies divine revelation, or scripture in general; sometimes the verses of the Koran
in particular; and at other times visible miracles. But the sense is easily distinguished
by the context.

‘The Jews are here called upon to receive the Koran, as verifying and confirming
the Pentateuch, particularly with respect to the unity of God and the mission of Moham-
med.? And they are exhorted not to conceal the passages of their law, which bear wit-
ness to those truths, nor to corrupt them by publishing false copies of the Pentateuch, for
which the writers were but poorly paid,? ‘

t ‘Corrupt not my doctrine for vile gain. Fear me.’’—Savary,

* See the story of Moses and Pharaoh more particularly related, chap. vii. and xx, &c.

™ Monconys’ Voyage, part 1, p. 372, &c. See Knox’s Account of Ceylon. *® Anciennes
Relations des Indes, &c. p. 3. ° Monconys, ubi sup. 1 Vide Hottinger Hist. Orient.
p. 11. Reland. de Relig. Mohammed, p. 21. 3 Yahya. 3 Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. II. AL KORAN. 7

then ye took the calf! for your God, and did evil; yet afterwards we
forgave you, that peradventure ye might give thanks. And when we gave
Moses the book of the law, and the distinction between good and evil, that
peradventure ye might be directed. And when Moses said unto his
people, O my people, verily ye have injured your own souls,* by your
taking the calf for your God ; therefore be turned unto your Creator, and
slay those among you who have been guilty of that crime ;™ this will be
better for you in the sight of your Creator: and thereupon he turned unto
you, for he is easy to be reconciled, and merciful. And when ye said, O
Moses, we will not believe thee, until we see Gop manifestly ; therefore a
punishment came upon you, while ye looked on; then we raised you
to life after ye had been dead, that peradventure ye might give thanks.
And we caused clouds to overshadow you, and manna and quails ° to descend
upon you, saying, Eat of the good things which we have given you for
food: and they injured not us,f but injured their own souls. And when
we said, Enter into this city, and eat of the provisions thereof plentifully
as ye will; and enter the gate worshipping, and say, Forgiveness ! 4 we will

 

1The person who cast this calf, the Mohammedans say, was (not Aaron, but) al
Sameri, one of the principal men among the children of Israel, some of whose descend-
ants, it is pretended, still inhabit an island of that name in the Arabian Gulf It
was made of the rings* and bracelets of gold, silver, and other materials, which the
Israelites had borrowed of the Egyptians: for Aaron, who commanded in his brother’s
absence, having ordered al Sameri to collect those ornaments from the people, who
carried on a wicked commerce with them, and to keep them together till the return of
Moses; al Sameri, understanding the founder’s art, put them altogether into a fur-
nace, to melt them down into one mass, which came out in the form of a calf.* The
Israelites, accustomed to the Egyptian idolatry, paying a religious worship to this
image, al Sameri went further, and took some dust from the footsteps of the horse of
the angel Gabriel, who marched at the head of the people, and threw it into the mouth
of the calf, which immediately bégan to low, and became animated ;" for such was the
virtue of that dust.2 One writer says that all the Israelites adored this calf, except only
12,000.°

* ‘© my people, why did ye give yourselves up to wickedness, by worshipping a
calf ?”’—Savary.

™ Tn this particular, the narration agrees with that of Moses, who ordered the Levites
to slay every man his brother: but the scripture says, there fell of the people that da
about 3000 (the Vulgate says 23,000) men ;? whereas the commentators of the Koran
make the number of the slain to amount to 70,000; and add, that God sent a dark cloud
which hindered them from seeing one another, lest the sight should move those who exe-
cuted the sentence to compassion.?

2 The persons here meant are said to have been seventy men, who were made choice
of by Moses, and heard the voice of God talking with him. But not being satisfied with
that, they demanded to see God; whereupon they were all struck dead by lightning, and
on Moses’s intercession restored to life.*

° The eastern writers say, these quails were of a peculiar kind, to be found nowhere but
in Yaman, from whence they were brought by a south wind in great numbers to the
Israelites’ camp in the desert.6 The Arabs call these birds Salwa, which is plainly
the same with the Hebrew Salwim, and say they have no bones, but are eaten

whole.®
+ ‘Your murmurs have been injurious only to Josite"—Suar.
? Some commentators suppose it to be Jericho; others, Jerusalem.
4 The Arabic word is Hittaton, which some take to signify that profession of the unity

_of God, so frequently used by the Mohammedans, La iléha illa ‘llaho. There is no god

but God.

* Geogr. Nubiens, p. 45. 5 Koran, c. 7. ® See Exod. xxxii. 24. * Koran, c. 7.
® Jallalo’ddin, Vide D’Herbelot Bibl. Orient. p. 650. ® Abu’ lfeda. * Exod. xxxii.
26, 27. 2 Thid. 28. 3 Jallalo’ddin, &c. ‘Ismael Ebnali. 6 See Psalm.
lxxviii. 26. * Vide D’Herbelot Bibl. Orient. p. 477.
8 AL KORAN. CHAP. II.

pardon you your sins, and give increase unto the well-doers. But the un
godly changed the expression into another," different from what had been
spoken unto them; and we sent down upon the ungodly indignation from
heaven,* because they had transgressed. And when Moses asked drink
for his people, we said, Strike the rockt with thy rod; and there gushed
thereout twelve fountains" according to the number of the tribes, and all
men knew their respective drinking-place. Eat and drink of the bounty of
Gop, and commit not evil on the earth, acting unjustly. And when
ye said, O Moses, we will by no means be satisfied with one kind of food;
pray unto thy Lorp therefore for us, that he would produce for us of that
which the earth bringeth forth, herbs and cucumbers, and garlick, and
lentils, and onions;* Moses answered,* Will ye exchange that which
is better, for that which is worse? Get ye down into Egypt, for there
shall ye find what ye desire: and they were smitten with vileness and
misery, and drew on themselves indignation from Gop. This they suffered,
because they believed not in the signs of Gop, and killed the prophets
unjustly ; this, because they rebelled and transgressed. Surely those who

 

* According to Jallalo’ddin, instead of Hittaton, they cried Habbat fi shairat, i. e.a
rain in an ear of barley ; and in ridicule of the divine command to enter the city in an
fumble posture, they indecently crept in upon their breech.

* A pestilence which carried off near 70,000 of them."

t The commentators say this was a stone which Moses brought from Mount Sinai, and
the same that fled away with his garments which he laid upon it one day, while he washed :
they add that Moses ran after the stone naked, till he found himself, ere he was aware, in
the midst of the people, who on this accident were convinced of the falsehood of a report,
which had been raised of their prophet, that he was bursten, or, as others write, an her-
maphrodite.®

They describe it to be a square piece of white marble, shaped like a man’s head;
wherein they differ not much from the accounts of European travellers, who say this rock
stands among several lesser ones, about 100 paces from Mount Horeb, and appears to have
been loosened from the neighbouring mountains, having no coherence with the others; that
it is a huge mass of red granite, almost round on one side, and flat on the other; twelve
feet high, and as many thick, but broader than it is high, and about fifty feet in circum-

erence.

® Maracci thinks this circumstance looks like a Rabbinical fiction, or else that Moham-
med confounds the water of the rock at Horeb, with the twelve wells at Elim ;* for he
says, several who have been on the spot, affirm there are but three orifices whence the
water issued.? But it is to be presumed that Mohammed had better means of informa-
tion in this respect, than to fall into such a mistake; for the rock stands within the bor-
ders of Arabia, and some of his countrymen must needs have seen it, if he himself had
not, as itis most probable he had. And in effect he seems to be in the right. For one
who went into those parts in the end of the fifteenth century, tells us expressly, that the
water issued from twelve places of the rock, according to the number of the tribes of
Israel; egresse sunt aque largissime in duodecim locis petre, juata numerum duodecim
tribuum Israel.* A late curious traveller‘ observes, that there are twenty-four holes in
the stone, which may be easily counted ; that is to say, twelve on the flat side, and as
many on the opposite round side, every one being a foot deep, and an inch wide; and he
adds, that the holes on one side do not communicate with those on the other; which 2
less accurate spectator not perceiving (for they are placed horizontally, within two feet
of the top of the rock), might conclude they pierced quite through the stone, and so reckon
them to be but twelve.

See Numb. xi. 5, &c.

* “* Moses replied, Do ye wish to enjoy amore advantageous lot? Return to Egypt;
you will find there that which you desire.”’—Savary. = ae

1 Jallalo’ddin. ® Jallalo’ddin, Yahya. ® Breydenbach. Itinerar. charté m.
p. 1. Sicard, dans les Memoires des Missions, vol. vii. p.14. * Exod. xy. 27, Numb.
xxxili, 9, ? Marrace. Prodr. part iv. p. 80. ? Breydenbach, ubi suv. * Sicard,

ubi sup.
CHAP. Ia. AL KORAN. . 9

believe, and those who. Judaize, and Christians, and Sabians,y whoever
believeth in Gop, and the last day, and doth that which is right, they shall
have their reward with their Lorn; there shall come no fear on them,
neither shall they be grieved. Cuil to mind also when we accepted your
covenant, and lifted up the mountain of Sinai over you,” saying, Receive
the law which we have given you, with a resolution to keep it, and remem-
ber that which is contained therein, that ye may beware. After this
ye again turned back, so that if it had not been for Gop’s indulgence
and mercy towards you, ye had certainly been destroyed. Moreover —
ye know what befell those of your nation who transgressed on the sabbath
dav ;* We said unto them, Be ye changed into apes, driven away from
the society of men. And we made them an example unto those who were
contemporary with them, and unto those who came after them, and a
warning to the pious. And when Moses said unto his people, Verily God
commandeth you to sacrifice a cow; they answered, Dost thou make a

 

y From these words, which are repeated in the fifth chapter, several writers* have
wrongly concluded that the Mohammedans hold it to be the doctrine of their prophet,
_that every man may be saved in his own religion, provided he be sincere and lead a
good life. It is true, some of their doctors do agree this to be the purport of the words; *
but then they say the latitude hereby granted was soon revoked, for that this passage
is abrogated by several others in the Koran, which expressly declare that none can be
saved who is not of the Mohammedan faith; and particularly by those words of the
third chapter, Whoever followeth any other religion than Islam (i. e. the Mohammedan),
it shall not be accepted of him, and at the last day he shall be of those who perish.1 How-
ever, others are of opinion that this passage is not abrogated, but interpret it differently ;
taking the meaning of it to be, that no man, whether he be a Jew, a Christian, or a Sabian,
shall be excluded from salvation, provided he quit his erroneous religion and become a
Moslem, which they say is intended by the following words, Whoever believeth in God
and the last day, and doth that which is right. And this interpretation is approved by Mr.
Reland, who thinks the words here import no more than those of the apostle, In every
nation he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him ;* from which
it must not be inferred that the religion of nature, or any other, is sufficient to save,
without faith in Christ.?

*The Mohammedan tradition is, that the Israelites refusing to receive the law of
Moses, God tore up the mountain by the roots, and shook it over their heads, to terrify
them into a compliance.* ;

*The story to which this passage refers is as follows. In the days of David some
Israelites dwelt at Ailah, or Elath, on the Red Sea, where on the night of the sabbath the
fish used to come in great numbers to the shore, and stay there all the sabbath, to tempt
them; but the night following they returned into the sea again. At length, some of
the inhabitants, neglecting God’s command, catched fish on the sabbath, and dressed and
ate them; and afterwards cut canals from the sea, for the fish to enter, with sluices,
which they shut on the sabbath, to prevent their return to the sea. The other part of
the inhabitants, who strictly observed the sabbath, used bdth persuasion and force to stop
this impiety, but to no purpose, the offenders growing only more and more obstinate;
whereupon David cursed the sabbath-breakers, and God transformed them into apes.
It is said, that one going to see a friend of his that was among them, found him in the
shape of an ape, moving his eyes about wildly, and asking him whether he was not such
a one? the ape made a sign with his head, that it was he; whereupon the friend said to
him, Did not I advise you to desist? at which the ape wept. They add, that these un-
happy people remained three days in this condition, and were afterwards destroyed by a
wind which swept them all into the sea. ‘

> The occasion of this sacrifice is thus related. A certain man at his death left his son,
thena child, a cow-calf, which wandered in the desert till he came to age ; at which time his

* Selden. de Jure. Nat. et Gentium sec. Hebr. 1, 6, c.12. Angel. a.S. Joseph. Gazo-
phylac. Persic. p. 365. Nic. Cusanus in Cribratione Alcorani, 1, 3, c. 2, dc. ® See
Chardin’s Voyages, vol. ii. p. 326, 331. * Abu’lkasem Hebatallah de Abrogante et
Abrogato. ®°Actsx.35. * Vide Reland. de Rel. Moham. p. 128, &c. + Jallalo’ddin
» Abu lfeda. :

L
10 AL KORAN. CHAP. II.

jest of us! Moses said, Gop forbid that I should be one of the foolish.
They said, Fray for us unto thy Lorp, that he would show us what cow it
is. Moses answered, He saith, She is neither an old cow, nor a young
heifer, but of a middle age between both: do ye therefore that which ye
are commanded. They said, Pray for us unto thy Lorn, that he would
show us what colour she is of. Moses answered, He saith, She is a red
cow,* intensely red, her colour rejoiceth the bebolders. They said, Pray for
us unto thy Lorp, that he would further show us what cow it is, for several
cows with us are like one another, and we, if Gop please, will be directed.
Moses answered, He saith, She is a cow not broken to plough the earth, or
water the field, a sound one,* there is no blemish in her. They said, Now
hast thou brought the truth. Then they sacrificed her; yet they wanted
but little of leaving it undone. And when ye slew a man, and contended
among yourselves concerning him, Gop brought forth to light that which ye
concealed. For we said, Strike the dead body with part of the sacrificed
cow :° so Gop raiseth the dead to life, and showeth you his signs, that
peradventure ye may understand. Then were your hearts hardened after
this, even as stones, or exceeding them in hardness: for from some stones
have rivers bursted forth, others have been rent in sunder, and water hath
issued from them, and others have fallen down for fear of Gop. But Gop
is not regardless of that which ye do. Do ye therefore desire that the Jews
should believe you? yet a part of them heard the word of Gop, and then
perverted it, after they had. understood it, against their own conscience.
And when they meet the true believers, they say, We believe: but when
they are privately assembled together, they say, Will ye acquaint them

 

mother told him the heifer was his, and bid him fetch her, and sell her for three pieces of
gold.- When the young man came to the market with his heifer, an angel in the shape of
a man accosted him, and bid him six pieces of gold for her; but he would not take the
money till he had asked his mother’s consent ; which when he had obtained he returned to
the market-place, and met the angel, who now offered him twice as much for the heifer,
provided he would say nothing of it to his mother; but the young man refusing, went and
acquainted her with the additional offer. ‘fhe woman perceiving it was an angel, bid her
son go back and ask him what must be done with the heifer; whereupon the angel told
the young man, that, in a little time, the children of Israel would buy that heifer of him
at any price. And soon after it happened that an Israelite, named Hammiel, was killed
by a relation of his, who, to prevent discovery, conveyed the body to a place considerably
distant from that where the fact was committed. The friends of the slain man accused
some other persons of the murder before Moses; but they denying the fact, and there
being no evidence to convict them, God commanded a cow, of such and such particular
marks, to be killed; but there being no other which answered the description, except the
orphan’s heifer, they were obliged to buy her for as much gold as her hide would hold;
according to some, for her full weight in gold, and, as others say, for ten times as much.
This heifer they sacrificed, and the dead body being, by divine direction, struck with a
part of it, revived, and standing up, named the person who had killed him; after which it
immediately fell down dead again.? The whole story seems to be borrowed from the
~ed heifer, which was ordered by the Jewish law to be burnt, and the ashes kept for puri-
tying those who happened to touch a dead corpse ;‘ and from the heifer directed to be
slain for the expiation of an uncertain murder. See Deut. xxi. 1I—9.

¢ The epithet in the original is yellow; but this word we do not use in speaking of tne
colour of cattle.

* ‘That hath not suffered the approach of the male.’’—Savary.

4 Because of the exorbitant price which they were obliged to pay for the heifer.

°° 7. e. Her tongue, or the end of her tail.* .

® Abu'lfeda. “Numb. xix = * Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. II. AL KORAN. li

with what Gop hath revealed unto you, that they may dispute with you
concerning it in the presence of your Lorp? Do ye not therefore* under-
stand? Do not they now that Gop knoweth that which they conceal as
well as that which they publish? But there are illiterate men among them,
who know not the book of the law,f but only lying stories, although they
think otherwise. And woe unto them, who transcribe corruptly the book
of the law‘ with their hands, and then say, This is from God: that they may
sell it for a small price. Therefore woe unto them because of that which
their hands have written; and woe unto them for that which they have
gained. They say, The fire of hell shall not touch us but for a certain
number of days. Answer, Have ye received any promise from Gop to that
purpose? for Gop will not act contrary to his promise: or do ye speak
concerning Gop that which ye know not? Verily whoso doth evil," and is
encompassed by his iniquity, they shall be the companions of hell fire, they shall
remain therein for ever: but they who believe and do good works, they shall
be the companions of paradise, they shall continue therein for ever. Remem-
‘ ber also, when we accepted the covenant of the children of Israel, saying,
Ye shall not worship any other except Gop, and ye shall show kindness to
your parents and kindred, and to orphans, and to the poor, and speak that
which is good unto men, and be constant at prayer, and give alms. After-
wards ye turned back, except a few of you, and retired afar off. And when
we accepted your covenant, saying, Ye shall not shed your brother’s blood,
nor dispossess one another of your habitations; then ye confirmed it, and
were witnesses thereto. Afterwards ye were they who slew one another,’
and turned several of your brethren out of their houses, mutually assisting ,
’ each other against them with injustice and enmity; but if they come cap-
tives unto you, ye redeem them: yet it is equally unlawful for you to dis-
possess them. Do ye therefore believe in part of the book of the law, and
reject other part thereof? But whoso among you doth this, shall have no
other reward than shame in this life, and on the day of resurrection they

 

* «See we not the consequences thereof ?’’—Savary.

t ‘‘ Among them the vulgar know the Pentateuch only by tradition. They have but
a blind talel!—Sanarie

‘ Mohammed again accuses the Jews of corrupting their scripture.

® That is, says Tallalo’ddin, forty ; being the number of days that their forefathers wor-
shipped the golden calf; after which they gave out that their punishment should cease. It
is a received opinion among the Jews at present, that no person, be he ever so wicked,
or of whatever sect, shall remain in hell above eleven months, or at most a year; except
Dathan and Abiram, and atheists, who will be tormented there to all eternity.®

» By evil in this case the commentators generally understand polytheism or idolatry ;
which sin, the Mohammedans believe, unless repented of in this life, is unpardonable, and
will be punished by eternal damnation; but all other sins they hold will at length be for-
given. ‘I'his therefore is that irremissible impiety, in their opinion, which in the New
Testament is called the sin against the Holy Ghost. .

-' This passage was revealed on occasion of some quarrels which arose between the
Jews of the tribes of Koreidha, and those of al Aws, al Nadhir, and al Khazraj, and came
to that height that they took arms and destroyed one another’s habitations, and turned
one another out of their houses; but when any were taken captive, they redeemed them.
When they were asked the reason of their acting in this manner, they answered, That
they were commanded by their law to redeem the captives, but that they fought out of
shame, lest their chiefs should be despised.”

® Vide Bartoloccii Biblioth. Rabbinic. tom. 2, p. 128, et t. 3, p. 421. 7 Jallalo’ddin.
12 AL KORAN. CHAP. Il.

shall be sent to a most grievous punishment ; for Gop is not regardless of
that which ye do, These are they who have purchased this present life, at
the price of that which is to come; wherefore their punishment shall not
be mitigated, neither shall they be helped. We formerly delivered the book
of the law unto Moses, and caused apostles to succeed him, and gave evident
miracles to Jesus the son of Mary, and strengthened him with the holy
spirit.® Do ye therefore, whenever an apostle cometh unto you with that
which your souls desire not, proudly reject him, and accuse some of im-
posture, and slay others? The Jews say, Our hearts are uncircumcised :
but Gop hath cursed them with their infidelity ;* therefore few shall be-
lieve. And when a book came unto them from Gop, confirming the scrip-
tures which were with them, although they had before prayed for assistance _
against those who believed not,! yet when that came unto them which they
knew to be from God, they would not believe therein: therefore the curse
of Gop shall be on the infidels. For a vile price have they sold their souls,
that they should not believe in that which Gop hath sent down;™ out of
envy, because Gop sendeth down his favours to such of his servants as he
pleaseth: therefore they brought on themselves indignation on indignation ;
and the unbelievers shall suffer an ignominious punishment. When one
saith unto them, Believe in that which Gop hath sent down; they answer,
We believe in that which hath been sent down unto us:" and they reject
what hath been revealed since, although it be the truth, confirming that
which is with them. Say, Why therefore have ye slain the prophets of Gop
in times past, if ye be true believers? Moses formerly came unto you with
evident signs, but ye afterwards took the calf for your god and did wickedly.
And when we accepted your covenant, and lifted the mountain of Sinai
over you,° saying, Receive the law which we have given you, with a reso-
lution to perform it, and hear ; they said, We have hcard, and have rebelled :
and they were made to drink down the calf into their hearts? for their un-
belief. Say, A grievous thing hath your faith commanded you, if ye be
wue believers? Say, if the future mansion with Gop be prepared pecu-

 

* We must not imagine Mohammed here means the Holy Ghost, in the Christian
acceptation. The commentators say, this spirit was the angel Gabriel, who sanctified
Jesus, and constantly attended on him.®

* “God hath cursed them because of their perfidy. O how small is the number of
the true believers !’’—Savary.

‘| The Jews, in expectation of the coming of Mohammed (according to the tradition of
his followers) used this prayer, O God, help us against the unbelievers, by the prophet whe
ts to be sent in the last times.®

= The Koran.

The Pentateuch.

° See before p. 9.

» Moses took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to pow-
der, and strewed tt upon the water (of the brook that: descended from the mount), and made
the children of Israel drink of it.t

* Mohammed here infers from their forefathers’ disobedience in worshipping the calf, at
the same time that they pretended to believe in the law of Moses, that the faith of the
Jews in his time was as vain and hypocritical, since they rejected him, who was foretold
therein, as an impostor.?

5 Jallalo’ddin. * Idem. 1 Exod. xxxii. 20; Deut. ix. 21. 2 Jallalo‘ddin.
Yahya, al Beidawi. : -
CHAP. II. AL KORAN. 13

Niarly for you, exclusive of the rest of mankind, wish for death, if ye say
truth; but they will never wish for it, because of that which their hands
have sent before them ;" Gop knoweth the wicked-doers; and thou shalt
surely find them of all men the most covetous of life, even more than the
idolaters: one of them would desire his life to be prolonged a thousand
years, but none shall reprieve himself from punishment, that his life may be
prolonged: Gop seeth that which they do. Say, Whoever is an enemy to
Gabriel * (for he hath caused the Koran to descend on thy heart, by the per-
mission of Gop, confirming that which was before revealed, a direction, and
good tidings to the faithful) ; whosoever is an enemy to Gop, or his angels,
or his apostles, or to Gabriel, or Michael, verily Gop is an enemy to the
unbelievers. And now we have sent down unto thee evident signs,t and
none will disbelieve them but the evil-doers. Whenever they make a
covenant, will some of them reject it? yea, the greater part of them do not
believe. And when there came unto them an apostle from Gop, confirming
that scripture which was with them, some of those to whom the scriptures
were given cast the book of Gop behind their backs, as if they knew it not:
and they followed the device which the devils devised against the kingdom
of Solomon ;* and Solomon was not an unbeliever; but the devils believed
not, they taught men sorcery, and that which was sent down to the two
angels at Babel,* Hardt and Marit: yet those two taught no man until

 

* That is, by reason of the wicked forgeries which they have been guilty of in respect
to the scriptures. An expression, much like that of St. Paul where he says, that some
men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment.

* The commentators say, that the Jews asked, what angel it was that brought the divine
revelations to Mohammed; andsbeing told that it was Gabriel, they replied that he was
their enemy, and the messenger of wrath and punishment; but if it had been Michael,
they would have believed in him, because that angel was their friend, and the messenger
of peace and plenty. And on this occasion, they say, this passage was revealed.‘

That Michael was really the protector or guardian angel of the Jews, we know from
scripture ;§ and it seems that Gabriel was, as the Persians call him, the angel of revelations,
being frequently sent on messages of that kind;* for which reason, it is probable, Mo-
hammed pretended he was the angel from whom he received the Koran.

‘i.e. The revelations of this book. i

"The devils having, by God’s permission, tempted Solomon without success, they
made use of a trick to blast his character. For they wrote.several books of magic, and
hid them under that prince’s throne, and after his death told the chief men that if they
wanted to know by what means Solomon had obtained his absolute power over men,
genii, and the winds, they should dig under his throne; which having done, they found
the aforesaid books, which contained impious superstitions. The better sort refused to
learn the evil arts therein delivered, but the common people did; and the priests published
this scandalous story of Solomon, which obtained credit among the Jews, till God, say
the Mohammedans, cleared that king by the mouth of their prophet, declaring that Solo-
mon was no idolater.” ;

* “ He (the devil) taught unto men magic and the science of the two angels, Hartt and
Marat, who are condemned to remain at Babylon.’’—Savary.

* Some say only that these were two magicians or angels sent by God to teach men
magic, and to tempt them.’ But others tell a longer fable; that the angels expressing
their surprise at the wickedness of the sons of Adam, after prophets had been sent to
them with divine commissions, God bid them choose two out of their own number to be
sent down to be judges on earth. Whereupon they pitched upon Hariit and Marut, who
executed their office with inteprity for some time, till Zohara, or the planet Venus, de-
scended and appeared before them in the shape of a beautiful woman bringing a complaint

2] Tim. v. 24. ‘ Jallalo’ddin. al Zamakh. Yahya. 5 Dan. xii. 1. © Thid.
ch. viii, 16. and ix. 21.; Luke i. 19, 26. See Hyde de Rel. Vet. Persar. p. 263. * Yahya.
Jallalo’ddin. ® Jallalo’ddin.
14 AL KORAN. CHAP. IL.

they had said, Verily we are a temptation, therefore be not an unbeliever.
So men learned from those two a charm by which they might cause division
- between a man and his wife ;* but they hurt none thereby, unless by Gon’s
permission, and they learned that which would hurt them, and not profit
them ; and yet they knew that he who bought that a7t should have no part
in the life to come, and woful is the price for which they have sold their
souls, if they knew it. But if they had believed, and feared God, verily the
reward they would have had from Gop would have been better, if they had
known it, O true believers, say not to our apostle, Raina; but say
Ondhorna ;* and hearken: the infidels shall suffer a grievous punishment.
It is not the desire of the unbelievers, either among those unto whom the
scriptures have been given, or among the idolaters, that any good should be
sent down unto you from your Lorp: but Gop will appropriate his mercy
unto whom he pleaseth; for Gop is exceeding beneficent. Whatever verse
we shall abrogate, or cause thee to forget, we will bring a better than it, or
one like unto it. Dost thou not know that God is almighty? Dost thou
not know that unto Gop belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth?
neither have ye any protector or helper except Gop. Will ye require of
your apostle according to that which was formerly required of Moses?» but
“he that hath exchanged faith for infidelity, hath already erred from the
straight way. Many of those unto whom the scriptures have been given,
desire to render you again unbelievers, after ye have believed; out of envy
from their souls, even after the truth is become manifest unto them; but
forgive them, and avoid them, till Gop shall send his command; for Gop is
omnipotent. Be constant in prayer, and give alms; and what good ye have
sent before for your souls, ye shall find it with Gop; surely Gop sceth that
which ye do, They say, Verily none shall enter paradise, except they who
are Jews or Christians :* this is their wish. Say, Produce your proof of

 

against her husband, (though others say she was a real woman.) As soon as they saw
her, they fell in love with her, and endeavoured to prevail ou her to satisfy their desires;
but she flew up again to heaven, whither the two angels also returned, but were not
admitted. However on the intercession of a certain pious man, they were allowed to
choose whether they would be punished in this life, or in the other; whereupon they chose
the former, and now suffer punishment accordingly in Babel, where they are to remain
till the day of judgment. They add that if a man has a fancy to learn magic, he may go
to them, and hear their voice, but cannot see them.? :

This story Mohammed took directly from the Persian Magi, who mention two rebellious
angels of the same names, now AONE AP by the feet with Thae heads downwards, in the
territory of Babel! And the Jews have something like this, of the angel Shamhoaai,
who having debauched himself with women, repented, and by way of penance, hung
himself up between heaven and earth.” :

* «They taught the difference between man and woman.’’—Savary.

= Those two Arabic words have both the same signification, viz. Look on us; and are &
kind of salutation. Mohammed had a great aversion to the first, because the Jews fre-
quently used it in derision, it being a word of reproach in their tongue.? They alluded,
it seems, to the Hebrew verb yy rud, which signifies to be bad or mischievous.

y Namely, to see God manifestly.*

* This passage was revealed on occasion of a dispute which Mohammed had with the
Jews of Medina, and the Christians of Najran, each of them asserting that those of their
religion only should be saved.*

° Yahya, &e. 1 Vide Hyde, ubi sup. cap. 12. 2 Bereshit rabbah, in Genes. vi. 2.
*Jallalo'ddin. — * See before p. 9. ® Jallalo’ddin.
OHAP II. AL KORAN. 15

this, if ye speak truth. Nay, but he who resigneth himself* to Gop, and
doth that which is right,» he shall have his reward with his Lorn: there
shall come no fear on them, neither shall they be grieved. The Jews say,
The Christians are grounded on nothing ;* and the Christians say, The Jews
are grounded on nothing ; yet they both read the scriptures. So likewise say
they who know not the scripture, according to their saying. But Gop shall
judge between them on the day of the resurrection, concerning that about
which they now disagree. Who is more unjust than he who prohibiteth
he temples of Gop,’ that his name should be remembered therein, and
who hasteth to destroy them? Those men cannot enter therein, but with
fear: they shall have shame in this world, and in the next a grievous
punishment. To Gop belongeth the east and the west; thercfore whither-
soever ye turn yourselves to pray, there is the face of Gop; for Gop is
omnipresent and omniscient. They say, Gop hath begotten children :* Gop
forbid! To him belongeth whatever is in heaven, and on earth; all is pos-
sessed by him, the Creator of heaven and earth; and when he decreeth a
thing, he only saith unto it, Be, and it is. And they who know not the
scriptures say, Unless Gop speak unto us, or thou show us a sign, we will
not believe. So said those before them, according to their saying: their
hearts resemble each other. We have already shown manifest signs unto
people who firmly believe; we have sent thee in truth, a bearer of good
tidings and a preacher; and thou shalt not be questioned concerning the
companions of hell. But the Jews will not be pleased with thee, neither
the Christians, until thou follow their religion; say, The direction of Gop
is the true direction. And verily if thou follow their desires,. after the
knowledge which hath been given thee, thou shalt find no patron or pro-
tector against Gop. They to whom we have given the book of the Koran,
and who read it with its true reading, they believe therein; and whoever
believeth not therein, they shall perish. O children of Israel, remember my
favour wherewith I have favoured you, and that I have preferred you
before all nations ; and dread the day wherein one soul shall not make satis-
faction for another soul, neither shall any compensation be accepted from
them, nor shall any intercession avail, neither shall they be helped.
Remember when, the Lorp tried Abraham by certain words,‘ which he

* Literally, resigneth his face, &c.

> That is, asserteth the unity of God.* :

° The Jews and Christians are here accused of denying the truth of each other’s re-
ligion, notwithstanding they read the scriptures. Whereas the Pentateuch bears testimony
to Jesus, and the gospel bears testimony to Moses.”

4 Or hindereth men from paying their adorations to God in those sacred places. This
passage, says Jallalo’ddin, was revealed on news being brought, that the Romans had
spoiled the temple of Jerusalem; or else when the idolatrous Arabs obstructed Moham-
med’s visiting the temple of Mecca, in the expedition of al Hodeibiya, which happened
in the sixth year of the Hejra.®

© This is spoken not only of the Christians, and of the Jews (for they are accused of
holding Ozair, or Ezra, to be the son of God), but also the pagan Arabs, who imagined
the angels to be daughters of God.

_f God tried Abraham chiefly by commanding him to leave his native country, and to offex
hisson. But the commentators suppose the trial here meant related only to some particula

* Jallalo’ddin. ' Idem. ® Vide Abu’lfede Vit. Moham. p. 84, &c.
16 AL KORAN. CHAP. TI.

fulfilled: Gon said, Verily I will constitute thee a model of religion * unto
mankind; he answered, And also of my posterity ; Gop said, My covenant
doth not comprehend the ungodly. And when-we appointed -he holy
house of Mecca to be a place of resort for mankind, and a place of security ;
and said, Take the station of Abraham: for a place of prayer; and we
covenanted with Abraham and Ismael, that they should cleanse my house
for ‘those who should compass it,f and those who should be devoutly
assiduous there, and those who should bow down and worship. And
when Abraham said, Lorp make this a territory of security, and’ boun-
teously bestow fruits on its inhabitants, such of them as believe in
God and the last day; Gop answered, And whoever believeth not, I
will bestow on him littlet{; afterwards I will drive him to the punish-
ment of hell fire; an ill journey shall it be! And when Abraham and
Ismael raised the foundations of the house, saying, Lorn, accept it from
us, for thou art he who heareth and knoweth: Lorp, make us also re-
signed* 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: Lorp, 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 Lorp
said unto him, Resign thyself unto me; he answered, I have resigned
‘myself unto the Lorp of all creatures. And Abraham bequeathed this
religion to his children, and Jacob did the same, saying, My children, verily
Gop 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

ceremonies, such as circumcision, pilgrimage to the Caaba, several rites of purification,
and the like.®

®I have rather expressed the meaning, than truly translated the Arabic word Imém,
which answers to the Latin Antistes. This title the Mohammedans give to their priests,
who begin the prayers in their Mosques, and whom all the congregation follow.

* “T will establish thee the leader of the people.’’—Savary.

» That is, the Caaba, which is usually called by way of eminence, the House. Of the
sanctity of this building and other particulars relating to it, see the Preliminary Discourse,
sect. iv.

‘4 place so called within the inner enclosure of the Caaba, where they pretend to
show the print of his foot in a stone.*

+ ‘ Purify my temple* from the idols which are around it, and from those which are
within it, and from their worshippers.’’—Suavary.

‘I will extend, replied the Lord, my gifts even to the unbelievers, but they. shall
enjoy little. ‘hey shall be condemned to the flames, and deplorable shall be their end.”
—Savary,

« The Arabic word is Moslemiina, in the singular Moslem, which the Mohammedans
take as a title peculiar to themselves. The Europeans generally write and pronounce it
Musulman.

? Jallalo’ddin. 1 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

2 The descendants of Abraham and of Ishmael lost the belief of an only God. They
still reverenced the temple of Mecca as the work of those two patriarchs, but around it
and within it they had placed idols, to which they paid divine worship. Mahomet over-
threw them, and restored the worship of the only true Gnd.—Savary.
CHAP. IT. AL KORAN. 17

he said to his sons, Whom will ye worship after me? They answered,
We will worship thy Gop, and the Gop of thy fathers Abraham, and
Ismael, and Isaac, one Gop, and to him will we be resigned. , That peovic
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 idola-
ter. Say, We believe in Gon, and that which hath been sent down unto us,
cand 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 Lorn:
We make no distinction between any of them, and to Gop 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. Gop shall support thee against
them, for he is in the hearer, the wise. The baptism of Gop™ have we
received, and who is better than Gop to baptize? him do we worship. Say,
Will ye dispute with us concerning Gop," who is our Lorp, and your
Lorp? 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
Gop? And whois more unjust than he who hideth the testimony which
he hath received from Gop? But Gop is not regardless of that which ye
‘do. That people are passed away, they have what they have gained, and
ye shall have what ye gain, nor shall ye be questioned concerning that
which they have done. [*II.] The-foolish men will say, What hath
turned them from their Keblah, towards which they formerly prayed 2?
Say unto God belongeth the east and the west: he directeth whom he
pleaseth into the right way. Thus have we placed you, O Arabians, an

 

' Or deserved. The Mohammedan notion, as to the imputation of moral actions to
man, which they call gain, or acquisition, is sufficiently explained in the Preliminary
Discourse.

™ By baptism is to be understood the religion which Gon instituted in the beginning ; be-
cause the signs of it appear in the person who professes it, as the signs of water appear in
the clothes of him that is baptized.?

* These words were revealed, because the Jews insisted, that they first received the
scriptures, that their Keblah was more ancient, and that no prophets could arise among
the Arabs; and therefore if Mohammed was a prophet, he must have been of their nation.*

° The Jews are again accused of corrupting and suppressing the prophecies in the Pen-
tateuch relating to Mohammed. /

» At first, Mohammed and his followers observed no particular rite in turning their faces
towards any certain place, or quarter of the world, when they prayed; it being declared to
be perfectly indifferent.’ Afterwards, when the prophet fled to Medina, he directed them
to turn towards the temple of Jerusalem (probably to ingratiate himself with the Jews,)
which continued to be their Keblah for six or seven months; but either Cones the Jews
too intractable, or despairing otherwise to gain the pagan Arabs, who could not forget their
respect to the temple of Mecca, he ordered that prayers for the future should be towards
the last. This change was made in the second year of the Hejra,* and occasioned many
to fall from him, taking offence at his inconstancy.”

«This seems to be the sense of the words; though the commentators? will have the
meaning to be, that the Arabians are here declared to be a most just and good nation.

® Jallalo’ddin. 4Idem 5’ See before p. 15. 6 Vide Abulf. Vit. Moham, p. 54
‘Jallalo’ddin. = * Jallalo’ddin, Yahya, &c.
18 AL KORAN. CHAP. I

intermediate nation,** that ye may be witness against the rest of mankind,
and that the apostle may be a witness against you. We appointed the
Keblah towards which thou didst formerly pray, only that we might know
him who followeth the apostle, from him who turneth back on the heels ;*
though this change seem a great matter, unless unto those whom God hath
directed. But Gop will not render your faith of none effect ;* for Gop is
gracious and merciful unto man. We have seen thee turn about thy face
towards heaven with uncertainty, but we will cause thee to turn thyself
towards a Keblah that will please thee. Turn, therefore, thy face towards
the holy temple of Mecca; and wherever ye be, turn your faces towards
that place. They to whom the scripture hath been given, know this to be

truth from their Lorp. God is ‘not regardless of that which ye do. Verily ,

although thou shouldest show unto those to whom the scripture hath been
given all kinds of signs, yet they will not follow thy Keblah, neither shalt
thou follow their Keblah; nor will one part of them follow the Keblah of
the other. And if thou follow their desires, after the knowledge which
hath been given thee, verily thou wilt become one of the ungodly. They
to whom we have given the scripture know our apostle, even as they know
their own children; but some of them hide the truth, against their own
knowledge. Truth is from thy Lorp, therefore thou shalt not doubt.
Every sect hath a certain tract of heaven to which they turn themselves in
prayer; but do ye strive to run after good things; wherever ye be, Gop
will bring you all back at the resurrection, for Gop is almighty. And from
what place soever thou comest forth, turn thy face towards the holy temple;

for this is truth from thy Lorp ; neither is Gop regardless of that which ye

do. From what place soever thou comest forth, turn thy face towards the
holy temple; and wherever ye be, thitherward turn your faces, lest men
have matter of dispute against you; but as for those among them who are
unjust doers, fear them not, but fear me, that I may accomplish my grace
upon you, and that ye may be directed. As we have sent unto you an
apostle from among you,t to rehearse our signs unto you, and to purify
you, and to teach you the book of the Koran and wisdom, and to teach you
that which ye knew not: therefore remember me, and I will remember
you, and give thanks unto me, and be not unbelievers, O true believers,
beg assistance with patience and prayer, for Gop is with the patient. _And
say not of those who are slain in fight for the religion of Gop," that they are
dead; yea, they are living:* but ye do not understand. We will surely
prove you by afficting you in some measure with fear, and hunger, anc

 

*«« We have established you, O chosen people, to bear witness against the rest of the
nation, as your apostle will bear it against you.’’— Savary.

* i.e. Returneth to Judaism.

* Or will not suffer it to go without its reward, while ye prayed towards Jerusalem.

‘ That is, of your own nation.

* The original words are literally, who are slain in the way of God; by which expression,
frequently occurring in the Koran, is always meant war undertaken against unbelievers for
the propagation of the Mohammedan faith.

* The souls of martyrs (for such they esteem those who die in battle against infidels)
says Jallalo’ddin, are in the crops of green birds, which have liberty to fly wherever they
please in paradise, and feed on the fruits thereof.
CHAP. II. AL KORAN. 19

decrease of wealth, and loss of lives, and scarcity of fruits: but bear good
tidings unto the patient, who, when a misfortune befalleth them, say, We
are Gop’s, and unto him shall we surely return.7 Upon themghall be bless-
ings from their Lorp and mercy, and they are the rightly directed. More-
over Safa and Merwah are two of the monuments of God: whoever
therefore goeth on pilgrimage to the temple of Mecca or visiteth it,* it shall
_be no crime in him if he compass them both.* And as for him who volun. ©
tarily performeth a good work ; verily Gop is grateful and knowing. They
who conceal any of the evident signs, or the direction which we have sent
down, after what we have manifested unto men in the scripture, Gon- shall
curse them ; and they who curse shall curse them.* But as for those who re-
pent and amend, and make known what they concealed, I will be turned unto
them, for I am easy to be reconciled and merciful. Surely they who believe
not, and die in their unbelief, upon them shall be the curse of Gop, and of the
angels, and of all men; they shall remain under it for ever, their punish-
ment shall not be alleviated, neither shall they be regarded.» Your Gop
is one Gop; there is no Gop but He, the most merciful. Now in the
creation of heaven and earth, and the vicissitude of night and day, and
in the ship which saileth in the sea, Joaden with what is profitable for man-
kind, and in the rain water which Gop sendeth from heaven, quickening
thereby the dead earth, and replenishing the same with all sorts of cattle,
and in the change of winds, and the clouds that are compelled to do
service © between heaven and earth, are signs to people of understanding :
yet some men take idols beside Gop, and love them as with the love due to
Gop; but the true believers are more fervent in love towards God. Oh
that they who act unjustly did perceive,t when they behold their punish-

 

y An expression frequently in the mouths of the Mohammedans, when under any great
affliction, or in any imminent danger.

*««He who shall have performed the pilgrimage to Mecca, and shall have visited the
holy house, shall be exempted from offering an expiatory victim, provided that he maketh
the circuit of those two mountains. He who goeth beyond what the precept requireth
shall experience the gratitude of the Lord.’’—Savazy.

* Safa and Merwa are two mountains near Mecca, whereon were anciently two idols, to
which tne pagan Arabs used to pay a superstitious veneration. - Jallalo’ddin says this
passage was revealed because the followers of Mohammed made ascruple of going round
these mountains, as the idolaters did. But the true reason of his allowing ifs relic of
ancient superstition seems to be the difficulty he found in preventing it. Abu’l Kasem
Hebato’llah thinks these last words are abrogated by those other, Who will reject the re-
ligion of Abraham, except he who hath infatuated his soul?* So that he will have the
meaning to be quite contrary to the letter, as if it had been, it shall be no crime in him if
he do not -ampass them. However, the expositors are all against him,? and the ceremony
of running between these two hills is still observed at the pilgrimage.?

* That is, the angels, the believers, and all things in general. But Yahya interprets ix
of the curses which will be given to the wicked, when they cry out because of the pun-
ishment of the sepulchre,* by all who hear them, that is by all creatures except men and
genii. ;

> Or, az Jallalo’ddin expounds it, God will not wait for their repentance.

© The original word signifies properly that ure pressed or compelled to do personal service
without hire; which kind of service is often exacted by the eastern princes of their subjects,
and is called by the Greek and Latin wriers, Angaria. The scripture often mentions this
sort of compulsion or force.®

® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. 1 See before p. 16. * Vide Marracc. in Ale.
p. 69, &c. ? See the Prelim. Disc. sect iv;  “‘ Jallalo’ddin. * See Prelim. Disc,
sect. iv. 5 Matt. v. 41.3; xxvii. 32, &c.

‘Or it may be translated, Although the ungodly will perceive, &c. Bu: some copies
20 AL KORAN. CHAP. I.

ment, that all power belongeth unto Gop, and that he is severe ‘n punish-
ing! When those who have been followed shall separate themselves from
their followers,° and shall see the punishment, and the cords of relation be-
tween them shall be cut in sunder; the followers shall say, If we could
return to life, we would separate ourselves from them, as they have now
separated themselves from us. So Gop will show them their works ; they
shall sigh grievously, and shall not come forth from the fire of hel. O men,
eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth; and tread not in
the steps. of the devil, for he is your open enemy. Verily he commandeth
you evil and wickedness, and that ye should say that of Gop which ye
know not. And when it is said unto them who believe not, Follow that which
Gop hath sent down; they answer, Nay, but we will follow that which we
found our fathers practise. What? though their fathers knew nothing, and
were not rightly directed? The unbelievers are like unto one who crieth
aloud to that which heareth not so much as his calling,* or the sound of his
voice. They are deaf, dumb, and blind, therefore do they not understand.
O true believers, eat of the good things which we have bestowed on you for
food, and return thanks unto Gop, if ye serve him. Verily he hath for-
bidden you to eat that which dieth of itself, and blood and swine’s flesh, and
that on which any other name but Gon’s hath been invocated.* But he whois
forced by necessity, not lusting, nor returning to transgress, it shall be no
crime in him if he eat of those things, for Gop is gracious and merciful.
Moreover they who conceal any part of the scripture which Gop hath sent
down unto them, and sell it for a small price, they shall swallow into their
bellies nothing but fire; Gop shall not speak unto them on the day of
resurrection, neither shall he purify them, and they shall suffer a grievous
punishment. These are they who have sold direction for error, and pardon
for punishment: but how great will their suffering be in the fire! This
they shall endure, because Gop sent down the book of the Koran with
truth, and they who disagree concerning that book are certainly in a wide
mistake, It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces in prayer towards
the east and the west, but righteousness is of him who believeth in Gop
and the last day, and the angels, and the scriptures, and the prophets ;
who giveth money for Gop’s sake unto his kindred, and unto orphans, and
the needy, and the stranger, and those who ask, and for redemption of
captives; who is constant at prayer, and giveth alms; and of those whe
perform their covenant, when they have covenanted, and who behave
themselves patiently in adversity, and hardships, and in time of violence:

 

instead of yara, in the third person, read tara, in the second; and then it must be ren-
dered, Oh if thou didst see when the ungodly behold their punishment, &c.

© That is, when the broachers or heads of new sects shall at the last day forsake or wash
their hands of their disciples, as if they were not accomplices in their superstitions.

* «The unbelievers are like unto him who heareth the sound of the voice without com-
prehending any thing. Deaf, dumb, and blind, they have no understanding.’’—Savary.

‘ For this reason, whenever the Mohammedans kill any animal for food, they alw:

ays
say Te Hah, or In the name of God; which if it be neglected, they think it not ikea
to eat of it.
CHAP II. AL KORAN. 21

these are they who are true, and these are they who fear Gon. A O true
believers, the law of retaliation is ordained yeu for the slain: the free shail
die for the free, and the servant for the servant, and a. woman for a
woman :& but he whom his brother shall forgive may be prosecuted,* and
obliged to make satisfaction according to what is just, and a fine shall be set
on him" with humanity. - This is indulgence from your Lorn, and mercy.
And he who shall transgress after this, by killing the murderer, shall suffer
a grievous punishment, And in this law of retaliation ye have life, O ye
of understanding, that peradventure ye may fear. /lt is ordained you,
when any of you is at the point of death, if he leave any goods, that he
bequeath a legacy to his parents, and kindred, according to what shall be
reasonable! This is a duty incumbent on those who fear Gop. But he
who shall change the legacy, after he hath heard it bequeathed by the dying
person, surely the sin thereof shall be on those who change it, for Gop is
he who heareth and knoweth. Howbeit he who apprehendeth from the
testator any mistake or injustice, and shall compose the matter between
them, that shall be no crime in him, for Gop is gracious and merciful.
O true believers, a fast is ordained you, as it was ordained unto those
before you, that ye may fear Gop. A certain number of days shall ye fast :
but he among you who shall be sick, or on a journey, shall fast an equal
number of other days. And those who can*™ keep it, and do not, must
redeem their neglect by maintaining of a poor man.! And he who volun-
tarily dealeth better with the poor man than he is obliged, this shall be
better for him. But if ye fast it will be better for you, if ye knew it.
The month of Ramadan shail ye fast, in which the Koran was sent down

 

® This is not to be strictly taken; for, according to the Sonna, a man is also to be put
to death for the murder of a woman. Regard is also to be had to difference in religion, so
that a Mahommedan, though a slave, is not to be put to death for an infidel, though a
freeman.’ But the civil magistrates do not think themselves always obliged to conform
to the last determination of the Sonna. :

* « He who forgiveth the murderer of his brother, shall have the right of requiring a
reasonable reparation, which shall be thankfully paid.’’—Savary.

4 This is the common practice in Mahommedan countries, particularly in Persia ;®
where the relations of the deceased may take their choice, either to have the murderer
put into their hands to be put to death; or else to accept of pecuniary satisfaction.

' That is, the legacy was not to exceed a third part of the testator’s substance, nor to be
given where there was no necessity. But this injunction is abrogated by the law concern-
ing inheritances.

* The expositors differ much about the meaning of this passage, thinking it very impro-
bable that people should be left entirely at liberty either to fast or not, on compounding for
itinthis manner. Jallalo’ddin therefore supposes the negative particle not to be understood,
and that this is allowed only to those who are mot able to fast, by reason of age or dangerous
sickness: but afterwards he says, that in the beginning of Mahommedism it was free for
them to choose whether they would fast or maintain a poor man; which liberty was soon
after taken away, and this passage abrogated by the following, Therefore let him who shall
be present in this month, fast the same month. Yet this abrogation, he says, does not ex-
tend to women with child, or that give suck, lest the infant suffer.

Al Zamakhshari, having first given an explanation of Ebn Abbas, who by a different
interpretation of the Arabic wall Yotikinaho which signifies can or are able to fast, ren
ders it, Those who find great difficulty therein, &c., adds an exposition of his own, by sup-
posing something to be understood; according to which the sense will be, Those who can
fast, and yét have a legal excuse to break it, must redeem it, &c.

' According to the usual quantity which a man eats in a day, and the custom 1e
country.®

‘Jallalo’ddin. * Vide Chardin, Voyage de Perse, t.ii. p. 299, &c. ° Jal’

 
22 AL KORAN. SHAP. IL

from heaven, a direction unto men, and declarations of direction, and the
distinction between good and evil. Therefore, let him among you who shall
be present* in this month, fast the same month ; but he who shall be sick,
or on a journey, shall fast the, like number of other days. Gop would
make this an ease unto you, and would not make it a difficulty unto you;
that ye may fulfil the number of days, and glorify Gop, for that he hath
directed you, and that ye may give thanks. When my’servants ask thee
concerning me, Verily I am near; I will hear the prayer of him that
prayeth, when he prayeth unto me: but let them hearken unto me, and
believe in me, that they may be rightly directed. It is lawful for you, on
the night of the fast, to go in unto your wives ;° they are a garment? unto
you, and ye are a garment unto them. Gop knoweth that ye defraud
yourselves therein, wherefore he turneth unto you, and forgiveth you.
Now, therefore, go in unto them; and earnestly desire that which Gop
ordaineth you, and eat and drink, until ye can plainly distinguish a
white thread from a black thread by the day-break: then keep the fast
until night, and go not in unto them, but be constantly present in the
places of worship. These are the prescribed bounds of Gop, therefore
draw not near them to transgress them. Thus Gop declareth his signs
unto men, that ye may fear him. Consume not your wealth among
yourselves in vain; nor present it unto judges, that ye may devour
part of men’s substance unjustly, against your own consciences. - They
will ask thee concerning the phases of the moon: Answer, They are
times appointed unto men, and to show the season of the pilgrimage to
Mecca. It is not righteousness that ye enter your houses by the back
parts thereof,1 but righteousness is of him who feareth Gop. Therefore
enter your houses by their doors; and fear Gop, that ye may be happy.
And fight for the religion of Gop against those who fight against you; but
transgress not by attacking them first, for Gop loveth not the transgressors.
And kill them wherever ye find them, and turn them out of that whereof
they have dispossessed you; for temptation to idolatry is more grievous
than slaughter; yet fight not against them in the holy temple, until they
attack you therein; but if they attack you, slay them there. This shall
be the reward of infidels. But if they desist, Gop is gracious and mer-
ciful! Fight therefore against them, until there be no temptation to idola-
try, and the religion be Gop’s; but if they desist, then let there be no

 

™ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

i. e. At home, and not in a strange country, where the fast cannot be performed, or
on a journey.

° In the beginning of Mohammedism, during the fast, they neither lay with their wives
ner ate nor drank after supper. But both are permitted by this passage.!

» A metaphorical expression, to signify the mutual comfort a man and his wife findin -
each other. :

4 Some of the Arabs had a superstitious custom after they had been at Mecca, (in pil-
grimage, as it seems) on their return home, not to enter their house by the old door, but
to make a hole through the back part for a passage, which practice is here reprehended,

1 Jallalo’ddin.
OHAP. IT. AL KORAN. 23

hostility, except against the ungodly. A sacred month for a sacred month,
and the holy limits of Mecca, if they attack you therein, do ye also attack
them therein in retaliation; and whoever transgresseth against you dy so
doing, do ye transgregs against him in like manner as he hath transgressed
against you, and fear Gop, and know that Gop is with those who fear him.
Contribute out of your substance toward the defence of the religion of Gop.
and throw not yourselves with your own hands into perdition;* and do
good, for Gop loveth those who do good. Perform the pilgrimage of
Mecca, and the visitation of Gop; and, if ye be besieged, send that offer-
ing which shall be the easiest; and shave not your heads,‘ until your
offering reacheth the place of sacrifice. But, whoever among you is sick,
or is troubled with any distemper of the head, must redeem the shaving his
head, by fasting, or alms, or some offering." When ye are secure from
enemies, he who tarrieth” in the visitation of the temple of Mecca until the
pilgrimage, shall bring that offering which shall be the easiest. But he
who findeth not any thing to offer, shall fast three days in the pilgrimage,
and seven when ye are returned: they shall be ten days complete. This
is incumbent on him whose family shall not be present at the holy temple.
And fear Gop, and know that Gop is severe in punishing. The pilgrimage,
must be performed in the known months :* whosoever therefore purposeth
to go on pilgrimage therein, let him not know a woman, nor transgress,
nor. quarrel in the pilgrimage. The good which ye do, Gop knoweth it.
Make provision for your journey; but the best provision is piety: and
fear me, O ye of understanding. It shall be no crime in you, if ye seek an
increase from your Lorn, by trading during the pilgrimage. And when
ye go in procession’ from Arafat? remember Gop near the holy monument;
and remember him for that he hath directed you, although ye were before

 

’ As to these sacred months, wherein it was unlawful for the ancient Arabs to attack one
another, see the Prelim. Disc. sect. vii.

* i.e. Be not accessary to your own destruction, by neglecting your contributions towards
the wars against infidels, and thereby suffer them to gather strength.

t For this was a sign they had completed their vow, and performed all the ceremonies of
the pilgrimage.? ;

" That is, either by fasting three days, or feeding six poor people, or sacrificing a sheep.

* This passage is somewhat obscure. Yahya interprets it of him who marries a wife
during the visitation, and performs the pilgrimage the year following. But Jallalo’ddin ex-
pounds it of him who stays within the sacred enclosures, in order to complete the cere-
monies, which (as it should seem) he had not been able to do within the prescribed time.

=i. e, Shawal, Dhu’lkaada, and Dhu’lhajja. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

’ The original word signifies to rush forward impetuously ; as the pilgrims do when they
proceed from Arafat to Mozdalifa.
* A mountain near Mecca, so called, because Adam there met and knew his wife, after
a long separation.? Yet others say that Gabriel, after he had instructed Abraham in all
~the sacred ceremonies, coming to Arafat there asted him if he knew the ceremonies which
had been shown him; to which Abraham answering in the affirmative, the mountain had
thence its name.‘
aIn Arabic, al Masher al haram. It is a mountain in the farther part of Mozdalifa,
where it is said Mohammed stood praying and praising Gop, till his face became extremely
shining,* Bobovius calls it Forkh,* but the true name seems to be Kazah; the variation
being occasioned only by the different pointing of the Arabic letters.

? Jallalo’ddin. 3 See before p. 5. note f. ‘ Al Hasan. Tallalo’ddin.
‘Bobov. de Peregr. Meccana, p. 15.
24 “AL KORAN. oHAP. I.

this of the number of those who go astray. Therefore go in procession
from whence the people go in procession, and ask pardon of Gop, for Gow
is gracious and merciful. And when ye have finished your holy cere-
monies, remember Gon, according as ye remember your fathers, or with a
more reverent commemoration. There are some men who say, O: Lorp,
give us our portion in this world; but such shall have no portion in the
next life: and there are others who say, O Lorp, give us good in this
world and also good in the next world, and deliver us from the torment of
hell fire. They shall have a portion of that which they have gained: Gop
is swift in taking an account.» Remember Gop the appointed number of
days *; but if any haste to depart from the valley of Mina in two days, it
shall be no crime in him. And if any tarry longer, it shall be no crime in
him, in him who feareth Gop. Therefore fear Gop, and know that unto
him ye shall be gathered. There is a man who causeth thee to marvel@
by his speech concerning this present life, and calleth God to witness tha
which is in his heaft, yet he is most intent in opposing thee; anc
when he turneth away from thee, he hasteth to act corruptly in the earth,
and to destroy that which is sown, and springeth up:* but Gop loveth
not corrupt doing. And if one say unto him, Fear Gop; pride
seizeth him, together with wickedness; but hell shall be his reward,
and an unhappy couch shall it be. There is also a man who selleth
his soul for the sake of those things which are pleasing unto Gep;f
and Gop is gracious unto his servants. O true believers, enter into the
true religion wholly, and follow not the steps of Satan, for he is your
open enemy. If ye have slipped after the declarations of our will have
come unto you, know that Gop is mighty and wise. Do the infidels expect
less than that Gop should come down to them overshadowed with clouds,
and the angels also? but the thing is decreed, and to Gop shall all things
return. Ask the children of Israel how many evident signs we have
showed them; and whoever shall change, the grace of Gop after it shall
have come unto him, verily Gop will be severe in punishing him. The
present life was ordained for those who believe not,* and they laugh the
faithful to scorn; but they who fear Gop shall be above them, on the day
of the resurrection: for Gop is bountiful unto whom he pleaseth without _
measure. Mankind was of one faith, and Gop sent prophets bearing good
tidings, and denouncing threats, and sent down with them the scripture in

 

 

> For he will judge all creatures, says Jallalo’ddin, in the space of half a day.
'¢4, e. Three days after slaying the sacrifices. :
4 This person was al Akhnas Ebn Shoraik, a fair-spoken dissembler, who swore that he
believed in Mohammed, and pretended to be one of his friends, and to contemn this world.
But Gop here reveals to the prophet his hypocrisy and wickedness.”
¢ Betting fire 7 his neighbour’s co nae killing his asses by night.?
‘The person here meant was one Soheib, who being per: ted by the i f
Mecca, pee al Be had, and fled to eee fe berecaiiied by the adelmtens
*««The life of this world is strewed with flowers for the unbelievers. They make
a scoff of the faithful. Those who have the fear of the Lord shall be saioell above
Caled at the day of resurrection. God dispenseth as he pleaseth his innumerable gifts.”""—
‘avary.

* Jallalo’ddin "Idem. *Idem.
OHAP. TI. AL KORAN. 25

truth, that it might judge between men of that concerning which they
disagreed: and none disagreed concerning it, except those to whom the
same scriptures were delivered, afler the declarations of Gon’s will had
come unto them, out of envy among themselves. And Gop directed those —
who believed, to that truth concerning which they disagreed, by his will:
for Gop directeth whom he pleaseth into the right way. Did ye think ye
should enter paradise, when as yet no such thing had happened unto you,
as hath happened unto those who have been before you? They suffered
calamity, and tribulation, and were afflicted; so that the apostle, and they
who believed with him, said; When will the help of Gop come? Is
not the help of Gop nigh? They will ask thee what they shall bestow in
alms: Answer, The good which ye bestow, let it be given to parents,
and kindred, and orphans, and the poor and the stranger. Whatsoever
good ye do, Gop knoweth it. War is enjoined you against the Infidels;
but this is hateful unto you: yet perchance ye hate a thing which is better
for you, and perchance ye love a thing which is worse for you: but Gop
knoweth and ye know not. ‘They will ask thee concerning the sacred
month, whether they may war therein: Answer, To war therein is grievous ;
but to obstruct the way of Gop, and infidelity towards him, and to keep men
from the holy temple, and to drive out his people from thence, is more
gnevous in the sight of Gop, and the temptation to 2dolatry is more
grievous than to kill in the sacred months. They will not cease to war
against you, until they turn you from your religion, if they be able: but
whoever among you shall turn back from his religion, and die an infidel,
their works shall be vain in this world, and the next; they shall be
the companions of hell fire, they shall remain therein for ever. But
they who believe, and who fly for the sake of religion, and fight in Gop’s
cause, they shall hope for the mercy of Gop ; for Gop is gracious and mer-
ciful, They will ask thee concerning wine and lots: Answer, In both ©
there is great sin, and also some things of use unto men;i but their sinful-
ness is greater than their use. They will ask thee also what they shall
bestow in alms : Answer, What ye have to spare. Thus Gop showeth his
signs unto you, that peradventure ye might seriously think of this present
world, and of the next. They will also ask thee concerning orphans :
Answer, To deal righteously with them is best; and if ye intermeddle
with the management of what belongs to them, do them no wrong;

 

© Under the name of wine all sorts of strong and inebriating liquors are comprehended.*

* The original word, al Meiser, properly signifies a particular game performed with
arrows, and much in use with the pagan Arabs. But by lots we are here to understand all
games whatsoever, which are subject to chance or hazard, as dice, cards, &c.?

‘ From these words some suppose that only drinking to excess and too frequent gaming
are prohibited.? And the moderate use of wine they also think is allowed by these words
of the 16th chapter, And of the fruits of palm-trees and grapes ye obtain inebriating drink,
and also good nourishment. But the more received opinion is, that both drinking wine

or other strong liquors in any quantity, and playing at any game of chance, are absolutely
forbidden.‘ :

*See the Prelim. Disc. sect.v. 2 See ibid. 3 Vide Jallalo’ddin et al Zamakshari,
‘See the Prelim. Disc. ubi sup. 3

M
26 » AL KORAN. cHAP. IL.

they are your brethren: Gop knoweth the corrupt dealer from the
righteous; and if Gop please, he will surely distress you,* for Gop is
inighty and wise. Marry not women who are idolaters, until they believe :
verily a maid-servant who believeth, is better than an idolatress, although
she please you more, And give not women who believe in marriage to the
idolaters, until they believe: for verily a servant who is a true believer, is
better than an idolater, though he please you more. They invite unto hell
fire, but Gop inviteth unto paradise and pardon through his will, and
declareth his signs unto men, that they may remember. They will
ask thee also concerning the courses of women: Answer, They are a
pollution: therefore separate yourselves from women in their courses, and
go not near them, until they be cleansed. But when they are cleansed, go
in unto them as Gop hath commanded you,! for Gop loveth those who
repent, and loveth those who are clean. Your wives are your tillage; go
in therefore unto your tillage in what manner soever ye will:™ and do first
some act that may be profitable unto your souls; and fear Gop, and know
that ye must meet him; and bear good tidings unto the faithful. Make
not Gop the object of your oaths,° that ye will deal justly, and be devout,
and make peace among men;? for God is he who heareth and knoweth.
Gop will not punish you for an inconsiderate word? in your oaths ; but he
will punish you for that, which your hearts have assented unto: Gop
is merciful and gracious. They who vow to abstain from their wives, are
allowed to wait four months:* but if they go back from their vow, verily
Gop is gracious and merciful ;* and if they resolve on a divorce, Gop is he
who heareth and knoweth. The women who are divorced shall wait con-
cerning themselves until they have their courses thrice, and it shall not be

 

* tl ay his curse, which will certainly bring to nothing what ye shall wrong the
orphans of.
TT But not while they have their courses, nor by using preposterous venery.!

™ That is in any posture; either standing, sitting, lying, forwards, or backwards. And
this passage, it is said was revealed to answer the Jews, who pretended that if a man lay
with his wife backwards, he would get a more witty child.® It has been imagined that
these words allow that preposterous lust, which the commentators say is foptidden by the
preceding ; but I question whether this can be proved.

"i. e. Perform some act of devotion or charity.

° So as to swear frequently by him. The word translated object, properly signifies a
butt to shoot at with arrows." ;

» Some commentators® expound this negatively, That ye will not deal justly, nor be
devout, &c. For such wicked oaths, they say, were customary among the idolatrous
inhabitants of Mecca; which gave occasion to the following saying of Mohammed; When
you swear to do a thing, and afterwards find it better to do otherwise; do that which is better,
and make void your oath, |

«When a man swears inadvertently and without design.

That is, they may take so much time to consider; and shall not by a rash oath, be
obliged actually to divorce them.

*7, e. If they be reconciled to their wives within four months, or after, they may retain
them: and Gop will dispense with their oath. .

* This is to be understood of those only with whom the marriage has been consummated ;
for as to the others there is no time limited. Those who are not quite past childbearing
(which a woman is reckoned to be after her courses cease, and she is fifty-five lunar years,
is about fifty-three solar years old) and those who are too young to have children, are
allowed three months only ; but they who are with child must wait till they be delivered.

’ Ebn Abbas, Jallalo’ddin. * Jallalo’ddin, Yahya, Al Zamakshari. Vide Lucret.
de ver. Nat. 1. iv. v. 1258, &c. * Jallalo’ddin. ®Idem. Yahya. = ° Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. II. AL KORAN. ° 37

lawful for them to conceal that which Gop hath created in their wombs,"
‘f they believe in Gop and the last day; and their husbands will act more
justly to bring them back at this time, if they desire a recongiliation. The
women ought also to behave towards their husbands in like manner as their
husbands should behave towards them, according to what is just: but the
men ought to have a superiority over them. Gop is mighty and wise.
Ye may divorce your wives twice; and then either retain them with
humanity, or dismiss them with kindness. But it is not lawful for you to
. take away any thing of what ye have given them, unless both fear that they
cannot observe the ordinances of Gop.* And if ye fear that they cannot
observe the ordinance of Gop, it shall be no crime in either of them
on account of that for which the wife shall redeem herself.y These are the
ordinances of Gop; therefore transgress them not; for whoever trans-
gresseth the ordinances of Gop, they are unjust doers. But if the husband
divorce her a third time, she shall not be lawful for him again, until she
marry another husband.* But if he also divorce her, it shall be no crime
in them if they return to each other, if they think they can observe
the ordinances of Gop, and these are the ordinances of Gop, he declareth
them to people of understanding. But when ye divorce women, and they
have fulfilled their prescribed time, either retain them with humanity,
or dismiss them with kindness; and retain them not by violence, so that
ye transgress ;7 fot he who doth this, surely injureth his own soul. And
make not the signs of Gop a jest: but remember Gon’s favour towards
you, and that he hath sent down unto you the book of the Koran,
and wisdom admonishing you thereby; and fear Gop, and know that
Gop is omniscient. But when ye have divorced your wives, and they
have fulfilled their prescribed time, hinder them not from marrying their
husbands, when they have agreed among themselves according to what is
honourable. This is given in admonition unto him among you who
believeth in Gop, and the last day. This is most righteous for you,
and most pure. Gop knowcth, but ye know not. Mothers after they are

 

« That is, they shall tell the real truth, whether they have their courses, or be with child,
or not; and shall not by deceiving their husband, obtain a separation from him before the
term be accomplished ; lest the first husband’s child should, by that means, go to the
second; or the wife, in case of the first husband’s death, should set up her <hild as his
heir, or demand her maintenance during the time she went with such child, and the ex-
penses of her lying-in, under pretence that she waited not her full prescribed time.?

* For if there be a settled aversion on cither side, their continuing together may have
very ill, and perhaps fatal consequences.

¥ i.e. If she prevail on her husband to dismiss her, by releasing part of her dowry.

* «The Mahometan who has thrice sworn to divorce his wife, religion punishes by not
allowing him to take her again till she has shared the bed of another man. The faulty
person, whois thus unpleasantly circumstanced, endeavours to elude the law. He chooses
a friend dn whose discretion he can reckon; shuts him up with his wife in the presence
of witnesses, and tremblingly awaits the result. The trial is a dangerous one. If, when
he quits the room, the obliging friend declares that he divorces her, the first husband has
a right to resume her; but if, having forgotten friendship in the arms of love, he should
say that he acknowledges her as his wife, he takes her away with him, and the marriage
is. valid.”’—Savary.

* viz. By obliging them to putchase their liberty with part of their dowry.

‘Yahya.
28 =° ' AL KORAN. CHAP. I

divorced shall give suck unto their children two full years, to him who
desireth the time of giving suck to be completed; and the father shall be
obliged to maintain them and clothe them in the mean time, according
to that which shall be reasonable. No person shall be obliged beyond his
ability. A mother shall not be compelled to what is unreasonable on
account of her child, nor a father on account of his child. And the heir of
the father shall be obliged to do in like manner. But if they chose to wean
the child before the end of two years, by common consent, and on mutual
consideration, it shall be no crime in them. And if ye have a mind
to provide a nurse for your children, it shall be no crime in you, in case ye
fully pay what ye offer Aer, according to that which is just. And fear
Gop, and know that Gop seeth whatsoever ye do. Such of you as die,
and leave wives, their wives must wait concerning themselves four months
and ten days,* and when they shall have fulfilled their term, it shall be no
crime in you, for that which they shall do with themselves,” according to
what is reasonable. Gop well knoweth that which ye do. And it
shall be no crime in you, whether ye make public overtures of marriage
unto such women, within the said four months and ten days, or whether ye
conceal such your designs in your minds: Gop knoweth that ye will
remember them.* But make no promises unto them privately, unless
ye speak honourable words ; and resolve not on the knot of marriage until
the prescribed time be accomplished; and know that Gop knoweth
‘that which is in your minds, therefore beware of him and know that Gop
is gracious and merciful. It shall be no crime in you, if ye divorce
your wives, so long as ye have not touched them, nor settled any dowry
on them. And provide for them (he who is at his ease must provide
according to his circumstances, and he who is straitened according to
his circumstances) necessaries, according to what shall be reasonable.
This is a duty incumbent on the righteous. But if ye divorce them
before ye have touched them, and have already settled a dowry on
them, ye shall give them half of what ye have settled, unless they release
any part, or he release part in whose hand the knot of marriage is ;° and if
ye release the whole, it will approach nearer unto piety. And not forget liber-
ality among you, for Gop seeth that which ye do. Carefully observe, the
appointed prayers, and the middle prayer,* and be assiduous therein, with

 

* That is to say before they marry again; and this not only for decency sake,-but that
it may be known whether they be with child by the deceased or not.

> That is, if they leave off their mourning weeds, and look out for new husbands.

*« The desire of marrying a wife, whether you show it openly, or conceal it in your
own breasts, shall not render you guilty in the sight of Gop. He knoweth ye cannot '

revent yourselves from thinking of women; but make to them no promise in secret, un- ©
ess ye veil your love in decorous language.”’—Savary. :

7. e. Unless the wife agree to take less than half her dowry, or unless the husband be
so geneyous as to give her more than half, or the whole; which is here approved of as
Most commendable. .

¢ Yahya interprets this from a tradition of Mohammed, who being asked which was
the middle prayer, answered, The evening prayer, which was instituted by the prophet
Solomon. But Jallalo’ddin allows a greater latitude, and supposes it may be the after-
noon prayer the morning prayer, the noon prayer, or any other.
CHAP. II. AL KORAN. 29

devotion towards Gop. But if ye fear any danger, pray on foot or on
horseback ; and when ye are safe remember Gop, how he hath taught you
what as yet ye knew not. And such of you as shall die and leave wives,
ought to bequeath their wives a year’s maintenance, without putting them
out of their houses: but if they go out voluntarily, it shall be no crime
in you, for that which they shall do with themselves, according to what
shall be reasonable; Gop is mighty and wise. And unto those who are
divorced, a reasonable provision is also due; this is a duty incumbent on
those who fear Gop. Thus Gop declareth his signs unto you, that ye may
understand. Hast thou not considered those, who left their habitations,
(and they were thousands) for fear of death?® And Gop said unto them,
Die; then he restored them to life, for Gop is gracious towards mankind ;
but the greater part of men do not give thanks. Fight for the religion of
Gop, and know that Gop is he who heareth and knoweth. Who is he
that will lend unto Gop on good usury? verily he will double it unto him
manifold; for Gop contracteth and extendeth his hand as he pleaseth, and
to him shall ye return. Hast thou not considered the assembly of the
children of Israel, after the time of Moses; when they said unto their
prophet Samuel, Set a king over us, that we may fight for the religion
of Gop. The prophet answered,* If ye are enjoined to go to war, will ye
be near refusing to fight? They answered, And what should ail us that
we should not fight for the religion of Gop, seeing we are dispossessed
of our habitations, and deprived of our children? But when-they were
enjoined to go to war, they turned back, except a few of them: and
Gop knew the ungodly. And their prophet said unto them, Verily Gop
hath set Talut,’ king over you: they answered, How shall he reign over
us, seeing we are more worthy of the kingdom than he, neither is he
possessed of great riches? Samuel said, Verily Gop hath chosen him be-
fore you, and hath caused him to increase in knowledge and stature,t for

 

* These were some of the children of Israel, who abandoned their dwellings because of a
pestilence; or, as others say, to avoid serving in a religious war: but as they fled, Gop
struck them all dead in acertain valley. About eight days or more after, when their bodies
were corrupted, the prophet Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, happening to pass that way, at the
sight of their bones, wept; whereupon Gop said to him, Call to them, O Ezekiel, and I will
restore them to life. And accordingly on the phophet’s call they all arose, and lived seve-
ral years after; but they retained the colour and stench of dead corpses, as long as they
lived, and the clothes they wore changed as black as pitch; which qualities they trans-
mitted to their posterity.2_ As to the number of these Israelites, the commentators are not
agreed: they who reckon least say they were 3000, and they who reckon most, 70,000.
This story seems to have been taken from Ezekiel’s vision of the resurrection of dry bones.*

Some of the Mohammedan writers will have Ezekiel to have been one of the judges of
Israel, and to have succeeded Othoniel, the son of Caleb. They also call this prophet

al ajtz, or the son of the old woman; because they say his mother obtained him by
her prayers in her old age.*

‘viz. By contributing towards the establishment of his true religion.

mrs Wal yon be ready to go forth to fight (said the prophet to them) when the time shalt
be come? And who, replied they, could prevent us from marching under the baaner of
the faith ?”’—Savary.

® So the Mohammedans name Saul. ;

t “ The Lord, replied Samuel, hath chosen him to be your leader. He hath enlightene.
his mind and strengthened his arm.’’—Savary. :

2 Jallalo’ddin, Yahya, Abulfeda, &c. 3 Ezek. xxxvii.1—10. ‘Al Thalabi, Abu
Tshak, &c.
30 _ AL KORAN. CHAP. II,

s

Gop giveth ts kingdom unto whom he pleaseth; Gop is vounteous and
wise. And their prophet said unto them, Verily the sign of his kingdom
shall be, that the ark shall come unto you:» therein shall be tranquillity
from your Lorp,! and the relics* which have been left by the family of
Moses and the family of Aaron; the angels shall bring it. Verily this
shall be a sign unto you if ye believe. And when Talut departed with
his soldiers he said, Verily Gop will prove you by the river: for he who
drinketh thereof shall not be on my side (but he who shall not taste
thereof he shall be on my side), except he who drinketh a draught out
of his hand. And they drank thereof, except a few of them.’ And
when they had‘ passed the river, hes and those who believed with him,
they said, We have no strength to-day, against Jalut™ and his forces.
But they who considered that they should meet Gop at the resurrection,
said, How often hath a small army discomfited a great one, by the
will of Gop! and Gop is with those who patiently persevere. And when
they went forth to battle against Jalut and his forces, they said, O
Lorp, pour on us patience, and confirm our feet, and help us against
the unbelieving people. Therefore they discomfited them, by the will
of Gop, and David slew Jalut. And Gop gave him the kingdom and
wisdom, and taught him his will;* and if Gop had not,prevented men,
the one by the other, verily the earth had been corrupted: but Gop is
beneficent towards his creatures. These are the signs of Gon: we rehearse
them unto thee with truth, and thou art surely one of those who have been
sent by Gop. [*III.] These are the apostles; we have preferred some
of them before others; some of them hath Gop spoken unto, and hath
exalted the degree of others of them. And we gave unto Jesus the son of
‘Mary manifest signs, and strengthened him with the holy spirit.» And if
Gop had pleased, they who came after those apostles would not have con-

 

» This ark, says Jallalo’ddin, contained the images of the prophets, and was sent down
from heaven to Adam, and at length came to the Israelites, who put great confidence there-
in, and continually carried it in the front of their army, till it was taken by the Amalekites.
But on this occasion the angels brought it back, in the sight of all the people, and placed
it at the feet of Talit, who was thereupon unanimously acknowledged for their king.

This relation seems to have arisen from some imperfect tradition of the taking and send-
ing back the ark by the Philistines.s

* That is, because of the great confidence the Israelites placed in it, having won several
battles by its miraculous assistance. I imagine however that the Arabic word Sakénat,
which signifies tranquillity or security of mind, and is so understood by the commentators,
may not improbably mean the divine presence or glory, which used to appear on the ark,
and which the Jews express by the same word Shechinah. ~

* These were the shoes and rod of Moses, the Mitre of Aaron, a pot of manna, and the
broken pieces of the two tables of the law.® ;

‘The number of those who drank out of their hands was about 313.7 It seems that
Mohammed has here confounded Saul with Gideon, wlo by the divine direction took with
him against the Midianites such of his army only as lapped water out of their hands, which
were 300 men?

™ Or Goliah.

" Or what he pleased to teach him. Yahya most rationally understands hereby the divine
revelations which David received from God; but Jallalo’ddin the art of making coats o}
mail (which the Mohammedans believe was that prophet’s peculiar trade) and the know-
ledge of the language of birds. :

° See before p. 12, Note k.

*1 Sam. iv, v, and vi. * Jallalo’ddin. _ "Idem. Yahya. ® Judges vii.
. >
OHAP. IT. AL KORAN. — 31

tended among themselves, after manifest signs had been shown unto them.
But they fell to variance; therefore some of them believed, ana some of
them believed not; and if Gop had so pleased, they would not have
contended among themselves; but Gop doth what he will. O true be-’
lievers, give alms of that which we have bestowed unto you, before the day
cometh wherein there shall be no merchandising, nor friendship, nor inter-
cession. The infidels are unjust doers. Gop! there is no Gop but he ;?
the living, the self-subsisting: neither slumber nor sleep seizeth him; to-
him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven, and on earth. Who is he that can,
intercede with him, but through his good pleasure? He knoweth that which |
is past, and that which is to come unto them, and they shall not compre-
hend any thing of his knowledge, but so far as he pleaseth. His throne is:
extended over heaven and earth,? and the preservation of both is no burden |
unto him. He is the high, the mighty. Let there be no violence in,
religion." Now is right direction manifestly distinguished from deceit :
whoever therefore shall deny Tagut,* and believe in Gop, he shall surely
take hold on a strong handle, which shall not be broken; Gop is he who
heareth and seeth. Gop is the patron of those who believe; he shall lead
them out of darkness into light: but as to those who believe not, their
patrons are Tagut; they shall lead them from the light into darkness; they
shall be the companions of hell fire, they shall remain therein for ever.
Hast thou not considered him who disputed with Abraham concerning his
Lorp,t because Gop had given him the kingdom? When Abraham said,
My Lorp is he who giveth life, and killeth: he answered, I give life, and
I kill. Abraham said, Verily Gop bringeth the sun from the east, now do
thou bring it from the west. Whereupon the infidel was confounded; for
Gop directeth not the ungodly people. Or hast thou not considered how he
behaved who passed by a city which had been destroyed, even to her found-
ations?" He said, How shall Gop quicken this city, after she hath been

 

® The following seven lines contain a magnificent description of the divine majesty and
providence; but it must not be supposed the translation comes up to the dignity of the
original. This passage is justly admired by the Mohammedans, who recite it in their
prayers; and some of them wear it about them engraved on an agate or other precioue
stone.® . .

@ This throne, in Arabic calléd Corsi, is by the Mohammedans supposed to be God’s tri-
bunal or seat of justice; being placed under that other called al Arsh, which they say is
his imperial throne. The Corsi allegorically signifies the divine providence, which sustains
and governs the heaven and the earth, and is infinitely above human comprehension.*

* This passage was particularly directed to some of Mohammed’s first proselytes, who
having sons that had been brought up in idolatry or Judaism, would oblige them to em-
brace Mohammedism by force.”

* This word properly signifies az idol, or whatever is worshipped besides God ; particu-
larly the two idols of the Meccans, Allat and al Uzza; and also the devil, or any seducer.

‘ This was Nimrod; who, as the commentators say, to prove his power of life and death
by ocular demonstration, caused two men to be brought before him at the same time, one
of whom he slew, and saved the other alive. As to this tyrant’s persecution of Abraham,
see chap. 21, and the notes thereon. :

* The person here meant was Ozair or Ezra, who riding on an ass by the ruins of Jeru-
salem, after it had been-destroyed by the Chaldeans, doubted in his mind by what means
God could raise the city and its inhabitants again ; whereupon God caused him to die, and

* Vide Bobov. de Prec. Moham. p. 5, et Reland. Dissert. de Gemmis Arab. pp. 235, 239,
1 Vide D’Herbelot. Bibl. Orient. Art. Corsi. 2Jallalo’ddin.
82 AL KORAN. cHaP. II.

dead? And Gop caused him to die for an hundred years, and afterwards
raised him to life. And Gop said, how long hast thou tarried here 2 He
answered, A day, or part of a day. Gop said, Nay, thou hast tarried here
a hundred years. Now look on thy food and thy drink, they are not yet
corrupted ; and look on thine ass: and this have we done that we might make
thee a sign unto men, And look on the bones of thine ass, how we raise
them, and afterwards clothe them with flesh. And when this was shown
unto him, he said, ] know that Gop is able to do all things. And when
Abraham said, O Lorn, show me how thou wilt raise the dead ;* Gop said,
Dost thou not yet believe? He answered, Yea, but I ask this that my
heart may rest at ease. Gop said, take therefore four birds, and divide
them ;¥ then lay a part of them on every mountain; then call them, and
they shall come swiftly unto thee: and know that Gop is mighty and wise.
The similitude of those who lay out their substance, for advancing the
religion of Gop, is as a grain of corn which produceth seven ears, and in
every ear an hundred grains; for Gop giveth twofold unto whom he
pleaseth: Gop is bounteous and wise. They who lay out their substance
for the religion of Gop, and afterwards follow not what they have so laid out
by reproaches or mischief,” they shall have their reward with their Lorp;
upon them shall no fear come, neither shall they be grieved. A fair speech
and to forgive,* is better than alms followed by mischief. Gop is rich and
merciful. O true believers, make not your alms of none effect by reproach-
ing, gr mischief, as he who layeth out what he hath to appear unto men to
men to give alms, and believeth not in Gop and the last day:- The like-
ness of such a one is as a flint covered with earth, on which a violent rain
falleth, and leaveth it hard. They cannot prosper in any thing which
they have gained, for Gop directeth not the unbelieving people. And the

 

he remained in that condition 100 years ; at the end of which God restored him to life, and
he found a basket of figs and a cruse of wine he had with him, not in the least spoiled or
corrupted, but his ass was dead, the bones only remaining; and these, while the prophet
looked on, were raised and clothed with flesh, becoming an ass again, which being inspired
with life, began immediately to bray.?

This apocryphal story may perhaps have taken its rise from Nehemiah’s viewing of the
ruins of Jerusalem.*

x The occasion of this request of Abraham is said to have been on a doubt proposed to
him by the devil, in human form, how it was possible for the several parts of the corpse of
a.man which lay on the sea shore, and had been partly devoured by the wild beasts, the
birds, and the fish, to be brought together at the resurrection.®

¥ These birds, according to the commentators, were an eagle (a dove, say others), a
peacock, a raven, and a cock; which Abraham cut to pieces, and mingled their flesh and
feathers together, or, as some tell us, pounded all in a mortar, and dividing the mass into
four parts, laid them on so many mountains, but kept the heads, which he had preservec
whole, in his hand. Then he called them each by their name, and immediately one par’
flew to the other, till they all recovered their first shape, and then came to be joined t
their respective heads.®

This seems to be taken from Abraham’s sacrifice of birds mentioned by Moses," witn
some additional circumstances. %

* i.e. Either by reproaching the person whom they have relieved, with what they have
done for them ; or by exposing his poverty to his prejudice.*

* «« Humanity in words and actions is better than alms after injustice.””—Savary.

: Jallalo’ddin, Yahya, &c. See D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient, Art. Ozair. 4 Nehem.
ii. 12, &e, 3 See D’Herbelot, p. 13. * Jallalo’ddin, See D’ Herbelot, ubi supra,
1 Gen. xv. 8 Jallalo’ddin.

?
CHAP. IT. AL KORAN. 38

likeness of those who lay out their substance from a desire to please Gop,
and for an establishment for their souls, is as a garden on a hill, on which
a violent rain falleth, and it bringeth forth its fruits twofold ; and if a violent
rain falleth not on it, yet the dew falleth thereon: and Gop seeth that
which ye do. Doth any of you desire to have a garden of palm trees and
vines,* through which rivers flow, wherein ye may have all kinds of fruits,
and that he may attain to old age, and have a weak offspring? then a
violent fiery wind shall strike it, so that it shall be burned.* Thus Gop
declareth his signs unto you, that ye may consider. O true believers,
bestow alms of the good things which ye have gained, and of that which
we have produced for you out of the earth, and choose not the bad thereof,
to give it in alms, such as ye would not accept yourselves, otherwise than
by connivance :> and know that Gop is rich and worthy to be praised.
The devil threateneth you with poverty, and commandeth you filthy covet-
ousness; but Gop promiseth you pardon from himself and abundance:
Gop is bounteous and wise. He giveth wisdom unto whom he pleaseth ;
and he unto whom wisdom is given hath received much good: but none
will consider, except the wise of heart. And whatever alms ye shall give,
or whatever vow ye shall vow, verily Gop knoweth it; but the ungodly
shall have none to help them. If ye make your alms to appear, it is well ;
but if ye conceal them, and give them unto the poor, this will be better for
you, and will atone for your sins: and Gop is well informed of that which
yedo. The direction of them belongeth not unto thee; but Gop directeth
whom he pleaseth. The good that ye shall give in alms shall redound unto
yourselves ; and ye shall not give unless out Of desire of seeing the face of
Gop.° And what good thing ye shall give in alms, it shall be repaid you,
and ye shall not be treated unjustly; unto the poor who are wholly em-
ployed in fighting for the religion of Gop, and cannot go to and fro on the
earth; whom the ignorant man thinketh rich, because of their modesty:
thou shalt know them by this mark, they ask not men with importunity ;
and what good ye shall give in alms, verily Gop knoweth it. They who
distribute alms of their substance night and day, in private and in public,
shall have their reward with the Lorp; on them shall no fear come,
neither shall they be grieved. They who devour usury shall not arise from
the dead, but as he ariseth whom Satan hath infected by a touch:¢ this
shall happen to them because they say, Truly selling is but as usury: and

 

* This garden is an emblem of alms given out of hypocrisy, or attended with reproaches,
which perish, and will be of no service hereafter to the giver.®

* «« Who among you would desire to possess a garden planted with palm trees, adorned
with vines, intersected by rivulets, and enriched with all the fruits of the earth ; and to be
then seized by old age, to leave infants in the cradle, and to see this garden devastated by a
whirlwind of flame? Thus doth God reveal his mysteries unto you, that you may turn
your thoughts unto him.’’—Savary.

> That is, on having some amends made by the seller of such goods, either by abatement
of the price, or giving something else to the buyer to make up the value. :

* i.e. For the sake of a reward hereafter, and not for any worldly consideration.? —

4 viz. Like demoniacs or possessed persons, that is, in great horror and distraction of
mind and convulsive agitation of body.

® Jallalo’ddin. 1Tdem.
34 _ AL KORAN. CHAP. IT

yet Gop hath permitted selling and forbidden usury. He therefore who
when there cometh unto him an admonition from his Lorp abstaineth
from usury for the future, shall have what is past forgiven him, and his
affair belongeth unto Gop. But whoever returneth to usury, they shall be
the companions of hedl fire, they shall continue therein for ever. Gop shall
take his blessing from usury, and shall increase alms: for Gop loveth no
infidel, or ungodly person. But they who believe and do that which is right, '
and observe the stated times of prayer, and pay their legal alms, they shall
have their reward with their Lorp: there shall come no fear on them,
neither shall they be grieved. O true believers, fear Gop, and remit that
which remaineth of usury,* if ye really believe; but if ye do it not,
hearken unto war, which is declared against you from Gop and his apostle:
yet if ye repent, ye shall have the capital of your money. Deal not un-
justly with others, and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly. If there be any
debtor under a difficulty of paying his debt, let his creditor wait till it be
easy for him to do it; but if ye remit it as alms, it will be better for you,
if ye knew it, And fear the day wherein ye shall return unto Gop; then
shall every soul be paid what it hath gained, and they shall not be treated
unjustly. O true believers, when ye bind yourselves one to the other in a
debt for a certain time, write it down; and let a writer write between you
according to justice, and let not the writer refuse writing according to what
Gop hath taught him; but let him write, and let him who oweth the debt
dictate, and let him fear Gop his Lorp, and not diminish aught thereof.
But if he who oweth the debt be foolish, or weak, or be not able to dictate
himself, let his agent‘ dictate according to equity; and call to witness two
witnesses of your neighbouring men ; but if there be not two men, let there
be a man and two women of those whom ye shall choose for witnesses: if
one of those women should mistake, the other of them will cause her to
recollect. And the witnesses shall not refuse, whensoever they shall be
called. And disdain not to write it down, be it a large dedt, or be it a
small one, until its time of payment : this will be more just in the sight of
Gop, and more right for bearing witness, and more easy, that ye may not -
doubt. But if it be a present bargain which ye transact between your-
selves, it shall be no crime in you, if ye write it not down. And take
witnesses when ye sell one to the other, and let no harm be done to the
writer, nor to the witness; which if ye do, it will surely be injustice in
you: and fear Gop, and Gop will instruct you, for Gop knoweth all things.
And if ye be on a journey, and find no writer, det pledges be taken: but if
one of you trust the other, let him who is trusted return what he is trusted
with, and fear Gop his Lorp. And conceal not the testimony, for he who
concealeth it hath surely a wicked heart: Gop knoweth that which ye do.
Whatever is in heaven and on earth is Gop’s: and whether ye manifest

 

* Or the interest due before usury was prohibited. For this some of Mohammed’s fo
lowers exacted of their debtors, supposing they lawfully might.

£ Whoever manages his affairs, whether his father, heir, guardian, or interpreter.?
9 Jallalo’ddin. 3 Tdem.
CHAP. II. AL KORAN. 35

that which is in your minds, or conceal it, Gop will call you to account for
it, and will forgive whom he pleaseth, and will punish whom he pleaseth,
for Gop is almighty. The apostle believeth in that which hath been sent
down unto him from his Lorp, and the faithful also. Every one of them
believeth in Gop, and his angels, and his scriptures, and his apostles: we
make no distinction at all between his apostles. And they say, We have
heard, and do obey: we implore thy mercy, O Lorp, for unto thee must
we return, Gop will not force any one beyond its capacity: it shall have
the good which it gaineth, and it shall suffer the evil which it gaincth. O
Lorp, punish us not, if we forget, or act sinfully: O Lorp, lay not on us
a burden like that which thou hast laid.on those who have been before
us;" neither make us, O Lorn, to bear what we have not strength to bear,
but be favourable unto us, and spare us, and be merciful unto us. Thou
art our patron, help us therefore against the unbelieving nations.

CHAPTER III.

INTITLED, THE FAMILY OF IMRAM;! REVEALED AT MEDINA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Aut. M.* There is no Gop but Gop, the living, the self-subsisting: he
hath sent down unto thee the book of the Koran with truth, confirming
that which was revealed before it; for he had formerly sent down the law,
and the gospel a direction unto men; and he had also sent down the dis-
tinction between good and evil. Verily those who believe not the signs of

Gop shall suffer a grievous punishment; for Gop is mighty, able to
revenge. Surely nothing is hidden from Gop, of that which is on earth,
or in heaven: it is he who formeth you in the wombs, as he pleaseth;
there is no Gop but he, the mighty, the wise. It is he who hath sent
. down unto thee the book, wherein are some verses clear to be under-
stood, they are the foundation of the book; and others are parabolical.!
But they whose hearts are perverse will follow that which is parabolical
therein, out of love of schism, and a desire of the interpretation thereof;
£ But this, say the Mohammedans, the Jews do, who receive Moses, but reject Jesus;
and the Christians, who receive both those prophets, but reject Mohammed.*
+ That is, on the Jews, who, as the commentators tell us, were ordered to kill a man
by way of atonement, to give one fourth of theif substance in alms, and to cut off an un-

clean ulcerous part,’ and were forbidden to eat fat, or animals that divide the hoot, and
vo obliged to observe the sabbath, and other particulars wherein the Mohammedans are
at liberty.®

* This name is given in the Koran to the father of the Virgin Mary. See below, p. 39.

* For the meaning of these letters, the reader is referred to the Preliminary Discourse,
sect. ll. 3

This passage is translated according to the exposition of al Zamakshari and Beidaw’.

which seems to be the truest.

The contents of the Koran are here distinguished into such passages as are to be taken
, 4 Jallalo’ddin. 5 Idem. ® Yahya.

+
36 AL KORAN. OHAP. ITI

yet none knoweth the interpretation thereof, except Gop. But they whc
are well grounded in the knowledge say, We believe therein, the whole is
from our Lorp; and none will consider except the prudent.* O Lorp,
cause not our hearts to swerve from truth, after thou hast directed us: and
give us from thee mercy, for thou art he who giveth. O Lorp, thou shalt
surely gather mankind together, unto a day of resurrection: there is no
doubt of it, for Gop will not be contrary to the promise. As for the infi-
dels, their wealth shall not profit them any thing, nor their children,
against Gop: they shall be the fuel of ell fire. According to the wont of
the people of Pharaoh, and of those who went before them, they charged
our signs with a lie; but Gop caught them in their wickedness, and Gop
is severe in punishing. Say unto those who believe not, Ye shall be over-
come, and thrown together into hell; and an unhappy couch shall it
be. Ye have already had a miracle shown you in two armies, which
attacked each other:™ one army fought for ‘Gop’s true religion, but the ©
other were infidels; they saw the faithful twice as many as themselves
in their eye-sight ; for Gop strengthened with his help whom he pleaseth.
Surely herein was an example unto men of understanding. The love and
eager desire of wives, and children, and sums heaped up of gold and silver,
and excellent horses, and cattle, and land, is prepared for men: this is the
provision of the present life;t but unto Gop shall be the most excellent
return. Say, Shall I declare unto you better things than this? For those

 

in the literal sense, and such as require a figurative acceptation. The former being plain

and obvious to be understood, compose the fundamental part, or, as the original expresses

it, the mother of the book, and contain the principal doctrines and precepts; agreeably to,

and consistently with which, those passages which are wrapt up in metaphors, and de-

livered in enigmatical, allegorical style, are always to be interpreted."
* «« This language is that of the wise.’’—Savary.

™ The sign or miracle here meant was the victory gained by Mohammed in the second
yer of the Hejra, over the idolatrous Meccans, headed by Abu Sofian, in the valley of

edr, which is situate near the sea between Mecca and Medina. Mohammed’s forces
consisted of no more than three hundred and nineteen men, but the enemy’s army of near
a thousand; notwithstanding which odds, he put them to flight, having killed seventy of
the principal Koreish, and taken as many prisoners, with the loss of only fourteen of his
own men.’ This was the first victory obtained by the prophet, and though it may seem no
very considerable action, yet it was of great advantage to him, and the foundation of all
his future power and success. For which reason it is famous in the Arabian history, and
more than once vaunted in the Koran,* as an effect of the divine assistance. The miracle,
it is said, consisted in three things; 1. Mohammed by the direction of the angel Gabriel,
took a handful of gravel, and threw it towards the enemy in the attack, saying, May their
faces be confounded ; whereupon they immediately turned their backs and fled. But,
though the prophet seemingly threw the gravel himself, yet it is told in the Koran, that it
was not he, but God, who threw it; that is to say, by the ministry of his angel. 2. The
Mohammedan troops seemed to the infidels to be twice as many in number as themselves,
which greatly discouraged them. And,. God sent down to their assistance first a thou-
sand, and afterwards three thousand angels, led by Gabriel,-mounted on his horse
Haizim ; and according to the Korii, these celestial auxiliaries really did all the execu- .
tion, though Mohammed’s men imagined themselves did it, and fought stoutly at the same
time.

+ “Such are the enjoyments of this earthly life; but the asylum which is prepared by
God is far more delectable.’’—Savary. é

s

"See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. * See Elmacin. p. 5. Hottinger. Hist. Orient. 1, 2.
c.4. Abulfed. Vit. Moham. p. 56, &c. Prideaux’s Life of Moham, p. 71, &c. °See
this chap. below, and chaps, 8 and 32. + Chap. 8, not far from the beginning. _? Ibid.
CHAP. III. AL -KORAN. 37

who are devout are prepared with their Lorp gardens through which
rivers flow ; therein shall they continue for ever: and they shall enjoy wives
free from impurity, and the favour of Gop ; for Gop regardeth his servants ,
who say, O Lorn, we do sincerely believe; forgive us therefore our sins,
and deliver us from the pain of hell fire: the patient, and the lovers
of truth, and the devout, and the almsgivers, and those who ask pardon
early in the morning. Gop hath borne witness that there is no Gop but
he; and the angels, and those who are endowed with wisdom, profess
the same ; who executeth righteousness; there is no Gop but he; the
mighty, the wise. Verily the-true religion in the sight of Gop is Islam ;*
and they who had received the scriptures dissented not therefrom, until
after the knowledge of God’s unity had come unto them, out of envy among
themselves ; but whosoever believeth not in the signs of Gop, verily Gop
will be swift in bringing him to account. If they dispute with thee, say, I
have resigned myself unto Gop, and he who followeth me doth the same:
and say unto them who have received the scriptures, and to the ignorant,°
Do ye profess the religion of Islam? now if they embrace Islam, they are
surely directed; but if they turn their backs, verily unto thee belongeth
preaching only; for Gop regardeth his servants. And unto those who
believe not in the signs of Gop, and slay the prophets without a cause, and
put those men to death who teach justice; denounce unto them a painful
punishment. ‘These are they whose works perish. in this world, and in
that which is to come; and they shall have none to help them. Hast thou
not observed those unto whom part of the scripture was given?? They
were called unto the book of Gop, that it might judge between them;4
then some of them turned their backs, and retired afar off. This they did

 

" The proper name of the Mohammedan religion, which signifies the resigning or de-
voting one’s self entirely to God, and his service. This they say is the religion which all
the prophets were sent to teach, being founded on the unity of God.?

°¢. e. The pagan Arabs, who had no knowledge of the scriptures.*
» That is, the Jews.

«This passage was revealed on occasion of a dispute Mohammed had with some Jews,
which is differently related by the commentators.

Al Beidawi says, that Mohammed going one day into a Jewish synagogue, Naim Ebn
Amru and al Hareth Ebn Zeid asked him what religion he was of? To which he
answering, Of the religion of Abraham; they replied, Abraham was a Jew; but on
Mohammed proposing that the Pentateuch might decide the question, they would by no
means agree to it.

But Jallalo’ddin tells us, That two persons of the Jewish religion having committed
adultery, their punishment was referred to Mohammed, who gave sentence that they
should be stoned, according to the law of Moses. This the Jews refused to submit to,
alleging there was no such command in the pentateuch: but on Mohammed’s appealing to
the book, the said law was found therein. Whereupon the criminals were stoned, to the
great mortification of the Jews. :

It is very remarkable that this law of Moses concerning the stoning of adulterers is
mentioned in the New Testament (though I know some dispute the authenticity of that
whole passage), but it is not now to be found, either in the Hebrew or Samaritan Pen-
tateuch, or in the Septuagint; it being only said that such shall be put to death.© This
omission is insisted on by the Mohammedans as one instance of the corruption of the law
of Moses by the Jews.

It is also observable that there was a verse once extant in the Koran, commanding

~? Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidéwi. ‘Idem. 5 John viii. 5. ® Lev. xx.10 See
Whiston’s Essay towards restoring the true Text of the Old Test. p. 99 100.
ag * AL KORAN. CHAP. IIT

because they said, the fire of hell shall by no means touch us, but for
a certain number of days:* and that which they had falsely devised hath
deceived them in their religion. How then wild it be with them, when we
shall gather them together at the day of judgment, of which there is
no doubt; and every soul shall be paid that which it hath gained, neither
shall they be treated unjustly? Say, O Gop, who possessest the kingdom ;
thou givest the kingdom unto whom thou wilt, and thou takest away the
kingdom from whom thou wilt: thou exaltest whom thou wilt, and thou
humblest whom thou wilt: in thy hand is good, for thou art almighty.
Thou makest the night to succeed the day: thou bringest forth the living
out of the dead, and thou bringest forth the dead out of the living;t
and providest food for whom thou wilt without measure. Let not
the faithful take the infidels for their protectors, rather than the faithful:
he who doth this shall not be protected of Gop at all; unless ye fear any
danger from them: but Gop warneth you to beware of himself; for unto
Gop must ye return. Say, Whether ye conceal that which is in your
breasts, or whether ye declare it, Gop knoweth it; for he knoweth what-
ever is in heaven, and whatever is on earth: Gop is almighty. On the
last day every soul shall find the good which it hath wrought, present; and
the evil which it hath wrought, it shall wish that between itself and that
were a wide distance: but Gop warneth you to beware of himself;*
for Gop is gracious unto his servants. Say, If ye love Gop, follow
me: then Gop shall love you, and forgive you your sins; for Gop is
-gracious and merciful. Say, Obey Gop, and his apostle; but if ye go
back, verily Gop loveth not the unbelievers. Gop hath surely chosen
Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran

 

adulterers to be stoned ; and the commentators say the words only are abrogated, the sense
or law still remaining in force.”

i. e. Forty; the time their forefathers worshipped the calf. Al Beidawi adds, that
some of them pretended their punishment was to last but seven days, that is a day for every
thousand years which they supposed the world was to endure; and that they imagined
they were to be so mildly dealt with, either by reason of the intercession of their fathers
the prophets, or because Gop had promised Jacob that his offspring should be punished
but slightly.

. The Mohammedans have a tradition that the first banner of the infidels that shall be
set up, on the day of judgment, will be that of the Jews; and that Gon will first reproach
oe their wickedness, over the heads of those who are present, and then order them
to hell.? :

t As a man from seed, and a bird from an egg; and vice versé.' ,

* «The Lord exhorteth you to dread his anger. He Jooketh on his servants with a
propitious eye.’’—Savary. . ;

«Or Amran, is the name of two several persons, according to the Mohammedan
tradition. One was the father of Moses and Aaron; and: the other was the father of
the Virgin Mary ;? but he is called by some Christian writers Joachim. The com-
mentators suppose the first, or rather both of them, to be meant in this place; however
the person intended in the next passage, it is agreed was the latter; who besides Mary
the mother of Jesus, had also a son named Aaron,’ and a sister named Isha (or Eliza-
beth), who married Zacharias, and was the mother of John the Baptist; whence that
prophet and Jesus are usually called by the Mohammedans The two sons of the aunt, of
the cousins german. :

From the identity of names it has been generally imagined by Christian writers‘ that

*See the Prelim. Disc. sect.3. _*See before p. 11. ° Al Beidawi. _* Jallalo’ddin.
* Al Zamakshari, al Beidawi. “Koran, c.19. ‘Vide Reland, de Rel. Moh. p. 211.
Marrace. in Ale. p. 115, &c. Prideaux, letter to the deists, p. 185.
OHAP. I. : AL KORAN. 39

\
above the rest of the world; a race descending the one from the other: Gop
is he who heareth and knoweth. Remember when the wife of Imran*
said, Lorp, verily I have vowed unto thee that which is in my womb, to be
dedicated to thy service :¥ accept it therefore of me; for thou art he who
heareth and knoweth. And when she was delivered of it, she said, Lorn,
verily I have brought forth a female (and Gop well knew what she
had brought forth), and a male is not asa female.** JI have called her
Mary; and I commend her to thy protection, and also her issue, against
Satan driven away with stones. Therefore the Lorp accepted her with a
gracious acceptance, and caused her to bear an excellent offspring. And

 

the Koran here confounds Mary the mother of Jesus with Mary or Miriam, the sister of
Moses and Aaron; which intolerable anachronism, if it were certain, is sufficient of itself
to destroy the pretended authority of this book. But though Mohammed may be supposed
to have been ignorant enough in ancient history and chronology, to have committed
so gross a blunder; yet I do not see how it can be made out from the words of the Koran.
For it does not follow, because two persons have the same name, and have each a father
and brother who bear the same names, that they must therefore necessarily be the same
person :: besides such a mistake is inconsistent with a number of other places in the Koran,
whereby it manifestly appears that Mohammed well knew and asserted that Moses pre-
ceded Jesus several ages. And the commentators accordingly fail not to tell us, that
there had passed about one thousand eight hundred years between Amran the father of
Moses, and Amran the father of the Virgin Mary: they also make them the sons of
different persons: the first, they say, was the son of Yeshar, or Izhar (though he was
really his brother)* the son of Kahath, the son of Levi; and the other was the son of
Matthan,® whose genealogy they trace, but in a very corrupt and imperfect manner, up
to David, and thence to Adam."

It must be observed that though the Virgin Mary is called in the Koran,* the sister of
Aaron, yet she is nowhere called the sister of Moses; however some Mohammedan
writers have imagined that the same individual Mary, the sister of Moses, was miracu-
lously preserved alive from his time till that of Jesus Christ, purposely to become the
mother of the latter.®

.* The Imran here mentioned was the father of the Virgin Mary, and his wife’s name
was Hannah or Ann, the daughter of Fakudh. This woman, say the commentators,
being aged, and barren, on seeing a bird feed her young ones, became very desirous of
issue, and begged a child of Gop, promising to consecrate it to his service in the temple:
whereupon she had a child, but it proved a daughter.*

¥ The Arabic word is free ; but here signifies particularly one that is free or detached
from all worldly desires and occupations, and wholly devoted to God’s service.?

* Because a female could not minister in the temple as a male could.®

*«< Gop knew to what she had given birth. Obvious characters distinguish the two
sexes.’’—Savary.

* This expression alludes to a tradition, that Abraham, when the devil tempted him to
disobey God in not sacrificing his son, drove the fiend away by throwing stones at him;
in memory of which the Mohammedans, at the pilgrimage of Mecca, throw a certain.
number of stones at the devil, with certain ceremonies in the valley of Mina.‘

It is not improbable that the pretended immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary is
intimated in this passage. For according to a tradition of Mohammed, every person that
comes into the world is touched at his birth by the devil, and therefore cries out, Mary
and her son only excepted ; between whom and the evil spirit God placed a veil, so that
his touch did not reach them.’ And for this reason, they say, neither of them was
guilty of any sin, like the rest of the children of Adam;* which peculiar grace they
obtained by virtue of this recommendation of them by Hannah to God's protection.

‘> Though the child happened not to be a male, yet her mother presented her to the
priests who had the care of the temple, as one dedicated to God; and they having received

* Exod. vi. 18. ® Al Zamakh. al Beidawi. 7 Vide Reland, ubi sup. D’Herbelot,

Bibl. Orient. p. 583. -® Chap. 19. ® Vide Guadagnol, Apolog. pro Rel. Christ.
contra Ahmed Ebn Zein Al Abedin, p. 279. + Al Beidawi, al Thalabi. ? Jallalo’ddin

al Ramakshari. 3 Jallalo’ddin. +See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. 5 Jallalo’ddin.
Al Beidawi. * Kitada. ;
40 AL KORAN. : CHAP. IIt.

Zacharias took care of the child; whenever Zacharias went into the
chamber to her, he found provisions with her:° and he said, O Mary,
whence hadst thou this? she answered, This is from Gop: for Gop
provideth for whom he. pleaseth without measure.t There Zacharias called
on his Lorn, and said, Lorp, give me from thee a:good offspring, for thou
art the hearer of prayer. And the angels® called to him, while he stood
praying in the chamber, saying, Verily Gop promiseth thee a son named
John, who shall bear witness to the Word! which cometh from Gop;
an honourable person, chaste,¢ and one of the righteous prophets. He
answered, Lorp, how shall I have a son, when old age hath overtaken me,*
and my wife is barren? The angel said, So Gop doth that which he
pleaseth. Zacharias answered, Lorn, give mea sign. The angel said,
Thy sign shall be, that thou shalt speak unto no mani for three days,
otherwise than by gesture: remember thy Lorp often, and praise him
evening and morning. And when the angels said, O Mary, verily Gop
hath chosen thee, and hath purified thee and hath chosen thee above ail
the women of the world: O Mary, be devout towards thy Lorp, and wor-
ship, and bow down with those who bow down. This is a secret history:
we reveal it unto thee, although thou wast not present with them when
they threw in their rods to cast lots which of them should have the education
of Mary ;* neither wast thou with them, when they strove among them.

 

her, she was committed to the care of Zacharias, as will be observed by and bye, and he
built her an apartment in the temple, and supplied her with necessaries.”

°The commentators say that none went fnto Mary’s apartment but Zacharias himself,
and that he locked seven doors upon her; yet he found she had always winter fruits in
summer, and summer fruits in winter.®

4 There is a story of Fétema, Mohammed’s daughter, that she once brought two loaves
and a piece of flesh to her father, who returned them to her, and having called for her
again, when she uncovered the dish, it was full of bread and meat; and on Moham-
med’s asking her whence she had it; she answered in the words of this passage, This
ts from God: for God provideth for whom he pleaseth without measure. Whereupon he
Dees God, who thus favoured her, as he had the most excellent of the daughters of

srael.®

* Though the word be in the plural, yet the commentators say it was the angel Gabriel
only. The same is to be understood where it occurs in the following passages.

‘ That is Jesus; who al Beidawi says, is so called, because he was conceived by the
word or command of God, without a father. ;

® The original word signifies one who not only refrains from women, but from all other
worldly delights and desires. Al Beiddwi mentions a tradition, that during his childhood
pone boys invited him to play, but he refused, saying that he was not created to

ay.
ss a Dnchatias was then ninety-nine years old, and his wife eighty-nine.*

' Though he could not speak to any body else, yet his tongue was at liberty to praise
God ; as he is directed to do by the following words.

* When Mary was first brought to the temple, the priests, because she was the daughter
of one of their chiefs, disputed among themselves who should have the education of her.
Zacharias insisted that he ought to be preferred, because he had married her aunt; but
the others not consenting it should be so, they agreed to decide the matter by casting of
lots: whereupon Teen een of them went to the river Jordan, and threw in their rods
(or arrows without heads or feathers, such as the Arabs used for the same purpose), on
which they had written some passages of the law, but they all sunk, except that of
Zacharias, which floated on the water; and he had thereupon the care of the child com
mitted to him.?

* Jallalo’ddin. Al Beidawi. Vide Lud. de Dieu, in not, ad Hist. Christi ii, p. 542,
Al Beidawi. Vide de Dieu, ub. supr. p- 548, "Al Beidawi, fey lem.
Jallalo’dain, &c.
CHAP. III. AL KORAN. Al

selves. When the angels said; O Mary, verily Gop sendeth thee good
tidings, ‘hat thou shalt bear the Word proceeding from himself; his
name shall be Curist Jesus the son of Mary, honourable in this world
and in the world to come, and one of those who approach near to
the presence of Gop; and he shall speak unto men in the cradle,’ and
when he is grown up;™ and he shall be one of the righteous : she answered,
Lorp, how shall I have a son, since a man hath not touched me? the angel
said, So Gop createth that which he pleaseth: when he decreeth a thing,
he only saith unto it, Be, and it is: Gop shall teach him the scripture, and
wisdom, and the law, and the gospel; and shall appoint him his apostle to
the children of Israel; and he shall say, Verily I come unto you with a sign
from your Lorn; for I will make before you, of clay, as it were the figure
of a bird;* then I will breathe thereon, and it shall become a bird, by the
permission of Gop ;° and I will heal him that hath been blind from his
birth; and the leper: and I will raise the dead? by the permission of Gop:
and I will prophesy unto you what ye eat, and what ye lay up for store
in your houses. Verily herein will be a sign unto you, if ye believe. And

 

1 Besides an instance of this given in the Koran itself,? which I shall not here antici-
pate, a Mohammedan writer (of no very great credit indeed) tells two stories, one of
Jesus’s speaking while in his mother’s womb, to reprove her cousin Joseph for his unjust
suspicions of her ;* and another of his giving an answer to the same person soon after he
was born. For Joseph being sent by Zacharias to seek Mary (who had gone out of the
city by night to conceal her delivery), and having found her, began to expostulate with
her, but she made no reply : whereupon the child spoke these words: Rejoice, O Joseph,
and be of good cheer ; for God hath brought me forth from the darkness of the womb, to the
ye 2 the world ; and I shall go to the children of Israel and invite them to the obedience
9 Ba
thee seem all to have been taken from some fabulous traditions of the eastern Chris-
tians, one of which is preserved to us in the spurious gospel of the Infancy of Christ ;
where we read that Jesus spoke while yet in the cradle, and said to his mother, Verily I
am Jesus the son of God, the word which thou hast brought forth, as the angel Gabriel did
declare unto thee; and my Father hath sent me to save the world.®

™ The Arabic word properly signifies a man of full age, that is, between thirty or
thirty-four and fifty-one; and the passage may relate to Christ’s preaching here on earth.
But as he had scarce attained this age when he was taken up: into heaven, the commen-

_tators choose to understand it of his second coming.”

a Some say it was a bat,® though others suppose Jesus made several birds of different
sorts.

This circumstance is also taken from the following fabulous tradition, which may be
found in the spurious gospel abovementioned. Jesus being seven years old, and at play
with several children of his age, they made several figures of birds and beasts, for their
diversion, of clay; and each preferring his own workmanship, Jesus told them that he
would make his walk and leap; which accordingly, at his command, they did. He made
also several figures of sparrows and other birds, which flew about or stood on his hands

~ as he ordered them, and also ate and drank when he offered them meat and drink. The
children telling this to their parents, were forbidden to play any more with Jesus, whom
they held to be a sorcerer.t

° The commentators observe that these words are added here, and in the next sentence,
lest it should be thought Jesus did these miracles by his own power, or was God.?

® Jallalo’ddin mentions three persons. whom Christ restored to life, and who lived seve-
ral years after and had children; viz, Lazarus, the widow’s son, and the publican’s (I
suppose he means the ruler of the synagogue’s) daughter. He adds, that he also raised
Shem the son of Noah, who, as another writes,* thinking he had been called to judgment,
came out of his grave with his head half grey, whereas men did not grow grey in his
days ; after which he immediately died again.

*Chap. 19.  ‘ Vide Sikii notas in Evang. Infant. p. 5. 5 Al Kessai, apud eundem.
* Evang. Infant. p. 5. ‘Jallalo’ddin. Al Beidéwi. * Jallalo’ddin. ® Al Thalabi.
* Evang. Infant. p. 111, &c. 7 Al Beidawi, &c. > Al Thalabi.

N
42 AL KORAN. CHAP. II

I come to confirm the law which was revealed before me and to allow unto
you as lawful part of that which ‘hath been forbidden you:* and I come
unto you with a sign from your Lorp ;* therefore fear Gop, and obey me.
Verily Gop is my Lorp, and your Lorp; therefore serve him. This is the
right way. But when Jesus perceived their unbelief, he said, Who wil
be my helpers towards Gop? The apostles answered, We will be the
helpers of Gop; we believe in Gop, and do thou bear witness that we are
true believers. O Lorp, we believe in that which thou hast sent down,
and we have followed thy apostle ; write us down therefore with those who
bear witness of him. And the Jews devised a stratagem against him ;* but
Gop devised a stratagem against them ;{* and Gop is the best deviser of

 

4 Such as the eating of fish that have neither fins nor scales, the caw] and fat of animals,
and camels’ flesh, and to work on the sabbath. These things, sa the commentators,
being arbitrary institutions in the law of Moses, were abrogated by Jesusy as several of
the same kind instituted by the latter have been since abrogated by Mohammed.*

* « God has given unto me the power of miracles.’’—Savary.

¥In Arabic, al Hawériytin ; which word they derive from Hdéra, to be white, and sup-
pose the apostles were so called either from the candour and sincerity of their minds, or
because they were princes and wore white garments, or else because they were by trade
fullers.’ According to which last opinion, their vocation is thus related: That as Jesus
passed by the sea side, he saw some fullers at work, and accosting them, said, Ye cleanse
these cloths, but cleanse not your hearts ; upon which they believed on him. But the true
etymology seems to be from the Ethiopic verb Hawyra, to go; whence Hawérya signifies
one that is sent, a messenger or apostle.®

* i. e. They laid a design to take away his life.

+‘ The Jews were treacherous unto Jesus. God frustrated their treachery. He is
more powerful than the deceivers.’’—Savary.

t This stratagem of God’s was the taking of Jesus up into heaven, and stamping his
likeness on another person, who was apprehended and crucified in his stead. For
it is the constant doctrine of the Mohammedans, that it was not Jesus himself who
underwent that ignominious death, but somebody else in his shape and resemblance.’
The person cried some will have to be a spy that was sent to entrap him; others that
it was one Titian, who by the direction of Judas entered in at a window of the house
where Jesus was, to kill him; and others that it was Judas himself, who agreed with
the rulers of the Jews to betray him for thirty pieces of silver, and led those who were
sent to take him.

They add,® that Jesus after his crucifixion in effigie was sent down again to the earth,
to comfort his mother and disciples, and acquaint them how the Jews were deceived ;
and was then taken up a second time into heaven.

It is supposed by several that this story was an original invention of Mohammed’s; but
they are certainly mistaken: for several sectaries held the same opinion, long before his
time. The Basilidians,’ in the very beginning of Christianity, denied that Christ him-
self suffered, but that Simon the Cyrenean was crucified in his place. The Corinthians
before them, and the Carpocratians next (to name ne more of those, who affirmed Jesus
to have been a mere man) did believe the same thing; that it was not himself but one
of his followers, very like him, that was crucified. Photius tells us, that he read a book
entitled The journeys of the apostles, relating the acts of Peter, John, Andrew, Thomas,
and Paul, and among other things contained therein, this was one, that Christ was not
crucified, but another in his stead, and that therefore he laughed at his crucifiers, or those
who thought they had crucified him,?

I have in another place* mentioned an apocryphal gospel of Barnabas, a forgery originally
of some nominal Christians, but interpolated since by Mohammedans ; which gives .thig
part of the history of Jesus with circumstances too curious to be omitted. It is therein
related, that the moment the Jews were going to apprehend Jesus in the garden, he was
snatched up into the third heaven, by the ministry of four angels, Gabriel, Michael,
Raphael, and Uriel; that he will not die till the end of the wart, and that it was Judas

“Al Beidawi. Jallalo’ddin. ’Tidem. ® Vide Ludolfi Lexic. A&thiop. col. 40, et
Golii notas ad cap. 61. Korani, p. 205. "See Koran, ec. iv. ® Vide Marraec. in
Alc. p. 113, &c. et in Podr, part iii. p. 63, &c. ® Traneus, 1. 1, c. 23, &c. Epiphan.
Heres. 24, num. 3.__ * Photius, Bibl. Cod. 114, col 291. ® Toland’s Nazarenus, p. 17.
&c. * Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. :
CHAP. IIT. AL KORAN. 48

stratagems. When Gop said, O Jesus, verily I will cause thee to die," and
I will take thee up unto me, and I will deliver thee from the unbelievers ;
and I will place those who follow thee above the unbelievers, until the day
of resurrection :¥ then unto me shall ye return, and I will judge between
you of that concerning which ye disagree. Moreover, as for the infidels, I
will punish them with a‘ grievous punishment in this world, and in that
which is to come; and there shall be none to help them. But they
who believe, and do that which is right, he shall give them their reward:
for Gop loveth not the wicked doers. These signs and this prudent ad-
monition do we rehearse unto thee. Verily the likeness of Jesus in the
sight of Gop is as the likeness of Adam; he created him out of the
dust, and then said unto him, Be; and he was.?* ‘This is the truth
from thy Lorp; be not therefore one of those who doubt; and whoever
shall dispute with thee, concerning him,* after the knowledge which hath

 

who was crucified in his stead; God having permitted that traitor to appear so“like his
master in the eyes of the Jews, that they took and delivered him to Pilate. That this
resemblance was so great, that it deceived the Virgin Mary and the apostles themselves ;
but that Jesus Christ afterwards obtained leave of God to go and comfort them. That
Barnabas having then asked him, why the divine goodness had suffered the mother and
-disciples of so holy a prophet to believe even for one moment that he had died in so igno-
minious a manner? Jesus returned the following answer. ‘‘O Barnabas, believe me
that every sin, how small soever, is punished by God with great torment, because God
is offended with sin. My'mother therefore and faithful disciples, having loved me with a
mixture of earthly love, the just God has been pleased to punish this love with their pre-
sent grief, that they might not be punished for it hereafter in the flames of hell. And as
for me, though I have myself been blameless in the world, yet other men having called
_me God, moe the son of God; therefore God, that I might not be mocked by the devils
at the day of judgment, has been pleased that in this world I should be mocked by men
with the death of Judas, making every body believe that I died upon the cross. And
hence it is that this mocking is still to continue till the coming of Mohammed the mes-
‘senger of God; who, coming into the world, will undeceive every one who shall believe
in the law of God, from this mistake.’’*

"Tt is the opinion of a great many Mohammedans that Jesus was taken up into heaven
without dying: which opinion is consonant to what is delivered in that spurious gospel
abovementioned. Wherefore several of the commentators say that there is a hysteron
proteron in these words, I will cause thee to die, and I will take thee up unto me: and
that the copulative does not import order, or that he died before his assumption; the
meaning being this, viz. that God would first take Jesus up to heaven, and deliver him
from the infidels, and afterwards caused him to die: which they suppose is to happen
when he shall return into the world again, before the last day.* Some, thinking the
order of the words is not to be changed, interpret them figuratively, and suppose their
signification to be that Jesus was lifted up while he was asleep, or that God caused
him to die a spiritual death to all worldly desires. But others acknowledge that he
actually died a natural death, and continued in that state three hours, or, according
to oe tradition, seven hours; after which he was restored to life, and then taken up
to heaven.®

* Some Mahommedans say this was done by the ministry of Gabriel: but others that
a strong whirlwind took him up from mount Olivet."

7 That is, they who believe in Jesus (among whom the Mahommedans reckon them-
selves) shall be for ever superior to the Jews, both in arguments and in arms. And
accordingly, says al Beidawi, to this very day the Jews have never prevailed either
against the Christians or Moslems, nor have they any kingdom or established govern-
ment of their own. :

* He was like unto Adam in respect of his miraculous production by the immediate
power of God®

* Tn the sight of the Highest, Jesus is a man like unto Adam. Adam was created
out of the dust. God said unto him, Be! and he was.’’—Savary.

* Namely, Jesus.

‘See the Menagiana, tom. iv. p. 326, &c. * See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. Al
eidawi. ‘Al Thalabi. See 2 Kings ii. 1, 11. 8 Jallalo’ddin, &c.
44 AL KORAN. CHAP. TIT.

been given thee, say unto ihem, Come, let us call together our sons and
your sons, and our wives, and your wives, and ourselves, and yourselves,
then let us make imprecations, and lay the curse of Gop on those
who lie.’ Verily this is a true history: and there is no Gop, but Gop;
and Gop is most mighty and wise. If they turn back, Gop well knoweth
the evil doers. Say, O ye who have received the scripture, come to a just
determination between us and you;° that we worship not any except Gon,
and associate no creature with him; and that the one of us take not the
other for lords,’ beside Gop. But if they turn back, say, Bear witness
that we are true believers. O ye to whom the scriptures have been given,
why do ye dispute concerning Abraham,° since the Law and the Gospel
were not sent down until after him? Do ye not therefore understand?
Behold ye are they who dispute concerning that which ye have some know-
ledge in; why therefore do you dispute concerning that which ye have no
knowledge of? Gop knoweth, but ye know not. Abraham was neither a
Jew nor a Christian; but he was of the true religion, one resigned unto
God, and was not of the number of the idolaters. Verily the men who are
the nearest-of kin unto Abraham are they who follow him; and this prophet,
and they who believed on him : Gop is the patron of the faithful. Some
of those who have received the scriptures desire to seduce you ;® but they
seduce themselves only, and they perceive it not. O ye who have received
the scriptures, why do ye not believe in the signs of Gop, since ye are wit-
nesses of them? O ye who have received the scriptures, why do you clothe
truth with vanity, and knowingly hide the truth?" And some of
those to whom the scriptures were given say, Believe in that which
hath been sent down unto those who believe, in the beginning of the

 

‘To explain this passage the commentators tell the following story. That some
Christians with their bishop named Abu Hareth, coming to Mohammed as ambassadors
from the inhabitants of Najran, and entering into some disputes with him touching
religion and the history of Jesus Christ, they agreed the next morning to abide the
trial here mentioned, as a quick way of deciding which of them were in the wrong.
Mohammed met them accordingly, accompanied by his daughter Fatima, his son-in-law
Ali, and his two grandsons, Hasan and Hosein, and desired them to wait till he had said
his prayers. But when they saw him kneel down, their resolution failed them, aud they
durst not venture to curse him, but submitted to pay him tribute.®

¢ That is, to such terms of agreement as are indisputably consonant to the doctrine
of all the prophets and scriptures, and therefore cannot be reasonably rejected.

4 Besides other charges of idolatry on the Jews and Christians, Mohammed accused
them of paying too implicit an obedience to their priest and monks, who took upon them
i EC ad what things were lawful, and what unlawful, and to dispense with the laws
of God.?

° Viz. By pretending him to have been of your religion.

‘i.e. Ye perversely dispute even concerning those things which ye find in the Law
and the Gospel, whereby it appears that they were both sent down long after Abraham’s
time: why then will ye offer to dispute concerning such points of Abraham’s ‘religion,
of which your scriptures say nothing, and of which ye consequently can have no know-
ledge ??

® This passage was revealed when the Jews endeavoured to pervert Hodheifa, Ammar,
and Moadh to their religion.* :

* The Jews and Christians are again accused of corrupting the scriptures, and stifling
the prophecies concerning Mohammed.

Tallalo’ddin. Al Beidawi. - ‘Tidem. Jidem. *AlBeid&wi. Jidem.

“
CHAY. III. AL KORAN. 45

day ; and denv it in the end thereof; that they may go back from their faith ;'
and believe him only who followeth your religion. Say, Verily the true
direction is the direction of Gop, that there may be given unto*some other
a revelation like unto what hath been given unto you. Will they dispute with
you before your Lord? Say, Surely excellence is in the hand of Gop, he
giveth it unto whom he pleaseth; Gop is bounteous and wise: he will con-
fer peculiar mercy on whom he pleaseth ; for Gop is endued with great be-
neficence, There is of those who have received the scriptures, unto whom if
thou trust a talent he will restore it unto thee ;* and there is also of them,
unto whom if thou trust a dinar, he will not restore it unto thee, unless thou
stand over him continually with great urgency.) This they do, because they say,
We are not obliged to observe justice with the heathen: but they utter a
lie against Gop, knowingly. Yea, whoso keepeth his covenant, and feareth
God, Gop surely loveth those who fear him. But they who make mer-
chandize of Gop’s covenant, and of their oaths, for a small price, shall
have no portion in the next life, neither shall Gop speak to them or
regard them on the day of resurrection, nor shall he cleanse them; but
they shall suffer a grievous punishment. And there are certainly some of

 

' The commentators to explain this passage say, that Caab Ebn al Ashraf and Malec
Ebn al Seif (two Jews af Medina) advised their companions, when the Kebla was
cltanged,* to make as if they believed it was done by the divine direction, and to pray
towards the Caaba in the morning, but that in the evening they should pray as formerly
towards the temple of Jerusalem ; that Mohammed’s followers, imagining the Jews were
better judges of this matter than themselves, might imitate their example. But others
say these were certain Jewish priests of Khaibar, who directed some of their people to pre-
tend in the morning that they had embraced Mohammedism, but in the close of the day
to say that they had looked into their books of scripture, and consulted their Rabbins,
and could not find that Mohammed was the person described and intended in the law;
by which trick they hoped to raise doubts in the minds of the Mohammedans.®

* As an instance of this, the commentators bring Abd’allah Ebn Salam, a Jew, very
intimate with Mohammed,” to whom one of the Koreish lent 1200 ounces of gold, which
he very punctually paid at the time appointed.* -

1 Al Beidawi produces an example of such a piece of injustice in one Phineas Ebn
Azira, a Jew, who borrowed a dindr, which is a gold coin worth about ten shillings, of
a Koreishite, and afterwards had the conscience to deny it.

But the person more directly struck at in this passage was the above-mentioned Caab Ebn
al Ashraf, a most inveterate enemy of Mohammed and his religion, of whom Jallalo’ddin
relates the same story as al Beidawi does of Phineas. This Caab after the battle of Bedr
went to Mecca, and there, to excite the Koreish to revenge themselves, made and recited
verses lamenting the death of those who were slain in the battle, and reflecting very severely
on Mohammed; and he afterwards returned to Medina, and had the boldness to repeat
them publicly there also; at which Mohammed was so exceedingly provoked, that he
proscribed him, and sent a party of men to kill him, and he was circumvented and slain
by Mohammed Ebn Moslema in the third year of the Hejra.® Dr. Prideaux' has confounded
the Caab we are now speaking of, with another very different person of the same name, and
a famous poet, but who was the son of Zohair, ad no Jew; asa learned gentleman has
already observed? In consequence of which mistake, the doctor attributes what the
Arabian historians write of the latter, to the former, and wrongly affirms that he was not
put to death by Mohammed. ‘

Some of the commentators however suppose that in the former part of this passage the
Christians are intended, who, they say, are generally people of some honour and justice ;
he in the latter part the Jews, who they think are more given to cheating and dis-

onesty.?

5See before, c. 2, p. 17. ° Al Beidawi. "See Prideaux’s Life of Moham. p. 33.
* Al Beidawi. Jallalo’ddin. *AlJannabi. Elmacin. — ' Life of Moham. p. 78, &c.
2 Vide Gagnier, in Not. ad Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 64, et 122. a Al Beidaéwi.
46 AL KORAN. CHAP. II

them who read the scriptures perversely, that ye may think what they read
to be really in the scriptures, yet it is not in the scripture; and they say,
This is from Gop; but it is not from Gop: and they speak that which is
false concerning Gop, against their own knowledge. It is not fit for a man,
that Gop should give him a book of revelations, and wisdom, and prophecy ;
and then he should say unto men, Be ye worshippers of me, besides Gop ;
but he ought to say, Be ye perfect in knowledge and in works, since ye
know the scriptures, and exercise yourselves therein.™ Gop hath not com-
manded you to take the angels and the prophets for your lords: Will he
command you to become infidels, after ye have been true believers? And
remember when Gop accepted the covenant of the prophets,” saying, This
‘verily is the scripture and the wisdom which I have given you: hereafter
shall an apostle come unto you, confirming the truth of that scripture which
is with you; ye shall surely believe in him, and ye shall assist him. Gop
said, Are ye firmly resolved, and do ye accept my covenant on this con-
dition? They answered, We are firmly resolved: God said, Be ye there-
fore witnesses; and I also bear witness with you: and whosoever turneth
back after this, they are surely the transgressors. Do they therefore seek
any other religion but Gop’s? since to him is resigned whosoever is in
heaven or on earth, voluntarily or of force: and to him shall they return.
Say, We believe in Gop, and that which hath been sent down unto us, and
that which was sent down unto Abraham, and Ismael, and Isaac, and
Jacob, and the tribes, and that which was delivered to Moses, and Jesus,
and the prophets from their Lorp; we make no distinction between any
of them; and to him are we resigned. Whoever followeth any other
religion than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him: and in the next life
he shall be of those who perish. How shall Gop direct men who have
become infidels after they had believed, and borne witness that the apostle
was true, and manifest declarations of the divine will had come unto them?
for Gop directeth not the ungodly people. Their reward shall be, that on
them shall fall the curse of Gop, and of angels, and of all mankind: they
shall remain under the same for ever; their torment shall not be mitigated,
neither shall they be regarded; except those who repent after this, and
amend; for Gop is gracious and merciful. Moreover they who become
infidels after they have believed, and yet increase in infidelfty, their repen-
tance shall in no wise be accepted, and they are those who go astray.
Verily they who believe not, and die in their unbelief, the world full of gold

 

_™ This passage was revealed, say the commentators, in answer to the Christians, who in-
sisted that Jesus had commanded them to worship him as God. Al Beidawi adds, that
two Christians, named Abu Rafé al Koradhi and al Seyid al Najrani, offered to acknow-
edge Mohammed for their Lord, and.to worship him ; to which he answered, God forbid
that we should worship any besides God. !

2 Some commentators interpret this of the children of Israel themselves, of whose race
the prophets were. But others say the souls of all the prophets, even of those who were not
hen born, were present on Mount Sinai, when God gave the law to Moses, and that they
entered into the covenant here mentioned with him. A story borrowed by Mohammed
trom the Talmudists, and therefore most probably his true meaning in this place.

° See before chap. 2. p. 9, note.’
CHAP. III. | AL KORAN. 47

shall in no wise be accepted from any of them, even though he should give
it for his ransom; they shall suffer a grievous punishment, and they shali
have none to help them. *[IV.] Ye will never attain unto righteousness,
until ye give in alms of that which ye love: and whatever ye give, Gop
knoweth it. All food was permitted unto the children of Israel, except
what Israel forbad unto himself,P before the Pentateuch was sent down.?
Say unto the Jews, Bring hither the Pentateuch and read it, if ye speak truth.
Whoever therefore contriveth a lie against Gop after this, they will be evil

cers. Say, Gon is true: follow ye therefore the religion of Abraham the
orthodox; for he was no idolater. Verily the first house appointed unto
men to worship in was that which was in Becca;* blessed, and a direction
to all creatures.s Therein are manifest signs:t the place where Abraham
stood; and whoever entereth therein, shall be safe. And it is a duty
towards Gop, incumbent on those who are able to go thither," to visit this
house ; but whosoever disbelieveth, verily Gop needeth not the service of
any creature. Say, O ye who have received the scriptures, why do ye not
believe in the signs of Gop? Say, O ye who have received the scriptures,
why do ye keep back from the way of Gop, him who believeth? Ye seek
to make it crooked, and yet are witnesses that it is the right: but Gop
will not be unmindful of what ye do. O true believers, if ye obey some of

 

» This passage was reyealed on the Jews reproaching Mohammed and his followers
with their eating of the flesh and milk of camels,* which they said was forbidden Abra-
ham, whose religion Mohammed pretended to follow. In answer to which he tells them,
that God ordained no distinction of meats before he gave the law to Moses, though Jacob
voluntarily abstained from the flesh and milk of camels; which some commentators say
was the consequence of a vow made by that patriarch, when afflicted with the sciatica,
that if he were cured he would eat no more of that meat which he liked best; and
that was camel’s flesh: but others suppose he abstained from it by the advice of phy-
sicians only.®

This exposition seems to be taken from the children of Israel’s not eating of the sinew
on the hollow of the thigh, because the angel, with whom Jacob wrestled at Peniel,
touched the hollow of his thigh in the sinew that shrank.

. . . . x .
4‘ Wherein the Israelites, because of their wickedness and perverseness, were forbidden
to eat certain animals which were allowed their predecessors."

* Mohammed received this passage, when the Jews said that their Kebla, or the temple
of Jerusalem, was more ancient than that of the Mohammedans, or the Caaba® Becca is
another name of Mecca Al Beidawi observes that the Arabs used the M and B pro-
miscuously in several words.

*i. e. The Kebla, towards which they are to turn their faces in prayer.

‘ Such as the stone wherein they show the print of Abraham’s feet, and the inviolable
security of the place, immediately mentioned ; that the birds light not on the roof of the
Kaaba, and wild beasts put off their fierceness there ; that none who came against it in a
hostile manner ever prospered,’ as appeared particularly in the unfortunate expedition of
Abraha al Ashram ;? and other fables of the same stamp which the Mohammedans are
taught to believe.

* According to an exposition of this passage, attributed to Mohammed, he is supposed to
be able to perform the pilgrimage, who can supply himself with provisions for the journey,
and a beast to ride upon. © Al Shafei has decided that those who have money enough, if
they cannot go themselves, must hire some other to go in their room. Malec Ebn Ans
thinks he is to be reckoned able, who is strong and healthy, and can bear the fatigue of
the journey on foot, if he has no beast to ride, and can also earn his living by the way.
But Abu Hanfu is of opinion that both money sufficient and health of body are requisite
to make the pilgrimage a duty.? ‘

“See Lev. xi. 4. Deut. xiv. 7. 5 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. & Gen. xxxil. 32.
‘Koran, c.4. See the notes there. _ * Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ® See the Prelim.
Disc. sect. 1. 1 Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. 2 See Koran, c. 105. 3 Al Beidawi,
48 AL KORAN. OHAP, Il.

those who have received the scripture, they will render you infidels, after
ye have believed ;* and how can ye be infidels, when the signs of Gop are
read unto you, and his apostle is among you? But he wha cleaveth firmly
unto Gop, is already directed in the right way. O believers, fear Gop
with his true fear; and die not unless’ ye also be true believers.* And
cleave all of you unto the covenant ¥ of Gop, and depart not from it, and re-
member the favour of Gop towards you: since ye were enemies, and he
reconciled your hearts, and ye became companions and brethren by his
favour: and ye were on the brink of a pit of fire, and he delivered you
thence. Thus Gop declareth unto you his signs, that ye may be directed.
Let there be people among you who invite to the best religion ; and com-
mand that which is just, and forbid that which is evil; and they shall be
happy. And be not as they who are divided, and disagree in matters of —
religion, after manifest proofs have been brought unto them: they shall
suffer a great torment. On the day of resurrection some faces shall become
white, and other faces shall become black.* And unto.them whose faces
shall become black, Gop will say, Have ye returned unto your unbelief,
after ye had believed? therefore taste the punishment, for that ye have
been unbelievers: but they whose faces shall become white shall be in the
mercy of Gop, therein shall they remain for ever. These are the signs of
Gop: we recite them unto thee with truth. Gop will not deal unjustly
with his creatures. And to Gop belongeth whatever is in heaven and on
earth; and to Gop shall adi things return. Ye are the best nation that
hath been raised up unto mankind: ye command that which is just, and
ye forbid that which is unjust, and ye believe in Gop, And if they who
have received the scriptures had believed, it had surely been the better for

 

x This passage was revealed on occasion of a quarrel excited between the tribes of al
Aws and al Khazraj by one Shas Ebn Kais, a Jew; who passing by some of both tribes
as they were sitting and discoursing familiarly together, and being inwardly vexed at the
friendship and harmony which reigned among them on their embracing Mohammedism,
whereas they had been, for 120 years before, most inveterate and mortal enemies, though
descendants of two brothers; in order to set them at variance, sent a young man to sit
down by them, directing him to relate the story of the battle of Boath (a place near
Medina), wherein, after a bloody he al Aws had the better of Al Khazraj, and to re-
peat some verses on that subject. The young man executed his orders; whereupon those -
of each tribe began to magnify themselves, and to reflect on and irritate the other, till at
length they called to arms, and great numbers getting together on each side, a dangerous
battle had ensued, if Mohammed had not stept in and reconciled them; by representing
to them how much they would be to blame if they returned to paganism, and revived those
animosities which Islam had composed ; and telling them, that what had happened was a
trick of the devil to disturb their present tranquillity.‘

* «*O believers! have a righteous fear of God, and ye will die in the faith.’’—Savary.

y Literally, Hold fast by the cord of Gov: That is, Secure yourselves by adhering to
Islam, which is here metaphorically expressed by a cord, because it is as sure a means of
saving those who profess it from perishing hereafter, as holding by a rope is to prevent
one’s falling into a well, or other like place. It is said that Mohammed used for the same
reason to call the Koran, Habl Allah al matin, i. e. the sure cord of God.§ -

+i, e. As the Jews and Christians, who dispute concerning the unity of God, the future
state, duc.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

’

‘ Al Beidawi. ‘Idem. * Idem.
CHAP. III. AL KORAN. 49

‘them: there are believers among them,° but the greater part of them are
transgressors. They shall not hurt you, unless with a slight hurt; and if
they fight against you, they shall turn their backs to you; and they sha!!
not be helped.e They are smitten with vileness wheresoever they are
found; unless they obtain security by entering into a treaty with Gon, and
a treaty with men:4 and they draw on themselves indignation from Gop,
and they are afflicted with poverty. This they suffer, because they dis-
believed the signs of Gop, and slew the prophets unjustly ; this, because
they were rebellious, and transgressed. Yet they are not all alike: there
are of those who have received the scriptures, upright people ;* they
meditate on the signs of Gop‘ in the night season, and worship; they
believe in Gop, and ‘the last day; and command that which is just, and
forbid that which is unjust, and zealously strive to excel in good works;
these are of the righteous. And ye shall not be denied the reward of the
good which ye do;® for Gop knoweth the pious. As for the unbelievers,
their wealth shall not profit them at all, neither their children, against
God: they shall be the companions of hell fire; they shall continue therein
for ever. The likeness of that which they lay out in this present life,* is
as a wind wherein there is a scorching cold: it falleth on the standing corn
of those men who have injured their own souls, and destroyeth it. And
Gop dealeth not unjustly with them; but they injure their own souls.
O true believers, contract not an intimate friendship with any besides
yourselves :" they will not fail to corrupt you. They wish for that
which may cause you to perish: their hatred hath already appeared
from out of their mouths; but what their breasts conceal is yet more in-
veterate. We have already shown you signs of their ill will towards
you, if ye understand. Behold, ye love them, and they do not love you:
ye believe in all the scriptures, and when they meet you, they say, We
believe ; but when they assemble privately together, they bite their fingers’
ends out of wrath against you. Say unto them, Die in your wrath: verily
Gop knoweth the innermost part of your breasts. If good happen unto you,
it grieveth them; and if evil befall you, they rejoice at it. But if ye be
patient, and fear God, their subtlety shall not hurt you at all; for Gop
comprehendeth whatever they do. Cail to mind when thou wentest forth

 

> As Abd’allah Ebn Saldm and his companions,’ and those of the tribe of al Aws and
al Khazraj who had embraced Mohammedism. s

© This verse, al Beidawi says, is one of those whose meaning is mysterious, and relates
to something future ; intimating the low condition to which the Jewish tribes of Koreidha,
Nadir, Banu Kainoka, and those who dwelt at Khaibar, were afterwards reduced by
Mchammed. ies .

4, e. Unless they either profess the Mohammedan religion, or submit to pay tribute.

© Those namely who have embraced Islam.

t That is, the Koran. . , . .

® Some copies have a different reading in this passage, which they express in the third
person; They shall not be denied, &c. .

* ¢ Their alms are like unto an icy wind, which bloweth on the fields of the perverse,
and destroyeth their productions.’”’—Savary.

“7 ¢. Of a different religion.

TAI Beidawi.
50 AL KORAN. CHAP. III.

early from thy family, that thou mightest prepare the faithful a camp for’
war;! and Gop heard and knew it; when two companies of you were
anxiously thoughtful, so that ye became faint-hearted ;* but Gop was the
supporter of them both; and in Gop let the faithful trust. And Gop had
already given you the victory at Bedr, when ye were inferior in number ;
therefore fear Gop, that ye may be thankful. When thou saidst unto the
faithful, Is it not enough for you, that your Lorp should assist you with
three thousand angels sent dowsi from heaven? Verily if ye persevere,
and fear God, and your enemies come upon you suddenly, your Lorp will
assist you with five thousand angels, distinguished by their horses and
altire.™ And this Gop designed only as good tidings for you" that your
hearts might rést secure; for victory is from Gop alone, the mighty, the
wise. That he should cut off the uttermost part of the unbelievers, or cast
them down, or that they should be overthrown and unsuccessful,*' is
nothing to thee. It is no business of thine; whether God be turned unto
them, or whether he punish them; they are surely unjust doers.° To
Gop belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth: he spareth whom

 

i This was the battle of Ohod, a mountain about four miles to the north of Medina.
The Koreish, to revenge their loss at Bedr,® the next year being the third of the Hejra,
got together an army of 3000 men, among whom there were 200 horse, and 700 armed
with coats of mail. ‘These forces marched under the conduct of Abu Sofian and sat down
at Dhu’lholeifa, a village about six miles from Medina. Mohammed being much inferior
to his enemies in number, at first determined to keep himself within the town, and re-
ceive them there; but afterwards the advice of some of his companions prevailing, he
marched out against them at the head of 1000 men (some say he had 1050 men, others
but 900), of whom 100 were armed with coats of mail, but he had no more than one horse,
besides his own, in the whole army. With these forces he formed a camp in a village
near Ohod, which mountain he contrived to have on his back; and the better to secure
his men from being surrounded, he placed 50 archers in the rear, with strict orders not to
quit their post. When they came to engage, Mohammed had the better at first, but
afterwards by the fault of his archers, who left their ranks for the sake of plunder, and
suffered the enemies” horse to encompass the Mohammedans and attack them in the rear,
he lost the day, and was very near losing his life; being struck down by ashower of
stones, and wounded in the face with two arrows, on pulling out of which his two  fore-
teeth dropped out. Of the Moslems 70 men were slain, and among them Hamza the
uncle of Mohammed, and of the infidels 22.2 To excuse the ill success of this battle,
and to raise the drooping courage of his followers, is Mohammed’s drift in the remaining
part of this chapter. '

* These were some of the families of Banu Salma of the tribe of al Khazraj, and Banu’l
Hareth of the tribe of al Aws, who composed the two wings of Mohammed’s army.
Some ill impression had been made on them by Abda’llah Ebn Obba Soll, then an
infidel, who having drawn off 300 men, told them that they were going to certain death,
and advised them to return back with him; but he could prevail on but a few, the others
being kept firm by the divine influence, as the following words intimate.*

! See before, p. 36.

™ The angels who assisted the Mohammedans at Bedr, rode, say the commentators, on
black and white horses, and had on their heads white and yellow sashes, the ends of
which hung down between their shoulders.

.j7. e. As an earnest of future success.

* «He, at his pleasure, can overthrow the infidels, put them to fitght, or exterminate
them.’’—Savary.

° This passage was revealed when Mohammed received the wounds abovementioned a:
the battle of Ohod, and cried out, How shall that people prosper who have stained theit

rophet’s face with blood, while he called them to their Tord? The ‘person who wounded

im was Otha the son of Abbu WakkAs.? :

® See before, p. 36. » * Abulfeda, in vita Moham. p. 64, &c. El in. ]. 1.
Prideaux’s Life of Mah. p. 80. 4 Al Beidawi. 2 few ‘Abslted. abt sui
CHAP. IH. AL KORAN. 51

he pleaseth, and he punisheth whom he pleaseth; for Gop is mer-
ciful, O true believers, devour not usury, doubling it twofold ;. but fear
Gop, that ye may prosper: and fear the fire which is prepared for the
unbelievers; and obey Gep, and his apostle that ye may obtain mercy.
And run with emulation to obtain remission from your Lorp, and
paradise, whose breath equalleth the heavens and, the earth, which is pre-
pared for the godly; who give alms in prosperity and adversity; who
bridle their anger, and forgive men; for Gop loveth the beneficent? And
who, after they have committed a crime, or dealt unjustly with their own
souls, remember Gop, and ask pardon for their sins, (for who forgiveth
sins except Gop?) and persevere not in what they have done knowingly ;
their reward shall be pardon from their Lorp, and gardens wherein rivers
flow, they shall remain therein for ever: and how excellent is the reward
of those who labour! There have already been before you examples of
punishment of injidels,* therefore go through the earth, and behold what
hath been the end of those who accuse God’s apostles of imposture. This
book is a declaration unto men, and a direction and an admonition to the
pious. And be not dismayed, neither be ye grieved; for ye shall be supe-
rior to the unbelievers if ye believe. If-a wound hath happened unto you in
war, a like wound hath already happened unto the unbelieving people *
and we cause these days of different success interchangably to succeed each
other among men; that Gop may know those who believe, and may have
martyrs from among you: (Gop loveth not the workers of iniquity ;) and
that Gop might prove those who believe, and destroy the infidels. Did
ye imagine that ye should enter paradise, when as yet Gop knew not those
among you who fought strenuously in his cause; nor knew those who
persevered with patience? Moreover ye did sometimes wish for death
before that ye met it ;* but ye have now seen it, and ye looked on, but re-
treated from it. Mohammed is no more than an apostle; the other
apostles have already deceased before him: if he die, therefore, or be slain,
will ye turn back on your heels?* but he who turneth back on his heels

 

Tt is related of Hasan the son of Ali, that a slave having once thrown a dish on him
boiling hot, as he sat at table, and fearing his master’s resentment, fell on his knees, and
repeated these words, Paradise is for those who bridle their anger: Hasan answered, I
am not angry. The slave proceeded, and for those who forgive men: I forgive you, said
Hasan. The slave however finished the verse, adding, for Gop loveth the beneficent.
Since it is so, replied Hasan, I give you your liberty, and four hundred pieces of silver.*
A noble instance of moderation and generosity.

* “ God hath given precepts before thy time. Go through the earth, and behold what
has been the and of those who have accused us of falsehood.’’—Savary.

4 That is, by our being worsted at Ohod.

* When they were defeated at Bedr. It is observable that the number of Moham-
medans slain at Ohod was equal to that of the idolaters slain at Bedr, which was so
ordered by God for a reason to be given elsewhere.‘

* Several of Mohammed’s followers who were not present at Bedr, wished for an op-
portunity of obtaining, in another action, the like honour as those had gained who fell
martyrs in that battle; yet were discouraged on seeing the superior numbers of the idol-
aters in the expedition of Ohod. On which occasion this passage was revealed.*

' These words were revealed when it was reported in the battle of Ohod, that Moham-

? Vide D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art. Hassan. ‘Innot.ad.cap.8. * Al Beidawi.
52 AL KORAN. CHAP. IIl.

will not hurt God at all; and Gop will surely reward the thankful. No
soul can die unless by the permission of Gop, according to what is written
in the book containing the determinations of things." And whoso chooseth
the reward of this world, we will give him thereof: but whoso chooseth .
the reward of the world to come, we will give him thereof: and we will
surely reward the thankfl. How many prophets have encountered those
who had many myriads of troops: and yet they desponded not in their
mind for what had befallen them in fighting for the religion of Gop; and
were. not weakened, neither behaved themselves in an abject manner?
Gop loveth those who persevere patiently. And their speech was no other
than what they said, Our Lorn forgive us our offences, and our transgres-
sions in our business; and confirm our feet, and help us against the unbe-
lieving people. And Gop gave them the reward of this world, and a
glorious reward in the life to come; for Gop loveth the well doers. O ye
who believe, if you obey the infidels, they will cause you to turn back on-
your heels, and ye will be turned back and perish:* but Gop is your
Lorp; and he is the best helper. We will surely cast a dread into the
hearts of the unbelievers,’ because they have associated with Gop that con-
cerning which he sent them down no power: their dwelling shall be the
fire of hell ; and the receptacle of the wicked shall be miserable. Gop had
already made good unto you his promise, when ye destroyed them by his
permission,” until ye became faint-hearted, and disputed concerning the
command of the apostle, and were rebellious ;* after God had shown you
what ye desired. Some of you chose this present world, and others of you

 

med was slain: whereupon the idolaters cried out to his followers, Since your prophet is
slain, return to your ancient religion, and to your friends ; if Mohammed had been a
prophet, he had not been slain. Itis related that a Moslem named Ans Ebn al Nadar,
uncle to Malec Ebn Ans, hearing these words, said aloud to his companions, My friends,
though Mohammed be slain, certainly Mohammed’s Lord liveth and dieth not ; therefore
value not your lives since the prophet is dead, but fight for the cause for which he fought ;
then he cried out, O God, I am excused before thee, and acquitted in thy sight of what they
say; and, drawing his sword, fought valiantly till he was killed.*

« Mohammed, the more effectually to still the murmurs of his party on their defeat,
represents to them that the time of every man’s death is decreed and predetermined by
God, and that those who fell in the battle could not have avoided their fate, had they staid
at home, whereas they had now obtained the glorious advantage of dying martyrs for the
oh ; Of the Mohammedan doctrine of absolute predestination I have spoken in another
place.

* This passage was also occasioned by the endeavours of the Koreish to seduce the
Mohammedans to their old idolatry, as they fled in the battle of Ohod.

¥To this Mohammed attributed the sudden retreat of Abu Sofian and his troops, with-
out making any further advantage of their success; only giving Mohammed a challenge
to meet them the next year at Bedr, which he accepted. Others say, that as they were
on their march home, they repented they had not utterly extirpated the Mohatmmedans,
and began to think of going back to Medina for that purpose; but were prevented by a
sudden consternation or panic fear, which fell on them from God.®

i.e. In the beginning of the battle, when the Moslems had the advantage, putting
the idolaters to flight, and killing several of them. zs

* That is, till the bow-men, who were placed behind to prevent their being surrounded,
seeing the enemy fly, quitted their post contrary to Mohammed's express orders, and dis-
persed themselves to seize the plunder; whereupon Khaled Ebn al Walid, perceiving
their disorder, fell on their rear with the horse which he commanded, and turned the fortune

* Al Beidawi. ™Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. ® Al Beidawi.
CHAP. It. AL KORAN. 58

chose the world to come.” Then he turned you éo light from before them,
that he might make trial of you: (but he hath now pardoned you: for
Gop is endued with beneficence towards thé faithful;) when,ye went up
as ye fled, and looked not back on'any :* while the apostle called you,* in
the uttermost part of you. Therefore God rewarded you with affliction on
affliction, that ye be not grieved hereafter for the spoils which ye fail of, nor
for that which befalleth you,’ for Gop is well acquainted with whatever ye
do, Then he sent down upon you after affliction security; a soft sleep
which fell on some part of you; but other part were troubled by their own
souls ;*f falsely thinking of Gop, a foolish imagination saying, Will any
thing of the matter happen unto us?’ Say, Verily, the matter belongeth
wholly unto Gop. They concealed in their minds what they declared not
unto thee; saying,? If anything of the matter had happened unto us," we
had not been slain here. Answer, If ye had been in your houses, verily
they would have gone forth to fight, whose slaughter was decreed, to the
places where they died, and this came to pass that Gop might try what was
in your breasts, and might discern what was in your hearts; for Gop
knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men. Verily they among
you who turned their backs on the day whereon the two armies met each
other at Ohod, Satan caused them to slip for some crime which they had
committed.‘ but now hath Gop forgiven them; for Gop is gracious and
merciful. O true believers, be not as they who believed not, and said

 

of the day. It-is related that though Abda’llah Ebn Johair, their captain, did all he
ene to make them keep their ranks, he had not ten that staid with him out of the whole
ty.?

>The former were they who, tempted by the spoil, quitted their post; and the latter
they who stood firm by their leader.

*** When you took to disorderly flight, you no longer listened to the voice of the
apostle, who called you back to the combat. Heaven chastised you for your disobedience.
Let not your disgrace and loss of booty. render you inconsolable ; all your actions are
known unto God —Saoam.

° Crying aloud, Come hither to me, O servants of God; I am the apostle of God: he who
relurneth back shall enter paradise. But notwithstanding all his endeavours to rally his
men, he could not get above thirty about him.

4%. e. God punished your avarice and disobedience by suffering you to be beaten by
your enemies, and to be discouraged by the report of the prophet’s death; that ye might
be inured to patience under adverse fortune, and not repine at any loss or disappointment
for the future.

* After the action, those who had stood firm in the battle were refreshed, as they lay in
the field, by falling into an agreeable sleep, so that the swords fell out of their hands ;
but those who had behaved themselves ill were troubled in their minds, imagining they
were now given over to destruction.' >

} ‘After this disastrous event God caused security and slumber to descend upon a part
of you. The others, disturbed in mind, dared, in their wild imaginations, to attribute
falsehood unto God. Are these, said they, the promises of the prophet? Answer to
them, The Highest is the author of this calamity.’’—Savary.

‘ That is, Is there any appearance of success, or of the divine favour and assistance
which we have been promised ??

£7. e. To themselves, or to one another in private.

“If God had assisted us according to his promise ; Or, as others interpret the words, if ©
we had taken the advice of Abdallah Ebn Obba Soltl, and had kept within the town of
Medina; our companions had not lost their lives.”

' viz. For their covetousness in quitting their post to seize the plunder.

° Al Beidawi. Vide Abulfed. Vit Moh. p. 65, 66, et not. ib. 1 Al Beidawi.
Jallalo’ ddin. 3 Tidem. 3 Jidem.
54 AL KORAN. CHAP. IIT,

of their brethren when they had journeyed in the land or had been at
war, If they had been with us, those had not died, nor had these been
slain: whereas what befell tliem was so ordained, that Gop might take it
matter of sighing in their hearts. .° Gop giveth life, and causeth to die:
and Gop secth that which ye do. Moreover if ye be slain, or die in
defence of the religion of Gop; verily pardon from Gop, and mercy,
is better than what they heap together of worldly riches. And if ye die,
or be slain, verily unto Gop shall ye be gathered. And as to the mercy
granted unto the disobedient from Gop, thou O Mohammed, hast been mild
towards them; but if thou hadst been severe,.and hard-hearted, they
had surely separated themselves from about thee. Therefore forgive them,
and ask pardon for them: and consult them in the affair of war ; and after
thou hast deliberated, trust in Gop; for Gop loveth those who trust
in him. If Gop help you, none shall conquer you; but if he desert you,
who is it that will help you after him? Therefore in Gop let the faithful
trust. It is not the part of a prophet to defraud,* for he who defraudeth
shall bring with him what he hath defrauded any one of, on the day of the
resurrection.’ Then shall every soul be paid what he hath gained; and
they shall not be treated unjustly. Shall he therefore who followeth that.
which is well-pleasing unto Gop be as he who bringeth on himself
wrath from Gop, and whose receptacle is hell? an evil journey shall it be
thither. There shall be degrees of rewards and punishments with Gop, for
Gop seeth what they do. Now hath Gop been gracious unto the believers
when he raised up among them an apostle of their own nation, who should
recite his signs unto them, and purify them, and teach them the book
of the Koran and wisdom ;" whereas they were before in manifest error.
After a misfortune had befallen you at Ohod, (ye had already obtained two
equal advantages°) do ye say, Whence cometh this? Answer, This isfrom
yourselves :? for Gop is almighty. And what happened unto you, on the
day whereon the two armies met, was certainly by the permission of Gop ;
and that he might know the ungodly. It was said unto them, Come, fight

 

* This passage was revealed, as some say, on the division of the spoil at Bedr; when
some of the soldiers suspected Mohammed of having privately taken a scarlet carpet made
all of silk and very rich, which was missing.* Others suppose the archers, who occasioned -
the loss of the battle of Ohod, left their station because they imagined Mohammed would
not give them thcir share of the plunder; because,’as it is related, he once sent out a

" party as an advanced guard, and in the meantime attacking the enemy, took some spoils
which he divided among those who were with him in the action, and gave nothing to the
party that was absent on duty.*

' According to a tradition of Mohammed, whoever cheateth another will on the day of
judgment carry his fraudulent purchase on his neck.

™ Some copies instead of min anfosihim, i. e. of themselves, read min anfasihim, i. e. of
the ae among them; for such was the tribe of Koreish, of which Mohammed was de-
scendéd.

=4, e. The Sonna."

° viz. in the battle of Bedr, where ye slew seventy of the enemy, equalling the num-
ber of those who lost their lives at Ohod, and took as many prisoners.®

4 It was the consequence of your disobeying the orders of the prophet, and abandoning
your post for the sake of plunder. :

‘Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. sf 3 poe * Idem. ‘Idem.
ee before, p. 36.
CHAP. III. AL KORAN. 55

for the religion of Gop, or drive back the enemy: they answered, If we had
known ye went out to fight, we had certainly followed you.t They were on
that day nearer unto unbelief, than they were to faith; they spake with
their mouths, what was not in their hearts: but Gop perfectly knew what
they concealed ; who said of their brethren, while themselves stayed at home,
if they had obeyed us, they had not been slain. Say, Then keep back
death from yourselves, if ye say truth. Thou shalt in no wise reckon those
who have been slain at Ohod, in the cause of Gop, dead; nay, they
are sustained alive with their Lorp,* rejoicing for what Gop of his favour
hath granted them; and being glad for those who, coming after them, have
-not as yet overtaken them ;* because there shall no fear come on them,
neither shall they be grieved. They are filled with joy for the favour
which they have received from Gop and his bounty; and for that Gop
suffereth not the reward of the faithful to perish. They who hearkened
unto Gop and his apostle, after a wound had befallen them at Ohod,* such
of them as do good works, and fear God, shall have a great reward; unta
whom certain men said, Verily the men of Mecca have already gathered
forces against you, be ye therefore afraid of them :" but this increased their
faith, and they said, Gop is our support, and the most excellent patron.

 

«That is, if we had conceived the least hopes of success when ye marched out of
Medina to encounter the infidels, and had not known that ye went rather to certain de-
struction than to battle, we had gone with you. But this Mohammed here tells then
was only a feigned excuse; the true reason of their staying behind being their want of
faith and firmness in their religion.®

* See before, p. 18.

*i. e. Rejoicing also for their sakes, who are destined to suffer martyrdom, but have
Not as yet attained it.*

' The commentators differ a little as to the occasion of this passage. When news was
brought to Mohammed, after the battle of Ohod, that the enemy, repenting of their retrea',
were returning towards Medina, he called about him those who had stood by him in the
battle, and marched out to meet the enemy as far as Homara.al Asad, about eight miles
from that town, notwithstanding several of his men were so ill of their wounds that they
were forced to be carried; but a panic fear having seized the army of the Koreish, they
changed their resolution, and continued their march home; of which Mohammed
having received intelligence, he also went back to Medina: and according to some
commentators, the Koran here approves the faith and courage of those who attended the
prophet on this occasion. Others say the persons intended in this passage were those who
went with Mohammed the next year, to meet Abu Sofian and the Koreish, according to
their challenge, at Bedr,? where they waited some time for the enemy, and then returned
home; for the Koreish, though they set out from Mecca, yet never came so far as the
place of appointment, their hearts failing them on their march: which Mohammed
attributed to their being struck with a terror from God.? This expedition the Arabian
histories call the second or lesser expedition of Bedr.

* The persons who thus endeavoured to discourage the Mohammedans were, according
to one tradition, some of the tribe of Abd Kais, who going to Medina were bribed by
Abu Sofifin with a camel’s load of dried raisins; and according to another tradition, it
was Noaim Ebn Masiid al Ashjai, who was also bribed with a she camel ten months gone
with young (a valuable present in Arabia). This Noaim, they say, finding Mohammed
and his men preparing for the expedition, told them that Abu Sofidn to spare them the
pains of coming so far as Bedr, would seek them in their own houses, and that none of
them could possibly escape otherwise than by timely flight. Upon which Mohammed,
seeing his followers a little dispirited. swore that he would go himself though not one
of them went with him. And accordingly he set out with seventy horsemen, every one
of them crying out, Hashna Allah, i. e. God is our support.‘

® Al Beidawi. 1 Vide Revel. vi. 11. 2 See before, p. 52, nowy. *Al Beidaw:
‘Idem. Jallalo’ddin.
'

56 AL KORAN. OHAP. III.

Wherefore they returned with favour from Gop, and advantage :* no evil
befell them: and they followed what was well pleasing unto Gop: for Gop
is endowed with great liberality. Verily that devily would cause you
to fear his friends: but be ye not afraid of them: but fear me, if ye be true
believers. They shall not grieve thee, who emulously hasten unto infidelity ;
for they shall never hurt Gop at all. Gop will not give them a part in the
next life, and they shall suffer a great punishment. Surely those who pur-
chase infidelity with faith* shall by no means hurt Gop at all, but they
shall suffer a grievous punishment. And let not the unbelievers think,
because we grant them lives long and prosperous, that it is better for their
souls: we grant them long and prosperous lives only that their iniquity:
may be increased; and they shall suffer an ignominious punishment.
Gop is not disposed to leave the faithful in the condition which ye are now
in,” until he sever the wicked from the good ;} nor is Gop disposed to make
you acquainted with what is a hidden secret, but Gop chooseth such of his
apostles as he pleaseth, to reveal his mind unto : * believe therefore in Gop,
and his apostles; and if ye believe, and fear God, ye shall receive a great
reward. And let not those who are covetous of what Gop of his bounty
hath granted them imagine that their avarice is better for them: nay,
rather it is worse for them. That which they have covetously reserved
shall be bound as a collar about their neck,» on the day of the resurrection :
unto Gop belongeth the inheritance of heaven and earth; and Gop is well
acquainted with what ye do. Gop hath already heard the saying of those
who said, Verily Gop is poor, and we are rich:* we will surely write
down what they have said, and the slaughter which they have made of the
prophets without a cause; and we will say unto them, Taste ye the pain of
burning. This shail they suffer for the evil which their hands have sent
before them, and because Gop is not unjust towards mankind; who also
say, Surely Gop hath commanded us, that we should not give credit to any
apostle, until one should come unto us with a sacrifice, which should

 

x While they staid at Bedr expecting the enemy, they opened a kind of fair there, and
traded to very considerable profit.*

y Meaning either Noaim, or Abu Sofian himself.

* «< Those who apostatize from interest do not hurt the highest. Hell shall be their
abode.’’—Savary. :

* That is, he will not suffer the good and sincere among you to continue indiscriminately
mixed with the wicked and hypocritical.

t ‘God leaveth the believers in the state which they now are, only till he shall have
discriminated the wicked from the righteous.’’—Savary. :

4 This passage was revealed on the rebellious and disobedient Mohammedans telling
Mohammed that if he was a true prophet, he could easily distinguish those who sincerely
believed from the dissemblers.®

> Mohammed is said to have declared, that whoever pays not his legal contribution of
alms duly shall have a serpent twisted about his neck at the resurrection."

° It is related that Mohammed, writing to the Jews of the tribe of Kainoka to invite
them to Islam, and exhorting them, aman other things, in the words of the Koran,* te
lend unto God on good usury, Phineas Kbn Azia, on hearing that expression, said,
Surely Goa is poor, since they ask to borrow for him. Whereupon Abu Becr, who was
the bearer of thai ‘etter, struck him on the face, and told him, that if it had not been foi
the truce between them he would have struck off his head: and on Phineas’s complain:
ing to Mchammed of Abu Becr’s ill usage, this passage was revealed.

‘Al Beidawi. ‘Idem. ‘Idem, Jallalo’ddin. *Chap.ii.p.29.  * Al Beidawi.
»

CHAP. It. AL KORAN. 357

be consumed by fire.t Say, Apostles have already come unto you before
me,° with plain proofs, and with the miracle which ye mention: why
therefore have ye slain them, if ye speak truth? If they accuse thee
of imposture,,the apostles before thee have also been accounted impostors,
who brought evident demonstrations, and the scriptures, and the book
which enlighteneth the understanding. Every soul shall taste of death,
and ye shall have your reward on the day of resurrection; and he whe
shall be far removed from hell fire, and shall be admitted into paradise,
shall be happy: but the present life is only a deceitful provision.* Ye
shall surely be proved in your possessions, and in your persons; and
ye shall bear from those unto whom the scripture was delivered before you,
and from the idolaters, much hurt: but if ye be patient and fear God, this
is a matter that is absolutely determined. And when Gop accepted the
covenant of those to whom the book of the law was given, saying, Ye
shall surely publish it unto mankind, ye shall not hide it: yet they threw
it behind their backs, and sold it for a small price: but woeful is the
price for which they have sold i. Think not that they who rejoice
at what they have done, and expect to be praised for what they have not
done;® think not, O prophet, that they shall escape from punishment,
for they shall suffer a painful punishment; and unto Gop belongeth the
kingdom of heaven and earth: Gop is almighty. Now in the creation of
heaven and earth, and the vicissitude of night and day, are signs unto.

 

4 The Jews, say the commentators, insisted that it was a peculiar proof of the mission
of all the prophets sent to them, that they could, by their prayers, bring down fire from
heaven to consume the sacrifice, and therefore they expected Mohammed should do the
like. And some Mohammedan doctors agree that God appointed this miracle as the test
of all their prophets, except only Jesus and Mohammed ;‘ though others say any other
miracle was a proof full as sufficient as the bringing down fire from heaven.?

The Arabian Jews seem to have drawn a general consequence from some particular
instances of this miracle in the Old Testament. And the Jews at this day say, that
first the fire which fell from heaven on the altar of the tabernacle,‘ after the consecration
of Aaron and his sons, and afterwards that which descended on the altar of Solomon’s
temple, at the dedication of that structure,’ was fed and constantly maintained there by
the priests, both day and night, without being suffered once to go out; till it was extin-
guished, as some think, in the reign of Manasses,° but according to the more received
opinion, when the temple was destroyed by the Chaldeans. Several Christians’ have
given credit to this assertion of the Jews, with what reason I shall not here inquire; and
the Jews, in consequence of this notion, might probably expect that a prophet who came
to restore God’s true religion should rekindle for them this heavenly fire, which they had.
not been favoured with since the Babylonish captivity.

© Among these the commentators reckon Zacharias and John the Baptist.
* Human life is no more than a deceitful enjoyment.’’—Savary.

17. e. Dearly shall they pay hereafter for taking bribes to stifle the truth. Whoever con-.
cealeth the knowledge which God has given him, says Mahommed, God shall put on hima
bridle of fire on the day of resurrection.

®i. e. Who think they have done a commendable deed in concealing and dissembling
the testimonies in the Pentateuch concerning Mohammed, and in disobeying God’s com--
mands to the contrary. It is said that Mohammed once asking some Jews concerning:
a passage in their law, they gave him an answer very different from the truth, and were
mightily pleased that they had, as they thought, deceived him. Others however think this,
passage relates to some pretended Mohammedans who rejoiced in their hypocrisy, and
expected to be commended for their wickedness.*

* Jallalo’ddin. 2 Al Beidawi. 3 Lev. ix. 24, 1 Chron. xxi. 26. 2 Chron. vii. 1.
1 Kings xviii. 38. * Lev. ix. 24, 52 Chron. vii. 1. ® Talmud, Zebachim, c. 6
*See Prideaux’s Connect. part 1. book 3. p. 158, ® Al Beidawi.

°
58 : AL KORAN. CHAP. III.

those who are endued with understanding ; who remember Gop standing,
and sitting, and Zying on their sides;* and meditate on the creation of
heaven and earth, saying, O Lorp, thou hast not created this in vain; far
be it from thee: therefore deliver us from the torment of hel/ fire: O Lorn,
surely whom thou shalt throw into the fire, thou wilt also cover with shame:
nor shall the ungodly have any to help them. O Lorp, we have heard a
preacher‘ inviting us to the faith and saying, Believe in your Lorn: and
we believed. O Lorp forgive us therefore our sins, and expiate our evil
deeds from us, and make us to die with the righteous. O Lorp, give us
also the reward which thou hast promised by thy apostles ; and cover us not
with shame on the day of resurrection; for thou art not contrary to the
promise* Their Lorp therefore answered them, saying, I will not suffer
the work of him among you who worketh to be lost, whether he be male,
or female :* the one of you is from the other. They therefore who have
left their country, and have been turned out of their houses, and have suf-
- fered for my sake, and have been slain in battle; verily I will expiate
their evil deeds from them, and I will surely bring them into gardens
watered by rivers; a reward from Gop; and with Gop is the most ex-
cellent reward. Let not the prosperous dealing of the unbelievers in the
land deceive thee ;! it is but a slender provision ;™ and then their receptacle
shall be hell; an unhappy couch shall it be. But they who fear the Lorp
shall have gardens through which rivers flow, they shall continue therein
for ever: this is the gift of Gop ;f for what is with Gop shall be better for
the righteous than shortlived worldly prosperity. There are some of those
who have received the scriptures, who believe in Gop, and that which hath
been sent down unto you, and that which hath been Sent down to them,
submitting themselves unto Gop ;" they sell not the signs of Gop fora small

 

» viz. At all times and in all postures. Al Beidawi mentions a saying of Mohammed to
one Imran Ebn Hosein, to this purpose; pray standing, if thou art able; if not, sitting;
and if thou canst not sit up, then as thou liest along. Al Shafei directs that the sick should
pray lying on their right side.

Namely Mohammed, with the Koran.

* ¢ Since thou failest not in thy promises.’’—Savary.

* These words were added, as some relate, on Omm Salma, one of the prophet’s
wives, telling him that she had observed God often made mention of the men who fled
their country for the sake of their faith, but took no notice of the women.®

' The original word properly signifies success in the affairs of life, and purticularly in
trade, It is said that some of Mohammed’s followers observing the prosperity the idol-
aters enjoyed, expressed their regret that those enemies of God should live in such ease
and plenty, while themselves were perishing of hunger and fatigue; whereupon this
passage was revealed.*

™ Because of its short continuance.

t ‘They who fear the Lord shall dwell in the gardens of delights. They shall dwell
m them eternally. They shall be the guests of the Lord. Who is more able than he to
Joad with favours the just ?’”’—Savary.

2 The persons here meant, some will have to be Abd’allah Ebn Salam? and his com-
‘panions ; others suppose they were forty Arabs of Majran, or thirty-two Ethiopians, or else
eight Greeks, who were converted from Christianity to Mohammedism ; and others say thig
passage was revealed in the ninth year of the Hejra, when Mohammed, on Gabriel’s bring-
ing him the news of the death of Ashama king of Ethiopia, who had embraced the Mo-
hammedan religion some years before,* prayed for the soul that departed; at which some

Al Beidawi. 1Tdem. 2 See before, p. 45. 3 See the Prelim. Dise, sect ii
CHAP. Iv. AL KORAN. 59

price: these shall have their reward with their Lorp; for Gop is swift in
taking an account.° O true believers, be patient and strive to excel
patience, and be constant-minded, and fear Gop, that ye may be happy.

 

CHAPTER IV.
INTITLED, WOMEN ;? REVEALED AT MEDINA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O men, fear your Lorp, who hath created you out of one man, and out
of him created his wife, and from them two hath multiplied many men, and
women :* and fear Gop by whom ye beseech one another ;* and respect
women? who have borne you, for Gop is watching over you. And give the
orphans when they come to age their substance; and render them not in
exchange bad for good:* and devour not their substance, by adding it to
your own substance; for this is a great sin. And if ye fear that ye shall
not act with equity towards orphans of the female sex,* take in marriage
of such other women as please you, two, or three, or four, and not more.*

 

of his hypocritical followers were displeased, and wondered that he should pray for a
Christian proselyte whom he had never seen.‘

° See before, p. 24, and the Preliminary Discourse, sect. iv. :

’ This title was given to this chapter, because it chiefly treats of matters relating to
women; as, marriages, divorces, dower, prohibited degrees, &c.

* ‘* Mortals! fear the Lord, who created you all from one man, of whom he formed a
woman, and who has covered the earth with their posterity. Fear the Lord, in the name
of whom ye beseech each other. Revere the ties of consanguinity. God observeth your
actions.’’—Savary.

4 Saying, I beseech thee for God’s sake.®

t Literally, the wombs.

* That is, take not what ye find of value among their effects to your own use, and give
them worse in its stead.

* «Tf ye fear to be unjust unto orphans, fear also to be unjust unto your wives. Marry
only two, three, or four.’’® :

«The commentators understand this passage differently. The true meaning seems to
be, as it is here translated; Mohammed advising his fallowens that if they found they
should wrong the female orphans under their care, either by marrying them against their
inclinations, for the sake of their riches or beauty, or by not using or maintainiag them so
well as they ought, by reason of their having already several wives, they should rather
choose to marry other women, to avoid all occasion of sin.” Others say, that when this
passage was revealed, many of the Arabians, fearing trouble and temptation, refused to
take upon them the charge of orphans, and yet multiplied wives to a great excess, and
used them ill; or, as others write, gave themselves up to fornication; which occa-
sioned the passage. And according to these its meaning must be either, that if they
feared they could ‘not act justly towards orphans, they had as great reason to apprehend
they could not deal equitably with so many wives, and therefore are commanded to marry
but a certain number; or else, that since fornication was a crime as well as a wronging
of orphans, they ought to avoid that also, by marrying according to their abilities.*

‘ Al Beidawi. *Tdem.
*** When this verse was sent down from heaven, the pre part of the Arabs had
each of them eight or ten wives; and they often treated them badly. Polygamy has
always been established in the East. Mahomet restrained it within narrower bounds.”’—

Savary. é
i 1 Al Reidawi. Fidem, Jallalo’adin,
60 AL KORAN. CHAP. IV.

But if ye fear that ye cannot act equitably towards so many, marry one
only, or the slaves which ye shall have acquired." This will be easier,
that ye swerve not from righteousness. And give women their dowry
freely ; but if they voluntarily remit unto you any part of it, enjoy it with
satisfaction and advantage. And give not unto those who are weak of
understanding the substance which Gop hath appointed you to preserve
for them ; but maintain them thereout, and clothe them, and speak kindly
unto them. And examine the orphans* until they attain the age of mar-
riage: ¥ but if ye perceive they are able to manage their affairs well, deliver
their substance unto them; and waste it not extravagantly, or hastily,*
because they grow up.? Let him who is rich abstain entirely from the
orphans? estates ; and let him who is poor take thereof according to what
shull be reasonable. And when ye deliver their substance unto them,
call witnesses thereof in their presence: Gop taketh sufficient account of
your actions. Men ought to have a part of what their parents and kindred
leave behind them when they die: and women also ought to have a part of
what their parents and kindred leave, whether it be little, or whether
it be much; a determinate part is due to them. And when they who are
of kin are present at the dividing of what is left, and also the orphans,
and the poor; distribute unto them some part thereof; and if the
estate be too small, at least speak comfortably unto them. And let those
fear to. abuse orphans, who if they leave behind them a weak offspring,
are solicitous for them: let them therefore fear Gop, and speak that
which is convenient. Surely they who devour the possessions of orphans
unjustly shall swallow down nothing but fire into their bellies, and shall
broil in raging flames.f Gop hath thus commanded you concerning your
children. A male shall have as much as the share of two females;?
but if they be females only, and above two in number, they shall have
two-third parts of what the deceased shall leave;* and if there be but

 

"For slaves requiring not so large a dower, nor so good and plentiful a main-
aegis as free women, a man might keep several of the former, as easily as one of
the latter.

_*t,e. Try whether they be well grounded in the principles of religion, and have suffi-
cient prudence for the management of their affairs. Under this expression is also com-
prehended the duty of a curator’s instructing his pupils in those respects.

’ Or age of maturity, which is generally reckoned to be fifteen; a decision supported
by a tradition of their prophet; though Abu Hanifah thinks eighteen the proper age.®

* Beware of dissipating it by prodigality, or by hastening to entrust them with it,
when they are too young.’’—Savary.

77, e. Because they will shortly be of age, to receive what belongs to them.

* That is, no more than what shall make sufficient recompense for the trouble of their
education. . 4

> This law was given to abolish a custom of the pagan Arabs, who suffered not women
or children to have any part of their husband’s or father’s inheritance ; on pretence that
they only should inherit who were able to go to war.t :

i ° ee Either to comfort the children, or to assure the dying father they shall be justly
ealt by.?

4 This is the general rule to be followed in the distribution of the estate of the deceased,
as may be observed in the following cases.*

° Or if there be two and no more, they will have the same share.

* Al Beidawi. * Tdem. 2Tdem. ? Vide Prelim. Disc. sect. vi.
CHAP. Iv. AL KORAN. 61

one, she shall have the half And the parents of the deceased shall
have each of them a sixth part of what he shall leave, if he have a
child; but if he have no child, and his parents be his sheirs, then his
mother shall have the third parte And if he have brethren, his mother
shall have a sixth part, after the legacies" which he shall bequeath, and
his debts de paid. Ye know not whether your parents or your children
be of greater use unto you. This is an ordinance from Gop, and
Gop is knowing and wise. Moreover ye may claim half of what your
wives shall leave, if they have no issue; but if they have issue,
then ye shall have the fourth part of what they shall leave, after
the legacies which they shall bequeath, and the debts be paid. They
also shall have the fourth part of what ye shall leave, in case ye, have
no issue; but if ye have issue, then they shall have the eighth part
of what ye shall leave, after the legacies which ye shall bequeath, and your
debts be paid. And if a man or woman’s substance be inherited by a distant
relation,' and he or she have a brother or sister; each of them two shall
have a sixth part of the estate.* But if there be more than this number,
they shall be equal sharers in a third part, after payment of the legacies
which shall be bequeathed, and the debts, without prejudice to the heirs
This is an ordinance from Gop : and Gop is knowing and gracious’ These
are the statutes of Gop. And whoso obeyeth Gop and his apostle, God shal
lead him into gardens wherein rivers flow, they shall continue therein
for ever; and this shall be great happiness. But whoso disobeyeth
Gop, and his apostle, and transgresseth his statutes, God shall cast
him into hell fire; he shall remain therein for ever, and he shall
suffer a shameful punishment. If any of your women be guilty of
whoredom,}! produce four witnesses from among you against them, and if
they bear witness against them, imprison them in separate apartments until
death release them, or Gop affordeth them a way to escape.™ And if two

 

And the remaining third part, or the remaining moiety of the estate, which is not here
expressly disposed of, if the deceased leaves behind him no son, nor a father, goes to the
public treasury. It must be observed, that Mr. Selden is certainly mistaken, when in ex-
plaining this passage of the Koran, he says, that where there is a son and an only
daughter, each of them will have a moiety :‘ for the daughter can have a moiety but in
one case only, that is where there is no son; for if there be ason, she can have but a
third, according to the above-mentioned rule.

® And his father consequently the other two-thirds.®

» By legacies in this and the following passages are chiefly meant those bequeathed to
pious uses; for the Mohammedans approve not of a person’s giving away his substance
from his family and near relations on any other account.

‘ For this may happen by contract, or on some other special occasion.

* Here, and in the next case, the brother and sister are made equal sharers, which is
an exception to the general rule, of giving a male twice as much asa female; and the

* reason is said to be, because of the smallness of the portions, which deserve not such
exactness of distribution; for in other cases the rule holds between brother and sister, as
well as other relations.* r-

Either adultery or fornication.

™ Their punishment in the beginning of Mohammedism was to be immured till they

died, but afterwards this cruel doom was mitigated, and they might avoid it by under-

“Selden, de success ad Leges Ebreor. lib. 1. chap. i. 5 Al Beidawi. 5 See this
chap. near the end. ?
62 AL KORAN. CHAP. IV.

of you commit the like wickedness, punish them both:° but if they repent
and amend, let them both alone ; for Gop is easy to be reconciled and mer-
ciful. Verily repentance will be accepted with Gon, from those who do evil
ignorantly, and then repent speedily ; unto them will Gop be turned: for
Gop is knowing and wise. But no repentance shall be accepted from those
who do evil until the time when death presenteth itself unto one of them,
and he saith, Verily I repent now; nor unto those who die unbelievers ;
for them have we prepared a grievous punishment. O true believers,
it is not lawful for you to be heirs of women against their will,” nor to
hinder them from marrying others, that ye may take away part of what ye
have given them in dowry; unless they have been guilty of a manifest
crime: but converse kindly with them. And if ye hate them, it may
happen that ye may, hate a thing wherein Gop hath placed much good.
If ye be desirous to exchange a wife for another wife,’ and ye have already
given one of them a talent, take not away any thing therefrom :* will ye
take it by slandering her, and doing her manifest injustice? And how can
ye take it, since the one of you hath gone in unto the other, and they have
received from you a firm covenant? Marry not women whom your fathers
have had to wife; (except what is already past:) for this is uncleanness,
and an abomination, and an evil way.// Ye are forbidden to marry your
mothers, and your daughters, and your Sisters, and your aunts both on the

t

 

going the punishment ordained in its stead by the Sonna; according to which the maidens
are to be scourged with a hundred stripes, and to be banished for a full year; and the
married women are to be stoned.

» The commentators are not agreed whether the text speaks of fornication or sodomy.
Al Zamakshari, and from him, al Beidawi supposes the former is here meant: but
Jallalo’ddin is of opinion that the crime intended in this passage must be committed
between two men, and not between a man apd a woman; not only because the pronouns
are in the masculine gender, but because both are ordered to suffer the same slight pun-
ishment, and_are both allowed the same repentance and indulgence; and especially
for that a different and much severer punishment is appointed for the women in the
preceding words. Abu’l Kasem Hebatallah takes simple fornication to be the crime
intended, and that this passage is abrogated by that of the 24th chapter, where the man
and the woman who shall be guilty of fornication are ordered to be scourged with a hun-
dred stripes each.

° The original is, Do them some hurt or damage ; by which some understand that they
are only to reproach them in public,® or strike them on the head with their slippers,? (a
great indignity in the east ;) though some imagine they may be scourged.'

It was customary among the pagan Arabs, when a man died, for one of his relations
to claim a right to his widow, which he asserted by throwing his garment over her: and
then he either married her himself, if he thought fit, on assigning her the same dower
that her former husband had done, or kept her dower and married her to another, or else
refused to let her marry unless she redeemed herself by quitting what she might claim ~
of her husband’s goods.?' This unjust custom is abolished by this passage.

4 Some say these words are directed to husbands who used to imprison their wives
without any just cause, and out of covetousness, merely to make them relinquish their
dower or their inheritance.?

* Such as disobedience, ill-behaviour, immodesty, and the like.‘

* That is, by divorcing one, and marrying another.

‘i. e. Ever so large a dower.

* See chap. 2, p. 27, 28.

me
.

*Jallalo’ddin. *Ibid. Yahya, Abu’l Kasem Hebatallah, Al Beidawi. ° "ddi
Al Beidawi. SAL Bedi 8 Teeni “dem, “iden, es
CHAP. IV. AL KORAN. 63

father’s and on the mother’s side, and your brothers’ daughters, and your
sisters’ daughters, and your mothers who have given you suck, and your
foster-sisters, and your wives’ mothers, and your daughters+in-law which
are under your tuition, born of your wives unto whom ye have gone in, (but
if ye have not gone in unto them, it shall be no sin in you to marry them,)
and the wives of your sons who proceed out of your loins; and ye are also
forbidden to take to wife two sisters,* except what is already past: for Gop
is gracious and merciful. *[V.] Ye are also forbidden to take to wife free
vomen who are married, except those women whom your right hands shall
possess as slaves.¥ « “This is ordained you from Gop. Whatever is beside
this is allowed you; that ye may with your substance provide wives for
yourselves, acting that which is right, and avoiding whoredom. And for
the advantage which ye receive from them, give them their reward,
according to what is ordained: but it shall be no crime in you to make
any other agreement among yourselves,* after the ordinance shall be com-
plied with ; for Gop is knowing and wise. Whoso among you hath not
means sufficient that he may marry free women, who are believers, let him
marry with such of your maid-servants whom your right hands possess, as
are true believers ; for Gop -well knoweth your faith. Ye are the one from
the other : therefore marry them with the consent of their masters; and
give them their dower according to justice; such as are modest, not guilty
of whoredom, nor entertaining lovers. And when they are married, if they
be guilty of adultery, they shall suffer half the punishment which is
appointed for the free women.° This is allowed unto him among you, who
feareth to sin by marrying free women; but if ye abstain from marrying
slaves, it will be better for you; Gop is gracious and merciful. Gop is
willing to declare these things unto you, and to direct you according to the
ordinances of those who have gone before you,‘ and to be merciful unto:
you. Gop is knowing and wise. Gop desireth to be gracious unto you;
but they who follow their lusts,* desire that ye should turn aside from the

 

* The same was also prohibited by the Levitical law.*

y According to this passage it is not lawful to marry a free woman that is already married,
be she a Mohammedan or not, unless she be legally parted from her husband by divorce ;
but it is lawful to marry those who are slaves, or taken in war, after they shall have gone
through the proper purifications, though their husbands be living. Yet, according to the
decision of Abu Hanifah, it is not lawful to marry such whose husbands shall be taken,
or in actual slavery with them.®

= That is, assign them their dower.

* That is, either to inctease their dower, or to abate some part or even the whole of it.

> Being alike descended from Adam, and of the same faith." :

° The reason of this is because they are not presumed to have had so good an education.
A slave therefore, in such a case, is to have fifty stripes, and to be banished for half a
ea but she shall not be stoned, because it is a punishment which cannot be inflicted by

alves.

‘ viz. Of the prophets, and other holy and prudent men of former ages.°

* Some commentators suppose that these words have a particular regard to the Magians,
who formerly were frequently guilty of incestuous marriages, their prophet Zerdusht
having allowed them to take their mothers and sisters to wife ; and also to the Jews, who
likewise might marry within some of the degrees here prohibited.*

5 Levit. xviii. 18. ° Al Beidawi. Idem. * Idem. ® Jallalo’ddin.
A! Beidawi. + Al Beidawi.
64 AL KORAN. CHAP. IV.

truth with great deviation. Gop is minded to make his religion light unto
you. for man was created weak.‘ O true believers, consume not your
wealth among yourselves in vanity ;£ unless there be merchandizing among
you by mutual consent: neither slay yourselves;* for Gop is merciful
towards you: and whoever doth this maliciously! and wickedly, he will
surely cast him to be broiled in hell fire ; and this is easy with Gop. If ye
turn aside from the grievous sins,* of those which ye are forbidden to
commit, we will cleanse you from your smailer faults; and will introduce
you into paradise with an honourable entry. Covet not that which Guo
hath bestowed on some of you preferably to others.1_ Unto the men shall
be given a portion of what they shall have gained, and unto the women
shall be given a portion of what they shall have gained:™ therefore ask
Gop of his bounty: for Gop is omniscient. We have appointed unto every
one kinGred, to inherit part of what their parents and relations shall leave
at their deaths. And unto those with whom your right hands have made
an alliance, give their part of the inheritance ;* for Gop is witness of all
things. Men shall have the pre-eminence above women, because of those
advantages wherein Gop hath caused the one of them to excel the other,®
and for that which they expend of their substance in maintaining their
wives. ‘The honest women are obedient, careful in the absence of their

 

‘ Being unable to refrain from women, and too subject to be led away by carnal
appetites. :

® That is, employ it not in things prohibited by God; such as usury, extortion, rapine,
gaming, and the like.?

» Literally, slay not your souls; i, e. says Jallalo’ddin, by committing mortal sins, or
such crimes as will destroy them. Others however are of opinion that self-murder,
which the gentile Indians did, and still do, often practise in honour of their idols, or else
the taking away the life of any true believer, is hereby forbidden.‘

i See Wisdom, xvi. 14, in the vulgate.

* These sins al Beidawi, from a tradition of Mohammed, reckons to be seven (equalling
in number the sins called deadly by Christians), that is to say, idolatry, murder, falsely
accusing modest women of adultery, wasting the substance of orphans, taking of usury,
desertion in a religious expedition, and disobedience to parents. But Ebn Abbas says
they amount to near seven hundred; and others suppose that idolatry only, of different
kinds in worshipping idols or any creature, either in opposition to, or jointly with the true
God, is here intended; that sin being generally esteemed by Mohammmedans, and in
a el lines after declared by the Koran itself, to be the only one which God will not
pardon.*®

‘ Such as honour, power, riches, and other worldly advantages. Some however under
stand this of the distribution of inheritances according to the preceding determinations,
whereby some have a larger share than others.®

™ That is, they shall be blessed according to their deserts; and ought therefore, instead
of displeasing God by envying of others, to endeavour to merit his favour by good works,
and to apply to him by prayer.

» A precept conformable to an old custom of the Arabs, that where persons mutuall
entered into a strict friendship or confederacy, the surviving friend should have a sixt
part of the deceased’s estate. But this was afterwards abrogated, according to Jallalo’ddin
and Zamakhshari, at least as to infidels. The passage may likewise be understood of a
private contract, whereby the survivor is to inherit a certain part of the substance of him
that dies first.”

° Such as superior understanding and strength, and the other privileges of the male sex,
which enjoys the dignities in church and state, goes to war in defence of God’s true re-
ligion, and claims a double share of their deceased ancestors’ estates.*

2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. *Tidem. — ‘ Al Beidawi. 5Idem. See before
ehap. 2, p. 11. 5 Idem. Jallalo’ddin. "Vide Al Beidawi. ® Idem.
CHAP. Iv. AL KORAN. 65

husbands,” for that Gop preserveth them, by committing them to the care
and protection of the men.* But those, whose perverseness ye shall be
apprehensive of, rebuke; ,and remove them into separate apartments,‘ and
chastise them." But if they shall be obedient unto you, seek not an
occasion of quarrel against them: for Gop is high and great. And if ye
fear a breach between the husband and wife, send a judge* out of his
family, and a judge out of her family : if they shall desire a reconciliation,
Gop will cause them to agree; for Gop is knowing and wise. Serve Gop,
and associate no creature with him; and show kindness unto parents, and
relations, and orphans, and the poor, and your neighbour who is of kin to
you,t and also your neighbour who is a stranger, and to your familiar com-
panion, and the traveller, and the captives whom your right hands shall
possess ; for Gop loveth not the proud or vain-glorious, who are covetous,
and recommend covetousness unto men, and conceal that which Gop of his
bounty hath given them ;* (we have prepared a shameful punishment for
the unbelievers ;) and who bestow their wealth in charity to be observed
of men, and believe not in Gop, nor in the last day; and whoever hath
Satan for a companion, an evil companion hath he! And what harm would .
befall them if they should believe in Gop, and the last day, and give alms
out of that which Gop hath bestowed on them? since Gop knoweth them
who do this. Verily Gop will not wrong any one even the weight of an
ant :* and if it be a good action, he will double it, and will recompense it
in his sight with a great reward. How will it be with the unbelievers when
we shall bring a witness out of each nation against itself,” and shall bring
thee, O Mohammed, a witness against these people?* In that day they
who have not believed, and have rebelled against the apostle of God, shall
wish the earth was levelled with them; and they shall not be able to hide :
any matter from Gop. O true believers, come not to prayers when ye are

 

> Both to preserve their husbands’s substance from loss or waste, and themselves from
all degrees of immodesty.®

*“ Wives ought to be obedient, and keep the secrets of their husbands, because that
Heaven hath entrusted them to their care.’’—Savary.

4 That is, banish them from your bed.

' By this passage the Mohammedans are in plain terms allowed to beat their wives, in
case of stubborn disobedience ; but not in a violent or dangerous manner.

* i, e. Let the magistrates first send two arbitrators or mediators, one on each side, to
compose the difference, and prevent, if possible, the ill consequences of an open rupture.

* Either of your own nation or religion. ,

"Whether it be wealth, knowledge, o1 any other talent whereby they may help their
neighbour. ; : ;

¥ Either by diminishing the recompense due to his goou actions, or too severely punish-
ing his sins.” On the contrary, he will reward the former in the next life, far above their
deserts. The Arabic word @harra, which is translated an ant, signifies a very small sort
of that insect, and is used to denote a thing that is exceeding small, as a mite.

y When the prophet, who was sent to each nation in particular, shall on the last day be
produced to give evidence against such of them as refused to believe in him, or observed
not the laws which he brought. ;

* That is, the Arabians, to whom Mohammed was, as he pretended, more peculiarly
pent?

t ‘‘In that terrible day they shall wish to be reduced into dust.’’—Savary.

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. : t Al Beidawi. 2 See before, c. 2, p. 17.
6F AL KORAN. : OHAP. IV
;

drunk,* until ye understand what ye say ;/ nor when ye are polluted by
emission of seed, unless ye be travelling on the road, until ye wash your
selves. But if ye be sick, or on a journey, or any of you come from easing
nature, or have touched women, and find no water; take fine clean sand
and rub your faces and your hands therewith ; for Gop is merciful and
inclined to forgive. Hast thou not observed those unto whom part of the
scripture® was delivered? they sell error, and desire that ye may wander
from the right way ; but Gop well knoweth your enemies. Goo is a suf:
‘ficient patron; and Gop is a sufficient helper. Of the Jews there are some
who pervert words from their places ;4 and say, We have heard, and have
disobeyed ; and do thou hear without understanding our meaning,® and look
upon us: perplexing with their tongues, and reviling the ¢rue religion,
But if they had said, We have heard, and do obey; and do thou hear, and
regard us ;£ certainly it were better for them, and more right. But Gop
hath cursed them by reason of their infidelity ; therefore a few of them only
shall believe. O ye to whom the scriptures have been given, believe in
the revelation which we have sent down, confirming that which is with
you; before we deface your countenances, and render them as the back.
parts thereof;* or curse them, as we cursed those who transgressed on
the sabbath day;‘ and the command of Gop was fulfilled. Surely Gop
will not pardon the giving him an equal;* but will pardon any other sin,
except that, to whom he pleaseth:+ and whoso giveth a companion unto
Gop, hath devised a great wickedness. Hast thou not observed those who
justify themselves?™ But Gop justifieth whomsoever he pleaseth, nor

 

* it is related, that before the prohibition of wine, Abd’alrahman Ebn Awf made an
entertainment, to which he invited several of the apostle’s companions ; and after they had
eaten and drunk plentifully, the hour of evening prayer being come, one of the company
rose up to pray, but being overcome with liquor, made a shameful blunder in reciting a
passage of the Korn; whereupon to prevent the danger of any such indecency for the
future, this passage was revealed.?

> See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

© Meaning the Jews, and particularly their Rabbins.

4 That is, (according to the commentators,) who change the true sense of the Pentateuch
by dislocating passages, or by wresting the words according to their own fancies and lusts.*
But Mohammed seems chiefly to intend here the Jews bantering of him in their addresses,
by making use of equivocal words, seeming to bear a good sense in Arabic, but spoken
by them in derision according to their acceptation in Hebrew; an instance of which he
gives in the following words.

° Literally, without being made to hear, or apprehend what we say.

‘ The original word is Raina, which being a term of reproach in Hebrew, Mohammed
forbad their using to him.® g

®In Arabic, Ondhorna ; which having no ill equivocal meaning, the prophet ordered -
them to use instead of the former. ;

» That is, perfectly plain, without eyes, nose, or mouth. The original however may
also be translated, and turn them behind, by wringing their necks backward.

' And were therefore changed into apes.

« That is, idolatry of all kinds.

1} wiz. To those who repent.”

mi, e. The Christians and Jews, who called themselves the children of God, and his
beloved people.®

* Al Beidawi. “Idem, Jallalo’ddin. 5 See before, c. 2, p. 14. ® See before,
c. 2, p. 9. 7 Al Beidawi. *Tdem, Jallalo’ddin. See c. 5, not far from the
beginning. .
CHAP. IV. AL KORAN. 67

shall they be wronged a hair. Behold, how they imagine a lie against
Gop; and therein is iniquity sufficiently manifest. Hast thou not con-
sidered those to whom part of the scripture hath been given? They
believe in false gods and idols,° and say of those who believe not, These
are more rightly directed in the way of truth, than they who believe
on Mohammed. Those are the men whom God hath cursed; and unto him
whom Gop shall curse, thou shalt surely find no helper. Shall they have
a part of the kingdom,?* since even then they would not bestow the
smallest matter? on men? Do they envy other men that which Gop of
his bounty hath given them? We formerly gave unto the family of
Abraham a book of revelations and wisdom; and we gave them a great
kingdom. There is of them who believeth on him;+* and there is of them
who turneth aside from him: but the raging fire of hell is a@ sufficient
punishment. Verily those who disbelieve our signs, we will surely cast to
be broiled in hed? fire; so often as their skins shall be well burned, we will
give them other skins in exchange, that they may taste-the sharper torment;
for Gop is mighty and wise. But those who believe and do that which ig
right, we will bring into gardens watered by rivers, therein shall they
remain for ever, and there shall they enjoy wives free from all impurity;
and we will lead them into perpetual shades. Moreover Gop commandeth
you to restore what ye are trusted with, to the owners:" and when

 

® The original word signifies a little skin in the cleft of a date-stone, and is used to ex-
press a thing of no value.

° The Arabic is, in Jibt and Taghit. The former is supposed to have been the proper
name of some idol; but it seems rather to signify any false deity in general. The latter
we have explained already.?

It is said that this passage was revealed on the following occasion. Hoyai Ebn Akhtab
and Caab Ebn al Ashraf,’ two chief men among the Jews. with several others of that
religion, went to Mecca, and offered to enter into a confederacy with the Koreish, and to
join their forces against Mohammed. But the Koreish entertaining some jealousy of them,
told them, that the Jews pretended to have a written revelation from heaven, as well as
Mohammed, and their doctrines and worship approached much nearer to what he taught
than the religion of their tribe ; wherefore, said they, if you would satisfy us that you are
sincere in the matter, do as we do, and worship our gods. Which proposal, if the story
be true, these Jews complied with, out of their invéterate hatred to Mohammed.?

»For the Jéws gave out that they should be restored to their ancient power and
Sten aes depending, it is to be presumed, on the victorious Messiah whom they
expected.

* “Shall they have a portion in the kingdom of heaven, they who would grudge a
farthing bestowed on their fellow-creatures ?’’—Savary.

1 The original word properly signifies a small dent on the back of a date-stone; and is
commonly used to express a thing of little or no value.

* we. The spiritual gifts of prophecy, and divine revelations; and the temporal blessings
of victory and success, bestowed on Mohammed and his followers.

* Wherefore God will doubtless show equal favour to this prophet, (a descendant also
of Abraham,) and those who believe on him.‘

* Namely, on Mohammed.

* This passage, it is said, was revealed on the day of the taking of Mecca, the primary
design 7f it being to direct Mohammed to return the keys of the Cauba to Othman Ebn
Telha Ebn Abdaldar, who had then the honour to be keeper of that holy place,* and not
to deliver them to his uncle al Abbas, who having already taken the custody of the wel
Zemzem, would fain have had also that of Caaba. The prophet obeying the divise order,
Othman was so affected with the justice of the action, nctwithstanding he had u’ Erst re

*See p. 31, notes. See before, p. 45, note I, Al Beidaiwi. *Idem. ‘Idem
*See Prideaux’s Life of Mahom. p. 2.
68 AL KORAN. CHAP. IV.

ye judge between men, that ye judge according to equity: and surely an
excellent virtue it is to which Gop exhorteth you; for Gop both heareth and
seeth. true believers, obey Gop, and obey the apostle ; and those who
are in authority among you: and if ye differ, in any thing, refer it unto
Gop « and the apostle, if ye believe in Gop, and the last day : this is better,
and a fairer method of determination. Hast thou not observed those who
pretend they believe in what hath been revealed unto thee, and what hath
been revealed before thee? They desire to go to judgment before Taghut,r
although they have been commanded not to believe in him; and Satan
desireth to seduce them into a wide error. And when it is said unto
them, Come unto the book which Gop hath sent down, and to the apostle;
thou seest the ungodly turn aside from thee, with great aversion. But
how will they behave when a misfortune shall befall them, for that which
their hands have sent before them? Then will they come unto thee, and
swear by Gop, saying, If we intended any other than to do good, and
to reconcile the parties.» Gop knoweth what is in the hearts of these men ;
therefore let them alone, and admonish them, and speak unto them a word
which may affect their souls. We have not sent any apostle, but that he
might be obeyed by the permission of Gon: but if they, after they have
injured their own souls,* come unto thee, and ask pardon of Gop, and
the apostle ask pardon for them, they shall surely find Gop easy to
be reconciled and merciful. And by thy Lorp they will not perfectly
believe, until they make thee judge of their controversies; and shall not
afterwards find in their own minds any hardship in what thou shalt
determine, but shall acquiesce therein with entire submission. And if we
had commanded them, saying, Slay yourselves, or depart from your houses;>
they would not have done it except a few of them. And if they had done

 

fused him entrance, that he immediately embraced Mohammedism; whereupon the
guardianship of the Caaba was confirmed to this Othman and his heirs for ever.

x7. e. To the decision of the Koran.

y That is, before the tribunals of infidels. This passage was occasioned by the follow-
ing remarkable accident. A certain Jew having a dispute with a wicked Mohammedan,
the latter appealed to the judgment of Caab Ebn al Ashraf, a principal Jew, and the former
to Mohammed. But at length they agreed to refer the matter to the prophet singly, who
giving it in favour of the Jew, the Mohammedan refused to acquiesce in his sentence, but
would needs have it re-heard by Omar, afterwards Khalif. When they came to him, the
Jew told him that Mohammed had already decided the affair in his favour, but that the
other would not submit to his determination ; and the Mohammedan confessing this to be
true, Omar bid them stay a_little, and fetching his sword, struck off the obstinate Moslem’s
head, saying aloud, This is the reward of him who refuseth to submit to the judgment of
God and his apostle. And from this action Omar had the surname of al Fartk, which
alludes both to his separating that knave’s head from his body, and to his distinguishing
between truth and falsehood.*| The name of Taghiat® therefore in this place seems to be
given to Caab Ebn al Ashraf. .

= For this was the excuse of the friends of the Mohammedan whom Omar slew, when
they came to demand satisfaction for his blood.® :

» Viz. By acting wickedly, and appealing to the judgment of infidels.

» Some understand these words of their venturing their lives in a religious expedition;
and others, of their undergoing the same punishments which the Israelites did, for their
idolatry in worshipping the golden calf.

® Al Beidawi. See D’Herbel. Bib’. Drient. pp. 220, 221. 7 Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi.
See D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 688, and Ockley’s Hist. of the Sarac. v. i. p. 365, "See
before, p. 31. ® Al Beidawi. ‘Idem. See before, p. 7.
CHAP. IV. AL KORAN. 69

what they were admonished, it would certainly have been better for them,
and more efficacious for confirming their faith ; and we should-then have
surely given them in our sight an eaceeding great reward, and:we should
have directed them in the right way. Whoever obeyeth Gop and the
apostle, they shall be with those unto whom Gop hath been gracious, of the
prophets, and the sincere, and the martyrs, and the righteous; and these
are the most excellent company. This is bounty from God; and Gop is
sufficiently knowing. O true believers, take your necessary precaution‘
against your enemies, and either go forth to war in separate parties,* or go
forth all together in a body. There is of you who tarrieth behind ;4 and if
a misfortune befall you, he saith, Verily Gop hath been gracious unto me,
that I was not present with them: but if success attend you from Gop, he
will say (as if there was no friendship between you and him*), Would to
Gop I had been with them, for I should have acquired great merit. Let
them therefore fight for the religion of Gop, who part with the present life
in exchange for that which is to come;* for whosoever fighteth for the
religion of Gop, whether he be slain, or be victorious,’ we will surely
give him a great reward. And what ails you, that ye fight not for
Gop’s true religion, and in defence of the weak among men, women,
and children,* who say, O Lorp, bring us forth from this city, whose
inhabitants are wicked; grant us from before thee a protector, and
grant us from before thee a defender.! They who believe fight for the
religion of Gop ; but they who believe not fight for the religion of Taghut.*
Fight therefore against the friends of Satan, for the stratagem of Satan is
weak, Hast thou not observed those unto whom it was said, Withhold
your hands from war, and be constant at prayers, and pay the legal alms?? »
But when war is commanded them, behold a part of them fear men as they
should fear Gop, or with a great fear, and say, O Lorn, wherefore hast

 

°2, e. Be vigilant, and provide yourselves with arms and necessaries.
$ *“ Q believers, be prudent in battle, whether you attack separately, or in a body.””—

‘avary.

* Mohammed here upbraids the hypocritical Moslems, who for want of faith and con-
stancy in their religion were backward in going to war for its defence.

*z. e. As one who attendeth not to the public, but his own private interest. Or else
these may be the words of the hypocritical Mohammedan himself, insinuating that he
staid not behind the rest of the army by his own fault, but was left by Mohammed, who
chose to let the others share in his good fortune preferably to him?

‘ By venturing their lives and fortunes in defence of the faith.

© For no man ought to quit the field, till he either fall a martyr, or gain some advantage
for the cause.?

viz. Those believers who staid behind at Mecca, being detained there either forcibly
by the idolaters, or for want of means to fly for refuge to Medina. Al Beiddwi observes,
that children are mentioned here to show the inhumanity of the Koreish, who persecuted
even that tender age.

' This petition, the commentators say, was .©ard. For God afforded several of them
an opportunity and means of escaping, and uelivered the rest at the taking of Mecca by

- Mohammed, who left Otab Ebn Osaid governor of the city: and under his care and pro-
poor those who had suffered for their religion became the most considerable men in
the place.

* See before, p. 31. .

' These were some of Mohammed’s followers, who readily performed the duties of their
religion, so long as they were commanded nothing that might endanger their lives.

_ 2 Al Beidawi. 3Idem.
70 AL KORAN. CHAP. IV.

thou commanded us to go to war, and hast not suffered us to wait our
approaching end?™ Say unto them, The provision of this life is but small ;
but the future shall be better for him who feareth God ;* and ye shall not
be in the least injured at the day of judgment. Wheresoever yevbe, death
will overtake you, although ye be in lofty towers. If good befall them,
they say, This is from Gop ; but if evil befall them, they say, This is from

thee, O Mohammed :* say, All is from Gop; and what aileth these people, —
that they are so far from understanding what is said unto them? What-
ever good befalleth thee, O man, it is from Gop; and whatever evil
befalleth thee, it is from thyself We have sent thee an apostle unto men,
and Gop is a sufficient witness thereof. Whoever obeyeth the apostle,
obeyeth Gop; and whoever turneth back, we have not sent thee to be a
keeper over them.2 They say, Obedience: yet when they go forth from
thee, part of them meditate by night a matter different from what thou
speakest ; but Gop shall write down what they meditate by night: there-
fore let them alone, and trust in Gop, for Gop is a sufficient protector,
Do they not attentively consider the Koran? if it had been from any
besides Gop, they would certainly have found therein many contradictions.
When any news cometh unto them, either of security or fear, they
immediately divulge it; but if they told it to the apostle and to those
who are in authority among them, such of them would understand
the truth of the matter, as inform themselves thereof from the apostle
and his chiefs. And if the favour of Gop and his mercy had not
been upon you, ye had followed the devil, except a few of you.2 Fight
therefore for the religion of Gop, and oblige not any to what is
difficult," except thyself; however excite the faithful to war, perhaps
Gop will restrain the courage of the unbelievers; for Gop is stronger
than they, and more able to punish. He who intercedeth detween men with a
good intercession® shall have a portion thereof; and he who intercedeth with
an evil intercession shall have a portion thereof; for Gop overlooketh all

 

m That is, a natural death.

* «Say unto them, The enjoyments of this world are transient; the future life is the
real treasure for those who fear God.’’—Savary.

» As the Jews in particular, who pretended that their land was grown barren and pro-
visions scarce, since Mohammed came to Medina.*

° These words are not to be understood as contradictory to the preceding, That all pro-
ceeds from God; since the evil which befalls mankind, though ordered by God, is yet the
consequence of their own wicked actions.

® Or, to take an account of their actions; for this is God’s part.

4 That is, if God had not sent his apostle with the Koran to instruct you in your duty,
ye had continued in idolatry and been doomed to destruction; except only those who, by
God’s favour, and their superior understanding, should have true notions of the divinity;
such, for example, as Zeid Ebn Amru Ebn Nofail,‘ and Waraka Ebn Nawfal,* who left
idols, and acknowledged but one God, before the mission of Mohammed."

‘It is said this passage was revealed when the Mohammedans refused to follow their
prophet to the lesser expedition of Bedr, so that he was obliged to set out with no more
than seventy.* Some copies vary in this place, and instead of la tokallafo, in the second
person singular, read Ja nokallafo, in the first person plural. We do not oblige, gc. The
meaning being, that the prophet only was under an indispensable necessity of obeying
God's commands, however difficult, but others might choose, though at their peril.

*i. e. To maintain the right of a believer, or to prevent his being wronged.

“ Al Beidawi. 5 Vide Millium, de Mohammedismo ante Moh. p. 311. ® the
Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. "Al Beidawi. ® See before, ch. iii. é 54,
CHAP. Iv. AL KORAN. 71

things. When ye are saluted with a salutation, salute the person with a.
better salutation,‘ or at least return the same; for Gop taketh an account
of all things. Gop! there is no Gop but he; he will surely gather you to-
gether on the day of resurrection; there is no doubt of it: and who is
more true than Gop in what he saith? Why are ye divided concerning the
ungodly into two parties ;* since Gop hath overturned them for what they
have committed? Will ye direct him whom Gop hath led astray; since
. for him whom Gop shall lead astray, thou shalt find no true path? They
desire that ye should become infidels, as they are infidels, and that ye
should be equally wicked with themselves. Therefore take not friends from
among them, until they fly their country for the religion of Gop; and
if they turn back from the faith, take them, and kill them wherever ye find
them; and take no friend from among them, nor any helper, except those
who go unto a people who are in alliance with you,* or those who come
unto you, their hearts forbidding them either to fight against you, or
to fight against their own people.y And if Gop pleased he would have
permitted them to have prevailed against you, and they would have fought
against you. But if they depart from you, and fight not against you, and
offer you peace, Gop doth not allow you to take or kill them. Ye shall
find others who are desirous to enter into confidence with you,* and at the
same time to preserve a confidence with their own people :* so often as they
return to sedition, they shall be subverted therein; and if they depart not
from you, and offer you peace, and restrain their hands from warring
against you, take them and kill them wheresoever ye find them ; over these
have we granted you a manifest power. It is not lawful for a believer to
kill a believer, unless it happen by mistake ;* and whoso killeth a believer
by mistake, the penalty shall be the freeing of a believer from slavery, and a
fine to be paid to the family of the deceased,” unless they remit it as alms:

 

* By adding something farther. As when one salutes another by this form, Peace be
upon. thee, he ought not only to return the salutation, but to add, and the mercy of God,
and his blessing.

" This passage was revealed according to some, when certain of Mohammed’s followers,
pretending not to like Medina, desired leave to go elsewhere, and having obtained it,
went farther and farther, till they joined the idolaters; or, as others say, on occasion of
some deserters at the battle of Ohod; concerning whom the Moslems were divided in
opinion whether they should be slain as infidels, or not.

x The people here meant, say some, were the tribe of Khozaah, or, according to others,
the Aslamians, whose chief, named Helal Ebn Owaimar, agreed with Mohammed, when
he set out against Mecca, to stand neuter ; or, as others rather think, Banu Beer Ebn Zeid.®

7 These, it is said, were the tribe of Modlaj, who came in to Mohammed, but would
not be obliged to assist him in war.

-_ * «There are others who wish to ally your belief with that of their own nation.”—
Savary.

_ _?The persons hinted at here were the tribes of Asad and Ghatfan, or, as some say, Banu
Abdaldar, who came to Medinaand pretended toembrace Mohammedism, that they might
be trusted by the Moslems, but when they returned, fell back to their old idolatry.*

* That is, by accident and without design. This passage was revealed to decide the
case of Ayash Ebn Abi Rabia, the brother, by the mother’s side, of Abu Jahl, who
meeting Hareth Ebn Zeid on the road, and not knowing that he had embraced Moham-
medism, slew him.? .

> Which fine is to be distributed according to the laws of inheritances given in the

* Al Beidawi, JaJlalo’ddin. 1 Al Beidawi. 2JTdem,
12 AL KORAN. CHAP. IV.

and if the slain person be of a people at enmity with you, and be a true
believer, the penalty shall be the freeing of a believer ;* but if he be ofa
people in confederacy with you, a fine to be paid to his family, and the
freeing of a believer. And he who findeth not wherewith to do this shall
fast two months consecutively as a penance enjoined from Gop; and Gop
is knowing and wise. But whoso killeth a believer designedly, his reward
shall be hell; he shall remain therein for ever ;4 and Gop shall be angry
with him, and shall curse him, and shall prepare for him a great punish- _
ment. O true believers, when ye are on a march in defence of the true
religion, justly discern such as ye shall happen to meet, and say not unto him
who saluteth you, thou art not a true believer;* seeking the accidental
goods of the present life; * for with Gop is much spoil. Such have ye for-
merly been ; but Gop hath been gracious unto you; & therefore make a just
discernment, for Gop is well acquainted with that which ye do. Those
believers who sit still at home, not having any hurt, and those who em-
ploy their fortunes and their persons for the religion of Gop, shall not be
held equal. Gop hath preferred those who employ their fortunes and their
persons in that cause to a degree of honour above those who sit at home;
Gop hath indeed promised every one paradise, but Gop hath preferred those
who fight for the faith before those who sit still, by adding unto them a great
reward, by degrees of honour conferred on them from him, and by granting
them forgiveness, and mercy ; for Gop is indulgent and merciful. . More-
over unto those whom the angels put to death, having injured their own
souls,' the angels said, Of what religion were ye? they answered, We were
weak in the earth.* The angels replied, Was not Gop’s earth wide enough,
that ye might fly therein to a place of refuge?! ‘Therefore their habitation

 

Dee ae of this chapter.*»—‘‘ The sum fixed by the lawis the price of a hundred camels.”
—Savary. =

© And no fine shall be paid, because in such case his relations, being infidels and at open
war with the Moslems, have no right to inherit what he leaves.

4 That is, unless he repent. Others however understand not here an eternity of damna-
tion (for it is the general doctrine of the Mohammedans that none who profess that faith
shall continue in hell for ever), but only a long space of time.

° On pretence that he only feigns to be a Moslem, that he might escape from you. The
commentators mention more instances than one of persons slain and plundered by Moham-
med’s men under this pretext, notwithstanding they declared themselves Moslems by
repeating the usual form of words, and saluting them; for which reason this passage was
revealed, to prevent such rash judgments for ite future.

‘ That is, being willing to judge him an infidel, only that ye may kill and plunder him.

® viz. At your first profession of Islamism, before ye had given any demonstration of
your sincerity and zeal therein.

47. e. Not being disabled from going to war by sickness, or other just impediment. It
is said that when the passage was first revealed, there was no such exception therein,
which occasioned Ebn Omm Macttim, on his hearing it repeated, to object, And what though
Ibe blind? Whereupon Mohammed, falling into a kind of trance, which was succeeded
i strong agitations, pretended he had received the divine direction to add these words to
che text.®

{ These were certain inhabitants of Mecca, who held with the hare and ran with the
hounds; for though they embraced Mohammedism, yet they would notdleave that city to
join the prophet, as the rest of the Moslems did, but on the contrary went out with the
idolaters, and were therefore slain with them at the battle of Bedr.®

* Being unable to fly, and compelled to follow the infidels to war.

' As they did who fled to Ethiopia and to Medina.

® A] Beidawi. “Idem. 5Tdem. ®Idem, Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. IV. AL KORAN. 73

shall be hell; and an evil journey shall it be thither : except the weak
among men, and women, and children, who were not able to find means,
and were not directed in the way ; these peradventure Gop will pardon, for
Gop is ready to forgive, and gracious. Whosoever flieth from his country
for the sake of Gon’s true religion, shall find in the earth many forced to do
the same, and plenty of provisions. And whoever departeth from his housa
and flieth unto Gop and his apostle, if death overtake him in the way
Gop will be obliged to reward him, for Gop is’ gracious and merciful.
When ye march do war in the earth, it shall be no crime in you if ye
shorten your prayers, in case ye fear the infidels may attack you; for the
infidels are your open enemy. But when thou, O prophet, shalt be among
them, and shalt pray with them, let a party of them arise to prayer with
thee, and let them take their arms; and when. they shall have worshipped,
let them stand behind you," and let another party come that hath not
prayed, and let them pray with thee, and let them be cautious and take
their arms. The unbelievers would that ye should neglect your arms and
your baggage while ye pray, that they might turn upon you at once. It
shall be no crime in you, if ye be incommoded by rain, or be sick, that ye
lay down your arms; but take your necessary precaution:° Gop hath pre- .
pared for the unbelievers an ignominious punishment, And when ye shall
have ended your prayer, remember Gop, standing, and sitting, and ying on
your sides.» But when ye are secure from danger, complete your prayers:
for prayer is commanded the faithful, and appointed to be said at the stated
times. Be not negligent in seeking out the unbelieving people, though ye
suffer some inconvenience ; for they also shall suffer as ye suffer, and ye hope
for a reward from Gop which they cannot hope for; and Gop is knowing
and wise.t We have sent down unto thee the book of the Koran with truth,
that thou mayest judge between men through that wisdom which Gop
showeth thee therein; and be not an advocate for the fraudulent ;* but ask
pardon of Gon for thy wrong intention, since Gop is indulgent and merciful,
Dispute not for those who deceive one another, for Gop loveth not him who

™ This passage was revealed, says Al Beidawi, on account of Jonodob Ebn Damra.
This person being sick, was, in his flight,-carried by his sons on a couch, and beture he
arrived at Medina, perceiving his end approached, he clapped his right had on his left,
and solemnly plighting his faith to God and his apostle, died.

" To defend those who are at prayers, and to face the enemy.

° By keeping strict guard.

» That is, in such posture as ye shall be able." ;

‘ This verse was revealed on occasion of the unwillingness of Mohammed’s men to ac-
company him on the lesser expedition to Bedr.*

* Tima Abn Obeirak of the sons of Dhafar, one of Mohammed’s companions, stole a
coat of mail from his neighbour Kitada Ebn al Noman, in a bag of meal; and hid it ata
Jew’s, named Zeid Ebn al Samin: Tima being suspected, the coat of mail was demandea
of him, but he denying he knew any thing of it, they followed the track of the meal,
which had run through a hole in the bag, to the Jew’s house, and there seized it, accusing
him of the theft; but he producing witnesses of his own religion that he had it of Tima,
the sons of Dhafar came to Mohammed, and desired him to defend his companion’s repu-
tation, and condemn the Jew; which he having some thoughts of doing, this passage wae

tevealed, reprehending him for his rash intention, and commanding him to judge not ac
cording to his own prejudice and opinion, but according to the merit of the case.°

’'See before, ch: iii. p. 58. ® Al Beidawi. 9 Idem, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya.
P
4 AL KORAN. CHAP. IV.

1s a deceiver or unjust.t Such conceal themselves from men, but they con
ceal not themselves from Gop; for he is with them when they imagine by
night a saying which pleaseth him not,t and Gop comprehendeth what they
do. Behold, ye are they who have disputed for them in this present life ;
but who shall dispute with Gop for them on the day of resurrection, or who
will become their patron? yet he who doth evil, or injureth his own soul,
and afterwards asketh pardon of God, shall find God gracious and merciful.
Whoso committeth wickedness, committeth it against his own soul: Gop
is knowing and wise. And whoso committeth a sin or iniquity, and after-
wards layeth it on the innocent, he shall surely bear the guilt of calumny
and manifest injustice. If the indulgence and mercy of Gop had not been
upon thee, surely a part of them had studied to seduce thee ;* but they shall
seduce themselves only,* and shall not hurt thee at all. Gop hath sent
down unto thee the book of the Koran and wisdom, and hath taught thee
that which thou knewest not;* for the favour of Gop hath been great
towards thee. There is no good in the multitude of their private discourses,
unless in the discourse of him who recommendeth alms, or that which is right,
or agreement amongst men: whoever doth this out of a desire to please
Gop, we will surely give him a great reward. But whoso separateth him-
self from the apostle, after true direction hath been manifested unto him,
and followeth any other way than that of the true believers, we will cause
him to obtain that to which he is inclined,” and will cast him to be burned
in hell; and an unhappy journey shall it be thither. Verily Gop will not
pardon the giving him a companion, but he will pardon any crime besides
that, unto whom he pleaseth: and he who giveth a companion unto Gop is
surely led aside into a wide mistake ; the infidels invoke beside him only fe-
male deities ;7* and only invoke rebellious Satan. Gop cursed him ; and he
said, Verily I will take of thy servants a part cut off from the rest,* and I
will seduce them, and will insinuate vain desires into them, and I will com-
mand them and they shall cut off the ears of cattle ;* and I will command
them and they shall change Gon’s creature. But whoever taketh Satan

 

* Al Beidawi, as an instance of the divine justice, adds, that Tima, after the fact above-
mentioned, fled to Mecca, and returned to i clatry § and there undermining the wall of a
house, in order to commit a robbery, the wall fell in upon him and crushed him to death.

‘ That is, when they secretly contrive means, by false evidence or otherwise, to lay
their crimes on innocent persons.

" Meaning the sons of Dhafar.

* «<A part of the unbelievers conspired thy ruin; but they brought ruin on themselves.
The divine goodness watched over thy safety. They had not power to hurt thee.”’—Savary.

x By instructing thee in the knowledge of right and wrong, and the rules of justice.

¥ viz. Error and false notions of religion. -

* Namely, Allat, al Uzza, and Menat, the idols of the Meccans; or the angels, whom
they called the daughters of God.*

- *«¢ They have goddesses for divinities; but Satan is the object of their worship.”—
avary.

a On as the original may be translated, a part destined or predetermined to be seduced

y me. a

> Which was done out of superstition by the old pagan Arabs. See more of this custom
in the notes to the fifth chapter. _

* Wither by maiming it, or putting it to uses not designed by the Creator. Al Beidawi

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i.
CHAP. Iv. AL KORAN. 75

for his patron, besides Gop,’ shall surely perish with a manifest destruction.
He maketh them promises, and insinuateth into them vain desires; yet
Satan maketh them only deceitful promises. The receptacle of these shall
be heil, they shall find no refuge from it. But they who believe, and do
good works, we will surely lead them into gardens, through which rivers
flow, they shall continue therein for ever, according io the true promise of
Gop; and who is more true than Gop in what he saith? It shall not be
according to your desires, nor according to the desires of those who have
received the scriptures.e Whoso doth evil shall be rewarded for it; and
shall not find any patron or helper, beside Gop; but whoso doth good
works, whether he be male or female, and is a true believer; they shall be
admitted into paradise, and Shall not in the least be unjustly dealt with.
Who is better in point of religion than he who resigneth himself unto
Gop, and is a worker of righteousness, and followeth the law of Abraham
the orthodox? since Gop took Abraham for his friend: and to Gop
belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth; Gop comprehendeth all
things. They will consult thee concerning women;& Answer, Gop
instructeth you concerning them,» and that which is read unto you in the
book of the Koran concerning female orphans, to whom ye give not that
which is ordained them, neither will ye marry them, and concerning weak

 

supposes the text to intend not only the superstitious amputations of the ears and
other parts of cattle, but the castration of slaves, the marking their bodies with figures,
by pricking and dyeing them with woad or indigo (as the Arabs did and still do), the
ahurpenihe their teeth by filing; and also sodomy, and the unnatural amours between
isa - the female sex, the worship of the sun, moon, and other parts of nature, and
the like.

-*i, e. By leaving the service of Gov, and doing the works of the devil.

° That is, the promises of Gop are not to be gained by acting after your own fancies,
nor yet after the fancies of the Jews or Christians, but by obeying the commands of Gop.
This passage, they say, was revealed on a dispute which arose between those of the three
religions, each preferring his own, and condemning the others. Some, however, sup-
pose the persons here spoken to in the second person were not the Mohammedans, but

‘ the idolaters.?

£ Therefore the Mohammedans usually call that patriarch, as the scripture also does,
Khalil Allah, the friend of Goo, and simply al Khalil; and they tell the following story:
—That Abraham in a time of dearth sent to a friend of his in Egypt for a supply of corn;
but the friend denied him, saying in his excuse, that though there was a famine in their
country also, yet had it been for Abraham’s own family, he would have sent what he
desired, but he knew he wanted it only to entertain his guests, and give away to the poor,
according to his usual hospitality. The servants whom Abraham had sent on this message,
being ashamed to return empty, to conceal the matter from their neighbours, filled their:
sacks with fine white sand, which in the East pretty much resembles meal. Abraham
being informed by his servants, on their return, of their ill success, the concern he was
under threw him into a sleep; and in the mean time Sarah, knowing nothing of what had
happened, opening one of the sacks, found good flour in it, and immediately set out about
making of bread. Abraham awaking and smelling the new bread, asked her whence she-
had the flour. Why, says she, from your friend in Egypt ; Nay, replied the patriarch,
it must have come from no other than my friend Gov Almighty?

87. e. As to the share they are to have in the distribution of the inheritances of their
deceased relations; for it seems the Arabs were not satisfied with Mohammed’s decision.
on this point, against the old customs. ‘

»i.e. He hath already made known his will unto you, by revealing the passages von-
cerning inheritances in the beginning of this chapter.

‘ Or the words may be rendered in the affirmative, and whom ye desire to marry. For

2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya. 2 Al Beidawi. See D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p.
14 and Morgan’s Mahometism Explained, vol. i. 0. 132.
76 AL KORAN. CHAP. IV.

infants,* and that ye observe justice towards orphans: whatever good ye
do, Gop knoweth it.’ If a woman fear ill usage,* or aversion from her
husband, it shall be no crime in them if they agree the matter amicably
between themselves;! for a reconciliation is better than a separation.
Mens souls are naturally inclined to covetousness :™ but if ye be kind towards
women, and fear to wrong them, Gop is well acquainted with what ye do.
Ye can by no means carry yourselves equally between women in all
respects, although ye study to do it; therefore turn not from a wife with all
manner of aversion,” nor leave her like one in suspense:° if ye agree, and
fear to abuse your wives, Gop is gracious and merciful ; but if they separate,
Gop will satisfy them both of his abundance ;” for Gop is extensive and
wise, and unto Gop belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth. We
have already commanded those unto whom the scriptures were given before
you, and we command you also, saying, Fear Gop; but if ye disbelieve,
unto Gop belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth; and Gop is self-
sufficient: and to be praised; for unto Gop belongeth whatsoever is ‘in
heaven and on earth, and Gop is a sufficient protector. If he pleaseth he
will take you away, O men, and will produce others in your stead ; for Gop
is able to do this. Whoso desireth the reward of this world, verily with Gop
' is the reward of this world, and also of that which is to come; Gon both
heareth and seeth. O true believers, observe justice when ye bear witness
‘before Gop, although it be against yourselves, or your parents, or relations ,
whether the party be rich, or whether he be poor; for Gop is more worthy
than them both: therefore follow not your own lust in bearing testimony,
so that ye swerve from justice.’ And whether ye wrest your evidence, or
decline giving it, Gop is well acquainted with that which ye do. O true
believers, believe in Gop and his apostle, and the book which he hath
caused to descend unto his apostle, and the book which he hath formerly

 

the pagan Arabs used to wrong their female orphans in both instances; obliging them to
marry against their inclinations, if they were beautiful or rich; or else not suffering them
to marry at all, that they might keep what belonged to them.*

* That is, male children of tender years, to whom the Arabs, in the time of paganism,
used to allow no share in the distribution of their parents’ estate.’

* “Tf the harshness and aversion of her husband cause a woman to fear chat he will
divorce her, she ought to endeavour to bring him back to mildness. Mutual reconciliation
is the wisest plan to adopt. Man has a leaning towards avarice. Be beneficent, and fear
to be unjust. God is witness of your actions.”’—Savary.

By the wife’s remitting part of her dower or other dues.

™ So that the woman, on the one side, is unwilling to part with any of her right, and
the husband, on the other, cares not to retain one he isa no affection for ; or, if he should
retain her, she can scarce expect he will use her in all respects'as he ought.*

.4.e. Though you cannot use her equally well with a beloved wife, yet observe some
measures of justice towards her; for if a man is not able perfectly to perform hig duty,
he ought not, for that reason, entirely to neglect it.” 7

° Or like one that neither has a husband, nor is divorced and at liberty to marry
elsewhere.

» That is, either will bless them with a better and more advantageous match, or with
peace and tranquillity of mind.* :

4 Wanting the service of no creature.

‘ Either another race of men, or a different species of creatures.

*Al Beidawi. * See before p.60, noted. * Al Beidawi. ‘Idem.  ° Idem
CHAP. Iv. AL KORAN, 77

sent down.* And whosoever believeth not in Gop, and his angels, and his
scriptures, and his apostles, and the last day, he surely erreth in a wide
mistake. Moreover they who believed, and afterwards became infidels,
and then believed again, and after that disbelieved, and increased in infi-
delity,t Gop will by no means forgive them, nor direct them into the right
way. Declare unto the ungodly" that they shall suffer a painful punish-
ment. They who take the unbelievers for their protectors, besides the
faithful, do they seek for power with them? since all power belongeth unto
Gop. And he hath already revealed unto you, in the book of the Koran,*
the following passage—When ye shall hear the signs of Gop, they shall not
be believed, but they shall be laughed to scorn. Therefore sit not with
them who believe not, until they engage in different discourse ; for if ye do
ye will certainly become like unto them. Gop will surely gather the
ungodly and the unbelievers together in hell. They who wait to observe
what befalleth you, if victory be granted you from Gon, say, Were we not
with you?” But if any advantage happen to the infidels, they say unto
them, Were we not superior to you,? and have we not defended you against
the believers? Gop shall judge between you on the day of resurrection ;
and Gop will not grant the unbelievers means to prevail over the faithful.
The hypocrites act deceitfully with Gop, but he will deceive them; and
when they stand up to pray, they stand carelessly, affecting to be seen of
men, and remember not Gop, unless a little,s wavering between faith and —
infidelity, and adhering neither unto these nor unto those:* and for him
whom Gop shall lead astray thou shalt find no true path. O true
believers, take not the unbelievers for your protectors, besides the faithful.
Will ye furnish Gop with an evident argument of impiety against you?
Moreover the hypocrites shall be in the lowest bottom of hell fire, and
thou shalt not find any to help them thence. But they who repent and
amend, and adhere firmly unto Gop, and approve the sincerity of their
religion to Gop, they shall be numbered with the faithful; and Gop will
surely give the faithful a great reward. And how should Gop go about to

 

*Tt is said that Abdallah Ebn Salém and his companions told Mohammed that they
believed in him, and his Koran, and in Moses, and the pentateuch, and in Ezra, but no
farther; whereupon this passage was revealed, declaring that a partial faith is little better
than none at all, and that a true believer must believe in all God’s prophets and revela-
tions without exception.®

* These were the Jews, who first believed in Moses, and afterwards fell into idolatry by
worshipping the golden calf; and though they repented of that, yet in after ages rejected
the prophets who were sent to them, and particularly Jesus the son of Mary, and now
filled up the measure of their unbelief by rejecting of Mohammed.*

Mohammed here means those who hypocritically prevaides to believe in him, but
really did not, and by their treachery did great mischief to his party.?

*In the Koran, chap. vi.

77. e. Did we not assist you? therefore give us a part of the spoil.* .

= Would not our army have cut you off, if it had not been for our faint assistance
or rather desertion, of the Moslems, and our disheartening them ?‘

* That is, with the tongue, and not with the heart.

> Halting between two opinions, and being stanch friends neither to the Moslems nor
the fohdals,

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

® Al Beidawi. +*Idem. 2 Idem. 2Tdem. “Idem.
78 : AL KORAN CHAP. IV.

punish you, if ye be thankful and believe? for Gop is grateful and wise.
[*VI] Gop loveth not the speaking ill of any one in public, unless he who
is injured call for assistance ; and Gop heareth and knoweth: whether ye
publish a good action, or conceal it, or forgive evil, verily Gop is gracious
and powerful. They who believe not in Gop, and his apostles, and would
make a distinction between Gop and his apostles,‘ and say, We believe in
some of the prophets and reject others of them, and seek to take a middle
way in this matter ; these are really unbelievers: and we have prepared
for the unbelievers an ignominious punishment. But they who believe
in Gop and his apostles, and make no distinction between any of them,
unto those will we surely give their reward; and Gop is gracious and
merciful. They who have received the scriptures ® will demand of thee,
that thou cause a book to descend unto them from heaven: they formerly
asked of Moses a greater thing than this; for they said, Show us Gop
visibly.«. Wherefore a storm of fire from heaven destroyed them, because
of their iniquity. Then they took the calf for their God,® after that evident
proofs of the divine unity had come unto them: but we forgave them that,
and gave Moses a manifest power to punish them.» And we lifted the
mountain of Sinai over them,' when we exacted from them their covenant ;*
and said unto them, Enter the gate of the city worshipping. We also said
unto them, Transgress not on the sabbath day. And we received from
them a firm covenant, that they would observe these things. Therefore for
that! they have made void their covenant, and have not believed in the
signs of Gop, and have slain the prophets unjustly, and have said, Our
hearts are uncircumcised; (but Gop hath sealed them up, because of
their unbelief; therefore they shall not believe, except a few of them :)
and for that they have not believed in Jesus, and have spoken against
Mary a grievous calumny;™ and have said, Verily we have slain
Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the apostle of Gop; yet they slew
him not, neither crucified him, but he was represented by one in his
likeness ;" and verily they who disagreed concerning him® were in a doubt

 

4 See chap. ii. p. 35, note g.

¢ That is, the Jews, who Teaanded of Mohammed, as a proof of his mission, that they
might see a book of revelations descend to him from heaven, or that he would produce
one written in a celestial character, like the two tables of Moses.

£ See chap. ii. p. 7.

This story seems to be an addition to what Moses says of the seventy elders, who went
up s ue mountain with him, and with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and saw the God
of Israel.§

* See chap. ii. p. 7. See ibid. p. 7, note m. ' See ibid. p. 9.

= ‘«We raised up Mount Sinai as a pledge of our covenant.’’—Savary.

® See ibid. p. 7.

1 There being nothing in the following words of this sentence to answer to the casual
for that, Jallalo’ddin supposes something to be understood to complete the sense, as, there-
fore we have cursed them, or the like.

™ By accusing her of fornication.* ™ See chap. ili. p. 42, and the notes there.

° For some maintained that he was justly and really crucified; some insisted that it was
not Jesus who suffered, but another who resembled him in the face, pretending the other
parts of his body, by their unlikeness, plainly discovered the imposition ; some said he was

5 Exod. xxiv. 9, 10, 11, 5 See the Korfn, ch. xix., and that virulent book entitled
Toldoth Jesu.
CHAP. Iv. AL KORAN. 7%

as to this matter, and had no sure knowledge thereof, but followed only an
uncertain opinion. They did not really kill him; but Gop took him up
unto himself: and Gop is mighty and wise. And there shall not be one of
those who have received the scriptures, who shall not believe in him,
before his death;? and on the day of resurrection he shall be a witness
against them.? Because of the iniquity of those who Judaize, we have for-
bidden them good things, which had been formerly allowed them ;* and
because they shut out many from the way of Gop, and have taken usury, -
which was forbidden them by the law, and devoured men’s substance
vainly: we have prepared for such of them as are unbelievers a painful
punishment. But those among them who are well grounded in know-
ledge,* and the faithful, who believe in that which hath been sent down
unto thee, and that which hath been sent down unto the prophets before thee,
and who observe the stated times of prayer, and give alms, and believe in
Gop and the last day: unto these will we give a great reward. Verily we
have revealed our will unto thee, as we have revealed it unto Noah and the
prophets who succeeded him; and as we revealed i# unto Abraham, and
Ismael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and unto Jesus, and Job, and
Jonas, and Aaron, and Solomon ; and we have given thee the Koran, as we
gave the psalms unto David: some apostles have we sent, whom we have
formerly mentioned unto thee; and other apostles have we sent, whom we
have not mentioned unto thee; and Gop spake unto Moses, discoursing
with him; apostles declaring good tidings, and denouncing threats, lest
men should have an argument of excuse against Gop, after the apostles had
been sent unto them; Gop is mighty and wise. Gop is witness of that
revelation which he hath sent down unto thee; he sent it down with his
special knowledge: the angels also are witnesses thereof; but Gop is a
sufficient witness. They who believe not, and turn aside others from the

 

taken up into heaven; and others, that his manhood only suffered, and that his godhead
ascended into heaven." ;

» This passage is expounded two ways. ‘

Some, referring the relative his to the first antecedent, take the meaning to be, that no
Jew or Christian shall die before he believes in Jesus; for they say that when one of either
of those religions is ready to breathe his last, and sees the angel of death before him, he
shall then believe in that prophet as he ought, though his faith will not then be of any
avail. According to a tradition of Hejaj, when a Jew is expiring, the angels will strike
him on the back and face, and say to him, O thou enemy of God, Jesus was sent as a
prophet unto thee and thou didst not believe in him ; to which he will answer, I now believe
him to be the servant of God; and to a dying Christian they will say, Jesus was sent as a

rophet unto thee, and thou hast imagined him to be God, or the Son of God ; whereupon
e will believe him to be the servant of God only, and his apostle.

Others, taking the above-mentioned relative to refer to Jesus, suppose the intent of the
passage to be, that all Jews and Christians in general shall have a right faith in that pro-
phet before his death; that is, when he descends from heaven and returns into the world,
where he is to kill Antichrist, and to establish the Mohammedan religion, and a most
perfect tranquillity and security on earth.® j aes

4%. e. Against the Jews for rejecting him; and against the Christians, for calling him
God, and the Son of God.®

¥ See chap. iii. p. 42, and 47, and the notes there.

* As Abdallah Ebn Salam, and his companions.’

‘Al Beidawi. * Jallalo’ddin, Yahya, Al Zamakhshari, and Al Beidawi. See the
Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. ® Al Beidawi. +Idem,
80 AL KORAN. CHAP. IV

way of Gop, have erred in a wide mistake. Verily those who believe not,
and act unjustly, Gop wil! by no means forgive, neither will he direct them
-into any other way, than the way of hell; they shall remain therein for
ever: and this is easy with Gop. O men, now is the apostle come unto
you, with truth from your Lorn; believe therefore, it will be better for you.
But if ye disbelieve, verily unto Gop belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and
on earth; and Gop is knowing and wise. O ye who have received the
scriptures, exceed not the just bounds in your religion,* neither say of Gop
any other than the truth. Verily Christ Jesus the son of Mary is the
apostle of Gop, and his Word, which he conveyed into Mary, and a spirit
proceeding from him. Believe therefore in Gop, and his apostles, and say
not, There are three Gods ;* forbear this ; it will be better for you. Gop
is but one Gop, Far be it from him that he should have a son! unto him
belongeth whatever is in heaven and on earth; and Gop is a sufficient pro-
tector.* Christ doth not proudly disdain to be a servant unto Gop; neither
the angels who approach near to his presence: and whoso disdaineth his
service, and is puffed up with pride, God will gather them all to himself, on
the last day. Unto those who believe, and do that which is right, he shall
give their rewards, and shall superabundantly add unto them of his liber-
ality: but those who are disdainful and proud, he will punish with a
grievous punishment; and they shall not find any to protect or to help
them, besides Gop. O men, now is an evident proof come unto you from
your Lorp, and we have sent down unto you manifest light They who
believe in Gop and firmly adhere to him, he will lead them into mercy from.
him, and abundance; and he will direct them in the right way to himself.
They will consult thee for thy decision in certain cases ; say unto them, Gop
giveth you these determinations, concerning the more remote degrees of
kindred. Ifa man die without issue, and have a sister, she shall have tha
half of what he shall leave: * and he shall be heir to her,® in case she have
no issue. But if there be two sisters they shall have between them two-third
parts of what he shall leave; and if there be several, both brothers and
sisters, a male shall have as much as the portion of two females. Gop
declareth unto you these precepts, lest ye err: and Gop knoweth all things.

 

' Hither by rejecting and contemning of Jesus, as the Jews do; or raising him to an
equality with God, as do the Christians.?

« Namely, God, Jesus, and Mary.* For the eastern writers mention a sect of Christians
which held the Trinity to be composed of those three ;* but it is allowed that this heresy
ias been long since extinct. The passage, however, is equally levelled against the Holy
liinity, according to the doctrine of the orthodox Christians, who, as Al Beidawi acknow-
ledges, believe the divine nature to consist of three persons, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost; by the Father, understanding God’s essence, by the Son, his knowledge,
and by the Holy Ghost, his life. :

* «Far from having a son, he governeth alone the heaven and the earth. He is suffi-
cient unto himself.’’—Savary. :

x That is, Mohammed and his Koran.

¥ Viz. Into the religion of Islam, in this world, and the way to paradise in the next.

s See the beginning of this chapter, pp. 60, 61.

* And the chee half will go to the public treasury.

> That is, he shall inherit her whole substance.

2 Al Beidiwi. _* Idem, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya. “Elmacin, p. 227. Eutych. p. 120 ~

See the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. 5 Ahmed Ehn Abd’al Halim. 5 Al Beidawi.
CHAP. V. AL. KORAN. _ 81

CHAPTER V.

INTITLED, THE TABLE;* REVEALED AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O true believers, perform your contracts. Ye are allowed to eat the
brute cattle,* other than what ye are commanded to abstain from ; except
the game which ye are allowed at other times, but not while ye are on
pilgrimage to Mecca; Gop ordaineth that which he pleaseth. O true
believers, violate not the holy rites of Gop,® nor the sacred month,‘ nor
the offering, nor the ornaments hung thereon, nor those who are travelling
to the holy house, seeking favour from their Lorp, and to please him. But
when ye shall have finished your pilgrimage ; then hunt. And let not the
malice of some, in that they hindered you from entering the sacred
temple,» provoke you to transgress, by taking revenge on them in the sacred
months, Assist one another according to justice and piety, but assist not
one another in injustice and malice: therefore fear Gop ; for Gon is severe
in punishing. Ye are forbidden to eat that which dieth of itself, and blood,
and swine’s flesh, and that on which the name of any besides Gop hath been
invocated ;' and that which hath been strangled, or killed by a blow, or by
a fall, or by the horns of another beast, and that which hath been eaten by a
wild beast,*.except what ye shall kill yourselves ;! and that which hath
been sacrificed unto idols." It is likewise unlawful for you to make division
by casting lots with arrows." This is an impiety. On this day,° woe be unto
those who have apostatized from their religion; therefore fear not them,
but fear me. This day have I perfected your religion for you,? and have

 

© This title is taken from the Table, which, towards the end of the chapter, is fabled to
have been let down from heaven to Jesus. It is sometimes also called the chapter of
Contracts, which word occurs in the first verse.

4 As camels, oxen, and sheep ; and also wild cows, antelopes, &c:7 but not swine, nor
what is taken in hunting during the pilgrimage.

° The ceremonies used in the pilgrimage of Mecca.

t See the Prelim. Disc. sect. vii.

© The offering here meant is the sheep led to Mecca, to be there sacrificed; about the
neck of which they use to hang garlands, green boughs, or some other ornament, that it
may be distinguished as a thing sacred.

»Tn the expedition of Al Hodeibiya.®

' For the idolatrous Arabs used, in killing any animal for food, to consecrate it, as it
were, to their idols, by saying, In the name of Allat, or al Uzza.*

*« Or by a creature trained up to hunting.?

1 That is, unless ye come up time enough to find life in the animal, and to cut its throat.

™ The word also signifies certain stones, which the pagan Arabs used to set up near
their houses, and on which they superstitiously slew animals in honour of their gods.?

” See the Prelim. Disc. sect. v. .

° This passage, it is said, was revealed on Friday evening, being the day of the pilgrims
visiting mount Arafat, the last time Mohammed visited the temple of Mecca, therefore
called the pilgrimage of valediction.‘

» And therefore the commentators say that after this time no positive or negative precept
was given.§

‘Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. * Thid. sect. ii,
See ch. ii. p. 20. 2 Al Beidawi. ? Idem. ‘Idem. See Prid. of Lifo
Moham. p. 99. * Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moham. p. 131.
82 AL KORAN. one ve

completed my mercy upon you; and I have chosen for you Islam, to be
your religion. But whosoever shall be driven by necessity through hunger,
to eat of what we have forbidden, not designing to sin, surely Gop will be in-
dulgent and merciful unto him. They will ask thee what is allowed them
as lawful to eat? Answer, such things as are good’ are allowed you: and
what ye shall teach animals of prey to catch,* training them up for hunting
after the manner of dogs, and teaching them according to the skill which
Gop hath taught you. Eat therefore of that which they shall catch for you;
and commemorate the name of Gop thereon;t and fear Gop, for Gop is’
swift in taking an account. This day are ye allowed to eat such things as
are good, and the food of those to whom the scriptures were given” is also
allowed as lawful unto you; and your food is allowed as lawful unto them.
And ye are also allowed to marry free women that are believers, and also
free women of those who have received the scriptures before you, when ye
shall have assigned them their dower; living chastely with them, neither
committing fornication, nor taking them for concubines. Whoever shall
renounce the faith, his work shall be vain, and in the next life he shall be
of those who perish. O true believers, when ye prepare yourselves to pray,
wash your faces, and your hands unto the elbows; and rub your heads, and
your feet unto the ankles; and if ye be polluted by having lain witha
woman, wash yourselves all over. But if ye be sick, or on a journey, or any
of you cometh from the privy, or if ye have touched women, and ye find no
water, take fine clean sand, and rub your faces and your hands therewith;
Gop woud not put a difficulty upon you; but he desireth to purify you,
and to complete his favour upon you, that ye may give thanks. Remember
the favour of Gop towards you, and his covenant which he hath made
with you, when ye said, We have heard, and will obey.* Therefore
fear Gop, for Gop knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men.
O true believers, observe justice when ye appear as witnesses before
Gop, and let not hatred towards any induce you to do wrong: but act
justly ;. this will approach nearer unto piety ;* and fear Gop, for Gop is
~ fully acquainted with what ye do. Gop hath promised unto those who be-
lieve, and do that which is right, that they shall receive pardon and a great
reward. But they who believe not, and accuse our signs of falsehood, they
shall be the companions of hell. true believers, remember God’s favour
towards you, when certain men designed to stretch forth their hands against

 

«By having given you a true and perfect religion; or, by the taking of Mecca, and the
destruction of idolatry.

* Not such as are filthy, or unwholesome.

* Whether beasts or birds.
wee when ye let go the hound, hawk, or other animal, after the game, or when ye

ul it.

a viz. Slain rH oer J ewe of Cheisiians

= These words are the form used at the inauguration of a prince; and Moh d here
*ntends the oath of fidelity which his followers had taken iohin at al Akiiat

“‘ Justice is the sister of piety.”—Savary.

® Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moham. p. 43, and the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii
CHAP. V. AL KORAN. 83

you, but he restrained their hands from hurting you; therefore fear Gon,
and in Gop let the faithful trust. Gop formerly accepted the covenant of
the cHildren of Israel, and we appointed out of them twelve leaders: and
Gop said, Verily I am with you :? if ye observe prayer, and give alms, and
believe in my apostles, and assist them, and lend unto Gop on good
usury,* * I will surely expiate your evil deeds from you, and I will lead you
into gardens, wherein rivers flow: but he among you who disbelieveth
after this, erreth from the straight path. Wherefore because they have
broken their covenant, we have cursed them, and hardened their hearts;
they dislocate the words of the Pentateuch from their places, and have for-
gotten part of what they were admonished; and thou wilt not cease to
discover deceitful practices among them, except a few of them. But forgive
them,* and pardon them, for Gop loveth the beneficent. And from those
who say, We are Christians, we have received their covenant; but they
have forgotten part of what they were admonished; wherefore we have
raised up enmity and hatred among them, till the day of resurrection; and
Gop will then surely declare unto them what they have been doing. O ye
who have received the scriptures, now is our apostle come unto you, to
make manifest unto you many things which ye concealed in the scriptures ;
and to pass over* many things. Now is light and a perspicuous book of

 

» The commentators tell several stories as the occasion of this passage. One says,
that Mohammed and some of his followers being at Osfan (a place not far from Mecca,
in the way to Medina), and performing their noon devotions, a company of idolaters,
who were in view, repented they had not taken that opportunity of attacking them,
and therefore waited till the hour of evening prayer, intending to fall upon them then:
but God defeated their design, by revealing the verse of fear. Another relates, that
the prophet going to the tribe of Koreidha (who were Jews) to levy a fine for the blood
of two Maen who had been killed by mistake, by Amru Ebn Ommeya al Dimni,
they desired him to sit down and eat with them, and they would pay the fine; Moham-
med complying with their request, while he was sitting, they laid a design against his
life, one Amru Ebn Jahash undertaking to throw a mill-stone upon him; but God with-
held his hand, and Gabriel immediately descended to acquaint the prophet with their-
treachery, upon which he rose up and went his way. A third story is, that Mohammed
having hung up his arms on a tree, under which he was resting himself, and his compan-
ions being dispersed some distance from him, an Arab of the desert came up to him, and
drew his sword, saying, Who hindereth me from killing thee? to which Mohammed an-
swered, God: and Gabriel beating the sword out of the Arab’s hand, Mohammed took
it up, and asked him the same question, Who hinders me from killing thee? the Arab
replied, Nobody ; and immediately professed Mohammedanism.’' Abiulfeda® tells the
same story, with some variation of circumstances.

* After the Israelites had escaped from Pharaoh, God ordered them to go against Jeri-
cho, which was then inhabited by giants, of the race of the Canaanites, promising to give
it into their hands; and Moses, by the divine direction, appointed a prince or captain
over each tribe, to leaé them in that expedition,® and when they came to the borders of
the land of Canaan, sent the captains as spies to get information of the state of the coun-
we enjoining them:secresy ; but they being terrified at the prodigious size and strength
of the inhabitants, disheartened the people by publicly telling what they had seen, except
only Caleb the son of Yufanna (Jephunneh) and Joshua the son of Nun.‘

* By contributing towards this holy war.

* «*Employ your riches in the defence of the holy religion.’”’—Savary. :

> That is, if they repent and believe, or submit to pay tribute. Some, however, think
these words are abrogated by the verse of the sword.? ;

° Such as the verse of stoning adulterers,? the description of Mohammed, and Christ’s
prophecy of him by the name of Ahmed.‘ 3

44, e. Those which it was not necessary to restore.

"Al Beidawi. 8 Vit. Moh. P. 73, ® See Numb. i. 4, 5. Al Beidawi. See
Numb, xii. and xiv. 2? Al Beidawi. 7 See chap. iii. p. 37. 4 Al Beidawi.
84 AL KORAN. CHAP. V.

revelations come unto you from God. Thereby will Gop direct him who
shall follow his good pleasure, into the paths of peace ; and shall lead them
out of darkness into light, by his will, and shall direct them in the right
way. They are infidels, who say, Verily Gop is Christ the son of Mary.
Say unto them, And who could obtain any thing from God to the contrary,
if he pleased to destroy Christ the sor of Mary, and his mother, and all
those who are on the earth? For unto Gop belongeth the kingdom of
heaven and earth, and whatsoever is contained between them}; he createth
what he pleaseth, and Gop is almighty. The Jews and the Christians say,
We are the children of Gop, and his beloved. Answer, Why therefore doth
he punish you for your sins? Nay, but ye are men, of those whom he
hath created. He forgiveth whom he pleaseth, and punisheth whom he
pleaseth; and unto Gop belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth, and of
what is contained between them both; and unto him shall ail things return.
O ye who have received the scriptures, now is our apostle come unto you,
declaring unto you the true religion, during the cessation of apostles,° lest
ye should say, There came unto us no bearer of good tidings, nor any
warner: but now is a bearer of good tidings, and a warner come unto you;
for Gop,is almighty. Call to mind when Moses said unto his people, O my
people, remember the favour of Gop towards you, since he hath appointed
prophets among you, and constituted you kings,* and bestowed on you
what he hath given to no other nation in the world. O my people, enter
the holy land, which Gop hath decreed you, and turn not your backs, lest
ye be subverted and perish. They answered, O Moses, verily there are a
gigantic people in the Zand ;* and we will by no means enter it, until they
depart thence; but if they depart thence, then will we enter therein. .And
two meni of those who feared Gop, unto whom Gop had been gracious,
said, Enter ye upon them suddenly by the gate of the city; and when ye
shall have entered the same, ye shall surely be victorious: therefore trust
in Gop, if ye are true believers. They replied, O Moses, we will never _
enter the land, while they remain therein: go therefore thou, and thy Lord,
and fight; for we will sit here. Moses said, O Lorn, surely I am not
master of any except myself, and my brother; therefore make a distinction

 

¢ The Arabic word al Fatra Senos the intermediate space of time between two pro-

jhets, during which no new revelation or dispensation was given; as the interval between

Moses and Jesus, and between Jesus and Mohammed, at the expiration of which: last,
Mohammed pretended to be sent. ©

‘This was fulfilled either by God’s giving them a kingdom, and a long series of
rinces; or by his haying made ihem kings or masters of themselves, by delivering them
rom the Egyptian bondage.

® Having divided the Red Sea for you, and guided you by a cloud, and fed you with
quails and manna, &c.* .

4 The largest of these giants, the commentators say, was Og the son of Anak; con-
cerning whose enormous stature, his escaping the flood, and the manner of his being
slain by Moses, the Mohammedans relate several absurd fables.‘

! Namely, Caleb and Joshua.

5 Al Beidawi. 8 Vide Marrace. in Alcor. p. 231, &c. D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient.
p. 336.
CHAP. Vv. AL KORAN. # 85

between us and the ungodly people. Gop answered, Verily the Zand shall
be forbidden them forty years; during which time they shall wander like
men astonished on the earth ;* therefore be not thou solicitous” for the un
godly people. Relate unto them also the history of the two sons of Adam,*
with truth. When they offered their offering, and it was accepted from
one of them," and was not accepted from the other, Cain said to his brother,
I will certainly kill thee. Abel answered, Gop only accepteth the offering
of the pious ; if thou stretchest forth thy hand against me, to slay me, I will
not stretch forth my hand against thee, to slay thee; for I fear Gop, the
Lorp of all creatures.° I choose that thou shouldest bear my iniquity and
thine own iniquity ; and that thou become a companion of hell fire ; for that
is the reward of the unjust.? But his soul suffered him to slay his brother,
and he slew him;% wherefore he became of the number of those who
perish. And Gop sent a raven, which scratched the earth, to show him
how he should hide the shame of his brother,’ and he said, Woe is me! am

 

* The commentators pretend that the Israelites, while they thus wandered in the desert,
were kept within the compass of about eighteen (or as some say twenty-seven) miles; and
that though they travelled from morning to night, yet they constantly found themselves
the next day at the place from whence they set out.”

1 viz. Cain and Abel, whom the Mohammedans call Kabil and Habil.—‘‘ Cain is de-
nominated Cabel by all the Arabian authors. This word, which means the first, is pro-
bably his proper name. The surname of Cain, which signifies traitor, may have been
subsequently given to him. It appears, in like manner, that Habel is only a surname.
In fact it alludes to that melancholy event, which plunged the family of Adam into grief,
and really signifies by his death he has left a mother in tears.’’—Savary.

™ The occasion of their making this offering is thus related, according to the common
tradition in the east. Each of them being born with a twin-sister, when they were grown
up, Adam, by God’s direction, ordered Cain to marry Abel’s twin-sister, and that Abel
should marry Cain’s; for it being the common opinion that marriages ought not to be had
in the nearest degrees of consanguinity, (since they must necessarily marry their sisters,
it seemed reasonable to suppose they ought to take those of the remoter degree) but this
Cain refusing to agree to. because his own sister was the handsomest, Adam ordered
them to make their offerings to God, thereby referring the dispute to his determination.*
The cémmentators say Cain’s offering was a sheaf of the very worst of his corn, bu’
Abel’s a fat lamb, of the best of his flock. :

" Namely, from Abel; whose sacrifice God declared his acceptance of in a vis:vle
gi by causing fire to descend from heaven and consume it, without touching that
of Cain.* :

° To enhance Abel’s patience, Al Beidawi tells us, that he was the stronger of the two,
and could easily have prevailed against his brother.

” The conversation between the two brothers is related somewhat to the same purpose
in the Jerusalem Targum and that of Jonathan ben Uzziel.

4 Some say he knocked out his brains with a stone ;? and pretend that as Cain was con
sidering which way he should effect the murder, the devil appeared to him in a humar
shape, and showed him how to do it, by crushing the head of a bird- between twc
stones. ' 4

i. e. His dead corpse. For Cain having committed this fratricide, became exceedingly
troubled in his mind, and carried the dead body about with him on his shoulders for a
considerable time, not knowing where to conceal it, till it stank horribly ; and then God
taught him to bury it by tne example of a raven, who having killed another raven in his
presence, dug a pit with his claws and beak, and buried him therein.‘ For this cir-
cumstance of the raven Mohammed was beholden to the Jews, who tell the same story,
except only that they make the raven appear to Adam, and that he thereupon buried

1s son.§

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ® Vide Abu’ Ifarag. p. 6, 7. Eutych. annal. p. 15, 16,
and D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art. Cabil. ® Al Beidawi. + Idem, Jallalo’ddin.
* Vide Eutych. ubi supra. Vide D’Herbelot, ubisupra. ‘4 Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi.
' Vide R. Eliezer, Pirke, c. 20.
36 AL KORAN. CHAP. V.

I unable to be like this raven, that I may hide my brother’s shame? and
he became one of those who repent, Wherefore we commanded the children
of Israel, that he who slayeth a soul, without having slain a soul,” or com-
mitted wickedness in the earth,* shall be as if he had slain all mankind :t
but he who saveth a soul alive, shall be as if he had saved the lives of all
mankind. Our apostles formerly came unto them, with evident miracles ;
then were many of them after this, transgressors on the earth. But the
recompense of those who fight against Gop and his apostle, and study to
act corruptly in the earth, shall be, that they shall be slain, or crucified, or
have their hands and their feet cut off on the opposite sides, or be banished
the land." This shall be their disgrace in this world, and in the next world
they shall suffer a grievous punishment; except those who shall repe-,
before ye prevail against them; for know that Gop is inclined to forgive,
and merciful. O true believers, fear Gop, and earnestly desire a near
conjunction with him, and fight for his religion, that ye may be
happy. Moreover they who believe not, although they had whatever
is in the earth, and as much more withal, that they might therewith
redeem themselves from punishment on the day of resurrection; it shall
“not be accepted from them, but they shall suffer a painful punishment,
They shall desire to go forth from the fire, but they shall not go forth
from it, and their punishment shall be permanent. If a man or a woman
steal, cut off their hands, in retribution for that which they have com-
nacted; this is an exemplary punishment appointed by Gop; and Gop is
mighty and wise. But whoever shall repent after his iniquity, and amend,
verily God will be turned unto him,’ for Gop is inclined to forgive, and

 

* «« He who shall slay a man, without having suffered violence from him, shall be guilty
of the blood of all the human race; and he who shall save the life of a man shall be re-
warded as if he had saved it to all the human race.”’—Savary.

* Such as idolatry, or robbing on the high way.®

* Having broken the commandment which forbids the shedding of blood.

= The lawyers are not agreed as to the applying of these punishments. But the com-
mentators suppose, that they who commit murder only, are to be put to death in the or-
dinary way ; those who murder and rob too, to be crucified ; those who rob without com-
mitting murder, to have their right hand and left foot cut off; and they who assault
persons and put them in fear to be banished.". It is also a doubt whether they who are to
be crucified shall be crucified alive, or be first put to death, or whether they shall hang on
the cross till they die.®

x But this punishment, according to the Sonna, is not to be inflicted, unless the value of
the thing stolen amount to four dinars, or about forty shillings. For the first offence the
criminal is to lose his right hand, which is to be cut off at the wrist ; for the second offence,
his left foot, at the ankle ; for the third, his left hand ; for the fourth, his right foot; and
if he continue to offend, he shall be scourged at the discretion of the judge.°—‘* This law
is no longer in use among the Turks. The bastonade is the usual punishment for theft.
Robbers are often beheaded. This crime is very rare in Turkish towns ; but the defective
ae of the police renders it common on the high roads, and especially in the deserts.”’—

avary. .

y That is, Gov will not punish him for it hereafter; but his repentance does not super
sede the execution of the law here, nor excuse him from making restitution. Yet, ac
cording to al Shafei, he shall not be punished if the party wronged forgive him before he
be carried before a magistrate.’

* Al Beidawi. ‘Idem, Jallalo’ddin. ® Al Beidawi. 8 * ddi
Al Beidawi. ‘ Tidem, noo ee
CHAP. V. AL KORAN. 87

merciful. Dost thou not know that the kingdom of heaven and earth is
Gop’s? He punisheth whom he pleaseth, and he pardoneth whom he
pleaseth; fer Gop is almighty. O apostle, let not them grieve thee, who
hasten to infidelity, either of those who say, We believe, with their
mouths, but whose hearts believe not;* or of the Jews, who hearken-to a
lie, and hearken to other people;* who come unto thee: they pervert the
words of the law from their true places,° and say, If this be brought unto
you, receive it; but if it be not brought unto you, beware of receiving
aught else ;4 and in behalf of him whom Gop shall resolve to seduce, thou
shalt not prevail with Gop at all. They whose hearts Gop shall not please
to cleanse shall suffer shame in this world, and a grievous punishment in
the next: who hearken to a lie, and eat that which is forbidden.* But if
they come unto thee for judgment, either judge between them, or leave
them; and if thou leave them, they shall not hurt thee at all. But
if thou undertake to judge, judge between them with equity; for Gop
loveth those who observe justice. And how will they submit to thy
decision, since they have the law, containing the judgment of Gop 1?s
Then will they turn their backs,* after this; but those are not true
believers! We have surely sent down the law, containing direction, and

 

74. e. Who take the first opportunity to throw off the mask, and to join the unbelievers.

“viz. The hypocritical Mohammedans.

> These words are capable of two senses; and may either mean that they attended to
the lies and forgeries of their Rabbins, neglecting the remonstrances of Mohammed; or
else, that they came to hear Mohammed as spies only, that. they might report what he
said to their companions, and represent him as a liar.?

© See chap. iv. p. 66, note d.

4 That is, if what Mohammed tells you agrees with scripture, as corrupted and dislo-
cated by us, then you may accept it as the word of God, but if not, reject it. These
words, it is said, relate to the sentence pronounced by that prophet, on an adulterer and
adulteress,? both persons of some figure among the Jews. For they, it seems, though
they referred the matter to Mohammed, yet directed the persons who carried the criminals
before him, that if he ordered them to be scourged, and to have their faces blackened (by
way of ignominy) they should acquiesce in his determination, but in case he condemned
them to be stoned, they should not. And Mohammed pronouncing the latter sentence
against them, they refused to execute it, till Ebn Siriya (a Jew), who was called upon to
decide the matter, acknowledged the law to be so. Whereupon they were stoned at the
door oe. the mosque.*

© Some understand this of unlawful meats; but others of taking or devouring, as it is
expressed, of usury and bribes.‘

‘i. e. Take thy choice, whether thou wilt determine their differences or not. Hence al
Shafei was of opinion that a judge was not obliged to decide causes between Jews or
Christians; though if one or both of them be tributaries, or under the protection of the
Mohammedans, they are obliged: this verse not regarding them. Abu Hanifa however
thought that the magistrates were obliged to judge all cases which were submitted to
them.®

£In the following passage Mohammed endeavours to answer the objections of the Jews
and Christians, who insisted that they ought to be judged, the former by the law of Moses,
and the latter by the gospel. He allows that the law was the proper rule of judging till
the coming of Jesus Christ, after which the gospel was the rule ; but pretends that both
are set aside by the revelation of the Koran, which is so far from being contradictory to
either of the former, that it is more full and explicit; declaring several points which had
been stifled, or corrupted therein, and requiring a vigorous execution of the precepts in
both, which had been too remissly observed, or rather neglected, by the latter professors
of those religions.

*« But they fluctuate in doubt, and believe not.’”’—Savary.

» That is, notwithstanding their outward submission, they will not abide by thy sentence
though conformable to the law, if it contradict their own false and loose decisions.

' As gainsaying the doctrine of the books which they acknowledge for scripture.

*Al Beidawi. *See chap. iii. p.37, noteq, ‘Al Beidawi. ‘Idem. ‘*Idem,
88 : AL KORAN. CHAP. V.

. light: thereby did the prophets, who professed the true religion, judge
those who judaized ; and the doctors and priests also judged by the book of
Gop, which had been committed to their custody ; and they were witnesses
thereof* Therefore fear not men, but fear me; neither sell my signs for
a small price. And whoso judgeth not according to what Gop hath
revealed, they are infidels. We have therein commanded them, that they
should give life for life, and eye for eye, and nose for nose, and ear for ear,
and tooth for tooth; and that wounds should also be punished, by re-
taliation:™ but whoever should remit it as alms, it should be acceptéd as an
atonement for him. And whoso judgeth not according to what Gop hath
revealed, they are unjust. We also caused Jesus the son of Mary to follow
the footsteps of the prophets, confirming the law which was sent down
before him; and we gave him the gospel, containing direction and light;
confirming also the law which was given before it, and a direction and
admonition unto those who fear God: that they who have received the
gospel might judge according to what Gop hath revealed therein : and whoso
judgeth not according to what Gop hath revealed, they are transgressors,
We have also sent down unto thee the book of the Koran with truth, con-
firming that scripture which was revealed before it;* and preserving the
same safe from corruption. Judge therefore. between them according to
that which Gop hath revealed; and follow not their desires, by swerving
from the truth which hath come unto thee. Unto every of you have
we given a law, and an open path; and if Gop had pleased, he had surely
made you one people ;" but he hath thought fit to give you different laws,
that he might try you in that which he hath given you respectively. There-
fore strive to excel each other in good works: unto Gop shall ye all return,
and then will he declare unto you that concerning which ye have disagreed.
Wherefore do thou, O prophet, judge between them according to that which
Gop hath revealed, and follow not their desires; but beware of them, lest
they cause thee to err® from part of those precepts which Gop hath sent
down unto thee; and if they turn back,? know that Gop is pleased to
punish them for some of their crimes; for a great number of men are
transgressors. Do they therefore desire the judgment of the time of
ignorance? but who is better than Gop, to judge between people who

 

-* That is, vigilant, to prevent any corruptions therein.

1 The original word is soul. ™ See Exod. xxi. 24, &c.

* «« We have sent thee down the book of truth, which confirmeth the scriptures that
came before it, and beareth witness to them.’’—Savary,

27, e. He had given you the same laws, which should have continued in force through
all ages, without being abolished or changed by new dispensations; or he could have
forced you all to embrace the Mohammedan religion." . ;

° It is related, that certain of the Jewish priests came to Mohammed with a design to
entrap him; and having first represented to him, that if they acknowledged him fora
prophet, the rest of the Jews would certainly follow their example, made this proposal ;
that if he would give judgment for them in a controversy of moment which they pretended
to have with their own people, and which was agreed to be referred to his decision, they
would believe in him: but this Mohammed absolutely refused to comply with.

P Or refuse to be judged by the Koran, 5

- That is, to be judged according to the customs of paganism, which indulge the passions

* Al Beidéwi. * Idem.
CHAP. V. | AL KORAN. 89

reason aright? O true believers, take not the Jews or Christians for your
friends; they are friends the one to the other; but whoso among you
taketh them for his friends, he is surely one of them: verily Gop directeth
not unjust people. Thou shalt see those in whose hearts there is an
infirmity, to hasten unto them, saring, We fear lest some adversity befall
us;" but it is easy for Gop to give victory, or a command from him, that
they may repent of that which they concealed in their minds. And they
_who believe will say, Are these the men who have sworn by Gop, with a
most firm oath, that they surely held with you?* their works are become
vain, and they are of those who perish. true believers, whoever of you
' apostatizeth from his religion, Gop will certainly bring other people to
supply his place,* whom he will love, and who will love him; who shall be
humble towards the believers,* but severe to the unbelievers: they shall
fight for the religion of Gop, and shall not fear the obloquy of the
detractor. This is the bounty of Gop, he bestoweth it on whom he
pleaseth: Gop is extensive and wise. Verily your protector is Gop, and
his apostle, and those who believe, who observe the stated times of prayer,
and give alms, and who bow down to worship. And whoso taketh Gop,

 

and vicious appetites of mankind: for this, it seems, was demanded by the Jewish tribes
of Koreidha and al Nadir?

t These were the words of Ebn Obba, who, when Obadah Ebn al Samat publicly
renounced the friendship of the infidels, and professed that he took God and his apostle
for his patrons, said that he was a man apprehensive of the fickleness of fortune, and there-
fore would not throw off his old friends, who might be of service to him hereafter.*

* To extirpate and banish the Jews; to detect and punish the hypocrites.

' These words may be spoken by the Mohammedans either to one andther, or to the
Jews: since these hypocrites had given their oaths to both.?

= This is one of those accidents which, it is pretended, were foretold by the Koran long
before they came to pass. For in the latter days of Mohammed, and after his death, con-
siderable numbers of the Arabs quitted his religion, and returned to Paganism, Judaism,
or Christianity. Al Beiddwi reckons them up in the following order. 1. Three com-
panies of Banu Modlaj, seduced by Dhu’lhamar al Aswad al Ansi, who set up for a
prophet in Yaman, and grew very powerful there.? 2. Banu Honeifa, who followed the
famous false prophet Moseilama.‘ 3. Banu Assad, who acknowledged Toleiha Ebn
Khowailed, another pretender to divine revelation,* for their prophet. All these fell off
in Mohammed’s lifetime. The following, except only the last, apostatized in the reign
of Abu Becr. 4. Certain of the tribe of Fezarah, headed by Oyeyma Ebn Hosein. 5.
Some of the tribe of Ghatfan, whose leader was Korrah Ebn Salma. 6. Banu Soleim,
who followed al Fahjéah Ebn Abd Yalil. 7. Banu Yarbu, whose captain was Malec:
Ebn Noweirah Ebn Kais. 8. Part of the tribe of Tamin, the progelytes of Sajaj the
daughter of al Mondhar, who gave herself out for a prophetess.© 9. The tribe of Kendah,
led by al Ashath Ebn Kais. 10. Banu Becr Ebn al Wayel in the province of Bahrein,
headed by al Hotam Ebn Zeid. And 11. Some of the tribes of Ghassan, who, with their
prince Jabalah Ebn al Aysham, renounced Mohammedism in the time of Omar, and’
returned to their former profession of Christianity." .

Bat as to the persons who fulfilled the other part of this prophecy, by supplying
the loss of so many renegades, the commentators are not agreed. Some will have them
to ba. the inhabitants of Yaman, and others the Persians; the authority of Mohammed
himself being vonched for both opinions. Others, however, suppose them to be two
thousand of the tribe of al Nakha (who dwelt in Yaman), five thousand of those of Kenda
and Bajilah, and three thousand of unknown descent, who were present at the famous
battle of Kadesia,® fought in the Khalifat of Omar, and which put an end to the Persian
empire.?

¥* «Tf they are inferior to the believers, they shall be superior to the infidels.’’—Savary.

® Al Beidawi. 1Tdem. 2Idem. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. viii. | * See ib.
* See ib. ® See ib. * See ib. sect. i. * Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 226.
° Al Beidawi. ’

a
90 AL KORAN. OHAP. V

and his apostle, and the believers for his friends, they are the party of Gop,
and they shall be victorious. O true believers, take not such of those to
whom the scriptures were delivered before you, or of the infidels, for your
friends, who make a laughing-stock, and a jest of your religion ;* but fear
Gon, if ye be true believers ; nor those who when ye call to prayer, make a
laughing-stock and a jest of it;7 this they do, because they are people who
do not understand. Say, O ye who have received the scriptures, do ye
reject us for any other reason than because we believe in Gop, and that ,
revelation which hath been sent down unto us, and that which was formerly
sent down, and for that the greater part of you are transgressors? Say,
Shall I denounce unto you a worse thing than this, as to the reward which
ye are to expect with Gop?* He whom Gop hath cursed, and with whom
he hath been angry, having changed some of them into apes and swine, and
who worship Taghut,* they are in the worse condition, and err more widely
from the straightness of the path. When they came unto you, they said,
We believe: yet they entered into your company with infidelity, and
went forth from you with the same; but Gop well knew what they con-
cealed. Thou shalt see many of them hastening unto iniquity and malice,
and to eat things forbidden;* and woe unto them for what they have
done. Unless their doctors and priests forbid them uttering wickedness,
and eating things forbidden; woe unto them for what they shall have com-
mitted. The Jews say, The hand of Gop is tied up.* Their hands shall
‘be tied up,’ and they shall be cursed for that which they have said. Nay
his hands are both stretched forth ; he bestoweth as he pleaseth: that which

 

x This passage was primarily intended to forbid the Moslems entering into_a friendship
with two hypocrites named Reféa Ebn Zeid, and Soweid Ebn al Hareth, who, though they
had embraced Mohammedism, yet ridiculed it on all occasions, and were notwithstanding
greatly beloved among the prophet’s followers.

y These words were added on occasion of a certain Christian, who hearing the Muadh-
dhin, or crier, in calling to prayers, repeat this part of the usual form, I profess that
Mohammed is the apostle of God, said aloud, May God burn the liar: but a few nights
after his own house was accidentally set on fire by a servant, and himself and his family
perished ‘in the flames.* .

* « What can I describe unto you more terrible than the vengeance which God hath
exercised against you? He hath cursed you in his anger. Some of you hath he trans-
formed into apes and into swine, because that ye have burned incense before idols, and
that ye have been plunged into utter darkness.’’—Savary.

2 The former were the Jews of Ailah, who broke the sabbath ;? and the latter those who
believed not in the miracle of the Table which was let down from heaven to Jesus.? Some,
however, imagine that the Jews of Ailah only are meant in this place, pretending that
the young men among them were metamorphosed into apes, and the old men into swine.‘

® See chap. ii, p. 31.

> See before, .p. 81. /

¢ That is, he is become niggardly and closefisted. These were the words of Phineas
Ebn Azira (another indecent expression of whom, almost to the same purpose, is men-
tioned elsewhere‘), when the Jews were much impoverished by a dearth, which the
‘commentators will have to be a judgment on them for their rejecting of Mohammed; and
the other Jews who heard him, instead of reproving him, expressed their approbation of
what he had said.* ; é ‘

44, e. They shall be punished with want and avarice. The words may also allude tc
the manner wherein the reprobates shall appear at the last day, having their right hand,
tied up to their necks ;* which is the proper signification of the Arabic word.

1 Al Beidawi. 9 See chap. ii. p.9.___ * See towards the end of this chapter. “Ay
Seidiwi. 5 Chap. iii. p. 56. ® Al Beidawi. ’ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.
CHAP. V. AL KORBAN. 91

hath been sent down unto thee from thy Lorp® shall increase the transgres-
sion and infidelity of many of them; and we have put enmity and hatred
between them, until the day of resurrection. So often as they shall kindle a
fire for war, Gop shall extinguish it; and they shall set their minds to act
corruptly in the earth, but Gop loveth not the corrupt doers. Moreover,
if they who have received the scriptures believe, and fear God, we will
surely expiate their sins from them, and we will lead them into gardens
of pleasure; and if they observe the law, and the gospel, and the other
scriptures which have been sent down unto them from their Lorp, they
shall surely eat of good things both from above them, and from under their
feet. Among them there are people who act uprightly ; but how evil is
that which many of them do work! O apostle, publish the whole of that
which hath been sent down unto thee from thy Lorn: for if thou do not,
thou dost not in effect publish any part thereof;* and Gop will defend thee
against wicked men; for Gop directeth not the unbelieving people. Say,
O ye who have received the scriptures, ye are not grounded on any thing,
until ye observe the law and the gospel and that which hath been sent
down unto you from your Lorp. That which hath been sent down unto
thee from thy Lorp will surely increase the transgression and infidelity of
many of them: but be not thou solicitous for the unbelieving people.
Verily they who believe, and those who Judaize, and the Sabians, and the

Christians, whoever of them believeth in Gop and the last day, and doth —
that which is right, there shall come no fear on them, neither shall they be
grieved.* We formerly accepted the covenant of the children of Israel,
and sent apostles unto them. So often as an apostle came unto them
with that which their souls desired not, they accused some of them of im-
posture, and some of them they killed: and they imagined that there
should be no punishment for those crimes, and they became blind, and
deaf! Then was Gop turned unto them ;™ afterwards many of them again
became blind and deaf; but Gop saw what they did. They are surely
infidels, who say, Verily Gop is Christ the son of Mary ; since Christ said,

 

¢ viz. The Koran.

‘ Either by raising feuds and quarrels among themselves, or by granting the victory to
the Moslems. Al Beidawi adds, that on the Jews ea enn the true observance of their
law, corrupting their religion, God has successively delivered them into the hands, first
of Bakht Nasr or Nebuchadnezzar, then of Titus the Roman, and afterwards of the Per-
sians, and has now at last subjected them to the Mohammedans.

€ That is, they-shall enjoy the blessings both of heaven and earth. ~

» That is, if they do not complete the publication of all thy revelations without excep-
tion, thou dost not answer the end for which they were revealed ; because the concealing
of any part renders the system of a which God has thought fit to publish to man-
kind by thy ministry lame and imperfect.* ys A ;

' Until this verse was revealed, Mohammed entertained a guard of armed men for his
security; but on his receiving this assurance of God’s protection, he immediately dis-
missed them.®

* See chap. ii. p. 9. . sn

1 Shutting their eyes and ears against conviction and the remonstrances of the law; as
when they worshipped the calf. .

=. e. Upon their repentance.

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. Tidem.
92 AL KORAN. CHAP. V.

O children of Israel, serve Gop, my Lorp and your Lorp ; whoever shall
give a companion unto Gop, Gop shall exclude him from paradise, and his
habitation shall be hell fire; and the ungodly shall have none to help them.
They are certainly infidels, who say, Gop is the third of three:* for there
is no Gop, besides one Gop ; and if they refrain not from what they say, a
painful torment shall surely be inflicted on such of them as are unbelievers
Will they not therefore be turned unto Gop, and ask pardon of him?
since Gop is gracious and merciful. Christ the son of Mary is no more
than an apostle; other apostles have preceded him; and his mother was a
woman of veracity:° they both ate food.P Behold, how we declare unto
them the signs of God’s unity ; and then behold how they turn aside from
the truth. Say unto them, Will ye worship, besides Gop, that which can
cause you neither harm nor profit? Gop is he who heareth and seeth.
Say, O ye who have received the scriptures, exceed not the just bounds in
your religion,’ by speaking beside the truth; neither follow the desires of
people who have heretofore erred, and who have seduced many, and have gone
astray from the straight path." Those among the children of Israel who
believed not were cursed by the tongue of David, and of Jesus the son of
Mary.: This befell them because they were rebellious and transgressed :
they forbade not one another the wickedness which they committed; and
woe unto them for what they committed. Thou shalt see many of them
take for their friends those who believe not. _Woe unto them for what their
souls have sent before them,t for that Gop is incensed against them, and
they shall remain in torment for ever. But, if they had believed in Gop,
and the prophet, and that which hath been revealed unto him, they had
not taken them for their friends; but many of them are evil doers. Thou
shalt surely find the most violent of ald men in enmity against the true
believers 16 be the Jews, and the idolaters: and thou shalt surely find those
among them to be the most inclinable to entertain friendship for the true
believers, who say, We are Christians. This cometh to pass, because there
are priests and monks among them; and because they are not elated with
pride: *[VII.] and when they hear that which hath been sent down to
the apostle read unto them, thou shalt see their eyes overflow with tears,
because of the truth which they perceive therein,* saying, O Lorp, we

 

2 See chap. iv. p. 80.

° Never pretending to partake of the divine nature, or to be the mother of God.

? Being obliged to support their lives by the same means, and being subject to the same
necessities and infirmities as the rest of mankind, and therefore no gods.?

4 See chap. iv. p. 80. But here the words are principally directed to the Christians.

That is, of their prelates and predecessors, who erred in ascribing divinity to Christ,
before the mission of Mohammed®

*® See before, p. 90, note z.

t See chap. ii. p. 13, note r.

* Having not that high conceit of themselves, as the Jews have ; but being humble and
well disposed to receive the truth; qualities, says al Beidawi, which are to be commended
even in infidels.

= The persons directly intended in this passage were, either Ashama, king of Ethiopia,
and several bishops and priests, who being assembled for that purpose, heard Jaafar Kbn

* Jallalo’ddin. 2TIdem, Al Beidawi. 3 Tidem.
CHAP. V. : AL KORAN, 93

believe ; write us down therefore with those who bear witness to the truth :
and what should hinder us from believing in Gop, and the truth which
hath come unto us, and from earnestly desiring that our Lorw would intro-
duce us into paradise with the righteous people? Therefore hath Gop
rewarded them, for what they have said, with gardens through which
rivers flow; they shall continue therein: for ever ; and this is the reward
of the righteous. But they who believe not, and accuse our signs of false.
hood, they shall be the companions of hell. O true believers, forbid not
the good things which Gop hath allowed you ;* but transgress not, for Gop
loveth not the transgressors. And eat of what Gop hath given you for
food that which is lawful and good: and fear Gop, in whom ye believe.
Gop will not punish, you for an inconsiderate word in your oaths;? but he
will punish you for what ye solemnly swear with deliberation. And the
expiation of such an oath shall be the feeding of ten poor men with such
moderate food as ye feed your own families withal; or to clothe them ;# or
to free the neck of a true believer from captivity : but he who shall not find
wherewith to perform one of these three things shall fast thee days.’ This
is the expiation of your oaths, when ye swear inadvertently. Therefore
keep your oaths. Thus Gop declareth unto you his signs, that ye may
give ranks. fA O true believers, surely wine, and lots,° and images,* and
divining arrows,® are an abomination of the work of Satan ; therefore avoid
them that ye may prosper. Satan seeketh to sow dissension and hatred
among you, by means of wine and lots, and to divert you from remembering

 

Taleb, who fled to that country in the first flight, read the 29th and 30th, and afterwards
the 18th and 19th chapters of the Koran; on hearing of which the king and the rest of the
company: burst into tears, and confessed what was written therein to be conformable
to truth; that prince himself, in particular, becoming a proselyte to Mohammedism:* or
else thirty, or as others say, seventy persons, sent ambassadors to Mohammed by the
same king of Ethiopia, to whom the prophet himself read the 36th chapter, intitled Y. S.
Whereupon they began to weep, saying, Flow like is this to that which was revealed
unto Jesus! and immediately professed themselves Moslems.®

¥ These words were revealed, when certain of Mohammed’s companions agreed to
oblige themselves to continual fasting and watching, and to abstain from women, eatin
flesh, sleeping on beds, and other lawful enjoyments of life, in imitation of some self-
denying Christians; but this the prophet disapproved, declaring, that he would have no
monks in his religion.”

7 See chap. ii. p. 26. °

* The commentator$ give us the different opinions of the doctors, as to the quantity of
food and clothes to be given in this case ; which I think scarcely worth transcribing.

> That is, three days together, says Abu Hanifa. But this is not observed in practice,
being neither explicitly commanded in the Koran, nor ordered in the Sonna?

° T’hat is, all inebriating liquors, and games of chance. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. v.
and chap. ii. p. 25.

4 Al Beidéwi and some other commentators expound this of idols; but others, with
more probability, of the carved pieces, or men, with which the pagan Arabs played at
chess, being little figures of men, elephants, horses, and dromedaries; and this is sup-
posed to be the only thing which Mohammed disliked in that game: for which reason the
Sonnites play with plain pieces of wood, or ivory; but the Persians and Indians, who are
not so scrupulous, stil] make use of the carved ones.?

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. v.

*See the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. 5 Al Beidawi, al Thalabi. Vide Abulfed. Vit,
Moh. p. 25, &c. Marrac. Prodr. ad Refut. Alcor. part 1. p. 45. 6 Al Beidawi.
Jallalo’ddin. Vide Marracc. ubi suv.  Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi. 8 Al Beidawi.
* Vide Prelim. Disc. sect. v. s
94 AL KORAN. CHAP. V.

Gop, and from prayer : will ye not therefore abstain from them 2 {Obey Gop,
and obey the apostle, and take heed to yourselves : but if ye turn back, know
that the duty of our apostle is only to preach publicly.f In those who believe
and do good works, it is no sin that they have tasted wine or gaming before
they were forbidden ; if they fear God, and believe, and do good works,
and shall (for the future fear God, and believe, and shall persevere to fear him,
and to do good;# for Gop loveth those who do good. O true believers,
Gop will surely prove you in offering you plenty of game, which ye may
take with your hands or your lances," that Gop may know who feareth him
in secret; but whoever transgresseth after this shall suffer a grievous
punishment. true believers, kill no game while ye are on pilgrimage :!
whosoever among you shall kill any designedly shall restore the like of
what he shall have killed,* in domestic animals,* according to the deter-
mination of two just persons among you, to be brought as an offering to
the Caaba; or in atonement thereof shall feed the poor ; or instead thereof
shall fast, that he may taste the heinousness of his deed. Gop hath for-
given what is past, but whoever returneth to transgress, Gop will take
vengeance on him; for Gop is mighty and able to avenge. It is lawful
for you to fisH in the sea,! and to eat what ye shall catch, as a provision for
you and for those who travel; but it is unlawful for you to hunt by land,
while ye are performing the rites of pilgrimage;™ therefore fear Gon,
before whom ye shall be assembled at the last day. Gop hath appointed the
Caaba, the holy house, an est tblishment® for mankind ; and hath ordained the

 

‘ See the Prelim. Disc. sect.

® The commentators endeavour to excuse the tautology of this passage, by supposing the
threefold repetition of fearing and believing refers either to the three parts of time, past,
mies and future, or to the threefold duty of man, towards God, himself, and his neigh-

our, &c.!

» This temptation or trial was at al Hodeibiya, where Mohammed’s men, who had
attended him thither with an intent to perform a pilgrimage to the Caaba, and had initiated
themselves with the usual rites, were surrounded by so great a number of birds and
beasts, that they impeded their march ; from which unusual accident, some of them con-
eluded that God had allowed them to be taken; but this passage was to convince them
of the contrary.?

‘ Literally while ye are Mohrims, or have actually initiated yourselves as pilgrims, by
putting on the garment worn at that solemnity. Hunting and fowling are hereby abso-

, lutely forbidden to persons in this state ; though they are allowed to kill certain kinds of
noxious animals.? ,

*«« He who violateth this prohibition shall be punished as though he had killed a
domestic animal.’’—Savary. :

* That is, he shall bring an offering to the temple of Mecca, to be slain there and dis-
tributed among the poor, of some domestic or tame animal, equal in value to what he shall
have killed; as a sheep, for example, in lieu of an antelope, a pigeon for a partridge, &c.
And of this value two prudent persons were to be judges. If the offender was not able
‘o do this, he was to give a certain quantity of food to one or more poor men; or if he
could not afford that, to fast a proportionable number of days.*

1 This, says Jallalo’ddin, is to be understood of fish that live altogether in the sea, and
not of those that live in the sea and on land both, as crabs, &c. The Turks, who are
Hanifites, never eat this sort of fish; but the sect of Malec Ebn Ans, and perhaps some
others, make no scruple of it.

™ See above, note i. .

« That is, the place where the practice of their religious ceremonies is chiefly established ;

‘Al Beidiwi. 2 Idem, Jallalo’ddin. ? See the Prelim. Disc. sect. v. “Jalla-
lo’ddin, Al Beidawi. : ;
CHAP. V. AL KORAN. 95°

sacred month,° and the offering, and the ornaments hung thereon? This hath
he done that ye might know that Gop knoweth whatsoever is in heaven and
on earth, and that Gop is omniscient. Know that Gop is severe in
punishing, and that Gop is also ready to forgive, and merciful. The
duty of our apostle is to preach only;*% and Gop knoweth that which ye
discover, and that which ye conceal. Say, Evil and good shall not be
equally esteemed of, though the abundance of evil pleaseth thee ;* therefore
fear Gop, O ye of understanding, that ye may be happy. true believers,
nquire not concerning things, which, if they be declared unto you, may
give you pain;* but if ye ask concerning them when the Koran is sent
down, they will be declared unto you: Gop pardoneth you as to these
matters ; for Gop is ready to forgive, and gracious. People who have been
before you formerly inquired concerning them; and afterwards disbelieved
therein. Gop hath not ordained any thing concerning Bahira, nor SAiba,
nor Wasila, nor Hami;* but the unbelievers have invented a lie against
God: and the greater part of them do not understand. And when it was
said unto them, Come unto that which Gop hath revealed, and to the
apostle; they answered, That religion which we found our fathers
to follow is sufficient for us. What, though their fathers knew nothing
and were not rightly directed? O true believers, take care of your
souls! He who erreth shall not hurt you, while ye are rightly
directed :* unto Gop shall ye all return, and he will tell you that which ye
have done. ~ O true believers, let witnesses be taken between you, when
death approaches any of you, at the time of making the testament ; let there

 

where those who are under any apprehension of danger may find a sure asylum, and the
merchant certain gain, é&c.*

° Al Beidawi understands this of the month of Dhu’lhajja, wherein the ceremonies of
the Pilgrimage are performed; but Jallalo’ddin supposes all the four sacred months are
here intended.*

? See before, p. 81, note g.

«See the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii.

_ ' For judgment is to be made of things not from their plenty or scarcity, but from their
intrinsic good or bad qualities."

* The Arabs continually teasing their prophet with questions, which probably he was
not always prepared to answer, they are fee ordered to wait, till God should think fit to
declare his pleasure, by some farther revelation: and, to abate their curiosity, they are
told, at the same time, that very likely the answers would not be agreeable to their incli-
nations. Al Beidawi says, that when the pilgrimage was first commanded, Soraka Ebn
Malec asked Mohammed whether they were obliged to perform it every year? To this
question the prophet at first turned a deaf ear; but being asked it a second, and a third
time, he at last said, No: but if I had said yes, it would have become a duty, and if it were
a duty, ye would not be able to perform it ; therefore give me no trouble as to things wherein
I give you none : whereupon this passage was revealed.

‘ These were the names given by the pagan Arabs to certain camels or sheep which
were turned loose to feed, and exempted from common services, in some particular cases ;
having their ears slit, or some other mark, that they might be known; and this they
did'in honour of their Zods.* Which superstitions are here declared to be no ordinances
of God, but the inventions of foolish men.

* This was revealed when the infidels reproached those who embraced Mohammedism
and renounced their old idolatry, that by so doing they arraigned the wisdom of their fore-
athers.®

5 Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. vii. "AI Beidawi,
"See the Prelim. Disc. sect.v. * Al Beidawi.
96 AL KORAN. ‘CHAP. Y.

be two witnesses, just men, from among you ;* or two others of a different
tribe or faith from yourselves,y if ye be journeying in the earth, and the
accident of death befall you. Ye shall shut them both up, after the after-
noon prayer, and they shall swear by Gop, if ye doubt them, and they shall
say, We will not sell our evidence for a bribe, although the person concerned
be one who is related fo us, neither will we conceal the testimony of Gop,
for then should we certainly be of the number of the wicked. But if it
appear that both have been guilty of iniquity, two others shall stand up in
their place, of those who have convicted them of falsehood, the two nearest
in blood, and they shall swear by God, saying, Verily our testimony is more
true than the testimony of these two, neither have we prevaricated; for
then should we become of the number of the unjust. This will be easier,
that men may give testimony according to the plain intention thereof, or
fear lest a different oath be given, after their oath. Therefore fear Gop, and
hearken ; for Gop directeth not the unjust people.* On a certain day?
shall Gop assemble the apostles, and shall say unto them, What answer
was returned you, when ye preached unto the people to whom ye were sent?
They shall answer, We have no knowledge, bit thou art the knower of
secrets.* When Gop shall say, O Jesus son of Mary, remember my favour
towards thee, and towards thy mother; when I strengthened thee with the

 

x That is, of your kindred, or religion.

» They who interpret these words of persons of another religion say they are abrogated,
and that the testimony of such ought not to be received against a Moslem.*

2In case there was any doubt, the witnesses were to be kept apart from company, lest
they should be corrupted, till they gave their evidence, which they generally did when
the afternoon prayer was over; because that was the time of people’s assembling in
public, or, say some, because the guardian angels then relieve each other, so that there
would be four angels to witness against them if they gave false evidence. But others
suppose they might be examined after the hour of any other prayer, when there was a
sufficient assembly.?

" The occasion of the preceding passage is said to have been this. Tamim al Dari and
Addi Ebn Yazid, both Christians, took a journey into Syria to trade, in company with
Bodeil, the freedman of Amru Ebn al As, who was a Moslem. When they came to
Damascus, Bodeil fell sick, and died; having first wrote down a list of his effects on a
piece of paper, which he hid in his baggage, without acquainting his companions with it,
and desired them only to deliver what he had to his friends of the tribe of Sahm. The sur-
vivors however searching among his goods, found a vessel of silver of considerable weight,
and inlaid with gold, which they concealed, and on their return delivered the rest to the
deceased’s relations ; who finding the list of Bodeil’s writing, demanded the vessel of silver
of them, but they denied it; and the affair being brought before Mohammed, these words,
viz. O true believers take witnesses, f-c., were revealed, and he ordered them to be sworn
at the pulpit in the mosque, just as afternoon prayer was over, and on their making oath
that they knew nothing of the plate demanded, dismissed them. But afterwards the vessel
being found in their hands, the Sahmites, suspecting it was Bodeil’s, charged them with
it, and they confessed it was his, but insisted that they had bought it of him, and that they
had not produced it, because they had no proof of the bargain. Upon this they went
again before Mohammed, to whom these words, And if it appear, &c., were revealed ;
and thereupon Amru Ebn al As and al Motalleb Ebn Abi Refaa, both of the tribe of
Sahm, stood up, and were sworn against them ; and judgment was given accordingly?

> That is, on the day of judgment. :

° That is, We are ignorant whether our proselytes were sincere, or whether they
apostatized after our deaths; but thou well knowest not only what answer they gave us,

but tne secrets of their hearts, and whether they have since continued firm in their religion
or not.

‘ Al Beidawi. 2 Idem. * Idem.
oHAP. v! AL KORAN. oe 97

holy spirit,* that thou shouldest speak unto men in the cradle, and when
thou wast grown up;°* and when I taught thee the scripture, and wisdom,
and the law, and the gospel: and when thou didst create of clay as it were
the figure of a bird, by my permission, and didst breathe thereon, and it
became a bird, by my permission, and thou didst heal one blind from his
birth, and the leper, by my permission; and when thou didst bring forth
the dead from their graves by my permission ;* and when I withheld the
children of Israel from killing thee,s when thou hadst come unto them
with evident miracles, and such of them as believed not said, This is nothing
but manifest sorcery. And when I commanded the apostles of Jesus
saying, Believe in me, and in my messenger; they answered, We do
believe; and do thou bear witness that we are resigned unto thee. Re-
member when the apostles said, O Jesus son of Mary, is thy Lorp able to
cause a table to descend unto us from heaven?» He answered, Fear God,
if ye be true believers. They said, We desire to eat thereof, and that our
hearts may rest at ease, and that we may know that thou hast told us the
truth, and that we may be witnesses thereof. Jesus the son of Mary said,
O Gop our Lorp, cause a table to descend unto us from heaven, that the
day of its descent may become a festival day‘ unto us, unto the first of us,
and unto the last of us, and a sign from thee; and do thou provide food
for us, for thou art the best provider. Gop said, Verily I will cause it to
descend unto you; but whoever among you shall disbelieve hereafter, I

 

4 See chap. ii. p. 12. © See chap. iii. p. 41. ‘ See ibid. ® See ibid. p. 42.
' t This miracle is thus related by the commentators. Jesus having, at the request of his
followers, asked it of God, a red table immediately descended, in their sight, between two
clouds, and was set before them; whereupon he rose up, and having made the ablution,
prayed, and then took off the cloth which covered the table, saying, In the name of God,
the best provider of food. What the provisions were, with which this table was furnished,
is a matter wherein the expositors are not agreed. One will have them to be nine cakes
of bread and nine fishes; another, bread and flesh; another, all sorts of food except flesh;
another, all sorts of food, except bread and flesh; another, all except bread and fish;
another, one fish, which had the taste of all manner of food; and another, fruits of para-
dise : but the most received tradition is, that when the table was uncovered, there appeared
a fish ready dressed, without scales or prickly fins. dropping with fat, having salt placed
at its head, and vinegar at its tail, and round it all sorts of herbs, except leeks, and five
loaves of bread, on one of which there were olives, on the second honey, on the third
butter, on the fourth cheese, and on the fifth dried flesh. They add, that Jesus, at the
request of the apostles, showed them another miracle, by restoring the fish to life, and
causing its scales and fins to return to it; at which the standers-by being affrighted, he
caused it to become as it was before: that one thousand three hundred men and women,
all afflicted with bodily infirmities or poverty, ate of these provisions, and were satisfied ;
the fish remaining whole as it was at first: that then the table flew up to heaven in the
sight of all; and every one who had partaken of this food were delivered from their in
firmities and misfortunes: and that it continued to descend for forty days together, at
dinner-time, and stood on the ground till the sun declined, and was then taken up into
the clouds. Some of the Mohammedan writers are of opinion that this table did not
really descend, but that it was only a parable; but most think the words of the Koran
are plain to the contrary. A further tradition is, that several men were changed into
swine for disbelieving this miracle and attributing it to magic art; or, as others pretend,
for stealing some of the victuals from off it. Several other fabulous circumstances are
also told, which are scarce worth transcribing.® : Oe

1 Some say the table descended on a Sunday, which was the reason of the Christians
observing that day as sacred. Others pretend that this day is still kept among them asa
very great festival ; and it seems as if the story had its rise from an imperfect notict u*
Christ’s last supper, and the institution of the Eucharist.

4 Al Beidawi, at Thalabi. ' 6 Vide Marracc. in Alc, p. 238, &c.
98 AL KORAN. CHAP. VI.

will surely punish him with a punishment, wherewith I will not punish any
other creature. And when Gop shall say unto Jesus, at the last day, O Jesus
son of Mary, hast thou said unto men, Take me and my mother for two
gods, beside Gon? He shall answer, Praise be unto thee! it is not for me
to say that which I ought not; if I had said so, thou wouldest surely have
known it: thou knowest what is in me, but I know not what is in thee;
for thou.art the knower of secrets. I have not spoken to them any other
than what thou didst command me; namely, Worship Gop, my Lorp and
your Lorp: and I was a witness of their actions while I staid among
them ; but since thou hast taken me to thyself,* thou hast been the watcher
over them ;, for thou art witness of all things. If thou punish them, they
are surely thy servants; and if thou forgive them, thou art mighty and
wise. Gop will say, This day shall their veracity be of advantage unto
those who speak truth; they shall have gardens wherein rivers flow, they
shall remain therein for ever: Gop hath been well pleased in them, and
they have been well pleased in him. This shall be great felicity. Unto
Gop belongeth the kingdom of heaven and of earth, and of whatever therein
is; and he is almighty.

CHAPTER VI.

INTITLED, CATTLE:' REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Praise be unto Gop, who hath created the heavens and the earth, and
hath ordained the darkness and the light; nevertheless they who believe
not in the Lorp equalize other gods with him. It is he who hath created
you of clay; and then decreed the term of your lives; and the prefixed
term is with him:" yet do ye doubt thereof. He is Gon in heaven and in
earth ; he knoweth what ye keep secret, and what ye publish, and knoweth |
what ye deserve, There came not unto them any sign, of the signs of their
Lorp, but they retired from the same; and they have gainsaid the truth,
after that it hath come unto them: but a message shall come unto them,

T

* Or, since thou hast caused me to die; but as it is a dispute among Mohammedans
whether Christ actually died or not, before his assumption,® and the original may be trans-
lated either way, I have chosen the former expression, which leaves the matter undecided.

' This chapter is so intitled, because some superstitious customs of the Meccans, as to
sertain cattle, are therein incidentally mentioned. :

™ Except only six verses, or, say others, three verses, which are taken notice of in the
notes.

» By the last term some understand the time of the resurrection. Others think that by
the first term is intended the space between creation and death, and by the latter, that
between death and the resurrection. ra Fa

 

* See chap. iii. p. 4.
OHAP. VI. AL KORAN. 99

concerning that which they have mocked at.e Do they not consider how
many generations we have destroyed before them? We had established
them in the earth in a manner wherein we have not established you;” we
sent the heaven to rain abundantly upon them, and we gave them rivers
which flowed under their feet: yet we destroyed them in their sins,
and raised up other generations after them. Although we had caused
to descend unto thee a book written on paper, and they had handled it with
their hands, the unbelievers had surely said, This is no other than manifest
sorcery.* They said, Unless an angel be sent down unto him, we will not
believe. But if we had sent down an angel, verily the matter had been
decreed,* and they should not have been borne with, by having time granted
them to repent. And if we had appointed an angel for our messenger, we
should have sent him in the form of a man," and have clothed him before
them, as they are clothed. Other apostles have been laughed to scorn,
before thee, but the judgment which they made a jest of encompassed those
who laughed them to scorn. Say, Go through the earth, and behold what
hath been the end of those, who accused our prophets of imposture. Say,
Unto whom delongeth whatsoever is in heaven and earth? Say, Unto Gon,
He hath prescribed unto himself mercy. He will surely gather you together
on the day of resurrection; there is no doubt of it. They who destroy their
own souls are those who will not believe. Unto him is owing whatsoever
happeneth by night or by day ;f it is he who heareth and knoweth. Say,
Shall I take any other protector than Gop, the creator of heaven and earth,
who feedeth ali and is not fed by any? Say, Verily I.am commanded to
be the first who professeth Islam,* and it was said unto me, Thou shalt by
no means be one of the idolaters. Say, Verily I fear, if I should rebel
against my Lorp, the punishment of the great day: from whomsoever it
shall be averted on that day, God will have been merciful unto him; this
will be manifest salvation. If Gop afflict thee with any hurt, there is none
who can take it off from thee, except himself; but if he cause good to befall
thee, he is almighty’; he is the supreme Lord over his servants; and he is

 

° That is, they shall be convinced of the truth which they have made a jest of, when
they see the punishment which they shall suffer for so doing, both in this world and
the next; or when they shall see the glorious success of Mohammedism.

>i. e. We had blessed them with greater power and length of prosperity than we have
granted you, O men of Mecca,*/ Mohammed seems here to mean the ancient and potert
tribes of Ad and Thamud, &c.®

* Tt is an imposture.’’—Savary.

4 That is to say, As they would not have believed, even if an angel had descended t>
them from heaven, God has shown his mercy in not complying with their demands; for
if he had, they would have suffered immediate condemnation, and would have been
allowed no time for repentance.

* As Gabriel generally appeared to Mohammed; who, though a prophet, was not able
to bear the sight of him when he appeared in his proper form, much less would others be
able to support it.

+ “He possesseth all that night veileth, all that day enlighteneth. He knoweth and
heareth ail thinge."—-Savary, :

* That is, the first of my nation.®

" Al Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. ® Al Beidawi.
L00 . AL KORAN. CHAP. VI.

wise and knowing. Say, What thing is the strongest in bearing testimony 1*
Say, Gov; he is witness between me and you. And this Koran was
revealed unto me, that I should admonish you thereby, and also those unto
whom it shall reach. Do ye really profess that there are other gods together
with Gop? Say, I do not profess this. Say, Verily he is one Gop; and]
am guiltless of what ye associate with him. They unto whom we have
given the scripture know our apostle, even as they know their own
children ;* but they who destroy their own souls will not believe. Who is
more unjust than he who inventeth a lie against Gop,* or chargeth his
signs with imposture? Surely the unjust shall not prosper. And on the day
of resurrection we will assemble them all; then will we say unto those who
associated others with God, Where are your companions,’ whom ye imagined
to be those of God? But they shall have no other excuse, than that they
shall say, by Gop our Lorp, we have not been idolaters. Behold, how they
lie against themselves, and what they have blasphemously imagined to be
the companion of God flieth from them.” There is of them who hearkeneth
unto thee when thou readest the Koran ;* but we have cast veils over their
hearts, that they should not understand it, and a deafness in their ears:
and though they should see all kinds of signs, they will not believe therein ;
and their infidelity will arrive to that height that they will even come unto
thee, to dispute with thee. The unbelievers will say, This is nothing but
silly fables of ancient times. And they will forbid others from believing
therein, and will retire afar off from it; but they will destroy their own
souls only, and they are not sensible thereof. If thou didst see when they
shall be set over the fire of hell! and they shall say, Would to Gop
we might be sent back into the world; we would not charge the signs
of our Lorp with imposture, and we would become true believers: nay,
but that is become manifest untg them, which they formerly concealed ;*
and though they should be sent back into the world, they would surely
return to that which was forbidden them; and they are surely liars. And
they said, There is no other life than our present life; neither shall we be
raised again. But if thou couldest see, when they shall be set before their
Lorp!* He shall say unto them, Is not this in truth come to pass? They

 

‘ This passage was revealed when the Koreish told Mohammed that they had asked
the Jews and Christians concerning him, who assured them they found no mention or
description of him in their books of scripture; Therefore, said they, who bears witness to
thee, that thou art the apostle of God ?*

"See chap. ii. p. 18. :

x Saying the angels are the daughters of God, and intercessors for us with him, &c?

¥7z. e. Your idols and false gods.

> That is, their imaginary deities prove to be nothing, and disappear like vain phantoms
and chimeras.

* The persons here meant were Abu Sofian al Walid, al Nodar, Otba, Abu Jahl, and
their comrades, who went to hear Mohammed repeat some of the Koran; and Nodar
being asked what he said, answered, with an oath, that he knew not, only that he moved
his tongue, and told a parcel of foolish stories, as he had done to them.?

> viz. Their hypocrisy and vile actions: nor does their promise proceed from any siu*
cere intention of amendment, but from the anguish and misery of their condition.‘

© viz. In order for judgment. A

+ Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. Al Beidfwi, *Idem. ‘Idem.
sees

CHAP. VI. : AL KORAN. 101

shall answer, Yea, by our Lorp. God shall say, Taste therefore the punish-
ment due unto you, for that ye have disbelieved. They are lost who reject
as a falsehood the meeting of Gop in the nect life, until the hour’ cometh
suddenly upon them. Then will they say, Alas! for that we have behaved
ourselves negligently in our lifetime ; and they shall carry their burdens on
their backs ;¢ will it not be evil which they shall -be loaden with? This
present life is no other than a play and a vain amusement; but surely the
future mansion shall be better for those who fear God : will they not there-
fore understand? Now we know that what they speak grieveth thee: yet
they do not accuse thee of falsehood; but the ungodly contradict the signs
of Gop.f And apostles before thee have been accounted liars: but they
patiently bore their being accounted liars, and their being vexed, until our
help came unto them; for there is none who can change the words of Gop:
and thou hast received some information concerning those who have been
formerly sent from him. If their aversion to thy admonitions be grievous
unto thee, if thou canst seek out a den whereby thou mayest penetrate
into the inward parts of the earth, or a ladder by which thou mayest
ascend into heaven, that thou mayest show them a sign, do so, but thy
search will be fruitless; for if Gop pleased he would bring them all
to the true direction: be not therefore one of the ignorant.» He will
give a favourable answer unto those only who shall hearken with at-
tention: and Gop will raise the dead; then unto him shall they return.
The infidels say, Unless some sign be sent down unto him from his
Lorp, we will not believe : answer, Verily Gop is able to send down a
sign: but the greater part of them know it not.' There is no kind of beast
on earth, nor fowl which flieth with its wings, but the same is a people like

 

4 The last day is here called the Hour, as it is in scripture ;* and the preceding expres-
sion of meeting God on that day is also agreeable to the same.‘

© When an infidel comes forth from his grave, says Jallalo’ddin, his works shall be re-
presented to him under the ugliest form that ever he beheld, having a most deformed
countenance, a filthy smell, ani a disagreeable voice : so that he shall cry out, God defend
me from thee, what art thou? I never saw any thing more detestable! To which the figure
will answer, Why dost thou wonder at my ugliness? I am thy evil works ;" thou didst ride
upon me, while thou wast in the world, but now will I ride upon thee, and thou shalt carry
me. And immediately it shall get upon him; and whatever he shall meet shall terrify
him, and say, Hail, thou enemy of God, thou art he who was meant by (these words of the |
Korn) and they shall carry their burdens, &-c.°

€ That is, it is not thou but God whom they injure by their impious gainsaying of what
has been revealed to thee. It is said that Abu Jahl once told Mohammed, that they did
not accuse him of falsehood, because he was known to be a man of veracity, but only they
did not believe the revelations which he brought them; which occasioned this passage.°

4. e. Thou hast been acquainted with the stories of several of the preceding prophets ;
what persecutions they suffered from those to whom they were sent, and in what manner
God supported them and punished their enemies, according to his unalterable promise.*

‘In this passage Mohammed is reproved for his impatience, in not bearing with the ob-
stinacy of his countrymen, and for his indiscreet desire of effecting what God hath not
decreed, namely, the conversion and salvation of all men.

' Being both ignorant of God’s almighty power, and of the consequence of what they
ask, which might prove their utter destruction.

*1 John v. 25, &c. °1 Thess. iv. 17. "See Milton’s Paradise Lost, book ii. |
ver. 737, &c. . * See also ch. iii. p. 54. ® Al Beidawi. *Idem. 2 Idem.
102 AL KORAN. : CHAP. VI.

‘into you;* we have not omitted any thing in the book?! of our decrees :*
then unto their Lorp shall they return." They who accuse our signs of
falsehood are deaf and dumb, walking in darkness: Gop will lead into error
whom he pleaseth, and whom he pleaseth he will put in the right way.
Say, What think ye? if the punishment of Gop come upon you, or the
hour of the resurrection come upon you, will ye call upon any other than
Gop, if ye speak truth? yea, him shall ye call upon, and he shall free you
from that which ye shall ask him to deliver you. from, if he pleaseth ; and
ye shall forget that which ye associated with him» We have already sent
messengers unto sundry nations before thee, and we afflicted them with
trouble and adversity that they might humble themselves: yet when the
affliction which we sent came upon them, they did not humble themselves ;
but their hearts became hardened,t and Satan prepared for them that
which they committed. And when they had forgotten that concerning
which they had been admonished, we opened unto them the gates of all
things ;° until, while they were rejoicing for that which had been given
them, we suddenly laid hold ‘on them, and behold, they were seized with
despair; and the utmost part of the people which had acted wickedly was
cut off: praise be unto Gop, the Lorp of all creatures! Say, what think
ye? if Gop should take away your hearing and your sight, and should seal
up your hearts; what god besides Gop will restore them unto you? See
how variously we show forth the signs of God’s unity ;? yet do they turn
aside from them. Say unto them, What think ye! if the punishment of
Gop come upon you suddenly, or in open view; will any perish, except
the ungodly people? We send not our messengers otherwise than bearmg
good tidings and denouncing threats. Whoso therefore shall believe and
amend, on them shall no fear come, neither shall they be grieved: but

 

* Being created and preserved by the same omnipotence and providence as ye are.

_} That is, in the preserved table, wherein God’s decrees are written, and all things which
come to pee in the world, as well the most minute as the more momentous, are exactly
registered.

* ‘« The beasts which cover the earth, the birds which traverse the air, are creatures
Hike yourselves. All are written in the book, They will appear again before him.”—
Savary.

For, according to the Mohammedan belief, the irrational animals will also be restored
to life at the resurrection, that they may be brought to judgment, and have vengeance
taken on them for the injuries they did one another while in this world.‘

» That is, Ye shall then forsake your false gods, when ye shall be effectually convinced
that God alone is able to deliver you from eternal punishment. But others rather
an that this forgetting will be the effect of the distress and terror which they will then

ein.

p + Their hearts grew hard, aad Satan caused them to find charms in rebellion.”—

‘avary. 5

° That is, we gave them all manner of plenty ; that since they took no warning by their
afflictions, their prosperity might become a snare to them, and they might bring down
upon themselves swifter destruction. .

® Laying them before you in different views, and making use of arguments and motives
drawn from various considerations.

‘That is, says al Beidawi, either without any previous notice, or after some warning
given.

2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. “See ibid. 5 Al Beidawi.
CHAP. vt. AL KORAN. 103

whoso shall accuse our sigiss of falsehood, a punishment shall fall on them,
because they have done wickedly. Say, I say not unto you, The treasures
of Gop are in my power: neither do I say, I know the secrets of God:
neither do I say unto you, Verily I am an angel: I follow only that which
is revealed unto me. Say, Shall the blind and the seeing be held equal?
do ye not therefore consider? Preach it unto those who fear that they
shall be assembled before their Lorp: they shall have no patron nor inter-
cessor, except him; that peradventure they may take heed to themselves.
Drive not away those who call upon their Lorp morning and evening,
desiring to see his face;* it belongeth not unto thee to pass any judgment
on them,§ nor doth it belong unto them to pass any judgment on thee:
therefore if thou drive them away, thou wilt become one of the unjust.
Thus have we proved some part of them by other part, that they may
say, Are these the people among us unto whom Gop hath been gracious ?*
Doth not Gop most truly know those who are thankful? And when they
who believe in our signs shall come unto thee, say, Peace de upon you.
Your Lorp hath prescribed unto himself mercy; so whoever among you
worketh evil through ignorance, and afterwards repenteth and amendeth ;
unto him will he surely be gracious and merciful. Thus have we distinctly
propounded our signs, that the path of the wicked might be made known,
Say, Verily I am forbidden to worship the false deities which ye invoke,
besides Gop. Say, I will not follow your desires; for then should I err,
neither should I be one of those who are rightly directed. Say, I behave
according to the plain declaration, which I have received from my Lorp;
but ye have forged lies concerning him. That which ye desire should be
hastened, is not in my power :" judgment belongeth only unto Gop; he will
determine the truth; and he is the best discerner. Say, If what ye desire
should be hastened were in my power, the matter had been determined
between me and you:* but Gop well knoweth the unjust. With him are
the keys of the secret things; none knoweth them besides himself: he
knoweth that which is on the dry land and in the sea; there falleth no

 

* These words were occasioned when the Koreish desired Mohammed not to admit the
poor or more inferior people, such as Ammar, Soheib, Khobbab, and Salman, into his
company, pretending that then they would come and discourse with him; but he refusin
to turn away any believers, they insisted at least that he should order them to rise up ani
withdraw when they came, which he agreed to do. Others say, that the chief men of
Mecea expelled all the poor out of their city, bidding them go to Mohammed; which they
did, and offered to embrace his religion; but he made some difficulty to receive them,
suspecting their motive to be necessity, and not real conviction ;* whereupon this passage
was revealed. b

"i. e. Rashly to decide whether their intentions be sincere or not; since thou canst not
know their heart, and their faith may possibly be more firm than that of those who would
persuade thee to discard them. . 4

‘ That is to say, the noble by those of mean extraction, and the rich by the poor; in
that God chose to call the latter to the faith by the former." ;

* This passage is an answer to the audacious defiances of the infidels, who bid Mo-
hammed, if he were a true prophet, to call for a shower of stones from heaven, or some
other sudden and miraculous punishment, to destroy them.® :

* For I should ere now have destroyed you, out of zeal for God’s honour, had it been
in my power.®

5 Al Beidawi, Jatalo’ddin. ‘Idem. ® Al Beidawi. »Tdem.
104 AL KORAN. CHAP. VI.

leaf, but he knoweth it; neither is there a single grain in the dark parts of
. the earth, neither a green thing, nor a dry thing, but it is written in the
perspicuous book.y It is he who causeth you to sleep by night, and
knoweth what ye merit by day; he also awaketh you therein, that the
prefixed term of your lives may be fulfilled: then unto him shall ye return,
und he shall declare unto you that which ye have wrought. He is supreme
over his servants, and sendeth the guardian angels to watch over you,” until,
when death overtaketh one of you, our messengers* cause him to die:
and they will not neglect our commands. Afterwards shall they return
unto Gop, their true Lorp: doth not judgment belong unto him? he is the
most quick in taking an account.» Say, Who delivereth you from the
darkness® of the land, and of the sea, when ye call upon him humbly and
in private, saying, Verily if thou deliver us* from these dangers, we will
‘surely be thankful? Say, God delivereth you from them, and from every
grief of mind; yet afterwards ye give him companions. Say, He is able
to send on you a punishment from above you,‘ or from under your feet, or
to engage you in dissension, and to make some of you taste the violence
of others. Observe how variously we show forth our signs, that peradven-
ture they may understand, This people hath accused the revelation which
thou hast brought of falsehood, although it be the truth. Say, Iam nota
guardian over you: every prophecy hath its fixed time of accomplishment ;
and he will hereafter know it. When thou seest those who are engaged in
cavilling at, or ridiculing our signs, depart from them, until they be
engaged in some other discourse :* and if Satan cause thee to forget this
precept, do not sit with the ungodly people after recollection. They who
fear God are not at all accountable for them, but their duty is to remember
that they may take heed to themselves.» Abandon those who make their
religion a sport and a jest; and whom the present life hath deceived: and
admonish them by the Kordn, that a soul becometh liable to destruction for
that which it committeth: it shall have no patron nor intercessor besides
Gop ; and if it could pay the utmost price of redemption, it would not be
accepted from it. They who are delivered over to perdition for that which

 

¥7z. e. The preserved table, or register of God’s decrees.

2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

2 That is, the angel of death and his assistants.!

>See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

© That is, the dangers and distresses.

‘The Cufic copies read it in the third person, if he deliver us, &c.

* Returning to your old idolatry.

‘ That is, by storms from heaven, as he destroyed the unbelieving people of Noah, and
of Lot, and the army of Abraha, the lord of the elephant.?

® Either by drowning you, as he did Pharaoh and his host, or causing the earth to open
and swallow you up, as happened to Korah, or (as the Mohammedans name him) Karun?

* «Fly from those who revile religion, until they change their discourse.’’—Savary.

» And therefore need not be troubled at the indecent and impious talk of the infidels;
provided they take care not be infected by them. When the preceding passage was re-
vealed, the Moslems told their prophet, that if they were obliged to rise up whenever the
idolaters spoke irreverently of the Koran, they could never sit quietly in the temple, nor
perform their devotions there ; whereupon these words were added

4 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. 2 Al Beidawi. 3 Tdem. ‘Idem, Jallalo’ddin
CHAP. VI. AL KORAN. 105

they have committed shall have boiling water to drink, and shall suffer a
grievous punishment, because they have disbelieved. Say, Shall we cail
upon that, besides Gop, which can neither profit us, nor hurt use? and shal:
we turn back on our heels, after that Gop hath directed us; like him
whom the devils have infatuated, wandering amazedly in the earth, and
yet having companions who call him into the true direction, saying, Come
unto us? Say, the direction of Gop is’the true direction: we are com-
manded to resign ourselves unto the Lorp of all creatures; and it is also
commanded us, saying, Observe the stated times of prayer, and fear him; for
it is he before whom ye shall be assembled. It is he who hath created the
heavens and the earth in truth; and whenever he saith unto a thing, Be, it
is. His word is the truth; and his will be the kingdom on the day
whereon the trumpet shall be sounded: he knoweth whatever is secret,
and whatever is public; he is the wise, the knowing. Call to mind when
Abraham said unto his father Azer,* Dost thou take images for gods?!
Verily I perceive that thou and thy people are in a manifest error. And
thus did we show unto Abraham the kingdom of heaven and earth,
that he might become one of those who firmly believe.™ And when

 

‘ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

* This is the name which the Mohammedans give to Abraham’s father, named in
scripture Terah. However, some of their writers pretend that Azer was the son of
Terah,® and D’ Herbelot says that the Arabs always distinguish them in their genealo-
gies as different persons; but that because Abraham was the son of Terah according
to. Moses, it is therefore supposed (by European writers) that Terah is the same
with the Azer of the Arabs. How true this observation may be, in relation to some
authors, I cannot say, but J am sure it cannot be true of all; for several Arab and Turk-
ish writers expressly make Azer and Terah the same person.* Azer, in ancient times,
was the name of the planet Mars, and the month of March was so called by the most
ancient Persians; for the word originally signifying frre (as it still does), it was therefore

iven by them and the Chaldeans to that planet,® which partaking, as was supposed, of a
oe nature, was acknowledged by the Chaldeans and Assyrians as a god or planetary
deity, whom in old times they worshipped under the form of a pillar; whence Azer
became a name among the nobility, who esteemed it honourable to be denominated from
their gods,° and is found in the composition of several Babylonish names. For these
reasons a learned author supposes Azer to have been the heathen name of Terah, and
that the other was given him on his conversion.t_ Al Beidawi confirms this conjecture,
saying that Azer was the name of the idol which he worshipped. It may be observed
that Abraham’s father is also called Zarah in the Talmud, and Athar by Eusebius. (The
surname of Azer was given to him in consequence of his idolatry. It is derived from iazar,
“O thou who art in error.’’—Savary.) '

‘That Azer or Terah was an idolater, is allowed on all hands; nor can it be denied,
since he is expressly said in scripture to have served strange gods.?_ The eastern authors
unanimously agree that he was a statuary, or carver of idols; and he is represented as the
first who made images of clay, pictures only having been in use before, and taught that
they were to be adored as gods. However, we are told his employment was a very hon-
ourable one,’ and that he was a great lord, and in high favour with Nimrod, whose son-
in-law he was,* because he,made his idols for him, and was excellent in his art. Some
of the Rabbins say Terah was a priest, and chief of the order.”

™ That is, we gave him a right apprehension of the government of the world and of the
heavenly bodies, that he iieet know them all to be ruled by God, by putting him on
making the following reflections. :

5 Tarikh Montakhab, apud D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p, 12, ®D’Herbel. ibid. ‘AL
Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya, Ebn Shohnah, Mirat Kainat, &c. Vide etiam Pharhang.
Jehanghiri, apud Hyde de Rel. Vet. Persar. p. 68.  * Hyde, ibid. p. 63. * Idem, ib,
p. 64, + Idem, ibid. p.62, ? Josh. xxiv. 2, 14. 2? Epiphan. adv. Heer. lib. 1, p. 7, @
‘ Suidas in Lexico, voce Zepoty. * Vide Hyde, ubi supra, p. 63. * D’Herbel. ubi sup.
* Shalshel. hakkab. p. 94.
106 AL KORAN. CHAP. VI.

the night overshadowed him, he saw a star, and he said, This is my Lorp ;*
but when it set, he said, I like not gods which set. And when he saw the
moon rising, he said, This is my Lord; but when he saw it set, he said,
Verily if my Lorp direct me not, I shall become one of the people who go
astray. And when he saw the sun rising, he said, This is my Lorp, this is
the greatest; but when it set, he said, O my people, verily [am clear of
that which ye associate with God’: I direct my face unto him who hath
created the heavens and the earth; I am orthodox, and am not one of the
idolaters, And his people disputed with him: and he said, Will ye dispute
with me concerning Gop? since he hath now directed me, and I fear not
that which ye associate with him, unless that my Lorp willeth a thing;
for my Lorp comprehendeth all things by his knowledge:° will ye not
therefore consider? And how should I fear that which ye associate with
God, since ye fear not to have associated with Gop that concerning which
he hath sent down unto you no authority? which therefore of the two
parties is the more safe, if ye understand aright? They who believe, and
clothe not their faith with injustice,” they shall enjoy security, and they are
rightly directed. And this is our argument wherewith we furnished Abra-
ham that he might make use of it against his people: we exalt unto
degrees of wisdom and knowledge whom we please; for thy Lorp is wise
and knowing. And we gave unto them Isaac and Jacob; we directed

 

2 Since Abraham’s parents were idolaters, it seems to be a necessary consequence that
himself was one also in his younger years; the scripture not obscurely intimates as
much ;* and the Jews themselves acknowledge it.° At what age he came to the know-
ledge of the true God and left idolatry, opinions are various. Some Jewish writers tell
us, he was then but three years old,t and the Mohammedans likewise suppose him
very young, and that he asked his father and mother several shrewd questions when
achild.2 Others, however, allow him to have been a middle-aged man at that time.?
Maimonides, in particular, and R. Abraham Zacuth think him to have been forty years
old, which age is also mentioned in the Koran. But the general opinion of the Moham-
medans is, that he was about fifteen or sixteen.‘ As the religion wherein Abraham was
educated was the Sabian, which consisted chiefly in the worship of the heavenly bodies,*
he is introduced examining their nature and properties, to see whether they had a right
to the worship which was paid them or not; and the first which he observed was the
planet Venus, or, as others will have it, Jupiter. This method of Abraham’s attaining
‘to the knowledge of the supreme Creator of all things is conformable to what Josephus
writes, viz. That he drew his notions from the changes which he had observed in the earth
and the sea, and in the sun and the moon, and the rest of the celestial bodies ; concluding
that they were subject to the command of a superior power, to whom alone all honour -
and thanks are due."’ The story itself is certainly taken from the Talmud.* Some of the
commentators, however, suppose this reasoning of Abraham with himself was not the first
means of his conversion, but that he used it only by way of argument to convince the
idolaters among whom he then lived.

° That is, I am not afraid of your false gods, which cannot hurt me, except God per-
mitteth it, or is pleased to afflict me himself.

» By injustice, in this place, the commentators understand idolatry, or open rebellion
against God.

8 Vide Josh. xxiv. 2, 14, and Hyde, ubi sup. p. 59. ®° Joseph. Ant. lib. 1, ¢. 7.
Maimon. More Nev. part iii. c. 29, et Yad Hazzak, de Id.c.1, &c. + Tanchuma.
Talmud, Nedarim, 32, 1, et apud Maimon. Yad Hazz. ubisup. 2 Vide D’Herbel. Bibl.
Orient. Art. Abraham. —_* Maimon. ubi sup. R. Abr. Zacuth in Sefer Juchasin, Shalshel.
hakkab, &c. ‘ Vide Hyde, ubi sup. pp. 60, 61, et Hotting. Smegma Orient. p. 290, &c.
Genebr. in Chron. _* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. p.10. ° Al Beidawi. 7 Joseph.
an lib. i, ce. 7. * R Bechai, in Midrash. Vide Bartolocc. Bibl. Rabb. part i.
p. 640.
CHAP. VI AL KORAN. 107

them both: and Noah had we before directed, and of his posterity* David
and Solomon; and Job," and Joseph, and Moses, and Aaron: thus do we
reward the righteous: and Zacharias, and John, and Jesus, and Elias 3° all
of them were upright men: and Ismael, and Elisha,t and Jonas," and Lot ;*
all these have we favoured above the rest of the world; and also divers
of their fathers, and their issue, and their brethren; and we chose them,
and directed them into the right way. This is the direction of Gop,
he directeth thereby such of his servants as he pleaseth; but if they had
been guilty of idolatry, that which they wrought would have become utterly
fruitless unto them. Those were the persons unto whom we gave the
scripture, and wisdom, and prophecy ; but if theseY believe not therein, we
will commit the care of them to a people who shall not disbelieve the same.
Those were the persons whom Gop hath directed, therefore follow their
direction. Say unto the inhabitants of Mecca, I ask of you no recompense
for preaching the Koran; it is no other than an admonition unto all
creatures. They make not a due estimation of Gop,” when they say, Gop
hath not sent down unto man anything at all:* Say, Who sent down the
book which Moses brought, a light and a direction unto men; which ye
transcribe on papers, whereof ye publish some part, and great part whereof
ye conceal? and ye have been taught by Mohammed what ye knew not,
neither your fathers. Say, Gop sent it down: then leave them to amuses
themselves with their vain discourse. This book which we have sent down
is blessed ; confirming that which was revealed before it; and is delivered
unto thee that thou mayest preach it unto the metropolis of Mecca and to
those who are round about it. And they who believe in the next life will
believe therein, and they will diligently observe their times of prayer.
Who is more wicked than he who forgeth a lie concerning Gop?** or

 

- Some refer the relative Ais to Abraham, the person chiefly spoken of in this passage ;
some to Noah, the next antecedent, because Jonas and Lot were not (say they) of Abra-
ham’s seed: and others suppose the persons named in this and the next verse are to be
understood as the descendants of Abraham, and those in the following verse as those of
Noah.’ :

* The Mohammedans say he was of the race of Esau. See chap. xxi. and xxxviii.

* See chap. xxxvii. .

‘ This prophet was the successor of Elias, and as the commentators will have it, the
son of Okhtab; though the scripture makes him the son of Shaphat.

_"See chap. x., xxi., and xxxvil. _* See chap. vii., &c.

y That is, the Koreish.t . ;

2 That is, they know him not truly, nor have just notions of his goodness and mercy
towards man. ‘The persons here meant, according to some commentators, are the Jews,
and according to others, the idolaters.* .

This verse and the two next, as Jallalo’ddin thinks, were revealed at Medina.

2 By these words the Jews (if they were the persons meant) chiefly intended to deny
the Korin to be of divine revelation: though they might in strictness insist that God never
revealed, or sent down, as the Koran expresses it, any real composition or material writing
from heaven, in the manner that Mohammed pretended his revelations were delivered,*
if we except only the decalogue ; God having left to the inspired penman, not only the
labour of writing, but the liberty, in a great measure at least, of putting the truths into
their own words and manner of expression. :

» Falsely pretending to have received revelations from him ; as did Moseilama, al Aswad,
al Ansi, and others. a

* “What can be more impious than to make God the accomplice of a falsehood ?
Savary.

-* Al Beidawi. *Tdem. - ie Idem. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii.
108 AL KORAN. CHAP. VI.

saith, This was revealed unto me; when nothing hath been revealed unto
him?¢ and who saith, I will produce a revelation like unto that which
Gop hath sent down? If thou didst see when the ungodly are in the
pangs of death, and the angels® reach out their hands saying, Cast forth
your souls; this day shall ye receive an ignominious punishment for that
which ye have falsely spoken concerning Gop; and because ye have
proudly rejected his signs. And now are ye come unto us alone,‘ as
we created you at first,é and ye have left that which we had bestowed on
you, behind your backs; neither do we see with you your intercessors,
whom ye thought to have been partners with God among you: now is the
relation between you cut off, and what ye imagined hath deceived you.!
Gop causeth the grain and the date-stone to put forth: he bringeth forth
the living from the dead, and he bringeth forth the dead from the living.*
This is Gop. Why therefore are ye turned away from him? He causeth
the morning to appear; and hath ordained the night for rest, and the sun
and the moon for the computing of time.* This is the disposition of the
mighty, the wise God. It is he who_hath ordained the stars for you, that
ye may be directed thereby in the darkness of the land and of the sea. We
have clearly shown forth our signs, unto people who understand. It is he
who hath produced you from one soul; and hath provided for you a sure

receptacle and a repository.i We have clearly shown forth our signs, unto

people who are wise. It is he who sendeth down water from heaven, and
we have thereby produced the springing buds of all things, and have there-
out produced the green thing, from which we produce the grain growing in
rows, and palm-trees from whose branches proceed clusters of dates hanging
close together; and gardens of grapes, and olives, and pomegranates, both
like and unlike to one another. Look on their fruits, when they bear fruit,
and their growing to maturity. Verily herein are signs, unto people who

 

© As did Abda’llah Ebn Saad Ebn Abi Sarah, who for some time was the prophet’s
amanuensis, and when these words were dictated to him as revealed, viz. We created
man of a purer kind of clay, &c.‘ cried out, by way of admiration, Blessed be God, the
best Creator! and being ordered by Mohammed to write these words down also, as part
of the inspired passage, began to think himself as great a prophet as his master. Where-
upon he took upon himself to corrupt and alter the Koran according to his own fancy, and
at length apostatizing, was one of the ten who were proscribed at the taking of Mecca,®
and narrowly escaped with life on his recantation, by the interposition of Othman Ebn
Affan, whose foster-brother he was." .

4 For some Arabs, it seems, had the vanity to imagine, and gave out, that if they pleased
they could write a book nothing inferior to the Koran.

° See before, p. 104, note a.

‘That is, without your wealth, your children, or your friends, which ye so much
depended on in your lifetime.

87. e. Naked and helpless.

» Or false gods.

! Concerning the intercession of your idols, or the disbelief of future rewards and pun-
ishments.

* See chap. iii. p. 38.

* «He is your Lord. How can he deceive you? He divideth the dawn from the dark-
ness. He hath appointed the night for rest. ‘The sun and the moon mark the course of
time.”’—Savary.

' Namely, in the loins of your fathers, and the wombs of your mothers.®

‘Koran, c. 23. 5 Al Beidawi. _ * See the Prelim. Disc. end of sect. ii. ™Vide
Abu’lfed. Vide Moh. p. 109. ® Al Beidawi.
CHAP. VI. AL KORAN. 109

believe. Yet they have set up the genii™ as partners with Gop, although
he created them: and they have falsely attributed unto him sons and
daughters," without knowledge. Praise be unto him; and: far be that
from him which they attribute unto him! He is the maker of heaven
and earth: how should he have issue since he hath no consort? he hath
created all things, and he is omniscient, This is Gop your Lorp; there is
no Gop but he, the creator of all things; therefore serve him: for he
taketh care of all things. The sight comprehendeth him not, but he com-
prehendeth the sight; he is the gracious,° the wise. Now have evident
demonstrations come unto you from your Lorp; whoso seeth them, the
advantage thereof will redound to his own soul: and whoso is wilfully blind,
the consequence will be to himself. I am not a keeper over you. Thus do
‘2 variously explain our signs; that they may say, Thou hast: studied
diligently ;” and that we may declare them unto people of understanding.
Follow that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lorp; there is
no Gop but he: retire therefore from the idolaters. If Gop had so pleased,
they had not been guilty. of idolatry. We have not appointed thee a
keeper over them; neither art thou a guardian over them. Revile not the
idols which they invoke besides Gop, lest they maliciously revile Gop,
without knowledge. Thus have we prepared for every nation their works:
hereafter unto Gop shall they return, and he shall declare unto them that
which they have done. They have sworn by Gop, by the most solemn
oath, that if a sign came unto them, they would certainly believe therein :
Say, Verily signs are in the power of Gop alone; and he permitieth you
not to understand, that when they come, they will not believe.1 And we
will turn aside their hearts and their sight from the truth, as they believed
not therein™ the first time; and we will leave them to wander in their
error. [*VIII.] And though we had sent down angels unto them,
and the dead had spoken unto them, and we had gathered together
before them all things in one view;* they would not have believed,

 

= This word signifies properly the genus of rational, invisible beings, whether angels,
devils, or that intermediate species usually called genii. Some of the commentators,
therefore, in this place, understand the angels, whom the pagan Arabs worshipped; and
others the devils, either because they became their servants by adoring idols at their insti-
gation, or else because, according to the Magian system, they looked on the devil as a sort
of creator, making him the author and principle of all evil, and God the author of good only.’

"See the Prelim. Discourse, sect. i. and sect ii.

° Or, as the word may be translated, the incomprehensible.

» That is, Thou hast been instructed by the Jews and Christians in these matters, and
only retailest to us what thou hast learned of them. For this the infidels objected to Mo-
hammed, thinking it impossible for him to discourse on subjects of so high a nature, and
in so clear and pertinent a manner, without being well versed in the doctrines and sacred
writings of those people. ; :

aIn this passage Mohammed endeavours to excuse his inability of working a miracle,
as had been demanded of him; declaring that God did not think fit to comply with their
desires; and that if he had so thought fit, yet it had been in vain, because if they were
not convinced by the Koran, they would not be convinced by the greatest miracle.”

"i.e. In the Koran.

*For the Meccans required that Mohammed should either show them an angel de-
scending from heaven in their sight, or raise their dead fathers, that they might discoursy
with them, or prevail on God and his angels to appear to them in a body.

9 Al Beidawi. + Tdem. 2 Confer Luke xvi. 31.
110 AL KORAN. CILAP. VI.

unless Gop had so pleased: but the greater part of them know uw
not. Thus have we appointed unto every prophet an enemy ; the devils
of men, and of genii: who privately suggest the one to the other
specious discourses to deceive; but if thy Lorp pleased, they would
not have done it. Therefore leave them, and that which they have
falsely imagined; and let the hearts of those be inclined thereto, who
believe not in the life to come: and let them please themselves therein,
and let them gain that which they are gaining, Shall I seek after any
other judge besides Gon to judge between us? It is he who hath sent down
unto you the book of the Koran distinguishing between good and evil ; and
they to whom we gave the scripture know that it is sent down trom thy
Lorp, with truth. Be not therefore one of those who doubt thereof. The
words of thy Lorp are perfect, in truth and justice; there is none who
can change his words:* he both heareth and knoweth. But if thou obey
the greater part of them who are in the earth, they will lead thee aside
from the path of Gop: they follow an uncertain opinion only,® and
speak nothing but lies; verily thy Lorp well knoweth those who go astray
from his path, and well knoweth those who are rightly directed. Eat of
that whercon the name of Gop hath been commemorated,’ if ye believe
in his signs: and why do ye not eat of that whereon the name of Gop hath
been commemorated? since he hath plainly declared unto you what he hath
forbidden you; except that which ye be compelled to eat of by necessity ;
many lead others into error,* because of their appetites, being void of know-
ledge; but thy Lorp well knoweth who are the transgressors. Leave both
the outside of iniquity and the inside thereof:* for they who commit
iniquity shall receive the reward of that which they shall ‘have gained.
Eat not therefore of that whereon the name of Gop hath not been commem-
orated; for this is certainly wickedness: but the devils will suggest unto
their friends, that they dispute with you concerning this precept ; but if ye
obey them, ye are surely idolaters. Shall he who hath been dead, and
whom we have restored unto life, and unto whom we have ordained a
light, whereby he may walk among men, de as he whose similitude is
in darkness, from whence he shall not come forth?¥ Thus was that which
the infidels are doing prepared for them.* And thus have we placed in

 

‘ Some interpret this of the immutability of God’s decree, and the certainty of his threats
and promises: others, of his particular promise to preserve the Koran from any such alter-
ations or corruptions as they imagine to have happened to the Pentateuch and the Gos-
pel ;° and others, of the enalherstle duration of the Mohammedan law, which they hold
is to last till the end of the world, there being no other prophet, law, or dispensation, to
be expected after it.
« Imagining that the true religion was that which their idolatrous ancestors professed. -
* See chap. ii. p. 20, and chap. v. p. 81.
# The greatest part of men go astray, seduced by their passions, and ed by i ig-
norance. "—Savary.
x That is, Both open and secret sins.
y The persons primarily intended in this passage were Hamza, Mohammed’s uncle, ane
Abu Jahl; others instead of Hamza name Omar, or Ammar.

* “Crime grows beautiful in the sight of the wicked.’’—Savary.
#

2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. and Kor. chap. xv.
CHAP. VI. AL KORAN. 111

every city chief leaders of the wicked men thereof, that they may act
deceitfully therein; but they shall act deceitfully against their own souls
only ; and they. know ié not. And when a sign* cometh unto them, they
say, We will by no means believe until a revelation be brought unto
us, like unto that which hath been delivered unto the messengers of Gop.°
Gop best knoweth whom he will appoint for his messenger.* Vileness in
the sight of God shall fall upon those who deal wickedly, and a grievous
punishment, for that they have dealt deceitfully. And whomsoever Gop
hall please to direct, he will open his breast to receive the faith of Islam:
but whomsoever he shall please to lead into error, he will render his breast
strait and narrow, as though he were climbing up to heaven.’ Thus doth
Gop inflict a terrible punishment on those who believe not. This is the right
way of thy Lorp. Now have we plainly declared our signs unto those people
who will consider. They shall have a dwelling of peace with their Lorn,
and he shall be their patron, because of that which they have wrought.
Think on the day whereon God shall gather them all together, and shall say,
O company of. genii,° ye have been much concerned with mankind ; f * and
their. friends from among mankind shall say, O Lorp, the one of us hath
received advantage from the other,’ and we are arrived at our limited
term which thou hast appointed us. God will say, Hell fire shall be
your habitation, therein shall ye remain for ever ; unless as Gop shall please
to mitigate your pains,' for thy Lorp is wise and knowing. Thus do we
set some of the unjust over others of them, because of that which they have
deserved. O company of genii and men, did not messengers from among
yourselves come unto you,* rehearsing my signs unto you, and forewarning

 

2In the same manner as we have done in Mecca.

*7. e. Any verse or passage of the Koran. ’

> These were the words of the Koreish, who thought there were persons among them-
selves more worthy of the honour of being God’s messenger than Mohammed.

© Literally, Where he will place his commission. God, says al Beidawi, bestows not the
gift of prophecy on any one on account of his nobility or riches, but for their spiritual
qualifications ; making choice of such of his servants as he pleases, and who he knows
will execute their commissions faithfully.

¢ Or had undertaken the most impossible thing in the world. In like manner shall the
heart of such a man be incapable of receiving the truth. 7

© That is, of devils.‘ ‘In tempting and seducing them to sin.

* « At the day of the universal gathering together, we shall say to the genii, Too long
have you deceived mankind.’’—Savary.

© The advantage which men received from the evil spirits was their raising and satisfy-
ing their lusts and appetites; and that which the latter received in return, was the obedi-
ence paid them by the former, &c.5

» wiz, The day of resurrection, which we believed not in the other world.

! The commentators tell us, that this alleviation of the pains of the damned will be when
they shall be taken out of the fire to drink the boiling water,’ or to suffer the extreme
cold, called al Zamharir, which is to be one part of their punishment, but others think the
respite which God will grant to some before they are thrown into hell is here intended.’
According to the exposition of Ebn Abbas, these words may be rendered, Unless him
whom God shall please to deliver thence.*

© It is the Mohammedan belief that apostles were sent by God for the conversion both
of genii and of men; being generally of human race (as Mohammed, in particular, who

“Al Beidawi. 5 Idem,’ Jallalo’ ddin. ® Jallalo’ddin. 1 Al Beidawi. * See
the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. j
112 AL KORAN. CHAP. VI.

you of the meeting of this your day? They shall answer, We bear witness
against ourselves : the present life deceived them: and they shall bear wit-
ness against themselves that they were unbelievers. This hath been the
method of God?s dealing with his creatures, because thy Lorp would not
destroy the cities in their iniquity, while their inhabitants were careless!
Every one shall have degrees of recompense of that which they shall do; for
thy Lorp is not regardless of that which they do, and thy Lorp is self-
sufficient and endued with mercy. If he pleaseth he can destroy you,
and cause such as he pleaseth to succeed you, in like manner as he pro-
duced you from the posterity of other people. Verily that which is threat-
ened you, shall surely come to pass; neither shall ye cause it to fail. Say
unto those of Mecca, O my people, act according to your power; verily I
will act according to my duty :™ and hereafter shall ye know whose will
be the reward of paradise. The ungodly shall not prosper. Those of Mecca
set apart unto Gop a portion of that which he hath produced of the fruits
of the earth, and of cattle; and say, This belongeth unto Gop (according to
their imagination), and this unto our companions.” And that which is
destined for their companions cometh not unto Gop; yet that which is set
apart unto Gop cometh unto their companions.° How ill do they judge! In
like manner have their companions induced many of the idolaters to slay
their children,? that they might bring them to perdition, and that they
might render their religion obscure and confused unto them. But if Gop
had pleased, they had not done this: therefore leave them and that which
they falsely imagine. They also say, These cattle and fruits of the earth
are sacred; none shall eat thereof but who we please™ (according to then
imagination) ; and there are cattle whose backs are forbidden to be rode on,

 

> :
pretended to have a commission to preach to both kinds); according to this passage, it
seems there must have been prophets of the race of genii also, though their mission be
a secret to us.

' Or considered not their danger ; but God first sent some prophet to them to warn them
of it, and to invite them to repentance.

* “Say unto man, Labour according unto thy strength; I will proportion my benefits
unto my power.’’—Savary.

™ That is, Ye may proceed in your rebellion against God and your malice towards me,
and be confirmed in your infidelity ; but I will persevere to bear your insults with patience,
and to publish those revelations which God has commanded me.°

=7, e. Our idols. In which sense this word is to be taken through the whole passage.

° As to this custom of the pagan Arabs, see the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. To what is there
said we may add, that the share set apart for God was employed chiefly in relieving the
poor, and strangers; and the share of the idols, for paying their priests, and providing
sacrifices for them.”

» Either by that inhuman custom, which prevailed among those of Kendah and some
other tribes, of burying their daughters alive, so soon as they were born, if they appre-
hended they could not maintain them ;? or else by offering them to their idols, at the in-
stigation of those who had the custody of their temples.?

«By corrupting with horrid superstitions that religion which Ismael had left to his
posterity.?

* That is, Those who serve our idols, and are of the male sex; for the women were
not allowed to eat of them.‘

* Al Beidawi. Idem, Jallalo’ddin. 1 See chap. Ixxxi. 2 Al Beidawi-
*Idem. ‘Idem. :
CHAP. VI. AL KORAN. 113

or loaden with burdens ;* and there are cattle on which they commemorate
not the name of Gop when they slay them;+* devising a lie against
him: God shall reward them for that which they falsely devise* And they
say, That which is in the bellies of these cattle is allowed our males to eat,
and is forbidden to our wives: but if it prove abortive, then they are both
partakers thereofx God shall give them the reward of their attributing
these things to him: he is knowing and wise. They are utterly lost who
have slain their children foolishly,y without knowledge;* and have for-
bidden that which Gop hath given them for food, devising a lie against Gop.
They have erred, and were not rightly directed. He it is who produceth
gardens of vines, both those which are supported on trails of wood, and those
which are not supported,* and palm-trees, and the corn affording various
food, and olives, and pomegranates, alike and unliké unto one another.
Eat of their fruit, when they bear fruit, and pay the due thereof on the day
whereon ye shall gather it; but be not profuse,° for God loveth not those

-who are too profuse. And God hath given you some cattle fit for bearing

°

of burdens, and some fit for slaughter only. Eat of what Gop hath given
you for food; and follow not the steps of Satan, for he is your declared
enemy. Four pair? of cattle hath God given you; of sheep one pair, and
of goats one pair. Say unto them, Hath God forbidden the two males, of —
sheep and of goats, or the two females; or that which the wombs of the two

. females contain? Tell me with certainty, if ye speak truth. And of camels

hath God given you one pair, and of oxen one pair. Say, Hath he forbidden
the two males of these, or the two females; or that which the wombs of the
two females contain?® Were ye present when Gop commanded you this?
And who is more unjust than he who deviseth a lie against Gop,‘ that he
may seduce men without understanding? Verily Gop directeth not unjust

 

* Which they superstitiously exempted from such services, in some particular cases ; as
they did the Bahira, the Saiba, and the Hami.*

* See chap. 5.
‘ ‘oun is, the fetus or embryos of the Bahira and the Saiba, which shall be brought
forth alive.

«For if those cattle cast their young, the women might eat thereof as well as the men.

¥ See p. 112, note p. r

Not having a due sense of God’s providence.

2 Or, as some choose to interpret the words, trees or plants which are planted by the
labour of man, and those which grow naturally in the deserts and on mountains.

> That is, give alms thereof to the poor. And these alms, as al Beidawi observes, were
what they used to give before the Zacat, or legal alms, was instituted ; which was done
after Mohammed had retired from Mecca, where this verse was revealed. Yet somé
are of another opinion, and for this very reason will have the verse to have been revealed
at Medina.

i.e, Give not so much thereof in alms as to leave your own families in want; for
charity begins at home. . ;

4 Or, literally, eight males and females paired together ; that is, four of each sex, and
two of every distinct kind. : . ue

©In this passage Mohammed endeavours to convince the Arabs of their superstitious
folly in making it unlawful, one while, to eat the males of these four kinds of cattle ;
another while, the females; and at another time, their young. a

‘The person particularly intended here, some say, was Amru Ebn Lohai, king of
Hajaz, a great introducer of idulatry and superstition among the Arabs.”

* See chap. 5. p. 95, and Prelim. Disc. sect. v. ® Al Beidawi. Idem. See
Prelim. Disc. p. 14, and Pocock, Spee. p. 80.
114 AL KORAN. CHAP. VI.

people. Say, I find not in that which hath been revealed unto me any
thing forbidden unto the eater, that he eat it not, except it be that which
dieth of itself, or blood poured forth,s or swine’s flesh: for this is
an abomination: or that which is profane, having been slain in the name
of some other than of Gop.’ But whoso shall be compelled by necessity to
eat of these things, not lusting, nor wilfully transgressing, verily thy Lorp
will be gracious unto him and merciful. Unto the Jews did we forbid
every beast having an undivided hoof; and of bullocks and sheep, we
forbade them the fat of both; except that which should be on their
backs, or their inwards, or which should be intermixed with the
bone.' This have we rewarded them with, because of their iniquity ;
and we are surely speakers of truth. If they accuse thee of impos-
ture, say, Your Lorp is endued with extensive mercy; but his severity
shall not be averted from wicked people. The idolaters will say, If Gop
had pleased, we had not been guilty of idolatry, neither our fathers; and
pretend that we have not forbidden them any thing. Thus did they who
were before them accuse the prophets of imposture, until they tasted our
severe punishment. Say, Is there with you any certain knowledge of what
ye allege, that ye may produce it unto us? Ye follow only a false imagin-
ation; and ye utter only lies. Say, therefore, Unto Gop belongeth the most
evident demonstration; for if he had pleased, he had directed you all.
Say, Produce your witnesses, who can bear testimony that Gop hath for-
bidden this. But if they bear testimony of this, do not thou bear testimony
with them, nor do thou follow the desires of those who accuse our signs of
falsehood, and who believe not in the life to come, and equalize idols with
their Lorp. Say, Come;* I will rehearse that which your Lorp hath
forbidden you; that is to say, that ye be not guiity of idolatry, and that ye
show kindness to your parents, and that ye murder not your children for
fear lest ye be reduced to poverty : we will provide for you and them; and
draw not near unto heinous crimes,! neither openly nor in secret; and
slay not the soul which God hath forbidden you to slay, unless for a just
cause.™ This hath he enjoined you that ye may understand. And
meddle not with the substance of the orphan, otherwise than for the
improving thereof, until he attain his age of strength: and use a full
measure, and a just balance. We will not impose a task on any soul”
beyond its ability. And when ye pronounce judgment observe justice,
although it be for or against one who is near of kin, and fulfil the covenant
of Gop. This hath God commanded you, that ye may be admonished ; and

 

® That is, fluid blood; in opposition to what the Arabs suppose to be also blood,-but
not fluid; as the liver and the spleen.®

4 See Levit. vii. 23, and iii. 16. ;

' wiz, The fat of the rumps or tails of sheep, which are very large in the east ; a small
one weighing ten or twelve pounds, and some no less than threescore.
eae and the two following verses Jallalo’ddin supposes to have been revealed al

edina.

! The original word signifies peculiarly fornication and avarice.

™ As for murder, apostasy, or adultery.®

® Al Beidawi. Jallalo’ddin. ° Al Beidawi.
OHAP. VI. AL KORAN. 115

that ye may know that this is my right way: therefore follow it, and
follow not the path of others, lest ye’ be scattered from the path of God.
This hath he commanded you that ye may take heed. We gave also unto
Moses the book of the law; a perfect rule unto him who should do right,
and a determination concerning ‘all things needful, and a direction, and
mercy ; that the children of Israel might believe the meeting of their Lorp
And this book which we have now sent down is blessed; therefore follow
it, and fear God that ye may obtain mercy: lest ye should say, The scrif
tures were only sent down unto two people" before us; and we neglected
to peruse them with attention :° or lest ye should say, If a book of divine
revelations had been sent down unto us, we would surely have been better
directed than they.? And now hath a manifest declaration come unto you
from your Lorp, and a direction and mercy : and who is more unjust than
he who deviseth lies against the signs of Gon, and turneth aside from
them? We will reward those who turn aside from our signs with a
grievous punishment, because they have turned aside. Do they wait for
any other than that the angels should come unto them, to part their souls
from their bodies ; or that thy Lorp should come to punish them ; or that
some of the signs of thy Lorp should come to pass, showing the day of judg-
ment to be at hand? On the day whereon some of thy Lorp’s signs shall
coe to pass, its faith shall not profit a soul which believed not before, or
wrought not g6od in its faith. Say, Wait ye for this day ; we surely do wait
for it. They who make a division in their religion,* and become scctaries,
have thou nothing to do with them; their affair belongeth only unto Gop.
Hereafter shall he declare unto them that which they have done. He who
shall appear with good works, shall receive a tenfold recompense for the
same ; but he who shall appear with evil works, shall receive only an equal
punishment for the same; and they shall not be treated unjustly. Say,
Verily my Lorp hath directed me into a right way, a true religion, the sect
- of Abraham the orthodox; and he was no idolater. Say, Verily my
prayers, and my worship, and my life, and my death are dedicated unto
Gop, the Lorp of all creatures: he hath no companion. This have I been

 

« That is, the Jews and Christians.

° Either because we knew nothing of them, or did not understand the language wherein
they were written.

» Because of the acuteness of our. wit, the clearness of our understanding, and our
facility of learning sciences; as appears from our excelling in history, poetry, and oratory,
notwithstanding we are an illiterate people.‘

7 Al Beidawi, from a tradition of Mohammed, says that ten signs will precede the last
day ; viz. the smoke, the beast of the earth, an eclipse in the east, another in the west,
and a third in the peninsula of Arabia, the appearance of Antichrist, the sun’s rising in the
west, the irruption of Gog and Magog, the descent of Jesus on the earth, and fire which
shall break forth from Aden.? .

' For faith in the next life will be of no advantage to those who have not believed in
this; nor yet faith in this life, without good works. .

* That is, who believe in part of it, and disbelieve other part of it; or who form schisms
therein. Mohammed is reported to have declared, that the Jews were divided into seventy
one sects, and the Christians into seventy-two: and that his own followers would be splir
into seventy-three sects ; and that all of them would be damned, except only one of each.*

* Al Beidawi. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. 2 Al Beidawi.
116 AL KORAN. : CHAP. VII.

commanded: I am the first Moslem.t Say, shall I desire any other Lorp
besides Gop? since he is the Lorp of all things; and no soul shall acquire
any merits or demerits but for itself; and no burdened soul shall bear the
burden of another. Moreover unto your Lorp shall ye return ; and he
shall declare unto you that concerning which ye now dispute. It is he
who hath appointed you to succeed your predecessors in the earth, and hath
raised some of you above others by various degrees of worldly advantages,
that he might prove you by that which he hath bestowed on you. Thy
Lorp is swift in punishing ; and he is also gracious and merciful.

 

CHAPTER VII.
INTITLED, AL ARAF;* REVEALED AT MECCA,’

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Au. M.S. A book hath been sent down unto thee: and therefore let
there be no doubt in thy breast concerning it;* that thou mayest preach
the same, and dhat it may be an admonition unto the faithful. Follow that
which hath been sent down unto you from your Lorp; and follow no
guides besides him: how little will ye be warned! How many cities have
we destroyed; which our vengeance overtook by night,* or while they
were reposing themselves at noon-day!* And their supplication, when our
punishment came upon them, was no other than that they said, Verily we
have been unjust. We will surely call those to an account, unto whom a
prophet hath been sent; and we will also call those to account who have ~
been sent unto them. And we will declare their actions unto them with
knowledge; for we are not absent from them. The weighing of men’s
actions on that day shall be just;° and they whose balances laden with their
good works shall be heavy, are those who shall be happy ; but they whose
balances shall be light, are those who have lost their souls, because they
injured our signs, And now have we placed you on the earth, and have

 

t See before, p. 99
= This was revealed in answer to the pressing instances of the idolaters, who offered to
take the crime upon themselves, if Mabarnmaed would conform to their worship.‘
< Al Araf signifies the partition between paradise and hell, which is mentioned in this
chapter.®
_ ¥Some however except five or eight verses, beginning at these words, And ask them
concerning the city, &-c.
2 The signification of those letters the more sober Mohammedans confess God alone
knows. Some however imagine they stand for Allah, Gabriel, Mohammed, on whom be
ace.
me Fea, not to use it for the purpose of threatening the wicked, and exhorting the ‘rue
selievers.”’—Savary. _
9 As it did the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, to whom Lot was sent.
> As happened to the Midianites, to whom Shoaib preached.
* See tie Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

‘ Al Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.
CHAP. VI. AL KORAN. meu

provided you food therein: dué how little are ye thankful! We created
you, and afterwards formed you; and then said unto the angels, Worship
Adam ; and they all worshipped fim, except Eblis, who was pot one of
_those who worshipped. God said unto him, What hindered thee from
worshipping dam, since I had commanded thee? He answered, I am
more excellent than he: thou hast created me of fire, and hast created him
of clay. God said, Get thee down therefore from paradise ; for it is not
Jit that thou behave thyself proudly therein: get thee hence ; thou shalt de
one of the contemptible. He answered, Give me respite until the day of
resurrection. God said, Verily thou shalt be one of those who ure respited.°
The devil said, Because thou hast depraved me, I will lay wait for men in
thy strait way; then will I come upon them from before, and from behind,
and from their right hands, and from their left;* and thou shalt not find
the greater part of them thankful. God said unto him, Get thee hence,
despised, and driven far away: verily whoever of them shall follow thee,
I will surely fill hell with you all: but as for thee, O Adam, dwell thou
and thy wife in paradise; and eat of the fruit thereof wherever ye will; but
approach not this tree, lest ye become of the number of the unjust. And
Satan suggested to them both, that he would discover unto them their
nakedness, which was hidden from them; and he said, Your Lorp hath
not forbidden you this tree, for any other reason but lest ye should become
angels, or lest ye become immortal. And he sware unto them, saying,
Verily I am one of those who counsel you aright. And he caused them to
fall through deceit. And when they had tasted of the tree, their naked.
hess appeared unto them;* and they began to join. together the leaves of
paradise,‘ to cover themselves. And their Lorp called to them, saying,
Did I not forbid you this tree: and did I not say unto you, Verily Satan is

 

4 See chap. 2, p. 5, &c.

* As the time till which the devil is reprieved is not particularly expressed, the com.
mentators suppose his request was not wholly granted: but agree that he shall die, as
well as other creatures, at the second sound of the trumpet.®

‘i.e. I will attack them on every side that I shall be able. The other two ways, viz.
from above, and from under their feet, are omitted, say the commentators, to show that
the devil’s power is limited.”

©The Mohammedan gospel of Barnabas tells us, that the sentence which God pro-
nounced on the serpent for introducing the devil into paradise® was, that he should not
only be turned out of paradise, but that he should have his legs cut off by the angel Mi-
chael, with the sword of God; and that the devil himself, since he had rendered our first
parents unclean, was condemned to eat the excrements of them and all their posterity ;
which two last circumstances I do not remember to have read elsewhere. The words of
the manuscript are these :—Y Iamé (Dios) a la serpiente, y a Michael, aquel que tiene la
espada de Dios, y le dito; Aquesta sierpe es acelerada, echala la primera del parayso, y
cortale las piernas, y si quisieri caminar, arrastrara la vida por tierra. Y llamé a Satanas,
el qual vino riendo, y dizole ; Porque tu reprobo hos enganado a aquestos, y los has hecho
immundos? Yo quiero que toda immundicia suya, y de todos sus hijos, en saliendo de sus
cuerpos entre por tu boca, porque en verdad ellos haran penitencia, y tu quedaras harto de

"Which they had not perceived before; being clothed, as some say, with light, or
garments of paradise, which fell from them on their disobedience. Yahya imagines their
nakedness was hidden by their hair.°

! Which it is said were fig-leaves.”

* Al Beidawi. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. and D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art.
Eblis. 7 Al Beidawi. ® See the notes to chap. 2, p, 5. ° Idem. © Tder
118 AL KORAN. HAP. VII

your declared enemy? They answered, O Lorp, we have dealt unjustly
with our own souls; and if thou forgive us not, and be not merciful unto
us, we shall surely be of those who perish. God said, Get ye down, the
one of you an enemy unto the other; and ye shall have a dwelling-place
upon the earth, and a provision for a season. He said, Therein shall ye
live, and therein shall ye die, and from thence shall ye be taken forth at
the resurrection. O children of Adam, we have sent down unto you
apparel,* to conceal your nakedness, and fair garments; but the clothing of
piety is better. This is one of the signs of God; that peradventure ye
may consider. O children of Adam, let not Satan seduce you, as he
expelled your parents out of paradise, by stripping them of their clothing,
that he might show them their nakedness: verily he seeth you, doth he
and his companions, whereas ye see not them.!— We have appointed the
devils to be patrons of those who believe not: and when they commit a
filthy action, they say, We found our fathers practising the same; and
Gop hath commanded us to do it. Say, Verily Gop commandeth not filthy
actions. Do ye speak concerning Gop that which ye know not? Say,
My Lorp hath commanded me to observe justice; therefore set your faces
to pray at every place of worship, and call upon him, approving unto hm
the sincerity of your religion. As he produced you at first, so unto him
shall ye return. A part of mankind hath he directed; and a part hath
been justly led into error, because they have taken the devils for their
patrons besides Gop, and imagine they are rightly directed. O children
of Adam, take your decent apparel at every place of worship,™ and eat
and drink," but be not guilty of excess; for he loveth not those who are
guilty of excess. Say, Who hath forbidden the decent apparel of Gop,
which he hath produced for his servants, and the good things which he hath
provided for food? Say, These things are for those who believe, in this
present life, bué peculiarly on the day of resurrection.» Thus do we
distinctly explain our signs unto people who understand. Say, Verily
my Lorp hath forbidden filthy actions, both that which is discovered
thereof, and that which is concealed, and also iniquity, and unjust violence ;

 

* Not only proper materials, but also ingenuity of mind and dexterity of hand to make
use of them."

! Because of the subtlety of their bodies, and their being void of all colour?

™ This passage was revealed to reprove an immodest custom of the pagan Arabs, who
used to encompass the Caaba naked, because clothes, they said, were the signs of their
disobedience to God.?_ The Sonna orders that when a man goes to prayers he should put
on his better apparel, out of respect to the divine majesty before whom he is to appear.
But as the Mohammedans think it indecent, on the one hand, to come into God’s presence
ina slovenly manner; so they imagine, on the other, that they ought not to appear before
him in habits too rich or sumptuous, and particularly in clothes adorned with gold or
silver, lest they should seem proud. |

2 The sons of Amer, it is said, when they performed the pilgrimage to Mecca, used to
eat no more than was absolutely necessary, and that not of the more delicious sort of food
neither; which abstinence they looked upon as a piece of merit, but they are here told
the contrary.* :

° Because then the wicked, who also partook of the blessings of this life, will have -
no share in the enjoyments of the next.

1 See the notes to chap. ii. p.5. 2 Jallalo’ddin. = ? Idem, al Beidawi. « Tidem.
CHAP. VII. AL KORAN. 119

and hath forbidden you to associate with Gop that concerning which he
hath sent you down no authority, or to speak of Gop that which ye know
not. Unto every nation there is a prefixed term ;* therefore, when their
term is expired, they shall not have respite for an hour, neither shall they
be anticipated. O children of Adam, verily apostles from among you shall
come unto you, who shall expound my signs unto you: whosoever there-
fore shall fear God and amend, there shall comé no fear on them, neither
shall they be grieved. But they who shall accuse our signs of falsehood,
and shall proudly reject them, they shall be the companions of hell fire;
they shall remain therein for ever. And.who is more unjust than he who
deviseth a lie concerning Gop, or accuseth his signs of imposture? Unto
these shall be given their portion of worldly happiness, according to what is
written in the book of God’s decrees, until our messengers? come unto them,
and shall cause them to die; saying, Where are the idols which ye called upon,
besides Gop? They shall answer, They have disappeared from us. And they
shall bear witness against themselves that they were unbelievers. God shall
say unto them at the resurrection, Enter ye with the nations which have pre-
ceded you, of genii and of men, into heiJ fire: so often as one nation shall
enter, it shall curse its sister, until they shall all have successively entered
therein, The latter of them shall say of the former of them: O Lorp, these *
have seduced us; therefore inflict on them a double punishment of the fire of
hell. God shall answer, It shail be doubled unto all:* but ye know it not:
and the former of them shall-say unto the latter of them, Ye have not
therefore any favour above us; taste the punishment for that which ye
have gained. Verily they who shall charge our signs with falsehood, and
_shall proudly reject them, the gates of heaven shall not be opened unto
them,‘ neither shall they enter into paradise, until a camel pass through
the eye of a needle, and thus will we reward the wicked doers, Their
couch shall be in hell, and over them shall be coverings of fire ; and thus
will we reward the unjust. But they who believe, and do that which is
right (we will not load any soul but according to its ability,) they shall be
the companions of paradise; they shall remain therein for ever, And we
will remove all grudges from their minds;* rivers shall run at their feet,

 

**«The term of life is fixed. No one can either anticipate or protract it for a single
instant.’’—Savary.

> viz. The angel of death and his assistants.

‘That is, the nation whose example betrayed them into their idolatry and other
wickedness.

* Unto those who set the example, because they not only transgressed themselves, but
were also the occasion of the others’ transgression; and unto those who followed them,
because of their own infidelity, and their imitating an ill example.*

*That is, when their souls shall, after death, ascend to heaven, they shall not be
admitted, but shall be thrown down into the dungeon under the seventh earth.®

‘ This expression was probably taken from our Saviour’s words in the gospel ;* though
it be proverbial in the east. oe

"So that whatever differences or animosities there had been between them in their life
time, they shall now be forgotten, and give place to sincere love and amity. This Ali is

* Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. © Jallalo’ddin. See the Prelim. Disc. ubi sup. p. 56.
‘Matt. xix. 24.
120 AL KORAN. OHAP. VII.

and they shall say, Praised be Gon, who hath directed us unto this felicity’.
for we should not have been rightly directed, if Gop had not directed us:
now are we convinced by demonstration that the apostles of our Lorp came
unto us with truth. And it shall be proclaimed unto them, This is
paradise, whereof ye are made heirs, as a reward for that which ye have
wrought. And the inhabitants* of paradise shall call out to the inhabitants
of hell fire, saying, Now have we found that which our Lorp promised us
to be true: have ye also found that which your Lorp promised you to be
true? They shall answer, Yea. Anda crier y shall proclaim between them,
The curse of Gop shall be on the wicked; who turn men aside from the
way of Gop, and seek to render it crooked, and who deny the life to come.
And between the blessed and the damned there shall be a veil; and men
shall stand on Al Araf* who shall know every one of them by their marks ;*
and shall call unto the inhabitants of paradise, saying, Peace be upon you:
yet they shall not enter therein, although they earnestly desire it.* And
when they shall turn their eyes towards the companions of heii fire, they
say, O Lorp, place us not with the ungodly people! And those who stand
on Al Araf shall call unto certain men,* whom they shall know by their
marks, and shall say, What hath your gathering of riches availed you, and
that ye were puffed up with pride? Are these the men on whom ye sware
that Gop would not bestow mercy?# Enter ye into paradise; there shall
come no fear on you, neither shall ye be grieved. And the inhabitants of
hell fire shall call unto the inhabitants of paradise, saying, Pour upon us
some water, or of those refreshments which Gop hath bestowed on you.t
They shall answer, Verily Gop hath forbidden them unto the unbelievers ;

 

said to have hoped would prove true to himself and his inveterate enemies, Othman, Telha, -
and al Zobeir.® i

* Literally, the companions.

y This crier, some say, will be the angel Israfl.

* Al Araf is the name of the wall or partition which, as Mohammed taught, will separate
paradise from hell.° But as to the persons who are to be placed thereon, the commentators
differ, as has been elsewhere observed.!

"4, e. Who shall distinguish the blessed from the damned by their proper characteristics ;
such as the whiteness and splendour of the faces of the former, and the blackness of those
of the latter.? 2

» From this circumstance it seems that their opinion is the most probable who make
this intermediate partition a sort of purgatory for those who, though they deserve not to
be’ sent to hell, yet have not merits sufficient to gain them immediate admittance into
paradise, and will be tantalized here for a certain time with a bare view of the felicity of
that place.

° That is, the chiefs and ringleaders of the infidels.? ‘

4 These were the inferior and poorer among the believers, whom they despised in their
lifetimes as unworthy of God’s favour.

° These words are directed, by an apostrophe, to the poor and despised believers above-
mentioned. Some commentators however imagine these and the next preceding words
are to be understood of those who will be confined in Al Araf; and that the damned will,
in return for their reproachful speech, swear that they shall never enter paradise them-
selves; whereupon God of his mercy shall order them to be admitted by these words.‘

‘4. e. Of the other liquors or fruits of paradise. Compare this passage with the parable
of Dives and Lazarus.

* Al Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. 1 See ibid. 2 Al Beidawi.
?Idem. ‘Idem.
CHAP. VII. AL KORAN. 121

who made a laughing-stock and a sport of their religion, and whom the life
of the world hath deceived: therefore this day will we forget them, as they
did forget the meeting of this day, and for that they denied oux,signs to be
from God. And now have we brought unto those of Mecca a book of divine
revelations : we have explained it with knowledge; a direction and mercy
unto people who shall believe. Do they wait for any other than the inter-
pretation thereof? On the day whereon the interpretation thereof shall
come, they who had forgotten the same before shall say, Now are we con-
vinced by demonstration that the messengers of'our Lorp came unto us with
truth: shall we therefore have any intercessors, who will intercede for us?
or shall we be sent back into the world, that we may do other works than
what we did in our life-time? But now have they lost their souls; and
that which they impiously imagined hath fled from them." Verily you
Lorp is Gop, who created the heavens and the earth in six days; and then
ascended his throne: he causeth the night to cover the day ; it succeedeth
the same swiftly: he also created the sun and the moon, and the stars,
which are absolutely subject unto his command. Is not the whole creation,
and the empire thereof, his? Blessed be Gop, the Lorp of all creatures!
Call unto your Lorp humbly and in secret ;* for he loveth not those who
transgress.' And act not corruptly in the earth, after its reformation ;* and
call upon him with fear and desire: for the mercy of Gop is near unto the
righteous. It is he who sendeth the winds, spread abroad?! before his
mercy,” until they bring a cloud heavy with rain, which we drive into a
dead country ;" and we cause water to descend thereon, by which we cause
all sorts of fruits to spring forth. Thus will we bring forth the dead from
their graves ;° that peradventure ye may consider. From a good country
shall its fruit spring forth abundantly, by the permission of its Lorn; but:
from the land which is bad, it shall not spring forth otherwise than
scarcely. Thus do we explain the signs of divine providence unto people
who are thankful. We formerly sent Noah? unto his people: and he said,

 

® That is, the event of the promises and menaces therein.

» See ch. 6, p. 100, note z.

* Call upon the Lord, in public and private, but avoid ostentation. He hateth the
haughty.”"—Savary.

‘ Behaving themselves arrogantly while they pray; or praying with an obstreperous
voice, or a multitude of words and vain repetitions.*

*i.e. After that God hath sent his prophets, and revealed his laws, for the reformation
and amendment of mankind. .

' Or ranging over a large extent of land. Some copies, instead of noshram, which is the
reading I have here followed, have boshran, which signifies good tidings ; the rising of the
wind in such a manner being the forerunner of rain. _ :

= That is, rain. For the east wind, says Al Beidawi, raises the clouds, the north wind
drives them together, the south wind agitates them, so as to make the rain fall, and the
west wind disperses them again.®

* Or a dry and parched land.

° See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. :

? Noah, the son of Lamech, according to the Mohammedan writers, was one of the sia
principal prophets,’ though he had no written revelations delivered to him,* and the first who

* Al Beidawi. * Idem. "See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. * Vide Reland. de
Relig. Moh. p. 34.
122 AL KORAN. CHAP. VI

O my people, worship Gop: ye have no other Gop than him.* Verily I
fear for you the punishment of the great day." The chiefs of his people
answered him, We surely perceive thee to be in a manifest error. He
replied, O my people, there is no error in me; but I am a messenger from
the Lorp of all creatures. I bring unto you the messages of my Lorp ; and
I counsel you aright: for I know from Gon, that which ye know not. Do
ye wonder that an admonition hath come unto you from your Lorp by a
man * from among you, to warn you, that ye may take heed to yourselves,
and that peradventure ye may obtain mercy? And they accused him of
imposture: but we delivered him and those who were with him in the ark,*
and we drowned those who charged our signs with falsehood; for they
were a blind people. And unto the tribe of Ad*™ we sent their brother Hud.*
He said, O my people, worship Gop: ye have no other Gop than him;
will ye not fear him? The chiefs of those among his people who believed
not,y answered, Verily we perceive that thou art guided by folly; and we

 

appeared after his great-grandfather Edris or Enoch. They also say he was by trade a
carpenter, which they infer from his building the ark, and that the year of his mission was
the fiftieth, or, as others say, the fortieth of his age.®

That Noah was a preacher of righteousness unto the wicked antediluvians is testified by
scripture.! The eastern Christians say, that when God ordered Noah to build the ark, he
also directed him to make an instrument of wood, such as they make use of, at this day, in
the east, instead of bells, to call the people to church, and named in Arabic Nakis, and in
modern Greek, Semandra; on which he was to strike three times every day, not only to
call together the workmen that were building the ark, but to give him an opportunity
of ae admonishing his people of the impending danger of the deluge, which would
certainly destroy them if they did not repent.?

Some Mohammedan authors pretend that Noah was sent to convert Zohak, one of the
Persian kings of the first race, who refused to hearken to him; and that he afterwards
preached God’s unity publicly.*

1 From these words, and other passages of the Koran where Noah’s preaching is men-
tioned, it appears that, according to Mohammed’s opinion, a principal crime of the ante-
diluvians was idolatry.‘

‘viz. Either the day of resurrection, or that whereon the flood was to begin.

_* For, said they, if God had pleased, he would have sent an angel, and not a man,
since we never heard of such an instance in the times of our fathers.*

* That is, those believed in him, and entered into that vessel with him. Though there
be a tradition among the Mohammedans, said to have been received from the prophet
himself, and conformable to the scripture, that eight persons and no more were saved in the
ark, yet some of them report the number variously. One says they were but six, another
ten, another twelve, another seventy-eight, and another fourscore, half men and half
women ;§ and that one of them was the elder Jorham," the preserver, as some pretend,
of the Arabian language.®

« Ad was an ancient and potent tribe of Arabs,° and zealous idolaters.1_ They chiefl
worshipped four deities, Sakia, Hafedha, Razeka, and Salema;; the first, as they imagined,
supplying them with rain, the second preserving them from all dangers abroad, the third
providing food for their sustenance, and the fourth restoring them to health when afflicted
with sickness ;? according to the signification of the several names. *

x Generally supposed to be the same person with Heber ;* but others say he was the
son of Abd’allah, the son of Ribah, the son of Kholiid, the son of Ad, the son of Aws or
Uz, the son of Aram, the son of Sem.‘

y These words were added because some of the principal men among them believed
on Hid, one of whom was Morthed Ebn Saad.§

® Al Zamakhshari. 12 Pet. ii. 5. ® Kutych. Ann. p. 37. 3 Vide
D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 675. * See ch. 61, and the Prelim, Disc. sect. i.
‘ Al Beidawi. _ § Al Zamakhshari, Jallalo’ddin, Ebn Shohnah. " Tidem.
See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. ® Vide Pocock. Orat. prefix. Carm. Tograi.
» See the Prelim. Disc. sect.i. | + Abulfeda. 2 Vide D’ Herbel. Bibl. Orient.
Art. Houd. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. “Al Beidawi. ~ 3 Idem.
CHAP. VII. AL KORAN. 123

certainly esteem thee to be one of the liars, He replied, O my people, I am
not guided by folly; but I am a messenger unto you from the Lorp of all
creatures: I bring unto you thé messages of my Lorn; and I’am a faithful
counsellor unto you. Do ye wonder that an admonition hath come unte
you, from your Lorp, by a man from among you, that he may warn you?
Call to mind how he hath appointed you successors unto the people
of Noah,” and hath added unto you in stature largely.2* Remember
the benefits of Gop, that ye may prosper. They said, Art thou come
unto us, that we should worship Gop alone, and leave the deities
which our fathers worshipped? Now bring down that judgment upon us,
wita which thou threatenest us, if thou speakest truth. Hud answered,
Now shall there suddenly fall upon you from your Lorp vengeance and
indignation. Will ye dispute with me concerning the names which ye
have named,* and your fathers ; as to which Gop hath not revealed unto you
any authority? Do ye wait therefore, and I will be one of those who wait
with you.t And we delivered him, and then who believed with him by our
mercy; and we cut off the uttermost part of those who charged our signs
with falsehood, and were not believers. And unto the tribe of Thamiad 4
we sent their brother Saleh.c- He said, O my people, worship Gop: ye
have no Gop besides him. Now hath a manifest proof come unto you

 

* Dwelling in the habitations of the antediluvians, who preceded them not many cen-

turies; or having the chief sway in the earth after them. For the kingdom of Shedad,
. the son of Ad, is said to have extended from the sands of Alaj to the trees of Omin.®

? See the Prelim. Disc. p. 5.

* ‘And that multiplied you, and increased your power.’’—Savary.

> That is, concerning the idols and imaginary objects of your worship, to’ which ye
wickedly give the names, attributes, and honour due to the only true God.

t‘* Wait! I shall soon be spectator of your ruin.’’—Savary.

© The dreadful destruction of the Adites we have menuoned: in another place," and shall
only add here some further circumstances of that calamity, and which differ a little from
what is there said ; for the Arab writers acknowledge many inconsistencies in the histories
of these ancient tribes.

The tribe of Ad having been for their incredulity previously chastised with a three
years’ drought, sent Kail Ebn Ithar and Morthed Ebn Saad, with seventy other principal
men, to the temple of Mecca to obtain rain. Mecca was then in the hands of the tribe
of Amalek, whose prince was Moawiyah Ebn Becr ; and he being without the city when
the ambassadors arrived, entertained them there for a month in so hospitable a manner, that
they had forgotten the business they came about, had not the king reminded them of it,
not as from himself, lest they should think he wanted to be rid of them, but by some
verses which he put into the mouth of a singing-woman. At which being roused from
their lethargy, Morthed told them, the only way they had to obtain what they wanted
would be to repent and obey their prophet: but this displeasing the rest, they desired
Moawiyah to imprison him, lest he should go with them; which being done, Kail with
the rest entering Mecca, begged of God that he would send rain to the people of Ad.
Whereupon three clouds appeared, a white one, a red one, anda black one; and a voice
from heaven ordered Kail to choose which he would. Kail failed not to make choice
of the last, thinking it to be loaden with the most rain; but when this cloud passed over
them, it proved to be fraught with the divine vengeance, and a tempest broke forth from
it which destroyed them all.? ,

_4Thamiid was another tribe of the ancient Arabs who fell into idolatry. See the
Prelim. Disc. sect. i.

_ ° A] Beidawi deduces his genealogy thus. Saleh, the son of Obeid, the son of Asaf,
the son of Masekh, the son of Obeid, the son of Hadher, the son of Thamfd.'

* Al Beidawi. ’Prelim. Disc. sect. i. * Al Beidawi. Vide D’Herbelot, Bibl.
Orient. Art. Houd. * See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. 1 Abulfeda, Al Zamakhshari.
Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Saleh.
124 AL KORAN. CHAP. VIt.

from your Lorp. This she-camel of Gop is a sign unto you:* therefore
dismiss her freely, that she may feed in Gon’s earth; and do her no hurt,
lest a painful punishment seize you. And call to mind how he hath
appointed you successors unto the tribe of Ad, and hath given you a habita-
tion on earth; ye build yourselves castles on the plains thereof, and cut out
the mountains into houses. Remember therefore the benefits of Gop, and
commit not violence in the earth, acting corruptly. The chiefs among his
people who were puffed up with pride, said unto those who were esteemed
weak, namely unto those who believed among them, Do ye know that
Saleh hath been sent from his Lorp? They answered, We do surely
believe in that wherewith he hath been sent. Those who were elated
with pride replied, Verily we believe not in that wherein ye believe,
And they cut off the feet of the camel, and insolently transgressed
, the command of their Lorn,‘ and said, O Saleh, cause that to come upon
us which thou hast threatened us, if thou art one of those who have
been sent by God. Whereupon a terrible noise from heaven * assailed
them ;* and in the morning they were found in their dwellings prostrate

 

‘ The Thamudites insisting on a miracle, proposed to Saleh that he should go with them
to their festival, and that they should call on their gods, and he on his, promising to follow
that deity which should answer. But after they had called on their idols a long time to no
purpose, Jonda Ebn Amru, their prince, pointed to a rock standing by itself, and bade
Saleh cause a she camel big with young to come forth from it, solemnly engaging that if
he did, he would believe; and his people promised the same. Whereupon Saleh asked
it of God, and presently the rock, after several throes, as if in labour, was delivered of a
she camel answering the description of Jonda, which immediately brought forth a young
one ready weaned, and, as some say, as big as herself. Jonda, seeing this miracle, be--
lieved on the prophet and some few with him; but the greater part of the Thamudites
remained, notwithstanding, incredulous. Of this camel the commentators tell several very
absurd stories ; as that when‘she went to drink she never raised her head from the well
or river till she had drunk up all the water in it, and then she offered herself to be milked,
the people drawing from her as much milk as they pleased ; and some say that she went
about the town crying aloud, Jf any wants milk, let him come forth?

® The tribe of Thamid dwelt first in the country of the Adites, but their numbers in-
creasing, they removed to the territory of Hejr for the sake of the mountains, where they
cut themselves habitations in the rocks, to be seen at this day.

» This extraordinary camel frighting the other cattle from their pasture, a certain rich
woman named Oneiza Omm Ganem, having four daughters, dressed them out, and
offered one Kedar his choice of them, if he would kill the camel. Whereupon he chose
one, and with the assistance of eight other men, hamstrung and killed the dam, and pur-
suing the young one, which fled to the mountain, killed that also, and divided its flesh
among them.’ Others tell the story somewhat differently, adding Sadaka Bint al Mokhtar
as a joint conspiratress with Oneiza, and pretending that the young one was not killed;
for they say that having fled to a certain mountain named Kara, he there cried three times,
and Saleh bade them catch him if they could, for then there might be hopes of their
avoiding the divine vengeance ; but this they were not able to do, the rock opening after
he had cried, and recciving him within it.*

‘ Defying the vengeance with which they were threatened; because they trusted in
their strong dwellings hewn in the rocks, saying that the tribe of Ad perished only because
their houses were not built with sufficient strength.’ :

* Like violent and repeated claps of thunder; which some say was no other than the
voice of the angel Gabriel,® and which rent their hearts." It is said that after they had
killed the camel, Saleh told them that on the morrow their faces should become yellow,
the next day red, and the third day black, and that on the fourth God’s vengeance should
light on them; and that the first three signs happening accordingly, they sought to put
him to death, but God delivered him, by sending Ht into Palestine.®

* “At that instant they felt the earth tremble under their feet.’’—Savary.

*See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. *Abulfeda. ‘ Al Beidawi. Vide D’Herbel, ubi supra.
‘Al Kessai. °See the Prelim. Disc. p.5. ‘*Abulfeda, Al Beidawi. * Al Beidawh
CHAP. VII. AL KORAN. 125

on their breasts and dead.’ And Saleh departed from them, and said,™
O my people, now have I delivered unto you the message of my Lorn;
and I advised you well, but ye love not those who advisé you well.
And remember Lot,» when he said unto ais people, Do ye commit a
wickedness, wherein no creature hath set you an example? Do ye
approach lustfully unto men, leaving the women? Certainly ye are people
who transgress all modesty.* But the answer of his people was no other
than that they said the one to the other, Expel them® your city; for they
are men who preserve themselves pure from the crimes which ye commit,
Therefore we delivered him and his family, except his wife; she was one
of those who stayed behind :» and we rained a shower of stones upon them.
Behold therefore what was the end of the wicked. And unto Madian’ we
sent their brother Shoaib.s He said unto them, O my people, worship
Gop; ye have no Gop besides him. Now hath an evident demonstration *

 

*

1 Mohammed, in the expedition of Tabiic, which he undertook against the Greeks in the
ninth year of the Hejra, passing by Hejr, where this ancient tribe had dwelt, forbad his
army, though much distressed with heat and thirst, to draw any water there, but ordered
them if they had drunk of that water to bring it up again, or if they had kneaded any meal
with it, to give it their camels ;° and wrapping up his face in his garment, he set spurs
to his mule, crying out, Enter not the houses of those wicked men, but rather weep, lest that
happen unto you, which befell them : and having so said, he continued galloping full speed
with his face muffled up, till he had passed the valley.*

m Whether this speech was made by Saleh to them at parting, as seems most proba-
ble, or after the judgment had fallen on them, the commentators are not agreed.

2 The commentators say, conformably to the scripture, that Lot was the son of Haran,
the son of Azer or Terah, and consequently Abraham’s nephew, who brought him with
him from Chaldea into Palestine, where, they say, he was sent by God to reclaim the
inhabitants of Sodom and the other neighbouring cities which were overthrown with it,
from the unnatural vice to which they were addicted.2, And this Mohammedan tradition
seems to be countenanced by the words of the apostle, that this righteous man dwelling
among them, in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their un-
lawful deeds,? whence it is probable that he omitted no opportunity of endeavouring their
reformation. The story of Lot is told with further circumstances in the eleventh chapter.

* «Will you violate the laws of nature ?’’—Savary.

° yz. Lot, and those who believe on him.

» See chap. 11.

4 See ibid. ;

*» Madian, or Midian, was a city of Hejaz, and the habitation of a tribe of the same
name, the descendants of Midian, the son of Abraham by Keturah,* who afterwards
coalesced with the Ismaelites, as it seems; Moses naming the same merchants who sold
Joseph to Potiphar, in one place Ismaelites,* and in another Midianites.*

This city was situated on the Red Sea, south-east of Mount Sinai, and is doubtless the
same with the Modiana of Ptolemy ; what was,remaining of it in Mohammed’s time was
soon after demolished in the succeeding wars," and it remains desolate to this day. The
people of the country pretend tg show the well whence Moses watered Jethro’s flocks.®

*Some Mohammedan writers make him the son of Mikail, the son of Yashjar, the son
of Madian ;° and they generally suppose him to be the same person with the father-in-law
of Moses, who is named in scripture Reuel or Raguel, and Jethro... But Ahmed Ebn
Abd’alhalim charges those who entertain this opinion with ignorance. A] Kessai says
that his name was Saniun, and that he was first called Boytin, and afterwards Shoaib ; and
adds that he was a comely person, but spare and lean, very thoughtful, amd of few words.
Doctor Prideaux writes this name, after the French translation, Chaib.?

‘ This demonstration the commentators suppose to have been a power of working mira-
cles, though the Koran mentions none in particular. However, they say (after the Jews),

* Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 124. * Al Bokhari. 2 Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl.
Orient. Art. Loth. 22 Pet. ii. 8. * Gen. xxv. 2. 5 Gen. xxxix. 1,
* Gen. xxxvii. 36. * Vide Golii not. in Alfrag. p. 143. ® Abulfeda, Desc. Arab.
p. 42. Geogr. Nub. p. 109. ® Al Beidawi, Tarikh Montakhab. 1 Exod. ii.

18, iii. 1. 2 Life of Moham. p. 24.
126 AL KORAN. CHAP. VII.

come unto you from your Lorp. Therefore give full measure and just
weight, and diminish not unto men aught of their matters :" neither act
corruptly in the earth, after its reformation. This will be better for you,
if ye believe. And beset not every way, threatening the passenger ;” and
turning aside from the path of Gop him who believeth in him, and seeking
to make it crooked. And remember, when ye were few, and Ged multi-
plied you: and behold, what hath been the end of those who acted
corruptly. And if part of you believe in that wherewith Iam sent, and
part believe not, wait patiently until Gop judge between us; for he is the
best judge. *[IX.] The chiefs of his people, who were elated with pride,
answered, We will surely cast thee, O Shoaib, and those who believe with
thee, out of our city: or else thou shalt certainly return unto our religion.
He said, What, though we be averse thereto? We shall surely imagine a lie
against Gop, if we return unto your religion, after that Gop hath delivered
us from the same: and we have no reason to return unto it, unless Gop
our Lorp shall please to abandon us. Our Lorp comprehendeth every
thing by his knowledge. In Gop do we put our trust. O Lorp, do thou
judge between us and our nation with truth; for thou art the best judge.
And the chiefs of his people who believed not said, If ye follow Shoaib,
ye shall surely perish. Therefore a storm from heaven ? assailed them,”
cand in the morning they were found in their dwellings dead and prostrate
They who accused Shoaib of imposture became as though they had never
welt therein; they who accused Shoaib of imposture perished themselves.
And he departed from them, and said, O my people, now have I performed
unto you the messages of my Lorn; and I advised you aright: but why
should I be grieved for an unbelieving people. We have never sent any
rrophet unto a city, but we afflicted the inhabitants thereof with calamity
and adversity, that they might humble themselves. Then we gave them in
exchange good in lieu of evil, until they abounded, and said, Adversity
and prosperity formerly happened unto our fathers, as unto us. Therefore
we took vengeance on them suddenly, and they perceived it not beforehand.
But if the inhabitants of those cities had believed and feared God, we
would surely have opened to them blessings both from heaven and earth.

 

that he gave his son-in-law that wonder-working rod* with which he performed all those
miracles in Egypt and the desert, and also excellent advice and instructions ;* whence
he had the surname of Khattb al anbiy4, or the preacher to the prophets.’ 3

"For one of the great crimes which the Midianites were guilty of was the using of di-
verse measures and. weights, a great and a small, buying by one and selling by another.®

x See before, p. 121, note k. :

y Robbing on the highway, it seems, was another crying sin, frequent among these
people. But some of the commentators interpret this passage figuratively, of their beset-
ting the way of truth, and threatening those who gave ear to the remonstrances of Shoaib.”

? Like that which destroyed the Thamudites. Some suppose it to have been an earth-
quake, for the original word signifies either or both; and both these dreadful calamities
may well be supposed to have jointly executed the divine vengeance.

¥ «« They were overthrown by an earthquake.’’—Savary.

3 Al Beidawi. Vide Shalshel. hakkab. p. 12. ‘ Exod. xviii. 13, &c. 5 Vide

D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient, Art. Shoaib. 6 Vide ib. Al Beidiwi. See Deut. xx*
13, 14. ' 1Jdem.
t

GHAP. VII. AL KORAN. 127

But they charged our apostles with falsehood, wherefore we took vengeance
on them, for that which they had been guilty of. Were the inhabitants

_ therefore of those cities secure that our punishment should not, fall on them

by night, while they slept? Or were the inhabitants of those cities secure *
that our punishment should not fall on them by day, while they sported?
Were they therefore secure from the stratagem of Gop?** But none
will think himself secure from the stratagem of Gop, except the people
who perish. And hath it not manifestly appeared unto those who have
nherited the earth after the former inhabitants thereof, that if we please,
we can afflict them for their sins? But we will seal up their hearts; and
they shall not hearken. We will relate unto thee some stories of these
cities. Their apostles had come unto them with evident miracles, but they
were not disposed to believe in that which they had before gainsaid. Thus
will Gop seal up the hearts of the unbelievers. And we found not in the
greater part of them any observance of their covenant; but we found the
greater part of them wicked doers. Then we sent after the above named
apostles, Moses with our signs unto Pharaoh” and his princes ; who treated
them unjustly :* but behold what was the end of the corrupt doers. And
Moses said, O Pharaoh, verily I am an apostle sent from the Lorp of
all creatures. It is just that I should not speak of Gop other than the
truth. Now am I come unto you with an evident sign from your Lorp:
send therefore the children of Israel away with me. Pharaoh answered,
If thou comest with a sign, produce it, if thou speakest truth. Wherefore
he cast down his rod; and behold, it became a visible serpent.t And he
drew forth his hand out of his bosom ; and behold, it appeared white unto

 

 

® Hereby is figuratively expressed the manner of God’s dealing with proud and ungrate-
ful men, by suffering them to fill up the measure of their iniquity, without vouchsafing to
bring them to a sense of their condition by chastisements and afflictions till they find them-
selves utterly lost, when they least expect it.®

* «Thought they that they could escape the vigilance of God? Shall the wicked alone
be able to elude it ?”’—Savary. :

> This was the common title or name of the hinge of Egypt (signifying king in the
Coptic tongue), as Ptolemy was in after times; and as Cesar was that of the Roman
emperors, and Koshrd that of the kings of Persia. But which of the kings of Egypt this
Pharaoh of Moses was, is uncertain. Not to mention the opinions of the European writers,
those of the east generally suppose him to have been al Walid, who, according to some,
was an’Arab of the tribe of Ad, or, according to others, the son of Maséb, the son of
Riy4n, the son of Walid® the Amalekite_ There are historians, however, who suppose
Kabis, the brother and predecessor of al Walid, was the prince we are speaking of; and
pretend he lived 620 years, and reigned 400; which is more reasonable, at least, than the
opinion of those who imagine it was his father Masdb, or grandfather Riyan.2 Abulfeda
says, that Masab being one hundred and seventy years old, and haying no child, while he
kept the herds, saw a cow calve, and heard her say at the same time, O Masab, be not
grieved, for thou shalt have a wicked son, who will be at length cast into hell. And he ac-
cordingly had this Walid, who afterwards coming to be king of Egypt, proved an impious
tyrant.

© By not believing therein. :

¢The Arab writers tell enormous fables of this serpent or dragon. For they say that
he was hairy, and of so prodigious a size, that when he opened his mouth, his jaws were
fourscore cubits asunder, and when he laid his lower jaw on the ground, his upper reached
to the top of the palace; that Pharaoh seeing this monster make towards him, fled from
it, and was so terribly frightened, that he befouled himself; and that the whole assembly

® Al Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. p. 6. ‘ Abulfeda, &c. Kitab
afsir lebab, and al Keshaf.
128 AL KORAN. CHAP. VII.

the spectators.¢ The chiefs of the people of Pharaoh said, This man is
certainly an expert magician: he seeketh to dispossess you of your land ;
what therefore do ye direct? They answered, Put off him and his brother
by fair promises for some time, and in the meanwhile send unto the cities
persons who may assemble and bring unto thee every expert magician. So
the magicians‘ came unto Pharaoh ; and they said, Shall we surely receive
a reward, if we do overcome? He answered, Yea; and ye shall certainly
be of those who approach near unto my throne. They said, O Moses, either
do thou cast down thy rod first, or we will cast down ours. Moses
answered, Do ye cast down your rods first. And when they had cast them
down, they enchanted the eyes of the men who were present, and terrified
them: and they performed a great enchantment.¢ And we spake by reve-
lation unto Moses, saying, Throw down thy rod. And behold, it swallowed
up the rods which they had caused falsely to appear changed into serpents.
Wherefore the truth was confirmed, and that which they had wrought
vanished. And Pharaoh and his magicians were overcome there, and were
rendered contemptible. And the magicians prostrated themselves, wor-
shipping ; and they said, We believe in the Lorp of all creatures, the Lorp
of Moses and Aaron.! Pharaoh said, Have ye believed on him, before I

 

also betaking themselves to their heels, no less than 25,000 of them lost their lives in the
press. ‘hey add also that Pharaoh upon this adjured Moses by God who had sent him,
to take away the serpent, and promised he would believe on him, and let the Israelites
go; but when Moses had done what he requested, he relapsed, and grew as hardened as
before.?

© There is a tradition that Moses was a very swarthy man; and that when he put his
hand into his bosom, and drew it out again, it became extremely white and splendid, sur-
passing the brightness of the sun.‘ Marracci’ says we do not read in scripture that Moses
showed this sign before Pharaoh. It is true the scripture does not expressly say so, but
it seems to be no more than a necessary inference from that passage, where God tells
Moses that if they will not hearken to the first sign, they will believe the latter sign, and
if they will not believe these two signs, then directs him to turn the water into blood.*

‘ The Arabian writers name several of these magicians, besides their chief priest Simeon,
viz. Sadir and Ghadir, Jaath, and Mosfa, Waran and Zaman, each of whom came at-
sended with their disciples, amounting in all to several thousands."

© They provided themselves with a great number of thick ropes and long pieces of wood,
which they contrived, by some means to move, and make them twist themselves one over
the other; and so imposed on the beholders, who at a distance took them to be true
serpents.° '

oThe expositors add, that when this serpent had swallowed up all the rods and cords,
he made directly towards the assembly, and put them to so great a terror, that they fled,
and a considerable number were killed in the crowd: then Moses took it up, and it be-
came a rod in his hand as before. Whereupon the magicians declared that it could be no
enchantment, because in such case their rods and cords would not have disappeared.®

' It seems probable that all the magicians were not converted by this miracle, for some
. writers introduce Sadiir and Ghadir only acknowledging Moses’s miracle to be wrought |
by the power of God. These two, they say, were brothers, and the sons of a famous
magician, then dead; but on their being sent for to court on this occasion, their mother
persuaded them to go to their father’s tomb, to ask his advice. Being come to the tomb,
the father answered their call, and when they had acquainted him with the affair, he told
them, that they should inform themselves whether the rod of which they spoke became
a serpent while its masters slept, or only when they were awake; for, said he, enchants
ments have no effect while the enchanter is asleep, and therefore if it be otherwise in this
case, you may be assured that they act by a divine power. These two magicians then,

2 Al Beidawi. _ ‘Idem. 5Tn Alcor. p. 284. 5 Exod. iv. 8, 9. ‘Vide
D’Herbel., Bibl. Orient. art. Mousa, p. 643, &c. Al Kessai. ® Al Beidawi. Vide
D’Herbelot, ubi sup. and Koran, c. 20. ® A) Beidawi.
CHAP. VII. AL KORAN. 129

nave given you permission? Verily this is a plot which ye have contrived
xn the city, that ye might cast forth from thence the inhabitants thereof.
But ye shall surely know that I am your master ; for I will tause your
hands and your feet to be cut off on the opposite sides,! then will I cause
you all to be crucified." The magicians answered, We shall certainly
return unto our Lorp, in the next life ; for thou takest vengeance on us
only because we have believed in the signs of our Lorn, when they have
come unto us. O Lorn, pdur on us patience; and cause us to die
Moslems." And the chiefs of Pharaoh’s people said, Wilt thou let Moses
and his people go, that:they may act corruptly in the earth, and leave thee
and thy gods?° Pharaoh answered, We will cause their male children to
be slain, and we will suffer their females to live; and dy that means we
shall prevail over them. Moses said unto his people, Ask assistance of
Gop, and suffer patiently: for the earth is God’s, he giveth it for an
inheritance unto such of his servants as he pleaseth; and the prosperous
end shall be unto those who fear him. They answered, We have been
afflicted by having our male children slain, before thou camest unto us, and
also since thou hast come unto us. Moses said, Peradventure it may happen
that our Lorp will destroy your enemy, and will cause you to succeed him
in the earth, that he may see how ye will act therein. And we formerly
punished the people of Pharaoh with dearth and scarcity of fruits, that they
might be warned. Yet when good happened unto them, they said,* This
is owing unto us: but if evil befel them, they attributed the same to the ill
luck of Moses, and those who were with him.t Was not their ill luck with
Gop1?* but most of them knew it not. And they said unto Moses, What-

 

arriving at the capital of Egypt, on inquiry found, to their great astonishment, that when
Moses and Aaron went to rest, their rod became a serpent, and guarded them while they
slept.t. And this was the first step towards their conversion. :

*i. e. This is a confederacy between you and Moses, entered into before ye left the city
to go to the place of appointment, to turn out the Copts, or native Egyptians, and estab-
lish the Israelites in their stead,?

' That is, your right hands, and your left feet.

™ Some say Pharaoh was the first inventor of this ignominious and painful punishment.

Some think these converted magicians were executed accordingly: but others deny it,

and say that the king was not able to put them to death; insisting on these words of the
Koran,? You two, and they who follow you, shall overcome.
_ ° Which were the stars, or other idols. But some of the commentators, from certain
impious expressions of this prince, recorded in the Koran,‘ whereby he sets up himself as
the only god of his subjects, suppose that he was the object of their worship, and there-
fore instead of alihataca, thy gods, read ilahataca, thy worship.*

» That is, We will continue to make use of the same cruel policy to keep the Israelites
in subjection as we have hitherto done. The commentators say that Pharaoh came to this
resolution because he had either been admonished in a dream, or by the astrologers or
divines, that one of that nation should subvert his kingdom.*

*« The good which they had enjoyed they considered as a debt to them.’’—Savary.

‘ Looking on him and his followers as the occasion of those calamities. The original
word properly signifies to take an ominous and sinister presage of any future event, from
the flight of birds, or the like. +

*By whose will and decyee they were so afflicted, as a punishmen., or their.
wickedness. .

'Vide D’Herbel. ubi sup. 2 Al Beidawi. ? Koran, chap, 28. *Koraa,
chap. 26, 28. 5 Al Beidawi. i ® Idem, Jallalo’ddin.

,
130 AL KORAN. CHAP. VII

ever sign thou show unto us, to enchant us therewith, we will not believe on
thee. Wherefore we sent upon them a flood,* and locusts, and lice,t ana
frogs, and blood; distinct miracles: but they behaved proudly, and became
a wicked people. And when the plague” fell on them, they said, O Moses,
entreat thy Lorp for us, according to that which he hath covenanted with
thee: verily if thou take the plague from off us, we will surely believe
thee, and we will let the children of Israel go with thee. But when we
had taken the plague from off them, until the term which God had granted,
them was expired, behold they broke their promise. Wherefore we took
vengeance on them, and drowned them in the Red Sea;" because they
charged our signs with falsehood, and neglected them. And we caused the
people who had been rendered weak to inherit the eastern parts of the earth
and the western parts thereof,* which we blessed with fertility ; and the
gracious word of thy Lorp was fulfilled on the children of Israel, for that
they had endured with patience: and we destroyed the structures which
Pharaoh and his people had made, and that which they had erected.» And
we caused the children of Israel to pass through the sea, and they came
unto a people who gave themselves up to the worship of their idols, and
they said, O Moses, make us a god, in like manner as these people have
gods. Moses answered, Verily ye are an ignorant people: for the religion
which these follow will be destroyed, and that which they do is vain. He
said, Shall I seek for you any other god than Gop ; since he hath preferred
you to the rest of the world? And remember when we delivered you from
the people of Pharaoh, who grievously oppressed you; they slew your male
children, and let your females live: therein was a great trial from your
Lorp.* And we appointed unto Moses a fast of thirty nights before we gave

 

* This inundation, they say, was occasioned by unusual rains which continued eight
days together, and the overflowing of the Nile; and not only covered their lands, but
came into their houses, and rose as high as their backs and necks; but the children of
Israel had no rain in their quarters.". As there is no mention of any such miraculous in-
undation in the Mosaic writings, some have imagined this plague to have been either a
pestilence, or the small-pox, or some other epidemical distemper.* For the word tufan,
which is used in this place, and is generally rendered a deluge, may also signify any other
universal destruction or mortality.

* Some will have these insects to have been a larger sort of tick; others, the young

locusts before they have wings.

* viz. Any of the calamities already mentioned, or the pestilence which God sent upon
them afterwards.

* See this wonderful event more particularly described in the tenth and twentieth
chapters.

* That is, the land of Syria, of which the eastern geographers reckon Palestine a part,
and wherein the commentators say the children of Israel succeeded the kings of Egypt
and the Amalekites.*

» Particularly the lofty tower which Pharaoh caused to be built, that he might attack

he God of Moses.? .

* These people some will have to be of the tribe of Amalek, whom Moses was com-
manded to destroy, and others of the tribe of Lakhm. Their idols, it is said, were images
of oxen, which gave the first hint to the making of the golden calf.

* Savary, referring the final clause to the deliverance, translates it, ‘‘ This was an
eminent favour from the divine goodness.”

Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Abulfed, * Al Beidkwi. Sd ‘ Taek
* Vide Koran, chap. 28, and 40. * Al Beidawi. ee Sa
CHAP. VII. AL KORAN. 131

him the law, and we completed them by adding of ten more ; and the stated
time of his Lorp was fulfilled in forty nights. And Moses said unto his
brother Aaron, Be thou'my deputy among my people during my absence ,
and behave uprightly, and follow not the way of the corrupt doers, And
when Moses came at our appointed time, and his Lorp spake unto him,» he
said, O Lorp, show me thy glory, that I may behold thee. God answered,
Thou shalt in no wise behold me; but look towards the mountain,° and if
It stand firm in its place, then thou shalt see me. But when his Lorp ap-
peared with glory in the mount," he reduced it to dust. And Moses fell
down ina swoon. And when he came to himself, he said, Praise be unto
thee! I turn unto thee with repentance, and I am the first of true
believers. God said unto him, O Moses, I have chosen thee above ali men,
by honouring thee with my commissions, and by my speaking unto thee :
receive therefore that which I have brought thee, and be one of those who
give thanks.‘ And we wrote for him on the tables¢ an admonition con-
cerning every matter, and a decision in every case," and said, Receive this
with reverence; and command thy people that they live according to the
most excellent precepts thereof. I will show you the dwelling of the
wicked.i I will turn aside from my signs those who behave themselves

 

-* The commentators say that God, having promised Moses to give him the law, directed
him to prepare himself for the high favour of speaking with God in person, by a fast
of thirty days; and that Moses accordingly fasted the whole month of Dhuw’lkaada, but
not liking the savour of his breath, he rubbed his teeth with a dentifrice, upon which the
angels told him that his breath before had the odour of musk; ‘* but that his rubbing his
teeth had taken it away. Wherefore God ordered him to fast ten days more, which he did;
and these were the first ten days of the succeeding month Dhu’lhajja. Others, however,
suppose that Moses was commanded to fast and pray thirty days only, and that during
the other ten God discoursed with him.*

(The Arabs reckon by nights as we do by days. This custom doubtless had its rise from
the excessive heat of their climate. They dwell amidst burning sands, and while the sun
is above the horizon they usually keep within their tents. When he sets they quit them,
and enjoy coolness and a most delightful sky. Night is, in a great measure, to them,
that which day is to us. Their poets, therefore, never celebrate the charms of a beau-
tiful day; but these words, Leili! Leili! O night! O night! are repeated in all their
songs.)—Savary. :

> Without the mediation of any other, and face to face, as he speaks unto the angels.

* This mountain the Mohammedans name al Zabir. :

4 Or, as it is literally, unto the mount. For some of the expositors pretend that God
endued the mountain with life and the sense of seeing.

° This is not to be taken strictly. See the like expression in chap. vi. p. 99.

‘The Mohammedans have a tradition, that Moses asked to see God on the day of
Arafat, and that he received the law on the day they slay the victims at the pilgrimage
of Mecca, which days are the ninth and tenth of Dhu’lhajja.

®These tables, according to some, were seven in number, and according to others
‘ten. Nor are the commentators agreed whether they were cut out of a kind of lote-tree
in Paradise called al Sedra, or whether they were chrysolites, emeralds, rubies, or common
stone.” But they say that they were each ten or twelve cubits long ; for they suppose that
not only the ten commandments but the whole law was written thereon: and some add
that the letters were cut quite through the tables so that they might be read on both
sides,® which is a fable of the Jews. ‘

That is, a perfect law, comprehending all necessary instructions, as well in regard
to religious and moral duties as the administration of justice.
‘viz. The desolate habitations of the Egyptians, or those of the impious tribes of Ac
and Thamiid, or perhaps hell, the dwelling of the ungodly in the other world.
1

“ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. + Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ° Al Beidawi,
Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 650. 7 Al Beidawi, 8 Vide D’Herbel. ubi sup
132 AL KORAN. , CHAP. VIL

proudly in the earth, without justice: and although they see every sign, yet
they shall not believe therein; and although they see the way of righteous-
ness, yet they shall not take that way; but if they see the way of error,
they shall take that way. This shall come to pass because they accuse our
signs of imposture, and neglect the same. But as for them who deny the
truth of our signs and the meeting of the life to come, their works shall be
vain: shall they be rewarded otherwise than according to what they shall
have wrought? And the people of Moses, after his departure, took a
corporeal calf,* made of their ornaments, which lowed." Did they not
see that it spake not unto them, neither directed them in the way? yet they
took it for their god, and acted wickedly. But when they repented with
sorrow," and saw that they had gone astray, they said, Verily if our Lorp
have not mercy upon us, and forgive us not, we shall certainly become of
the number of those who perish. And when Moses returned unto his
people, full of wrath and indignation, he said, An evil thing is it that ye
nave committed after my departure ; have ye hastened the command of
your Lorp?° And he threw down the tables,? and took his brother by thé
hair of the head, and dragged him unto him. And Aaron said unto him,
Son of my mother, verily the people prevailed against me,‘ and it wanted
little but they had slain me: make not my enemies therefore to rejoice
over me, neither place me with the wicked people. Moses said, O Lorn,
forgive me and my brother, and receive us into thy mercy ; for thou art the
most merciful of those who exercise mercy. Verily as for them who took
the calf for their god, indignation shall overtake them from-their Lorn,’ and:
ignominy in this life: thus will we reward those who imagine falsehood.
But unto fhem who do evil, and afterwards repent, and believe in God,
verily thy Lorp wild thereafter be clement and merciful. And when the
anger of Moses was appeased, he took the tables ;* and in what was written
thereon was a direction and mercy, unto those who feared their Lorn.
And Moses chose out of his people seventy men, to go up with him to the
mountain at the time appointed by us: and when a storm of thunder and
lightning had taken them away,*t he said, O Lorp, if thou hadst pleased,
thou hadst destroyed them before, and me also; wilt thou destroy us for

 

* That is, as some understand it, consisting of flesh and blood; or, as others, being a
mere body or mass of metal, without a soul.?

1 Such as their rings and bracelets of gold and silver.*

™ See chap. xx., and the notes to chap. ii. p. 7.

» Father Marracci seems not to have understood’ the meaning of this phrase, havin
literally translated the Arabic words, wa lamma sokita fi eidthim, without any manner 0
sense, Et cum cadere factus fuisset in manibus eorum.

° By neglecting his precepts, and bringing down his swift vengeance on you.

» Which were all broken and taken up to heaven, except one only; and this, they
say, contained the threats and judicial ordinances, and was afterwards put into the ark.?

4 Literally, rendered me weak.

* See chap. 2, p. 8.

* Or the fragments of that which was left.

* « An earthquake swallowed them up,”’—Savary.

‘ See chap. 2. p. 8, and chap. 4, p. 78.

° Al Beidéwi. See chap. 20, and the notes to chap. 2, p. 7. ! Vide ibid.
‘Al Beidiai, Vide D’ Herbelobabi sup. p. 810; ide ibi
CHAE VII. AL KORAN. . 133

that which the foolish men among us have committed? This is only thy
trial; thou wilt thereby lead into error whom thou pleasest, and thou wilt
direct whom thou pleasest. Thou art our protector, therefore’forgive us,
and be merciful unto us; for thou art the best of those who forgive. And
write down for us good in this world, and in the life to come; for unto
thee are we directed. God answered, I will inflict my punishment on
whom I please; and my mercy extendeth over all things: and I will
write down good unto those who shall fear me, and give alms, and who
shall believe in our signs; who shall follow the apostle, the illiterate
prophet," whom they shall find written down* with them in the law and
the gospel: he will command them that which is just, and will forbid them
that which is evil; and will allow them as lawful the good things which
were before forbidden,’ and will prohibit those which are bad ;* and he will
ease them of their heavy burden, and of the yokes which were upon them.*
And.those who believe in him, and honour him, and assist him, and follow
the light, which hath been sent down with him, shall be happy. Say,
O men, Verily I am the messenger of Gop unto you all: unto him
.belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth; there is no Gop but he: he
giveth life, and he causeth to die. Believe therefore in Gop and his
apostle, the illiterate prophet, who believeth in Gop and his word; and
follow him, that ye may be rightly directed. Of the people of Moses there
is a party* who direct others with truth, and act justly according to the
same. And we divided them into twelve tribes, as into so many nations.
And we spake by revelation unto Moses, when his people asked drink of
him, and we said, Strike the rock with thy rod; and there gushed thereout
twelve fountains,4 and men knew their respective drinking-place. And we
caused clouds to overshadow them, and manna and quails® to descend upon
them, saying, Eat of the good things which we have given you for food:
and they injured not us,* but they injured their own souls. And call to

 

“* That is Mohammed. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii.

x2. e. Both foretold by name and certain description.

7 See chap. 3, p. 42.

? As the eating of blood and swine’s flesh, and the taking of usury, &c.

* See chap. 2, p. 35.

* That is, to all mankind in general, and not to one particular nation, as the former
prophets were sent.

° viz. Those Jews who seemed better disposed than the rest of their brethren to receive
Mohammed’s law ; or perhaps such of them as had actually received it. Some imagine
they were a Jewish nation dwelling somewhere beyond China, which Mohammed saw the
night he made his journey to heaven, and who believed on him.*

4 See chap. 2, p. 8. . , : a

‘0 what is said in the notes there we may add, that, according to a certain tradition,
the stone, on which this miracle was wrought, was thrown down from paradise by Adam,
and came into the possession of Shoaib, who gave it with the rod to Moses; and that,
according to another, the water issued thence by three orifices on each of the four sides
of the stone, making twelve in all, and that it ran in so many rivulets, to the quarter
of each tribe in the camp.‘ :

* See chap. 2, p. 7.

* “ Their murmurs did injury only to themselves.’’—Savary.
2 Al Beidawi. “Idem.
134 AL KORAN. CHAP. VII.

wind when it was said unto them, Dwell in this city,t and eat of the
provisions thereof wherever ye will, and say, Forgiveness ; and enter the
gate worshipping: we will pardon you your sins, and will give increase
into the well-doers. But they who were ungodly among them changed
the expression into another,t which had not been spoken unto them.
Wherefore we sent down upon them indignation from heaven, because they
transgressed. And ask them concerning the city," which was situate on
the sea, when they transgressed on the sabbath day: when their fish came
unto them on their sabbath day, appearing openly on the water ; but on the
day whereon they celebrated no sabbath, they came not unto them. Thus
did we prove them, because they were wicked-doers. And when a party
of them: said unto the others, Why do ye warn a people whom Gop will
destroy, or will punish with a grievous punishment? They answered, This
is an excuse for us unto your Lorp,* and peradventure they will beware.
But when they had forgotten the admonitions which had been given them,
we delivered those who forbade them to do evil; and we inflicted on those
who had transgressed a severe punishment, because they had acted wick-
edly. And when they proudly refused to desist from what had been for-
bidden them, we said unto them, Be ye transformed into apes, driven away
from the society of men. And remember when thy Lorp declared that he
would surely send against the Jews, until the day of resurrection, some
nation who should afflict them with a grievous oppression :! for thy Lorp
is swift in punishing, and he is also ready to forgive, and merciful: and we
dispersed them among the nations in the earth. Some of them are upright
persons, and some of them are otherwise. And we proved them with pros-
perity and with adversity, that they might return from their disobedience ;
and a succession of their posterity hath succeeded after them, who have
inherited the book of the law, who receive the temporal goods of this world,"
and say, It will surely be forgiven us: and if a temporal advantage like the
former be offered them, they accept it also. Is it not the covenant of the
book of the. Jaw established with them, that they should not speak of Gop

 

See this passage explained, chap. 2, p. 7.

® Professor Sike says, that being prone to leave spiritual for worldly matters, instead
of Hittaton they said Hintaton, which signifies wheat,‘ and comes much nearer the true
word than the expression I have, in the place last quoted, set down from Jallalo’ddin.
Whether he took this from the same commentator or not, does not certainly appear,
though he mentions him just before; but if he did, his copy must differ from that which
I’have followed. :

» This city was Ailah. or Elath, on the Red Sea; though some pretend it was Midian,
and others Tiberias. The whole story is already given in the notes to chap. 2, p. 9.
Some suppose the following five or eight verses to have been revealed at Medina.

' viz. The religious persons among them, who strictly observed the sabbath, and endea-
voured to reclaim the others, till they despaired of success. But some think these words
were spoken by the offenders, in answer to the admonitions of the others.

* That we have done our duty in dissuading them from their wickedness.

1 See chap. 5, p. 91, note f.

™ By accepting of bribes for wresting judgment, and for corrupting the copies of the
Pentateuch; and by extorting of usury, &c.® / i

5 Sike in not. ad Evang. Infant. p. 71. ® Al Beidawi.
CHAP. VII. AL KORAN. 135

aught but the truth?" Yet they diligently read that which is therein, But
the enjoyment of the next life will be better for those who fear God than
the wicked gains of these people ; (Do ye not therefore understartd ?) and for
those who hold fast the book of the law, and are constant at prayer: for we
will by no means suffer the reward of the righteous to perish. And when
we shook the mountain of Sinai over them,° as though it had been a
covering, and they imagined that it was falling upon them; and we said,
Receive the Jaw which we have brought you with reverence ; and remember
that which is contained therein, that ye may take heed. And when thy
‘Lorp drew forth their posterity from the loins of the sons of Adam,? and
took them to witness against themselves, saying, Am not I your Lorp?
They answered, Yea: we do bear witness, This was done lest ye should
say, at the day of resurrection, Verily we were negligent as to this matter,
because we were not apprised thereof: or lest ye should say, Verily our
fathers were formerly guilty of idolatry, and we are their posterity who
have succeeded them; wilt thou therefore destroy us for that which vain
men have committed? . Thus do we explain our signs, that they may return
from their vanities. And relate unto the Jews the history of him unto whom
we brought our signs,1 and the departed from them; wherefore Satan
followed him, and he became one of those who were seduced. And if we
had pleased, we had surely raised him thereby unto wisdom; but he
inclined unto the earth, and followed his own desires Wherefore his
likeness as the likeness of a dog, which, if thou drive him away, putteth
forth his tongue, or, if thou let him alone, putteth forth his tongue also.
This is the likeness of the people, who accuse our signs of falsehood.
Rehearse therefore this history unto them, that they may consider. Evil is

 

» Particularly by giving out that God will forgive their corruption without sincere re-
pentance and amendment.

° See chap. 2, p. 9, note z.

> This was done in the plain of Dahia, in India, or, as others imagine, in a valley near
Mecca. The commentators tell us that God stroked Adam’s back, and extracted from
his loins his whole posterity, which should come into the world until the resurrection, one
generation after another ; that these men were actually assembled all together in the shape
of small ants, which were endued with understanding; and that after they had, in the
presence of the angels, confessed their dependence on God, they were again caused to re-
turn into the loins of their great ancestor.’ From this fiction it appears that the doctrine
of pre-existence is not unknown to the Mohammedans; and there is some little conformity
between it and the modern theory of generation ex animalculis in semine maritum.

* Some suppose the person here intended to be a Jewish rabbi, or one Ommeya Ebn
Abi’lsalt, who read the scriptures and found thereby that God would send a prophet about
that time, and was in hopes that he might be the man; but when Mohammed declared
his mission, believed not on him through envy. But according to the more general
opinion, it was Balaam the son of Beor, of the Canaanitish race, well acquainted with
part, at least, of the scripture, having even been favoured with some revelations from
God; who being requested by his nation to curse Moses and the children of Israel, re-
fused it at first, saying, How can I curse those who are protected by the angels? But after-
wards he was prevailed on by gifts; and he had no sooner done it than he began to put
his tongue out like a dog, and it hung down upon his breast.*

Loving the wages of unrighteousness, and running greedily after error for reward.
\

"Al Beidéwi, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya. Vide D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 54. *AI
Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, al Zamakhshari. Vide D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient, Art. Balaan:
*2 Pet. ii.5. Jude 11. : ;
186 AL KORAN. CHAP. VII.

the similitude of those people who accuse our signs of falsehood, and injure
their own’ souls. Whomscever Gop shall direct, he will be rightly di-
rected; and whomsoever he shall lead astray, they shall perish. Moreover
we have created for hell many of the genii and of men; they have hearts
by which they understand not, and they have eyes by which they see not;
and they have ears by which they hear not. These are like the brute
beasts ; yea they go more astray : these are the negligent. Gop hath most
excellent names :*. therefore call on him by the same; and withdraw from
those who use his name perversely :* they shall be rewarded for that which
they shall have wrought. And of those whom we have created there are a
people who direct others with truth, and act justly according thereto." But
those who devise lies against our signs, we will suffer them to fall gradually
into ruin, by a method which they knew not :* and I will grant them to
enjoy a long and prosperous life ;* for my stratagem is effectual. Do they
not consider that there is no devil in their companion? He is no other
than a public preacher. Or do they not contemplate the kingdom of
heaven and earth, and the things which Gop hath created; and consider
that peradventure it may be be that their end draweth nigh? And in what
new declaration will they believe, after this?? He whom Gop shall cause
to err, shall have no director; and he shall leave them in their impiety,
wandering in confusion. They will ask thee concerning the Jast hour; at
what time its coming is fixed? Answer, Verily the knowledge thereof is
‘with my Lorp; none shall declare the fixed time thereof, except he. The
expectation thereof is grievous in heaven and on earth :* it shall come upon
you no otherwise than suddenly. They will ask thee, as though thou
wast well acquainted therewith. Answer, Verily the knowledge thereof is
with Gop alone: but the greater part of men know it not. Say, I am able
neither to procure advantage unto myself, nor to avert mischief from me,
but as Gop pleaseth. If I knew the secrets of God, I should surely enjoy
abundance of good, neither should evil befall me. Verily J am no other
than a denouncer of threats, and a messenger of good tidings unto people

 

* Expressing his glorious attributes. Of these the Mohammedan Arabs have no less
than ninety-nine, which are reckoned up by Marracci.*

As did Walid Ebn al Mogheira; who hearing Mohammed give God the title of al
Rahman, or the merciful, laughed aloud, saying that he knew none of that name, except
a certain man who dwelt in Vamamta :? or as the idolatrous Meccans did, who deduced the
names of their idols from those of the true God; deriving, for example, Allat from Allah;
al Uzza from al Aztz, the mighty ; and Manat from al Mannan, the bountiful.*

' As it is said a little above, that God hath created many to eternal misery, so here he
‘gs said to have created others to eternal happiness.* r

* By flattering them with prosperity in this life, and permitting them to sin in an unin-
terrupted security; till they find themselves unexpectedly ruined

*« Though my vengeance be slow, it is only the more terrible.’’—Savary.

¥ viz. In Mohammed ; whom they gave out to be possessed when he went up to mount
Safa, and from thence called to the several families of each respective tribe, in order to
warn them of God’s vengeance if they continued in their idolatry.”

4, e. After they have rejected the Korin. For what more evident revelation can they
hereafter expect 7° ’

* Not only to men and genii, but to the angels also.

*In Alc. p. 414. 2 Marracc. Vit. Moh. p. 19.
the Prelim. Disc. sect i. 5 Al Beidawi. $

“Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. See
m.

Ide ‘Idem. ® Idem.
OHAP. VIL. AL KORAN. 137

who believe. It is he who hath created you from one person, and out of
him produced his wife, that he might dwell with her: and when he had
known her, she carried a light burden for a time, wherefore she walked
easily therewith. But when it became more heavy,» she called upon Gop
their Lorp, saying, If thou give us a child rightly shaped, we will surely be
thankful. Yet when he had given them a child rightly shaped, they attri-
buted companions unto him, for that which he had given them.e But far
be that from Gop, which they associated with him! Will they associate
with him false gods which create nothing, but are themselves created; and
can neither give them assistance, nor help themselves? And if ye invite
them to the irue direction, they will not follow you: it will be equal unto
you, whether ye invite them, or whether ye hold your peace. Verily the
false deities whom ye invoke besides Gop are servants like unto you.?
Call therefore upon them, and let them give you an answer, if ye speak
truth. Have they feet, to walk with? Or have they hands, to lay hold
with? Or have they eyes, to see with? Or have they ears, to hear with?
Say, Call upon your companions, and then lay a snare for me, and defer it
not; for Gop is my protector, who sent down the book of the Kordn; and
he protecteth the righteous. But they whom ye invoke besides him cannot
assist you, neither do they help themselves; and if ye call on them to
direct you, they will not hear. Thou seest them look towards thee, but
they see not. Use indulgence,* and command that which is just, and
withdraw far from the ignorant. And if an evil suggestion from Satan be
suggested unto thee, to divert thee from thy duty, have recourse unto Gop:

 

> That is, when the child grew bigger in her womb. -

¢ For the explaining of this whole passage, the commentators tell the following story.
They say that when Eve was big with her first child, the devil came to her and asked her
whether she knew what she carried within her, and which way she should be delivered
of it; suggesting that possibly it might be a beast. She, being unable to give an answer
to this question, went in a fright to Adam, and acquainted him with the matter, who not
knowing what to think of it, grew sad and pensive. Whereupon the devil appeared to her
open (or, as others say, to Adam), and pretended that he by his prayers would obtain of

‘od that she might be safely delivered of a son in Adam’s likeness, provided they would
promise to name him Abd’alhareth, or the servant of Al Hareth (which was the devil’s
name among the angels,) instead of Abd’allah, or the servant of God, as Adam had
designed. This proposal was agreed to, and accordingly, when the child was born, they

ave it that name: upon which it immediately died.° | And with this Adam and Eve are
bee taxed, as an act of idolatry. The story looks like a rabbinical fiction, and seems to
have no other foundation than Cain’s being called by Moses Obed adamah, that is, a tiller
of the ground, which might be translated into Arabic by Abd’alhareth.

But al Beidawi, thinking it unlikely that a prophet (as Adam is by the Mohammedans
supposed to have been) should be guilty of such an action, imagines the Korfn in this
place means Kosai, one of Mohammed’s ancestors, and his wife; who begged issue of
God, and having four sons granted them, called their names Abd Menaf, Abd Shams,
Abd’ al Uzza, and Abd’ al Dar, after the names of four principal idols of the Koreish.
And the following words also he supposes to relate to their idolatrous posterity.

‘Being subject to the absolute command of God. For the chief idols of the Arabs
were the sun, moon, and stars.

* Or, as the words may also be translated, Take the superabundant overplus ; meaning
that Mohammed should accept such voluntary alms from the people as they could spare.
But the passage, if taken in this sense, was abrogated by the precept of legal alms, whick
was given at Medina.

* Al Beidawi, Yahya. Vide D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 438, et Selden. de Jure Nat.
See. Hebr. lib. 5, c. 8. + See the Prelim. Disc. p. 11, &c._

T
138 AL KORAN. OHAP. VIII.

for he heareth and knoweth. Verily they who fear God, when a temptation
‘rom Satan assaileth them, remember the divine commands, and behold, they
clearly see the danger of sin, and the wiles of the devil. But as for the
brethren of the devils, they shall continue them in error ; and afterwards
they shall not preserve themselves therefrom. And when thou bringest not
a verse of the Kordn unto them they say, Hast thou not put it together ?*
Answer, I follow that only which is revealed unto me from my Lorp.
This book containeth evident proofs from your Lorp, and is a direction and
mercy unto people who believe. And when the Koran is read, attend
thereto, and keep silence; that ye may obtain mercy. And meditate on
thy Lorp in thine own mind, with humility and fear, and without loud
speaking, evening and morning; and be not one of the negligent. More-
over, the angels who are with my Lorp do not proudly disdain his service,
but they celebrate his praise and worship him.

CHAPTER VIII.
TITLED, THE SPOILS;* REVEALED AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

' Tuey will ask thee concerning the spoils: Answer, The division of the
spoils belongeth unto Gop and the apostle! Therefore fear Gop, and com-
pose the matter amicably among you: and obey Gop and his apostle, if ye
are true believers. Verily the true believers are those whose hearts fear
when Gop is mentioned, and whose faith increaseth when his signs are
rehearsed unto them, and who trust in their Lorp; who observe the stated

 

‘i. e. Hast thou not yet contrived what to say; or canst thou obtain no revelation
from God? :

* This chapter was occasioned by the high disputes which happened about the division
of the spoils taken at the battle of Bedr,? between the young men, who had fought,
and the old men, who had stayed under the ensigns; the former insisting they ought
to have the whole, and the latter, that they deserved a share.? To end the contention,
Mohammed pretended to have received orders from heaven to divide the booty among
them equally, having first taken thereout a fifth part for the purposes which will be men-
tioned hereafter.

4 Except seven verses, hepiaming at these words, And call to mind when the unbelievers
plotted against thee, ¢c. hich some think were revealed. at Mecca.-

‘Tt is related that Saad Ebn Abi Wakkas, one of the companions, whose brother Omair
was slain in this battle, having killed Said Ebn al As, took his sword, and carrying it to
Mohammed, desired that he might be permitted to keep it ; but the prophet told him thet
it was not his to give away, and ordered him to lay it with the other spoils, At this
repulse, and the loss of his brother, Saad was greatly disturbed; but in a very little while
this chapter was revealed, and thereupon Mohammed gave him the sword, saying, You
asked this sword of me when I had no power to dispose of it, but now I have received
authority from God to distribute the spnils, you may take it.‘

1 See chap. 3, p. 36. 3 A] Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. * Al Beidawi,
CHAP VIII. AL KORAN. 139

times of prayer, and give alms out of that which we have bestowed on
them. These are really believers: they shall have superior degrees of
felicity with their Lorp, and forgiveness, and an honourable provision. As
thy Lorp brought thee forth from thy house,* with truth; and part of the
believers were averse to thy directions :' they disputed with thee concerning
the truth, after it had been made known unto them;™ no otherwise than
as if they had been led forth to death, and had seen it with their eyes.»
And call to mind when Gon. promised you one of the two parties, that it
should be delivered unto you,° and ye desired that the party which was not
furnished with arms? should be delivered unto you: but Gop purposed to
make known the truth in his words, and to cut off the uttermost part of the

 

*i.e, From Medina. The particle as having nothing in the following words to answer
it, al Beidawi supposes the connection to be, that the division of the spoils belonged to the
prophet, notwithstanding his followers were averse to it, as they had been averse to the
expedition itself. °

1 For the better understanding of this passage, it will be necessary to mention some
farther particulars relating to the expedition of "Bade,

Mohammed having received private information (for which he pretended he was
obliged to the angel Gabriel) of the approach of a caravan belonging to the Koreish,
which was on its return from Syria with a large quantity of valuable merchandize, and
was guarded by no more than thirty, or, as others say, forty men, set out with a party to
intercept it. Abu Sofidén, who commanded the little convoy, having notice of Moham-
med’s motions, sent to Mecca for succours: upon which Abu Jahl, and all the principal
men of the city, except only Abu Laheb, marched to his assistance with a body of nine
hundred and-fifty men. Mohammed had no sooner received advice of this, than Gabriel
descended with a promise that he should either take the caravan, or beat the succours ,
whereupon he consulted with his companions which of the two he should attack. Some
of them were for setting upon the caravan, saying that they were not prepared to fight
such a body of troops as were coming with Abu Jahl: but this proposal Mohammed
rejected, telling them that the caravan was at a considerable distance by the sea-side,
whereas Abu Jahl was just upon them. The others, however, insisted so obstinately on
pursuing the first design of falling on the caravan, that the prophet grew angry, but by
the interposition of Abu Becr, Omar, Saad Ebn Obadah, and Mokdad Ebn Amru, they
at length acquiesced to his opinion. Mokdad, in particular, assured him they were all
ready to obey his orders, and would not say to him, as the children of Israel did to Moses,
Go thou and thy Lord to fight, for we will sit here ;* but Go thou and thy Lord to fight,
and we will fight with you. At this Mohammed smiled, and again sat down to consult
with them, applying himself chiefly to the Ansars, or helpers ; because they were the
greater part of his forces, and he had some apprehension lest they should not think them-
selves obliged by the oath they had taken to him at al Akaba,° to assist him against any
other than such as should attack him in Medina. But Saad Ebn Moadh, in the name of
the rest, told him that they had received him as the apostle of God, and had promised him
obedience, and were therefore all to a man ready to follow him where he pleased, though
it were into the sea. Upon which the prophet ordered them in God’s name to attack
the succours, assuring them of the victory.”

™ That is, concerning their success against Abu Jahl and the Koreish; notwithstand-
ing they had God’s promise to encourage them. =~

2 The reason of this great backwardness was the smallness of their number, in com

arison of the enemy, and their being unprepared; for they were all foot, having but two
toe among them, whereas the Koreish had no less than a hundred horse.®

° That is, either the caravan, or the succours from Mecca. Father Marracci, mistaking
al tr and al nafir, which are appellatives, and signify the caravan and the troop or body
of succours, for proper naines, has thence coined two families of the Koreish never heard
of before, which he calls Airenses and Naphirenses.°

Pyiz. The caravan, which was guarded by no more than forty horse; whereas the
other party was strong and well appointed.* :

* Koran, chap. 5, p. 84. ® See the Prelim. Disc. p, 34. TAL
Beidawi. oe *s Idem, Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. 'p. 56. ® Marrac. in
Ale. p. 297.
140 AL KORAN. CHAP. VIII.

unbelievers;* that he might verify the truth, and destroy falsehood, al-
though the wicked were averse thereto. When ye asked assistance of your
Lorp, and he answered you, Verily I will assist you with a thousand *
angels, following one another in order. And this Gop designed only as
good tidingst for you, and that your hearts might thereby rest secure: for
victory is from Gop alone; and Gop is mighty and wise. When a sleep
fell on you as a security from him, and he sent down upon you water from
heaven, that he might thereby purify you, and take from you the
abomination of Satan," and that he might confirm your hearts, and establish
your feet thereby. .2/so when thy Lorp spake unto the angels, saying,
Verily I am with you; wherefore confirm those who believe. I will
cast a dread into the hearts of the unbelievers. Therefore strike off their
heads, and strike off all the ends of their fingers. This shall they suffer,
because they have resisted Gop and his apostle: and whosoever shall
oppose Gop and his apostle, verily Gop wild be severe in punishing him.
This shall be your punishment ; taste it therefore: and the infidels shall
also suffer the torment of held fire. O true believers, when ye meet the
unbelievers marching in great numbers against you, turn not your backs
unto them: for whoso shall turn his back unto them in that day, unless he
turneth aside to fight, or retreateth to another party of the faithful,” shall
draw on himself the indignation of Gop, and his abode shall be in hell;
an ill journey shall it be thither! And ye slew not those who were slain at
Bedr yonrselves, but Gop slew them. Neither didst thou, O Mohammed
cast the gravel into their eyes, when thou didst seem to cast it ; but Gon cast

 

« Asif he had said, Your view was only to gain the spoils of the caravan, and to avoid
danger; but God designed to exalt his true religion by extirpating its adversaries.'

= When Mohammed’s men saw they could not avoid fighting, they recommended them-
selves to God’s protection; and their prophet prayed with great earnestness, crying out,
O God, fulfil that which thou hast promised me: O God, if this party be cut off, thou wilt
be no more worshipped on earth. And he continued to repeat these words till his cloak fell
from off his back.?

Which were afterwards reinforced with three thousand more. Wherefore some
copies, instead of a thousand, read thousands, in the plural.

' See chap. 3, p. 52.

"It is related, that the spot where Mohammed’s little army lay was a dry and deep sand,
into which their feet sank as they walked, the enemy having the command of the water;
and that having fallen asleep, the greater part of them were disturbed with dreams,
wherein the devil suggested to them that"they could never expect God’s assistance in the
battle, since they were cut from the water, and besides suffering the inconveniency of thirst,
must be obliged to pray without washing, though they imagined themselves to be the favour-
ites of God, and that they had his apostle among them. But in the night rain fell so plenti-
fully, that it formed a little brook, and not only supplied them with water for all their uses,
but made the sand between them and the infidel army firm enough to bear them; where-
upon the diabolical suggestions ceased.‘

’ This is the punishment expressly assigned the enemies of the Mohammedan religion;
though the Moslems did not inflict it on the prisoners they took at Bedr, for which they
are reprehended in this chapter.

¥ That is, if it be not downright running away, but done either with design to rall
and attack the enemy again, or by way of feint or stratagem, or to succour a party whic
is hard pressed, éuc.*

x See chap. 3, p. 36, note m.

1 Al Beidawi. 2Tdem. Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 58 5 See chap.
3, p. 36, 52. ‘ Al Beidawi. Idem.
CHAP. VIE. AL KORAN. 141

it,y that he might prove the true believers by a gracious trial from himself;
for Gop heareth and knoweth. This was done that Gop might also weaken
the crafty devices of the unbelievers. If ye desire a decision of*the matter
between us, now hath a decision come unto you:* and if ye desist from
opposing the appostle, it will be better for you. But if ye return to attack him,
we will also return to his assistance; and your forces shall not be of
advantage unto you at all, although they be numerous ; for Gop is with the
faithful. O true believers, obey Gop and his apostle, and turn not back
from him, since ye hear the admonitions of the Koran. And be not as those
who say, We hear, when they do not hear. Verily the worst sort of beasts
in the sight of Gop are the deaf and the dumb,* who understand not. If
Gop had known any good in them, he would certainly have caused them
to hear:* and if he had caused them to hear, they would surely have
turned back, and have retired afar off. O true believers, answer Gop and
his apostle, when he inviteth you unto that which giveth you life; and
know that Gop goeth between a man and his heart,’ and that before him
ye shall be assembled. Beware of sedition ;* it will not affect those who
are ungodly among you particularly, but all of you in general ; and know
that Gop is severe in punishing. And remember when ye were few, and
reputed weak in the land;* ye feared lest men should snatch you away ;
but God provided you a place of refuge, and he strengthened you with his
assistance, and bestowed on you good things, that ye might give thanks.
O true believers, deceive not Gop and his apostle ;* neither violate your

 

¥ See chap. 3, p. 36, note m.

* These words are directed to the people of Mecca; whom Mohammed derides because
the Koreish, when they were ready to set out from Mecca,'took hold of the curtains of
the Caaba, saying, O God, grant the victory to the superior army, the party that is most
rightly directed, and the most honourable.® :

* «Tn the sight of the Eternal, a state more vile than that of the brute is to be deaf and
dumb, and to understand not.’’—Savary.

* That is, to hearken to the remonstrances of the Koran. Some say that the infidels
demanded of Mohammed that he should raise Kosai, one of his ancestors, to life, to bear
witness to the truth of his mission, saying he was a man of honour and veracity, and they
would believe his testimony: but they are here told that it would have been in vain.”

> Not only knowing the innermost secrets of his heart, but overruling a man’s design,
and disposing him either to belief or infidelity. . .

°The original word signifies any epidemical crime, which involves a number of
people in its guilt: and the commentators are divided as to its particular meaning in this
place.

4 yiz. at Mecca. The persons here spoken to are the Mohdjerin, or refugees who fled
from thence to Medina.

© Al Beidawi mentions an instance of sueh treacherous dealing in Abu Lobaba, who
was sent by Mohammed to the tribe of the Koreidha, then besieged by that prophet, for
having broken their league with him, and perfidiously gone over to the enemies at the war
of the ditch,* to persuade them to surrender at the’ discretion of Saad Ebn Moadh, prince
of the tribe of Aws, their confederates, which proposal they had refused. But Abu
Lobaba’s family and effects being in the hands of those of Koreidha, he acted directly
contrary to his commission, and instead of persuading them to accept Saad as their judge,
when they asked his advice about it, drew his hand across his throat, signifying that he
would put them all to death. However he had no sooner done this than he was sensible
of his crime, and going into a mosque tied himself to a pillar, and remained there seven
days without meat or drink, till Mohammed forgave him.

* Al Beidawi. TIdem. See chap. 6. p. 109. *t See Prid. Life of Moh. p. 85.
Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 76, and the notes to chap. 33.
142 AL KORAN. CHAP. VIII

faith against your own knowledge. And know that your wealth and your
children are a temptation unto you;* and that with Gop is a great re-
ward. O true believers, if ye fear Gon, he will grant you a distinction,é
and will expiate your sins from you, and will forgive you; for Gop is
endued with great liberality. And call to mind when the unbelievers
plotted against thee, that they might either detain thee in bonds, or put
to death, or expel thee the city ;" and they plotted against thee: but Gop
laid a plot against them ;' and Gop is the best layer of plots.* And
when our signs are repeated unto them, they say, We have heard; if we
pleased we could certainly pronounce a composition like unto this: this is
nothing but fables of the ancients.* And when they said, O Gon, if this
be the truth from thee, rain down stones upon us from heaven, or inflict on
us some other grievous punishment.! But Gop was not disposéd to punish
them, while thou wast with hem: nor was Gop disposed to punish them
when they asked pardon. But they have nothing to offer in excuse why Gop
should not punish them, since they hindered the believers from visiting the
holy temple," although they are not the guardians thereof.° The guardians
thereof are those only who fear God ; but the greater part of them know it
not. And their prayer at the house of God is no other than whistling and
clapping of the hands.’ Taste therefore the punishment, for that ye have
been unbelievers. They who believe not expend their wealth to obstruct

 

‘ As they were to Abu Lobaba.

*z. e. A direction that ye may distinguish between truth and falsehood; or success in
battle to distinguish the believers from the infidels; or the like.

» When the Meccans heard of the league entered into by Mohammed with those of
Medina, being apprehensive of the consequences, they héld a council, whereat they say
the devil assisted in the likeness of an old man of Najd. The point under consideration
being what they should do with Mohammed, Abu’lbakhtari was of opinion that he should
be imprisoned, and the room walled up, except a little hole, through which he should
have necessaries given him, till he died. This the devil opposed, saying that he might
probably be released by some of his own party. Hesham Abn Amru was for banishing
him: but his advice also the devil rejected, insisting that Mohammed might engage some
other tribes in his interest, and make war on them. At length Abu Jahl gave fis opinion
for putting him to death, and proposed the manner, which was unanimously approved.®

‘ Revealing their conspiracy to Mohammed, and miraculously assisting him to deceive
them, and make his escape ;‘ and afterwards drawing them to the battle of Bedr.

5 ***God, whose vigilance surpasses that of the wicked, will frustrate their plots ”—
avary.

* See chap. 6,,p. 100.

' This was the speech of Al Nodar Ebn al Hareth.

™ Saying, God forgive us! Some of the commentators, however, suppose the persons
who asked pardon were certain believers, who stayed among the infidels; and others
think the meaning to be, that God would not punish them, provided they asked pardon.

* Obliging them to flee from Mecca, and not permitting them so much as to approach
the temple, in the expedition of al Hodeibiya.?

° Because of their idolatry, and indeeent deportment there. For otherwise the Koreish
had a right to the guardianship of the Caaba, and it was continued in their tribe and in the
same family even after the taking of Mecca.‘

® It is said that they used to go round the Caaba naked,* both men and women whistling
at the same time through their fingers, and clapping their hands. Or, as others say, they
made this noise on purpose to disturb Mohammed when at his prayers, pretending to be
at prayers also themselves.® ;

° Al Beidawi. See the Prelim. Disc. p. 35. ' See ibid. 2 Al Beidawi. 3 See
the Prelim. Disc. p. 37. ¥ “See chap. 4. p. 67, note u. 5 See chap. 7. p. 118
® Al Beidawi.
CHAP. VIII. _ AL KORAN. 143

the way of Gop:4 they shall expend it, but afterwards it shall become
matter of sighing and regret unto them, and at length they shall be over-
come ;-and the unbelievers shall be gathered together into hell; that Gop
may distinguish the wicked from the good, and may throw the wicked one
upon the other, and may gather them all in a heap, and cast them into hell.
These are they who shall perish. Say unto the unbelievers, that if they
desist from opposing thee, what is already past shall be forgiven them; but
if they return to attack thee, the exemplary punishment of the former
opposers of the prophets is already past, and the like shall be inflicted on them.
Therefore fight against them until there be no opposition in favour of
idolatry, and the religion be wholly Gop’s. If they desist, verily Gop
seeth that which they do: but if they turn back, know that Gop is your
patron; he is the best patron, and the best helper, *[X.] And know
that whenever ye gain any spoiis, a fifth part thereof belongeth unto Gop,
and to the apostle, and his kindred, and the orphans, and the poor, and the
traveller ;* if ye believe in Gop, and that which we have sent down unto
our servant on the day of distinction,‘ on the day whereon the two armies
met: and Gop is almighty. When ye were encamped on the hithermost
side of the valley,t and they were encamped on the further side, and the
caravan was below you;** and if ye had mutually appointed to come to a
battle, ye would certainly have declined the appointment ;* but ye were
brought to an engagement without any previous appointment, that Gop might
accomplish the thing which was decreed to be done;¥ that he who perisheth
hereafter may perish after demonstrative evidence, and that he who liveth
may live by the same evidence; Gop both heareth and knoweth. When
thy Lorp caused the enemy to appear unto thee in thy sleep few in num-

 

«The persons particularly meant in this passage were twelve of the Koreish, who
gave each of them ten camels every day to be killed for provisions for their army in the
expedition of Bedr; or, according to others, the owners of the effects brought by the
caravan, who gave great part of them to the support of the succours from Mecca. It. is
also said that Abu Sofian, in the expedition of Ohod, hired two thousand Arabs, who cost
him a considerable sum, besides the auxiliaries which he had obtained eens

* According to this law, a fifth part of the spoils is appropriated to the particular uses
here mentioned, and the other four-fifths are to be equally divided among those who were
present at the action: but in what manner, or to whom the first fifth is to be distributed,
the Mohammedan doctors differ, as we have elsewhere observed.* Though it be the
general opinion that this verse was revealed at Bedr, yet there are some who suppose it
was revealed in the expedition against the Jewish tribe of Kainoka, which happened a little
above a month after.®

‘i.e. Of the battle of Bedr; which is so called because it distinguished the true be-
lievers from the infidels.

t Which was much more inconvenient than the other, because of the deep sand and
want of water. .

"viz. By the sea-side, making the best of their way to Mecca.

* «© You were encamped near the rivulet,' the enemies were on the opposite bank.
Your cavalry was inferior.’’—Savary.

* Because of the great superiority of the enemy, and the disadvantages ye lay under.

7 By'granting a miraculous victory to the faithful, and overthrowing their enemies for
the conviction of the latter, and the confirmation of the former.?

"Al Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. vi. ° Al Beidawi,
‘Mahomet was encamped near Bedr. This is the name of a well. This post was a
very advantageous one, because it enabled him to procure water, which is exceedingly
scarce in Arabia.’’—Savary. 2 Al Beidawi.

2
144 AL KORAN. CHAP. VIII.

ber ;* and if he had caused them to appear numerous unto thee, ye would
have been disheartened, and would have disputed concerning the matter :®
but Gop preserved you from this ; for he knoweth the innermost parts of.
the breasts of men, And when he caused them to appear unto va when
ye met, to be few in your eyes; and diminished your numbers in their
eyes ;° that Gop might accomplish the thing which was decreed to be done;
and unto Gop shall all things return. O true believers, when ye meet a
party of the infidels, stand firm, and remember Gop frequently, that ye may
prosper: and obey Gop and his apostle, and be not refractory, lest ye be
discouraged, and your success depart from you ; but persevere with patience,
for Gop is with those who persevere. And be not as those who went out
of their houses in an insolent manner, and to appear with ostentation unto
men,‘ and turned aside from the way of Gop; for Gop comprehendeth that
which they do. And remember when Satan prepared their works for them,®
and said, No man shall prevail against you to-day; and I will surely be
near to assist you. But when the two armies appeared in sight of each
other, he turned back on his heels, and said, Verily I am clear of you:
I certainly see that which ye see not; I fear Gop, for Gop is severe in
punishing.t When the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts there was an

 

2 With which vision Mohammed acquainted his companions for their encouragemeht.

® Whether-ye should attack the enemy or flee. :

>It is said that Ebn Masiid asked the man who was next him, whether he did not:see
them to be about seventy; to which he replied that he took them to be a hundred.*

° This seeming “contradictory to a passage in the third chapter,‘ where it is said that
the Moslems appeared to the infidels to be twice their own number, the commentators
reconcile the matter, by telling us that just before the battle began, the prophet’s party
seemed fewer than they really were, to draw the enemy to an engagement; but that so
_ soon as the armies were fully engaged, they appeared superior, to terrify and dismay their
adversaries. It is related that Abu Jahl at first thought them so inconsiderable a handful,
that he said one camel would be as much as they could all eat.*

“ These were the Meccans, who, marching to the assistance of the caravan, and being
come as far as Johla, were there met by a messenger from Abu Sofian, to acquaint them
that he thought himself out of danger, and therefore they might return home; upon which
Abu Jahl, to give the greater opinion of the courage of himself and his comrades, and of
their readiness to assist their friends, swore that they would not return till they had been
at Bedr, and had there drunk wine, and entertained those who should be present, and
diverted themselves with singing-women.$ ‘The event of which bravado was very fatal,
se of the principal Koreish, and Abu Jahl in particular, losing their lives in the ex-
pedition. ; ‘

° By inciting them to oppose the prophet. &

‘ Some understand this passage figuratively, of the private instigation of the devil, and
of the defeating of his designs and the hopes with which he had inspired the idolaters.
But others take the whole literally, and tell us that when the Koreish, on their march,
bethought themselves of the enmity between them and the tribe of Kenana, who were
masters of the country about Bedr, that consideration would have prevailed on them to
return, had not the devil appeared in the likeness of Soréka Ebn Malec, a principal per-
son of that tribe, and promised them that they should not be molested, and that himself
would go with them, But when they came to join battle, and the devil saw the angels
descending to the assistance of the Moslems, he retired; and al Hareth Ebn Hesham, who
had him then by the hand, asking him whither he was going, and if he intended to betray
them at such a juncture, he answered in the words of this passage, I am clear of you, for
I see that which ye see not ; meaning the celestial succours. They say further, that when
the Koreish, on their return, laid the blame of their overthrow on Soraka, he swore that
he did not so much as know of their march till he heard they were routed: and after-
wards, when they embraced Mohammedism, they were satisfied it was the devil.”

3 Al Beidawi. * Page 36. Al Beidawi * ddi
«aol Bee dso aaa: eidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya
CHAP. VIII. : AL KORAN. 145

infirmity, said, Their religion hath deceived these men :& but whosoever
confideth in Gop cannot be deceived ; for Gop is mighty and wise. And it
thou didst behold when the angels caused the unbelievers to die : they strike
their faces and their backs," and say unto them, Taste ye the pain of burn-
ing: this shall ye suffer for that which your hands have sent before you;}
and because Gop is not unjust towards his servants. These have acted
according to the wont of the people of Pharaoh, and of those before them,
who disbelieved in the signs of Gop: therefore Gop took them away in
their iniquity ; for Gop is mighty and severe in punishing. This hath come
to pass because Gop changeth not his grace, wherewith he hath favoured
any people, until they change that which is in their souls; and for that
Gop both heareth and seeth. According to the wont of the people of
Pharaoh, and of those before them, who charged the signs of their Lorp
with imposture, have they acted: wherefore we destroyed them in their
sins, and we drowned the people of Pharaoh; for they were all unjust
persons. Verily the worst cattle in the sight of Gop are those who are
obstinate infidels, and will not believe. As to those who enter into a league
with thee, and afterwards violate their league at every convenient oppor-
tunity,* and fear not God ; if thou take them in war, disperse, by making
them an example, those who shall come after them, that they may be
warmed; or if thou apprehend treachery from any people, throw back
their league unto them with like treatment; for Gop loveth not the
treacherous. And think not! that the unbelievers have escaped God’s
vengeance,™ for they shall not weaken the power of God. Therefore pre-
pare against them what force ye are able, and troops of horse, whereby ye
may strike a terror into the enemy of Gop, and your enemy, and into other
infidels besides them, whom ye know not, dut Gop knoweth them. And
whatsoever ye shall expend in the defence of the religion of Gop, it shall be
repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly. And if they incline
unto peace, do thou also incline thereto; and put thy confidence in Gop,
for it is he who heareth and knoweth. But if they seek to deceive thee,
verily God will be thy support. It is he who hath strengthened thee with
his help, and with that of the faithful; and hath united their hearts. If
thou hadst expended whatever riches are in the earth, thou couldst not
have united their hearts," but Gop united them; for he is mighty and wise.

 

® In tempting them to so great a piece of folly, as to attack so large a body of men with
such a tandiul :

» This passage is generally understood of the angels who slew the infidels at Bedr, and
who fought (as the commentators pretend) with iron maces, which shot forth flames of
fire at every stroke.? Some, however, ieagine that the words hint, at least, at the ex-
amination of the sepulchre, which the Mohammedans believe every man must undergo
after death, and will be very terrible to the unbelievers.®

1 See chap. 2. p. 13, note r.

* As did the tribe of Koreidha.*

' Some copies read it in the third person, Let not the unbelievers think, &c.

™ viz. Those who made their escape from Bedr. .

* Because of the inveterate enmity which reigned among many of the Arab tribes; and

® Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 54, &c. ‘See
before, ». 141, and chap. 33. /
L46 Al; KORAN. | CHAP. VIII

© prophet, Gon is thy support, and such of the true believers who followeth
thee.° © prophet, stir up the faithful to war: if twenty of you persevere
with constancy, they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be one hun-
dred of you, they shall overcome a thousand of those who believe not,
because they are a people which do not understand. Now hath Gop eased
you, for he knew that ye were weak. If there be an hundred of you who
persevere with constancy, they shall overcome two hundred; and if there
be a thousand of you, they shall overcome two thousand,? by the permission
of Gop; for Gop is with those who persevere. It hath not been granted
unto any prophet, that he should possess captives, until he hath made a
great slaughter of the infidels in the earth.1 Ye seek the accidental goods
of this world, but Gop regardeth the life to come ; and Gon is mighty and
wise. Unless a revelation had been previously delivered from Gop, verily
a severe punishment had been inflicted on you, for the ransom which ye
took from the captives at Bedr. Tat therefore of what ye have acquired,
that which is lawful and good; for Gop ts gracious and merciful. O pro-
phet, say unto the captives who are in your hands, If Gop shall know any
good to be in your hearts, he will give you better than what hath been

 

therefore this reconciliation is reckoned by the commentators as no inconsiderable miracle,
and a strong proof of their prophet’s mission.

° This passage, as some say, was revealed in a plain called al Beida, between Mecca
and Medina, during the expedition of Bedr; and, as others, in the sixth year of the pro-
phet’s mission, on the occasion of Omar’s embracing Mohammedism.

» See Lev. xxvi. 8; Josh. xxiii. 10.

"4 Because severity ought to be used where circumstances require it, though clemency
be more preferable where it may be exercised with safety. While the Mohammedans
therefore were weak, and their religion in its infancy, God’s pleasure was that the opposers
of it should be cut off, as is particularly directed in this chapter. For which reason they
are here upbraided with their preferring the lucre of their ransom to their duty.

* That is, had not the ransom been, in strictness, lawful for you to accept, by God’s
having o general terms allowed you the spoil and the captives, ye had been severely
punished.

Among the seventy prisoners whom the Moslems took in this battle were al Abbas,
one of Mohammed’s uncles, and Okail the son of Abu Taleb and brother of Ali: when
they were brought before Mohammed, he asking the advice of his companions what should
be done with them, Abu Becr was for releasing them on their aying ransom, saying,
that they were near relations to the prophet, and God might possibly forgive them on their
repentance ; but Omar was for striking off their heads, as professed patrons of infidelity.
Mohammed did not approve of the latter advice, but observed that Abu Becr resembled
Abraham, who interceded for offenders, and that Omar was like Noah, who prayed for
the utter extirpation of the wicked antediluvians ; and thereupon it was agreed to accept
a ransom from them and their fellow-captives. Soon after which, Omar, going into the
prophet’s tent, found him and Abu Becr weeping, and asking them the reason of theit
tears, Mohammed acquainted him that this verse had been revealed condemning their ill-
timed lenity towards their prisoners, and that they had narrowly escaped the divine ven-
geance for it, adding, that if God had not passed the matter over, they had certainly been
destroyed to a man, excepting only Omar, and Saad Ebn Moadh, a person of as great
severity, and who was also for putting the prisoners to death.2. Yet did not this crime_go
absolutely unpunished neither: for in the battle of Ohod the Moslems lost seventy men,
equal to the number of prisoners taken at Bedr;* which was so ordered by God, asa
retaliation or atonement for the same.

*i. e. Of the ransom which ye have received of your prisoners. For, it seems, on this
rebuke, they had some scruple of conscience whether they might convert it to their own |
use or not.*

2 See before, p. 141, and chap. 33. ? See chap. 3, p. 51. ‘ Al Beidawi.
CHAP. VIII. AL KORAN. 147

taken from you ;* and he will forgive you, for Gop is gracious and merciful.
But if they seek to deceive thee," verily they have deceived Gop; where-
fore he hath given thee power over them: and Gop is knowing and wise.
Moreover, they who have believed, and have fled their country, and em-
ployed their substance and their persons in fighting for the religion of Gop,
and they who have given the prophet a refuge among them, and have assisted
him, these shall be deemed the one nearest of kin to the other.*» But they
who have believed, but have not fled their country, shall have no right of
kindred at all with you, until they also fly. Yet if they ask assistunce of
you on account of religion, it belongeth unto you to give them assistance ;
except against a people between whom and yourselves there shall be a
league subsisting : and Gop seeth that which ye do. “And as to the infidels
let them be deemed of kin the one to the other. Unless ye do this, there
will be a sedition in the earth, and grievous corruption. But as for them
who have believed, and left their country, and have fought for Gon’s true
religion, and who have allowed the prophet a retreat among them, and have
assisted him, these are really believers; they shall receive mercy, and an
honourable provision. And they who have believed since, and have fled
their country, and have fought with you, these also are of you. And those
who are related by consanguinity shall be deemed the nearest of kin to each
other, preferably to strangers according to the book of Gop; Gop knoweth
all things.

 

‘ That is, If ye repent and believe, God will make you abundant retribution for the
ransom ye have now paid. It is said that this passage was revealed on the particular
account of al Abbas, who being obliged by Mohammed, eve his uncle, to ransom both
himself and his two nephews, Okail, and Nawfal Ebn al Hareth, complained that he should
be reduced to beg alms of the Koreish as Jong as he lived. Whereupon Mohammed asked
him what was become of the gold which he delivered to Omm al Fadl when he left
Mecca, telling her that he knew not what might befall him in the expedition, and there-
fore if he lost his life, she might keep it herself for the use of her and her children? Al
Abbas demanded who told him this ; to which Mohammed replied, that God had revealed
it to him. And upon this al Abbas immediately professed Islamism, declaring that none
could know of that affair except God, because he gave her the mene at midnight. Some
years after, al Abbas reflecting on this passage, confessed it to be fulfilled ; for he was then
not only possessed of a large substance, but had the custody of the well Zemzem, which,
he said, he preferred to all the riches of Mecca.‘

= By not paying the ransom agreed on.

* «The believers, who have abandoned their families to defend the cause of God with
their substance and their lives, shall share the spoil with those who have given assistance
and an asylum to the prophet.’’—Savary.

* And shall consequently inherit one another’s substance, preferably to their relations
by blood. And this, they say, was practised for some time, thé Mohajerin and Ansars
being judged heirs to one another, exclusive of the deceased’s other kindred, till this pas-
sage was abrogated by the following: Those who are related by blood shall be deemed
the nearest of kin to each other. :

’ Al Beidawi. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Abbas.
“ 148 AL KORAN. CHAP. TX,

CHAPTER IX.

INTITLEL, THE DECLARATION OF IMMUNITY; REVEALED AT
MEDINA.

A DECLARATION of immunity from Gop and his apostle, unto the
idolaters, with whom ye have entered into league.’ Go to and fro in the
earth securely four months ;* and know that ye shall not weaken Gop, and
that Gop will disgrace the unbelievers. And a declaration from Gop and
his apostle unto the people, on the day of the greater pilgrimage," that Gop
is clear of the idolaters, and his apostle also. Wherefore if ye repent, this

 

«The reason why the chapter had this title appears from the last verse. Some, how-
ae ane it other titles, and particularly that of Repentance, which is mentioned imme-

jately after.

It Z observable that this chapter alone has not the auspicatory form, In the name of the
most merciful God, prefixed to it; the reason of which omission, as some think, was,
because these words imply a concession of security, which is utterly taken away by this
chapter, after a fixed time; wherefore some have called it the chapter of Punishment :
others say that Mohammed (who died soon after he had received this chapter) having
given no direction where it should be placed, nor for the prefixing the Bismillah to it, as
had been done to the other chapters; and the argument of this chapter bearing a near
resemblance to that of the preceding; his companions differed about it: some saying
that both chapters were but one, and together made the seventh of the seven long ones,
and others that they were two distinct chapters; whereupon, to accommodate the
dispute, they left a space between them, but did not interpose the distinction of the
Bismillah.* *

It is agreed that this chapter was the last which was revealed; and the only one, as
ie pamed declared, which was revealed entire and at once, except the hundred and
tenth.

Some will have the last two verses to have been revealed at Mecca.

> Some understand this sentence of the immunity or security therein granted to the infi-
dels, for the space of four months; but others think that the words properly signify, that
Mohammed is here deelared by God to be absolutely free and discharged from all truce or
league with them, after the expiration of that time:? and this last seems to be the truest
interpretation.

Mohammed’s thus renouncing all league with those who would not receive him as the
apostle of God, or submit to become tributary, was the consequence of the great power to
which he was now arrived. But the pretext he made use of was the treachery he had met
with among the Jewish and idolatrous Arabs; scarce any keeping faith with him, except
Banu Damra, Banu Kenana, and a few others.?

¢ These months were Shawal, Dhu’lkaada, Dhu’lhajja, and Moharram; the chapter
being revealed in Shawal. Yet others compute them from the tenth of Dhu’lhajja, when
the chapter was published at Mecca, and consequently make them expire on the tenth
of the former Rabi.‘ :

4 Viz. The tenth of Dhu’lhajja, when they slay the victims at Mina; which day is
their great feast, and completes the ceremonies of the pilgrimage. Some suppose the
adjective greater is added here to distinguish the pilgrimage made at the appointed time,
from lesser pilgrimages, as they may be called, or visttations of the Caaba, which may be
performed at any time of the year; or else because the concourse at the pilgrimage this
year was greater than ordinary, both Moslems and idolaters being present at it.

The promulgation of this chapter was committed by Mohammed to Ali, who rode for that
purpose on the prophet’s slit-eared camel from Medina to Mecca; and on the day above-
mentioned, standing up before the whole assembly at al Akaba, told them, that he was the

t Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya, &c. 2 Al Beidawi. 3 Idem.
Idem, Al Zamaksh. Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. VIII. AL KORAN. 149

will be better for you; but if ye turn back, know that ye shall not weaken
Gop: and denounce unto those who believe not, a painful punishment.*
Except such of the idolaters with whom ye shall have entered into a league,
and who afterwards shall not fail you in any instance, nor assist any other
against you. Wherefore perform the covenant which ye shall have made
with them, until their time shall be elapsed ; for Gop loveth those who fear
him. And when the months wherein ye are not allowed to attack them
shall be past, kill the idolaters wheresoever ye shall find them,‘ and.take
them prisoners, and besiege them, and lay wait for them in every con-
venient place. But if they shall repent, and observe the appointed times of
prayer, and pay the legal alms, dismiss them freely : for Gop is gracious
and merciful. And if any of the idolaters shall demand protection of thee,
grant him protection, that he may hear the word of Gop: and afterwards
let him reach the place of his security. This shalt thou do, because they
are people which know not the excellency of the religion thou preachest.
How shall the idolaters be admitted into a league with Gop and with his
apostle; except those with whom ye entered into a league at the holy
temple.» So long as they behave with fidelity towards you, do ye also
behave with fidelity towards them; for Gop loveth those who fear him.
How can they be admitted into a league with you, since, if they prevail
against you, they will not regard in you either-consanguinity or faith?
They will please you with their mouths, but their hearts will be averse from
you ; for the greater part of them are wicked doers. They sell the signs of
Gop for a small price, and obstruct his way ; it is certainly evil which they
do.” They regard not in a believer either consanguinity or faith; and these
are the transgressors. Yet if they repent, and observe the appointed times
of prayer, and give alms, they shall be deemed your brethren in religion. We
distinctly propound our signs unto people who understand. But if they
violate their oaths, after their league, and revile your religion, oppose the
leaders of infidelity (for there is no trust in them), that they may desist
from their treachery. Will ye not fight against people who have violated
their oaths, and conspired to expel the apostle of God ; and who of their

 

messenger of the apostle of God unto them; whereupon they asking him whau was his
errand, he read twenty or thirty verses of the chapter unto them, and then said, I am
commanded to acquaint you with four things, 1. That no idolater is to come near the temple
of Mecca after this year; 2. That no man presume to compass the Caaba naked for the
pues 3* 3. That none but true believers shall enter paradise ; and 4. That public faith is
_to be kept.§
***God and his apostle declare that, after the days of pilgrimage, there shall be no
pardon for the idolaters. It highly concerns ye that ye be converted. Remember that ye
cannot suspend the vengeance of Heaven.’’—Savary.

°* So that notwithstanding Mohammed renounces all league with those who had deceived
es he declares himself ready to perform his engagements to such as had been true
to him.

‘ Either within or without the sacred territory. ;

* That is, you shall give him a safe conduct, that he may return home again securely, in
case he shall not think fit to embrace Mohammedism.

» These are the persons before excepted.
+See before, chap. 7, p. 118. ® Al Beidawi. Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 127, &c.
150 AL KORAN.  - CHAP. IX

own accord assaulted you the first time?! Will ye fear them? But it is
more just that ye should fear Gon, if ye are true believers. Attack them
therefore ; Gop shall punish them by your hands, and will cover them with
shame, and will give you the victory over them; and he will heal the
breasts of the people who believe," and will take away the indignation of
their hearts: for Gop will be turned unto whom he pleaseth; and Gop is
knowing and wise. Did ye imagine that ye should be abandoned, whereas
Gop did not yet know those among you who fought for his religion, and
took not any besides God, and his apostle, and the faithful for their friends?
Gop is well acquainted with that which ye do. It is not jiting that the
idolaters should visit the temples of Gon, being witnesses against their own
souls of their infidelity. The works of these men are vain: and they shall
remain in hell fire for ever. But he only shall visit the temples of Gop,
who believeth in Gop and the last day, and is constant at prayer, and
payeth the legal alms, and feareth Gop alone. These perhaps may become
of the number of those who are rightly directed.*! Do ye reckon the giving
drink to the pilgrims, and the visiting of the holy temple, to be actions as
meritorious as those performed by him who believeth in Gop and the last
day, and fighteth for the religion of Gop?™ They shall not be held equal
‘with Gop: for Gon directeth not the unrighteous people. They who have
believed, and fled their country, and employed their substance and their
persons in the defence of Gon’s true religion, shall be in the highest degree
of honour with Gop; and these are they who shall be happy. Their
Lorp sendeth them good tidings of mercy from him, and good will, and of
gatdens wherein they shall enjoy lasting pleasure: they shall continue
therein for ever: for with Gop is a great reward. O true believers, take
not your fathers or your brethren for friends, if they love infidelity above
faith ; and whosoever among you shall take them for Ais friends, they will
be unjust doers. Say, if your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren,
and your wives, and your relations, and your substance which ye have
acquired, and your merchandise which ye apprehend may not be sold off,

 

‘ As did the Koreish in assisting the tribe of Becr, against those of KhozAah," and layin
a design to ruin Mohammed, without any just provocation ; and as several of the Jewis
tribes did, by aiding the enemy, and endeavouring to oblige the prophet to leave Medina,
as he had been obliged to leave Mecca.®

* viz. Those of Khozaah; or, as others say, certain families of Yaman and Saba, who
went to Mecca, and there professed Mohammedism, but were very injuriously treated by
the inhabitants ; whereupon they complained to Mohammed, who bid them take comfort,
- for that joy was approaching.®
* For them the path of salvation is easy.’’—Savary.

1 These words are to warn the believers from having too great a confidence in their own
merits, and likewise to deter the unbelievers; for if the faithful will but perhaps be saved,
what can the others hope for ?+

™ This passage was revealed on occasion of some words of al Abbas, Mohammed's
uncle; who, when he was taken prisoner, being bitterly reproached by the Moslems, and
particularly by his nephew Ali, answered, You rip up our ill actions, but take no notice
of our good ones ; we visit the temple of Mecca, and adorn the Caaba with hangings, and
give drink to the pilgrims (of Zemzem water, I suppose) and free captives.?

"See the Prelim. Disc. p, 39. * Al Beidawi. °Tdem. * Idem.

dem.
CHAP. IX. AL KORAN. 151

and your dwellings wherein ye delight, be more dear unto you than Gop,
and his apostle, and the advancement of his religion; wait until Gop shall
send his command," for Gop directeth not the ungodly people.e Now hath
Gop assisted you in many engagements, and particularly at the battle
of Honein,° when ye pleased yourselves in your multitude, but it was
no manner of advantage unto you, and the earth became too strait for you,?
notwithstanding it was spacious ;* then did ye retreat, and turn your backs,
Afterwards Gop sent down his security upon his apostle and upon: the
faithful, and sent down troops of angels, which ye saw not; and he
punished those who disbelieved : and this was the reward of the unbelievers.
Nevertheless Gop will hereafter be turned unto whom he pleaseth ;* for
Gop is gracious and merciful. O true believers, verily the idolaters are
unclean; let them not therefore come near unto the holy temple after this
year. And if ye fear want, by the cutting off trade and communication with
them, Gop will enrich you of his abundance," if he pleaseth: for Gop
is knowing and wise. Fight against them who believe not in Gop,

 

* Or shall punish you. Some suppose the taking of Mecca to be here intended.®

° The battle was fought in the eighth year of the Hejra, in the valley of Honein, which
lies about three miles from Mecca towards Tayef, between Mohammed, who had an army
of twelve thousand men, and the tribes of Hawazen and Thakif, whose forces did not
exceed four thousand. The Mohammedans seeing themselves so greatly superior to their
enemies, made sure of the victory; a certain person, whom some suppose to have been
the prophet himself, crying out, These can never be overcome by so few. But God was so
highly displeased with this confidence, that in the first encounter the Moslems were put
to flight,‘ some of them running away quite to Mecca, so that none stood their ground
except Mohammed himself and some few of his family; and they say the prophet’s
courage was so great, that his uncle al Abbas, and his cousin Abu Sofiin Ebn al Hareth,
had much ado to prevent his spurring his mule into the midst of the enemy, by laying hold
of the bridle and stirrup. Then he ordered al Abbas, who had the voice of a stentor, to
reeall his flying troops; upon which they rallied, and the prophet throwing a handful of
dust against the enemy, they attacked them a second time, and by the divine assistance
gained the victory.® :

» For the valley being very deep, and encompassed by craggy mountains, the enemy
placed themselves in ambush on every side, attacking them in the straits and narrow
passages, and from behind the rocks, with great advantage.®

* «* How often has the Omnipotent caused you to feel the effects of his protection ?
Remember ye the battle of Honein, when the number of your troops puffed up your
hearts with pride? Of what avail to you was that formidable army? The earth seemed
to you to be too narrow in your precipitate flight.’’—Savary. :

‘The original word is Sakinat, which the commentators interpret in this sense ;
but it seems rather to signify the divine presence, or Shechinah, appearing to aid the
Moslems.7 .

* As to the number of these celestial auxiliaries, the commentators differ: some say
they were five thousand ; some, eight thousand ; and others, sixteen thousand.*

* Besides a great number of proselytes, who were gained by'this battle, Mohammed, on
their request was so generous as to restore the captives (which were no less than six thou-
sand) to their friends, and offered to make amends himself to any of his men who should
not be willing to part with his prisoners ; but they all consented to it.°

* Which was the ninth year of the Hejra. In consequence of this prohibition, neither-
sors nd Christians, nor those of any other religion, are suffered to come near Mecca
to this day.

« This promise, says al Beidawi, was fulfilled by God’s sending plenty of rain, and dis-
posing the inhabitants of Tebala and Jorash, two towns in Yaman, to embrace Islam,
who thereupon brought sufficient provisions to Mohammed’s men; and also by the sub-
sequent coming in of the Arabs, from all quarters, to him.

3 Al Beidawi. “See Prid. Life of Moh. p. 96, &c. Hotting. Hist. Orient. p. 271, &c
D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 601. 5 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Abulfeda, Vit. Mok
ne 12, &c. 6 Ebn Ishak. 7 See chap. 2, p. 30, note i. * Al Beidiw,

lem. ;
152 AL KORAN. CHAP. IX.

nor the last day,* and forbid not that which Gov and his apostle have
forbidden, and profess not the true religion, of those unto whom the
scriptures have been delivered, until,they pay tribute by right of
subjection,” and they be reduced low.; The Jews say, Ezra is the son
of Gop: and the Christians say, Christ is the Son of Gop. This is their

 

= That is, who have not a just and true faith in these matters; but either believe a plu-
rality of gods, or deny the eternity of hell torments ;* or the delights of paradise as de-
scribed in the Koran. For as it appears by the following words, the Jews and Christians
are the persons here chiefly meant. : wai. Ss Shia

’ This I think the true meaning of the words an yadin, which literally signify by or out
of hand, and are variously interpreted; some supposing they mean that the tribute is to
be paid readily, or by their own hands and not by another ; or that tribute is to be exacted,
of the rich only, or those who are able to pay it, and not of the poor; or else that it
is to be — as a favour that the Mohammedans are satisfied with so small an im~
position, &c.* . A

That the Jews and Christians are, according to this law, to be admitted to protection, on
payment of tribute, there is no doubt; though the Mohammedan doctors differ as to
those of other religions. It is said that Omar at first refused to accept tribute from a
Magian, till Abd’alrahmad Ebn Awf assured him that Mohammed himself had granted
protection to a Magian, and ordered that the professors of that religion should be included
among the people of the book, or those who found their religion on some book which they
suppose to be of divine original. And it is the more received opinion that these three
religions only ought to be tolerated on the condition of paying tribute; others, how- °
ever, admit the Sabians also. Abu Hanifa supposed people of any religion might be
suffered, except the idolatrous Arabs; and Malec excepted only apostates from Mo-
hammedism.

The least tribute that.can be taken from every such person, is generally agreed to be a
dindr, or about ten shillings, a year; nor can he be obliged to pay more, unless he con-
sent to it: and this, they say, ought to be laid as well on the poor as on the rich? But
Abu Hanifa decided that the rich should pay forty-eight dirhems (twenty, and sometimes
twenty-five, of which made a dinér) a year; one in middling circumstances half that sum;
and a poor man, who was able to get his living, a quarter of it: but that he who was not
able to support himself should pay nothing.*

* This grievous charge against the Jews, the commentators endeavour to support by
telling us, that it is meant of some ancient heterodox Jews, or else of some Jews of
Medina; who said so for no other reason, than for that the law baing utterly lost and for-
gotten during the Babylonish captivity, Ezra having been raised to life after he had been
dead one hundred years,‘ dictated the whole anew unto the scribes, out of his own
memory ; at which they greatly marvelled, and declared that he could not have done it,
unless he were the son of God.’ Al Beidawi adds, that the imputation must be true,
because this verse was read to the Jews and they did not contradict it; which they were
ready enough to do in other instances.

That Ezra did thus restore not only the Pentateuch, but also the other books of the
Old Testament, by divine revelation, was the opinion of several of the Christian fathers,
who are quoted by Dr. Prideaux,® and of some other writers; * which they seem to have
first borrowed from a passage in that very ancient apocryphal book, called in our English
Bible, the second book of Esdras.* Dr. Prideaux® tells us, that herein the fathers at-
tributed more to Ezra, than the Jews themselves, who suppose that he only collected and
set forth a correct edition of the scriptures, which he laboured much in, and went a great
way in the perfecting of it. It is not improbable however, that the fiction came originally
from the Jews, though they be now of another opinion, and I cannot fix it upon them by
any direct proof. For, not to insist upon the testimony of the Mohammedans (which yet
I cannot but think of some little weight ina point of this nature), it is allowed by the most
sagacious critics, that the second book of Ezra was written by a Christian indeed,”
but yet_one who had been bred a Jew, and was intimately acquainted with the fables
¢ the Rabbins;* and the story itself is perfectly in the taste and way of thinking of
those men. :

10 See chap. 2, p. 11, and chap. 3, p. 37. 1 Vide al Beidawi. 2 Vide Reland, de
Jure Militari Mohammedanor, p. 17, et 50. 3 Al Beidawi. 4 See chap. 2, p. 31.
* Al Beidawi, al Zamakhshari, &c. ® Connect. part 1, lib. 5. p. 329. 7" Athanasius
junior, in Synopsi S. Script. tom. 2, p. 86. Leontius Byzantin. de Séttis. p. 428.
* Chap. xiv. 20, &c. ® Loco Citat. © See 2 Esdras ii. 43—47, and vii. 28, &c.
‘ Vide Dodwelli. Dissert. Cyprian. Dissert. 4, sect. ii. Whiston’s Essay on the Apostolical
Eoaats | pp. 34, 76,.and 304, &c. and Fabricii Codic. Apocryph. Noyi Test. part 2
p. 936. &c.
CHAP. IX. AL KORAN. 153

saying in their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who were un-
believers in former times. May Gop resist them. How are they infatuated!
They take their priests and their monks for their lords, besides God,* and
Christ the son of Mary; although they are commanded to worship one
Gop only: there is no Gop but he; far be that from him which they associate
with him !* They seek to extinguish the light of Gop with their mouths ;
but Gop willeth no other than to perfect his light, although the infidels be
averse thereto. It is he who hath sent his apostle with the direction, and
_ true religion; that he may cause it to appear superior to every other reli-
gion; although the idolaters be averse thereto. O true believers, verily
many of the priests and monks levour the substance of men in vanity,»
and obstruct the way of Gop.y’ But unto those who treasure up gold and
silver, and employ it not for the advancement of Gop’s true religion, de-
nounce a grievous punishment. On the day of judgment their treasures
shall be intensely heated in the fire of hell, and their foreheads, and their
sides, and their backs shall be stigmatized therewith; and their tormentors
shall say, This is what ye have treasured up for your souls ; taste therefore
that which ye have treasured up, Moreover, the complete number of
months with Gop, is twelve months;° which were ordained in the book of
Gop,? on the day whereon he created the heavens and the earth: of these,
four are sacred. This is the right religion: therefore deal not unjustly
with yourselves therein. But attack the idolaters in all the months, as they
attack you in all;* and know that Gop is with those who fear him.
Verily the transferring of a sacred month to another month, is an additional
infidelity. The unbelievers are led into an error thereby: they allow a
month to be violated one year, and declare it sacred another year," that they
may agree in the number of months which Gop hath commanded to be

 

2 See chap. 3, p. 44, note d.

* «<The curse be on those whom they associate with him in his worship.’’—Savary.

> By taking of: bribes, says al Beidawi; meaning, probably, the money they took for
dispensing with the commands of God, and by way of commutation.

© According to this passage, the intercalation of a month every third or second year,
which the Arabs had learned of the Jews, in order to reduce their lunar years to solar
years, is absolutely unlawful. For by this means they fixed the time of the pilgrimage
and of the feast of Ramadan to certain seasons of the year, which ought to be’
ambulatory.?

4 viz, The preserved table.

© See the Prelim. Disc. sect. vii.

‘ For it is not reasonable that you should observe the sacred months with regard to those
who do not acknowledge them to be sacred, but make war against you therein.*

® This was an invention or inmovation of the idolatrous Arabs, whereby they avoided
keeping a sacred month, when it suited not their conveniency, by keeping a profane month
in its stead; transferring, for example, the observance of Moharram to the succeedin
month Safar. The first man who put this in practice, they say, was Jonada Ebn Awf,
of the tribe*of Kenana.*

These ordinances relating to the months were promulgated by Mohammed himself at
the pilgrimage of valediction.* ; ; :

* As did Jonada, who made public proclamation at the assembly of pilgrims, that their
gods had allowed Moharram to be profane, whereupon they observed it not; but the next
year he told them, that the gods had ordered it to be kept sacred.®

"See Prid. Life of Moh. p. 65, &c. and the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. and vii. 3 See
chap. 2, p. 23. ‘ Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 323, and the Prelim.
Disc, sect. vii, _* Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 132. ® Al Beidaw

U
154 AL KORAN. CHAP, IX

kept sacred; and they allow that which Gop hath forbidden. The evil of
their actions hath been prepared for them: for Gop directeth not the un-
pelieving people. O true believers, what ailed you, that when it was said
unto you, Go forth to fight for the religion of Gop, ye inclined heavily
towards the earth?' Do ye prefer the present life to that which is to
come? But the provision of this life, in respect of that which is to come,
is but slender. Unless ye go forth when ye are summoned to war, God will
punish you with a grievous punishment ; and he will place another people
in your stead,* and ye shall not hurt him at all; for Gop is almighty. ip
ye assist not the prophet, verily Gop will assist him, as he assisted him for-
merly, when the unbelievers drove him out of Mecca, the second of two:!.
when they were both in the cave; when he said unto his companion, Be
not grieved, for Gop is with us.™ And Gop sent down his security ™ upon
him, and strengthened him with armies of angels, whom ye saw not.? And
he made-the word of those who believed not to be abased, and the word
of Gop was exalted ; for Gop is mighty and wise. Go forth to battle, both
light and heavy,?* and employ your substance and your persons for the
advancement of Gop’s religion. This will be better for you; if ye know it.
If it had been a near advantage, and a moderate journey, they had surely
followed thee; but the way seemed tedious unto them: and yet they will
swear by Gop, saying, If we had been able, we had surely gone forth with
you. They destroy their own souls; for Gop knoweth that they are liars.
Gop forgive thee! why didst thou give them leave to stay at home," until
they who speak the truth, when they excuse themselves, had become mani-
fested unto thee, and thou hadst known the liars? They who believe in
Gop and the last day, will not ask leave of thee to be excused from em-
ploying their substance and their persons for the advancement of Gon’s
true religion; and Gop knoweth those who fear him. Verily they only

 

ao

‘ yiz. In the expedition of Tabiic, a town situate about half way between Medina and
Damascus, which Mohammed undertook against the Greeks, with an army of thirty thou-
sand men, in the ninth year of the Hejra. On this expedition the Moslems set out with
great unwillingness, because it was undertaken in the midst of the summer heats, and a
atime of great drought and scarcity; whereby the soldiers suffered so much, that this
army was called the distressed army ; besides, their fruits were just ripe, and they had
much rather have stayed to have gathered them."

® See chap. 5, p. 89.

1 That is, having only Abu Beer with him.

™ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. p. 36.

® See before, p. 6, note q.

°Who, as some imagine, guarded him in the cave. Or the words may relate to the
succours from ‘heaven which Mohammed pretended to have received in several encounters;
as at Bedr, the war of the ditch, and the battle of Honein.

4, e. Whether the expedition be agreeable or not; or whether ye have sufficient arms
and provisions or not; or whether ye be on horseback or on foot, é&c.

* “Young and old, go forth to combat.’”’—Savary.

4 That is, had there been no difficulties to surmount in the expedition of Tabiic, and the
march thither had been short and easy, so that the plunder might have cost them little or
no trouble, they would not have been so backward.

* For Mohammed excused several of his men, on their request, from going on this ex-
pedition ; as Abda’llah Ebn Obba, and his hypocritical adherents, and also three of the
Ansara; for which he is here reprehended.

TAl Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 123.
CHAP, IX. AL KORAN. 155

will ask leave of thee to stay behind, who believe not in Gop and the last day,
and whose hearts doubt concerning the faith: wherefore they are tossed to
and fro in their doubting. If they had been willing to go forth with thee, they
had certainly prepared for that purpose a provision of arms and necessaries :
but Gop was averse to their going forth; wherefore he réndered them sloth-
ful, and it was said unto them, Sit ye still with those who sit still.s If they
had gone forth with you, they had only been a burden unto you, and had
run to and fro between you, stirring you up to sedition; and there would
have been some among you, who would have given ear unto them: and Gop
knoweth the wicked. They formerly sought to raise a sedition,t and they
disturbed thy affairs, until the truth came, and the decree of Gop was made
manifest ; although they were averse thereto. There is of them who saith
unto thee, Give me leave to stay behind, and expose me not to temptation."
Have they not fallen into temptation at home?* But hell will surely en-
compass the unbelievers. If good happen unto thee, it grieveth them: but
if. misfortune befall thee, they say, We ordered our business before ;¥ and
‘they turn their backs, and rejoice at thy mishap. Say, Nothing shall befall
us, but what Gop hath decreed for us: he is our patron; and on Gop let
‘the faithful trust. . Say, Do ye expect any other should befall us, than one of
“the two most excellent things ; either victory or martyrdom? But we ex-
pect concerning you, that Gop inflict a punishment on you, either from
himself, or by our hands.» Wait, therefore, to see what will be the end of
both ; for we will wait for you. Say, Expend your money in pious uses,
either voluntarily, or by constraint, it shall not be accepted of you; because
ye are wicked people. And nothing hindereth their contributions from
being accepted of them, but that they believe not in Gop and his apostle,
and perform not the duty of prayer, otherwise than sluggishly ; and expend
not their money for God’s service, otherwise than unwillingly. Let not
therefore their riches, or their children cause thee to marvel. Verily Gop
intendeth only to punish them by these things in this world; and that their
souls may depart while they are unbelievers. They swear by Gop that
they are of you;* yet they are not of you, but are people who stand in
fear,» If they find a place of refuge, or caves, or a retreating hole, they

 

*i. e. With the women and children, and other impotent people.

* As they did at the battle of Ohod. Ar i ;

« By obliging me to go, against my will, on an expedition, the hardships of which may
tempt me to rebel or to desert. It is related that one Jadd Ebn Kais said that the Ansars
well knew he was much given to women, and he dared not trust himself with the Greek
girls; wherefore he desired he might be left behind, and he would assist them with his
purse.? :

* Discovering their hypocrisy by their backwardness to go to war for the promotion
of the true religion. x lo! .

* **Many of them have said, Exempt us from war; involve us not in dissension.
Were they not already fallen into it ??’—Savary. ;

7 That is, we took care to keep out of harm’s way by staying at home. _ .

4. e. Hither by some signal judgment from heaven, 'or by remitting their punishment
tothe true believers.

* viz. Stanch Moslems. .

>. Hypocritically concealing their infidelity, lest ye should chastise them, as ye have done

® See chap. 3, p.-53. Al Beidawi.
.

156 . AL KORAN. CHAP, IX

surely turn towards the same, and in a headstrong manner, haste thereto.

There is of them also who spreadeth ill reports of thee, in relation to thy
distribution of the alms: yet if they receive part thereof, they are well
pleased; but if they receive not a part thereof, behold, they are angry.
But if they had been pleased with that which Gop and his apostle had
given them, and had said, Gop is our support; Gop will give unto us of —
his abundance, arid his prophet also; verily unto Gop do we make our
supplications : it would have been more decent. Alms are to be distributed!
only unto the poor, and the needy,® and those who are employed in collect.
ing and distributing the same, and unto those whose hearts are reconciled,‘
and for the redemption of captives, and unto those who are in debt and in-
solvent, and for the advancement of Gop’s religion, and unto the traveller.
This is an ordinance from Gop: and Gop is knowing and wise. There are
some of them who injure the prophet, and say, He is an ear.¢ Answer,
He is an ear of good unto you," he believeth in Gop, and giveth credit to
the faithful, and is a mercy unto such of you who believe. But they who
injure the apostle of Gop, shall suffer a painful punishment. They swear
unto you by Gop, that they may please you; but it is more just that they
should please Gop and his apostle, if they are true believers. Do they not
know that he who opposeth Gop and his apostle, shall without doubt be
punished with the fire of hell; and shall remain therein for ever? This
will be great ignominy. The hypocrites are apprehensive lest a Sura‘
should be revealed concerning them, to declare unto them that which is in
their hearts. Say unto them, Scoff ye; but Gop will surely bring to light
that which ye fear should be discovered. And if thou ask them the reason
of this scoffing, they say, Verily we were only engaged in discourse; and
jesting among ourselves.* Say, Do ye scoff at Gop and his signs, and at

 

the professed infidels and apostates; and yet ready to avow their infidelity, when they
think they may do it with safety. 7

° This person was Abu’! Jowadh the hypocrite, who said Mohammed gave them away
among the keepers of sheep only; or, as aha suppose, Ebn Dhi’lkhowaisara, who found

- fault with the prophet’s distribution of the spoils taken at Honein, because he gave them

all among the Meccans, to reconcile and gain them over to his religion and interestt

4 See what is said as to this point in the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

¢ The commentators make a distinction between these two words in the original, faktr
and meskén : one, they say, signifies him who is utterly destitute both of money and means
of livelihood ; the other, one who is in want indeed, but is able to get something towards
his own support. But to which of the two words either of these different significations
properly belongs, the critics differ.
_ ‘ That is, who were lately enemies to the faithful, but have now embraced Mohammed-
ism, and entered into amity with them. For Mohammed, to gain their hearts and con-
firm them in his religion, made large presents to the chief of the Koreish out of the spoils
at Honein, as has been just now mentioned.? But this law, they say, became of no obli-
gation when the Mohammedan faith was established, and stood not in need of such
methods for its support.

£i.e. He hears every thing that we say; and gives credit to all the stories that are
carried to him.

Giving credit to nothing that may do you hurt.

* So the Mohammedans call a chapter of the Koran.®

* It is related that in the expedition of Tabiic, a company of hypocrites, passing near

+ Al Beidawi. Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. pp. 118, 119. 2 Abulfed. ibid.
* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 41.
OHAP. IX. AL KORAN. 157

his apostle? offer not an excuse: now are ye become infidels, after your
faith. If we forgive a part of you, we will punish a part, for that they
have been wicked doers. Hypocritical men and women are the one of
them of the other: they command that which is evil, and forbid that which
is just, and shut their hands from giving alms. They have forgotten Gop;
wherefore he hath forgotten them: verily the hypocrites are those who act
wickedly. Gop denounceth unto the hypocrites, both men and women,
and to the unbelievers, the fire of hell; they shall remain therein for ever :
this will be their sufficient reward ; Gop hath cursed them, and they shall
‘endure a lasting torment. As they who have been before you, so are ye.
They were superior to you in strength, and had more abundance of wealth ~
and of children; and they enjoyed their portion in this world ; and ye also
enjoy your portion here, as they who have preceded you enjoyed their por-
tion, And ye engage yourselves in vain discourses, like unto those wherein
they engaged themselves. The works of these are vain both in this world
and in that which is to come; and these are they who perish. Have they
not been acquainted with the history of those who have been before them?
of the people of Noah, and of Ad, and of Thamud, and of the people of’
Abraham, and of the inhabitants of Madian, and of the cities which were
overthrown?! Their apostles came unto them with evident demonstra-
tions: and Gop was not disposed to treat them unjustly; but they dealt
unjustly with their own souls, And the faithful men, and the faithful
women, are friends one to another: they command that which is just, and
they forbid that which is evil; and they are constant at prayer, and pay
their appointed alms ; and they obey Gop and his apostle: unto these will
Gop be merciful; for he is mighty and wise. Gop promiseth unto the
true believers, both men and women, gardens through which rivers flow,
wherein they shall remain for ever ;_ and delicious dwellings in the gardens
of perpetual abode:™ but good-will from Gop shail be their most excellent
reward. This will be great felicity. O prophet, wage war against the un-
believers and the hypocrites, and be severe unto them: for their dwelling
shall be hell; an unhappy journey shall it be thither! They swear by Gop
that they said not what they are charged with: yet they spake the word of
infidelity, and became unbelievers after they had embraced Islam" And

 

Mohammed, said to one another, Behold that man ; he would take the strong holds of Syria:
away! away! which being told the prophet, he called them to him, and asked them why
they had said so? whereto they replied with an oath, that they were not talking of what
related to him or his companions, but were only diverting themselves with indifferent dis-
course, to beguile the tediousness of the way.‘ 3 .

1’ Namely, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities which shared their fate, and are
thence called al Motakifat, or the subverted.* .

™ Literally, gardens of Eden; but the commentators do not take the word Eden in the
sense which it bears in Hebrew; as has been elsewhere observed.®

(In Hebrew it signifies a place of delight. In the Arabic it meansa place fit for the
pasturing of flocks.—Savary.) : .

"It is related that al Jallas Ebn Soweid, hearing some passages of this chapter, which
sharply reprehended those who refused to go on the abovementioned expedition of Tabic,
declared, that if what Mohammed said of his brethren was true, they were worse than asses.

“Al Beidawi, _ See chap. 11. ® See the Prelim. Disc. p. 133.
158 AL KORAN. CHAP. IX.

‘they designed that which they could not effect;° and they did not dis-
approve the design for any other reason than because Gop and his apostle
had enriched them of his bounty.r If they repent it will be better for
them; but if they relapse, Gop will punish them with a grievous torment,
in this world and in the next ; and they shall have no portion on earth, nor
any protector. There are some of them who made a covenant with Gop,
saying, Verily if he give us of his abundance, we will give alms, and become
righteous people.t Yet when they had given unto him of his abundance,
they became covetous thereof, and turned back, and retired afar off.
Wherefore he hath caused hypocrisy to succeed in their hearts, until the’
day whereon they shall meet him/ for that they failed to perform unto
Gop that.which they had promised him, and for that they prevaricated.
Do they. not know that Gop knoweth whatever they conceal, and their
private discourses; and that Gop is the knower of secrets? They who
traduce such of the believers as are liberal in giving alms beyond what they
are obliged, and those who find nothing do give, but what they gain by their
industry ;* and therefore scoff at them: Gop shall scoff at them, and they

 

Which coming to the prophet’s ear, he sent for him ; and he denied the words upon oath.
But on the immediate revelation of this passage, he confessed his fault, and his repentance
was accepted.”

° The commentators tell us, that fifteen men conspired to kill Mohammed in his return
from Tabiic, by pushing him from his camel into a precipice, as he rode by night over
the highest part of al Akaba. But when they were going to execute their design,
Hodheifa, who followed and drove the prophet’s camel, which was led by Ammar
Ebn Yaser, hearing the tread of camels and the clashing of arms, gave the alarm, upon
which they fled. Some, however, suppose the design here meant was a plot to expel
Mohammed from. Medina.®

’ For Mohammed’s residing at Medina was of great. advantage to the place, the in-
habitants being generally poor, and in want of most conveniences of life; but on the
prophet’s coming among them, they became possessed of large herds of cattle, and money
also. Al Beidaéwi says that the abovenamed al Jallas, in particular, having a servant

killed, received, by Mohammed’s order, no less than ten thousand dirhems, or about three

hundred pounds, as a fine for the redemption of his blood.

«An instance of this is given in Thaélaba Ebn Hateb, who came to Mohammed, and
desired him to beg of God, that he would bestow riches on him. The prophet at first’
advised him rather to be thankful for the little he had than to covet more, which might
become a temptation to him; but on Thalaba’s repeated request and solemn promise that
he would make a good use of his riches, he was at length prevailed on, and preferred the
petition to God. ‘Thalaba in a short time grew vastly rich, which Mohammed being
acquainted with, sent two collectors to gather the alms; other people readily paid them,
but when they came to Thalaba, and read the injunction to him out of the Koran, he told
them that it was not alms, but tribute, or next kin to tribute, and bid them go back till he
had better considered of it. Upon which this passage was revealed ; and when Thalaba
came afterwards and brought his alms, Mohammed told him that God had commanded
him not to accept it, and threw dust upon his head, saying, This is what thou hast deserved.
He then offered his alms to Abu Becr, who refused to accept them; as did Omar some
years after, when he was Khalif.®

* Al Beidawi relates, that Mohammed exhorting his followers to voluntary alms, among
others Abda’lrahmaén Ebn Awf gave four thousand dirhems, which was one half of what
he had’ ; Asem Ebn Adda gave an hundred beasts’ loads of dates; and Abu Okail a Saa,
which is no more than the sixtieth part of a load, of the same fruit, but was the half of
what he had earned by a night’s hard work. This Mohammed accepted ; whereupon the
hypocrites said that Abda’lrahman and Asem gave what they did out of ostentation, and
tet God and his apostle might well have excused Abu Okail’s mite; which occasioned
this passage.

I suppose this collection was made to defray the charge of the expedition of Tabic;
towards which, as another writer tells us, that Abu Becr contributed all that he had, and

* A) Beidawi. 8 Idem. ®Tdem.
CHAP. IX. AL, KORAN. 159

shall suffer a grievous punishment. Ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask
forgiveness for them; it will be equal. If thou ask forgiveness for them
seventy times, Gop will by no means forgive them. This is the divine
pleasure, for that they believe not in Gop, and his apostle; and Gop
directeth not the ungodly people. They who were left at home in the
expedition of Tadic, were glad of their staying behind the apostle of Gop,
and were unwilling to employ their substance and their persons for the
advancement of Gon’s true religion; and they said, Go not forth in the
neat.t Say, the fire-of hell will be hotter; if they understood this.
Wherefore let them laugh little, and weep much, as a reward for that
which they have done.* If Gop bring thee back unto some of them," and
they ask thee leave to go forth to war with thee, say, Ye shall not go forth
with me for the future, neither shall ye fight an enemy with me; ye were
pleased with sitting at home the first time; sit ye at home therefore with
those who stay behind. Neither do thou ever pray over any of them who
shall die, neither stand at his grave ¥ for that they believed not in Gop
and his apostle, and die in their wickedness. Let not their riches or their
children cause thee to marvel: for Gop intendeth only to punish them
therewith in this world, and that their souls may depart, while they are
infidels. When a Sura? is sent down, wherein it is said, Believe in
Gop, and go forth to war with his apostle; those who are in plentiful
circumstances among them ask Jeave of thee to stay behind, and say,
Suffer us to be of the number of those who sit at home. They are
well pleased to be with those who stay behind, and their hearts are sealed

 

Othman very largely ; viz. as it is said, three hundred camels for slaughter, and a thousand
dinars of gold. S

*In the et sickness of Abda’llah Ebn Obba the hypocrite, (who died in the ninth year
of the Hejra) his son, named also Abdallah, came and asked Mohammed to beg pardon
of God for him ; whic he did, and thereupon the former part of this verse was revealed.
But the prophet, not taking that for a repulse, said he would pray seventy times for him;
upon which the latter part of this verse was reyealed, declaring it would be absolutely in
vain. It may be observed that the numbers seven, and seventy, and seven hundred, are
frequently used by the eastern writers to signify, not so many precisely, but only an
indefinite number, greater or lesser ;? several examples of which are to be met with in
the scripture.*

' This they spoke in a scoffing manner to one another ; because, as has been observed,
the expedition to Tabic was undertaken in a very hot and dry season.

* «Let them laugh for a few moments! Long-continued tears will be the consequence
of their conduct.’’—Savary. ;

* That is, if thou return in safety to Medina to the hypocrites; wlio are here called
some of them who stayed behind, because they were not all hypocrites. The whole number
is said to have been, twelve.‘

* This passage was also revealed on account of Abda’llah Ebn Obba. In his last
illness he desifed to see Mohammed, and when he was come, asked him to beg forgive-
ness of God for him, and requested that his corpse might be wrapped up in the garment
that was next his body, (which might have the same efficacy with the habit of a Franciscan)
and that he would pray over him when dead. Accordingly when he was dead; the pro-
phet:sent his shirt, or inner vestment, to shroud the corpse, and was going to pray over
it, but was forbidden by these words. Some say they were not revealed till he had actually
prayed for him.* has 3

’ Either by assisting at his funeral, or visiting his sepulchre.

* See before, p. 156, note i, and Prelim. Disc. p. 41.

1 Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 123. 2 Al Beidawi. 2 Matt. xviii, 22.
“Al Beidawi. 5Tdem.
160 AL KORAN. CHAP. IX,

up ;wherefore they do not understand, But the apostle, and those who have
believed with him, expose their fortunes and their lives for God’s service ;
they shall enjoy the good things of either life, and they shall be happy. Gop
hath prepared for them gardens through which rivers flow ; they shall remain
therein for ever. This will be great felicity. And certain Arabs of the desert
came to excuse themselves," praying that they might be permitted to stay
behind ; and they sat at home who had renounced Gop and his apostle.
But a painful punishment shall be inflicted on such of them as believe not.
In those who are weak, or are afflicted with sickness, or in those who find
not wherewith to contribute to the war,” it shall be no crime if they stay at
home ; provided they behave themselves faithfully towards Gop and his
apostle. There is no room to lay blame on the righteous; for Gop is
gracious and merciful: nor on those, unto whom, when they came unto
thee, requesting that thou wouldest supply them with necessaries for
travelling, thou didst answer, I find not wherewith to supply you, returned,
their eyes shedding tears for grief, that they found not wherewith to con-
tribute to the expedition.* But there is reason to blame those who ask leave
of thee to sit at home, when they are rich. They are pleased to be with
those who stay behind, and Gop hath sealed up their hearts; wherefore
they do not understand. *[XI.] They will excuse themselves unto you,
when ye are returned unto them. Say, Excuse not yourselves; we will by
no means believe you: Gop hath acquainted us with your behaviour; and
Gop will observe his actions, and his apostle also : and hereafter shall ye be
brought before him who knoweth that which is hidden, and that which is.
manifest; and he will declare unto you that which ye have done. They
will swear unto you by Gop, when ye are returned unto them, that ye may
let them alone.? Let them alone, therefore, for they are an abomination,
and their dwelling shal7 be hell, a reward for that which they have deserved
They will swear unto you, that ye may be well pleased with them; but if
ye be well pleased with them, verily Gop will not be well pleased with
people who prevaricate. The Arabs of the desert are more obstinate in
_ their unbelief and hypocrisy ; and it is easier for them to be ignorant of the
ordinances of that which Gop hath sent down unto his apostle ;* and Gop
is knowing and wise. Of the Arabs of the desert there is who reckoneth

 

* These were the tribes of Asad and Ghatfin, who excused themselves on account of
the necessities of their families, which their industry only maintained. But some write
they were the family of Amer Ebn al Tofail, who said that if they went with the army,
the tribe of ‘Tay would take advantage of their absence, and fall upon their wives and
children, and their cattle. ;

» By reason of their extreme poverty ; as those of Joheina, Mozeina, and Banu Odhra.’

¢ The persons here intended were seven men of the Ansars, who came to Mohammed
and begged he would give them some patched boots and soled shoes, it being impossible
for them to march so barefoot, in such a season, but he told them he could not supply
them; whereupon they went-away weeping. Some, however, say these were the Banu
Mokren, and others, Abu Masa and his companions.

4 And not chastise them.

» © Because of their wild way of life, the hardness of their hearts, their not frequenting
people of knowledge, and the few opportunities they have of being instructed.

® Al Beidawi. "Idem. ® Idem. *Idem. See the Prelim. Disc. p. 18 and 22.
CHAP. IX. AL KORAN. 161

that which he expendeth for the service of God, to be as tribute, and waiteth
that some change of fortune’ may befall you. A change for evil shall happen
unto them; for Gop doth heareth and knoweth. And of the Arabs of the

- desert there is who believeth in Gop, and in the last day; and esteemeth

that which he layeth out for the service of God to be the means of bringing
him near unto Gop, and the prayers of the apostle. Is it not unto them
the means of a near approach? Gop shall lead them into his mercy ; for
Gop is gracious and merciful.« As for the leaders and the first of the
Mohajerin, and the Ansars,! and those who have followed them in well
doing ; Gop is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased in him:
and he hath prepared for them gardens watered by rivers; they shall
remain therein for ever. This shall be great felicity. And of the Arabs
of the desert who dwelZ round about you, there are hypocritical persons :™
and of the inhabitants of Medina there are some who are obstinate in
hypocrisy. Thou knowest them not, O prophet, but we know them: we
will surely punish them twice :* afterwards shall they be sent to a grievous
torment. And others have acknowledged their crimes.© They have mixed
a good agtion with another which is bad:? peradventure Gop will be turned
unto them; for Gop is gracious and merciful. Take alms of their sub-
stance, that thou mayest cleanse them, and purify them thereby ;% and
pray for them: for thy prayers shall be a security of mind unto them; and

 

» Or a contribution exacted by force, the payment of which he can in no wise avoid.

‘ sqioping that some reverse may afford a convenient opportunity of throwing off the
wurden.

* The Arabs meant in the former of these two passages, are said to have been the tribes
of Asad, Ghatfan, and Banu Tamim; and those intended in the latter, Abdallah, surnamed
Dhi’ lbajadin, and his people.t

1 The Mohijerin, or refugecs, were those of Mecca, who fled thence on account of their
religion; and the Ansars, or helpers, were those of Medina, who received Mohammed and
his fullowers into their protection, and assisted them against their enemies. By the leaders
of the Mohajerin are meant those who believed on Mohammed before the Hejra, or early
enough to pray towards Jerusalem, from which the Kebla was changed to the temple of
Mecca, in the second year of the Hejra, or else such as were present at the battle of Bedr.
The leaders of the Ansars were those who took the oath of fidelity to him at al Akaba,
either the first or the second time.?

™ i.e. In the neighbourhood of Medina. These were the tribes of Joheina, Mozeina,
Aslam, Ashja, and Ghifar.?

" Either by exposing them to public shame, and putting them to death; or by either
of those pusishments and the torment of the sepulchre; or else by exacting alms of
them by way of fine, and giving them corporeal punishment.‘

° Making no hypocritical excuses for them. These were certain men, who having stayed
at home instead of accompanying Mohammed to Tabtic, as soon as they heard the severe
reprehensions and threats of this chapter against those who had stayed behind, bound them-
selves to the pillars of the mosque, and swore that they would not loose themselves, till they
were loosed by the prophet. But when he entered the mosque to pray, and was informed
of the matter, he also swore that he would not loose them without a particular command
from God; whereupon this passage was revealed, and they were accordingly dismissed.°

» Though they were backward in going to war, and held with the hypocrites, yet they
confessed their crime and repented. . I :

4 When these persons were loosed, they prayed Mohammed to take their substance,
for the sake of which they had stayed at home, as alms, to cleanse them from their
transgression ; but he told them he had no orders to accept any thing from them: upon
which this verse was sent down, allowing him to take their alms.®

1 Al Beidawi. 3 Idem. 3 Idem. ‘Idem. 5 Idem. ® Tdem.
162 AL KORAN. OHAP. IX

Gop -both heareth and knoweth. Do they not know that Gop accepteth
repentance from his servants, and accepteth alms; and that Gop is easy to
pe reconciled, and merciful? Say unto them, Work as ye will ; but Gop
will behold your work, and his apostle also, and the true believers : and ye
shall be brought before him who knoweth that which is kept secret, and
that which is made public; and he will declare unto you whatever ye have
done. And there are others who wait with suspense the decree of Gop:
whether he will punish them, or whether he will be turned unto them :*
but Gop is knowing and wise. There are some who have built a temple to
hurt the faithful, and to propagate infidelity, and to foment division among
the true believers,* and for a lurking place for him who hath fought against
Gop and his apostle in time past;* and they swear, saying, Verily we
intended no other than to do for the best: but Gop is witness that they do
certainly lie. Stand not up to pray therein for ever. There is a temple
founded on piety," from the first day of its building.* It is more just that
thou stand up to pray therein: therein are men who love to be purified ;*'

 

‘ ee persons here intended were the three Ansars whose pardon is granted a little
elow.

® When Banu Amru Ebn Awf had built the temple or mosque of Koba, which will be
mentioned by and by, they asked Mohammed to come and pray in it, and he complied
with their request. This exciting the envy of their brethren, Banu Ganem Ebn Awf,
they also built a mosque, intending that the Imam or priest, who should officiate there,
should be Abu Amer, a Christian monk ; but he dying in Syria, they came to Mohammed
and desired he would consecrate, as it were, their mosque by praying init. The prophet
accordingly prepared himself to go with them, but was forbidden by the immediate reve-
lation of this passage, discovering their hypocrisy and ill design: whereupon he sent Malec
Ebn al Dokhshom, Maan Ebn Addi, Amer Ebn al Sacan, and al Wahsha the Ethiopian,
to demolish and burn it; which they performed, and made it a dunghill. According to
another account this mosque was built a little before the expedition of Tabtic, with a
design to hinder Mohammed’s men from engaging therein; and when he was asked to
pray there, he answered that he was just setting out on a journey, but that when he came
back, with God’s leave, he would do what they desired; but when they applied to him
again, on his return, this passage was revealed."

‘ That is. Abu Amer the monk, who was a declared enemy to Mohammed, having
threatened him at Ohod, that no party should appear in the field against him, but he
would make one of them; and, to be as good as his word, he continued to oppose him
till the battle of Honein, at which he was present, and being put to flight with those
of Hawazen, he retreated into Syria, designing to obtain a supply of troops from the Gre-
cian emperor to renew the war; but he died at Kinnisrin. Others say that this monk
was a confederate at the war of the ditch, and that he fled thence into Syria.®

"viz. That of Kobi, a place about two miles from Medina, where Mohammed rested
four days before he entered that city, in his flight from Mecca, and where he laid the
foundation of a mosque,® which was afterwards built by Banu Amru Ebn Awf. But ac-
Boal to a different tradition, the mosque here meant was that which Mohammed built
at Medina.

* « Beware of entering therein. The foundation of the true temple is established
upon piety.’’—Savary.

x Al Beiddwi says, that Mohammed walking once with the Mohajertn to Koba, found
the Ansfrs sitting at the mosque door, and asked them whether they were believers; and,
on their being silent, repeated the question: whereupon Omar answered, that they were
believers; and Mohammed demanding whether they acquiesced in the judgment Omar had
made of them, they said, yes. He then asked them whether they would be patient in ad-
versity, and thankful in prosperity ; to which they answering in the affirmative, he swore
by the Lord of the Caaba, that they were true believers. Afterwards he examined them as

" Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. 8 Tidem. ®Tidem, Ebn Shohnah. Vide
Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 52. Where the translator taking this passage of the Koran, which
is there cited, for the words of his author, has missed the true sense.
OHAP. IX. AL KORAN. 168

for Gop: loveth the clean. Whether therefore is he better, who hath
founded his building on the: fear of God and his good will; or he who
hath founded his building on the brink of a bank of earth whieh is washed
away by waters, so that it falleth with him into the fire of hell? God
directeth not the ungodly people. Their building which they have built
will not cease to be an occasion of doubting in their hearts, until their hearts
be cut in pieces ;¥ and Gop is knowing and wise. Verily Gov hath pur-
chased of the true believers their souls, and their substance, promising them
the enjoyment of paradise ; on condition that they fight for the cause. of Gop:
whether they slay or be slain, the promise for the same is assuredly due by
the law, and the gospel, and the Koran. And who performeth his con-
tract more faithfully than Gop? Rejoice therefore in the contract which
ye have made. This shall be great happiness. The penitent, and those
who serve God, and praise him, and who fast, and bow down, and worship;
and who command that which is just, and forbid that which is evil, and
keep the ordinances of Gop, shall likewise be rewarded with paradise : where-
fore bear good tidings unto the faithful. It is not allowed unto the prophet,
nor those who are true believers, that they pray for idolaters,? although they
be of kin, after it is become known unto them, that they are inhabitants
of hell.2 Neither did Abraham ask forgiveness for his father, otherwise
than in pursuance of a promise which he, had promised unto him:® but
when it became known unto him, that he was an enemy unto Gop, he de-
clared himself clear of him.* Verily Abraham was pitiful and compas-
sionate. Nor is Gop disposed to lead people into error,* after that he hath
directed them, until that which they ought to avoid is become known unto

 

to their manner of performing the legal washings, and particularly what they did after
easing themselves; they told him that in such a case they used three stones, and after
that washed with water: upon which he repeated these words of the Koran to them.

¥ Some interpret these words of their being deprived of their judgment and understand-
ing; and others of the punishment they are to expect, either of death in this world, or
of the rack of the sepulchre. or the pains of hell.

2 This passage was revealed, as some think, on account of Abu Taleb, Mohammed’s
uncle and great benefactor ; who on his death-bed, being pressed by his nephew to speak
a word which might enable him to plead his cause before God, that, is, to profess Islim,
absolutely rohit Mohammed, however, told him that he would not cease to pray for
him till he should be forbidden by God; which he was by these words, Others suppose
the occasion to have been Mohammed’s visiting his mother Amena’s sepulchre at al
Abwé, soon after the taking at Mecca; for they say that while he stood at the tomb he
burst into tears, and said, I asked leave of God to visit my mother’s tomb, and he granted
it me; but when I asked leave to pray for her, it was denied me.'

° By their dying infidels. For otherwise it is not only lawful, but commendable, to pray
for unbelievers, while there are hopes of their conversion.

> viz. To pray that God would dispose his heart to repentance. Some suppose this
was a promise made to Abraham by his father, that he would believe in God. For the
words may be taken either way.

* Desisting to pray for him, when he was assured by inspiration that he was not to be
converted ; or after he actually died an infidel. See chap. 6, p. 106.

4%, «. To consider or punish them as transgressors. This passage was revealed to ex-
cuse those who had prayed for such of their friends as had died idolaters, before it was
forbidden ; or else to excuse certain people who had ignorantly prayed towards the first
Kebla, and drank wine, &c.

{ 1 Al Beidawi.
164 AL KORAN. CHAP. IX

them ; for Gop knoweth all things. Verily unto Gop belongeth the king-
dom of heaven and of earth: he giveth life, and he causeth to die; and
ye have no patron or helper besides Gop. Gop is reconciled unto the
prophet, and unto the Mohajerin and the Ansars,® who followed him in the
hour of distress,‘ after that it had wanted little but that the hearts of a part
of them had swerved from their duty : afterwards was he turned unto them:
for he was compassionate and merciful towards them. And he is also re-
conciled unto the three who were left behind, so that the earth became too
straight for them, notwithstanding its spaciousness, and their souls became
straightened within them, and they considered that there was no refuge
from Gop, otherwise than by having recourse unto him. Then was he
curned unto them, that they might repent; for Gop is easy to be reconciled
and merciful. O true believers, fear Gop and be with the sincere. There
was no reason why the inhabitants of Medina, and the Arabs of the desert
who dwell around them, should stay behind the apostle of Gop, or should
prefer themselves before him." This is unreasonable : because they are not
distressed either by thirst, or labour, or hunger, for the defence of Gop’s
true religion; neither do they stir a step, which may irritate the un-
believers; neither do they receive from the enemy any damage, but a good
work is written down unto them for the same; for Gop suffereth not the
reward of the righteous to perish. And they contribute not any sum either
small or great, nor do they pass a valley;* but it is written down unto
them, that Gop may reward them with a recompense exceeding that which
they have wrought. The believers are not odliged to go forth to war all
together: if a part of every band of them go not forth, it is that they may
diligently instruct themselves in their religion; and may admonish their |

 

¢ Having forgiven the crime they committed, in giving the hypocrites leave to be absent
from the expedition to Tabtic; or for the other sins which they might, through inadver-
tence, have been guilty of. For the best men have need of repentance?

f viz, Inthe expedition of Tiabiic; wherein Mohammed’s men were driven to such ex-
tremities, that, besides what they endured by reason of the excessive heat, ten men were
obliged to ride by turns on one camel, and provisions and water were so scarce, that two
men divided a date between them, and they were obliged to drink the water out of the
camels’ stomachs.® 3

8 Or, as it may be translated, who were left in suspense, whether they should be par-
doned or not.*’ These were three Ansars, named Caab Ebn Malec, Helal Ebn Omeyya
and Merara Ebn Rabi, who went not with Mohammed to Tabiic, and were therefore, on
his return, secluded from the fellowship of the other Moslems; the prophet forbidding
any to salute them, or to hold discourse with them. Under which interdiction they con-
tinued fifty days, till, on their sincere repentance, they were at length discharged from it,
by the revelation of this passage.* 2

4 By not caring to share with him the dangers and fatigues of war. Al Beidawi tells
us, that after Mohammed had set out for T'abtic, one Abu Khaithama sitting in his garden,
where his wife, a very beautiful woman, had spread a mat for him in the sudo, and had
set new dates and fresh water before him, after a little reflection, cried out, This is not
well, that I should thus take my ease and pleasure, while the apostle of God is exposed to
the scorching of the sunbeams, and the inclemencies of the air ; and immediately mounting
his camel, took his sword and lance, and went to join the army.

*«« That which they expend, the passing of a torrent, all that they do, written in the
book of God, are so many claims to his glorious recompenses.’’—Savary. A

‘ That is, ifsome of every tribe or town be left behind, the end of their being so left is

2 Al Beidawi. _ *Idem. * See before, p. 162, note r. 5 Al Beidawi.
Jallalo’ddin, Abulf. Vit. Moh. pp. 133, 126.
OHAP. IX. AL KORAN. 165

people, when they return unto them, that they may take heed to them-
selves, O true believers, wage war against such of the infidels as are near
you;* and let them find severity! in you: and know that, Gop is with
those who fear him. Whenever a Sura is sent down, there are some of
them who say, Which of you hath this caused to increase in faith? It
will increase the faith of those who believe, and they shall rejoice: but
unto those in whose hearts there is an infirmity, it will add farther doubt
unto their present doubt; and they shall die in their infidelity. Do they
not see that they are tried every year once or twice?™ yet they repent not,
neither are they warned. And whenever a Sura is sent down, they look at
one another, saying, Doth any one see you?" then do they turn aside.*
Gop shall turn aside their hearts from the truth ; because they are a people
who do not understand. Now hath an apostle come unto you of our own
nation,® an excellent person : it is grievous unto him that ye commit wick-
edness ; he is careful over you, and compassionate and merciful towards the
believers. If they turn back, say, Gop is my support: there is no Gop
but he. On him do I trust; and he is the Lorp of the magnificent
throne.

 

«.

that they may apply themselves to study, and attain a more exact knowledge of the severa
points of their religion, so as to be able to instruct such as by reason of their continual
employment in the wars, have no other means of information. They say, that after the
preceding passages were revealed, reprehending those who had stayed at home during the
expedition of Tabtic, every man went to war; so that the study of religion, which is
rather more necessary for the defence and propagation of the faith, than even arms them-
selves, became wholly laid aside and neglected ; to prevent which, for the future, a con-
venient number are hereby directed to be left behind, that they may have leisure to prose-
cute their studies.

« Either of your kindred or neighbours; for these claim your pity and care in the first
place, and their conversion ought first to be endeavoured. The persons particularly meant
in this passage are supposed to have been the Jews of the tribes of Khoreidha and Nad-
hir, and those of Khaibar ; or else the Greeks of Syria.*

' Or fierceness in war.

™i, e. By various kinds of trials; or by being called forth to war, and by being made
witnesses of God’s miraculous protection to the faithful.

> They wink at one another to rise and leave the prophet’s presence, if they think
they can do it without being observed ; to avoid hearing the severe and deserved reproofs
which they apprehend in every new revelation. The persons intended are the hypocriti-
cal Moslems.

* “See they not that, once or twice a year, the anger of heaven weighs heavy upon
them? These warnings open not their eyes, nor excite them to repentance. Shoul
another chapter be sent to them, they would look on each other, and if no one saw them
would take to flight. God has led their hearts astray, because they hearken not to wis-
dom.’’—Savary.

* See chap. 3, p. 54, note m.
® Al Beidawi.
166 AL KORAN. onAP. x

CHAPTER X.
INTITLED, JONAS;* REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Au. Ra These are the signs of the wise book. Is it a strange thing
unto the men of Mecca, that we have revealed our will unto a man from
among them," saying, Denounce threats unto men if they believe not ; and
bear good tidings unto those who believe, that on the merit of their sin-
cerity they have an interest with their Lorv? The unbelievers say, This
is manifest sorcery.* Verily your Lorp is Gop, who hath created the
heavens and the earth in six days; and then ascended his throne, to
take on himself the government of all things. There is no intercessor,
but by his permission.t This is Gop, your Lorp; therefore serve him.
Will ye not consider? Unto him shall ye all return, according to the cer-
tain promise of Gop; for he produceth a creature, and then causeth it to
return again; that he may reward those who believe and do that which is
right, with equity. But as for the unbelievers, they shall drink boiling
water, and they shall suffer a grievous punishment, for that they have dis
believed. It is he who hath ordained the sun to shine by day, and the
moon for a light by night ; and hath appointed her stations, that ye might
know the- number of years, and the computation of time. Gop hath not .
created this, but with truth. He explaineth Ais signs unto people who
understand. Moreover in the vicissitude of night and day, and whatever
Gop hath created in heaven and earth, are surely signs unto men who fear
tim. Verily they who hope not to meet us at the last day, and delight in
this present life, and rest securely in the same, and who are negligent of
our signs; their dwelling shall be held fire, for that which they have de-
served. But as to those who believe, and work righteousness, their Lorp
will direct them because of their faith; they shall have rivers flowing
through gardens of pleasure. Their prayer therein shall be, Praise be unto
thee, O Gop! and their salutation® therein shall be Peace! and the end of

 

- ? This prophet is mentioned towards the end of the chapter. (After the name, Savary
adds, ‘‘ Peace be with him.’’)

4 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. pp. 42, 43. ‘

t And not one of the most powerful among them neither; so that the Koreish said it
was a wonder God could find out no other messenger than the orphan pupil of Abu
Laleb.” :

* Meaning the Koran. According to the reading of some copies, the words may be
rendered, This man (t. e. Mohammed) is no other than a manifest sorcerer.

‘ These words were revealed to refute the foolish opinion of the idolatrous Meccans,
who imagined their idols were intercessors with God for them.

« Either the 1autual salutation of the blessed to one another, or that of the angels to
the blessed. :

Al Beidawi. _
OHAP. X. AL KORAN. 167

their prayer shall be, Praise be unto Gop, the Lorp of all creatures! If
Gop should cause evil to hasten unto men, according to their desire of
hastening good, verily their end had been decreed. Wherefore we suffer
those who hope not to meet us at the resurrection, to wander amazedly in
their error. When evil befalleth a man, he prayeth unto us dying on his
side, or sitting, or standing: but when we deliver him from his affliction,
he continueth his former course of life, as though he had not called upon
us to defend him against the evil which had befallen him. Thus was that
which the transgressors committed prepared for them.* We have formerly
destroyed the generations who were before you, O men of Mecca, when
they had acted unjustly, and our apostles had come unto them with evident
miracles and they would not believe. Thus do we reward the wicked
people. Afterwards did we cause you to succeed them in the earth; that
we. might see how ye would act. When our evident signs are recited unto
‘them, they who hope not to meet us at the resurrection, say, Bring a dif-
ferent Koran from this; or make some change therein. Answer, It is not
Jit for me, that I should change it at my pleasure: I follow that only which
is revealed unto me. Verily I fear, if I should be disobedient unto my
Lorp, the punishment of the great day. Say, If Gop had so pleased, I
had not read it unto you, neither had I taught you the same. I have
‘already dwelt among you to the age of forty years,* before I received it.
‘Do ye not therefore understand? And who is more unjust than he who
deviseth a lie against Gop, or accuseth his signs of falsehood? Surely the
wicked shall not prosper. They worship besides Gop, that which can
neither hurt them nor profit them, and they say, These are our intercessors
‘with Gop.y Answer, Will ye tell Gop that which he knoweth not, neither
m heaven nor in earth? Praise be unto him! and far be that from him,t
which they associate with him! Men were professors of one religion only,®
but they dissented therefrom ; and if a decree had not previously issued
from thy Lorn, deferring their punishment, verily the matter had been de-
cided between them, concerning which they disagreed. They say, Unless
a sign be sent down unto him from his Lorp, we will not believe. Answer,
Verily that which is hidden is known only unto Gop: wait, therefore, the

 

* i.e. In all postures, and at all times. :

* « Thus the ungodly man delighteth in his ingratitude.’’—Savary.

* For so old was Mohammed before he took upon him to be a prophet ;* during which
time his fellow-citizens well knew that he had not applied himself to learning of any sort,
nor frequented learned men, nor had ever exercised himself in composing verses or orations,
whereby he might acquire the art of rhetoric, or elegance of speech. A flagrant proof,
says al Beidawi, that this book could be taught him by none but God.

¥ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. p. 11, &c. | as

? viz. That he hath equals or companions either in heaven, or on earth; since he ac-
knowledgeth none?

t ‘‘ Accursed be their chimerical deities.”’ ; é

* That is to say, the true religion, or Islam, which was generally professed, as some say
till Abel was murdered, or, as others, till the days of Noah. Some suppose the first ages
after the flood are here intended ; others, the state of religion in Arabia, from the time of
Abraham to that of Amru Ebn Lohai, the great introducer of idolatry into that country.

* See the Prelim. Disc. p. 30. Abulfed. Vit. Moh. « 7. ® See the Prelim.
Disc, p. 19, &c.
168 AL KORAN. CHAP. X.

pleasure of God; and I also will wait with you. And when we caused |
the men of Mecca to taste mercy, after an affliction which had befallen
them, behold, they devised a stratagem against our signs. Say unto them,
Gop is more swift in executing a stratagem, than ye. Verily our mes-
sengers* write down that which ye deceitfully devise. It is he who hath
given you conveniences for travelling by land and by sea; so that ye be in
ships, which sail with them, with a favourable wind, and they rejoice
therein. And when a tempestuous wind overtaketh them, and waves come
upon them from every side, and they think themselves to be encompassed
with inevitable dangers ; they’call upon Gop, exhibiting the pure religion
unto him,? and saying, Verily, if thou deliver us from this peril, we will be
of those who give thanks. But when he hath delivered them, behold,
they behave themselves insolently in the earth, without justice. O men,
verily the violence which ye commit against your own souls, is for the en-
joyment of this present life only ; afterwards unto us shall ye return, and
we will declare unto you that which ye have done. Verily the likeness of
this present life is no other than as water,: which we send down from
heaven, and wherewith the productions of the earth are mixed, of which
men eat, and cattle also, until the earth receive its vesture, and be adorned
with various plants : the inhabitants thereof imagine that they have power
over the same; dut our command cometh unto it by night, or by day, and
we render it as though it had been mowen, as though it had not yesterday
abounded with fruits. Thus do we explain our signs unto people who
consider. Gop inviteth unto the dwelling of peace,® and directeth whom
he pleaseth into the right way. They who do right shall receive a most
excellent reward, and a superabundant addition;‘ neither blackness® nor
shame shall cover their faces. These shall be the inhabitants of paradise ;
they shall continue therein for ever. But they who commit evil shall re-
ceive the reward of evil, equal thereunto,» and they shall be covered with
shame, (for they shall have no protector against Gop); as though their
faces were covered with the profound darkness of the night. These shall
be the inhabitants of hedZ fire; they shall remain therein for ever. On the
day of the resurrection we will gather them altogether; then will we
say unto the idolaters, Get ye to your place, ye and your companions:}
and we will separate them from one another; and their companions will

 

» For it is said that they were afflicted with a dearth for seven years, so that they were
very near perishing; but no sooner relieved by God’s sending them plenty, than they
began again to charge Mohammed with imposture, and to ridicule his revelations."

“de. The guardian angels,

‘That is, applying themselves to God only, and neglecting their idols; their fears
directing them in such an extremity to ask help of him only who could give it.

° Viz. Paradise. i

‘ For their reward will vastly exceed the merit of their good works. Al Ghazali sup-
poses this additional recompense will be the beatific vision.?

® See the Prelim. Disc. p. 62, &c.

*7.e. Though the blessed will be rewarded beyond their deserts, yet God will not pun
ish any beyond their demerits, but treat them with the exactest justice.

‘ That is, your idols, or the companions which ye attributed unto God.

1 Al Beidawi. : © See the Prelim. Disc. p. 71.
CHAP. X. AL KORAN. 169

say unto them, Ye do not worship us;* and Gop is a sufficient witness
between us and you; neither did we mind your worshipping of us.
There snall every soul experience! that which it shall have ‘sent before
it;™ and they shall be brought before Gop their true Lorn; and the false
deities which they vainly imagined, shall disappear from before them. Say,
Who provideth you food from heaven and earth? or who hath the absolute
power over the hearing and the sight? and who bringeth forth the living
from the dead, and bringeth forth the dead from the living? and who
governeth all things? They will surely answer, Gop. Say, Will ye not
therefore fear him? This is therefore Gop, your true Lorp: and what
remaineth there after truth, except error? How therefore are ye turned
aside from the truth? Thus is the word of thy Lorp verified upon them
who do wickedly ; that they believe not. Say, Is there any of your com-
panions who produceth a creature, and then causeth it to return unto
himself? Say, Gov produceth a creature, and then causeth it to return
unto himself. How therefore are ye turned aside from his worship? Say,
Is there any of your companions who directeth unto the truth? Say, Gop
directeth unto the truth. Whether is he, therefore, who directeth unto the
truth, more worthy to be followed; or he who directeth not, unless he be
directed? What aileth you therefore, that ye judge as ye do? And the
greater part of them follow an uncertain opinion only ; but a mere opinion
attaineth not unto any truth.* Verily Gop knoweth that which they do.
This Koran could not have been composed by any except Gop; but it isa
confirmation of that which was revealed before it, and an explanation of the
scripture; there is no doubt thereof; sent down from the Lorp of all
creatures. Will they say, Mohammed hath forged it? Answer, Bring
therefore a chapter like unto it; and call whom you may fo your assistance,
besides Gon, if ye speak truth. But they have charged that with falsehood,
the knowledge whereof they do not comprehend, neither hath the interpre-
tation thereof come unto them. In the same manner did those who were
before them accuse their prophets of imposture; but behold, what was the
end of the unjust! There are some of them who believe therein; and
there are some of them who believe not therein:" and thy Lorp well
knoweth the corrupt doers. If they accuse thee of imposture, say, I have
my work, and ye have your work; ye shall be clear of that which I do,

 

«But ye really worshipped your own lusts, and were seduced to idolatry, not by us, but
by your own superstitious fancies. It is pretended that God will, at the last day, enable
the idols to speak, and that they will thus reproach their worshippers, instead of interced-
ing for them, as they hoped. Some suppose the angels, who were also objects of the wor-
ship of the pagan Arabs, are particularly intended in this place.

' Some copies, instead of tablu, read tatlu, i. e. shall follow, or meditate upon.

™See chap. 2, p. 13, noter. | ; :

*« Their only rule is their opinion, and it has no conformity with truth.’’—Savary.

i. e. There are some of them who are inwardly well satisfied of the truth of thy doctrine,
though they are so wicked as to oppose it; and there are others of them who believe it
not, through prejudice and want of consideration. Or the passage may be understood in
the future tense, of some who should afterwards believe, and repent, and of others who
should die infidels. 3

3 Al Beidawi.

Vv
170 AL KORAN. CHAP. X.

and I will be clear of that which ye do. There are some of them who
hearken unto thee; but wilt thou make the deaf to hear, although they do
not understand? And there are some of them who look at thee; but wilt
thou direct the blind, although they see not?° Verily Gop will not deal
unjustly with men in any respect: but men deal unjustly with their own
souls.2 On a certain day he will gather them together, as though they had
not tarried * above an hour of-a day: they shall know one another." Then
shall they perish who have denied the meeting of Gop; and were not
rightly directed. Whether we cause thee to see a part of the punishment
wherewith we have threatened them, or whether we cause thee to die
before thou see it ; unto us shall they return: then shall Gop be witness of
that which they do. Unto every nation hath an apostle been sent ; and
when their apostle came, the matter was decided between them with equity ;§
and they were not treated unjustly. The unbelievers say, When will this
threatening be made good, if ye speak truth? Answer, I am able neither to
procure advantage unto myself, nor to avert mischief from me, but as Gon
pleaseth. Unto every nation is a fixed term decreed ; when their term
therefore is expired, they shall not have respite for an hour, neither shal:
their punishment be anticipated. Say, Tell me, if the punishment of Gop
overtake you by night, or by day, what part thereof will the ungodly wish
to be hastened?* When it falleth on you, do ye then believe it? Now
do ye believe, and wish it far from you, when as ye formerly desired it
should be hastened? Then shall it be said unto ithe wicked, Taste the
punishment of eternity; would ye receive other than the reward of that
which ye have wrought? They will desire to know of thee, whether this
be true. Answer, Yea, by my Lorp, it is certainly true; neither shall ye
weaken God’s power so as to escape it. Verily, if every soul which hath
acted wickedly had whatever is on the earth, it would willingly redeem
itself therewith at the last day. Yet they will conceal their repentance,
after they shall have seen the punishment ; and the matter shall be decided
between them with equity, and they shall not be unjustly treated. Doth
not whatsoever is in heaven and on earth belong unto Gop? Is not
the promise of Gop true? But the greater part of them know it not. He

 

° These words were revealed on account of certain Meccans, who seemed to attend
while Mohammed read the Koran to them, or instructed them in any point of religion,
but yet were as far from being convinced or edified, as if they had not heard him at all.*

P for God deprives them not of their senses, or understanding ; but they corrupt and
make an ill use of them.

4 Either in the world, or in the grave.

-T As if it were but a little while since they parted. But this will happen during the first
moments only of the resurrection; for afterwards the terror of the diy will disturb and
take from them all knowledge of one another.®

* By delivering the prophet and those who believed on him, and destroying the obstinate

fidels.

* Should the divine vengeance fall on you unawares, either by day or by night, think
you that it can have been hastened by the wicked ?’"—Savary. . ,

t To hide their shame and re or because their surprise and astonishment wil:
deprive them of the use of speech." Some, however understand the verb which is/here
rendered will conceal, in the contrary signification, which it sometimes bears; and then it
roust be transtlated, They will openly declare their repentance, &c.

* Al Beidawi. See chap. 6, p. 100. t Idem. 6 Jallalo’ddin.  * Al Beidawi.
CHAP. X. AL KORAN. 171

giveth life, and he causeth to die: and unto him shall ye ad7 return. O
men, now hath an admonition come unto you from your Lorp, and a
remedy for the doubts which are in your breasts; and a direction, and
mercy unto the true believers. Say, Through the grace of Gop, and
his mercy: therein therefore let them rejoice; this will be better than what
they heap together of worldly riches. Say, Tell me; of that which Gop
hath sent down unto you for food, have ye declared part to be lawful, and
other part to be unlawful?" Say, Hath Gop permitted you to make this
distinction? or do ye devise a lie concerning Gop? But what will be
the opinion of those who devise a lie concerning Gop,* on the day of the
resurrection! Verily Gop is indued with beneficence towards mankind ;
but the greater part of them do not give thanks. Thou shalt be engaged
in no business, neither shalt thou be employed in meditating on any passage
of the Koran; nor shall ye do any action, but we will be witnesses over
you, when ye are employed therein. Nor is so much as the weight of an
ant* hidden from thy Lorp, in earth or in heaven: neither is there any
thing lesser than that, or greater, but it is written in the perspicuous book.”
Are not the friends of Gop the persons on whom no fear shall come, and
who shall not be grieved? They who believe and fear God shall receive
good tidings in this life, and in that which is to come. There is no change
in the words of Gop. This shall be great felicity. Let not their discourse *
grieve thee; for all might belongeth unto Gop: he both heareth and
knoweth. Is not whoever dwelleth in heaven and on earth subject unto
Gop? What therefore do they follow, who invoke idols, besides Gop?
They follow nothing but a vain opinion; and they only utter lies. It is he
who hath ordained the night for you, that ye may take your rest therein,
and the clear day for labour: verily herein are signs unto people who
hearken. They say, Gop hath begotten children: Gop forbid! He is
self-sufficient. Unto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth:
ye have no demonstrative proof of this, Do ye speak of Gop that which ye
know not? Say, Verily they who imagine a lie concerning Gop shall not
prosper, They may enjoy a provision in this world; but afterwards unto us
shall they return, and we will then cause them to taste a grievous punish-
ment, for that they were unbelievers. Rehearse unto them the history of
Noah:* when he said unto his people, O my people, if my standing forth
among you, and my warning you of the signs of Gon, be grievous unto you ;
in Gop do I put my trust. Therefore lay your design against me, and
assemble your false gods; but let not your design be carried on by you in
the dark:-then come forth against me, and delay not. And if ye turn
aside from my admonitions, I ask not any reward of you for the same ;°

 

"See chap. 6, p. 113, &c.

* Of what does the blasphemer think who denies the resurrection ?’’—Savary.
* See chap. 4, p. 65, note x.

¥ The preserved table ; wherein God's decrees are recorded.

? viz. The impious and rebellious talk of the infidels.

* See chap. 7, p. 121, &c.

> Therefore ye cannot excuse yourselves by saying that I am burdensome to you.
172 AL KORAN. CHAP. X.

I expect my reward from Gop alone, and I am commanded to be one
of those who are resigned unto him. But they accused him of imposture ,
wherefore we delivered him, and those who were with him in the ark, and
we caused them to survive the flood, but we drowned those who charged our
signs with falsehood. Behold therefore, what was the end of those
who were warned by Noah. Then did we send, after him, apostles unto
their respective people,* and they came unto them with evident demonstra-
tions: yet they were not disposed to believe in that which they had before
rejected as false. Thus do we seal up the hearts of the transgressors,
Then did we send, after them, Moses and Aaron unto Pharaoh and his
princes with our signs:* but they behaved proudly, and were a wicked
people. And when the truth from us had come unto them,* they said,
Verily this is manifest sorcery. Moses said unto them, Do ye speak this of
the truth, after it hath come unto you? Is this sorcery? but sorcerers shall
not prosper. They said, Art thou come unto us to turn us aside from that
religion, which we found our fathers practise; and that ye two may have
the command in the land? But we do not believe you. And Pharaoh
said, Bring unto me every expert magician. And when the magicians were
come, Moses said unto them, Cast down that which ye are about to cast
down. And when they had cast down their rods and cords, Moses said unto
them, The enchantment which ye have performed shall Gop surely render
vain; for Gop prospereth not the work of the wicked doers, and Gop will
verify the truth of his words, although the wicked be averse thereto. And
there believed not any on Moses, except a generation of his people,® for fear
of Pharaoh and of his princes, lest he should afflict them. And Pharaoh
was lifted up with pride in the earth, and was surely one of the transgressors.
* And Moses said, O my people, if ye believe in Gop, put your trust in him,
if ye be resigned to his will. They answered, We put our trust in Gop: O
Lorp, suffer us not to be afflicted by unjust people ; but deliver us, through
thy mercy, from the unbelieving people. And we spake by inspiration
unto Moses and his brother, saying, Provide habitations for your people in
Egypt, and make your houses a place of worship, and be constant at prayer:
and bear good news unto the true believers. And Moses said, O Lorp,
verily thou hast given unto Pharaoh and his people pompous ornaments,é

¢ As Hid, Saleh, Abraham, Lot, and Shoaib, to those of Ad, Thamfid, Babel, Sodem,
and Midian.

4 See chap. 7, p. 127, &c.

- * «They saw the truth, and they accused it of falsehood.’’—Savary.

¢ For when he first began to preach, a few of the younger Israelites only believed in
him; the others not giving ear to him, for fear of the king. But some suppose the pro-
noun his refers to Pharaoh, and that these were certain Egyptians, who, together with his
wife Asia, believed in Moses.

‘ So Jallalo’ddin expounds the original word Kebla, which properly signifies that place
or quarter towards which one prays. Wherefore al Zamakshari supposes, that the Is-
raelites are here ordered to dispose their oratories in such a manner, that, when they
prayed, their faces might be turned towards Mecca; which he imagines was the Kebla
of Moses, as it is that of the Mohammedans. The former commentator adds, that
Pharaoh had forbidden the Israelites to pray to Gop ; for which reason they were obliged
to perform that duty privately in their houses.

§ As magnificent apparel, chariots, and the like.

* Al Beidawi.

 
cHAP. x. AL KORAN. 178

and riches in this present life, O Lorp, that they may be seduced from thy
way: O Lorp, bring their riches to nought, and harden their hearts ; that
they may not believe, until they see their grievous punishment. * God said,
Your petition is heard:* be ye upright therefore,' and follow not the way
of those who are ignorant. And we caused the children of Israel to pass
through the sea; and Pharaoh and his army followed them in a violent and
hostile manner; until, when he was drowning, he said, I believe that there
is no Gop but he, on whom the children of Israel believe; and I am one of
the resigned.* Now dost thou believe ; when thou hast been hitherto rebel-
lious, and one of the wicked doers? This day will we raise thy body?
from the bottom of the sea, that thou mayest be a sign unto those who shall
be after thee; and verily a great number of men are negligent of
our signs. And we prepared for the children of Israel an established
dwelling in the land of Canaan, and we provided good things for their
sustenance; and they differed not in point of religion, until knowledge had
come unto them;™ verily thy Lorp will judge between them on the day
of resurrection, concerning that wherein they disagreed. If thou art in
a doubt concerning any part of that which we have sent down unto thee,®
ask- them who have read the book of the law before thee. Now hath
the truth come unto thee from thy Lorp; be not therefore one of those

. who doubt; neither be thou one of those who charge the signs of Gop

with falsehood, lest thou become one of those who perish. Verily those
against whom the word of thy Lorp is decreed, shall not believe, although
there come unto them every kind of miracle, until they see the grievous
punishment prepared for them. And if it were not so, some city, among the
many which have been destroyed, would have believed; and the faith of its
inhabitants would have been of advantage unto them; but none of them be- °
lieved, before the execution of their sentence, except the people of Jonas.°

 

1 The pronoun is in the dual number; the antecedent being Moses and Aaron. The
commentators say that, in consequence of this prayer, all the treasures of Egypt were
turned into stones.°

} Or, as al Beiddwi interprets it, Be ye constant and steady in preaching to the people.
The Mohammedans pretend that Moses continued in Egypt no less than forty years, after
he had first published his mission: which cannot be reconciled to scripture.

* These words, it is said, Pharaoh repeated often in his extremity, that he might be
heard. But his repentance came too late; for Gabriel soon stopped his mouth with mud,
lest he should obtain mercy ; reproaching him at the same time in the words which follow.

1 Some of the children of Israel doubting whether Pharaoh was really drowned, Gabriel,
by Gop’s command, caused his naked corpse to swim to shore, that they might see it.1 The
word here translated body, signifying also a coat of mail, some imagine the meaning to be,
that his corpse floated armed with his coat of mail, which they tell us was of gold, by
which they knew that it was he. ;

™ 7, e. After the law had been revealed, and published by Moses.

2 That is, concerning the truth of the histories which are here related. The commen-
tators doubt whether ‘be person here spoken to be Mohammed himself, or his auditor.

° viz. The inhabitants of Nineveh, which stood on or near the place where al Mawsel
now stands. This people having corrupted themselves with idolatry, Jonas the son of
Mattai (or Amittai, which the Mohainmiedank suppose to be the name of his mother), an
Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, was sent by Gop to preach to, and reclaim them. When
he first began to exhort them to repentance, instead of hearkening to him, they used him
very ill, 50 that he was obliged to leave the city ; threatening them, at his departure, that

® Jallalo’ddin 1 See Exod. xiv. 30.
174 AL KORAN. CHAP. X.

When they believed, we delivered them from the punishment of shame in
this world, and suffered them to enjoy their lives and possessions for a time.”
But if thy Lorp had pleased, verily all who are in the earth would have
believed in general. Wilt thou therefore forcibly compel men to be true
believers? No soul can believe, but by the permission of Gop: and
_he shall pour out Ais indignation on those who will not understand. Say,
Consider whatever is in heaven and on earth: but signs are of no avail,
neither preachers, unto people who will not believe. Do they therefore
expect any other than some terrible judgment, like unto the judgments which
have fallen on those who have gone before them? Say, Wait ye the issue ;
and I also will wait with you; then will we deliver our apostles and those
who believe. Thus is it a justice due from us, that we should deliver the
true believers. Say, O men of Mecca, if ye be in doubt concerning my
religion, verily I worship not the idols which ye worship, besides Gop ; but
I worship Gop, who will cause you to die: and I am commanded to be one
of the true believers. And it was said unto me, Set thy face towards the .
true religion, and be orthodox; and by no means be one of those who
attribute companions unto God ; neither invoke, besides Gon, that which
can neither profit thee nor hurt thee: for if thou do, thou wilt then
certainly become one of the unjust. If Gop afflict thee with hurt, there is
none who can relieve thee from it, except he; and if he willeth thee any
good, there is none who can keep back his bounty: he will confer it
on such of his servants as he pleaseth; and he és gracious and merciful.
Say, O men, now hath the truth come unto you from your Lorp. He
therefore who shall be directed, will be directed to the advantage of his
own soul: but he who shall err, will err only against the same. I am
"no guardian over you. Do thou, O prophet, follow that which is revealed
unto thee: and persevere with patience, until Gop shall judge; for he is
the best judge.

 

they should be destroyed within three days, or, as others say, within forty.2 But when
the time drew near, and they saw the heavens overcast with a black cloud, which shot
forth fire, and filled the air with smoke, and hung directly over their city, they were ina
terrible consternation, and getting into the fields, with their families and cattle, they put
on sackcloth, and humbled themselves before Gop, calling aloud for pardon, and sincerely
repenting of their past wickedness. Whereupon Gop was pleased to forgive them, and
the storm blew over.? /

i. e. Until they died according to the ordinary course of nature.

2 See Jonah iii. 4, * Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Abulfed. See chap. 21, and 37.
CHAP. XI. AL KORAN. 175

CHAPTER XI.

INTITLED, HUD;1 REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

AL. R.t Tas book, the verses whereof are guarded against corrupt: i,
and are also distinctly explained,* is a revelation from the wise, the know-
ing God: that ye serve not any other Gop ;* (verily I am a denouncer of
threats, and a bearer of good tidings unto you from him;) and that ye ask
-pardon of your Lorp, and then be turned unto him. -He will cause you to
enjoy a plentiful provision, until a prefixed time: and unto every one that
hath merit by good works will he give his abundant reward. But if ye
turn back, verily I fear for you the punishment of the great day: unto Gop

' shall ye return ; and he is almighty. Do they not double the folds of their
breasts," f that they may conceal their designs from him? When they cover
themselves with their garments, doth not he know that which they conceal,
and that which they discover? For he knoweth the innermost parts of the
breasts of men.* *[XII.] There is no creature which creepeth on the
earth, but Gop provideth its food; and he knoweth the place of its retreat,
and where it is laid up.7 The whole is written in the perspicuous book of

 

«The story of which prophet is repeated in this chapter. (Savary’s translation adds,
“ Peace be with him.’’)

* See the Prelim. Disc. p. 42, &c.

* According to the various senses which the verb ohkimat, in the original, may bear, the
commentators suggest as many different interpretations. Some suppose the meaning to
be, according to our version, that the Koran is not liable to be corrupted,* as the law and
the gospel have been, in the opinion of the Mohammedans: others, that every verse in
this particular chapter is in full force, and not one of them abrogated: others, that the
verses of the Koran are disposed in aclear and perspicuous method, or contain evident
and demonstrative arguments: and others, that they comprise judicial declarations, to
regulate both faith Aa practice.’ bs

* The signification of the verb fossilat, which is here used, being also ambiguous, the
meaning af this passage is supposed to be, either that the verses are distinctly proposed or
expressed in a clear manner ; or that the subject matter of the whole may be distinguished
or ee into laws, monitions, and examples ; or else that the verses were revealed by
parcels. -

* “A judicious method is observed in this book. It is the work of one who possesseth
wisdom and knowledge. The unity of God is enjoined to you therein.’’—Savary.

" Or, as it may be translated, Do they not turn away their breasts, xc.

t “Do they not wrap their hearts in a two-fold veil, that they may escape the glance
of the Most High?’—Savary. ;

* This passage was occasioned by the words of the idolaters, who said to one another,
When we let down our curtains, (such as the women use in the East to screen themselves
from the sight of the men, when they happen to be in the room,) and wrap ourselves up in
our garments, and fold up our breasts, to conceal aur malice against Mohammed, how should
he come to the knowledge of it? Some suppose this passage relates to certain hypocritical
Moslems; but this opinion is generally rejected, because this verse was revealed at Mecca,
and the birth of hypocrisy among the Mohammedans happened not till after the Hejra.

74. e. Both during its life, and after its death ; or the repository of every animal, before
its birth, in the loins and wombs of the parents.

‘See the Prelim. Disc. p. 53. 5 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Al Zamakshari, &c.
176 AL KORAN. CHAP. XI.

his decrees. It is he who hath created the heavens and the earth in six days,
(but his throne was above the waters before the creation thereof,)” that he
might prove you, and see which of you would excel in works. If thou say,
ye shall surely be raised again, after death; the unbelievers will say, This
is nothing but manifest sorcery. And verily if we defer their punishment
unto a determined season, they will say, What hindereth it from falling on
us? Will it not come upon them on a day, wherein there shall be none
to avert it from them; and that which they scoffed at shall encompass
them? Verily, if we cause man to taste mercy from us, and afterwards
take it away from him; he will surely become desperate,* and ungrateful.
And if ‘we cause him to taste favour, after an affliction hath befallen
him, he will surely say, The evils which I suffered are passed from me and
he will become joyful and insolent: except those who, persevere with
patience, and do that which is right ; they shall receive pardon, and a great
reward. Peradventure thou wilt omit to publish part of that which hath
peen revealed unto thee,* and thy breast will become straitened, lest they
say, Unless a treasure be sent down unto him, or an angel come with him,
to bear witness unto him, we will not believe. Veyily thou art a preacher
only; and Gop is the governor of all things. f Will they say, He hath
forged the Kordn? Answer, Bring therefore ten chapters” like unto it,
forged by yourselves : and call on whomsoever ye may to assist you, exeept
Gop, if ye speak truth. But if they whom ye call to your assistance hear you
ot ; know that this book hath been revealed by the knowledge of Gop only,*
and that there is no Gop but he. f Will ye therefore become Moslems?
Whoso chooseth the present life, and the pomp thereof, unto them will we
give the recompense of their works therein, and the same shall not be dimi-
nished unto them. These are they for whom no other reward is prepared
m the next life, except the fire of hell: that which they have done in this
life shall perish; and that which they have wrought shall be vain. Shall he
therefore be compared with them, who followeth the evident declaration
of his Lorp, and whom a witness from him® attendeth, preceded by the
book of Moses,° which was revealed for a guide, and out of mercy to man-

 

> For the Mohammedans suppose this throne, and the waters wherein it stands, which
waters they imagine are supported by a spirit or wind, were with some other things
ereated before the heavens and earth. This fancy they borrowed from the Jews, who
also say, that the throne of glory then stood in the air, and was borne on the face of the
waters, by the breath of Gop’s mouth.®

® Casting aside all hopes of the divine favour, for want of patience, and trust in Gop.

*«* Should some of my precepts slide from thy memory; or should it be required from
thee that thou shouldest cause a treasure to appear; or that an angel should accompany
thee; be not afflicted.”’—Savary.

> This was the number which he first challenged them to compose; but they not being
able to do it, he made the matter still easier, challenging them to produce a single chapter
only,” comparable to the Koran in doctrine and eloquence.

*'Or containing several passages wrapped up in dark and mysterious expressions, which
ean proceed from, and are perfectly comprehended by, none but Gov.®

4 yiz. The Koran; or, as others suppose, the angel Gabriel.

© Which bears testimony thereto.

®* Rashi, ad Gen. i. 2. Vide Reland. de Relig. Moh. p. 50, &c. "See chap 2, p. 3.
chap. 10, p. 169, &c. * See chap. 3, 2 35. ee nee ——
CHAP. XI. AL KORAN. 177

kind? These believe in the Kordn: but whosoever of the confederate
infidels believeth not therein, is threatened the fire of hell, which threat shali
certainly be executed: be not therefore in a doubt concerning it; for it
is the truth from thy Lorp: but the greater part of men will not believe.
Who is more unjust than he who imagineth a lie concerning Gop?* They
shall be set before the Lorn, at the day of judgment, 2nd the witnesses‘ shall
say, These are they who devised lies against their Lorp. Shal] not
the curse of Gop fall on the unjust; who turn men aside from the way of
Gop, and seek to render it crooked, and who believe not in the life to come?
These were not able to prevail against God on earth, so as to escape punish-
ment ; neither had they any protectors besides Gop: their punishment
shall be doubled unto them. They could not hear, neither did they see.
These are they who have lost their souls; and the idols which they falsely
imagined have abandoned them. There is no doubt but they shall be most
miserable in the world to come. But as for those who believe and-do good
works, and humble themselves before their Lorp, they shall be the inhabi-
tants of paradise ; they shall remain therein for ever. The similitude of the
two parties® is as the blind and the deaf, and as he who seeth and heareth:
shall they be compared as equal? Will ye’not therefore consider? We
formerly sent Noah! unto his people; and he said, Verily I am a public
preacher unto you; that ye worship Gop alone; verily I fear for you the
punishment of the terrible day. But the chiefs of the people, who believed
not, answered, We see thee to be no other than a man, like unto us; and
we do not see that any follow thee, except those who are the most abject
among us, who have believed on thee by a rash judgment ;* neither do we
perceive any excellence in you above us: but we esteem you to be liars,
Noah said, O my people, tell me; if I have received an evident declaration
from my Lorp, and he hath bestowed on me mercy from himself, which is
hidden from you, do we corhpel you to receive the same, in case ye be averse
thereto? O my people, I ask not of you riches, for my preaching unto you :
my reward is with Gop alone. I will not drive away those who have
‘believed :! verily they shall meet their Lorn, at the resurrection ; but I
perceive that ye are ignorant men. O my people, who shall assist me
against Gop, if I drive them away? Will ye not therefore consider? I say
not unto you, The treasures of Gop are in my power; neither do I say, I
know the secrets of God : neither do I say, Verily I am an angel ;™ neither
do I say of those whom your eyes do contemn, Gop will by no means

 

* ¢ What crime can be more horrible, than to accuse God of falsehood ?””—Savary.

‘ That is, The angels, and prophets, and their own members,

® For they shall be punished both in this life, and in the next.

4. e, The believers and the infidels.

' See chap. 7, p. 121, &c. .

* For want of mature consideration, and moved by the first impulse of their fancy.

' For this they asked him to do, because they were poor mean people. The same thing
the Koreish demanded of Moaammed, but he was forbidden to comply with their request.®

™ See chap. 6, p. 103.

® See chap. 6, p. 103.
178 AL KORAN. CHAP. XI.

vestow good on them: (Gop best knoweth that which is in their souls ;)
for then should I certainly be one of the unjust. They answered, O Noah,
thou hast already disputed with us, and hast multiplied disputes with us;
now therefore do thou bring that punishment upon us wherewith thou ‘hast
threatened us, if thou speakest truth. JVoah said, Verily Gop alone shall
bring it upon you, if he pleaseth; and ye shall not prevail against him, so
as to escape the same. Neither shall my counsel profit you, although I en-
deavour to counsel you aright, if Gop shall please to lead you into error.
He is your Lorp,* and unto him shall ye return. Will the Meccans say,
Mohammed hath forged the Koran? Answer, If I have forged it, on me be
my guilt: and let me be clear of that which ye are guilty of. And it was
revealed unto Noah, saying, Verily none of thy people shall believe, except
he who hath already believed : be not therefore grieved, for that which they
are doing. But make an ark in our presence, according to the form
and dimensions which we have revealed unto thee : and speak not unto me
in behalf of those who have acted unjustly ; for they are doomed to be
drowned. And he built the ark; and so often as a company of his people
passed by him, they derided him :" but he said, Though ye scoff at us now,
we will scoff at you hereafter, as ye scoff at us ; and ye shall surely know
on whom a punishment shall be inflicted, which shall cover him with
shame, and on whom a lasting punishment shall fall. Thus were they em-
ployed until our sentence was put in execution, and the oven poured forth
water... And we said unto Noah, Carry into the ark of every species of ani-
mals one pair ;” and thy family, (except him on whom a previous sentence

 

* He is your Lord, and wise: unto him shall we all return.’”’—Savary.

s For building a vessel in an inland country, and so far from the sea; and for that he
was turned carpenter, after he had set up for a prophet.'

° Or, as the original literally signifies, boiled over ; which is consonant to what the
Rabbins say, that the waters of the deluge were boiling hot.

This oven was, as some say, at Cifa, in a spot whereon a mosque now stands; or as
others rather think, in a certain place in India, or else at Ain warda in Mesopotamia ;? and
its exundation was the sign by which Noah knew the flood was coming. Some pretend
that it was the same oven which Eve made use of to bake her bread in, being of a form
different from those we use, haying the mouth in the upper part and that it descended
from patriarch to patriarch, till it came to Noah.‘ It is remarkable that Mohammed, in
all probability, borrowed this circumstance from the Persian Magi, who also fancied that
the first waters of the deluge gushed out of the oven of a certain old woman named
Zala Ciifa.®

But the word tanntr which is here translated oven, also signifying the superficies of the
earth, or a place whence waters spring forth, or where they are collected, some suppose it
means no more in this passage, than the spot or fissure whence the first eruption of waters
brake forth.

P Or, as the words may also be rendered, and some commentators think they ought,
two pair, that is, two males and two females of each species; wherein they partly agree
with divers Jewish and Christian writers,* who from the Hebrew expression seven and
seven, and two and two, the male and his female, suppose there went into the ark fourteen
pair of every clean, and two pair of every unclean species. There is a tradition that God
gathered together unto Noah all sorts of beasts, birds, and other animals, Git being indeed
difficult to conceive how he should come by them all, without some supernatural assist-
ance,) and that as he laid hold on them, his right hand constantly fell on the male, and
his left on the female.*

4 Namely, thy wife; and thy sons, and their wives.®

Al Beidawi. *Idem. * Jallalo'ddin, &c. “Vide D’Herbelot, Bibl.
Orient. art. Noah. * Vide Hyde de Rel. Vet. Persar., and Lord’s account of the
Relig. of the Persees, p.9. © Aben Ezra, Justin Martyr, Origen, &c. * Gen. vii. 2
* Jallalo’ddin. 9 Al Beidawi.

.
CHAP. XI. AL KORAN. 179

of destruction hath passed,") and those who believe.* But there believed not
with him except a few.t. And JVoah said, Embark thereon, in the name of
Gop; while it moveth forward, and while it standeth still;* for my Lorp
is gracious and merciful. And the ark swam with them between waves
like mountains :¥ and Noah called unto his son,” who was separated from
him, saying, Embark with us, my son, and stay not with the, unbelievers.
He answered, I will get on a mountain, which will secure me from the
water. JVoah replied, There is no security this day from the decree of Gop,
except for him on whom he shall have mercy. And a wave passed be-
tween them, and he became one of those who were drowned.* And it was
said, O earth, swallow up thy waters, and thou, O heaven, Withhold thy
rain. And immediately the water abated, and the decree was fulfilled, and
the ark rested on the mountain Al Jidi;* and it was said, Away with the

 

* This was an unbelieving son of Noah, named Canaan,? or Yam ;? though others say
he was not the son of Noah, but his grandson by his son Ham, or his wife’s son by an-
other husband; nay, some pretend he was related to him no farther than by having been
educated and brought up in his house.t The best commentators add, that Noah’s
wife, named Waila, who was an infidel, was also comprehended in this exception, and
perished with her son.*

’ Noah’s family being mentioned before, it is supposed that by these words are intended
the other believers, who were his proselytes, but not of his family: whence the common
opinion among Mohammedans, of a greater number than eight being saved. in the ark,
seems to have taken its rise.®

* viz. His other wife, who was a true believer, his three sons, Shem, Ham, and J aphet,
and their wives, and seventy-two persons more."

-* That is, omit no opportunity of getting on board. According to a different reading,
the latter words may be rendered, who shall cause it to move forward, and to stop, as there
shall be occasion. ‘The commentators tell us that the ark moved forwards, or stood still,
as Noah would have it, on his pronouncing only the words, In the name of God.®

It is to be observed, that the more judicious commentators make the dimensions of the
ark to be the same with those assigned by Moses ;* notwithstanding others have enlarged
them extravagantly.’ as some Christian writers*t have also done. They likewise tell us
that Noah was two years in building the ark, which was framed of Indian plane tree,"
that it was divided into three stories, of which the lower was designed for the beasts,
the middle one for the men and women, and the upper for the birds; ** and that the men
were separated from the women by the bedy of Adam, which Noah had taken into the
the ark.* This last is a tradition of the eastern Christians,** some of whom pretended
that the matrimonial duty was superseded and suspended during the time Noah and his
family were in the ark ; * though Ham has been accused of not observing continency on
that occasion, his wife, it seems, bringing forth Canaan in the very ark.”

Y The waters prevailing fifteen cubits above the mountains.* 2 See note r.

* << The waters arose, and all men were swallowed up.’’—Savary.

* This mountain is one of those which divide Armenia, on the south, from Mesopotamia,
and that part of Assyria, which is inhabited by the Curds, from whom the mountains
took the name of Cardu, or Gardu; by the Greeks turned into Gordyzi, and other
names.*® Mount al Juddi (which name seems to be a corruption, though it be constantly
80 written by the Arabs, for Jordi or Giordi) is also called Thamanin,” probably from a
town at the foot of it,2* so named from the number of persons saved ‘in the ark, the word
thamanin signifying eighty, and overlooks the country of Diyar Rabiah, near the cities of

_ 1 Yahya. 2 Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi. ? Ebn Shohnah. 4 Al Zumakhshari.
Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 676. 5 Jallalo’ddin, Al Kamakhshari, Al Beidawi.
° See chap. 7, p. 122. " See ibid. note b. * Al Beidawi, &c. ®TIdem, &c
*?Yahya. Vide Marracc. in Alcor. p. 350. __." Origen contr. Cels. lib. 4. Vide
Kircher. de Arca Noé, c. 8. 2 Al Beidawi. Vide D’Herbel. p. 675, and
Eutych. p. 34. * Al Beidéwi. Vide Eutych. Annal. p. 34. * Yahya.
6 Jacob, Edessenus, apud Barcepham de Parad. part 1, chap. 14. Eutych. ubi. sup.
Vide etfam Eliezer. pirke chap. 23. *© Ambros. de Noa et Arca, chap. 21. " Vide
Heidegger. Hist. Patriarchar. v. 1, p. 409. 8 Al Beidawi. 19 See Bochart.
Phaleg. lib. 1, c. 3. »” Geogr. Num. p. 202, 3t Vide D’ Herbelot, Bibl.
Orient. p. 404, and 676, et Agathiam, lib. 14, p. 135, ;
180 | AL KORAN. CHAP. XI.

ungodly people! And Noah called upon his Lorp, and said, O Lorp, verily
my son is of my family, and thy promise is true;® for thou art the most
just of those who exercise judgment. God answered, O Noah, verily he is
not of thy family ;° this intercession of thine for him is not a righteous
work.t Ask not of me therefore that wherein thou hast no knowledge: I
admonish thee that thou become not one of the ignorant. Noah said, O
Lorp, I have recourse unto thee for the assistance of thy grace, that I ask
not of thee that wherein I have no knowledge; and unless thou forgive
me, and be merciful unto me, I shall be one of those who perish. It was
said unto him, O Noah, come down from the ark,® with peace from us,
and blessings upon thee, and upon a part of those who are with thee ;* but
as for a part of them, we will suffer them to enjoy the provision of this
world ; and afterwards shall a grievous punishment from us be inflicted on
them, in the life to come. This is a.secret history, which we reveal unto
thee: thou didst not know it, neither did thy people, before this. Where-
fore persevere with patience: for the prosperous issue shall attend the pious,
And unto the tribe of Ad we sent their brother Hud." He said, O my people,
worship Gop; ye have no Gop besides him; ye only imagine false-
hood, in setting up idols and intercessors of your own making. O my people,

 

Mawsel, Forda, and Jazirat Ebn Omar; which last place one affirms to be but four
miles from the place of the ark, and says that a Mohammedan temple was built there
with the remains of that vessel, by the Khaltf Omar Ebn Abd’alaziz, whom he by mis-
take calls Omar Ebn al Khattab.* :

The tradition which affirms the ark to have rested on these mountains must have been
very ancient, since it is the tradition of the Chaldeans themselves: * the Chaldee para-
phrasts consent to their opinion,® which obtained very much formerly, especially among
the eastern Christians.’ T'o confirm it, we are told, that the remainders of the ark were
to be seen on the Gordyzan mountains: Berosus and Abydenus both declare there was
such a report in their time ;® the first observing that several of the inhabitants thereabouts
scraped the pitch off the planks as a rarity, and carried it about them for an amulet:
and the latter saying, that they used the wood of the vessel against many diseases with
wonderful success. The relics of the ark were also to be seen here in the time of
Epiphanius, if we may believe him ;° and we are told the emperor Heraclius went from
the town of Thamanin up to the mountain al Jiidi, and saw the place of the ark.*° There
was also formerly a famous monastery, called the monastery of the ark, upon some of
these mountains, where the Nestorians used to celebrate a feast-day on the spot where
they supposed the ark rested; but in the year of Christ 776, that monastery was de-
stroyed by lightning, with the church, and a numerous congregation in it." Since which
time it seems the credit of this tradition hath declined, and given place to another, which
obtains at present, and according to which the ark rested on Mount Masis in Armenia,
called by the Turks, Aghir dagh, or the heavy or great mountain, and situate about twelve
leagues south-east of Erivan.”

» Noah here challenges God’s promise, that he would save his family.

° Being cut off from it on account of his infidelity.

Feo to a different reading this passage may be rendered, For he hath acted un-
righteously.

O The Mohammedans say that Noah went into the ark on the tenth of Rajeb, and eame
out of it the tenth of al Moharram ; which therefore became a fast. So that the whole
time of Noah’s being in the ark, according to them, was six months."

f yiz. Such of them as continued in their belief.

4 oe is, such of his posterity as should depart from the true faith, and fall into
idolatry. :

» See chap. 7, p. 122.

+ Benjamin, Itiner. p. 61. 5 Berosus, apud Joseph. Antig. lib. 1,¢.4.  § Onkelos
et Jonathan, in Gen. viii. 4. * Vide Eutych. Annal. p. 41. ® Berosuz, apud Joseph.
ubi sup. Abydenus, apud Euseb. Prep. Ev. lib. 9,c.4.  ° Epiph. Heres.18, *° El-
macin. lib. 1, ¢. 1. 1 Vide Chronic. Dionysii Patriarch, Jacobitar, apud Asseman.
Bibl. Orient. tom. 2, p. 113. 19 A) Beidawi. ‘8Tdem. See D’Herbel. ubi sup.
CHAP. XI. AL KORAN. 181

I ask not of you for this my preaching, any recompense: my recompense
do I expect from him only who hath created me, Will ye not therefore
understand? O my people, ask pardon of your Lorn ; and be turned unto
him: he wil send the heaven to pour forth rain plentifully upon you,' and
he will increase your strength by giving unto you farther strength :* there-
fore turn not aside, to commit evil, They answered, O Hud, thou hast
brought us no proof of what thou sayest ; therefore we will not leave our
gods for thy saying, neither do we believe thee. We say no other than that
some of our gods have afflicted thee with evil.1 _He replied, Verily I call
Gop to witness, and do ye also bear witness, that I am clear of that which ~
ye associate with God, besides him. Do ye all therefore join to devise a plot
against me, and tarry not; for I put my confidence in Gop, my Lorp and
your Lorp. There is no beast, but he holdeth it by its forelock:™ verily
my Lorp proceedeth in the right way. But if ye turn back, I have already
declared unto you that with which I was sent unto you; and my Lorp
shall substitute another nation in your stead; and ye shall not hurt him at
all: for my Lorp is’guardian over all things. And when our sentence came
to be put in execution, we delivered Hud, and those who had believed with
him," through our mercy; and we delivered them from a grievous punish-
ment. And this tribe of Ad wittingly rejected the signs of their Lorp, and .
were disobedient unto his messengers, and they followed the command of
every rebellious perverse person. Wherefore they were followed in this
world by a curse, and they shail be followed by the same on the day of resur-
rection. Did not Ad disbelieve in their Lorp? Was it not said, Away with
Ad, the people of Hud? And unto the tribe of Thamud we sent their bro-
ther Saleh.» He said unto them, O my people, worship Gon; ye have no
God besides him. It is he who hath produced you out of the earth, and
hath given you an habitation therein. Ask pardon of him therefore, and be
turned unto him; for my Lorp is near,* and ready to answer. They an-
swered, O Saleh, thou wast a person on whom we placed our hopes before
this. Dost thou forbid us to worship that which our fathers worshipped ?
But we are certainly in doubt concerning the religion to which thou
dost invite us, as justly to be suspected. Saleh said, O my people, tell me;
if I have received an evident declaration from my Lorp, and he hath

 

‘ For the Adites were grievously distressed by a drought for more than three years.‘
* By giving you children; the wombs of their wives being also rendered barren, during
“the time of the drought, as well as their lands.’

': Or madness: having deprived thee of thy reason for the indignities thou hast offered
them. -

™ That is, he exerciseth an absolute power over it. A creature held in this manner
being supposed to be reduced to the lowest subjection.

a Who were in number four thousand.®

° See chap. 7, p. 123. :

* Repent! Turn unto him! He is near unto you, and hears you.’’—Savary.

» Designing to have made thee our prince, because of the singular prudence and other
good qualities which we observed in thee; but thy dissenting from us in point of religious
worship has frustrated those hopes.” “

‘viz. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.’ See chap. 7, p. 124, note k.

“ See the notes to chap, 7, p. 123. 5 Al Beidawi. ® Idem.
‘Idem. ® Idem.
182 AL KORAN. CHAP. Xi.

bestowed on me mercy from himself; who will protect me from the
vengeance of Gop, if I be disobedient unto him? For ye shall not add unto
me, other than loss. -And he said, O my people, this she-camel of Gop is
a sign unto you; therefore dismiss her freely, that she may feed in Gop’s
earth, and do her no harm, lest a swift punishment seize you. Yet
they killed her; and Saleh said, Enjoy yourselves in your dwellings for
three days: after which ye shall be destroyed. This is an infallible pre-
diction. And when our decree came to be executed, we delivered Saleh and
those who believed with him, through our mercy, from the disgrace of that
day; for thy Lorp is the strong, the mighty God. But a terrible noise
from heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly ; and in the morning
they were found in their houses, lying dead and prostrate; as though they
had never dwelt therein. Did not Thamud disbelieve in their Lorp? Was
not Thamud cast far away? Our messengers’ also came formerly unto
Abraham, with good tidings: they said, Peace be upon thee. And he
answered, and on you be Peace! And he tarried not, but brought a roasted
calf. And when he saw that their hands did not touch the meat,* he mis-
liked them, and entertained a fear of them.* But they said, Fear not: for
we are sent unto the people of Lot.t. And his wife Sarah was standing by,"
and she laughed;* and we promised her Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob.
She said, Alas! shall I bear a son, who am old; this my husband also
being advanced in years?* Verily this’ would be a wonderful thing. The
angels answered, Dost thou wonder at the effect of the command of Gop?
The mercy of God and his blessings be upon you, the family of the house :¥

 

* These were the angels who were sent to acquaint Abraham with the promise of Isaac,
and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Some of the commentators pretend they were
twelve, or nine, or ten in number; but others, agreeable to scripture, say they were but
three, viz. Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil.?

* ‘When he saw that they did not touch his hand.’’t—Savary.

° Apprehending that they had some ill design against him, because they would not eat
with him.

' Being angels, whose nature needs not the support of food.
» Either behind the curtain, or door of the tent; or else waiting upon them.

v The commentators are so little acquainted with scripture, that, not knowing the true
occasion of Sarah’s laughter, they strain their inventions to give some reason for it. One
says, that she laughed at the angels discovering themselves, and ridding Abraham and
herself of their apprehensions; and another, that it was at the approaching destruction
of the Sodomites (a very probable motive in one of her sex). Some, however, interpret
the original word differently, and will have it that she did not daugh, but that her courses,
which had stopped for several years, came upon her at this time, as a previous sign of her
future conception.?

x Al Beidawi writes that Sarah was then ninety, or ninety-nine years old, and Abraham
a hundred and twenty.

7 Or the stock whence all the prophets were to proceed for the future. Or the ex-

° Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. See Gen. xviii. ;

+t When the Orientals meet, after having made the ordinary salutation, Peace be with
you, they move the hand to the left side, and mutually shake hands. When they are very
intimate, they repeat this ceremony, and wish good wishes to each other. If they do not
know the person whom they meet, they merely give him the salutation, and if it be an
unbeliever, they content themselves by saying Good day. Abraham, seeing that the two
celestial messengers did not touch his hand, concluded them to be strangers to whom he
was not known.—Savary.

' Al Beidawi. 2 Idem. Jallalo’ddin, Al Zamakhshari.
CHAP. XI. AL KORAN. 183

for he is praiseworthy, and to be glorified. And when his apprehension
had departed from Abraham, and the good tidings of Isaac’s birth had come
unto him, he disputed with us concerning the people of Lot ;* for Abraham
was a pitiful, compassionate, and devout persen. The angels said unto him,
O Abraham, abstain from this; for now is the command of thy Lorp come,
to put their sentence in execution, and an inevitable punishment is ready to
fall upon them. And when our messengers ‘came unto Lot, he was
troubled for them,* and his arm was straightened concerning them;> and
‘he said, This is a grievous day. And his people came unto him, rushing
upon him, and they had formerly been guilty of wickedness. Lot said unto
them, O my people, these my daughters are more lawful for you: therefore
fear Gop, and put me not to shame by wronging my guests. Is there not
a man of prudence among you?* They answered, Thou knowest that we
have no need of thy daughters; and thou well knowest what we would
have. He said, If I had strength sufficient to oppose you, or I could have
recourse unto a powerful support, J would certainly do it. The angels
said, O Lot, verily we are the messengers of thy Lorn; they shall by no
means come in unto thee. Go forth, therefore, with thy family, in some
part of the night, and let not any of you turn back: but as for thy wife,*
that shall happen unto her, which shall happen unto them. Verily the
prediction of their punishment shall be fulfilled in the morning: is not the
morning near? And when our command came, we turned those cities
upside down,’ and we rained upon them stones of baked clay,‘ one follow-

 

pression may perhaps refer to Abraham and Ishmael’s building the Caaba, which is often
called, by way of excellence, the house.

* That is, he interceded with us for them.? Jallalo’ddin, instead of the numbers men-
tioned by Moses, says, that Abraham first asked whether God would destroy those cities
if three hundred righteous ae were found therein, and so fell successively to two
hundred, forty, fourteen, and at last came to one: but there was not one righteous person
to be found among them, except only Lot and his family.

* Because they appeared in the shape of beautiful young men, which must needs tempt
those of Sodom to abuse them.

>i. e. He knew himself unable to protect them against the insults of his townsmen.

* Ts all shame extinct among you ?”’—Savary.

© Al Beidéwi says, that Lot shut his door, and argued the matter with the riotous as-
sembly from behind it; but at length they endeavoured to get over the wall: whereupon
Gabriel seeing his distress, struck them on the face with one of his wings, and blinded
em so that they moved off, crying out for help, and saying that Lot had magicians in

jouse.

4 This seems to be the true sense of the passage; but according to a different reading
of the vowel, some interpret it, Except thy wife; the meaning being, that Lot is here
commanded to take his family with him except his wife. Wherefore the commentators
cannot 4gree whether Lot’s wife went forth with him or not; some denying it, and pre-
tending that she was left behind and perished in the common destruction ; and others
affirming it, and saying, that when she heard the noise of the storm, and overthrow of the
cities, she turned back, lamenting their fate, and was immediately struck down and killed
by one of the stones mentioned a little lower.» A punishment she justly merited for her
infidelity and disobedience to her husband* | >

* For they tell us, that Gabriel thrust his wing under them, and lifted them up so high,
that the inhabitants of the lower heaven heard the barking of the dogs, and the crowing
of the cocks ; and then inverting them, threw them down to the earth."

! The kiln wherein they were burned some imagine to have been hell.

*Vide Gen. xviii. 23, &c. ‘Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidéwi. Vide Joseph. Antiq. lib. 1
ce 12. 5 Jidem interpretes. 5 See c. 66. t Jallalo’ddin, Al Keidawi.
’

184° " “AL KORAN. CHAP. XI.

ing another, and being marked from thy Lorp; and they are not far
distant from those who act unjustly.» And unto Madian we sent their
brother Shoaib: ! he said, O my people, worship Gop : ye have no Gop but
him: and diminish not meas#te and weight. Verily I see you to be ina
nappy condition: * but I fear for you the punishment of the day which will
encompass the ungodly. O my people, give full measure and just weight;
and diminish not unto men aught of their matters; neither commit in-
justice in the earth, acting corruptly. The residue which shall remain unto
you as the gift of Gon, after ye shall have done justice to others, will be
better for you, than wealth gotten by fraud, if ye be true believers. I am
no guardian over you. They answered, O: Shoaib, do thy prayers enjoin
thee, that we should leave the gods which our fathers worshipped; or that
we should not do what we please with our substance.! Thou only,
it seems, art the wise person, and fit to direct. He said, O my
people, tell me: if I have received an evident declaration from my
Lorp, and he hath bestowed on me an excellent provision, and I will not
consent unto you in that which I forbid you; do I seek any other than
your reformation, to the utmost of my power? My support is from Gop
alone: on him do I trust, and unto him do I turn me. O my people,
let not your opposing of me draw on you a vengeance like unto that which
fell on the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Saleh:
neither was the people of Lot far distant from you.™* Ask pardon, there-
" fore, of your Lorp; and be turned unto him: for my Lorp is merciful
and loving. They answered, O Shoaib, we understand not much of what
thou sayest; and we see thee to be a man of no power" among us: if it
had not been for the sake of thy family,° we had surely stoned thee, neither
couldst thou have prevailed against us. Shoaib-said, O my people, is my
family more worthy in your opinion than Gop? and do ye cast him behind

 

® That is, as some suppose, streaked with white and red, or having some other peculiar
mark to distinguish them from ordinary stones. But the common opinion is, that each
stone had the name of the person who was to be killed by it, written thereon.? The army
of Araha al Ashram was also destroyed by the same kind of stones.

h This is a kind of threat to other wicked persons, and particularly to the infidels of
Mecca, who deserved and might justly apprehend the same punishment.

‘ See chap. 7, p. 125, &c.

« That is, enjoying plenty of all things; and therefore having the less occasion to de-
fraud one another, and being the more strongly bound to be thankful and obedient unto

od.

1 For this liberty, they imagined, was taken from them, by his prohibition of false
weights and measures, or to diminish or adulterate their coin.’

m For Sodom and Gomorrah were situate not a great way from you, and their destruc-
tion happened not many ages ago; neither did they deserve it on account of their obstinacy
and wickedness, much more than yourselves.

*«Q my people, let not your falling off from the faith bring down upon you the
scourges which have caused to perish the people of Noah, of Hud, and of Saleh, and the
inhabitants of Sodom, whose chastisement was so recently inflicted.’’—Savary.

= The Arabic word daif, weak, signifying also, in the Hamyaritic dialect, blind, some
suppose that Shoaib was so, and that the Midianites objected that to him, as a defect
which disqualified him for the prophetic office. M

° ¢, e, For the respect we bear to thy family and relations: whom we honour as being
of our religion, and not for any apprehension we have of their power to assist you against
us. The original word here translated family, signifies any number from three to seven
sr ten, but not more.* %

® Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi. ® Al Beidawi. ‘Tdem.
7 é
CHAP. XI. AL KORAN. 185

you with neglect? Verily my Lorp comprehendeth that which ye do. O
my people, do ye work according to your condition; I will surety work
according to my duty.2 And ye shall certainly know on whofn will be in-
flicted a punishment which shall cover him with shame, and who is a liar.
Wait, therefore, the event; for I also will wait it with you. Wherefore,
when our decree came to be executed, we delivered Shoaib and those
who believed with him, through our mercy: and a terrible noise from
Heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly; and in the morning
they were found in their houses lying dead and prostrate, as though
they had never dwelt therein. Was not Madian removed from off
the earth, as Thamud had been removed? And we formerly sent Moses
with our signs, and manifest power unto Pharaoh and his princes;
but they followed the command of Pharaoh; although the command
of Pharaoh did not direct them aright. Pharaoh shall precede his on
the day of resurrection, and he shall lead them into held fire; an un-
happy way shall it be which they shall be led. They were followed in this
life by a curse, and on the day of resurrection miserable shall be the gift
which shall be given them. This is a part of the histories of the cities,
which we rehearse unto thee. Of them there are some standing; and
others which are utterly demolished." And we treated them not unjustly,
‘but they dealt unjustly with their own souls: and their gods which they
invoked, besides Gop, were of no advantage unto them at all, when the
decree of thy Lorp came to be executed on them, neither were they any
other than a detriment unto them. And thus was the punishment of thy
Lorp inflicted, when he punished the cities which were unjust; for his
punishment is grievous and severe. Verily herein is a sign unto him who
feareth the punishment of the last day: that shall be a day, whereon all
men shall be assembled, and that shall be a day whereon witness shall be
borne; we defer it not, but to a determined time, When that day shall
come, no soul shall speak to excuse itself, or to intercede for another, but by
the permission of God. Of them, one shall be miserable, and another shall
be happy. And they who shall be miserable, shall be ihrown into hell fire ;
there shall they wail and bemoan themselves :* they shall remain therein so
. long as the heavens and the earth shall endure;* except what thy Lorp
shall please to remit of their sentence ;* for thy Lorp effecteth that which

 

» See chap. 6, p. 112, note m.

‘See chap. 7, p. 127, &c.

* Literally, mown down ; the sentence presenting the different images of corn standing,
and cut down, which is also often used by the sacred: writers.

_* The two words in the original signify, properly, the vehement drawing in and expira-
tion of one’s breath, which is usual to persons in great pain and anguish; and particularly
the reciprocation of the voice of an ass, when he brays.

' This is not to be strictly understood, as if either the punishment of the damned should
have an end, or the heavens and the earth should endure for ever; the expression being
only used by way of image or comparison, which needs not agree in every point with the
thing signified. Some, however, think the future heavens and earth, into which the pre-
sent shall, be changed, are here meant.?

* See the Preium. Disc. sect. iv. pp. 66, 67.

we 2 Al Beidawi.
186 AL KORAN. CHAP. XI

he pleaseth. But they who shall be happy, shall be admitted into paradise
they shall remain therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure
besides what thy Lorp shall please to add unto their bliss ; a bounty which
shall not be interrupted. Be not therefore in doubt concerning that which
these men worship: they worship no other than what their fathers wor-
shipped before them; and we will surely give them their full portion, not
in the least diminished. We formerly gave unto Moses the book of the law ;
and disputes arose among his people concerning it: and unless a previous.
decree had proceeded from thy Lorn, to bear with them during this life, the
matter had been surely decided between them. And thy people are also jealous
and in doubt concerning the Kordn. But unto every one of them will thy
Lorp render the reward of their works; for he well knoweth that which
they do. Be thou stedfast, therefore, as thou hast been commanded; and
let him also be stedfast who shall be converted with thee; and transgress
not; for he seeth that which ye do. And incline not unto those who act un-
justly, lest the fire of hell touch you: for ye have no protectors, except Gop ;
neither shall ye be assisted against him. Pray regularly morning and even-
ing; and in the former part of the night,” for good works drive away
evils. This is an admonition unto those who consider: wherefore per-
severe with patience; for Gop suffereth not the reward of the righteous to
perish. Were such of the generations before you, endued with understand-
ing and virtue, who forbad the acting corruptly in the earth, any more than
a few only of those whom we delivered? But they who were unjust fol-
lowed the delights which they enjoyed in his world, and were wicked
doers:¥ and thy Lorp was not of such a disposition as to destroy the cities
unjustly,? while their inhabitants behaved themselves uprightly. And if
thy Lorp pleased, he would have made all men of one religion: but they
shall not cease to differ among themselves, unless those on whom thy Lorp
shall have mercy: and unto this hath he created them; for the word of
thy Lorp shall be fulfilled, when he said, Verily J will fill hell: altogether
with genii and men. The whole which we have related of the histories of
our apostles do we relate unto thee, that we may confirm thy heart there-
by; and herein is the truth come unto thee, and an admonition, and a
warning unto the true believers. Say unto those who believe not, Act ye
according to your condition ; we surely will act according to our duty :* and

 

’ Literally, in the two extremities of the day.

w That is, after sunset, and before supper; when the Mohammedans say their fourth
prayer, called by them Salé¢ al moghreb, or the evening prayer.*

* Making it their sole business to please their luxurious desires and appetites, an¢
placing their whole felicity therein.

y Al Beidawi says, that this passage gives the reason why the nations were destroyed
of old; viz. for their violence and injustice, their following their own lusts, and for their
idolatry and unbelief.

* Or, as the commentator just named explains it, for their idolatry only, when they
observed justice in other respects.

‘* See chap. 6, p. 112, note m.
* Al Beidawi.
OHAP. xr. AL KORAN. 187

wait the issue; for we certainly wait it also. Unto Gop is known that
which is secret in heaven and earth; and unto him shall the whole matter
be referred. Therefore worship him, and put thy trust in him; for thy
Lorp is not regardless of that which ye do. —

 

CHAPTER XII.
INTITLED, JOSEPH; REVEALED AT MECCA.*

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Ax. R.c. These are the signs of the perspicuous book; which we have
sent down in the Arabic tongue, that, peradventure, ye might understand.
We relate unto thee a most excellent history, by revealing unto thee this
Koran, whereas thou wast before one of the negligent.e When Joseph
said unto his father,* O my father, verily I saw in my dream eleven stars,#
and the sun and the moon; I saw them make obeisance unto me: Jacob
said, O my child, tell not thy vision to thy brethren, lest they devise some
plot against thee ;" for the devil is a professed enemy unto man: and thus,
according to thy dream, shall thy Lorp choose thee, and teach thee the
interpretation of dark sayings,‘ and he shall accomplish his favour upon thee
and upon the family of Jacob, as he hath formerly accomplished it upon thy

 

> The Koreish, thinking to puzzle Mohammed, at the instigation, and by the direction
of certain Jewish Rabbins, demanded of him how Jacob’s family happened to go down
into Egypt; and that he would relate to them the history of Joseph, with all its circum-
stances: whereupon he pretended to have received this chapter from heaven, containing
the story of that patriarch.‘ It is said, however, to have been rejected by two Moham-
medan sects, branches of the Kharejites, called the Ajaredites and Maiminians, as apoc-
typhal and spurious.

*“ The Mohammedan, says al Beidawi, who shall read this chapter, or teach it to his
friends or servants, shall have an easy death, and strength of mind sufficient to envy no
one.”’—Savary.

See the Prelim. Disc. p. 42, &c.

‘Or this particular chapter. For the word Kordén, as has been elsewhere observed,*
properly signifying no more than a reading, or lecture, is often used to denote, not only
the whole volume, but any distinct chapter or section of it.

*i. e. So far from being acquainted with the story, that it never so much as entered
into thy thoughts: a certain argument, says al Beidawi, that it must have been revealed
to him from heaven. ;

‘ Who was Jacob, the son of Isaac, and the son of Abraham.*

®The commentators give us the names of these stars (which I think it needless to
trouble the reader with), as Mohammed repeated them, at the request of a Jew, who
thought to entrap him by the question.”

For they say, Jacob, judging that Joseph’s dream portended his advancement above
the rest of the family, justly apprehended his brethren’s envy might tempt them to de

im some mischief.

' That is, of dreams; or, as others suppose, of the profound passages of scripture, anc

all difficulties respecting either religion or justice.

‘ Al Beidawi. _  * Prelim. Dise. sect. iti. p. 40, 8 Al Beidawi, &c
Ider Al Zamakhshari.
188 ' AL KORAN. _ OHAP. XII.

fathers Abraham and Isaac; for thy Lorp is knowing and wise. Surely in
the history of Joseph and his brethren there are signs of God’s providence
to the inquisitive; when they said to one another, Joseph and his brother *
are dearer to our father than we, who are the greater number: our father
certainly maketh a wrong judgment.* Wherefore slay Joseph, or drive him
into some distant or desert part of the earth, and the face of your father shall
be cleared towards you;} and ye shall afterwards be people of integrity.
One of them™ spoke and said; Slay not Joseph, but throw him to the
bottom of the well; and some travellers will take him up, if ye do this.
They said unto Jacob, O father, why dost thou not intrust Joseph with
us, Since we are sincere wellwishers unto him? Send him with us to-
morrow, into the field, that he may divert himself, and sport," and we will
be his guardians, Jacob answered, It grieveth me that ye take him away;
and I fear lest the wolf devour him,° while ye are negligent of him. They
said, Surely if the wolf devour him, when there are so many of us,* we
shall be weak indeed.P And when they had carried him with them, and
agreed to set him at the bottom of the well,. they executed their design : and
we sent a revelation unto him," saying, Thou shalt hereafter declare this

 

* yiz. Benjamin; his brother by the same mother.

* “ Joseph and Benjamin enjoy all the tenderness of Jacob; yet we are more deserving
than they. He commits a flagrant injustice against us.’’—Savary.

1 Or, he will settle his love wholly upon you, and ye will have no rival in his favour.

m This person, as some say, was Judah, the most prudent and noble-minded of them
all; or, according to others, Reuben, whom the Mohammedan writers call Rubil.?. And
both these opinions are supported by the account of Moses, who tells us, that Reuben ad-
vised them not to kill Joseph, but to throw him into a pit privately, intending to release
him ;° and that afterwards Judah, in Reuben’s absence, persuaded them not to let him
die in a pit, but to sell him to the Ishmaelites.* :

= Some copies read, in the first person plural, that we may divert ourselves, &c.

° The reason why Jacob feared this beast in particular, as the commentators say, was
either because the land was full of wolves; or else because Jacob had dreamed he saw
Joseph devoured by one of those creatures.

* “ Should he be attacked by a wild beast, we are numerous, and we will die in his
defence.’’—Savary.

Pi. e. It will be an instance of extreme weakness and folly in us, and we shall be justly
blamed for his loss.

4 This well, say some, was a certain well near Jerusalem, or not far from the river
Jordan; but others call it the well of Egypt, or Midian. The commentators tell us, that
when the sons of Jacob had gotten Ji gsebh with them in the field, they began to abuse and
to beat him so unmercifully, that they had killed him, had not Judah, on his crying out
for help, insisted on the promise they had made not to kill him, but to cast him into the
well. Whereupon they let him down a little way ; but as he held by the sides ‘of the well,
they bound him, and ‘took off his inner garment, designing to stain it with blood, to
deceive their father. Joseph begged hard to have his garment returned him, but to no
purpose ; his brothers telling him, with a sneer, that the eleven stars, and the sun and the
moon, might clothe him and keep him compaay. When they had let him fall thence to
the bottom, and there being water in the weu «though the scripture says the contrary), he
was obliged to get upon a stone, on which he stood weeping, the angel Gabriel came to him
with the revelation mentioned immediately.?

* Joseph being then but seventeen years old, Al Beidawi observes that herein he resem-
bled John the Baptist and Jesus, who were also favoured with the divine communication
very early. The commentators pretend that Gabriel also clothed him in the well with a
garment of silk of paradise. For they say that when Abraham was thrown into the fire,

® Al Beidawi, Al Zamakhshari. ® Gen, xxxvii. 21, 22. 1 Thid. v. 26, 27.
Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Al Zamakhshari. 2 Tidem.
OHAP. XII. AL KORAN. 189

their action unto them; and they shall not perceive thee to be Joseph. And
they came to their father at even, weeping, and said, Father, we went and
ran races with one another,’ and we left Joseph with our baggage, and the
wolf hath devoured him; but thou wilt not believe us, although we speak
the truth. And they produced his inner garment stained with false blood.
Jacob answered, Nay, but ye yourselves have contrived the thing for your
own sakes :t however patience is most becoming, and Gon’s assistance is to
be implored to enable me to support the misfortune which ye relate. And
certain travellers" came, and sent one* to draw water for them; and he let
down his bucket,” and said, Good news!* this is a youth. And they con-
cealed him,? that they might sell him as a piece of merchandize: but Gop
knew that which they did. And they sold him for a mean price, for a few
pence,” and valued him lightly. And the Egyptian who bought him ° said
to his wife,‘ use him honourably ; peradventure he may be serviceable to us,
or we may adopt him for our son.* Thus did we prepare an establishment

 

by Nimrod,? he was stripped; and that Gabriel brought this garment and put it on him;
and that from Abraham it descended to Jacob, who folded it up, and put it into an amulet,
which he hung about Joseph’s neck, whence Gabriel drew it out.‘

* These races they used by way of exercise; and the commentators generally under-
stand here that kind of race wherein they also showed their dexterity in throwing darts,
which is still used in the East. ;

‘ This Jacob had reason to suspect, because when the garment was brought to him, he
observed that though it was bloody, yet it was not torn.® .

"yiz. A caravan or company travelling from Midian to Egypt, who rested near the
well, three days after Joseph had been thrown into it.

The commentators are so exact as to give us the name of this man, who, as they
pretend, was Malec Ebn Dhor, of the tribe of Khozaab.®

¥ And Joseph, making use of the opportunity, took hold of the cord, and was drawn
up by the man.

? The original words are Ya boshra: the latter of which some take for the proper name
of the water-drawer’s companion, whom he called to his assistance; and then they must _
be translated, O Boshra. (Savary’s translation agrees with Sale’s.)

*The expositors are not agreed whether the pronoun they relates to Malec and his
companions, or to Joseph’s brethren. They who espouse the former opinion say, that
those who came to draw water concealed the manner of their coming by him from the
rest of the caravan, that they might keep him to themselves; pretending that some peo-
ple of the place had given him to them to sell for them in Egypt. And they who prefer
the latter opinion tell us, that Judah carried victuals to Joseph every day while he was
in the well, but not finding him there on the fourth day, he acquainted his brothers with
it: whereupon they all went to the caravan and claimed Joseph as their slave, he not
daring to discover that he was their brother, lest something worse should befall him;
and at length they agreed to sell him to them.”

> Namely, twenty, or twenty-two dirhems, and those not full weight neither; for
having weighed one ounce of silver only, the remainder was paid by tale, which is the
most unfair way of payment.’

°His name was Kitfir, or Itfir, (a corruption of Potiphar;) and he was a man of
great consideration, being superintendent of the royal treasury.® :

The commentators say, that Joseph came into his service at seventeen, and lived with
him thirteen years; and that he was made prime minister in the thirty-third year of
his age, and died at a hundred and twenty. _ ‘ ; .

They who suppose Joseph was twice sold, differ as to the price the Egyptian paid for
him: some saying it was twenty dinars of gold, a pair of shoes, and two white gar-
ments; and others, that it was a large quantity of silver, or of gold.

4 Some call her Rail: but the name she is best known by, is that of Zoleikha.

¢ Kitfir having no children. It is said that Joseph gained his master’s good opinion

* See chap. 21. “Al Beidawi. Al Zamakhshari. + Al Beidawi.
§ Idem. 7 Tdem. 8 Idem. ® Idem.
190 AL KORAN. CHAP. XII.

for Joseph in the earth, and we taught him the interpretation of dark say-
ings: for God is well able to effect his purpose; but the greater part
of'men do not understand. And when he had attained his age of strength,
we bestowed on him wisdom, and knowledge; for thus do we recompense
the righteous. And she, in whose house he was, desired him to lie
with her; and she shut the doors and said, Come hither. He answered,
Gop forbid! verily my lord* hath made my dwelling with him easy ; and
the ungrateful shall not prosper. But she resolved within herself to enjoy
him, and he would have resolved to enjoy her, had he not seen the evident
demonstration of his Lorp.¢ So we turned away evil and filthiness from
him, because he was one of our sincere servants. - And they ran ¢o get one
before the other to the door; and she rent his inner garment behind. And
they met her lord at the door. She said, What shall be the reward of him
who seeketh to commit evil in thy family, but imprisonment, and a painful
punishment? And Joseph said, She asked me to lie with her. And a
witness of her family‘ bore witness, saying, If his garment be rent before,
she speaketh truth, and he is a liar: but if his garment be rent behind, she
lieth, and he is a speaker of truth. And when her husband saw that
his garment was torn behind, he said, This is a cunning contrivance of your
sex ; for surely your cunning is great.- O Joseph, take no farther notice of
this affair : and thou, O woman, ask pardon for thy crime; for thou arta
guilty person. And certain women said pudlicly* in the city, The noble-
man’s wife asked her servant to lie with her; he hath inflamed her breast
with his love; and we perceive her ¢o de in manifest error. And when she
heard of their subtle behaviour, she sent unto them,! and prepared a banquet
for them,* and she gave to each of them a knife; and she said unto

 

so suddenly by his countenance, which Kitfir, who, they pretendy had great skill in
physiognomy, judged to indicate his prudence and other good qualities.

f yiz. Kitfir. But others understand it to be spoken of God.

® That is, had he not seriously considered the filthiness of whoredom, and the great guilt
thereof. Some, however, suppose that the words mean some miraculous voice or appa-
rition, sent by God to divert Joseph from executing the criminal thoughts which began to
possess him. For they say, that he was so far tempted with his mistress’s beauty and
enticing behaviour, that he sat in her lap, and even began to undress himself, when a voice
called to him, and bid him beware of her; but he taking no notice of this admonition,
though it was repeated three times, at length the angel Gabriel, or, as others will have it,
the figure of his master, appeared to him: but the more general opinion is that it was the
apparition of his father Jacob, who bit his fingers’ ends, or, as some write, struck him
on the breast, whereupon his lubricity passed out at the ends of his fingers.*

For this fable, so injurious to the character of Joseph, the Mohammedans are obliged
to their old friends the Jews,? who imagine that he had a design to lie with his mistress,
from these words of Moses,* And it came to pass—that Joseph went into the house to do his
business, &c.

He flying from her, and she running after to detain him.

' yiz. A cousin of hers, who was then a child in the cradle.‘

* These women, whose tongues were so free with Zoleikha’s character on this occasion,
were five in number, and the wives of so many of the king’s chief officers, viz. his cham-
berlain, his butler, his baker, his jailor, and his herdsman.$

1 The number of all the women invited was forty, and among them were the five ladies,
above mentioned.

1 At Beidawi, Al Zamakhshari, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya. ? Talm. Babyl. Sed.
Nashim. p. 36. Vide Bartolocc. Bibl. Rabb. part 3, p. 509. 3 Gen, xxxix. il.
* Supra citati interpretes. 5 Al Beidawi. ® Idem.
CHAP. XII. AL. KORAN. 2 191

Joseph, Come forth unto them. And when they saw him, they praised him
greatly ;™ and they cut their own hands," and said, O Gop! this is not a
mortal; he is no other than an angel, deserving the highest respect. And
his mistress said, This is he, for whose sake ye blamed me: I asked him to
lie with me, but he constantly refused. But if he do not perform that
which I command him, he shall surely be cast into prison, and he shall be
made one of the contemptible. Joseph said, O Lorp, a prison is more
eligible unto me than the crime to which they invite me; but unless thou
urn aside their snares from me, I shall youthfully incline unto them, and
I shall become one of the foolish, Wherefore his Lorp heard him, and
turned aside their snare from him; for he both heareth and knoweth. And
it seemed good unto theme even after they had seen the signs of innocency,
to imprison him for a time. And there entered into the prison with him
two of the king’s servants.» One of them® said, it seemed to me in my
dream that I pressed wine out of grapes. And the other said, It seemed
unto me in my dream that I carried bread on my head, whereof the birds
did eat. Declare unto us the interpretation of our dreams, for we perceive
that thou art a beneficent person. Joseph answered, No food, wherewith
ye may be nourished, shall come unto you, but I will declare unto you the
interpretation thereof, before it come unto you, This knowledge is a part
of that which my Lorp hath taught me: for I have left the religion
of people who believe not in Gop, and who deny the life to come; and I
follow the religion of my fathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. It is

 

* “The Egyptian women frequently visit and give entertainments to each other. Men
are excluded. Only the slaves necessary to wait on the company are admitted. The
pleasures of the table are succeeded by music and dancing. They are passionately fond
of both, The Almé, that is to say, the learned women, are the delight ofthese entertainments.
They sing verses in praise of guests, and conclude with love songs. They afterwards, ex-
hibit voluptuous dances, the licentiousness of which is often carried to excess.’’—Savary.

= The old Latfh translators have strangely mistaken the sense of the original word
acharnaho, which they render menstruate sunt ; and then rebuke Mohammed for the
indecency, crying out demurely in the margin, O fadum et obscenum prophetam! Erpe-
nius' thinks that there is not the least trace of such a meaning in the word; but he is
mistaken: for the verb cabara in the fourth conjugation, which is here used, has that im-
port, though the subjoining of the pronoun to it here (which possibly the Latin translators
did not observe), absolutely overthrows that interpretation.

2 Through extreme surprise at the wonderful beauty of Joseph ; which surprise Zoleikha
foreseeing, put knives into their hands, on purpose that this accident might happen. Some
writers observed, on occasion of this passage, that it is customary in the East for lovers to
testify the violence of their passion by cutting themselves, as a sign that they would spend
their blood in the service of the person beloved; which is true enough, but I do not find
that any of the commentators suppose these Egyptian ladies had any such design.

° That is, to Kitfir and his friends. The occasion of Joseph’s imprisonment is said to
be either that they suspected him to be guilty, notwithstanding the proofs which had been
given of his innocence; or else that Zoleikha desired it, feigning, to deceive her husband,
that she wanted to have Joseph removed from her sight, till she could conquer her pas-
sion by time; though her real design was to force him to compliance.

® wiz. His chief butler and baker; who were accused of a design to poison him.

4 Namely, the butler.

* The meaning of this passage seems to be, either that Joseph, to show he used no
arts of divination or astrology, promises to interpret their dreams to them immediately, even
before they should eat a single meal; or else, he here offers to prophesy to them before-
hand, the quantitv of the victuals which should be brought them, as a taste of his skill.

+ ‘In Not. ad. Hist. Josephi.
192 AL KORAN. CHAP. XII

not lawful for us to associate any thing with Gop. This knowledge of the
divine unity hath been given us of the bounty of God towards us, and
towards mankind; but the greater part of men are not thankful. O
ny fellow-prisoners, are sundry lords better, or the only true and mighty
Gov? Ye worship not, besides him, other than the names which ye have
named,* ye and your fathers, concerning which Gop hath sent down no °
authoritative proof: yet judgment belongeth unto Gop alone; who hath
commanded that ye worship none besides him. This is the right religion;
but the greater part of men know it not. O my fellow-prisoners, verily the
ane of you shall serve wine unto his lord, as formerly ; but the other shall
be crucified, and the birds shall eat from off his head. The matter is
decreed, concerning which ye seek to be informed. And Joseph said unto
him whom he judged to be the person who should escape of the two,
Remember me in the presence of thy lord. But the devil caused him to
forget to make mention of Joseph unto his lord; * wherefore he remained in
the prison some years." And the king of Egypt* said, Verily, I saw in
my dream seven fat kine, which seven lean kine devoured, and seven green
ears of corn, and other seven withered ears. O nobles, expound my vision —
unto me, if ye be able to interpret a vision. They answered, They are
confused dreams, neither are we-skilled in the interpretation of such kind of
dreams. And Joseph’s fellow-prisoner who had been delivered, said, (for
he remembered Joseph after a certain space of time,) I will declare unto you
the interpretation thereof; wherefore let me go unto the person who will
interpret it unto me. And he went to the prison, and said, O Joseph, thou
man of veracity, teach us the interpretation of seven fat kine, which seven
lean kine devoured; and of seven green ears of corn, and other seven
withered ears, which the king saw in his dream; that I may return unto
the men who have sent me, that peradventure they may understand the
same: Joseph answered, Ye shall sow seven years as usual: and the corn
which ye shall reap, do ye Jeave in its ear,y except a little whereof ye may
eat. Then shall there come, after this, seven grievous years of famine,
which shall consume what ye shall have laid up as a provision for the same,
except a little which ye shall have kept. Then shall there come, after this,

 

* See chap. 7, p. 123, note b.

' According to the explication of some, who take the pronoun him to relate to Jo-
seph, this passage may be rendered, But the devil caused him (i. e. Joseph) to forget to
make his application unto his Lord ; and to beg the good offices of his fellow-prisoner
for his deliverance, instead of relying on God alone, as it became a prophet, especially, to
have done.® _ des

«The original word signifying any pumber from three to nine, or ten, the common
opinion is that Joseph remained in prison seven years; though some say he was confined
no less than twelve years.? :

x This prince, as the oriental writers generally agree, was Riyn, the son of al Walid,
the Amalekite,t who was converted by Joseph to the worship of the true God, and died in
the lifetime of that prophet. But some pretend that the Pharaoh of Joseph and of Moses
were one and the same person, and that he lived (or rather reigned) four hundred years.?

7 To preserve it from the weevil.? .

* Al Beidawi. ® Idem, Jallalo’ddin. 1 See th im, Disc. p. 6.
® Al Beidawi. See cnap. 7, p. 127, note b. * Idem, ibid eae
“CHAP. XII. AL KORAN. 193

a year wherein men shall have plenty of rain,?* and wherein they shall
press wine and oil. And when the chief butler had reported this, the king
said, Bring him unto me. And when the messenger came unto Joseph, he
said, Return unto thy lord, and ask of him, what was the intent of the
women who cut their hands;* for my Lorp well knoweth the snare which
"they laid for me.® And when the women were assembled before the king,
he said unto them, What was your design,f when ye solicited Joseph to
unlawful love? They answered, Gop be praised! we know not any ill of
him. The nobleman’s wife said, Now is the truth become manifest: I
solicited him to lie with me; and he is one of those who speak truth. nd
when Joseph was acquainted therewith, he said, This discovery hath been
made, thai my lord might know that I was not unfaithful unto him in his
absence, and that God directeth not the plot of the deceivers. * [XIII.]
Neither do I absolutely justify myself: © since every soul is prone unto evil,
except those on whom my Lorp shall show mercy ; for my Lorp is gracious
and merciful. And the king said, Bring him unto me: I will take him
into my own peculiar service. And when Joseph was brought unto the king,
and he had discoursed with him, he said, Thou art this day firmly estab-
lished with us, and shalt be intrusted with our affairs. Joseph answered,

 

* Notwithstanding what some ancient authors write to the contrary,‘ it often rains in
winter in the lower Egypt, and even snow has been observed to fall at Alexandria, con-
trary to the express assertion of Seneca. In the upper Egypt, indeed, towards the cata-
racts of Nile, it rains very seldom. Some, however, suppose that the rains here men-
tioned are intended of thuse which should fall in Ethiopia, and occasion the swelling of
the Nile, the great cause of the fertility of Egypt; or else of those which should fall in
the neighbouring countries, which were also afHlicted with famine during the same time.

* «Then a time shall come, when men shall grow corrupt, and shall press the grape.’
—Savary.

* Joseph, it seems, cared not to get out of prison, till his innocence was publicly known
and declared. It is observed by the commentators, that Joseph does not bid the messen-
ger move the king to inform himself of the truth of the affair, but bids him directly to ask
the king, to incite him to make inquiry with the greater earnestness. They also observe
that Joseph takes care not to mention his mistress, out of respect and gratitude for the
favours he had received while in her house.”

» Endeavouring, both by threats and persuasions, to entice me to commit folly with my
mistress.

t ‘* The king inquired of them, What success had ye in your trials of Joseph? Prince,
replied they, his heart was proof against wickedness.’’—Savary.

* According to a tradition of Ebn Abbas, Joseph had no sooner spoken the foregoing
words, asserting his innocency, than Gabriel said to him, What! not when thou wast de-
liberating to lie with her? Upon which Joseph confessed his frailty.?

¢ The commentators say, that Joseph being taken out of prison, after he had washed
and changed his clothes, was introduced to the king, whom he saluted in the Hebrew
tongue, and on the king’s asking what language that was, he answered, that it was the
language of his fathers. This prince, they say, understood no less than seventy lan-
guages, in every one of which he discoursed with Joseph, who answered him in the
same; at which the king greatly marvelling, desired him to relate his dream, which he
did, describing the most minute circumstances: whereupon the king placed Joseph by
him on his throne, and made him his Wazir or chief minister. Some say that his master
Kitfir dying about this time, he not only succeeded him in his place, but, by the king’s
command, married the widow, his late mistress, whom he found to be a virgin, and who
bare him Ephraim and Manasses.? So that according to this tradition, she was the same

t

‘ Plato, in Timao. Pomp. Mela. 5 Nat. Quest. lib. 4.° © See Greaves’s Descr
of the Pyramids, p. 74, &c. Ray’s Collection of Travels, tom. 2, p. 92. 7 Al Beidiwi
Xe, ® Idem, ibid. * ® Idem, Kitab Tafasir, é&c.
194 AL KORAN. ’ CHAP. XII.

Set me over the storehouses of the land; for I wild be a skilful keeper
thereof. Thus did we establish Joseph in the land, that he might provide
himself a dwelling therein, where he pleased. We bestow our mercy on
whom we please, and we suffer not the reward of the righteous to perish:
and certainly the reward of the next life is better, for those who believe,
and fear God. Moreover, Joseph’s brethren came,* and went in unto him;
and he knew them, but they knew not him. And when he had furnished
them with their provisions, he said, Bring unto me your brother, the son of
your father; do ye not see that I give full measure, and that I am the most
hospitable receiver of guests? But if ye bring him not unto me, there
shall be no corn measured unto you from me, neither shall ye approach my
presence. ‘They answered, We will endeavour to obtain him of his father,
and we will certainly perform what thou requirest. And Joseph said to his
servants, Put their money,* which they have paid for their corn, into their
sacks, that they may perceive it, when they shall be returned to their
family : peradventure they will come back unto us. And when they were
returned unto their father, they said, O father, it is forbidden to measure
out corn unto us any more, unless we carry our brother Benjamin with us :

 

woman who is called Asenath by Moses. This supposed marriage, which authorized
their amours, probably encouraged the Mohammedan divines to make use of the loves
of Joseph and Zoleikha, as an allegorical emblem of the spiritual love between the
Creator and the creature, God and the soul; just as the Christians apply the Song of
Solomon to the same mystical purpose.”

® Joseph, being made Wazir, governed with great wisdom; for he not only cause¢
justice to be impartially administered, and encouraged the people to industry and the ir
provement of aplouluies during the seven years of plenty, but began and perfer ed
several works of great benefit; the natives at this day ascribing to the patriarch Jusean
almost all the ancient works of public-utility throughout the kingdom ; as particvlarly the
rendering the province of al Feyyiim, from a standing pool or marsh, the most ferule and
best cultivated land in all Egypt.t| When the years of famine came, the effects of which
were felt not only in Egypt, but in Syria and the neighbouring countries, the inhabitants
were obliged to apply to Joseph for corn, which he sold to them, first for their money,
jewels, and ornaments, then for their cattle and lands, and at length for their persons;
‘so that all the Egyptians in general became slaves to the king, sFston Joseph, by his
consent, soon-released them, and returned them their substance. The dearth being felt
in the land of Canaan, Jacob sent all his sons, except only Benjamin, into Egypt for
corn. On their arrival, Joseph, (who well knew them) asked them who they were, say-
ing he suspected them to be spies; but they told him they came only to buy provisions,
and that they were all the sons of an ancient man, named Jacob, who was also a prophet.
Joseph then asked how many brothers there were of them; they said, Twelve ; but that
one of them had been lost in a desert. Upon which he inquired for the eleventh brother,
there being no more than ten of them present. They said, he was a lad, and with their
father, whose fondness for him would not suffer him to accompany them in their journey.
At length Joseph asked them, whom ‘ney had to vouch for their veracity ; but they told
him they knew no man who could vouch for them in Egypt. Then, replied he, one of
you shall stay behind with me as a pledge, and the others may return home with their

rovisions; and when ye come again, ye shall bring your younger brother with you, that

may know ye have told :ne the truth. Whereupon, it being in vain to dispute the
matter, they cast lots why should stay behind, and the lot fell upon Simeon. When they
departed, Joseph gave each of them a camel, and another for their brother.?

‘ The original werd signifying not only money, but also goods bartered or given in ex-
change for other merchandize, some commentators tell us, that they paid for their corn,
not in money, out in shoes and dressed skins.? ;

© Vide D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. art. Jousouf. ’_* Vide Golii not. in Alfragan. p. 175,
&c. Kircher. idip. Egypt. vol. 1,p.8. Lucas, Voy. tom. ii. p. 205, and tom. iti. p. 53.
Ai Beidawi. * ¢dem. :
CHAP. XII. AL KORAN. 195

wherefore send our brother with us, and we shall have corn measured unto
us; and we will certainly guard him from any mischance. Jacob answered,
Shall I trust him with you with any better success than I trusted your brother
Joseph with you heretofore? But Gop is the best guardian; and he is the
most merciful of those that show mercy. And when they opened their
provision, they found their money had been returned unto them; and they
said, O father, what do we desire farther? this our money hath been
returned unto us; we will therefore return, and provide corn for our
family: we will take care of our brother; and we shall receive a camel’s
burden more than we did the last time. This is a small quantity. Jacob
said, I will by no means send him with you, until. ye give me a solemn
promise, and swear by Gop that ye will certainly bring him back unto me,
unless ye be encompassed by some inevitable impediment. And when they
had given him their solemn promise, he said, Gop is witness of what we
say. And he said, My sons, enter not into the city by one and the same
gate; but enter by different gates. But this precaution will be of no
advantage unto you against the decree of Gon; for judgment belongeth
unto Gop alone: in him do I put my trust, and in him let those confide
who seek in whom to put their trust. And when they entered the city, as
their father had commanded them, it was of no advantage unto them against
the decree of Gop; and the same served only to satisfy the desire of Jacob’s
soul, which he had charged them to perform: for he was endued with
knowledge of that which we had taught him ; but the greater part of men
do not understand. And when they entered into the presence of Joseph,
he received his brother Benjamin as his guest, and said, Verily I am thy
brother:* be not therefore afflicted for that which they have committed
against us. And when he had furnished them with their provisions, he
put his cup: in his brother Benjamin’s sack. Then a crier cried after them,
saying, O company of travellers, ye are surely thieves. They said, (and
turned back unto them,) What is it that ye miss? They answered, We
miss the prince’s cup: and unto him who shall produce it, shall be given a

 

* The meaning may be, either that the corn they now brought was not sufficient for the
support of their families, so that it was necessary for them to take another journey; or
else, that a camel’s load more or less was but a trifle to the king of Egypt. Some sup-
pe these to be the words of Jacob, declaring it was too mean a consideration to induce

im to part with his son.

“Tt is related that Joseph, having invited his brethren to an entertainment, ordered
them to be placed two and two together; by which means Benjamin, the eleventh, was
obliged to sit alone, and, bursting into tears, said, If my brother Joseph were alive, he
would have sat with me. Whereupon Joseph ordered him to be seated at the same table
with himself; and when the entertainment was over, dismissed the rest, ordering that
they should be lodged twg and two in a house, but kept Benjamin in his own apartment,
where he passed the night. The next day Joseph asked him, whether he would accepi
of himself for his brother, in the room of him whom he had lost; to which Benjamin
replied, Who can find a brother comparable unto thee? yet thou art not the son of Jacob and
Rachel. And upon this Joseph discovered himself to him.* ?

‘ Some imagine this to be a measure holding a Saé, (or about a.gallon) wherein they
used to measure corn, or give water to the beasts. But others take it to be a drinking.

cup of silver, or gold. «Al Beidawi
eidawi,
196 AL KORAN. CHAP. XII.

camel’s load of corn, and I will be surety for the same. Joseph’s brethren
replied, By Gop, ye do well know, that we come not to act corruptly in the
land,* neither are we thieves. The Egyptians said, What shall be the
reward of him, who shall appear to have stolen the cup, if ye be found liars?
Joseph’s brethren answered, As to the reward of him, in whose sack it shall
be found, let him become a bondman in satisfaction of the same: thus do we
reward the unjust, who are guilty of theft.! Then he began by their sacks,
before he searched the sack of his brother;™ and he drew out the cup
from his brother’s sack, Thus did we furnish Joseph with a stratagem.
It was not lawful’ for him to take his brother for a bondman, by the law
of the king of Egypt.» had not Gop pleased to allow it, according to the
offer of his brethren. We exalt to degrees of knowledge and honour whom
we please: and there is one who is knowing above all those who are
endued with knowledge. His brethren said, If Benjamin be guilty of theft,
his brother Joseph hath been also guilty of theft heretofore.» But Joseph
concealed these things in his mind, and did not discover them unto them:
and he said within himself, Ye are in a worse condition than us two ; and
Gop best knoweth what ye discourse about. They said unto Joseph, Noble
lord, verily this Zad hath an aged father; wherefore take one of us in his
stead ; for we perceive that thou art a beneficent person. Joseph answered,
Gop forbid that we should take any other than him with whom we found
our goods; for then should we certainly de unjust. And when they de-
spaired of obtaining Benjamin, they retired to confer privately together.
And the elder of them? said, Do ye not know that your father hath re-
ceived a solemn promise from you, in the name of Gop, and how perfi-
diously ye behaved heretofore towards Joseph? Wherefore I will by no
means depart the land of Egypt, until my father give me leave to return
unto him, or Gop maketh known his will to me; for he is the best judge.
Return ye to your father, and say, O father, verily thy son hath committed

theft; we bear witness of no more than what we know, and we could not
L

* Both by our behaviour among you, and our bringing again our money which was re-
turned to us without our knowledge.

1 This was the method of punishing theft used by Jacob and his family: for among the
Egyptians it was punished in another manner.

™ Some suppose this search was made by the person whom Joseph sent after them ;
others by Joseph himself, when they were brought back to the city.

= For there the thief was not reduced to servitude, but was scourged, and obliged to
restore the double of what he had stolen.® :

° The occasion of this suspicion, it is said, was, that Joseph having been brought up by
his father’s sister, she became so fond of him, that when he grew up, and Jacob designed
to take him from her, she contrived the following stratagem to keep him. Having a girdle
which had once belonged to Abraham, she girt it about the child, and then pretending
she had lost it, caused strict search to be made for it; and it being at length found on
Joseph, he was adjudged, according to the abovementioned law of the family, to be deli-
vered to her as her property. Some, however, say, that Joseph actually stole an ido! of

old, which belonged to his mother’s father, and destroyed it; a story probably taken
rom Rachel's stealing the images of Laban: and others tell us that he once stole a goat,
or a hen, to give to a poor man.° %

P yiz, Reuben. But some think Simeon or Judah to be here meant; and instead’ of th
elder interpret it, the most prudent of them. :

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. 8 Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. XIt. AL KORAN. 197

guard against what we did not foresee: and.do thou inquire in the city,
where we have been, and of the company of merchants, with whom we are
arrived, and thou wilt find that we speak the truth. And when they were
returned, and had spoken thus to their father, he said, Nay, but rather ye
yourselves have contrived the thing for your own sakes: but patience is
most proper for me; peradventure Gop will restore them all1 unto me;
for he is knowing and wise. And he turned from them and said, Oh how
I am grieved for Joseph! And his eyes became white with mourning," he
being oppressed with deep sorrow.* His sons said, By Gop, thou wilt not
cease to remember Joseph until thou be brought to death’s door, or thou
be actually destroyed by excessive affliction. He answered, I only represent
my grief, which I am not able to contain, and my sorrow unto Gop; but I
know by revelation from Gop that which ye know not.2 O my sons, go and
make inquiry after Joseph and his brother; and despair not of the mercy
of Gop; for none despaireth of Gon’s mercy, except the unbelieving people.
Wherefore Joseph’s brethren returned into Egypt : and when they came into
his presence, they said, Noble Jord, the famine is felt by us and our family,
and we are come with a small sum of money:* yet give unto us full
measure, and bestow corn upon us as alms; for Gop rewardeth the alms-
givers. Joseph said unto them, Do ye know what ye did unto Joseph and
his brother, when ye were ignorant of the consequences thereof?" They
answered, Art thou really Joseph?= He replied, I am Joseph; and this
is my brother. Now hath Gop been gracious unto us. For whoso feareth
God, and persevereth with patience, shall at length find relief ; since Gop
will not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish. They said, By Gop,
now hath Gop chosen thee above us; and we have surely been sinners.
Joseph answered, Let there be no reproach cast on you this day. Gop

 

1%. e. Joseph, Benjamin, and Simeon.

_ ‘That is, the pupils lost their deep blackness, and became of a pearl colour (as happens

in suffusions) by his continual weeping; which very much weakened his sight, or, as

some pretend, made him quite blind." 2

5 * “ Grief covered his countenance with paleness. His heart was full of bitterness.’’—
‘avary.

* viz. That Joseph is yet alive; of which some tell us he was assured by the angel of
death in a dream; though others suppose he depended on the completion of Joseph’s
gee ete must have been frustrated, had he died before his brethren had bowed down
before him.*

‘ Their money being clipped and adulterated. Some, however, imagine they did not
bring money, but goods to barter, such as wool and butter, or other commodities of small
value.? .

. " The injury they did Benjamin was the separating him from his brother; after which
they kept him in so great subjection, that he durst not speak to them but with the utmost
submission. Some say that these words were occasioned by a letter which Joseph’s
brethren delivered to him from their father, requesting the releasement of Benjamin, and
by their representing his extreme affliction at the loss of him and his brother. The com-
mentators observe that Joseph, to excuse his brethren’s behaviour towards him, attributes
it to their ignorance, and the heat of youth.’

* They say that this question was not the effect of a bare suspicion that he was Joseph,
but that they actually knew him, either by his face and behaviour, or by his foreteeth,
whith he showed in smiling, or else by putting off his tiara, and discovering a whitish
mole on his forehead.*

1 Al Beidawi. ® Idem. ® Idem. 9 Tdem. + Idem,
198 AL KORAN. CHAP. XT.

forgiveth you; for he is the most merciful of those who show mercy.
Depart ye with this my inner garment,’ and throw it on my father’s face;
and he shall recover his sight: and then come unto me with all your family.
And when the company of travellers was departed from Egypt on theer
journey towards Canaan, their father said, unto those who were about lam,
Verily I perceive the smell of Joseph;% although ye think that I dote.
They answered, By Gop, thou art in thy old mistake.* But when the
messenger of good tidings was come with Joseph’s inner garment, he threw
it over his face; and he recovered his eye-sight. nd Jacob said, Did I
not tell you that I knew from Gop, that which ye knew not? They
answered, O father, ask pardon of our sins for us, for we have surely been
sinners. He replied, I will surely ask pardon for you of my Lorn ;° for he
is gracious and merciful. And when Jacob and his family arrived in
Egypt, and were introduced unto Joseph, he received his parents unto him,
and said, Enter ye into Egypt, by Gon’s favour, in full security, And ‘he
raised his parents to the seat of state, and they, together with his brethren,
fell down, and did obeisance unto him.e And he said, O my father, this
is the interpretation of my vision, which I saw heretofore: now hath, my
Lorp rendered it true. And he hath surely been gracious unto me, since
he took me forth from the prison, and hath brought you hither from the
desert ; after that the devil had sown discord between me and my brethren:
for my Lorp is gracious unto whom he pleaseth; and he is the knowing,
the wise God. O Lorp, thou hast given me a part of the kingdom, and
hast taught me the interpretation of dark sayings. The Creator of heaven
and earth! thou art my protector in this world, and in that which is to
come: make me to die a Moslem, and join me with the righteous.f This

 

y Which the commentators generally suppose to be the same garment with which
Gabriel invested him in the well; which, having originally come from paradise, had pre-
served the odour of that place, and was of so great virtue as to cure any distemper in the
person who was touched with it.?

* This was the odour of the garment above-mentioned, brought by the wind to Jacob,
who smelt it, as is pretended, at the distance of eighty parasangs ;* or, as others will have,
three, or eight days’ journey off.

* Being led into this imagination by thy excessive love of Joseph.

> viz. Judah; who as he had formerly grieved his father, by bringing him Joseph’s coat
stained with blood, now rejoiced him as much, by being the bearer of this vest, and the
news of Joseph’s prosperity.®

¢ Deferring it, as some fancy, till he should see Joseph, and have his consent.

4 viz. His father, aad Leah, his mother’s sister, whom he looked on as his mother, after
Rachel's death.® :

Al Beidawi tells us, that Joseph sent carriages and provisions for his father and. his
family ; and that he and the king of Egypt went forth to meet them. He adds, that the
number of the children of Israel, who entered Egypt with him, was seventy-two; and
that when they were led out thence by Moses, they were increased to six hundred thou-
sand five hundred and seventy men and upwards, besides the old people and children.

° A transposition is supposed to be in these words, and that he seated his father and
mother after they had bowed down to him, and not before.”

_f The Mohammedan authors write, that Jacob dwelt in Egypt twenty-four years, and at
his death ordered his body to be buried in Palestine by his father, which Joseph took care
to perform ; and then returning into Egypt, died twenty-three years after. They add, that

2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. *Idem. ‘ Jallalo’ddin. * Al Beidiwi. * Idem
See Gen. xxxvii. 10. * Al Beidawi.
CHAP. XII. AL KORAN. 199

ww a secret history which we reveal unto thee, O Mohammed, although thou
wast not present with the brethren of Joseph, when they concerted their
design, and contrived a plot against him. But the greater, part of men,
although they earnestly desire it, will not believe. Thou shalt not demand
of them any reward for thy pudblishing the Kordn ; it is no other than an
admonition unto all creatures. And how many signs soever there be of the
being, unity, and providence of God, in the heavens and the earth; they
will pass by them, and will retire afar off from them. And the greater
part of them believe not in Gop, without being also guilty of idolatry. Do
they not believe that some overwhelming affliction shall fall on them, as a
punishment from Gop ; or that the hour of judgment shall overtake them
suddenly, when they consider not its approach? Say unto those of Mecca,
This is my way: I invite you unto Gop, by an evident demonstration ;
both I and he who followeth me; and, praise be unto Gop! I am not an
idolater. We sent not any apostles before thee, except men, unto whom
we revealed our will, and whom we chose out of those who dwelt in cities.®
Will they not go through the earth, and see what hath been the end of
those who have preceded them? But the dwelling of the next life shal]
surely be better for those who fear God. Will they not therefore under-
stand? Their predecessors were borne with for a time, until, when our
apostles despaired of their conversion, and they thought that they were liars,
our help came unto them, and we delivered whom we pleased; but our
vengeance was not turned away from the wicked people. Verily in the
histories of the prophets and their people, there is an instructive example
mto those who are endued with understanding. The Kordn is not a new
-nvented fiction: but a confirmation of those scriptures which have been
revealed before it, and a distinct explication of every thing necessary, in
~espect ‘either to faith or practice, and a direction and mercy unto people
who believe,

 

such high disputes arose among the Egyptians, concerning his burial, that they had like
to have come to blows; but at length they agreed to put his body into a marble coffin,
and to sink it in the Nile; out of a superstitious imagination, that it might help the re-
ular increase of the river, and deliver them from famine, for the future: but when Moses
ed the Israelites out of Egypt, he took up the coffin, and carried Joseph’s bones with
him into Canaan, where he buried them by his ancestors.®

® For this crime Mohammed charges not only on the idolatrous Meccans, but also on
the Jews and Christians; as has been already observed more than once.

* And not of the inhabitants of the deserts; because the former are more knowing and
compassionate, and the latter more ignorant and hard-hearted.*

® Al Beidawi. *Idem. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. p. 22.
200 AL KORAN ° CHAP. XIII.

CHAPTER XIII.

INTITLED, THUNDER;! REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

At. M.R. These are the signs of the book of the Korén : and that
which hath been sent down unto thee from thy Lorp is the truth; but the
greater part of men will not believe. Jt is Gop who hath raised the
heavens without visible pillars; and then ascended his throne, and com-
pelled the sun and the moon to perform their services ; every of the heavenly
bodies runneth an appointed course. He ordereth all things. He showeth
his signs distinctly, that ye may be assured ye must meet your Lorp at the
last day. It is he who hath stretched forth the earth, and placed therein
stedfast mountains, and rivers; and hath ordained therein of every fruit
two different kinds.=* He causeth the night to cover the day. Herein
are certain signs unto people who consider. And in the earth are tragts
of land of different natures," though bordering on each other; and also
vineyards, and seeds, and palm-trees springing several from the same root,
sd singly from distinct roots. They are watered with the same water, yet
we render some of them more excellent than others fo eat. Herein are
surely signs unto people who understand. If thou dost wonder at the infidels
denying the resurrection, surely wonderful is their saying,* After we shall
have been reduced to dust, shall we be restored in a new creature? These
are they who believe not in their Lorn; these shall have collars on their
necks,° and these shali be the inhabitants of hedl fire: therein shall they
abide for ever. They will ask of thee to hasten evil rather than good:?

 

i This word occurs in the next page.

® Or, according to some copies, at Medina.

‘ The meaning of these letters is unknown. Of several conjectural explications which
are given of them, the following is one ; I am the most wise and knowing God.

m As sweet and sour, black and white, small and large, &c.*

* “Tt is He who spread out the earth, who raised the mountains, who formed the rivers.
who gave you fruits of various kinds. He created them male and femalc.’"—Savary.

» Some tracts being fruitful and others barren, some plain and others mountainous,
some proper for corn and others for trees, &c.?

* «Tf thou dost marvel at their unbelief, what must be thy surprise, when thou hearest
them say, Is it possible that the dust of our body can become a new creature ?”’—Savary.

° The collar here mentioned is an engine something like a pillory, but light enough for
the criminal to walk about with. Besides the hole to fix it on the neck, there is another
for one of the hands, which is thereby fastened to the neck.? And in this manner the
Mohammedans suppose the reprobates will appear at the day of judgment.* Some under-
stand this passage figuratively, of the infidels being bound in the chains of error and
obstinacy.®

» Provoking and daring thee to call down the divine vengeance on them for their im-
penitency.

1 Al Beid&wi, Jallalo’ddin, _2Idem. * Vide Chardin, Voy. de Perse, t. 2, p. 229.
* See chap. 5, p. 90. * Al Beidawi.
CHAP. XIII. AL KORAN. : 201

although there have already been examples of the divine vengeance before
them. Thy Lorp is surely endued with indulgence towards men, not-
withstanding their iniquity; but thy Lorp is also severe in punishing.
The infidels say, Unless a sign be sent down unto him from his Lorn, we
will not believe. Thou art commissioned to be a preacher only, and not a
worker of miracles : and unto every people hath a director been appointed.
Gop knoweth what every female beareth in her womb; and what “the
wombs want or exceed of their due time, or number of young. With him
is every thing regulated according to a determined measure. He knoweth
that which is hidden, and that which is revealed. He is the great, the
most high. He among you who concealeth Ais words, and he who pro-
claimeth them in public; he also who seeketh to hide himself in the
night, and he who goeth forth openly in the day, is equal in respect to the
knowledge of God. Each of them hath angels mutually succeeding each
other, before him, and behind him; they watch him by the command of
Gop. Verily Gop will not change his grace which is in men, until they
change the disposition in their souls by sin. When Gop willeth evil
on a people there shall be none to avert it; neither shall they have
any protector beside him. Jt is he who causeth the lightning to ap-
pear unto you, to strike fear, and to raise hope,’ and who formeth the
pregnant clouds. The thunder celebrateth his praise,* and the angels also,
for fear of him. He sendeth his thunderbolts, and striketh therewith
whom he pleaseth, while they dispute concerning Gon;t for he is mighty
in power. It is he who ought of right to be invoked; and the idols, which
they invoke besides him, shall not hear them at all; otherwise than as he
is heard, who stretcheth forth his hands to the water that it may ascend to
his mouth, when it cannot ascend thither: the supplication of the un-
believers is utterly erroneous. Whatsoever is in heaven and on earth
worshippeth God, voluntarily or of force;" and their shadows also, morn-

 

4 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 51.

* Thunder and lightning being the sign of approaching rain; a great blessing, in the
eastern countries more especially.

* Or causeth those who hear it, to praise him. Some commentators tell us, that by the
word thunder, in this place, is meant the angel who presides over the clouds, and drives
them forward with twisted sheets of fire.

' This passage was revealed on the following occasion. Amer Ebn al Tofail, and Arbad
Ebn Rabiah, the brother of Labid, went to Mohammed with an intent to kill him; and
Amer began to dispute with him concerning the chief points of his doctrine, while Arbad,
taking a compass, went behind him to dispatch him with his sword: but the prophet, per-
ceiving his design, implored God’s protection ; whereupon Arbad was immediately struck
dead by thunder, and Amer was struck with a pestilential boil, of which he died in a short
time, in a miserable condition."

_ Jallalo’ddin, however, tells another story, saying that Mohammed having sent one to
invite a certain man to embrace his religion, the person put this question to the missionary,

is this apostle, and what is God? is he of gold, or of silver, or of brass ? Upon which
a thunderbolt struck off his skull and killed him.

." The infidels and devils themselves being constrained to humble themselves before
, though against their will, when they are delivered up to punishment.

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. 1 Al Beidawi. Vide Golii, note in Adajia Arab
adject. ad Gram. Erpenii, p. 99.
x
202 : AL KORAN. CHAP. XIII.

ing and evening. Say, Who is the Lorp of heaven and earth? Answer,
Gop. Say, Have ye, therefore, taken unto yourselves protectors beside him,
who are unable either to help, or to defend themselves from hurt? Sa~,
Shall the blind and the seeing be esteemed equal? or shall darktiess and
light be accounted the same? or have they attributed companions voto
Gov who have created as he hath created, so that their creation bear any
resemblance unto his? Say, Gop is the creator of all things; he is the
one, the victorious God. He causeth water to descend from heaven,
and the brooks flow according to their respec/ive measure, and the floods
bear the floating froth: and from the metats which they melt in the fire,
seeking fo cast ornaments or vessels for use, there ariseth a scum like unto
it. Thus Gop setteth forth truth and vanity. But the scum is thrown off
and that which is useful to mankind remaineth on the earth. Thus doth
Gop put forth parables. Unto those who obey their Lorp shall be given
the most excellent reward : but those who obey him not, although they
were possessed of whatever is in the whole earth and as much more, they
would give it all for their ransom. These will be brought to a terrible
account: their abode shall be hell; an unhappy couch shall it be! Shall
he, therefore, who knoweth that what hath been sent down unto thee from
thy Lorp, is truth, be rewarded as he who is blind? The prudent only
will consider; who fulfil the covenant of Gop, and break not their con-
tract; and who join that which Gop hath commanded to be joined,’ and
who fear their Lorp, and dread an ill account; and who persevere out of a
sincere desire to please their Lorn, and observe the stated times of prayer.
and give alms out of what we have bestowed on them, in secret and openly,
and who turn away evil with good: the reward of these shall be paradise,
gardens of eternal abode,” which they shall enter, and also whoever shall.
have acted uprightly, of their fathers, and their wives, and their posterity:
and the angels shall go in unto them by every gate, saying, Peace be upon
you, because ye have endured with patience; how excellent a reward is
paradise! But as for those who violate the covenant of Gop, after the
establishment thereof, and who cut in sunder that which Gop hath com-
manded to be joined, and act corruptly in the earth, on them shall a curse
fall, and they shall have a miserable dwelling in hell. Gop giveth provision
in abundance unto whom he pleaseth, and is sparing unto whom he pleaseth.
Those of Mecca rejoice in the present life; although the present life, in
respect of the future, is but a precarious provision. The infidels say,
Unless a sign be sent down unto him from his Lorn, we will not believe.
Answer, Verily Gop will lead into,error whom he pleaseth, and will direct

 

* This is an allusion to the increasing and diminishing of the shadows, according to the
height of the sun; so that when they are the longest, which is in the morning and the
evening, they appear prostrate on the ground, in the posture of adoration.

‘Y By believing in all the prophets without exception, and joining thereto the continual
sractice of their duty, both towards God and man.® :

* Literally, gardens of Eden. Sce chap. 9, p. 157.

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. Yahya.
CHAP. XM. AL KORAN. ; 208

unto himself him who repenteth, and those who believe, and whose hearts
rest securely in the meditation of Gop ; shall not men’s hearts rest securely
in the meditation of Gop? They who believe and do that which is right
shall enjoy blessedness, and partake of a happy resurrection. Thus have
we sent thee to a natian which other nations have preceded, unto whom
prophets have likewise been sent, that thou mayest rehearse unto them that
which we have revealed unto thee, even while they believe not in the
merciful God. Say unto them, He is my Lorp; there is no Gop but he:
in him do I trust, and unto him must I return. Though a Koran were
revealed by which mountains should be removed, or the earth cleaved in
sunder, or the dead be caused to speak," it would be in vain. But the
~ matter belongeth wholly unto Gop. Do not, therefore, the believers know,
that if Gop pleased, he would certainly direct all men? Adversity shall
not cease to afflict the unbelievers for that which they have committed, or
to sit down near their habitations,” until Gop’s promise come ;* for Gop is
not contrary to the promise. Apostles before thee have been laughed to
scorn; and I permitted the infidels to enjoy a long and happy life: but
afterwards I punished ther; and how severe was the punishment which I
inflicted on them! Who is it, therefore, that standeth over every soul, to
observe that which it committeth? They attribute companions unto Gop.
Say, Name them: will ye declare unto him that which he knoweth not in
the earth 1* or will ye name them in outward speech only ?# But the deceit-
ful procedure of the infidels was prepared for them; and they are turned
aside from the right path: for he whom Gop shall cause to err, shall have
no director. They shall suffer a punishment in this life; but the punish-
ment of the next shall be more grievous ; and there shall be none to protect
them against Gop. This is the description of paradise, which is promised
to the pious. It is watered by rivers; its food is perpetual, and its shade
also: this shall be the reward of those who fear God. But the reward of
the infidels shall be hed fire. Those to whom we have given the scriptures,

 

* These are miracles which the Koreish required of Mohammed; demanding that he
would by the power of his Koran, either remove the mountains trom about Mecca, that
they might have delicious gardens in their room; or that he would oblige the wind to
transport them with their merchandize to Syria (according to which tradition the words
here translated, or the earth cleaved in sunder, should be rendered, or the earth be travelled
over in an.instant); or else raise to life Kosia Ebn Kelab,° and others of, their ancestors,
to bear witness to him. : ,

> Tt is supposed by some, that these words are spoken to Mohammed, and then they
must be translated in the second person, Vor shalt thou cease to sit down, &c. For they
say this verse relates to the idolaters of Mecca; who were afflicted with a series of mis-
fortunes for their ill-usage of their prophet, and were also continually annoyed and harassed
by his parties, which frequently plundered their caravans and drove off their cattle; him-
self sitting down with his whole army near the city in the expedition of Al Hodeibiya.'

© i.e. Till death and the day of judgment overtake them ; or, according to the exposi-
tion in the preceding note, until the taking of Mecca.?

* ** Say to them, Name your divinities. Can ye teach God any thing which he knoweth
not? , Or are the names which ye have created only an idle sound?’’—Savary.

4 That is, calling them the companions of God, without being able to assign any reason,
_ or give any proof why they deserve to be sharers in the honour and worship due from
Mankind to him.? ;

™See chap. 8, p. 141, note a. + Al Beidawi. * Idem. * Idem.
204 AL KORAN. CHAP. XIV.

rejoice at what hath been revealed unto thee.e Yet there are some of the
confederates who deny part thereof? Say unto them, Verily 1am commanded
to worship Gop alone; and to give him no companion : upon him do I call,
and unto him shall I return. To this purpose have we sent down the Koran.
a rule of judgment, in the Arabic language. And verily, if thou follow
their desires, after the knowledge which hath been given thee, there shall
be none to defend or protect thee against Gop. We have formerly sent
apostles before thee, and bestowed on them wives and children ;* and no
apostle had the power to come with a sign, unless by the permission of Gop.
Every age hath its book of revelation : Gop shall abolish and shall confirm
what he pleaseth. With him is the original of the book.» Moreover, whether
we cause thee to see any part of that punishment wherewith we have threat-
ened them, or whether we cause thee to die before it be inflicted on them,
verily unto thee belongeth preaching only, but unto us inquisition. Do they
not see that we come into their land, and straiten the borders thereof, by the
conquests of the true believers? When Gop judgeth, there is none to re-
verse his judgment: and he will be swift in taking an account. Their pre-
decessors formerly devised subtle plots against their prophets ; but Gop .s
master of every subtle device. He knoweth that which every soul deserveth :
and the infidels shall surely know, whose will be the reward of paradise.
The unbelievers: will say, Thou art not sent of God. Answer, Gop isa
sufficient witness between me and you, and he who understandeth the
scriptures, ,

CHAPTER XIV.

INTITLED, ABRAHAM;* REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Au. R.1_ This book have we sent down unto thee, that thou mayest lead
men forth from darkness into light, by the permission of their Lorp, into

 

via. The first proselytes to Mohammedism from Judaism and Christianity ; or the
Jews and Christians in general, who were pleased to find the Koran so consonant to their
own scriptures.*

_‘ That is, such of them as had entered into a confederacy to oppose Mohammed; as
did Caab Ebn al Ashraf, and the Jews who followed him, and a Seyid al Najrani, al
Akib, and several other Christians; who denied such parts of the Koran as contradicted
their corrupt doctrines and traditions.*

® As we have on thee. This passage was revealed in answer to the reproaches which
were cast on Mohammed, on account of the great number of his wives. For the Jews
said, That if he was a true prophet, his care and attention would be employed about
something else than women and the getting of children.® It may be observed that it is a
maxim of the Jews, that nothing is more repugnant to prophecy than carnality."

» Literally, the mother of the book ; by which is meant, the preserved table, from which
all the written revelations which have been from time to time published to mankind, ac-
cording to the several dispensations, are transcripts.

‘ The persons intended in this passage, it is said, were the Jewish doctors.®

« Mention is made of this patriarch towards the end of the chapter. (After the patri-
arch’s name, Savary’s translation adds, ‘‘ Peace be with him.’’)

' See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

See chap. 3, p. 58. ‘Idem. _—* Jallalo’ddin, Yahya. |= ' Vide Maimon, More
Ney. part 2, c. 36, &c. = * Al Beidawi. :
: :
CHAP. XIV. AL KORAN. 205

the glorious and laudable way. Gop is he unto whom belongeth whatsoever
is in heaven and on earth: and woe be to the infidels, because a grievous
punishment waiteth them ; who love the present life above that which is to
come, and turn men aside from the way of Gop, and seek to render it
crooked : these are in an error far distant from the truth. We have sent no
apostle but with the language of his people, that he might declare their
duty plainly unto them;™ for Gop causeth to err whom he pleaseth, and
directeth whom he pleaseth ; and he is the mighty, the wise. We formerly
sent Moses with our signs, and commanded him saying, Lead forth thy
people from darkness into light,'and remind them of the favours of Gop :*
verily therein are signs unto every patient and grateful person. And call
to mind when Moses said unto his people, Remember the favour of Gop
towards you, when he delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: they
grievously oppressed you; and they slew your male children, but let your
females live:° therein was a great trial from your Lorp.* And when
your Lorp declared by the mouth of Moses, saying, If ye be thankful, I will
surely increase my favours towards you; but if ye be ungrateful, verily
my punishment shall be severe. And Moses said, If ye be ungrateful, and
all who are in the earth likewise ; verily Gop needeth not your thanks,
though he deserveth the highest praise. Hath not the history of the nations
your predecessors reached you; namely, of the people of Noah, and of Ad,
and of Thamud,? and of those who succeeded them; whose number none
knoweth except Gop? Their apostles came unto them with evident
miracles ; but they clapped their hands to their mouths out of indignation,
and said, We do not believe the message with which ye pretend to be sent ;
and we are in a doubt concerning the religion to which ye invite us,
as justly to be suspected. Their apostles answered, Is there any doubt con-
cerning Gop, the creator of heaven and earth? He inviteth you to the true
faith that he may forgive you part of your sins,1 and may respite your -
punishment, by granting you space to repent, until an appointed time.
They answered, Ye are but men, like unto us: ye seek to turn us aside
from the gods which our fathers worshipped: wherefore bring us an evident
demonstration by some miracle, that ye speak truth. Their apostles replied
unto them, We are no other than men like unto you; but Gop is bountiful
unto such of his servants as he pleaseth: and it is not in our power to give

 

™ That so they might not only perfectly and readily understand those revelations them-
selves, but might also be able to translate and interpret them unto others.

* Literally the days of God; which may also be translated, the battles of God (the
Arabs using the word day to signify a remarkable engagement, as the Italians do giornata,
and the French jourzée), or his wonderful acts manieaed in the various success of former
nations in their wars.*

° See chap. 7, p. 129, &c.

* «Your deliverance is a magnificent proof of the divine goodness.’’—Savary.

See chap. 7, p. 122, &c. :

4 That is, such of them as were committed directly against God, which are immediately
cancelled by faith, or embracing Islam; but not the crimes of injustice, and oppression,
which were committed against man ;? for to obtain remission of these last, besides faith,
repentance and restitution, according to a man’s ability, are also necessary.

® Al Beidawi. * Idem. 2 Idem.
206 * AL KORAN. CHAP. XIV.

you a miraculous demonstration of our mission, unless by the permission of
Gop; in Gop therefore let the faithful trust. And what excuse have we
to allege, that we should not put our trust in Gon ; since he hath directed
us our paths? Wherefore we will certainly suffer with patience the per-
secution wherewith ye shall afflict us: in Gop therefore let those put their
confidence who seek in whom to put their trust. And those who believed
not said unto their apostles, We will surely expel you out of our land; or
ye shall return unto our religion, And their Lorp spake unto them
by revelation, saying, We will surely destroy the wicked doers; and
we will cause you to dwell in the earth, after them. . This shall be granted
unto him who shall dread the appearance at my tribunal, and shall fear my
threatening. And they asked assistance of God," and every rebellious per-
verse person failed of success. Hell lieth unseen before him, and he shall
have filthy water* given him to drink: he shall sup it up by little and little,
and he shall not easily let it pass his throat because of ils nauseousness ;
death also shall come upon him from every quarter, yet he shall not die;
and before him shall there stand prepared a grievous torment. This is the
likeness of those who believe not in their Lorp. Their works are as
ashes, which the wind violently scattereth in a stormy day: they shall not
be able to obtain any solid advantage from that which they have wrought.
This is an error most distant from truth. Dost thou not see that Gop hath
created the heavens and the earth in wisdom? If he please, he can destroy
you, and produce a new creature in your stead : neither will this be difficult
with Gop. And they shall all come forth into the presence of Gon at the
last day: and the weak among them shall say unto those who behaved
themselves arrogantly,t* Verily we were your followers on earth ; will ye
not therefore avert from us some part of the divine vengeance? They shall
answer, If Gop had directed us aright, we had certainly directed you." It
is equal unto us whether we bear our torments impatiently, or whether we
endure them with patience: for we have no way to escape. And Satan
shall say, after judgment shall have been given, Verily Gop promised you.
a promise of truth: and I also made you a promise; but I deceived
you. Yet I had not any power over you to compel you; but I called
you only, and ye answered me: wherefore accuse not me, but accuse

 

* The commentators are uncertain whether these were the prophets, who begged assist-
ance against their enemies; or the infidels, who called for God’s decision between thetn-
selves and them; or both. And some suppose this verse has no connexion with the pre-
ceding, but is spoken of the people of Mecca, who begged rain in a great drought with
which they were afflicted at the prayer of their prophet, but could not obtain 1t.?

8 Which will issue from the bodies of the damned, mixed with purulent matter and
blood.

‘ i.e. The more simple and inferior people shall say to their teachers and princes who
seduced them to idolatry, and confirmed them in their obstinate infidelity.

* « All men shall appear before God. The idolaters will say to their leaders, We
followed you, cannot you mitigate our punishment ?’’—Savary. /

* That is, We made the same choice for you as we did for ourselves; and had not God
permitted us ts fall into error, we had not seduced you.

3 Al Beidawi.
CHAP. XIV AL KORAN. 207

yourselves. I cannot assist you; neither can ye assist me. Verily I do
now renounce your having associated me with God heretofore.* A grievous
punishment is prepared for the unjust. But they who shall have believed
and wrought righteousness shall be introduced into gardens, wherein rivers
flow ; they shall remain therein for ever, by the permission of their Lorn ;
and their salutation therein shall be, Peace!” Dost thou not see how Gov
putteth forth a parable; representing a good word, as a good tree, whose
root is firmly fixed in the earth, and whose branches reach unto heaven;
which bringeth forth its fruit in all seasons, by the will of its Lorv? Gop
propoundeth parables unto men, that they may be instructed. And the
likeness of an evil word is as an evil tree; which is torn up from the face
of the earth,* and hath no stability. Gop shall confirm them who believe,
by the stedfast word of faith, both in this life and in that which is to come :*
but Gop shall lead the wicked into error; for Gop doth that which he
pleaseth. Hast thou not considered those who have changed the grace of
Gop to infidelity,» and cause their people to descend into the house of per-
dition, namely, into hell? They shall be thrown to burn therein; and an
unhappy dwelling shall it be. They also set up idols as co-partners with
Gop, that they might cause men to stray from his path. Say, unto them,
Enjoy the pleasures of this life for a time ; but your departure hence shall
be into Acii fire. Speak unto my servants who have believed, that they
be assiduous at prayer, and give alms out of that which we have bestowed
on them, both privately and in public; before the day cometh, wherein
there shall be no buying nor selling, neither any friendship. It is Gop who
hath created the heavens and the earth; and causeth water to descend from
heaven, and by means thereof produceth fruits for your sustenance: and by

 

’ Lay not the blame on my temptations, but blame your own folly in obeying and trust-
Ing to me, who had openly professed myself your irreconcileable enemy.

* Or I do now declare myself clear of your having obeyed me, preferably to God, and
worshipped idols at my instigation. Or the words may be translated, I believed not here-
tofore in that Being with whom ye did associate me ; intimating his first disobedience in
refusing to worship Adam at God’s command.‘

7 See chap. 10, p. 166.

* « He compareth the doctrine of the unbelievers toa worthless tree, the roots of which
Tun on the surface of the ground, and which hath no stability.’’—Savary.

* What is particularly intended in this passage by the good word, and the evil word, the
expositors differ. But the first seems to mean the profession of God’s unity, the inviting
others to the true religion, or the Koran itself; and the latter, the acknowledging a plurality
of gods, the seducing of others to idolatry, or the obstinate opposition of God’s prophets.§

+ Jallalo’ddin supposes the sepulchre to be here understood; in which place, when the
true believers come to be examined by the two angels concerning their faith, they will
answer properly and without hesitation ; which the infidels will not be able to do.* x

> That is, who requite his favours with disobedience and incredulity. Or, whose ingra-
titude obliged God to deprive them of the blessings he had bestowed on them; as he did
the Meccans, who though God had placed them in the sacred territory, and given them
the custody of the Caaba, and abundant provision of all necessaries and convenignces of
life, and had also honoured them by the mission of Mohammed, yet in return for all this,
became obstinate unbelievers, and persecuted his apostles; for which they were not only

unished by a famine of seven ae but also by the loss and disgrace they sustained at
edr ; so that they who had before been celebrated for their prosperity were now stripped
of that, and become conspicuous only for their infidelity." If this be the drift of the pas-

* Al Beidawi. ~ 5 Idem, Jallalo’ddin. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 38
* Al Beidawi.
208 AL KORAN. OHAP. XIV,

his command he obligeth* the ships to sail in the sea for your service; anu
he also forceth the rivers to supply your uses: he likewise compelleth the
sun and the moon, which diligently perform their courses, to serve you,
and hath subjected the day and the night to your service. He giveth you
of every thing which ye ask him; and if ye’attempt to reckon up the favours
of Gop, ye shall not be able to compute the same. Surely man is unjust
and ungrateful. Remember when Abraham said, O,Lorp, make this lands
a place of security; and grant that I and my children® may avoid the
worship of idols; for they, O Lorp, have seduced a great number of men.
Whoever therefore shall follow me, he shall be of me: and whosoever shall
disobey me, verily thou wilt be gracious and merciful.t O Lorn, I have
caused some of my offsprings to settle in an unfruitful valley, near thy holy
house, O Lorn, that they may be constant at prayer. Grant, therefore,
that the hearts of some men* may be affected with kindness toward them ;
and do thou bestow on them all sorts of fruits,‘ that they may give thanks,
O Lorp, thou knowest whatsoever we conceal, and whatsoever we publish ;
for nothing is hidden from Gop, either on earth or in heaven. Praise be
unto Gop, who hath given me, in my old age, Israel and Isaac: for |
my Lorp is the hearer of supplication. O Lorp, grant that I may be
an observer of prayer, and a part of my posterity also, O Lorn, and
receive my supplication. O Lorp, forgive me, and my parents,’ and
the faithful, on the day whereon an account shall be taken. Think not,
O prophet, that Gop is regardless of what the ungodly do. He only de-
ferreth their punishment unto the day whereon men’s eyes shall be fixed:

 

sage, it could not have been revealed at Mecca, as the rest of the chapter is agreed to be;
wherefore some suppose this. verse and the next to have been revealed at Medina.

© The word used here, and in the following passages, is sakhkhara, which signifies for-
cibly to press into any service.®

@yiz. The territory of Mecca. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

° This prayer, it seems, was not heard as to all his posterity, particularly as to the de-
scendants of Ismael; though some pretend that these latter da not worship images, but
only paid a superstitious veneration to certain stones, which they set up and compassed,
as representations of the Caaba.* s

‘ That is, by disposing him to repentance. But Jallalo’ddin supposes these words were
spoken by Abraham before he knew that God would not pardon idolatry.

®i, e. Ismael and his posterity. ‘The Mohammedans say that Hagar, his mother, be-
longed to Sarah, who gave her to Abraham; and that, on her bearing him this son, Sarah
became so jealous of her, that she prevailed on her husband to turn them both out of
doors; whereupon he sent them to the territory of Mecca, where God caused the fountain
of Zemzem to spring forth for their relief, in consideration of which the Jorhamites, who
were the masters of the country, permitted them to settle among them.?

» Had he said the hearts of men, absolutely, the Persians and the Romans would also
have treated them as friends; and both the Jews and Christians would have made their
pilgrimages to Mecca.? i

‘This part of the prayer was granted; Mecca being so plentifully supplied, that the
fruits of spring, summer, and autumn, are to be found there at one and the same time.*

* For he knew by revelation that some of them would be infidels.

} Abraham put up this petition to God, before he knew that his parents were the ene-
mies of God.’ Some suppose his mother was a true believer, and therefore read it in the
singular, and my father. Others fancy, that by his parents the patriarch here means
Adam and Eve.* ° :

® See chap. 2, p.19, notec. + Al Beid&wi. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. p. 14, 15.
Idem. » *Idem, Jallalo’ddin. ‘ Idem. ® See chap. 9, p. 163. 5 Jallalo’ddin,
Al Beidawi, &c. :
HAP. XY. AL KORAN. 209

they shall hasten forward, at the voice of the angel calling to judgment,
and shall lift up their heads; they shall m. be able to turn their sight from
the object whereon it shall be fixed, and their hearts shall be void of sense,
through excessive terror. Wherefore do thou threaten men with the day,
whereon their punishment shall be inflicted on them, and whereon those who,
have acted unjustly shall-say, O Lorp, give us respite unto a term near at
hand; and we will obay thy call, and we will follow thy apostles. But it
shall be answered unto them, Did ye not swear heretofore, that no reverse
should befall you?™ yet ye dwelt in the dwellings of those who had treated
their own souls unjustly ;" and it appeared plainly unto you how we had
dealt with them;° and we propounded their destruction as examples unto
you. They employ their utmost subtlety to oppose the truth; but their
subtlety is apparent unto Gon, who is able to frustrate their designs ; although
their subtlety were so great, that the mountains might be moved thereby.
Think not, therefore, O prophet, that Gop will be contrary to his promise
of assistance, made unto his apostles; for Gop is mighty, able to avenge.
The day. will come, when the earth shall be changed into another earth,
and the heavens into other heavens ;? and men shall come forth from their
graves to appear before the only, the mighty Gop. And thou shalt see the
wicked on that day bound together in fetters: their inner garments shall
be of pitch, and fire shall cover their faces; that Gop may reward every
soul according to what it shall have deserved ; for Gop is swift in taking an
account. This is a sufficient admonition unto men, that they may be warned
thereby, and that they may know that there is but one God; and that those
who are endued with understanding may consider.

CHAPTER XV.

INTITLED, AL HEJR;1 REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

At R.* These are the signs of the book, and of the perspicuous Koran.
*[XIV.] The time may come when the unbelievers shall wish that

 

™ That is, that ye should not taste of déath, but continue in this world for ever; or that
ye should not after death be raised to judgment."

"viz. Of the Adites and the Thamudites.

° Not only by the histories of those people revealed in the Koran, but also by the
monuments remaining of them (as those of Thamudites), and the traditions preserved
among you of the terrible judgments which befell them.

_ ’ This the Mohammedans suppose will come to pass at the last day; the earth becom-
‘ng white and even, or, as some will have it, of silver; and the heavens of gold.

‘Al Hejr is a territory in the province of Hejaz, between Medina and Syria, where th
wibe of Thamtid dwelt;° and is mentioned towards the end of the chapter.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii, p. 42, &c.

* Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi, Al Zamakhshari,. Yahya. ®Tdem. Vide Prelim, Disc.
sect. iv. p. 61. ® See the Prelim. Disc. p. 4.
21° AL KORAN. CHAP. XV.

they had been Moslems." Suffer them to eat, and tu enjoy themselves in
this world; and let hope entertain them, but they shall hereafter know
their folly. We have not destroyed any city, but a fixed term of repentance
was appointed them. No nation shall be punished before their time shali
be come ; neither shall they be respited after. The Meccans say, O thou to
whom the admonition? hath been sent down, thou art certainly possessed
with a devil: wouldest thou not have come unto us with an attendance of
angels, if thou hadst spoken truth? Answer, We send not down the angels,
unless on a just occasion;t nor should they be then respited any longer.
‘ We have surely sent down the Koran; and we will certainly preserve the
same from corruption» We have heretofore sent apostles before thee among
the ancient sects : and there came no apostle unto them, but they laughed
him to scorn. In the same manner will we put it into the hearts of the
wicked Meccans to scoff at their prophet: they shall not believe on him;
and the sentence of the nations of old hath been executed heretofore. If
we should open a gate in the heaven above them, and they should ascend
thereto’ all the day long,* they should rather say, Our eyes are only dazzled ;
or rather we are a people deluded by enchantments. We have placed the
twelve signs in the heaven, and have set them out in various figures, for the
observation of spectators: and we guard them from every devil® driven away
with stones,*f except him who listeneth by stealth, at whom a visible flame
1s darted.y We have also spread forth the earth, and thrown thereon stable
mountains ; and we have caused every kind of vegetable to spring forth in
the same, according to a determinate weight :[ and we have provided
therein necessaries of life for you, and for him whom ye do not sustain.”

 

* viz. When they shall see the success and the prosperity of the true believers; or when
they shall come to die; or at the resurrection. '

*7.e. The revelations which compose the Koran.

‘ When the divine wisdom shall judge it proper to use their ministry, as in bearing his
revelations to the prophets, and the executing his sentence on wicked people ; but not to
humour you with their appearance in visible shapes, which, should your demand be
complied with, would only increase your confusion, and bring God’s vengeance on you
the sooner.

" See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 53.

_,*#.e. The incredulous Meccans themselves; or, as others rather think, the angels in
visible forms.

* ‘“ Were we to open the gate of heaven, and they were about to enter therein, they
would exclaim, Our eyes are clouded by intoxication, or we labour under an illusion.”’—
Savary. 7

_ For the Mohammedans imagine that the devils endeavour to ascend to the constella-
tions, to pry into the actions, and overhear the discourse of the inhabitants of heaven,
and to tempt them. They also pretend that these evil spirits had the liberty of entering
any of the heavens till the birth of Jesus, when they were excluded three of them; but
that on the birth of Mohammed they were forbidden the other four. .

« See chap. 3, p. 39, note a. :

Z t ‘‘ We defend them against the attacks of the devils, who are pierced with shafts.’—

‘avary.

y For when a star seems to fall or shoot, the Mohammedans suppose the angels, who
xeep guard in the constellations, dart them at the devils who approach too near.

} ‘* We nave caused all the plants to spring therefrom in an admirable order.’’—Savary.

* viz. Your family, servants, and slaves, whom ye wrongly imagine that ye feed your

' Al Beidawi.
cae a . AL KORAN. - 211

There is no one thing but the storehouses thereof are in our hands; and
we distribute not the same otherwise than in a determinate measure. We
also send the winds driving the pregnant clouds, and we send down from
heaven water, whereof we give you to drink, and which ye keep not in
store. Verily we give life, and we put to death: and we are the heirs of
all things.» We know those among you who go before; and we know those
who stay behind.** And thy Lorp shall gather them together at the last
day : for he is knowing and wise. We created man of dried clay, of black
mud, formed into shape:* and we had before created the devil of subtle
fire. And remember when thy Lorp said unto the angels, Verily I am
about to create man of dried clay, of black mud, wrought into shape; when,
therefore, I shall have completely formed him, and shall have breathed of
my spirit into him; do ye fall down and worship him. And all the angels
worshipped Adam together, except Eblis, who refused to be with those who
worshipped him. And God said unto him, O Eblis, what hindered thee
from being with those who worshipped 4dam? He answered, It is not fit
that I should worship man, whom thou hast created of dried clay, of black
mud, wrought into shape. God said, Get thee therefore hence: for thou
shalt be driven away with stones: and a curse shall be on thee, until the
day of judgment. The devil said, O Lorn, Give me respite until the day of
‘resurrection. God answered, Verily thou shalt be one of those who are
respited until the day of the appointed time.t The devil replied, O
Lorp, because thou hast seduced me,t I will surely tempt them to dis-
obedience in the earth; and I will seduce such of them as shall be thy
chosen servants. God said, This is the right way with me.* Verily as to
my servants, thou shalt have no power over them; but over those only who
shall be seduced, and who shall follow thee. And hell is surely denounced
unto them all: it hath seven gates; unto every gate a distinct company of
them shall be assigned.t But those who fear God shall dwell in gardens,
amidst fountains. The angels shall say unto them, Enter ye therein in peace

 

selves; though it is God who provides for them as well as you:? or, as some rather
think, the animals, of whom men take no care.? :

"7. e. Alone surviving, when all creatures shall be dead and annihilated. si

> What these words particularly drive at is uncertain. Some think them spoken of the
different times of men’s several entrance into this world, and their departure out of it;
others of the respective forwardness and backwardness of Mohammed’s men in battle ;
and a third says, the passage was occasioned by the different behaviour of Mohammed’s
followers, on seeing a very beautiful woman at prayers behind the prophet: some of
them going out of the Mosque before her, to avoid looking on her mor€ nearly, and
others staying behind, on purpose to view her.‘ /

* «« We know those who have gone before you, as we do those who will come after
you.’’—Savary.

«See chap. 2, p. 4, &c.

4“ See ibid. and chap. 7, p. 117.

t ‘‘Because thou hast cast me down, added the rebel spirit, I will render evil pleasin
unto man, and will seduce them all. Thy sincere servants alone shall be spared. God
said, I am the way of salvation.’’—Savdry.

* wiz. The saving of the elect, and the utter reprobation of the wicked, according to
my eternal decree. .

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 65.

2 Al Beidawi. 3 Jallalo’ddin. - Al Beidawi.
212 AL KORAN. , CHAP. XV

and security, and we will remove all grudges from their breasts ; they shall
be as brethren, sitting over against one another * on couches weariness shall
not affect them therein, neither shall they be cast out thence for ever.
Declare unto my servants that I am the gracious, the merciful God ; and
that my punishment is a grievous punishment. And relate unto them the
history of Abraham’s guests.) When they went in unto him, and said,
Peace be unto thee, he answered, Verily we are afraid of you :* and they
replied, Fear not; we bring thee the promise of a wise son. He said, Do
ye bring me the promise of a son now old age hath overtaken me? what is ;
it therefore that ye tell me? They said, We have told thee the truth; be
not therefore one of those who despair. He answered, And who despaireth
of the mercy of Gop, except those who err? And he said, What is your
errand, therefore, O messengers of God? They answered, Verily we are
sent to destroy a wicked people; but as for the family of Lot, we will save
them all, except his wife; we have decreed that she shall be one. of those
who remain behind to be destroyed with the infidels. And when the mes-
sengers came to the family of Lot, he said unto them, Verily ye are a people
who are unknown to me. They answered, But we are come unto thee to
execute that sentence, concerning which your fellow-citizens doubted : we tell
thee a certain truth; and we are messengers of veracity. Therefore lead
forth thy family, in some time of the night; and do thou follow behind
them, and let none of you turn back; but go whither ye are commanded!
And we gave him this command; because the utmost remnant of those
people was to be cut off in the morning. And the inhabitants of the city
came unto Lot, rejoicing at the news of the arrival of some strangers. And
he said unto them, Verily these are my guests: wherefore do not disgrace
me by abusing them; but fear Gon, and put me not to shame. They
answered, Have we not forbidden thee from entertaining or protecting
any man? Lot replied, These are my daughters: therefore rather make
use of them, if ye be resolved to do what ye purpose. As thou livest they
wander in their folly." Wherefore a terrible storm from heaven assailed
them at sun-rise,* and we turned the city upside down: and we rained on

 

® That is, all hatred and ill-will which they bore each other in their lifetime ;* or, as
some choose to expound it, all envy or heart-burning on account of the different degrees
of honour and happiness to which the blessed will be promoted, according to their
respective merits.

» Never turping their backs to one another ;* which might be construed a sign of con-
tempt.

{ Seetchap. 11, p. 182, &c. :

* What occasioned Abraham’s apprehension was, either their sudden entering without
leave, or their coming at an unseasonable time, or else their not eating with him.

1 Which was into Syria; or into Egypt.”

™Some will have these words spoken by the angels to Lot; others, by God tc
Mohammed. :

* * At the rising of the sun, the cry of the angel precipitated upon them our scourges.
We buried Sodom under its ruins, and caused a shower of stones to fall upon its inha-
bitants. These are signs to those who can discern, Sodom was situated on the high
road. This example serves as a warning to the believers.’’—Savary.

5 See chap. 7, p. 119, note u. 5 Jallalo’ddin. ' Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
OHAP. Xv. AL KORAN. 2138

them stones of baked clay. Verily herein are signs unto men of sagacity :
and those cities were punished, to point out a right way for men to walk in.
Verily herein is a sign unto the true believers. - The inhabjtants of the
wood* near Midian® were also ungodly, Wherefore we took vengeance
on them.° And both of them were destroyed, to serve as a manifest rule
for men to direct their actions by. And the inhabitants of Al Hejr? likewise
heretofore accused the messengers of God of imposture: and we produced
our signs unto them, but they retired afar off from the same. And they
hewed houses out of the mountains, to secure themselves. But a terrible
noise from heaven assailed them in the morning;f neither was what they
had wrought of any advantage unto them. We have not created ths -
heavens and the earth, and whatever is contained between them, otherwis:
than in justice: and the hour of judgment shall surely come. Wherefor.
O Mohammed, forgive thy people with a gracious forgiveness.1t Verily thy
Lorp is the creator of thee and of them, and knoweth what is most expedient
We have already brought unto thee seven verses which are frequently to be
repeated," and the glorious Koran. Cast not thine eyes on the good things
which we have bestowed on several of the unbelievers, so as to covet the
same :* neither be thou grieved on their account. Behave thyself with
meekness towards the true believers; and say, am a public preacher.* If
they believe not, we will inflict a like punishment on them, as we have
inflicted on the dividers,t who distinguished the Koran into different parts ;
for by thy Lorp, we will demand an account from them all of that which

 

*“The inhabitants of Aleica* were corrupted. We inflicted on them our chastise-
ments. These two cities were in the public road."’—Savary. _

To whom Shoaib was also sent, as well as to the inhabitants of Midian. Abulfeda
says these people dwelt near Tabiic, and that they were not of the same tribe with Shoaib.
See also Geogr. Nub. p. 110.

° Destroying them, for their incredulity and disobedience, by a hot suffocating wind.*

? Who were the tribe of Thamad.

t “ The cry of the angel annihilated them at the dawn of day.’’—Savary.

4‘ This verse, it is said, was abrogated by that of the sword.

t “Certainly the hour will come, O Mohammed, make a glorious retreat.’’—Savary.

* That is, the first chapter of the Koran, which consists of so many verses: though
some suppose the seven long chapters’ are here intended.

* That is, Do not envy or covet their worldly prosperity, since thou hast received in the
Korn a blessing, in comparison whereof all that we have bestowed on them ought to
be contemned as of no value. A] Beid&éwi mentions a tradition, that Mohammed meeting
at Adhriat (a town of Syria) seven caravans, very richly laden, belonging to some J. ews
of the tribes of Koreidha and al Nadir, his men had a great mind to plunder them, saying,
That those riches would be of great service for the propagation of God’s true religion.
But the prophet represented to them, by this passage, that they had no reason to repine,
God having given them the seven verses, which were infinitely more valuable than those
seven caravans.? :

* “Cast not thy looks on the good which we have bestowed upon the unbelievers.
Grieve not for their fate. Spread thy wings over the faithful. Say unto them, I am truly
your apostle.’’—Savary.

‘ Some interpret the original word, the obstructers, who hindered men from entering into
Mecca, to visit the temple, lest they should be persuaded to embrace Islam; and this it is
said, was done by ten men, who were all slain at Bedr. Others translate the word, who

. * The city of Aleica was situated in the desert near Midian, on the border of the Red

ea.
* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. °See chap. 7, p. 124, &c, and Prelim. Disc. p.5. 1 See
ehap. 9, p. 148, notea. 2 Al Beidawi.
214 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVI.

they have wrought. Wherefore publish that which thou hast been com-
manded, and withdraw from the idolaters. We will surely take thy part
against the scoffers," who associate with Gop another god ; they shall]
surely know their folly. And now we well know that thou art’ deeply
concerned on account of that which thev say; but do thou celebrate the
praise of thy Lorp ; and be one of those who worship ; and serve thy Lorn,
until death* shall overtake thee.

CHAPTER XVI.
INTITLED, THE BEE:’ REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Tue sentence of Gop will surely come to be executed : wherefore do not
hasten it. Praise be unto him! and far be that from him which they
associate with him! He shall cause the angels to descend with a revelation
by his command, unto such of his servants as he pleaseth, saying, Preach
that there is no Gop, except myself; therefore fear me. He hath created
the heavens and the earth, to manifest his justice: far be that from him
which they associate with him! He hath created man of seed ;* and yet
behold he is a professed disputer against the resurrection.* He hath like-
wise created the cattle for you; from them ye have wherewith to keep
yourselves warm,” and other advantages ; and of them do ye a/so eat. And

 

bound themselves by oath ; and suppose certain Thamudites, who swore to kill Saleb by
night, are here meant. But the sentence more probably relates to the Jews and Chris-
tians, who (say the Mohammedans) receive some part of the scriptures, and reject others ;
and also approved of some passages of the Koran, and disapproved of others, according
to their prejudices ; or else to the unbelieving Meccans, some of whom called the Koran
a piece of witchcraft; others, flights of divination; others, old stories; and others, a
poetical composition.*

« This passage, it is said, was revealed on account of five noble Koreish, whose names
were Al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, al As Ebn Wayel, Oda Ebn Kais, al Aswad Ebn Abd
Lagu and al Aswad Ebn al Motalleb. These were inveterate enemies of Moham-
me , continually persecuting him, and turning him into rjdicule ; wherefore at length
Gabriel came and told him that he was commanded to take his part against them ; and

"on the angel’s making a sign towards them one after another, al aiid passing by some
arrows, one of them hitched in his garment, and he, out of pride, not stooping to take it
off, but walking forward, the head of it cut a vein in his heel, and he bled to death; al
As was killed with a thorn, which stuck into the sole of his foot. and caused his lee to
swell to a monstrous size; Oda died with violent and perpetual sneezing; al Aswad Ebn
Abd Yaghith ran his head against a thorny tree and killed himself; and al Aswad Ebn
al Motalleb was struck blind.#

* Literally, That which is certain.

¥ This insect is mentioned about the middle of the chapter.

* Except the last three verses.

* “He hath created man of clay, and he disputes with obstinacy.”’—Savary.

* The person particularly intended in this place was Obba Ebn Khalf, who came to
ae with a rotten bone, and asked him whether it was possible for God to restore
it to life.*

» yiz, Their skins, wool, and hair, which serve you for clothing.
2 Al Beidaéwi, Jallalo’ddin. ‘ Al Beidawi. 5 Idem.
CHAP. XVI. AL KORAN. 215

they are likewise a credit unto you,* when ye drive them home in the
evening, and when ye lead them forth to feed in the morning: and they
carry your burdens to a distant country, at which ye could not otherwise
arrive, unless with great difficulty to yourselves; for your Lorp is com-
passionate and merciful. And he hath also created horses, and mules, and
asses, that ye may ride thereon, and for an ornament unto you; and
he likewise created other things which ye know not. Jt appertaineth unto
Gop to instruct men in the right way ; and there is who turneth aside from
the same: but if he had pleased, he would certainly have directed you all.
It is he who sendeth down from heaven rain water, whereof ye have
to drink, and from which plants, whereon ye feed your cattle, receive their
nourishment. And by means thereof he causeth corn, and olives, and palm-
trees, and grapes, and all kinds of fruits, to spring forth for you. Surely
herein is a sign of the divine power and wisdom unto people who consider.
And he hath subjected the night and the day to your service; and the sun,
and the moon, and the stars, which are compelled to serve by his command.
Verily herein are signs unto people of understanding. And he hath also
given you dominion over whatever he hath created for you in the earth, dis-
tinguished by its different colour.*. Surely herein is a sign unto people who
teflect. It is he who hath subjected the sea unto you, that ye might eat fish®
thereout, and take from thence ornaments® for you to wear; and thou seest
the ships ploughing the waves thereof, that ye may seek to enrich yourselves
of his abundance, by commerce ; and that ye might give thanks. And he
hath thrown upon the earth mountains firmly rooted, lest it should move
with you,® and also rivers, and paths, that ye might be directed : and he hath
likewise ordained marks whereby men may know their way ; and they are
directed by the stars.« Shall God therefore, who createth, b¢ as he who
createth not? Do ye not therefore consider? If ye attempt to reckon up
the favours of Gop, ye shall not be able to compute their number; Gop is
surely gracious and merciful; and Gop knoweth that which ye conceal,
and that which ye publish. But the ido/s which ye invoke, besides Gon,
create nothing, but are themselves created. They are dead, and not living ;
neither do they understand when they shall be raised.'** Your Gop is one

 

- © Being a grace to your court-yards, and a credit to you in the eyes of your neighbours.
4 That is, of every kind; the various colour of things being one of their chief distinctions."
© Literally, fresh flesh; by which fish is meant, as being naturally more fresh, and

sooner liable to corruption, than the flesh of birds and beasts. The expression is thought

to have been made use of here the rather, because the production of such fresh food from
salt water is an instance of God’s power.®

‘ As pearls and coral. '

*The Mohammedans suppose that the earth, when first created, was smooth and
equal, and thereby liable to a circular motion as well as the celestial orbs; and that the
angels asking who could be able to stand on so tottering a frame, God fixed it the next
morning by throwing the mountains on it. ;

4 Which are their guides, not only at sea, but also on land, when they travel by night
through the deserts. The stars which they observe for this purpose are either the ple
iades, or some of those near the pole.

‘ 7.e. At what time they or their worshippers shall be raised to receive judgment,

* «They know not the time when they were made.’’—Savary.

* Al Beidawi. "Idem, * Idem.
216 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVI.

Gop. As to those who believe not in the life to come, their hearts deny
the plainest evidence, and they proudly reject the truth. There is no doubt
but Gop knoweth that which they conceal and that which they discover.
Verily he loveth not the proud. And when it is said unto them, What
hath your Lorp sent down unto Mohammed? they answer, Fables of
ancient times. Thus are they given up to error, that they may bear their
own burdens without diminution on the day of resurrection, and also a part
of the burdens of those whom they caused to err, without knowledge. Will
it not be an evil burden which they shall bear? Their predecessors
devised plots heretofore: but Gop came into their building, ¢o overthrow it
from the foundations ; and the roof fell on them from above, and a punish-
ment came upon them, from whence they did not expect.* Also on
the day of resurrection he will cover them with shame; and will say,
Where are my companions, concerning whom ye disputed? Those unto
whom knowledge shall have been given! shall answer, This day shall shame
and misery fall upon the unbelievers. ‘They whom the angels shall cause
to die, having dealt unjustly with their own souls, shall offer to make their
peace™ in the article of death, saying, We have done no evil. But the
angels shall reply, Yea; verily Gop well knoweth that which ye have
wrought: wherefore enter the gates of hell, therein to remain for ever ; and
miserable shall be the abode of the proud. And it shall be said unto those
who shall fear God, What hath your Lorp sent down? They shall answer,
Good; unto those who do right shall be given an excellent reward in this
world; but the dwelling of the next life shall be better; and happy shall be
‘he dwelling of the pious! namely, gardens of eternal abode, into which
they shall enter; rivers shall flow beneath the same; therein shall they
enjoy whatever they wish. Thus will Gop recompense the pious. Unto
the righteous, whom the angels shall cause to die, they shall say, Peace be
upon you; enter ye into paradise, as a reward for that which ye have
wrought. Do the unbelievers expect any other than that the angels come
unto them, to part their souls from their bodies ; or that the sentence of thy
Lorp come to be executed on them? So did they act who were before
them; and God was not unjust towards them in that he destroyed them ;
but they dealt unjustly with their own souls: the evils of that which
they committed reached them; and the divine judgment which they
scoffed at fell upon them. The idolaters say, If Gop had pleased, we

 

«Some understand this passage figuratively, of God’s disappointing their wicked
designs; but others suppose the words literally relate to the tower which Nimrod (whom
the Micharmnedanh will have to be the son of Canaan, the son of Ham, and so the nephew
of Cush, and not his son,) buat in Babel, and carried to an immense height (five thousand
cubits, say some), foolishly purposing thereby to ascend to heaven, and wage war with
the inhabitants of that place; but God frustrated his attempt, utterly overthrowing the
tower by a violent wind and earthquake.® /

' viz. The prophets, and the teachers and professors of God’s unity ; or, the angels.

™ Making their submission, and humbly excusing their evil actions, as proceeding from
ignorance, and not from obstinacy or malice.”

2 Literally, gardens of Eden. See chap. 9, p. 157.

_ ° Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Nimrod. 1° Tdem.
interpretes. ‘
CHAP. XVI. AL KORAN. 217

had not worshipped any thing besides him, neither had our fathers: neither
had we forbidden any thing, without him.° So did they who were before
them. But is the duty of the apostles any other than public preaching?
We have heretofore raised up in every nation an apostle to admonish them,
saying, Worship Gop, and avoid Taghut.2? And of them there were some
whom Gop directed, and there were others of them who were decreed to
go astray. Wherefore go through the earth, O tribe of Koreish, and see
what hath been the end of those who accused their apostles of imposture.
If thou, O prophet, dost earnestly wish for their direction; verily Gop
will not direct him whom he hath resolved to lead into error; neither
shall they have any helpers. And they swear most solemnly by Gop,
saying, Gop will not raise the dead. Yea; the promise thereof is true:
but the greater part of men know it not. He will raise them that he may
clearly show them the truth concerning which they now disagree, and that
the unbelievers may know that they are liars. Verily our speech unto any
thing, when we will the same, is, that we only say unto it, Be; and it is
As for those who have fled their country for the sake of Gop, after they
nad been unjustly persecuted ;% we will surely provide them an excellent
nabitation in this world, but the reward of the next life shall be greater; if
they knew it." They who persevere patiently, and put their trust in their
Lorp, shall not fail of happiness in this life and in that which is to come.
We have not sent any before thee, as our apostles, other than men,* unto
whom we spake by revelation. Inquire therefore of those who have the
custody of the scriptures, if ye know not this to be truth. We sent them
with evident miracles, and written revelations; and we have sent down
unto thee this Koran, that thou mayest declare unto mankind that which
hath been sent down unto them,* and that they may consider. Are they
w'o have plotted evil against their prophet secure that Gop will not cause
the.earth to cleave under them, or that a punishment will not come upon
them, from whence they do not expect; or that he will not chastise them
while they are busied in travelling from one place to another, and in traffic ?

 

° This they spoke in a scoffing manner, justifying their idolatry and superstitious ab-
staining from certain cattle, by pretending, that had these things been disagreeable to
God, he would not have suffered them to be practised.

? See chap. 2, p. 31. ’ :

‘Some suppose the ptophet and the companions of his flight in general are here in-
tended: others suppose that those are particularly meant in this place, who, after Mo-
hammed’s departure, were imprisoned at Mecca on account of their having embraced his
religion, and suffered great persecution from the Koreish; as, Belél, Soheib, Khabbab,
Ammér, Abes, Abu’! Jandal, and Sohail.? :

* It is uncertain whether the pronoun they relates to the infidels, or to the true believers.
Tf to the former, the consequence would be, that they would be desirous of attaining to
the happiness of the Mohajerin, by professing the same faith; if to the latter, the know-
ledge of this4s urged as a motive to patience and perseverance.?

"See chap. 7, p. 121, note p, chap. 12, p. 199, &c.

* Literally, this admonition.*

* «« We have sent down unto thee the Koran; to recall to men the doctrine which they
have received, to the end that they may keep it in remembrance.’’—Savary.

* See chap. 6, p. 113, &c. 2 Al Beidawi. * Idem. “See the Prelim. Dise,
Sect. iii, p. 40. ;
¥

ue
218 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVI.

(for they shall not be able to elude the power of God,) or that he will not
shastise them by a gradual destruction? But your Lorp is truly gracious
and merciful in granting you respite. Do they not consider the things
which Gop hath created; whose shadows are cast on the right hand and
on the left, worshipping Gop,* and become contracted? Whatever moveth
both in heaven and on earth worshippeth Gop, and the angels also ; and
hey are not elated with pride, so as to disdain his service : they fear their
Lorn, who is exalted above them, and perform that which they are com-
manded. Gop said, Take not unto yourselves two gods; for there is but
one Gop: and revere me. Unto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven
and on earth; and unto him is obedience eternally due. Will ye therefore
fear any besides Goo? Whatever favours ye have received are certainly
from Gop; and when evil afflicteth you, unto him do ye make your sup-
plication ; yet when he taketh the evil from off you, behold, a part of you
give a companion unto their Lorp, to show their ingratitude for the favours
we have bestowed on them. Delight yourselves in the enjoyments of this
life : but hereafter shall ye know that ye cannot escape the divine vengeance.
And they set apart unto idols which have no knowledge* a part of the food
which we have provided for them. By Gop, ye shall surely be called to
account for that which ye have falsely devised. “They attribute daughters
unto Gop’ (far be it from him!) but unto themselves children of the sex
which they desire.» And when any of them is told the news of the birth of
a female, his face becometh black,? and he is deeply afflicted: he hideth
himself from the people, because of the ill tidings which have been told
him ; considering within himself whether he shall keep it with disgrace, or
whether he shall bury it in the dust. Do they not make an ill judgment?
Unto those who believe not in the next life, the similitude of evil ought to
be applied, and unto Gop the most sublime similifude:* for he is mighty
and wise. If Gop should punish men for their iniquity, he would not
leave on the earth any moving thing: but he giveth them respite unto an
appointed time ; and when their time shall come, they shall not be respited
an hour, neither shall their punishment be anticipated. They attribute unto

 

* See chap. 13, p. 202, note x.

* “ See they not that all the bodies which God hath created bend their shadow to the
right and to the left, to worship him, and to humble themselves before him ?’”7—Savary.

* Or, which they know not; foolishly imagining that they have power to help them, or
interest with God to intercede for them.

As to the ancient Arabs setting apart a certain portion of the produce of their lands for
their idols, and their superstitious abstaining from the use of certain cattle, in honour to
the same, see chap. 5, p. 95, and chap. 6, p. 113, and the notes there.

Y See the Prelim. Disc. p. 13. Al Beiddwi says, that the tribes of Khozfah and Kenana,
in particular, used to call the angels the daughters of God. :

* viz. Sons: for the birth of a daughter was looked on as a kind of misfortune among
the Arabs; and they often used to put them to death by burying them alivé.

i. e, Clouded with confusion and sorrow. 4

» This passage condemns the Meccans’ injudicious and blasphemous application of such
circumstances to God as were unworthy of him, and not only derogatory to the perfec-
tions of the Deity, but even disgraceful to man; while they arrogantly applied the more
honourable circumstances to themselves,

5 See chap. 81.
CHAP. XVI. AL KORAN. 219

Gop that which they dislike themselves,° and their tongues utter a lie;
namely, that the reward of paradise is for them. There is no doubt but
that the fire of hell is prepared for them, and that they shall be sent thither
before the rest of the wicked. By Gop, we have heretofore sent messengers
unto the nations before thee: but Satan prepared their works for them; he
was their patron in this world,? and in that which.is to come they shall suffer
a grievous torment. We have not sent down the book of the Kordn unto
thee, for any other purpose, than that thou shouldest declare unto them
that truth concerning which they disagree; and for a direction and mercy
unto people who believe. Gop sendeth down water from heaven, and
causeth the earth to revive after it hath been dead. Verily herein is a sign
of the resurrection unto people who hearken. Ye have also in cattle an
example of instruction: we give you to drink of that which is in their
bellies ; a liquor between digested dregs, and blood ;* namely, pure milk,‘
which is swallowed with pleasure by those who drink it.* And of the
fruits of palm-trees, and of grapes, ye obtain an inebriating liquor, and also
good nourishment. Verily herein is a sign unto people who understand.
Thy Lorp, spake by inspiration unto the bee, saying, Provide thee houses *
in the mountains, and in the trees, and of those materials wherewitn men
build hives for thee : then eat of every kind of fruit, and walk in the beaten
paths of thy Lorp.ti There proceedeth from their bellies a liquor of
various colour,* wherein is a medicine for men.! Verily herein is a sign

 

.  °By giving him daughters, and associates in power and honour; by disregarding his
messengers ; and by setting apart the better share of the presents and offerings for their
idols, and the worse for him.®
4 Or, He is the patron of them (viz. the Koreish) this day, &c.

© The milk consisting of certain particles of the blood, supplied from the finer parts of
the aliment. Ebn Abbas says, that the grosser parts of the food. subside into excrement,
and that the finer parts are converted into milk, and the finest of all into blood.

‘ Having neither the colour of the blood, nor the smell of the excrements.

* « Their milk, elaborated in the stomach, between chyle and blood, becomes for you
a salutary beverage.’’—Savary.

® Not only wine, which is forbidden, but also lawful food, as dates, raisins, a kind of
honey flowing from the dates, and vinegar.

Some have supposed that tltese words allow the moderate use of wine; but the contrary
is the received opinion."

"So the apartments which the bee builds are here called, because of their beautiful
workmanship, and admirable contrivance, which no geometrician can excel.®

t ‘To be nourished with every kind of fruit, and to wander at will.""—Savary.

‘i.e. The ways through which, by God’s power, the bitter flowers passing the bee’s
stomach, become honey; or, the methods of making honey, which he has taught her by
instinct; or else the ready way home from the distant places to which that insect flies.°

* viz. Honey; the colour of which is very different, occasioned by the different plants
on which the bees feed; some being white, some yellow, some red, and some black.*

‘The same being not only good food, but a useful remedy in several distempers,
pertoulerly those occasioned by phlegm. There is a story, that a man came once to

ohammed, and told him that his brother was afflicted with a violent pain in his belly ;
upon which the prophet bade him give him some honey. The fellow took his advice ;
but soon after coming: again, told him that the medicine had done his brother no manner
of service: Mohammed answered, Go and give him more honey, for God speaks truth, and
thy brother’s belly lies. And the dose being repeated, the man, by God's mercy, was
immediately cured.?

® Al Beidawi. * See chap. 2, p. 25. * Al Beidawi. ® Idem. ‘Idem.
*Tdem.
220 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVI.

unto people who consider. Gop hath created you, and he will hereafter
cause you to die: and some of you shall have his life prolonged to a
decrepit age, so that he shall forget whatever he knew ; for Gop is wise
and powerful. Gop causeth some of you to excel others in worldly pos-
sessions: yet they who are caused to excel do not give their wealth unto
the slaves whom their right hands possess, that they may become equal
sharers therein. Do they therefore deny the beneficence of God? Gop
hath ordained you wives from among yourselves,” and of your wives hath
granted you children and grandchildren; and hath bestowed on you good
things for food. ‘Will they therefore believe in that which is vain, and
ungratefully deny the goodness of Gop? They worship, besides Gop, idols
which possess nothing wherewith to sustain them, either in heaven, or on
earth; and have no power. Wherefore liken not any thing unto Gop:°
for Gop knoweth, but ye know not. Gop propoundeth as a parable a pos-
sessed slave, who hath power over nothing, and him on whom we have
bestowed a good provision from us, and who giveth alms thereout both
secretly and openly :? shall these wo ‘be esteemed equal? Gop forbid!
But the greater part of men know it not. Gop also propoundeth as a
parable two men; one of them born dumb, who is unable to do or under.
stand any thing, but is a burden unto his master; whithersoever he shall
send him, he shall not return with any good success: shall this man, and
he who hath his speech and understanding, and who commandeth that which
is just, and followeth the right way, be esteemed equal?" Unto Gop alone
| is the secret of heaven and earth known. And the business of the Jast °
hour? shall be only as the twinkling of an eye, or even more quick: for
Gop is almighty. Gop hath brought you forth from the wombs of your
mothers; ye knew nothing, and he gave you the senses of hearing and
seeing, and understandings, that ye might give thanks. Do they not behold
the fowls which are enabled to fly in the open firmament of heaven ?* none
supporteth them except Gop. Verily herein are signs unto people who

 

m These words reprove the idolatrous Meccans, who cguld admit created beings to a
share of the divine honour, though they suffered not their slaves to share with themselves
in what God had bestowed on them.?

» That is, of your own nations and tribes. Some think the formation of Eve from
Adam is here intended.

° Or propound no similitudes or comparisons between him and his creatures. One
argument the Meccans employed in defence of their idolatry, it seems, was, that the wor-
ship of inferior deities did honour to God; in the same manner as the respect showed to
the servants of a prince does honour to the prince himself.

” The idols are here likened to a slave, who is so far from having any thing of his own,
that he is himself in the possession of another ; whereas God is as a rich free man, who
provideth for his family abundantly, and also assisteth others who have need, both in
public and in private.* ‘

‘The idol is here again represented under the image of one who, by a defect in his
senses, is a useless burden to the man‘who maintains him; and God, under that of a
person completely qualified either to direct or to execute any useful undertaking. Some
suppose the comparison is intended of a true believer and an infidel.

© That is, tire resurrection of the dead.

* ‘See they not the bird cut the air? God alone can arrest its flight ?””—Savary.
® Al Beidawi. “Idem. * Idem, Jallalo’ddin. |
CHAP. XVI. AL KORAN. 221

believe. Gop hath also provided you houses for habitations for you; and
hath also provided you tents of the skins of cattle, which ye find light to be
removed on the day of your departure to new quarters, and easy to be pitched
on the day of your sitting down therein: and of their wool, and their fur,
and their hair, hath he supplied you with furniture and household-stuff for a
season, And Gop hath provided for you, of that which he hath created,
conveniences to shade you from the sun,* and he hath also provided you
places of retreat in the mountains, and he hath given you garments to de-
fend you from the heat," and coats of mail to defend you in your wars.
Thus doth he accomplish his favour towards you, that ye may resign your-
selves unto him. But if they turn back, verily thy duty is public preaching
only. They acknowledge the goodness of Gop,* and afterwards they deny
the same ;* but the greater part of them are unbelievers.’ On a certain day
we will raise a witness out of every nation :* then they who shall have been
unbelievers shall not be suffered to excuse themselves, neither shall they be
received into favour. And when they who shall have acted unjustly shall
see the torment prepared for them; (it shall not be mitigated unto them,
neither shall they be respited): and when those who shall have been
guilty of idolatry shall see their false gods,* they shall say, O Lorp, these
are our idols which we invoked, besides thee. But they shall return
an answer unto them, saying, Verily ye are liars.» And on that day shall
the wicked offer submission unto Gop; and the false deities which they
imagined shall abandon them. 4s for those who shall have been infidels,
and shall have turned aside others from the way of Gop, we will add unto
them punishment upon punishment because they have corrupted others.
On a certain day we will raise up in every nation a witness against them,
from among themselves; and we will bring thee, O Mohammed,_as a wit-
ness against these Arabians. We have sent down unto thee the book of
the Koran, for an explication of every thing necessary both as to faith and
practice, and a direction, and mercy,.and good tidings unto the Moslems.
Verily Gop commandeth justice, and the doing of good, and the giving
unto kindred what shall be necessary ; and he forbiddeth wickedness, and
iniquity, and oppression: he admonisheth you that ye may remember.°

 

* As trees, houses, tents, mountains, &c.

‘viz, Caves and grottos, both natural and artificial.

* Al Beidawi says, that one extreme, and that the most.insupportable in Arabia, is here
put for both; but Jallalo’ddin supposes that by heat we are in this place to understand cold.

*« They deny the gifts of heaven which they know; the most of them are unbe-
lievers.’’—Savary. . ;

= Confessing God to be the author of all the blessings they enjoy; and yet directing
ae worship and thanks to their idols, by whose intercession they imagine blessings are
obtained.

¥ Absolutely denying God’s providence, either through ignorance or perverseness.

* See chap. 4. p. 65, note y.

* Literally, Their companions. ‘

> For that we are not the companions of God, as ye imagined; neither did ye really
serve us, but your own corrupt affections and lusts; nor yet were ye led into idolatry by
us, but ye fal anto it of your own accord.® ‘ x

¢ This verse, which was the occasion of the conversion of Othman Ebn Matin, the

5 Al Beidawi.
222 AL KORAN. rf CHAP. XVI.

Perform your covenant with Gop,* when ye enter into covenant with him ;
and violate not your oaths, after the ratification thereof; since ye have
made Gop a witness over you. Verily Gop knoweth that which ye do.
And be not like unto her who undoeth that which she hath spun, un-
twisting it after she hath twisted it strongly ;* taking your oaths between
you deceitfully, because one party is more numerous than another party.t
Verily Gop only tempteth you therein; and he will make that manifest
unto you, on the day of resurrection, concerning which ye now disagree.
If Gop had pleased, he would surely have made you one people:® but
he will lead into error whom he pleaseth, and he will direct whom he
pleaseth ; and ye shall surely give an account of that which ye have done.
Therefore take not your oaths between you deceitfully lest your foot slip,
after it hath been stedfastly fixed, and ye taste evil in this life, for that ye
have turned aside.from the way of Gop: and ye suffer a grievous punish-
ment in the life to come. And sell not the covenant of Gop for a small
price ;* for with Gon is a better recompense prepared for you, if ye be men
of understanding. That which is with you will fail; but that which is
with Gop is permanent: and we will surely reward those who shall per-
severe, according to the utmost merit-of their actions. Whoso worketh
righteousness, whether he be male or female, and is a true believer, we
will surely raise him to a happy life; and we will give them their reward,
according tothe utmost merit of their actions. When thou readest the
Koran, have recourse unto Gop, that he may preserve thee from Satan driven
away with stones :'* he hath no power over those who believe, and who put

 

commentators say, containeth the whole which it is a man’s duty either to perform or to
avoid ; and is alone a sufficient demonstration of what is said in the foregoing verse.
Under the three things here commanded, they understand the belief of God’s unity, with-
out inclining to atheism, on the one hand, or polytheism, on the other; obedience to the
commands of God; and charity towards those in distress. And under the three things
forbidden they comprehend all corrupt and carnal affections; all false doctrines and
heretical opinions; and all injustice towards man.*

4 By persevering in his true religion. Some think that the oath of fidelity taken to
Mohammed by his followers is chiefly intended here.

* Some suppose that a particular woman is meant in this passage, who used (like Pene-
lope) to undo at night the work that she had done in the day. er name, they say, was
Reita Bint Saad Ebn Teym, of the tribe of Koreish.*

‘ Of this insincerity in their alliances the Koreish are accused ; it being usual with them,
when they saw the enemies of their confederates to be superior in force, to renounce their
league with their old friends, and strike up one with the others.®

* Or, of one religion, ;

» That is, Be not prevailed on to renounce your religion, or your engagements with
your prophet, by any promises or gifis of the infidels. For, it seems, the Koreish, to
tempt the poorer Moslems to apostatize, made them offers, not very considerable indeed,
but such as they imagined might be worth their acceptance.” -.

' Mohammed one day reading in the Koran uttered a horrid blasphemy, to the great
scandal of those who were present, as will be observed in another place;! to excuse
which he assured them that those words were put into his mouth by the devil; and to
See any such accident for the future, he is here seghy to beg God’s protection before

e entered on that duty Hence the Mohammedans, before they begin to read any part
of this book, repeat these words, I have recourse unto God for assistance against Satan
driven away with stones.

* «« When thou readest the Koran, pray unto the Lord to preserve thee from the snares
of Satan, the thunder-smitten.”’—Savary. ;

Al Beidawi. _.* Idem, ° Idem. * Idem. * In not. ad cap. 22
® Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi, Yahya, &c.

4
CHAP. XVI AL KORAN. 223

confidence in their Lorp; but his power is over thosg-only who take him
for their patron, and who give companions unto God. / When we substitute
in the Kordn an abrogating verse in lieu of a verse abrogated (and Gop
best knoweth the fitness of that which he revealeth), the infidels say, Thou
art only a forger of these verses: but the greater part of them know not
truth from falsehood. Say, The holy spirit* hath brought the same down
from thy Lorp with truth; that he may confirm those who believe, and
for a direction and good tidings unto the Moslems. We also know that |
they say, Verily, a certain man teacheth him to compose the Koran. The |
tongue of the person unto whom they incline is a foreign tongue ; but this,
wherein the Kordn is written, is the perspicuous Arabic tongue.*! Morey

 

¥ viz. Gabriel. See chap. 2, p. 12.

* “He whom they suspect speaketh a foreign tongue, and the Arabic of the Koran is
pure and elegant.’’—Savary.

\This was a great objection made by the Meccans to the authority of the Koran; for
when Mohammed insisted, as a proof of its divine original, that it was impossible a man,
so utterly unacquainted with learning as himself, could compose such a book, they replied,
that he had one or more assistants in the forgery ; but as to the particular person or per-
sons suspected of this confederacy, the traditions differ. One says it was Jabar, a Greek,
servant to Amer Ebn al Hadrami, who could read and write well ;? another, that they
were Jabar and Yesar, two slaves, who followed the trade of sword cutlers at Mecca,
and used to read the pentateuch and gospel, and had often Mohammed for their auditor,
when he passed that way.‘ Another tells us it was one Aish, or Yaish, a domestic of
al Haweiteb Ebn Abd al Uzza, who was a man of some learning, and had embraced
Mohammedism.* Another supposes it was one Kais, a Christian, whose house Moham-
med frequented ;° another, that it was Addas, a servant of Otba Ebn Rabia;" and an-
other, that it was Salman, the Persian.®

According to some Christian writers, Abdallah Ebn Salam, the Jew who was so inti-
mate with Mohammed (named by one, according to the Hebrew dialect, Abdias Ben
Salon, and by another, Abdala Celen) , was assisting to him in the compiling his pretended
revelations. This Jew Dr. Prideaux confounds with Salman, the Persian, who was a
very different man, as a late author’ has observed before me; wherefore, and for that we
may have occasion to speak of Salman hereafter, it may be proper to add a brief extract
of his story as told by himself. He was of a good family of Ispahan, and, in his younger
years, left the religion of his country to embrace Christianity; and travelling into Syria,
was advised by a certain monk of Amuria to go into Arabia, where a prophet was ex-
peste? to arise about that time, who should establish the religion of Abraham ; and whom

e should know, among other things, by the seal of prophecy between his shoulders.
Salman performed the journey, and meeting with Mohammed at Koba, where he rested
in his flight to Medina, soon found him to be the person he sought, and professed

slam?

The general opinion of the Christians however is, that the chief help Mohammed had
in the contriving his Koran was from a Nestorian monk named Sergius, supposed to be
the same person with the monk Boheira, with whom Mohammed, in his younger years,
had some conference at Bosra, a city of Syria Damascena, where that monk resided.? To
confirm which supposition, a passage has been produced from an Arab writer,* who says
that Boheira’s name, in the books of the Christians, is Sergius; but this is only a conjec-
ture ; and another‘ tells us his true name was Said, or Felix, and his surname Boheira.
Bit be that as it will, if Boheira and Sergius were the same man, I find not the least in-
timation in the Mohammedan writers that he ever quitted his monastery to go into Arabia
(as is supposed by the Christians ;) and his acquaintance with Mohammed at Bosra was.
too early to favour the surmise of his assisting him in the Koran, which was compose
long after; though Mohammed might, from his discourse, gain some knowledge of
Christianity and of the scriptures, which might be of use to him therein.

? Al Zamakhshari, Al Beidawi, Yahya. ‘* Al Zamakh. Al Beidawi. See Prid. Life of
Moh. p. 32. *Jdem. °Jallalo’ddin. *Al Zamakh. Yahya. ® Al Zamakh. Al Beidawi.
® Ricardi Confut. Legis Saracenice, c. 13. Joh. Andreas, de Confus. Secte Mahometare,
c.2, See Prid. Life of Moh. p. 33, 34. * Gagnier not. in Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 74.
?Fx Ebn Ishak. Vide Gagnier, ibid. *See Prid. ubi sup. p.35, &c. Gagnie~, ubi sup. |
p 10,11. Marrac. de Alcor. p. 37. 4 Al Masudi. 5 Abu’l Hasan al Becri in Koran. ~
224 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVI.

over as for those who believe not the signs of Gop, Gop will not direct
them, and they shall suffer a painful torment: verily they imagine a
falsehood who believe not in the signs of Gop, and they are really the
liars.* Whoever denieth Gop, after he hath believed, except him who
shall‘be compelled against his will, and whose heart continueth stedfast in
the faith, shall be severely chastised :™ but whoever shall voluntarily profess
infidelity, on those shall the indignation of Gop fall, and they shall suffer
a grievous punishment. This shall be their sentence, because they have
loved the present life above that which is to come, and for that Gop
directeth not the unbelieving people. These are they whose hearts, and
hearing, and sight, Gop hath sealed up; and these are the negligent:
there is no doubt but that in the next life they shall perish. Moreover
thy Lorp will be favourable unto those who have fled their country, afler
having suffered persecution, and had been compelled to deny the faith by

 

From the answer given in this passage of the Koran to the objection of the infidels,
viz. that the person suspected by him to have had a hand in the Koran spoke a foreign
language, and therefore could not, with any face of probability, be supposed to assist in a
composition written in the Arabic tongue, and with so great elegance, it is plain this
person was no Arabian. The word Ajami, which is here used, signifies any foreign or
barbarous language in general; but the Arabs applying it more particularly to the Per-
sian, it has been thence concluded by some that Salman was the person: however, if it
be true that he came not to Mohammed till after the Hejra, either he could not be the
man here intended, or else this verse must have been fevealed at Medina, contrary to the
common opinion.

* «The men who deny Islamism add blasphemy to falsehood.’’—Savary.

™ These words were added for the sake of Ammar Ebn Yaser, and some others, who
being taken and tortured by the Koreish, renounced their faith out of fear, though their
hearts agreed not with their mouths.6 It seems Ammar wanted the constancy of his
father and mother, Yaser and Sommeya, who underwent the like trial at the same time
with their son, and resolutely refusing to recant, were both put to death, the infidels
tying Sommeya between two camels, and striking a lance through her privy parts."
When news was brought to Mohammed that Ammar had denied the faith, he said, it

could not be, for that Ammar was full of faith, from the crown of his head to the sole of __

his foot, faith being mixed and incorporated with his very flesh and blood; and.when
Ammar himself came weeping to the prophet, he wiped his eyes, saying, What fault
was it of thine, if they forced thee?

But though it be here said that those who apostatize in appearance only, to avoid death
or torments, may hope for pardon from God, yet it is unanimously agreed by the Mo-
hammedan doctors to be much more meritorious and pleasing in the sight of God
courageously and nobly to persist in the true faith, and rather to suffer death itself than
renounce it, even in words. Nor did the Mohammedan religion want its martyrs, in the
strict sense of the word; of which I will here give two instances, besides the above-
mentioned. One is that of Khobaib Ebn Ada, who being perfidiously sold to the Koreish,
‘was by them put to death in a cruel manner, by mutilation, and cutting off his flesh
pe and being asked, in the midst of his tortures, whether he did not wish Mo-

ammed was in his place, answered, I would not wish to be with my family, my substance,
and my children, on condition that Mohammed was only to be pricked with a thorn’ The
other is that of a man who was put to death by Moseilama, on the following occasion,
That false prophet, having taken two of Mohammed’s followers, asked’ one of them,
what he said of Mohammed? The man answered. That he was the apostle of God:
And what sayest thou of me? added Moseilama; to which he replied, Thou also art the
apostle of God ; whereupon he was immediately dismissed in safety. But the other,
having returned the same answer to the former question, refused to give any to the last,
though required to do it three several times, but pretended to be deat and was therefore
slain. It is related that Mohammed, when the story of these two men was told him,
said, The first of them threw himself on God’s mercy ; but the latter professed the truth ;
end he shall find his account in it.® :

» As did Ammar, who made one in both the flights. Some, reading the verb with dif-
* Al Beidawi, Al Zamakh. Yahya. ‘'Al] Beiddwi. *Ebn Shohnah. ° Al Beidawi.
OHAP, XVI. AL KORAN. 225

violence, and who have since fought in defence of the true religion, and have
persevered with patience ; verily unto these will thy Lorn be gracious and
merciful, after they shall have shown their sincerity.’ On a certain day shall
every soul come to plead for itself,» and every soul shall be repaid that
which it shall have wrought; and they shall not be treated unjustly.
Gop propoundeth as a parable a city? which was secure and quiet, unto
which her provisions came in abundance from every side; but she ungrate-
fully denied the favour of God: wherefore Gop caused her to taste the
extreme famine, and fear, because of that which they had done. And
now is an apostle come unto the inhabitants of Mecca from among them-
‘selves ; and they accuse him of imposture: wherefore a punishment shall
be inflicted on them, while they are acting unjustly. Eat of what Gop
hath given you for food, that which is lawful and good; and be thankful
for the favours of Gon, if ye serve him. He hath only forbidden you
that which dieth of itself, and blood, and swine’s flesh, and that which
hath been slain in the name of any, besides God.1 But unto +him who
shall be compelled by necessity to eat of these things, not’ lusting nor wil-
fully transgressing, Gop will surely be gracious and merciful. And say not
that wherein your tongues utter a lie; This is lawful, and this is unlawful ;°
that ye may devise a lie concerning Gop: for they who devise concerning
Gop shall not prosper. They shall have small enjoyment in this world, and
in that which is to come they shall suffer a grievous torment. Unto the
Jews did we forbid that which we have told thee formerly :* and we did
them no injury in that respect ; but they injured their own souls.‘ More-
over thy Lorn will be favourable unto those who do evil through
ignorance, and afterwards repent and amend: verily unto these will thy
Lorp be gracious and merciful, after their repentance. Abraham was a
model of true religion, obedient unto Gop, orthodox, and was not an
idolater :* Ae was also grateful for his benefits: wherefore God chose him,
and directed him into the right way. And we bestowed on him good in
this world; and in the next he shall surely be one of the righteous. We
have also spoken unto thee, O Mohammed, by revelation, saying, Follow

 

ferent vowels, render the last words, after having persecuted the true believers; and.
mstance in al Hadrami, who obliged a servant of his to renounce Mohammedism, by
force, but afterwards, together with that servant, professed the same faith, ‘and fled for it!

° That is, every person shall be solicitous for his own salvation, not concerning himself
with the condition of another, but crying out, My own soul, my own soul !?

» This exampie is applied to every city which having received great blessings from God
becometh insolent and unthankful, and is therefore chastised by some signal judgment ;
or rather to Mecca in particular, on which the calamities threatened in this passage, viz.
both famine and sword, were inflicted.?

4 See chap. 5, p. 81. os

* Allowing what God hath forbidden, and superstitiously abstaining from what he hath
allowed. See chap. 6, p. 113.

* viz. In the 6th chapter, p. 113. .

‘i, e. They were forbidden things which were in themselves indifferent, as a punish-
ment for their wickedness and rebellion.

* This was to reprehend the idolatrous Koreish, who pretended that they professed the
religion of Abraham.

1 Al Beidawi. * 4Idem, 2 Idem. ’
226 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVII.

the religion of Abraham, who was orthodox, and was no idolater. The
sabbath was only appointed unto those who differed with their prophet
concerning it;* and thy Lorp will surely judge between them, on the day
of resurrection, as to that concerning which they differed. Invite men
unto the way of thy Lorp, by wisdom, and mild exhortation; and dis-
pute with them in the most condescending manner : for thy Lorp well
knoweth him who strayeth from his path, and he well knoweth those who
are rightly directed. If ye take vengeance on any, take a vengeance pro
portionable to the wrong which hath been done you;% but if ye suffer
wrong patiently, verily this will be better for the patient.» Wherefore, do
thou bear opposition with patience; but thy patience shall not be prac-
ticable, unless with Gop’s assistance. And be thou not grieved on account
of the unbelievers ; neither be thou troubled for that which they subtilely
aevise; for Gop is with those who fear him, and are upright.

CHAPTER XVII. i.
INTITLED THE NIGHT JOURNEY ;* REVEALED AT MECCA#
IN THE’ NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

*[XV.] Prats be unto him who transported his servant by night, from
the sacred temple of Mecca to the farther temple of Jerusalem, the circuit

 

x These were the Jews; who, being ordered by Moses to set apart Friday (the day now
observed by the Mohammedans) for the exercise of divine worship, refused it, and chose
the sabbath day, because on that day God rested from his works of creation ; for which
reason they were commanded to keep the day they had chosen in the strictest manner.‘

y This passage is supposed to have been revealed at Medina, on occasion of Hamza,
Mohammed's uncle, being slain at the battle of Ohod. For the infidels having abused his
dead body, by taking out his bowels, and cutting off his ears and his nose, when Moham-
med saw it, he swore that if God granted him success, he would retaliate those cruelties
on seventy of the Koreish; but he was by these words forbidden to execute what he had
sworn, and he accordingly made void his oath. Abu’lfeda makes the number on which
Mohammed swore to wreak his vengeance to be but thirty :® but it may be observed by
the way, that the translator renders ee e in that author, God hath revealed unto me
that I shall retaliate, &c., instead of, Jf God grant me victory over the Koreish, I will
retaliate, &c., reading Lain adhharni, for adhfarni ; God, far from putung this design ~
into the prophet’s head by a revelation, expressly forbidding him to put it in execution.

* Here, says al Beidawi, the Koran principally points at Mohammed, who was of all
men the most conspicuous for meekness and clemency.

«The reason of this inscription appears in the first words. Some intitle the chapter,
The Children of Israel. ;

» Some except eight verses, beginning at these words, It wanted little but that the infidels
had seduced thee, Suc.

© From whence he was carried through the seven heavens to the presence of God, and
brought back again to Mecca the same night.

This journey of Mohamme% to heaven is so well known, that I may be pardoned if I
omit the description of it. ‘The English reader may find it in Dr. Prideaux’s Life of
Mohammed," and the learned in Abu’lfeda,* whose annotator has corrected several mis-
takes in the relation of Dr. Prideaux, and in other writers.

It is a dispute among the Mohammedan divines, whether their prophet’s night-journey

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. 5 Tidem. § Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 68. " Page 43,
&c. See also Morgan’s Mohammedism Explained, vol. 2. 8 Vit. Moham. cap. 19

‘
CHAP. XVII. AL KORAN. 227

of which we have blessed, that we might show some of our signs;* for
God is he who heareth, and seeth. And we gave unto Moses the book of
the law, and appointed the same to be a direction unto the ¢thildren of
Israel, commanding them, saying, Beware that ye take not any other patron
besides me. O posterity of those whom we carried in the ark with Noah :*
verily he was a grateful servant. And we expressly declared unto the
children of Israel in the book of the law, saying, Ye will surely commit
evil in the earth twice,* and ye will be elated wiih great insolence. And
when the punishment threatened for the first of those ¢ransgressions came
to be executed, we sent against you our servants,‘ endued with exceeding
strength in war, and they searched the inner apartments of your houses ;
and the prediction became accomplished. Afterwards we gave you the
victory over them, in your turn, and we granted you increase of wealth
and children, and we made you a more numerous people, saying, If ye do
well, ye will do well to your own souls; and if ye do evil, ye will do it
unto the same. And when the punishment threatened for your latter
transgression came to be executed, we sent enemies against you to afflict you,»

 

was really performed by him corporeally, or whether it was only a dream or a vision.
Some think the whole was no more than a vision; and allege an express tradition of
Moawiyah,° one of Mohammed’s successors, to that purpose. Others suppose he was
carried bodily to Jerusalem, but no farther; and that he ascended thence to heaven in
spirit only. But the received opinion is, that it was no vision, but that he was actually
transported in the body to his journey’s end; and if any impossibility be objected, they
think it a sufficient answer to say, that it might easily be effected by an omnipotent
agent." ;
* «That we might leave there the tokens of our power.’’—Savary.

4The commentators are put to it to find out the connexion of these words with the
foregoing. Some think the accusative case is here put for the vocative, as I have trans-
lated it: and others interpret the words thus, Take not for your patrons, besides me, the
posterity of those, &&c., meaning, mortal men.

© Their first transgression was their rejecting the decisions of the law, their puttin
Isaiah to death,? and their imprisoning of Jeremiah :* and the second was their slaying o'
Zachariah and John the Baptist, and their imagining the death of Jesus.‘

‘ These were Jalit, or Goliah, and his forces ;* or Sennacherib the Assyrian ; or else
Nebuchadnezzar, whom the eastern writers call Bakhtnasr (which was, however, only
his surname, his true name being Gudarz, or Raham) the governor of Babylon under
Lohorasp, king of Persia,* who took Jerusalem, and destroyed the temple.

® By permitting David to kill Goliah; or by the miraculous defeat of Sennacherib’s
army ; or for that God put it into the heart of Bahman the son of Isfandiyar, when he
succeeded his grandfather Lohorasp, to order Kiresh, or Cyrus, then governor of Baby-
lon, to send home the Jews from their captivity, under the conduct of Daniel; which he
accordingly did, and they prevailed ugainst those whom Bakhtnasr had left in the land.”

» Some imagine the army meant in this place was that of Bakhtnasr ;* but others say
the Persians conquered the Jews this second time, by the arms of Gudarz (by whom they
seem to intend Antiochus Epiphanes), one of the successors of Alexander at Babylon. It
is related that the general in this expedition, entering the temple, saw blood bubbling up
on the great altar, and asking the reason of it, the Jews told him it was the blood of a
sacrifice which had not been accepted of God ; to which he replied, that they had not told
him the truth, and ordered a thousand of them to be slain on the altar: but the blood not
ceasing, he told them, that if they would not confess the truth, he would not spare one
of them; whereupon, they acknowledged it was the blood of John: and the general said,
Thus hath your Lord taken vengeance on you ; and then cried out, O John, my Lord and
thy Lord knoweth what hath befallen thy people for thy sake ; wherefore, let thy blood stop,

* Vide Vit. Moham. cap. 18. *AlBeidawi. Idem. *Jallalo’ddin. | ‘Idem.
*Idem, Yahya. 8 Al Zamakhshari, al Beidawi. Idem. * Yahya,
Jallalo’ddin.
228 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVII

and to enter the temple, as they entered it the tirst time, and utterly to
destroy that which they had conquered. Peradventure your Lorp will
have mercy on you hereafter : but if ye return to transgress a third time,
we also will return to chastise you ;: and we have appointed hell to be the
prison of the unbelievers. Verily this Koran directeth unto the way which
is most right, and declareth unto the faithful, who do good works, that
they shall receive a great reward; and that for those who believe not in
the life to come, we have prepared a grievous punishment. Man prayeth
for evil, as he prayeth for good ;* for man is hasty! We have ordained
the night and the day for two signs of our power : afterwards we blot out
the sign of the night, and we cause the sign of the day to shine forth, that
ye may endeavour to obtain plenty from your Lorp by doing your business
therein, and that ye may know the number of years, and the computation
of time; and every thing necessary have we explained by a perspicuous
explication.* The fate™ of every man have we bound about his, neck ;*
and we will produce unto him, on the day of resurrection, a book wherein
his actions shall be recorded : it shall be offered him open, and the angels
shall say unto him, Read thy book; thine own soul will be a sufficient ac-
countant against thee, this day.© He who shall be right/y directed, shall be
directed to the advantage only of his own soul; and he who shall err shall
err only against the same: neither shall any laden soul be charged with the

 

by oe s permission, lest I leave not one of them alive ; upon which the blood immediately
stopped.® ;

_These are the explications of the commentators, wherein their ignorance in ancient
nistory is sufficiently manifest ; though, perhaps, Mohammed himself, in this latter pass-
age, intended the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

i And this came accordingly to pass: for the Jews being again so wicked as to reject
Mohammed, and conspire against his life, God delivered them into his hands; and he
extermiriated the tribe of Koreidha, and slew the chiefs of that of al Nadir, and obliged
the rest of the Jewish tribes to pay tribute.

® Out of ignorance, mistaking evil for good; or making wicked imprecations on him-
self and others, out of passion and impatience.

1 Or, inconsiderate, not weighing the consequence of what he asks.
_ itis said that the person here meant is Adam, who, when the breath of life was breathed
into his nostrils, and had reached so far as his navel, though the lower part of his body
was, as yet, but a piece of clay, must needs try to rise up, and got an ugly fall by the
bargain. But others pretend the passage was revealed on the following occasion. Mo- |
hammed committed a certain captive to the charge of his wife, Sawda bint Zamda, who,
moved with compassion at the man’s groans, unbound him, and let him escape: upon
which the prophet, in the first motions of his anger, wished her hand might fall off; but
immediately composing himself, said aloud, O God, I am but a man ; therefore turn my
curse into a blessing.?

* « The night and the day bear witness to our power. We have covered the night with
a veil, and enlightened the face of day, that ye may employ it in seeking abundance. It
enables you to compute the years and the times. The impress of our wisdom is re-
splendent in all parts.’’—Savary. s

™ Literally, the bird, which is here used to signify a man’s fortune or success ; the
Arabs, as well as the Greeks and Romans, taking omens from the flight of birds, which
they supposed to portend good luck, if they flew {rom the left to the right, but if from the
right to the left, the contrary; the like judgment they also made when certain beasts
passed before them.

ae a collar, which he cannot by any means get off. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.
o 73.

° See ibid. p. 64.
° Al Beidawi. Idem. * Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. XVII. AL KORAN. 229

lurden of another. We did not punish any people, until we had first sent
an apostle to warn them. And when we resolved to destroy a city, we
commanded the inhabitants thereof, who lived in affluence, to obey our
apostle ; but they acted corruptly therein: wherefore the sentence was
justly pronounced against that city; and we destroyed it with an utter
destruction, And how many generations have we consumed since Noah?
for thy Lorp sufficiently knoweth and seeth the sins of his servants
Whosoever chooseth this transitory life, we will bestow on him therein
beforehand that which we please; on him, namely, whom we please:
afterwards will we appoint him hell for his abode ; he shall be thrown into
the same to be scorched, covered with ignominy, and utterly rejected from
mercy. But whosoever chooseth the life to come, and directeth his endea-
vour towards the same, being also a true believer; the endeavour of these
shall be acceptable unto God. On all will we bestow the blessings of this
life, both on these and on those, of the gift of thy Lorn; for the gift of
thy Lorp shall not be denied unto any. Behold, how we have caused
some of them to surpass others in wealth and dignity: but the next life
shall be more considerable in degrees of honour, and greater in excellence.
Set not up another god with the true God, lest thou sit down in disgrace,
and destitute.* Thy Lorp hath commanded that ye worship none besides
him; and that ye show kindness unto your parents, whether the one of
them, or both of them attain to old age with thee.p Wherefore, say not
unto them, Fie on you! neither reproach them, but speak respectfully unto
them; and submit to behave humbly? towards them, out of tender affec-
‘tion, and say, O Lorn, have mercy on them both, as they nursed me when
I was little. Your Lorp well knoweth that which is in your souls;
whether ye be men of integrity: and he will be gracious unto those who
sincerely return unto him. And give unto him who is of kin to you his
‘due,t and also unto the poor, and the traveller, And waste not thy sub-
stance profusely: for the profuse are brethren of the devils:* and the devil
was ungrateful unto his Lorp. But if thou turn from them, in expecta-
tion of the mercy which thou hopest from thy Lorp;t at least, speak
kindly unto’them. And let not thy hand be tied up to thy neck; neither
open it with an unbounded expansion," lest thou become. worthy of repre-

 

ys Give not to God an equal; nor remain seated without glory, and without virtue.”
= Javary.
» That is, receiving their support and maintenance from thee.

‘Literally, Lower the wing of humility, &c. ;

* That is, friendship and affection, and assistance in time of need. ;

* Prodigality, and squandering away one’s substance in folly or luxury, being a very
great sin. The Arabs were particularly guilty of extravagance in killing camels, and
ilistributing them by lot, merely out of vanity and ostentation; which they are forbidden
oy this passage, and commanded to bestow what they could spare on their poor relations,
and other indigent people.? :

* That is, If thy present circumstances will not permit thee to assist others, defer thy
charity till God grant thee better ability. .

"4. e. Be neither niggardly nor profuse, but observe the mean between the two ex-
tremes, wherein consists true liberality.”

2 Al Beidawi. 3Tdem.
230 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVII.

hensicn, and be reduced to poverty. Verily thy Lorp will enlarge the
store of whom he pleaseth, and will be sparing unto whom he pleaseth ;
for he knoweth and regardeth his servants. Kill not your children for
fear of being ‘brought to want; we will provide for them and for you:
verily the killing them is a great sin.x Draw not near unto fornication ;
for it is wickedness, and an evil way. Neither slay the soul which
Gop hath forbidden you to slay, unless for a just cause ;” and whosoever
shall be slain unjustly, we have, given his heir power to demand satisfac-
tion ;* but let him not exceed the bounds of moderation in putting to death
the murderer in too cruel a manner, or by revenging his friends blood on
any other than the person who killed him ; since he is assisted by this law.*
And meddle not with the substance of the orphan, unless it be to improve
it, until he attain his age of strength: and perform your covenant; for
the performance of your covenant shall be inquired into hereafter. And
give full measure, when you measure aught ; and weigh with a just ba-
lance. This will be better, and more easy for determining* every man’s
due. And follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge;* for the
hearing, and the sight, and the heart, every of these shall be examined
at the last day. Walk not proudly in the land, for thou canst not cleave
the earth, neither shalt thou equal the mountains in stature. All this is
evil, and abominable in the sight of thy Lorp. These precepts are a part
of the wisdom which thy Lorp hath revealed unto thee. Set not up any
other god as equal unto Gop, lest thou be cast into hell, reproved and
rejected. Hath your Lorp preferably granted unto you sons, and taken
for himself daughters from among the angels?*f Verily in asserting this
ye utter a grievous saying. And now have we used various arguments and
repetitions in this Koran, that they may be warned: yet it only rendereth
them more disposed to fly from the truth. Say unto the idolaters, If there
were other gods with him, as ye say, they would surely seek an occasion of

 

= See chap. 6, pp. 113 and 114, and chap. 81.

¥ The crimes for which a man may justly be put to death are these ; apostacy, adultery,
and murder.* ,

* It being at the election of the heir, or next of kin, either to take the life of the mur-
derer, or to accept of a fine in lieu of it.®

* Some refer the pronoun he to the person slain, for the avenging whose death this law
was made; some to the heir, who has a right granted him to domnnd satisfaction for his
fend blood ;* and others to him who shall be slain by the heir, if he carry his vengeance
too far.

» See chap. 4, pp. 59, 60. :

* «Fill the measure. Hold the balance even; and you will obey the laws of justice
and probity.”’—Savary.

° Or, more advantageous in the end.®

4; e, Vain and uncertain opinions, which thou hast not good reason to believe true, or
at least probable. Sore interpret the words, Accuse not another of a crime whereof thou
hast no knowledge ; supposing they forbid the bearing false witness, or the spreading or
giving credit to idle reports of others.®

° See chap. 16, p. 218. :

+ ‘* Will you say that God has chosen you for his children, and that he has had daugh-
ters by an intercourse with the angels? Can you utter this blasphemy.’’—Savary.

“ Al Beidawi. 5 See chap. 2, p. 21. * Yahya. ™Vide Al Beidawi. "Idem. «--
Al Zamakh. * Tidem. :

i
_ CHAP, XVII. AL KORAN. 231

making some attempt against the possessor of the throne:* Gop forbid! and
far, very far, be that from him which they utter! The seven heavens praise
him, and the earth, and all who are therein: neither is there any thing
which doth not celebrate his praise; but ye understand not their celebra-
tion thereof : he is gracious and merciful. When thou readest the Koran,
we place between thee and those who believe not in the life to come a dark
veil; and we put coverings over their hearts, lest they should understand
it, and in their ears thickness of hearing. And when thou makest mention,
in repeating the Koran, of thy Lorp only,# they turn their backs, flying the
doctrine of his unity. We well know with what design they hearken, when
they hearken unto thee, and when they privately discourse together: when
the ungodly say, Ye follow no other than a madman. Behold! what
epithets they bestow on thee. But they are deceived; neither can they
find any just occasion to reproach thee.* They also say, After we shall
have become bones and dust, shall we surely be raised a new creature?
Answer, Be ye stones, or iron, or some creature more improbable in
your opinions to be raised to life. But they will say, Who shall restore us
io life? Answer, He who created you the first time: and they will wag their
heads at thee, saying, When shail this be? Answer, Peradventure it is
nigh. On that day shall Gop call you forth from your sepulchres, and ye
shall obey, with celebration of his praise," and ye shall think that ye
tarried‘ but a little while Speak unto my servants, that they speak mildly
unto the unbelievers, lest ye exasperate them; for Satan soweth discord
among them, and Satan is a declared enemy unto man. Your Lorp well
knoweth you; if he pleaseth, he will have mercy on you, or, if he pleaseth,
* he will punish you :* and we have not sent thee to be a steward over them.T
Thy Lorp well knoweth al! persons in heaven and on earth... We have
bestowed peculiar favours on some of the prophets, preferably to others ; and
we gave unto David the psalms." Say, Call upon those whom ye imagine

 

‘a. e. They would in all probability contend with God for superiority, and endeavour
to dethrone him, in the same manner as princes act with one another on earth.

© Not allowing their gods to be his associates, nor praying their intercession with him.

* «They are in error, and they no more shall find the truth.”’—Savary.

"The dead, says al Beidawi, at his call shall-immediately rise, and shaking the dust
off their heads, shall say, Praise be unto thee, O God. . ;

‘ viz. In your graves; or, in the world.

« These words are designed as a pattern for the Moslems to follow, in discoursing with
the idolaters; by which they are taught to use soft and dubions expressions, and not to
tell them directly that they are doomed to hell fire; which, besides the presumption in
offering to determine the sentence of others, would only make them more irreconcileable
enemies.’ a *

+ “We have not sent thee to be their defender.’’—Savary.

’ And may choose whom he pleases for his ambassador. This is an answer to the ob-
jections of the Koreish, that Mohammed was the orphan pupil of Abu Taleb, and fol-
owed by a parcel of naked and hungry fellows.”

™ Which were a greater honour to him than hi kingdom; and wherein Mohammed
and his people are foretold by these words, among others;* The righteous shall inherit
the earth.* : $

* Al Beidawi. 2Tdem. 9 Vide Marrace. in Alc. p. 28, &c. Prid. Life of Moh.
p. 122, 4 Psalm xxxvii. 28. Al Beidawi.
232 AL KORAN. oHAP. XVI .

to be gods besides him; yet they will not be able to free you from harm, or
to turn it on others. Those whom ye invoke® do themselves desire to be ad-
mitted to a near conjunction with their Lorp ; striving which of them shall
approach nearest unto him: they also hope for his mercy, and dread his
punishment; for the punishment of thy Lorp is terrible. There is no
city but we will destroy the same before the day of resurrection, or we will
punish it with a grievous punishment. This is written in the book of our
eternal decrees. Nothing hindered us from sending thee with miracles, ex-
cept that the former nations have charged them with imposture. We gave
anto the tribe of Thamud, at their demand, the she-camel visible to their
sight : yet they dealt unjustly with her:° and we send not a prophet with
miracles, but to strike terror. Remember when we said unto thee, Verily
thy Lorp encompasseth men dy his knowledge and power. We have
appointed the vision? which we showed thee, and also the tree® cursed in
‘the Koran, only for an occasion of dispute unto men, and to strike them
with terror; but it shall cause them to transgress only the more enormously.
And remember when we said unto the angels, Worship Adam; and they
all worshipped him except Eblis, who said, Shall I worship him whom thou
hast created of clay? And he said, What thinkest thou, as to this man
whom thou hast honoured above me? verily, if thou grant me respite until
the day of resurrection, I will extirpate his offspring, except a few.* God
answered, Begone, I grant thee respite: but whosoever of them shall
follow thee, hell shall surely be your reward; an ample reward for your
demerits !* And entice to vanity such of them as thou canst, by thy voice;
and assault them on all sides with thy horsemen and thy footmen;*
and partake with them in their riches, and their children ;t and make them ©
promises; (but the devil shall make them no other than deceitful pro-

 

» viz. The angels and prophets, who are the servants of God as well as yourselves.

° See chap. 7, p. 124.

» Mohammed’s journey to heaven is generally agreed to be intended in this place ; which
occasioned great heats and debates among his followers, till they were quieted by Abu
Becr’s bearing testimony to the truth of it. The word vision, here used, is urged by
those who take this journey to have been no more than a dream, as’a plain confirmation
of their opinion. Some, however, suppose the vision meant in this passage was not the
night journey, but the dream Mohammed saw at al Hodeibiya, wherein he seemed to make
his entrance into Mecca ;° or that at Bedr ;* or else a vision he had relating to the family
of Ommeya, whom he saw mount his pulpit, and jump about in it like monkeys; upon
which he said, This is their portion in this world, which they have gained by their pro-
fession of Islim.* But if any of these latter expositions be true, the verse must have
been revealed at Medina.

4 Called al Zakkum, which springs from the bottom of hell.®

_‘* The Zakkum is a thorny tree which rene i Arabia, and of which the fruit is exces-
sively bitter. It was, no doubt, this bad quality which induced Mohammed to place it
in hell.’’—Savary. ;

* “TJ will enchain the posterity of him whom thou hast raised above me. Few shal:
escape my snares.’’—Savary.

® See chap. 2, p. 5, and chap. 7, p. 118, &c.

* 4. e. With all thy forces. *

' Instigating them to get wealth by unlawful means, and to spend it in supporting vice
+ Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 89, and not. ibid. Prideaux, Life of Moh. p, 50, and Prelim,

Disc. sect 2, p. 33. ® See Kor. chap. 48, * See chap. 8, p. 143. Al Beidawi,
*® Seo chap. 37.
UHAP. XVII. AL KORAN. 238

mises :*) as to my servants, thou shalt have no power over them; for thy
Lorp is a sufficient protector of those who trust in him. It is your Lorp
who driveth forward the ships for you in the sea, that ye may seek to
enrich yourselves of his abundance by commerce; for he is merciful to-
wards you. When a misfortune befalleth you at sea, the false deities
whom, ye invoke are forgotten by you, except him alone: yet when he
bringeth you safe to dry land, ye retire afar off from him, and return to
your idols ; for man is ungrateful." Are ye therefore secure that he will
not cause the dry land to swallow you up, or that he will not send against
you a whirlwind driving the sands to overwhelm you? Then shall ye find
none to protect you.t Or are ye secure that he will not cause you again
to commit yourselves to the sea another time, and send against you a
tempestuous wind, and drown you; for that ye have been ungrateful? then
shall ye find none to defend you against us, in that distress. And.now
have we honoured the children of Adam by sundry peculiar privileges
and endowments ; and we have given them conveniences of carriage by
land and by sea, and have provided food for them of good things; and
we have preferred them before many of our creatures which we have
created, by granting them great prerogatives. On a certain day we will
call all men to judgment with their respective leader :¥ and whosoever shall
have his book given him into his right hand, they shall read their book
with joy and satisfaction ;* and they shall not be wronged a hair.y And
whoever hath been blind in this life shall be also blind in the next, and
shall wander more widely from the path of salvation. It wanted little
but the unbelievers had tempted thee to swerve from the wstructions which
we had revealed unto thee, that thou shouldest devise concerning us a
different thing ;* and then would they have taken thee for their friend:

 

and superstition; and tempting them to incestuous mixtures, and to give their children
names in honour of their idols, as Abd Yaghuth, Abd’ al Uzza, &c.'°

* «« Render men docile to thy voice ; attack them with thy legions ; increase their riches
and the nugber of their children; flatter them with delightful hopes. Thy promises shal]
be delusive.”’—Savary.

*See chap. 10, p. 168.

t “Think ye that ye have a shelter from his wrath? Can he not open an abyss under

your feet, or cause a cloud laden with stones to burst upon your heads? Where would
ye find a refuge ?”’—Savary.
- Some interpret this of the prophet sent to every people ; others of the heads of sects;
others, of the various religions professed in the world; others, of the books which shall
be given to every man at the resurrection, containing a register of their good and bad
actions." i

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 4, p. 64.

¥ See chap. 4, p. 67, note n. ;

? These are generally supposed to have been the tribe of Thakif, the inhabitants of
al Tayef, who insisted on Mohammed’s granting them several very extraordinary pn-
vileges, as the terms of their submission to him; for they demanded that they might:
be free from the legal contribution of alms, and from observing the appointed times
of prayer; that they might be allowed to keep’ their idol Allat For a certain time,? and
that their territory might be declared a place of security, and not be violated, like that
of Mecca, &c. And they added, that if the other Arabs asked him the reason of
these concessions, he should say, that God had commanded him so to do.* Accord-.

© Al Beidawi. * Idem. 2 See the Prelim. Dise. p. 13. 2 Al Beidawi..
Jallalo’ddin. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moham. p. 126, &c.
Z
,

Q84 : AL KORAN. CHAP. XVII.

and unless we had confirmed thee, thou hadst certainly been very near
inclining unto them a little. Then would we surely have caused thee to
taste the punishment of life, and the punishment of death ;* and thou
shouldest not have found any to protect thee against us. The unbelievers
had likewise almost caused thee to depart the land, that they might have
expelled thee thence: but then should they not have tarried therein after
thee, except a little while.c This is the method of dealing which we
have prescribed ourselves in respect to our apostles, whom we have
already sent before thee: and thou shalt not find any change in our
prescribed method. Regularly perform thy prayer at the declension of
the sun,* at the first darkness of the night,? and the prayer of day-
break ;* for the prayer of day-break is borne witness unto by the angels.s
And watch some part of the night in the same ezercise, as a work of
supererogation for thee: peradventure thy Lorp will raise thee to
an honourable station® And say, O Lorp, cause me to enter with a
favourable entry, and cause me to come forth with a favourable coming
forth; and grant me from thee an assisting power.* And say, Truth is

 

ing to which explication it is plain this verse must have been revealed long after the
Hejra.

Some, however, will have the passage to have been revealed at Mecca, on occasion of
the Koreish: who told Mohammed they would not suffer him to kiss the black stone in
the wall of Caaba, unless he also visited their idols, and touched them with his hand, to
show his respect.

* viz. Both of this life and the next. Some interpret the first of the punishment in the
next world, and the latter of the torture of the sepulchre.‘

>The commentators differ as to the place where this passage was delivered, and the
occasion of it. Some think it was revealed at Mecca, and that it refers to the violent en-
mity which the Koreish bore Mohammed, and their restless endeavours to make him leave
Mecca ;5 as he was at length obliged to do. But as the persons here spoken of seem not
to have prevailed in their project, others suppose that the verse was revealed at Medina,
on the following occasion. ‘I'he Jews, envious of Mohammed’s good reception and stay
there, told him, by way of counsel, that Syria was the land of the prophets, and that if he
was 2 prophet he ought to go thither. Mohammed seriously reflecting on what they had
said, vegan to think they had advised him well; and actually set out, and proceeded a
day’s journey in his way to Syria; whereupon God acquainted him with their design by
the revelation of this verse; and he returned to Medina.®

° This was fulfilled, according to the former of the above-mentioned explications, by
the loss of the Koreish at Bedr; and according to the latter, by the great slaughter of the
Jews of Koreidha and al Nadir." ‘

47, e. At the time of noon prayer, when the sun declines from the meridian; or, as
some choose to translate the words, at the setting of the sun, which is the time of the first
evening prayer. :

© The time of the last evening prayer.

Literally, the reading of the daybreak ; whence some suppose the reading of the Koran
at that time is here meant.

® viz, The guardian angels, who, according to some, are relieved at that time; or else
the angels appointed to make the change of night into day, &c.°

» According to a tradition of Abu Horeira, the honourable station here intended is that
of intercessor for others.*

‘ That is, Grant that I may enter my grave with peace, and come forth from it, at the
resurrection, with honour and satisfaction. In which sense this petition is the same wit
that of Balaam, Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his

But as the person here spoken to is generally supposed to be Mohammed, the commen-

‘tators say he was commanded to pray in these words for a safe departure from Mecca, and

‘ Al Beidawi. 5’ Idem. * Idem, Jallalo’ddin. *Tidem. 5 Al Beidawi.
"Idem. 2 Numb. xxiii. 10. '
CHAP. XVII. AL KORAN. 235

vome, and falsehood is vanished:’ for falsehood is of short continuance,*
We send down of the Koran that which is a medicine and mercy unto the
true believers; but it shall only increase the perdition of the unjust.
When we bestow favours on man, he retireth and withdraweth himself
ungratefully from us: but when evil toucheth him, he despaireth of our
mercy. Say, Every one acteth after his own manner :} but your Lorp best
knoweth who is most truly directed in is way. They will ask thee con-
cerning the spirit:™ answer, The spirit was created at the command of my
Lorp :" but ye have no knowledge given unto you, except a little. If we
pleased, we should certainly take away that which we have revealed
unto thee ;? in such case thou couldst not find any to assist thee therein
against us, unless through mercy from thy Lorn; for his favour towards
thee hath been great. Say, Verily if men and genii were purposely assem-
bled, that they might produce a book like this Koran, they could not pro-
duce one like unto it, although the one of them assisted the other. And
we have variously propounded unto men in this Koran every kind of
figurative argument ;* but the greater part of men refuse to receive it,
merely out of infidelity. And they say, We will by no means believe on
thee, until thou cause a spring of water to gush forth for us out of the
earth;2 or thou have a garden of palm-trees and vines, and thou cause

 

ae
a good reception at Medina; or for a sure refuge in the cave, where he hid himself when
he fled from Mecca ;* or (which is the more common opinion) for a victorious entrance
into Mecca, and a safe return thence.*

* “Say, Lord, cause the truth* to preside over my entering in; cause it to preside over
my going out; cover me with the shield of thy power.’’—Savary.

* These words Mohammed repeated, when he entered the temple of Mecca, after the
taking of that city, and cleansed it of the idols; a great number of which are said to have
fallen down on his touching them with the end of the stick he held in his hand.*

‘i. e. According to his judgment or opinion, be it true or false: or according to the bent
of his-‘mind, and the natural constitution of his body.

™ Or, the soulofman. Some interpret it of the angel Gabriel, or of the divine revelation.”

2 viz. By the word Kun, i. e. Be ; consisting of an immaterial substance, and not gene-
rated, like the body. But, according to a different opinion, this passage should be trans-
lated, The spirit is of those things, the knowledge of which thy Lord hath reserved to himself.
For it is said that the Jews bid the Koreish ask Mohammed to relate the history of those
who slept in the cave,® and of Dhu’lkarnein,® and to give them an account of the soul of
man ; adding, that if he pretended to answer all the three questions, or could answer none
of them, they might be sure he was no prophet ; but if he gave an answer to one or two
of the questions, and was silent as to the other, he was really a prophet. Accordingly,
when they propounded the questions to him, he told them the two histories, but acknow-
ledged his ignorance as to the origin of the human soul.*

° All your knowledge being acquired front the information of your senses, which must
necessarily fail you in spiritual speculations, without the assistance of divine revelation.?

?aiz. The Koran: by razing it both from the written copies, and the memories of men.

.* “In it we have given instructions to man concerning all his duties; but, obstinate in
his unbelief, he rejects the light.”—Savary. ;

‘This and the following miracles were demanded of Mohammed by the Koreish, as
proofs of his mission.

* “ When Mohammed entered Mecca in triumph, the temple was surrounded by three
hundred and sixty idols. He struck them with a wand which he had in his hand, ex-
: slaiming, till they were overthrown, Truth has appeared ; falsehood is about to vanish.’’
—Savary. :
3 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. p. 36. * Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. * Tidem.
Vide Gagnier, Vie de Mohammed. tom. 2, p. 127. * Al Beidawi. ™]dem.
* See the next chapter. ® See ibid. 1 Al Beidawi. 2 Tdem.
/

236 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVII

rivers to spring forth from the miast thereof in abundance ; or thou cause
the heaven to fall down upon us, as thou hast given out, in pieces ; or thou
bring down Gop and the angels to vouch for thee ; or thou have a house of
gold; or thou ascend by a ladder to heaven: neither will we believe thy
ascending thither alone,* until thou cause a book to descend unto us, bearing
witness of thee, which we may read. Answer, My Lorp be praised! Am
I other than a man, sent as an apostle? And nothing hindereth men from
be.ieving, when a direction is come unto them, except that they say, Hath
Gop sent a man for his apostle? Answer, If the angels had walked on
earth as familiar inhabitants thereof, we had surely sent down unto them
from heaven an angel for our apostle. Say, Gop is a sufficient witness
between me and you: for he knoweth and regardeth his servants. Whom
Gop shall direct, he shall be the rightZy directed ; and whom he shall cause
to err, thou shalt find none to assist, besides him. And we will gather
them together on the day of resurrection, creeping on their faces, blind, and
dumb, and deaf :* their abode shall be hell; so often as the Sire thereof shall
be extinguished, we will rekindle a burning flame to torment them.t This
shall be their reward, because they disbelieve in our signs, and say, When
we shall have been reduced to bones and dust, shall we surely be raised new
creatures? Do they not perceive that Gop, who created the heavens and
the earth, is able to create other bodies, like their present? And he hath
appointed them a limited term ;* there is no doubt thereof: but the ungodly
reject the truth, merely out of unbelief. Say, If ye possessed the treasures
of the mercy of my Lorp, ye would surely refrain from using them, for fear
of spending them ;* for man is covetous. We heretofore gave unto Moses
the power of working nine evident signs.** And do thou ask the children
of Israel, as to the story of Moses ;* when he came unto them, and Pharaoh
said unto him, Verily I esteemed thee, O Moses, to be deluded by sorcery.

 

* As thou pretendest to have done in thy night-journey; but of which no man was
witness.

® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. pp. 60, 61. *

ti. e. When the fire shall go out or abate for want of fuel, after the consumption of the
pone and ficsh of the damned, we will add fresh vigour to the flames by giving them new

odies.?

« Of life, or resurrection.

x That is, lest they should be exhausted.

* «We gave to Moses the power of working seven miracles.’’—Savary.

y These were, the changing his rod into a serpent, the making his Rand white and
shining, the ene locusts, lice, frogs, and blood, the dividing of the Red Sea, the
bringing water out of the rock, and the shaking of Mount Sinai over the children of Israel.
In lieu of the three last, some reckon the inundation of the Nile, the blasting of the corn,
and scarcity of the fruits of the earth. These words, however, are interpreted by others,
not of nine miracles, but of nine commandments, which Moses gave his people, and were
thus numbered up by Mohammed himself to a Jew, who asked him the question, viz.
That they should not be guilty of idolatry, nor steal, nor commit adultery or murder, nor
practise sorcery or usury, nor accuse an innocent man to take away his life, or a modest °°
woman of whoredom, nor desert the army; to which he added the observing of the sab-
bath, as a tenth commandment, but which peculiarly rerarded the Jews; upon which
answer, it is said, the Jew kissed the prophet’s hands and feet.®

2 Some think these words are directed to Moses, who is hereby commanded to demand
the children of Israel of Pharaoh, that he might let them go with him.

* Al Beidiwi. See chap. 4, p. 67. “Idem, Jallalo’ddin. * Al Beidawi.
CHAP. XVII. AL KORAN. 237

Moses answered, Thou well knowest that none hath sent down these evident
signs except the Lorp of heaven and earth; and I surely esteem thee, O
Pharaoh, a lost man. Wherefore Pharaoh sought to drive them out of the
land; but we drowned him and all those who were with him. And we
said unto the children of Israel, after Ais destruction, Dwell ye in the land:
and when the promise of the next life shall come to be fulfilled, we will |
bring you doth promiscuously to judgment. We have sent down the Kordn
with truth, and it hath descended with truth: and we have not sent thee
otherwise than to be a bearer of good tidings, and a denouncer of threats.
And we have divided the Koran, revealing it by parcels, that thou mightest
read it unto men with deliberation: and we have sent it down, causing zt
to descend as occasion required.» Say, Whether ye believe therein, or do
not believe, verily those who have been favoured with the knowledge of the
scriptures which were revealed before it, when the same is rehearsed, unto
them, fall down on their faces,” worshipping, and say, Our Lorp be praised,
for that the promise of our Lorp is surely fulfilled! and they fall down on
their faces, weeping; and the hearing thereof increaseth their humility.
Say, call upon Gop, or call on the Merciful: by whichsoever of the two
names ye invoke him, it is equal; for he hath most excellent names.°
Pronounce not thy prayer aloud, neither pronounce it with too low a voice,!
but follow a middle way between these: and say, Praise be unto Gop, who
hath not begotten any child; who hath no partner in the kingdom, nor
hath any to protect him from contempt: and magnify him by proclaiming
his greatness.

CHAPTER XVIII.

INTITLED, THE CAVE;? REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

PratseE be unto Gop, who hath sent down unto his servant the book of
the Koran, and hath not inserted therein any crookedness,* but hath made
it a straight rule: that he should threaten a grievous punishment unto the
unbelievers, from his presence; and should bear good tidings unto the
faithful, who work righteousness, that they should receive an excellent
reward, namely, paradise, wherein they shall remain for ever: and that he

 

® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 46.

> Literally, on their chins.

©The infidels hearing Mohammed say, O God, and O Merciful, imagined the Merci-
ful was the name of a deity different from God, and that he preached the worship of
two, which occasioned this passage. See chap. 7, p. 136.

* Neither so loud, that the infidels may overhear thee, and thence take occasion io
blaspheme and scoff; nor so softly as not to be heard by the assistants. Some suppose
that by the word prayer, in this alae, is meant the reading of the Koran.

© The Chapter is thus inscribed because it makes mention of the cave wherein the seven
sleepers concealed themselves.

f Some except one verse, which begins thus, Behave thyself with constancy, &c.

#+* The book which deceives not.’’—Savary.
238 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVIII

should warn those who say, Gop hath begotten issue ; of which matter they
have no knowledge, neither had their fathers. A grievous saying it is,
which proceedeth from their mouths: they speak no other than a lie.
Peradventure thou wilt kill thyself with grief after them, out of thy earnest
zeal for their conversion,* if they believe not in this new revelation of the
Koran. Verily we have ordained whatsoever is on the earth for the orna- —
ment thereof, that we might make trial of men, and see which of them
excelleth in works: and we will surely reduce whatever is thereon to dry
dust. Dost thou consider that the companions of the cave, and Al Rakim,
were one of our signs, and a great miracle? When the young men took
refuge in the cave, they said, O Lorp, grant us mercy from before thee,
and dispose our business for us to a right issue.t Wherefore we struck their
ears with deafness, so that they slept without disturbance in the cave fora great
number of years: then we awaked them, that we might know which of the
two parties! was more exact in computing the space which they had remained
there. We will relate unto thee their history with truth. Verily they were
young men who had believed in their Lorp: and we had abundantly
directed them: and we fortified their hearts with constancy when they
stood before the tyrant ; and they said, Our Lorp is the Lorp of heaven and
earth: we will by no means call on any god besides him ; for then should
we surely utter an extravagance.t These our fellow people have taken
other gods, bgsides him ; although they bring no demonstrative argument for
them : and who is more unjust than he who deviseth a lie concerning Gop 1§

 

* “Tf they believe not thy doctrine, thy efforts to lead them to it will be in vain, and
thy grief will be fruitless.’""—Savary.

® These were certain Christian youths, of a good family in Ephesus, who to avoid the
persecution of the emperor Decius, by the Arab writers called Decianus, hid themselves
ina cave, where they slept for a great number of years.®

This apocryphal story (for Baronius' treats it as no better, and Father Marracci® ac-
knowledges it to be partly false, or at least doubtful, though he calls Hottinger @ monster
of impiety, and the off-scum of heretics, for terming it a fable’) was borrowed by Moham-
med from the Christian traditions,t but has been embellished by him and his followers
with several additional circumstances.?

» What is meant by this word the commentators cannot agree. Some will have it to be
the name of the mountain or the valley wherein the cave was; some say it was the name
of their dog ; and others (who seem to come nearest the true signification) that it was a
brass plate, or stone table, placed near the mouth of the cave, on which the names of the
young men were written.

There are some, however, who take the companions of al Raktm to be different from
the seven sleepers: for they say the former were three men who were driven by ill wea-
ther into a cave for shelter, and were shut in there by the falling down of a vast stone,
which stopped the cave’s mouth; but on their begging God’s mercy, and their relating
each of them a meritorious action which they hoped might entitle them to it, were mira-
culously delivered by the rock’s rending in sunder.to give them passage.*

t ‘Lord, cover us with the shade of thy mercy, and cause justice to preside over our
enterprise.’’—Savary.

‘ viz. Of the sleepers themselves, or others, who were divided in opinion as to the
Jength of their stay in the cave.

t ‘‘ For we should be impious.’’—Savary. i

§ ‘* People, worship your idols. We will refuse unto them our incense, as long as they

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo'ddin, &.  * In Martyrol. ad 27, Juli. —* In Alor. p. 425
et in Prodr. part 4, p. 102 ® Hotting. Hist. Orient. p. 40. 1 Vide Greg. Turon.

et Simeon. Metophrast. ° Vide D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 189. > Al Beidawi
ex trad. Nooman Ebn Bashir.
CHAP. XVIII. AL KORAN. 289

And they said the one to the other, When ye shall separate yourselves from
them, and from the deities which they worship, except Gon,* fly into the
cave: your Lorp will pour his mercy on you abundantly, and will dispose
your business for you to advantage. And thou mightest have seen the
sun, when it had risen, to decline from their cave towards the right hand;
and when it went down, to leave them on the left hand:! and they were in
the spacious part of the cave." This was one of the signs of Gop. Whom.
soever Gop shall direct, he shall be rightly directed: and whomsoever he
shall cause to err, thou shalt not find any to defend or to direct. And
thou wouldest have judged them to have been awake," while they were
sleeping; and we caused them to turn themselves to the right hand, and to
the left.e And their dog? stretched forth his fore-legs in the mouth of the
cave: if thou hadst come suddenly upon them, verily thou wouldest have
turned thy back and fled from them, and thou wouldest have been filled
with fear at the sight of them.1 And so we awaked them from their sleep,
that they might ask questions of one another. One of them spake and
said, How long have ye tarried here? They answered, We have tarried a
day, or part of aday. The others said, Your Lorn best knoweth the time
ye have tarried:* and now send one of you with this your money into the

 

give unto us no eminent proofs of their power. What can be more impious than to attri-
bute falsehood to God ?”’—Savary.

® For they, like other idolaters, worshipped the true God and idols also.*
' Lest it should be offensive to them, the cave opening towards the south.®

™7z,e. In the midst of it, where they were incommoded neither by the heat of the sun
nor the closeness of the cave.®

» Because of their having their eyes open, or their frequent turning themselves from
one side to the other."

° Lest their lying so long on the ground should consume their flesh.*

? This dog had followed them as they passed by him when they fled to the cave, and
they drove him away ; whereupon God caused him to speak, and he said, I love those who
are dear unto God ; go to sleep, therefore, and I will guard you. But some say, it was a
dog belonging to a shepherd who followed them, and that the dog followed the shepherd ;
which opinion is supported by reading, as some do, calebohom, their dog’s master, instead
of calbohom, their dog.° Jallalo’ddin adds, that the dog behaved himself as his masters
did, in turning himself, in sleeping, and in waking.

The Mohammedans have a great respect for this dog, and allow him a place in paradise
with some other favourite brutes; and they have a sort of proverb which they use in
speaking of a covetous person, that he would not throw a bone to the dog of the seven
sleepers : nay it is said that they have the superstition to write his name, which they sup-
pose to be Katmir, (though some, as is observed above, think he was called al Rakim)
on their letters which go far, or which pass the sea, as a protection, or kind of talisman,
to preserve them from miscarriage.*

4 For that God had given them terrible countenances; or else because of the largeness
of their bodies, or the horror of the place.

It is related that the Khalif Moawiyah, in an expedition he made against Natolia,
passed by the cave of the seven sleepers, and would needs send somebody into it, not-
withstanding Ebn Abbas remonstrated to him the danger of it, saying, That a better
man than him (meaning the prophet) had been forbidden to enter it, and repeated this
verse; but the men the Khalif sent in had no sooner entered the cave, than they were
struck dead by a burning wind.?

* As they entered the cave in the morning, and waked about noon, they at_first
imagined th; had slept half a day, or a day and a half at most; but when they found
their nails and hair grown very long, they used these words.? :

‘ Al Beidawi. 5 Tdem. 5TIdem. Idem. ® Idem, Jallalo’ddin. ° Idem.
' La Roque, Voy. de l’Arabie Heur. p. 74. Vide D’Herbel. ubi sup. 2 Al Beidawi.
? Idem.
240 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVIII.

city ;* and let him see which of its inhabitants hath the best and cheapest
food, and let him bring you provision from him; and let him behave cir-
cumspectly, and not discover you to any one. Verily if they come up
against you, they will stone you, or force you to return to their religion ;
and then shall ye not prosper for ever. And so we made their people
acquainted with what had happened to them; that they might know that
the promise of Gop is true, and that there is no doubt of the dast hour ;*
when they disputed among themselves concerning their matter." And they
said, Erect a building over them: their Lorp best knoweth their condition.
Those who prevailed in their affair answered, We will surely build a chapel
over them.’ Some say, The sleepers were three; and their dog was the
fourth :* and others say, They were five; and their dog was the sixth;*
guessing at a secret matter: and others say, They were seven; and their
dog was the eighth.» Say, My Lorp best knoweth their number: none
Shall know them, except a few. Wherefore dispute not concerning them,
except with a clear disputation,* according to what hath been revealed unto
thee ; and ask not any of the Christians concerning them. Say not of any
matter, I will surely do this to-morrow; unless thou add, If Gop please.*
And remember thy Lorp, when thou forgettest,” and say, My Lorn is able
to direct me with ease, that I may draw near unto the truth of this matter
rightly. And they remained in their cave three hundred years, and nine

4

* Which some commentators suppose was Tarsus.

' The long sleep of these young men, and their waking after so many years, being a
representation of the state of those who die, and are afterwards raised to life.

“7. e. Concerning the resurrection; some saying that the souls only should be raised,
others, that they should be raised with the body: or, concerning the sleepers, after they
were really dead; one saying, that they were dead, and another, that they were only
asleep: or else concerning the erecting a building over them, as it follows in the next
words; some advising a dwelling-house to be built there, and others a temple.*

* When the yonng man who was sent into the city went to pay for the provision he had
bought, his money was so old, being the coin of Decianus, that they imagined he had
found a treasure, and carried him before the prince, who was a Christian, and having
heard his story, sent some with him to the cave, who saw and spoke to the others: after
which they fell asleep again and died: and the prince ordered them to be buried in the
same place, and built a chapel over them.

* This was the opinion of al Seyid, a Jacobite Christian of. Najran.

'¥ Which was the opinion of certain Christians, and particularly of a Nestorian prelate,

* And this is the true opinion.’

_* “Speak not of them but with knowledge, and relate not their history to the unbe-
lievers.’’—Savary.

* It is said, that when the Koreish, by the direction of the Jews, put the three questions
above-mentioned to Mohammed, he bid them come to him the next day, and he would
ge en an answer, but added not, tf tt please God ; for which reason he had the morti-

cation to wait above ten days, before any revelation was vouchsafed him concerning
those matters, so that the Koreish triumphed, and bitterly reproached him as a liar: but
at length Gabriel brought him directions what he should say ; with this admonition, how-
ever, that he should not be so confident for the future.*

(‘*The Turks act strictly up to this maxim of their prophet. They never give a positive
answer. If they are asked, will you come? Will you go? Shall you complete this
business? they always end their reply with en cha Allah, If God please.’’—Savary.)

*i, e. Give the glory to him, and ask pardon for thy omission, in case thou forget to
say, If it please God.

,

* Al Beidawi, ‘Idem, Jallalo’ddin. ® Tidem.
JHAP, XVIII. AL KORAN. : 241

years over,.** Say, Gop best knoweth how long they continued shere:
unto him are the secrets of heaven and earth known ; do thou make him te
see and to hear.t. The inhabitants thereof have no protector besides him;
neither doth he suffer any one to have a share in the establishment or know-
ledge of his decree. Read that which hath been revealed unto thee, of the
book of thy Lorp, without presuming to make any change therein :* there
is none who hath power to change his words; and thou shalt not find any
to fly to, besides him, if thou attempt it. Behave thyself with constancy
towards those who call upon their Lorp morning and evening, and who
seek his favour; and let not thine eyes be turned away from them, seeking
the pomp of this life;f neither obey him whose heart we have caused to
neglect the remembrance of us, and who followeth his lusts,t and leaveth
the truth behind him. And say, The truth is from your Lorp; wherefore
let him who will, believe, and let him who will, be incredulous. We have
surely prepared for the unjust hel fire, the flame and smoke whereof shall
surround him like a pavilion: and if they beg relief, they shall be relieved
with water like molten brass, which shall scald their faces ; O how miserable
a potion, and how unhappy a couch! As to those who believe, and do |
good works, we will not suffer the reward of him who shall work righteous-
ness to perish: for them are prepared gardens of eternal abode, which
- shall be watered by rivers; they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of
gold, and they shall be clothed in green garments of fine silk and brocades ;
reposing themselves therein on thrones.[ O how happy a reward, and how
easy acouch! And propound unto them as a parable two men :' on the
one of whom we had bestowed fwo vineyards, and had surrounded them
with palm-trees, and had caused corn to grow between them. Each of the

 

* “ These youths remained three hundred and seven years in the cave.’’—Savary.

© Jallalo’ddin supposes the whole space was three hundred solar years, and that the odd
nine are added to reduce them to lunar years.

Some think these words are introduced as spoken by the Christians, who differed among
themselves about the time; one saying it was three hundred years, and another, three
hundred and nine years.’ The interval between the reign of Decius, and that of ‘Mheodosius
the younger, in whose time the sleepers are said to have awaked, will not allow them to
have slept quite two hundred years: though Mohammed is somewhat excusable, since
the number assigned by Simeon Metaphrastes® is three hundred and seventy-two years.

¢ This is an ironical expression, intimating the folly and madness of man’s presuming
to instruct God.® ,

© As the unbelievers would persuade thee to do.”

‘ That is, Despise not the poor believers because of their meanness, nor honour the
rich because of their wealth and grandeur.

® The person more particularly intended here, it is said, was Ommeya Ebn Khalf, who
desired Mohammed to discard his indigent companions, out of respect to the Koreish.
See chap. 6, p. 103.

+ ‘Follow not him whose heart hath forgotten us, and who hath no other guide than
his desires and his unbridled passions.’’—Savary.

» Literally of Eden. See chap. 9, p. 157.

t ‘* Possessor of the garden of Eden, through which rivers flow, adorned with golden
bracelets, clothed in green garments woven in silk and in gold, resplendent with glory, he
shall repose on the nuptial couch, the happy reward of the abode of delights.’’—Savary.

‘ Though these seem to be géneral characters only, designed to represent the different
end of the wicked, and of the good; yet it is supposed by some, that two particular per-

* Al Beidawi. * Ubi sup. ° Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. 2 Tidem.
242 AL KORAN. _ OHAP. XVIII.

gardens brought: forth its fruit every season, and failed not at all; and we
caused a river to flow in the midst thereof: and he had great abundance.
And he said unto his companion by way of debate, I am superior to thee
in wealth, and have a more powerful family. And he went into his
garden,* being guilty of injustice against his own soul, and said, I do not
think that this garden will decay for ever; neither do I think that the last
hour will come: and although I should return unto my Lorp, verily I shall
find a better garden than this in exchange! And his companion said unto
him, by way of debate, Dost thou not believe in him who created thee of
the dust, and afterwards of seed; and then fashioned thee into a perfect
man? But as for me, Gop is my Lorp; and I will not associate any other
deity with my Lorp. And when thou enterest thy garden, wilt thou not
say, What Gop pleaseth shall come to pass ; there is no power but in Gop
alone? . Although thou seest me to be inferior to thee in wealth and
number of children, my Lorp is well able to bestow on me a better gift
than thy garden, and to shoot his arrows against the same from heaven, so
that it shall become barren dust ; or its water may sink deep into the earth,
that thou canst not draw thereof. And his possessions were encompassed
with destruction, as his companion had forewarned him ; wherefore he began
to turn down the palms of his hands out of sorrow and regret for that which
he had expended thereon; for the vines thereof were fallen down on their
trails: and he said, Would to Gop that I had not associated any other deity
with my Lorp! And he had no party to assist him besides Gop,* neither
was he able to defend himself against his vengeance. In such case protection
belongeth of right unto Gop alone ; he is the best rewarder, and the best
giver of success. And propound to them a similitude of the present life.
It is like water which we send down from heaven; and the herb of the
earth is mixed therewith, and after it hath been green and flourishing, in
the morning it becometh dry stubble, which the winds scatter abroad: and
Gop is able to do all things. Wealth and children are the ornament of this
present life: but good works, which are permanent, are better in the sight
. of thy Lorp, with respect to the reward, and better with respect to hope.
On a certain day we will cause the mountains to pass away,™ and thou
shalt see the earth appearing plain and even; and we will gather mankind
sons are here meant. One says they were two Israelites and brothers, who had a consi-
derable sum left them by their father, which they divided between them; and that one
‘of them, being an unbeliever, bought large fields and possessions with his portion, while
the other, who was a true believer, disposed of his to pious uses ; but that in the end, the
former was ruined, and the latter prospered. Another thinks they were two men of the
tribe of Makhztim; the one named al Aswad Ebn Abd’al Ashadd, an infidel; and the

other Abu Salma Ebn Abd’allah, the husband of Omm Salma (whom the prophet mar-
ried after his death,) and a true believer.*

x aun his companion with him, out of oz.entation, and to mortify him with the
view of his large possessions.”
Bs Vainly imagining that his prosperity. was not so much the free gift of God, as due te

is merit.

* «His numerous slaves stopped not the hand of the Almighty. He was unable to
defend himself.’ —Savary.

™ For being torn up by the roots, they shall fly in the air, and be reduced to atoms.

1 AlBeidawi. ?Idem. *Idem. ‘Idem. See the Prelim. Dise sect. 1. p. 59.
CHAP. XVIII. AL KORAN. 243

together, and we will not leave any one of them behind. And they shall
be set before thy Lorn in distinct order, and he shall say unto them, Now
are ye come unto us naked, as we created you the first time: but ye
thought that we should not perform our promise unto you. And the book
wherein every one’s actions are recorded shall be put into his hand ; and thou
shalt see the wicked in great terror, because of that which is written
therein, and they shall say, Alas for us!’ what meaneth this book? it
omitteth neither a small action nor a great one, but it compriseth the
same; and they shall find that which they have wrought, present before
their eyes: and thy Lorp will not deal unjustly with any one. Remem-
ber when we said unto the angels, Worship ye Adam: and they all
worshipped him, except Eblis," who was one of the genii,° and de-
parted from the command of his Lorp. Will ye therefore take him
and his offspring for your patrons besides me, notwithstanding they
are your enemies? Miserable shall such a change be to the ungodly!
I called not them to be present at the creation of the heavens and of the
earth, nor at the creation of themselves, neither did I take those seducers
for my assistants. On a certain day, God shall say unto the idolaters, Call
those whom ye imagined to be my companions, to protect you : and they
shall call them, but they shall not answer them; and we will place a valley
of destruction between them:%* and the wicked shall see hell fire: and
they shall know that they shall be thrown into the same, and they
shall find no way to avoid it. And now have we variously propounded
unto men, in this Koran, a parable of every kind; but man cavilleth at
most things therein. Yet nothing hindereth men from believing, now a
direction is come unto them, and from asking pardon of their Lorp,
excepting that they wait until the punishment of their predecessors come
to be inflicted on them, or that the chastisement of the neat life come upon
them publicly.f We send not our messengers, but to bear-good tidings,
and to denounce threats, Those who believe not dispute with vain argu-
ments, that they may thereby render the truth of no effect; and they hold
my signs, and the admonitions which have Been made them, in derision.
And who is more unjust than he who hath been acquainted with the signs
of his Lorp, and retireth afar off from the same, and forgetteth that which
his hands have formerly committed ? Verily we have cast veils over their
hearts, lest they should understand the Kordn, and into their ears thickness

 

» See chap. 2, p. 5, and chap. 7, p. 118, &c. wt

°Hence some imagine the genii are a species of angels: others suppose the devil to
have been originally a genius, which was the occasion of his rebellion, and call him the
pie of the genii, whom he begat after his fall; * it being a constant opinion, among the

ohammedans, that the angels are impeccable, and do not propagate their species.*

Pi. e. Between the idolaters and their false gods. _Some suppose the meaning is no
more than that God will set them at variance and division. -

* We will place the river of woe between them.’’—Savary. e

t ‘When the truth appeared, the wicked ,denied it. They did not have recourse to
the divine mercy ; but~the sentence which was denounced against their predecessors, or
a signal punishment, shall be the reward of their unbelief.""—Savary.

5 Jallalo’ddin, &c. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 51, &c.

\
244 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVIII.

of hearing: if thou invite them to the. true direction, yet will they not
therefore be directed for ever. Thy Lorp is gracious, endued with mercy ;
if he would have punished them for that which they have committed, he
would doubtless have hastened their punishment: but a threat hath been
denounced against them,® and they shall find no refuge, besides him. And
those former cities™ did we destroy, when they acted unjustly ; and we
gave them previous warning of their destruction. And remember when
Moses said unto his servant Joshua the son of Nun, I will not cease to go
forward, until I come to the place where the two seas meet; or I will
travel for a long space of time.t But when they were arrived at the
meeting of the two seas,‘ they, forgot their fish, which they had taken with
them ;* and the fish took its way freely in the sea. And when they had
passed beyond that place, Moses said unto his servant, Bring us our dinner ;
for now are we fatigued with this our journey. His servant answered,
Dost thou know what has befallen me? When we took up our lodging at
the rock, verily I forgot the fish: and none made me to forget it, except
Satan, that I should not remind thee of it. And the fish took its way into
the sea, in a wonderful manner. Moses said, This is what we sought after.
And they both went back, returning by the way they came. And coming
to the rock they found one of our servants, unto whom we had granted
mercy from us, and whom we had taught wisdom from before us. And
Moses said unto him, Shall I follow thee, that thou mayest teach me part

 

4 viz. Of their calamity at Bedr (for the Koreish are the infidels here intended), or their
punishment at the resurrection.”
t That is, the towns of the Adites, Thamudites, Sodomites, &c.

* The original word properly signifies the space of eighty years and tpwards. To ex-
plain this long passage the commentators tell the following story. They say that Moses
once preaching to the people, they admired his knowledge and eloquence so much, that
they asked him whether he knew any man in the world who was wiser than himself; to
which he answered in the negative : whereupon God, in a revelation, having reprehended
him for his vanity (though some pretend that Moses asked God the question of his own
accord), acquainted him that his servant al Khedr was more knowing than he; and, at
Moses’s request, told him that he might find that person at a certain rock, where the two
seas met; directing him to take a fish with him ina basket, and that where he missed the
fish, that was the place. Accordingly, Moses set out, with his servant Joshua, in search
of al Khedr; which expedition is here described.®

‘ viz. Those of Persia and Greece. Some fancy that the meeting of Moses and al
Khedr is here intended, as of two seas of knowledge.®

* Moses forgot to inquire concerning it, and Joshua forgot to tell him when he missed
it. It is said that when they came to the rock, Moses falling asleep, the fish, which was
roasted, leaped out of the basket into the sea; some add, that Joshua making the ablu-
tion at the fountain of life (of which immediately), some of the water happened to be
sprinkled on the fish, which immediately restored it to life.t

’ The word here translated freely, signifying also a pipe or arched canal for conveyance
of water, some have imagined that the water of the sea was miraculously kept from
touching the body of the fish, which passed through it as under an arch.?

* This person, according to the general opinion, was the prophet al Khedr ; whom the
Mohammedans usually confound with Phineas, Elias, and St. George, saying that his soul
passed by a metempsychosis successively through all three. Some however say his true
name was Balya Eibn Malcan, and that he lived in the time of Afridiin, one of the
ancient kings of Persia, and that he ped Dhu’lkarnein, and lived to the time of
Moses. They suppose al Khedr, having fSund out the fountain of life, and drank thereof,

" Al Beidawi. ® Idem, Al Zamakhshari, al Bokhari, in Sonna, &c. * Tidem.
1 Tidem. 2 Tidem.
CHAP. XVIII. AL KORAN. 245

of that which thou hast been taught, for a direction unto me? He answered,
Verily thou canst not bear with me: for how canst thou patiently suffer
those things, the knowledge whereof thou dost not comprelfend? Moses
replied, Thou shalt find me patient, if Gop please; neither will I be dis-
obedient unto thee in any thing. He said, If thou follow me, therefore,
ask me not concerning any thing, until I shall declare the meaning thereof
unto thee. So they both went on dy the sea-shore, until they went up into
a ship; and he made a hole therein.y And Moses said unto him, Hast
thou made a hole therein, that thou mightest drown those who are on
board? now hast thou done a strange thing. He answered, Did I not tell
thee that thou couldst not bear with me? Moses said, Rebuke me not,
because I did forget; and impose not on me a difficulty in what I am com-
manded. Wherefore they left the ship and proceeded, until they met with
a youth; and he slew him.2 Moses said, Hast thou slain an innocent per-
son, without his having killed another? now hast thou committed an unjust
action. *[XVI.] He answered, Did I not tell thee that thou couldest not
bear with me? Moses said, If I ask thee concerning any thing hereafter,
suffer me not to accompany thee: now hast thou received an excuse from
me. They went forwards, therefore, until they came to the inhabitants of
a certain city:* and they asked food of the inhabitants thereof; but they
refused to receive them. And they found therein a wall, which was ready
to fall down; and he set it upright.» Whereupon Moses said unto him, If
thou wouldest, thou mightest doubtless have received a reward for it. He
answered, This shall be a separation between me and thee; but I will first
declare unto thee the signification of that which thou couldest not bear with
patience.* The vessel belonged to certain poor men,* who did their busi-
ness in the sea: and I was minded to render it unserviceable, because there
was a king* behind them, who took every sound ship by force. .As to the
youth, his parents were true believers; and we feared, lest he, being an
unbeliever, should oblige them to suffer his perverseness and ingratitude:
wherefore we desired that their Lorp might give them a more righteous

 

Desai immortal ; and that he had therefore this name from his flourishing and continual
youth.?

not of these fictions they took from the Jews, some of whom also fancy Phineas was

ias.*

» For al Khedr took an axe, and knocked out two of her planks.*

.” By twisting his neck round, or dashing his head against a wall, or else by throwing
him down and cutting his throat.® i

* This city was Antioch; or, as some rather think, Obollah, near Basra, or else Bajir-
wan in Armenia.”

> By only stroking it with his hand ; though others say he threw it down and rebuilt it.*

* «Here we separate, replied the servant of the Lord; but before I depart I will show
to thee the meaning of these actions concerning which thou couldest not keep silence.”’—

‘avary. ; :

° They were ten brothers, five of whom were past their labour by reason of their age.®

4 Named Jaland Ebn Karkar, or Minwar Ebn Jaland al Azdi,t who reigned in Oman,
See Poc. Spec. p. 42. -

2Tidem. Vide D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art. Khedher, Septemcastrens. de Turcar.
Moribus, Busbeq. Epist. 1, p. 93, &c. Hotting. Hist. Orient. p. 58, &c. 99, &c. 293, &e,
“R. Levi Ben Gerson. in Append. lib. 1, Reg. 1, 27. 5 Al Beidawi. 5 Idem,
"Idem. 8 Idem. ® Idem. * Idem,

\
246 AL KORAN. CHAP. XVIII.

child in exchange for him, and one more affectionate towards them.* And
the wall belonged to two orphan youths* in the city, and under it was a
treasure hidden which belonged to them; and their father was a righteous
man: and thy Lorp was pleased that they should attain their full age, and
take forth their treasure, through the mercy of thy Lorp, and I did not
what thou hast seen of mine own will, but by God’s direction. This is the
interpretation of that which thou couldest not bear with patience. The Jews
will ask thee concerning Dhw’Ikarnein.s Answer, I will rehearse unto you
an account of him. We made him powerful in the earth, and we gave him
means to accomplish every thing he pleased. And he followed his way,
until he came to the place where the sun setteth; and he found it to set in
a spring of black mud;* and he found near the same a certain people.*
And we said, O Dhu’lkarnein, either punish this people, or use gentleness
towards them.* He answered, Whosoever of them shall commit injustice,
we will surely punish him in this world ; afterwards shall he return unto
his Lorn, and he shall punish him with a severe punishment. But who-
soever believeth, and doth that which is right, shall receive the most
excellent reward, and we will give him in command that which is easy.
Then he continued his way, until he came to the place where the sun
riseth ;! and he found it to rise on certain people, unto whom we had not

 

© It is said that they had afterwards a daughter, who was the wife and the mother of
prophet; and that her son converted a whole nation.?

‘ The names were Asram and Sarim.?

®,Or, The two-horned. The generality of the commentators‘ suppose the person here
meant to be Alexander the Great, or, as they call him, Iscander al Rimi, king of Persia
and Greece ; but there are very different opinions as to the reason of this surname. Some
think it was given him because he was king of the East and of the West, or because he
had made expeditions to both those extreme parts of the earth; or else because he had
two horns on his diadem, or two curls of hair, like horns, on his forehead; or, which is
most probable, by reason of his great valour. Several modern writers’ rather suppose
the surname was occasioned by his being represented in his coins and statues with horns,
as the son of Jupiter Ammon; or else by his being compared by the prophet Daniel to a
he-goat ;* though he is there represented with but one horn.”

here are some good writers, however, who believe the prince intended in this passage

of the Koran was not Alexander the Grecian, but another great conqueror, who bore the
same name and surname, and was much more ancient than he, being contemporary with
Abraham, and one of the kings of Persia of the first race ;* or, as others suppose, a king
of Yaman, named Asaab Ebn al Rayesh.?

They all agree he was a true believer, but whether he was a prophet or no is a disputed
point.

» That is, it seemed so to him, when he came to the ocean, and saw nothing but water.*

! An unbelieving nation, who were clothed in the skins of wild beasts, and lived upon
what the sea cast on shore.? :

* “ He saw the sun disappear in a fiery sea. These countries were inhabited by infi-
dels.’’—Savary.

* For God gave Dhu'lkarnein his choice, either to destroy them for their infidelity, or
to instruct them in the true faith; or, according to others, either to put them to the sword,
or to take them captives: but the words hieh follow confirm the former interpretation,
by which it appears he chose to invite them to the true religion, and to punish only the
disobedient and incredulous.

1 4. e, That part of the habitable world on which the sun first rises.

2 Al Beidawi. 3Tdem. ‘Idem, Zamakhshari, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya. —* Scaliger,
de Emend.’temp. L’Empereur, not. in Jachiad. Dan. viii. 5, Gol. in Alfrag. p. 58, ee
§ Schickard. Tarikh Reg. Pers. p. 73. * See Dan. viii. ® Abulfeda, Khondemir,
Tarikh Montakhah, &c. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Escander. ° Ex. trad. Ebn
Abbas. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 58. 1 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ° Tidem.
CHAP XVIII. AL KORAN. 247

given any thing wherewith to shelter themselves therefrom. Thus it was ;
and we comprehended with our knowledge the forces which were with him.*
And he prosecuted his journey from south to north, until he came between
the two mountains ;" beneath which he found certain people, who could
scarce understand what was said.° And they said, O Dhu’lkarnein, verily
Gog and Magog waste the land;? shall we therefore pay thee tribute, on
condition that thou build a rampart between us and them? He answered,
The power wherewith my Lorp has strengthened me is better than your
tribute : but assist me strenuously, and I will set a strong wall between
you and them. Bring me iron in large pieces, until it fill up the space
between the two sides of these mountains. And he said to the workmen,
Blow with your éellows, until it make the iron red hot as fire. And he
said further, Bring me molten brass, that I may pour upon it. Wherefore,
when this walt was finished, Gog and Magog could not scale it, neither
could they dig through it.1 nd Dhu’lkarnein said, This is a mercy from
my Lorp: but when the prediction of my Lorp shall come to be fulfilled,
he shall reduce the wall to dust; and the prediction of my Lorp is true.
On that day we will suffer some of them to press tumultuously like
waves on others :* and the trumpet shall be sounded, and we will gather
them in a body together. And we will set hell on that day before the .
unbelievers; whose eyes have been veiled from my remembrance, and
who could not hear my words. Do the unbelievers think that I will not

 

™ Who had neither clothes nor houses, their country not bearing any buildings, but
dwelt in holes under ground, into which they retreated from the heat of the sun.*  Jalla-
lo’ddin says they were the Zenj, a black nation lying south-west of Ethiopia. They seem
to be the Troglodytes of the ancients.

* «« This narrative is true. We know all those who were with Alexander.’’—Savary.

"Between which Dhu’lkarnein built the famous rampart, mentioned immediately,
against the irruptions of Gog and Magog. ‘These mountains are situate in Armenia and
Adherbijan, or, according to others, much more northwards, on the confines of Turkes-
tin. The relation of a journey taken to this rampart, by one who was sent on purpose
to view it by the Khalif al Wathec, may be seen in D’ Herbelot.§

° By reason of the strangeness of their speech and their slowness of apprehension ;
wherefore they were.obliged to make use of an interpreter.® ‘

The Arabs call them Yajii and Majij, and say they are two nations or tribes de-
scended from Japhet the son of Noah, or, as others write, Gog are a tribe of the Turks,
and Magog of those of Gildu,? the Geli and Gela of Ptolemy and Strabo.*

It is said these barbarous people made their irruptions into the neighbouring countries
in the spring, and destroyed and carried off the fruits of the earth; and some pretend
they were man-eaters.®

4 The commentators say the wall was built in this manner. They dug till they found
water, and having laid the foundation of stone and melted brass, they built the super-
structure of large pieces of iron, between which they laid wood and coals, till they equalled
the height of the mountains; and then setting fire to the combustibles, by the help of
large bellows, they made the iron red hot, and over it poured melted brass, which filling
up the vacancies between the pieces of iron, rendered the whole work as firm as a rock,
Some tell us that the whole was built of stones joined by cramps of iron, on which fhey
poured melted brass to fasten them.* :

* That is, when the time shall come for Gog and Magog to break forth from their con-
finement; which shall happen some. time before the resurrection.?

* These words represent either the violent irruption of Gog and Magog, or the tumul-
Suous assembly of all creatures, men, genii, and brutes, at the resurrection.?

2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. « Al Beidawi. ® Bibl. Orient. Art. Jagiouge.
* Al Beidawi. ™Idem. Vide D’Herbel. ubi sup. ® Vide Gol. in Alfrag. p. 207.
‘Al Beidiwi. ‘*Idem, &c. See the Prelim, Disc. sect. iv. p.58. * See ib. p. 62
248 AL KORAN. CHAP. XIX.

punish them, for that they take my servants for their protectors besides
me? Verily we have prepared hell for the abode of the infidels. Say,
Shall we declare unto you those whose works are vain, whose endeavour in
the present life hath been wrongly directed, and who think they do the work
which is right? These are they who believe not in the signs of their Lorp,
or that they shall be assembled before him ; wherefore their works are vain,
and we will not allow them any weight on the day of resurrection. This
shall be their reward, namely, hell; for that they have disbelieved, and have
held my signs and apostles in derision. But as for those who believe and
do good works, they shall have the gardens of paradise for their abode
they shall remain therein for ever; they shall wish for no change therein.
Say, If the sea were ink to write the words of my Lorp, verily the sea
would fail, before the words of my Lorp would fail ;* although we added
another sea like unto it as a farther supply. Say, Verily I am only a man
as ye are. It is revealed unto me that your Gop is one only Gop: let him
therefore who hopeth to meet his Lorp work a righteous work; and let
him not make any other to partake in the worship of his Lorp.

CHAPTER XIX.

INTITLED, MARY ;! REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

C. H. Y. A. S.% A commemoration of the mercy of thy Lorp towards
his servant Zacharias.s* When he called upon his Lorp, invoking him in
secret, and said, O Lorp, verily my bones are weakened, and my head is
become white with hoariness, and I have never been unsuccessful in my -
prayers to thee, O Lorp. But now I fear my nephews, who are to suc-
ceed after me,” for my wife is barren: wherefore, give me a successor of
my own body from before thee ; who may be my heir, and may be an heir
of the family of Jacob; and grant, O Lorp, that he may be acceptable
unto thee. And the angel answered him, O Zacharias, verily we bring thee

 

* « Before all his marvels had been celebrated.’’—Savary.

t Several circumstances relating to the Virgin Mary being mentioned. in this chapter,
her name was pitched upon for the title. (‘‘ Peace be with her.’’—Savary.)

= Except the verse of Adoration.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, (‘(K. H. 1. A. S.”"—Savary.)

x See chap. 3, p. 40, &c. . 7
_¥ These were his brother’s sons, who were very wicked men, and Zacharias was ap-
prehensive, lest, after his death, instead of confirming the people in the true religion, they

shopld seduce them to idolatry. And some commentators imagine that he made this
prayer in private, lest his nephews should overhear him.

* viz. In holiness and knowledge; or in the government and superintendence of the
Israelites. There are some who suppose it is not the patriarch who is here meant, but an-
other Jacob, the brother of Zacharias, or of Imran Ebn Mathan, of the race of Solomon.’

« Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. *Tidem.
CHAP. XIX, AL KORAN. 249

tidings of a son, whose name shall be John; we have not caused any to
bear the same name before him.* Zacharias said, Lorp, how shall I have
a son, seeing my wife is barren, and I am now arrived at a’ great age,**
and am decrepit? The angel said, So shall it be: thy Lorp saith, This is
‘easy with me; since I created thee heretofore, when thou wast nothing.
Zacharias answered, O Lorp, give me a sign. The angel replied, Thy
sign shall de that thou shalt not speak to men for three nights,{ although
thou be in perfect health. And he went forth unto his people, from the
chamber, and he made signs unto them,° as if he should say, Praise ye God
in the morning and in the evening. And we said unto his son, O John, re-
ceive the book of the law, with a resolution to study and observe it.{ And
we bestowed on him wisdom, when he was yet a child, and mercy from us,
and purity of /ife ; and he was a devout person, and dutiful towards
his parents, and was not proud or rebellious. Peace be on him the day
whereon he was born, and the day whereon he shall die, and the day
whereon he shall be raised to life.g And remember in the book of the
Kordn the story of Mary; when she retired from her family to a place
towards the east,* and took a veil to conceal herself from them ;|| and’ we-
sent our spirit Gabriel unto her, and he appeared unto her in the shape of
a perfect man.‘ She said, I fly for refuge unto the merciful God, that he

 

* For he was the first who bore the name of John, or Yahya (as the Arabs pronounce
it); which fancy seems to have been occasioned by the words of St. Luke misunderstood,
that none of Zachariah’s kindred was called by that name :* for otherwise John, or, as itis.
written in Hebrew, Johanan, was a common name among the Jews.

Some expositors avoid this objection, by observing that the original word samiyyan sig-
nifies, not only one who is actually called by the same name, but also one who, by reason
of his possessing the like qualities and privileges, deserves, or may pretend to the same name.

* « My wife is barren, and I am verging on decrepitude.’’—Savary. ‘

» The Mohammedan traditions greatly differ as to the age of Zacharias at this time; we
have mentioned one already :" Jallalo’ddin says, he was an hundred and twenty, and his.
wife ninety-eight; and the Sonna takes notice of several other opinions.

t ‘ Thou shalt be dumb during three days, replied the angel.’’—Savary.
© Some say he wrote the following words on the ground.

t “John, read the scriptures with fervour.’’—Savary.

4 Or, as the word also signifies, The love of alms-deeds.

§ ‘* Peace was with him at his birth, and at his death, and it shall accompany him om
the day of resurrection.’’—Savary. .

© To the eastern part of the temple ; or to a private chamber in the house, which opened.
to the east: whence, says al Beidawi, the Christians pray towards that quarter.

There is a tradition, that when the virgin was grown to years of puberty, she used to-
leave her apartment in the temple, and retire to Zacharias’s house, to her aunt, when her
courses came upon her; and so soon as she was clean, she returned again to the temple ;:
and that at the time of the angel’s visiting her, she was at her aunt’s on the like occasion,
and was sitting to wash herself, in an open place, behind a veil, to prevent her being seen.”
But others more prudently suppose the design of her retirement was to pray.

{| From the remotest antiquity the women of eastern countries have been accustomed:
to cover the face. At present they never appear in public without being veiled. These
veils are of muslin, and reach to the waist: two small apertures are made in them, that
the wearer may see her way. Two causes may have contributed to introduce among tne
females of the East the custom of covering the face; the excessive heat, which would:
soon destroy the freshness of their complexions; and the excessive jealousy of the men,,
which cannot bear that they should be seen.—Savary.

* Like a full-grown, but beardless youth. Al Beidawi not contented with having giver
one good reason why he appeared in that form, viz. to inoderate her surprise, that shu

§ Luke i. 61. * Page 40, note h. * Yahya, al Beidawi. 8 Al Zamakh
2A
250 “AL KORAN. CHAP. XIX.

may defend me from thee: if thou fearest him, thou wilt not approach me.
He answered, Verily I am the messenger of thy Lorp, and am sent to give
thee a holy son. She said, How shall I have a son, seeing a man hath not
touched me, and I am no harlot? Gabriel replied, So shall it be : thy
Lorp saith, This is easy with me; and we will perform it, that we may
ordain him for a sign unto men, and a mercy from us: for it is a thing
which is decreed. Wherefore she conceived him; and she retired aside
with him in her womb to a distant place; and the pains of childbirth
came upon her near the trunk of a palm-tree.!_ She said, Would to Gop I
had died before this, and had become a thing forgotten, and Jost in obli-
vion.* And he who was beneath her called to her,* saying, Be not grieved:
now hath Gop provided a rivulet under thee; and do thou shake the body
of the palm-tree, and it shall let fall ripe dates upon thee, ready gathered.
And eat, and drink, and calm thy mind. Moreover, if thou see any man, '
and he question thee, say, Verily I have vowed a fast unto the Merciful:
wherefore I will by no means speak to a man this day." So she brought
the child to her people, carrying him in her arms. And they said unto her,
O Mary, now hast thou done a strange thing: O sister of Aaron,° thy
father was not a bad man, neither was thy mother a harlot. But she made

 

anight hear his message with less shyness, adds, that perhaps it might be to raise an emo-
ition in her, and assist her conception.

For Gabriel blew into the bosom of her shift, which he opened with his fingers,’ and
his breath reaching her womb, caused the conception.?, The age of the Virgin Mary at
the time of her conception was thirteen ; or, as others say, ten; and she went six, seven,
sight, or nine months with him, according to different traditions; though some say the
child was conceived at its full growth of nine months, and that she was delivered of him
within an hour after.

4 To conceal her delivery she went out of the city by night to a certain mountain.

1 The palm to which she fled, that she might lean on it in her travail, was a withered
trunk, without any head or verdure, and this happened in the winter season; notwith-
standing which, it miraculously supplied her with fruits for her refreshment ;‘ as is men-
tioned immediately.

It has been observed, that the Mohammedan account of the delivery of the Virgin Mary
very much resembles that of Latona, as described by the poets,’ not only in this circum-
stance of their laying hold on a palm-tree® (though some say Latona embraced an olive-
tree, or an olive and a palm, or else two laurels), but also in that of their infants speak-
. ing; which Apollo is fabled to have done in the womb."

* “ And she cried, Would to God that I had been dead, forgotten, and abandoned by
mortals, before that I conceived.’’—Savary.

* This some imagine to have been the child himself; but others suppose it was Gabriel,
who stood somewhat lower than she did.® According to a different reading, this passage
may be rendered, And he called to her from beneath her, &c. And some refer the pronoun
translated her, to the palm-tree: and then it should be beneath it, &c.

1 And, accordingly, she had no sooner spoken it, than the dry trunk revived, and shot
forth green leaves, and a head laden with ripe fruit.

™ Literally, thene eye.

a During which she was not to speak to any body, unless to acquaint them with the
‘reason of her silence: and some suppose she did that by signs.

° Several Christian writers think the Koran stands convicted of a manifest falsehood in
this particular, but I am afraid the Mohammedans may avoid the charge,® as they do by
several answers. Some say, the Virgin Mary had really a brother named Aaron, who ha
the aame father, but a different mother: others suppose Aaron, the brother of Moses, is

* Yahya. 2 Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi. * Al Beidiwi, Yahya. ‘Tidem, Al
Zamakh. § Vide Sikii not. in Evang. Infant. pp. 9, 21, &c. ® Homer. Hymn. in
Apoll. Callimach, Hymn in Delum. * Callimach. ibid. See Kor. chap. 3, p. 4l-
* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddia. ° See chap. 3, p. 38, :
CHAP. XIX. AL KORAN. 251

signs unto the child to answer them ; and they said, How shall we speak to
him, who is an infant in the cradle? Whereupon the child said, Verily I
am the servant of God ;? he hath given me the book of the gospel, and hath
appointed me a prophet. And he hath made me blessed, wheresoever I
shall be; and hath commanded me to observe prayer, and to give alms, so
long as I shall live; and he hath made me dutiful towards my mother, and
hath not made me proud or unhappy.* And peace be on me the day
whereon I was born, and the day whereon I shall die, and the day
whereon I shall be raised to life. This was Jesus the son of Mary; the
Word of truth,? concerning whom they doubt. It is not meet for Gop,
that he should have any son: Gop forbid! When he decreeth a thing,
he only saith unto it, Be; and it is} And verily Gop is my Lorp, and
your Lorp; wherefore, serve him: this is the right way. Yet the sectaries
differ among themselves concerning Jesus ; but woe be unto those who are
unbelievers, because of their appearance at the great day. Do thou cause
them to hear, and do thou cause them to see,’ on the day whereon they
shall come unto us to be judged : but the ungodly are this day in a manifest
error.{ And do thou forewarn them of the day of sighing, when the
matter shall be determined, while they are now sunk in negligence, and do
not believe. Verily we will inherit the earth, and whatever creatures
‘are therein;* and unto us shall they ald return. And remember
Abraham in the book of the Kordn; for he was one of great veracity,
and a prophet. When he said unto his father,tO my father, why dost
thou worship that which heareth not, neither seeth, nor profiteth thee
at all? O my father, verily a degree of knowledge hath been bestowed
on me, which hath not been bestowed on thee: wherefore follow me;

 

here meant, but say Mary is called his sister, either because she was of the Levitical race
(as by her being related to Elizabeth it should seem she was), or by way of comparison :
others say that it was a different person of that namé who was contemporary with her, and
conspicuous for his good or bad qualities, and that they likened her to him, either by way
of commendation, or of reproach, &c.*

» These were the first words which were put into the mouth of Jesus, to obviate the

imagination of his partaking of the divine nature, or having a right to the worship of man-
ia on account of his miraculous speaking so soon after his birth.?

* ‘He hath implanted filial piety in my heart, and has delivered me from pride, which
is the companion of misery.’’—Savary. ;

4 This expression may be either referred to Jesus, as the Word of God; or to the ac-
count just given of him.

+ ““God cannot have ason. Praise be unto his name! He commands, and that which
existed not starts into life at his voice.’’—Savary.

* These words are variously expounded : some taking them to express admiration? at the
quickness of those senses in the wicked at the day of judgment, when they shall plainly
perceive the torments prepared for them, though they have been deaf and blind in this life ;
and others supposing,the words contain a threat to the unbelievers, of what they shall then
hear and see; or else acommand to Mohammed to lay before them the terrors of that day.*

1 “What will they not hear, what will they not see, when chey appear before our
tribunal! Now they are in utter blindness.’’—Savary.

i.e. Alone gurviving, when all creatures shall be dead and annihilated.—See chap.
15, p. 211.

' See chap. 6, p. 105, &c.

*Al Zamakh. Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya, &c. 2 Al Beidawi, &c. 3 See
chap. 18, p. 241. 4 Al Beidawi.
252 AL KORAN. CHAP. XIX.

I will lead thee into an even way. O my father, serve not Satan; for
Satan was rebellious unto the Merciful.. O my father, verily I fear lest a
punishment be inflicted on thee from the Merciful, and thou become a
companion of Satan. His father answered, Dost thou reject my gods, C-
Abraham? If thou forbear not, I will surely stone thee: wherefore leave

me for a long time. Abraham replied, Peace be on thee: I will ask pardon
for thee of my Lorn; for he is gracious unto me. And I will separate
myself from you, and from the idols which ye invoke besides Gop ; and [
will call upon my Lorp: it may be that I shall not be unsuccessful in
calling on my Lorp, as ye are in calling upon them. And when he
had separated himself from them, and from the idols which they wor-
shipped besides Gop, we gave him Isaac and Jacob; and we made each of
them a prophet; and we bestowed on them, through our mercy, the gift of
prophecy, and children, and wealth ; and we caused them to deserve the
highest commendations.’ And remember Moses in the book of the Koran :
for he was sincerely upright, and was an apostle and a prophet. And we
called unto him from the right side of mount Sinai, and caused him
to draw near, and to discourse privately with us.x And we gave him,
through our mercy, his brother Aaron a prophet, for his assistant. Remem-
ber also Ismael in the same book; for he was true to his promise,” and was
an apostle, and a prophet. And he commanded his family to observe prayer,
and to give alms; and he was acceptable unto his Lorp, And remember
Edris? in the same book; for he was a just person, and a prophet : and we
exalted him to a high place.* These are they unto whom Gop hath been
bounteous, of the prophets of the posterity of Adam, and of those whom we
carried in the ark with Noah; and of the posterity of Abraham, and
of Israel, and of those whom we have directed and chosen. When the
signs of the Merciful were read unto them, they fell down, worshipping, and
wept: but a succeeding generation have come after them, who neglect

 

"By flying to Harran, and thence to Palestine.
Y Literally, We granted them a lofty tongue of truth.

* Or, as some expound it, And we raised him on high; for, say they, he was raised to
ea great an elevation, that he heard the creaking of the pen writing on the table of God’s
lecrees.®

Y Being celebrated on that account; and particularly for his behaving with that resigna-
tion and constancy which he had promised his father, on his receiving God’s command te
sacrifice him:* for the Mohammedans say it was Ismael, and not Isaac, whom he was
commanded to offer.

2 Or Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, who had that surname from his great
knowledge ; for he was favoured with no less than thirty books of divine revelations, and
was Om first who wrote with a pen, and studied the sciences of astronomy and arith-
metic, &c.

The learned Bartolocci endeavours to show, from the testimonies of the ancient Jews,
that Enoch, surnamed Edris, was a very different person from the Enoch of Moses, and
many ages younger.*

* Some understand by this the honour of the prophetic office, and his familiarity with
God ; but others suppose his translation is here meant: for they say that he «as taken up
by God into heaven at the age of three hundred and fifty, having first suffered death, and
been restored to life ; and that he is now alive in one of the seven heavens, or in paradise.*

* Al Beidawi. ‘Idem. * Idem, Jallalo’ddin, &c. —® Bartol. Bibl. Rab. part ii.
a. 845, ®° Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Abu’ lfeda. pirates aoe
HAP. XIX. AL KORAN. 253

prayer, and follow their lusts; and they shall surely fall into evil :* except
him who repenteth, and believeth, and doth that which is right; these shall
enter paradise, and they shall not in the least be wronged:’ gardens of
perpetual abode shall be their reward, which the Merciful hath promised
unto his servants, as an object of faith; for his promise will surely come to
be fulfitled. Therein shall they hear no vain discourse, but peace ;> and
their provision shall be prepared for them therein morning and evening,
This is paradise, which we will give for an inheritance unto such of our
servants as shall be pious. We descend not from heaven, unless by the
command of thy Lorp: unto him belongeth whatsoever is before us, and
whatsoever is behind us, and whatsoever is in the intermediate space;
neither is thy Lorn forgetful of thee.e He is the Lor of heaven and earth,
and of whatsoever is between them: wherefore worship him, and be
‘constant in his worship. Dost thou know any named like him?* Man
saith,¢ After I shall have been dead, shall I really be brought forth alive
from the grave? Doth not man remember that we created him heretofore,
when he was nothing? But by thy Lorp we will surely assemble them
and the devils to judgment ;* then will we set them round about hell
on their knees : afterwards we will draw forth from every sect such of them
as shall have been a more obstinate rebel against the Merciful;¢ and we
best know which of them are more worthy to be burned therein.®. There
shall be none of you but shall approach near the same:: this is an estab-
lished decree with thy Lorp. Afterwards we will deliver those who shall
have been pious, but we will leave the ungodly therein on their knees.
When our manifest signs are read unto them, the infidels say unto the true
believers, Which of the two parties is in the more eligible condition, and

 

* ‘ A corrupt generation has succeeded to them. It hath forsaken prayer, and followed
the torrent of its passions. It shall be plunged into the stream of hell.’’—Savary.

>i. e. Words of peace and comfort; or the salutations of the angels,! &c.

¢ These are generally supposed to have been the words of the angel Gabriel, in answer
to Mohammed’s complaint for his long delay of fifteen, or according to another tradition,
of forty days, before he brought him instructions what solution he should give to the ques-
tions which had been asked him concerning the sleepers, Dhu’lkarnein, and the spirit.?

Others, however, are of opinion that they are the words which the godly will use at
their entrance into paradise ; and that their meaning is, We take up our abode here at the
command and through the mercy of God alone, who ruleth all things, past, future, and pre-
sent ; and who is not forgetful of the works of his servants.*

4 That is, Deserving, or having a right to the name and attributes of God.

* Some suppose a particular person is here meant, namely, Obba Bbn Khalf.*

tTt is said that every infidel will appear, at the day of judgment, chained to the devil
who seduced him.§ :

© Hence, says al BeidAwi, it appears that God will pardon some of the rebellious people.
But perhaps the distinguishing the unbelievers into different classes, in order to consign
«lem to different places and degrees of torment, is here meant.

4 yiz, The more obstinate and perverse, and especially the heads of sects, who will
suffer a double punishment for their own errors and their seducing of others.

’ For the true believers must also pass by or through hell, but the fire will be damped,
and the flames abated, so as not to hurt them, though it will lay hold on the others. Some,
however, suppose that the words intend no more than the passage over the narrow bridge,
which is laid over hell.

1 See chap. 10, p.27. —? See before, p. 131. 2 Al Beidawi. See chap. 16
p.214. *AlBeidawi. ‘Idem. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 65.
254. AL KORAN. CHAP, XIX.

formeth the more excellent assembly?* But how many generations have
we destroyed before them, which excelled them in wealth, and in outward
appearance? Say, Whosoever is in error, the Merciful will grant him
a long and prosperous life, until they see that with which they are threat-
ened, whether it be the punishment of this life, or that of the last hour ; and
hereafter they shall know who is in the worse condition, and the weaker
in forces.* Gop shall more fully direct those who receive direction; and
the good works which remain for ever are better in the sight of thy Lorp
than worldly possessions, in respect to the 1eward, and more eligible in
respect to the future recompense. Hast thou seen him who believeth not
in our signs, and saith, I shall surely have riches and children bestowed or
me?! Is he acquainted with the secrets of futurity ; or hath he received
a covenant from the Merciful that it shall be so? By no means. We will
surely write down that which he saith; and increasing we will increase his
punishment ;} and we will be his heir as to that which he speaketh of; ™
and on the last day he shall appear before us alone and naked. They have
taken other gods, besides Gop, that they may be a glory unto them. By no
‘means. Hereafter shall they deny their worship ;" and they shall become
adversaries® unto them. Dost thou not see that we send the devils against
the infidels, to incite them to sin by their instigations? Wherefore be not
in haste to call down destruction upon them; for we number unto them a
determined number of days of respite. Ona certain day we will assemble
the pious before the Merciful in an honourable manner, as ambassadors
come into the presence of a prince : but we will drive the wicked into hell,
as cattle are driven to water: they shall obtain no intercession, except he
only who hath received a covenant from the Mercifule They say, The

 

* viz. Of us, or of you. When the Koreish were unable to produce a composition to
equal the Koran, they began to glory in their wealth and nobility, valuing themselves
highly on that account, and despising the followers of Mohammed.

* «« May the Merciful lengthen the days of those who are plunged into error! to the end
that they may see the fulfilment of our threats, whether in this world or in the other. Then
will they know who are the most unhappy, and the most devoid of succour.’’—Savary.

1 This passage was revealed on account of al As Ebn Wayel, who being indebted to
Khabbab, when he demanded the money, refused to pay it, unless he would deny Mo-
hammed ; to which proposal Khabbab answered, that he would never deny that prophet,
neither alive, nor dead, nor whert he should be raised to life at the last day; therefore .
replied al As, When thou art raised again, come to me, for I shall then have abundance
of riches, and children, and I will pay you.”

t ‘* He flattered.himself vainly. We will write down his ostentation, and will increase
his punishment.’’—Savary.

mj, e. He shall be obliged to leave all his wealth and his children behind him at his death.

"iz. At the resurrection, when the idolaters shall disclaim their idols, and the idols
their worshippers, and shall mutually accuse one another.®

° Or, the contrary; that is to say, a disgrace instead of an honour.

» That is, except he who shall be a subject properly disposed to receive that favour, by
having professed Islam. Or, the words may also be translated, according to another
exposition, They shall not obtain the intercession of any, except the intercession of him,
&c. Or else, None shall be able to make intercession for other, except they who shall have
received a covenant (or permission) from God ; i. e. whe shall be qualified for that office
by faith, and good works, according to God’s promise, or shall have special leave given
him by God for that purpose.° y

7 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. * See chap. 6, p. 100, chap. 10, p. 169. ° A) Beidawi
See chap. 2, pp. 30, 31, &c.
CHAP. XX. AL KORAN. 255

Merciful hath begotten issue. Now have ye uttered an impious thing: it
wanteth little but that on occasion thereof the heavens be rent, and the
earth cleave in sunder, and the mountains be overthrown and fall, for.that
they attribute children unto the Merciful; whereas it becometh not Gop to
beget children. Verily there is none in heaven or on earth but shall
approach the Merciful as his servant. He encompasseth them by his
knowledge and power, and numbereth them with an exact computation: and
they shall all come unto him on the day of resurrection, destitute both
of helpers and followers. But as for those who believe and do good works,
the. Merciful will bestow on them love.1 Verily we have rendered the
Kordn easy for thy tongue, that thou mayest thereby declare our promises
unto the pious, and mayest thereby denounce threats unto contentious
people. And how many generations have we destroyed before them? Dost
thou find one of them remaining ? Or dost thou hear so much as a whisper
concerning them ?*

CHAPTER XX.

INTITLED, T. H.;" REVEALED AT MECCA.

‘

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

T. H. We have not sent down the Koran unto thee, that thou
Shouldest be unhappy;* but for an admonition unto him who feareth
God : being sent down from him who created the earth, and the lofty
heavens. The Merciful sitteth on his throne: unto him belongeth what-
soever is in heaven and on earth, and whatsoever is between them,
and whatsoever is under the earth. If thou pronounce thy prayers
with a loud voice, know that it is not necessary in respect to God ; for
he knoweth that which is secret, and what is yet more hidden.t Gop!

 

‘viz. The love of God and all the inhabitants of heaven. Some suppose this verse was
revealed to comfort the Moslems who were despised and hated at Mecca, on account ol
their faith, by the promise of their gaining the love and esteem of mankind in a short time.

* “Of so many generations which we have annihilated, canst thou call back even one
man? Do they make the slightest murmur heard ?’’—Savary.

* The signification of these letters,-which being prefixed to the chapter are therefore

taken for the title, is uncertain. Some, however, imagine they stand for Ya rajol, i. e. O
man! which interpretation, seeming not easily to be accounted for from the Arabic, is by
a certain tradition deduced from the Ethiopic :? or for Ta, 2. e. tread ; telling us that Mo-
hammed, being employed in watching and prayer the night this passage was revealed,
stood on one foot_only, but was hereby commanded to ease himself by setting both feet
tothe ground. Others fancy the first letter stands for Tiba, beatitude; and the latter for
Hawiyat, the name of the lower apartment of hell. Tah is also an interjection command-
ing eleica: and may properly enough be used in this place.
* Either by reason of thy zealous solicitude for the conversion of the infidels, or thy
fatiguing thyself by watching and other religious exercises ; for it seems the Koreish urged
‘the extraordinary fatigues he underwent in those respects, as the consequence of his
having left their religion.?

+‘*The deed which thou dost in open day, and that which thou veilest in the shades
of mystery, are equally known to him.’’—Savary.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c. 4 Moham. Ebn Abd al Baki, ex trad
Acreme Ebn Abi Sofian. 3 Al Beiadwi.
256 | AL KORAN. CHAP. XX.

there is no God but he, he hath most excellent names.* Hast thou
been informed of the history of Moses?" When he saw fire, and
said unto his family, Tarry ye here; for I perceive fire: peradventure
I may bring you a brand thereout, or may find a direction in our
way by the fire* And when he was come near unto it, a voice called
unto him, saying, O Moses, verily I am thy Lorp: wherefore put off
thy shoes ;¥ for thou art in the sacred valley Towa. And I have chosen
thee; therefore hearken with attention unto that which is revealed unto
thee. Verily Iam Gop; there is no god besides me; wherefore worship
me, and perform thy prayer in remembrance of me. Verily the hour
cometh: I will surely manifest the same, that every soul may receive
its reward for that which it hath deliberately done. Let not him who
believeth not therein, and who followeth his lust, prevent thee from
believing in the same, lest thou perish. Now what is that in thy right
hand,.O Moses? He answered, It is my rod whereon I lean, and with
which I beat down leaves for my flock; and I have other uses for it.
God said unto him, Cast it down, O Moses. And he cast it down, and
behold, it became a serpent,* which ran about. “God said, Take hold on it,
and fear not: we will reduce it to its former condition. And put thy
right hand under thy deft arm: it shall come forth white,* without any hurt.
This shall be another sign: that we may show thee some of our greatest
signs. Go unto Pharaoh: for he is exceedingly impious. Moses an-
swered, Lorn, enlarge my breast,* and make what thou hast commanded
me easy unto me: and loose the knot of my tongue, that they may under-
‘stand my speech. And give me a counsellor® of my family, namely Aaron

 

* See chap. 7, p. 136, and chap. 18, p. 238.

« The relation of the story of Moses, which takes up the greatest part of this chapter,
was designed to encourage Mohammed, by his example, to discharge the prophetic office
with firmness of mind, as being assured of receiving the like assistance from God: for it is
said this chapter was one of the first that were revealed.‘

x The commentators say, that Moses, having obtained leave of Shoaib, or Jethro, his
father-in-law, to visit his mother, departed wat his family from Midian towards Egypt;
but coming to the valley of Towa, wherein mount Sinai stands, his wife fell in labour, and °
was delivered of a son, in a very dark and snowy night; he had also lost his way, and
his cattle were scattered from him, when on a-sudden he saw a fire by the side of a
mountain, which on his nearer approach he found burning in a green bush.®

y This was amark of humility and respect: though some fancy there was some un-
alesopge in the shoes themselves, because they were made of the skin of an ass not

ressed.® :

7 As to drive away wild beasts from my flock, to carry my bottle of water on, to stick .
up and hang my upper garment on, to shade me from the sun; and several other uses
enumerated by the commentators.

® Which was at first no bigger than the rod, but afterwards swelled to a prodigious size."

> When Moses saw the serpent move about with great nimbleness, and swallow stones
and trees, he was grealy terrified, and fled from it; but recovering his courage at these
words of God, he had the boldness to take the serpent by the jaws.

* See chap. 7, p. 127. (His hand was covered with a white leprosy, says Gelaleddin,
from which he felt no pain.—Savary).

* «Lord, replied Moses, expand my heart.’’—Savary.

4 For Moses had an impediment in his speech, which was occasioned by the followin
accident. Pharaoh one day carrying him in his arms, when a child. he suddenly laid hol

+ Al Beidawi. ® Idem. 5 Idem. ‘Idem * Idem.
CHAP. XX. AL KORAN. 257

my brother. Gird up my loins by him, and make him my colleague in the
business: that we may praise thee greatly, and may remember thee often ;
for thoa regardest us. God replied, Now hast thou obtained thy request, O
Moses: and we have heretofore been gracious unto thee, another time;
when we revealed unto thy mother that which was revealed unto her, say-
ing, Put him into the ark, and cast him into the river, and the river shall
throw him on the shore; and my enemy and his enemy shall take him and
bring him up ;® and I bestowed on thee love from me,* that thou mightest
be bred up under my eye. When thy sister went and said, Shall I bring
you unto one who will nurse the child?! So we returned thee unto thy
mother, that her mind might be set at ease, and that she might not be
afflicted. And thou slewest a soul, and we delivered thee from trouble ;*
and we proved thee by several trials:! and afterwards thou didst dwell
some years™ among the inhabitants of Madian. Then thou camest hither
according to our decree,O Moses; and I have chosen thee for myself;
wherefore go thou and thy brother® with my signs; and be not negligent
in remembering me. Go ye unto Pharaoh, for he is excessively impious :
and speak mildly unto him; peradventure he will consider, or will fear our

 

of his beard, and plucked it in a very rough manner, which put Pharaoh into such a
passion, that he ordered him to be put to death: but Asia, his wife, representing to him
that he was but a child, who could not distinguish between a burning coal and a ruby, he
ordered the experiment to be made; and a live coal and a ruby being set before Moses,
he took the coal and put it into his mouth, and burnt his tongue: and thereupon he was
pardoned. This is a Jewish story a little altered.? .

* The Arabic word is Wazir, which signifies one who has the chief administration of
affairs under a prince.

‘ The commentators are not agreed by what means this revelation was made ; whether
by private inspiration, by a dream, by a prophet, or by an angel.

.= The commentators say, that his mother accordingly made an ark of the papyrus, and
Pitched it, and put in some cotton; and having laid the child therein, committed it to the
river, a branch of which went into Pharaoh’s garden: that the stream carried the ark
thither into a fishpond, at the head of which Pharaoh was then sitting, with his wife Asia,
the daughter of Mogihem ; and that the king, having commanded it to be taken up and
opened, and finding in it a beautiful child, took a fancy to it, and ordered it to be brought
up.t
Some writers mention a miraculous preservation of Moses before he was put into the
ark; and tell us, that his mother having hid him from Pharaoh’s officers in an oven, his
sister, in her mother’s absence, kindled a large fire in the oven to heat it, not knowing
the child was there, but that he was afterwards taken out unhurt.?

» That is, I inspired the love of thee into the hearts of those who saw thee, and par-
ticularly into the heart of Pharaoh.

1 The Mohammedans pretend that several nurses were brought, but the child refused
to take the breast of any, till his sister Miriam, who went to learn news of him, told them
she would find a nurse, and brought his mother.? ‘

* Moses killed an Egyptian, in defence of an Israelite, and escaped the danger of being
punished for it, by flying to Midian, which was eight days’ journey distant from Mesr.‘

The Jews pretend he was actually imprisoned for the fact, and condemned to be be-
headed, but that, when he should have suffered, his neck became as hard as ivory, and
the sword rebounded on the executioner.’

' For he was obliged to abandon his country and his friends, and to travel several days,
in great terror and want of necessary provisions, to seek a refuge among strangers; and
was afterwards forced to serve for hire, to gain a livelihood.

"i.e. Ten®

» Aaron being by this time come out to meet his brother, either by divine inspiration,
or having notice of his design to return to Egypt.’

® Vide Shalsh. Hakkab. p. 11. Al Beidawi. 2 Abulfeda, &c. ® Al Beidiwi.
‘Idem. * Shalsh. Hakkab. p. 11. ® Al Beidawi. Idem.
258 AL KORAN. CHAP. XX.

threats.* They answered, O Lorp, verily we fear lest he be precipitately
violent against us, or lest he transgress more exorbitantly. God replied,
Fear not; for I am with you: I will hear and will see. Go ye therefore
unto him, and say, Verily we are the messengers of thy Lorp: wherefore
send the children of Israel with us, 4nd do not afflict them. Now are we
come unto thee with a sign from thy Lorp: and peace be upon him who
shall follow the true direction. Verily it hath been revealed unto us, that
a punishment shall be inflicted on him who shall charge us with imposture,
and shall turn back. And when they had delivered their message, Pharaoh
said, Who is your Lorp, O Moses? He answered, Our Lorp is he who
giveth all things: he hath created them, and directeth them by his pro- .
vidence. Pharaoh said, What therefore is the condition of the former gene-
rations?°t Moses answered, The knowledge thereof is with my Lorp,
in the book of his decrees : my Lorp erreth not, neither doth he forget. It
is he who hath spread the earth as a bed for you, and hath made you paths
therein; and who. sendeth down rain from heaven, whereby we cause va-
rious kinds of vegetables to spring forth; saying, Eat of part, and feed your
cattle with other part thereof. Verily herein are signs unto those who are
endued with understanding. Out of the ground have we created you; and
to the same will we cause you to return, and we will bring you forth from
thence another time. And we showed Pharaoh all our signs which we had
empowered Moses to perform : but he accused him of imposture, and refused
to believe ; and he said, Art thou come unto us that thou mayest dispossess
us of our land by thy enchantments, O Moses? Verily we will meet thee
with the like enchantments; wherefore fix an appointment between us
and thee; we will not fail it, neither shalt thou, in an equal place. Moses
answered, Let your appointment be on the day of your solemn feast ;? ‘and
let the people be assembled in open day.t And Pharaoh turned away from
Moses, and gathered together the most expert magicians to execute his
stratagem; and then came to the appointment. Moses said unto them, Woe
be unto you! do not devise a lie against Gop, lest he utterly destroy you
by some judgment: for he shall not prosper who deviseth lies. And the
magicians disputed concerning their affair among themselves, and discoursed
im private: and they said, These two are certainly magicians: they seek to
dispossess you of your land by their sorcery; and to lead away with them
your chiefest and most considerable men. Wherefore collect al/ your cun-
ning, and then come in order: for he sha.l prosper this day, who shall be

 

* “Go unto Pharaoh. His heart is hardened in crime. Speak mildly unto him, that
he may open his eyes, and may fear.’’—Savary.

° iz. As to happiness or misery after death.
+ ‘‘ What, then, was the design of the ancient people ?* continued the prince.’’—Savary.
P Which was probably the first day of their new year.

¢ ‘‘ Let the assemblage take place on a feast day, replied ices, It.will be rendered
more solemn by the concourse of the people.””—Savary.

4 By saying the miracles performed in his name are the effects of magic.

* In worshipping idols.—Savary.
CHAP. XX. AL KORAN. "959

superior.* They said, O Moses, whether wilt thou cast down thy rod first,
or shall we be the first who cast down our rods? He answered, Do ye
cast down your rods first. And behold, their cords and their tods appeared
unto him, by their enchantment, to run about like serpents ;* wherefore
Moses conceived fear in his heart. But we said unto him, Fear not; for
thou shalt be superior: therefore cast down the rod which is in thy right,
hand ; and, it shall swallow up the seeming serpents which they have made:
for what they have made is only the deceit of an enchanter; and an
enchanter shall not prosper, whithersoever he cometh. And the magicians,
when they saw the miracle which Moses performed, fell down and wor-
shipped, saying, We believe in the Lorp of Aaron and of Moses. Pharaoh
said unto them, Do ye believe in him before I give you permission? Verily
this is your master, who hath taught you magic. But I will surely cut off
your hands and your feet on the opposite sides; and I will crucify
you on trunks of palm-trees:* and ye shall know which of us is more
severe in punishing, and can longer protract your pains.—| They answered,
We will by no means have greater regard unto thee than unto those evident
miracles which have been shown us, or than unto him who hath created
us. Pronounce therefore that sentence against us which thou art about to
pronounce: for thou canst only give sentence as to this present life. Verily
we believe in our Lorp, that he may forgive us our sins, and the sorcery
which thou hast forced us to exercise : for Gop is better to reward, and
more able to prolong punishment than thou. Verily whosoever shall appear
before his Lorp on the day of judgment, polluted with crimes, shall have
hell for his reward ; he shall not die therein, neither shall he live. But
whoever shall appear before him, having been a true believer, and shall have
worked righteousness, for these are prepared the highest degrees of happi-
ness; namely, gardens of perpetual abode,* which shall be watered by
rivers; they shall remain therein for ever: and this shall be the reward
of him who shall be pure. And we spake by revelation unto Moses, say-
ing, Go forth with my servants out of Egypt by night; and smite the waters
with thy rod, and make them a dry path through the sea:* be not appre-
hensive of Pharaoh’s overtaking thee ; neither be thou afraid. And when
Moses had done so, Pharaoh followed them with his forces; and the waters
of the sea overtvhelmed them. And Pharaoh caused his people to err,
neither did he direct them aright. Thus, O children of Israel, we delivered
you from your enemy; and we appointed you the right side of mount

 

* “Unite, added Moses, the secrets of your art. Come in order, and let this day crown
the victors with glory.’ —Savary.

* They rubbed them over with quicksilver, wii being wrought upon by the heat of
the sun, caused them to move.® See chap. 7, p

* See ibid.

t “ You shall ae whether your God or I can be most persevering and rigorous in
punishing.’’—Savar

* Literally, gordae of Eden; see chap. 9 ah 157.

"The expositors add, that the sea was divided into twelve separate paths, one for each
tribe :° a fable borrowed from the Jews."

8 Al Beidawi. ® Al Beidawi, Abulfed. in Hist. 1 Vide R. Eliezer, Pirke, c. 42.

*
260 AL KORAN. CHAP. X

Sinai to discourse with Moses and to give him the law ; and we caused
manna and quails to descend upon you,* saying, Eat of the good things
which we have given you for food; and transgress not therein,” lest
my indignation fall on you; and on whomsoever my indignation shall
fall, he shall go down headlong into perdition. But I will be gra-
cious unto him who shall repent and believe, and shall do that which
is right; and who shall be rightly directed. What hath caused thee to
hasten from thy people, O Moses, to receive the law?* He answered,
These follow close on my footsteps; but I have hastened unto thee,
O Lor», that thou mightest be well pleased with me. God said, We have
already made a trial of thy people, since thy departure ;* and al Sameri?
hath seduced them to idolatry. Wherefore Moses returned unto his people®
in great wrath, and exceedingly afflicted. 4nd he said, O my people,
had not your Lorp promised you a most excellent promise?4 Did the
time of my absence seem long unto you’?* . Or did ye desire that indigna-
tion from your Lorp should fall on you, and therefore failed to keep the
promise which ye made me? They answered, We have not failed in what
we promised thee of our own authority; but we were made to carry in
several loads of gold and silver, of the ornaments of the people,° and we

 

* See:chap. 2, p. 7. : a

y¥ By ingratitude, excess, or insolent behaviour.

* For Moses, it seems, outwent the seventy elders, who had been chosen, in obedience
to the divine command, to accompany him to the mount,? and appeared before God while
they were at some, though no great, distance behind him. ;

*’They continued in the worship of the true God for the first twenty days of Moses’s
absence, which, by taking the pene also into their reckoning, they computed to be forty,
and at their expiration concluded they had stayed the full time which Moses had com-
manded them, and so fell into the worship of the golden calf.*

> This was not his proper name, but he had this appellation because he was of a cer«
tain tribe among the Jews, called Samaritans (wherein the Mohammedans strangely be-
tray their ignorance in history); though some say he was a proselyte, but a hypocritical
one, and originally of Kirman, or some other country. His true name was Moses, or
Misa, Ebn Dhafar.‘ :

Selden is of opinion that this person was no other than Aaron himself (who was really
the maker of the calf), and he is here called al Sameri, from the Hebrew verb shamar to
keep ; ® because he was the keeper or guardian of the children of Israel during his brother’s
absence in the mount; which is a very ingenious conjecture, not absolutely inconsistent
with the text of the Koran (though Mohammed seems to have mistaken al Sameri for the
name of a different person), and offers a much more probable origin of that appellation,
than to derive it, as the Mohammedans do, from the Samaritans, who were not formed
into a people, nor bore that name, till many ages after.

‘ © viz. After he had completed his forty days’ stay in the mount, and had received the
‘aw.

4%, e. The law, containing a light and certain direction to guide you in the right way.

* ‘OQ my people, said he, did not God make unto you a glorious promise? Did it
seem to be too long deferred ?—Savary. ;

¢ These ornaments were rings, bracelets, and the like, which the Israelites had bor-
rowed of the Sere under pretence of decking themselves out for some feast, and
had not returned to them; or as some think, what they had stripped from the dead bodies
of the Egyptians, cast on shore 4 the sea: and al Sameri, conceiving them unlawful to
be kept, and the occasion of much wickedness, persuaded Aaron to let him collect them
from the people; which being done, he threw them all into the fire, to melt them down
into one mass.”

It is observable, that the Mohammedans generally suppose the cast metal’s coming forth
in the shape of a calf was beside the expectation of al Sameri, who had not made a mould

2 See chap. 2, p. 9, chap. 7, p. 132, &c. 2 Al Beidawi. * Idem. * Selden,
de Diis Syris, Synt.1.c.4. ° Al Beidawi. ‘Idem. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient
p. 650, and Kor, chap. 2, p. 7, &c.
OHAP. XX. AL KORAN. 961

cast them into the fire ; and in like manner al Sdmeri also cast in what he
4ad collected, and he produced unto them a corporeal calf, which lowed.
And al Sameri and his companions said, This is your god, and the god of
Moses; but he hath forgotten him, and is gone to seek some other. Did
they not therefore see that their idol returned them no answer, and was not
able to cause them either hurt or profit?) And Aaron had said unto them
before, O my people, verily ye are only proved by this calf; for your Lorp
is the Merciful: wherefore, follow me, and obey my command. They an-
swered, We will by no means cease to be devoted to its worship, until
Moses return unto us. And when Moses was returned, he said, O Aaron,
what hindered thee, when thou sawest that they went astray, that thou
didst not follow me? Hast thou, therefore, been disobedient to my com-
mand? Aaron answered, O son of my mother,,drag me not by the beard,
nor by the hair of my head. Verily I feared lest thou shouldest say,
Thou hast made a division among the children of Israel, and thou hast not
observed my saying." Moses said unto al Simeri, What was thy design,
O Sameri? He answered, I saw that which they saw not;: wherefore I
took a handful of dust from the footsteps of the messenger of God, and I
cast it into the molten calf ;* for so did my mind direct me. Moses said,
Get thee gone; for thy punishment in this life shall be, that thou shalt say
unto those who shall meet thee, Touch me not;} and a threat is denounced
. against thee of more terrible pains, in the life to come, which thou shalt by
no means escape. And behold now thy god, to whose worship thou has
continued assiduously devoted; verily we will burn it;™ and we will re

 

of that figure: and that when Aaron excuses himself to his brother, in the pentateuch
he seems as if he would persuade him it was an accident.®

‘ See chap. 7, p. 132, note k.

® By these words Moses reprehends Aaron for not seconding his zeal in taking arms
against the idolaters; or for not coming after him to the mountain, to acquaint him with
their rebellion.

i.e. Lest, if I had taken arms against the worshippers of the calf, thou shouldest say
that I had raised a sedition; or if I had gone after thee, thou shouldest blame me for
abandoning my charge, and not waiting thy return to rectify what was amiss.

' viz, That the messenger sent to thee from God was a pure spirit, and that his foot-
steps gave life to whatever they touched ; being no other than the angel Gabriel, mounted
on the horse of life; and therefore I made use of the dust of his feet to animate the
molten calf. It is said, al Sameri knew the angel, because he had saved and taken care
of him when a child, and exposed by his mother for fear of Pharaoh.

* See chap. 2, p. 7.

' Lest they infect thee with a burning fever: for that was the consequence of any man’s
touching him, and the same happened to the persons he touched; for which reason he
was obliged to avoid all communication with others, and was also shunned by them,
wandering in the desert like a wild beast.* : eee

Hence it is concluded that a tribe of Samaritan Jews, said to inhabit a certain isle in
the Red Sea, are the descendants of our al Sameri; because it is their peculiar mark of
distinction, at this day, to use the same words, viz. La Mesds, i. e. Touch me not, to those
they meet.? It is not improbable that this story may owe its rise to the known hatred
borne by the Samaritans to the Jews, and their superstitious avoiding to have any com-
merce with them or any other strangers.* :

™ Or, as the word may also be translated, We will file it down ; but the other is the
more received interpretation. .

® See Exod. xxxii. 24. ® Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. * Tidem. 2 Vide Geogr.
Nub. p. 45. 3 Vide Selden. ubi sup.
262 AL KORAN. CHAP. XX.

‘duce it to powder, and scatter it in the sea. Your Gop is the true Gop,
besides whom there is no other god: he comprehendeth all things by his
knowledge. Thus do we recite unto thee, O Mohammed, relations of what
hath passed heretofore; and we have given thee an admonition from us,
He who shall turn aside from it shall surely carry a load of guilt on the
day of resurrection: they shall continue thereunder for ever ; and a
grievous burden shall it be unto them on the day of resurrection." ‘On
that day the trumpet shall be sounded; and we will gather the wicked
together on that day,* having grey eyes.° They shall speak with a low
voice to one another, saying, Ye have not tarried? above ten days. We
well know what they will say; when the most conspicuous among them
for behaviour shall say, Ye have not tarried above one day. They will ask
thee concerning the mountains: Answer, My Lorp will reduce them to
dust, and scatter them abroad ;2 and he will leave them a plain equally ex-
tended: thou shalt see no part of them higher or lower than another. On
that day mankind shall follow the angel who will call them to judgment,t
none shall have power to turn aside from him ; and their voices shall be low
before the Merciful, neither shalt thou hear any more than the hollow
sound of their feet. On that day, the intercession of none shall be of
advantage unto another, except the intercession of ‘him to whom the
Merciful shall grant permission,* and who shall be acceptable unto him
.n what he saith. God knoweth that which is before them, and that
which is behind them; but they comprehend not the same by their know-
ledge :{ and their faces shall be humbledt before the living, the self-subsist-
ing God; and he shall be wretched who shall bear Ais iniquity. But
whosoever shall do good works, being a true believer, shall not fear any
injustice, or any diminution of his reward from God. And thus have we
sent down this book, being a Koran in the Arabic tongue; and we have
inserted various threats and promises therein, that men may fear God, or
that it may awaken some consideration in them: wherefore, let Gop be

 

= See chap. 6, p. 101.

* “ And their eyes shall be covered with darkness.’’—Savary.

° For this, with the Arabs, is one mark of an enemy, or a person they abominate ; to
say a man has a black liver (though I think we express our aversion by the term white-
livered), reddish whiskers, and grey eyes, being a periphrasis for a foe, and particularly a
Greek, which nation were the most inveterate enemies of the Arabs, and have usually
hair and eyes of those colours.‘ The original word, however, signifies also those who
are squint-eyed, or even blind of a suffusion.

P viz. In the world; or in the grave.

9 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 59.

® See ibid.

* Or, Except unto him, &c. See chap. 19, p. 104.

+ “Intercession shall benefit none but those to whom God shall grant this favour, and
who shall have pronounced the profession of faith which he loveth.”*—Savary.

@ { ‘*He knoweth the past and the future. Human knowledge extends not thus far.’—
‘avary.
‘ The original word properly expresses the humility and dejected looks of captives in
‘

the presence of their conqueror,

* Al Beidawi, Jawhari, in Lex. * << This profession of faith consists in the words,
There vs no God but God, and Mohammed is his prophet. These words ought never to be
repeated before Turks, unless the speaker have an inclination to be circumcised.’’—Savary.
OHAP. XX, AL KORAN. 263
‘ : H
highly exalted, the King, the Truth! Be not overhasty in receiving or

repeating the Koran before the revelation thereof be completed unto thee ;*
and say, Lorp, increase my knowledge. We heretofore gave «a command
unto Adam ; but he forgot the same,” and ate of the forbidden fruit ; and
we found not in him a firm resolution. And remember when we said unto
the angels, Worship ye Adam; and they worshipped him: but Eblis
refused. And we said, O Adam, verily this is an enemy unto thee, and
thy wife: wherefore, beware lest he turn you out of paradise; for then
shalt thou be miserable. Verily we have made a provision for thee, that
thou shalt not hunger therein, neither shalt thou be naked: and there is
also a provision made for thee, that thou shalt not thirst therein, neither
shalt thou be incommoded by heat. But Satan whispered evil suggestions
unto him, saying, O Adam, shall I guide thee to the tree of eternity, and
a kingdom which faileth not?* And they both ate thereof: and their
nakedness appeared unto them; and they began to sew together the leaves
of paradise, to cover themselves. And thus Adam became disobedient
unto his Lorp, and was seduced. Afterwards his Lorp accepted him, on
his repentance, and was turned unto him, and directed him. And Goa
said, Get ye down hence, all of you: the one of you shall be an enemy
unto the other. But hereafter shall a direction come unto you from me:¥
and whosoever shall follow my direction shall not err, neither shall he be
unhappy ; but whosoever shall turn aside from my admonition, verily he
shall lead a miserable life, and we will cause him to appear before us on the
day of resurrection, blind. And he shall say, O Lorn, why hast thou
brought me before thee blind, whereas before I saw clearly? God shall
answer, Thus have we done, because our signs came unto thee, and thou
didst forget them; and in the same manner shalt thou be forgotten this
day. And thus will we reward him who shall be negligent, and shall not
believe in the signs of his Lorp: and the punishment of the life to come
shall be more severe, and more lasting, than the punishment of this life.
Are not the Meccans, therefore, acquainted how many generations we have
destroyed before them; in whose dwellings they walk?* Verily herein
are signs unto those who are endued with understanding. And unless a
decree had previously gone forth from thy Lorp for their respite, verily

 

= Mohammed is here commanded not to be impatient at any delay in Gabriel’s bringing
the divine revelations, or not to repeat it too fast after the angel, so as to overtake him
before he had finished the passage. But some suppose the prohibition relates to the
publishing any verse before the same was perfectly explained to him.®

’ Adam’s so soon forgetting the divine command has occasioned some Arab etymolo-
gists to derive the word Insfn, i. e. man, from nasiya, to forget, and has also given rise
to the following proverbial saying, Awwalo nasin awwallo’nndsi, That is, The first for
getful person-was the first of men; alluding to the like sound of the words.

* See chap. 2, p. 5, &c.; chap. 7, p. 117, &c.

* « The tree which giveth endless sovereignty.’’—Savary.

* See chap. 7, pp. 117, 118.

7 See chap. 2.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 61. ; 7

* Seeing the footsteps of their destruction; as of the tribes of Ad and Thamid.

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
264 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXI.

their destruction had necessarily followed: but there is a certain time de-
termined by God for their punishment. Wherefore, do thou, O Mohammed,
patiently bear that which they say; and celebrate the praise of thy Lorp
before the rising of the sun, and before the setting thereof, and praise him in
the hours of the night, and in the extremities of the day,* that thou mayest
be well-pleased with the prospect of receiving favour from God. And cast
not thine eyes on that which we have granted divers of the unbelievers to
enjoy, namely, the splendour of this present life,* that we may prove them
thereby ; for the provision of thy Lorn‘ is better, and more permanent,
Command thy family to observe prayer ; and do thou persevere therein. We
require not of thee that thou labour to gain necessary pyovisions for thyself
and family ; we will provide for thee; for the prosperous issue shall attend
on piety. The unbelievers say, Unless he come unto vs with a sign from
his Lorn, we will not believe on him. Hath not a plain declaration come
unto them, of that which is contained in the former volumes of scripture,
by the revelation of the Kordn? If we had destroyed them by a judgment
vefore the same had been revealed, they would have:said, at the resurrection,
O Lorn, how could we believe since thou didst not send unto us an apostle,
that we might follow thy signs, before we were humbled and covered with
shame? Say, Each of us wait the issue: wait, therefore; for ye shall
surely know hereafter who have been the followers of the even way, and
who hath been rightly directed.

CHAPTER XXI.

INTITLED, THE PROPHETS;! REVEALED AT MECCA.

’

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

*[XVII.] The time of giving up their account draweth nigh unto the
people of Mecca ; while they are sunk in negligence, turning aside from the
consideration thereof. No admonition cometh unto them from their Lorp,

 

>7. e. Evening and morning; which times are repeated as the principal hours of prayer.
But some suppose these words intend the prayer of noon; the first half of the day ending,
and the second half beginning, at that time."

¢ That is, Do not envy or covet their pomp and prosperity in this world.®

‘viz. The reward laid up for thee in the next life: or the gift of prophecy, and the
revelations with which God has favoured thee.

¢It is said, that when Mohammed’s family were in any strait or affliction, he used to
order them to go to prayers, and to repeat this verse. ‘

* «The unbelievers have said, We will not believe on him, unless he work miracles.
Have they not heard the history of the nations which came before them 2’—Savary.

' The chapter bears this title, because some particulars relating to several of the ancient
prophets are here recited. :

Savary adds, after the word prophets, ‘‘ Peace be with them.’

(He who shall read this chapter, says Zamakhshari, shall be favourably judged an the
day of resurrection. The prophets who are mentioned in the Koran shall stretch out their
nands to him, and salute him.—Savary.)

™ Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ® See chap. 15, p. 213. * Al Beidiwi.
CHAP. XXI. AL KORAN. 265

being lately revealed in the Kordn, but when they hear it, they turn it to
sport: their hearts are taken up with delights. And they who act unjustiy
discourse privately together, saying, Is this Mohammed any more than a
man like yourselves? Will ye therefore come to hear a piece of sorcery,
when ye plainly perceive it to be so2* Say, My Lorp knoweth whatever
is spoken in heaven and on earth: it is he who heareth and knoweth. But
they say, The Koran is a confused heap of dreams: nay, he hath forged it; .
nay, he is a poet: let him come untq us therefore with some miracle, in
like manner as the former prophets were sent. None of the cities which we
nave destroyed believed the miracles which they saw performed before them:
will these therefore believe, if they see a miracle? We sent none as our
apostles before them, other than men, unto whom we revealed our will.
Ask those who are acquainted with the scripture, if ye know not this. We
gave them not a body which could be supported without their eating food;
neither were they immortal. But we made good our promise unto them:
wherefore we delivered them, and those whom we pleased; but we
destroyed the exorbitant transgressors. Now have we sent down unto you,
O Koreish, the book of the Koran ; wherein there is honourable mention of
you: will ye not therefore understand? And how many cities have we
overthrown, which were ungodly ; and caused other nations to rise up after
them? And when they felt our severe vengeance, behold, they fled swiftly
from those cities. And the angels said scoffingly unto them, Do not fly ; but
return to that wherein ye delighted, and to your habitations; peradventure
ye will be asked.et They answered, Alas for us! verily we have been
unjust.» And this their lamentation ceased not, until we had rendered
them like corn which is mowen down and utterly extinct. We created not
the heavens and the earth, and that which is between them, by way of
sport..{ If we had pleased to take diversion, verily we had taken it with
that which beseemeth us;* if we had resolved to have done this, But we
will oppose truth to vanity, and it shall confound the same; and behold, it

 

* Will you listen unto an impostor? You will know him soon.”—Savary.

®7. e. Concerning the. present posture of affairs, by way of consultation: or, that ye
may be examined as to your deeds, that ye may receive the reward thereof.

t ‘* Whither fly you? the angels will exclaim. Return to enjoy your pleasures. Re-
turn to the abode in which you dwelt. You are about to be questioned.””—Savary.

»Tt is related that a prophet was sent to the inhabitants of certain towns in Yaman, but
instead of hearkening to his remonstrances, they killed him: upon which God delivered
them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, who put them to the sword ; a voice at the same
time crying from heaven, Vengeance for the blood of the prophets! Upon which they
repented, and used the words of this passage.

' But for the manifestation of our power and wisdom to people’ of understanding, that
they may seriously conéider the wonders of the creation, and direct their actions to the
attainment of future happiness, neglecting the vain pomp and fleeting pleasures of this world.

t ““If we had formed the universe for a sport, we should have been the first objects of
mockery.”—Savary. * : , : a :

¥ yiz. We had sought our pleasure in our own perfections; or, in the’ spiritual beings
which are in our immediate presence ; and not in raising of material buildings, with painted
roofs, and fine floors, which is the diversion of man. ? : ;

Some think the original word, translated diversion, ‘signifies in this place a wife, or a
child; and that the passage is particularly levelled against the Christians.?

1 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, al Zamakh. 2 Tidem.
2B /
266 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXI.

shall vanish away. Woe be unto you, for that which ye impiously utter
concerning God ! since whoever is in heaven and on earth is subject unto
hirs , and the angels who are in his presence do not insolently disdain his
service, neither are they tired therewith. They praise hum night and day ;
they faint not. Have they taken gods from the earth? Shall they raise
the dead to life? If there were either in heaven or on earth gods besides
Gop, verily both would be corrupted.!. But far be that which they utter
from Gop, the Lorp of the throne! No account shall be demanded of him
for what he shall do; but an account shall be demanded of them. Have
they taken other gods besides him?* Say, Produce your proof thereof.
This is the admonition of those who are contemporary with me, and the
admonition of those who have been before me,™ but the greater part of
them know not the truth, and turn aside from the same. We have sent no
apostle before thee, but we revealed unto him that there is no god beside
myself, wherefore serve me. They say, The Merciful hath begotten issue ;
and the angels are his daughters.»t Gop forbid! They are his honoured
servants, they prevent him not in any thing which they say;° and they
execute his command. He knoweth that which is before them, and that
which is behind them; they shall not intercede for any, except for whom
it shall please him; and they tremble for fear of him. Whoever of them
shall say, Iam a god besides him; that angel will we reward with hell:
for so will we reward the unjust. Do not the unbelievers therefore know,
that the heavens and the earth were solid, and we clave the same in
sunder ;” and made every living thing of water?{ Will they not therefore
believe? And we placed stable mountains on the earth, lest it should
move with them;1 and we made broad passages between them for paths,
that they might be directed in their journeys : and we made the heaven a
roof well supported. Yet they turn aside from the signs thereof, not con-
sidering that they are the workmanship of God. It is he who hath created
the night, and the day, and the sun, and the moon; all the celestial bodies

1 That is, the whole creation would necessarily fall into confusion and be overturned,
by the competition of such mighty antagonists.

a. “Do the angels worship any other divinities than God? Produce your proof.”’—

‘avary.

=i, ¢. This is the constant doctrine of all the sacred books; not only of the Koran, but
of those which were revealed in former ages; all of them bearing witness to the great
and fundamental truth of the unity of God.

» This passage was revealed on account of the Khozaites, who held the angels to be the
daughters of God.

+ ‘* The unbelievers have said, God has had a son by intercourse with the angels. Far
from him be this blasphemy! The angels are his honoured servants.’’—Savary.

° 4. e. They presume not to say any thing, until he hath spoken it ; behaving as servants
who know their duty.

» That is, They were one continued mass of matter, till we separated them, and divided
the heaven into seven heavens, and the earth into as many stories; and distinguished the
various orbs of the one, and the‘different climates of the other, &c. Or, as some choose
to translate the words, The heavens and the earth were shut up, and we opened the same :
their meaning being, that the heavens did not rain, nor the earth produce vegetables, till
God interposed his power.? _ /

t “That we caused the rain to descend, which giveth life to all the plants." —Savary.

“See chap. 16, p. 215.

? Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. XXI. AL KORAN. | 267

move swiftly, each in its respective orb. We have not granted unto any man
before thee efernal permanency in this world ; if thou die, therefore, will
they be immortal?" Every soul shall taste of death: and we will prove

you with evil, and with good, for a trial of you; and unto us shall ye _

return. When the unbelievers see thee, they receive thee only with’
scoffing, saying, Is this he who mentioneth your gods with contempt? Yet
themselves believe not what is mentioned to them of the Merciful.* Man
is created of precipitation.t Hereafter will I show you my signs, so that
ye shall not wish them to be hastened. They say, When will this threat
be accomplished, if ye speak truth? If they who believe not knew that the
time will surely come, when they shall not be able to drive back the fire of
hell from their faces, nor from their backs, neither shall they be helped, they
would not hasten it. But the day of vengeance shall come upon them sud-
denly, and shall strike them with astonishment: they shall not be able to
avert it, neither shall they be respited. Other apostles have been mocked
before thee ; but the punishment which they scoffed at fell upon such of
them as mocked. Say unto the scoffers, Who shall save you by night and
by day from the Merciful? Yet they utterly neglect the remembrance of
their Lorp. Have they gods who will defend them, besides us? They are
not able to help themselves; neither shall they be assisted against us by
their companions. But we.have permitted these men and their fathers to
enjoy worldly prosperity, so long as life was continued unto them. Do they
not perceive that we come unto the land of the unbelievers, and straiten the
borders thereof? Shall they therefore be the conquerors? Say, I only
preach unto you the revelation of God : but the deaf will not hear thy call,
whenever they are preached unto. Yet if the least breath of the punish-
ment of thy Lorp touch them, they will surely say, Alas for us! verily we
have been unjust. We will appoint just balances for the day of resur-
rection ; neither shall any soul be injured at all: although the merit or guilt
of an action be of the weight of a grain of mustard-seed only, we will pro-
duce it publicly ; and there will be sufficient accountants with us. We
formerly gave unto Moses and Aaron the law, being a distinction® between
good and evil, and a light and admonition unto the pious; who fear their
Lorp in secret, and who dread the hour of judgment. And this book also is
a blessed admonition, which we have sent down from heaven: will ye
therefore deny it? And we gave unto Abraham his direction* heretofore,

 

* This passage was revealed when the infidels said, We expect to see Mohammed die,
like the rest of mankind. >

* Denying his unity ; or rejecting his apostles and the scriptures which were given for
their instruction, and particularly the Koran.

* * And they dare to insult the Merciful !’’—Savary.

‘ Being hasty and inconsiderate.‘ It is said this passage was revealed on account of al
Nodar Ebn al Haretn, when he desired Mohammed to hasten the divine vengeance with
which he threatened the unbelievers.®

* Arab, al Forkan. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iti. p. 40.

¥ viz. The ten books of divine revelations which were given him.‘

* See chap. 17, p. 228, &c. 5 Al Beidawi. * See the Prelim. Disc. sect iv p. 52.
268 AL KORAN. CHAP XX1.

and we knew him to be worthy of the revelations wherewith he was favoured.
Remember when he said unto his father, and his people, What are these
images, to which ye are so entirely devoted?» They answered, We found
our fathers worshipping them. He said, Verily both ye and your fathers
have been in a manifest error. They said, Dost thou seriously tell us the
truth, or art thou one who jestest with us? He replied, Verily your Lorp
is the Lorp of the heavens and the earth; it is he who hath created them:
and Iam one of those who bear witness thereof. By Gop, I will surely
devise a plot against your idols, after ye shall have retired from them, and
shall have turned your backs. And in the people’s absence he went into the
temple where the idols stood, and he brake them all in pieces, except the
biggest of them; that they might lay the blame upon that.2 And
when they were returned, and saw the havoc which had been made,
they said, Who hath done this to our gods? He is certainly an
impious person. 4nd certain of them answered, We heard a young
man speak reproachfully of them: he is named Abraham. They said,
Bring him therefore before the people, that they may bear witness against
him. And when he was brought before the assembly, they said unto
him, Hast thou done this unto our gods,O Abraham? He answered, Nay,
that biggest of them hath done it: but ask them, if they can speak. And
they returned unto themselves,* and said the one to the other, Verily ye are
the impious persons.* Afterwards they relapsed into their former obstinacy,"
and said, Verily thou knowest that these speak not. Abraham answered,
Do ye. therefore worship, besides Gop, that which cannot profit you at all,
neither can it hurt you? Fie on you: and upon that which ye worship
besides Gop! Do ye not understand? They said, Burn him, and avenge
your gods: if ye do this it will be well.” And when Abraham was cast into

 

¥ See chap. 6, p. 105, &c., chap. 19, p. 251, and chap. 2, p. 31.

z Abraham took his opportunity to do this while the Chaldeans were abroad in the
fields, celebrating a great festival ; and some say he hid himself in the temple ; and when
he had accomplished his design, that he might the more evidently convince them of their
folly in worshipping them, he hung the axe, with which he had hewn and broken down
the images, on the neck of the chief idol, named by some writers Baal, as if he had been
the author of all the mischief."_ For this story, which, though it be false, is not ill invented,
Mohammed stands indebted to the Jews, who tell it with a little variation: for they say
Abraham performed this exploit in his father’s shop, during his absence; that Terah, on
his return, demanding the occasion of the disorder, his son told him that the idols had
quarrelled and fallen together by the ears about an offering of fine flour, which had been
brought them by an old woman; and that the father, finding he could not insist on the
impossibility of what Abraham pretended, without confessing the impotence of his gods,
fell into a violent passion, and carried him to Nimrod, that he might be exemplarily
punished for his insolence.®

* That'is, They became sensible of their folly.

* « Having awoke to asense of their error, they exclaimed, We were unjust.’’—Savary.

» Literally, They were turned down upon their heads.

° Perceiving they could not prevail against Abraham by dint of argument, says al
Beidawi, they had recourse to persecution and torments. ‘The same commentator tells
us the person who gave this counsel was a Persian Curd,’ named Heyyin, and that the
earth opened and swallowed him up alive: some, however, say it was Andeshan, a
Magian priest ;° and others, that it was Nimrod himself.

_ TAI Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c. Vide Hyde de Rel. vet. Pers. c. 2. ® R. Geda..
in Shalshel. hakkab. p. 8. Vide Maimon. Yad hazzaka, c. 1, de idol. * Vide D'Herbe.
Bibl. Orient. Art Dhokak. et Schultens, Indic. Geogr. in Vit. Saladini, voce Curdi.
2 Vide D’Herbel. p. 115.

’
CHAP. XXI. AL KORAN. 269

the burning pile, we said, O fire, be thou cold, and # preservation unto
Abraham.’ And they sought to lay a plot against him~ but we caused
them to be the sufferers.° And we delivered him, and Let, oy bringing
them into the land wherein we have blessed all creatures. And we
bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob, as an additional gift: anc we made all
of them righteous persons. We also made them models of religion,’* that
they might direct others by our command: and we inspired into them the
doing of good works, and the observance of prayer, and the giving of alms ;

 

The commentators relate that, by Nimrod’s order, a large space was inclosed at
Ciitha, and filled with a vast quantity of wood, which being set on fire, burned so fiercely,
that none dared to venture near it: then they bound Abraham, and putting him into an
engine (which some suppose to have been of the devil’s invention), shot him into the «
midst of the fire, from which he was preserved by the angel Gabriel, who was sent to
his assistance; the fire burning only the cords with which he was bound.? They add
that the fire having miraculously lost its heat, in respect to Abraham, became an
odoriferous air, and that the pile changed to a pleasant meadow; though it raged so
furiously otherwise, that according to some writers, about two thousand of the idolaters
were consumed by it.*

This story seems to have no other foundation than that passage of Moses, where God
is said to have brought Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees,* misunderstood: which words
the Jews, the most trifling interpreters of scripture, and some moderns who have followed
them, have translated, owt of the fire of the Chaldees; taking the word Ur, not for the
proper name of a city, as it really is, but for an appellative, signifying fire.© However,
itis a fable of some antiquity, and credited, not only by the Jews, but by several of the
eastern Christians; the twenty-fifth of the second Canun, or January, being set apart in
the Syrian calendar, for the commemoration of Abraham’s being cast into the fire."

The Jews also mention some other persecutions which Abraham underwent on
account of his religion, particularly a ten years’ imprisonment:* some saying he was im-
prisoned by Nimrod ;° and others, by his father Terah.’®

® Some tell us that Nimrod, on seeing this miraculous deliverance from his palace, cried
out, that he would make an offering to the God of Abraham; and that he accordingly
sacrificed four thousand kine.t But, if he ever relented, he soon relapsed into his
former infidelity : for he built a tower that he might ascend to heaven to see Abraham’s
God; which being overthrown,? still persisting in his design, he would be carried to hea-
ven in a chest borne by four monstrous birds ; but after wandering for some time through
the air, he fell down on a mountain with such a force, that he made it shake, whereto (as
some fancy) a passage in the Koran? alludes, which may be translated, although their
contrivances be such, as to make the mountains tremble. : . !

Nimrod, disappointed in his design of making war with God, turned his arms against
Abraham, who, being a great prince, raised forces to defend himself; but God, dividing
Nimrod’s subjects, and confounding their language, deprived him of the greater part of
his people, and plagued those who adhered to him by swarms of gnats, which destroyed
almost all of them: and one of those gnats having entered into the nostril, or ear, of
Nimrod, penetrated to one of the membranes of his brain, where, growing bigger every
day, it gave him such intolerable pain, that he was obliged to cause his head to be beaten
with a mallet, in order to procure some ease, which torture he suffered four hundred
years; God being willing to punish, by one of the smallest of his creatures, him who
insolently boasted himself to be lord of allt A Syrian calendar places the death of Nim-
rod, as if the time were well known, on the 8th of Thamiz, or July.*

‘i, e. Palestine; in which country the greater part of the prophets appeared.
® See chap. 2, p. 16.

* ‘* We established them as our vicars, to lead the people according to the divine law.””
—Savary.

SAl Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c. Vide Morgan’s Mohammedism Expl. v. i. chap. 4.
“The MS. Gospel of Barnabas, chap. 28. 5 Gen. xv. 7. ® Vide ‘V'arg. Jonath. et
Hierosol. in Genes. c. 11 et 15, et Hyde, de Rel. vet. Pers. p. 74, &c. TVide Hyde,

ibid. p. 73. ®R. Bliez. Pirke, c. 26, &c. Vide Maim. More Nev. lib. itt. ¢, 29,
® Glossa Talmud. in Gemar. Bava bathra, 91, 1. 2 In A apeda: _ 1 Al Beidawi,
2 See chap. 16, p. 216. 3 See chap. Fe p. 209. * Vide D’Herbel, Bibl. Orient. Art.

Nemrod. Hyde, ubi supra. * Vide Hyde, ibid. p. 74.
270 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXI.

and they served us. And unto Lot we gave wisdom and knowledge, and
we delivered him out of the city which committed filthy crimes; for they
were a wicked and insolent people;* and we led him into our mercy ; for
he was an upright person. And remember Noah, when he called for
destruction on his people, before the prophets above-mentioned : and we heard
him, and delivered him and his family from a great strait: and we protected
him from the people who accused our signs of falsehood ; for they were a
wicked people, wherefore we drowned them all. And remember David
und Solomon, when they pronounced judgment concerning a field, when
the sheep of certain people had fed therein by night, having no shepherd;
and we were witnesses of their judgment: and we gave the understanding
thereof unto Solomon. And on all af them we bestowed wisdom, and
knowledge. And we compelled the mountains to praise us, with David;
and the birds also:! and we did this. And we taught him the art
of making coats of mail for you,™ that they may defend you in your wars:
will ye therefore be thankful? And unto Solomon we subjected a strong
wind :*" it ran at his command to the land whereon we had bestowed our
blessing:*° and we knew all things. And we also subjected unto his
command divers of the devils, who might dive to get pearls for him, and per-
form other work besides this ;? and we watched over them. And remember

 

» See chap. 7, p. 125, &c., and chap. J1, p. 183.

‘ See chap. 8, p. 146, note r.

« Some sheep, in their shepherd’s absence, having broken into another man’s field (or
vineyard, say others) by night, and eaten up the corn, a dispute arose thereupon: and
the cause ee brought before David and Solomon, the former said that the owner of the
land should take the sheep, in compensation of the damage which he had sustained: but
Solomon, who was then but eleven years old, was of opinion that it would be more just
for the owner of the field to take only the profit of the sheep, viz. their milk, lambs, and
wool, till the shepherd should, by his own labour and his own expense, put the field into
as good condition as when the sheep entered it; after which the sheep might be returned
to their master. And this judgment of Solomon was approved by David himself, as better
than his own.®

‘ Mohammed, it seems, taking the visions of the Talmudists for truth, believed that
when David was fatigued with singing psalms, the mountains, birds, and other parts of
the creation, both animate and inanimate, relieved him in chanting the divine praises.
This consequence the Jews draw from the words of the psalmist, when he calls on the
several parts of nature to join with him in cee the praise of God ;" it being their

yerverse custom to expound passages in the most literal manner, which cannot bear a
iteral sense without a manifest absurdity ; and, on the contrary, to turn the plainest pas-
sages into allegorical fancies. ;
= Men, before his inventing them, using to arm themselves with broad*plates of metal.
Lest this fable should want something of the marvellous, one writer tells us, that the iron

which David used became soft in his bande like wax.®

* «Solomon received from heaven the power of commanding the winds. He caused
them to blow at his will on the blessed land. Our knowledge has no bounds.’’—Savary.

® Which transported his throne with prodigious swiftness. Some say, this wind was
violent or gentle, just as Solomon pleased? ‘

° viz. Palestine, whither the wind brought back Solomon’s throne in the evening, after
having carried it to a distant country in the morning.

’ Such as the building of cities and palaces, the fetching of rare pieces of art fro
foreign countries, and the like. ; \

‘Lest they should swerve from his orders, or do mischief according to their naturas

5 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c. ™ See Psalm cxlviii. ® Tarikh Montakkab. Viae
D’Herbel. p. 284. - * See chap. 27. ,
CHAP. XXI. AL KORAN. 271

Job ;* when he cried unto his Lorn, saying, Verily evil hath afflicted me:
but thou art the most merciful of those who show mercy. Wherefore we
heard him, and relieved him from the evil which was upon jhim: and we
restored unto him his family, and as many more with them, through our
mercy, and for an admonition unto those who serve God. And remember
Ismael, and Edris,* and Dhu’lkefl.t All these were patient persons; where-
fore we led them into our mercy; for they were righteous doers. And
remember Dhu’lnun," when he departed* in wrath,* and thought that we
could not exercise our power over him. And he cried out in the darkness,y
saying, There is no Gop, besides thee: praise be unto thee! Verily I have
been one of the unjust. Wherefore we heard him, and delivered him from

 

inclinations. Jallalo’ddin says, that when they had finished ay piece of building, they
pulled it down before night, if they were not employed in something new.

* The Mohammedan writers tell us that Job was of the race of Esau, and was blessed
with a numerous family, and abundant riches: but that God proved him, by taking away
all that he had, even his children, who were killed by the fall of a house; notwithstand-
ing which he continued to serve God, and to return him thanks, as usual: that he was
then struck with a filthy disease, his body being full of worms, and so offensive, that as
he lay on the dunghill none could bear to come near him: that his wife, however (whom
some call Rahmat the daughter of Ephraim the son of Joseph, and others Makhir the
daughter of Manasses), attended him with great patience, supporting him with what she
earned by her labour ; but that the devil appearing to her one day, ace having reminded
her of her past prosperity, promised her that if she would worship him, he would restore
all they had lost; whereupon she asked her husband’s consent, who was so angry at the

roposal, that he swore, if he recovered, to give his wife a hundred stripes: that Job
faving pronounced the prayer recorded in this passage, God sent Gabriel, who, taking
him by the hand, raised him up; and at the same time a fountain sprang up at his feet,
of which having drunk, the worms fell off his body, and washing therein he recovered
his former health and beauty: that God then restored all to him double; his wife alse
becoming young and handsome again, and bearing him twenty-six sons: and that Job,
to satisfy his oath, was directed by God to strike her one blow with a palm-branch
having a hundred leaves. Some, to express the great riches that were bestowed on Job
after his sufferings, say he had two threshing-floors, one for wheat, and the other for
barley, and that God sent two clouds which rained gold on the one, and silver on the
other, till they ran over.?. The traditions differ as to the continuance of Job’s calamities;
one will have it to be eighteen years, another thirteen, another three, and another
exactly seven years, seven months, and seven hours.

* See chap. 19, p. 252.

t Who this prophet was is very uncertain. One commentator will have him to be
Elias, or Joshua, or Zacharias :* another supposes him to have been the son of Job, and
to have dwelt in Syria; to which some add, that he was first a very wicked man, but
afterwards repenting, died; upon which these words appeared miraculously written over
his door, Now hath God been mercifal unto Dhu’lkefi:‘ and a third tells us he was a person
of great strictness of life, and one who used to decide causes to the satisfaction of all
Parties, because he was never in a passion; and that he was called Dhu’lkefl from his
continual fasting, and other religious exercises.*

" This is the surname of Jonas; which was given him because he was swallowed by the
fish. See chap. 10, p. 173.

* « Remember Jonas, when he departed with regret, and believed himself to be shel-
tered from our power.’’—Savary.

= Some suppose Jonas’s anger was against the Ninevites, being tired with preaching
to them for so long a time, and greatly disgusted at their obstinacy and ill usage of him ;
but others, more agreeably to scripture, say the reason of his ill humour was God’s
pardoning of that people on their repentance, and averting the judgment which Jonas had
threatened them with, so that he thought he had been made a liar.®

7%. e. Out of the belly of the fish.

Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Abu’lfeda, &c. See D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Aioub.
*Jallalo’ddin. *AlBeidawi. ‘* Abu'lfeda. ‘Jallalo’ddin. © Al Beidawi.
272 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXI.

affliction ;2, tor so do we deliver the true believers. And remember
Zacharias, when he called upon his Lorn, saying, O Lorn, leave me not
childless: yet thou art the best heir. Wherefore we heard him, and we
gave him John; and we rendered his wife fit for bearing a child unto him.
These strove to excel in good works, and called upon us with love, and
with fear; and humbled themselves before us. And remember her who
preserved her virginity,* and into whom we breathed of our spirit; ordain.
ing her and her son for a sign unto all creatures. Verily this your religion
is one religion,» and I am your Lorp; wherefore serve me. But the Jews
and Christians have made schisms in the affair of their religion among
themselves ; but all of them shall appear before us. Whosoever shall
do good works, being a true believer, there shall be no denial of the reward
due to his endeavours; and we will surely write it down unto him. An
inviolable prohibition is Zaid on every city which we shall have destroyed;
for that they shall not return any more into the world, until Gog and
Magog shall have a passage opened for them,° and they shall hasten from
every high hill,4 and the certain promise shall draw near to be fulfilled : and
behold, the eyes of the infidels shall be fixed with astonishment, and they
shall say, Alas for us! we were formerly regardless of this day; yea, we
were wicked doers. Verily doth ye, O men of Mecca, and the idols which ye
worship besides Gop, shall be cast as fuel into hell fire: ye shall go down
into the same. If these were really gods, they would not go down into the
same: and all of them shall remain therein for ever. In that place shall
they groan for anguish; and they shall not hear aught therein. As for
those unto whom the most excellent reward of paradise hath been pre-
destinated by us, they shall be transported far off from the same;‘ they
shall not hear the least sound thereof: and they shall continue for ever in
the felicity which their souls desire. The greatest terror shall not trouble
them; and the angels shall meet them to congratulate them, saying, This is
yoursday which ye were promised. On that day we will roll up the
heavens, as the angel al Sijilé rolleth up the book wherein every man’s actions

 

? See chap. 37. ° Namely, the virgin Mary.

> Being the same which was professed by all the prophets, and holy men and women,
without any fundamental difference or variation.

©i. e. Until the resurrection ; one sign of the approach whereof will be the irruption of
those barbarians.”

“In this passage some copies, instead of hadabin, i. e. an elevated part of the earth, have
jadathin, which signifies, a grave ; and if we follow the latter reading, the pronoun they
must not refer to Gog and Magog, but to mankind in general.

© Because of their astonishment and the insupportable torments they shall endure; or,
as others expound the words, They shall not hear therein any thing which may give them
the least comfort.

‘ One Ebn al Zabari objected to the preceding words, Both ye and that which ye wor-
ship besides God shall be cast into hell, because, being general, they asserted an absolute
falsehood ; some of the objects of idolatrous worship being so far from any danger of
damnation, that they were in the hig est favour with God, as Jesus, Ezra, and the angels
wherefore this passage was revealed, excepting those who were predestined to salvation.

® Whose office is to write down the actions of every man’s life, which at his death .
he rolls up, as completed. Some pretend one of Mohammed’s scribes is here meant: ana

1 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 58. ® Al Beidéwi, Jallalo'ddin.
CHAP. XXII. AL KORAN. . 2738

are recorded. As we made the first creature out of nothing, so we will also
reproduce it at the resurrection. This is a promise which it lieth on us to
fulfil: we will surely perform it. And now have we written in the
psalms, after the promulgation of the law, that my servants the righteous
shall inherit the earth. Verily in this book are contained sufficient means
of salvation, unto people who serve God. We have not sent thee, O
Mohammed, but as a mercy unto all creatures.* Say, No other hath
been revealed unto me, than that your Gop is one Gop: will ye therefore
be resigned unto him? But if they turn their backs to the confession
of God’s unity, say, I proclaim war against you all equally: but I know
not whether that which ye are threatened with* be nigh, or whether it be
far distant.| Verily God knoweth the discourse which is spoken in public ;
and he also knoweth that which ye hold in private. I know not but per-
adventure the respite granted you is for a trial of you; and that ye may
enjoy the prosperity of this world foratime. Say, Lorn, judge between me
and my adversaries with truth. Our Lorp is the Merciful; whose assist-
ance is to be implored against the blasphemies and calumnies which ye utter.

CHAPTER XXII.
INTITLED, THE PILGRIMAGE;! REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O xen of Mecca, fear your Lorp. Verily the shock of the Zast hour®
will be a terrible thing. On the day whereon ye shall see it, every
woman who giveth suck shall forget the infant which she suckleth,’ and
every female that is with young shall cast her burden; and thou shalt
see men seemingly drunk, yet they shall not be really drunk: but the
punishment of Gop will be severe. There is a man who disputeth concern-
ing Gop without knowledge,? and followeth every rebellious devil: against

 

others take the word Sijil, or, as it is also written, Sijjill, for an appellative, signifying a
_ book or written scroll ; and accordingly render the passage as a written scroll is rolled up.*
» These words are taken from Psalm xxxvii. 29.
* “We have sent thee only to announce unto all men the divine mercy.” —Savary.
' Or, Ihave publicly declared unto you what I was commanded.

* viz, The losses and disgraces which ye shall suffer by the future successes of the
Moslems; or, the day of judgment.

_., 1 “If ye persist in your unbelief, I announce calamities unto you. I know not whether
they are at hand, or as yet at a distance.’’—Savary.

‘Some ceremonies used at the pilgrimage of Mecca being mentioned in this cnapter, ©
gave occasion to the inscription.

™Some! except two verses, beginning at these words, There.are some men who serve
God in a wavering manner, &c. And others? six verses, beginning at, These are twe
opposite parties, Suc.

2 Or, the earthquake which, some say, is to happen a little before the sun rises from
the west; one sign of the near approach of the day of judgment.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 4, p. 59.

* This passage was revealed on account of al Nodar Ebn al Hareth, who maintained

° Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c. * Jallalo’ddin. Al Beidawi. *See the Prelim.
Disc. sect. iv. p. 56, &c.
274 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXII.

whom it is written, that whoever shall take him for his patron, he shal:
surely seduce him, and shall lead him into the torment of hell.* O men,
if ye be in doubt concerning the resurrection, consider that we first created
you of the dust of the ground ; afterwards, of seed ; afterwards, of a little
coagulated blood ;+ afterwards, of a piece of flesh, perfectly formed in part,
and in part imperfectly formed; that we might make our power manifest
unto you: and we caused that which we please to rest in the wombs, until
the appointed time of delivery. Then we bring you forth infants; and
ufterwards we permit you to attain your age of full strength: and one of
you dieth in his youth, and another of you is postponed to a decrepid age,
so that he forgetteth whatever he knew. Thou seest the earth sometimes
dried up and barren: but when we send down rain thereon, it is put in
motion and swelleth, and produceth every kind of luxuriant vegetables. This
showeth that Gop is the truth, and that he raiseth the dead to life, and that
he is almighty; and that the hour of judgment will surely come (there
is no doubt thereof), and that Gop will raise again those who are in
the graves. There is a man who disputeth concerning Gop without either
knowledge, or a direction, or an enlightening book ;* proudly turning his
side, that he may seduce men from the way of Gop. Ignominy shall attend
him in this world; and on the day of resurrection we will make him taste
the torment of burning, when it shall be said unto him, This thow sufferest
because of that which thy hands have formerly committed ; for Gop is not
unjust towards mankind.f| There are some men who serve Gop in a
wavering manner, standing, as it were, on the verge® of the true religion.
If good befall one of them, he resteth satisfied therein ; but if any tribulation

 

that the angels were the daughters of God, and that the Koran was a fardel of old fables,
and denied the resurrection.*

_* The greatest part of men dispute concerning God, without being guided by the
light. They follow rebellious Satan. It is written that he shall lead astray, and shall
draw down into hell, whoever shall have taken him as his patron.’’—Savary.

9 See chap. 96.

' The person here meant, it is said, was Abu Jahl,* a principal man among the Koreish,
and a most inveterate enemy of Mohammed and his religion. His true name was Amru
Ebn Hesham, of the family of Makhzim; and he was surnamed Abu'lhocm, i. e. the

pi of wisdom, which was afterwards changed into Abu Jahl, or the father of folly.
e was slain in the battle of Bedr.® ;

t ‘The greatest part dispute concerning God, without being enlightened by the torch
of knowledge, and without the authority of any famous book. They haughtily turn
aside the head, that they may mislead their fellow-creatures from the right cath, In this
world they shall be covered with ignominy, and at the day of resurrection we will make
them to undergo the torment of fire. Such shall be the reward of their crimes. God
never deceiveth his servants.’’—Savary.

* This expression alludes to one who, being posted in the skirts of an army, if he sees
the victory inclining to his own side, stands his ground, but if the enemy is likely to pre-
vail, takes to his heels.

The passage, they say, was revealed on account of certain Arabs of the desert, who
came to Medina, and having professed Mohammedism, were well enough pleased with
it, so long as their affairs prospered, but if they met with any adversity, were sure to lay
the blame on their new religion. A tradition of Abu Said mentions another accident as
the occasion of this passage, viz. that a certain Jew embraced Islim, but afterwards
taking a dislike to it, on account of some misfortunes which had befallen him, went to
Mohammed, and desired he might renounce it, and be freed from the obligations of it*
but the prophet told him that no such thing was allowed in his religion."

Al Beidawi. 5 Jallalo’ddin. ® See chap. 8, p. 145. 7 Al Beidawt
CHAP. XXII. AL KORAN. 275

befail him, he turneth himself round, with the loss both of this world, and of
the life to come. This is manifest perdition. He will call upon that,
besides Gop, which can neither hurt him, nor profit him. This is an error
remote from truth. He will invoke him who will sooner be of hurt to his
worshipper than of advantage. Such is surely a miserable patron, and
a miserable companion.* But Gop will introduce those who shall believe,
and do righteous works, into gardens through which rivers flow; for Gop
doth that which he pleaseth. Whoso thinketh that Gop will not assist his
apostle in this world, and in the world to come, let him strain a rope
towards heaven, then let him put an end to his life, and see whether
his devices can render that ineffectual, for which he was angry.t. Thus do
we send down the Kordn, being evident signs: for Gop directeth whom he
pleaseth. fs to the true believers, and those who Judaize, and the Sabians,
and the Christians, and the Magians, and the idolaters; verily Gop shall
judge between them on the day of resurrection; for Gop is witness of all
things. Dost thou not perceive that all creatures both in heaven and
‘on earth adore Gop;* and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and
the mountains, and the trees, and the beasts, and many men? but many
are worthy of chastisement: and whosoever Gop shall render despicable,
there shall be none to honour; for Gop doth that which he pleaseth.
These are two opposite parties, who dispute concerning their Lorp.y And
they who believe not shall have garments of fire fitted unto them: boiling
water shall be poured on their heads; their bowels shall be dissolved there-
by, and also their skins; and they shall de beaten with maces of iron. So
often as they shall endeavour to get out of hell, because of the anguish
of their torments, they shall be dragged back into the same; and their tor-
mentors shall say unto them, Taste ye the pain of burning. Gop will
introduce those who shall believe, and act righteously, into gardens through
which rivers flow: they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and
pearls; and their vestures therein shall be silk. They are directed unto a
good saying ;” and are directed into the honourable way.f But they who
shall disbelieve, and obstruct the way of Gop, and hinder men from visiting

 

* “ Woe unto the patron! woe unto the worshipper !’’—Savary.

‘ Or, Let him tie a rope to the roof of his house, and hang himself : that is, let him carry
his anger and resentment to ever so great a height, even to be driven to the most des-
perate extremities, and see whether with all his endeavours he will be able to intercept
the divine assistance.®

¥ Confessing his power, and obeying his supreme command, :

Y viz. The true believers, and the infidels. The passage is said to have been revealed
on occasion of a dispute between the Jews and the Mohammedans; the former insisting
that they were in greater favour with God, their prophet and revelations being prior to
those of the latter; and these replying, that they were more in God’s favour, for that they
believed not only in Moses, but also in Mohammed, and in all the scriptures without ex-
ception; whereas the Jews rejected Mohammed, though they knew him to be a prophet,
sut of envy.’

* viz. The profession of God’s unity; or these words, which they shall use at their
entrance into paradise, Praise be unto God, who hath fulfilled his promise unto us.”

+ “Because that they have made their profession of faith, and have walked in the way
 salvation.’’—Savary.

8 Al Beidawi. ® Idem. © Tdem.
276 . AL KORAN. CHAP. XXII.

the holy temple of Mecca, which we have appointed for a place of worship
untc all men: the inhabitant thereof, and the stranger have an equal right
to visit it : and whosoever shall seek impiously to profane it, we will cause
him to taste a grievous torment. Call to mind when we gave the site of the
house of the Caaba for an abode unto Abrahen,* saying, Do not associate
any thing with me; and cleanse my house for those who compass it, and’
who stand up, and who bow down to worship. And proclaim unto the
people a solemn pilgrimage ;" let them come unto thee on foot, and on
every lean camel, arriving from every distant road; that they may be wit-
nesses of the advantages which accrue to them from the visiting this holy
place,* and may commemorate the name of Gop on the appointed days,* in
gratitude for the brute cattle which he hath bestowed on them. Where-
fore eat thereof, and feed the needy, and the poor. Afterwards let them
put an end to the neglect of their persons ;° and Jet them pay their vows,
and compass the ancient house.** This let them do. And whoever shall regard
the sacred ordinances of Gop," this will be better for him in the sight
of his Lorp. All sorts-of cattle are allowed you to eat, except what hath

 

«4, e. For a place of religious worship ; showing him the spot where he stood, and also
the model of the old building, which had been taken up to heaven at the flood.'

>It is related that Abraham, in obedience to this command, went up to mount Abu
kobeis, near Mecca, and cried from thence, O men, perform the pilgrimage to the house of
your Lord; and that God caused those who were then in the fia of their fathers, and
the wombs of their mothers, from east to west, and who, he knew beforehand, would
perform the pilgrimage, to hear his voice. Some say, however, that these words were
directed to Mohammed, commanding him to proclaim the pilgrimage of valediction:?
according to which exposition the passage must have been revealed at Medina.

(Before the time of Mohammed, the Arabians went in pilgrimage to Mecca. They
went there to celebrate the memory of Abraham and of Ishmael. ‘This was only a cus-
tom. Mohammed consecrated it by religious ceremonies, and enjoined it by a precept.
Under religious motives he hid political views. He wished that Mecca should become a
point of union for all the Mohammedans; that they should resort there to exchange the
gold and the productions of their own countries for the aromatics of Arabia Felix. The
great caravans which travel every year from Persia, Damascus, Morocco, and Cairo,
unite at Mecca. During the time of the pilgrimage, an immense commerce is carried on
in that city, and at Jidda, which is the port of it—Savary.)  -

° wiz. The temporal advantage made by the great trade driven at Mecca during the pil-
grimage, and the spiritual advantage of having performed so meritorious a work.

«Namely, The ten first days of Dhu’lhajja; or the tenth day of the same month, on
which they slay the sacrifices, and the three following days.*

° By shaving their heads, and other parts of their bodies, and cutting their beards and’
nails in the valley of Mina; which the pilgrims are not allowed to do from the time they
become Mohrims, and have solemnly dedicated themselves to the performance of the
pilgrimage, till they have finished the ceremonies, and slain their victims.‘

‘ By doing the good works whjch they have vowed to do in their pilgrimage. Some
understand the words only of the performance of the requisite ceremonies.

* Let them put away all leaven of unbelief; let them accomplish their vows; and let
them make the circuit of the holy house.’’—Savary.

®i.e. The Caaba; which the Mohammedans pretend was the first edifice built and
appointed for the worship of God.* The going round this chapel is a principal ceremony
of the pilgrimage, and is often repeated ; but the last time of their doing it, when they
vake their farewell of the temple, seems to be more particularly meant in this place.

» By observing what he has commanded, and avoiding what is forbidden, or, as the
words also signify, Whoever shall honour what God hath sanctified, or commanded not to
be profaned; as the temple and territory of Mecca, and the sacred months, &c.

' See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 82. 2 Al Beidawi. ?Tdem. Jallalo’ddin.
‘Iidem. See chap. 2, p. 16, chap. 5, p. 94, and Bobov. de Peregr. Meccana, p. 15, &c.
* See chap. 3, p. 47, and the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.
CHAP. XXII. AL KORAN. 277

been read unto you, in former passages of the Koran, lo be forbidden.
But depart from the abomination of idols, and avoid speaking that which
is false :! being orthodox in respect to Gop, associating no other god with
him; for whoever associateth any other with Gop is like that which
falleth from heaven, and which the birds snatch away, or the wind bloweth
to a far distant place.* This is so. And whoso maketh valuable offerings
unto Gop,! verily they proceed from the piety of men’s hearts. Ye receive
various advantages from the cattle designed for sacrifices, until a determined
time for slaying them : then the place of sacrificing them is at the ancient
house. Unto the professors of every religion™ have we appointed certain
rites, that they may commemorate the name of Gop on slaying the brute
cattle which he hath provided for them. Your Gop is one Gop: wherefore
resign yourselves wholly unto him. And do thou bear good tidings unto
those who humble themselves; whose hearts, when mention is made of
Gop, are struck with fear; and unto those who patiently endure that which
befalleth them ; and who duly perform their prayers, and give alms out of
what we have bestowed on them. The camels slain for sacrifice have we
appointed for you as symbols of your obedience unto Gop: ye also receive
other advantages from them. Wherefore commemorate the name of Gop
over them, when ye slay them, standing on their feet disposed in right order :*
and when they are fallen down dead, eat of them; and give to eat thereof
both unto him who is content with what is given him, without asking, and
unto him who asketh.°. Thus have we given you dominion over them, that
ye might return ws thanks. Their flesh is not accepted of Gop, neither
their blood; but your piety is accepted of him. Thus have we given you
dominion over them, that ye might magnify Gop, for the revelations whereby
he hath directed‘ you. And bear good tidings unto the righteous, that Gop
will repel the ill designs of the infidels from the true believers; for Gop loveth
not every perfidious unbeliever.* ] Permission is granted unto those who

NACE NR ATG A AS

' Either by asserting wrong and impious things of the Deity; or bearing false witness
against your neighbours. :

* Because he who falls into idolatry, sinketh from the height of faith into the depth of
infidelity, has his thoughts distracted by wicked lusts, and is hurried by the devil into the
most absurd errors.® ge ee . z

' By choosing a well-favoured and costly victim in honour of him to whom it is destined.
They say Mohammed once offered a hundred fat camels, and among them one which had
belonged to Abu Jahl, having in his nose a ring of gold: and that Omar offered a noble
camel, for which he had been bid three hundred dinars."

The original may also be translated generally, Whoso regardeth the rites of the pil-
grimage, &c. But the victims seem to be more particularly intended in this place.

™ Jallalo’ddin understands this passage in a restrained sense, of the former nations who
were true believers; to whom God appointed a sacrifice, and a fixed place and proper
ceremonies for the offering of it. : : :

» That is, as some expound the word, standing on three feet, having one of their fore
feet tied up, which is the manner of tying camels to prevent their moving from the place.
Some copies instead of sawéffa read sawaffena, from the verb safana, which properly sig.
nifies the posture of a horse, when he stands on three feet, the edge of the fourth only
touching the ground. . .

° Or, as the words may also be rendered, Unto him who asketh in a modest and humbly
manner, and unto him who wanteth but dareth not ask. :

* Announce happiness to those who exercise beneficence. God will destroy the

» § Al Beidawi. "Idem.
278 AL KORAN. -  GHAP. XXII.

take arms against the unbelievers, for that they have been unjustly perse
cuted by them (and Gop is certainly able to assist them): who have been
turned out of their habitations injuriously, and for no other reason than
because they say, Our Lorp is Gop? And if Gop did not repel the
violence of some men by others, verily monasteries, and churches, and
synagogues, and the temples of the Moslems, wherein the name of Gop is
frequently commemorated, would be utterly demolished.1 And Gop will
certainly assist him who shall be on his side : for Gop 18 strong and mighty.
And he will assist those who, if we establish them in the earth, will observe
prayer, and give alms, and command that which is just, and forbid that
which is unjust. And unto Gop shall be the end of all things. If they
accuse thee, O Mohammed, of imposture; consider that, before them, the
people of Noah, and the tribes of Ad and Thamud, and the people of
Abraham, and the people of Lot, and the inhabitants of Madian, accused
ytheir prophets of imposture : and Moses was also charged with falsehood.
And I granted a long respite unto the unbelievers: but afterwards I
chastised them; and how different was the change I made in their con-
dition’ How many cities have we destroyed, which were ungodly, and
which are now fallen to ruin on their roofs?* And how many wells have
been abandoned,".and lofty castles? Do they not therefore journey through
‘the land? And have they not hearts to understand with, or ears to hear
with? Surely as to these things dheir eyes are not blind, but the hearts
are blind which are in their breasts. They will urge thee to hasten the
threatened punishment; but Gop will not fail to perform what he hath
threatened: and verily one day with thy Lorp is as a thousand years, of
those which ye compute.s Unto how many cities have I granted respite,
though they were wicked? Yet afterwards I chastised them: and untc
me shall they come to be judged at the last day,/ Say, O men, verily Iam
only a public: preacher unto you. And they “who believe, and. do good
works, shall obtain forgiveness and an honourable provision. But those

 

ae which are spread for the believers. He hateth the deceiver and the infidel ”—
‘avary.

» This was the first passage of the Koran which allowed Mohammed and his followers
to defend themselves against their enemies by force, and was revealed a little before the
flight to Medina; till which time the prophet had exhorted his Moslems to suffer the
injuries offered them with patience, which is also commanded in above seventy different
places of the Koran.

4 That is, The public exercise of any religion, whether true or false, is supported only
by force ; and therefore, as Mohammed would argue, the true religion must be established
by the same means, <

* “ How many guilty cities have we overthrown! They are now buried under their
own ruins.’’—Savary.

* That is, How many spots in the deserts, which were formerly inhabited, are now
abandoned? a neglected well being the proper sign of sucha deserted dwelling in those
parts, as ruins are of a demolished town,

_Some imagine that this passage intends more particularly a well at the foot of a certain
hill in the province of Hadramaut, and a castle built on the top of the same hill, both
belonging to the pecule of Handha Ebn Safwan, a remnant of the Thamudites, who, having
killed their prophet, were utterly destroyed by God, and their dwelling abandoned.’

* See 2 Pet. iii. 8. 7

* Al Beidawi, &c. Vide the Prelim. Dise. sect. ii. p. 34, &c- ® Tidem.
CHAP. XXII. AL KORAN. 279

who endeavour to make our signs of none effect shall be the inhabitants of
hell, We have sent no apostle, or prophet, before thee, but, when he read,
Satan suggested some error in his reading.t But Gop shall make void that
which Satan hath suggested: then shall Gop confirm his signs; for Gop is
knowing and wise. But this he permiiteth, that he may make that which
Satan hath suggested, a temptation unto those in whose hearts there is an
infirmity, and whose hearts are hardened (for the ungodly are certainly in a
wide disagreement from the truth): and that they on whom knowledge
hath been bestowed may know that this book is the truth from thy Lorp,
and may believe therein; and that their hearts may acquiesce in the same:
for Gop is surely the director of those who believe, into the right way. But
the infidels will not cease to doubt concerning it, until the hour of judg-
ment cometh suddenly upon them; or until the punishment of a grievous
day" overtake them. On that day the kingdom shall be Gop’s: he shall
judge between them.* “And they who shall have believed, and shall have
wrought righteousness, shall be in gardens of pleasure; but they who shall
have disbelieved, and shall have charged our signs with falsehood, those
shall suffer a shameful punishment. And as to those who shall have fled
their country for the sake of Gop’s true religion, and aflerwards shall have
been slain, or shall have died; on them will Gop bestow an excellent
provision; and Gop is the best provider. He will surely introduce them
with an introduction with which they shall be well pleased ;f for Gop is
knowing aud gracious. This is so. Whoever shall take a vengeance equal
to the injury which hath been done him,’ and shall afterwards be unjustly
treated ;* verily Gop will assist him: for Gop is merciful, and ready to
forgive. This shall be done, for that Gop causeth the night to succeed the

 

* The occasion of the passage is thus related. Mohanimed one day reading the 53d
chapter of the Koran, when he came to this verse, What think ye of Allat, and al Uzza,
and of Manah the other third goddess? the devil put the following words into his mouth,
which he pronounced through inadvertence, or, as some tell us, because he was then half
asleep, viz. These are the most high and beauteous damsels, whose intercession is to be hoped
fe The Koreish, who were sitting near Mohammed, greatly rejoiced at what they had

eard, and when he had finished the chapter, joined with him and his followers in making
their adoration: but the prophet being acquainted by the angel Gabriel with the reason
of their compliance, and with what he had uttered, was deeply concerned at his mistake,
till this verse was revealed for his consolation.?

We are told however by al Beidawi, that the more intelligent and accurate persons
Teject the aforesaid story; and the verb, here translated read, signifying also to wish te
any thing, they interpret the passage of the suggestions of the devil to debauch the affec-
tions of these holy persons, or to employ their minds in vain wishes and desires. 7

" Or, a day which maketh childless ; by which some great misfortune in war is expressed :
as me see the infidels received at Bedr. Some suppose the resurrection is here
intended.

é * « Then will the balance be in the hand of God. He will judge between mortals.”’—
avary.

t He will introduce them into an abode that shall enchant them. He is wise and
gracious.’’—Savary.
’ And shall not take a more severe revenge than the fact deserves.
.* By the aggressor’s seeking to revenge himself again of the person injured, by offering
im some further violence. y
_ The passage seems to relate to the vengeance which the Moslems should take of the
infidels, for their unjust persecution of them.

- * Yahya. 2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya, &c. See chap. 16, p. 223,
280 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXII.

day, and he causeth the day to succeed the night; and for that God both
heareth and seeth. This, because Gop is truth, and because what they
invoke besides him is vanity; and for that Gop is the high, the mighty,
Dost thou not see that Gop sendeth down water from heaven, and the earth
becometh green? for Gop is gracious and wise. Unto him belongeth what-
soever is in heaven and on earth: and Gop is self-sufficient, worthy to be
praised. Dost thou not see that Gop hath subjected whatever is in the
earth to your service, and also the ships which sail in the sea, by his
command? And he withholdeth the heaven that it fall not on the earth,
unless by nis permission :¥ for Gop is gracious unto mankind, and merciful.
It is he who hath given you life, and will hereafter cause you to die; after-
wards he will again raise you to life, at the resurrection : but man is surely
ungrateful. Unto the professors of every religion have we appointed certain
rites, which they observe. Let them not therefore dispute with thee con-
cerning this matter: but invite them unto thy Lorn: for thou followest
the right direction. But if they enter into debate with thee, answer, Gop
well knoweth that which ye do: Gop will judge between you on the day
of resurrection, concerning that wherein ye now disagree. Dost thou not
know that Gop knoweth whatever is in heaven and on earth? Verily this
is written in the book of his decrees : this is easy with Gop. They worship,
besides Gop, that concerning which he hath sent down no convincing proof,
and concerning which they have no knowledge: but the unjust doers shall
have none to assist them. And when our evident signs are rehearsed unto
them, thou mayest perceive, in the countenances of the unbelievers, a
disdain thereof: it wanteth little but that they rush with violence on those
who rehearse our signs unto them. Say, Shall I declare unto you a worse
thing than this? The fire of hell, which Gop hath threatened unto those
who believe not, is worse ; and an unhappy journey shall it be thither. O
men, a parable is propounded unto you; wherefore hearken unto it. Verily
the idols which ye invoke, besides Gop, can never create a single fly, although
they were all assembled for that purpose : and if the fly snatch any thing
from them, they cannot recover the same from it. Weak is the petitioner,
and the petitioned. They judge not of God according to his due estimation:
for Gop is powerful and mighty. Gop chooseth messengers from among
the angels,* and from among men: for Gop is he who heareth and seeth.
He knoweth that which is before them, and that which is behind them:
and unto Gop shall ail things return. O true believers, bow down, and

 

¥ Which it will do at the last day. .

* The commentators say, that the Arabs used to anoint the images of their gods with
some odoriferous composition, and with honey, which the flies ate, t ough the doors of the
temple were carefully shut, getting in at the windows or crevices.

Perhaps Mohammed took this argument from the Jews, who pretend that the temple
of Jerusalem, and the sacrifices there offered to the true God, were never annoyed by
flies ;* whereas swarms of those insects infested the heathen temples, being drawn
thither by the steam of the sacrifices.‘

* Who are the bearers of the divine revelations to the prophets; but ought not to be
the objects of worship. . :

* Pirke Aboth, ec. 5, sect. vi. vii. “Vide Selden. de Diis Syris, Synt. 2, ¢. 6.
CHAP. XXIII. AL KORAN. 281

prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lorp; and work righteousness,
that ye may be happy: and fight in defence of Gon’s true religion, as it
behoveth you to fight for the same. He hath chosen you, and hath not
imposed on you any difficulty in the religion which he hath given you, the
religion of your father Abraham: he hath named you Moslems heretofore.
aud in this book ; that our apostle may be a witness against you at the day
of judgment, and that ye may be witnesses against the rest of mankind.
Wherefore be ye constant at prayer; and give alms: and adhere firmly
unto Gop. He is your master; and he is the best master, and the best
protector.*

CHAPTER XXIII.
INTITLED, THE TRUE BELIEVERS; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

* [XVII] Now are the true believers happy: who humble themseives
in their prayer, and who eschew ail vain discourse, and who are doers of
alms-deeds ; and who keep themselves from carnal knowledge of any women
except their wives, or the captives which their right hands possess (for as to
them they shall be blameless: but whosoever coveteth any woman beyond
these, they are transgressors): and who acquit themselves faithfully of their
trust, and justly perform their covenant; and who observe their appointed
times of prayer: these shall be the heirs, who shall inherit paradise; they
shall continue therein for ever. We formerly created man in a finer sort
of clay ; afterwards we placed him in the form of seed in a sure receptacle :*
afterwards we made the seed coagulated blood; and we formed the coagu-
lated blood into a piece of flesh: then we formed the piece of flesh into
bones: and we clothed those bones with flesh: then we produced the
same by another creation.°t Wherefore blessed be Gop, the most excellent
Creator!4 After this shall ye die: and afterwards shall ye be restored
to life, on the day of resurrection. And we have created over you seven
heavens :¢ and we are not negligent of what we have created. And we
send down rain from heaven, by measure; and we cause it to remain on
the earth: we are also certainly able to deprive you of the same. And we
cause gardens of palm-trees, and vineyards, to spring forth for you by
means thereof; wherein ye have many fruits, and whereof ye eat. And

 

* “Be immovable in the faith. God is your master. Courage unto the servant, and
Praise unto the patron !’’—Savary.

> viz. The womb.

¢4. e. Producing a perfect man, composed of soul and body.

t “We accomplished our creation by animating it with life.””—Savary.

‘See cap. 6, p. 108, note c.

* Literally, seven paths ; by which the heavens are meant, because, according to some
expositors, they are the paths of the angels and of the celestial bodies: though the
original word also signifies things which are folded or placed like stories one above
another, as the Mohammedans suppose the heavens to be.

2¢ :
282 AL KORAN. - CHAP. XXII,

we also raise for you a tree springing from Mcunt Sinai ;* which produceth
oil, and a sauce for those who eat, Ye have likewise an instruction in the
cattle; we give you to drink of the milk which is in their bellies, and ye
receive many advantages from them; and of them do ye eat: and on them,
and on ships, are ye carried.s* We sent Noah heretofore unto his people,
and he said, O my people, serve Gop: ye have no Gop besides him; will
ye therefore not fear the consequence of your worshipping other gods 2? And
the chiefs of his people, who believed not, said, This is no other than a
man, as ye are: he seeketh to raise himself to a superiority over you. If
Gop had pleased to have sent a messenger unto you, he would surely have
sent angels: we have not heard this of our forefathers. Verily he is no
other than a man disturbed with frenzy: wherefore wait concerning him
for a time.t Noah said, O Lorp, do thou protect; me; for that they
accuse me of falsehood. And we revealed our orders unto him, saying,
Make the ark in our sight; and according to our revelation. And when
our decree cometh to be executed, and the oven shall boil and pour forth
water, carry into it of every species of animals one pair; and alse thy family,
except such of them on whom a previous sentence of destruction hath
passed :" and speak not unto me in behalf of those who have been unjust;
for they shall be drowned, And when thou and they who shall be with
thee shall go up into the ark, say, Praise be unto Gop, who hath delivered
us from the ungodly people! And say, O Lorn, cause me to come down

from this ark with a blessed descent ;{ for thou art the best able to bring
~ me down from the same with safety. Verily herein were signs of our
omnipotence ; and we proved mankind thereby. Afterwards we raised up
another generation‘ after them; and we sent unto them an apostle from
among them,* who said, Worship Gop: ye have no God besides him; will
ye therefore not fear his vengeance? And the chiefs of his people, who
believed not, and who denied the meeting of the life to come, and on whom
we had bestowed affluence in this present life, said, This is no other than a
man, as ye are; he eateth of that whereof ye eat, and he drinketh of that
whereof ye drink : and if ye obey a man like unto yourselves, ye will surely
be sufferers. Doth he threaten you that after ye shall be dead, and shall
become dust and bones, ye shall be brought forth alive from your graves?
Away, away with that ye are threatened with! There is no other life
besides our present life: we die, and we live; and we shall not be raised

 

‘ viz. The olive. The gardens near this mountain are yet famous for the excellent fruit-
trees, of almost all sorts, which grow there.*

§ The beast more particularly meant in this place is the camel, which is chiefly used for
carriage in the Kast; being called by the Arabs, the landship, on which they pass those
seas of sand, the deserts.

* «* They carry you on the earth, as the ships bear you on the sea.’’—Savary.

t ‘ Let us shut him up for a time.’’—Savary.

4 See chap. 11, p. 177, &c.

t ‘* When thou shalt descend from it, put up to him this prayer; Lord! O thou who
art the best of guides, deign to bless our outgoing !’—Savary.

' Namely, the tribe of Ad, or of Thamud.

* via, The prophet of Hid, or Saleh.

‘ Vide Voyages de Thevenot, liv. 2, ch. 9.
SHAP, XXIII. AL KORAN. : 283

again. This is no other than a man, who deviseth a lie concerning Gon:
but we will not believe him. Their apostle said, O Lorn, defend me; for
that they have accused me of imposture. God answered, After,a little while
they shall surely repent their obstinacy. Wherefore‘a severe punishment
was justly inflicted on them, and we rendered them like the refuse which is
carried down by a stream.* Away therefore with the ungodly people!
Afterwards we raised up other generations! after them. No nation shall
be punished before their determined time; neither shall they be respited
after. Afterwards we sent our apostles, one after another. So often as
their apostle came unto any nation, they charged him with imposture: and
we caused them successively to follow one another to destruction ; and we
made them only subjects of traditional stories.—| Away therefore with the
unbelieving nations! Afterwards we sent Moses, and Aaron his brother,,
with our signs and manifest power, unto Pharaoh and his princes: but they
proudly refused to believe on him ; for they were a haughty people. And
they said, Shall we believe on two men like unto ourselves; whose people
are our servants? And they accused them of imposture: wherefore they
became of the number of those who were destroyed. And we heretofore
gave the book of the law unto Moses, that the children of Israel might be
directed thereby. And we appointed the son of Mary, and his mother, for
a sign: and we prepared an abode for them in an elevated part of the
earth, being a place of quiet and security, and watered with running
springs. O apostles, eat of those things which are good; and work
righteousness: for I well know that which ye do. This your religion is
‘one religion;° and I am your Lorp: wherefore fear me. But men have
rent the affair of their religion into various sects: every party rejoiceth in
that which they follow. Wherefore leave them in their confusion, until
a certain time. Do they think that we hasten unto them the wealth
and children which we have abundantly bestowed on them, for their
good? But they do not understand. Verily they who stand in awe, for
fear of their Lorp, and who believe in the signs of their Lorp, and who

 

_* The cry of the exterminating angel was heard, and, like withered buds, the unbe-
lievers were destroyed.’’—Savary.

' As the Sodomites, Midianites, &c.

_ +“ We have brought a new Scripture. Far from us be those who will not believe in
it.”’—Savary.

™The commentators tell us the place here intended is Jerusalern, or Damascus, or
Ramlah, or Palestine, or Egypt.* ; : ad ;

But perhaps the passage means the hill to which the virgin Mary retired to be delivered,
according to the Mohammedan tradition.”

2 These words are addressed to the apostles in general, to whom it was permitted to eat
of all clean and wholesome food ; and were spoken to them severally at the time of their
respective mission. Some, however, think them directed particularly to the virgin Mary
and Jesus, or singly to the latter (in which case the plural number must be used out of
respect only), proposing the practice of the prophets for their imitation. Mohammed
probably designed in this passage to condemn the abstinence observed by the Christian
monks.®

° See chap, 21, p. 272.

i.e. Till they shall be slain, or shall die a natural death.

* A] Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ™ See chap, 19, p. 249. ® Al Beidawi.
284 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXIII.

attribute not companions unto their Lorp; and who give that which they
give in alms, their hearts being struck with dread, for that they must
return unto their Lorn: these hasten unto good, and are foremost to obtain
the same. We will not impose any difficulty on a soul, except according
to its ability ; with us is a book, which speaketh the truth ; and they shall
not be injured. But their hearts are drowned in negligence, as to this
matter ; and they have works different from those we have mentioned ; which
they will continue to do, until, when we chastise such of them as enjoy an
affluence of fortune, by a severe punishment, behold, they cry aloud for
help: * but it shall be answered them, Cry not for help to-day: for ye shall
not be assisted by us. My signs were read unto you, but ye turned back
on your heels: proudly elating yourselves because of your possessing the
holy temple; discoursing together by night, and talking foolishly. Do they
not therefore attentively consider that which is spoken unto them ; whether
a revelation is come unto them which came not unto their forefathers? Or
do they not know their apostle; and therefore reject him? Or do they
say, He isa madman? Nay, he hath come unto them with the truth; but
the greater part of them detest the truth. If the truth had followed their
desires, verily the heavens and the earth, and whoever therein is, had been
corrupted. But we have brought them their admonition; and they turn
aside from their admonition. Dost thou ask of them any maintenance for
thy preaching 2? since the maintenance of thy Lorp is better; for he is the
most bounteous provider. Thou certainly invitest them to the right way:
and they who believe not in the life to come, do surely deviate from that
way. If we had had compassion on them, and taken off from them the
calamity which had befallen them,* they would surely have more obstinately
persisted in their error, wandering in confusion.| We formerly chastised
them with a punishment: yet they did not humble themselves before their
Lorp, neither did they make supplications unto him; until, when we have
opened upon them a door, from which a severe punishment" hath issued,

 

« By which is intended either the overthrow at Bedr, where several of the chief Korash-
ites lost their lives; or the famine with which the Meccans were afflicted, at the prayer
of the prophet, conceived in these words, O God, set thy foot strongly on Modar (an ancestor
of the Koreish), and give them years like the years of Joseph: whereupon so great a dearth
ensued, that they were oad. to feed on dogs, carrion, and burnt bones.°

* « Those who are in fe onece of this doctrine, those who in their works have not
virtue for their object, shall remain in their blindness, till the hour when the most powerful
of them, feeling our vengeance, shall cry out tumultuously.’’—Savary.

* That is, If there had been a plurality of gods as the idolaters contend :* or, if the doc-
trine taught by Mohammed had been agreeable to their inclinations, &c

* iz. The famine. It is said that the Meccans being reduced to eat ilhiz, which is a
sort of miserable food, made of blood and camel’s hair, used by the Arabs in time of
scarcity, Abu Sofidn came to Mohammed, and said, Tell me, I adjure thee by God, and the
relation that is between us, dost thou think thou art sent asa mercy unto all creatures; since
thou hast slain the fathers with the sword, and the children with hunger ??

+ ‘‘If pity had caused us to predict unto them the calamities which they were about to
suffer, they would have been only the more obstinate in their error.’’—Savary.

' Namely, the slaughter at Bedr.

* yiz. Famine; which is more terrible than the calamities of war.?

According to these explications, the passage must have been revealed at Medina; unless
it be taken in a prophetical sense.

® Al Beidawi. + See chap. 21, p. 266. 5 Al Beidawi. 7 Idem.
CHAP. XXII. AL KORAN. . 288

behold, they are driven to aespair thereat. It is God who hath created in
you the senses of hearing and of sight, that ye may perceive our judgments ;
and hearts, that ye may seriously consider them: yet how few of you give
thanks! It is he who hath produced you in the earth; and before him
shall ye be assembled. It is he who giveth life, and putteth to death; and
to him is to be attributed the vicissitude of night and day: do ye not
therefore understand? But the unbelieving Meccans say as their prede-
cessors said. they say, When we shall be dead, and shall have become
dust and bones, shall we really be raised to life? We have already been
threatened with this, and our fathers also heretofore: this is nothing but
fables of the ancients. Say, Whose is the earth, and whoever therein is,
if ye know? They will answer, Gop’s. Say, Will ye not therefore con-
sider? Say, Who is the Lorp of the seven heavens, and the Lorp of the
magnificent throne? They will answer, They are Gon’s. Say, Will ye not
therefore fear him? Say, In whose hand is the kingdom of all things;
who protecteth whom he pleaseth, but is himself protected of none; if ye
know? They will answer, In Gop’s. Say, How therefore are ye be-
witched?* Yea, we have brought them the truth; and they are certainly
liars in denying the same. Gop hath not begotten issue; neither is. there
any other god with him: otherwise every god had surely taken away that
_ which he had created ;* and some of them had exalted themselves above
the others. Far be that from Gop, which they affirm of him! He
knoweth that which is concealed, and that which is made public: wherefore
far be it from him to have those sharers in his honour which they attribute
tohim! Say, O Lorp, If thou wilt surely cause me to see the vengeance
with which they have been threatened; O Lorp, set me not among the
ungodly people: for we are surely able to make thee see that with which
we have threatened them. Turn aside evil with that which is better:? we
well know ‘the calumnies which they utter against thee. And say, O Lorn,
I fly unto thee for refuge, against the suggestions of the devils: and J have
recourse unto thee, O Lorn, to drive them away, that they be not present
with mes The gainsaying of the unbelievers ceaseth not until, when death
overtaketh any of them, he saith, O Lorp, suffer me to return to life, that
I may do that which is right; in professing the true faith which I have
neglected.» By no means. Verily these are the words which ye shall -
speak: but behind them there shall be a bar,° until the day of resurrection.

 

* « Will, then, your eyes be always closed against the light ?”’—Savary.

* And set up a distinct creation and kingdom of his own.

7 See chap. 17, p. 231. . f

* That a By enane injuries, and returning of good for them: which rule is to be
qualified, however, with this proviso, that the true religion receive no prejudice by such
mnildness and clemency. _

«To besiege me: or, as it may also be translated, That they hurt me not. | .

> Or, as the words may also import, In the world which I have left ; that is, during the
further term of life which shall be granted me, and from which I have been cut off.’

° The original word barzakh, here translated bar, primarily signifies any partition, or in-
terstice, which divides one thing from another; butis used by the Arabs not always in the
ame, and sometimes in an obscure sense. They seem generally to express by it what the

* Al Beidawi. ® Idem.
286 AL KORAN. OHAP. XXIII.
.
When therefore the trumpet shall be: sounded, there shal] be no relation

between them which shall be regarded on that day ; neither shall they ask
assistance of each other. They whose balances shall be heavy wuh good
works shall be happy; but they whose balances shall be light are those
who shall lose their souls, and shall remain in hell for ever.4. The fire
shall scorch their faces, and they shall writhe their mouths therein for
anguish: and it shall be said unto them, Were not my signs rehearsed unto
you; and did ye not charge them with falsehood? They shall answer,
O Lorp, our unhappiness prevailed over us, and we were people who went
astray. O Lorp, take us forth from this fire: if we return to our former
wickedness, we shall surely be unjust. God will say unto them, Be ye
driven away with ignominy thereinto: and speak not unto me to deliver
you. Verily there were a party of my servants, who said, O Lorn, we
believe : wherefore forgive us, and be merciful unto us; for thou art the
best of those who show mercy. But ye received them with scoffs, so that
they suffered you to forget my admonition, and ye laughed them to scorn.
I have this day rewarded them, for that they suffered the injuries ye offered
them with patience: verily they enjoy great felicity. God will say, What
number of years have ye continued on earth? They will answer, We have
continued there a day, or part of a day: but ask those who keep account.§
God will say, Ye have tarried but a while, if ye knew it. Did ye think
that we had created you in sport, and that ye should not be brought again
before us? Wherefore let Gop be exalted, the King, the Truth! There
is no Gop besides him, the Lorn of the honourable throne. Whoever
together with ihe true Gop shall invoke another god, concerning whom he
hath no demonstrative proof, shall surely be brought to an account for the
same before his Lorp. Verily the infidels shall not prosper. Say, O Lorp,
pardon, and show mercy; for thou art the best of those who show mercy.*

 

Greeks did by the word Hades; one while using it for the place of the dead, another while
for the time of their continuance in that state, and another while for the state itself. It is
defined by their critics to be the interval or space between this world and the next, or
between death and the resurrection; every person who dies being said to enter into al
barzakh; or, as the Greek expresses it, caraSjvai es Gdov.6 One lexicographer’ tells us
that in the Koran it denotes the grave: but the commentators on this passage expound it
a bar, or invincible obstacle, cutting off all possibility of return into the world, after death.
See chap. 25, where the word again occurs.

Some interpreters understand the words we have rendered behind them, to mean before
them, (it being one of those words, of which there are several in the Arabic tongue, that
have direct contrary significations,) considering al Barzakh as a future space, and lying
before, and not behind them.

4 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 63.

° Being unable to prevail on you by their remonstrances, because of the contempt
wherein ye held them. ;

‘ The time will seem thus short to them in comparison to the eternal duration of their
torments, or because the time of their living in the world was the time of their joy and
pleasure: it being usual for the Arabs to describe what they like as of short, and what
they dislike of long continuance.

® That is, the angels, who keep account of the length of men’s lives and of their works,
or any other who may have leisure to compute ; and not us, whose torments distract our
thoughts and attention.

* «Thy mercy is unbounded.’’—Savary,

5 Vide Pocock. not. in Port. Mosis, p. 248, &c. and the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 55
* Ebn Maruf, apud Gol. Lex. Arab. col. 254.
CHAP. XXIII. AL KORAN. 287

CHAPTER XXIV. *
INTITLED, LIGHT;* REVEALED AT MEDINA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

This Sura have we sent down from heaven; and have ratified the same ;
and we have revealed evident signs, that ye may be warned. ‘I'he whore,
and the whoremonger, shall ye scourge with a hundred stripes.‘ And let
not compassion towards them prevent you from executing the judgment of
Gop ;* if ye believe in Gop and the last day: and let some of the true
believers be witnesses of their punishment.1* The whoremonger shall not
marry any other than a harlot, or an idolatress. Anda harlot shall no man
take in marriage, except a whoremonger, or an idolater. And this kind of
marriage is forbidden the true believers." But as to those who accuse
women of reputation of whoredom," and produce not four witnesses of the
fact, scourge them with fourscore stripes, and receive not their testimony
for ever; for such are infamous prevaricators: excepting those who shall
afterwards repent, and amend; for unto such will Gop be gracious
and merciful. They who shall accuse their wives of adultery, and

 

> This title is taken from an allegorical comparison made between light and God, or
faith in him, about the middle of the chapter.

. + This law is not to be understood to relate to married people, who are of free condition .
because adultery in such, according to the Sonna, is to be punished by stoning.®

«7. e. Be not moved by pity, either to forgive the offenders, or to mitigate their punish-
ment. Mohammed was for so strict and impartial an execution of the laws, that he is
reported to have said, Jf Fatema the daughter of Mohammed steal, let her hand be
struck off®

' That is, let the punishment be inflicted in public, and not in private; because the
ignominy of it is more intolerable than the smart, and more likely to work a reformation
on the offender. Some say there ought to be three persons present at the least ; but others
think two, or even one, to be sufficient.”

* « The immodest of both sexes shall be punished by a hundred stripes. This is the
judgment of God. You shall have no pity on them, if you believe in God, and in the last
day. Let some of the believers be witness of their chastisement.’’—Savary.

™ The preceding passage was revealed on account of the meaner and more indigent
Mohéjerins, or pe en who sought to marry the whores of the infidels, taken captives
in war, for the sake of the gain which they made by prostituting themselves. Some think
the prohibition was special, and regarded only the Mohajerins before-mentioned ; and
others were of opinion it was general; but it is agreed to have been abrogated by the words
which follow in this chapter, Mar the single women among you; harlots being comprised
under the appellation of single women. , ;

It is supposed by some that not marriage, but wnfawful commerce with such women is
here forbidden.

"The Arabic word mohsinat properly signifies women of unblameable conduct; but to
bring the chastisement after-mentioned on the calumniator, it is also requisite that they
be free women, of ripe age, having their understandings perfect, and of the Mohammedan
religion. Though the word be oF the feminine gender, yet men are also supposed to be
comprised in this law. : .

At: Hanifa was of opinion that the slanderer ought to be scourged in public, as well
as tae fornicator ; but the generality are against him?

° See chap. 4, p. 61.

® See chap. 4, pp. 61, 63. Al Beidawi. © Tdem. t Al Beidawi,
Jallalo’ddin. 2 Tidem.

‘
288 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXIV.

shall have no witnesses thereof, besides themselves; the testimony which
shall be required of one of them shall be, that he swear four times by
Gop that he speaketh the truth: and the fifth time that he imprecate
the curse of Gop on him if he be a liar. And it shall avert the punish-
ment from the wife, if she swear four times by Gop that he is a liar; and
if the fifth time she imprecate the wrath of Gop on her, if he speaketh the
truth.2 If it were not for the indulgence of Gop towards you, and his
mercy, and that Gop is easy to be reconciled, and wise, he would imme-
diately discover your crimes.* As to the party among you who have
published the falsehood concerning Ayesha,* think it not to be an evil unto
you: on the contrary, it is better for you. Every man of them shall be
punished according to the injustice of which he hath been guilty ;* and he

 

In case both swear, the man’s oath discharges him from the imputation and penalty
of slander, and the woman’s oath frees her from the imputation and penalty of adultery :
but though the woman do swear to her innocence, yet the marriage is actually void, or
ought to be declared void by the judge ; because it is not fit they should continue together
after they have come to these extremities.*

_* “If the wise and morciful God did not extend his clemency unto you, he would in-
flict instant punishment upon perjury.’’—Savary.

1 For the understanding of this passage, it is necessary to relate the following story.

Mohammed having undertaken an expedition against the tribe of Mostalek, in the sixth
year of the Hejra, took his wife Ayesha with him, to accompany him. In their return,
when they were not far from Medina, the army removing by night, Ayesha, on the road,
alighted from her camel, and stepped aside on a private occasion: but, on her return,
perceiving she had dropped her necklace, which was of onyxes of Dhafar, she went back
to look for it; and in the mean time her atteudants, taking it for granted that she was got
into her pavilion, (or little tent surrounded with curtains, wherein women are carried in
the East,) set it again on the camel, and led it away. When she came back to the road, .
and saw her camel was gone, she sat down there, expecting that when she was missed
some one would be sent back to fetch her; and ina little time she fell asleep. Early in
the morning, Safwan Ebn al Moattel, who had staid behind to rest himself, coming by,
and perceiving somebody asleep, went to see who it was, and knew her to be Ayesha;
upon which he waked her, by twice pronouncing with a low voice these words, We are
God's, and unto him we must return. Then Ayesha immediately covered herself with a
veil; and Safwan set her on his own camel, and led her after the army, which they over-
took by noon, as they were resting.

This accident had like to have ruined Ayesha, whose reputation was publicly called in
question, as if she had heen guilty of adultery with Safwan: and Mohammed knew not
what to think, when he reflected on the circumstances of the affair, which were improved
by some malicious people very much to Ayesha’s dishonour; and notwithstanding his
wife’s protestations of her innocence, he could not get rid of his perplexity, nor stop the
mouths, of the censorious, till about a month after, when this passage was revealed, de-
claring the accusation to be unjust.‘

* The words are directed to the prophet, and to Abu Becr, Ayesha, and Safwan, the
persons concerned in this false report; since, besides the amends they might expect in the
next world, God had done them the honour to clear their reputations by revealing eighteen
verses expressly for that purpose.*

* The persons concerned in spreading the scandal, were Abd’allah Ebn Obba, (who first
raised it, and inflamed the matter to the utmost, out of hatred to Mohammed,) Zeid Ebn
Refaa, Hassin Ebn Thabet, Mestab Ebn Othatha, a great-grandson of Abd’almotalleb’s,
und Hamna Bint Jahash: and every one of them received fourscore stripes, pursuant to
the law ordained in this chapter, except only Abd’allah, who was exempted, being a man
of great consideration.®

tis said that, as a farther punishment, Hassan and Mestab became blind, and that the
former of them also lost the use of both his hands.”

__* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, ‘ Al Bokhari in Sonna, Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c.
Vide Abu’lf, Vit. Moham. p. 82, &c. et Gagnier, Vie de Moham. lib. 4, c. 7. 5A]
Beidawi. ® Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 83. "Al Beidawi. !
CHAP. XXIV AL KORAN. 289

among them who hath undertaken to aggravate the samet shall suffer a
grievous punishment. Did not the faithful men, and the faithful women,
when ye heard this, judge in their own minds for the best; and say, This
is a manifest falsehood? Have they produced four witnesses thereof?
wherefore since they have not produced the witnesses, they are surely liars
in the sight of Gop. Had it not been for the indulgence of Gop towards
you, and his mercy, in this world and in that which is to come, verily a
grievous punishment had been inflicted on you, for the calumny which ye
have spread: when ye published that with your tongues, and spoke
_ that with your mouths, of which ye had no knowledge; and esteemed
it to be light, whereas it was a matter of importance in the sight of Gop.*
When ye heard it, did ye say, It belongeth not unto us, that we should talk
of this matter : Gop forbid! this is a grievous calumny. Gop warneth you,
that ye return not to the like crime for ever; if ye be true believers, And
Gop declareth unto you his signs; for Gop is knowing and wise. Verily
they who love that scandal be published of those who believe, shall receive
a severe punishment both in this world and in the next. Gop knoweth,
but ye know not. Had it not deen for the indulgence of Gop towards you
and his mercy, and that Gop is gracious and merciful, ye had felt his
vengeance. O true believers, follow not the steps of the devil: for whoso-
ever shall follow the steps of the devil, he will command them filthy crimes,
and that which is unlawful. Ifit were not for the indulgence of Gop, and
his mercy towards you, there had not been so much as one of you cleansed
from his guilt for ever: but Gop cleanseth whom -he pleaseth; for Gop
' both heareth and knoweth. Let not those among you, who possess abun-
dance of wealth and have ability, swear that they will not give unto their
kindred, and the poor, and those who have fled their country for the sake
of Gop’s true religion: but let them forgive, and act with benevolence
towards them. Do ye not desire that Gop should pardon you?" And Gop
is gracious and merciful. Moreover they who falsely accuse modest women,
who behave in a negligent manner,’ and are true believers, shall be cursed
in this world, and in the world to come; and they shall suffer a severe
punishment.” One day their own tongues shall bear witness against them,
and their hands, and their feet, concerning that which they have done. On

 

: bi ne Ebn Obba, who had not the grace to become a true believer, but died
an infidel.*

* “ Had the divine goodness and clemency not watched over you, this falsehood would
have drawn down upon your heads aterrible chastisement. It has passed from mouth to
mouth. You have repeated that of which you had no knowledge, and have regarded a
slander as a trivial fault: and it is a crime in the eyes of the Eternal.’’—Savary.

" This passage was revealed on account of Abu Becr, who swore that he would not for
the future bestow any thing on Mestab, though he was his mother’s sister’s son, and a
fo Moh§jer, or refugee, because he had joined in scandalizing his daughter Ayesha.

ut on Mohammed’s reading this verse to him, he continued Mestab’s pension,° ;

‘i. e. Who may be less careful in their conduct, and more free in their behavious, as

‘being conscious of no ill. ne

~ Phough the words be general, yet they principally regard those who should calum-
miate the prophet’s wives. According to a saying of Ebn Abbas, if the threats contained
in the whole Koran be examined, there are none so severe as those cccasioned by the

8 See chap. 9, p. 159, ® Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
290 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXIV.

that aay shall Gop render unto them their just‘due; and they shall know
that Gon is the evident truth. The wicked women should be joined to the
wicked men, and the wicked men to the wicked women; but the good
women should be married to the good men, and the good men to the good
women. These shall be cleared from the calumnies which slanderers speak
of them ;* they shall obtain pardon, and an honourable provision. O
true believers, enter not any houses, besides your own houses, until ye
have asked leave, and have saluted the family thereof:¥ this is better
for you; peradventure ye will be admonished. And if ye shall find no
person in the houses, yet do not enter them, until leave be granted
you: and if it be said unto you, Return back, do ye return.back. ‘This
will be more decent for you:? and Gop knoweth that which ye do. It
shall be no crime in you, that ye enter uninhabited houses,* wherein ye
may meet with a convenience. Gop knoweth that which ye discover, and
that which ye conceal. Speak unto the true believers, that they restrain
their eyes, and keep themselves from immodest actions: this will be more
pure for them; for Gop is well acquainted with that whichjthey do. And
speak unto the believing women, that they restrain their eyes, and pre-
serve their modesty, and discover not their ornaments,» except what
necessarily appeareth thereof;* and let them throw their veils over their
bosoms,? and not show their ornaments, unless to their husbands,° or their

 

false accusation of Ayesha; wherefore he thought even repentance would stand her
slanderers in no stead.*

* Al Beidawi observes, on this passage, that God cleared four persons, by four extra-
ordinary testimonies: for he cleared Joseph by the testimony of a child in his mistress’g
family ;? Moses, by means of the stone which fled away with his garments;* Mary, by
the testimony of her infant ;‘ and Ayesha, by these verses of the Koran.

y To enter suddenly or abruptly into any man’s house or apartment is reckoned a great
incivility in the East ; because a person may possibly be surprised in an indecent action
or posture, or may have something discovered which he would conceal. It is said, that a
man came to Mohammed, and wanted to know whether he must ask leave to go in to
his sister; which being answered in the affirmative, he told the prophet that his sister had
nobody else to attend upon her, and it would be troublesome to ask leave every time he
went in to her: What, replied Mohammed, wouldst thow see her naked ? *

* Than to be importunate for admission, or to wait at the door.

: en are not the private habitation of a family; such as public inns, shops,
sheds, &c.

> As their clothes, jewels, and the furniture of their toilet; much less such parts of
their bodies as ought not to be seen. :

© Some think their outer garments are here meant; and others their hands and faces:
it is generally held, however, that a free woman ought not to discover even those parts,
unless to the persons after excepted, or on some unavoidable occasion, as their giving evi-
dence in public, taking advice or medicines in case of sickness, &c. s

* Taking care to cover their heads, necks, and breasts.

(The ‘l'urkish women, as we have already stated, never go out without being veiled.
In Egypt the women wrap themselves up in a long mantle of black silk, which covers
the whole body. On their feet they wear slippers of a very thin yellow leather. Long
trowsers, and robes which trail on the ground, prevent their legs from being seen; but,
as they wear no stockings, Mohammed forbids them to move their feet about in such a
manner as to expose the charms which.ought to be concealed. In public they are always
dressed with the utmost decency: but in their own houses they lay aside all this accumu-
ation of covering, and are dressed as slightly as possible.)—Savary.

¢ For whose sake it is that they adorn themselves, and who alone have the privilege to
see their whole body.

‘ Al Beidawi. 2 See chap. 12, p. 191. ® See chap. 2, p. 8, and chap. 23.
See chap. 19, p. 251. 5 Al Beidawi.
CHAP. XXIV. AL KORAN. 291

fathers, or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons, or their husbands? sons, or ~
their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons,‘ or their women,é
or the captives which their right hands shall possess," or untossuch men as
-attend them, and have no need of women,‘ or unto children, who distinguish
not the nakedness of women. And let them not make a noise with their
feet,* that their ornaments which they hide may thereby be discovered.*
And be ye all turned unto Gop, O true believers, that ye may be happy.
Marry those who are single! among you, and such as are honest of your
men-servants and your maid-servants: if they be poor, Gop will enrich
them of his abundance; for Gop is bounteous and wise. And let those
who find not a match, keep themselves from fornication, until Gop shall
enrich them of his dtiniened i aad unto such of your slaves™ as desire
written instrument allowing them to redeem themselves on paying a certc
sum," write one, if ye know good in them ;* and give them of the riches”
Gop, which he hath given your 4And compel not your maid-servar
to prostitute themselves, if they be willing to live chastely ; that ye m

 

‘ These near relations-are also excepted, because they cannot, avoid seeing them fre-
quently ; and there is no great danger to be apprehended from them. They are allowed,
therefore, to see what cannot well be concealed in so familiar an intercourse,® but no other
part of their body, particularly whatever is between the navel and the knees."

Uncles not being here particularly mentioned, it is a doubt whether they may be
admitted to see their nieces. Some think they are included under the appellation
of brothers: but others are of opinion that they are not comprised in this exception: and
gives this reason for it, viz. lest they should describe the persons of their nieces to
their sons.°

* That is, such as are of the Mohammedan religion; it being reckoned by some
unlawful, or, at least, indecent, for a woman, who is a true believer, to uncover herself
before one who is an infidel, because she will hardly refrain describing her to the men:
but others supposed all women in general are here excepted; for, in this particular,
doctors differ.®

» Slaves of either sex are included in this exemption, and, as some think, domestic ser-
vants who are not slaves; as those of a different nation. It is related, that Mohammed
once made a present of a man-slave to his daughter Fatema; and when he brought him
to her she had on a garment which was so scanty that she was obliged to leave either
her head or her feet uncovered: and that the prophet, seeing her in great confusion on
that account, told her, she need be under no concern, for that there was none present
besides her father and her slave.*

‘ Or have no desire to enjoy them; such as decrepid old men, and deformed or silly
persons, who follow people as hangers on, for their spare victuals, being too despicable
to raise either a woman’s passion or a man’s jealousy. Whether eunuchs are compre-
hended under this general designation, is 4 question among the learned.?

* “Tet them not move about their feet so as to allow those charms to be seen which
ought to be veiled.’’—Savary.

« By shaking the rings, which the women in the East wear about their ancles, and are
usually of gold or silver.2 The pride which the Jewish ladies of old took in making
a tinkling with these ornaments of their feet, is (among other things of that nature) severely
reproved by the prophet Isaiah.*

14, e. Those who are unmarried of either sex; whether they have been married before
or not-

™ Of either sex.

" Whereby the master obliges himself to set his slave at liberty, on receiving a certain
sum of money, which the slave undertakes to pay.

° That is, If ye have found them faithful, and have reason to believe they will perform
their engagement.

* Either by bestowing something on them of your own substance, or by abating them

Al Beidawi. 1 Jallalo’ddin. ® Al Beidawi. ®Tdem, Jallalo'ddix.
Tidem. 2Jidem, Yahya, &c. 3 Tidem. *Tsaiah iii. 16, 18.
292 . AL KORAN. CHAP. XXIV.

" seek the casual advantage of this present life : but whoever shall compel them
thereto, verily Gop will be gracious and merciful unto such women after their
compulsion, And now have we revealed unto you evident signs, and a
history like unto some of the histories of those who have gone before you,™
and an admonition unto the pious. Gop is the light of heaven and earth:
the similitude of his light is as a niche in a wall, wherein a jamp is placed,
and the lamp inclosed in a case of glass; the glass appears as it were a
shining star. It is lighted with the oil of a blessed tree, an olive neither
of the east, nor of the west:* it wanteth little but that the oil thereof
would give light, although no fire touched it.* This is light added unto
light.t. Gop will direct unto his light whom he pleaseth. Gop pro-
poundeth parables unto men; for Gop knoweth all things. In the houses
which Gop hath permitted to be raised," and that his name be comme-
morated therein! men celebrate his praise in the same, morning and
evening, whom neither merchandizing nor selling diverteth from the
remembering of Gop, and the observance of prayer, and the giving of
alms; fearing the day whereon men’s hearts and eyes shall be troubled ;
that Gop may recompense them according to the utmost merit of what they
shall have wrought, and may add unto them of his abundance a more excel-
lent reward ; for Gop bestoweth on whom he pleaseth without measure.
But as to the unbelievers, their works are like the vapour in a plain,* which
the thirsty éraveller thinketh to be water, until, when he cometh thereto,

 

a part of their ransom. Some suppose these words are directed, not to the masters only,
but to all Moslems in general ; recommending it to them to assist those who have obtained
their freedom, and paid their ransom, either out of their own stock, or by admitting them
to have a share in the public alms. :

aIt seems Abd’allah Ebn Obba had six women slaves, on whom he had laid a certain
tax, which he obliged them to earn by the prostitution of their bodies: and one of them
made her complaint to Mohammed, which occasioned the revelation of this passage.®

* t,e, The story of the false accusation of Ayesha, which resembles those of Joseph and
the virgin Mary.”

* But of a more excellent kind. Some think the meaning to be that the tree grows
neither in the eastern parts nor the western parts, but in the midst of the world, namely
in Syria, where the best olives grow.® ;

* « The oil of which is lighted up at the slightest approach of fire, and produces rays
which are incessantly renewed.’’—Savary.

* Or a light whose brightness is doubly increased by the circumstances above-mentioned.

The commentators explain this allegory, and every particular of it, with great subtlety ;
interpreting the light here described, to be the light revealed in the Koran, er God’s
enlightening grace in the heart of man, and in divers other manners.

* The connexion of these words is not very obvious. Some suppose they ought to be
joined with the preceding words, Like a niche, or, It is lighted in the houses, &c. and that
the comparison is more strong and just, by being made to the lamps in Mosques, which
are larger than those in private houses. Some think they are rather to be connected with
the following words, Men praise, &c. And others are of opinion they are an imperfect
beginning of a sentence, and that the words, Praise ye God, or the like, are to be under-
stood. However, the houses here intended are those set apart for divine worship; or
particularly the three principal temples of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.®

_ * The Arabic word Serdb signifies that false appearance which, in the eastern countries,
is often seen in sandy plains about noon, resembling a large lake of water in motion, ani
is occasioned by the reverberation of the sunbeams. It sometimes tempts thirsty travellers,

*AiBeidawi, © Idem, Jallalo’ddin, © *Tidem. idem. ~—* Al Beidawik
CHAP. XXIV. AL KORAN. 293

he findeth it to be nothing; but he findeth Gop with him,y and he wii
fully pay him his account; and Gop is swift in taking an account: or, as
the darkness in a deep sea, covered by waves riding on waves, above which
are clouds, being additions of darkness one over the other ; when. one
stretcheth forth his hand, he is far from seeing it. And unto whomsoever
Gop shall not grant his light, he shall enjoy no light at all. Dost thou not
perceive that all creatures both in heaven and earth praise Gop: and the
birds also, extending their wings? Every one knoweth his prayer, and his
praise: and Gop knoweth that which they do. Unto Gop belongeth the
kingdom of heaven and earth; and unto Gop shall be the return at the last
day. Dost thou not see that Gop gently driveth forward the clouds, and
gathereth them together, and then layeth them on heaps? Thou also seest
the rain, which falleth from the midst thereof; and God sendeth down
from heaven as it were mountains, wherein there is hail; he striketh there-
with whom he pleaseth, and turneth the same away from whom he pleaseth :
the brightness of his lightning wanteth but little of taking away the sight.*
Gop shifteth the night, and the day: verily herein is an instruction unto
those who have sight. And Gop hath created every animal of water ;* one
of them goeth on his belly, and another of them walketh upon two feet, and
another of them walketh upon four feet: Gop createth that which he
pleaseth; for Gop is almighty. Now have we sent down evident signs:
and Gop directeth whom he pleaseth into the right way. The hypocrites
say, We believe in Gop, and on his apostle; and we obey them: yet a part
of them turneth back, after this; but these are not really believers. And
when they are summoned before Gop and his apostle, that he may judge
between them; behold, a part of them retire: but if the right had been on
their side, they would have come and submitted themselves unto him. Is
there an infirmity in their hearts? Do they doubt? Or do they fear lest
Gop and his apostle act unjustly towards them? But themselves are the
unjust doers. The saying of the true believers, when they are summoned
before Gop and his apostle, that he may judge between them, is no other
than that they say, We have heard, and do obey: and these are they who
shall prosper. Whoever shall obey Gop and his apostle, and shall fear Gop,
and shall be devout towards him; these shall enjoy great felicity. They
swear by Gop, with a most solemn oath, that if thou commandest them,

 

out of their way, but deceives them when they come near, either going forward (for it
always appears at the same distance), or quite vanishing.’

’ That is, He will not escape the notice or vengeance of God.

* « The refulgence of his lightning dazzleth the feeble eyes of mortals.’’—Savary.

? This assertion, which has already occurred in another place,? being not true in strict-
ness, the commentators suppose that by water is meant seed; or else that water is men-
tioned only as the chief cause of the growth of animals, and a considerable and necessary
constituent part of their bodies. ; : ‘ ;

* This passage was occasioned by Bashir the hypocrite, who, having a controversy with
a Jew, appealed to Caab Ebn al Ashraf, whereas the Jew appealed to Mohammed ;° or,
as others tell us, by Mogheira Ebn Wayel, who refused to submit a dispute he had with
Ali to the prophet’s decision.* 2 . :

Vide Q. Curt. de rebus Alex. lib. vii. et Gol. in Alfrag. p. 111. I. et in Adag. Arab.
at calcem Gram. Erb. p. 93. 2 Chap. 21, p. 266. 3 See chap. 4, p. 68. *Al

eidawi.
294 \ AL KORAN. : CHAP. XXIV.

they will go forth from their houses and possessions. Say, Swear not to a
falsehood : obedience is more requisite: and Gop is well acquainted with
that which ye do.* Say, Obey Gop, and obey the apostle: but if ye turn
back, verily it is expected of him that he perform his duty, and of you that
ye perform your duty; and if ye obey him, ye shall be directed; but the
duty of our apostle is only public preaching. Gop promiseth unto such of
you as believe, and do good works, that he will cause them to succeed the
unbelievers in the earth, as he caused those who were before you to succeed
the infidels of their time ;» and that he will establish for them their religion
which pleaseth them, and will change their fear into security. They shall
worship me; and shall not associate any other with me. But whoever shall
disbelieve after this, they will be the wicked doers. Observe prayer, and
give alms, and obey the apostle; that ye may obtain mercy. Think not
that the unbelievers shall frustrate the designs of God on earth: and their
abode hereafter shall be held fire; a miserable journey shall it be thither !
O true believers, let your slaves and those among you who shall not have
attained the age of puberty, ask leave of you, before they come into your
presence, three times in the day ;° namely, before the morning prayer,* and
when ye lay aside your garments at noon,* and after the evening prayer.t
These are the three times for you to be private : it shall be no crime in you, .
or in then), if they go in to you without asking permission after these times,
while ye are in frequent attendance, the one of you on the other. Thus
Gop declareth his signs unto you; for Gop is knowing and wise. And
when your children attain the age of puberty, let them ask leave to come into
your presence at all times, in the same manner as those who have attained
~ that age before them, ask leave. Thus Gop declareth his signs.unto you;

 

* «« Your obedience is just. The Omnipotent weigheth all your actions.’’—Savary.
>7. e. As he caused the Israelites to dispossess the Canaanites, &c.

° Because there are certain times when it is not convenient, even for a domestic, or a
child, to come in to one without notice. It is said this passage was revealed on account
of Asma Bint Morthed, whose servant entered suddenly upon her, at an improper time ;
but others say, it was occasioned by Modraj Ebn Amru, then a boy, who, being sent by
Mohammed to call Omar to him, went directly into the room where he was, without
giving notice, and found him taking his noon’s nap, and in no very decent posture; at
which Omar was so ruffled, that he wished God would forbid even their fathers, and
children, to come in to them abruptly, at such times.5 4
' (The ancient authority of the father of a family, the first which was known to man, is
still preserved entire in the East. The Koran did not establish it. It only rendered it
more sacred. There, a father of a family still enjoys all the rights conferred on him by
nature. He is the judge and high priest. His servants, his attra. do not come into his .
presence without his permission. ‘They are bound to go at morning, noon, and at evening,
to offer their services to him, and receive his blessing. He decides on the disputes which
arise between them, and sacrifices the victims of the Beiram (the festival of the Turks).
It is there that objects capable of exciting affecting emotions may be seen. Under the
same roof often reside four generations. Extreme old age, robust manhood, and tender
infancy, may there be seen united together by sacred and cherished ties.)—Savary.

4 Which is the time of people rising from their beds, and dressing themselves for the day.

¢ That is, when ye take off your upper garments to sleep at noon; which is a common
custom in the East, and all warm countries.

‘ When yoy undress yourselves to prepare for bed. Al Beidawi adds a fourth season,
when permission to enter must be asked, viz. at night: but this follows of course.

» Al Beidawi.

4
CHAP. XXIV. AL KORAN. : 295

and Gop is knowing and wise. .s to such women as are past child-bearing,
who hope not to marry again, because of their advanced age; it shall be no
crime in them, if they lay aside their outer garments, not showing their
ornaments ;%* but if they abstain from this, it will be betfer for them.
Gop both heareth and knoweth. It shall be no crime in the blind, nor sha..
it be any crime in the lame, neither shall it be any crime in the sick, or in
yourselves, that ye eat in your houses, or in the houses of your fathers, ov
the houses of your mothers, or in the houses of your brothers, or the houses
of your sisters, or the houses of your uncles on the father’s side, or the
houses of your aunts on the father’s side, or the houses of your uncles on
the mother’s side, the houses of your aunts on the mother’s side, or in those
houses the keys whereof ye have in your possession, or in the house of your
friend. It shall not be any crime in you whether ye eat together, or
separately.' And when ye enter any houses, salute one another * on the
part of Gop, with a blessed and a welcome salutation. Thus Gop declareth
his signs unto you, that ye may understand, Verily they only are true
believers, who believe in Gop and his apostle, and when they are assembled
with him on any affair,! depart not, until they have obtained leave of him.
Verily they who ask leave of thee are those who believe in Gop and his ©
apostle. When therefore they ask leave of thee to depart, on account of any
business of their own, grant leave unto such of them as thou shalt think fit,
and ask pardon for them of Gop;™ for Gop is gracious and merciful. Let not
the calling of the apostle be esteemed among you, as your calling the one to
the other.*" Gop knoweth such of you as privately withdraw themselves

 

® See before, p. 291.

_* * Aged women who are passed the time of marriage, may lay aside their veils, pro-
vided that they do not affect to show themselves.’’—Savary.

» i.e. Where your wives or families are; or in the houses of your sons, which may be
looked on as your own.

This passage was designed to remove some scruples or superstitions of the Arabs in
Mohammed’s time; some of whom thought their eating with maimed or sick people de-
filed them ; others imagined they ought not to eat in the house of another, though ever so
nearly related to them, or though they were intrusted with the key and care of the house
in the master’s absence, and might therefore conclude it would be no offence; and others
declined eating with their friends though invited, lest they should be burdensome.* The
whole passage seems to be no more than a declaration that the things scrupled were per-
fectly innocent ; however, the commentators say it is now abrogated, and that it related
only to the old Arabs, in the infancy of Mohammedism.

‘ As the tribe of Leith thought it unlawful for a man to eat alone; and some of the
Ansars, if they had a guest with them, never ate but in his company ; so there were others
who refused to eat with any, out of a superstitious caution lest they should be defiled, or
out of a hoggish greediness."

* Literally yourselves; that is, according to al Beidawi, the people of the house, to whom
ye are united by the ties of blood, and by the common bond of religion. And if there be
nobody in the house, says Jallalo’ddin, salute yourselves, and say, Peace be on us, and on
the righteous servants of God: for the angels will return your salutation.

' As, at public prayers, or a solemn feast, or at council, or on a military expedition.

™ Because such departure, though with leave, and on a reasonable excuse, is a kind ot
failure in the exact performance of their duty ; seeing they prefer their temporal affairs to
the advancement of the true religion.®

* \ Speak not to the prophet with that familiarity which ye use unto each other.’’—
Savary.

2 These words are variously interpreted ; for their meaning may be, either, Make not

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.  Tidem. * Al Beidawi.
296 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXV.

from the assembly, taking shelter behind one another. But let those who
withstand his command take heed, lest some calamity befall them in this
world, or a grievous punishment be inflicted on them in the life to come.
Doth not whatever is in heaven and on earth belong unto Gop? He well
knowetn what ye are about: and on a certain day they shall be assembled
before nim; and he shall declare unto them that which they have done;
for Gup knoweth all things.

 

CHAPTER XXV.
INTITLED, AL FORKAN; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Buessep be he who hath revealed the Forkan ° unto his servant, that he
may be a preacher to all creatures: unto whom belongeth the kingdom of
heaven and of earth: who hath begotten no issue; and hath no partner in
his kingdom : who hath created all things, and disposed the same according
to his determinate will.* Yet have they taken other gods besides him;
which have created nothing, but are themselves created:? and are able
neither to avert evil from, nor to procure good unto themselves; and have
not the power of death, or of life, or of raising the dead. And the
unbelievers say, This Koran is no other than a forgery which he hath con-
trived; and other people have assisted him therein:? but they utter an
unjust thing, and a falsehood. They also say, These are fables of the
ancients, which he hath caused to be written down; and.they are dictated
unto him morning and evening. Say, He hath revealed it, who knoweth
the secrets in heaven and earth: verily he is gracious and merciful. And
they say, What kind of apostle is this? He eateth food, and walketh
in the streets," as we do: unless an angel be sent down unto him,

 

light of the apostle’s summons, as ye would of another person’s of equal condition with
yourselves, by not obeying it, or by departing out of, or coming into his presence, with-
out leave first obtained; or, ‘Think not that when the apostle calls upon God in prayer,
it is with him, as with you, when ye prefer a petition to a superior, who sometimes grants,
but as often denies your suit; or, Call not to the apostle, as ye do to one another, that
is, by name, or familiarly and with a loud voice; but make use of some honourable com-
pellation, as, O apostle of God, or, O prophet of God, and speak in an humble modest
manner.® :

° Which is one of the names of the Koran. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 40.

* «By Him all that existeth was drawn from nothing, and he preserveth it in harmo-
nious order.’’—Savary. 3

” Being either the heavenly bodies, or idols, the works of men’s hands.

‘See chap. 16, p. 223. It is supposed the Jews are particularly intended in this place ; _
because they used to repeat passages of ancient history to Mohammed, on which he used
to discourse and make observations.*

* Being subject to the same wants and infirmities of nature, and obliged to submit to the
same low means of supporting himself and his family, with ourselves. The Meccans
were acquainted with Mohammed, and with his circumstances and way of life, too well
to change their old familiarity into the reverence due to the messenger of God: for a pro-
phet hath no honour in his own country.

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c. * Al Beidawi.
CHAP. XXV. _ AL KORAN. 297

and become a fellow preacher with him; or unless a treasure be cast
down unto him; or he have a garden, of the fruit whereof he may eat;
we will not believe. ‘The ungodly also say, Ye follow no other than a ‘man
who is distracte*. Behold what they liken thee unto. But they are
deceived ; neither can they find a just occasion to reproach thee.* Blessed
be he, who, if he pleaseth, will make for thee a better provision than this
which they speak of ; namely, gardens through which rivers flow: and he -
will provide thee palaces. But they reject the belief of the hour of judg-
ment, as a falsehood: and we have prepared for him, who shall reject the
belief of that hour, burning fire; when it shall see them from a distant
place, they shall hear it furiously raging and roaring. And when they
shall be cast, bound together, into a strait place thereof, they shall there
call for death; but it shall be answered them, Call not this day for one
death, but’call for many deaths. Say, Is this better, or a garden of eternal
duration, which is promised unto the pious? It shall be given unto them
for a reward, and a retreat: therein shall they have whatever they please,
continuing in the same for ever. This is a promise to be demanded at the
hands of thy Lorp. On a certain day he shall assemble them, and what-
ever they worship, besides Gon; and shall say unto the worshipped, Did ye
seduce these my servants; or did they wander of themselves from the right
way? They shall answer, Gop forbid! It was not fitting for us, that we
should také any protectors besides thee: but thou didst permit them and
their fathers to enjoy abundance; so that they forgot thy admonition, and
became lost people. And God shall say unto their worshippers, Now have
these convinced you of falsehood, in that which ye say: they can neither
avert your punishment, nor give. you any assistance. And whoever of you
shall be guilty of injustice, him will we cause to taste a grievous torment.f
We have sent no messengers before thee, but they ate food, and walked
through the streets: and we make some of you an occasion of trial unto
others. Will ye persevere with patience? since the Lorp regardeth your
perseverance. *[XIX.] They who hope not to meet us at the resurrection
say, Unless the angels be sent down unto us, or we see our Lorp himself,
we will not believe. Verily they behave themselves arrogantly ; and have
transgressed with an enormous transgression. The day whereon they shall
see the angels,t there shall be no glad tidings on that day for the wicked ;
and they shall say, Be this removed far from us? and we will come unto
the work which they shall have wrought, and we will make it as dust
scattered abroad. On that day shall they who are destined to paradise be
more happy in an abode, and have a preferable place of repose at

 

* “They are in blindness. They no more shall find the light.”’—Savary. ne
< + “Whosoever of you hath lived in impiety shall undergo a grievous punishment.”’—

‘avary.

* Ginny occasion of envy, repining, and malice ; to the poor, mean, and sick, for exam-
ple, when they compare their own condition with that of the rich, the noble, and those
who are in health: and trying the people to whom prophets are sent, by those prophets.

‘ viz. At their death, or at the resurrection.

2 Al Beidawi. Jallalo’ddin.
2D
298 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXV.

noon.** On that day the heaven shall be cloven in sunder by the clouds,
and the angels shall be sent down, descending visibly therein.* On
that day the kingdom shall of right belong wholly unto the Merciful ;
and that day shall be grievous for the unbelievers. On that day the
unjust person” shall bite his hand for anguish and despair, and shall say,
Oh that I had taken the way of truth with the apostle! Alas for me! Oh
that I had not taken such a one* for my friend! He seduced me from the
admonition of God, after it had come unto me: for the devil is the betrayer
of man. And the apostle shall say, O Lorp, verily my people esteemed
this Koran to be a vain composition. In like manner did we ordain unto
every prophet an enemy from among the wicked: but thy Lorp is a suffi-
cient director and defender. The unbelievers say, Unless the Koran be
sent down unto him entire at once,y we will not believe. But in this
manner have we revealed it, that we might confirm thy heart thereby,” and
we have dictated it gradually, by distinct parcels. They shall not come
anto thee with any strange question; but we will bring thee the truth in
answer, and a most excellent interpretation. They who shall be dragged
on their faces into hell shall be in the worst condition, and shall stray most

 

* «Tho guests of paradise shall enjoy the sweets of repose, and shall have a delicious
place in which to slumber at noon.” *—Savary.

«For the business of the day of judgment will be over by that time; and the blessed
will pass their noon in paradise, and the damned in hell.‘ :

4. e. They shall part and make way for the clouds which shall descend with the angels,
bearing the books wherein every man’s actions are recorded.

» It is supposed by some that these words particularly relate to Okba Ebn Abi Moait,
who used to be much in Mohammed’s company, and having once invited him to an enter-
tainment, the prophet refused to taste of his meat unless he would profess Islam; which,
accordingly, he did. Soon after, Okba, meeting Obba Ebn Khalf, his intimate friend, ana
being reproached by him for changing his religion, assured him that he had not, but had
only pronounced the profession of faith to engage Mohammed to eat with him, because
he could not for shame let him go out of his house without eating. However, Obba pro-
tested that he would not be satisfied, unless he went to Mohammed and set his foot on
his neck, and spit in his face: which Okba, rather than break with his friend, performed
in the public hall, where he found Mohammed sitting; whereupon the prophet told him '
that if ever he met him out of Mecca, he would cut off his head. And he was as good as
his word; for Okba, being afterwards taken prisoner at the battle of Bedr, had his head
struck off by Ali, at Mohammed’s command. As for Obba, he received a wound from the
prophet’s own hand, at the battle of Ohod, of which he died on his return to Mecca.

x According to the preceding note, this was Obba Ebn Khalf.

y As were the Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospel, according to the Mohammedan notion;
whel eas it was twenty-three years before the Korfin was completely revealed.*

Both to infuse courage and constancy into thy mind, and to strengthen thy memory
and understanding. For, say the commentators, the prophet’s receiving the divine direc-
tion, from time to time, how to behave, and to speak on any emergency, and the frequent
visits of the angel Gabriel, greatly encouraged and supported him under all his difficulties;
and the revealing of the Koran by degrees was a great, and, to him, a necessary help for
his retaining and understanding it; which it would have been impossible for him to fave
done with any exactness, had it been revealed at once; Mohammed’s case being entirely
different from that of Moses, David, and Jesus, who could all read and write, whereas
he was perfectly illiterate.”

+ The orientals are accustomed to sleep at noon. They get through their business in
the morning, make a slight meal about eleven o’clock, and pass in the arms of sleep those
hours in which the heat is the most intense. This relaxation from labour is rendered ne-
cessary by a burning climate. Europeans at length become habituated to it. A Turk, who
can thus recline by a rivulet, under the shade of orange-trees, believes himself to be already
in possession of the garden of delights which is promised by Mohammed.’’—Savary.

“ Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. _ *Al Beidéwi. Vide Gagnier, Vie de Moham. vol. 1,

.p. 362. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 46, &c. " Al Beidawi, &c.
CHAP. XXV AL KORAN. \ 299

widely from the way of salvation. We heretofore delivered unto Moses the
book of the Jaw ; and we appointed him Aaron his brother for a counsellor.
And we said unto them, Go ye to the people who charge our signs with
falsehood. And we destroyed them with a signal destruction. And
remember the people of Noah, when they accused our apostles of im-
posture: we drowned them, and made them a sign unto mankind. And
we have prepared for the unjust a painful torment. Remember also Ad,
and Thamud, and those who dwelt at al Rass;* and many other generations
within this period. Unto each of them did we propound examples for their
admonition ; and each of them did we destroy with an utter destruction.
The Koreish have passed frequently near the city which was rained on by
a fatal rain; have they not seen where it once stood? Yet have they not
dreaded the resurrection. When they see thee, they will receive thee only
with scoffing, saying, Is this he whom Gop hath sent as his apostle?
Verily he had almost drawn us aside from the worship of our gods, if we
had not firmly persevered in our devotion towards them. But they shall
know hereafter, when they shall see the punishment prepared for them,
who hath strayed more widely from the vight path. What thinkest thou?
He who taketh his lust for his god; canst thou be his guardian?* Dost
thou imagine that the greater part of them hear, or understand? They are
no other than like the brute cattle; yea, they stray more widely from the
true path. Dost thou not consider the works of thy Lorp, how he stretcheth
forth the shadow before sunrise? If he had pleased, he would have made
it immovable for ever. Then we cause the sun to rise, and to show the
same; and afterwards we contract it by an easy and gradual contraction.
It is he who hath ordained the night to cover you as a garment; and sleep
to give you rest; and hath ordained the day for waking. It is he who
sendeth the winds, driving abroad the pregnant clouds, as the forerunners
of his mercy :4 and we send down pure water® from heaven, that we may

 

* The commentators are at a loss where to place al Rass. According to one opinion,
it was the name of a well (as the word signifies) near Midian, about which some idolaters
having fixed their habitations, the prophet Shoaib was sent to preach to them; but they
not believing on him, the well fell in, and they and their houses were all swallowed up.
Another supposes it to have been a townin Yamama, where a remnant of the Thamudites
settled, to whom a prophet was also sent; but they, slaying him, were utterly destroyed.
Another thinks it was a well near Antioch, where Habib al Najjar (whose tomb is still to
be seen there, being frequently visited by the Mohammedan’s*) was martyred.? Anda
fourth takes al Rass to be a well in Hadramaut, by which dwelt some idolatrous Tha-
mudites, whose prophet was Handha, or Khantala (for I find the name written both ways
Ebn Safwan. These people were first annoyed by certain monstrous birds, called Anka,
which lodged in the mountain above them, and used to snatch away their children, when
they wanted other prey: but this calamity was so far from humbling them, that on theit
prophet’s calling down a judgment upon them, they killed him, and were all destroyed.

> wiz. Sodom: for the Koreish often passed by the place where it once stood, in the
Journeys they took to Syria for the sake of trade.

*i. e. Dost thou expect to reclaim such a one from idolatry and infidelity ? : ;

*See chap. 7, p. 121. There is the same various reading here as is mentioned in
the notes to that passage. 5 r :

° Properly, p~v “ying water ; which epithet may probably refer to the cleansing quality

of that element 7 so great use both on religious and on common occasions. :

®See chap 35 ® Abu’lf. Georg. Vide Vit. Saladini, p. 86. * See chap. 22, p
238, mote 7. Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
300 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXV

thereby revive a dead country, and give to drink thereof unto what we have
created, both of cattle and men, in great numbers,’ and we distribute the
same among them at various times, that they may consider: but the
greater part of men refuse to consider, only out of ingratitude.s If we had
pleased, we had sent a preacher unto every city: wherefore, do not thou
obey the unbelievers; but oppose them herewith, with a strong opposition,
It is he who hath let loose the two seas; this fresh and sweet, and that salt
and bitter; and hath plaged between them a bar,‘ and a bound which cannot
be passed. It is he who hath created man of water,* and hath made him
to bear the double relation of consanguinity and affinity ; for thy Lorp is
powerful. They worship, besides Gop, that which can neither profit them
nor hurt them: and the unbeliever is an assistant of the devil against his
Lorp.! We have sent thee to de no other than a bearer of good tidings,
and a denouncer of threats. Say, I ask not of you any reward for this my
preaching ; besides the conversion of him who shall desire to take the way
unto his Lornp.™ And do thou trust in him who liveth, and dieth not; and
celebrate his praise: (he is sufficiently acquainted with the faults of his
servants): who hath created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is
between them, in six days; and then ascended his. throne: the Merciful.
Ask now the knowing concerning him. When it is said unto the un-
believers, Adore the Merciful; they reply, And who is the Merciful?=
Shall we adore that which thou commandest us? And this precept causeth
them to fly the faster from the faith. Blessed be he who hath placed the
twelve signs in the heavens; and hath placed therein a lamp° by day, and
the moon which shineth by night! It is he who hath ordained the night
and the day to succeed each other, for the observation of him who will con-
sider, or desireth to show his gratitude. The servants of the Merciful are
those who walk meekly on the earth, and when the ignorant speak unto them,
anawer, Peace :? and who pass the night adoring their Lorp, and standing up
to pray unto him; and who say, O Lorp, avert from us the torment of hell,

 

‘ That is, to such as live in the dry deserts, and are obliged to drink rain-water ; which
the inhabitants of towns, and places well- watered, have no occasion to do.

* Or, out of infidelity: for the old Arabs used to think themselves indebted for their
rains, not to God, but to the influence of some particular stars.*

* And had not given thee, O Mohammed, the honour and trouble of being a preacher
to the whole world in general. 3 .

_ ' To keep them asunder, and prevent their mixing with each other. The original word
is barzakh ; which has been already explained.‘

* With which Adam’s primitive clay was mixed; or, of seed. See chap. 24, p. 293.

‘ Joining with him in his rebellion and infidelity. Some think Abu Jahl is particularly
struck at in this passage. The words may also be translated, The unbeliever is contemptible
wm the sight of his Lord.

™ Seeking to draw near unto him, by embracing the religion taught by me his apostle;
which is the best return I expect from you for my labours. The passage, however, 18
rapable of another meaning, viz. That Mohammed desires none to give, but him who shall
contribute freely and voluntarily towards the advancement of God’s true religion.

" See chap. 17, p. 237.

°t.e, The sun.

” This is intended here, not as a salutation, but as a waiving all farther discourse and
communication with the idolaters.

* See the Prelim, Disc. sect..i. p.23. ‘In note ad cap. 23, p. 285. * Al Beidawie
CHAP. XXVI. AL KORAN. 301

fo: the torment thereof is perpetual; verily the same is a miserable abode
and a wretched station: and who, when they bestow, are neither profuse
nor niggardly ; but observe a just medium between these ;4 and who invoke
not another god together with the true Gop; neither slay the soul which
Gop hath’ forbidden to be slain, unless for a just cause: and who are not
guilty of fornication. But he who shall do this shall meet the reward of
his wickedness : his punishment shall be doubled unto him on the day of
resurrection; and he shall remain therein, covered with ignominy, for
ever : except him who shall repent and believe, and shall work a righteous
work ; unto them will Gop change their former evils into good ;* for Gop
is ready to forgive, and merciful. And whoever repenteth, and doth that
which is right; verily he turneth unto Gop with an acceptable conversion.
And they who do not bear false witness; and when they pass by vain dis-
course, pass by the same with decency ;* and who, when they are admo-
nished by the signs of their Lorn, fall not down as if they were deaf and
blind, but stand up and are altentive thereto: and who say, O Lorp, grant
us of our wives and our offspring such as may be the satisfaction of our
eyes; and make us patterns unto those who fear thee. These shall be re-
warded with the highest apartments in paradise, because they have perse-
vered with constancy; and they shall meet therein with greeting and saluta-
tion; they shall remain in the same for ever: it shall be an excellent abode,
and a delightful station.— Say, My Lorp is not solicitous on your account,
if ye do not invoke him: ye have already charged his apostle with impos-
ture; but hereafter shall there be a lasting punishment inflicted on you.

CHAPTER XXVI.

INTITLED, THE POETS;* REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

T.S.M.z Tues are the signs of the perspicuous book. Peradventure
thou afflictest thyself unto death, lest the Meccans become not believers. If
we pleased, we could send down unto them a convincing sign from heaven,
unto which their necks would humbly submit. But there cometh unto

 

4 See chap. 17, p. 229.

* Blotting out their former rebellion, on their repentance, and confirming and increasing
their faith and obedience.* ;

* “ Those who preserve their purity amidst obscene discourse.’ —Savary.

+ “ They shall dwell eternally in the abode of delight, which is equally pleasant for rest
or for motion.’’—Savary. ;

* This chapter bears this inscription, because at the conclusion of it, the Arabian poets
are severely censured.

‘ The last five verses, beginning at these words, And those who err follow the poets, Suc.
some take to have been revealed at Medina.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 3, p. 42, &c.
6 Al Beidawi.
302 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVI.

them no admonition from the Merciful, being newly revealed as occasions
require, but they turn aside from the same; and they have charged it with
falsehood: but a message shall come unto them, which they shall not
laugh to scorn. Do they not behold the earth, how many vegetables we
cause to spring up therein, of every noble species? Verily herein is a sign:
but the greater part of them do not believe. Verily thy Lorp is the mighty,
the merciful God. Remember when thy Lorp called Moses, saying, Go to
the unjust people, the people of Pharaoh; will they not dread me? Moses
answered, O Lorp, verily I fear lest they accuse me of falsehood, and lest
my breast become straitened, and my tongue be not ready in speaking: send
therefore unto Aaron, to be my assistant. Also they have a crime to object
against me; and I fear they will put me to death. God said, They shall
by no means put thee to death: wherefore go ye with our signs; for we will
be with you, and will hear what passes between you and them. Go ye there-
fore unto Pharaoh, and say, Verily we are the apostle* of the Lorp of all
creatures: send away with us the children of Israel. And when they had
delivered their message, Pharaoh answered, Have we not brought thee up
among us, when a child; and hast thou not dwelt among us for several
years of thy life?® Yet hast thou done thy deed which thou hast done,*
and thou art an ungrateful person. Moses replied, I did it indeed, and 1
wak one of those who erred ;° wherefore I fled from you, because I feared
you: but my Lorp hath bestowed on me wisdom, and hath appointed me
one of his apostles. And this is the favour which thou hast bestowed on
me, that thou hast enslaved the children of Israel. Pharaoh said, And
who is the Lorp of all creatures? Moses answered, The Lorp of heaven
and earth, and whatever is between them: if ye are men of sagacity.t
Pharaoh said unto those who were about him, Do ye not hear? Moses
said, Your Lorp, and the Lorp of your forefathers. Pharaoh said ynto
those who were present, Your apostle, who is sent unto you, is certainly
distracted.t Moses said, The Lorp of the east, and of the west, and of
whatever is between them; if ye are men of understanding. Pharaoh

 

¥ See chap. 20, p. 256,

* viz. The having killed an Egyptian."

* The word is in the singular number in the original ; for which the commentators give
several reasons.

» It is said that Moses dwelt among the Egyptians thirty years, and then went to Midian,
where he staid ten years; after which he returned to Egypt, and spent thirty years in en-
deavouring to convert them ; and that he lived after the drowning of Pharaoh fifty years.

* « Hast thou not committed a murder? Verily thou art an ingrate.”’—Savary.

° Having killed the Egyptian undesignedly. :
te It is,’’ replied Moses, ‘‘he who governeth the heavens and the earth, He ruleth
in the immensity of space. Will ye believe these truths ?’—Savary.

4 Pharaoh, it seems, thought Moses had given but wild answers to his question ; for he
wanted to know the person and true nature of the God whose messenger Moses pretended
-o be; whereas he spoke of his works only. And because this answer gave so little satis-

iaction to the king, he is therefore supposed by some to have been a Dahrite, or one who
believed the eternity of the world.*

1 See chap. 28. ® Al Beidaéwi. dem.
CHAP. XXVI. AL KORAN. 303

said unto him, Verily if thou take any god besides me,‘ I will make thee
one of those who are imprisoned.£ Moses answered, What, although
I come unto you with a convincing miracle 2 Pharaoh replied, Produce
it therefore, if thou speakest truth. And he cast down his rod, and be
hold, it Became a visible serpent: and he drew forth his hand out of his
bosom ; and behold, it appeared white unto the spectators. Pharaoh said
unto the princes who were about him, Verily this man is a skilful magician :
he seeketh to dispossess you of your land by his sorcery ; what therefore do
ye direct? They answered, Delay him and his brother by good words for a
time ; and send through the cities men to assemble and bring unto thee
every skilful magician. So the magicians were assembled at an appointed
time, on a solemn day. And it was said unto the people, Are ye assembled
together? Perhaps we may follow the magicians, if they do get the
victory.* And when the magicians were come, they said unto Pharaoh,
Shall we certainly receive a reward, if we do get the victory? He answered,
Yea; and ye shall surely be of those who approach my person. Moses
said unto them, Cast down what ye are about to cast down. Wherefore
they cast down their ropes and their rods, and said, By the might of
Pharaoh, verily we shall be the conquerors. And Moses cast down his rod,
and behold, it swallowed up that which they had caused falsely to appear
changed into serpents. Whereupon the magicians prostrated themselves,
worshipping, and said, We believe in the Lorp of all creatures, the Lorp of
Moses and of Aaron. Pharaoh said unto them, Have ye believed on him,
before I have given you permission? Verily he is your chief who hath
taught you magic: but hereafter ye shall surely know my power. 1 will
‘ cut off your hands and your feet, on the opposite sides, and J will crucify
you all. They answered, It will be no harm unto us ; for we shall return
unto our Lorp. We hope that our Lorp will forgive us-our sins, since we
are the first who have believed.» And we spake by revelation unto Moses,
saying, March forth with my servants by night; for ye will be pursued.
And Pharaoh sent officers through the cities to assemble forces, saying, Verily
these are a small company ; and they are enraged against us: but we are a
multitude well provided. So we caused them to quit their gardens, and
fountains, and treasures, and fair dwellings: thus did we do; and we made
the children of Israel to inherit the same.’ And they pursued them at sun-
rise. And when the two armies were come in sight of each other, the

 

© From this and a parallel expression _in the 28th chapter, it is inferred that Pharaoh
claimed the worship of his subjects, as due to his supreme power. ; :

‘ These words, says al Beidawi, were a more terrible menace than if he had said J will
imprison thee ; and gave Moses to understand that he must expect to keep company with.
those wretches whom the tyrant had thrown, as was his custom, into a deep dungeon,
where they remained till they died. : :

* «A herald having proclaimed, Is the assembly gathered together with due solemnity ?
The people replied, We will espouse the victorious party.”’—Savary.

But has reserved the ars efficacious secrets to himself.
=e . 7, p. 128, &e. ; a

' pre eh ce Tunupaes the Israelites, after the destruction of Pharaoh and his host,

t Al Beidawi.
304 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVI.

companions of Moses said, We shall surely be overtaken.* Moses answered,
By no means; for my Lorp is with me, who will surely direct me. And
we commanded Moses by revelation, saying, Smite the sea with thy rod.
And when he had smitten it, it became divided into twelve parts, between
which were as many paths, and every part was like a vast mountain. And
we drew thither the others; and we delivered Moses and all those who
were with him:' then we drowned the others. Verily herein was a sign ;
but the greater part of them did not believe. Verily thy Lorp is the
mighty and the merciful. And rehearse unto them the story of Abraham:
when he said unto his father, and his people, What do ye worship? They
answered, We worship idols; and we constantly serve them all the day
long. Abraham said, Do they hear you, when ye invoke them? Gr do
they either profit you, or hurt you? They answered, But we found our
fathers do the same. He said, What think ye? The gods which ve wor-
ship, and your forefathers worshipped, are my enemy : except only the LorD
of all creatures, who hath created me, and directeth me; and who giveth
me to eat, and to drink, and when I am sick, healeth me; and who will
cause me to die, and will afterwards restore me to life; and who, I hope,
. will forgive my sins on the day of judgment. O Lorp, grant me wisdom;
and join me with the righteous: and grant that I may be spoken of with
honour* among the latest posterity ;{ and make me an heir of the garden
of delight: and forgive my father, for that he hath been one of those who go
astray! And cover me not with shame on the day of resurrection ; on the
day in which neither riches nor children shall avail, unless unto him
who shall come unto Gop with a sincere heart: when paradise shall
be brought near to the view of the pious, and hell shall appear plainly ,
to those who shall have erred: and it shall be said unto them, Where are
your deities which ye served besides Gov? will they deliver you from
punishment, or will they deliver themselves? And they shall be cast into
the same, both they,™ and those who have been seduced to their worship ;
and all the host of Eblis. The seduced shall dispute therein with their false
gods, saying, By Gop, we were in a manifest error, when we equalled you
with the Lorp of all creatures: and none seduced us but the wicked. We
have now no intercessors, nor any friend who careth for us. If we were

 

returned to Egypt, and possessed themselves of the riches of that country.2 But others
are of opinion that the meaning is no more than that God gave them the like possessions
and dwellings in another country.?

* “The Helrews said unto Moses, We are surely undone,’’—Savary.

k Literally, Grant me a tonjrue of truth; that is, a high encomium, ‘The same expres-
sion is used in chap. 19, p. 252.

t ‘Lord, give unto me wisdom and justice. Cause my voice to make known the truth
to posterity.”’—Savary.

‘By disposing him to repentance, and the receiving of the true faith. Some suppose
Abraham pronounced this prayer after his father’s death, thinking that possibly he might
have been inwardly a true believer, but have concealed his conversion for fear of Nimrod,
and before he was forbidden to pray for him.‘

™ See chap. 21, p. 272.

9 Jallalo’ddin, Yahya. 2 Al Zamakh. See chap. 7, p. 130.
* See chap. 9, p. 163, and chap. 14, p. 208,
CHAP. XXVI. AL KORAN. : 305

allowed to return once more into the world, we would certainly become
true believers. Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them
believed not. The Lorp is the mighty, the merciful! The people of
Noah accused God’s messengers of imposture: when their brother Noah
said unto them, Will-ye not fear God? Verily I am a faithful messenger
unto you; wherefore fear Gop, and obey me. I ask no reward of you
for my preaching unto you; I expect my reward from no other than the
Lorp of all creatures: wherefore fear Gop, and obey.me. They answered,
Shall we believe on thee, when only the most abject persons have followed
thee? JVoah said, I have no knowledge of that which they did;>* it
appertaineth unto my Lorp alone to bring them to account, if ye under-
stand; wherefore I will not drive away the believers:* I am no more than
a public preacher. They replied, Assuredly, unless thou desist, O Noah,
thou shalt be stoned. He said, O Lorp, verily my people take me fora
liar; wherefore judge publicly between me and them; and deliver me and
the’ true believers who are with me. Wherefore we delivered him, and
those who were with him, in the ark filled with men and animals ; and
afterwards we drowned the rest. Verily herein was a sign; but the greater
part of them believed not. Thy Lorp is the mighty, the merciful. The
tribe of Ad charged God’s messengers with falsehood: when their brother
Hud said unto them, Will ye not fear God? Verily Iam a faithful mes-
senger unto you; wherefore fear Gop, and obey me. [I demand not of
you any reward for my preaching unto you: I expect my reward from no
other than the Lorp of all creatures. Do ye build a land-mark on every
high place, to divert yourselves?? And do ye erect magnificent works,
hoping that ye may continue in their possession for ever? And when ye
exercise your power, do ye exercise it with cruelty and rigour?? Fear
Gop, by leaving these things; and obey me.t] And fear him who hath
bestowed on you that which ye know: he hath bestowed on you cattle,
and children, and gardens, and springs of water. Verily I fear for you the
punishment of a grievous day. They answered, Jt is equal unto us whether
thou admonish us, or dost not admonish us: this which thou preachest is
only a device of the ancients; neither shall we be punished for what we
‘have done. And they accused him of imposture: wherefore we destroyed
them. Verily herein was a sign: but the greater part of them believed
not. Thy Lorp is the mighty, the merciful. The tribe of Thamud also
charged the messengers of God with falsehood. When their brother Saleh

 

2 4,e Whether they have embraced the faith which I have preached, out of the sincerity
of their hearts, or in prospect of some worldly advantage.

* «T know not, replied Noah, what they are. It belongeth to God alone to fathom the
heart.’’—Savary.

° See chap. 11, p. 177. . . a

? Or to mock the passengers ; who direct themselves in their journeys by the stars, and
have no need of such buildings ?* : :

4 Putting to death, and inflicting other corporal Ponehnieiits without mercy, and rather
for the satisfaction of your passion than the amendment of the sufferer.® :

+ The sentences which are between brackets [] are omitted in Savary’s translation.

+ Al Beidawi. § Idem.
306 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVI.

said unto them, Will ye not fear God? Verily I am a faithful messenger
_ unto you: wherefore fear Gop, and obey me. I demand no reward of you
for my preaching unto you : I expect my reward from no other than the
Lorn of all creatures. Shall ye be left for ever secure in the possession of
the things which are here; among gardens, and fountains, and corn, and
palm-trees, whose branches sheathe their flowers.* And will ye continue
to\ cut habitations for yourselves out of the mountains, behaving with in-
solence?* Fear Gop, and obey me; and obey not the command of the
transgressors, who act corruptly in the earth, and reform not the same.
They answered, Verily thou art distracted: thou art no other than a man
like unto us: produce now some sign, if thou speakest truth. Saleh said,
This she-camel shall be a sign unto you: she shall have her portion of
water, and ye shall have your portion of water alternately, on a several day
appointed for you ;* and do her no hurt, lest the punishment of a terrible
‘day be inflicted on you.t But they stew her; and were made to repent of
their impiety : for the punishment which had been threatened overtook them.
Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not: believe.
Thy Lorp is the mighty, the merciful. The people of Lot likewise ac-
cused God’s messengers of imposture. When their brother Lot said unto
them, Will ye not fear God? Verily I am a faithful messenger unto
you: wherefore fear Gop, and obey me. I demand no reward of you for
my preaching : I expect my reward from no other than the Lorp of all
creatures. Do ye approach unto the males among mankind, and leave
your wives which your Lorp hath created for you. Surely ye are people
who transgress. They answered, Unless thou desist, O Lot, thou shalt
certainly be expelled our city. He said, Verily J am one of those who
abhor your doings: O Lorp, deliver me, and my family, from that-which
they act. Wherefore we delivered him, and all his family, except an old
woman, his wife, who perished among those who remained behind; then we
destroyed the rest; and we rained on them a shower of stones ; and terrible
was the shower which fell on those who had been warned in vain. Verily
herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe. Thy Lorp
is the mighty, the merciful. The inhabitants of the woodtt also accused
Gop’s messengers of imposture. When Shoaib said unto him, Will ye not
fear God? Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you: wherefore fear
Gop, and obey me. Task no reward of you for my preaching : I expect

 

* “ Your palm-trees, of which the fruit is delicious.”"—Savary.

* Or, as the original word may also be rendered, showing art and ingenuity in your work.

"That is, They were to have the use of the water by turns, the camel drinking one
day, and the Thamudites drawing the other day ; for when this camel drank, she emptied
the wells or brooks for that day. See chap. 7, p. 124.

+ ‘* And do unto her no hurt, if ye dread the punishment of the great day.’’—Savary.

‘ See chap. 15, p. 212. Shoaib being not called the brother of these people, which would
nave preserved the conformity between this passage and the preceding, it has been thonght
they were not Midianites, but of another race: however, we find the prophet taxes them
with the same crimes as he did those of Midian."

t ‘ The inhabitants of Aleica.’’—Savary.

* See chap. 7, p. 125.
CHAP. XXVI. AL KORAN. 307

my reward from no other than the Lorp of all creatures. Give just
measure, and be not defrauders; and weigh with an equal balance; and
diminish not unto men aught of their matters; neither commit violence in
the earth, acting corruptly. And fear him who hath created you, and also
the former generations.* They answered, Certainly thou art distracted :
thou art no more than a man, like unto us: and we do surely esteem thee
to be a liar. Cause now a part of the heaven to fall upon us, if thou
speakest truth. Shoaib said, My Lorp best knoweth that which ye do.
And they charged him with falsehood: wherefore the punishment of the
day of the shadowing cloud® overtook them ; and this was the punishment
of a grievous day. Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them
did not believe. Thy Lorp is the mighty, the merciful. This book is
certainly a revelation from the Lorp of all creatures, which the faithful
spirit* hath caused to descend upon thy heart, that thou mightest be a
preacher to thy people, in the perspicuous Arabic tongue ;{ and it is borne
witness to in the scriptures of former ages. Was it nota sign unto them,
that the wise men among the childrenof Israel knew it? Had we revealed
it unto any of the foreigners, and he had read the same unto them, yet they
would not have believed therein. Thus have we caused odstinate infidelity
to enter the hearts of the wicked: they shall not believe therein, until they
see a painful punishment. It shall come suddenly upon them, and they
shall not foresee it: and they shall say, Shall we be respited? Do they
_ therefore desire our punishment to be hastened?» What thinkest thou?

If we suffer them to enjoy the advantage of this life for several years, and
afterwards that with which they are threatened come upon them; what

will that which they have enjoyed profit them? We have destroyed no city,
but preachers were first sent unto it, to admonish the inhabitants thereof ,
neither did we treat them unjustly. The devils did not descend with the

Koran, as the infidels give out : it is not for their purpose, neither are they
able to produce such a book ; for they are far removed from hearing the
. discourse of the angels in heaven.2 Invoke no other god with the true Gop,
lest thou become one of those who are doomed to punishment. And
admonish thy more near relations. And behave thyself with meekness®

 

* «Fear him who created you, and who created the first man.’’—Savary.

" God first plagued them with such intolerable heat for seven days, that all their waters
were dried up; and then brought a cloud over them, under whose shade they ran, and
were all destroyed by a hot wind and fire which proceeded from it.

x i.e, Gabriel; who is entrusted with the divine secrets and revelations.

+ “It is written in Arabic, and the style of it is pure.”’—Savary. .

¥ The infidels were continually defying Mohammed to bring some signal and miraculous
destruction on them, as a shower of stones, &c.

* See chap. 15, p. 210. . :

2 'The commentators suppose the same command to have been virtually contained in the
seventy-fourth chapter, which is prior to this in point of time.’ It is said vnat Mohammed,
on receiving the passage before us, went up immediately to Mount Safa, and having called
the several tegities to him, one by one, when they were all assembled, asked them, whether
if he should tell them that mountain would bring orth a smaller mountain, they woula
believe him ; to which they answering in the affirmative, Verily, says he, I am a warner
sent unto you before a severe chastisement.?

> Literally, Lower thy wing.

* Al Beidawi. * See the notes thereon, and the Prelim. Disc. sect.ii.p.31. *Al Beidawi
308 | AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVI.

towards the true believers who follow thee: and if they be disobedient untc
thee, say, Verily, I am clear of that which ye do. And trust in the most
mighty, the merciful God; who seeth thee when thou risest up, and thy
behaviour among those who worship ;° for he both heareth and knoweth.
Shall I declare unto you upon whom the devils descend? They descend
upon every lying and wicked person: 4 they learn what is heard ;* but the.
greater part of them are liars. And those who err follow the steps of the
poets: dost thou not see that they rove as bereft of their senses through
every valley; and that they say that which they do not ?!* except those
who believe, and do good works, and remember Gon frequently ; and who
defend themselves, after they have been unjustly treated. And they who
act unjustly shall know hereafter with what treatment they shall be
treated.

 

© i.e. Who seeth thee when thou risest up to watch and spend the night in religious
exercises, and observeth thy anxious care for the Moslems’ exact performance of their duty.
It is said that the night on which the precept of watching was abrogated, Mohammed went

rivately from one house to another, to see how his companions spent the time; and that
fe found them so intent in reading the Koran, and repeating their prayers, that their
houses, by reason of the humming noise they made, sgemed to be so many nests of hor-
nets.2. Some commentators, however, suppose that by the prophet’s behaviour, in this
place, is meant the various postures he used in praying at the head of his companions;
as standing, bowing, prostration, and sitting.’

4 The prophet, having vindicated himself from the charge of having communication with
the devils, by the opposition between his doctrine and their designs, and their inability to
compose so consistent a book as the Koran, proceeds to show that the persons most likely
to a correspondence with those evil spirits were liars and slanderers, that is, his enemies
and opposers.

° i.e. They are taught by the secret inspiration of the devils, and receive their idle and
inconsistent suggestions for truth. It being uncertain whether the slanderers or the devils
be the nominative case to the verb, the words may also be rendered, They impart what they
hear; that is, The devils acquaint their correspondents on earth with such incoherent
scraps of the angels’ discourse as they can hear by stealth.*

‘ Their compositions being as wild as the actions of a distracted man: for most of the
ancient poetry was full of vain imaginations ; as fabulous stories and descriptions, love-
verses, flattery, excessive commendations of their patrons, and as excessive reproaches
of their enemies, incitements to vicious actions, vain-glorious vaurtings, and the like.

* “Shall I tell unto you who is the mortal whom Satan inspireth? It is the liar and
the impious man. Deceived by his illusions, the poets follow him. Hast thou not seen
them wander in the valleys? They say, but they do not.’’—Savary. ;

8 That is, Such poets as had embraced Mohammedism; whose works, free from the
profaneness of the former, run chiefly on the praises of God, and the establishing his unity,
and contain exhortations to obedience and other religious and moral virtues ; without any
satirical invectives, unless against such as have given just provocations, by having first
attacked them, or some others of the true believers, with the same weapons. In this last
ease, Mohammed saw it was necessary for him to borrow assistance from the poets of his
party, to defend himself and religion from the insults and ridicule of the others; for which
ourpose he employed the pens of Labid Ebn Rabia,’ Abda’llah Ebn Rahawa, Hassan
Sbn Thabet, and the two Caabs. It is related that Mohammed once said to Caab Ebn
Malec, Ply them with satires; for, by him in whose hands my soul is, they wownd more
leeply than arrows.®

3 Al Beidawi. “Idem, Jallalo’ddin. 5 Tidem. ® Tidem. 7 See the Prelim.
Disc. p. 44. a Al Beidawi.
CHAP, XXVII. AL KORAN. 309

CHAPTER XXVII.

*
INTITLED, THE ANT; REVEALED AT MECCA.

.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

T.S. TueEse are the signs of the Koran, and of the perspicuous book :
a direction, and good tidings unto the true believers ? who regularly per-
form their prayer, and give alms, and firmly believe in the life to come.
As to those who believe not in the life to come, we have prepared their
works for them;: and they shall be struck with astonishment at their
disappointment, when they shall be raised again: these are they whom
an evil’ punishment awaiteth in this life; and in that which is to come
they shall be the greatest losers. Thou hast certainly réceived the Koran
from the presence of a wise, a knowing God. Remember when Moses
said unto his family, Verily I perceive fire: I will bring you tidings
thereof, or I will bring you a lighted brand, that ye may be warmed.* And
when he was come near unto it, a voice cried unto him, saying, Blessed be
he who is in the fire, and whoever is about it;! and praise be unto Gop,
the Lorp of all creatures! O Moses, verily I am Gop, the mighty, the
wise: cast down now thy rod. And when he saw it, that it moved, as
though it had been a serpent, he retreated, and fled, and returned not. And
God said, O Moses, fear not; for my messengers are not disturbed with fear
in*my sight: except he who shall have done amiss, and shall have after-
wards substituted good in lieu of evil; for lam gracious and merciful.
Moreover put thy hand into thy bosom; it shall come forth white, without
hurt: this shall be one among the nine signs** unto Pharaoh and his people:
for they are a wicked people. And when our visible signs had come unto
them, they said, This is a manifest sorcery. And they denied them, although
their souls certainly knew them to be from God, out of iniquity and pride:
but behold what was the end of the corrupt doers. We heretofore bestowed
knowledge on David and Solomon; and they said, Praise be unto Gop,

 

» In this chapter is related, among other strange things, an odd story of the ant, which
has therefore been pitched on for the title. : é

i By rendering them pleasing and agreeable to their corrupt natures and inclinations.

¥ See chap. 20, p. 256.

1 Some suppose God to be intended by the former words, and by the latter, the angols
who were present ;* others think Moses and the angels are here meant, or all persons in
general in this holy plain, and the country round it.?

™ This exception was designed to qualify the preceding assertion, which seemed too

eneral: for several of the prophets have been subject to sins, though not great ones, be-
fare their mission ; for which they had reason to apprehend God’s anger, though they are
here assured that their subsequent merits entitle them to his pardon. It is supposed that
Moses’s killing the Egyptian undesignedly is hinted at.?

2 See chap. 17, p. 236.
* « The nine miracles.”’—Savary.

* Yahya. 9 Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. * Tidem.

a
310 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVII.

who hath made us more excellent than many of his faithful servants! And
Solomon was David’s heir ;° and he said, O men, we have been taught the
speech of birds,? and have had all things bestowed on us; this is manifest
excellence.* And his armies were gathered together unto Solomon, con-
sisting of genii,1 and men, and birds ; and they were led in distinct bands,
until they came unto the valley of ants.r And an ant, seeing the hosts ap-
proaching, said, O ants, enter ye into your habitations, lest Solomon and
his army tread you under foot, and perceive it not. And Solomon smiled,
laughing at her words, and said, O Lorp, excite me that I may be thankful
for thy favour, wherewith thou hast favoured me, and my parents 5 and
that I may do that which is right, and well-pleasing unto thee: and
introduce me, through thy mercy, into paradise, among thy servants the
righteous. And he viewed the birds, and said, What is the reason that |
see not the lapwing?* Is she absent? Verily I will chastise her with a
severe chastisement,t or I will put her to death; unless she bring me a just
excuse. And she tarried not long before she presented herself unto Solomon,
and said, I have viewed a country which thou hast not viewed; and I come

 

° Inheriting not only his kingdom, but also the prophetical office, preferably to his other
sons, who were no less than nineteen.*

» That is, The meaning of their several voices, though not articulate ; of Solomon’s in-
terpretation whereof the commentators give several instances.®

* Solomon was the heir of David. Mortals, said he, I understand the song of the
ee I possess every kind of knowledge ; I have been raised to the sublime height.”’—
‘avary.

4 For this fancy, as well as the former, Mohammed was obliged to the Talmudists,*
who, according to their manner, have interpreted the Hebrew words of Solomon,’ which
the English version renders, I get men-singers and women-singers, as if that prince had
forced demons or spirits to serve him at his table, and in other capacities; and particu-
larly in his vast and magnificent buildings, which they could not conceive he could other-
wise have performed.

* The valley seems to be so called from the great numbers of ants which are found
there. Some place it in Syria, and others in Tayef.* \

* The Arab historians tell us, that Solomon, having finished the temple of Jerusalem,
went in pilgrimage to Mecca, where having staid as long as he pleased, he proceeded
towards Yaman; and leaving Mecca in the morning, he arrived by noon at Sanaa, and
being extremely delighted with the country, rested there; but wanting water to make
the ablution, he looked among the birds for the lapwing, called by the Arabs al Hudbud,
whose business it was to find it; for itis pretended she was sagacious or sharp-sighted
enough to discover water under ground, which the devils used to draw, after she had
marked the place by digging with her bill: they add, that this bird was then taking a
_tour in the air, whence seeing one of her companions alighting, she descended also, and
having had a description given her by the other of the city of Babs, whence she was just
arrived, they both went together to take a view of the place, and returned soon after
Solomon had made the inquiry which occasioned: what follows.

It may be proper to mention here what the eastern writers fable of the manner of Solo-
mon’s travelling. They say that he had a carpet of green silk, on which his throne was
placed, being of a prodigious length and breadth, ner sufficient for all his forces to stand
n, the men placing themselves on his right hand, and the spirits on his left: and that
when all were in order, the wind, at his command, took up the carpet, and transported
it, with all that were upon it, wherever he pleased; the army of birds at the same time
flying over their heads, and forming a kind of canopy, to shade them from the sun.

* By plucking off her feathers, and setting her in the sun, to be tormented by the in-
sects; or by shutting her up in a cage.* ;

r

* Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. 5 See Marracc. not. in loc. p. 511. ® Vide ‘Midrash,
Yalkut Shemuni, p. 11, f. 29 ; and Millium de Mohammedismo ante Mohammed. p. 232.
‘ Eccles. ii. 8. 5 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ® Tidem. *° See chap. 21, p. 270.
' Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin- 4
CHAP. XXVII. AL KORAN. 811

unto thee from Saba, with a certain piece of news. I found a woman* to
reign over them, who is provided with every thing requisite for a prince,
and hath a magnificent thrones I found her and her people to worship
the sun, besides Gop: and Satan hath prepared their works for them, and
hath turned them aside from the way of truth (wherefore they are not
rightly directed), lest they should worship Gop, who bringeth to light that
which is hidden in heaven and earth, and knoweth whatever they conceal,
and whatever they discover. Gop! there is no Gop but he; the Lorp of
the magnificent throne. Solomon said, We shall see whether thou hast
spoken the truth, or whether thou art a liar. Go with this my letter, and
cast it down unto them; then turn aside from them, and wait to know what
answer they will return. And when the queen of Saba had received the
letter, she said, O nobles, verily an honourable letter hath been delivered
unto me; it is from Solomon, and this is the tenor thereof : In thé name of
the most merciful Gop, Rise not up against me: but come, and surrender
yourselves unto me.** She said, O nobles, advise me in my business:
I will not resolve on any thing, until ye be witnesses and approve thereof.
The nobles answered, We are endued with strength, and are endued with
great prowess in war; but the command appertaineth unto thee: see there-
fore what thou wilt command.*} She said, Verily kings, when they enter a
city by force, waste the same, and abase the most powerful of the inhabitants
hereof: and so will these do with us. But I will send gifts unto them; and
will wait for what further information those who shall be sent shall bring
back. And when the queen’s ambassador came unto Solomon,’ that prince

 

x This queen the Arabs call Balkis; some make her the daughter of al Hodhad Ebn
Sharhabil,? and others of Sharahil Ebn Malec;* but they all agree she was a descendant
a ve Ebn Kahtan. She is placed the twenty-second in Dr. Pocock’s list of the kings
of Yaman.*

y Which the commentators say was made of gold and silver, and crowned with precious -
stones. But they differ as to the size of it; one making it fourscore cubits long, forty bread,
aud thirty high; while some say it was fourscore, and others, thirty cubits every way.

* Jallalo’ddin says that the queen was surrounded by her army, when the lapwing threw
the letter into her bosom; but al Beidéwi supposes she was in an apartment of her palace,
the doors of which were shut, and thatthe bird flew in at the window. The former com-
mentator gives a copy of the epistle somewhat more full than that in the text; viz. From
the servant of God, Solomon, the son of David, unto Balkts queen of Saba. In the name of
the most merciful God. Peace be on him who followeth the true direction. Rise not up against
me, but come and surrender yourselves unto me. He adds that Solomon perfumed this letter
with musk, and sealed it with his signet.

* Or, Come unto me and resign yourselves unto the divine direction, and profess the true
religion which I preach.

* “ Rise not up against me, but come unto me and believe.’’—Savary.

> 7. e. Whether thou wilt obey the summons of Solomon, or give us orders to make head
against him.

+ ‘* We have courage and troops, replied the nobles; but thou art our queen ; princess,
what dost thou command ?’’—Savary.

° Bearing the presents, which they say were five hundred young slaves of each sex, all
habited in the same manner, five hundred bricks of gold, a crown enriched with precious
stones, besides a large quantity of musk, amber, and other things of value.*. Some add,
that Balkis, to try whether Solomon was a prophet or no, dressed the boys like ¢ irls, and
the girls like boys, and sent him, in a casket, a pearl not drilled, and an onyx dri led with
acrooked hole; and that Solomon distinguished the boys from the girls by the different

2 Vide Pocock. Spec. Fi 59. 2 Al Beidawi, &c. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 182.
“Ubieup. * Jallalo’ddin
312 . AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVIL

said, Will ye present me with riches? Verily that which Gop hath given
me is better than what he hath given you: but ye do glory in your gifts.”
Return unto the people of Saba. We will surely come unto them with
forces, which they shall not be able to withstand; and we will drive them
out from their city, humbled; and they shall become contemptible. And
Solomon said, O nobles, which of you will bring unto me her throne, before
they come and surrender themselves unto me? A terrible genius* an-
swered, I will bring it unto thee, before thou arise from thy place :° for I
am able to perform it, and may be trusted. And one with whom was the
knowledge of the scriptures‘ said, J will bring it unto thee, in the twinkling
of an eye.s And when Solomon saw the throne placed before him, he said,
This is a favour of my Lorp, that he may make trial of me, whether I will
be grateful, or whether I will be ungrateful; and he who is grateful is
grateful to his own advantage, but if any shall be ungrateful, verily my
Lorp is self-sufficient and munificent. And Solomon said unio his servants,
Alter her throne, that she may not know it, to the end we may see whether
she be rightly directed, or whether she be one of those who are not righily
directed. And when she was come unto Solomon,®* it was said unto her, Is
thy throne like this? She answered, As though it were the same. And
we have had knowledge bestowed on us before this, and have been resigned
unto God.' But that which she worshipped, besides Gop, had turned her
aside from the truth; for she was of an unbelieving people. It was said
unto her, Enter the palace.* And when she saw it, she imagined it to bea
great water; and she discovered her legs, by lifting up her robe to pass

 

manner of their taking water, and ordered one worm to bore the pearl, and another to pass
a thread through the onyx. They also tell us, that Solomon, having notice of this em-
bassy, by means of the lapwing,,even before they set out, ordered a large square to be
enclosed with a wall built of gold and silver bricks, wherein he ranged his forces and
attendants to receive them.”

* “Keep your gifts.’’—Savary.

@ This was an Ifrit, or one of the wicked and rebellious genii; and his name, says al
Beidawi, was Dhacwan or Sakhr.

¢7.e. From thy seat of justice. For Solomon used to sit in judgment every day
till noon.®

‘ This person, as is generally supposed, was Asaf the son of Barachia, Solomon’s wazir
(or visir), who knew the great or ineffable name of God, by pronouncing of which he per-
formed this wonderful exploit.2 Others, however, suppose it was al Khedr, or else
Gabriel, or some other angel; and some imagine it to have been Solomon himself.‘

* The original is, Before thou canst look at any object, and take thy eye off it. It is said
that Solomon, at Asaf’s desire, looked up to heaven, and before he cast his eye downs
wards, the throne made its way under ground, and appeared before him.

» For, on the return of her ambassador, she determined to go and submit herself to that
prince, but before her departure she secured her throne, as she thought, by locking it up
in a strong castle, and setting a guard to defend it; after which she set out, attended by
avast army.?

‘ It is uncertain whether these be the words of Balkis, acknowledging her conviction by
the wonders she had already seen; or of Solomon and his people, acknowledging the
favour of God, in calling them to the true faith before her. é

* Or, as some understand the word, the court before the palace, which Solomon had
commanded to be built against the arrival of Balkis; the floor or pavement being of trans-
parent glass, laid over running water, in which fish were swimming. Fronting this pave-
ment was placed the royal throne, on which Solomon sat to receive the queen.®

}
“Al Beidawi,  *Jallalo’ddin. — * Al Beidawi, Jallalo'ddin, interp. _* Jallalo'ddi
AiBeidawi, *Jallalo'ddin. + Idem, AlBeidiwie  ” "Or *Jallalo'ddin
CHAP. XXVII. AL KORAN. 313

through it.1 Whereupon Solomon said unto her, Verily this is a palace
evenly floored with glass.* Then said the queen, O Lor», verily I have
dealt unjustly with my own soul; and I resign myself, together with Solo-
mon, unto Gop, the Lorp of all creatures." Also we heretofore sent unto
the tribe of Thamud their brother Saleh; who said unto them, Serve ye
Gop. And behold, they were divided into two parties, who disputed
among themselves." Saleh said, O my people why do ye hasten evil
rather than good?* Unless ye ask pardon of Gop, that ye may obtain
mercy, ye are lost. ‘They answered, We presage evil from thee, and from
those who are with thee, Saleh replied, The evil which ye presage is
with Gop :? but ye are a people who are proved by a vicissitude of pros-
perity and adversity. And there were nine men in the city, who acted
corruptly in the earth, and behaved not with integrity. And they said
unto one another, Swear ye reciprocally by Gop, that we will fall upon
Saleh and his family by night: and afterwards we will say unto him
who hath right to avenge his blood, We were not so much as present at
the destruction of his family; and we certainly speak the truth. And
they devised a plot against him: but we devised a plot against them ;t
and they perceived it not. And see what was the issue of their plot,? we
utterly destroyed them and their whole people; and these their habitations
remain empty, because of the injustice which they committed. Verily
herein is a sign unto people who understand. And we delivered those
who believed, and feared God. And remember Lot; when he said unto his
people, Do ye commit a wickedness, though ye see the heinousness thereof?
Do ye approach lustfully unto men, leaving the women? Ye are surely
an ignorant people. *[XX.] But the answer of his people was no other
than that they said, Cast the family of Lot out of your city: for they are
men who preserve themselves pure from the crimes of which ye are guilty.

 

1 Some Arab writers tell us, Solomon had been informed that Balkis’s legs and feet
were covered with hair, like those of an ass, of the truth of which he had hereby an op-
portunity of being satisfied by ocular demonstration.

* «Tris a solid edifice built of glass, said Solomon unto her.’’—Savary.

™ The queen of Saba having by these words professed Islam, and renounced idolatry,
Solomon had thoughts of making her his wife ; but could not resolve to do it, till the devils
had, by a depilatory, taken off the hair from her legs.‘ Some,* however, will have it that
she did not marry Solomon, but a prince of the tribe of Hamdan.

2 Concerning the doctrine preached by Saleh; one party believing on him, and the
other treating him as an impostor. Ae .

°i.e. Why do ye urge and defy the divine vengeance with which ye are threatened,
instead of averting it by repentance ? a pate

? See chap. 7, p. 129, where the Egyptians in the same manner accuse Moses as the
cause of their calamities. :

t ‘While they were devising their plot, we decreed the moment of their ruin, and they
knew it not.’’—Savary. : 7

It is related that Saleh, and those who believed on him, usually meeting to pray in a”
certain narrow place between the mountains, the infidels said, He thinks to make an end
a ss after three days,° but we will be beforehand with him: and that a party of them went
directly to the straits above-mentioned, thinking to execute their design, but were terribly
disappointed ; for, instead of catching the prophet, they were caught themselves, their
retreat being cut off by a large piece of rock, which fell down at the mouth of the straits..
so that they perished there in a miserable manner.

‘ Jallalo’ddin. 5 Apud Al Beidawi. © See chap. 7, p. 124, note k.
25
814 AL KORAN. OHAP. XXVII.

Wherefore we delivered him and his family, except his wife. whom we
decreed to be one of those who remained behind to be destrayed. And we
rained on them a shower of stones: and dreadful was the shower which
fell on those who had been warned in vain!* Say, Praise be unto Gop;
and peace be upon his servants whom he hath chosen! Is Gop more
worthy, or the false gods which they associate with him? Is not he to be
preferred, who'hath created the heavens and the earth, and sendeth down
rain for you from heaven, whereby we cause delicious groves to spring up?
It is not in your power to cause the trees thereof to shoot forth. Is there
any other god partner with the true Gop? Verily these are a people who
deviate from the truth.* Is not he more worthy to be adored, who hath
established the earth, and hath caused rivers to flow through the midst
thereof, and placed thereon immoveable mountains, and set a bar between
the two seas ?* Is there any other god equal with the true Gop? Yet the
greater part of them know it not. Is not he more worthy who heareth the
afflicted,t when he calleth upon him, and taketh off the evil which distressed
him: and who hath made you the successors of your forefathers in the
earth? Is there any other god who can be equalled with the true Gop?
Tlow few consider these things! Is not he more worthy who directeth you
in the dark paths of the land and of the sea; and who sendeth the winds
driving abroad the clouds, as the forerunners of his mercy!" Is there any
other god who can be equalled with the true God? Far be Gop from having
those partners in his power, which ye associate with him. Is not he more
worthy, who produceth a creature, and after it hath been dead restoreth it «

life ; and who giveth you food from heaven and earth? Is there any other
god with the true Gop, who doth this? Say, Produce your proof thereof,
if ye speak truth. Say, None either in heaven or earth knoweth that
which is hidden, besides Gop: neither do they understand when they shall
be raised. However, their knowledge attaineth some notion of the life to
come: yet they are in an uncertainty concerning the same; yea, they are
blind as to the real circumstances thereof. And the unbelievers say, When
we and our fathers shall have been reduced to dust, shall we be taken forth
from the grave? Verily we have been threatened with this, doth we and
our fathers, heretofore. This is no other than fables of the ancients.t
Say unto them, Pass through the earth, and see what hath been the end
of the wicked. And be not thou grieved for them; neither be thou in
any concern on account of the plots which they are contriving against
thee. And they say, When will this threat be accomplished, if ye speak

 

* See chap. 7, p. 125, and chap. 11, p. 183. ;

* «Hath God an equal! Nevertheless, they associate divinities in his worship.’ —Savary.

* See chap. 25, p. 300. The word barzakh is not used here, but another of equivalent
import.

Pi yeralbi Him who is driven by distress to implore God's assistance.

= See chap. 7, p. 121, and chap. 25, p. 300.

¥ Or the words may be translated thus: Yea, their knowledge faileth as to the life to
come; yea, &e. . : . :

t dais promise with which we are flattered, and with which our fathers were de
luded, is but one of the fables of antiquity.’’—Savary.

y
CHAP. XXVII. AL KORAN. 315

srue?* Answer, Peradventure some part of that punishment, which ye desire
to be hastened, may follow close behind you: verily thy Lorp is endued with
indulgence towards mankind; but the greater part of them are not thank-
ful. Verily thy Lorp knoweth what their breasts conceal, and what they
discover: and there is nothing hidden in heaven or on earth, but it is
written ina clear book. Verily this Koran declareth unto the children of
Israel most of those points concerning which they disagree :* and it is cer-
tainly a direction, and a mercy unto the true believers. Thy Lorp will
‘decide the controversy between them, by his definitive sentence: and he is
the mighty, the wise. Therefore, put thy trust in Gop; for thou art in the
manifest truth. Verily thou shalt not make the dead to hear, neither shalt
thou make the deaf to hear thy call to the true faith, when they retire and
turn their backs: neither shalt thou direct the blind to eatricate themselves
out of their error. Thou shalt make none to hear thee, except him who
shall believe in our signs: and they are wholly resigned unto us. When
the sentence shall be ready to fall upon them, we will cause a beast¥ to
come forth unto them from out of the earth, which shall speak unto them :3
verily men do not firmly believe in our signs.t On the day of resurrection
we will assemble, out of every nation, a company of those who shall have
charged our signs with falsehood ; and they shall be prevented from mixing
together, until they shall arrive at the place of judgment. And God shall
say unto them, Have ye charged my signs with falsehood, although ye com-
prehended them not with your knowledge. Or what is it that ye were
doing ? And the sentence of damnation shall fall on them, for that they
have acted unjustly: and they shall not speak in their own excuse. Do
they not see that we have ordained the night, that they may rest therein,
and the day giving open light?{ Verily herein are signs unto people who
believe. On that day the trumpet shall be sounded; and whoever are in
heaven and on earth shall be struck with terror, except those whom Gop
shall please to exempt therefrom :* and all shall come before him in humble

 

a When will thy promises be accomplished? Tell us, if the truth enlighteneth thee.”
—Savary. :

* Such as the comparing of God to sensible things, or to created beings; the removing
all imperfections from the description of the divine Being; the state of paradise and hell ;
the stories of Ezra and Jesus Christ, &c.”

y The Mohammedans call this beast, whose appearance will be one sign of the approach
of the day of judgment, al Jassasa, or the Spy. I have given the description of her else-
where ;° to which should be added, that she is to have two wings.

* Or, according to a different reading, (viz. taclimohom instead of tocallimohom) who shall
wound them.®

t ‘* When the sentence of their perdition shall be pronounced, we will cause to arise
from the earth a monster, who shall exclaim, Men have not believed in Islamism.’’—Savary.

t ‘See they not, that we have established the night for rest, and the day for action ?”’”—
Savary.

° See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 59, &c. Some say the persons exempted from this
general consternation will be the angels Gabriel, Michael, Israfil, and Izrael;* others sup-
pose them to be the virgins of parade, and the angels who guard that place, and carry
God’s throne ;? and others will have them to be the martyrs.*

7 Al Beidawi. ® Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 57, 8c. ® Vide ibid. p. 57.
* Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi. 9 Tidem. ? Ebn Abhas.

1

1
316 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVIII.

guise.* And thou shalt see the mountains, and shalt think them firmly
fixed ; but they shall pass away, even as the clouds pass away.{ This will
be the work of Gov, who hath rightly disposed all things : and he is well
acquainted with that which ye do. Whoever shall have wrought righteous-
ness, shall receive a reward beyond the desert thereof; and they shall be
secure from the terror of that day:* but whoever shall have wrought
evil, shall be thrown on their faces into hell fire. Shall ye receive the
reward of any other than of that which ye shall have wrought? Verily 1
am commanded to worship the Lorn of this territory of Mecca, who hath
sanctified the same: unto him belong all things. And I am commanded
to be a Moslem, and to rehearse the Koran: he who shall be directed
thereby will be directed to his own advantage ; and to him who shall go
astray, say, Verily J am a warner only. And say, Praise be unto Gop! he
will show you his signs,° and ye shall know them: and thy Lorp is not
regardless of that which they do.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
INTITLED, THE STORY ;4 REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

T.S.M.t These are the signs of the perspicuous book. We will dictate
unto thee, O Mohammed, some parts of the history of Moses and Pharaoh,
with truth; for the sake of people who believe. Now Pharaoh lifted him-
self up in the land of Egypt ; and he caused his subjects to be divided into
parties : he weakened one party of them," by slaying their male children,
and preserving their females alive; for he was an oppressor. And we were
minded to be gracious unto those who were weakened in the land, and to

* «« When the blast of the trumpet shall resound, all that is in heaven and on the earth
shall be smitten with terror, except the chosen of the Lord. All men shall appear before
him, humbly prostrate.’”’—Savary.

t ‘Thou shalt see the mountains, like unto congealed water, disappear as a cloud, at
the voice of God, who hath wisely disposed all things, and who knoweth the actions of
mortals.’’—Savary.

> That is, from the fear of damnation, and the other terrors which will disturb the
wicked ; not from the general terror or consternation before-mentioned.

viz. The successes of the true believers against the infidels; and particularly the
victory of Bedr.

4 The title is taken from the twenty-sixth verse, where Moses is said to have related
the story of his adventures to Shoaib.

* Some except a verse towards the latter end, beginning with these words, He who hath
given the Koran for a rule of faith and practice, &c.

€ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42.

8 i.e. Either into companies, that they might the better attend his order, and perform

the services he exacted of them ; or into opposite factions, to prevent their attempting any
thing against him to deliver themselves from his tyranny.‘

4 viz, Tne Israelites.

“Al Beidawi.
CHAP, XXVIII. AL KORAN., 317

make them models of religion ; and to make them the heirs of the wealth
of Pharaoh and his people,' and to establish a place for them in the earth;
and to show Pharaoh, and Haman,« and their forces, that destruction of
their kingdom and nation by them, which they sought to avoid!* And we
directed the mother of Moses by revelation, saying, Give him suck: and
if thou fearest for him, cast him into the river; and fear not, neither be
afflicted; for we will restore him unto thee, and will appoint him one of
our apostles.™ And when she had put the child in the ark, and had cast it
into the river, the family of Pharaoh took him up; providence designing
that he should become an enemy, and a sorrow unto them. Verily Pha-
raoh and Haman, and their forces were sinners.t And the wife of Pharaoh.
said, This child is a delight of the eye to me, and to thee: kill him not;
peradventure it may happen that he may be serviceable unto us; or we may
adopt him for owr son. And they perceived not the consequence of what
they were doing. And the heart of the mother of Moses became oppressed
with fear ; and she had almost discovered him, had we not armed her heart
with constancy, that she might be one of those who believe the promises
of God. And she said unto his sister, Follow him. And she watched him
at a distance; and they perceived it not. And we suffered him not to take
the breasts of the nurses who were provided before his sister came up °°
and she said, Shall I direct you unto some of his nation, who may nurse
him for you, and will be careful of him? And, at their desire, she brought
his mother to them. So we restored him to his mother, that her mind
might be set at ease, and that she might not be afflicted; and that she

 

§ See chap. 26, p. 303.

« This name is given to Pharaoh’s chief minister; from whence it is generally inferred
that Mohammed has here made Haman, the favourite of Ahasuerus, king of Persia, and
who indisputably lived many ages after Moses, to be that prophet’s contemporary. But
how probable soever this mistake may seem to us, it will be very hard, if not impossible,
to convince a Mohammedan of it; for, as has been observed in a parallel case,* two very
different persons may bear the same name.°

1 For Pharaoh had either dreamed, or been told by some diviners, that one of the
Hebrew nation should be the ruin of his kingdom; which prophecy is supposed to have
been the occasion of his cruelty to them.’ This circumstance is owing to the invention
of the Jews.?

* «© We were minded to secure unto them a habitation upon the earth, and to display
before the eyes of Pharaoh, of Haman, and of their armies, the miracles which they
dreaded.’’—Savary.

™ It is related that the midwife appointed to attend the Hebrew woman, terrified by a
light which appeared between the eyes of Moses at his birth, and touched with an extra-
ordinary affection for the child, did not discover him to the officers, so that his mother kept
him in her house, and nursed him three months; after which it was impossible for her to
conceal him any longer, the king then giving orders to make the searches more strictly.°

¢ ‘*The family of Pharaoh received him who was one gf to become their enemy,
and a bitter cause of sorrow unto them, because that Pharaoh, Haman, and their soldiers,
were transgressors.’’—Savary.

2 This sudden affection or admiration was raised in them either by his uncommon
beauty, or by the light which shone on his forehead, or because when they opened the
ark, they found him sucking his thumb, which supplied him with milk."°

° See chap. 20, p. 257.

5 See p. 38, note u. ® Vide Reland, de Rel. Moham. p. 217. "See chap. 7,
9. 129. 3 Vide Shalshel. hakkab. p. 11, and R. Eliez. Pirke, c. 48. ® Al Beidawi,
See the notes to chap. 20, p. 257. © Tdem, Jallalo’ddin.
818 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVIII.

might know that the promise of Gop was true: but the greater part of
mankind know not the truth. And when Moses had attained his age of full
strength, and was become a perfect man, we bestowed on him wisdom and
knowledge: and thus do we reward the upright. And he went into the city,
at a time when the inhabitants thereof observed not what passed in the
street :® and he found therein two men fighting; the one being of his own
party, and the other of his enemies. And he who was of his party begged
his assistance against him who was of the contrary party; and Moses struck
him with his fist, and slew him: but being sorry for what had happened, he
said, This is of the work of the devil;* for he is a seducing and an open
enemy. And he said, O Lor», verily I have injured my own soul: where-
fore forgive me. So God forgave him; for he is ready to forgive, and
merciful. He said, O Lorp, by the favours with which thou hast favoured
me, I will not be an assistant to the wicked for the future. And the next
morning he was afraid in the city, and looked about him, as one apprehen-
sive of danger : and behold, he whom he had assisted the day before cried
out unto him for help a second time. But Moses said unto him, Thou art
plainly a quarrelsome fellow. And when he sought to lay hold on him
who was an enemy unto them both, he said, O Moses, dost thou intend to
kill me, as thou killedst a man yesterday ?* Thou seekest only to be an
oppressor in the earth, and seekest not to be a reconciler of guarrels.*
And a certain man,‘ came from the farther part of the city, running hastily,
and said, O Moses, verily the magistrates are deliberating concerning
thee, to put thee to death: depart therefore; I certainly advise thee well.
Wherefore he departed out of the city in great fear, looking this way and
that, lest he should be pursued. And he said, O Lorp, deliver me from the
unjust people. And when he was journeying towards Madian, he said, Per-
adventure my Lorp will direct me in the right way.* And when he arrived
at the water of Madian, he found about the we// a company of men, who
were watering their flocks. And he found, besides them, two women,t

 

? viz. At noon; at which time it is usual, in those countries, for people to retire to sleep;
or, as others rather suppose, a little within night. ,

4%. ¢. The one being an Israelite, of his own religion and nation, and the other an idol-
atrous Egyptian.

* Mohammed allows that Moses killed the Egyptian wrongfully ; but, to excuse it, sup-
poses that he struck him without designing to kill him.

* Some suppose these words to have been spoken by the Israelite, who, because Moses
had reprimanded him, imagined he was going to strike him; and others, by the Egyptian,
who either knew or suspected that Moses had killed his countryman the day before.

é * “ Wilt thou hearken only to thy violence? Hast thou, then, renounced virtue ?”"—

‘avary.

‘ This person, says the tradition, was an Egyptian, and Pharaoh’s uncle’s son, but a true
believer ; who finding that the king had been informed of what Moses had done, and de-
signed to put him to death, gave him immediate notice to provide for his safety by flight.

* For Moses knew not the way, and coming to a place where three roads met, com-
mitted himself to the guidance of God, and took the middle road, which was the right;

rovidence likewise so ordering it, that his pursuers took tne uther two roads, and missed
im.t Some say that he was led by an angel in the appearance of a traveller.2
+ ‘ Two sisters.’’—Savary.

1 Al Beidawi. Jallalo’ddin.

*
CHAP. XXVIII. AL KORAN. 319

who kept off their sheep at a distance. And he said unto them, What is the
matter with you? They answered, We shall not water our flock, until the
shepherds shall have driven away theirs; for our father is an old man,
stricken in years. So Moses watered their sheep for them,” and afterwards
retired into the shade, saying, O Lorn, verily I stand in need of the good
which thou shalt send down unto me. And one of the damsels? came
unto him,* walking bashfully, and said, My father calleth thee, that he may
recompense thee for the trouble which thou hast taken in watering our sheep
for us. And when he was come unto Shoaib, and had told him the story
of his adventures,t he said unto him, Fear not: thou hast escaped from un-
just people. And one of the damsels said, My father, hire him for certain
wages : the best servant thou canst hire is an able and trusty person.* And
Shoaib said unto Moses, Verily I will give thee one of these my twa
daughters in marriage, on condition that thou serve me for hire eight years

and if thou fulfil ten years, it is in thine own breast; for I seek not to im-
pose a hardship on thee : and thou shalt find me, if Gop please, a man of
probity.[ Moses answered, Let this be the covenant between me and thee:
whichsoever of the two terms I shall fulfil let it be no crime in me if I then
quit thy service ; and Gop is witness of that which we say. And when
Moses had fulfilled the term,” and was journeying with his family towards
Egypt, he saw fire on the side of mount Sinai. And he said unto his
family, Tarry ye here ; for I see fire: peradventure I may bring you thence
some tidings of the way,° or at least a brand out of the fire, that ye may

 

y By rolling away a stone of a prodigious weight, which had been laid over the mouth
of the well by the shepherds, and required no less than seven men (though some name a
much larger number) to remove it.?

* This was Sefurah (or Zipporah) the elder, or, as others suppose, the younger daughter
of Shoaib, whom Moses afterwards married.

* +* One of the sisters came unto him.’’—Savary.

t+ (When Moses arrived at the residence of Shoaib, says Jallalo’ddin, he found dinner
ready. ‘Be seated and eat with us,’’ said the old man. ‘‘I will not accept thy offer,’
replied Moses, ‘‘ as a reward for the service which I have rendered to thy daughters. To
do good without receiving a recompense for it is an inviolable law in my family.” ‘‘And
it is my custom,’’ answered Shoaib, ‘‘and was that of my ancestors, to give a kind recep-
tion to shy guests, and to supply them with food.’’—Hospitality is still held in respect by
the Turks. Ifa stranger introduces himself at meal-times, he 1s made to sit down, and is
treated like the rest. No one asks whence he comes, whither he is going, or what he is;
questions which are so painful to the unfortunate. He is a man who has come at the hour
of repast ; he is received as if he were one of the family, and is treated with the same kind-
ness. The consequence of this is, that no Mohammedan is ever seen degrading humanity
by exposing his misery to his fellow-creatures in the streets and highways.)—Savary.

_* The girl, being asked by her father how she knew Moses deserved this character, told
him that he had removed the vast stone above-mentioned, without any assistance; and
that he looked not in her face, but held down his head till he had heard her message, and
desired her to walk behind him, because the wind ruffled her garments a little, and
discovered some part of her legs.‘

5 “If God please, thou shalt experience on my part only humanity and justice.” —-

‘vary.

* viz. The longest term of ten years. The Mohammedans say, after the Jews,* that
Moses received from Shoaib the rod of the prophets (which was a branch of a myrtle
of paradise, and had descended to him from Adam), to keep off the wild beasts from
his sheep ; and that this was the rod with which he performed all those wonders in Egypt.

© See chap. 20, p. 246.

2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Interp. Yahya. “Tidem. 5 Vide Shals. hakkab. p. 12.
R. Eliez. Pirke, c. 40, &c.
320 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVIII.

be warmed. And when he was come thereto, a voice cried unto him from
the right side of the valley, in the sacred bottom, from the tree, saying, O
Moses, verily I am Gop, the Lorp of all creatures: cast down now thy rod.
And when he saw it that it moved, as though it had been a serpent, he
retreated and fled, and returned not. And God said unto him, O Moses,
draw near, and fear not; for thou art safe. Put thy hand into thy bosom,
and it shall come forth white, without any hurt: and draw back thy hand¢
unto thee which thou stretchest forth for fear. These shall be two evident
signs from thy Lorp, unto Pharaoh and his princes ; for they are a wicked
people. Moses said, O Lorn, verily I have slain one of them; and I fear
they will put me to death: but my brother Aaron is of a more eloquent
tongue than I am; wherefore send him with me for an assistant, that
he may gain me credit; for J fear lest they accuse me of imposture. God
said, We will strengthen thine arm by thy brother, and we will give each
of you extraordinary power, so that they shall not come up to you, in our
signs. Ye two, and whoever shall follow you, shall be the conquerors.
And when Moses came unto them with our evident signs, they said, Thisis
no other than a deceitful piece of sorcery: neither have we heard of any
thing like this among our forefathers. And Moses said, My Lorp best
knoweth who cometh with a direction from him; and who shall have suc-
cess in this life, as well as the next : but the unjust shall not prosper. And
Pharaoh said, O princes, I did not know that ye had any other god besides
me.° Wherefore do thou, O Haman, burn me clay into bricks ; and build
me a high tower,‘ that I may ascend unto the Gop of Moses: for I verily
believe him to be a liar. And both he and his forces behaved themselves
insolently and unjustly in the earth; and imagined that they should not be
brought before us to be judged. Wherefore we took him and his forces,
and cast them into the sea. Behold, therefore, what was the end of
the unjust. And we made them deceitful guides, inviting their followers to
hell fire; and on the day of resurrection they shall not be screened from
punishment. We pursued them with a curse in this life ; and on the day of
resurrection they shall be shamefully rejected. And we gave the book of the
law unto Moses, after he had destroyed the former generations, to enlighten
the minds of men, and for a direction, and a mercy ; that peradventure they
might consider. Thou, O prophet, wast not on the west side of mount
Sinai, when we delivered Moses his commission : neither wast thou one of

 

4 Literally thy wing: the expression alludes to the action of birds, which stretch forth
their wings to fly away when they are frighted, and fold them together again when they
think themselves secure.®

© See chap. 26, p. 303.

‘It is said that Haman, having prepared bricks and other materials, employed no less
than fifty thousand men, besides labourers, in the building ; which they carried to so im-
mense a height that the workmen could no longer stand on it: that Pharaoh, ascending
this tower, threw a javelin towards heaven, which fell back again stained with blood,
whereupon he impiously boasted that he had killed the God of Moses: but at sunset God
sent the angel Gabriel, who with one stroke of his wing demolished the tower, a part
whereof, fa ling on the king’s army, destroyed a million of: men."

® Al Beidawi. * Al Zamakhshari.
CHAP, XXVIII. AL KORAN. 321

those who were present at his receiving it : but we raised up several gene-
rations after Moses ; and life was prolonged unto them. Neither didst thou
dwell among the inhabitants of Madian, rehearsing unto them our signs;
but we have sent thee fully instructed in every particular. Nor wast thou
present on the side of the mount, when we called unto Moses; but thou art
sent as a mercy from thy Lorp; that thou mightest preach unto a people
to whom no preacher hath come before thee, that peradventure they may
be warned; and lest, if a calamity had befallen them, for that which their
hands had previously committed, they should have said, O Lorp, since
thou hast not sent an apostle unto us, that we might follow thy signs, and
become true believers, are we not excusable 2 Yet when the truth is come
unto them from before us, they say, Unless he receive the same power to
work miracles as Moses received, we will not believe. Have they not like-
wise rejected the revelation which was heretofore given unto Moses? They
say, Two cunning impostures" have mutually assisted one another: and
they say, Verily we reject them both. Say, Produce therefore a book from
Gop, which is more right than these two, that I may follow it; if ye speak
truth. But if they return thee no answer, know that they only follow their
own desires: and who erreth more widely from the truth than he who fol-
loweth his own desire, without a direction from Gop? Verily Gop directeth
not the unjust people. And now have we caused our word to come unto
them, that they may be admonished. They unto whom we have given the
scriptures which were revealed before it, believe in the same; and when it
is read unto them, say, We believe therein; it is certainly the truth from
our Lorp: verily we were Moslems before this.' These shall receive their
reward twice,* because they have persevered, and repel evil by good, and
distribute alms out of that which we have bestowed on them; and when
they hear vain discourse, avoid the same, saying, We have our works,
and ye have your works; peace be on you;! we covet not the acquaint-
ance of the ignorant. Verily thou canst not direct whom thou wilt:
but Gop directeth whom he pleaseth; and he best knoweth those who
will submit to be directed.. The Meccans say, If we follow the same
direction with thee, we shall be forcibly expelled our land™ Have we
not established for them a secure asylum," to which fruits of every sort

 

* That is, to the Arabians ; to whom no prophet had been sent, at least since Ismael.

*viz. The Pentateuch and the Koran. Some copies read, Two impostors, meaning
Moses and Mohammed. ;

’ Holding the same faith in fundamentals, before the revelation of the Koran, which we
Teceive because it is consonant to the scriptures, and attested to by them. The passage
intends those Jews and Christians who had embraced Mohammedism.

« Because they have believed both in their own scriptures, and in the Koran.

'See chap. 25, p. 300, note p. e .

™ This objection was made by Al Hareth Ebn Othman Ebn Nawfal Ebn Abd Menaf,
who came to Mohammed and told him that the Koreish believed he preached the truth,
but were apprehensive thar, if they made the Arabs their enemies by quitting their reli-
gion, they would be obliged likewise to quit Mecca, being but a handful of men, in com-
parison to the whole nation® ;

" By giving them for their habitation the sacred territory of Mecca, a place protected by
God, and reverenced by man.

® Al Beidawi,
822 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVIII.

are brought, as a provision for our bounty? but the greater part of them
do not understand. How many cities have we destroyed, whose inhabitants
hved in ease and plenty? and these their dwellings are not inhabited
after them, unless for a little while;* and we were the inheritors of their
wealth»* But thy Lorp did not destroy those cities, until he had sent
unto their capital an apostle, to rehearse our signs unto them: neither
did we destroy those cities, unless their inhabitants were injurious to their
apostle.t The things which are given you are the provisions of this pre-
sent life, and the pomp thereof; but that which is with Gop is better and
more durable: will ye not therefore understand? Shall he then, unto
whom we have promised an excellent promise of future happiness, and
who shall attain the same, be as he on whom we have bestowed the pro-
vision of this present life, and who, on the day of resurrection, shall be
one of those who are delivered up to eternal punishment? On that day
God shall call unto them, and shall say, Where are my partners, which
ye imagined to be so? And they upon whom the sentence of damnation
shall be justly pronounced shall answer, These, O Lorn, are those whom
we seduced ; we seduced them as we also had been seduced: but now we
clearly quit them, and turn unto thee. They did not worship us, but
their own lusts... And it shall be said unio the idolaters, Call now upon
those whom ye associated with God: and they shall call upom them, but
they shall not answer them; and they shall see the punishment prepared
for them, and shall wish that they had submitted to be directed. On
that day, God shall call unto them, and shall say, What answer did ye re-
turn to our messengers? But they shall not be able to give an account
thereof on that day ;* neither shall they ask one another for information.
Howbeit whoso shall repent and believe, and shall do that which is right,
may expect to be happy. Thy Lorp createth what he pleaseth; and
chooseth freely : bud they have no free choice. Praise be unto Gop; and
far be he removed from the idols which they associate with him! Thy
Lorp knoweth both the secret malice which their breasts conceal, and the
open hatred which they discover. He is Gop; there is no Gop but he.
Unto him is the praise due, both in this life and in that which is to come:
unto him doth judgment belong ; and before him shall ye be assembled at
the last day. Say, What think ye? If Gop should cover you with per-
petual night, until the day of resurrection; what god, besides Gop, would
bring you light? Will ye not therefore hearken? Say, What think ye?

 

° That is, for a day, or a few hours only, while travellers stay there to rest and refresh
themselves; or, as the original may also signify, unless by a few inhabitants : some of
those ancient cities and dwellings being utterly desolate, and others thinly inhabited.

P There being none left to enjoy it after them. ~

* « How many cities have we destroyed, which were devoted to lust and debauchery ?
The greatest number of these cities have not again been inhabited, and we retain the in-
heritance of them.’’—Savary.

t ‘* God overthrew no empire before he sent unto the capital of it a prophet to preach
his commandments: and the cities of which the inhabitants were impious are those alone
which were destroyed.’’—Savary.

9 See chap. 10. p. 169.

* Literally, The accownt thereof shall be dark unto them; for the consternation they shall
then be under will render them stupid, and unable to return an answer.
CHAP. XXVIII. AL KORAN. 823

If Gop should give you continual day, until the day of resurrection; what
god, besides Gop, would bring you night, that ye might rest therein? Will
ye not therefore consider? Of his mercy he hath made for you, the night
and the day, that ye may rest in the one, and may seek fo obtain provision
for yourselves of his abundance, by your industry, in the other ; and that ye
may give thanks. Ona certain day God shall call unto them, and shall
say, Where are my partners, which ye imagined to share the divine power
with me? And we will produce a witness out of every nation,* and will
say, Bring hither your proof of what ye have asserted. And they shall
know that the right is Gop’s alone; and the deities which they have de-
vised shall abandon them. Karin was of the people of Moses;* but he
behaved insolently towards them: for we had given him so much treasure,
that his keys would have loaded several strong men. When his people
said unto him, Rejoice not immoderately ; for Gop loveth not those’ who
‘rejoice in their riches immoderately: but seek to attain, by means of the
wealth which Gop hath given thee, the future mansion of paradise.x And
forget not thy portion in this world; but be thou bounteous unto others,
as Gop hath been bounteous unto thee; and seek not to act corruptly in
the earth; for Gop loveth not the corrupt doers. He answered, I have
received these riches, only because of the knowledge which is with me.”

 

*viz. The prophet who shall have been sent to each nation.

* The commentators say, Karfin was the son of Yeshar (or Izhar) the uncle of Moses,
and consequently make him the same with the Korah of the scriptures. This person is
represented by them as the most beautiful of the Israelites, and so far surpassing them all
in opulency, that the riches of Karun have become a proverb. ‘lhe Mohammedans are
indebted to the Jews for this last circumstance, to which they have added several other
fables: for they tell us that he built a large palace overlaid with gold, the doors whereof
were of massy gold; that he became so insolent, because of his immense riches, as to raise
a sedition against Moses; though some pretend the occasion of his rebellion to have been
his unwillingness to give alms, as Moses had commanded ; that one day when that prophet
was preaching to the people, and, among other laws which he published, declared that
adulterers should be stoned, Kariin asked him, What if he should be folind guilty of
the same crime? to which Moses answered, ‘I’hat in such case he would suffer the same

unishment; and thereupon Karin produced a harlot, whom he had hired to swear that
tae had lain with her, and charged him publicly with it; but on Moses’s abjuring the
woman to speak the truth, her resolution failed her, and she confessed that she was sub-
orned by Karin to accuse him wrongfully ; that then God directed Moses, who had com-
Pitted to him of this usage, to command the earth what he pleased, and it should obey

im; whereupon he said, O earth, swallow them up! and that immediately the earth opened
under Karin and his confederates, and swallowed them up, with his palace and all his
Tiches.t’ There goes a tradition, that as Karin sunk gradually into the ground, first to his
knees, then to his waist, then to his neck, he cried out four several times, O Moses, have
mercy on me! but that Moses continued to say, O earth, swallow them up, till at last he
wholly disappeared: upon which God said to Moses, Thou hadst no mercy on Karin,
though he asked pardon of thee four times ; but I would have had compassion on him, if he
had asked pardon of me but once.?

* The original word properly signifies any number of persons from ten to forty. Some
pretend these keys were a sufficient load for seventy men; and Abulfeda says forty mules
used to be employed to carry tem.

x This passage is parallel to that in the New Testament, Make to yourselves friend
of the mammon. of unrighteousness ; that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting
habitations.?

7 For some say he was the most learned of all the Israelites, and the best versed in the

* Abu’lfeda, Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi, &c. 9 Al Beiddwi. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl.
“rient. Art. Carun. > Luke xvi. 9.
324 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXVIII.

Did he not know that Gop had already destroyed, before him, several gene-
rations, who were mightier than he in strength, and had amassed more
abundance of riches? And the wicked shall not be asked to discover their
crimes. And Karém went forth unto his people, in his pomp.” And they
who loved this present life said, Oh that we had the like wealth, as hath
been given unto Karin? verily he is master of a great fortune. But those
on whom knowledge had been bestowed answered, Alas for you! the re-
ward of Gop in the neat life will be better unto him who shall believe and
do good works: but none shall attain the same, except those who perse-
vere with constancy. And we caused the ground to cleave in sunder, and
to swallow up him and his palace: and he had no forces to defend him,

besides Gop; neither was he rescued from punishment.* And the next

morning, those who had coveted his condition the day before said, Aha!

verily Gop bestoweth abundant provision on such of his servants as he

pleaseth ; and he is sparing unto whom he pleaseth. Unless Gop had been

gracious unto us, certainly the earth had swallowed us up also. Aha! the

unbelievers shall not prosper. 4s to this future mansion of paradise, we

will give it unto them who seek not to exalt themselves in the earth, or to

do wrong; for the happy issue shall attend the pious. Whoso doth good

shall receive a reward which shall exceed the merit thereof: but as to him

who doth evil, they who work evil shall be rewarded according to the

merit only of that which they shall have wrought. Verily he who hath

given thee the Koran for a rule of faith and practice will certainly bring

thee back home unto Mecca.» Say, My Lorp best knoweth who cometh

with a true direction, and who is in a manifest error. Thou didst not ex-

pect that the book of the Kordn should be delivered unto thee: but thou

hast received it through the mercy of thy Lorp. Be not therefore assist-

ing to the unbelievers; neither let them turn thee aside from the signs of

Gop, after they have been sent down unto thee: and invite men unto thy

Lorp. And be not thou an idolater; neither invoke any other god, toge- -
ther with the true Gop: there is no god but he. Every thing shall perish,

except himself: unto him belongeth judgment: and before him shall ye be

assembled at the last day.

 

law, after Moses and Aaron ; others pretend he was skilled in chemistry, or in merchan-
_dizing, or other arts of gain; and others suppose (as the Jews also fable‘) that he found
out the treasures of Joseph in Egypt.'
* It is said he rode on a white mule adorned with trappings of gold, and that he was
elathed in purple, and attended by four thousand men, all well mounted and richly
ressed.

* «The multitude of his slaves could not defend hi i i
sod te ed aeeeisae Sao end him against the arm of the Almighty,

_* This verse, some say, was revealed to Mohammed when he arrived at Johfa, in his
flight from Mecca to Medina, to comfort him, and still his complaints.

4 Vide R. Ghedal. Shaisu. bakkab. p. 13. 5 Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi.
CHAP. XXIX. AL KORAN. 825

CHAPTER XXIX.
INTITLED, THE SPIDER;* REVEALED AT MECCA.“
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

A. L, M.* Do men imagine that it shall be sufficient for them® to say.
We believe; will they not be proved? We heretofore proved those who
were before them; for Gop will surely know them who are sincere, and he
will surely know the liars. “Do they who work evil think that they shall
prevent us from taking vengeance on them? An ill judgment do they
make. Whoso hopeth to meet Gop, verily Gop’s appointed time will cer-
tainly come; and he doth heareth and knoweth. Whoever striveth to
promote the true religion, striveth for the advantage of his own soul; for Gop
needeth not any of Ais creatures: and as to those who believe and work
righteousness, we will expiate their evil deeds from them; and we will
give them a reward according to the utmost merit of their actions. We
have commanded man to show kindness towards his parents: but if they
endeavour to prevail with thee to associate with me that concerning which
thou hast no knowledge, obey them not.¢ Unto me shall ye return; and |
will declare unto. you what ye have done. Those who shall believe, and
shall work righteousness, we will surely introduce into paradise, among the
upright. There are some men who say, We believe in Gop: but when
such a one is afflicted for Gop’s sake, he esteemeth the persecution of men
to be as grievous as the punishment of Gop. Yet if suceess cometh from
thy Lorp, they say, Verily we are with you. Doth not Gop well know
that which is in the breasts of his creatures? Verily Gop well knoweth
the true believers, and he well knoweth the hypocrites. The unbelievers
say unto those who believe, Follow our way, and we will bear your sins.
Howbeit they shall not bear any part of their sins; for they are liars: but
they shall surely bear their own burdens, and other burdens besides their
own burdens ;® and they shall be examined, on the day of resurrection, con-

 

* Transient mention is made of this insect towards the middle of the chapter.

© Some think the first ten verses, ending with these words, And he well knoweth the
hypocrites, were revealed at Medina, and the rest at Mecca; and others believe the reverse.

4 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.
° Literally, That they shall be let alone, &c.

‘ This passage reprehends the impatience of some of the prophet’s companions, under
the hardships which they sustained in defence of their religion, and the losses which they
suffered from the infidels ; representing to them that such trials and afflictions were neces-
sary to distinguish the sincere person from the hypocrite, and the steady from the wavering.
Some suppose it to have been occasioned by the death of Mahja, Omar’s slave, killed b
an arrow at the battle of Bedr, which was deeply lamented and laid to heart by his wife
and parents.® . : ;

© That is, if they endéavour to pervert thee to idolatry. The passage is said to have been
revealed on account of Saad Ebn Abi Wakkas, and his mother Hamna, who, when she
heard that her son had embraced Mohammedism, swore that she would neither eat nor
drink till he returned to his old religion, and kept her oath for three days."

' viz. The guilt of seducing others, which shall be added to the guilt of their own
obstinacy, without diminishing the guilt of such as shall be seduced by them.

° Al Beidawi. ‘Idem.
326 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXIX.

cerning that which they have falsely devised.* We heretofore sent Noah
unto his people; and he tarried among them one thousand years, save fifty
years :! and the deluge took them away, while they were acting unjustly ;
but we delivered him and those who were in the ark, and we made the same*
asign unto all creatures. We also sent Abraham ; when he said unto his peo-
ple, Serve Gop, and fear him ; this will be better for you; if ye understand,
Ye only worship idols besides Gop, and forge a lie. Verily those which ye
worship, besides Gop, are not able to make any provision for you: seek
therefore your provision from Gop ; and serve him, and give thanks unto him;
unto him shall ye return. If ye charge me with imposture,! verily sundry
nations before you likewise charged their prophets with imposture: but
public preaching only is incumbent on an apostle. Do they not see how
Gop produceth creatures, and afterwards restoreth them?™ Verily this is
easy with God.f Say, go through the earth, and see how he originally
produceth creatures: afterwards will Gop reproduce another production;
for Gop is almighty. He will punish whom he pleaseth, and he will have
mercy on whom he pleaseth. Before him shall ye be brought at the day of
judgment : and ye shall not escape his reach, either in earth, or in heaven :*
neither shall ye have any patron or defender besides Gop. As for those
who believe not in the signs of Gop, or that they shall meet him at the
resurrection, they shall despair of my mercy, and for them is a painful
punishment prepared. And the answer of his people was no other than that
they said, Slay him, or burn him. But Gop saved him from the fire.°
Verily herein were signs unto people who believed. And Abraham said,

 

* “They shall bear only the burden of their own iniquities, and at the day of resurrec-
tion they shall be called on to, answer for their falsehood.’’—Savary.

* This is true, if the whole life of Noah be reckoned; and accordingly Abu’lfeda says
he was sent to preach in his two hundred and fiftieth year, and that he lived in all nine
hundred and fifty: but the text seeming to speak of those years only which he spent in
preaching to the wicked antediluvians, the commentators suppose him to have lived much
longer. Some say the whole length of his life was a thousand and fifty years; that his
mission happened in the fortieth year of his age, and that he lived after the flood sixty
years :® and others re different numbers ; one, in particular, pretending that Noah lived
near sixteen hundred years.

This circumstance, says al Beidaéwi, was mentioned to encourage Mohammed, and
to assure him that Gody who supported Noah so many years against the opposition and
plots of the antediluvian infidels, would not fail to defend him against all attempts of the
idolatrous Meccans and their partisans.

‘ie. The ark.

) This seems to be part of Abraham’s speech to his people: but some suppose that God
here speaks, by way of apostrophe, first to the Koreish, and afterwards to Mohammed;
and that the parenthesis is continued to these words, And the answer of his people was no
other, &c. In which case we should have said, If ye charge Mohammed your apostle with
umposture, &c.

™ The infidels are bid to consider how God causeth the fruits of the earth to spring
forth, and reneweth them every year, as in the preceding; which is an argument of his
power to raise man, whom he created at first, to life again after death, at his own appointed
time.

+ ‘‘ Have they not seen how God produceth a creature? It is thus that he will call it
to life again. ‘This miracle is easy unto his power.’’—Savary

® See Psalm cxxxix. 7, &c.
° See chap. 21, p. 269.

8 Al Beidawi, Al Zamakh. * Caab, apud Yahyam.
OHAP. XXIX. AL KORAN, 327

Ye have taken idols, besides Gon, to cement affection between you in this
life: but on the day of resurrection, the one of you shall deny the other,
and the one of you shall curse the other; and your abode shall be hell fire,
and there shall be none to deliver you.* And Lot believed op him. And
Abraham said, Verily I fly from my people, unto the place which my Lorp
hath commanded me ; for he is the mighty, the wise. And we gave him
Isaac and Jacob; and we placed among his descendants the gift of pro-
phecy and the scriptures: and we gave him his reward in this world; and
in the next he shall be one of the righteous. We also sent Lot; whenshe
said unto his people, Do ye commit filthiness which no creature hath com-
mitted before you? Do ye approach Jusifully unto men, and lay wait in
the highways,’ and commit wickedness in your assembly? And the
answer of his people was no other than that they said, Bring down the
vengeance of Gop upon us, if thou speakest truth. ot said, O Lorn,
defend me against the corrupt people. And when our messengers came
unto Abraham with good tidings," they said, We will surely destroy the in-
habitants of this city; for the inhabitants thereof are unjust doers. Abraham
answered, Verily Lot dwedleth there. They replied, We well know who
dwelleth therein: we will surely deliver him and his family, except. his
wife; she shall be one of those who remain behind. And when ou.
messengers came unto Lot, he was troubled for them, and his arm was
straitened concerning them.’ But they said, Fear not, neither be grieved;
for we will deliver thee and thy family, except thy wife; for she shall be
_ one of those who remain behind. We will surely bring down upon the
inhabitants of this city vengeance ftom heaven, for that they have been
wicked doers; and we have left thereof a manifest signt unto people who
understand. And unto the inhabitants of Madian we sent their brother
Shoaib; and he said unto them, O my people, serve Gop, and expect the
last day; and transgress not, acting corruptly in the earth. But they ac-
cused him of imposture; wherefore a storm from heaven" assailed them,f
and in the morning they were found in their dwellings dead and prostrate.
And we also destroyed the tribes of Ad, and Thamud; and this is well known
unto you from what yet remains of their dwellings. And Saian prepared
their works for them,{ and turned them aside from the way of truth,
although they were sagacious people. And we likewise destroyed Karun,

 

* “You have lavished, said he, your incense and your love on impotent deities; at the
day of resurrection one part of you shall disown the other, and shall load it with curses.
Your abode shall be hell, and ye shall not find a defender.”’—Savary.

P Some suppose the Sodomites robbed and murdered the passengers; others, that they
annaturally abused their bodies. ‘ .

4 Their meetings being scenes of obscenity and riot.

* See chap. 1], p. 182.

* See ibid. p. 183. in ; :

t viz. The story of its destruction, handed down by common tradition ; or else its ruins,
or some other footsteps of this signal judgment: it being pretended that several of the
stones, which fell from heaven on those cities, are still to be seen, and that the ground
where they stood appears burnt and blackish.

"See chap. 7, p. 126. Tones

t ‘An earthquake caused them to perish.””—Savary.

t ‘The tempter hid vice for them under flowers.’’—Savary.
328 AL KORAN. — CHAP. XXIX.

and Pharaoh, and Haman. Moses came unto them with evident miracles,
and they behaved themselves insolently in the earth: but they could not
escape our vengeance. Every of them did we destroy in his sin. Against
some of them we sent a violent wind: some of them did a terrible noise
from heaven destroy :* some of them did we cause the earth to swallow
up:¥ and some of them we drowned. Neither was Gop disposed to treat
them unjustly ; but they dealt unjustly with their own souls. The like-
ness of those who take other patrons besides Gop is as the likeness of the
spider, which maketh herself a house: but the weakest of all houses surely
is the house of the spider; if they knew this. Moreover Gop knoweth what
things they invoke, besides him; and he is the mighty, the wise. These
similitudes do we propound unto men: but none understand them, except
the wise. Gop hath created the heavens and the earth in truth; verily
herein is a sign unto the true believers. *[XXI.] Rehearse that which hath
been revealed unto thee of the book of the Kordn: and be constant at
prayer; for prayer preserveth a man from filthy crimes, and from that
which, is blameable; and the remembering of Gop is surely a most im-
portant duty. Gop knoweth that which ye do. Dispute not against those
who have received the scriptures, unless in the mildest manner :* except
against such of them as behave injuriously towards you: and say, We
believe in the revelation which hath been sent down unto us, and also in
that which hath been sent down unto you; our Gop and your Gop is one,
and unto him are we resigned. Thus have we sent down the book of the
Korén unto thee: and they unto whom we have given the former scrip-
tures believe therein; and of these radians also there is who believeth
therein: and none reject our signs, except the obstinate infidels. Thou
couldest not read any book before this; neither couldest thou write it with
thy right hand: then had the gainsayers justly doubted of the divine ori-
ginal thereof. But the same is evident signs in the breasts of those who
have received understanding : for none reject our signs except the unjust.
They say, Unless a sign be sent down unto him from his Lorn, we will not
believe. Answer, Signs are in the power of Gop alone; and J am no more
than a public preacher. Is it not sufficient for them that we have sent
down unto thee the book of the Kordn, to be read unto them? Verily
herein is a mercy, and an admonition unto people who believe. Say, Gop
is a sufficient witness between me and you: he knoweth whatever is in
heaven and earth; and those who believe in vain idols, and deny Gon, they
shall perish. They will urge thee to hasten the punishment which they defy
thee to bring down upon them :” if there had not been a determined time for

Y The original word properly signifies a wind that drives the gravel and small stones be-
fore it; by which the storm, or shower of stones, which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah,
seems to be intended.

x Which was the end of Ad and Thamud.

y As it did Karin.

* As the unbelievers in Noah’s time, and Pharaoh and his army.

"i.e, Without ill language, or passion. This verse is generally supposed to have been
alcogated by that of the sword ; though some think it relates only tothose who are in
alliance with the Moslems.

> See chap. 6, p. 103,
CHAP. XXIX. AL KORAN. 329

their respite, the punishment had come upon them before this; but it shall
surely overtake them suddenly, and they shall not foresee it. They urge
thee to bring down vengeance swiftly upon them: but hell slrall surely
encompass the unbelievers. On a certain day their punishment shall
suddenly assail them, doth from above them, and from under their feet,
and God shall say, Taste ye the reward of that which ye have wrought. O
my servants who have believed, verily my earth is spacious : wherefore serve
me.* Every soul shall taste death : afterwards shall ye return unto us; and
as for those who shall have believed, and wrought righteousness, we will
surely lodge them in the higher apartments of paradise ; * rivers shall flow
beneath them, and they shall continue therein for ever. How excellent will
be the reward of the workers of righteousness ; who persevere with patience,
and put their trust in their Lorp! How many beasts are there, which pro-
vide not their food? Jt is Gop who provideth for them, and for you; and
he both heareth and knoweth. Verily, if thou ask the Meccans, who hath
created the heavens and the earth, and hath obliged the sun and the moon
to serve in their courses? they will answer, Gop. How therefore do_they
lie, in acknowledging of other gods? Gop maketh abundant provision for
such of his servants as he pleaseth ; and is sparing unto him, if he pleaseth :
for Gop knoweth all things. Verily if thou ask them, who sendeth rain
from heaven, and thereby quickeneth the earth, after it hath been dead?
they will answer, Gop. Say, Gop be praised! But the greater part of
them do not understand. This present life is no other than a toy, and a
plaything; but the future mansion of paradise is life indeed: if they knew
this they would not prefer the former to the latter. When they sail in a
ship, they call upon Gop, sincerely exhibiting unto him the rue religion:
but when he bringeth them safe to land, behold, they return to their
idolatry ; to show themselves ungrateful for that which we have bestowed
on them, and that they may enjoy the delights of this life ; but they shall
hereafter know the issue. Do they not see that we have made the terri-
tory of Mecca an inviolable and secure asylum, when men are spoiled in
the countries round about them? Do they therefore believe in that which
is vain, and acknowledge not the goodness of Gop? But who is more
unjust than he who deviseth a lie against Gop, or denieth the truth, when
it hath come unto him? Is there not in hell an abode for the unbelievers ?
Whoever do their utmost endeavour to promote our true religion, we will
direct them into our ways; for Gop is with the righteous.

 

¢ That is, If ye cannot serve me in one city or aay fly into another, where ye may
profess the true religion in safety ; for the earth is wide enough, and ye may easily find
places of refuge. Mohammed is said to have declared, That whoever flies for the sake
of his religion, though he stir but the distance of a span, merits paradise, and shall be the
companion of Abraham and of himself.*° :
* «Those who shall have professed Islamism, and practised charity, shall dwell eter
+ nally in the garden of delights, through which rivers flow.” —Savary. foe.
4 And particularly who will make a good, and who will make a bad, use of their riches.
t “See they not that we have given unto them a secure asylum, while the men. who
dwell around them are led away captive ?”’—Savary.

© Al Beidawi.
2F
330 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXX.

CHAPTER XXX.
INTITLED, THE GREEKS ;° REVEALED AT MECCA

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

A. L. M.¢ Tue Greeks have been overcome by the- Persians * in the

 

© The original word is al Rum; by which the later Greeks, or subjects of the Constan-
tinopolitan empire, are here meant; though the Arabs give the same name also to the
Romans and other Europeans.

* Some except the verse beginning at these words, Praise be unto God.
® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

® The accomplishment of the prophecy contained in this passage, which is very famous
among the Mohammedans, being insisted on by their doctors as a convincing proof that
the Koran really came down from heaven, it may be excusable to be a little particular.

The passage is said to have been revealed on occasion of a great victory obtained by the
Persians over the Greeks, the news whereof coming to Mecca, the infidels became strangely
elated, and began to abuse Mohammed and his followers, imagining that this success of
the Persians, who, like themselves, were idolaters, and supposed to have no scriptures,
against the Chistians, who pretended, as well as Mohammed, to worship one God, and to
have divine scriptures, was an earnest of their own future successes against the prophet and
those of his religion: to check which vain hopes, it was foretold, in the words of the text,
that how improbable soever it might seem, yet the scale should be turned in a few years,
and the vanquished Greeks prevail as remarkably against the Persians.

That this prophecy was exactly fulfilled, the commentators fail not to observe, though
they do not exactly agree in the accounts they give of its accomplishment ; the number of,
years between the two actions being not precisely determined. Some place the victory
gained by the Persians in the fifth year before the Hejra, and their defeat by the Greeks
in the second year after it, when the battle of Bedr was fought :* others place the former
in the third or fourth year before the Hejra, and the latter in the end of the sixth, or
Beginning of the seventh year after it, when the expedition of al Hodeibiyah was under-
taken? :

The date of the victory gained by the Greeks, in the first of these accounts, interferes
with a story which the commentators tell, of a wager laid by Abu Becr with Obba Ebn
Khalf, who turned this prophecy into ridicule. Abu Becr at first laid ten young camels
that the Persians should receive an overthrow within three years; but on his acquaintin
Mohammed with what he had done, that prophet told him that the word bed, made use o
in this passage, signified no determinate number of years, but any number from three to
nine (though some suppose the tenth year is included,) and therefore advised him to prolon
the time, and to raise the wager; which he accordingly proposed to Obba, and they agree
that the time assigned should be nine years, and the wagera hundred camels. Before the
lime was elapsed, Obba died of a wound received at Ohod, in the, third year of the Hejra ;?
but the event afterwards showing that Abu Becr had won, he received the camels of
Obba’s heirs, and brought them in triumph to Mohammed.‘

History informs us that the successes of Khosru Parviz, king of Persia, who carried on
a terrible war against the Greek empire, to revenge the death of Maurice his father-in-law,
slain by Phocas, were very great, and continued in an uninterrupted course for two and
twenty years. Particularly in the year of Christ 615, about the beginning of the sixth year
before the Hejra, the Persians, having the preceding year conquered Syria, made themselves
masters of Palestine, and took Jerusalem ; which seems to be that signal advantage gained
over the Greeks mentioned in this passage, as agreeing best with the terms here used, and
most likely to alarm the Arabs by reason of their vicinity to the scene of action; and there
was so little probability, at that time, of the Greeks being able to retrieve their losses, much
tess to distress the Persians, that in the following years the arms of the latter made still
farther and more considerable progresses, and at length they laid siege to Constantinople
itself. But in the year 625, in which the fourth year of the Hejra began, about ten years
after the taking of Jerusalem, the Greeks, when it was least expected, gained a remarkable
victory over the Persians, and not only obliged them to quit the territories of the empire, b
carrying the war into their own country, but drove them to the last extremity, and spoile
the capital city al Madayen; Heraclius enjoying, thence forward, a continued series 0

_j#Jallalo’ddin, &c. | * Al Zamakh, al Beidawi. 3 See p. 298, notew. ‘Al
Beidiwi, Jalialo'ddin, de, ones, ee eae
CHAP. XXx. ' AL KORAN. 331

nearest part of the land;*‘ but after their defeat, they shall overcome the
“ others in their turn, within a few years. Unto Gop belongeth the disposai
of this matter, both for what is past, and for what is to come: and on that
day shall the believers rejoice in the success granted by Gon; for he
granteth success unto whom he pleaseth, and he is the mighty, the mer-
ciful. This is the promise of Gop: Gop will not act contrary to his pro-
mise; but the greater part of men know not the veracity of God. They
know the outwatd appearance of this present life; but they are careless
as to the life to come.t Do they not consider within themselves that
Gop hath not created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between
them, otherwise than in truth, and hath set them a determined period ?
Verily a great number of men reject the belief of their future meeting their
Lorp at the resurrection. Do they not pass through the earth, and see
what hath been the end of those who were before them? They excelled the
Meccans in strength, and broke up the earth, [* and inhabited it in greater
affluence and prosperity than they inhabit the same: and their apostles
came unto them with evident miracles; and Gop was not disposed to
treat them unjustly, but they injured their own souls by their obstinate
infidelity ; and the end of those who had done evil was evil, because they
charged the signs of Gop with falsehood, and laughed the same to scorn.
Gop produceth creatures, and will hereafter restore them Zo life : then shall
ye return unto him. And on the day whereon the hour shall come, the
"wicked shall be struck dumb for despair; and they shall have no inter-
cessors from among the idols which they associated with God. And they
shall deny the false gods which they associated with him. On the day
whereon the hour shall come, on that day shall the true believers and the
infidels be separated: and they who shall have believed, and wrought
righteousness, shall take their pleasure in a delightful meadow; but as for
those who shall have disbelieved, and rejected our signs, and the meeting
of the next life, they shall be delivered up to punishment. Wherefore
glorify Gop, when the evening overtaketh you, and when ye rise in the
morning : and unto him be praise in heaven and earth; and at sunset, and

 

good fortune, to the deposition and death of Khosru. For more exact information on these
matters, and more nicely fixing the dates, either so as to correspond with, or to overturn
this pretended prophecy (neither of which is my business here), the reader may have re-
course to the historians and chronologers.*

* “They have been defeated on the frontier.’’—Savary.

‘ Some interpreters, supposing that the land here meant is the land of Arabia, or else
that of the Greeks, place the scene of action in the confines of Arabia and Syria, near
Bostra and Adhraat ;* others imagine the land of Persia is intended, and lay the scene in
Mesopotamia, on the frontiers of that kingdom :* but Ebn Abbas, with more probability,
thinks it was in Palestine. .

+ ““Intoxicated with earthly pleasures, men forget the life which is to come.’’—Savary.

t ‘Have they not traversed the earth? Have they not seen what hath been the fate
of the ancient nations? More powerful than they are, those nations have left there
monuments of their greatness. They have dwelt there for a longer period.’’—Savary.

* To dig for water and minerals, and to till the ground for seed, &c.*

§Vi iam Asseman. Bibl. Orient. t, 3, part 1, p. 411, &c. et Boulainv. Vie_de Mo-
ba 303, Ae 6 Yahya al Beidawi. “a Mojahed, apud Zamakh. * Al Beidawi.
332 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXX.

when ye rest at noon He bringeth forth the living out of the dead, and
he bringeth forth the dead out of the living ;™ and he quickeneth the
earth after it hath been dead: and in like manner shall ye be brought forth
from your graves. Of his signs one is, that he hath created you of dust,
and behold, ye are become men, spread over the face of the earth. And
of his signs another is, that he hath created you, out of yourselves, wives,
that ye may cohabit with them ; and hath put love and compassion between
you: verily herein are signs unto people who consider. And of his signs
are also the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variety of your
languages, and of your complexions :* verily herein are signs unto men of
understanding. And of his signs are your sleeping by night and by day,
and your seeking to provide for yourselves of his abundance: verily herein
are signs unto people who hearken. Of his signs others are, that he showeth
you the lightning, to strike terror, and to give hope of rain, and that he
sendeth down water from heaven, and quickeneth thereby the earth, after
it hath been dead: verily herein are signs unto people who understand.
And of his signs this also is one, namely, that the heaven and the earth
stand firm at command: hereafter, when he shall call you out of the earth
at one summons, behold, ye shall come forth. Unto him are subject who-
soever are in the heavens and on earth: all are obedient unto him. It is
he who originally produceth a creature, and afterwards restoreth the same
to life : and this is most easy with him. He justly challengeth the most
exalted comparison, in heaven and earth;° and he is the mighty, the wise..
He propoundeth unto a comparison taken from yourselves. Have ye, among
the slaves whom your right hands possess, any partner in the substance which
we have bestowed on you, so that ye become equal sharers therein with
them, or that ye fear them as ye fear one another? Thus we distinctly ex-
plain our signs, unto people who understand. But those who act unjustly,
by attributing companions unto God, follow their own lusts, without know-
ledge: and who shall direct him whom Gop shall cause to err? They shall
have none to help them. Wherefore be thou orthodox, and set thy face
towards the true religion, the institution of Gop, to which he hath created
mankind disposed :* there is no change in what Gop hath created.1 This

 

1 Some are of opinion that the five times of prayer are intended in this passage; the
evening including the time both of the prayer of sunset, and of the evening prayer pro-
perly so called, and the word I have rendered at sunset, marking the hour of afternoon
prayer, since it may be applied also to the time a little before sunset.

™ See chap. 3, p. 38. ,

" Which are certainly most wonderful, and, as I conceive, very hard to be accounted
for, if we allow the several nations in the world to be all the offspring of one man, as we
a Geared by scripture they are, without having recourse to the immediate omnipotency
of God.

° That is, in speaking of him we ought to make use of the most noble and magnificent
expressions we can possibly devise.

? See chap. 16, p. 220.

* oe Open thy heart to Islamism ; it is the work of God, who hath created men to em-
brace it: it is the holy and eternal faith; but the greatest part of mankind are plunged
into ignorance.’”’—Savary.

i. e. The immutable law, or rule, to which man is naturally disposed to conform, and
which every one would embrace, as most fit for a rational creature, if it were not for the
OF AP. LXXX. AL KORAN. 333

is the right religion ; but the greater part of men know it not. And be ye
turned unto him, and fear him, and be constant at prayer, and be not
idolaters. Of those who have made a schism in their religion, and
are divided into various sects, every sect rejoice in their own opinion.
When adversity befalleth men, they call upon their Lorp, turning unto
him: afterwards, when he hath caused them to taste of his mercy, behold,
a part of them associate other deities with their Lorp: to show themselves
ungrateful for the favours which we have bestowed on them. Enjoy there-
fore the vain pleasures of this life; but hereafter shall ye know the
consequence. Have we sent down unto them-any authority, which speaketh
of the false gods which they associate with him? When we cause men to
taste mercy, they rejoice therein; but if evil befalleth them, for that which
their hands have before committed, behold, they despair.s Do they not see
that Gop bestoweth provision abundantly on whom he pleaseth, and is
sparing unto whom he pleaseth? Verily herein are signs unto people who
believe. Give unto him who is of kin to thee his reasonable due; and also
to the poor, and the stranger: this is better for those who seek the face of
Gop; and they shall prosper. Whatever ye shall give in usury,‘ to be an
increase of men’s substance, shall not be increased by the blessing of Gop:
but whatever ye shall give in alms, for Gop’s sake, they shall receive a two-
fold reward.* It is Gop who hath created you, and hath provided food for
you: hereafter will he cause you to die; and after that will he raise you
again to life. Is there any of your false gods, who is able to do the least of
these things? Praise be unto him; and far be he removed from what they
associate with him! Corruption® hath appeared by land and by sea, for the
crimes which men’s hands have committed; that it might make them
to taste* a part of the fruits of that which they have wrought, that perad-
venture they might turn from their evil ways. Say, Go through the earth,
and see what hath been the end of those who have been before you: the
greater part of them were idolaters. Set thy face therefore towards the
right religion, before the day cometh, which none can put back from Gop.
On that day shall they be separated into two companies: whoever shall
have been an unbeliever, on him shall his unbelief be charged ; and who-
ever shall have done that which is right, shall spread themselves couches of
repose in paradise ; that he may reward those who shall believe, and work

 

prejudices of education. The Mohammedans have a tradition that their prophet used
to say, That every person is born naturally disposed to become a Moslem ; but that a man’s
parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian.

* That is, have we either by the mouth of any prophet, or by any written revelation,
commanded or encouraged the worship of more gods than one ?

* And seek not to regain the favour of God by timely repentance.
* Or by way of bribe. The word may include any sort of extortion or illicit gain.

“The alms which ye shall give, in the hope of deserving to view his presence, shall
be multiplied a hundred fold.””—Savary.

. viz. Mischief and public calamities; such as famine, pestilence, droughts, shipwrecks,
&c., or erroneous doctrines, or a general depravity of manners.

* Some copies read, in the first person plural, That we might cause then to taste, &c.
334 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXX.

righteousness, of his abundant liberality ; for he loveth not the unbelievers,
Of his signs one is, that he sendeth the winds, bearing welcome tidings of
rain, that he may cause you to taste of his mercy ; and that ships may sail
at his command, that ye may seek to enrich yourselves of his abundance by
commerce ; and that ye may give thanks. We sent apostles, before thee,
unto their respective people, and they came unto them with evident proofs :
and we took vengeance on those who did wickedly ; and it was incumbent
on us to assist the true believers. Jt is Gop who sendeth the winds, and
raiseth the clouds, and spreadeth the same in the heaven, as he pleaseth; —
and afterwards disperseth the same: and thou mayest see the rain issuing
from the midst thereof; and when he poureth the same down on such ot
his servants as he pleaseth, behold, they are filled with joy ; although before
it was sent down unto them, before such relief, they were despairing. Con-
sider therefore the traces of Gop’s mercy; how he quickeneth the earth,
after its state of death: verily the same will raise the dead; for he is
almighty. Yet if we should send a blasting wind, and they should see their
corn yellow and burnt up, they would surely become ungrateful, after our
former favours. Thou canst not make the dead to hear, neither canst thou
make the deaf to hear thy call, when they retire and turn their backs;
neither canst thou direct the blind out of their error: thou shalt make none
to hear, except him who shall believe in our.signs; for they are resigned
unto us. It is Gop who created you,in weakness, and after weakness hath
given you strength; and after strength, he will again reduce you to weak-
ness, and grey hairs: he createth that which he pleaseth; and he is the
wise, the powerful. On the day whereon the /ast hour shall come,
the wicked will swear that they have not tarried¥ above an hour: in like
manner did they utter lies in their lifetime. But those on whom knowledge
hath been bestowed, and faith, will say, Ye have tarried, according to the
book of Gop,? until the day of resurrection; for this is the day of resurrec-
tion; but ye knew i not. On that day their excuse shall not avail those
who have acted unjustly; neither shall they be invited any more to make
themselves acceptable unto God. And now have we propounded unto men,
in this Koran, parables of every kind: yet if thou bring them a verse there-
of,” the unbelievers will surely say, Ye are no other than publishers of vain
falsehoods. Thus hath Gop sealed up the hearts of those who believe
not:{ But do thou, O Mohammed, persevere with constancy, for Gop

is true; and let not those induce thee to waver, who have no certain
knowledge.

y viz. In the world or in their graves. See chap. 23, p. 286.

__* That is, according to his foreknowledge and decree in the preserved Table; or accord-
ing to what is said in the Koran, where the state of the dead is expressed by these words,’
Behind them there shall be a bar, until the day of resurrection.”

* «The Koran offers multiplied examples unto men; but when a mi

the unbeliever will exclaim, it is an imposture !’—Savary. in er
Sta is taus that God sealeth the hearts of those who are blinded by ignorance.’ —

® Chap. 23, p. 285. * Al Beidawi,
OHAP. XXxmI. AL KORAN, 835

CHAPTER XXXI.
INTITLED, LOCMAN;* REVEALED AT MECCA?

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

A.L.M.c These are the signs of the wise book, a directior., and a
mercy unto the righteous; who observe the appointed times of prayer, and
give alms, and have firm assurance in the life to come: these are directed
by their Lorn, and they shall prosper. There is a man who purchaseth a
ludicrous story,’ that he may seduce men from the way of Gop, without
knowledge, and may laugh the same to scorn: these shall suffer a shamefui
punishment.* And when our signs are rehearsed unto him, he disdain-
fully turneth his back as though he heard them not, as though there were
a deafness in his ears: wherefore denounce unto him a grievous punish-
ment. But they who shall believe and work righteousness, shall enjoy
gardens of pleasure: they shall continue therein for ever: this is the
certain promise of Gop; and he is the mighty, the wise. He hath created
the heavens without visible pillars to sustain them, and thrown on the earth
mountains firmly rooted, lest it should move with you;° and he hath re-
plenished the same with all kinds of beasts: and we send down rain from
heaven, and cause every kind of noble vegetable to spring forth therein.
This is the creation of Gop: show me now what they have created, who
are worshipped besides him? verily the ungodly are in a manifest error.t
We heretofore bestowed wisdom on Lokman,f and commanded him, saying,

 

* The chapter is so entitled from a person of this name mentioned therein, of whown
more immediately.

> Some except the fourth verse, beginning at these words, Who observe the appointed
times of prayer, and give alms, &c. And others three verses, beginning at these words,
If all the trees in the earth were pens, &c.

© See the Prelim. ‘Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

47,¢e. Vain and silly fables. The passage was revealed, it is said, on occasion of al
Nodar Ebn al Hareth, who, having brought from Persia the romance of Rostam and
Isfandiyar, the two heroes of that country, recited it in the assemblies of the Koreish,
highly extolling the power and splendour of the ancient Persian kings, and preferring their
stories to those of Ad and Thamud, David and Solomon, and the rest which are told in
the Koran. Some say that al Nodar bought singing girls, and carried them to those who
were inclined to become Moslems, to divert them from their purpose by songs and tales.?

* “There are men, who, making a mock of religion, purchase frivolous stories, cal-
culated to seduce their fellow-creatures, and to turn them aside from the right path. A
shameful punishment shall be their reward.’’—Savary.

¢ See chap. 16, p. 215. A learned writer,” in his notes on this passage, says the original
word rawdsiya, which the commentators in general will have to signily stable mountains,
seems properly to express the Hebrew word mechonim, i. e. bases or foundations ; and
therefore he thinks the Koran has here translated that passage of the Psalms, He laid the
A of the earth, that it should not be moved for ever. This is not the only instance
which might be given, that the Mohammedan doctors are not always the best interpreters
of their own scriptures.

t “Behold his creation. Show me that which your idols have called forth from nothing,
The wicked are involved in darkness.’’—Savary.
. * The Arab writers say, that Lokman was the son of Batra, who was the son or grand

4 Al Beidawi. 2 Gol. in Append. ad Erpenii Gram. p. 187. 7 Paal. civ. 5
336 AL KORAN. © CHAP. XXXE

Be thou thankful unto Gop: for whoever is thankful, shaii be thankful to
ihe advantage of his own soul; and if any shall be unthankful, verily
Gop is self-sufficient, and worthy to be praised. And remember when
Lokman said unto his son,£ as he admonished him, Oh my son, give not a
partner unto Gop; for polytheism is a great impiety. We have com-
manded man concerning his parents® (his mother carrieth him in her womb
with weakness and faintness,* and he is weaned in two years), saying, Be
grateful unto me, and to thy parents. Unto me shall all come to be judged.
But if thy parents endeavour to prevail on thee to associate with me that con-
cerning which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not: bear them company
in this world in what shall be reasonable ;* but follow the way of him who
sincerely turneth unto me.* Hereafter unto me shall ye return, and then
will I declare unto you that which ye have done. Oh my son, verily every
matter, whether good or bad, though it be of the weight of a grain of
mustard-seed, and be hidden in a rock, or in the heavens, or in the earth,

 

son of asister or aunt of Job; and that he lived several centuries, and to the time of David,
with whom he was conversant in Palestine. According to the description they give of his
person, he must have been deformed enough; for they say he was of a black complexion
(wherice some call him an Ethiopian), with thick lips, and splay feet: but in return, he
received from God wisdom and eloquence in a great degree ; which some pretend were
given him in a vision, on his making choice of wisdom preferably to the gift of prophecy
either of which were offered him. ‘The generality of the Mohammedans, therdiere, hold
him to have been no prophet, but only a wise man. As to his condition, they say he was
a slave, but obtained his liberty on the following occasion. His master having one day

iven hima bitter melon to eat, he paid him such exact obedience as to eat it all; at which
fn master being surprised, asked how he could eat so nauseous a fruit? To which he re-
plied, it was: no wonder that he should for once accept a bitter fruit from the same hand
from which he had received so many favours.*| The commentators mention several quick
repartees of Lokman, which, together with the circumstances above-mentioned, agree so
well with what Maximus Pinnutee has written of Esop, that from thence, and from the
fables attributed to Lokman by the orientals, the latter has been generally thought to be
no other than the Esop of the Greeks. However that be (for I think the matter will bear
a dispute), I am of opinion that Planudes borrowed great part of his life of Esop from the
traditions he met with in the East concerning Lokman, concluding them to have been the
same person, because they were both slaves, and supposed to be the writers of those
fables which go under their respective names, and bear a great resemblance to one another;
for it has long since been observed by learned men, that the greater part of that monk’s
performance is an absurd romance, and supported by no evidence of the ancient writers.*

.© Whom some name Anam (which comes pretty near the Ennus of Planudes), some
Ashcan, and others Mathan,

» The two verses which begin at these words, and end with the following, viz.: And
then will I declare unto you that which ye have done, are no part of Lokman’s advice to his
son, but are inserted by way of parenthesis, as very pertinent and proper to be repeated
here, to show the heinousness of idolatry: they are to be read (excepting some additions)
in the twenty-ninth chapter, and were originally revealed on account of Saad Ebn Abi
Wakkas, as has been already observed.*

* «We have prescribed sacred duties unto man, for him to perform towards the authors
of his existence. He has been borne, with numerous pains, in the womb of his mother.
He has been suckled for two years. Mortals, be grateful for our benefits; be beneficent
unto your parents. I am the end of all things.”’—Savary.

! That is, Show them all deference and obedience, so far as may be consistent with wy
duty towards God.

« The person particularly meant here was Abu Becr, at whose persuasion Saad had ve-
come a Moslem. ;

“Al Zamakh. al Beidawi, &c. Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 516, et Marrace. .n
Ale. p. 547. + Vide la Vie d’Esope, par M. de Meziriac, et Pale Dict. Hint. Art.
Esope. Rem. B. ® See chap. 29, p. 325, and the notes thereon,
OHAP. XXXI. AL KORAN. 337

Gop will bring the same to light ; for Gop is clear-sighted and knowing.
Oh my son, be constant at prayer, and command that which is just, and
forbid that which is evil: and be patient under the afflictions which shall
befall thee; for this is a duty absolutely incumbent on all men.* Distort
not thy face out of contempt to men, neither walk in the earth with
insolence; for Gop loveth no arrogant, vain-glorious person. And be
moderate in thy pace; and lower thy voice; for the most ungrateful of all
voices surely is the voice of asses.1 Do ye not see that Gop hath subjected
whatever is in heaven and on earth to your service, and hath abundantly
poured onvyou his favours, both outwardly and inwardly?™ There are
some who dispute concerning Gop without knowledge, and without a
direction, and without an enlightening book. And when it is said unto
them, Follow that which Gop hath revealed, they answer, Nay, we will
‘ollow that which we found our fathers to practise. What, though the
devil invite them to the torment of hell? Whosoever resigneth himself
unto Gop, being a worker of righteousness, taketh hold on a strong
handle; and unto Gop belongeth the issue of all things. But whoever

hall be an unbeliever, let not his unbelief grieve thee: unto us shall they
return; then will we declare unto them that which they have done, for
Gop knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men. We will suffer
them to enjoy this world for a little while: afterwards we will drive them
toa severe punishment. If thou ask them who hath created the heavens
and the earth, they will surely answer, Gop. Say, Gop be praised! but
the greater part of them do not understand. Unto Gop belongeth whatever
isin heaven and earth: for Gop is ‘the self-sufficient, the praise-worthy.
If whatever trees are in the earth were pens, and he should after that swell
the sea into seven seas of ink, the words of Gop would not be exhausted ;*
for Gop is mighty and wise. Your creation and your resuscitation are but
as the creation and resuscitation of one soul:° verily Gop both heareth and
seeth. Dost thou not see that Gop causeth the night to succeed the day,
and causeth the day to succeed the night, and compelleth the sun and the
moon to serve you? Each of those luminaries hasteneth in its course to a
determined period: and Gop is well acquainted with that which ye do.
This is declared concerning the divine knowledge and power, for that Gop is
the true Being, and for that whatever ye invoke, besides him, is vanity ;
and for that Gop is the high, the great God. Dost thou not see that the

 

* “Bear patiently the calamities which befall thee. They are a consequence of the
eternal decrees.’’—Savary. - . :

1 To the braying of which animal the Arabs liken a loud and disagreeable voice.

i, ¢. All kinds of blessings, regarding as well the mind as the body.

+ ‘*He who hath devoted his heart unto Islamism and unto virtue hath seized hold of an
immoveable pillar. He is supported upon God, the end of all things.’’—Savary.

" This passage is said to have been revealed in answer to the Jews, who insisted that
all knowledge was contained in the law.” ; ;

° God being able to produce a million of worlds by the single word Kun, i.e. Be, and
to raise tne dead in general by the single word Kum, i.e, Arise.

7 Al Beidawi.
338 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXII.

ships run in the sea, through the favour of Gop, that he may show you of
his signs? Verily herein are signs unto every patient, grateful person
When waves cover them, like overshadowing clouds, they call upon Gon.
exhibiting the pure religion ynto him; * but when he bringeth them safe to
land, there is of them who halteth between the true faith and idolatry
Howbeit, none rejecteth our signs, except every perfidious, ungrateful
person. O men, fear your Lorp, and dread the day whereon a father shall
not make satisfaction for his son,. neither shall a son make satisfaction
for his father at all: the promise of God is assuredly true. Let not this
present life, therefore, deceive you; neither let the deceiver? deceive you
concerning Gop. Verily the knowledge of the hear of judgment is with
Gop; and he causeth the rain to descend at his own appointed time ; and
he knoweth what is in the wombs of females. No soul knoweth what it
shall gain on the morrow; neither doth any soul know in what land it
shall die :2 but Gop is knowing and fully acquainted with all things.

CHAPTER XXXII.

INTITLED, ADORATION ;' REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

A.L.M. The revelation of this book, there is no doubt thereof, is
from the Lorp of all creatures.t Will they say, Mohammed hath forged |
it? Nay it is the truth from thy Lorp, that thou mayest preach to a
people, unto whom no preacher hath come before thee ;+ peradventure they
will be directed. Jt is Gop who hath created the heavens and the earth,
and whatever is between them, in six days; and then ascended his throne.

Ye have no patron or intercessor besides him. Will ye not therefore con-

 

* «When the billows cover the ship, like gloomy mountains, the mariners call upon
the name of God; they manifest unto him a sincere faith.”’—Savary. *
P viz. The devil. :

«In this passage five things are enumerated which are known to God alone: viz. The
time of the day of judgment; the time of rain; what is forming in the womb, as whether
it be male or female, &c.; what shall happen on the morrow; and where any person
shall die. These ‘the Arabs, according to a tradition of their prophet, call the five keys of
secret knowledge. The passes, it is said, was occasioned by al Hareth Ebn Amru, who
propounded questions of this nature to Mohammed.

As to the last particular, al Beid4wi relates the following story. The angel of death
passing once by Solomon in a visible shape, and looking at one who was sitting with him,
the man asked who he was, and upon Solomon’s acquainting him that it was the angel
of death, said, He seems to want me; wherefore order the wind to carry me from hence
into India: which being accordingly done, the angel said to Solomon, I looked 80 earn-
estly at the man out of wonder ; Eeoause I was commanded to take his soul in India, and
found him with thee in Palestine. ;

* This title is taken from the middle of the chapter, where the believers are said to fall
down adoring.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, ce. -

t ‘« The Sovereign of the universe hath caused the Korfn to descend from heaven.
This book ought to leave no doubt.””—Savary.

See chap. 28, p. 321.
OHAP. XXXII. AL KORAN.- 809

sider? He governeth all things from heaven even to the earth: hereafter
shall they return unto him, on the day whose length shall be a thousand
years," of those which ye compute. This is he who knoweth the future,
and the present; the mighty, the merciful. J¢ is he who hath made every
thing which he hath created exceeding good; and first created man of clay,
and afterwards made his posterity of an extract of despicable water;* and
then formed him into proper shape, and breathed of his spirit int’ him; and
hath given you the senses of hearing and seeing, and hearts to wnderstand.
How small thanks do ye return! And they say, When we shall lie hidden
in the earth, shall we be raised thence a new creature? Yea, they deny the
meeting of their Lorn at the resurrection. Say, The angel of death, who
is set over you, shall cause you to die: then shall ye be brought back unto
your Lorp. If thou couldest see, when the wicked shall bow down their
heads before their Lor, saying, O Lorp, we have seen, and have heard:
suffer us therefore to return into the world, and we will work that which is
right; since we are now certain of the truth of what hath been preached to
us: thou wouldest see an amazing sight. If we had pleased we had certainly
given unto every soul its direction: but the word which hath proceeded
from me must necessarily be fulfilled, when I said, Verily I will fill hell
with genii and men, altogether.* Taste therefore the torment prepared for
you, because ye have forgotten the coming of this your day: we also have
forgotten you; taste therefore the punishment of eternal duration, for that
which ye have wrought. Verily they only believe in our signs, who, when
they are warned thereby, fall down adoring, and celebrate the praise of their
Lorp, and are not elated with pride; their sides are raised from their beds,
calling on their Lorp with fear and with hope; and they distribute alms
out of what we have bestowed on them. No soul” knoweth the complete
satisfaction* which is secretly prepared for them, as a reward for that which

 

"« As to the reconciliation of this passage with another,* which seems contradictory, see
the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 60. :

Some, however, do not interpret the passage before us of the resurrection, but suppose
that the words here describe the making and executing of the decrees of God, which are
sent down from heaven to earth, and are returned (or ascend, as the verb properly sig-
nifies,) back to him, after they have been put in execution; and present themselves, as it
were, so executed, to his knowledge, in the space of a day with God, but with man, of
a thousand years. Others imagine this space to be the time which the angels, who carry
the divine decrees, and bring them back executed, take in detente and re-ascending,
because the distance from heaven to earth is a journey of five hundred years: and others
fancy that the angels bring down at once decrees for a thousand years to come, which
being expired, they return back for fresh orders, &c.°

"i.e. Seed.

See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 51.

* See chap. 7, p. 119, and chap. 11, p. 186.

¥ Not even an angel of those who approach nearest God's throne, nor any prophet who

hath been sent by him.* - ee

* Literally, The joy of the eyes. The commentators fail not, on occasion of this passage,
to produce That anne of ee prophet, which was originally none of his own; God saith,
Ihave prepared for my righteous servants what eye hath not seen, nor hath ear heard, nor
hath entered into the heart of man to conceive.

* Chap. 70. ® Al Beidawi. 4Tdem.
340 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXII.

they have wrought. Shall he, therefore, who is a true believer, de as he
who is an impious transgressor? They shall not be held equal. As to
those who believe and do that which is right, they shall have gardens of
perpetual abode, an ample recompense for that which they shall have
wrought: but as for those who impiously transgress, their abode shall be
hell fire; so often as they shall endeavour to get thereout, they shall be
dragged back into the same, and it shall be said unto them, Taste ye the
torment of hell fire, which ye rejected as a falsehood. And we will cause
them to taste the nearer punishment of this world, besides the more grievous
punishment of the next; peradventure they will repent. Who is more:
unjust than he who is warned by the signs of his Lorp, and then turneth
aside from the same? We will surely take vengeance on the wicked. We
heretofore delivered the book of the law unto Moses; wherefore be not thou
in doubt as to the revelation thereof:* and we ordained the same to de a
direction unto the children of Israel; and we appointed teachers from
among them, who should direct the people at our command, when they had
persevered with patience, and had firmly believed in our signs. Verily thy
Lorp will judge between them, on the day of resurrection, concerning that
wherein they have disagreed. Js it not known unto them how many
generations we have destroyed before them, through whose dwellings they
walk? Verily herein are signs: will they not therefore hearken? Do
they not see that we drive rain unto a land bare of grass and parched up,
and thereby produce corn, of which their cattle eat, and themselves also?
Will they not therefore regard? The infidels say to the true believers,
When will this decision be made between us, if ye speak truth? Answer,
On the day of chat decision,* the faith of those who shall have disbelieved
shall not avail them; neither shall they be respited any longer. Where-
fore avoid them, and expect the issue: verily they expect to obtain some
advantage over thee.

 

\

® Or, as some interpret it, of the revelation of the Kordén to thyself ; since the delivery
of the law to Moses proves that the revelation of the Koran to thee is not the first instance
of the kind. Others think the words should be translated thus, Be not thou in doubt as to
thy meeting of that prophet, supposing that the interview between Moses and Mohammed
in the sixth heaven, when the latter took his night journey thither, is here intended.>

>The Meccans frequently passing by the places where the Adites, Thamudites,
Midianites, Sodomites, &c. once dwelt.

° That is, On the day of judgment: though some suppose the day here intended to be
that of the victory of Bedr, or else that of the taking of Mecca, when several of those whw
nad been proscribed were put to death without remission.*

2 Al Beidawi. * See the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. p. 39.
CHAP. XXXIII. AL KORAN. 341

CHAPTER XXXIII.

.

INTITLED, THE CONFEDERATES;? REVEALED AT MEDINA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O ProPueEt, fear Gop, and obey not the unbelievers and the hypocrites 38
verily Gop is knowing and wise. But follow that which is revealed unto
thee from thy Lorn; for Gop is well acquainted with that which ye do
and put thy trust in Gop; for Gop is a sufficient protector.* Gop hath
not given a man two hearts within him ; neither hath he made your wives
(some of whom ye divorce, regarding them thereafter as your mothers)
your true mothers; nor hath he made your adopted sons your true sons.‘
This is your saying in your mouths: but Gop speaketh the truth; and he
directed the right way. Call such as are adopted, the sons of their natural
fathers: this will be more just in the sight of Gop. And if ye know not
their fathers, let them be.as your brethren in religion, and your companions:
and it shall be no crime in you, that ye err in this matter ;¢ but that shall
be criminal which your hearts purposely design; for Gop is gracious and

 

4 Part of this chapter was revealed on occasion of the war of the Ditch, which happened
in the fifth year of the Hejra, when Medina was besieged, for above twenty days, by the
joint and confederate forces of several Jewish tribes, and of the inhabitants of Mecca, Najd,
and Tehama, at the instigation of the Jews of the tribe of Nadhir, who had been driven
out of their settlement near Medina, by Mohammed, the year before.‘

¢It is related that Abu Sofian, Acrema Abn Abi Jahl, and Abu’l A’war al Salami,
having an amicable interview with Mohammed, at which were present also Abdallah Ebn
Obba, Moatteb Ebn Kosheir, and Jadd Ebn Kais, they proposed to the prophet, that if he
would leave off preaching against the worship of their gods, and acknowledge them to be
mediators, they would een and his Lord no farther disturbance ; upon which these
words were revealed.®

* ‘ Put thy confidence in him. His protection is a powerful shield.’’—Savary.

‘ This passage was revealed to abolish two customs among the old Arabs. The first
was their manner of divorcing their wives, when they had no mind to let them go out of
their house, or to marry again: and this the husband did by saying to the woman, Thou
art henceforward to me as the back of my mother; after which words pronounced he ab-
stained from her bed, and regarded her in all respects as his mother, and she became
related to all his kindred in the same degree as if she had been really so. The other cus-
tom was the holding their adopted sons to be as nearly related to them as their natural
sons, so that the same impediments of manriege arose from that supposed relation, in the

rohibited degrees, as it would have done in the case of a genuine son. The latter Mo-
sea had a peculiar reason to abolish, viz. his marrying the divorced wife of his freed
man Zeid, who was also his adopted son; of which more will be said by and by. By the
declaration which introduces this passage, that God has not given a man two hearts, is
meant, that a man cannot have the same affection for supposed parents, and adopted
children, as for those who are really so. They tell us the Arabs used to say, of a pru-
dent and acute person, that he had two hearts; whence one Abu Mamer, or, as others
write, Jemil Ebn Asad al Fihri, was surnamed Dhu'lkalbein, or the man with two
hearts.®

© Through ignorance or mistake ; or, That ye have erred for the time past.

+ “Restore your adopted sons unto their fathers. This action is equitable in the sight
of God. If ye know not the authors of their existence, let religion impel you to cherish
them as your brothers, as your kindred. If by an involuntary error ye deviate from the
precept, it shall not render you culpable.’’—Savary.

“Vide Abu’lfedz Vit. Moh. p. 73, et Gagnier, Vie de Mohammed, lib.4.c.1. *A\
Beidawi. ® Idem, Jallalo’ddin, &c.

.
342 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXII.

merciful. The prophet is nigher unto the true believers than their own
souls ;"* and his wives are their mothers.| Those who are related by con-
sanguinity are nigher of kin the one of them unto the others, according to
the book of Gon, than the other true believers, and the Mohajertin : * unless
that ye do what is fitting and reasonable to your relations in general. This
is written in the book of God. Remember when we accepted their covenant
from the prophets," and from thee, 0 Mohammed, and from Noah, and.
Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary, and received from
them a firm covenant; that God may examine the speakers of truth
concerning their veracity:* and he hath prepared a painful torment for
the unbelievers. O true believers, remember the favour of Gop towards
you, when armies of infidels came against you,” and we sent against
them a wind, and hosts of angels which ye saw not :1 and Gop beheld that

 

» Commanding them nothing but what is for their interest and advantage, and being
more solicitous for their present and future happiness even than themselves; for which
reason he ought to be dear to them, and deserves their utmost love and respect. In
some copies hewe words are added, And he is a father unto them; every prophet being
the spiritual father of his people, who are therefore brethren. It is said that this passage
was revealed on some of Mohammed’s followers telling him, when he summoned them
to aend him in the expedition of Tabtic,’ that they would ask leave of their fathers and
mothers.’

* «The prophet loveth the true believers more than they love themselves.’’—Savary.

‘ Though the spiritual relation between Mohammed and his people declared in the pre-
ceding words, created no impediment to prevent his taking to wife such women among
them as he thought fit; yet the commentators are of opinion that they are here forbidden .
to marry any of his wives.° :

* These words, which also occur, excepting the latter part of the sentence, in the eighth
chapter, abrogate that law concerning inheritances published in the same chapter, whereby
the Mohajeran and Ansiars were to be the heirs ot one another, exclusive of their nearer
relations who were infidels.*

‘i.e. In the preserved Table, or the Koran; or, as others suppose, in the Pentateuch.
™ Jallalo’ddin supposes this covenant was made when Adam’s posterity were drawn
forth from his loins, and appeared before God like small ants ;? but Marracci conjectures
that the covenant here meant was the same which the Talmudists pretend all the prophets

eniered into with God on Mount Sinai, where they were all assembled in person with
oses.*

» Whereby they undertook to execute their several commissions, and promised to preach
the religion commanded them by God.

°i.e. That he may at the day of judgment demand of the prophets in what manner
they executed their several commissions, and how they were received by their people ;
or, as the words may also import, that he may examine those who believed on them, con-
cerning their belief, and reward them accordingly.

? These were the forces of the Koreish and the tribe of Ghatfan, confederated with the
Jews of al Nadhir and Koreidha, who besieged Medina to the number of twelve thousand
men, in the expedition called the war of the ditch.

4 On the enemies’ aero Mohammed, by the advice of Salman the Persian, ordered
a deep ditch or entrenchment to be dug round Medina, for the security of the city, and
went.out to defend it with three thousand men.~ Both sides remained in their camps near
a month, without any other acts of hostility than shooting of arrows and slinging of stones;
till, in a winter’s night, God sent a piercing cold east wind, which benumbed the limbs of
the confederates, blew the dust in their faces, extinguished their fires, overturned their tents,
and put their horses in disorder, the angels at the same time crying Allah acbar round about
their ean whereupen Peleiba Ebn Khowailed, the Asadite, said aloud, Alohammed is
going to attack you with enchantments, wherefore provide for your safety by flight: and
accordingly the Koreish first, and eee Bhatiiines! woke ofa e, and
returned home ; which retreat was also not a little owing to the dissensions among the con-
federate forces, the raising and fomenting whereof the Mohammedans also ascribe to God.

7 See chap. 9, p. 154. ® Al Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. vi. p. 98.
1 See chap. 8, p. 147. 2 See chap. 7, p. 135. * See chap. 3, c. 46. :
CHAP. XXXII. AL KORAN. 343

which ye did. When they came against you from above you, and
from below you, and when your sight became troubled, and your hearts
came even to your throats for fear, and ye imagined of Gop various
imaginations. There were the faithful tried, and made to tremble
with a violent trembling. And when the hypocrites, and those in
whose heart was an infirmity, said, Gop and his apostle have made you no
other than a fallacious promise.t | And when a party of them® said,
O inhabitants of Yathreb,y there is no place of security for you here ;
wherefore return home. And a part of them asked leave of the prophet to
. depart, saying, Verily our houses are defenceless and exposed to the enemy:
but they were not defenceless; and their intention was no other than to
fly. If the city had been entered upon them by the enemy from the parts
adjacent, and they had been asked to desert the true believers, and to fight
against them ; they had surely consented thereto: but they had not, in such
case, remained in the same,* but a little while. They had before made a
covenant with Gop, that they would not turn their backs :¥ and the per-
formance of their covenant with Gop shall be examined into hereafter. Say,
Flight shall not profit you, if ye fly from death or from slaughter: and if it
would, yet shall ye not enjoy this world but a little.* Say, Who is he who
shall defend you against Gop, if he is pleased to bring evil on you, or is
pleased to show mercy towards you? They shall find none to patronize
or protect them, besides Gop. Gop already knoweth those among you who
hinder others from following his apostle, and who say unto their brethren,
Come hither unto us; and who come not to battle, except a little: being

 

It is related that when Mohammed heard that his enemies were retired, he said, I have
obtained success by means of the east wind; and Ad.perished by the west wind.‘

* The Ghatfanites pitched on the east side of the town, on the higher part of the valley ;
and the Koreish on the west side, on the lower part of the valley.*

* The sincere and those who were more firm of heart fearing they should not be able
to stand the trial; and the weaker-hearted and hypocrites thinking themselves delivered
up to slaughter and destruction.

‘ The person who uttered these words, it is said, was Moatteb Ebn Kosheir, who told
his fellows that Mohammed had promised them the spoils of the Persians and the Greeks,
whereas now not one of them dared to stir out of their intrenchment.$

«viz, Aws Ebn Keidhi, and his adherents.

’ This was the ancient and proper natne of Medina, or of the territory wherein it stands.
Some suppose the town was so named from its founder, Yathreb, the son of Kabiya, the
son of Mahlayel, the son of Aram, the son of Sem, the son of Noah; though others tell
us it was built by the Amalekites.”

xi, e. In the city; or, in their apostacy and rebellion, because the Moslems would surely
succeed at last.

*The persons meant here were Banu, Hareth, &c. who having behaved very ill and
run away on a certain occasion, promised they would do so no more.*

* « Say unto them, Flight will be useless unto you. You have believed that you cquld
avoid death, by shunning the battle; but little shall ye benefit by your cowardice.’’—
Savury.

* Either coming to the army in small numbers; or staying with them but a little while,
and then returning on some feigned excuse: or Delaving ill in time of action. Some
expositors take these words to be part of the speech of the hypocrites, reflecting on
Mohammed’s companions for lying idle in the trenches, and not attacking the enemy.

“Al Beidawi, Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 77, &c. 5 Idem. ok Al Beidawi. Vide Abulf.
ubisup. p.76. | ™Abmed Ebn Yusof. See the Prelim. Disc. p.3. °° Al Beidawi.
344 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXII

covetous towards you:* but when fear cometh on them, thou seest them
look unto thee for assistance, their eyes rolling about like the eyes of him
who fainteth by reason of the agonies of death: yet when their fear is past
they inveigh against you with sharp tongues; being covetous of the best
and most valuable part of the spoils. These believe not sincerely; wherefore
Gop hath rendered their works of no avail; and this is easy with Gor
They imagined that the confederates would not depart and raise the siege.
and if the confederates should come another time, they would wish to live
in the deserts among the Arabs who dwell in tents,” and there to inquire
after news concerning you; and although they were with you this time, yet
they fought not, except a little* Ye have in the apostle of Gop an
excellent example,° unto him who hopeth in Gop, and the last day, and
remembereth Gop frequently. When the true believers saw the confede-
rates,t they said, This is what Gop and his apostle have foretold us; and
Gop and his apostle have spoken the truth: and it only increased their
faith and resignation. Of the true believers some men justly performed
what they had promised unto Gop;° and some of them have finished their
course,’ and some of them wait the same advantage; ® and they changed not
their promise by deviating therefrom in the least: that Gop may reward the
just performers of their covenant for their fidelity; and may punish the
hypocritical, if he pleaseth, or may be turned unto them; for Gon is ready
to forgive, and merciful. Gop hath driven back the infidels in their wrath :
they obtained no advantage; and Gop was a sufficient protector unto the
faithful in battle; for Gop is strong and mighty. And he hath caused such
of those who have received the scriptures, as assisted the confederates, to

 

* 7. e. Sparing of their assistance either in person or with their purse; or, being greedy
after the booty.

> That they might be absent, and not obliged to go to war.

* “ God knoweth those who stop the believers, and who engage them to follow their
party. Few are there who march under the banner of the faith. They are jealous of
your heppiness In the midst of alarms thou seest them turn their looks toward the pro-
phet, and roll their eyes like unto him who is environed by the shadow of death. Scarcely
are their fears dispelled, before, inspired by envy, they rend thee with their keen-edged
tongues. They have no faith. God will annihilate their works. This is easy unto God.
The conspirators imagined themselves to be invincible. If they return, they will join
with the Arabs of the desert. They watch your doings. Were they to be of your party,
few among them would march under your banner.’’—Savary.

viz. Of firmness in time of danger, of confidence in the divine assistance, and of piety
by fervent prayer for the same.

t ‘At the sight of the conspirators, the believers exclaimed.’’—Savary.

4 Namely, that We must not expect to enter paradise, without undergoing some trials
and tribulations.” There is a tradition that Mohammed actually foretold this expedition
of the confederates some time before, and the success of it.

° By standing firm with the prophet, and strenuously opposing the enemies of the true
religion, according to their engagement.

‘ Or, as the words may be translated, have fulfilled their vow, or paid their debt to nature,
by falling martyrs in battle ; as did Hamza, Mohammed’s uncle, Masab Ebn Omair, and
Ans Ebn al Nadr,? who were slain at the-battle of Ohod. The martyrs at the war of the
ditch were six, including Saad Ebn Moadh, who died of his wound about a month after?

® As Othman and Telha.*

® See chap. 2, p. 24; chap. 3, p. 52; chap. 29, p. 325, &e. ! idawi, 2
‘hn Vath. “Alka See ede
CHAP, XXXII. AL KORAN. 345

come down out of their fortresses,» and he cast into their hearts terror and
dismay :' a part of them ye slew, and a part ye made captives; and God
hath caused you to inherit their land, and their houses, and their wealth,
_ anda land on which ye have not trodden;! for Gon is almighty. O prophet,
say unto thy wives, If ye seek this present life, and the pomp thereof, come,
I will make a handsome provision for you, and J will dismiss you with an
honourable dismission;™ but if ye seek Gon and his apostle, and the life
to come, verily Gop hath prepared for such of you as work righteousness
a great reward. O wives of the prophet, whosoever of you shall commit
a manifest wickedness, the punishment thereof shall be doubled unto her

 

* These were the Jews of the tribe of Koreidha, who, though they were in league with
Mobammed, had, at the incessant persuasion of Caab Ebn Asad, a principal man arnong
them, perfidiously gone over to his enemies in this war of the ditch; and were severely
punished for it. For the next morning after the confederate forces had decamped, Mo-
hammed and his men returned to Medina, and laying down their arms, began to refresh
themselves after their fatigue; upon which Gabriel came to the prophet, and asked him
whether he had suffered his people to lay down their arms, when the angels had not laid
down theirs ; and ordered him to go immediately against the Koradhites, assuring him that
himself would lead the way.- isiumraed. in obedience to the divine command, having
caused public proclamation to be made that every one should pray that afternoon for suc-
cess against the sons of Koreidha, set forward on the expedition without loss of time ; and
being arrived at the fortress of the Koradhites, besieged them for twenty-five days ; at the
end of which those people, being in great terror and distress, capitulated, and at length,
not daring to trust to Mohammed’s mercy, surrendered at the discretion of Saad Ebn
Moadh,* hoping that he, being the prince of the tribe of Aws, their old friends and con-
federates, would have some regard for them: but they were deceived; for Saad, being
greatly incensed at their breach of faith, had begged of God that he might not die of the
wound he had received at the ditch, till he saw vengeance taken on the Koradhites, and
therefore adjudged that the men should be put to the sword, the women and children
made slaves, and their goods be divided among the Moslems; which sentence Mohammed
had no sooner heard, than he cried out, That Saad had pronounced the sentence of God :
and the same was accordingly executed, the number of the men who were slain amount-
ing to six hundred, or, as others say, to seven hundred, or very near; among whom were

- Hoyai Ebn Akhtab, a great enemy of Mohammed’s, and Caab Ebn Asad, who had been
the chief occasion of the revolt of their tribe; and soon after Saad who had given judg-
ment against them died, his wound, which had been skinned over, opening again.

' This was the work of Gabriel, who, according to his promise, went before the army
of Moslems. It is said that Mohammed, a little before he came to the settlement of the
Koradhites, asking some of his men whether any body had passed them, they answered,
that Dohya Ebn Kholeifa the Calbite had just passed by them, mounted on a white mule,
with housings of satin: to which he replied, That person was the angel Gabriel, who is
sent to the sons of Koreida, to shake their castles, and to strike their hearts with fear and
consternation.”

« Their immoveable possessions Mohammed gave to the Mohajerin, saying, that the
Ansars were in their own houses, but that the others were destitute of habitations. The
moveables were divided among his followers, but he remitted the fifth part, which was
usual to be taken in other cases.®

' By which some suppose Persia and Greece are meant; others, Khaibar: and others,
whatever lands the Moslems may conquer till the day of judgment.

™ This passage was revealed on Mohammed’s wives asking for more sumptuous clothes,
and an additional allowance for their expenses: and he had no sooner received it, than he
gave them their option, either to continue with him, or to be divorced, beginning with
Ayesha, who chose God and his apostle, and the rest followed her example ; upon which
the prophet thanked them, and the following words were revealed ; viz. It shall not be
lawful for thee to take other women to wife hereafter,' &c. From hence some have con-
eluded; that a wife who has her option given her, and chooses to stay with her husband,
shall not be divorced; though others are of a contrary opinion.?

See chap. 8, p. 142. ~* Al Beidawi, Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 77, &c. Vide Gagnier,
Vie do Mol. ib. 4, c. 2. ™Ebn Ishak. ® Al Beidawi. > Tdem. * See after,
mm this chap. p. 349. 2 Al Beidawi.

26
346 AL KORAN. SHAP. X¥ XIU

twofold ;* and this is easy with Gop: *[XXII.] but whosoever of you
shall be obedient unto Gop and his apostle, and shall do that which is
right, we will give her her reward twice,° and we have prepared for her an
honourable provision in paradise. O wives of the prophet, ye are not as
other women: if ye fear God, be not too complaisant in speech, lest he
should covet, in whose heart is a disease of incontinence ; dut speak the
speech which is convenient.* And sit still in your houses; and set not out
yourselves with the ostentation of the former time of ignorance :? and ob-
serve the appointed times of prayer, and give alms; and obey Gop, and
his apostle ; for Gop desireth only to remove from you the abomination of
vanity, since ye are the household of the prophet; and to purify you by a
perfect purification.t And remember that which is read in your houses, of
the signs of Gop, and of the wisdom revealed in the Koran ; for Gop is
clear-sighted, and well acquainted with your actions. Verily the Moslems
of either sex, and the true believers of either sex, and the devout men, and
the devout women, and the men of veracity, and the women of veracity,
and the patient men, and the patient women, and the humble men, and the
humble women, and the alms-givers of either sex, and the men who fast,
and the women who fast, and the chaste men, and the chaste swomen, and
those of either sex who reinember Gop frequently; for them hath Gop
prepared forgiveness, and a great reward. It is not fit for a true believer
of either sex, when Gop and his apostle have decreed a thing, that they
should have the liberty of choosing a different matter of their own:" and
whoever is disobedient unto Gop and his apostle surely erreth with a
manifest error. And remember when thou saidst to him unto whom Gop
had been gracious,* and on whom thou also hadst conferred favours,t Keep _

 

» For the crime would be more enormous and unpardonable in them, because of their’
superior condition, and the grace which they have received from God; whence it is that
the punishment of a free person is ordained to be double to that of a slave ;* and prophets
are more severely reprimanded for their faults than other men.*

° Once for her obedience, and a second time for her conjugal affection to the prophet,
and handsome behaviour to him. .

* «« Wives of the prophet, ye are distinguished above other women. If ye have the fear
of the Lord, banish from your speech the softnesses of love. Let the man whose heart is
smitten dare not to hope. Reply witha noble firmness.’”’—Savary.

_? That is, In the old time of idolatry. Some suppose the times before the flood, or the
time of Abraham, to be here intended, when women adorned themselves with all their
finery, and went abroad into the streets to show themselves to the men.® 2

‘4 T'he pronouns of the second person in this part of the passage being of the masculine
ponder, the Shiites pretend the sentence has no connexion with the foregoing or the fol-

owing words; and will have it that by the household of the prophet are particularly meant
Fatema and Ali, and their two sons Hasan and Hosein, to whom these words are directed.

This verse was revealed on account of Zeinab (or Zenobia), the daughter of Jahash,
and wife of Zeid, Mohammed’s freed-man, whom the prophet sought in marriage, but
teceived a repulse from the lady and her brother Abdallah, they being at first averse to
the match ; for which they are here reprehended. The mother of Zeinab, it was said,
was Amima, the daughter of Abd’almotalled, and aunt to Mohammed." :
‘de ue Zeid Ebn Haretha, on whom God had bestowed the grace early to become a

oslem. ;

* By giving him his aes and adopting him for thy son, &c.

‘Zeib was of the tribe of Calb, a branch of the Khodaites; descended from Hamyar the
son of Saba; and being taken in his childhood by a party of freebooters, was bought by

* See chap. 4. p.63. ‘Al Beidawi. *Idem. ‘Idem. ‘Idem, Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. XXXII. AL KORAN, © 347

thy wife to thyself, and fear Gop: and thou didst conceal that in thy mind
which Gop had determined to discover," and didst fear men; whereas it
was more just that thou shouldst fear Gop. But when Zeid**had deter-
mined the matter concerning her, and had resolved to divorce her, we joined
her in marriage unto thee;¥ lest a crime should be charged on the true
believers, in marrying the wives of their adopted sons, when they have
determined the matter concerning them;* and the command of Gop is to
be performed. No crime is to be charged on the prophet, as to what Gop
hath allowed him, conformable to the ordinance of Gop with regard to those
who preceded him (for the command of Gop is a determinate decree), who
brought the messages of Gop, and feared him, and feared none besides
Gop : and Gop is a sufficient accountant. Mohammed is not the father of
any man among you; but the apostle of Gop, and the seal of the
prophets :* and Gop knoweth all things. O true believers, remember Gop
with a frequent remembrance, and celebrate his praise morning and evening.
It is he who is gracious unto you, and his angels intercede for you, that he
may lead you forth from darkness into light; and he is merciful towards
the true believers. Their salutation, on the day whereon they shall meet

 

Mohammed, or, as others say, by-his wife Khadijah before she married him. Some years
after, Haretha, hearing where his son was, took a journey to Mecca, and offered a con-
siderable sum for his ransom; whereupon Mohammed said, Let Zeid come hither ; and
if he chooses to go with you, take him without ransom; but if it be his choice to stay with
me, why should 7 not keep him? And Zeid being come, declared that he would stay with
his master, who treated him as if he were his only son. Mohammed no sooner heard this
but he took Zeid by the hand, and led him to the black stone of the Caaba, where he
publicly adopted him for his son, and constituted him his heir; with which the father
acquiesced, and returned home well satisfied. From this time Zeid was called the son
oH Mohammed, till the publication of Islim; after which the prophet gave him to wife
einab.® '

* Namely, thy affection to Zeinab. The whole intrigue is artfully enough unfolded in
this passage ; the story is as follows. .

Some years after his marriage, Mohammed going to Zeid’s house on some affair, and not
finding him at home, accidentally cast his eyes on Zeinab, who was then in a dress which
discovered her beauty to advantage, and was so smitten at the sight, that he could not
forbear crying out, God be praised, who turneth the hearts of menas he pleaseth! This Zeinab
failed not to acquaint her husband with, on his return home; whereupon Zeid. after ma-
ture reflection, thought he could do no less than part with his wife, in favour of his bene-
factor ; ‘and therefore resolved to divorce her, and acquainted Mohammed with his reso-
lution: but he, apprehending the scandal it might raise, offered to dissuade him from it,
and endeavoured to stifle the flames which inwardly consumed him; but at length, his
love for her being authorized by this revelation, he acquiesced, and after the term of her
divorce was expired, married her, in the latter end of the fifth year of the Hejra.°

It is observed that this is the only person, of all Mohammed’s companions, whose
name is mentioned in the Koran.

Y¥ Whence Zeinab used to vaunt herself above the prophet’s other wives, saying, that
God had made the match between Mohammed and herself, whereas their matches were
made by their relations.*

* For this feigned relation, as has been observed, created an impediment of marriage
among the old Arabs, within the prohibited degrees, in the same manner as if it had been
real; and therefore Mohammed's marrying Zeinab, who had been his adopted son’s wife,
occasioned great scandal among his followers, which was much heightened by the Jews and
hypocrites: but the custom foliere declared unreasonable, and abolished for the future.

* (The Mohammedans consider Mohammed as the seal of the prophets, Khatem Elna-
biin, They say that he came to confirm the mission of those who preceded him, and that
he has had no successor.)—Savary. L

*Al Jannabi. Vide Gagnier, Vie de Moh. lib. 4.c.3. ° Al Beidawi, al Jannabi, &c,
lem.
348. AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXIIL

wim, shall be, Peace! and he hath prepared for them an honourable recom-
>ense. O prophet, verily we have sent thee to be a witness, and a bearer
of good tidings, and a denouncer of threats, and an inviter unto Gop,
hrough his good pleasure, and a shining light. Bear good tidings therefore
unto the true believers, that they shall receive great abundance from Gop
And obey not the unbelievers, and the hypocrites, and mind not their
evil treatment: but trust in Gop; and Gop is a sufficient protector.*
D true believers, when ye marry women who are believers, and afterwards
put them away, before ye have touched them, there is no term prescribed
you to fulfil towards them,* after their divorce: but make them a present,
and dismiss them freely with an honourable dismission. O prophet, we have
allowed thee thy wives unto whom thou hast given their dower, and
also the slaves which thy right hand possesseth, of the booty which
Gop hath granted thee ;* and the daughters of thy uncle, and the daughters
of thy aunts, both on thy father’s side, and on thy mother’s side, who
have fled with thee from Mecca, and any other believing woman, if
she give herself unto the prophet;® in case the prophet desireth to
take her to wife. This is a peculiar privilege granted unto thee above
the rest of the true believers. We know what we have ordained them
concerning their wives, and the slaves which their right hands possess:
lest it should be deemed a crime in thee to make use of the privilege
granted thee ;{ for Gop is gracious and merciful. Thou mayest postpone
the turn of such of thy wives as thou shalt please, in being called to thy
bed ; and thou mayest take unto thee her whom thou shalt please, and

 

* “ Obey neither the unbelievers nor the impious. Injure them not. Put thy trust in
God: his protection is a sure refuge.’’—Savary.

* That is, Ye are not obliged to keep them any certain time before ye dismiss them, ag
ye are those with whom the marriage has been consummated. See chap. 2.

>7. e. If no dower has been assigned them: for if a dower has been assigned, the hus-
band is obliged, according to the Sonna, to give the woman half the dower agreed on,
besides a present.? This is still to be understood of such women with whom the marriage
has not been consummated.

a It is said, therefore, that the women slaves which he should buy are not included in
this grant.

“But not the others. It is related of Omm Hani, the daughter of Abu Taleb, that she
should say, The apostle of God courted me for his wife ; but I excused myself to him, and
he accepted of my excuse: afterwards this verse was revealed; but he was not thereby
allowed to marry me, because I fled not with him.

It may be observed that Dr. Prideaux is much mistaken, when he asserts that Moham-
med in this chapter brings in God exempting him from the law in the fourth chapter,‘
whereby the Moslems are forbidden to marry within certain degrees, and giving him an
especial privilege to take to wife the daughter of his brother, or the daughter of his sister.

° Without demanding any dower. According to a tradition of Ebn Abbas, the prophet,

however, married no woman without assigning her a dower. The commentators are not
agreed who was the woman particularly meant in this passage ; but they name four who
are supposed to have thus given themselves to the prophet, viz. Maimtina Bint al Hareth,
Zeinab Bint Khozaima, Ghozia Bint Jaber, surnamed Omm Shoraic (which three he
actually married), and Khawla Bint Hakim, whom, as it seems, he rejected.
_ * For no Moslem can legally marry above four wives, whether free women or slaves;
whereas Mohammed is, by the preceding passage, left at liberty to take as many as he
pleased, though with some restrictions. ,

‘+t “Fear not to be culpable in using thy rights."’—Savary.

9 Al Beidawi, al Jannabi, &c. 3 Tidem. “ See p. 63. * See Prid. Life of
Moh. p. 116. .
OHAP. XXXII. AL KORAN. 849

her whom thou shalt desire of those whom thou shalt have before rejected :
and it shall be no crime in thee. This will be more easy, that they may
be entirely content, and may not be grieved, but may be wéll pleased
with what thou shalt give every of them: Gop knoweth whatever 2s in
your hearts ; and Gop is knowing and gracious. It shall not be lawful for
tnee to take other women to wife hereafter,» nor to exchange any of thy
wives for them,! although their beauty please thee; except the slaves whom
thy right hand shall possess: and Gop observeth all things. O true be-
lievers, enter not the houses of the prophet, unless it be permitted you to
eat meat with him, without waiting his convenient time; but when ye are
invited, then enter. And when ye shall have eaten, disperse yourselves;
and stay not to enter into familiar discourse: for this incommodeth the
prophet. He is ashamed to did you depart; but Gop is not ashamed of
the truth. And when ye ask of the prophet’s wives what ye may have
occasion for, ask it of them from behind a curtain® This will be more
pure for your hearts and their hearts. Neither is it fit for you to give any
uneasiness to the apostle of Gop, or to marry his wives after him for ever :}
for this would be a grievous thing in the sight of Gop. Whether ye divulge
a thing or conceal it, verily Gop knoweth all things. It shall de no crime
in them, as to their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’

 

© By this passage some farther privileges were granted unto Mohammed; for, whereas
o-her men are obliged to carry themselves equally towards their wives,*® in case they had
more than one, particularly as to the duties of the marriage bed, to which each has a right
to be called in her turn, (which right was acknowledged in the most early ages’) and can-
not take again a wife whom they have divorced the third time, till she has been married
to another and divorced by him,® the prophet was left absolutely at liberty to deal with
them in these and other respects as he thought fit.

The commentators differ as to the express meaning of these words. Some think
Mohammed was thereby forbidden to take any more wives than nine, which number he
then had, and is supposed to have been his stint, as four was that of other men; some
imagine that after this prohibition, though any of the wives he then had should die, or be
divorced, yet he could not marry another in her room ; some think he was only forbidden
from this time forward te marry any other woman than one of the four sorts mentioned
in the preceding passage; and others‘ are of opinion that this verse is abrogated by the
two preceding verses, or one of them, and was revealed before them, though it be read
after them.?

‘ By divorcing her and marrying another. Al Zamakhshari tells us, that some are of
opinion this prohibition is to be understood of a particular kind of exchange used among
the idolatrous Arabs, whereby two men made a mutual exchange of their wives, without
any other formality.

«That is, Let there be a curtain drawn between you, or let them be veiled, while ye
talk with them. As the design of the former precept was to prevent the impertinence
of troublesome visitors, the design of this was to guard against too near an intercourse or
familiarity between his wives and his followers; and was occasioned, it is said, by the
hand of one of his companions accidentally touching that of Ayesha, which gave the pro-
phet some uneasiness.?

14. e. Hither such as he shall divorce in Hie lifetime, or his widows after his death.
This was another privilege peculiar to the prophet. ;

It is related, that in the Khalifat of Omar, Ashath Ebn Kais marriéd the woman whom
Mohammed had dismissed without consummating his marriage with her ;* upon which
the Khalif at first was thinking to stone her, but afterwards changed his mind, on ite
being represented to him that this prohibition related only to such women to whom the
prophet had gone in.*

6 . chap. 4, p. 59, &c. 7 See Gen. xxx. 14, &c. ® See chap. 2, p. 26.
‘ he Hebatallah. 2 Al Zamakh., al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c. VAI
Beidawi. +See before, p. 348, note e. 5 Al Beidawi.
350 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXII.

sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or the slaves which their right
hands possess, if they speak to them unveiled :™ and fear ye Gop ;” for Gop
is witness of all things. Verily Gop and his angels bless the prophet. O
true believers, do ye also bless him, and salute him with a respectful
salutation.” As to those who offend Gop and his apostle, Gop shall curse
them in this world and in the next; and he hath prepared for them a
shameful punishment. And they who shall injure the true believers of
either sex, without their deserving it, shall surely bear the guilt of calumny
and a manifest injustice.» O prophet, speak unto thy wives, and thy
- daughters, and the wives of the true believers, that they cast their outer
garments * over them when they walk abroad ; this will be more proper, that
they may be known to be matrons of reputation, and may not be affronted
by unseemly words or actions. Gop is gracious and merciful. Verily if the
hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is an infirmity, and they who raise
disturbances in Medina, do not desist, we will surely stir thee up against
them, to chastise them : henceforth they shall not be suffered to dwell near
thee therein, except for a little time, and being accursed; wherever they
are found they shall be taken, and killed with a general slaughter, accord-
ing to the sentence of Gop concerning those who have been before; and
thou shalt not find any change in the sentence of Gop. Men will ask thee
concerning the approach of the last hour; answer, Verily the knowledge
thereof is with Gop alone; and he will not inform thee: peradventure the
hour is nigh at hand. Verily Gop hath cursed the infidels, and hath pre-
pared for them a fierce fire, wherein they shall remain for ever: they shall
find no patron or defender. On the day whereon their faces shall be rolled
in hell fire, they shall say, O that we had obeyed Gop, and had obeyed his
apostle! And they shall say, O Lorp, verily we have obeyed our lords,
and our great men; and they have seduced us from the right way. O
Lorp, give them the double of our punishment; and ‘curse them with a
heavy curse! O true believers, be not as those who injured Moses; but
Gop cleared him from the scandal which they had spoken concerning him ;*

 

™ See chap. 24, p. 290. P
" The words are directed to the prophet’s wives. :

c Hence the Mohammedans seldom mention his name without adding, On whom be the
blessing of God, and peace! or the like words.

_ ? This verse was revealed, according to some, on occasion of certain hypocrites who
aad slandered Ali; or, according to others, on occasion of those who falsely accused
Ayesha,® &c.

4 The original word properly signifies the large wrappers, usually of white linen, with
which the women of the East cover themselves from hdad to foot when they go abroad.

* The commentators are not agreed what this injury was. Some say that Moses using to
wash himself apart, certain malicious people gave out that he had a rupture (or, say others,
that he was a leper, or an hermaphrodite), and for that reason was ashamed to wash with
them: but God cleared him from this aspersion, by causing the stone on which he had
:aid his clothes while he washed to run away with them into the camp, whither Moses fol-
owed it naked: and by that means the Israelites, in the midst of whom he was gotten ere
he was aware, plainly perceived the falsehood of the report. Others suppose Kardn’s
vecusation of Moses is here intended," or else the suspicion of Aaron’s murder, which was

® See chap. 24. * See chap. 28, p. 323,
$HAP. XXXIV. AL KORAN. 351

nd he was of great consideration in the sight of Gop.* true believers,
fear Gop, and speak words well directed;* that God may correct your
works for you, and may forgive you your sins: and whoever shall obey Gop
and his apostle shall enjoy great felicity. We proposed the faith unto the
heavens, and the earth, and the mountains: and they refused to undertake
the same, and were afraid thereof; but man undertook it:t verily he was
unjust to himself, and foolish;t* that Gop may punish the hypocritical
men, and the hypocritical women, and the idolaters, and the idolatresses ;
nd that Gop may be turned unto the true believers, both men and women;
for Gop is gracious and merciful.

 

CHAPTER XXXIV.
INTITLED, SABA;" REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GoD.

Praise be unto Gop, unto whom belongeth whatever is in the heavens
and on earth: and unto him de praise in the world to come; for he is wise
and intelligent. He knoweth whatsoever entereth into the earth,” and

 

cast on Moses because he was with him when he died on mount Hor; of which latter he
‘ was justified by the angels bringing his body and exposing it to public view, or, say some,
by,the testimony of Aaron fumsete who was raised to life for that purpose.®

The passage is said to have been occasioned by some reflections which were cast on
Mohammed, on his dividing certain spoils; and that when they came to his ear, he said,
God be merciful unto my brother Moses: he was wronged more than this, and bore it with
patience.®

* Some copies for inda read abda, according to which the words should be translated,
And he was an illustrious-servant of God. :

* «<Q believers, fear the Lord. Let truth govern your speech.’’—Savary.

' By faith is here understood entire obedience to the law of God, which is represented
to be of so high concern (no less than eternal happiness or misery depending on the ob-
servance.or neglect thereof), and so difficult in the performance, that if God should pro-
pose the same, on the conditions annexed, to the vaster parts of the creation, and they had
understanding to comprehend the offer, they would decline it, and not dare to take on them
a duty, the failing wherein must be attended with so terrible a consequence ; and yet man
is said to have undertaken it, notwithstanding his weakness and the infirmities of his nature.
Some imagine this proposal is not hypothetical, but was actually made, to the heavens,
earth, and mountains, which at their first creation were endued with reason, and that God
told them he had made a law, and had created paradise for the recompense of such as were
obedient to it, and hell for the punishment of the disobedient; to which they answered,
they were content to be obliged to perform the services for which they were created, but
would not undertake to fulfil the divine law on those conditions, and therefore desired
neither reward nor punishment; they add, that when Adam was created, the same offer
was made him, and he accepted it. The commentators have other explications of this
Passage, which it would be too prolix to transcribe.

t ‘« They dared not to receive it. They trembled to bear this holy burden. Man re-
ceived it, and he hath become unjust and foolish.’’—Savary.

"Unjust to himeelf, in not fulfilling his engagements and abering the law he had
secepted ; and foolish, in not considering the consequence of his disobedience and neglect.

Mention is made of the people of Saba in the fifteenth verse.

* As the rain, hidden treasures, the dead, &c.

® Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. ® Al Bokhari. t Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi.
352 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXIV.

whatsoever cometh out of the same,* and whatsoever descendeth from
heaven,’ and whatsoever ascendeth thereto :* and he is merciful and ready
to forgive. The unbelievers say, The hour of judgment will not come unto
us. Answer, Yea, by my Lorp, it will surely come unto you; it is he who
knoweth the hidden secret: the weight of an ant, either in heaven or in
earth, is not absent from him, nor any thing lesser than this or greater, but
the same. is written in the perspicuous book of his decrees; that he may re-
compense those who shall have believed, and wrought righteousness: they
shall receive pardon, and an honourable provision. But they who en-
deavour to render our signs of none effect shall receive a punishment of
painful torment. Those unto whom knowledge hath been given, see that
the book which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lorp is the truth, and
directeth into the glorious and laudable way. The unbelievers say to one
another, Shall we show you a man who shall prophesy unto you, that when
ye shall have been dispersed with a total dispersion, ye shall be raised anew
creature? He hath forged a lie concerning Gon, or rather he is distracted.
But they who believe not in the life to come shall fal/ into punishment and
awide error. Have they not therefore considered what is before them, and
what is behind them, of the heaven and the earth? If we please, we wil’
cause the earth to open and swallow them up, or will cause a piece of the
heaven to fall upon them: * verily herein is a sign unto every servant, who
' tumeth unto God. We heretofore bestowed on David excellence from us:
and we said, O mountains, sing alternate praises with him ; and we obliged the
birds also to join therein.» And we softened the iron for him, saying, Make
thereof complete coats of mail,” t and rightly dispose the small plates which
compose the same: and work ye righteousness, O family of David; for I see
that which ye do. And we made the wind subject unto Solomon :* it blew
in the morning for a month, and in the evening for a month. And we
made a fountain of molten brass to flow for him. And some of the genii
were obliged to work in his presence, by the will of his Lorp; and whoever
of them turned aside from our command, we will cause him to taste the
pain of hell fire» They made for him whatever he pleased of palaces, and
statues,‘ and large dishes like fish-ponds,¢ and caldrons standing firm on

 

As animals, plants, metals, spring water, &c.

¥ As the angels, scriptures, decrees of God, rain, thunder and lightning, &c.

* As the angels, men’s works, vapours, smoke, &c.?

* “Have they raised their looks towards the firmament? Have they cast them down
upon the earth? Who can prevent us from opening an abyss under their feet, or from
causing a part of heaven to fall upon their heads ?’”’—~Savary.

2 See chap. 21, p. 270.

> See ibid. p. 270. ;

i ‘« We taught unto him the art of softening iron, and of making coats of mail thereof.”"
—Savary. :

° See shay, 21, and chap. 27, p. 310.

¢ This fountain they say was in Yaman, and flowed three days in a month.

* Or, as some expound the words, We caused him to taste the pain of burning; by which
they understand the correction the disobedient genii received at the hands of the angel set
ever them, who whipped them with a whip of fire.

Some suppose these were images of the angels and prophets, and that the making

3 Al Beidawi. 3 Idem. Jallalo’ddin.
\

CHAP. XXXIV. AL KORAN. 353

their trevets ;» and we said, Work righteousness, O family of David, with
thanksgiving ; for few of my servants are thankful. And when we had
decreed that Solomon should die, nothing discovered his death.unto them,
except the creeping thing of the earth, which gnawed his staff.i And when
his body fell down, the genii plainly perceived that if they had known that
which .is secret, they had not continned in a vile punishment® The
descendants of Sabai had heretofore a sign in their dwelling; namely, two
gardens on the right hand and on the left,* and it was said unto them,
Eat ye of the provision of your Lorp, and give thanks unto him; ye have
a good country, and a gracious Lorp. But they turned aside from what
we had commanded them ; wherefore we sent against them the inundation
of al Arem," and we changed their two gardens for them into two gardens

 

of them was not then forbidden; or else that they were not such images as were forbidden
by the law. Some say these spirits made him two lions, which were placed at the foot of
his throne, and two eagles, which were set above it; and that when he mounted it the
lions stretched out their paws, and when he sat down the eagles shaded him with their
wings.*

® Being so monstrously large that a thousand men might eat out of each of them at
once.

4 These caldrons, they say, were cut out of the mountains of Yaman, and were so vastly
big that they could not be moved; and the people went up to them by steps.*

i The commentators, to explain this passage, tell us, That David having laid the founda-
tions of the temple of Jerusalem, which was to be in lieu of the tabernacle of Moses, when
he died, left it to be finished by his son Solomon; who employed the genii in the work:
that Solomon, before the edifice was quite completed, perceiving his end drew nigh, begged
of God that his death might be concealed from the genii till they had entirely finished it:
that God therefore so ordered it, that Solomon died as he stood at his prayers, leaning on
his staff, which supported the body in that posture a full year; and the genii, supposing
him to be alive, continued their work during that term, at the expiration whereof the
temple being perfectly completed, a worm, which had gotten into the staff, eat it through,
and the corpse fell to the ground and discovered the king’s death.®

Possibly this fable of the temple’s being built by genii, and not by men, might take its
rise from what is mentioned in scripture, that the house was built of stone made ready before
it was brought thither ; so that there was neither hammer, nor aze, nor any tool of iron heard
in the house while it was building :" the Rabbins indeed tell us of a worm, which might assist
the workmen, its virtue being such as to cause the rocks and stones to fly in sunder.*
Whether the worm which gnawed Solomon’s staff were of the same breed with this other,
I know not; but the story has perfectly the air of a Jewish invention.

«i.e. They had not continued in servile subjection to the command of Solomon, nor had
gone on with the work of the temple.

1 Saba was the son of Yashhab, the son of Yarab, the son of Khatan, whose posterity
dwelt in Yaman, in the city of Mareb, called also Saba, about three days’ journey from
Sanaa.

™ That is, two tracts of land, one on this side their city, and the other on that, planted
with trees, and made into gardens, which lay so thick and close together, that each tract
seemed to be one nondalied garden: or, it may be, every house had a garden on each hand
of it.t

* «The inhabitants of Saba possessed two gardens, which were traversed by a brook.”
—Savary.

» The commentators set down several significations of the word al Arem, which are
scarce worth mentioning: it most properly signifies mounds or dams for the stopping or
containing of water, and is here used for that stupendous mound or building which formed
the vast reservoir above the city of Saba, described in another place,? and which, for the
great impiety, pride, and insolence of the inhabitants, was broken down in the night by a
mighty flood, and occasioned a terrible destruction.* Al Beidawi supposes this mound was
the work of queen Balkis, and that the above-mentioned catastrophe happened after the
time of Jesus Christ; wherein he seems to be mistaken.

‘ idawi, Jallalo’ddin. ‘Jallalo’ddin. * Al BeidAwi, Jallalo’ddin. "1 King:
vi. 2 Heid ide Kirsch in loc. Buxt. Lex. Talm. p. 2456, et Schickardi Tarich Reg.
Pers. p. 62. 1 Al Beidawi. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. p. 7. 3 See ibid.
854 AL KORAN i CHAP. XXXIV.

producing bitter fruit, and tamarisks,° and some little fruit of the lote-tree.
This we gave them in reward, because they were ungrateful: is any thus
rewarded except the ungrateful? And we placed between them and the
cities which we have blessed,? cities situated near each other; and we
made the journey easy between them,® saying, Travel through the same by :
night and by day, in security. But they said, O Lorn, puta greater dis-
tance between our journey :* and they were unjust unto themselves ; and
we made them the subject of discourse, and dispersed them with a total
dispersion.** Verily, herein are signs unto every patient, grateful person.
And Eblis found his opinion of them to be true:t and they followed him,
except a party of the true believers: and he had no power over them,
unless to tempt them, that we might know him who believed in the life to
come, from him who doubted thereof. Thy Lorp observeth all things.
Say unto the idolaters, Call upon those whom ye imagine to be gods, besides
Gop: they are not masters of the weight.of an ant in heaven or on earth,
neither have they any share in the creation or government of the same; nor
is any of them assistant to him ¢herein. No intercession will be of service
in his presence, except the intercession of him to whom he shall grant per-
mission to intercede for others:* and they shall wait in suspense until, when
the terror shall be taken off from their hearts,* they shall say to one another,
What doth your Lorp say? They shall answer, That which is just: and
he is the high, the great God. Say, Who provideth food for you from

 

° A low shrub bearing no fruit, and delighting in saltish and barren ground.

P viz. The cities of Syria.

4 By reason of their near distance, so that during the whole journey a traveller might
rest in one town during the heat of the day, and in another at night; nor was he obliged
to carry provisions with him.‘

* This petition they made out of covetousness, that the poor being obliged to be longer
on the road, they might make greater advantage in letting out their cattle, and furnishing
the travellers with provision: and God was pleased to punish them by granting them their
wish, and permitting most of the cities which were between Saba and Syria, to be ruined
and abandoned.* : :

_ ‘For the neighbouring nations justly wondered at so sudden and unforeseen a revolution
in the affairs of this once flourishing people: whence it became a proverbial saying, to
express a total dispersion, that they were gone and scattered like Saba.‘

Of the descendants of Saba who quitted their country, and sought new settlements on
this inundation, the tribe of Ghassan went into Syria, the tribe of Anmar to Yathreb, the
tribe of Jodhim to Tehamah, the tribe of al Azd to OmAn," the tribe of Tay to Najd, the
tribe of Khozdah to Batn Marr, near Mecca, Banu Amela to a mountain, thence called
the mountain of Amela, near Damascus, and others went to Hira in Ir&b,® &c.

* «They gave themselves up unto ungodliness, and we made them the laughingstock
of the nations. They were scattered like the dust.’’—Savary.

' Either his opinion of the Sabwans when he saw them addicted to pride and ingratitude,
and the satisfying their lusts ; or else the opinion he entertained of all mankind at the fall
of Adam, or at his creation, when he heard the angels say, Wilt thow place in the earth
one who will do evil therein, and shed blood ?®

« Who were saved from the common destruction.

* See chap. 19, p. 255.

7, e. From the hearts of the intercessors, and of those for whom God shall allow them
to intercede, by the permission which he shall then grant them; for no angel or prophet
shall dare to speak at the last day without the divine leave.

*Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. 5 Tidem. * Al Beidawi. Vide Gol. note in Alfrag
p. 87, 7 Al Beidawi. ® Vide Poc. Spec. p. 42, 45, and 66. ® See chap. 2,
p. 4, chap. 7, v. 117, and chap. 15, p. 211, &c.
CHAP. XXXIV. . AL KORAN. 855

heaven and earth?* Answer, Gop: and either we, or ye, follow the true
direction, or are in a manifest error. Say, Ye shall not be examined con-
cerning what we shall have committed: neither shall we be examined
concerning what ye shall have done. Say, Our Lorp will assemble us
together at the last day: then he will judge between us with truth; and he
is the judge, the knowing. Say, Show me those whom ye have joined as
partners with him? Nay; rather he is the mighty, the wise Gop. We
have not sent thee otherwise than unto mankind in general, a bearer of
good tidings, and a denouncer of threats; but the greater part of men do
not understand. And they say, When will this threat be fulfilled, if ye
speak truth? Answer, A threat is denounced unto you of a day which ye
shall not retard one hour, neither shall ye hasten. The unbelievers say,
We will by no means believe in this Koran, nor in that which hath been
revealed before ity But if thou couldest see when the unjust doers shall
be set before their Lorp! They will iterate discourse with one another :
those who were esteemed weak shall say unto those who behaved them-
selves arrogantly, Had it not been for you, verily we had been true be-
lievers.~| They who behaved themselves arrogantly shall say unto those
who were esteemed weak, Did we turn you aside from the true direction,
after it had come unto you? On the contrary, ye acted wickedly of your
own free choice. . And they who were esteemed weak shall say unto those
who behaved with arrogance, Nay, but the crafty plot which ye devised by
night and by day, occasioned our ruin: when ye commanded us that we
should not believe in Gop, and that we should set up other gods as equals
unto him. And they shall conceal their repentance, after they shall have
seen the punishment prepared for them. And we will put yokes on the
necks of those who shall have disbelieved: shall they be rewarded any
otherwise than according to what they shall have wrought? We have sent
ao warner unto any city, but the inhabitants thereof who lived in affluence
said, Verily we believe not that with which ye are sent. And those of
Mecca also say, We abound in riches and children, more than ye ; and we
shall not be punished hereafter.[ Answer, Verily my Lorp will bestow
provision in abundance unto whom he pleaseth, and will be sparing unto
whom he pleaseth: but the greater part of men know not this. Neither
your riches nor your children are the things which shall cause you to draw
nigh unto us with a near approach: only whoever believeth, and worketh

 

* «Who dispenseth unto you the treasures of heaven and of earth 2’7—Savary.

y It is said that the infidels of Mecca, having inquired of the Jews and Christians con-
cerning the mission of Mohammed, were assured by them, that they fourd him described
as the prophet who should come, both in the Pentateuch and in the Gospel; at which
they were very angry, and brake out into the words here recorded.!

«See chap. 14, p. 206, note t. . .

+ Those who had weakness as their portion shall say unto those wou were rendered
haughty by power, Had it rfot been for you, we should have embraced the faith.’’—Savary.

eee chap. 10, p. 170, note t. ae ; ;

{ “Proud of their riches, flattered by, the number of their children, they imagine them.
selves to be secure from vengeance.’”’—Savary. :

1 Al Beidawi.
356 AL KORAN. | CHAP. XXXIV

righteousness, they shall receive a double reward for that which they sha.
have wrought: and they shall dwel/ in security, in the upper apartments
of paradise.* But they who shall endeavour to render our signs of none
effect shall be delivered up to punishment. Say, Verily my Lorp will
bestow provision in abundance unto whom he pleaseth of his servants,
and will be sparing unto whom he pleaseth: and whatever thing ye shall
give in alms, he will return it; and he is the best provider of food. Ona
certain day he shall gather them altogether: then shall he say unto the
angels, Did these worship you? And the angels shall answer, Gop forbid!
thou art our friend, and not these: but they worshipped devils; the greater
part of them believed in them. On this day the one of you shall not be
able either to profit or to hurt the other. And we will say unto those who
have acted unjustly, Taste ye the pain of held fire, which ye rejected as a
falsehood. When our evident signs are read unto them, they say of thee,
O Mohammed, This is no other than a man who seeketh to turn you aside
from the gods which your fathers worshipped. And they say of the Koran,
This is no other than a lie blasphemously forged. And the unbelievers say
of the truth, when it is come unto them, This is no other than manifest
sorcery: yet we have given them no books of scripture wherein to exercise
themselves, nor have we sent unto them any warner before thee. They
who were before them in like manner accused their prophets of imposture:
but these have not arrived unto the tenth part of the riches and strength
which we had bestowed on the former: and they accused my apostles of
- imposture; and how severe was my vengeance!{ Say, Verily J advise you
unto one thing, namely, that ye stand before Gop by two and two, and
singly ;*{ and then consider seriously and you will find that there is no
madness in your companion Mohammed: he is no other than a warner
unto you, sent before a severe punishment. Say, J ask not of you any re-
ward for my preaching ;* it is your own, § either to give or not :* my reward
is to be expected from Gop alone; and he is witness over all things. Say,
Verily my Lorp sendeth down the truth to his prophets: he is the knower
of secrets. Say, Truth is come, and falsehood is vanished, and shall not

 

vies The virtuous believer shall repose in the bosom of peace in the abode of delights.”’
—Savary.

t ‘‘ Those who went before them accused the messengers of faith of being impostors,
and prevented them from fulfilling their mission.’’—Savary.

>i. e. That ye set yourselves to deliberate and judge of me and my pretensions coolly
and sincerely, as in the sight of God, without passion or prejudice. “The reason why
they are ordered to consider either alone, or by two and two, at most, together, is, be-
cause in larger assemblies, where noise, passion, and prejudice, generally prevail, men
have not that freedom of judgment which they have in private.?

¢ “I exhort you to pray unto the Lord, together or separately.’’—Savary.

* Mohammed, having in the preceding words answered the imputation of madness or
vain enthusiasm, by appealing to their cvoler thoughts of him and his actions, endeavours
by these to clear himself of the suspicion of any worldly view or interest, declaring that
he desired no salary or support from them for executing his commission, but he expected
his wages from God alone. .

§ ‘‘ Keep your gifts.”’—Savary.

4 See chap. 25, p. 301.

3 A‘ Beidawi.
CHAP. XXXV. AL KORAN. 857

return any more. Say, If I err, verily I shall err only against my own soul:
but if I be rightly directed, it will be by that which my Lorn revealeth
unto me; for he is ready to hear, and nigh unto those who call upon him.
If thou couldest see, when the unbelievers shall tremble,° and shall find no
refuge, and shall be taken from a near place,t and shall say, We believe in
him! But how shall they receive the faith from a distant place :¢ since
they had before denied him, and reviled the mysteries of faith, from a dis-
tant place ?* And a bar shall be placed between them and that which they
shall desire; as it hath been done with those who behaved like them here-
tofore : because they have been in a doubt which hath caused scandal.

CHAPTER XXXV.
INTITLED, THE CREATOR;* REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

PratsE be unto Gop, the Creator of heaven and earth; who maketh
the angels his messengers, furnished with two, and three, and four pair
of wings:! Gop maketh what addition he pleaseth unto his creatures;
for Gop is almighty. The mercy which Gop shall freely bestow on man-
kind, there is none who can withhold; and what he shall withhold, there is
none who can bestow, besides him: and he is the mighty, the wise.
O men, remember the favour of Gop towards you: is there any creator,
besides Gop, who provideth food for you from heaven and earth? There
is no Gop but he: how therefore are ye turned aside from acknowledging
his unity? If they accuse thee of imposture, apostles before thee have
also been accused of imposture: and unto Gop shall all things return. O
men, verily the promise of Gop is true: let not therefore the present life
deceive you, neither let the deceiver deceive you concerning Gop: for
Satan is an enemy unto you; wherefore hold him for an enemy: he only

 

* viz. At their death, or the day of judgment, or the battle of Bedr.?

‘ That is, from the outside of the earth to the inside thereof; or, from before God’s tri-
bunal to hell fire ; or, from the plain of Bedr to the well into which the dead bodies of the
slain were thrown.‘

© i, e, When they are in the other world ; whereas faith is to be received in this.

* «« What a spectacle, when the wicked shall quit their tombs trembling, and be unable
to find a refuge! They will say, We believe: but what merit will there be in their faith?

‘They had it not on earth. There they lived in ungodliness, and scoffed at our divine doc-
trine ’—Savary. :

4 Some intitle this chapter The Angels: both words occur in the first verse.

(This is the title which Savary gives to it. He, says Zamakhshari, who shall read the
chapter of Angels, shall one day see the eight gates of paradise opened before him, and
shall enter by whichever he pleases.—Savary.)

1 That is, some angels have a greater, and some a lesser number of wings, according to
their different orders; the words not being designed to express the particular number.
Gabriel is said to have appeared to Mohammed, on the night he made his journey to
heaven, with no less than six hundred wings.®

+ ‘‘Doth any other dispense unto you the treasures of heaven and earth?’’—Savary.

2 Al Beidawi. “Idem. °Tdem.
358 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXV.

inviteth his confederates to be the inhabitants of hell. For those who
believe not there is prepared a severe torment: but for those who shall be-
lieve and do that which is right, is prepared mercy and a great reward,
Shall he therefore for whom his evil work hath been prepared, and who
imagineth it to be good, be as he who is rightly disposed, and discerneth the
truth? Verily Gop will cause to err whom he pleaseth, and will direct
whom he pleaseth.* Let not thy soul therefore be spent in sighs for their
sakes, on account of their obstinacy ; for Gov well knoweth that which they
do. Jt is God who sendeth the. winds, and raiseth a cloud; and we drive
the same unto a dead country, and thereby quicken the earth after it hath
been dead; so shall the resurrection be.* Whoever desiréth excellence ;
unto Gop doth all excellence belong : unto him ascendeth the good speech ;
and the righteous work will be exalt. But as for them who devise wicked
plots, they shall suffer a severe punishment; and the device of those men
shall be rendered vain. Gop created you first of the dust, and afterwards
of seed;™ and he hath made you man and wife.t No female conceiveth,
or bringeth forth, but with his knowledge. Nor is any thing added unto
the age of him whose life is prolonged, neither is any thing diminished
from his age, but the same is written in the book of God’s decrees. Verily
this is easy with Gop. The two seas are not to be held in comparison:
this is fresh and sweet, pleasant to drink; but that is salt and bitter:" yet
out of each of them ye eat fish,° and take ornaments ? for you to wear. Thou
seest the ships also ploughing the waves thereof, that ye may seek to enrich
yourselves by commerce, of the abundance of God : peradventure ye will be
. thankful. He causeth the night.to succeed the day, and he causeth the day
to succeed the night; and he obligeth the sun and the moon to perform their
services : each of them runneth an appointed course. This is Gop, your
Lorp: hisis the kingdom. But the idols which ye invoke besides him have
not the power even over the skin of a date-stone: if ye invoke them, they
will not hear your calling ; and although they should hear, yet they would
not answer you. On the day of resurrection they shall disclaim your having
associated them with God : and none shall declare unto thee the truth, like
one who is well acquainted therewith. O men, ye have need of Gop; but
Gop is self-sufficient, and to be praised. Jf he pleaseth, he-can take you
away, and produce a new creature in your stead : neither will this be difi-
cult with Gop. A burdened sowd shall not bear the burden of another: and
if a heavy-burdened soul call on another to bear part of its burden, no part

 

* «He who findeth charms in ungodliness, believeth he that he is in the right way?
God diffuseth error or knowledge ae he pleaseth.’’—Savary

* See chap. 29, p. 326, note m.

1 As the Koreish did against Mohammed. See chap. 8, p. 293, note z.

™ See chap. 22, p. 274.

t ‘God formed you of earth and of water. He gave unto you the sexes.’’—Savary.
® That is, The two collective bodies of salt water and fresh. See chap. 25, p. 299.
° See chap. 16, p. 215, note e.

> As pearls and coral.
CHAP. XXXV, AL KORAN. ' 859

thereof shall be borne by the person who shall be called on, although he be
ever so nearly related. Thou shalt admonish those who fear their Lorp in
secret and are constant at prayer: and whoever cleanseth himself from the
guilt of disobedience, cleanseth himself to the advantage of his own soul; for
all shall be assembled before Gon at the last day. The blind and the seeing
shall not be held equal; neither darkness and light; nor the cool shade and
the scorching wind: neither shall the living and the dead be held equal.
Gop shall cause him to hear whom he pleaseth: but thou shalt not make
those to hear who are in their graves." Thou art no other than a preacher:
verily we have sent thee with truth, a bearer of good tidings, and a
denouncer of threats. There hath been no nation, but a preacher hath in
past times been conversant among them: if they charge thee with impos-
ture, they who were before them likewise charged their apostles with
imposture. Their apostles came unto them with evident miracles, and
with divine writings,’ and with the enlightening book: afterwards I
chastised those who were unbelievers; and how severe was my vengeance!
Dost thou not see that Gop sendeth down rain from heaven, and that we
thereby produce fruits of various colours?" In the mountains also there
are some tracts white and red, of various colours;¥ and others are of a
deep black :* and of men, and beasts, and cattle there are whose colours
are in like manner various. Such only of his servants fear Gop as are
endued with understanding: verily Gop is mighty and ready to forgive.
Verily they who read the book of Gon, and are constant at prayer, and give
alms out of what we have bestowed on them, both in secret and openly,
hope for a merchandize which shall not perish: that God may fully
pay them their wages, and make them a superabundant addition of his
liberality ; for he is ready to forgive the faults of his servants, and to requite
their endeavours. That which we have revealed unto thee of the book
of the Koran is the truth, confirming the scriptures which were revealed
before it: for Gop knoweth and regardeth his servants. And we have
given the book of the Kordn in heritage unto such of our servants as
we have chosen: of them there is one who injureth his own soul; * and
there is another of them who keepeth the middle way;¥ and there is another
of them who outstrippeth others in good works, by the permission of Gop.
This is the great excellence. They shall be introduced into gardens of per-
petual abode; they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and

 

4 This passage expresses the great difference between a true believer and an infidel,
truth and vanity, and their future reward and punishment.

' i, e. Those who obstinately persist in their unbelief, who are compafed to the dead.

* As the volumes delivered to Abraham, and to other prophets before Moses.

t yiz. The Law, or the Gospel.

" That is, Of different kinds. See chap. 16, p. 215.

” Being more or less intense.* ‘ k ‘

* «©The paths of the mountains are red, white, or of various colours. The raven is
black.’’—Savary. : i

* By not practising what he is taught and commanded in the Koran.

yThat is, Who meaneth well, and performeth his duty for the most part, but not
perfectiy. ‘

: * Al Beidawi.
360 . AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXV.

.

pearls, and their clothing therein shall be of silk: and they shall say, Praise
be unto Gop, who hath taken away sorrow from us! verily our Lorp
is ready to forgive the sinners, and to reward the obedient : who hath caused
us to take up our rest in a dwelling of eternal stability, through his bounty,
wherein no labour shall touch us, neither shall any weariness affect us.
But for the unbelievers is prepared the fire of hell: it shall not be decreed
them to die a second time; neither shall any part of the punishment thereof
be made lighter unto them. Thus shall every infidel be rewarded. And
they shall cry out aloud in hell, saying, Lorp, take us hence, and we will
work righteousness, and not what we have formerly wrought. But it shail
be answered them, Did we not grant you lives of length sufficient, that whoever
would be warned might be warned therein ; and did not the preacher* come
unto you? taste therefore the pains of hell. And the unjust shall have no
protector. Verily Gop knoweth the secrets both of heaven and earth, for
he knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men. It is he who hath
made you to succeed in the earth.* Whoever shall disbelieve, on him be
his unbelief; and their unbelief shall only gain the unbelievers greater in-
dignation in the sight of their Lorp; and their unbelief shall only increase
the perdition of the unbelievers. Say, What think ye of your deities which
ye invoke besides Gop? Show me what part of the earth they have
created. Or had they any share in the creation of the heavens? Have we
given unto the idolaters any book of revelations, so that they may rely on
any proof therefrom to authorize their practice? Nay; but the ungodly
make unto one another only deceitful promises. Verily Gop sustaineth the
heavens and the earth, lest they fail: and if they should fail, none
could support the same besides him; he is gracious and merciful. The
Koreish swore by Gop, with a most solemn oath, that if a preacher had
come unto them, they would surely have been more willingly directed than
any nation: but row a preacher is come unto them, it hath only increased
in them their aversion from the truth, their arrogance in the earth, and their
contriving of evil; but the contrivance of evil shall only encompass the
authors thereof. Do they expect any other than the punishment awarded
against the unbelievers of former times? For thou shalt not find any change
in the ordinance of Gon; neither shalt thou find any variation in the
ordinance of Gop. Have they not gone through the earth, and seen what
hath been the end of those who were before them; although they were
more mighty in strength than they? Gop is not to be frustrated by any
thing either in heaven or on earth; for he is wise and powerful. If Gop
should punish men according to what they deserve, he would not leave
on the back of the earth so much as a beast: but he respiteth them to a
determined time; and when their time shall come, verily Gop will regard
his servants. :

 

* viz. Mohammed.
' “He hath established you on the ruins of the past generations,’’—Savary,
CHAP. XXXVI. AL KORAN, 361

CHAPTER XXXVI.
INTITLED, Y. 8.; REVEALED AT MECCA. +
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Y.S.3 J swear by the instructive Koran, that thou art one of the mes-
sengers of God, sent to show the right way. This is a revelation of the
most mighty, the merciful God: that thou mayest warn a people whose
fathers were not warned, and who live in negligence. Our sentence” hath
justly been pronounced against the greater part of them; wherefore they
shall not believe. We have put yokes® on their necks, which come up to
iheir chins; and they are forced to hold up their heads ;* and we have set
a bar before them, and a bar behind them;* and we have covered them
with darkness ; wherefore they shall not see. It shall be equal unto them
whether thou preach unto them, or do not preach unto them; they shall
not believe. But thou shalt preach with effect unto him only who fol-
loweth the admonition of the Kordn, and feareth the Merciful in secret.
Wherefore bear good tidings unto him, of mercy, and an honourable
reward. Verily we will restore the dead to life, and will write down their
works which they shall have sent before them, and their footsteps which they
shall have left behind them:* and every thing do we set down in a plain
register. Propound unto them as an example the inhabitants of the city
of Antioch, when the apostles of Jesus came thereto: when we sent unto

 

* The meaning of these letters is unknown :* some, however, from a tradition of Ebn
Abbas, pretend they stand for Ya insdn,i.e. O man. This chapter, it is said, had several
other titles given it by Mohammed himself, and particularly that of The heart of the Koran.
The Mohammedans read it to dying persons in their last agony.*

> yiz. The sentence of damnation, which God pronounced against the greater part of
genii and men, at the fall of Adam.® .

* Or collars, such as are described p. 200, note o.

* “©The most part of them will verify our predictions, because that they are unbelievers.
We have loaded their necks with long and heavy chains. In vain would they raise up
their heads.’’—Savary.

* That is, We have placed obstacles to prevent their looking either forwards or back-
wards. The whole passage represents the blindness and invincible obstinacy, with which
God justly curses perverse and reprobate men.

It is said that when the Koreish, in pursuance of a resolution they had taken, had sent
aselect number to beset Mohammed’s house, and to kill him,’ the prophet, having caused
Ali to lie down on his bed to deceive the assassins, went ont and threw a handful of dust
at them, repeating the nine first verses of this chapter, which end here; and that they
were thereupon stricken with blindness, so that they could not see him.?

‘ As their good or evil example, doctrine, &c.

© To explain this passage, the commentators tell the following story.

The people of Antioch being idolaters, Jesus sent two of his disciples thither to preach
to them: and when they drew near the city, they found Habib surnamed al Najjar, or the
carpenter, feeding sheep, and acquainted him with their errand: whereupon he asked them
what proof they had of their veracity, and they told him they could cure the sick, and the
blind, and the lepers; and to demonstrate the truth of what they said, they laid their hands
ona child of his who was sick, and immediately restored him to health. Habib was con-
vinced by this miracle, and believed ; after which they went into the city and preached
the worship of one true God, curing a great number of people of several infirmities: but

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 3, p. 42, &c. ® Vide Bobov. De visit. egrat. p. 17.
* See chap. 7, p. 117, chap. 11, p. 186, &c. 1 See the Prelim. Disc. p. 35. Tide
Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 50.
2H
362 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXVI.

them two of the said apostles ;* but they charged them with imposture.
Wherefore we strengthened them with a third And they said, Verily we
are sent unto you by God... The inhabitants answered, Ye are no other than
men, as we are; neither hath the Merciful revealed any thing unto you :
ye only publish a lie. The apostles replied, Our Lorp knoweth that we
are really sent unto you: and our duty is only public preaching. Those
of Antioch said, Verily we presage evil from you: if ye desist not from
preaching, we will surely stone you, and a painful punishment shall be |
inflicted on you by us. The apostles answered, Your evil presage is with
yourselves :* although ye be warned,* will ye persist in your errors?
Verily ye are a people who transgress exceedingly. And a certain man!
came hastily from the farther parts of the city, and said, O my people, fol-
low the messengers of God ; follow him who demandeth not any reward
of you: for these are rightly directed. *[XXIIJ.] What reason have |
that I should not worship him who hath created me? for unto him shall
yereturn. Shall J take other gods besides him? If the Merciful be pleased
to afflict me, their intercession will not avail me at all, neither can they
deliver me: then should I be in a manifest error. Verily I believe in your
Lorp ; wherefore hearken unto me. But they stoned him: and as he died,
it was said unto him, Enter thou into paradise. And he said, O that my
people knew how merciful Gop hath been unto me! for he hath highly
honoured me. And we sent not down against his people, after they had
slain him, an army from heaven, nor the other instruments of destruction
which we sent down on unbelievers in former days :™ there was only one

 

at length, the affair coming to the prince’s ear, he ordered them to be imprisoned, for
endeavouring to seduce the people. When Jesus heard of this, he sent another of his
disciples, generally supposed to have been Simon Peter; who coming to Antioch, and
appearing as a zealous idolater, soon insinuated himself into the favour of the inhabitants
and of their prince, and at length took an opportunity to desire the prince would order the
two persons, who, as he was informed, had been put in prison for broaching new opinions,
to be brought before him to be examined; and accordingly they were brought: whén
Peter, having previously warned them to take no notice that they knew him, asked them
who sent them; to which they answered, God who had created all things, and had no
companion: he then required some convincing proof of their mission, upon which they
restored a blind person to his sight, and performed some other miracles, with which Peter
seemed not to be satisfied, for that, according to some, he did the very same miracles
himself, but declared that if their God could enable them to raise the dead, he would be-
lieve them; which condition the apostles accepting, a lad was brought who had been
dead seven days, and at their prayers he was raised to life, and thereupon Peter acknow-
ledged himself convinced, and ran and demolished the idols, a great many of the people

following him, and embracing the true faith; but those who believed not were destroyed
by the cry of the angel Gabriel.*

»Some say these two were John and Paul; but others name different persons.
' yiz. Simon Peter.

*i.e. If any evil befall you, it will be the consequence of your own obstinacy and un-
belief. See chap. 27, p. 313, note p.

* “Suspend your presage ; when ye shall have listened to our doctrine, perchance ye
will renounce your evil doings.’’—Savary.

‘This was Habib al Najjar, whose martyrdom is here described: his tomb is still
shown near Antioch, and is much visited by the Mohammedans.‘ ‘

™ Asa deluge, or a shower of stones, or a suffocating wind, é&&c. The words may alse
he translated, Nor did we determine to send down such executioners of our justice.

* Al Zamakh., al Beidiwi, &c. Vide etiam Marrace. in Ale. p. 580. * Vide Schul-
tens, Indic. Geogr. ad caleem Vite Saladini, voce Antiochia. 5 :
‘ OHAP. XXXVI. AL KORAN. 363

cry of Gabriel from heaven, and behold, they became utterly extinct. O the
misery of men! No apostle cometh unto them, but they laugh him
to scorn. Do they not consider how many generations we have destroyed
before them? Verily they shall not return unto them: but all of them in
general shall be assembled before us. *One sign of the resurrection unto
them is the dead earth :" we quicken the same by the rain, and produce
thereout various sorts of grain, of which they eat. And we make therein
gardens of palm-trees, and vines ; and we cause springs to gush forth in the
same: that they may eat of the fruits thereof, and of the labour of their
hands. Will they not therefore give thanks? Praise be unto him who hath
created all the different kinds, both of vegetables, which the earth bringeth
forth, and of their own species, by forming the two sexes, and also the various
sorts of things which they know not. The night also is a sign unto them:
we withdraw the day from the same, and behold, they are covered with
darkness: and the sun hasteneth to his place of rest.° This is the dis-
position of the mighty, the wise God. And for the moon have we
appointed certain mansions,” until she change and return to be like the old
branch of a palm-tree.* It is not expedient that the sun should overtake
the moon in her course : neither doth the night outstrip the day: but each
of these luminaries moveth in a peculiar orbit. It is a sign also unto them,
that they carry their offspring in the ship filled with merchandize ;* and
that we have made for them other conveniences like unto it,* whereon they
ride. If we please, we drown them, and there is none to help them;
neither are they delivered, unless through our mercy, and that they may
enjoy life for a season. When it is said unto them, Fear that which is
before you, and that which is behind you,t that ye may obtain mercy: they
withdraw from thee : and thou dost not bring them one sign, of the signs of
their Lorp, but they turn aside from the same. And when it is said unto
them, Give alms of that which Gop hath bestowed on you; the unbelievers
say unto those who believe, by way of mockery, Shall we feed him whom
Gop can feed, if he pleaseth?* Verily ye are in no other than a manifest

 

"See chap. 29, p. 326, note m. ; ‘ :

° That is, he hasteneth to run his daily course: the setting of the sun resembling a
traveller’s going to rest. Some copies vary in this place, and instead of limostakarrin laha,
read la mostakarra laha ; according to which the sentence should be rendered, The sun
runnethtis course without ceasing, and hath not a place of rest.

? viz. These are twenty-eight constellations, through one of which the moon passes every
night, thence called the mansions or houses of the moon.® ;

* «© We have appointed the phases of the moon, and the moment at which she appeareth
suspended like the clusters of the date-tree.”” gic

4 For when a palm-branch grows old, it shrinks, and becomes crooked and yellow, not
ill representing the appearance of the new moon. i ; : :

* Some suppose that the deliverance of Noah and his companions, in the ark, is here in-
tended: and then the words should be translated, That we carried their progeny in the ark
filled with living creatures. (Savary adopts this reading.)

* As camels, which ate the land-ships; of lesser vessels and boats.

ti. e. The punishment of this world and of the next, .

= When the poor Moslems asked alms of the richer Koreish, they told them that if God

'’ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i, p. 22. ; ; : : ;
* «<The date-tree produces two or three large clusters, which spring from its summit,

and are suspended around.’’—Savary.
364 AL KORAN: CHAP. XXXVI.

error. And they say, When will this promise of the resurrection be fulfilled,
if ye speak truth? They only wait for one sounding ‘of the trumpet,* which
shall overtake them while they are disputing together ; and they shall not
have time to make any disposition of their effects, neither shall they return to
their family. And the trumpet shall be sounded again ;* and behold they
shall come forth from their graves, and hasten unto their Lorp. They shall
say, Alas for us! who hath awakened us from our bed ?” This is what the
Merciful promised us; and his apostles spoke the truth. It shall be but
one sound of the trumpet, and behold, they shall be all assembled before us.
On this day no soul shall be unjustly treated in the least; neither shall ye
be rewarded, but according to what ye shall have wrought. On this day
the inhabitants of paradise shall be wholly taken up with joy: they and
their wives shall rest in shady groves, leaning on magnificent couches.
There shall they have fruit, and they shall obtain whatever they shall
desire. Peace shall be the word.spoken wnto the righteous; by a*merciful
Lorp: but he shall say unto the wicked, Be ye separated this day, O ye
wicked, from the righteous. Did I not command you, O sons of Adam,
that ye should not worship Satan; because he was an open enemy unto
you? And did I not say, Worship me; this is the right way? But now
hath he seduced a great multitude of you: did ye not therefore understand ?
This is hell, with which ye were threatened: be ye cast into the same this
day to be burned; for that ye have been unbelievers. On this day we will
seal up their mouths, that they shall not open them in their own defence ;
and their hands shall speak unto us, and their feet shall bear witness
of that which they have committed.* If we pleased we could put out their
eyes, and they might run with emulation in the way they use to take ;* and
how should they see their error? And if we pleased we could transform
them into other shapes, in their places when they should be found ; and they
should not be able to depart : neither should they repent.» Unto whomsoever
we grant a long life, him do we cause to bow down his body through age.t
Will they not therefore understand? ‘We have not taught Mohammed the
art of poetry ;° nor is it expedient for him to be a poet. This book is no
other than an admonition from God, and a perspicuous Korn; that he may

 

could provide for them, as they imagined, and did not, it was an argument that they
deserved not his favour so well as themselves: whereas God permits some to be in want,
to try the rich and exercise their charity.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 59, and the notes to chap. 39.
¥ See ibid.

* For they shall sleep during the interval between these two blasts of the trumpet, and
shall feel no pain.”

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 63.

* “We could deprive them of sight, and they would wander hither and thither in the
midst of darkness.’’—Savary.

* That is, They deserve to be thus treated for their infidelity and disobedience; but we
bear with them out of mercy, and grant them respite.

pes He whose old age we lengthen approaches unto childhood.’”’—Savary.
* This is in answer to the infidels, who pretended the Koran was only a poetical com-

position.
* Jallalo’ddin.
)OHAP. XXXVII. _ AL KORAN. © ° 365

’ : , :

‘warn him who is living :4 and the sentence of condemnation will be justly
executed on the unbelievers. Do they not consider that we have created
for them, among the things which our hands have wrought, cattle of several

+ kinds, of which they are possessors;-and that we have put the same in
subjection under them? Some of them®are for their riding; and on some
of them do they feed: and they receive other advantages therefrom; and of
their milk do they drink. Will they not, therefore, be thankful? They
have taken other gods, besides Gop, in hopes that they may be assisted by
them ; but they are not able to give them any assistance: yet are they a
party of troops ready to defend them.* Let not their speech, therefore,
grieve thee: we know that which they privately conceal, and that which
they publicly discover. Doth not man know that we have created him of
seed? yet behold, he is an open disputer against the resurrection ; and he
propoundeth unto us a comparison, and forgetteth his creation. He saith,
Who shall restore bones to life, when they are rotten?* Answer, He shall
restore them to life, who produced them the first time: for he is skilled in
every kind of creation: who giveth you fire out of the green tree,‘ and
behold, ye kindle your fuel from thence. Is not he who hath created the
heavens and the earth able to create new creatures like unto them? Yea
certainly : for he is the wise Creator. His command, when he willeth a
thing, is only that he saith unto it, Be; and it is. Wherefore praise be
unto him, in whose hand is the kingdom of all things, and unto whom ye
Shall return at the last day.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

INTITLED, THOSE WHO RANK THEMSELVES IN ORDER; REVEALED
AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the angels who rank themselves in order; and by those who drive
forward and dispel the clouds ;* and by those who read the Kordn for

 

44. e, Indued with understanding ; the stupid and careless being like dead persons.*

* ‘‘ They are incapable of giving succour. The worshipper and the idol shall be the
prey of the flames.’’—Savary.

* See chap. 16, p. 214, note a. seca ; ; ,

i iking fire in the east is by rubbing together two pieces of wood,
sheer ee - Ce of the tree called Markh, aad thers ther of that called Afar:
and it will succeed even though the wood be green and wet.®

« Some understand by these words the seuls of men who range themselves in obedience
to God’s laws, and put away from them all infidelity and corrupt doings; or the souls of
those who rank themselves in battle array, to fight for the true religion, and push on their
horses to charge the infidels, &c.* ‘

» Or, who put in motion all bodies, in the upper and lower world, according to the divine
command; or, who keep off men from disobedience to God, by inspiring them with good
thoughts and inclinations ; or, who drive away the devils from them, &c.?

® Al Beidawi. ° Vide Hyde, de Rel. vot. Pers, c. 25, p. 333, &c. * Al Beidawi.
Idem.
366 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXVII.

an admonition; verily your Gop is one:* the Lorp of heaven and earth,
and of whatever is between them, and the Lorp of the east.' We have
adorned the lower heaven with the ornament of the stars: and we have
placed therein a guard against every rebellious devil ; that they may not
listen to the’ discourse of the exaléed princes (for they are darted at from
every side, to repel them, and a lasting torment is prepared for them); ex-
cept him who catcheth a word by stealth, and is pursued by a shining
flame.t* Ask the Meccans, therefore, whether they de stronger by nature,
or the angels, whom we have created? We have surely created them of
stiff clay. Thou wonderest at God’s power and their obstinacy ; but they
mock at the arguments urged to convince them: when they are warned,
they do not take warning; and when they see any sign, they scoff thereat,
and say, This is no other than manifest sorcery: after we shall be dead,
and become dust and bones, shall we really be raised to life, and our fore-
fathers also? Answer, Yea: and ye shall then be despicable. There
shall be but one blast of the trumpet, and they shall see themselves raised :
and they shall say, Alas for us! this is the day of judgment; this is the
day of distinction between the righteous and the wicked, which ye rejected
as a falsehood. Gather together those who have acted unjustly, and their
comrades, and the idols which they worshipped besides Gop, and direct
them in the way to hell; and set them before God’s tribunal ; for they shall
be called to account. What aileth you that ye defend not one another?
But on this day they shall submit themselves to the judgment of God: and
they shall draw nigh unto one another, and shall dispute among them-
selves. .And the seduced shall say unto those who seduced them, Verily ye
came unto us with presages of prosperity ; and the seducers shall answer,
Nay, rather ye were not true believers: for we had no power over you
to compel you; but ye were people who voluntarily transgressed: where-
fore the sentence of our Lorn hath been justly pronounced against us, and
we shall surely taste his vengeance. We seduced you; but we also erred
ourselves. They shall both therefore be made partakers of the same pun-
ishment on that day. Thus will we deal with the wicked : because, when
it is said unto them, There is no god besides the true Gop, they swell with
arrogance, and say, Shall we abandon our gods for a distracted poet? Nay:
he cometh with the truth, and beareth witness to the former apostles. Ye

 

* “7 swear by the bands of angels, by those who threaten, by those who read,* your
God is the only God.”’—Savary. . z ant ; ai

! The original word, being in the plural number, is supposed to signify the different
points of the horizon, from whence the sun rises in the course of the year, which are in
number three hundred and sixty (equal to the number of days in the old civil year), and
have as many corresponding points where it successively sets, during that space.* Marracci
groundlessly imagines this interpretation to be built on the error of the plurality of worlds.

t ‘* One of them approached by stealth the celestial spheres, but a penetrating flame
precipitated him down.’’—Savary.

«See chap. 15, p. 210.

' Literally, from the right hand. The words may also be rendered, with force, to com-
pel us; or, wth an oath, swearing that ye were in the right.

s «<The angels who read the Koran are here meant.’’—Savary.
4 Al Beidawi, Yahya. 5 Marracc. in Alc. p. 589,
CHAP. XXXVII. AL KORAN. 867

shall surely taste the painful torment of hell ; and ye shall not be rewarded,
but according to your works. But as for the sincere servants of Gop, they
shall have a certain provision in paradise, namely, delicious fruits: and they
shall be honoured: they shall be placed in gardens of pleasure, leaning on
couches, opposite to one another:™ a cup shall be carried round unto
them, filled from a limpid fountain, for the delight of those who drink: it
shall not oppress the understanding, neither shall they be inebriated there-
with. And near them shall lie the virgins of paradise, refraining their looks
from beholding any besides their spouses, having large black eyes, and re-
sembling the eggs of an ostrich covered with feathers from the dust And
they shall turn the one unto the other, and shall ask one another questions.
And one of them shall say, Verily I had an intimate friend while I lived in
the world, who said unto me, Art thou one of those who assertest the truth
of the resurrection? After we shall be dead, and reduced to dust and bones,
shall we surely be judged? Then he shall say to his companions, Will ye
look down? And he shall look down, and shall see him in the midst of
hell: and he shall say unto him, By Gop, it wanted little but thou hadst
drawn me into ruin: and had it not been for the grace of my Lorp, I] had
surely been one of those who have been delivered up to eternal torment.
Shall we die any other than our first death; or do we suffer any punish-
ment? Verily this is great felicity: for the obtaining a felicity like this
let the labourers labour. Is this a better entertainment, or the tree of al
Zakkum ?° Verily we have designed the same for an occasion of dispute
unto the unjust.2* Jt is a tree which issueth from the bottom of hell: the
fruit thereof resembleth the heads of devils;% and the damned shall eat of
the same, and shall fill their bellies therewith; and there shall be given
them thereon a mixture of filthy and boiling water to drink: afterwards
shall they return into hell." They found their fathers going astray, and
they trod hastily in their footsteps: for the greater part of the ancients
erred before them. And we sent warmers unto them heretofore: and see
how miserable was the end of those who were warned; except the sincere
servants of Gop. Noah called on us in former days: and we heard him
graciously : and we delivered him and his family out of the great distress ,
and we caused his offspring to be those who survived to people the earth:

 

™ See chap. 15, p. 212, note h. ‘

2 This may seem an odd comparison to an European; but the orientals think nothing
comes so near the colour of a fine woman’s skin as that of an ostrich’s egg, when kept
perfectly clean.

® There is a thorny tree so called, which grows in Tehama, and bears’ fruit like an
almond, but extremely bitter; and therefore the same name is given to this infernal tree.

? The infidels not conceiving how a tree could grow in hell, where the stones themselves
serve for fuel.

* ‘ How different is the tree al Zakkum from the abode of Eden! We have planted
it for the torment of the wicked.’’—Savary.

4 Or of serpents ugly to behold: the original word signifies both.

* Some suppose that the entertainment above-mentioned will be the welcome given the
damned before they enter that place ; and others, that they will pe suffered to come out
of hell from time to time, to drink their scalding liquor.
368 AL KORAN. CHAP, XXXVII.

and we left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest
posterity, namely, Peace be on Noah among all creatures! Thus do we
reward the righteous; for he was one of our servants the true believers.
Afterwards we drowned the others. Abraham also was of his religion :*
when he came unto his Lorp with a perfect heart. When he said unto his
father and his people, What do ye worship? Do ye choose false gods
preferably to the true Gop? What therefore is your opinion of the Lorp
of all creatures? And he looked and observed the stars, and said, Verily I
shall be sick, and shall not assist at your sacrifices : and they turned their
backs and departed from him. And Abraham went privately to their
gods, and said scoffingly unto them, Do ye not eat of the meat which is set
before you2 What aileth you that ye speak not? And he turned upon
them, and struck them with his right hand, and demolished them. And the’
_ people came hastily unto him: and he said, Do ye worship the images
which ye carve? whereas Gop hath created you, and also that which ye
make. They said, Build a pile for him, and cast him into the glowing fire.
And they devised a plot against him; but we made them the inferior, and
delivered him.» And Abraham said, Verily I am going unto my Lorp,*
who will direct me. O Lorp, grant me a righteous issue. Wherefore we
acquainted him that he should have a son, who should be a meek youth.*
And when he had attained to years of discretion, and could join in acts
of religion with him, Abraham said unto him, O my son, verily I saw ina
dream that I should offer thee in sacrifice:¥ consider therefore what thou
art of opinion I should do. He answered, O my father, do what thou art

 

* For Noah and he agreed in the fundamental points both of faith and practice ; though
the space between them was no less than 2640 years.® i
* He made as if he gathered so much from the aspect of the heavens (the people being
greatly addicted to the superstitions of astrology), and made it his excuse for being absent
rom their festival, to which they had invited Gan: 3
* Fearing he had some contagious distemper."
* See chap. 21, p. 268, &c.
~ i.e. Whither he hath commanded me.

* “« We foretold unto him a son, who should be endowed with wisdom.’”’—Savary.
x He was then thirteen years old.*

y The conimentators say, that Abraham was ordered in a vision, which he saw on the
eighth night of the month Dhu’lhajja, to sacrifice his son ; and to assure him that this was
not from the devil, as he was inclined to suspect, the same vision was repeated a second
time the next night, when he knew it to be from God; and also a third time the night
following, when he resolved to obey it, and to sacrifice his son: and hence some think the
8th, 9th, and 10th days of Dhu’lhajja are called Yawm alterwiya, yawm arafat, and yawm
alnehr, that is, the day of the vision, the day of knowledge, and the day of the sacrifice.

It is the most received opinion among the Mohammedans, that the son whom Abraham
offered was Ismael, and not Isaac; Ismael being his only son at that time: for the-pro-
mise of Isaac’s birth is mentioned lower, as subsequent in time to this transaction. They
also allege the testimony of their prophet, who is reported to have said, I am the son of the
two who were offered in sacrifice; meaning his great ancestor, Ismael, and his own father
Abd’allah: for Abd’almotalleb had made a vow, that if God would permit him to find
out and open the well Zemzem, and should give him ten sons, he would sacrifice one of
them: accordingly, when he had obtained his desire in both respects, he cast lots on his
sons, and the lot falling on Abd’allah, he redeemed him by offering an hundred camels,
which was therefore ordered to be the price of a man’s blood in the Sonna.?

° Al Beidawi. 7Idem. * Idem, *Tdem, Jallalo’ddin, al Zamakh.
CHAP. XXXVIL AL KORAN. 369

commanded : thou shalt find me, if Gop please, a patient person. And
when they had submitted themselves to the divine will, and Abraham had
laid his son prostrate on his face,* we cried unto him, O Abraham, now
hast thou verified the vision. Thus do we reward the righteous. Verily
this was a manifest trial. And we ransomed him with a noble victim.
And we left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest
posterity, namely, Peace de on Abraham! ‘Thus do we reward the righteous :
for he was one of our faithful servants. And we rejoiced him with the
promise of Isaac, a righteous prophet; and we blessed him and Isaac:
and of their offspring were some righteous doers, and others who manifestly
injured their own souls. We were also gracious unto Moses and Aaron,
heretofore: and we delivered them and their people from a great distress.
And we assisted them against the Egyptians ; and they became the con-
querors. And we gave them the perspicuous book of the /aw, and we
directed them into the right way, and we left the following salutation
to be bestowed on them by the latest posterity, namely, Peace be on
Moses and Aaron! Thus do we reward the righteous; for they were
two of our faithful servants. And Elias> was also one of those who
were sent by us. When.he said unto his people, Do ye not fear God?
Do ye invoke Baal, and forsake the most excellent Creator? Gop is
your Lorp, and the Lorp of your forefathers. But they accused him of
-imposture: wherefore they shall be delivered up to eternal punishment ;
except the sincere servants of Gop. And we left the following salutation to
be bestowed on him by the latest posterity, namely, Peace be on Ilyasin !¢
Thus do we reward tne righteous : for he was one of our faithful servants.
And Lot was also one of those who were sent by us. When we delivered

 

7 The commentators add, that Abraham went so far as to draw the knife with all his
strength across the lad’s throat; but was miraculously hindered from hurting him.”

* The epithet of great, or noble, is here added, either because itwas large and fat, or be-
catise it was accepted as the ransom of a prophet. Some suppose this victim was a ram,
and, if we may believe a common tradition, the very same which Abel sacrificed, having
been brought to Abraham out of Paradise: others fancy it was a wild-goat, which came
down from mount Thabir, near Mecca: for the Mohammedans lay the scene of this trans-
action in the valley of Mina; as.a proof of which they tell us that the horns of the victim
were hung up on the spout of the Caaba, where they remained till they were burnt, together
with that building, in the days of Abd’allah Ebn Zobeir ;* though others assure us that they
had been before taken down by Mohammed himself, to remove all occasion of idolatry?

‘This prophet the Mohammedans generally suppose to have been the same with al
Khedr, and confound him with Phineas,’ and sometimes with Edris, or Enoch. Some say
he was the son of Yasin, and nearly related to Aaron; and others suppose him to have
been a different person. He was sent to the inhabitants of Baalbec in Syria, the Heliopolis
of the Greeks, to reclaim them from the worship of their idol Baal, or the sun, whose name
makes part of that of the city, which was anciently called Becc.* ans

© The commentators do not well know what to make of this word. Some think it is the
plural of Elias, or, as the Arabs write it, Ilyas, and that both that prophet and his fol-
lowers, or those who resembled him, are meant thereby: others divide the word, and
tread Gl Yasin i.e. the family of Yasin, who was the father of Elias, according to an
opinion mentioned above: and others imagine it signifies Mohammed, or the Koran, or
some other book of scripture. But the most probable conjecture is, that Ilyas or Ilyasin
are the same name, or design one and the same person, as Sinai and Sinin denote one and
the same mountain; the last syllable being added here, to keep up the rhyme, or cadence,
at the close of the verse.

© Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. tJidem. 2 Vide D’Herb. Bibl. Orient. Art. Ismail
4 See chap. 18, p. 244, note x. 4 Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi.
370 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXVII.

him and his whole family, except an old woman, his wife, who perished
among those that remained behind: afterwards we destroyed the others.
And ye, O people of Mecca, pass by the places where they once dwelt, as
ye journey in the morning, and by night; will ye not therefore understand ?
Jonas was also one of those who were sent byus.° When he fled‘ into the
loaded ship; and those who were on board cast lots among themselves,? and
he was condemned :* and the fish swallowed him; for he was worthy of
reprehension. And if he had not been one of those who praised Gop,*
verily he had remained in the belly thereof until the day of resurrection.
And we cast him on the naked shore, and he was sick :!* and we caused
a plant of a gourd™ to grow up over him; and we sent him to an hundred:
thousand persons, or they were a greater number, and they believed:
wherefore we granted them to enjoy this life for a season. Inquire of the
Meccans whether thy Lorp hath daughters, and they sons?" Have we
created the angels of the female sex? and were they witnesses thereof?
Do they not say of their own false invention, Gop hath begotten issue?
and are they not really liars? Hath he chosen daughters preferably to
sons? Ye have no reason to judge thus. Will ye therefore not be admo-
nished? Or have yea manifest proof of what ye say? Produce now your
book of revelations, if ye speak truth. And they make him to be of kin
unto the genii;° whereas the genii know that they who affirm such things

 

4 See chap. 7, p. 125, &c. and chap. 11, p. 183, &c.

© See chap. 10, p. 173.

‘ See chap. 21, p. 271.

® Al Beidawi says the ship stood stock still, wherefore they concluded that they had a
fugitive servant on board, and cast lots to find him out.

47, e. He was taken by the lot. : :

i When the lot fell on Jonas, he cried out, I am the fugitive; and immediately threw
himself into the sea.*

‘ nee words seem to relate particularly to Jonas’s supplication while in the whale’s
elly.®

' By reason of what he had suffered ; his body becoming like that of a new-born child."
It is said that the fish, after it had swallowed Jonas, swam after the ship with its head
above water, that the prophet might breathe; who continued to praise God till the fish
came to land and vomited him out.

The opinions of the Mohammedan writers, as to the time Jonas continued in the fish’s

belly, differ very much: some suppose it was a part of a day; others three days, others
seven, others twenty, and others forty.®

* « The fish which had swallowed him threw him upon the sand, overwhelmed with
sufferings.’’—Savary.

™ The original word properly signifies a plant which spreads itself upon the ground,
having no erect stalk or stem to support it, and particularly a gourd; though some imagine
Jonas’s plant to have been a fig, and others the small tree or shrub called Mauz,® which
bears very large leaves, and excellent fruit... The commentators add, that this plant
withered the next morning, and that Jonas being much concerned at it, God made a re-
monstrance to him in behalf of the Ninevites, agreeable to what is recorded in scripture.
* See chap. 16, p. 218. f

° That is, the angels, who are also comprehended under the name of ii, being a
species of them. Sine say that the infidels went so far as to assert that God’ an The
devil were brothers ;* which blasphemous expression may have been occasioned by the
magian notions. ;

.

§ Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. ® See chap. 21, p. 271. 7 Al Beidawi. ’ 8 Tdem.
° Idem. + Vide J. Leon. Deser. Afric. lib.9. Gab. Sionit. de Urb. Orient. ad ealest,
Geogr. Nub. p. 32, et Hottinger, Hist. Orient. p. 78, S&c. 2 Al Beidawi.
OHAP. XXXVIII. AL KORAN. 3871

shall be delivered up to eternal punishment ; (far be that from Gop, which
they affirm of him!) except the sincere servants of Gop.* Moreover ye
and that which ye worship shall not seduce any concerning God, excep\
him who is destined to be burned in hell. There is none of us but hath an
appointed place : we range ourselves in order, attending the commands of
God ; and we celebrate the divine praise.e The infidels said, If we had
been favoured with a book of divine revelations, of those which were deli-
vered to the ancients, we had surely been sincere servants of Gop: yet now
the Kordn is revealed, they believe not. therein; but hereafter shall they
know the consequence of their unbelief. Our word hath formerly been given
-unto our servants the apostles; that they shall certainly be assisted against
the infidels, and that our armies should surely be the conquerors. Turn
aside therefore from them, for a season: and see the calamities which shall
affict them ; for they shall see thy future succéss and prosperily. Do they
therefore seek to hasten our vengeance? Verily when it shall descend into
their courts, an evil morning shall it be unto those who were warned in
vain.| Turn aside from them therefore for a season, and see: hereafter
shall they see thy success and their punishment. Praise be unto thy Lorn,
the Lorp who is far exalted above what they affirm of him! And peace
be on his apostles! And praise de unto Gop, the Lorp of all creatures!

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
_ INTITLED, S.; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

S$. By the Koran full of admonition. Verily the unbelievers are ad-
dicted to pride and contention. How many generations have we destroyed
before them; and they cried for mercy, but it was not a time to escape.

 

* «The impious pretend that God hath had intercourse with the angels; and the angels
know that the impious shall be the prey of flames. Praise be to the Eternal! Far he
their blasphemies from him. His faithful servants alone are entitled to speak of him.”’—
Savary.

» These words are supposed to be spoken by the angels, disclaiming the worship paid to
them by the idolaters, and declaring that they have each their station and office appointed
them by God, whose commands they are at all times ready to execute, and whose praises
they continually sing. ‘There are some expositors, however, who think they are the
words of Mohammed and his followers; the meaning being, that each of them has a place
destined for him in paradise, and that they are the men who range themselves in order
before God, to worship and pray to him, and who celebrate his praise, by rejecting every
false notion derogatory to the divine wisdom and power.

+ “Shun the infidels until the time. Look on them: one day their eyes shall be opened.
Do they desire to hasten our vengeance? When the hour shall knock at their gate, ter-
rible shall be their awakening. Fly them until the appointed hour.’”’—Savary.

«The meaning of this letter is unknown :* some guess it stands for Sidk, 1. e. Truth ;
or for Sadaka, i. e. he (viz. Mohammed) speaketh thé truth; and others propose different
conjectures, all equally, uncertain.

t Something must be understood to answer this oath, which the commentators variously
supply.

2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, Svc.
372 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXX VII.

They wonder that a warner from among themselves hath come unto them.
And the unbelievers said, This man is a sorcerer, and a liar: doth he affirm
the gods to be but one Gov. Surely this is a wonderful thing. And the
chief men among them departed,’ saying to one another, Go, and persevere
in the worship of your gods: verily this is the thing which is designed.t*
We have not heard any thing like this in the last religion :* this is no other
than a false contrivance. Hath an admonition been sent unto him prefer-
able to any other among us? Verily they are in a doubt concerning my
admonition: but they have not yet tasted my vengeance. Are the trea-
sures of the mercy of thy Lorp, the mighty, the munificent God, in their
hands? Is the kingdom of the heavens, and the earth, and of whatever is.
between them, in their possession? If it be so, let them ascend by steps
unto heaven. But any army of the confederates shall even here be put to
flight.| The people of Noah, and the tribe of Ad, and Pharaoh the con-
triver of the stakes, {* and the tribe of Thamud, and the people of Lot, and
the inhabitants of the wood near Madian,y accused the prophets of impos-
ture before them; these were the confederates against the messengers of
God. All of them did no other than accuse their apostles of falsehood:
wherefore my vengeance hath been justly executed upon them. And these
wait only for one sounding of the trumpet ; which there shall be no defer-
ring. And they scoffingly say,O Lorp, hasten our sentence unto us, before
the day of account. Do thou patiently bear that which they utter: and
remind them of our servant David, endued with strength ;7 for he was one
who seriously turned himself unto God. We compelled the mouitains to

 

* On the conversion of Omar, the Koreish being greatly irritated, the most considerable
of them went in a body to Abu Taleb to complain to him of his nephew Mohammed’s
Proceedings but being confounded and put to silence by the prophet’s arguments, they

eft the assembly, and encouraged one another in their obstinacy.* -

t Namely, T’o draw us from their worship.

* «Their chiefs arose and said, Keep your religion: be faithful to your God. We
know his designs.’’—Savary.

«i.e. In the religion which we received from our fathers; or, in the religion of Jesus,
which was the last before the mission of Mohammed.* ‘

t ‘‘Let them essay to ascend into the heavens. Their armies, how numerous soever
they be, shall be put to flight.”’—Savary.

} ‘‘ Pharaoh, environed by his courtiers.’’ °—Savary.

x For they een used to tie those he had a mind to punish by the hands and feet
to four stakes fixed in the ground, and so tormented them.’ Some interpret the words,
which may also be translated the lord or master of the stakes, figuratively, of the firm esta-
blishment of Pharaoh’s kingdom; because the Arabs fix their tents with stakes:® but
they may possibly intend that prince’s obstinacy and hardness of heart.

¥ See chap. 15, p. 213.

* The commentators suppose that ability to undergo the frequent practice of religious
exercises is here meant. ‘hey say David used to fast every other day, and to spend one
half of the night in prayer,*

* Al Beidawi. 2 ‘Idem. >

° (Pharaoh is mentioned, in several parts of the Koran, with the epithet zou elaoutad,
contriver of the stakes. So the phrase has hitherto been translated. Zou signifies possessor.
Aoutad does not merely mean stakes. It means also, the chief men of a city. Ithas, there-
fore, appeared to me to be more natural to translate the Arabic words by *‘ Pharaoh, envi-
roned by his courtiers,” than by ‘‘ Pharaoh, contriver of the stakes." Besides, Mohammed
aniformly represents that prince surrounded by his courtiers.) —Savary.

1 Jallalo’ddin. * Al Beidawi. 1 Tidem, Interp.
CHAP. XXXVIII. AL KORAN. 873

celebrate owr praise with him, in the evening and at sunrise, and also the
birds, which gathered themselves together unto him :* all of them returned
frequently unto him for this purpose.. And we established his kingdom,
and gave him wisdom and eloquence of speech. Hath the story of the two
adversaries® come to thy knowledge ;* when they ascended over the wall
into the upper apartment, when they went in unto David, and he was
afraid of them.° They said, Fear not: we are two adversaries who have a
controversy to be decided. The one of us hath wronged the other: where-
fore judge between us with truth, and be not unjust; and direct us into the
even way. This my brother had ninety and nine sheep: and I had only
one ewe: and he said, Give her me to keep ;, and he prevailed against me
in the discourse which we had together.t David answered, Verily he hath
wronged thee in demanding thine ewe as an addition to his own sheep:
and many of them who are concerned together in business wrong one
another, except those who believe and do that which is right; but how few
are they! And David perceived that we had tried him by this parable, anc
he asked pardon of his Lorp: and he fell down and bowed himself, and
repented.’ Wherefore we forgave him this fault ; and he shall be admitted
to approach near unto us, and shall have an excellent place of abode in
paradise. O David, verily we have appointed thee a sovereign prince in
the earth: judge' therefore between men with truth; and follow not thy
own lust, lest it cause thee to err from the way of Gop: for those who
err from the way of Gop shall suffer a severe punishment, because they
have forgotten the day of account. We have not created the heavens and
the earth, and whatever is between them, in vain. This is the opinion
of the unbelievers : but woe unto those who believe not, because of the fire
of hell.{ Shall we deal with those who believe and do good’ works, as
with those who act corruptly in the earth? Shall we deal with the pious
as with the wicked? A blessed book have we sent down unto thee, O
Mohammed, that they may attentively meditate on the signs thereof, and

 

*See chap. 21, p. 270.
> These were two angels, who came unto David in the shape of men, to demand judg-
ment in the feigned controversy after-mentioned. It is no other than Nathan’s parable to
David, a little disguised.
* « Knowest thou the dispute of the two brothers ?”’—Savary.
Because they came suddenly upon him, on a day of privaey ; when the doors were
pened, and no person admitted to disturb his devotions. For David, they say, divided
is time regularly, setting apart one day for the service of God, another day for rendering
justice to his people, another day for preaching to them, and another day for his own affairs.°
t ‘I yielded unto his solicitations, and he hath wrested her from me.’’—Savary.

4The crime of which David had been guilty was the taking the wife of Uriah, and
ordering her husband to be set in the front of the battle to be slain.‘ A

Some suppose this story was told to serve as an- admonition to Mohammed, who, it
seems, was apt to covet what was another’s.

*So as to permit injustice to go unpunished, and righteousness unrewarded.

t “ The creation of the heavens, the earth, and the whole-universe, is our work. It is
not the sport of chance, as the unbelievers imagine. Woe be to the unpelievers. They
shall be the prey of the flames.’’—Savary.

92 Sam. xii. 3 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ‘Tidem.
374 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXVIII.

that men of understanding may be warned. And we gave unto David
Solomon; how excellent a servant! for he frequently turned himself unto
God. When the horses standing on three feet, and touching the ground
with the edge of the fourth foot,* and swift in the course, were set in
parade before him in the evening,’ he said, Verily I have loved the love
of earthly good above the remembrance of my Lorp: and have spent the
time in viewing these horses, until the sun is hidden by the veil of night.
bring the horses back unto me. nd when they were brought back, he began
to cut off their legs and their necks. We also tried Solomon, and placed
on his throne a counterfeit body :®} afterwards he turned unto God, and
said, O Lorp, forgive me, and give me a kingdom which may not be
obtained by any after me;* for thou art the giver of kingdoms. And
we made the wind subject to him; it ran gently at his command, whither-
‘ soever we directed. And we also put the devils in subjection under him ;
and among them such as were every way skilled in building, and in diving
for pearls : and others we delivered to him bound in chains, saying, Thisis —
our gift: therefore be bounteous, or be sparing unto whom thou shalt think

 

§ * «They ran with such swiftness that hardly did their feet touch the ground.” —
avary.

f Some say that Solomon brought these horses, being a thousand in number, from
Damascus and Nisibis, which cities he had taken; others say that they were left him by
his father, who took them from the Amalekites; while others, who prefer the marvellous,
pretend that they came up out of the sea, and had wings. However, Solomon, having
one day a mind to view these horses, ordered them to be brought before him, and was so
taken up with them that he spent the remainder of the day, till after sunset, in looking on
them; by which means he neglected the prayer, which ought to have been said at that
time, till it was too late ; but when he perceived his omission, he was so greatly concerned
at it, that, ordering the horses to be brought back, he killed them all as an offering to
God, except only a hundred of the best af them. But God made him ample amends for
the loss of these horses, by giving him dominion over the winds.’

Pitt a most received exposition of this passage is taken from the following Talmudic
fable. \

Solomon having taken Sidon, and slain the king of that city, brought away his daughter
Jerada, who became his favourite; and because she ceased not to lament her father’s loss,
he ordered the devils to make an image of him for her consolation; which being done, and
placed in her chamber, she and her maids worshipped it morning and evening, apeording
to their custom. At length Solomon being informed of this idolatry, which was practise
under his roof, by his vizier Asaf, he broke the image, and having chastised the woman.
went out into the desert, where he wept and made supplications to God ; who did not think
fit, however, to let his negligence pass without some correction. It was Solomon’s custom,
while he eased, or washed himself, to entrust his signet, on which his kingdom depended
with a concubine of his named Amina; one day, therefore, when she had the ring in her
eustody, a devil, named Sakhar, came to her in the shape of Solomon, and received the
ring from her; by virtue of which he, became possessed of the kingdom, and sat on the
throne in the shape which he had borrowed, making what alterations in the law he pleased.
Solomon, in the mean time, being changed in his outward appearance, and known to none
of his subjects, was obliged to wander about and beg alms for his subsistence; till at
length, after the space of forty days, which was the time the image had been worshipped
in his house, the devil flew away, and threw the signet into the sea: the signet was imme-
diately swallowed by a fish, which being taken and given to Solomon, he found the ring
in its belly, and having by this means recovered the kingdom, took Sakhar, and tyitg a
great stone to his neck, threw him into the lake of Tiberias."

t ‘“We tempted him, an? we seated on his throne a devil in a human form.’’—Savary.
"i.e, That I may surpass all future princes in magnificence and power.
1 See chap. 21, p. 270; and chap. 27, p. 230, &c.

‘Al Beidawi, Al Zamakh. Yahya. © Vide Talm. En Jacob, part 2, et Yalkut in fib.
Ree. p. 182. | Al Beid, Jalal, Abweda, Seer arte
CHAP. XXXVIII. AL KORAN. 375

Jt without rendering an account. And he shall approach near unto us,
and shall have an excellent abode in paradise. And remember our servant
Job,’ when he cried unto his Lorp, saying, Verily Satan hatheafflicted me
with calamity and pain. And it was said unto him, Strike the earth with
thy foot; which when he had done, a fountain™ sprang up, and it was said
to him, This is for thée to wash in, to refresh thee, and to drink. And we
restored unto him his family, and as many more with them, through our
mercy; and for an admonition unto those who are endued with under-
standing. And we said unto him, Take a handful of rods™ in thy hand,
and strike thy wife therewith ;° and break not thine oath. Verily we
found him a patient person: how excellent a servant was he! for he was
one who frequently turned himself wnto us. Remember also our servants
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, who were men strenuous and prudent.
Verily we purified them with a perfect purification, through the remem-
brance of the life to come; and they were, in our sight, elect and good
men. And remember Ismael, and Elisha,* and Dhwlkefl:* for all these
were good men. This is an admonition. Verily the pious shall have an
excellent place to return unto, namely, gardens of perpetual abode, the
gates whereof shall stand open unto them.* As they lie down therein, they
shall there ask for many sorts of fruits, and for drink; and near them shall
sit the virgins of paradise, refraining their looks from beholding any besides
their spouses, and of equal age with them.t This is what ye are promised,
at the day of account. This is our provision, which shall not fail. This
shall be the reward of the righteous. But for the transgressors is prepared an
evil receptacle, namely, hell: they shall be cast into the same to be burned,
and a wretched couch shail it be. This let them taste, fo wit, scalding water,

 

*Some suppose these words relate to the genii, and that Solomon is thereby empowered
to release or to keep in chains such of them as he pleased.

' See chap. 21, p. 271.

™ Some say there were two springs, one of hot water, wherein he bathed, and the other
of cold, of which he drank.®

* The original not expressing what this handful was to consist of, one supposes it was
to be only a handful of dry grass, or of rushes; and another that it was a branch of a
palm-tree.®

*The commentators are not agreed what fault Job’s wife had committed, to deserve
this chastisement : we have mentioned one opinion already. Some think it was only
because she staid too long on an errand.

» For he had sworn to give her a hundred stripes if he recovered.

4 Or, as the words may be interpreted, according to al Zamakhshari, We have purified
them, or peculiarly destined und fitted them for paradise.

* See chap. 6, p. 107.

* See chap. 21, p. 271. Al Beidawi here takes notice of another tradition concerning
this prophet ; viz. that he entertained and took care of a hundred Israelites, who fled to

~ him from a certain slaughter: from which action he probably had the surname of Dhu’lkefl

given him; the primary signification of the verb cafala being to maintain cr take care of
another. If a conjecture might be founded on this tradition, I should fancy the person
intended was Obadiah, the governor of Ahab’s house.*

* «©The earth cherisheth the memory of them. Those who fear the Lord shall enjoy
felicity. The gates of the garden of Eden shall open before them.’’—Savary.

4. e. About thirty or thirty-three.?

® Al Beidawi. ° See the notes to chap. 21, p. 271. 10 See ibid. 1 See 1 Kings
xviii. 4. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 71.
376 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXVI.

and corruption flowing from the bodies of the damned, and divers other things
of the same kind. And it shall be said to the seducers, This troop which
was guided by you shall be thrown, together with you, headlong into hell:
they shall not be bidden welcome; for they shall enter the fire to be burned.
And the seduced shall say to their seducers, Verily ye shall not be bidden
welcome: ye have brought it upon us; and a wretched abode is hell.* They
shall say, O Lorn, doubly increase the torment of him who hath brought
this punishment upon us, in the fire of hell. And the infidels shall say,
Why do we not see the men whom we numbered among the wicked, and
whom we received with scorn? Or do our eyes miss them? Verily this
is a truth; do wit, the disputing of the inhabitants of hell fire. Say, O
Mohammed, unto the idolaters, Verily 1 am no other than a warner: and
' there is no god, except the one only Gop, the Almighty, the Lorp of
heaven and earth, and of whatsoever is between them; the mighty, the .
forgiver of sins. Say, it is a weighty message, from which ye turn aside.
I had no knowledge of the exalted princes,* when they disputed concerning
the creation of man: (it hath been revealed unto me only as a proof that I
am a public preacher:) when thy Lorp said unto the angels, Verily I am
about to create man of clay : when I shall have formed him, therefore, and
shall have breathed my spirit into him, do ye fall down and worship him.
And all the angels worshipped him, in general, except Eblis, who was puffed
up with pride, and became an unbeliever. God said unto him, O Eblis,
what hindereth thee from worshipping that which I have created with my
hands? Art thou elated with vain pride? Or art thou really one of
exalted merit ? f ' He answered, I am more excellent than he: thou hast
created me of fire, and thou hast created him of clay. God said unto him,
Get thee hence therefore; for thou shalt be driven away from mercy; and
my curse shall be upon thee, until the day of judgment. He replied,
O Lorp, respite me, therefore, until the day of resurrection. God said,
Verily thou shalt be one of those who are respited until the day of the
determined time. Eblis said, By thy might do I swear, I will surely”
seduce them all, except thy servants who shall be peculiarly chosen from
among them. God said, Jt is a just sentence; and J speak the truth: I
will surely fill hell with thee, and with such of them as shall follow thee,
-altogether.s Say unto the Meccans, I ask not of you any reward for this
my preaching: neither am I one of those who assume a part which belongs
not to them. The Kordn is no other than an admonition unto all crea-
tures: and ye shall surely know what is delivered therein to be true, after
a season.

 

* ««The unbelievers shall say unto their seducers, You are not deserving of any pardon:
you have outgone us in error. Horrible will be our mutual habitation.” —Savary.

* That is, The angels.
y See chap. 2, p. 5.

5 t ‘Art thou instigated by pride? Does thy greatness consider itself humiliated ?”—
avary.

* See chap. 7, p. 117; and chap. 15, p. 211, &c.
OHAP. XXXIX. AL KORAN ; 877

CHAFTER XXXIX.
INTITLED, THE TROOPS; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Tue revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise Gop. Verily
we have revealed this book unto thee with truth: wherefore serve Gop,
exhibiting the pure religion unto him. Ought not the pure religion to be
exhibited unto Gop? But as to those who take other patrons besides him,
saying, We worship them only that they may bring us nearer unto Gop;
verily Gop will judge between them concerning that wherein they disagree.
Surely Gop will not direct him who is a liar, or ungrateful. If Gop had
been minded to have had a son, he had surely chosen what he pleased out
of that which he hath created.* But far be such a thing from him! He is
the sole, the almighty God. He hath created the heavens and the earth
with truth: he causeth the night to succeed the day, and he causeth the
day to succeed the night, and he obligeth the sun and the moon to perform
their services; each of them hastening to an appointed period. Is not he
the mighty, the forgiver of sins? He created you of one man, and after-
wards out of him formed his wife: and he hath bestowed¢ on you four
pair of cattle.¢ He formeth you in the womks of your mothers, by several
gradual formations,’ within three veils of darkness. This is Gop, your
Lorp: his is the kingdom: there is no Gop but he. Why therefore are
ye turned aside from the worship of him to idolatry? If ye be ungrateful,
verily Gop hath no need of you; yet he liketh not ingratitude in his
servants: but if ye be thankful, he will be well pleased with you. A
burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another: hereafter shall ye
return unto your Lorn, and he shall declare unto you that which ye have
wrought, and will reward you accordingly ; for he knoweth the innermost
parts of your breasts. When harm befalleth a man, he calleth upon his
Lorp, and tumeth unto him: yet afterwards, when God hath bestowed
on him favour from himself, he forgetteth that Being which he invoked
before, and setteth up equals unto Gop, that he may seduce men from his

 

* This title is taken from the latter end of the chapter, where it is said the wicked shall
be sent to hell, and the righteous admitted into paradise by troops. /

> Except the verse beginning, Say, O my servants, who have transgressed against your
own souls, &c.?

° Because, says al Beidawi, there is no being besides himself, but what hath been created
by him; since there cannot be two necessarily-existent beings: and hence appears the
absurdity of the imagination here condemned, because no creature can resemble the
Creator, or be worthy to bear the relation of a son to him.

4 Literally, He hath sent down ; from which expression some have imagined that these
four kinds of beasts were created in paradise, and thence sent down to earth.‘

° See chap. 6, p. 113, 114.

' See chap. 22, p. 274.

®i. e. The belly, the womb, and the membranes which enclose the embryo. <
“Or, He forgetteth the evil which he before prayed against.

8 Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. * Al Zamakh.
21
378 aa KORAN. CHAP. XXXIX.

way. Say unto such a man, Enjoy this life in thy infidelity for a little
while; but hereafter shalt thou surely be one of the inhabitants of hell
fire. Shall he who giveth himself up to prayer in the hours of the night,
prostrate, and standing, and who taketh heed as to the life to come, and
hopeth for the mercy of his Lorp, be dealt with as the wicked unbeliever ?
Say, Shall they who know their duty, and they who know it not, be
held equal? Verily the men of understanding only will be warned. Say,
O my servants who believe, fear your Lorpv. They who do good in this
world shall obtain good in the neat ;i and Gop’s earth is spacious :*
verily those who persevere with patience shall receive their recompense
without measure. Say, Iam commanded to worship Gop, and to exhibit
the pure religion unto him: and I am commanded to be the first Moslem.
Say, Verily I fear, if I be disobedient unto my Lorp, the punishment of
the great day. Say, I worship Gop, exhibiting my religion pure unto
him; but do ve worship that which ye will, besides him. Say, Verily
they wil? be the losers, who shall lose their own souls, and their families,
on the day of resurrection: is not this manifest loss? Over them shall
be roofs of fire, and under them shail be floors of fire.* With this doth
Gop terrify his servants: wherefore, oh my servants, fear him. But those
who eschew the worship of idols, and are turned unto Gop, shall receive
good tidings. Bear good tidings therefore unto my servants, who hearken
unto my word, and follow that which is most excellent therein: these
are they whom Gop directeth, and these are men of understanding.
Him, therefore, on whom the sentence of eternal punishment shall be
justly pronounced, canst thou, O Mohammed, deliver him who is destined
to dwell in the fire of hell?{ But for those who fear their Lorp will be
prepared high apartments in paradise, over which shall be other apartments
built; and rivers shall run beneath them: this is the promise of Gop; ana
Gop will not be contrary to the promise. Dost thou not see that Gop
sendeth down water from heaven, and causeth the same to enter and form
sources in the earth ; and produceth thereby corn of various sorts? After-
wards he causeth the same to wither; and thou seest it become yellow:
afterwards he maketh it crumble into dust.{ Verily, herein is an instruc-
tion to men of understanding. Shall he, therefore, whose breast Gop hath
enlarged to receive the religion of Islam, and who followeth the light from
his Lorn, be as he whose heart is hardened? But woe unto those whose

 

‘Or, They who do good shall obtain good even in this world.

* Wherefore let him who cannot safely exercise his religion where he was born or re-
sides, fly toa place of liberty and security.®

1 i.e. The first of the Koreish who piaeuath the true religion ; or the leader in chief
of the Moslems.

* “ Say, A whirlwind of fire shall cover their aeads, and shall enwrap their feet.”—
Savary.

+e wilt thou save him against whom the fatal sentence is pronounced? He is already
the victim of flames.’’—Savary.
% t‘*The heat embrowneth the harvests. They fall under the edge of the sickle.”

avary.

5 Al Beidéwi.
CHAP, XXXIX. AL KORAN. 379

hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Gop! they are in a
manifest error. Gop hath revealed a most excellent discourse; a book
conformable to itself, and containing repeated admonitions. “The skins of
those who fear their Lorp shrink for fear thereat; afterwards their skins
grow soft, and their hearts also, at the remembrance of their Lorp.* This
is the direction of Gop: he will direct thereby whom he pleaseth; and
whomsoever Gop shall cause to err, he shall have no director. Shall he
therefore who shall de obliged to screen himself with his face™ from the
severity of the punishment on the day of resurrection, be as he who is
secure therefrom? And it shall be said unto the ungodly, Taste that
which ye have deserved. Those who were before them accused their
apostles of imposture; wherefore a punishment came upon them from
whence they expected it not: and Gop caused them to take shame in this
present life; but the punishment of the life to come will certaiuly be
greater. If they were men of understanding, they would know this. Now
have we proposed unto mankind, in this Kordn, every kind of parable;
that they may be warned: an Arabic Kordn, wherein there is no crooked-
ness;™ that they may fear God. Gop propoundeth as a parable a man who
hath several companions which are at mutual variance, and a man who
committeth himself wholly to one person:° shall these be held in equal
comparison? Gop forbid! But the greater part of them do not under-
stand. Verily thou, O Mohammed, shalt die, and they also shall die: and
ye shall debate the matter» with one another before your Lorp, at the day
of resurrection. *[XXIV.] Who is more unjust than he who uttereth a
lie concerning Gop, and denieth the truth when it cometh unto him? Is
there not a dwelling provided in hell for the unbelievers? But he who
bringeth the truth, and giveth credit thereto,? these are they who fear God,
they shall obtain whatever they shall desire, in the sight of their Lorn:
this shall be the recompense of the righteous; that Gop may expiate
from them the very worst of that which they have wrought, and may ren-
der them their reward according to the utmost merit of the good which
they have wrought. Is not Gop a sufficient protector of his servant? yet
they will attempt to make thee afraid of the false deities which they worship

 

* «Those who fear the Lord shudder at the reading thereof; their terror dies away by
degrees, and they eagerly receive the divine word.’’—Savary.

= For his hands shall be chained to his neck, and he shall not be able to oppose any
thing, but his face to the fire.® : odes

+ **Feareth not the unbeliever that the seal of reprobation shall be imprinted on his
forehead at the day of resurrection ?’’—Savary. _ °

27. e. No contradiction, defect, or doubt. ; ah /

° This passage represents the uncertainty of the idolater, who is distracted in the service
of different masters ; and the satisfaction of mind which attends the worshipper of the only
true God.” : ; . : .

» For the prophet will represent his endeavours to reclaim them from idolatry, and their
obstinacy : and they will make frivolous excuses; as that they obeyed their chiefs, and
kept to the religion of their fathers, &c.°

4%, e, Mohammed and his followers: some suppose that by the latter words Abu Becr
is particularly intended, because he asserted the prophet’s veracity in respect to his journey
to heaven. .

® Al Beidawi. "Idem. ® Idem.
880 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXIX

besides Gop: But he whom Gop shall cause to err, shall have none to
direct him: and he whom Goo shall direct, shall have none to mislead him.
Is not Gop most mighty, able to avenge? If thou ask them who hath
created the heavens and the earth, they will surely answer, Gop. Say, Do
ye think, therefore, that the deities which ye invoke besides Gop, if Gop be
pleased to afflict me, are able to relieve me from his affliction? or if he be
pleased to show mercy unto me, that they are able to withhold his mercy ?
Say, Gop is my sufficient support: in him let those put their trust, who
seek in whom to confide.* Say, oh my people, do ye act according to your
state; verily I will act according to mine : } hereafter shall ye know on
which of us will be inflicted a punishment that shall cover him with shame,
and on whom a lasting punishment shall fall. Verily we have revealed unto
thee the book of the Kordn, for the instruction of mankind, with truth.
Whoso shall be directed thereby, shall be directed to the advantage of his
own soul; and whoso shall err, shall only err against the same: and thou
art not a guardian over them. Gop taketh unto himself the souls of men
at the time of their death; and those which die not he also taketh in their
sleep :* and he withholdeth those on which he hath passed the decree of
death,t but sendeth back the others till a determined period." Verily herein
are signs unto the people who consider. Have the Koreish taken idols for their
intercessors with God? Say, What, although they have not dominion over
any thing, neither do they understand? Say, Intercession is altogether in
the disposal of Gop :¥ his is the kingdom of heaven and earth; and here-
after shall ye return unto him. When the one sole Gop is mentioned, the
hearts of those who believe not in the life to come, shrink with horror:
but when the false gods, which are worshipped besides him, are mentioned,
behold, they are filled with joy. Say, O Gop, the creator of heaven and
earth, who knowest that which is secret, and that which is manifest; thou’
shalt judge between thy servants concerning that wherein they disagree.
If those who act unjustly were masters of whatever is in the earth, and as
much more therewith, verily they would give it to ransom themselves from

 

The Koreish used to tell Mohammed that they feared their gods would do him some
mischief, aed deprive him of the use of his limbs, or of his reason, because he spoke dis-
gracefully of them. It is thought by some that this passage was verified in Khaled Ebn
al Walid; who, being sent by Mohammed to demolish the idol of Uzza, was advised by
the keeper of her temple to take heed what he did, because the goddess was able to avenge
herself severely: but he was so little moved at the man’s warning, that he immediately
stepped up to the idol, and broke her nose.’ To support the latter explication, they say,
that what happened to Khiled is attributed to Mohammed, because the former was then
executing the prophet’s orders.? A circumstance not much different from the above-
mentioned is told of the demolition of Allat.?°

a. The arm of the Almighty is my support. It is in him that the wise put their trust.””
—Savary.

+ ‘*Say unto them, Unite all your efforts; Iwill act on my side, and soon shall ye
know.’’—Savary.

* That is, seemingly, and to outward appearance ; sleep being the image of death.
* Not permitting them to return again into their bodies.
"viz. Into their bodies when they awake.*

’ For none can or dare presume to intercede with him, unless by his permission.

*AlBeidawi. '° Vide Gagniex, Not. in Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 127. Al Beid&wi.
OHAP. XXXIX. _ AL KORAN. 881

the evil of the punishment, on the day of resurrection: and there shall
appear unto them, from Gop, terrors which they never imagined ; and there
shall appear unto them the evils of that which they shall have gained; and
that which they mocked at shall encompass them. When harm befalleth
man, he calleth upon us; yet afterwards, when we have bestowed on him
favour from us, he saith, I have received it merely because of God’s know-
ledge of my deserts.» On the contrary, it is a trial; but the greater part of
them know it not. Those who were before them said the same:* but that
which they had gained, profited them not: and the evils which they had
deserved, fell upon them. And whoever of these Meccans shall have acted
unjustly, on them likewise shall fall the evils which they shall have
deserved ; ¥ neither shall they frustrate the divine vengeance. Do they not
know that Gop bestoweth provision abundantly on whom he pleaseth, and
is sparing unto whom he pleaseth? Verily herein are signs unto people who
believe. Say, O my servants who have transgressed against your own
souls, despair not of the mercy of Gop: seeing that Gop forgiveth all
sins,” for he is gracious and merciful. And be turnéd unto your
Lorp, and resign yourselves unto him, before the threatened punishment
overtake you; for then ye shall not be helped. And follow the most
excellent instructions which have been sent down unto you from your
Lorp, before the punishment come suddenly upon you, and ye perceive
not the approach thereof ; and a soul say, Alas! for that I have been
negligent in my duty to Gop; verily I have been one of the scorners :
or say, If Gop had directed me, verily I had been one of the pious: or
say, when it seeth the prepared punishment, If I could return once more
into the world, I would become one of the righteous. But God shall
answer, My signs came unto thee heretofore, and thou didst charge them
with falsehood, and wast puffed up with pride; and thou becamest one of
the unbelievers. On the day of resurrection, thou shalt see the faces of
those who have uttered lies concerning Gop, become black: is there not an
abode prepared in hell for the arrogant? But Gop shall deliver those who
shall fear him, and shall set them in their place of safety: evil shall not
touch them, neither shall they be grieved. Gop is the creator of all things,
and he is the governor of all things. His are the keys of heaven and
earth : and they who believe not in the signs of Gop, they shall perish.
Say, Do ye therefore bid me to worship other than Gop, oh ye fools? since
it hath been spoken by revelation unto thee, and also unto the prophets who
have been before thee, saying, Verily if thou join any partners with God, thy

 

¥ Or by means of my own wisdom. . : ;

Fone Boateel¥ have ee stretched forth unto him a succouring hand, before he saith, I
have deserved this favour.’”’—Savary.

x As did Kariin in particular.? . : ;

¥ As it happened accordingly: for they were punished with a sore famine for seven
years, and had the bravest of their warriors cut off at the battle of Bedr.’ .

2 To those who sincerely repent, and profess his unity: for the sins of idolaters will not

be forgiven.‘
2 See chap. 28, p. 323. 3 Al Beidawi. “See p. 11, note h.
882 AL KORAN. CHAP. XXXIX,

work will be altogether unprofitable, and thou shalt certainly be one of
those who perish: wherefore rather fear Gop, and be one of those who
give thanks. But they make not a due estimation of Gop:* since the
whole earth shall be but his handful, on the day of resurrection; and
the heavens shall be rolled together in his right hand. Praise be unto him!
and far be he exalted above the idols which they associate with him!
the trumpet shall be sounded, and whoever are in heaven, and whoever
are on earth, shall expire; except those whom Gop shall please to ex-
empt from the common fate. Afterwards it shall be sounded again; and
behold, they shall arise and look up. And the earth shall shine by the
light of its Lorp: and the book shall be laid open,4 and the prophets and
the rhartyrs shall be brought as witnesses ; and judgment shall be given
between them with truth, and they shall not be treated unjustly. And
every soul shall be fully rewarded, according to that which it shall have
wrought; for he perfectly knoweth whatever they do. And the unbelievers
shall be driven unto hell by troops, until, when they shall arrive at the
same, the gates thereof shall be opened: and the keepers thereof® shall
say unto them, Did not apostles from among you come unto you, who re-
hearsed unto you the signs of your Lorp, and warned you of the meeting
of this your day? They shall answer, Yea: but the sentence of eternal
punishment hath been justly pronounced on the unbelievers. It shall be
said unto them, Enter ye the gates of hell, to dwell therein for ever; and
miserable shall be the abode of the proud! But these who shall have
feared their Lorp shall be conducted by troops towards paradise, until they
shall arrive at the same: and the gates thereof shall be ready set open; and
the guards thereof shall say unto them, Peace de on you! ye have been
good: wherefore enter ye into paradise, to remain therein for ever. And
they shall answer, Praise be unto Gop, who hath performed his promise
unto us, and hath made us to inherit the earth, that we may dwell
in paradise wherever we please! How excellent is the reward of those

¢

 

2 See chap. 6, p. 107, note z.

» The first time, says Al Beidawi, who consequently supposes there will be no more
than two blasts (and two only are distinctly mentioned in the Koran), though others sup-
pose there will be three.®

° These, some say, will be the angels Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil, and the angel of
death, who yet will afterwards all die, at the command of God;® it being the constant
opinion of the Mohammedan doctors, that every soul, both of men, and of animals, which
live either on land, or in the sea, and of the angels also, must necessarily taste of death :*
others suppose those who will be exempted are the angels who bear the throne of God;*
or the black-eyed damsels, and other inhabitants of paradise.®

The space between these two blasts of the trumpet will be forty days, according to
Yahya and others: there are some, however, who suppose it will be as many years."

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 62.

* See chap. 74, and the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 66.

‘ See chap. 7, p. 118; chap. 11, p. 186. It seems as if the damned, by these words,
attributed their ruin to God’s decree of predestination.

* This is a metaphorical expression, representing the perfect security, and abundance,
which the blessed will enjoy in paradise.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 59. 5 Al Beidawi, Yahya. 7 Vide Pocock,
not. in Port. Mosis, p. 266. * Al Beidawi. ®Jallalo'ddin. §. * See the Prelim.
Disc. ubi sup.
CHAP. XL. AL KORAN, 383

who work righteousness! And thou shalt see the angels going in proces-
sion round the throne, celebrating the praises of their Lorn :* and judg-
ment shall be given between them with truth; and they shall say, Praise
be unto Gop, the Lorp of all creatures! |

 

CHAPTER XL.
INTITLED, THE TRUE BELIEVER; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

H. M.' Tue revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise Gop;
the forgiver of sin and the accepter of repentance; severe in punishing ;
long suffering. There is no Gop but he: before him shall be the general
assembly at the last day. None disputeth against the signs of Gop, except
the unbelievers: but let not their prosperous dealing in the land* deceive
thee with vain allurement. The people of Noah, and the confederated in-
jidels which were after them, accused their respective prophets of imposture
before these; and each nation hatched il/ designs against their apostle, that
they might get him into their power ; and they disputed with vain reasoning,
that they might thereby invalidate the truth: wherefore I chastised them ;
and how severe was my punishment! Thus hath the sentence of thy Lorp
justly passed on the unbelievers; and they shall be the inhabitants of hell
fire. The angels who bear the throne of God, and those who stand about
it, celebrate the praise of their Lorp, and believe in him; and they ask par-
don for the true believers, saying, O Lorp, thou encompassest all things
by thy mercy and knowledge; wherefore forgive those who repent, and
follow thy path, and deliver them from the pains of hell: O Lorp, lead
them also into gardens of eternal abode, which thou hast promised unto
them, and unto every one who shall do right, of their fathers, and their
wives, and their children; for thou art the mighty, the wise God. And
deliver them from evil; for whomsoever thou shalt deliver from evil on
that day, en him wilt thou show mercy; and this will be great salvation.
But the infidels at the day of judgment, shall hear a voice crying unto them,
Verily the hatred of Gop towards you is more grievous than your hatred

towards yourselves: since ye were called unto the faith, and would not.

believe. They shall say, O Lorp, thou hast given us death twice, and thou

 

* «©The angels, barefooted, around the sublime throne, shall publish the praises of the
Highest.’’—Savary.

» This title is taken from the passage wherein mention is made of one of Pharaoh’s
family, who believed in Moses.

! See the Prel. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

_« By trading into Syria and Yaman. See chap. 3;p. 58, note lL.

' These are the Cherubim, the highest order of angels, who approach nearest to God's
presence.?

2 Al Beidawi.

AN
384 AL KORAN. CHAP. XL.

hast twice given us life;™ and we confess our sins: is there therefore no
way to get forth from this fire? And it shall be answered them, This hath
befallen you, for that when one Gop was preached unto you, ye believed not;
but if a plurality of gods had been associated with him, ye had believed :
and judgment belongeth unto the high, the great Gop.* It is he who showeth
you his signs, and sendeth down food unto you from heaven: but none will
be admonished, except he who turneth himself unto God. Call therefore
upon Gop, exhibiting your religion pure unto him, although the infidels be
averse thereto. He is the Being of exalted degree, the possessor of the
throne; who sendeth down the spirit, at his command, on such of his ser-
vants as he pleaseth: that he may warn mqnkind of the day of meeting,®
the day whereon they shall come forth out of their graves, and nothing of
what concerneth them shall be hidden from Gop. Unto whom will the
kingdom belong, on that day? Unto the only, the almighty Gop. On that
day shall every soul be rewarded according to its merits: there shall be no
injustice done on that day. Verily Gop will be swift in taking an account.
Wherefore warn them, O prophet, of the day which shall suddenly approach;
when men’s hearts shal? come up to their throats, and strangle them. The
ungodly shall have no friend or intercessor who shall be heard. God will
know the deceitful eye, and that which their breasts conceal; and Gop will
judge with truth: but the false gods which they invoke, besides him, shall
not judge at all: for Gop is he who heareth and seeth. Have they not
gone through the earth, aud seen what hath been the end of those who were
before them? They were more mighty than these in strength, and deft
more considerable footsteps of their power in the earth: yet Gop chastised
them for their sins, and there was none to protect them from Gop.t This
they suffered, because their apostles had come unto them with evident SIQNS,
and they disbelieved : wherefore Gop chastised them ; for he is strong, and
severe in punishing. We heretofore sent Moses with our signs and mani-
- fest power, unto Pharaoh, and Haman, and Karin; and they said, He is a
sorcerer, and a liar. And when he came unto them with the truth from
us, they said, Slay the sons of those who have believed with him, and
save their daughters alive :° but the stratagem of the infidels was no other

 

™ Having first created us in a state of death, or void of life and sensation, and then given
life to the inanimate body ;* and afterwards caused us to die a natural death, and raised us
again at the resurrection. Some understand the first death to be a natural death, and the
second that in the sepulchre, after the body shall have been there raised to life in order to
be examined ;* and consequently suppose the two revivals to be those of the sepulchre
and the resurrection.®

* « Ve have denied the unity of God; ye have offered incense unto idols; the Highest,
the supreme God, hath pronounced the sentence of your condemnation.’”’—Savary.

» When the Creator and his creatures, the inhabitants of heaven and of earth, the false
deities and their worshippers, the oppressor and the oppressed, the labourer and his works,
shall meet each other." —

+ ‘The sword of divine justice exterminated them in the midst of their crimes, and
nothing could snatch them from his vengeance.’’—Savary.

_ °i.e. Pursue the resolution which has been formerly t teed and execute it more strictly
ror the future. See chap. 7, p. 129, note p. : .

* See chap. 2, p. 4. “See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 55, &c. * Al Beidawi
Sallalo’ddin. , 8 See chap. 6, p. 100, 7 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ane
CHAP. XL. AL KORAN, 285

than vain. And Pharaoh said, Let me alone, that I may kill Moses;?
and let him call upon his Lorn: verily I fear lest he change your re-
ligion, or cause violence to appear in the earth.1 And Moses said unto
his people, Verily I have recourse unto: my Lorp, and your Lorp,
to defend me against every proud person, who believeth not in the day of
account. And a man who was a true believer, of the family of Pharaoh,
and concealed in his faith, said, Will ye put a man to death, because he
saith, Gop is my Lorp; seeing he is come unto you with evident signs
from your Lorp? If he be a liar, on him will the punishment of his false-
hood light; but if he speaketh the truth, some of those judgments with
which he threateneth you will fall upon you: verily Gop directeth not him
who is a transgressor, or a liar: O my people, the kingdom is yours
this day ; and ye are conspicuous in the earth; but who shall defend us
from the scourge of Gop, if it come unto us?* Pharaoh said, I only
propose to you what I think to be most expedient ; and I guide you only
into the right path. And he who had believed said, O my people, Verily
Ifear for you a day like that of the confederates against the prophets in
former times ; a condition like that of the people of Noah, and the tribes
of Ad and Thamud, and of those who have lived after them;* for Gop willeth
not that any injustice be done unto his servants. O my people, verily I fear
for you the day whereon men shall call unto one another;* the day
whereon ye shall be turned back from the tribunal, and driven to hell: then
shall ye have none to protect you against Gop. And he whom Gop shall
cause to err shall have no director. Joseph came unto you, before Moses,
with evident signs ; but ye ceased not to doubt of the religion which he
preached unto you, until, when he died, ye said, Gop will by no means
send another apostle after him. Thus doth Gop cause him to err, who is
a transgressor, and a sceptic. ‘They who dispute against the signs of Gop,
without any authority which hath come unto them, are in great abomi-
nation with Gop, and with those who believe. Thus doth Gop seal up
every proud and stubborn heart. And Pharaoh said, O Haman, build me
a tower, that I may reach the tracts, the tracts of heaven, and may view the
Gop of Moses;* for verily I think him ¢o dea liar. And thus the evil of

 

» For they advised him not to put Moses to death, lest it should be thought he was not
able to oppose him by dint of argument.2 : : Se

4 By raising of commotions and seditions, in order to introduce his new religion.

' This seems to have been the same person who is mentioned, chap. 28, p. 318.

*‘See the speech of Gamaliel to the Jewish Sanhedrim, when the apostles were brought
before them? J :

* «OQ Egyptians! you now rule upon the earth; your empire flourisheth ; but who
shall shield you from the vengeance of Heaven, if it resolveth to punish you? ‘T order
unto you nothing but that which is just,’ replied Pharaoh. ‘ All that which I propose to
you is according to sound reason.’ ‘O Egyptians,’ added the believer, ‘I tremble lest
the fate of the rebel nations should be your portion: I fear for you the chastisement of
the people of Noah, of Ad, and of Thamud.’ ee .

tie, Phe day of judgment, when the inhabitants of paradise, and of hell, shall ente~
into mutual discourse: when the latter shall call for help, and the seducers and the
seduced shall cast the blame upon each other.

* See chap. 28, p. 320. \

® Al Beidawi. ® Acts v. 38, 39. 1 A] Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
386 AL KORAN. CHAP. Xx.

his work was prepared for Pharaoh, and he turned aside from the right
path: and the stratagems of Pharaoh ended only in loss. And he who had
believed said, O my people, follow me: I will guide you into the right way.
O my people, verily this present life is but a temporary enjoyment; but the
life to come is the mansion of firm continuance. Whoever worketh evil
shall only be rewarded in equal proportion to the same: but whoever
worketh good, whether male or female, and is a true believer, they shall
enter paradise: they shall be provided for therein superabundantly. And,
O my people, as for me, J invite you to salvation; but ye invite me to hell
fire: ye invite me to deny Gop, and to associate with him that whereof |
have no knowledge; but I invite you to the most mighty, the forgiver
of sins. There is no doubt’ but that the false gods to which ye invite
me deserve not to be invoked, either in this world or in the next; *
and that we must return unto Gop; and that the transgressors shall be
the inhabitants of held fire: and ye shall then remember what I now say
unto you. And I commit my affair unto Gop; for Gop regardeth his
servants. Wherefore Gop delivered him from the. evils which they had
devised; and a grievous punishment encompassed the people of Pharaoh.}
They shall be exposed to the fire of held morning and evening: and the
day whereon the hour of judgment shall come, it shall be said unto them,
Enter, O people of Pharaoh, into a most severe torment. And think on the
time when the infidels shall dispute together in hed fire; and the weak shall
say unto those who behaved with arrogance,* Verily we were your fol-
lowers: will ye therefore relieve us from any part of this fire? Those who
behaved with arrogance shall answer, Verily we are all doomed to suffer
therein: for Gop hath now judged between his servants. And they who
shall be in the fire shall say unto the keepers of hell,y Call ye on your
Lorp, that he would ease us, for one day, from this punishment. They
shall answer, Did not your apostles come unto you with evident proofs?
They shall say, Yea. The keepers shall reply,Do ye therefore call on God:
but the calling of the unbelievers on him shall be only in vain. We will
surely assist our apostles, and those who believe, in this present life, and
on the day whereon the witnesses shall stand forth: a day, whereon the
excuse of the unbelievers shall not avail them; but a curse shall attend
them, and a wretched abode. We heretofore gave unto Moses a direction;

* “Your gods cannot grant the prayers of mortals, either in this world, or in that which
is to come.”’—Savary.

_* Some are of opinion that those who were sent by Pharaoh to seize the true believer,
his kinsman, are the persons more particularly meant in this place; for they tell us that
the said believer fled to a mountain, where they found him at prayers guarded by the wila
beasts, which ranged themselves in order about him; and that his pursuers thereupon
returned in a great fright to their master, who put them to death for not performing his
command. ;

~Some expound these words of the previous punishment they are doomed to suffer, ac-
cording to a tradition of Ebn Masud, which informs us, that their souls were in the crops

of black birds, which are exposed to hell fire every morning and evening until the day of
Judgmem. :

«See chap. 14, p. 206, note t.
’ See chap. 74.

‘Al Beidawi. ®Idem.
/

CHAP. XL. AL KORAN. 387

and we left as an inheritance unto the children of Israel the book of the
law ; a direction, and an admonition to men of understanding Wherefore
do thou, O prophet, bear the.insulis of the infidels with patience; for the
promise of Gop és true; and ask pardon for thy fault;* and celebrate
the praise of thy Lorp, in the evening and in the morning. As to those
who impugn the signs of Gop, without any convincing proof which hath
been revealed unto them, there is nothing but pride in their breasts; * dut
they shall not attain their desire : wherefore fly for refuge unto Gop; for
it is he who heareth and seeth. Verily the creation of heaven and earth is
more considerable* than the creation of man: but the greater part of.
men do not understand. The blind and the seeing shall not be held equal;
nor they who believe and work righteousness, and the evil doer: how few
revolve these things in their mind! The dast hour will surely come ; there is
no doubt thereof: but the greater part of men believe if not. Your Lorp
said, Call upon me, and I will hear you: but they who proudly disdain my
service shall enter with ignominy into hell. Jt is Gop who hath appointed
the night for you to take your rest therein, and the day to give you light :f
' verily Gop is endued with beneficence towards mankind: but the greater
part of men do not give thanks. This is Gop, your Lorp, the Creator of all
things ; there is no Gop besides him: how therefore are ye turned aside
from his worship? Thus are they turned aside, who oppose the signs of
Gop. Jt is Gop who hath given you the earth for a stable floor, and
the heaven for a ceiling; and who hath formed you, and made your forms
beautiful, and feedeth you with good things. This is Gop, your Lorp.
Wherefore blessed be Gop, the Lorp of all creatures! He is the living
God : there is no Gop but he. Wherefore call upon him, exhibiting unto
him the pure religion. Praise be unto Gop, the Lorp of all creatures!
Say, Verily I am forbidden to worship the deities which ye invoke, besides
Gop, after that evident proofs have come unto me from my Lorp; and
Iam commanded to resign.myself unto the Lorp of all creatures. It is he
who first created you of dust, and afterwards of seed, and afterwards
of coagulated blood; and afterwards brought you forth infants out of your
mother’s wombs : then he permitteth you to attain your age of full strength,
and afterwards to grow old men (but some of you die before that age), and
to arrive at the determined period of your life ;» that peradventure ye may
understand.{ J¢ is he who giveth life, and causeth to die: and when

 

fa being too backward and negligent in advancing the true religion, for fear of the
infidels.? :

@ This sentence may be understood generally ; though it was revealed on account of the
sdolatrous Meccans, or of the Jews, who said of Mohammed, This man is not our lord,
but the Messias the son of David, whose kingdom will be extended over sea and land.‘

* “Ts more wonderful.’’—Savary.

t ‘‘ The day for labour.’’—Savary.

> See chap. 22, p. 274. ee .

t « As children you enter on the career of life: you reach at length the vigour of yout
years, and soon old age overtaketh you. Many finish their course before they reach the

3 Al Beidawi. «Idem.
388 AL KORAN. CHAP. XL.

he decreeth a thing, he only saith unto it, Be, and it is. Dost thou
not observe those who dispute against the signs of Gop, how they are
turned aside from the true faith? They who charge with falsehood the
book of the Kordn, and the other scriptures and revealed doctrines which we
have sent our former apostles to preach, shall hereafter know their folly,
when the collars shail be on their necks, and the chains by which they shall
be dragged into hell; then shall they be burned in the fire. And it shall
tbe said unto them, Where are the gods which ye associated, besides Gop?
‘They shall answer, They have withdrawn themselves from us: yea, we
called on nothing* heretofore. Thus doth Gop lead the unbelievers into
error. This hath befallen you, for that ye rejoiced insolently on earth,
in that which was false; and for that ye were elated with immoderate joy.
Enter the gates of hell, to remain therein for ever : and wretched shall be
‘the abode of the haughty! Wherefore persevere with patience, O Mo-
hammed ; for the promise of Gop is true. Whether we cause thee to see
any part of the punishment with which we have threatened them, or
whether we cause thee to die before thou see it; before us shall they
be assembled at the last day. We have sent a great number of apostles
before thee; 4 the histories of some of whom we have related unto thee, and
the histories of others of them we have not related unto thee: but no
apostle had the power to produce a sign, unless by the permission of
Gop. When the command of Gon, therefore, shall come, judgment shall be
given with truth; and then shall they perish who endeavour to render the
signs of God of no effect. Jt is Gop who hath given you the cattle, that ye
may ride on some of them, and may eat of others of them; (ye also receive
other advantages therefrom;°) and that on them ye may arrive at the
business proposed in your mind: and on them are ye carried by land,
and on ships by sea.t| And he showeth you his signs ; which, therefore, of
the signs of Gon, will ye deny? Do they not pass through the earth, and
see what hath been the end of those who were before them? They were
more numerous than these, and more mighty in strength, and left more
considerable monuments of their power in the earth: yet that which
they had acquired profited them not. And when their apostles came unte
them with evident proofs of their mission, they rejoiced in the knowledge
which was with them :f but that which they mocked at encompassed them.{
And when they beheld our vengeance, they said, We believe in Gop
alone, and we renounce the idols which we associated with him: but their

 

latter, but all fulfil the period which hath been appointed by the Eternal. These divers
stages through which man passeth ought to serve for his instruction.’’—Savary.

© Seeing an idol is nothing in the world.®

4 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 54.

° See chap. 16, p. 214.

+ ‘They are to you on the land that which a ship is on the sea.""—Savary.

‘ Being prejudiced in favour of their own erroneous doctrines, and despising the instruc-
fions of the prophets.

t ‘« They scoffed at their doctrines. Their mockeries have fallen back on themselves,”
Navary.

+A) Beidawi.
CHAP. XLI. AL KORAN. 3889

faith availed them not, after they had beholden our vengeance.* This was
the ordinance of Gop, which was formerly observed in respect to his ser-
vants: and then did the unbelievers perish. °

 

: CHAPTER XULI.
INTITLED, ARE DISTINCTLY EXPLAINED ;* REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

H.M.* This is a revelation from the most Merciful; a book, the verses
whereof are distinctly explained,! an Arabic Koran, for the instruction of
people who understand; bearing good tidings, and denouncing threats :
but the greater part of them turn aside, and hearken not thereto. And they
say, Our hearts are veiled from the doctrine to which thou invitest us;
and there is a deafness in our ears, and a curtain between us and thee:
wherefore act thou as thou Shalt think fit; for we shall act according to
our own sentiments. Say, Verily I am only a man like you. It is revealed
unto me, that your Gop is one Gop: wherefore direct your way straight
unto him; and ask pardon of him for what is past. And woe Ze to the
idolaters: who give not the appointed alms, and believe not in the life to
come! But as to those who believe and work righteousness, they shall
receive an everlasting reward. Say, Do ye indeed disbelieve in him who
created the earth in two days ;* and do ye set up equals unto him? He is
the Lorp of all creatures. And he placed in the earth mountoins firmly
rooted,' rising above the same: and he blessed it; and provided therein the
food of the creatures designed to be the inhabitants thereof, in four days ;™
equally, for those who ask." Then he set his mind to the creation of hea-
ven, and it was smoke;° and he said unto it, and to the earth, Come, either

 

* “But their faith hath been in vain. They believed not until they felt the avenging
scourge.’’—Savary.

® Some intitle this chapter Worship, or Adoration, because the infidels are herein com-
manded to forsake the worship of idols, and to worship God: but the thirty-second ee
ter bearing the same title, that which we have here prefixed, is, for distinction, generally
used.

4 See the Prelim. Dise. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

‘ See chap. 11, p. 175, note t.

* viz, The two first days of the week.®

' See chap. 16, p. 215.

= That is, including the two former days wherein the earth was created.

For all, in proportion to the necessity of each, and as their several appetites require.
Some refer the word sawdan here translated equally, and which also signifies completely,
to the four days; and suppose the meaning to be, that God created these things in just so
many entire and complete days."

° Or darkness. Al Zamakhshari says this smoke proceeded from the water under the
throne of God (which throne was one of the things created before the heavens and the
earth), and rose above the water; that the water being dried up, the earth was formed
out of it, and the heavens out of the smoke which had mounted aloft.

8 Jallalo’ddin. 1 Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi.
390 AL KORAN. CHAP. XLI.

obediently, or against your will. They answered, We come, obedient to
thy command.* And he formed them into: seven heavens, in two days ;?
and revealed unto every heaven its office, And we adorned the lower
heaven with lights, and placed therein a guard of angels... This is the
disposition of the mighty, the wise God. If the Meccans withdraw from’
these instructions, say, I denounce unto you a sudden destruction, like the
destruction of Ad and Thamud. When the apostles came unto them be-
fore them and behind them," saying, Worship Gop alone ; they answered,
If our Lorp had been pleased to send messengers, he had surely sent angels;
and we believe not the message with which ye are sent. As to the tribe of
Ad, they behaved insolently in the earth, without reason, and said, Who is
more mighty than we in strength? Did they not see that Gop, who had
created them, was more mighty than they in strength? And they know-
ingly rejected our signs. Wherefore we sent against them a piercing wind,
on days of ill luck,? that we might make them taste the punishment of
shame in this world: but the punishment of the life to come will be more
shameful; and they shall not be protected therefrom. And as to Thamud,
we directed them; but they loved blindness better than the true direction :
wherefore the terrible noise of an ignominious punishment assailed them,
for that which they had deserved; but we delivered those who believed,
and feared God.t And warn them of the day, on which the enemies of
Gop shall be gathered together unto fell fire, and shall march in distinct
bands; until, when they shall arrive thereat, their ears, and their eyes, and
their skins, shall bear witness against them of that which they shall have
wrought. And they shall say unto their skins,t Wherefore do ye bear wit-
ness against us? They shall answer, Gop hath caused us to speak, who
giveth speech unto all things: he created you the first time; and unto him
are yereturned. Ye did not hide yourselves, while ye sinned, so that your
ears, and your eyes, and your skins could not bear witness against you:*
but ye thought that Gop was ignorant of many things which ye did. This
was your opinion, which ye imagined of your Lorn: it hath ruined you;
and ye are become lost people. Whether they bear their torment, hell fire
shall be their abode; or whether they beg for favour, they shall not obtain

 

* “He cast his glance on the heaven, which was only a pile of smoke. He said unto
heaven and earth, Come, obey my voice. Heaven and earth replied, We obey.’’—Savary.
° viz. On the fifth and sixth days of the week. It is said the heavens were created on

Thursday, and the sun, moon, and stars, on Friday; in the evening of which last day
Adam was made.®

4 See chap. 15, p. 210.

* That is, on every side; persuading and urging them continually, and by arguments
drawn from past examples, and the expectation of future rewards or punishments.

* Tt is said that this wind continued from Wednesday to Wednesday inclusive, being the
latter end of the month Shawal; and that a Wednesday is the day whereon God sends
down his judgments on a, wicked people.

' See chap. 7, p. 125, &c.

ee Why,’’ shall the guilty say unto them, ‘‘ do ye bear witness against us ?””—Savary.

» i.e. Ye hid your crimes from men, little thinking that your very members, from
which ye could not hide them, would rise up as witnesses against you.

* Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. * Al Beidawi.
CHAP. XLI. AL KORAN. 891

favour. And we will give them the devils to be their companions; for they
dressed up for them the false notions which they entertained of this present
world, and of that which is to come; and the sentence justly*fitteth them,
which was formerly pronounced on the nations of genii and men who were
before them; for they perished.* The unbelievers say, Hearken not unto
this Koran: but use vain discourse * during the reading thereof; that ye
may overcome the voice of the reader by your scoffs and laughter. Where-
fore we will surely cause the unbelievers to taste a grievous punishment,
and we will certainly reward them for the evils which they shall have
wrought. This shall be the reward of the enemies of Gon, namely, hell
fire; therein is prepared for them an everlasting: abode, as a reward for that
they have wittingly rejected our signs. And the infidels shall say in hel2,
O Lorp, show us the two that seduced us, of the genii and men,’ and we
will cast them under our feet, that they may become most base and despr-
cable. As for those who say, Our Lorp is Gop, and who behave uprightly ;
the angels shall descend unto them,? and shall say, Fear not, neither be ye
grieved; but rejoice in the hopes of paradise which ye have been pro-
mised. We are your friends in this life, and in that which is to come:
therein shall ye have that which your souls shall desire, and therein shall
ye obtain whatever ye shall ask for; asa gift from a gracious and merciful
God. Who speaketh better than he who inviteth unto Gop, and worketh
righteousness, and saith, ] am a Moslem? Good and evil shall not be held
equal. Turn away evil with that which is better; and behold, the man
- between whom and thyself there was enmity shall become, as it were, thy
warmest friend: but none shall attain to this perfection, except they who
are patient; nor shall any attain thereto, except he who is endued with a
great happiness of temper. And if a malicious suggestion be offered unto
thee from Satan, have recourse unto Gop; for it is he who heareth and
knoweth. Among the signs of his power are the night, and the day, and
the sun, and the moon. Worship not the sun, neither the moon: but
worship Gop, who hath created them; if ye serve him. But if they
proudly disdain his service; verily the angels, who are with thy Lorp,
praise him night and day, and are not wearied. And among his signs
another is, that thou seest the land waste; but when we send down rain
thereon, it is stirred and fermenteth. And he who quickeneth the earth
will surely quicken the dead; for he is almighty. Verily those who'im-
piously wrong our signs are not concealed from us. Js he, therefore,

 

* “« Worshippers of the devils who drew unto them delusive pictures of the present and
the future, they have been included in the sentence which hath been denounced against -
the past generations and the rebel spirits: reprobation is their portion.””—Savary.

* Or, Talk aloud. : . : i

Ti, e. Those of either species, who drew us into sin and ruin. Some suppose that the
two ee particularly intended here are Eblis and Cain; the two authors of infidelity and
murder.*

: Kither while they are living on earth, to dispose their minds to good, to preserve them
from temptations, and to comfort them ; or at the hour of death, to support them in their
last agony ; or at their coming forth from their graves, at the resurrection.”

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. 2 Tidem.

\
392 AL KORAN. CHAP. XLI.

better, who shall be cast into hell fire, or he who shall appear secure on the
day of resurrection? Work that which ye will: he certainly beholdeth
whatever ye do. Verily they who believe not in the admonition of the Koran,
after it hath come unto them, shall one day be discovered. It is certainly a
book of infinite value: vanity shall not approach it, either from before it,
or from behind it:** it is a revelation from a wise God, whose praise is
justly to be celebrated. ‘No other is said unto thee by the infidels of Mecca
than what hath been formerly said unto the apostles before thee : verily thy
Lorp is inclined to forgiveness, and is also able to chastise severely. If we
had revealed the Kordn in a foreign language,” they had surely said, Unless
the signs thereof be distinctly explained, we will not receive the same : is
the. book written in a foreign tongue, and the person unto whom it is directed
an Arabian? Answer, It is, unto those who believe, a sure guide, and a
remedy for doubt and uncertainty: but unto those who believe not, it is a
thickness of hearing in their ears, and it is a darkness which covereth
them; these are as they who are called unto from a distant place.t We
heretofore gave the book of the Jaw unto Moses; and a dispute arose con-
cerning the same:{ and if a previous decree had not proceeded from thy
Lorp, to respite the opposers of that revelation, verily the matter had been
decided between them, by the destruction of the infidels; for they were ina
very great doubt as to the same. He who doth right, doth it to the advan-
tage of his own soul; and he who doth evil, doth it against the same: for
thy Lorp is not unjust towards his servants. *[XXV.] Unto him is reserved
the knowledge of the hour of judgment: and no fruit cometh forth from
the knops which involve it; neither doth any female conceive in her womb,
nor is she delivered of her burden, but with his knowledge. On the day
whereon he shall call them to him, saying, Where are my companions
which ye ascribed unto me? they shall answer, We assure thee there is no
witness of this matter among us:* and the idols which they called on before
shall withdraw themselves from them; and they shall perceive that there
will be no way to escape. Man is not wearied with asking good; but if
evil befall him, he despondeth, and despaireth. And if we cause him to
taste mercy from us, after affliction hath touched him, he surely saith, This
is due to me on account of my deserts : | donot think the hour of judgment
will ever come: and if I be brought before my Lorp, I shall surely attain,.-
with him, the most excellent condition. But we will then declare unto

 

: That is, It shall not be prevailed against, or frustrated by any means, or in any respect
whatever. :

* « They have refused to believe in the Koran, and it is the supremely excellent book.
None of the sacred books accuse it of falsehood.’’—Savary. :

> See chap. 16, p. 223, &c.

° Being so far off that they hear not, or understand not the voice of him who calls to

em.
_ t ‘Had we written the Korn in a foreign idiom, they would have exclaimed, Why is
it not written in our own language? Reply to them, Is its style barbarous? Is its author
an Arabian? This book is the light and remedy of believers. The ears of the unbelievers
are closed up. A cloud obscures their eyes. ‘They will not understand.’’—Savary.

t ‘‘ The subject of a thousand disputes.’’—Savary. .

¢ For they shall disclaim their idols at the resurrection.
SHAP. XLII. AL KORAN. 893

‘those who shall not have believed, that which they have wrought; and we
will surely cause them to taste a most severe punishment. When we con-
fer favours on man, he turneth aside, and departeth without returning
thanks: but when evil toucheth him, he is frequent at prayer. Say,
What think ye? if the Kordn be from Gop, and ye believe not herein;
who will lie under a greater error, than he who dissenteth widely there-
from? Hereafter we will show them our signs in the regions of the earth,

- and in themselves;* until, it become manifest unto them that this book is

the truth. Js it not sufficient for thee that thy Lorp is witness of all

things? Are they not in a doubt as to the meeting of their Lorp at the
resurrection? Doth not he encompass all things? -

CHAPTER XLII.
INTITLED, CONSULTATION ;! REVEALED AT MECCAs
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

H.M. A.S.K.* Tuus doth the mighty, the wise Gop reveal his will
unto thee ; and in like manner did he reveal it unto the prophets who were
before thee. Unto him belongeth whatever is in heaven, and in earth; and
he is the high, the great God. Jt wanteth little but that the heavens be
rent in sunder from above, at the awfulness of his majesty : the angels cele-
brate the praise of their Lorn, and ask pardon for those who dwell in the
earth. Is not Gop the forgiver of sins, the merciful? But as to those who
take other gods for their patrons, besides him, Gop observeth their actions :
for thou art not a steward over them. Thus have we revealed unto thee
an Arabic Koran, that thou mayest warn the metropolis of Mecca, and the
Arabs who dwell round about it; and mayest threaten zhem with the day
of the general assembly, of which there is no doubt: one part shail then be
placed in paradise, and another part in hell. If Gop had pleased, he had
made them all o one religion; but he leadeth whom he pleaseth into his
mercy ; and the unjust shall have no patron or helper. Do they take other
patrons, besides him? whereas Gop is the only true patron: he quickeneth
the dead; and he is almighty. Whatever matter ye disagree about, the
decision thereof appertaineth unto Gop. This is Gop, my Lorp: in him

 

* By the surprising victories and conquests of Mohammed, and his successors.*

t The title is taken from the verse wherein the believers are commended, among other
things, for using deliberation in their affairs, and consulting together in order to act for
the best. Some, instead of this word, prefix the five single letters with which the chapter
begins. ;

ry allalo’ddin excepts three verses beginning with these words, Say, Lask not of you, for
this my preaching, any reward, &c.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

‘ * Al Beidawi.
25
394 AL KORAN. CHAP. XLII.

do 1 trust, and unto him do J turn me:* the Creator of heaven and earth :
he hath given you wives of your own species, and cattle both male and
female; by which means he multiplieth you: there is nothing like him;
and it is he who heareth and seeth. His are the keys of heaven and earth,
he bestoweth provision abundantly on whom he pleaseth, and he is sparing
unto whom he pleaseth ; for he knoweth all things. He hath ordained you
the religion which he commanded Noah, and which we have revealed unto
thee, O Mohammed, and which we commanded Abraham, and Moses, and
Jesus :' saying, Observe this religion, and be not divided therein. The
worship of one God, to which thou invitest them, is grievous unto the
unbelievers : Gop will elect thereto whom he pleaseth, and will direct unto
the same him who shall repent. , Those who lived in times past were not
divided among themselves, until after that the knowledge of God’s unity
had come unto them; through their own perverseness: and unless a
previous decree had passed from thy Lorp, to bear with them till a deter-
mined time, verily the matter had been decided between them, by the
destruction of the gainsayers. They who have inherited the scriptures after
them * are certainly in a perplexing doubt concerning the same.1 Where-
fore invite them to receive the sure faith, and be urgent with them, as thou
hast been commanded ; and follow not their vain desires : and say, I believe
in all the scriptures which Gop hath sent down; and I am commanded to
establish justice among you: Gop is our Lorp and your Lorp: unto us
will our works be imputed, and unto you will your works be imputed : let
there be no wrangling between us and you; for Gop will assemble us all at
the last day, and unto him shall we return. 2s to those who dispute con-
cerning Gop, after obedience hath been paid him by receiving his religion,
their disputing shalZ de vain in the sight of their Lorn; and wrath shall
fail on them, and they shall suffer a grievous punishment. Jt is Gop who
hath sent down the scripture with truth ; and the balance of true judgment :
and what shall inform thee whether the hour de nigh at hand? They who
believe not therein wish it to be hastened by way of mockery : but they who
believe dread the same, and know it to be the truth. Are not those who
dispute concerning the Jast hour in a wide error? Gop is bounteous unto
his servants : he provideth for whom he pleaseth; and he is the strong, the
mighty. Whoso chooseth the tillage of the life to come,™ unto him will
we give increase in his tillage: and whoso chooseth the tillage of this
world, we will give him the fruit thereof; but he shall have no part in the
life to come. Have the idolaters deities which ordain them a religion which
Gop hath not allowed? But had it not been for the decree of respiting
their punishment to the day of separating the infidels from the true believers,
judgment shad been already given between them: for the unjust shall

 

* «T have put my trustin Him. Unto Him I shall return.’’—Savary.

‘ See the Prelim Disc. sect. iv. pp. 50 and 54.

® yiz. The modern Jews and Christians.

1 Not understanding the true meaning, nor believing the real doctrines thereof.

™ Labouring here, to obtain a reward hereafter: for what is sown in this world will be
reaped in the next. :
CHAP. XLII. AL KORAN. 395

surely suffer a painful torment. On that day thou shalt see the Unjust in
great terror, because of their demerits; and the penalty thereof shall fall upon
them: but they who believe.and do good works shall dwell in the delight-
ful meadows of paradise; they shall obtain whatever they shall desire, with
their Lorp. This is the greatest acquisition. This is what Gop promiseth
unto his servants who believe and do good works. Say, I ask not of you,
for this my preaching, any reward, except the love of my relations:* and
whoever shall have deserved well by one good action, unto him will we add
the merit of another action thereto; for Gop is inclined to forgive, and
ready to reward. Do they say, Mohammed hath blasphemously forged a
lie concerning Gop? If Gop pleaseth, he will seal up thy heart:" and
Gop will absolutely abolish vanity, and will establish the truth in his
words ;° for he knoweth the innermost part of men’s breasts.t It is he
who accepteth repentance from his servants, and forgiveth sins, and knoweth
‘that which ye do. He will incline his ear unto those who believe and work
righteousness, and will add unto them above what they shall ask or deserve,
of his bounty: but the unbelievers shall suffer a severe punishment. If
Gop should bestow abundance upon his servants, they would certainly
behave insolently in the earth: but he sendeth down by measure unto
every one that which he pleaseth; for he well knoweth and seeth the con-
dition of his servants. It is he who sendeth down the rain, after men have
despaired thereof, and spreadeth abroad his mercy; and he is the patron,
justly to be praised. Among his signs is the creation of heaven and earth,
and of the living creatures with which he hath replenished them both; and
he is able to gather them together before his tribunal, whenever he pleaseth.
Whatever misfortune befalleth you is sent unto you by God, for that which
your hands have deserved; and yet he forgiveth many things: ye shall not
frustrate the divine vengeance in the earth; neither shall ye have any pro-
tector or helper, against Gop. Among his signs also are the ships running
in the sea, like high mountains: if he pleaseth, he causeth the wind to
cease, and they lie still on the back of the water: (verily herein are signs
unto every patient and grateful person): or he destroyeth them dy ship-
wreck, because of that which their crews have merited; though he pardoneth
many things. And they who dispute against our signs shall know that

 

* “ The love of your kindred.”’—Savary. .

2 The meaning of these words is somewhat obscure. Some imagine they express a
detestation of the forgery charged on the prophet by the infidels; because none could be
capable of so wicked an action, but one whose heart was close shut, and knew not his Lord:
as if he had said, God forbid that thou shouldest be so void of grace, or have so little sense
of thy duty! Others think the signification to be, that God might, strike all the revela-
tions which had been vouchsafed to Mohammed out of his heart at once; and others,
that God would strengthen his heart with patience against the insults of the unbelievers.‘

° Wherefore .f the doctrine taught in this book be of man, it will certainly fail and come
to nothing , but if it be of God, it can never be overthrown.’ ;

+ ‘* He will impress upon thy heart the seal of patience. He will destroy falsehood, and
confirm the truth of his words. He fathometh the depth of every heart.’’—Savary.

t ‘“‘ Excess of prosperity would have made them forget moderation.’’—Savary..

§ “Jf the crimes of mariners have merited his anger, he drowneth them, but his niercy
often prevaiieth over his justice.”"—Savary.

“ Al Beidawi. "8 Tdem.
+

396 “AL KORAN. CHAP. XLII.

there will be no way for them to escape our vengeance. Whatever things
are given you, they are the provision of this present life: but the reward
which is with Gop is better, and more durable, for those who believe, and |
put their trust in their Lorp; and who avoid heinous and filthy crimes, and
when they are angry, forgive; and who hearken unto their Lorn, and are
constant at prayer, and whose affairs are directed by consultation among
themselves, and who give alms out of what we have bestowed on them;
and who, when an injury is done them, avenge themselves? (and the
retaliation of evil ought to be an evil proportionate thereto): but he who
forgiveth, and is reconciled unto his enemy, shall receive his reward from
Gop ;4 for he loveth not the unjust doers.. And whoso shall avenge him-
self, after he hath been injured; as to these, it is not lawful to punish them
for it: but it is only lawful to punish those who wrong men, and act inso-
lently in the earth, against justice; these shall suffer a grievous punishment.
And whoso beareth injuries patiently, and forgiveth ; verily this is a neces-
sary work. Whom Gop shall cause to err, he shall afterwards have no
protector. And thou shalt see the ungodly, who shall say, when they
behold the punishment prepared for them, Is there no way to return back
into the world? And thou shalt see them exposed unto hell fire; dejected,
because of the ignominy they shall undergo: they shall look at the fire
sideways, and by stealth; * and the true believers shall say, Verily the
losers are they who have lost their own souls, and their families, on the day
of resurrection: shall not the ungodly continue in eternal torment? They
shall have no protectors to defend them against Gop: and whom Gop shal}
cause to err, he shall find no way éo the truth. Hearken unto your Lorp,
before the day come, which Gop will not keep back: ye shall have no place
of refuge on that day; neither shall ye be able to deny your sins. But if
those to whom thou preachest turn aside from thy admonitions, verily we have
not sent thee fo de a guardian over them: thy duty is preaching only.
When we cause man to taste mercy from us, he rejoiceth thereat: but if evil
befall them, for that which their hands have formerly committed, verily man
becometh ungrateful. Unto Gop appertaineth the kingdom of héaven and
earth: he createth that which he pleaseth; he giveth females unto whom
he pleaseth, and he giveth males unto whom he pleaseth; or he giveth
them males and females jointly: and he maketh whom he pleaseth to be
childless; for he is wise and powerful. It is not fit for man that Gop
should speak unto him otherwise than by private revelation, or from behind
a veil, or by his sending of a messenger to reveal, by his permission, that
which he pleaseth; for he is high and wise. Thus have we revealed unto
® Using the means which God has put into their hands for their own defence. This is

added to complete the character here given; for valour and courage are not inconsistent
with clemency ;° the rule being,

Parcere subjectis, et debellare superbos,
4 See chap. 9, p. 88, &c, 4 : ' ae

* “ Covered with shame, they shall start back in terror, and sh
with an eye of dismay.” Savary. sense ee apen she ames

+ “Tf they persist ir their unbelief, thou ceasest to be their guide.” Savary.
® Al Beidawi.
OHAP, XLII. AL KORAN. 397

thee a revelation, by our command. Thou didst not understand, before
this, what the book of the Kordn was, nor what the faith was : but we have
ordained the same for a light; we will thereby direct such of.our servants
as we please: and thou shalt surely direct them into the right way, the way
of Gop, unto whom delongeth whatever is in heaven and in earth. Shall
not all things return unto Gop ?

.

CHAPTER XLIII.
INTITLED, THE ORNAMENTS OF GOLD;* REVEALED AT MECCA.'
IN THE NAME,OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GoD.

_H.M." By the perspicuous book; verily we have ordained the same an
Arabic Koran that ye may understand: and it is certainly written in the
original book,” kept with us, being sublime and full of wisdom. Shall we
therefore turn away from you the admonition, and deprive you thereof,
because ye are a people who transgress? And how many prophets have
we sent among those of old? and no prophet came unto them, but they
laughed him to scorn: wherefore we destroyed nations who were ‘more
mighty than these in strength; and the example of those who were of old
hath been already set before them. If thou ask them who created the
heavens and the earth, they will certainly answer, The mighty, the wise
God created them: who hath spread the earth as a bed for you, and hath
made you paths therein, that ye may be directed: and who sendeth down
rain from heaven by measure, whereby we quicken a dead country; (so
shall ye be brought forth from your graves :) and who hath created all the
various species of things, and hath given you ships and cattle, whereon ye
are carried ; that ye may sit firmly on the backs thereof, and may remember
the favour of your Lory, when ye sit thereon, and may say, Praise be unto
him, who hath subjected these unto our service! for we-could not have
mastered them by our own power :* and unto our Lorp shall we surely
return. Yet have they attributed unto him some of his servants as his
offspring: verily man is openly ungrateful. Hath God taken daughters out
of those beings which he hath created; and hath he chosen sons for you?
But when one of them hath the news brought of the birth of a child of that
sex which they attribute unto the Merciful, as Ais similitude, his face

 

T Or, as the words may be also translated, Thus have we sent the spirit Gabriel unto thee
with a revelation.

* The word chosen for the title of this chapter occurs p. 398.

t Some except the verse beginning with these words, And ask our apostles whom we have
tent before thee, Sc.

" See the Prel. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &&c.

"i. e. The preserved Table ; which is the original of all the scriptures in general.

* ‘Borne on the land and on the sea, ought ye not to call to mind his benefits, and to
say, Praise be to him who hath made his creatures administer unto our wants! We could
not have procured unto ourselves these advantages.’’—Savaru.
398 AL KORAN. OMAP. XLIIL

becometh black, and he is oppressed with sorrow.* Do they therefore
attribute unto God female issue, which are brought up among ornaments.
and are contentious without cause?* And do they make the angels, who
are the servants of the Merciful, females? Were they present at thei:
creation? Their testimony shall be written down, and they shall be
examined concerning the same, on the day of judgment. And they say, If
the Merciful had pleased, we had not worshipped them. They have no
knowledge herein: they only utter a vain lie} Have we given them a
book of revelations before this; and do they keep the same in their
custody? But they say, Verily we found our fathers practising a religion ;
and we are guided in their footsteps. Thus we sent no preacher before
thee, unto any city, but the inhabitants thereof who lived in affluence, said,
Verily we found our fathers practising a religion : and we tread in their
footsteps. And the preacher answered, What, although J bring you a more
right religion than that which ye found your fathers to practise? And
they replied, Verily we believe not that which ye are sent to preach.
Wherefore we took vengeance on them: and behold what hath been the
end of those who accused our apostles of imposture. Remember when
Abraham said unto his father, and his people, Verily I am clear of the gods
which ye worship, except him who hath created me; for he will direct me
aright. And he ordained this to be a constant doctrine among his posterity ;
that they should be turned from idolatry to the worship of the only ‘rue God.
Verily I have permitted these Meccans ‘and their fathers to live in pros-
perity, until the truth should come unto them, and a manifest apostle : but
now the truth is come unto them, they say, This is a piece of sorcery ; and
we believe not therein. And they say, Had this Koran been sent down
unto some great man of either of the two cities,” we would have received it.
Do they distribute the mercy of thy Lorp? We distribute the necessary
provision among them, in this present life, and we raise some of them
several degrees above the others, that the one of them may take the other
to serve him: and the mercy of thy Lorp is more valuable than the riches
which they gather together. If i were not that mankind would have
become one sect of infidels, verily we had given unto those who believe not
in the Merciful, roofs of silver to their houses, and stairs of silver, by which
they might ascend thereto, and doors of silver to their houses, and couches
of silver, for them to lean on; and ornaments of gold: for all this is the
provision of the present life; but the next /ife with thy Lorn shall be for
those who fear him. Whoever shall withdraw from the admonition of the
Merciful, we will chain a devil unto him; and he shall be his inseparable

 

» See chap. 16, p. 218, &c.

* “Can the Eternal be the father of a capricious being, of a daughter, whose yomb is
passed in the midst of ornament and of dress ??’—Savary.

+ ‘Did heaven command this worship unto them? ‘They blaspheme.’’—Savary.

Yi, e. To one of the principal inhabitants of Mecca, or of T’ayef; such as al Walid Ebn
al Mogheira, or Orwa Ebn Masud the Thakifite.”

+ By this expression the prophetic office is here particularly intended.
‘Al Beidawi.
CHAP. XLII. AL KORAN. 899

companion: (and the devils shall turn them aside from the way of truth ,
yet they shall imagine themselves to be rightly directed :) until, when he
shall appear before us at the last day, he shall say unto the devil,* Would to
Gop that between me and thee there was the distance of the east from the
west! Oh how wretched a companion art thou! But wishes shall not
avail you on this day, since ye have been unjust; for ye shall be partakers
of the same punishment. Canst thou, O prophet, make the deaf to hear,
or canst thou direct the blind, and him who is in a manifest error?
Whether we take thee away, we will surely take vengeance on them; or
whether we cause thee to see the punishment with which we have threat-
ened them executed, we will certainly prevail over them. Wherefore hold
fast the doctrine which hath been revealed unto thee; for thou art in a right
way: and it is a memorial unto thee and thy people, and hereafter shall
ye be examined concerning your observance thereof. And ask our apostles
whom we have sent before thee,” whether we have appointed gods for them
to worship, besides the Merciful. We formerly sent Moses with our sizns
unto Pharaoh and his princes, and he said, Verily I am the apostle of the
Lorp of all creatures. And when he came unto them with our signs, be-
hold, they laughed him to scorn; although we showed them no sign, but
it was greater than the other:* and we inflicted a punishment on them,*
that peradventure they might be converted. And they said unto Moses,
O magician, pray unto thy Lorp for us, according to the covenant which
he hath made with thee; for we will certainly be directed. But when we
took the plague from off them, behold, they brake their promise. And
Pharaoh made proclamation among his people, saying, O my people, is not
the kingdom of Egypt mine, and these rivers, which flow beneath me?
Do ye not see?* Am not I better than this Moses, who is a contemptible
person, and can scarce express himself intelligibly?* Have bracelets of
gold, therefore, been put upon him;8 or do the angels attend him in orderly
procession? And Pharaoh persuaded his people to light behaviour; and
they obeyed him: for they were a wicked people. And when they had
provoked us to wrath, we took vengeance on them: and we drowned them

 

* See chap. 19, p. 253. Ae .

* That is, Ask those who profess the religions which they taught, and their learned
men.?

¢ Literally, Thaz its sister. The meaning is, that the miracles were all very great and
considerable, or, as the French may express it, by a phrase nearly the same, des uns plus
grands que les autres. ~ . ; ; at

4 yiz. The successive plagues which they suffered, prévious to their final destruction in
the Red Sea. é ”

© To wit, the Nile and its branches.® : .

* « Pharaoh, having assembled his people, said unto them, Doth not the empire of
Egypt belong unto me? This river, these canals, do they not flow under my laws?
Think ye not thus ?”’—Savary.

See chap. 20, p. 256, note d. ae : :

® Such bracelets were some of the insignia of royalty: for when the Egyptians raised a
person to the dignity of a prince, they put a collar or chain of gold about his neck, and
bracelets of gotd on his wrists.?:

® Al Beidawi, Jullalo’ddin, &c. * Al Beidawi. t See Gen. xli. 42.
® Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
400: AL KORAN. d cHaP. XLIM.

all: and’ we made them a precedent, and an example unto others.’ And
when the son of Mary was proposed for an example, behold, thy people
cried out through excess of joy thereat;»* and they said, Are our gods better,
or he? They have proposed this instance unto thee no otherwise than for
an occasion of dispute: yea, they are contentious men. Jesus 1s no other
than a servant, whom we favoured with the gift of prophecy ; and we ap-
pointed him for an example! unto the children of Israel : (if we pleased,
verily we could from ourselves produce angels, to succeed you in the
earth:*) and he shall be a sign of the approach of the last hour ;' where-
fore doubt not thereof, And follow me: this is the right way. And let not
Satan cause you to turn aside; for he ts your open enemy. And when
Jesus came with evident miracles, he said, Now am I come unto you with
wisdom," and to explain unto you part of those things concerning whick
ye disagree; wherefore fear Gop, and obey me. Verily Gop is my Lorp,
and your Lorp; wherefore worship him: this is the right way. And the
confederated sects among them fell to variance :* but woe unto those who .
have acted unjustly, because of the punishment of a grievous day. Do the
unbelievers wait for any other than the hour of judgment ; that it may come
upon them suddenly, while they foresee it not? The intimate friends, on
that day, shall be enemies unto one another; except the pious. O my
servants, there shall no fear come on you this day, neither shall ye be
grieved; who have believed in our signs, and have been Moslems: enter
ye into paradise, ye and your wives, with great joy. Dishes of gold shall

 

4 This passage is generally supposed to have been revealed on occasion of an objection
made by one Ebn al Zabari, to those words in the twenty-first chapter,* by which all in
general, who were worshipped as deities, besides God, are doomed to hell: whereupon
the infidels cried out, We are contented that our gods should be with Jesus ; for he also is
worshipped as God.* Some, however, are of opinion it might have been revealed in an-
swer to certain idolaters, who said that the Christians, who received the scriptures, wor-

shipped Jesus, supposing him to be the son of God; whereas the angels were more wor-
thy of that honour than he.* )

* ‘The example of Jesus, the son of Mary, was proposed to the idolaters, and they
started back thereat.’’—Savary.

‘ Or an instance of our power, by his miraculous birth.

* As easily as we produced Jesus without a father.* The intent of the words is to show
how just and reasonable it is to think, that the angels should bear the relation of children

to men, rather than to God; they being his creatures, as well as men, and equally in his
power.

' For some time before the resurrection Jesus is to descend on earth, according to the
Mohammedans, near Damascus," or, as some say, near a rock in the holy land named
Afi, with a lance in his hand, wherewith he is to kill Antichrist, whom he will encounter .
at Ludd, or Lydda, a small town not far from Joppa. They add, that he will arrive at
Jerusalem at the time of morning prayer, that he shall perform his devotions after the
Mohammedan institution, and officiate instead of the Imam, who shall give place to him;
that he’ will break down the cross, and destroy the churches of the Christians, of whom
he will also make a generel slaughter, excepting only such as shall profess Islam, &c.?

= That is, with a book of revelations, and an excellent system of religion.

* This may be understood either of the Jews in the time of Jesus, who opposed his doc-
trine, or of the Christians since, who have fallen into various opinions concerning him;
some making him to be God, others the son of God, and others one of the persons of the
Trinity, &c.° (Savary applies it to the Christians.)

* See p. 272. ‘ Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. 5 Tidem. '6 Tidem. 7 See the

Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 57, 58. ® Sce ibid. p. 57. 9 kat 10
Jallalo'ddin. Pine ce Al Beidawi. Idem,
CHAP. XLIII. AL KORAN. 401

be carried round unto them, and cups without handles: and therein shali
they enjoy whatever their souls shall desire, and whatever their eyes shall
delight in: and ye shall remain therein for ever. This is pafadise, which
ye have inherited as a reward for that which ye have wrought. Therein
shall ye have fruits in abundance, of which ye shall eat. But the wicked
shall remain for ever in the torment of hell: it shall not be made lighter
unto them; and they shall despair therein.* We deal not unjustly with
them, but they deal unjustly with their own souls. And they shall call
aloud, saying, 0 Malec,° intercede for us that thy Lorp would end us
by annihilation. He shall answer,” Verily ye shall remain here for ever.
We brought you the truth heretofore, but the greater part of you abhorred
the truth. Have the infidels fixed on a method to circumvent our apostle ?
Verily we will fix on a method to circumvent them. Do they imagine that we
hear not their secrets, and their private discourse? Yea; and our messen-
gers who attend them? write down the same. Say, If the Merciful had
a son, verily I would be the first of those who should worship him. Far be
the Lorp of heaven and earth, the Lorp of the throne, from that which
they affirm of him! Wherefore let them wade in their vanity, and divert
themselves until they arrive at their day with which they have been threat-
ened.{ He who is Gop in heaven, is Gop on earth also: and he is the
wise, the knowing. And blessed be he unto whom appertaineth the
kingdom of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them; with
whom is the knowledge of the Zast hour; and before whom ye shall be as-
sembled. They whom they invoke besides him have not the privilege to

intercede for others ; except those who bear witness to the truth, and know | -

the same.* If thou ask them who hath created them, they will surely
answer, Gop. How therefore are they turned away to the worship of
others? God also heareth the saying of the prophet, O Lorp, verily these
are people who believe not: and he answereth, Therefore turn aside from
them; and say, Peace :* hereafter shall they know their folly.’

 

_* “Their rigour shall never be mitigated. The guilty shall preserve a melancholy
silence.’’—Savary.

° This the Mohammedans suppose to be the name of the principal angel who has the
charge of hell.

» Some say that this answer will not be given till a fhousand years after. _
4%.e. The guardian angels.

+ ‘Let them waste their time in vain disputes. The day which is promised unto them
shall come upon them by surprise.—Savary.

That is, to the doctrine of God’s-unity. The exception comprehends Jesus, Ezra, and
‘the angels; who will be admitted: as intercessors, though they have been worshipped ae
gods.!

* See chap. 25, p. 300, note p.
~ 1 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
4.02 AL KORAN. cuaP. XLIV.

CHAPTER XLIV.
INTITLED, SMOKE;t REVEALED AT MECCA."
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

H. Mx By the perspicuous book of the Kordn; verily we have sent
down the same ona blessed night» (for we had engaged so to do), on the
mght wherein is distinctly sent down the decree of every determined thing,
as a command from us.?* Verily we have ever used to send apostles with
revelations, at proper intervals, as a mercy from thy Lorp ; for it is he who
heareth and knoweth: the Lorp of heaven and earth, and of whatever 1s
between them; if ye are men of sure knowledge. There is no Gop but he:
he giveth life, and he causeth to die; he is your Lorp, and the Lorp
of your forefathers. Yet do they amuse themselves with doubt. But
observe them, on the day whereon the heaven shall produce a visible smoke,
which shall cover mankind :* this will be a tormenting plague. They shall
say, O Lorn, take this plague from off us: verily we will become true be-
lievers. How should an admonition be of avail to them in this condition ;
whena manifest apostle came unto them, but they retired from him, saying,
This man is instructed by others, or is a distracted person? We will take
the plague from off you, a little: but ye will certainly return to your infi-
delity. On the day whereon we shall fiercely assault them with great

 

1 T
* This word occurs within a few lines from the beginning of the chapter.
® Some except the verse beginning, We will take the plague off you a little, &c.
= See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

¥ Generally supposed to be that between the 23rd and 24th of Ramadan. See ibid.
p. 46, and chap. 97, and the notes there.

2 For annually on this night, as the Mohammedans are taught, all the events of the
ensuing year, with respect to life, and death, and the other affairs of this world, are disposed
and settled.2 Some, however, suppose that these words refer only to that particular night,
on which the Koran, wherein are completely contained the divine determinations in respect
to religion and morality, was sent down;® and according to this exposition the passage
may be rendered, The night whereon every determined or adjudged matter was sent down.

* «T swear it by the book of evidence : we sent it down unto thee on the blessed night,
for the instruction of mortals. On the same night eternal wisdom put the seal unto its
laws.’’—Savary.

® The commentators differ in their expositions of this passage. Some think it spoken of
asmoke which seemed to fill the air, during the famine which was inflicted on the Meccans
jn Mohammed’s time,‘ and was so thick, that though they could hear, yet they could not
see one another.’ But according to a tradition of Ali, the smoke here meant is that which
is to be one of the previous signs of the day of judgment,® and will fill the whole space
from east to west, and last for forty days. This smoke, they say, will intoxicate the infi-
dele, and issue at their nose, ears, and posteriors; but will very little incommode the true

elievers.

> See chap. 16, p. 223.

’ ¢ If we follow the former exposition, the words are to be understood of the ceasing of the
famine, upon the intercession of Mohammed, at, the desire of the Koreish, and on their
promise of believing on him; notwithstanding which they fell back to their old incredulity:
but if we follow the latter exposition, they are to be understood of God’s taking away the
plague of the smoxe, after the expiration of forty days, at the prayer of the infidels, and
on their ome of receiving the true faith ; which being done, they will immediately re-

turn to their wonted obstinacy.
2 Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. 3 Tidem. «See chap. 23, p. 284, noteq. | SAI
Zamakh., al Beidawi, Yahya, Jallalo’ddin. 5 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 58

* Al Zamakh., al Beidawi.
CHAP. XLIV. AL KORAN. 403

power," verily we will take vengeance on them. We made trial of the
people of Pharaoh before them, and an honourable messenger came
unto them, saying, Send unto me the servants of Gop;® verily I ama
faithful messenger unto you: and lift not yourselves up against Gon; for
I come unto you with manifest power. And I fly for protection unto my
Lorp, and your Lorp, that ye stone me not.£ If ye do not believe me, at
least depart from me. And when they accused him of imposlure, he called
upon his Lorn, saying, These are a wicked people. And God said unto him,
March forth with my servants by night; for ye will be pursued: and leave
the sea divided, that the Egyptians may enter the same; for they are a host
doomed to be drowned. How many gardens, and fountains, and fields
of corn, and fair dwellings, and advantages which they enjoyed, did they
leave behind them! Thus we dispossessed them thereof ; and we gave the
same for an inheritance unto another people.* Neither heaven nor earth
wept for them;‘ neither were they respited any /Jonger. And we delivered
the children of Israel from a shameful affliction; from Pharaoh; for he
was haughty, and a transgressor: and we chose them, knowingly,* above
all people; and we showed them several signs,! wherein was an evident
trial. Verily these Meccans say, Assuredly our final end will be no other
than our first natural death; neither shall we be raised again: bring now
our forefathers back to life, if ye speak truth. Are they better, or the
people of Tobba,™ and those who were before them? we destroyed them,
because they wrought wickedness. We have not created the heavens and
the earth, and whatever is between them, by way of sport: we have created
them no otherwise than in truth,;"* but the greater part of them do not
understand. Verily the day of separation ® shall be the appointed term of
them all: a day, whereon the master and the servant shall be of no advan-
tage to one another, neither shall they be helped; excepting those on whom

 

4 Some expound this of the slaughter at Bedr, and others of the day of judgment.

®i.e. Let the Israelites go with me to worship their God.

* Or, that ye injure me not, either by word or deed.*

® Without opposing me, or offering me any injury, which I have not deserved from you.

®See chap. 26, p. 204.

‘ That is, None pitied their destruction. ; :

*i. e. Knowing that they were worthy of our choice ; or notwithstanding we knew they
would, in time to come, fall into idolatry, &c. eae :

' As the dividing of the Red Sea; the cloud which shaded them ; the raining on them
manna and quails, &c.* ‘

™ viz. The Hamyarites, whose kings had the title of Tobba.2_ The commentators tell us
that the Tobba here meant was very potent, and built Samarcand, or, as others say, de-
molished it; and that he was a true believer, but his subjects were infidels.* ‘

This prince seems to have been Abu Carb Asaad, who flourished about seven hundred
years before Mohammed, and embraced Judaism, which religion he first introduced into

aman (being the true religion at that time, inasmuch as Christianity was not then pro-
mulgated), and was, for that cause probably, slain by his own people.‘

" See chap. 21, p. 265, and chap. 38, p. 373. |

* «¢ The heavens, the earth, and the whole universe, are not the effect of chance. Out
of nothing have we created them.’’—Savary. :

°¢. e. The day of judgment, when the wicked shall be separated from the righteous, &c.

* Al Beidawi. 1Tdem. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. p. 7. 2 Al Be‘dawi,
Jallalo’ddin. | *AlJannabi. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 60.

—
Ae
404 AL KORAN. CHAP. XLV.

Gop shall have mercy ; for he is the mighty, the merciful. Verily, the fruit
of the tree of al Zakkum shall be the food of the impious ;? as the dregs of
oil shall it boil in the bellies of the damned,* like the boiling of the hottest
water. And it shall be said to the tormentors, Take him, and drag him into
the midst of hell: and pour on his head the torture of boiling water, saying,
Taste this ; for thou art that mighty and honourable person. Verily this
is the punishment of which ye doubted. But the pious shall be lodged in
a place of security, among gardens and fountains : they shall be clothed in
fine silk, and in satin; and they shall sit facing one another.t Thus shall
it be : and we will espouse them, to fair damsels, having large black eyes.
In that place shall they call for all kinds of fruits, in full security: they
shall not taste death therein, after the first death; and God shall deliver
from the pains of hell: through the gracious bounty of thy Lorp. This
will be great felicity.. Moreover we have rendered the Koran easy Sor thee,
by revealing it in thine own tongue; to the end that they may be ad-
monished: wherefore do thou wait the event; for they wait to see some
‘misfortune befall thee.

\ CHAPTER XLV.
INTITLED, THE KNEELING; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

H. Mx Tur revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise Gop.
Verily both in heaven and earth are signs of the divine power unto the true
believers: and in the creation of yourselves, and of the beasts which are .
scattered over the face of the earth, are signs unto people of sound judgment ; f
and also in the vicissitude of night and day, and the rain which Gop
sendeth down from heaven, whereby he quickeneth the earth after it hath
been dead: in the change of the winds also are signs unto people of under-
standing. These are the signs of Gop; we rehearse them unto thee with
truth. In what revelation therefore will they believe, after they have
rejected Gop and his signs? Woe unto every lying and impious person ;
who heareth the signs of Gop, which are read unto him, and afterwards —
proudly persisteth in infidelity, as though he heard them not: (denounce
unto him a painful punishment:) and who, when he cometh to the know- |
ledge of any of our signs, receiveth the same with scorn.§ For these 7s -
prepared a shameful punishment: before them lieth hell; and whatever
they shall have gained shall not avail them at all, neither shal the idols

 

? Jallalo’ddin supposes this passage to have been particularly levelled against Abu Jahl.
* «« Like molten metals, it shall devour their entrails.’ —Savary.
+“ They shall look on each other benevolently.’’—Savary.
4 The word from which this chapter is denominated occurs page 406.
* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c. 5
t ‘* Manifest his wisdom unto those who sincerely believe.’’—Savary.
é § ‘If they know the divine doctrine, it is only to make of it an object of mockery.’’—
‘avary,
CHAP. XLV AL KORAN. 405

which they have taken for their patrons, besides Gop; and they shall suffer
a grievous punishment. This is a true direction: and for those who dis-
believe the signs of their Lorn, is prepared the punishment of a painful
torment. Jt is Gop who hath subjected the sea unto you, that the ships
may sail therein, at his command; and that ye may seek advantage unto
yourselves by commerce, of his bounty; and that ye may give thanks: and
he obligeth whatever is in heaven and on earth to serve you; the whole
being from him. Verily herein are signs unto people who consider. Speak
unto the true believers, that they forgive those who hope not for the days
of Gon,** that he may reward. people according to what they shall have
wrought. Whoso doeth that which is right doth it to the advantage of his
owa soul; and whoso doeth evil doth it against the same: hereafter shall
ye return unto your Lorp. We gave unto the children of ‘Israel the book
of the law, and wisdom, and prophecy; and we fed them with good things,

and preferred them above all nations: and we gave them plain ordinances - ©

concerning the business of religion ;t+ neither do they fall to variance, ex-
‘cept after that knowledge had come unto them, through envy among them-
selves: but thy Lorp will decide the controversy between them, on the day
of resurrection, concerning that wherein they disagree. Afterwards we ap-
pointed thee, O Mohammed, to promulgate a law concerning the business
of religion : wherefore follow the same, and follow not the desires of those
who are ignorant.t Verily they shall not avail thee against Gop at all; the
unjust are the patrons of one another; but Gop is the patron of the pious.
This Kordn delivereth evident precepts unto mankind; and is a direction,
and a mercy, unto people who judge aright. Do the workers of iniquity
imagine that we will deal with them as with those who believe and do good
works; so that their life and their death shall be equal? An ill’ judgment
‘do they make. Gop hath created the heavens and the earth in truth; that he
may recompense every soul according to that which it shall have wrought:
and they shall not be treated unjustly. What thinkest thou? He who
taketh his own lust for his Gop, and whom Gop causeth knowingly to err,
and whose ears and whose heart he hath sealed up, and over whose eyes he
hath cast a veil; who shall direct him, after Gop shall have forsaken him?
Will ye therefore not be admonished? They say, There is no other life,
except our present life: we die, and we live; and nothing but time de-
stroyeth us. But they have no knowledge in this matte; ; they only follow
a vain opinion.{ And when our evident signs are rehearsed unto them,

 

* By the days of God, in this place, are meant the prosperous successes of his people
in battle against the infidels.* ‘I'he passage is said to have been revealed on account of
Omar, who being reviled by one of the tribe of Ghifar, was thinking to revenge himself
by force. Some are of opinion that this verse is abrogated by that of war.‘

* « Bxhort the believers to extend forgiveness unto the unbelievers.”—Savary. .

+ “* We prescribed unto them the worship of the true god.’’—Savary.

t That is, Of the principal Koreish, who were urgent with Mohammed to return to the

religion of his forefathers." __ tas : oa a
'  £“Tgnorance hath given birth to this opinion, and hath converted it into a dogma.’’ =
Savary.

5 See p. 205, note n. * A] Beidawi. "Tdem.
406 AL KORAN. CHAP. XLVI.

their argument which they offer against the same is no other than that they
say, Bring to life our fathers who have been dead ; if ye speak truth. Say,
Gop giveth you life; and afterwards causeth you to die: hereafter will
he assemble you together on the day of resurrection; there is no dcubt
thereof; but the greater part of men do not understand. Unto Gop apper-
taineth the kingdom of heaven and earth; and the day whereon the hour
shall be fixed, on that day shall those who charge the Kordn with vanity
perish, And thou shalt see every nation® kneeling : every nation shall be
called unto its book of account ; and it shall be said unto them, This day
shall ye be rewarded according to that which ye have wrought. ; This our
book will speak concerning you with truth; therein have we written down
whatever ye have done.x As to those who shall have believed and done
good works, their Lorp shall lead them into his mercy: this shall be mani-
fest felicity. But as to the infidels, it shall be said unto them, Were not
my signs rehearsed unto you? but ye proudly rejected them, and became
a wicked people! And when it was said unto you, Verily the promise of
Gop is true: and as to the hour of judgment, there is no doubt thereof: ye
answered, We know not what the hour of judgment is: we hold an uncer-
tain opinion only ;* and we are not well assured of this matter. But on
that day the evils of that which they have wrought shall appear unto them;
and that which they mocked at shall encompass them: and it shall be said
unto them, This day will we forget you, as ye did forget the meeting of
this your day : and your abode shall be hell fire; and ye shall have none
to deliver you. This shall ye suffer, because ye turned the signs of Gop
to ridicule; and the life of the world deceived you. On this day, there-
fore, they shall not be taken forth from thence, neither shall they be asked
any more to render themselves well-pleasing unto God. Wherefore praise
be unto Gop, the Lorp of the heavens, and the Lorp of the earth; the
Lorp of all creatures: and unto him be glory in heaven and earth; for he
is the mighty, the wise God.

 

CHAPTER XLVI.

INTITLED, AL AHKAF;” REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

*[XXVI.] H. Mz Tue revelation of this book is from the mighty, the
wise Gop. We have not created the heavens, and the earth, and whatever

 

" The original word Ommat properly signifies a people who profess one and the same

law or religion.
* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 63.
* “Tt is a chimerical opinion, which is established among us.’’—Savary.

y Al Ahkéf is the plural of Hekf, and signifies sands which lie in a crooked or winding
manner; whence it became the name ofa territory in the province of Hadramaut, where
the Adites dwelt. It is mentioned about the middle of the chapter.

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.
CHAP, XLVa. AL KORAN. 407

is between them, otherwise than in truth,» and for a determined period : > *
but the unbelievers turn away from the warning which is given them. Say,
What think ye? Show me what part of the earth the idols which ye
invoke, besides Gop, have created? Or, had they any whare in the
creation of the heavens?+ Bring me a book of scripture revealed before
this, or some footstep of ancient knowledge, to countenance your idolatrous
practices ; if ye are men of veracity. Who is in a wider error than he who
invoketh, besides Gop, that which cannot return him an answer, to the day
of resurrection; and idols which regard not their calling on them: and
which, when men shall be gathered together to judgment, will become their
enemies, and will ungratefully deny their worship? When our evident
signs are rehearsed unto them, the unbelievers say of the truth,* when it
cometh unto them, This is a manifest piece of sorcery. Will they say,
Mohammed hath forged it? Answer, If I have forged it, verily ye shal!
not obtain for me any favour from Gop: he well knoweth the injurious
language which ye utter concerning it: he is a sufficient witness between
me and you; and he is gracious and merciful. Say, I am not singular
among the apostles; 4 neither do I know what will be done with me or with
you hereafter : I follow no other than what is revealed unto me; neither
am I any more than a public warner. Say, What is your opinion? If
this book be from Gop, and ye believe not therein; and a witness of the
children of Israel bear witness to its consonancy with the law,° and believeth
therein; and ye proudly reject the same: are ye not unjust doers? Verily
Gop directeth not unjust people. But those who believe not say of the
true believers, If the doctrine of the Kordn had been good, they had not
embraced the same before us.‘ And when they are not guided thereby,
they say, This is an antiquated lie. Whereas the book of Moses was
revealed before the Kordn, to be a guide and a mercy: and this is a book
confirming the same, delivered in the Arabic tongue; to denounce threats
unto those who act unjustly, and to bear good tidings unto the righteous
doers. As to those who say, Our Lorp is Gop; and who behave uprightly :
on them shall no fear come, neither shall they be grieved. These shall be
the inhabitants of paradise, they shall remain therein for ever: in recom-

 

* See chap. 21, p. 265, and chap. 38, p. 373, &c.

> Being to last but a certain space of time, and not for ever.

* “We have called from nothing the heaven, the earth, and the immensity of space.
Truth presided over our work. All beings have their appointed time.’”’—Savary.

t ‘‘ Partake they of the empire of the heavens?’’—Savary.

4. e. Any part of the revelations of the Koran.

4 That is, I do not teach a doctrine different from what the former apostles and prophets
have taught: nor am I able to do what they could not: particularly to show the signs
which every one shall think fit to demand.®

® This witness is generally supposed to have been the Jew Abd’allah Ebn Salam, who
declared that Mohammed was the prophet foretold by Moses. Some, however, suppose
the witness here meant to have been Moses himself.®

‘ These words were spoken, as some think, by the Jews, when Abdallah professed
Islam ; or, according to others, by the Koreish, because the first followers of Mohammed
were for the most part poor and mean people; or else by the tribes of Amer, Ghatfan,
and Asad, on the conversion of those of Joheinah, Mozeinah, Aslam, and Ghifar.'

* Al Beidawi. * Idem, Jallalo’ddin. © Iidem.
408 : AL KORAN. CHAP. XLVI.

pense for that which they have wrought. We have commanded man to
show kindness to his parents: his mother beareth him in her womb with
pain, and bringeth him forth with pain: and the space of his being carried in
her womb, and of his weaning, is thirty months ;& until, when he attaineth
his age of strength, and attaineth the age of forty years, he saith,** O Lorn,
excite me, by thy inspiration, that I may be grateful for their favours,
wherewith thou hast favoured me and my parents; and that I may work
righteousness, which may please thee: and be gracious unto me in my
issue; for J am turned unto thee, and am a Moslem. These are they from
whom we accept the good work which they have wrought, and whose evil
works we pass by; and they shall be among the inhabitants of paradise :
this is a true promise, which they are promised in this world. He who saith
unto his parents, Fie on you! Do ye promise me that I shall be taken
forth from the grave, and restored to life ; when many generations have
passed away before me, and none of them have returned back?! And his
parents implore Gop’s assistance, and say to their son, Alas for thee!
Believe: for the promise of Gop is true. But he answereth, This is no
other than silly fables of the ancients. These are they whom the sentence"
passed on the nations which have been before them, of genii and of men,
justly fitteth: they shall surely perish* For every one is prepared a
certain degree of happiness or misery, according to that which they shall
have wrought: that God may recompense them for their works: and
they shall not be treated unjustly. On a certain day, the unbelievers
shall be exposed before the fire of hell ; and it shall be said unto them, Ye
received your good things in your lifetime, while ye were in the world,
and ye enjoyed yourselves therein: wherefore this day ye shall be re-
warded with the punishment of ignominy; for that ye behaved insolently
in the earth, without justice, and for that ye transgressed. Remember the
brother of Ad, when he preached unto his people in Al Ahkaf (and
there were preachers before him, and after him), saying, Worship none
but Gop: verily I fear for you the punishment of a great day. They
answered, Art thou come unto us that thou mayest turn us aside from
the worship of our gods? Bring on us now the punishment with which
thou threatenest us, if thou art a man of veracity. He said, Verily the

 

© At the least. For if the full time of suckling an infant be two years, or twenty-four
auorfths, there remain but six months for the space of his being carried inthe womb; which
is the least that can be allowed.* :

» These words, it is said, were revealed on account of Abu Becr. who professed Isiam in
the fortieth year of his age, two years after Mohammed’s mission; and was the only per-
son, either of the Mohajerin or the ‘Ansars, whose father and mother was also converted :
his son Abd’alrahman, and his grandson Abu Atik, likewise embracing the same faith.*

* « He is brought up under the paternal roof till he is of mature age. Having uttained
his ee Le See ;

‘ The words seem to be general: but it is said they were revealed particularly on occa-
sion of Abd’alrahman, the son of Abu Becr; who used these expressong to his father and
mother, before he professed Islam.* ‘

«Unless they redeem their fault bv repentance, and embracing the true faith; as did
Abd’alrahmin. . :

‘a. e. The prophet Hud.

* See chap. 2, p. 27, 28. * Al Beidawi. “Idem, Jallalo’ddin, &c. + Al Beid&wi.
OHAP. XLVI. AL KORAN. AN9

knowledge of the time when your punishment will be inflicted is with Gov;
and I only declare unto you that which I am sent to preach; but I see ye
are an ignorant people. And when they saw the preparation made for their
punishment, namely, a cloud traversing the sky, and tending towards theit
valleys, they said, This is a traversing cloud, which bringeth us rain. Hud
answered, Nay ; it is what ye demanded to be hastened: a wind, wherein
is a severe vengeance: it will destroy every thing,™ at the command of its
Lorp. And in the morning nothing was to be seen, besides their empty
dwellings. Thus do we reward wicked people. We had established them
in the like flourishing condition wherein we have established you, O men
of Mecca ; and we had given them ears, and eyes, and hearts: yet neither
their ears, nor their eyes, nor their hearts profited them at all, when they
rejected the signs of Gop; but the vengeance which they mocked at
fell upon them. We heretofore destroyed the cities which were round
about you; and we variously proposed our signs unto them, that they:
might repent. Did those protect them, whom they took for gods, besides
Gop, and imagined to be honoured with his familiarity ? Nay; they with-
drew from them: yet this was their false opinion which seduced them,
and the blasphemy which they had devised. Remember when we caused
certam of the genii® to turn aside unto thee, that they might hear the
Koran: and when they were present at the reading of the same, they said
to one another, Give ear: and when it was ended, they returned back unto
their people, preaching what they had heard. They said, Our people, verily
we have heard a book read unto us, which hath been revealed since Moses,?
confirming the scripture which was delivered before it; and directing unto
the truth, and the right way. Our people, obey Gop’s preacher: and
believe in him; that he may forgive you your sins, and may deliver you
from a painful’ punishment. And whoever obeyeth not Gop’s preacher
shall by no means frustrate God’s vengeance on earth : neither shall he have
any protectors besides him. These wii/ be in a manifest error. Do they
not know that Gop, who hath created the heavens and the earth, and
was not fatigued with the creation thereof, is able to raise the dead to life?
Yea verily; for he is almighty. On a certain day the unbelievers shall be
exposed unto hell fire; and it shall be said unto them, Is not this really

 

™ Which came to pass accordingly: for this pestilential and violent wind killed all who
believed not in the doctrine of Hud, without distinction of sex, age, or degree; aud
entirely destroyed their possessions. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. J, p. 5, and the notes
to chap. 7, p. 123.

" As the settlements of the Thamudites, Midianites, and the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah, &c.

°These genii, according to different opinions, were of Nisibin, or of Yaman, or ot
Nineveh; and in number nine, or seven. They heard Mohammed reading the Koran
by night, or after the morning prayer, in the valley of al Naklah, during the time of his
retreat to al Tayef, and believed on him.®

* Hence the commentators suppose those genii, before their conversion to. Moham-
medism, to have been of the Jewish religion.

,

® Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
2L
410 AL KORAN. CHAP. XLVII.

come to pass? They shall answer, Yea, by our Lorv. God shall reply,
Taste, therefore, the punishment of hell, for that ye have been unbelievers.*
Do thou, O prophet, bear the insults of thy people with patience, as our
apostles, who were endued with constancy, bare the injuries of their people :
and require not their punishment to be hastened unto them. On the day —
whereon they shall see the punishment wherewith they have been threat- -
ened, it shall seem as though they had tarried in the world but an hour of
aday. This isa fair warning. Shall they perish except the people who
transgress ? :

 

CHAPTER XLVII.
INTITLED, MOHAMMED ;1 REVEALED AT MEDINA:

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

God will render of none effect the works of those who believe not, and
who turn away men from the way of Gop: but as to those who believe, and
work righteousness, and believe the revelation which hath been sent down
unto Mohammed (for it is the truth from their Lorp), he will expiate their
evil deeds from them, and will dispose their heart aright. This will he do.
because those who believe not follow vanity, and because those who believe
follow the truth from their Lorp. Thus Gop propoundeth unto men their
examples.t| When ye encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads,
until ye have made a great slaughter among them; and bind them in bonds;
and either give them a free dismission afterwards, or exact a ransom; until
the war shall have laid down its arms.* This shall ye do. Verily if Gop
pleased he could take vengeance on them, without your assistance ; but he
commandeth you to fight his battles, that he may prove the one of you by the
other. And as to those who fight t in defence of Gon’s true religion, God

 

* “Ts not this really fire? It is fire, they will reply, we call God to witness that it is.
Taste, then, the torments the reality of which ye have denied *°—Savary.

«Some intitle this chapter War; which is therein commanded to be vigorously carried
on against the enemies of the Mohammedan faith.

¥ Some suppose the whole to have béen revealed at Mecca>

+ “The unbelievers have taken falsehood for their guide; the believers ‘walk enlight-

ened by the torch of the true faith. God offereth this striking contrast unto the consider-
ation of man.’’—Savary.

* This law the Hanifites judge to be abrogated, or to relate particularly to the war of
Bedr; for the severity here commanded, which was necessary in the beginning of Moham-
medism,* they think too rigorous to be put in practice in its flourishing state. But the
Persians, and some others, hold the command to be still in full force: for, according to
them, all the men of full age, who are taken in battle, are to be slain, unless they embrace
the Mohammedan faith ; and those who fall into the hands of the Moslems after the battle
are not to be slain, but may either be set at liberty gratis, or on payment of a certain ran-

som, or may be exchanged for Mohammedan prisoners, or condemned to slavery, at the
pleasure of the Imam or prince."

® See chap. 8, p. 140, and 146. ‘Al Beidéwi. Vide Reland. Dissert. de Jure
Militari Mohammedanor, p. 32.
CHAP. XLVIL. AL KORAN. 411

will not suffer their works to perish: he will guide them, and will dispose
sheir heart aright; and he will lead them into paradise, of which he hath
sold them. O true believers, if ye assist Gop, by fighting for his religion,
he will assist you against your enemies; and will set your feet fast: but as
for the infidels, let them perish; and their works shall God render vain.
This shall befall them, because they have rejected with abhorrence that
which Gop hath revealed: wherefore their works shall become of no avail.
Do they not travel through the earth, and see what hath been the end of
those who were before them? Gop utterly destroyed them: and the like
catastrophe awaiteth the unbelievers. This shall come to pass, for that Gop
is the patron of the true believers, and for that the infidels have no pro-
tector. Verily Gop will introduce those who believe, and do good works,
into gardens beneath which rivers flow: but the unbelievers indulge them-
selves in pleasures, and eat as beasts eat;* and their abode shall be hell fire.
How many cities were more mighty in strength than thy city which hath
expelled thee; yet have we destroyed them, and there was none to help
them? Shall he therefore, who followeth the plain declaration of his Lorn,
be as he whose evil works have been dressed up for him by the devil ; and
who follow their own lusts? The description of paradise, which is pro-
mised unto the pious: therein are rivers of incorruptible water; and rivers
of milk, the taste whereof changeth not; and rivers of wine, pleasant unto
those who drink; and rivers of clarified honey: and therein shall they
nave plenty of all kinds of fruits; and pardon from their Lord.t Shall
ihe man for whom these things are prepared be as he who must dwell
for ever in hell fire; and will have the boiling water given him to drink,
which shall burst their bowels? Of the unbelievers there are some who
give ear unto thee, until, when they go out from thee, they say, by way
of derision unto those to whom knowledge hath been given,= What
hath he said now? These are they whose hearts Gop hath sealed up,
and who follow their own lusts: but as to those who are directed, God
will grant them a more ample direction, and he will instruct them what
to avoid.’ Do the infidels wait for any other than the dast hour, that
it may come upon them suddenly? Some signs thereof are already
come:* and: when it shall actually overtake them, how can they then
receive admonition? Know therefore, that there is no god but Gop:
and ask pardon for thy sin,* and for the true believers, both men and

 

t Some copies, instead of kétilu, read kétilu, according to which latter reading it should
be rendered, who are slain, or suffer martyrdom, &e. eg . -

* The unbelievers, intoxicated with earthly pleasures, live in a brutish state.”—
Savary.

t Phe grace of the Lord watcheth there over those whom he hath chosen.’’—Savury.

«4. e, The more learned of Mohammed’s companions; such as Ebn Masud, and Ebn
Abbis.* 4

* Or, as the words may also be translated, And he will reward them for their piety.

* Ag the mission of Mohammed, the splitting of the moon, and the smoke? mentioned
in the 44th chapter. ; ; :

* Though Mohammed here and elsewhere‘ acknowledges himself to be a sinner, yet

* Jallalo’ddin. ® Idem, al Beidawi. 1 See chap. 48, in the beginning.
412 AL KORAN. CHAP. XLVII.

women. Gop knoweth your busy employment in the world, and the place
of your abode hereafter.* The true believers say, Hath not a Sura been
revealed commanding war against the infidels? But when a Sura without
any ambiguity is revealed, and war is mentioned therein, thou mayest see
those in whose hearts is an infirmity» look towards thee with the look of
one whom death overshadoweth. But obedience would be more eligible for
them, and to speak that which is convenient. And when the command is
firmly established, if they give credit unto Gop, it will be better for them.
Were ye ready, therefore, if ye had been put in authority,” to commit out-
rages in the earth, and to violate the ties of blood? These are they whom
Gop hath cursed, and hath rendered deaf, and whose eyes he hath blinded.
Do they not therefore attentively meditate on the Koran? Are there
locks upon their hearts? Verily they who turn their backs, after the true
direction is made manifest unto them, Satan shall prepare their wickedness
for them, and God shall bear with them fora time.t This shall befall them,
because they say privately unto those who detest what Gop hath revealed,
We will obey you in part of the matter. But Gop knoweth their secrets.
How therefore will it be with them, when the angels shall cause them
to die, and shall strike their faces, and their backs?{ This shall they
suffer, because they follow that which provoketh Gop to wrath, and are
averse to what is well pleasing unto him: and he will render their works
vain.© Do they in whose hearts is an infirmity imagine that Gop will
not bring their malice to light? If we pleased, we could surely show
them unto thee, and thou shouldest know them by their marks ; but thou
shalt certainly know them by their perverse pronunciation of their words.
Gop knoweth your aciions: and we will try you, until we know those
among you who figat valiantly, and who persevere with constancy: and
we will try the reports of your behaviour. Verily those who believe not,
and turn away men from the way of Gop, and make opposition against the
apostle, after the divine direction hath been manifested unto them, shall
not hurt Gop at all; but he shall make their works to perish.. O true

_ believers, obey Gop; and obey the apostle: and render not your works of

no effect. Verily those who believe not, and who turn away men from the

 

several Mohammedan doctors pretend he was wholly free from sin, and suppose he is
here commanded to ask forgiveness, not that he wanted it, but that he might set an ex-
ample to his followers: wherefore he used to say of himself, if the tradition be true, J
ask pardon of God an hundred times a day?

* “He seeth you while that ye wake, and while that ye slumber.”’—Savary.

¥ As hypocrisy, cowardice, or instability in their religion.

z a - the words may also be translated, If ye had turned back, and apostatized from
your faith,

t ‘Satan shall deck vice with flowers to the eyes of the recreant who shall go back
unto impiety. He shall procure for him delusive riches.’’—Savary.

“1. e. In part of what ye desire of us; by staying at home and not going forth with Mo-
hammed to war, and by private combination against him.?

» These words are supposed to allude to the examination of the sepulchre.

° These were the tribes of Koreidha and al Nadir; or those who distributed provision
to the army of the Koreish at Bedr.*

2 Jallalo’ddin ? Al Beidawi. “Idem. See chap. 8, p. 143, note q.
CHAP. XLVI. AL KORAN. 418

way of Gop, and then die, being unbelievers, Gop will by no means forgive.
Faint not therefore, neither invite your enemies to peace, while ye are the
superior: for Gop is with you, and will not defraud you of the merit of
your works. Verily this present life is only a play and a vain “amusement:
but if ye believe, and fear God, he will give you your rewards. He doth
not require of you your whole substance: if he should require the whole
of you, and earnestly press you, ye would become niggardly, and it would
raise your hatred against his apostle. Behold, ye are those who are
invited to expend part of your substance for the support of Gop’s true
religion; and there are some of you who are niggardly. But whoever
shall be niggardly shall be niggardly towards his own soul: for Gop
wanteth nothing, but ye are needy: and if ye turn back, he will substitute
another people in your stead, who shall not be like unto you.!

CHAPTER XLVIII
INTITLED, THE VICTORY; REVEALED AT MEDINA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

VERILY we have granted thee a manifest victory :° that Gop may forgive
thee‘ thy preceding and thy subsequent sin,* and may complete his favour
on thee, and direct thee in the right way;* and that Gop may assist thee
with a glorious assistance. Jt is he who sendeth down secure tranquillity

 

¢%. e. In backwardness and aversion to the propagation of the faith. The people here
designed to be put in the place of these lukewarm Moslems are generally supposed to be
the Persians; there being a tradition that Mohammed, being asked what people they were,
at atime when Salman was sitting by him, clapped his hand on his thigh, and said, This
man and his nation. Others, however, are of opinion that the Ansars, or the angels, are
intended in this place.*

° This victory, from which the chapter takes its title, according to most received inter-
pretation, was the taking of the city of Mecca. The passage is said to have been revealed
on Mohammed’s return from the expedition of al Hodeibiya, and contains a promise or
prediction of this signal success, which happened not till two years after; the preterite
tense being therein used, according to the prophetic style, for the future.

There are some, notwithstanding, who suppose the advantage here intended was the
pacification of al Hodeibiya, which is here called a victory, because the Meccans sued for
peace, and made a truce there with Mohammed, their breaking of which occasioned the
taking of Mecca. Others think the conquest of Khaibar, or the victory over the Greeks
at Mita, é&c. to be meant in this place.

That is to say, That God may give thee an opportunity of deserving forgiveness by
eradicating of idolatry, and exalting his true religion, and the delivering of the weak from
the hands of the ungodly, é&c.

£ i. e. Whatever thou hast done worthy of reprehension; or, thy sins committed as well
in the time of ignorance, as since. Some expound the words more particularly, and say
the preceding or former fault was his lying with his handmaid Mary," contrary to his oath ;
and the latter his marrying of Zeinab,® the wife of Zeid his adopted son.°

* & God hath pardoned unto thee thy faults: he hath fulfilled his favours; and he will
lead thee in the way of justice.”’—Savary.

5 Al Beidawi. * Al Zamakh., al Beidawi, &c. " See chap. 66, and the notes
thereon. ® See chap. 33, and the notes thereon. * Al Zamakh.
414 AL KORAN. CHAR. XLVIII.

into the hearts of the true believers, that they may increase in faith, beyond
their former faith ; (the hosts of heaven and earth are Gop’s ; and Gop is
knowing and wise): that he may lead the true believers of both sexes into
gardens beneath which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever and may expiate
their evil deeds from them: (this will be great felicity with Gop): and that
he may punish the hypocritical men, and the hypocritical women, and the —
idolaters, and the idolatresses, who conceive an ill opinion of Gop. They
shall experience a turn of evil fortune; and Gop shall be angry with them,
and shall curse them, and hath prepared hell for them; an ill journey shall
it be thither! Unto Gop belong the hosts of heaven and earth; and Gop
is mighty and wise. Verily we have sent thee to be a witness, and a
bearer of good tidings, and a denouncer of threats; that ye may believe in
Gop, and his apostle; and may assist him, and revere him, and praise him
morning and evening. Verily they who swear fealty* unto thee, swear
fealty unto Gop: the hand of Gop is over their hands.i Whoever' shall
violate his oath, will violate the same to the hurt only of his own soul: but —
whoever shall perform that which he hath covenanted with Gop, he will
surely give him a great reward. The Arabs of the desert who were left
behind* will say unto thee, Our substance and our families employed us, so
that we went not forth with thee to war; wherefore, ask pardon for us.
They speak that with their tongues, which is not in their hearts. Answer,
’-Who shall be able éo obtain for you any thing from Gop to the contrary, if
he is pleased to afflict you, or is pleased to be graeious unto you? Yea,
verily, Gop is well acquainted with that which ye do. Truly ye imagined
that the apostle and the true believers would never return to their
families: and this was prepared in your hearts: but ye imagined an evil
imagination; and ye are a corrupt people.* Whoso believeth not in
Gop and his apostle, verily we have prepared burning fire for the un-
believers. Unto Gop belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth: he
forgiveth whom he pleaseth: and he punisheth whom he pleaseth: and
Gop is inclined to forgive, and merciful. Those who were left behind will
say, when ye go forth to take the spoil,! Suffer us to follow you. They

 

+ The original word signifies publicly to acknowledge or inaugurate a prin wear-
ing fidelity and Ghadience to hin : = pepe

‘ That is, He beholdeth from above, and is witness to the solemnity of your giving your
faith to his apostle ; and will reward you for it.° The expression alludes to the manner
of their plighting their faith on these occasions.

« These were the tribes of Aslam, Joheinah, Mozeinah, and Ghifar, who being sum-
moned to attend Mohammed in the expedition of al Hodeibiya, stayed behind, and excused
themselves by gis their families must suffer in their absence, and would be robbed of
the little they had (for these tribes were of the poorer Arabs); whereas in reality they
wanted firmness in the faith, and courage to face the Koreish.!

* “Ve imagined that the prophet and the faithful were for ever divided from their
families: your hearts eagerly adopted this opinion. It has deceived you; it will cause’
your ruin.’’—Savary. .

‘yiz. In the expedition of Khaibar. The prophet returned from al “Hodeibiya in
Dhv’lhajja, in the sixth year of the Hejra, ani staid at Medina the remainder of that
month and the be, yee of Moharram, and then set forward against the Jews of Khaibar,
w':4 those only who had attended him to al Hodeibiya; and having made himself raster

1° Jallalo’ddin. t Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi.
CHAP. XLVIII. AL KORAN, 415

seek to change the word of Gop. Say, Ye shall by no means follow us:
thus hath Gop said heretofore. They will reply, Nay: ye envy us a share
of the booty. But they are men of small understanding. Say unto the
Arabs of the desert who were left behind, Ye shall be called forth against
a mighty and a warlike nation ;" ye shall fight against them, or they shall
profess Islim.* If ye obey, Gop will give you a glorious reward: but if
ye tum back, as ye turned back heretofore, he will chastise you with a
erievous chastisement. It shall be no crime in the blind, neither shall it be

crime in the lame, neither shall it be a crime in the sick, if they go not
forth to war : and whoso shall obey Gop and his apostle, he shall lead them
into gardens beneath which rivers flow; but whoso shall turn back, he will
chastise him with a grievous chastisement. Now Gop was well pleased
with the true believers, when they sware fidelity to thee under the tree ;°
and he knew that which was in their hearts; wherefore he sent down on
them tranquillity of mind,? and rewarded them with a speedy victory,‘ and
many spoils which they took: for Gop is mighty and wise. Gop promised
you many spoils which ye should take; but he gave you these by way of
earnest; and he restrained the hands of men from you:* that the same
may be a sign unto the true believers; and that he may guide you into the
right way. And he also promiseth you other spoils, which ye have not yet
been able to take : but now hath Gop encompassed them for you; and Gop
is almighty. If the unbelieving Meccans had fought against you, verily
they had turned their backs; and they would not have found a patron or

 

of the place, and all the castles and strongholds in that territory,? took spoils to a great
value, which he divided among them who were present at that expedition, and none else.*

™ Which was his promise to those who attended the prophet to al Hodeibiya, that he
would make them amends for their missing of the plunder of Mecca at that time, by giving
them that of Khaibar in lieu thereof. Some think the word here intended, to be that
passage in the ninth chapter,‘ Ye shall not go forth with me for the future, &c. which yet
= plainly revealed long after the taking of Khaibar, on occasion of the expedition of

‘abue.®

"These were Banu Honeifa, who inhabited al Yamama, and were the followers of
Moseilama, Mohammed’s competitor ; or any other of those tribes which apostatized from
Mohammedism ;° or, as others rather suppose, the Persians, or the Greeks."

* “Ve shall make war against them until they shall have embraced Islaémism.’’—
Savary. . :

° Mohammed, when at al Hodeibiya, sent Jawwas Ebn Omeyya, the Khozaite, to ac-
quaint the Meccans that he was come with a peaceable intention, to visit the temple ; but

. they, on some jealousy conceived, refusing to admit him, the prophet sent Othman Ebn

Affan, whom they imprisoned, and a report ran that he was slain: whereupon Mohammed
called his men about him, and they took an oath to be faithful to him, even to death;
during which ceremony he sat under a tree, supposed by some to have been the Egyptian
thorn, and by others a kind of lote-tree.®

® The original word is Sakinat, of which notice has been taken“elsewhere.?

4 Namely, the success of Khaibar, or, as some rather imagine, the taking of Mecca, &c.

¥ 4, e. The hands of those of Khaibar, or of their successors of the tribes of Asad and
Ghatfan; or of the inhabitants of Mecca, by the pacification of al Hodeibiya.”

(Mohammed was encamped near Mecca. Eighty of.the idolaters roamed round the
camp for the purpose of killing some of his soldiers: they were made prisoners. He
pardoned them, and restored them to liberty. His clemency conduced to establish peace
and concord.)—Savary.

2 Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 87, &c. _* Al Beidawi. 4 Page 159. * Al Beidawi.
. meee "y allalo’ddin. py Idem, al Beidawi. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 86. °In
note i, ad cap. 2, p. 30. © Al Beidawi.
416 AL KORAN. CHAP. XLVII.

protector: according to the ordinance of Gop, which hath been put in
execution heretofore against opposers of the prophets ; for thou shalt not
find any change in the ordinance of Gop. It was he who restrained their
hands from you, and your hands from them, in the valley of Mecca; after
that he had given you the victory over them :* and Gop saw that which ye
did. These are they who believed not, and hindered you from visiting the
holy temple, and also hindered the offering being detained, that it should
not arrive at the place where it ought to be sacrificed.t' Had it not been
that ye might have trampled on divers true believers, both men and women,
whom ye know not, being promiscuously assembled with the infidels, and
that a crime might therefore have lighted on you on their account, without
your knowledge, he had not restrained your hands from them : but this was
done, that Gop might lead whom he pleased into his mercy. If they had
been distinguished from one another, we had surely chastised such of them
as believed not, with a severe chastisement. When the unbelievers had put
in their hearts an affected preciseness, the preciseness of ignorance, and
Gop sent down his tranquillity on his apostle and on the true believers; **
and firmly fixed in them the word of piety,” and they were the most wor-
thy of the same, and the most deserving thereof: for Gop knoweth all

 

® Jallalo’ddin says, that fourscore of the infidels came privately to Mohammed’s camp,
at al Hodeibiya, with an intent to surprise some of his men, but were taken and brought
Before the prophet, who pardoned them and ordered them to be set at liberty: and this

enerous action was the occasion of the truce struck up by the Koreish with Mohammed;
for thereupon they sent Sohail Ebn Amru and some others (and not Arwa Ebn Masud,
aa is said, by mistake, in another place ;? for his errand was an actual defiance), to treat
of peace.

Al Beidawi explains the passage by another story: telling us that Acrema Ebn Abi
Jahl marching from Mecca at the head of five hundred men to al Hodeibiya, Mohammed
sent against him Khaled Ebn al: Walid, with a detachment, who drove the infidels back
to the innermost part of Mecca (as the word here translated valley properly signifies), and
then left them, out of respect to the place.

* Mohammed’s intent, in the expedition of al Hodeibiya, being only to visit the temple
of Mecca in a peaceable manner, and to offer a sacrifice in the valley of Mina, accordin,
to the established rites, he carried beasts with him for that purpose, but was not Peninitted
by the Koreish either to enter the temple, or to go to Mina.

" This passage was occasioned by the stiffness of Sohail and his companions, in wording
the treaty concluded with Mohammed: for when the prophet ordered Ali to begin with
the form, In the name of the most merciful God, they objected to it, and insisted that he
should begin with this, In thy name, O God; which Mohammed submitted to, and pro-
ceeded to dictate, These are the conditions on which Mohammed, the apostle of God, has made
peace with those of Mecca ; to this Sohail again objected, saying, If we had acknowledged
thee to be the apostle of God, we had not given thee any opposition : whereupon Mohammed
ordered Ali to write, as Sohail desired, These are the conditions which Mohammed, the son
of Abdallah, &c. But the Moslems were so disgusted thereat, that they were on the
point of breaking off the treaty, and had fallen on the Meccans, had not God appeased
and calmed their minds; as it follows in the text.?

The terms of this pacification were, that there should be a truce for ten years; that any
person might enter into league, either with Mohammed, or with the Koreish, as he should
think fit; and that Mohammed should have the liberty to visit the temple of Mecca the
next year, for three days.*

* « While the idolaters cherished in their hearts the fury of a blind fanaticism, God sent
peace unto the prophet and unto the believers.’’—Savary. #

i.e. The Mohammedan profession of faith, or the Bismillah, and th d. .
med, the apostle of God ; which were rejected by the infidels. earn

; * See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 2, p. 37. 2 Al Beidawi. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 87.
idem.
CHAP. XLIX. AL KORAN. 417

things. Now hath God in truth verified unto his apostle the vision,
wherein he said, Ye shall surely enter the holy temple of Mecca, if God
please, in full security; having your heads shaved, and your hair cut :¥ ye
shall not fear: for God knoweth that which ye know not; and he hath ap-
pointed you, besides this, a speedy victory.*. It is he who hath sent his
apostle with the direction, and the religion of truth; that he may exalt the
same above every religion: and Gop isa sufficient witness hereof. Moham-
med is the aprstle of Gop : and those who are with him are fierce against
the unbelievers, but compassionate towards one another. Thou mayest see
them bowing down, prostrate, seeking a recompense from Gop, and his good
will. Their signs are in their faces, being marks of frequent prostration.*
This is their description in the pentateuch, and their description in the gos-
pel: they are as seed which putteth forth its stalk, and strengtheneth it,
and swelleth in the ear, and riseth upon its stem; giving delight unto the
sower. Such are the Moslems described to be : that the infidels may swell
with indignation at them. Gop hath promised unto such of them as be-
lieve, and do good works, pardon and a great reward.

CHAPTER XLIX.
INTITLED, THE INNER APARTMENTS; REVEALED AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O true believers, anticipate not any matter in the sight of Gop and his
apostle:* and fear Gop; for Gop both heareth and knoweth. O true
believers, raise not your voices above the voice of the prophet; neither

 

x Or dream which Mohammed had at Medina, before he set out for al Hodeibiya;
wherein he dreamed that he and his companions entered Mecca in security, with their
heads shaven, and their hair cut. This dream, being imparted by the prophet to his fol-
lowers, occasioned a great deal of joy among them; and they supposed it would be fulfilled
that same year: but when they saw the truce concluded, which frustrated their expectation
for that time, they were deeply concerned ; whereupon this passage was revealed for their
consolation, confirming the vision, which was not to be fulfilled till the year after, when
Mohammed performed the visitation distinguished by the addition of al Kadé, or completion,
because he then completed the visitation of the former year, when the Koreish not permit-
ting him to enter Mecca, he was obliged to kill his victims, and to shave himself at al
Hodeibiya.* ae

77, e, Some being shaved, and others having only their hair cut.

* viz. The taking of Khaibar,

+ «The marks of their piety appear on their faces.’’—Savary.

* That is, do not presume to give your own decision in any case, before ye have received
the judgment of God and his apostle.

> This verse is said to have been occasioned by a dispute between Abu Becr and Omar,
concerning the appointing of a governor of a certain place ;.in which they raised their
voices so Beh, in the presence of ths apostle, that it was thought proper to forbid such in-
decencies for the future.’

«Al BeidAwi. Jallalo’ddin. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 84, 87. 5 Jallalo’ddin.
418 AL KORAN. CHAP. XLIX.

speak loud unto him in discourse,* as ye speak loud unto one another, lest
your works become vain, and ye perceive ié not. Verily they who lower
their voices in the presence of the apostle of Gop are those whose hearts
Gop hath disposed unto piety: they shall obtain pardon, and a great
reward. As to those who call unto thee from without the inner apart-
ments ;° the greater part of them do not understand the respect due to thee.t
If they wait with patience, until thou come forth unto them, it will cer-
tainly be better for them: but Gop is inclined to forgive, and merciful.
O true believers, if a wicked man come unto you with a tale, inquire strictly
into the truth thereof ; lest ye hurt people through ignorance, and afterwards
repent of what ye have done;* and know that the apostle of Gop is
among you: if he should obey you in many things, ye would certainly be
guilty of a crime, in leading him into a mistake. But Gop hath made the
faith amiable unto you, and hath prepared the same in your hearts; and
hath rendered infidelity, and iniquity, and disobedience hateful unto you.
These are they who walk in the right way; through mercy from Gop, and
grace: and Gop is knowing, and wise. If two parties of the believers
contend with one another, do ye endeavour to compose the matter between
them: and if the one of them offer an insult unto the other, fight against
that party which offered the insult, until they return unto the judgment of
Gop; and if they do return, make peace between them with equity: and
act with justice; for Gop loveth those who act justly.© Verily the true
" believers are brethren; wherefore reconcile your brethren; and fear Gop,
that ye may obtain mercy. O true believers, let not men laugh other men
to scom; who peradventure may be gbetter than themselves: neither Jet
women laugh other women to scorn; who may possibly be better than
themselves. Neither defame one another; nor call one another by oppro-

 

* «Speak not unto him with that familiarity which ye use unto each other.’’—Savary.

° These, they say, were Oyeyna Ebn Hosein, and al Akré Ebn Habes; who wantin
to speak with Mohammed, when he was sleeping at noon in his women’s apartment, hai
the rudeness to call out several times, Mohammed, come forth to us.®

+ ‘The interior of thy dwelling is a sanctuary :* they who violate it by calling unto
thee are deficient in the respect which they owe to the interpreter of heaven.’’—Savary.

4 This Pubsape was occasioned, it is said, by the following accident. Al Walid Ebn Okba
being sent by Mohammed to collect the alms from the tribe of al Mostalek, when he saw
them come out to meet him in great numbers, grew apprehensive they designed him some
mischief, because of past enmity between him and them, in the time of ignorance, and
immediately turned back, and told the prophet they refused to pay their alms, and at-
tempted to kill him; upon which Mohammed was thinking to reduce them by force: but
on sending Khaled Ebn al Walid to them, he found his former messenger had wronged
them, and that they continued in their obedience.®

° This verse is supposed to have been occasioned by a fray, which happened between the
tribes of al Aws and al Khazraj. Some relate, that the prophet one day riding on an ass,
as he passed near Abdallah Ebn Obba, the ass chanced to stale, at which Ebn Obba stopped
his nose; and Ebn Rawaha said to him, By God, the piss of his ass smells sweeter than th
musk; whereupon a quarrel ensued between their followers, and they came to blows, though
they struck one another only with their hands and slippers, or with palm-branches.®

5 Al ia aie fecal
(By the interior is to be understood the women’s apartment, to which the Arabs give
the name of Harem (the forbidden place.) Only the husband is allowed to enter it ie

usually passes the afternoon there, in the midst of his wiyes and children, and dislikes to
he called out of it.)—Savary.

#
* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ® Tidem.
CHAP. XLIX. AL KORAN. 419

brious appellations. An ill name it is to be charged with wickedness, after
having embraced the faith: and whoso repenteth not, they will be the
unjust doers! O true believers, carefully avoid entertaining a suspicion of
another: for some suspicions are a crime. Inquire not too curiously ‘nto
other men’s failings: neither let the one of you speak ill of another in his
absence. Would any of you desire to eat the flesh of his dead brother?
Surely ye would abhor it. And fear Gop; for Gop is easy to be recon-
ciled, and merciful. O men, verily we have created you of a male and a
female ; and we have distributed you into nations and tribes, that ye might
know one another. Verily the most honourable of you, in the sight of
Gop, is the most pious of you: and Gop is wise and knowing. The Arabs
of the deserts say, We'believe. Answer, Ye do by no means believe; but
say, We have embraced Islam:* for the faith hath not yet entered into
your hearts.* If ye obey Gop and his apostle, he will not defraud you of ©
any part of the merit of your works: for Gop is inclined to forgive, and
. merciful. Verily the true believers are those only who believe in Gop and
his apostle, and afterwards doubt not; and who employ their substance and
their persons in the defence of Gon’s true religion: these are they who
speak sincerely. Say, Will ye inform Gop concerning your religion?! But
Gop knoweth whatever is in heaven and in earth: for Gop is omniscient.
They upbraid thee that they have embraced Islam. Answer, Upbraid me
not with your having embraced Islam: rather Gop upbraideth you, that he
hath directed you to the faith; if ye speak sincerely. Verily Gop
knoweth the secrets of heaven and earth: and Gop beholdeth that
which ye do.

 

‘ It is said that this verse was revealed on account of Safiya Bint Hoyai, one of the pro-
phet’s wives ; who came to her husband and complained that the women said to her, O
thou Jewess, the daughter of a Jew and of a Jewess; to which he answered, Canst thou not
say, Aaron is my father, and Moses is my uncle, and Mohammed is my husband ?*

© These were certain of the tribe of Asad, who came to Medina in a year of scarcity,
and having professed Mohammedism, told the prophet that they had brought all their
goods and their families, and would not oppose him, as some other tribes had done: and
this they said to obtain a part of the alms, and to upbraid him with their having embraced
his religion and party.?

That is, ye are not sincere believers, but outward professors only of the true religion.

* (The distinction which the Mohammedans make between faith and Islamism is, that
the one is the internal belief, and the other the external sign of that belief by religious
acts.) —Savary. é ;

‘4. e. Will ye pretend to deceive him, by saying ye are true believers?

« The obligation being not on God’s side, but on yours, for that he has favoured you so
far as to guide you into the true faith, if ye are sincere believers.

+ ‘They return thanks unto thee for having embraced Islamism. Say to them, His
religion cometh not from me; it is the gift of heaven: he will lead you if your bearts be
sincere.”’—Savary.

1 Al Beidawi. See Prid. Life of Moham. p. 111, &c, 2 Idem
420 AL KORAN. cHaP. L.

CHAPTER L.
INTITLED, K; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

K. By the glorious Koran: verily they wonder that a preacher from
among themselves is come unto them; and the unbelievers say, This is a
wonderful thing: after we shall be dead, and become dust, shall we return
to life? This is a return remote from thought. Now we know what the
earth consumeth of them; and with us isa book which keepeth an account
thereof. But they charge falsehood on the truth, after it hath come unto
them: wherefore they are plunged in a confused business."* Do they not
look up to the heaven above them, and consider how we have raised it and
adorned it; and that there are no flaws therein? We have also spread forth
the earth, and thrown thereon mountains firmly rooted :" and we caused every
beautiful kind of vegetables to spring up therein; fora subject of meditation,
and,an admonition unto every man who turneth unto us. And we send
down rain as a blessing from heaven, whereby we cause gardens to spring
forth, and the grain of harvest, and tall palm-trees having branches laden
with dates hanging one above another,{ as a provision for mankind; and we
thereby quicken a dead country: so shall be the coming forth of the dead
from their graves. The people of Noah, and those who dwelt at Al Rass,°
and Thamud, and Ad, and Pharaoh, accused the prophets of imposture
before the Meccans ; and also the brethren of Lot, and the inhabitants of
the wood near Midian,} and the people of Tobba:» all these accused the
apostles of imposture,; wherefore the judgments which I threatened were
justly inflicted on them. Is our power exhausted by the first creation?
Yea; they are in a perplexity, because of a new creation which is foretold

 

' Some imagine that this letter is designed to express the mountain KAf, which several
eastern writers fancy encompasses the whole world.* Others say it stands for Kada al
amr,i.e. The matter is decreed, viz. the chastisement of the infidels.« See the Prelim.
Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

™ Not knowing what certainly to affirm of the Koran; calling it sometimes a piece of
poetry, at other times a piece of sorcery, and at other times a piece of divination, &t.

* «The spirit of confusion hath seized upon them.’’*—Savary.

» See chap. 16, p. 215; and chap. 31, p. 335.

+ (The date-tree produces three or four large clusters, which rise from the summit of the
tree, and hang round. ‘They are formed of small branches, long and flexible, from which
hang the dates. These clusters will sometimes weigh as much as a hundred and twenty
pounds. The date is at first of a deep green: as it ripens, it turns red, and it becomes
blackish when it is ripe. This fruit, which is of a sugary and agreeable taste, loses much
by drying.)—Savary

° See chap. 25, p. 299.

t ‘ The inhabitants of Aleica.””—Savary.

P See chap. 44, p. 403.

* Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Caf. “Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.

* (The unbelievers pretended that Mohammed was a magician, and the Koran a bouk
of magic ; others that he was a poet, and the Koran a book of poetry. The last reproach
is not wholly unfounded: the whole of the Koran is written in verses. The first chapters

are in rhymed prose; a part of the last in verse. Mohammed has di in hi
all the treasures of eloquence and poetry.)—Savary. ePaper ie yore
CHAP. L. AL KORAN. 421

them, namely the raising of the dead. We created man, and we know what
his soul whispereth within him; and we are nearer unto him than his
jugular vein. When the two angels deputed to take account of a man’s
behaviour, take an account thereof; one sitting on the right hand, and the
other on the left: he uttereth not a word, but there is with him a, watcher,
ready to note it.1 And the agony of death shall come in truth: this,
O man, is what thou soughtest to avoid. And the trumpet shall sound:
this will be the day which hath been threatened. And every soul shall
come; and therewith shall. be a driver and a witness.t* And the
former shall say unto the unbeliever, Thou wast negligent heretofore
of this day: but we have removed thy veil from off thee; and thy
sight is become piercing this day. And his companions shall say,
This is what is ready with me to be attested. And God shall say,
Cast into hell every unbeliever, and perverse person, and every one
who forbade good, and every transgressor, and doubter of the faith, who
set up another god with the true Gop; and cast him into a grievous
torment. His companion® shall say, O Lorn, I did not seduce him;
but he was in a wide error.t God shall say, Wrangle not in my pre-
sence: since ] threatened you beforehand with the torments which ye
now see prepared for you. The sentence is not changed with me: neither
do I treat my servants unjustly. On that day we will say unto hell, Art
thou full ? and it shall answer, Is there yet any addition?" And paradise
shall be brought near unto the pious; and it shall be said unto them, This
is what ye. have been promised; unto every one who turned himself unto
God, and kept his commandments ; who feared the Merciful in secret, and
came unio him with a converted heart: enter the same in peace: this is
the day of eternity. Therein shall they have whatever they shall desire .

 

«The intent of the passage is to exalt the omniscience of God; who wants not the
information of the guardian angels, though he has thought fit, in his wisdom, to give them
that employment: for if they are so exact as to write down every word which falls froma
le mouth, how can we hope to escape the observation of him who sees our inmost
thoughts ?

The Mohammedans have a tradition that the angel who notes a man’s good actions has
the command over him who notes his evil actions; and that when a man does a good ac-
tion, the angel of the right hand writes it down ten times, and when he commits an ill
action, the same angel says to the angel of the left hand, Forbear setting it down for seven
hours ; peradventure he may pray, or may ask pardon.

* i.e. Two angels, one acting as a serjeant, to bring every person before the tribunal ;
and the other prepared as a witness, to testify either for or against him. Some say the
former will be the guardian angel who took down his evil actions, and the other the angel
who took down his good actions.”

* «Every man shall present himself there with a guide and with a witness.”"—Savary

* viz. The devil which shall be chained to him.

‘ This will be the answer of the devil, whom the wicked person will accuse as his
seducer; for the devil has no power over a man, to cause him to do evil, any otherwise
than by suggesting what is agreeable to his corrupt inclinations.*

je, Are there yet any more condemned to this place; or is my space to be enlarged
and rendered more capacious to receive them?

The commentators suppose hell will be quite filled at the day of judgment, according
to that repeated expression in the Koran, Verily I will fill hell with you, Sc.

* Al Beidawi. ‘Idem. * See chap. 14, p. 207, &e.
2m >
422 AL KORAN. CHAP. Ll.

and there will be a superabundant addition of dliss with us. How many
generations have we destroyed before the Meccans, which were more
mighty than they in strength? Pass, therefore, through the regions of the
earth, and see whether there be any refuge from our vengeance. Verily here-
in is an admonition unto him who hath a heart to understand, or giveth ear,
and is present with an attentive mind. We created the heavens and the
earth, and whatever is between them, in six days, and no weariness
affected us.* Wherefore patiently suffer what they say;¥ and celebrate
the praise of thy Lorn before sunrise, and before sunset, and praise him in
some part of the night: and perform, the additional parts of worship.**
And hearken unto the day whereon the crier shall call men to judgment
from a near place :* the day whereon they shall hear the voice of the trumpet
in truth: this will be the day of men’s coming forth from their graves : we
give life, and we cause to die; and unto us shail be the return of all crea-
tures: the day whereon the earth shall suddenly cleave in sunder over
them. This will be an assembly easy for us to assemble. We well know
what the unbelievers say ; and thou art not sent to compel them forcibly
to the faith. Wherefore warn, by the Koran, him who feareth my
threatening. ?

CHAPTER LI.
INTITLED, THE DISPERSING; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the winds dispersing and scattering the dust ;** and by the clouds
bearing a load of rain ;* by the ships running swiftly in the sea ;4 and by

 

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 4, p. 71. 4

* This was revealed in answer to the Jews, who said that God rested from his work of
creation.on the seventh day, and reposed himself on his throne, as one fatigued.?
_ 7 viz. Either what the idolaters say, in denying the resurrection; or the Jews, in speak-
ing indecently of God.

= These are the two inclinations used after the evening prayer, which are not necessary,
or of precept, but voluntary, and of supererogation, and may therefore be added or omitted
indifferently.

* «Make known his praise at the beginning of the night, arid accomplish the adora-
tion.”? ‘—Savary.

2 That is, from a place whence every creature may equally hear the call. This place,
it is supposed, will be the mountain of the temple of Jerusalem, which some fancy to be-
nigher heaven than any other part of the earth; whence Israfil will sound the trumpet,
and Gabriel will make the following proclamation, O ye rotten bones, and torn flesh, and
dispersed hairs, God commandeth you to be gathered together to judgment?

> Or, By the women who bring forth or scatter children, &c.

t ‘‘T swear by the breath of the impetuous winds.’’—Savary.

° Or, By the women bearing a burden in their womb, or the winds bearing the clouds, &c.

‘Or, By the winds passing swiftly in the air, or the stars moving swiftly in their
courses, &c.

» Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. i

a \

‘ (By these words is to be understood the prayer called el aché, that is, of the supper,
which is repeated about two hours after sunset. Marracci is mistaken in supposing that
the words signify genuflexions which are not prescribed by the law. Marracci, p. 673.)—

Savary.
2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.

‘
CHAP. Li. AL KORAN. 423

the angels who distribute things necessary for the support of all creatures ;°*
verily that wherewith ye are threatened is certainly true; and the Jast
judgment will surely come. By the heaven furnished with paths;‘ ye
widely differ in what ye say. He will be turned aside from the faith, who
shall be turned aside dy the divine decree. Cursed be the liars; who wade
in deep waters of ignorance, neglecting their salvation.t They ask, When
will the day of judgment come? On that day shall they be bumed in hell
fire; and it shall be said unto them, Taste your punishment; this is what ye
demanded to be hastened. But the pious shall dwell among gardens and
fountains, receiving that which their Lorp shall give them; because they
were righteous deers before this day. They slept but a small part of the
night;" and early in the morning they asked pardon of God: and a due
portion of their wealth was given unto him who asked, and unto him who
was forbidden by shame to ask. There are signs of the divine power and
goodness in the earth, unto men of sound understanding; and also in your
own selves: will ye not therefore consider? Your sustenance is in the
heaven ; and also that which ye are promised.) Wherefore by the Lorp
of heaven and earth I swear that this is certainly the truth; according to
‘what ye yourselves speak.* Hath not the story of Abraham’s honoured
guests! come to thy knowledge? When they went in unto him, and
said, Peace: he answered Peace; saying within himself, These are un-
known people. And he went privately unto his family, and brought a
fatted calf. And he set it before them, and when he saw they touched
it not, he said, Do ye not eat? And he began to entertain a fear of
them. They said, Fear not:™ and they declared unto him the promise
of a wise youth. And his wife drew near with exclamation, and she
smote her face and said, J am an old woman, and barren. The angels
answered, Thus saith thy Lorp: verily he is the wise, the knowing.
*[XXVII.] And Abraham said unto them, What is your errand, therefore,
O messengers of God? They answered, Verily we are sent unto a wicked
people: that we may send down upon them stones of baked clay, marked

 

° Or, By the winds which distribute the rain, &c.

* «By the angels who execute the decrees of Heaven.””—Savary.

‘i. e. The paths or orbs of the stars; or the streaks which appear in the sky like paths,
being thin and extended clouds. :

® Concerning Mohammed, or the Koran, or the resurrection and day of judgment ;
speaking variously and inconsistently of them.

+ “The liars shall perish: they are buried in the abyss of ignorance.’’—Savary.

* Spending the greater part in prayer, and religious meditation.

‘ 4. e. Your food cometh from above, whence proceedeth the change of seasons and rain:
and your future reward is also there, that is to say, in paradise, which is situate above the
seven heavens.

« That is, without any doubt or reserved meaning, as ye affirm a truth unto one another.

1 See chap. 11, p. 182, and chap. 15, p. 212.

= Some add, that to remove Abraham’s fear, Gabriel, who was one of these strangers,
touched the calf with his wing, and it immediately rose up and walked to its dam; upon
which Abraham knew them to be the messengers of God.*

* This, some pretend, she did for shame ; because she felt her courses coming upon her.
2 Al Beidawi.
424 AL KORAN. CHAP. LI.

from thy Lorp, for the destruction of transgressors.* And we brought
forth the true believers who were in the city: but we found not therein
more than one family of Moslems. And we overthrew the same, and left
a sign therein unto those who dread the severe chastisement of God. In
Moses also was a sign: when we sent him unto Pharaoh with manifest
power. But he turned back, with his princes, saying, This man is a
sorcerer, or a madman. Wherefore we took him and his forces, and cast
them into the sea: and he was one worthy of reprehension. And in the
tribe of Ad also was a sign: when we sent against them a destroying
wind ;° it touched not aught whereon it came, but it rendered the same as
a thing rotten, and reduced to dust. In Thamud likewise.was a sign: when
it was said unto them, Enjoy yourselves for a time.? But they insolently
transgressed the command of their Lorp: wherefore a terrible noise from
heaven assailed them, while they looked on; and they were not able
to stand on their feet, neither did they save themselves from destruction.
And the people of Noah did we destroy before these: for they were a
people who enormously transgressed.» We have built the heaven with
might; and we have given it a large extent: and we have stretched forth
the earth beneath; and how evenly have we spread the same! And of
every thing have we created two kinds," that peradventure ye may con-
sider. Fly, therefore, unto Gop; verily I am a public warner unto you,
from him. And set not up another god with the true Gop: verily lama
public warner unto you, from him.{ In like manner there came no apostle
unto their predecessors, but they said, Ths man is a magician, or a mad-
man. Have they bequeathed this behaviour successively the orfe to the
other? Yea; they are a people who enormously transgress.§ Wherefore
withdraw from them; and thou shalt not be blameworthy in so doing. Yet
continue to admonish : for admonition profiteth the true believers. I have
not created genii and men for any other end than that they should serve me.
I require not any sustenance from them; neither will I that they feed me.
Verily Gop is he who provideth for all creatures ; possessed of mighty
power. Unto those who shall injure our apostle shall be given a portion
like unto the portion of those who behaved like them in times past ; and
they shall not wish the same to be hastened. Woe, therefore, to the un-
believers, because of their day with which they are threatened !

* « We are about,” replied they, ‘to chastise an infamous people. We shall cause to
fall on the guilty a shower of stones, on which their names are engraven by the hand of
the Lord.’’—Savary.

° See chap. 7, p. 124, &c.
» i.e. For three days. See chap. 11, p. 181.
4 For this calamity happened in the day-time.
+ ‘* We exterminated the people of Noah, in the midst of their crimes.’’—Savary.
_' As for example: male and female; the heaven and the earth; the sun and the moon:
light and darkness; plains and mountains; winter and summer; sweet and bitter, &c.‘ ;
t ‘ Give not unto him an equal, or fear my threats.”’—Savary.

__ § ‘Have the people bequeathed themselves unto error? The people of Mecca persist
‘n their unbelief.” —Savary.

“ Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP, LI. AL KORAN. 425

CHAPTER LII.
INTITLED, THE MOUNTAIN; REVEALED AT MECCA,

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the mountain of Sinai; and by the book written in an expanded
scroll ;* and by the visited house ;* and by the elevated roof of heaven; and
by the swelling ocean: verily the punishment of thy Lorp will surely
descend ; there shall be none to withhold it. On that day the heaven shall
be shaken, and shall reel; and the mounjains shall walk and pass away.
And on that day woe be unto those who accused God’s apostles of impos-
ture; who amused themselves in wading in vain disputes! On that day
shall they be driven and thrust into the fire of hell; and it shall be said
unto them, This is the fire which ye denied asa fiction. Js this a magic
illusion? Or do ye not see? Enter the same to be scorched: whether ye
bear your torments patiently, or impatiently, it will be equal unto you: ye
shall surely receive the reward of that which ye have wrought. But the
pious shall dwell amidst gardens and pleasures; delighting themselves
in what their Lorp shall have given them: and their Lorp shall
deliver them from the pains of hell. And it shall be said unto them,
Eat and drink with easy digestion;* because of that which ye have
wrought: leaning on couches disposed in order: and we will espouse them
unto virgins having large black eyes. And unto those who believe, and
whose offspring follow them in the faith, we will join their offspring in
paradise : and we will not diminish unto them aught of the merit of their
works. (Every man is given in pledge for that which he shall have
wrought.") And we will give them fruits in abundance, and flesh of the
kinds which they shall desire. They shall present unto one another therein
a cup of wine, wherein there shall be no vain discourse, nor any incitement
unto wickedness. And youths appointed to atlend them shall go round
them: beautiful as pearls hidden in their shell. And they shall approach
unto one another, and shall ask mutual questions. And they shall say,
Verily we were heretofore amidst our family, in great dread with regard to
our state after death: but Gop hath been gracious unto us, and hath
delivered us from the pain of burning fire: for we called on him heretofore;

 

* The book here intended, according to different opinions, is either the book or register
wherein every man’s actions are recorded; or the preserved tables, anne God’s de-
crees; or the book of the law, which was written by God, Moses hearing the creaking
of the pen; or else the Koran.*

‘i.e. The Caaba, so much visited by pilgrims; or, as some rather think, the original
model of that house in heaven, called al Dorah, which is visited and compassed by the
angels, as the other is by men.®

* * Satiate yourselves, it shall be said unto them, with the blessings which are offered
unto you; they are the reward of your virtues.’’—Savary.

"4, e. Every man is pledged unto God for his behaviour: and if he does well, he redeema
his pledge ; but if evil he rts it.

: 6 Al Zamakh. al Beidawi. ® See Prelim. Disc. sect. 4.
2M
426 AL KORAN. CHAP. LII.

and he is the beneficent, the merciful. Wherefore do thou, O prophet, ad-
monish thy people. Thou art not, by the grace of thy Lorp, a soothsayer,
ora madman. Do they say, He is a poet; we wait, concerning him, some
adverse turn of fortune? Say, Wait ye my ruin: verily I wait, with you,
the time of your destruction.* Do their mature understandings bid ‘them
say this; or are they people who perversely transgress? . Do they say,
He hath forged the Koran? Verily they believe not. Let them produce
a discourse like unto it, if they speak truth. Were they created by nothing;
or were they creators of themselves? Did they create the heavens and
the earth? Verily they are not firmly persuaded that God hath created
them.* Are the stores of thy Lorp in their hands? Are they the supreme
dispensers of all things? Have they a ladder whereby they may ascend to
heaven, and hear the discourses of the angels? Let one, therefore, who hath
heard them, produce an evident proof thereof. Hath God daughters, and
have ye sons?” Dost thou ask them a reward for thy preaching ? but they
are laden with debts. Are the secrets of futurity with them; and do they
transcribe the same from the table of God’s degrees? Do they seek to laya
plot against thee? But the unbelievers are they who shall be circumvented.*
Have they any god, besides Gop? Far be Gop exalted above the idols
which they associate with him! If they should see a fragment of the

heaven falling down upon them, they would say, It is only a thick cloud.* |

Wherefore leave them, until they arrive at their day wherein they shall
swoon for fear:* a day, in which their subtle contrivances shall not avail
them at all, neither shall they be protected. And those who act unjustly
shall surely suffer another punishment besides this :* but the greater part of
them do not understand. And wait thou patiently the judgment of thy
Lorp concerning them ; for thou art in our eye: and celebrate the praise
of thy Lorp, when thou risest up; and praise him in the night-season, and
when the stars begin to disappear.

 

* «Reply unto them, Wait! I will wait with you.’’—Savary.

«For though they confess this with their tongues, yet they deny it by their averseness
to render him his due worship.

y See chap. 16, p. 218, &c.

® See chap. 8, p. 142, &c.

* This was one of the judgments which the idolatrous Meccans defied Mohammed to

ing down upon them ; and yet, says the text, if they should see a part of the heaven
falling on them, they would not believe it till they were crushed to death by it."

>i. e. At the first sound of the trumpet.®
¢ That is, Besides the punishment to which they shall be doomed at the day of judg-
ment, they shall be previously chastised by calamities in this life, as the slaughter at Be r,

and the seven years’ famine, and also after their death, by the examination of the
sepulchre.®

1 Al Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 59, ® Al Beidawi.
CHAP. LIT. AL KORAN. 427

CHAPTER LIII.

INTITLED, THE STAR; REVEALED AT MECCA,

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the star,? when it setteth;* your companion Mohammed erreth not;
nor is he led astray : neither doth he speak of his own will. It is no other
than a revelation, which hath been revealed unto him. One mighty in
power, endued with understanding, taught it him: and he appeared® in
the highest part of the horizon. Afterwards he approached the prophet,»
and near unto him ; until he was at the distance of two bows’ length: from
him, or yet nearer; and he revealed unto his servant that which he revealed.
The heart of Mohammed did not falsely represent that which he saw.
Will ye therefore dispute with him concerning that which he saw? He
also saw him another time, by the lote-tree beyond which there is no
passing :1 near it is the garden of eternal abode. When the lote-tree
covered that which it covered,™ his eyesight turned not aside, neither did
it wander :* and he really beheld some of the greatest signs of his Lord.
What think ye of Allat, and Al Uzza,;and Manah, that other third goddess?°
Have ye male children, and God female?? This, therefore, is an unjust
partition. They are no other than empty names, which ye and your

 

4 Some suppose the stars in general, and others the Pleiades in particular, to be meant
in this place.

* Or, according to a contrary signification of the verb here used, when it riseth.

! Namely, the angel Gabriel.

. ®In his natural form, in which God created him, and in the eastern part of the sky. It
it said that this angel appeared in his proper shape to none of the prophets, except Mo-
hammed ; and to him only twice : once when he received the first revelation of the Koran,
and a second time when he took his night journey to heaven; as it follows in the text.

+ Tn a human shape.

‘ Or, as the word also signifies, two cubits’ length.

* But he saw it in reality.

' This tree, say the commentators, stands in the seventh heaven, on the right hand of
the throne of God; and is the utmost bounds beyond which the angels themselves must
not pass; or, as some rather imagine, beyond which no creature’s knowledge can extend.

™ The words seem to signify, that what was under this tree exceeded all description and
number. Some suppose the whole host of angels worshipping beneath it? are intended ;
and others, the birds which sit on its branches.?

* ‘He had before seen the same angel near the lotos* which bounds the abode of
delights. Near this tree is the garden of refuge.* The lotos was shadowed by the veil
which covers it. The eye of the prophet bore the splendour of the divine magnificence.’
—Savary.

” Seeing the wonders both of the sensible and the intellectual world.*

° Those were three idols of the ancient Arabs, of which we have spoken in the Pre-
liminary Discourse.® .

As o the blasphemy which some pretend Mohammed once uttered, through inadvert-
ence, as he was reading this passage, see chap. 22, p, 279, note t.

? See chap. 16, p. 218, &c.

1 Al Beidawi. ? Jallalo’ddin.

_ he ine, says Jallalo’ddin, is the tree called Nabe.—Savary.

‘ This garden is thus denominated because that it will be the asylum of the angels, the
martyrs, and the virtuous.—Savary. .

+ Al Beidawi.- ® Sect. i. p. 13.
428 AL KORAN. CHAP. LITI.

fathers have named goddesses. Gop hath not revealed concerning them
any thing to authorize their worship. They follow no other than a vain
opinion, and what their souls desire: yet hath the true direction come unto
them from their Lorp. Shall man have whatever he wisheth for?* The
life to come and the present life are Gop’s: and how many angels soever
there be in the heavens, their intercession shall be of no avail, until after
Gop shall have granted permission unto whom he shall please and shall
accept. Verily they who believe not in the life to come give unto the
angels a female appellation.* But they have no knowledge herein : they
follow no other than a bare opinion; and a bare opinion attaineth not any
thing of truth. Wherefore withdraw from him who turneth away from our
admonition, and seeketh only the present life. This is their highest pitch
of knowledge. Verily thy Lorp well knoweth him who erreth from his
way; and he well knoweth him who is rightly directed. Unto Gop de-
longeth whatever is in heaven and, earth: that he may reward those who
do evil, according to that which they shall have wrought; and may reward
those who do well, with the most excellent reward. .As to those who avoid
great crimes, and heinous sins, and are guilty only of lighter faults;+} verily
thy Lorp will be extensive in mercy towards them. He well knew you
when he produced you out of the earth, and when ye were embryos in
your mothers’ wombs: wherefore justify not yourselves : he best knoweth
the man who feareth him. What thinkest thou of him who turneth aside
from following the truth, and giveth little, and covetously stoppeth his
hand?? Js the knowledge of futurity with him, so that he seeth the same?+
Hath he not been informed of that which is contained in the books of
Moses, and of Abraham who faithfully performed his engagements? To
wit : that a burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another; and that no-
thing shall be imputed to a man for righteousness, except his own labour;
and that his labour shall surely be made manifest hereafter, and ¢hat he shall
be rewarded for the same with a most abundant reward; and that unto thy
Lorp will be the end of all things ; and that he causeth to laugh, and causeth
to weep; and that he putteth to death, and giveth life: and that he createth

 

a4, ¢. Shall he dictate to God, and name whom he pleases for his intercessors, or for his
prophet ; or shall he choose a religion according to his own fancy, and prescribe the terms
on which he may claim the reward of this life and the next 27

* «The unbelievers pretend that the angels are the daughters of God.’’—Savary.

t ‘‘ Who are guilty only of those faults which are inevitable to human weakness.”’—
Savary.

This passage, it is said, was revealed on account of al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, who
following the prophet one day, was reviled by an idolater for leaving the religion of the
Koreish, and giving occasion of scandal ; to which he answered, that what he did was out
_ of apprehension of the divine vengeance: whereupon the man offered, for a certain sum,

to take the guilt of his apostacy on himself; and the bargain being made, al Walid re-
turned to his idolatry, and paid the man part of what had been agreed on, but afterwards.
on farther consideration, he thought it too much, and kept back the remainder. :

* That is, Is he assured that the person with whom he made the above i
ment will be allowed to suffer in his stead hereafter 2° mentioned agree

"Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. * Al Beidawi. ® Idem,
CHAP. LIV. AL KORAN. 429

the two sexes, the male and the female, of seed when it is emitted; * and
that unto him appertaineth another production, namely, the raising of the
dead again to life hereafter ; and that he enricheth, and causeth to acquire
possessions; and that he is the Lorp of the dog-star;* and that he
destroyed the ancient tribe of Ad, and Thamud, and left not any of them
alive; and also the people of Noah, before them; for they were most un-
just and wicked: and he overthrew the cities which were turned upside
down ;* and that which covered them, covered them. Which, therefore,
of thy Lorv’s benefits, O man, wilt thou call in question? This our apostle
is a preacher like the preachers who preceded him. The approaching day
of judgment draweth near: there is none who can reveal the exact time of —
the same, besides Gop. Do yey therefore, wonder at this new revelation;
and do ye laugh, and not weep,t spending your time in idle diversions?
But rather worship Gop, and serve him.

CHAPTER LIV.
INTITLED, THE MOON; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

THE hour of judgment approacheth; and the moon hath been split in
sunder:¥ but if the unbelievers see a sign, they turn aside, saying, This is a
powerful charm. And they accuse thee, O Mohammed, of imposture, and
follow their own lusts: but every thing will be immutably fixed.» And now
hath a message® come unto them, wherein is a determent from obstinate infi-
delity ; the same being consummate wisdom: but warners profit them not;
wherefore do thou withdraw from them. The day whereon the summoner

 

* “Of earth and water mingled together.’’—Savary.

' Sirius, or the greater dog-star, was worshipped by some of the old Arabs.*

* viz. Sodom, and the other cities involved in her ruin. See chap. 11, p. 183.

t ‘Ye laugh when ye ought to weep.”’—Savary.

’ This passage is expounded two different ways. Some imagine the words refer to a
famous miracle supposed to have been performed by Mohammed: for it is said that, on
the infidels demanding a sign of him, the moon appeared cloven in two,? one part vanish-
ing, and the other remaining ; and Ebn Masiid affirmed that he saw mount Hara interpose
between the two sections. Others think the preter tense is here used, in the prophetic
style, for the future, and that the passage should be rendered, The moon shall be split in
sunder: for this, they say, is to happen at the resurrection. The former opinion is sup-
ported by reading, according to some copies, wakad inshakka’lkamaro, i. e. since the moon
hath already been split in sunder; the splitting of the moon being reckoned by some to be
one of the previous signs of the last day.*

2 Or, as the participle here used may also signify, a continued series of magic, or a'tran-
sient magic illusion. _ :

® Or will reach a final period of ruin or success in this world, and of misery or happiness
in the next, which will be conclusive and unchangeable thenceforward for ever.*

>i. e, The Kor4n, containing stories of former nations which have been chastised for their
incredulity, and threats of a more dreadful punishment hereafter.

1 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. p. 12, and Hyd. not. in Ulug. Beig, Tab. Stell. fix. p. 53.
2 See a long and fabulous acr:ount of this pretended miracle in Gagnier, Vie de Moham.
chap. 19. 3 Al Zamakh , al Beidawi. ‘Tidem.
430 AL KORAN. cHAY. LIY.

shall summon mankind to an ungrateful business,* they shall come forth from
their graves with downcast looks: numerous as locusts scattered far abroad 5
hastening with terror unto the summoner. The unbelievers shall say, This
is a day of distress.* The people of Noah accused that prophet of impos-
ture, before thy people rejected thee: they accused our servant of imposture,
saying, He is a madman; and he was rejected with reproach. He called,
therefore, upon his Lord, saying, Verily I am overpowered ; wherefore
avenge me.4 So we opened the gates of heaven, with water pouring down,
and we caused the earth to break forth into springs ; so that the water of
heaven and earth met, according to the decree which had been established.
And we bare him on a vessel composed of planks and nails; which moved
forward under our eyes: ® as a recompense unto him who had been un-
gratefully rejected. And we left the said vessel for a sign: but is any one
warned thereby? And how severe was my vengeance, and my threatening! t
Now have we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one admo-
nished thereby? Ad charged their prophet with imposture: but how severe
was my vengeance, and my threatening! Verily we sent against them a roar-
ing * wind, on a day of continued ill luck; ¢ it carried men away, as though
they had been roots of palm-trees forcibly torn up." And how severe was
my vengeance and my threatening! Now have we made the Koran easy for
admonition: but is any one admonished thereby? Thamud charged the ad-
monitions of their prophet with falsehood, and said, Shall we follow a single
man among us? verily we should then be guilty of error, and preposterous
madness : is the. office of admonition committed unto him preferably to the
rest of us? Nay; he is a liar, and an insolent fellow.[ But God said to
Saleh, To-morrow shall they know who is the liar, and the insolent person :
for we will surely send the she-camel for a trial of them:! and do thou
observe them, and bear ¢heir insults with patience: and prophesy unto them
that the water shail be divided between them,* and each portion shall be sat
down to alternately. And they called their companion:! and he took a

° That is, When the angel Israfil shall call men to judgment.

* «« They shall hasten to whither the voice shall call them. The unbelievers shall say,
Behold the terrible day.”’—Savary.

* This petition was not preferred by Noah till after he had suffered repeated violence
from his people: for it is related, that one of them having fallen upon him and almost

strangled him, when he came to himself he said, O Lord forgive them, Sor they know not
what they do.§

¢ i.e. Under our special regard and keeping.

+ ‘* What punishments have followed my threats !’’—Savary.
‘ Or, a cold wind.

® viz. Ona Wednesday. See chap. 41, p. 390, note s.

‘It is related that they sought shelter in the clefts of rocks, and in pits, holding fast by
one another; but that the wind impetuously tore them away, and threw them down dead®

t No, doubtless; he is an ambitious impostor.”’—Savary.

1 See chap. 7, p. 124, &c.

«That is, between the Thamudites and the camel. See chap. 26, p. 306, note s,

! Namely Kodar Ebn Salef; who was not an Arab, but a stranger dwellin,
Thamudites. See chap. 7, p. 123, note d. = eilnpamong, the

5 Al Beidawi. ® Idem.
CHAP. Liv. AL KORAN. 431

sword,» and slew her. But how severe was my vengeance, and my threat-
ening! For we sent against them one cry of the angel Gabriel ; and they
became like the dry sticks used by him who buildeth a fold for cattle.* And
now have we made the Koran easy for admonition : but is any one admo-
nished thereby? The people of Lot charged his preaching with falsehood:
but we sent against them @ wind driving a shower of stones, which destroyed
them all except the family of Lot; whom we delivered early in the morning,
through favour from us. Thus do we reward those who are thankful. And
Lot had warned them of our severity in chastising ; but they doubted
of that warning. And they demanded his guests of him, that they might
abuse them: but we put out their eyes,° saying, Taste iny vengeance, and
my threatening. And early in the morning a lasting punishment? surprised
them. Taste, therefore, my vengeance, and my threatening.— Now have
we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one admonished
thereby? The warning of Moses also came unto the people of Pharaoh;
but they charged every one of our signs with imposture: wherefore we
chastised them with a mighty and irresistible chastisement. Are -your
unbelievers, O Meccans, better than these? Is immunity from punishment
promised unto you in the scriptures? Do they say, We are a body of men
able to prevail against our enemies? The multitude shall surely be put to
flight, and shall turn their back.1 But the hour of judgment is their threat-
ened time of punishment :* and that hour shall be more grievous and more
bitter than their afflictions in this life. Verily the wicked wander in error,
and shall be tormented hereafter in burning flames. On that day they shall
be dragged into the fire on their faces ; and it shall be said unto them, Taste
ye the touch of hell. All things have we created bound by a fixed decree :
and our command is no more than a single word, like the twinkling of an
eye We have formerly destroyed nations like unto you; but is any of

 

™ Or, as the word also imports, He became resolute and daring.

® The words may signify either the dry boughs with which, in the east, they make folds
or enclosures, to fénce their cattle from wind and cold; or the stubble and other stuff with
which they litter them in those folds during the winter season.

a single cry was heard, and they were reduced like unto dry and chopped straw.”
—Savary.

°So that their sockets became filled up even with the other parts of their faces. This,
it is said, was done by one stroke of the wing of the angel Gabriel. See chap. 11, p. 183.

? Under which they shall continue till they receive their full punishment in hell. ;

t ‘They wished to wrest from him his guests. We deprived them of sight, and we said
unto them, T'aste the punishments which have been foretold unto you. A terrible scourge
rushed upon the inhabitants of Sodom at the rising of the sun. Undergo the punishment
with which ye have been threatened.’’—Savary. , :

4 This prophecy was fulfilled by the overthrow of the Koreish at Bedr. It is related,
from a tradition of Omar, that when this passage was revealed, Mohammed professed him-
self to be ignorant of its true meaning; but on the day of the battle of Bedr, he repeated
these words as he was putting on his coat of mail.’ . a

¥ i.e. The time when they shall receive their full punishment; what they suffer in this
world being only the forerunner or earnest of what they shall feel in the next.

* viz. Kun, i.e. Be. The passage may also be rendered, The execution of our purpose is
but a single act, exerted ina moment. Some suppose it refers to the buainess of the day
of judgment.® ae 7

{ “And in the twinkling of an eye we are obeyed.”’—Savary.

7 Al Beidawi. ® Idem.
432 AL KORAN. CHAP. LV.

you warned by their example? Every thing which they do is recorded in
the books kept by the guardian angels: and every action both small and
great, is written down in the preserved table. Moreover the pious shail
dwell among gardens and rivers, in the assembly of truth, in the presence
of a most potent king.

CHAPTER LV.
INTITLED, THE MERCIFUL; REVEALED AT MECCA:
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Tue Merciful hath taught his servant the Koran. He created man: he
hath taught him distinct speech.* The sun and the moon run their courses
according to a certain rule: and the vegetables which creep on the ground,
and the trees submit to his hisposition. He also raised the heaven; and he
appointed the balance," that ye should not transgress in respect to the
balance: wherefore observe a just weight; and diminish not the balance.
And the earth hath he prepared for living creatures: therein are varicus
fruits, and palm-trees bearing sheaths of flowers ; and grain having chaff,
and leaves. Which, therefore, of your Lorn’s benefits will ye ungratefully .
deny?" He created man of dried clay like an earthen vessel: but he created
the genii of fire clear from smoke. Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s bene-
fits will ye ungratefully deny? He is the Lorp of the east, and the Lorp
of the west.« Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungrate-
fully deny? He hath let loose the two seas,” that they meet each an-
other: between them is placed a bar which they cannot pass. Which,
therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny? From them
are taken forth unions and lesser pearls.[ Which, therefore, of your

 

‘ Most of the commentators doubt whether this chapter was revealed at Mecca or at
Medina; or partly at the one place, and partly at the other.

* «He endowed them with understanding.””—Savary.

" Or justice and equity in mutual dealings.

* The words are directed to the two species of rational creatures, men and genii; the
verb and the pronoun being in the dual number.

This verse 1s intercalated, or repeated by way of burden, throughout the whole chapter,
no less than thirty-one tinles, which was done, as Marracci guesses, in imitation of
David.® (With respect to this verse, Jaber tells the following story. The envoy of the
Lord read to us the chapter intituled The Merciful. When he had ended, perceiving that
none of us spoke, he addressed this reproach to us. Why do you remain silent? The

enii know better how to answer than youdo. Whenever I have read this verse to them,
they have exclaimed, Lord, we deny not any of thy benefits. Blessed be the name of the
Lord.—Savary.)

* The original words are both in the dual number, and signify the different points of the
horizon at which the sun rises and sets at the summer and winter solstice. See chap. 37
p. 366, note 1, ‘

y Of salt water and fresh ;' or the Persian and Mediterranean seas,?

t ‘‘He hath balanced the waters of the two neighbouring seas.’’—Savary,

+ * Both of them furnish pearls and coral.’’—Savary.

* See Psalm cxxxvi. * See chap. 25, p. 299. 2 Al Beidawi.
CHAP. LY. AL KORAN. 433

Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny? His also are the ships, carry-
ing their sails aloft in the sea like mountains. Which, therefore, of your
Lorv’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Every creature, which liveth
on the earth is subject to decay: but the glorious and honourable counte-
nance of thy Lorp shall remain for ever. Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s
benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Unto him do all creatures which are
in heaven and earth make petition: every day is he employed in some new
work.» Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully
deny? We will surely attend to judge you, O men and genii, at the last
day. Which, therefore, of your Lorn’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny ?
O ye collective body of genii and men, if ye be able to pass out of the
confines of heaven and earth,* pass forth :* ye shall not pass forth but by
absolute power. Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungrate-
fully deny? A flame of fire without smoke, and a smoke without flame?
shall be sent down upon you; and ye shall not be able to defend your-
selves therefrom. “Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye un-
gratefully deny? And when the heaven shall be rent in snnder, and shall
become red as a rose, and shall melt like ointment :*t (Which, therefore,
of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny?) On that day neither
man nor geniys shall be asked concerning his sin.t Which, therefore, of
your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny? The wicked shall be
known by their marks;° and they shall be taken by the forelocks, and
the feet, and shall be cast into hell. Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s
benefits will ye ungratefully deny? This is hell, which the wicked
deny as a falsehood: they shall pass to and fro between the same and
hot boiling water. Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye
ungratefully deny? But for him who dreadeth the tribunal of his ~
Lorp are prepared two gardens: (Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s
benefits will ye ungratefully deny?) planted with shady trees. Which,

 

7 In executing those things which he hath decreed from eternity, by giving life and
death, raising one and abasing another, hearing prayers and granting petitions, &c.*

* To fly from the power, and to avoid the decree of God.

* “QO ye! men and genii, our vigilant eyes watch all your actions.’’—Savary.

> Or, as the word also signifies, molten brass, which shall be poured on the heads of the
damned.

© Or, shall appear like red leather ; according to a different signification of the original
word.

+ ‘* When the heaven shall open, it shall shine like unto a rose, or a skin dyed red.””—
Savary.

4 For their crimes will be known by their different marks; as it follows in the text.
This, says al Beiddwi, is to be understood of the time when they shall be raised to life,
and shall be led towards the tribunal: for when they come to trial, they will then undergo
an examination, as is declared in several places of the Koran,

© See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 60, &c.

‘ For the only respite they shall have from the flames of hell will be when they are
suffered to go to drink this scalding liquor. See chap. 37, p. 367.

©ie. One distinct paradise for men, and another for genii; or, as some imagine, twe
gardens for each person; one as a reward due to his works, and the other as a free and
superabundant gift, &c.

2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddim.
434 AL KORAN. CHAP. LY.

therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny ? In each
of them shall be two fountains flowing. Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s
benefits will ye ungratefully deny? In each of them shall there be of
every fruit two kinds* Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will
ye ungratefully deny? They shall repose on couches, the linings whereof
shall be of thick silk interwoven with gold: and the fruit of the two gar-
dens shall be near at hand to gatherit Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s
benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Therein shall receive them beauteous
damsels, refraining their eyes from beholding any besides their spouses: _
whom no man shall have deflowered before them, neither any genius:
(Which, therefore, of your Lorn’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny ?)
Having complexions like rubies and pearls. Which, therefore, of your
Lorn’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Shall the reward of ‘gooa
works be any other good? Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will
ye ungratefully deny? And besides these there shall be two other gardens :J
(Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny ?)
Of a dark green.*{ Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye un-
gratefully deny? In each of them shall be two fountains pouring forth
plenty of water.. Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye un-
gratefully deny? In each of them shall be fruits, and palm-trees, and
pomegranates. Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungrate-
fully deny? Therein shall be agreeable and beauteous damsels : Which,
therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Having fine
* plack eyes, and kept in pavilions from public view : Which, therefore, of
your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Whom no man shall
‘have deflowered before their destined spouses, nor any genius. Which,
therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Therein
shall they delight themselves, lying on green cushions and beautiful carpets.
Which, therefore, of your Lorp’s benefits will ye ungratefully deny?
Blessed be the name of thy Lorp, possessed of glory and honour !

 

» Some being known, and like the fruits of the earth, and others of new and unknown
species: or, fruits both green and ripe. :

* «Tn each of them shall grow divers fruits in abundance.’’—Savary.
‘ So that a man may reach them as he sits or lies down.

+ ‘* The guests of this abode, reposing on silken beds, enriched with gold, shall enjoy
all these blessings at their pleasure.’’—Savary.

4 For the inferior classes of the inhabitants of paradise. .

« From hence, says al Beidawi, it may be inferred that these gardens will chiefly pro-
duce herbs, or the inferior sorts of vegetables; whereas the former will be planted chiefly
with fruit-trees. The following part of this description also falls short of that of the other
gardens, prepared for the superior classes.

t ‘‘ That shall be dressed in eternal verdure.””—Savary.
CHAP. LVI. AL KORAN. 435

CHAPTER LVI.
INTITLED, THE INEVITABLE; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

WueEn the inevitable! day of judgment shall suddenly come, no soul shall
charge the prediction of its coming with falsehood : it will abase some, and
exalt others. When the earth shall be shaken with a violent shock; and
the mountains shall be dashed in pieces, and shall become as dust scattered
abroad; and ye shall be separated into three distinct classes: the com-
panions of the right hand; (how happy shall the companions of the right
hand de !) and the companions of the left hand:™ (how miserable shail the
companions of the left hand be!) and those who have preceded others
in the faith shall precede them to paradise. These are they who shall
approach near unto God : they shall dwell in gardens of delight: ( There
shall be many of the former religions ; and few of the last.°) Reposing on
couches adorned with gold and precious stones; sitting opposite to one
another thereon.?* Youths which shall continue in their bloom for ever,
shall go round about ¢o attend them, with goblets, and beakers, anda cup of
flowing wine: their heads shall not ache by drinking the same, neither
shall their reason be disturbed: and with fruits of the sorts which they
shall choose, and the flesh of birds of the kind which they shall desire.
And there shall accompany them fair damsels having large black eyes;
resembling pearls hidden in their shells: as a reward for that which
they shall have wrought. They shall not hear therein any vain discourse, or
any charge of sin; but only the salutation, Peace! Peace! And the com-
panions of the right hand (how happy shall the companions of the
tight hand be !) shall have their abode among lote trees free from thorns,
and trees of mauz® loaded regularly with their produce from top to bot-

 

' The original word, the force whereof cannot well be expressed by a single one in
English, signifies a calamitous accident, which falls surely, and with sudden violence ; and
is trersiore made use of here to design the day of judgment.

™ That is, the blessed, and the damned: who may be thus distinguished here, because
the books wherein their actions are registered will be delivered into the right hands of
the former, and into the left hands of the latter :* though the words translated right hand
and left hand, do also signify happiness, and misery.

2 Bither the first converts to Mohammedism, or the prophets, who were the respective ;

leaders of their people, or any persons who have been eminent examples of piety and
virtue, may be here intended. ‘The original words literally rendered are, The leaders, the
leaders; which repetition, as some suppose, was designed to express the dignity of these
persons, and the certainty of their future glory and happiness.‘

° i, e, There should be more leaders, who have preceded others in faith and good works,
among the followers of the several prophets from Adam down to Mohammed, than of the
followers of Mohammed himself.

See chap. 15, p. 212, note h.

* « They shall look upon each other benevolently.’’—Savary.

«The original word Talh is the name, not only of the mauz,° but algo of a very tall
and thorny tree, which bears abundance of flowers of an agreeable smell," and seems to
be the Acacia.

2 Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. ‘ Tidem. 5 Tidem. ® See p. 370. ™ Vide'J.
Leon. Descript. Africz, lib. 9.
436 AL KORAN. CHAP. LVI.

tom ;* under an extended shade, near a flowing water,’ and amidst fruits in
abundance, which shall not fail, nor shall be forbidden to be gathered : and
they shall repose themselves on lofty beds.» Verily we have created the
damsels of paradise by a peculiar creation:* and we have made them
virgins,* beloved by their husbands, of equal age with them ; for the delight
of the companions of the'right hand. There shall be many of the former
religions, and many of the latter." And the companions of the left hand
(how miserable shall the companions of the left hand be !) shall dwell amidst
burning winds,t and scalding water, under the shade of a black smoke,
neither cool nor agreeable. For they enjoyed the pleasures of life before
this, while on earth; and obstinately persisted in a heinous wickedness :
and they said, After we shall have died, and become dust and bones, shall
we surely be raised to life? Shall our forefathers also be raised with us?
Say, Verily both the first and the last shall surely be gathered together
to judgment, at the prefixed time of a known day. Then ye, O men, who
have erred, and denied ihe resurrection as a falsehood, shall surely eat
of the fruit of the tree of al Zakkum, and shall fill your bellies therewith :
and ye shall drink thereon boiling water; and ye shall drink as a thirsty
camel drinketh. This shall be their entertainment on the day of judgment.
We have created you: will ye not therefore believe that we can raise you
from the dead? What think ye? The seed which ye emit, do ye create
the same, or are we the creators thereof 2 We have decreed death unto you
all : and we shall not be prevented. We are able to substitute others like unto
“you in your stead, and to produce you again in the condition or form which
ye know not. Ye know the original production by creation ; will ye not
therefore consider that we are able to produce you by resuscitation? What
think ye? The grain which ye sow, do ye cause the same to spring forth,

 

* «They shall walk among trees of Nabe, which are devoid of thorns, and in the midst
of Banana trees, arranged in a pleasing order.’’—Savary.

* Which shall be conveyed in channels to such places, and in such manner, as every
one shall desire.* Al Beidadwi observes that the condition of the few who have preceded
others in faith and good works is represented by whatever may render a city life agreea-
ble; and that the condition of the companions of the right hand, or the generality of the
blessed, is represented by those things which make the principal pleasure of a country
life; and that this is done to show the difference of the two conditions.

_.° The word translated beds signifies also, by way of metaphor, wives or concubines; and
if the latter sense be preferred, the passage may be rendered thus, And they shall enjoy
damsels raised on lofty couches, whom we have created, &c. i

‘ Having created them purposely of finer materials than the females of this world, and
subject to none of those inconveniences which are natural to the sex. Some understand
this passage of the beatified women; who, though they die old and ugly, shall yet be
restored to their youth and beauty in paradise.*

* For how often soever their husbands shall go in unto them, they shall always find
them virgins. : ;

» Father Marracci thinks this to be a manifest contradiction to what is said above, There
shall be many of the former, and few of the latter: but al Beidawi obviates such an objec-
tion, by observing that the preceding passage speaks of the leaders only, and those who
have preceded others in faith and good works, and the passage before us speaks of the
righteous of inferior merit and degree; so that though there be many of both sorts, yet
there may be few of one sort, comparatively speaking, in respect to the other.

* Which shall penetrate into the passages of their bodies.

A’ Beidiwi. = * See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 4, p. 69, &c. 1 See ibid. p. 73.
CHAP. LVI. AL KORAN. 4387

or do we cause it to spring forth? If we pleased, verily we could render
the same dry and fruitless, so that ye would not cease to wonder,’ saying,
Verily we have contracted debts* for seed and labour, but we are not per-
mitted* to reap the fruit thereof. What think ye? The water which ye
drink, do ye send down the same from the clouds, or are we the senders
thereof? If we pleased, we could render the same brackish: will ye not
therefore give thanks? What think ye? The fire which ye strike, do ye
produce the tree whence ye obtain the same,” or are we the producers
thereof? We have ordained the same for an admonition,° and an advan-
tage to those who travel through the deserts. Wherefore praise the name
of thy Lorp, the great God. Moreover I swear* by the setting of the
stars ; (and it is surely a great oath, if ye knew it ;) that this is the excel-
lent Koran, the original whereof is written in the preserved book: none
shall touch the same, except those who are clean.* It is a revelation from
the Lorp of all creatures. Will ye, therefore, despise this new revelation ?
And do ye make this return for your food which ye receive from God,
that ye deny yourselves to be obliged to him for the same 2* When the soul
of a dying person cometh up to his throat, and ye at the same time are
looking on; (and we are nigher unto him than ye, but ye see not his true
condition ;*) would ye not, if ye are not to be rewarded for your actions
hereafter, cause the same to return into the body, if ye speak the truth ?¢
And whether he be of those who shall approach near unto God,» his
reward shall be rest, and mercy, and a garden of delights: or whether he
be of the companions of the right hand, he shall be saluted with the salu-
tation, Peace be unto thee! by the companions of the right hand, his
brethren : or whether he be of those who have rejected the true faith, and

 

1 Or to repent of your time and labour bestowed to little purpose, &c.

* Or, We are undone. : ;

“* Or, We are unfortunate wretches, who are denied the necessaries of life.

> See chap. 36, p. 365, note f. : ; ; ;

© To put men in mind of the resurrection ;* which the production of fire in some sort
resembles: or, of the fire of hell.? ; be : . :

4 The particle Ja is generally supposed to be intensive in this place; but if it be taken
for a negative, the words must be translated, I will not or do not swear, because what is
here asserted is too manifest to need the confirmation of an_oath.* (Savary adopts the
latter reading.) ; : ; me

° Or, Let none touch the same, &c. Purity both of body and mind being requisite in
him who would use this book with the respect he ought, and hopes to edify by it: for
which reason these words are usually written on the cover.*

£ By ascribing the rains, which fertilize your lands, to the influence of the stars.°_

Some copies, instead of rizkacom, i. e. your food, read shocracom, i. e. your gratitude ;
and then the passage may be rendered thus, And do ye make this return of gratitude for
God’s revealing the Koran, that ye reject the same as a fiction ? ‘ ;

* «When some one among you is about to expire, and that you see him struggling
against death, we are nigher unto them than ye are, but ye perceive us not.’’—Savary.

& The meaning of this obscure passage is, If ye shall not be obliged to give an account
of your actions at the last day, as by your denying the resurrection ye seem to believe,
catise the soul of the dying person to return into his body; for ye may as easily do that
ag avoid the general judgment.’ : :

1 That is, of the leaders, or first professors of the faith.

a hap. 36, p. 365. 3 Al Beidawi. ‘Idem. + See the Prelim. Dise,
Sane a 49. es See ibid. sect. 1, p. 22, 23. 7 Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi.
438 AL KORAN. CHAP. LVII.

gone astray, his entertainment shall consist of boiling water, and the burn-
ing of hell fire. Verily this is a certain truth. Wherefore praise the name
of thy Lonp, the great God.

 

CHAPTER LVII
INTITLED, IRON;! REVEALED AT MECCA, OR AT MEDINAS
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

WuaTeEveR 2s in heaven and earth singeth praise unto Gop; and he is
mighty and wise. His is the kingdom of heaven and earth; he giveth
life, and he putteth to death; and he is almighty. He is the first, and the
last; the manifest and the hidden: and he knoweth all things. It is he
who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and then ascended his
throne. He knoweth that which entereth into the earth, and that which
issueth out of the same, and that which descendeth from heaven, and that
which ascendeth thereto; and he is with you, wheresoever ye be: for
Gop seeth that which ye do. His is the kingdom of heaven and earth;
and unto Gop shall all things return. He causeth the night to succeed
the day, and he causeth the day to succeed the night; and he knoweth
the innermost part of men’s breasts. Believe in Gop and his apostle, and
lay out in alms a part of the wealth whereof Gop hath made you in-
heritors: for unto such of you as believe, and bestow alms, shall be given
a great reward. And what aileth you, that ye believe not in Gop, when
the apostle inviteth you to believe in your Lorp; and he hath received
your covenant* concerning this matter, if ye believe any proposition? *
It is he who hath sent down unto his servant evident signs, that he may
lead you out of darkness into light; for Gop is compassionate and mer-
ciful unto you. And what aileth you, that ye contribute not of your sub-
stance for the defence of Gop’s true religion? Since unto Gop apper-
taineth the inheritance of heaven and earth. Thosé among you who shall
have contributed and fought in defence of the faith, before the taking of
Mecca, shall not be held equal with those who shall contribute and fight for
the same afterwards.! These shall be superior in degree unto those who
shall contribute and fight for the propagation of the faith, after the above-
mentioned success; but unto all hath Gop promised a most excellent
reward ; and Gop well knoweth that which ye do, Who is he that will
lend unto Gop an acceptable loan? for he will double the same unto him,
and he shall receive moreover an honourable reward.t On a certain day,
thou shalt see the true believers of both sexes: their light shall run before

 

i The word occurs toward the end. of the chapter. . .

} It is uncertain which of the two places was the scene of revelation of this chapter.

* That is, ye are obliged to believe in him by the strongest arguments and motives.

* ‘Tf your hearts are sincere.’’—Savary.

' Because afterwards there was not so great necessity for either; the Mohammedan
Belegion Seine pratt ae by that ereat success. :

o is he who will enter into the glorious covenant of G

An inestimable reward shall crown his devotedngas,””—Savaty. OEE Sie aa ee

¥
CHAP. LVI. AL KORAN, 439

them, and on their right hands;™* and it shall be said unto hem, Good
tidings unto you this day: gardens through which rivers flow ye shall
remain therein for ever. This will be great felicity. On that day the
hypocritical men and the hypocritical women shall say unto those who
believe, Stay for us," that we may borrow some of your light. It shall be
answered, Return back into the world, and seek light.t And a high wall
_ shall be set betwixt them, wherein shall be a gate, within which shall be
mercy ; and without it, over against the same, the torment of hell. The
hypocrites shall call out unto the true believers, saying, Were we not with
you? They shall answer, Yea; but ye seduced your own souls dy your
hypocrisy ; and ye waited our ruin ; and ye doubted concerning the faith ;
and your wishes deceived you, until the decree of Gop came, and ye
died : and the deceiver deceived you concerning Gop. This day, there-
fore, a ransom shall not be accepted of you, nor of those who have been
unbelievers. Your abode shall be hell fire: this is what ye have deserved;
and an unhappy journey shall it be thither! Is not the time yet come
unto those who believe, that their hearts should humbly submit to the
admonition of Gop, and to that truth which hath been revealed; and that
they be not as those unto whom the scripture was given heretofore, and
to whom the time of forbearance was prolonged, but their hearts were
hardened, and many of them were wicked doers? Know that Gop quick-
eneth the earth, after it hath been dead. Now have we distinctly declared
our signs unto you, that ye may understand. Verily as to the almsgivers,
both men and women, and those who lend unto Gop an acceptable loan,
he will double the same unto them; and they shall moreover receive an
honourable reward.{ And they who believe in Gop and his apostles,
these are the men of veracity,§ and the witnesses in the presence of their
Lorv: they shall have their reward, and their light. But as to those who
believe not, and accuse our signs of falsehood, they shall be the com-
panions of hell. Know that this present life is only a toy and a vain
amusement: and worldly pomp, and the affectation of glory among you,
and the multiplying of riches and children, are as the plants nourished by
the rain, the springing up whereof delighteth the husbandmen; afterwards
they wither, so that thou seest the same turned yellow, and at length
they become dry stubble. And in the life to come will be a severe punish-
ment for those who covet worldly grandeur ; and pardon from Gop, and
favour for those who renounce it: for this present life is no other than a
deceitful provision. Hasten with emulation to odtain pardon from your

 

™ One light leading them the right way to paradise, and the other proceeding from the
book wherein their actions are recorded, which they will hold in their right hand.

* «« Thou shalt one day see the faithful encompassed by a resplendent lustre.”’—Savary.

* For the righteous will hasten to paradise swift as lightning.

+ “‘Remain,’’ it shall be replied unto them, ‘‘ remain in darkness.’’—Savary. :

t ‘* Those who shall have entered into the holy covenant, and who support it by their
riches, shall be repaid twofold that which they shall have given, and shall be magnifi-
cently rewarded.’’—Savary.

§ ‘ These are the true believers.’’—Savary.
440 / : AL KORAN. CHAP. LVII.

Lorp, and paradise, the extent whereof equalleth the extent of heaven and
earth, prepared for those who believe in Gop and his apostles. This
is the bounty of Gop: he will give the same unto whom he pleaseth ; and
Gop is endued with great bounty. No accident happeneth in the earth,
nor in your persons, but the same was entered in the book of our decrees,
before we created it: verily this is easy with Gop: and this is written
lest ye immoderately grieve for the good which escapeth you, or rejoice
for that which happeneth unto you; for Gop loveth no proud or vain-
glorious person, or those who are covetous, and command men covetous-
ness. And whoso turneth aside from giving alms ; verily Gop is self-
sufficient, worthy to be praised. We formerly sent our apostles with
evident miracles and arguments ; and we sent down with them the scrip-
tures, and the balance,° that men might observe justice: and we sent them
down iron,? wherein is mighty strength for war,) and various advantages
unto mankind :* that Gop may know who assisteth him and his apostles
in secret;* for Gop is strong and mighty. We formerly sent Noah and
Abraham, and we established in their posterity the gift of prophecy, and
the scripture: and of them some were directed, but many of them were evil
doers. Afterwards we caused our apostles to succeed in their footsteps ;
and we caused Jesus the son of Mary to succeed them, and we gave him
the gospel: and we put in the hearts of those that followed him com-
passion and mercy: but as to the monastic state, they instituted the same
(we did not prescribe it to them) only out of a desire to please Gon; yet
they observed not the same as it ought truly to have been observed. And
we gave unto such of them as believed their reward: but many of them
were wicked doers. O ye who believe in the prophets,® fear Gop, and
believe in his apostle Mohammed : lie will give you two portions of his
mercy, and he will ordain you a light wherein ye may walk, and he will
forgive you; for Gop is ready to forgive, and merciful: that those who
have received the scriptures may know that they have not power over any
of the favours of Gop," and that good is in the hand of Gop; he bestoweth
the same on whom he pleaseth; for Gop is endued with great beneficence.

 

°7.¢e. A rule of justice. Some think that a balance was actually brought down from’
neaven by the angel Gabriel to Noah, the use of which he was ordered to introduce
among his people.

» That is, We taught them how to dig the same from mines. Al Zamakhshari adds,
that Adam is said to have brought down with him from paradise five things made of iron,
viz. an anvil, a pair of tongs, two hammers, a greater anda lesser, andaneedle. ~

4 Warlike instruments and weapons being generally made of iron.

* «We taught the art of forging iron, to render it fit for battle, and useful to the wants
of life.’’—Savary.

* That is, sincerely and heartily.

* These words are directed to the Jews and Christians, or rather to the latter only.

* One as a recompense for their believing in Mohammed, and the other as a recompense
for their believing in the prophets who preceded him: for they will not lose the reward.
of their former religion, though it be now abrogated by the promulgation of Islim.®

"i. e. That they cannot expect to receive any of the favours above-mentioned, because
they believe not in his apostle, and those favours are annexed to him in faith; or, That
they have not power to’ dispose of God’s favours, particularly of the greatest of them, the
gift of prophecy, so as to appropriate the same to whom they please.®

® Al Beidawi. * Idem.
CHAP. LVI. AL KORAN. 441

CHAPTER LVIII.

INTITLED, SHE WHO DISPUTED; REVEALED AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

*[XXVIIL] Now hath Gop heard the speech of her who disputed
with thee concerning her husband, and made her complaint unto,Gop ;**
and Gop hath heard your mutual discourse : for Gop both heareth and seeth.
As to those among you who divorce their wives, by declaring that they will
thereafter regard them as their mothers; let them know that they are not
their mothers. They only are their mothers who brought them forth ;¥ and
they certainly utter an unjustifiable saying and a falsehood :t but Gop is
gracious and ready to forgive. Those who divorce their wives by declar-
ing that they will for the future regard them as their mothers, and after-
wards would repair? what they have said, shall be obliged to free a captive*
before they touch one another.{ That is what ye are warned to perform :
and Gop is well apprized of that which ye do. And whoso findeth not
a captive to redeem, shall observe a fast of two consecutive months, before
they touch one another. And whoso shall not be able to fast that time,
shall feed threescore poor men. This is ordained you, that ye may believe
in Gop and his apostle. These are the statutes of Gop: and for the
unbelievers is prepared a grievous torment. Verily they who oppose Gop
and his apostle shall be brought low, as the unbelievers who preceded them
were brought low. And now have we sent down manifest signs: and an
ignominious punishment awaiteth the unbelievers. On a certain day Gop

 

* Some are of opinion that the first ten verses of this chapter, ending with these words,
and aes God, before whom ye shall be assembled, were revealed at Mecca, and the rest
at Medina. °

* This was Khawla bint Thalaba, the wife of Aws Ebn al Samat, who, being divorced by
her husband by a form in use among the Arabs in the time of ignorance, viz. by saying to
her, Thow art to me as the back of my mother,? came to ask Mohammed’s opinion whether
they were necessarily obliged to a separation ; and he told her that it was not lawful for her
to cohabit with her husband any more: to which she replying, that her husband had not
put her away, the prophet repeated his former decision, adding that such form of speaking
was by general consent understood to imply a perpetual separation. Upon this the woman
being greatly concerned because of the smallness of her children, went home, and uttered
her complaint to God in prayer: and thereupon. this passage was revealed,’ allowing a man
to take his wife again, notwithstanding his having pronounced the above-mentioned form
of divorce, on doing certain acts of charity, or mortification, by way of penance.

* “ Heaven hath heard the voice of her who brought unto thee her complaint against
her husband, and who raised to the Lord her eyes bathed in tears.’’—Savary.

7 And therefore no woman ought to be placed in the same degree of prohibition, except
those whom God has joined with them, as nursing mothers, and the wives of the prophet.‘

t ‘They cannot become their wives.’”’—Savary. ;

* This seems to be here the true meantog of the original word, which properly signifies
to return, and is variously expounded by the Mohammedan doctors.

* Which captive, according to the most received decision, ought to be a true believer:
as is ordered for the expiation of manslaughter.*

-t “They who swear to live no longer with their wives, and who repent of their oath,
must not have intercourse with them before they have liberated a captive.”’—Savary.

1 A, Beidawi. 2 See chap. 33, p. 341. 2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c.
‘ai a See chap. 4, p. 62, and chap. 33, p. 349. * See ibid. p. 71, 72:
2N
442 AL KORAN. CHAP. LVITI.

shall raise them all to life, and shall declare unto them that which
they have wrought. Gop hath taken an exact account thereof; but they
have forgotten the same: and Gop is witness over all things. Dost thou
aot perceive that Gop knoweth whatever is in heaven and inearth? There .
is no private discourse among three persons, but he is the fourth of
them; nor among five, but he is the sixth of them; neither among
a smaller number than this, nor a larger, but he is with them,
wheresoever they be: and he will declare unto them that, which
they have done, on the day of resurrection ; for Gop knoweth all
things. Hast thou not observed those who have been forbidden to use
clandestine discourse, but afterwards return to what they have been
forbidden,* and discourse privily among themselves of wickedness,
and enmity, and disobedience towards the apostle?” And when they
come unto thee, they salute thee with that form of salutation wherewith
Gop doth not salute thee;° and they say among themselves, by way of
- derision, Would not Gop punish us for what we say, if this man were a
prophet? Hell shall be their sufficient punishment : they shall go down
into the same to be burned; and an unhappy journey shall it be! O true
believers, when ye discourse privily together, discourse not of wickedness,
and enmity, and disobedience towards the apostle; but discourse of justice
and piety: and fear Gop, before whom ye shall be assembled. Verily the
clandestine discourse of the infidels proceedeth from Satan,{ that he may
grieve the true believers: but there shall be none to hurt them in the
least, unless by the permission of Gop; wherefore in Gop let the faithful
trust. O true believers, when it is said unto you, Make room in the
assembly ; make room :¢ Gop will grant you ample room in paradise. And
when it is said unto you, Rise up; rise up: Gop will raise those of you
who believe, and those to whom knowledge is given, to superior degrees of
honour ; and Gop is fully apprized of that which ye do. O true believers,
when ye go to speak with the apostle, give alms previously to your dis-
coursing with him ;* this will be better for you, and more pure. But if ye
find not what to give, verily Gop will be gracious and merciful unto you. Do
ye fear to give alms previously to your discoursing with the prophet, lest ye
should impoverish yourselves? Therefore if ye do it not, and Gon is gra-

 

* ‘Hast thou considered those to whom clandestine assemblies have been forbidden,
and who resort to them in spite of the prohibition.””—Savary.

> That is, the Jews and hypocritical Moslems, who caballed privately together against
Mohammed, and made signs to one another when they saw the true believers: and this
me contintied to ao; now inplne ae they were forbidden.

©It seems they used, instead of Al Saldm aleica, i. e. Peace be u:
aleica, i. e. Mischief on thee, &c® pon tine,to sey, AL abe

t ‘* The clandestine assemblies are prompted by Satan.’’—Savary.

4Jn this passage the Moslems are commanded to give place, in the public assemblies, to
the-prophet and the more honourable of his companions ; and not to press and crowd upon
him, as they used to do, out of a desire of being near him, and hearing his discourse.

° To show your sincerity, and to honour the apostle. It is doubted whether this. be a
counsel or a precept ; but however it continued but a very little while in force, being agreed
on_all hands to be abrogated by the following passage, Do ye fear to give alms, &c."

* Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. 7Tidem.
CHAP. LIX. AL KORAN. 443

cious unto you, by dispensing with the said precept for the future, be constant
at prayer, and pay the legal alms; and obey Gop and his apostle in ail
other matters: for Gop well knoweth’ that which ye do. Hast thou not
observed those who have taken for their friends a people against whom
Gop is incensed? They are neither of you, nor of them:s and they
swear to a lie™ knowingly. Gop hath prepared for them a grievous
punishment; for it is evil which they do. They have taken their oaths
for a cloak, and they have turned men aside from the: way of God:*
wherefore a shameful punishment awaiteth them; neither ‘their wealth
nor their children shall avail them at all against Gop. These shall be the
inhabitants of hedZ fire; they shall abide therein for ever. On a certain day
‘Gop shall raise them all: then will they swear unto him, as they swear
now unto you, imagining that it will be of service to them. Are they not
liars? Satan hath prevailed against them, and hath caused them to forget
the remembrance of Gop. These are the party of the devil; and shall not
the party of the devil be doomed to perdition ? Verily they who oppose
Gop and his apostle shall be placed among the most vile. Gop hath
written, Verily I will prevail, and my apostles: for Gop is strong and
mighty. Thou shalt not find people who believe in Gop and the last day

to love him who opposeth Gop and his apostle; although they be their

fathers, or their sons, or their brethren, or their nearest relations. In the
hearts of these hath Gop written faith; and he hath strengthened them
with his spirit: and he will lead them into gardens, beneath which rivers
flow, to remain therein for ever. Gop is well pleased in them; and they
are well pleased in him. These are the party of Gop: and shall not the
party of Gop prosper?

CHAPTER LIX.

INTITLED, THE EMIGRATION;' REVEALED AT MEDINA,

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Wuarever is in heaven and earth celebrateth the praise of Gop:
and he is the mighty, the wise. Jt was he who caused those who believed
not, of the people who receive the scripture, to depart from their habi-
tations at. the first emigrationi Ye did not think that they would go

 

eee d ing between the two parties

® Bei ites, and wavering betwe i.

‘ nee Sree solemnly tyotessed Islam, which they believe not in their hearts. :
* « Under the shelter of their perjuries, they turn aside others from the divine law.’
Me pina word signifies the quitting or removing from one’s native country, or set-

tlement, to dwell elsewhere, whether it be by choice or compulsion. ; ;

1 The people here intended were the Jews of the tribe of al Nadir, who dwelt in Medina,
and when Mohammed fled thither from Mecca, promised him to stand neuter between him
and his opponents, and made.a treaty with him to that purpose. When he had gained the
battle of Bedr, they confessed that he was the prophet described in the law: but upon his
receiving that disgrace at Ohod, they changed their note: and Caab Ebn dl Ashraf with
444 AL KORAN. CHAP. LIX.

_ forth :* and they thought that their fortresses would protect them against
Gop. But the chastisement of Gop came upon them, from whence they did
not expect; and he cast terror into their hearts. They pulled down their
houses with their own hands,“ and the hands of the true believers. Wherefore
take example from them, O ye who have eyes. And if Gop had not doomed
them to banishment, he had surely punished them in this world :'f and in
the world to come they shall suffer the torment of hedJ fire. This, because
they opposed Gop and his apostle: and whoso opposeth Gop, verily Gop
will be severe in punishing him. What palm-trees ye cut down, or left
standing on their roots, were so cut down or left by the will of Gop; and
that he might disgrace the wicked doers. And as to the spoils of these
people which Gop hath granted wholly to his apostle, ye did not push
forward any horses or camels against the same; but Gop giveth unto his
apostles dominion over whom he pleaseth : for Gop is almighty. The spoils
of the inhabitants of the towns which Gop hath granted to his apostle are
due unto Gop and to the apostle, and to him who is of kin to the apostle, and
the orphans, and the poor, and the traveller; that they may not be for ever
divided in a circle among such of you as are rich. What the apostle shall
give you, that accept; and what he shall forbid you, that abstain from: and
fear Gop; for Gop is severe in chastising. 4 part also belongeth to the

 

forty force went and made a league with Abu Sofian, which they confirmed by oath. Upon
this, Mohammed got Caab despatched, and, in the fourth year of the Hejra, set forward
against al Nadir, and besieged them in their fortress, which stood about three miles from
Medina, for six days, at the end of which they capitulated, and were allowed to depart on
condition that they should entirely quit that place: and accordingly some of them went
into Syria, and others to Khaibar and Hira.® 4

This was the feet emigration, mentioned in the passage before us. The other happened
several years after, in the reign of Omar, when that Khalif banished those who had settled
at Khaibar, and obliged them to depart out of Arabia.®

Dr. Prideaux, speaking of Mohammed’s obliging those of al Nadir to quit their settle-
ments, says that a party of his men pursued those who fled into Syria, and having overtaken
them, put them all to the sword, excepting only one man that escaped. With such cruelty,
continues he, did those barbarians first set up to fight for that imposture they had been deluded
into. But a learned gentleman has already observed that this is all grounded ona mistake,
which the doctor was led into by an imperfection in the printed edition of Elmacinus,
where, after mentioning the expulsion of the Nadirites, are inserted some incoherent words
relating to another action, which happened the month before, and wherein seventy Moslems,
instead of putting others to the sword, were surprised and put to the sword themselves,
together with their leader al Mondar Ebn Omar, Caab Ebn Zeid alone escaping.?

* “Tt was He who made to descend from their fortress the unbelieving Jews, assembled
for the first time. You did not think that they could be forced from thence.’’—Savary.

* Doing what damage they could, that the Moslems might take the less advantage of
what they were obliged to leave behind them. a

‘By delivering them up to slaughter and captivity, as he did those of Koreidha.

t ‘*He would have exterminated them.’’—Savary.

It is remarkable that in this expedition the spoils were not divided according to the
law given for that eee in the Koran, but were granted to the apostle, and declared to
be entirely in his disposition: and the reason was, because the place was taken without
the assistance of horse ; which became a rule for the future.’

2 For the settlement of those of al Nadir being so near Medina, the Moslems went all
on foot thither, except only the prophet himself.® :

® Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c. Vide Abulf. vit. Moh. cap. 35. st [
* Prid. Life of Moh. p. 82. ; 2 Vide Gagnier. not. in Abulf. ae Moh. p. om TG
8, p. 143. “Vide Abulf. vit. Moh. p. 91. + Al Beidawi.
CHAP. LIX. AL KORAN. ; 445

poor Mohajerin, who have been dispossessed of their houses and their
substance, seeking favour from Gon, and his good will, and assisting Gop
and his apostle. These are the men of veracity.* And they who quietly
possessed the town of Medina, and professed the faith without molestation,
before them,? love him who hath fled unto them, and find in their breasts
no want of that which is given the Mohajerin,: but prefer them before
themselves, although there be indigence among them. And whoso is pre-
served from the covetousness of his own soul, those shall surely prosper.
And they who have come after them™ say, O Lorn, forgive us and our
brethren who have preceded us in the faith, and put not into our hearts
ill-will against those who have believed: O Lorp, verily thou art com-
passionate and merciful. Hast thou not observed them who play the
hypocrites? They say unto their brethren who believe not, of those who
have received the scriptures,* Verily if ye be expelled your habitations, we
will surely go forth with you; and we will not pay obedience, in your
respect, unto any one for ever: and if ye be attacked, we will certainly
assist you. But Gop is witness that they are liars. Verily if they be
expelled, they will not go forth with them: and if they be attacked, they
will not assist them :t and if they do assist them, they will surely turn their
backs: and they shall not be protected. Verily ye are stronger than they,
by reason of the terror cast into their breasts from Gop. This, because they
are not people of prudence. They will not fight against you in a body,
except in fenced towns, or from behind walls. Their strength in war
among themselves is great:* thou thinkest them ¢o be united; but their
hearts are divided. This, because they are people who do not understand.
Like those who lately preceded them,* they have tasted the evil con-
sequence of their deed; and a painful torment is prepared for them
hereafter. Thus have the hypocrites deceived the Jews : like the devil, when
he saith unto a man, Be thou an infidel; and when he is become an infidel, he
saith, Verily I am clear of thee; for I fear Gop, the Lorp of all creatures.
Wherefore the end of them both shall be that they shall dwell in hell fire,

 

° Wherefore Mohammed distributed those spoils among the Mohijerin, or those who
had fled from Mecca, only ; and gave no part thereof to the Ansars, or those of Medina,
except only to three of them, who were in necessitous circumstances.®

* «Those who aid God and the prophet are the true believers,’’—Savary.

» That is, the Ansars ; who enjoyed their houses, and the free exercise of their religior
before the Hejra, while the converts of Mecca were persecuted and harassed by the
wey d h dge or envy on that account

Vy. them no grudge o ‘

P The eee ee taenae pes to be those who fled from Mecca after Mohammed be-
gan to gain strength, and his religion had made a considerable progress.

”"s That is, the Jews of the tribe of al Nadir. }

‘And it happened accordingly: for Ebn Obba and his confederates wrote to the
Nadirites to this purpose, but never performed their promise.’ .

"i, e. It is not their weakness or cowardice which makes them decline a field battle
with you, since they show strength and valour enough in their wars with one another ; but
both fail them when they enter into the lists with God and his apostle.

x yiz. The idolaters who were slain at Bedr; or the Jews of Kainoka, who were plan-
dered and sent into exile before those of al Nadir. 3

® Al Beidawi. ‘Idem.
446 AL KORAN. CHAP. LX.

’

abiding therein for ever: and this shall be the recompense of the unjust.
O true believers, fear Gop; and let a soul look what it sendeth before for
the morrow: and fear Gop, for Gop is well acquainted with that which
ye do. And be not as those who have forgotten Gop, and whom he hath
caused to forget their own souls: these are the wicked doers. The in-
habitants of hell fire and the inhabitants of paradise shall not be held
equal. The inhabitants of paradise are they who shall enjoy felicity. If
we had sent down this Koran on a mountain, thou wouldest certainly have
seen the same humble itself, and cleave in sunder for fear of Gop. These
similitudes do we propose unto men, that they may consider. He is.Gop,
besides whom there is no Gop; who knoweth that which is future, and
that which is present: he is the most Merciful; he is Gop, besides whom
there is no Gop: the King, the Holy, the Giver of peace, the Faithful, the
Guardian, the Powerful, the Strong, the most High. Far be Gop exalted
above the idols which they associate with him! He is Gop, the Creator,
the Maker, the Former. He hath most excellent names. Whatever is in
heaven and in earth praiseth him: and he is the Mighty, the Wise.

i

CHAPTER LX.

INTITLED, SHE WHO IS TRIED ;* REVEALED AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O rrve believers, take not my enemy and your enemy for your friends,
showing kindness towards them ; since they believe not in the truth which
hath come unto you, having expelled the apostle and yourselves from your
native city, because ye believe in Gop, your Lorp. If ye go forth to fight
in defence of my religion, and out of a desire to please me, and privately

 

y That is, For the next life, which may be called the morrow, as this present life may be
called to-day.

* See chap. 7, p. 136, note s.

* The chapter bears this title, because it directs the women who desert and come over
from the infidels to the Moslems to be examined, and tried whether they be sincere in
their profession of the faith. :

> This passage was revealed on account of Hateb Ebn Abi Baltaa, who understanding
that Mohammed had a design to surprise Mecca, wrote a etter to the Koreish, giving them
notice of the intended expedition, and advised them to be on their guard : which letter he
sent by Sarah, a maid-servant belonging to the family of Hashem. The messenger had not
been gone long before Gabriel discoveréd the affair to the prophet, who immediately sent
after her, and having intercepted the letter, asked Hateb how a came to be guilty of such
an action? to which he replied, that it was not out of infidelity, or a desire to return to
idolatry, but merely to induce the Koreish to treat his family, which was still at Mecca,
with some kindness ; adding, that he was well assured his intelligence would be of no ser-
vice at all to the Meccans, because he was satisfied God would take vengeance on them.
Whereupon Mohammed received his excuse, and pardoned him: but it was thought pro-
per to forbid any such practices for the future.*

* Al Beidaéwi. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 103.
@HAP. LX. AL KORAN. 447

show friendship unto them;*° verily I well know that which ye conceal,
and that which ye discover: and whoever of you doth this, hath already
erred from the straight path. If they get the better of you, they will be
enemies unto you, and they will stretch forth their hands and their tongues
against you with evil: and they earnestly desire that ye should become un-
believers. Neither your kindred nor your children will avail you at all on
the day of resurrection, which will separate you from one another: and
Gop seeth that which ye do. Ye have an excellent pattern in Abraham,
and those who were with him, when they said unto their people, Verily we
are clear of you, and of the idols which ye worship, besides Gop : we have
renounced you; and enmity and hatred is begun between us and you for _
ever, until ye believe in Gop alone: except Abraham’s saying unto his
father, Verily I will beg pardon for thee:¢ but I cannot obtain aught of
Gop in thy behalf. O Lorp, in thee do we trust, and unto thee are
we turned; and before thee shall we be assembled hereafter. O Lorp,
suffer us not to be put to trial by the unbelievers : ° and forgive us, O Lorp ;
for thou art mighty and wise. Verily ye have in them an excellent
example, unto him who hopeth in Gop and the last day: and whoso
turneth back ; verily Gon is self-sufficient, and praiseworthy. Peradventure
Gop will establish friendship between yourselves and such of them as ye
now hold for enemies:* for Gop is powerful; and Gop is inclined to
forgive, and merciful. As to those who have not borne arms against you
on account of religion, nor turned you out of your dwellings, Gop forbiddeth
you not to deal kindly with them, and to behave justly towards them :& for
Gop loveth those who act justly. But as to those who have bome arms
against you on account of religion, and have dispossessed you of your
habitations, and have assisted in dispossessing you, Gop forbiddeth you to
enter into friendship with them : and whosoever of you entereth into friend-
ship with them, those are unjust doers. O true believers, when believing
women come unto you as refugees, try them:f Gop well knoweth their
faith. And if ye know them fo e true believers, send them not back to

 

* “TF ye fight against them in defence of my law, and to merit miy rewards, will ye
retain friendship for them.’’—Savary. eae a .

¢ The verb here used has also a contrary signification, according to which the word may
be rendered, and yet openly show friendship unto them.

4 For in this, Abraham’s example is not to be followed. See chap. 9.

°i. e. Suffer them not to prevail against us, lest they thence conclude themselves to be
in the right, and endeavour to make us deny our faith by the terror of persecution.°

f And this happened accordingly on the taking of Mecca; when Abu Sofian and others
of the Koreish, who had till then been inveterate enemies to the Moslems, embraced the
same faith, and became their friends and brethren. Some suppose the marriage of Mo-
hammed with Omm Habiba, the daughter of Abu Sofian, which was celebrated the year

e here intended.*

Pe it is said, was revealed on account of Koteila bint Abd’al Uzza, who
having, while she was an idolatress, brought some presents to her daughter, Asma bint
Abi Becr, the latter not only refused to accept them, but even denied her admittance.*

+ (When such women sought an asylum at Medina, Mohammed obliged them to swear
that they were prompted only by the desire of embracing Islamism, and that hatred of
their husbands, or love of some Mussulman, had not had any influence on their conduct.)

—Savary.
° Al Beidawi. Vide Gagnier, not. in Abulf. Vit. Moham. p. 91. 2 Al Beidawi,
448 AL KORAN. CHAP. LX.

the infidels: they are not lawful for the unbelievers to have in marriage ;
neither are the unbelievers lawful for them. But give their unbelieving hus-
bands what they shall have expended for their dowers.» Nor shall it be any
crime in you if ye marry them, provided ye give them their dowries.' And
retain not the®patronage of the unbelieving women : but demand back that
which ye have expended for the dowry of such of your wives as go over to
the unbelievers ; and let them demand back that which they have expended
for the dowry of those who come over to you. This is the judgment of Gop,
which he establisheth among you : and Gop is knowing and wise. If any of
your wivesi escape from you to the unbelievers, and ye have your turn by
the coming over of any of the unbelievers’ wives to.you ;* give unto those
believers whose wives shall have gone away, out of the dowries of the latter,
so much as they shall have expended for the dowers of the former : and fear
Gop, in whom ye believe. O prophet, when believing women come unto
thee, and plight their faith unto thee, that they will not associate anything
with Gop, nor steal, nor commit fornication, nor kill their children,™ nor
come with a calumny which they have forged between their hands and
their feet," nor be disobedient to thee in that which shall be reasonable:
then do thou plight thy faith unto them, and ask pardon for them of Gop;
for Gop is inclined to forgive, and merciful. O true believers, enter not
into friendship with a people against whom Gop is incensed ;° they despair
of the life to come,? as the infidels despair of the resurrection of those who
dwell in the graves. 4

 

» For according to the terms of the pacification of al Hodeibiya,? each side was to return
whatever caime into their power belonging to the other; wherefore when the Moslems
were, by this passage, forbidden to restore the married women who should come over to
them, they were at the same time commanded to make some sort of satisfaction, by re-
turning their dowry. : :

It is related, that after the aforesaid pacification, while Mohammed was yet at al Hodei-
biya, Sobeia bint al Hareth, of the tribe of Aslam, having embraced Mohammedism, her
husband, Mos&fer the Makhzumite, came and demanded her back; upon which this
passage was revealed: and Mohammed, pursuant thereto, administered to her the oath
thereafter directed, and returned her husband her dower; and then Omar married her.‘

i For what is returned to their former husbands is not to be considered as their dower.

i Literally, any thing of your wives ; which some interpret, any part of their dowry.

* Or, as the original verb may be translated, and ye take spoils : in which case the
meaning will be, that those Moslems, whose wives shall have gone over to the infidels,
shall have a satisfaction for their dower out of the next booty. This law, they say, was
given, because the idolaters, after the preceding verse had been revealed, refused to comply
therewith, or to make any return of the dower of those women who went over to them
from the Moslems; * so that the latter were obliged to indemnify themselves as they could.

1 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. p. 34. Some are of opinion that this passage was not
revealed till the day of the taking of Mecca; when, after having received the solemn sub-
mission of the men, he proceeded to receive that of the women.®

™ See chap. 81.

” Jallalo’ddin understands these words of their laying their spurious children to their
husbands.

°7. e. The infidels in general; or the Jews in particular."

» By reason of their infidelity ; or because they well know they cannot expect to be
made partakers of the happiness of the next life, by reason of their rejecting of the pro
phet foretold in the law, and whose mission is confirmed by miracles.

? See chap, 48, p. 417, &c. ‘ Al Beidawi. * Idem. ® Tdein. 7 }
oi A) Renliet Pe ERPEPnRERE
CHAP. LXI. , AL KORAN. 449

CHAPTER LXI.

INTITLED, BATTLE ARRAY; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Wuatever is in heaven and in earth celebrateth the praise of Gop; for
he is mighty and wise. true believers, why do ye say that which ye de
not?'* Jt is most odious in the sight of Gon, that ye say that which ye
do not. Verily Gop loveth those who fight for his religion in battle array,
as though they were a well compacted building. Remember when Moses
said unto his people, O my people, why do ye injure me;* since ye know
that I am the apostle of Gop sent unto you? And when they had deviated
from the truth, Gop made their hgarts to deviate from the right way ; for
Gop directeth not wicked peoplef/ And when Jesus the Son of Mary said,
O children of Israel, verily I am the apostle of Gop sent unto you, confirm-
ing the law which was delivered before me, and bringing good tidings of an
apostle who shall come after me, and whose name shall be Ahmed / And
whten he produced unto them evident miracles, they said, This is fnanifest
sorcery.{ But who is more unjust than he who forgeth a lie against Gop.
when he is invited unto Islam? And Gop directeth not the unjust people.
They seek to extinguish Gon’s light with their mouths: but Gop will per-
fect his light, though the infidels be averse thereto. It is he who hath sent
his apostle with the direction, and the religion of truth, that he may exalt
the same above every religion, although the idolaters be averse thereto. O
true believers, shall I show you a merchandize which will deliver you from
a painful torment hereafter? Believe in Gop and his apostle ; and defend
Gop’s true religion with your substance, and in your own persons. This wild
be better for you, if ye knew it. He will forgive you your sins, and will
introduce you into gardens through which rivers flow, and agreeable habi-
tations in gardens of perpetual abode. This will be great felicity. And ye
shall obtain other things which ye desire, namely, assistance from Gon, and
a speedy victory. And do thou bear good tidings to the true believers. O

 

4 Or, as some rather judge, at Medina; which opinion is confirmed by the explication
in the next note. ;

* The commentators generally suppose these words to be directed to the Moslems, who,
notwithstanding they had solemnly engaged to spend their lives and fortunes in defence
of their faith, yet shamefully turned their backs at the battle of Ohod. They may how-
ever be applied to hypocrites of all sorts, whose actions contradict their words.

* «OQ believers! why do you yet not fulfil the promise made unto God ?’’—Savary.

* viz. By your disobedience ; or by maliciously aspersing me?‘ , :

‘For Mohammed also bore the name of Ahmed; both names being derived from the
same root, and nearly of the same signification. The Persian paraphrast, to support what
is here alleged, quotes the following words of Christ, I go to my Father, and the Paraclete
shall come :* the Mohammedan doctors unanimously teaching, that by the Paraclete (or,
as they choose to read it, the Periclyte, or Illustrious), their prophet is intended, and no
other?

+ ‘‘He is an impostor.’’—Savary. ‘ : '

t ‘O believers, shall I teach unto you a means of averting the rigonr of torments.’ -
Savary.

® See chap. 3, pp. 36, 50, &c. 1 See chap. 33, p. 350. 2 See John xvi. 7, &c.

See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 53.
450 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXII.

true believers, be ye the assistants of Gop; as Jesus the son of Mary said
to the apostles, Who will be my assistants with respect to Gop?" The
apostles answered, We will be the assistants of Gon. So a part of the
children of Israel believed, and a part believed not :* but we strengthened
those who believed, above their enemy ; wherefore they became victorious

over them.
/

CHAPTER LXII.

INTITLED, THE ASSEMBLY; REVEALED AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

WuateEver is in heaven and earth praiseth Gop; the King, the Holy,
the Mighty, the Wise. Jt is he who hath raised up amidst the illiterate
Arabians an apostle from among themselves,’ to rehearse his signs unto
them, and to purify them, and to teach them the scriptures and wisdom;
- whereas before they were certainly in a manifest error ;* and others of them
have not yet attained unto them, by embracing the faith ; though they also
shall be converted in God’s good time ; for he is mighty and wise. This is
the free grace of Gop: he bestoweth the same on whom he pleaseth : and
Gop is endued with great beneficence. The likeness of those who were
charged with the observance of the law, and then observed it not, is as the
likeness of an ass laden with books. How wretched is the likeness of the
people who charge the signs of Gop with falsehood! } and Gop directeth
not the unjust people. Say,O ye who follow the Jewish religion, if ye say
that ye are the friends of Gop above other men, wish for death,* if ye speak
truth. But they will never wish for it, because of that which their hands
have sent before them:* and Gop well knoweth the unjust. Say, Verily
death, from which ye fly, will surely meet you: then shall ye be brought
before him who knoweth as well what is concealed as what is discovered; |
and he will declare unto you that which ye have done. O true believers,
when ye are called to prayer on the day of the assembly,° hasten to the

 

* See chap. 3, p. 42.

Either by rejecting him, or by affirming him to be God, and the son of God.‘

¥ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. p. 30.

* « Before his time, the Arabs were involved in the profoundest darkness.’’—Savary

= Because they understand not the prophecies contained in the law, which bear witness
to Mohammed, no more than the ass does the books which he carries.

+ ‘* Woe unto those who abjure the holy religion.”’—Savary.

"7, e. Make it your request to Gop, that he would translate you from this troublesome
world to a state of never-fading bliss.

>See chap. 2, p. 12. —

¢ That is, Friday, which being more peculiarly set apart by Mohammed for the public
worship of Gop, is therefore called Yawn al joma, i. e. the day of the assembly or congte-
gation; whereas it was before called al Eriba. The first time this day was particularly
observed, as some say, was on the prophet’s arrival at Medina, into which city he made
his first entry on a Friday ; but-others tell us that Caab Ebn Lowa, one of Mohamm~""

‘ Jallalo’ddin.
OHAP. LXUI. | AL KORAN. 451

commemoration of Gop and leave merchandizing. This will be better for
you, if you knew id. And when prayer is ended, then’ disperse yourselves
through the land as ye list, and seek gain of the liberality of, Gop :4 and
remember Gop frequently, that ye may prosper. But when they see any
merchandizing, or sport, they flock thereto, and Jeave thee standing up in
the pulpit.© Say, The reward which is with Gon is better than any sport
or merchandize:; and Gop is the best provider:*

CHAPTER LXIII.
INTITLED, THE HYPOCRITES; REVEALED AT MEDINA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

WueEwn the hypocrites come unto thee, they say, We bear witness that
thou art indeed the apostle of Gop. And Gop knoweth that thou art
indeed his apostle: but Gop beareth witness that the hypocrites are cer-
tainly liars. They have taken their oaths for a protection, and they tum
others aside from the way of Gop: it is surely evil which they do. This is
testified of them, because they believed, and afterwards became unbelievers ;
wherefore a seal is set on their hearts, and they shall not understand. When
thou beholdest them, their persons please thee :f and if they speak, thou
hearest their discourse with delight. They resemble pieces of timber set
up against a wall. They imagine every shout éo be against‘them.» They
are enemies: wherefore beware of them. Gop curse them: how are they
‘turned aside from the truth !t And when it is said unto them, Come, that

 

ancestors, gave the day its present name, because on that day the people used to be
assembled before him.’ One reason given for the observation of Friday, preferably to
any other day of the week, is because on that day Gop finished the creation.*

4 By returning to your commerce and worldly occupations, if ye think fit: for the Mo-
hammedans do not hold themselves obliged to observe the day of their public assembly
with the same strictness as the Christians and Jews do their respective Sabbath ; or par-
ticularly to abstain from work, after they have performed their devotions. Some, however,
from a tradition of their prophet, are of opinion that works of charity, and religious exer-
cises, which may draw down the blessing of Gop, are recommended in this passage.

It is related that one Friday, while Mohammed was preaching, a caravan of mer-
chants happened to arrive with their drums beating, according to custom ; which the con-
gregation hearing, they all ran out of the mosque to see them, except twelve only.’

* « Say, the treasures which God offers unto you are more precious than any momen-
tary advantages. God is the most magnificent of dispensers.’’—Savary.

. The commentators tell that Abdallah Ebn Obba, a chief hypocrite, was a tall man
of a very graceful presence, and of a ready and eloquent tongue; and used to frequent
the prophet’s assembly, attended by several like himself: and that these men were greatly
admired by Mohammed, who was taken with their handsome appearance, and listened
to their discourse with pleasure.® j

© Being tall and big, but void of knowledge and consideration.®

» Living under continual apprehensions; because they are conscious of their hypocrisy
towards Gon, and their insincerity towards the Moslems.

+ “They have beauty for their portion. They speak with eee Their stature ig
straight and majestic; but they shudder at the slightest sound. ‘They are your enemies:

* Al Beidawi. * Vide Gol. Alfrag. p. 15. * Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
* Al Beidawi. * Idem.
452 . AL KORAN. GHAR. LXIV.

the apostle of Gop may ask pardon for you; they turn away their heads,
and thou seest them retire big with disdain. It shall be equal unto them,
whether thou ask pardon for them, or do not ask pardon for them: Gop
will by no means forgive them; for Gop directeth not the prevaricating
people. These are the men who say to the inhabitants of Medina, Do not
bestow any thing on the refugees who are with the apostle of Gop, that they
may be obliged to separate from him. Whereas unto Gop belong the stores
of heaven and earth: but the hypocrites do not understand. They say,
Verily, if we return to Medina, the worthier shall expel thence the meaner’
Whereas superior worth belongeth unto Gop and his apostle, and the true
believers : but the hypocrites know it not.* O true believers, let not your
riches or your children divert you from the remembrance of Gop : for who-
soever doth this, they will surely be losers. And give alms out of that
which we have bestowed on you; before death come unto one of you, and
he say, O Lorp, wilt thou not grant me respite for a short term : that I
may give alms, and become one of the righteous? For Gop will by no
means grant further respite to a soul, when its determined time is come:
and Gop is fully apprized of that which ye do.

CHAPTER LXIV.
INTITLED, MUTUAL DECEIT; REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

WuarEvER is in heaven and earth celebrateth the praises of Gop : his is
the kingdom, and unto him is the praise due ; for he is almighty. Jt is he
who hath created you ;f and one of you is predestined to be an unbeliever,
and another of you is predestined to be a believer : and Gop beholdeth that
which ye do. He hath created the heavens and the earth with truth; and
he hath fashioned you, and given you beautiful forms: and unto him must
ye all go. He knoweth whatever is in heaven-and earth: and he knoweth
that which ye conceal, and that which ye discover; for Gop knoweth the
innermost part of men’s breasts. Have ye not been acquainted with the story
of those who disbelieved heretofore, and tasted the evil consequence of their
behaviour? And for them is prepared in the life to come a tormenting

 

beware of their perfidy. The Almighty shall fight against them, because that they have
abandoned the faith.’’—Savary.

_ | These, as well as the preceding, were the words of Ebn Obba to one of Medina, who
in a certain expedition, quarrelling with an Arab of the desert about water, received a
blow on the head with a stick, and made his complaint thereof to him.”

* “ Power belongeth unto God. He imparteth it to his prophet, and to the faithful;
and the impious know it not.’’—Savary.

* The commentators are not agreed whether this chapter was revealed at Mecca, or at
Medina ; or partly at the one place, and partly at the other.

t ‘‘He hath created all men from nothing.’’—Savary.
® Al Beidawi. .
CHAP. LXIV. Pe AL KORAN. 458 .

punishment. This shall they suffer, because their apostles came unto them
with evident proofs of their mission, and they said, Shall men direct us?
Wherefore they believed not, and turned their backs. But Gop standeth
mm need of no person: for Gop is self-sufficient, and worthy to be praisec.
The unbelievers imagine that they shall not be raised again. Say, Yea, by
my Lorp, ye shall surely be raised again; then. shall ye be told that which
ye have wrought; and this is easy with Gop. Wherefore believe in Gop
and his apostle, and the light which we have sent down: for Gop is well
acquainted with that which ye do. Ona certain day he shall assemble
you, at the day of the general assembly: that will be the day of mutual
deceit.* And whoso shall believe in God, and shall do that which is right,
from him will he expiate his evil deeds, and he will lead him into gardens
beneath which rivers flow, to remain therein for ever. This will be great
felicity. But they who shall not believe, and shall accuse our signs of
falsehood, those shall be the inhabitants of hed? fire, wherein they shall
remain for ever ; and a wretched journey shall it be thither! No misfor-
tune happeneth but by the permission of Gop; and whoso believeth in
Gop, he will direct his heart: and Gop knoweth all things. Wherefore
obey Gop, and obey the apostle: but if ye turn back, verily the duty incum-
bent on our apostle is only public preaching. Gop! there is no Gop but
he: wherefore in Gop let the faithful put their trust. O true believers,
verily of your wives and your children ye have an enemy :™ wherefore
beware of them. But if ye pass over their offences, and pardon, and forgive
. them > Gop is likewise inclined to forgive, and merciful.t Your wealth
and your children are only a temptation ; but with Gop is a great reward.
Wherefore fear Gop, as much as ye are able; and hear, and obey :{ and
give alms, for the good of your souls; for whoso is preserved from the
covetousness of his own soul, they shall prosper. If ye lend unto Gop an
acceptable loan, he will double the same unto you, and will forgive you:
for Gon is grateful, and long-suffering, knowing both what is hidden, and
what is divulged; the Mighty, the Wise.§

 

1 When the blessed will deceive the damned, by taking the places which they would
have had in paradise, had they been true believers; and contrariwise.*

* ‘On the day of the universal assembling, ye shall all appear before his tribunal.
Fraud shall be unmasked.’’—Savary.

™ For these are-apt to distract a man from his ait especially in time of distress ;? a
married man caring for the things that are of this world, while the unmarried careth for
the things that belong to the Lord.*

® Considering that the hindrance they ma occasion you proceeds from their affection,
and their ill bearing your absence in time of war, &c.

+ “*O believers, your wives and your children are oftentimes your enemies; distrust
their caresses; but if the voice of nature, or if condescension should induce you to yield
to their wishes, God is indulgent and merciful.””—Savary.

t “Fear God with all your hearts. Listen! Obey !’’—Savary. .

at into a glorious covenant with God, he will multiply his favours, he wi
Sin ee ee: he is grateful and beneficent. He knoweth That which is unveiled,
and that which is hidden in the shades of mystery: he is mighty and wise.’’—Savary.

1 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Yahya. - Tidem. 3See 1 Cor. vii. 25, &c.
454 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXV.

CHAPTER LXV.
INTITLED, DIVORCE; REVEALED AT MEDINA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O Proruet, when ye divorce women, put them away at their appointed
term;* and compute the term exactly: and fear Gop, your Lorn. Oblige
them not to go out of their apartments, neither let them: go out, until
the term be expired, unless they be guilty of manifest uncleanness. These —
are the statutes of Gop: and whoever transgresseth the statutes of
Gop assuredly injureth his own soul. Thou knowest not whether Gop
will bring something new to pass,* which may reconcile them after this.
And when they shall have fulfilled their term, either retain them with
kindness, or part from them honourably : and take witnesses from among
you, men of integrity; and give your testimony as in the presence of
Gop. This admonition is given unto him who believeth in Gop and
the last day: and whoso feareth Gop, unto him will he grant a happy.
issue out of all his afftictions, and he will bestow on him an ample pro-
vision from whence he expecteth it not: and whoso trusteth in Gop, he
will be his sufficient support; for Gop will surely attain his purpose.
Now hath Gop appointed unto every thing a determined period.t 4s to
such of your wives as shall despair having their courses, by reason of their
age ; if ye be in doubt thereof, let their term be three months: and let the.
same be the term of those who have not yet had their courses.. But as to:
those who are pregnant, their term shall be, until they be delivered of their
burden.? And whoso feareth Gop, unto him will he make his command
easy. This is the command of Gov, which he hath sent down unto you.
And whoso feareth Gon, he will expiate his evil deeds from him, and will
increase his reward. Suffer the women whom ye divorce to dwell in some
part of the houses wherein ye dwell; according to the room and conveniences
of the habitations which ye possess: and make them not uneasy, that ye
may reduce them to straits. And if they be with child, expend on ‘them

 

_.° That is, when they shall have had their courses thrice, after. the time of their divorce,
if they prove not to be with child; or, if they prove with child, when they shall have been °
delivered.* Al Beidawi supposes husbands are hereby commanded to divorce their wives
while they are clean; and says that the passage was revealed on account of Ebn Omar,
who divorced his wife when she had_her courses upon her, and was therefore obliged to
take her again.—(When a Mohammedan has sworn that he will divorce his wife, he ceases
to have intercourse with her. As soon as she hears of the oath, she covers herself with
a veil, retires to her apartment, and ceases to let her husband see her. When the four
months allowed for reconciliation are expired, all ties are dissolved, the wife recovers her
liberty, and receives at her departure the dowry which was fixed by the marriage con-
tract. The daughters go with the mother, the sons remain with the father.—Savary,)

* “ Thou knowest not what are the designs of God with respect to the future.”’—Savary.

1 ‘‘His will shall infallibly be executed. He has assigned to each cause a certain:
‘effect.’ —Savary.

See chap. 2, p. 27.
“See chap, 2, p. 27.
CHAP. LXVI. AL KORAN. 455.

what shall be needful, until they be delivered of their burden. And if they:
suckle their children: for you, give them their hire ;1 and consult among
yourselves, according to what shall be just and reasonable. And if ye be
put to a difficulty herein, and another woman shall suckle the. child for him,
let him who hath plenty expend proportionably in the maintenance of the —
mother and the nurse, out of his plenty: and let him whose income is
scanty expend in proportion out of that which Gop hath given him. Gop
obligeth no man to more than he hath given him ability to perform: Gop
will cause ease to succeed hardship.* How many cities have turned aside
from the command of the Lorp and his apostles! Wherefore we brought
them to a severe account; and we chastised them with a grievous’ chastise-
ment: and they tasted the evil consequence of their business; and the end
of their business was perdition. Gop hath prepared for them a severe
punishment: wherefore fear Gop,.O ye who are endued with understanding.
True believers, now hath Gop sent down unto you an admonition, an
apostle who may rehearse unto you the perspicuous signs of Gop; that he
may bring forth those who believe and do good works, from darkness into
light. And whoso believeth in Gop, and doth that which is right, him will
he lead into gardens beneath which rivers flow, to remain therein for ever :
now hath Gop made an excellent provision for him. Jt is Gop who hath
created seven heavens, and. as many different stories of the earth:t} the
divine command descendeth between them;* that ye may know that Gop
is omnipotent, and that Gop comprehendeth all things by Ais knowledge.

 

CHAPTER LXVI.
INTITLED, PROHIBITION; REVEALED AT MEDINA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

OPropnet,why holdest thou that to be prohibited which Gop hath allowed
thee, seeking to please thy wives ;* since Gop is inclined to forgive, and

 

4 Which ought at least to be sufficient to maintain and clothe them during the time of
suckling. See chap. 2, p. 28.
* «He will cause competence to succeed unto poverty.”’—Savary.

t It is God who hath created the seven heavens, and the seven earths: he causeth them
td obey his voice, to the end that ye may know that his power is boundless, and that the
universe is filled with his wisdom.’’—Savary. oy

(According to Zamakshari, God created seven heavens and seven earths, at the distance
of five hundred days’ journey from each other. The whole of them are inhabited. The
Supreme Being governs this universe.—Savary.)

¥ Penetrating and pervading them all, with absolute efficacy.

* There are some who suppose this passage to have been occasioned by’ Mohammed’s
protesting never to eat honey any more, because, having once eaten some in the apartment
of Hafsa, or of Zeinab, three other of his wives, namely, Ayesha, Sawda, and Safia, all told
him they smelt he had been eating of the juice which distils from certain shrubs,in those -
parts, and resembles honey in taste and consistence, but is of a very strong savour, and
which the prophet had a great aversion to.* But the more received opinion is, that the

5 Al Zamakh, al Beidawi.
456 AL KORAN. OHAP. LXVI.

merciful? Gop hath allowed you the dissolution of your oaths: and Gop
is your master; and he is knowing and wise. When the prophet entrusted
as a secret unto one of his wives a certain accident ; and when she disclosed
the same, and Gop made it known unto him; he acquainted her with part
of what she had done, and forbore to upbraid her with the other part thereof.*
And when he had acquainted her therewith, she said, Who hath discovered
this unto thee? He answered, The knowing, the sagacious God hath dis-

 

chapter was revealed on the following occasion. Mohammed having lain with a slave of
his, named Mary, of Coptic extract (who had been sent him as a present by al Mokawkas,
governor of Egypt), on the day which was due to Ayesha, or to Hafsa, and, as some say,
on Hafsa’s own bed, while she was absent ; and this coming to Hafsa’s knowledge, she took
it extremely ill, and reproached her husband so sharply, that, to pacify her, he promised,
with an oath, never to touch the maid again:® and to free him from the obligation of this
promise, was the design of the chapter.

I cannot here avoid observing, as a learned writer’ has done before me, that Dr. Prideaux
has strangely misrepresented this passage. For having given the story of the prophet’s
amour With his maid Mary, a little embellished, he proceeds to tell us, that in this chapter
Mohammed ae in God allowing him, and all his Moslems, to lie with their maids when
they will, notwithstanding their wives; (whereas the words relate to the prophet only,
who wanted not any new permission for that purpose, because it was a privilege alrea y
granted him,* though to none else :) and then, to show what ground he had for his assertion,
adds, that the first words of the chapter are, O prophet, why dost thou forbid what God hath
allowed thee, that thow mayest please thy wives? God hath granted unto you to lie with your
maid servants. Which last words are not to be found here, or elsewhere in the Koran, and
contain an allowance of what is expressly forbidden therein :' though the doctor has thence
taken occasion to make some reflections which might as well have been spared. I shall
say nothing to aggravate the matter; but leave the reader to imagine what this reverend
divine would have said of a Mohammedan, if he had caught him tripping in the like
manner.

Having digressed so far, I will venture to add a word or two, in order to account for one
circumstance which Dr. Prideaux relates concerning Mohammed’s concubine Mar 5 viz.
that after her master’s death, no account was had of her or the son which she had borne
him, but both were sent away into Egypt, and no mention made of either ever after among
them ; and then he supposes (for he seldom is at a loss for a supposition) that Ayesha, out
of the hatred which she bore her, procured of her father, who succeeded the impostor in the
government, to have her thus disposed of? But it being certain, by the general consent of
all the eastern writers, that Mary continued in Arabia till her death, which happened at
Medina, about five years after that of her master, and was buried in the usual burying-place
there, called al Baki, and that her son died before his father, it has been asked, whence the
doctor had this?*_ I answer, That I guess he had it partly from Abu’lfara ius, according
to the printed edition of whose work, the Mary we are speaking of is said to have been sent
with her sister Shirin (not with her son) to Alexandria by al Mobayiies though I make
no doubt but we ought in that passage to read min, ns instead of ia, to; (notwith-
standing the manuscript copies of this author used by Dr. Pocock, the editor, and also a
very fair one in my own Possession, agree in the latter reading ;) and that the sentence

ought to run thus, quam (viz. Mariam) und cum sorore Shirina ab Alexandria miserat al
Mokawkas.

‘ By having appointed an expiation for that purpose :* or, as the words may be trans-
lated, God hath allowed you to use an exception in your oaths, that is, to add the words of
it please God; in which case a man is excused from guilt if he perform not his oath.®
The passage though directed to all the Moslems in general, seems to be particularly
designed for quieting the Prophet’s conscience in regard to the oath above-mentioned:
but al Beidawi approves not this opinion, because such an oath was to be looked upon as
an inconsiderate one, and required no expiation.

* “At first he mildly admonished h then he d
whist abe aul uleede ean er, ang then he declared unto her the whole of that

* Al Zamakh., al BeidAwi, Jallalo’ddin. Yahya. Gagni t i
Moh. p. 150.’ * See chap. 33, p, 347, 348, * Prid, Life of Moho Teg ns Sen
chap. 17, p. 230; chap. 4, p. 63; and chap, 24, p.287, &c. ? Prid. Ta of Moh. p. 114.

3G. 7 i a 4 ’ .
a met a supra. Abu’ Ifarag. Hist. Dyn. p. 165. ‘See chap. 5, p. 93.
CHAP. LXVI. AL KORAN. 457

covered it unto me." If ye both be turned unto Gop (for your hearts have
swerved) it is well: but if ye join against him, verily Gop is his patron ;
and Gabriel, and the good man among the faithful, and the angels also are
his assistants.*= If he divorce you, his Lorp can easily give him in
exchange other wives better than you, women resigned unto God, true be-
lievers, devout, penitent, obedient, given to fasting, both such as have been
known by other men, and virgins. O true believers, save your souls, and
those of your families, from the fire whose fuel is men and stones, over
which are set angels fierce and terrible ;” who disobey not Gop in what he
hath commanded them, but perform what they are commanded. O un-
believers, excuse not yourselves this day; ye shall surely be rewarded for
what ye have done.* O true believers, turn unto Gop with a sincere
‘repentance: peradventure your Lorp will do away from you your evil
deeds, and will admit you into gardens, through which rivers flow; on the
day whereon Gon will not put to shame the prophet, or those who believe
with him : their light shall run before them, and on their right hands,* and
they shall say, Lorp, make our light perfect, and forgive us: for thou art
almighty. O prophet, attack the infidels with arms, and the hypocrites
with arguments ; and treat them with severity: their abode shall be hell,
and an ill journey shall it be thither. Gop propoundeth as a similitude
unto the unbelievers, the wife of Noah, and the wife of Lot: they were
under two of our righteous servants, and they deceived them both:?
wherefore their husbands were of no advantage unto them at all, in the
sight of Gop:° and it shall be said unto them, at the last day, Enter ye into

 

* When Mohammed found that Hafsa knew of his having injured her, or Ayesha, by
lying with his concubine Mary on the day due to one of them, he desired her to keep the
affair secret, promising, at the same time, that he would not meddle with Mary any more ,
and foretold her, as a piece of news which might soothe her vanity, that Abu Becr and
Omar should succeed him in the government of his people. Hafsa, however, could not
conceal this from Ayesha, with WhO she lived in strict friendship, but acquainted her
with the whole matter: whereupon the prophet, perceiving, probably by Ayesha’s beha-
viour, that his secret had been discovered, upbraided Hafsa with her betraying him, tell-
ing her that God had revealed it to him; and not only divorced her, but separated him
from all his other wives for a whole month, which time he spent in the apartment of
Mary. Ina short time, notwithstanding, he took Hafsa again} by the direction, as he
gave out, of the angel Gabriel, who commended her for her frequent fasting and other ex-
ercises of religion, assuring him likewise that she should be one of his wives in paradise.”

* If ye are rebellious unto the prophet, his protectors are the Lord, Gabriel, and the
true believers, and the angels will avenge him.”’—Savary.

x This sentence is directed to Hafsa and Ayesha, the pronouns and verbs of the second
person beiny in the dual number.

See chap. 74; and the Prelim. Disc., sect. iv. p. 66.

* These words will be spoken to the infidels at the last day.

* See chap. 57, p. 439.

> Who were both unbelieving women, but deceived their respective husbands by their
hypocrisy. Noah’s wife, named Waila, endeavoured to persuade the people her husband
was distracted; and Lot’s wife, whose name was Wiahela (though some writers give this
name to the other, and that of Waila to the latter), was in confederacy with the men of
Sodom, and used to give Po eae ae ‘any strangers came to lodge with him, by a

i e by day, and of fire by night.*.

ner fay oat iet with a dissatraus ead in this world,® and will be doomed to eternal
misery in the next. In like manner, as Mohammed would insinuate, the infidels of his time

Al Beidawi, <i Zamakh, &c. * Jallalo’ddin, al Zamakh. ° See chap. 12,
p. 179 and 183.
20
458 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXVIL

hell fire, with those who enter therein. Gop also propoundeth as a siml-
litude unto those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh ;? when she said, Lorn,
build me a house with thee in paradise; and deliver me from Pharaoh and
his doings, and deliver me from the unjust people: and Mary the daughter
of Imran; who preserved her chastity, and into whose womb we breathed
of our spirit, and who believed in the words of her Lorp, and his scrip-
tures, and was a devout.and obedient person.‘

CHAPTER LXVII.

INTITLED, THE KINGDOM;« REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

- *[XXIX] Buiessep be he in whose hand is the kingdom, for he is
almighty!t Who hath created death and life, that he might prove you,
which of you is most righteous in his actions: and he is mighty, and ready
to forgive. Who hath created seven heavens, one above another : thou canst
not see in a creature of the most Merciful any unfitness or disproportion.
Lift up thine eyes again to heaven, and look whether thou seest any flaw :
then take two other views; and thy sight shall return unto thee dull and
fatigued. Moreover we have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and
have appointed them to be darted at the devils,” for whom we have prepared
the torment of burning fire : and for those who believe not in their Lorp is
also prepared the torment of hell; an ill journey shall it be thither. When
they shall be thrown thereinto, they shall hear it bray like an ass;' and it

 

had no reason to expect any mitigation of their punishment, on account of their relation
to himself and the rest of the true believers.

4yiz. Asia the daughter of Mozahem. The commentators relate, that because she
believed in Moses, her husband cruelly tormented her, fastening her hands and feet to
four stakes, and laying a large millstone on her breast, her face, at the same time, being
exposed to the scorching beams of the sun: these pains, however, were alleviated by the
angels shading her with their wings, and the view of the mansion prepared for her in
paradise, which was exhibited to her on her pronouncing the prayer in the text: at length
God received her soul; or, as some say, she was taken up alive into paradise, where she’
eats and drinks.”
- ¢ See chap. 19, p. 249, &c.

*‘*Who preserved her virginity. Gabriel transmitted unto her the breath of the
Lord.’’—Savary.

‘ On occasion of the honourable mention here made of these two extraordinary women,
the commentators introduce a saying of their prophet, That among men there had been
many perfect, but no more than four of the other sex had attained perfection ; to wit, Asia
the wife of Pharaoh, Mary the daughter of Imrén, Khadijah the daughter of Khowailed
(the prophet’s first wife), and Fatema the daughter of Mohammed.

© It is also entitled by some The Saving, or The Delivering, because, say they, it will
save him who reads it from the torture af ake sepulchre.

+ “Blessed is he who holdeth the reins of the universe, and whose power hath no
bounds.’ —Savary.

5 See chap. 15, p, 210.
! See chap. 31, p. 337.

© Jallalo’ddin, al Zamakh.
CHAP. LXVII. _AL KORAN. 459

shall boil, and almost burst for fury.* So often as a company of them
shall be thrown therein, the keepers thereof shall ask them, saying, Did not
a warner come unto you? They shall answer, Yea, a warner came unte
us: but we accused him of imposture, and said, Gop hath not*revealed any
thing; ye are in no other than a great error: and they shall say, If we had
hearkened, or had rightly considered, we should not have been among the |
inhabitants of burning fire: and they shall confess their sins; but far be
the inhabitants of burning fire from obtaining mercy! Verily they who
fear their Lorp in secret shall receive pardon and a great reward. Tither
conceal your discourse, or make it public; he knoweth the innermost parts
of your breasts: shall not he know all things who hath created them ;
since he is the sagacious, the knowing? It is he who hath levelled the
earth for you: therefore walk through the regions thereof, and eat of his
provision; unto him shail be the resurrection. Are ye secure that he who
dwelleth in heaven will not cause the earth to swallow you up? and behold,
it shall shake. Or are you secure that he who dwelleth in heaven will not
send against you an impetuous whirlwind, driving the sands to overwhelm
you? then shall ye know how important my warning was. Those also who

were before you disbelieved; and how grievous was my displeasure! Do
they not behold the birds above them, extending and drawing back their
wings? None sustaineth them, except the Merciful; for he regardeth all
things. Or who is he that wild be as an army unto you, to defend you
against the Merciful? Verily the unbelievers ave in no other than a mis-
take. Or who is he that will give you food, if he withholdeth his provision ‘
yet they persist in perverseness, and flying from the truth. Is he, therefore,
who goeth grovelling upon his face, better directed than he who walketh
upright in a straight way?* Say, Jt is he who hath given you being, and
endued you with hearing, and sight, and understanding; yet how little
gratitude have ye!{ Say, It is he who hath sown you in the earth, and
unto him shall ye be gathered together. They say, When shall this menace
be put in execution, if ye speak truth? Answer, The knowledge of this
matter is with Gop alone: for I am only a public warner. But when they
shall see the same nigh at hand, the countenance of the infidels shall grow
sad: and it shall be said unto them, This is what ye have been demanding.
Say, What think ye? Whether Gon destroy me and those wio are with
me, or have mercy on us; who will protect the unbelievers from a painful
punishment? Say, He is the Merciful; in him do we believe, and in him
do we put our trust. Ye shall hereafter know who is in a manifest error.
Say, What think ye? If your water be in the morning swallowed up by
the earth, who will give you clear and running water?

 

 

* «They shall hear the cries of des ae The fire shall but burn with greater fury
Could thew be destroyed, its fury woul destroy them.’’—Savary.
& ce comparison is applied by the expositors to the infidel and the true believer.
«« How few are there who thank him for these benefits !’’—Savary.
460 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXVIIL

CHAPTER LXVIII.
INTITLED, THE PEN; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

N.! By the pen, and what they write. thou, O Mohammed, through
the grace of thy Lorn, art not distracted.* Verily there is prepared for
thee an everlasting reward: for thou art of a noble disposition. Thou
shalt see, and the infidels shall see, which of you are bereaved of your
senses. Verily thy Lorp well knoweth him who wandereth from his path ;
and he well knoweth those who are rightly directed: wherefore obey not
those who charge thee with imposture. They desire that thou shouldest
be easy with them, and they will be easy with thee.° But obey not.any who
is a common swearer, a despicable fellow, a defamer, going about with
slander, who forbiddeth that which is good, who is also a transgressor, a
wicked person, cruel, and besides this, of spurious birth ;? although he be
possessed of wealth and many children: when our signs are rehearsed unto
him, he saith, They are fables of the ancients. We will stigmatize him on
the nose.{« Verily'we have tried the Meccans," as we formerly tried the

 

' This letter is sometimes made the title of the chapter, but its meaning is confessedly
uncertain. They who suppose it stands for the word Nin, are not agreed as to its signi-
fication in this place; for it is not only the name of the letter N in Arabic, but signifies
also an inkhorn, and a fish: some are of opinion the former signification is the most proper
here, as consonant to what is immediately mentioned of the pen, and writing, and, con-
sidering that the blood of certain fish is good ink, not inconsistent with the latter significa-
tion; which is, however, preferred by others, saying that either the whole species of fish’
in general is thereby intended, or the fish which swallowed Jonas (who is mentioned in
this chapter), or else that vast one called Behemoth, fancied to support the earth, in par-
ticular. Those who acquiesce in none of the foregoing explications have inventéd others
of their own, and imagine this character stands for the table of God’s decrees, or one of the
rivers in paradise, &c.*

._™Some understand these words generally, and others of the pen with which God’s
decrees are written on the preserved table, and of the angels who register the same.

* «T swear by the pen, and that which the angels write, it is not Satan, it is Heaven
which inspireth thee.’’—Savary.

* In that thou hast borne with so much patience and resignation the wrongs and insults
of thy people, which have been greater than those offered to any apostle before thee.?

t ‘‘ Thou professest the sublime religion.’’—Savary. \

°i.e. If thou wilt let them alone in their idolatry and other wicked practices, they will
cease to revile and persecute thee.

’ The person at whom this passage was particularly levelled is generally supposed to
have been Mohammed’s inveterate enemy al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, whom, to complete
ais character, he calls bastard, because al Mogheira did not own him for his son till he was
eighteen years of age.? Some, however, think.it was al Akhnas Ebn Shoraik, who was
really of the tribe of Thakif, though reputed to be of that of Zahra.* \

t ‘We will imprint a fiery mark upon his nose.’’—Savary.

« Which being the most conspicuous part of the face, a mark set thereon is attended with
the utmost ignominy. It is said that this prophetical menace was actually made good, al
Walid having his nose slit by a sword, at the battle of Bedr, the mark of which wound he
carried with him to his grave.®

* By afflicung them with a grievous famine. . See chap. 23, p. 284.

: i Al Zamakh., al Beidawi, Yahya. Ai Beidawi. ‘Idem, Jallalo’ddin. *Tidem.
Crh.
OHAP. LXVIII. AL KORAN. | 461

owners of the garden;** when they swore that they would gather the fruit
thereoft in the morning, and added not the exception, if it please God :
wherefore a surrounding destruction from thy Lorp encompassed it, while
they slept; and in the morning it became like a garden whose fruits had
been gathered". And they called the one to the other as they rose in
the morning, saying, Go out early to your plantation, if ye intend to gather
the fruit thereof: so they went on, whispering to one another, No poor
man shall enter the garden upon you, this day. And they went forth early,
with a determined purpose.| And when they saw the garden blasted and
destroyed, they said, We have certainly mistaken our way: but when they
found it to be their own garden, they cried, Verily we are not permitted * to
reap the fruit thereof. The worthier of them said, Did I not say unto you,
Will ye not give praise unto Gop? They answered, Praise be, unto our
Lorp! Verily we have been unjust doers. And they began to blame one
another,y and they said, Woe be unto us! verily we have been trans-
gressors : peradventure our Lorp will give us in exchange a better garden
than this: and we earnestly beseech our Lorp to pardon us. Thus is the
chastisement of this life: but the chastisement of the next shall be more
grievous: if they had known it, they would have taken heed. Verily for the
pious are prepared, with their Lorn, gardens of delight. Shall we deal
with the Moslems, as with the wicked?* What aileth you that ye judge
thus? Have ye a book from heaven, wherein ye read that ye are therein
promised that which ye shall choose? Or have ye received oaths which
shall be binding upon us to the day of resurrection, that ye shall enjoy
what ye imagine? Ask them, which of them will be the voucher of this.
Or have they companions * who will vouch for them? Let. them produce
their companions, therefore, if they speak truth. On a certain day the leg

 

* This garden was a plantation of palm-trees, about two parasangs from Sanaa, belonging
to a certain charitable man, who, when he gathered his dates, used to give public notice
to the poor, and to leave them such of the fruit as the knife missed, or was blown down
by the wind, or fell beside the cloth spread under the tree to receive it: after death, his
sons, who were then become masters of the garden, apprehending they should come to
want if they followed their father’s example, agreed to gather the fruit early in the morning,
when the poor could have no notice of the matter: but when they came to execute their
purpose, they found, to their great grief and surprise, that their plantation had been
destroyed in the night.® :

* «We have punished the Meccans, like unto the owners of the garden.’’—Savary.

t Literally, that they would cut it; the manner of ‘peering dates being to cut the clusters
off with a knife. Marracci supposes they intended to cut down the trees, and destroy the
plantation; which, as he observes, renders the story ridiculous and absurd. .
"Or, as the original may also be rendered, like a dark night ; it being burnt up and
lack. :

+t “Already they reckoned upon an assured harvest.’’—Savary,

x The same expression is used, chap. 56, p. 437. : : 5

’For one advised this expediiicn. another approved of it, a third gave consent by his
silen ut the fourth was absolutely against it. 4

J Mie casa was revealed in acuver to the infidels, who said, If we shall be raised
again, as Mohammed and his followers imagine, they will not excel us; but we shall cer-
tainly be in a better condition than they in the next world, as we are in this.” .

eae ir, as some interpret the word, idols; which can make their condition in the aext life

equal to that of the Moslems ?

© Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ‘Al Beidawi * Idem.
462 AL KORAN. : OHAP. LXIX.

shall be made bare ;*” and they shall be called upon to worship, but they
shall not be able. Their looks shall be cast down: ignominy shall attend
them; for, that they were invited to the worship of God, while they were in
safety, but would not hear. Let me alone, therefore, with him who accuseth
this new revelation of imposture. We will lead them graduallysto destruc-
tion, by ways which they know not: and J will bear with them for a long
time; for my stratagem is effectual.t Dost thou ask them any reward for
thy preaching? But they are laden with debts. Are the secrets of futurity
with them; and do they transcribe the same from the table of God’s
decrees?*®t Wherefore patiently wait the judgment of thy Lorp: and be
not like him who was swallowed by the fish;‘ when he cried unto God,
being inwardly vexed. Had not grace from his Lorn reached him, he had
surely been cast forth on the naked shore, covered with shame: but his
Lorp chose him, and made him one of the righteous. Jt wanteth little but
that the unbelievers strike thee down with their malicious looks, when they
hear the admonition of the Kordén ; and they say, He is certainly distracted :
but it is no other than an admonition unto all creatures.

CHAPTER LXIX.
INTITLED, THE INFALLIBLE; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Tue infallible! What is the infallible? And what shall cause thee to
understand what the infallible is?§ The‘ tribes of Thamud and Ad denied
as a falsehood the day which shall strike" men’s hearts with terror. But
Thamud were destroyed by a terrible noise: and Ad were destroyed by a

 

* « The wicked shall one day be unmasked.’’—Savary.

» This expression is used to signify a grievous and. terrible calamity: thus they say,
War has made bare the leg, when they would express the fury and rage of battle.?

* Because the time of acceptance shall be past. Al Beidawi is uncertain whether the
words respect the day of judgment, or the article of death: but Jallalo’ddin supposes them
to relate to the former, and adds that the infidels shall not be able to perform the act of
adoration, because their backs shall become stiff and inflexible.

44, e. By granting them long life and prosperity in this world ; which will deceive them
to their ruin.

t+ If I prolong their days, it is but a snare which I spread for them.’’—Savary.

° See chap. 52, p. 425.

t ‘* Know they the mysteries of nature? Nevertheless, they write !’’—Savary.
‘ That is, Be not impatient and pettish, as Jonas was. See chap. 21, p. 271.

* The original word al Hakkat is one of the names or epithets of the day of judgment.
As the root from which it is derived signifies not only to be or come to pass of necessity,
but also to verify, some rather think that day to be so called because it will verify, and
show the truth of what men doubt of in this life; viz. the resurrection of the: dead, their
‘eing brought to account, and the consequent rewards and punishments.*

: ‘The inevitable day! How terrible will be that day ! who can depict it unto thee ?’
~~Savary.

* Arab. al Kéridt, or the striking; which is another name or epithet of the last day

® Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. t Jidem.
CHAP. LXIX. AL KORAN. 463

roaring and furious wind ; which God caused to assail them for seven nights
and eight days successively: thou mightest have seen people during the
same, lying prostrate, as though they had been the roots of jhollow palm-
trees ;' and couldest thou have seen any of them remaining:* Pharaoh
also, and those who were before him, and the cities which were overthrown,*
were guilty of sin: and they severally were disobedient to the apostle of their
Lorp ; wherefore he chastised them with an abundant chastisement. When
the water of the deluge arose, we carried you in the ark which swam there-

nj; that we might make the same a memorial unto you, and the retaining
ear might retain it.T (And when one blast shall sound the trumpet, and the
earth shall be moved from its place, and the mountains also, and shall be
dashed in pieces at one stroke: on that day the inevitable hour of judgment
shall suddenly come; and the heavens shall cleave in sunder, and shall fall
in pieces, on that day: and the angels shall de on the sides thereof ;!{ and
eight shall bear the throne of thy Lorp above them, on that day. On that
day ye shall be presented before the judgment seat of God ; and none of your
secret actions shall be hidden. And he who shall have his book delivered
into his right hand shall say, Take ye, read this my book ; verily I thought
that I should be brought to this my account: he shall lead a pleasing
life, in a lofty garden, the fruits whereof shall be near to gather. Eat and
drink with easy digestion ; because of the good works which ye sent before
you, in the days which are past. But he who shall have his book deli-
vered into his left hand shall say, O that I had not received this book ; and
that J had not known what this my account was! O that death had made
an end of me! My riches have not profited me; and my power is passed
from me. And God shall say to the keepers of hell, Take him, and bind
him, and cast him into hell to be burned: then put him into a chain of the
length of seventy cubits:" because he believed not in the great Gop; and
was not solicitous to feed the poor 1 |wherefore this day he shall have
no friend here; nor any food, but the filthy corruption flowing from the
bodies of the damned, which none shall eat but the sinners. I swear° by
that which ye see, and that which ye see not, that this is the discourse of
an honourable apostle, and not the discourse of a poet: how little do ye

 

4 See chap. 54, p. 430.

* “The calle Wate overthrown on the earth, like unto uprooted palm-trees. The
scourge spared not one of them.’’—Savary.

* yiz. Sodom and Gomorrah. See chap. 9, p. 157, note 1.

+ “Let it be a memorial unto the-earth; let your hearts preserve the remembrance
of it.”’—Savary. i ; iy ;

''These words seem t*: ‘ntimate the death of the angels, at the demolition of their
habitation: beside the -..s whereof they shall lie like dead bodies.

t ‘An angel shall guard the entrance thereof.”’—Savary.

™ The number of those who bear it at present being generally supposed to be but four ;
to whom four more will be added at the last day, for the grandeur of the occasion.

§ ‘ Satiate thyself with the pleasures which are offered unto thee. They are the reward
of the good which thou hast done upon earth.”’—Savary. ;

24, ¢, Wrap him round with it, so that he may not be able to stir. .

° Or, I will not swear. See chap. 56, p. 437, note d. (This is the reading adopted by

Savary.) ;
2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.

é
"364 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXX.

believe! Neither is it the discourse of a soothsayer: how little are ye
admonished! Jt is a revelation from the Lorp of all creatures YW Mo-
hammed had forged any part of these discourses concerning us, verily we
had taken him by the right hand, and had cut in sunder the vein of his
heart;* neither would we have withheld any of you from chastising him.
And verily this book is an admonition unto the pious; and we well know
that there are some of you who charge the same with imposture: but it
shall surely be an occasion of grievous sighing unto the infidels; for it is
the truth of a certainty. Wherefore praise the name of thy Lorp, the
great God.

CHAPTER LXX.
INTITLED, THE STEPS; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

One demanded and called for vengeance to fall on the unbelievers :?+
there shall be none to avert the same from being inflicted by Gop, the pos-
sessor of the steps:% by which the angels ascend unto him, and the spirit
Gabriel also, in a day whose space is fifty thousand years :* { wherefore bear

 

* «© We should have seized him on the spot, and should have cut the vein of the heart.
No one shoald have had the power to suspend our vengeance.’’—Savary.

» The person here meant is generally supposed to have been al Nodar Ebn al Hareth,
who said, O God, if what Mohammed preaches be the truth from thee, rain down upon
us a shower of stones, or send some dreadful judgment to punish us. Others, however,
fetes it —s Abu Jahl, who challenged Mone aeed to cause a fragment of heaven to
tall on them.*

t ‘‘ The prophet hath been questioned concerning the punishments which are to come.”
—Savary. :

1 By which prayers and righteous actions ascend to heaven; or by which the angels
ascend to receive the divine commands, or the believers will ascend to paradise. Some
understand thereby the different orders of angels; or the heavens, which rise gradually
one above another.

* This is supposed to be the space which would be required for their ascent from the
lowest part of the creation to the throne of God, if it were to be measured; or the time
which it would take a man to perform a journey: and this is not,contradictory to what is
said elsewhere ;* (if it be to be interpreted of the ascent of the angels) that the length of
the day whereon they ascend is 1000 years; because that is meant only of their ascent
from earth to the lower heaven, including also the time of their descent.

But the commentators generally, taking the day spoken of in both these passages to be
the day of judgment, have recourse to several expedients to reconcile them, some of
which we have mentioned in another place :* and as both passages seem to contradict
what Mohammedan doctors teach, that God will judge all creatures in the space of half
a day,’ they suppose those large numbers of years are designed to express the time of
the previous attendance of those who are to be judged ;’ or else to the space wherein God
will judge the unbelieving nations, of which, they say, there will be fifty, the trial of
each nation taking up 1000 years, though that of the true believers will be over in the
short space above-mentioned.®

t “* God is the author of them. He possesseth the celestial steps. By them the angels

and Gabriel will ascend towards his throne on the day of judgment, the duration of which
shall be fifty thousand years.” —Savary.

_* Al Zamakh., al Beidawi. * Al Beidawi. 5 Chap. 32, p. 339.
© Prelim. Disc. sect. 4, p. 60. " See ibid. p. 63. : ® See ‘tad, p. $1, 62,
* Al Zamakh.
CHAP. LXX. AL KORAN. 465 *°

the insults of the Meccans with becoming patience; for they see their
punishment afar off, but we see it nigh at hand. On a certain day the
heaven shall become like molten drass,* and the mountains like wool of
various colours, scattered abroad by the wind : and a friend shall not ask
a friend concerning his condition, although they see one another. The
wicked shall wish to redeem himself from the punishment of that day, by
giving up his children, and his wife, and his brother, and his kindred who
showed kindness unto him, and all who are in the earth; and that this
might deliver him: by no means: for hell fire, dragging them by their
scalps, shall call him who shall have turned his back, and fled from the
faith, and shall have amassed riches, and covetously hoarded them. Verily
man is created extremely impatient:* when evil toucheth him, he is full
of complaint; but when good befalleth him, he becometh niggardly : except
those who are devoutly given, and who persevere in their prayers; and
those of whose substance a due and certain portion is ready to be given
unto him who asketh, and him who is forbidden by shame to ask: and
those who sincerely believe the day of judgment, and who dread the
punishment of their Lorp: (for there is none secure from the punishment
of their Lorp:) and who abstain from the carnal knowledge of women other
than their wives, or the slaves which their right hands possess: (for as to
them they shall be blameless; but whoever coveteth any woman besides
these, they are transgressors :) and those who faithfully keep what they
are intrusted with, and their covenant; and who are upright in their testi-
monies, and who carefully observe the requisite rites in their prayers: these
shall dwell amidst gardens, highly honoured. What aileth the unbelievers,
that they run before thee in companies, on the right hand and on the left?
Doth every man of them wish to enter into a garden of delight? By no
means: verily we have created them of that which they know.* I swear?
by the Lorp of the east and of the west,* that we are able to destroy them,
and to substitute better than them in their room ; neither are we to be pre-
vented, if we shall please so to do. Wherefore suffer them to wade in vain
disputes, and to amuse themselves with sport: until they meet their day
with which they have been threatened ; t the day whereon they shall come
forth hastily from their graves, 2s though they were troops hastening to
their standard : their looks shall be downcast; ignominy shall attend them.
This is the day with which they have been threatened.

 

* « Like molten silver.’’—Savary.

. . 228. : ;
i Br on Fithy’ sell, which bears no relation or resemblance te holy beings: wherefore

tt is necessary for him who would hope to te fa a RNa oe paradise, to perfect him-
in fai d spiritual virtues, to fit himself for that place. . :

i A ae Gee &c. See chap. 56, p. 437, noted. (Savary prefers this reading.)

«The original words are in the plural number, and signify the different points of the

horizon at which the sun rises and sets in the course of the year. See chap. 37, p. 366,

roe Suffer them to waste their lives in frivolous disputes. ‘The day with which they ara
Ehlear ts ,
threatened shall come on them unawares.’’—Savary.

' Al Beidawi.
466 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXXI

CHAPTER LXXI.
INTITLED, NOAH;* REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Verity we sent Noah unto his people, saying, Warn thy people, before
a grievous punishment overtake them. JVoah said, O my people, verily I
am a public warner unto you; wherefore serve Gop, and fear him, and
obey me; he will forgive you part of your sins;” and will grant you
respite until a determined time: for Gop’s determined time, when it
cometh, shall not be deferred; if ye were men of understanding, ye would
know this. He said, Lorn, verily I have called my people night and day ;
but my calling only increaseth their aversion: and whensoever J call them
to the true faith, that thou mayest forgive them, they put their fingers in
their ears, and cover themselves with their garments, and persist in their
infidelity, and proudly disdain my counsel.| Moreover I invited them
openly, and I spake to them again in public; and J also secretly ad-
monished them in private; and I said, Beg pardon of your Lorp; for
he is inclined to forgive: and he will cause the heaven to pour down
rain plentifully upon you, and will give you increase of wealth and of
children ;?: and he will provide you gardens, and furnish you with rivers.
What aileth you, that ye hope not for benevolence in Gop;* since he
hath created you variously?» Do ye not see how God hath created the
seven heavens, one above another; and hath placed the moon therein
for a'light, and hath appointed the sun for a taper?{ God hath also pro-
duced and caused you to spring forth from the earth: hereafter he will
cause you to return into the same; and he will again take you thence, by
bringing you forth from your graves. And Gop hath spread the earth
as a carpet for you, that ye may walk therein through spacious paths.
Noah said, Lorp, verily they are disobedient unto me; and they follow
him whose riches and children do no other than increase his perdition.
And they devised a dangerous plot against Noah: and the chief men said

 

* “ Peace be with him.’”’—Savary.
¥ 7, e. Your past sins; which are done away by the profession of the true faith.

t ‘‘ They cover their faces with their garments. They persist in error. They manifest
only pride and obstinacy.’’—Savary.

«It is said, that after Noah had for a long time preached to them in vain, God shut up
the heaven for forty years, and rendered their women barren.? \

Sie. That God will accept and amply reward those who serve him? For some sup-
pose Noah’s people made him this answer, If what we now follow be the truth, we ought
not to forsake it ; but if it be false, how will God accept, or be favourable unto us, who
have rebelled against him ?*

_° That is, as the commentators expound it, by various steps or changes, from the ori-
ginal matter, till ye become perfect men.‘ i

t ‘He hath hung the moon in the firmament to reflect the light, and the sun to im-
part it.”’—Savary.

2 Al Zamakh. 2 Idem. ‘See chap. 22, p. 274, and chap. 23, p. 281, &c.
_ CHAP. LXXTII. AL KORAN. 467 -

to the others, Ye shall by no means leave your gods; neither shall ye
forsake Wadd, nor Sowa, nor Yaghuth, and Yauk, and Nesr.° And
they seduced many; (for thou shalt only increase error in the wicked :)
because of their sins they were drowned, and. cast into the’ fire of hell;
and they found none to protect them against Gop. And Noah said,
Lorp, leave not any families of the unbelievers on the earth: for if
thou leave them, they will seduce thy servants, and will beget none but
a wicked and unbelieving offspring. Lorp, forgive me and my parents,
and every one who shall enter my house,’ being a true believer, and the
true believers of both sexes; and add unto the unjust doers nothing but
destruction.

 

CHAPTER LXXII.
INTITLED, THE GENII; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Say, It hath been revealed unto me that a company of genii attentively
heard me reading the Kordn,® and said, Verily we have heard an admirable
discourse ; which directeth unto the right institution; wherefore we believe
therein, and we will by no means associate any other with our Lorp. He
(may the majesty of our Lorp be exalted!) hath taken no wife, nor hath
he begotten any issue. Yet the foolish among us" hath spoken that which
is extremely false of God; but we verily thought that neither man nor
genius would by any means have uttered a lie concerning Gop. And there
are certain men who fly for refuge unto certain of the genii;‘ but they
increase their folly and transgression : and they also thought, as ye thought,*
that Gop would not raise any one to life. And we formerly attempted to
pry into what was transacting in heaven; but we found the same filled with
a strong guard of angels, and with flaming darts: and we sat on some of the

 

* These were five idols worshipped by the antediluvians, and afterwards by the ancient
Arabs. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 1, p. 13.

4 They say Noah preferred not this prayer for the destruction of his people, till aftet
he had tried them for nine hundred and fifty years, and found them incorrigible re
probates.

* His father Lamech, and his mother, whose name was Shamkha, the daughter of Enosh,
being true believers.

‘ The commentators are uncertain whether Noah’s dwelling-house be here meant, or
the temple he had built for the worship of God, or the ark.

® See chap. 46, p. 409, note o.

» wiz. Eblis, or the rebellious genii. .

‘ For the Arabs. when they found themselves in a desert in the evening (the genii being
supposed to haus. such places about that time), used to say, I fly for refuge unto the Lord
of this valley, that he may defend me from the foolish among his people.*

«It is uncertain which of these pronouns is to be referred to mankind, and which to the
genii: some expositors taking that of the third person to relate to the former, and that of
the second person to the latter; and others being of the contrary opinion.

5 Al Beidawi.

.
468 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXXMI.

" seats thereof to hear the discourse of its inhabitants ; but whoever listeneth
now, findeth a flame laid in ambush for him, to guard the celestial confines.'
And we know not whether evil be hereby intended against those who are
in the earth, or whether their Lory intendeth to direct them aright. There
are some among us who are upright; and there are some among us who are
otherwise: we are of different ways. And we verily thought that we could
by no means frustrate Gop in the earth, neither could we escape him by
flight: wherefore, when we had heard the direction contained in the Koran,
we believed therein. And whoever believeth in his Lorp, need not fear any
diminution of his reward, nor any injustice. There are some Moslems
among us; and there are others of us who swerve from righteousness.=
And whoso embraceth Islam, they earnestly seek true direction: but those
who swerve from righteousness shall be fuel fer hell. If they tread in the
way of truth, we will surely water them with abundant rain;" that we may
prove them thereby : but whoso turneth aside from the admonition of his
Lorp, him will he send into a severe torment. Verily the places of wor-
ship are set apart unto Gop: wherefore invoke not any other therein
together with Gop. When the servant of Gop ° stood up to invoke him, it
wanted little but that the genii had pressed on him in crowds, to hear him
rehearse the Kordn. Say, Verily J call upon my Lorp only, and I associate
no other god with him. Say, Verily I am not able, of myseZf, to procure
you either hurt, or a right institution. Say, Verily none can protect me
against Gop; neither shall I find any refuge besides him.* J can do no
more than publish what hath been revealed unto me from Gop, and his
messages. And whosoever shall be disobedient unto Gop, and his apostle,
for him is the fire of hell prepared ; they shall remain therein for ever.
‘Until they see the vengeance with which they are threatened, they will not
cease their opposition : but then shall they know who were the weaker ina
protector, and the fewer in number. Say, I know not whether the punish-
ment with which ye are threatened be nigh, or whether my Lorp will
appoint for it a distant term. He knoweth the secrets of futurity ; and he
doth not communicate his secrets unto any, except an apostle in whom he
is well pleased: and he causeth a guard of angels to march before him, and
behind him; that he may know that they have executed the commissions
of their Lory ; ® he comprehendeth whatever is with them; and counteth
all things by number.

 

1 See chap. 15, p. 210.

™ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 52, &zc.
_ ®t. e, We will grant them plenty of all good things. Some think by these words rain
is promised to the Meccans, after their seven years’ drought, on their embracing Islam.

° yiz, Mohammed. :

* “T shall find no shelter from his wrath.’’—Savary.

» That is to say, Either that the prophet may know that Gabriel and the other angels,
who. bring down the revelation, have communicated it to him pure and free from any dia-

bolical suggestiong ; or that Gop may know that the prophet has published the same to
mankind.®

* Al Beidawi.
CHAP. LXXIII, AL KORAN. 469

CHAPTER LXXIII.

«

INTITLED, THE WRAPPED UP; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O rHov wrapped up, arise to prayer, and continue therein-during the
night, except a small part;* that is to say, during one half thereof: or do
thou lessen the same a little or add thereto. And repeat the Koran with
a distinct and sonorous voice: for we will lay on thee a weighty word.
Verily the rising by night’ is more efficacious for stedfast continuance in
devotion, and more conducive to decent pronunciation :*¥ for in the day-time
thou hast long employment. And commemorate the name of thy Lorp;
and separate thyself unto him, renouncing worldly vanities.. He is the
Lorp of the east, and of the west; there is no Gop but he. Wherefore
take him for thy patron: and patiently suffer the contumelies which the

 

4 Some will have the last verse, beginning at these words, Verily thy Lord knoweth, &c.
to have been revealed at Medina.

* When this revelation was brought to Mohammed, he was wrapped up in his garments,
being affrighted at the appearance of Gabriel; or, as some say, he lay sleeping unconcern-
edly, or, according to others, praying, wrapped up in one part of a large mantle, or rug,
with the other part of which Ayesha had covered herself to sleep.”

This epithet of wrapped up, and another of the same import given to Mohammed in the
_next chapter, have been imagined, by several learned men,? pretty plainly to intimate his”
being subject to the falling sickness ; a malady generally attributed to him by the Chris-
tians,? but mentioned by no Mohammedan writer. Though such an inference may be

made, yet I think it scarcely probable, much less necessary.*

* For a half is such, with respect to the whole. Or, as the sentence may be rendered,
Pray half the night, within a small matter, sc. Some expound these words as an excep-
tion to nights in general ; according to whom the sense will be, Spend one half of every
night in prayer, except some few nights in the year.

* Set apart either less than half the night, as one-third, for example, or more, as two-
thirds. Or the meaning may be, Either take a small matter from a lesser part of the night
than one-half, e. g. from one-third, and so reduce it to a fourth; or add to such lesser
part, and make it a full half?

* viz. The precepts contained in the Koran; which are heavy and difficult to those whe
are obliged to observe them, and especially to the prophet, whose care it was to see that
his people-observed them also.*

. Or, The person who riseth by night ; or the hours or particularly the first hours of the
night, &c.

* + At the beginning of the night, we have more strength of conception, and more fa-
cility of expression.’’—Savary.

._” For the night-time is most proper for meditation and prayer, and also for reading
God’s word distinctly and with attention; by reason of the absence of every noise and
‘object which may distract the mind. ais :

arracci, having mentioned this natural explication of the Mohammedan commentators
because he finds one word in the verse which may be taken in a sense tending that way,
says the whole may with greater exactness be expounded of the fitness of the night season
for amorous diversions and discourse ; and he paraphrases it in Latin thus: Certe in prin-
cipio noctis majus robur et vim habet homo, ad feminas premendas et subagitandas, et ad
clarioribus verbis amores suos propalandos.’ A most effectual way this, to turn a book into
ridicule !

Al Zamakh., al Beidawi. ® Hotting. Hist. Orient. lib. 1, c, 3. Miarrace. in Ale.
p. 763. Vide Gagnier, not. ad Abulf. vit. Mohamm. p.9. *° See Prideaux, Life of Moh.
p. 16, and the authors there cited. * See Ockley’s Hist. of the Saracéns, vol. 1, p. 300.
&e. Al Beidawi. 3Tdem. ‘Idem, Jallalo’ddin. 5 Marrace. in Ale. p, 759.
470 AL KORAN. OHAP. LXXII.

infidels utter against thee ; and depart from them with a decent departure.
And let me alone with those who charge the Kordn with falsehood, who
enjoy the blessings of this life; and bear with them for a while: verily
with us are heavy fetters, and a burning fire, and food ready to choke him
who swalloweth it,* and painful torment. On a certain day the earth shall
be shaken, and the mountains also, and the mountains shall become a heap
of sand poured forth.* Verily we have sent unto you an apostle, to bear
witness against you; as we sent an apostle unto Pharaoh; but Pharaoh
was disobedient unto the apostle; wherefore we chastised him with a heavy
chastisement. How, therefore, will ye escape, if ye believe not, the day
which shall make children become grey-headed through terror? The
heaven shall be rent in sunder thereby : the promise thereof shall surely be
performed. Verily this is an admonition; and whoever is willing to be
admonished will take the way unto his Lorp. Thy Lorp knoweth that
thou continuest in prayer and meditation sometimes near two third parts of
the night, and sometimes one half thereof, and at other times one third part
thereof; and a part of thy companions, who are with thee, do the same.
But Gop measureth the night and the day; he knoweth that ye cannot
exactly compute the same: wherefore ‘he turneth favourably unto your
Read, therefore, so much of the Koran as may be easy unto you. He
knoweth that there will be some infirm among you; and others travel
through the earth, that they may obtain a competency of the bounty of Gop:
and others fight in the defence of Gop’s faith. Read, therefore, so much of
the same as may be easy. And observe the stated times of prayer, and pay
the legal alms; and lend unto Gop an acceptable loan ;} for whatever good
ye send before your souls, ye shall find the same with Gop. This will be
better, and will merit a greater reward. And ask Gop forgiveness; for
Gop is ready to forgive, and merciful.

 

* As thorns and thistles, the fruit of the infernal tree al Zakkam, and the corruption
flowing from the bodies of the damned.

* “ The earth shall one day be shaken, and the mountains, crumbled to dust, shall be
the sport of the winds.’’—Savary.

y By making the matter easy to you, and dispensing with your scrupulous counting of
the hours of the ve which ye are directed to spend in reading and praying: for some of
the Moslems, not knowing how the time passed, used to watch the whole night, standing
and walking about till their legs and feet swelled in asad manner. The commentators
add, that this precept of dedicating a part of the night to devotion is abrogated by the in-
stitution of the five hours of prayer.® ‘

t “Form with the Lord a glorious covenant.’’—Savary.

*i.e. The good which ye shall do in your life-time will be much more meritorious in
the sight of God than what ye shall defer till death, and order by will." :

* Al Beidawi. ‘Idem.
CHAP. LXXIV. AL KORAN. 471

CHAPTER LXXIV.
* _ INTITLED, THE COVERED; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O rHov covered,* arise and preach,» and magnify thy Lorp. And
cleanse thy garments: and fly every abomination :* and be not liberal in
hopes to receive more in return: and patiently wait for thy Lorv. When
the trumpet shall sound, verily that day shall be a day of distress and
uneasiness unto the unbelievers. Let me alone with him whom J have
created,’ on whom I have bestowed abundant riches, and children dwell-

ing in his presence,° and for whom I have disposed affairs in a smooth and .

easy manner, and who desireth that I will yet add other blessings unto him.
By no means: because he is an adversary to our signs.¢ I will afflict him
with grievous calamities :* for he hath devised and prepared contumelious
expressions to ridicule the Kordn. May he be cursed: how maliciously
hath he prepared the same! And again, may he be cursed: how mali-
ciously hath he prepared the same! Then he looked, and frowned, and
put on an austere countenance: then he turned back, and was elated with
pride; and he said, This is no other than a piece of magic, borrowed
frem others: these are only the words of aman. I will cast him to be
burned in hel]. And what shall make thee to understand what hell is?

It leaveth not any thing unconsumed, neither doth it suffer any thing to

 

"It is related, from Mohammed’s own mouth, that being on mount Hard, and hearing
himself called, he looked on each hand, and saw nobody, but looking upwards he saw
the angel Gabriel on a throne, between heaven and earth: at which sight being much
terrified, he returned to his wife Khadija, and bid her cover him up; and that then the
angel descended, and addressed him in the words of the text. From hence some think
this chapter to have been the first which was revealed: but the more received opinion is
that it was the 96th. Others say that the prophet, having been reviled by certain of the
Koreish, was sitting in a melancholy and pensive posture, wrapped up in his mantle,
when Gabriel accosted him: and some say he was sleeping. See the second note to the
preceding chapter.

>It is generally supposed that Mohammed is here commanded more especially to warn
his near relations, the Koreish; as he is expressly ordered to do in a subsequent revelation.®

¢ By the word abomination the commentators generally agree idolatry to be principally
intended.

4 The person here meant is generally supposed to have been al Walid Ebn al Mog-
heira,? a principal man among the Koreish.

© Being well provided for, and not obliged to go abroad to seek their livings, as most
others of the Meccans were.’ am ee : ne

t ilitating his advancement to power and dignity ; which were so considerable
thar Sree Rihana Koreish, i.e. The sweet odour of the Koreish, and al Wahid,
i.e. The only one, or The incomparable. ;

£ On the revelation of this passage it is said that Walid’s prosperity began to decay,
and continued daily so to do to the time of his death.

» Or, as the words may be strictly rendered, I will drive him up the crag of a mountain ;
which some understand of a mountain of fire, agreeably to a tradition of their prophet
importing that al Walid will be condemned to ascend this mountain, and then to be cast
down from thence, alternately for ever ; and that he will be seventy years in climbing up

and as many in falling down.*

. 26, p. 307, and the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. p.31. | ° Al Zamakh., al Beidaw:
J allalo’ ce q Al Beidawi. 2 Idem. ? Idem. “Idem.

N
472 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXXIV.

escape: it scorcheth men’s flesh: over the same are nineteen angels ap-
pointed. We have appointed none but angels to preside over hell fire:
and we have expressed the number of them only for an occasion of discord
to the unbelievers;* that they to whom the scriptures have been given
may be certain of the veracity of this book,) and the true believers may
increase in faith; and that those to whom the scriptures have been given,
and the true believers, may not doubt hereafter ; and that those in whose
hearts there is an infirmity, and the unbelievers, may say, What mystery
doth Gop intend by this number 2 Thus doth Gop cause to err whom he
pleaseth; and he directeth whom he pleaseth. None knoweth the armies
of thy Lorp™ besides him; and this is no other than a memento unto
mankind. Assuredly. By the moon, and the night when it retreateth, and
the morning when it reddeneth, J swear that this is one of the most terrible
calamities, giving warning unto men, as well as unto him among you who
desireth to go forward, as unto him who chooseth to remain behind.* Every
soul is given in pledge for that which it shall have wrought :° except the
companions of the right hand ;” who shall dwell in gardens, and shall ask
one another questions concerning the wicked, and shall also ask the wicked
themselves, saying, What hath brought you into hell? They shall answer,
We were not of those who were constant at prayer, neither did we feed the
poor; and we waded {n vain disputes with the fallacious reasoners ; and we
denied the day of judgment, until death* overtook us: and the intercession
of the interceders shall not avail them. What aileth them, therefore, that
they turn aside from the admonition of the Korda, as though they were
timorous asses flying from alion? But every man among them desireth
that he may have expanded scrolls delivered to him from God. By no
means. They fear not the life to come. By no means: verily this is a
sufficient warning. Whoso is w“iling to be warned, him shall it warn: but
they shall not be warned, uniess Gop shall please. He is worthy to be
feared; and he is inclined to forgiveness.

 

* The reason of which is said to be, that they might be of a different nature and species
from those who are to be tormented, lest they should have a fellow feeling of, and com-
passionate their sufferings; or else, because of their great strength, and severity of temper.'

« Or, For a trial of them: because they might say this was a particular borrowed by
Mohammed of the Jews.

' And especially the Jews; this being conformable to what is contained in their books.

™ i.e. All his creatures; or particularly the number and strength of the guards of hell.

= The antecedent seems to be hell. : ;
_ * “T syear by the moon, by the night when she foldeth her veils, by the dawn when
it advanceth, encompassed by light, that hell is a tremendous abyss; that it threateneth
the human race; that it warneth him who walketh in the right path, and him who re-
traceth his footsteps.’’—Savary.

> See ae ee Rack

?2.e, The blessed ;* who shall redeem themselves by their good i
these are the angels: and others, such as die infants.® y . ee Sones

«Literally, That which is certain.

‘ For the infidels told Mohammed that they would never obey him as a prophet, till
he brought each man a writing from heaven to this effect, viz. From God to such a one:
Follow Mohammed?

; Sie Beidawi. § Jallalo’ddin. 7 See chap. 56, p. 435, note m, ° Al Beidawi.
lem. ne $
OHAP. LXXV. AL KORAN. 473

CHAPTER LXXV.
INTITLED, THE/RESURRECTION ; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Verity I swear * by the day of resurrection; and J swear by the soul
wnich accuseth itse/f :+ doth man think that we will not gather his bones
together? Yea: we are able to put together the smallest bones of his fin-
gers. But man chooseth to be wicked, for the time which is before him.*

He asketh, When will the day of resurrection be2 But when the sight
shall be dazzled, and the moon shall be eclipsed, and the sun and the moon
shall be in conjunction ;* on that day man shall say, Where is a place of
refuge? By no means: there shall be no place to fly unto. With thy Lorp
shall be the sure mansion of rest on that day : on that day shall a man be
told that which he hath done first and last.» Yea; a man shall be an
evidence against himself: and though he offer his excuses, they shall not be
received. Move not thy tongue, O Mohammed, in repeating the revelations
brought thee by Gabriel, before he shall have finished the same, that thou
mayest quickly commit them to memory: for the collecting the Kordn in
thy mind, and the teaching thee the true reading thereof, are incumbent on
us. But when we shall have read the same unto thee by the tongue of the
angel, do thou follow the reading thereof: and afterwards it shall be our
part to explain it unto thee. By no means shalt thou be thus hasty for the
future. But ye love that which hasteneth away,* and neglect the life
to come. Some countenances on that day shall be bright, looking towards
their Lorp : and some countenances, on that day, shall be dismal : they shall
think that a crushing calamity shall be brought upon them. Assuredly.
When a man’s soul shall come up to his throat, in his last agony, and the
standers by shall say, Who bringeth a charm do recover him? and shall
think it to be his departure out of this world ; and one leg shall be joined
with the other leg:¥ on that day unto thy Lorp shall he be driven. For

 

“Or, I will not swear. See chap. 56, p. 437, note d. (Savary prefers this reading.)

‘ Being conscious of having offended, and of failing of perfection, notwithstanding its
endeavours to do its duty: or, the pious soul which shall blame others at the last day, for
having been remiss in their devotions, &c. Some understand the words of the soul of
Adam, in particular, who is continually blaming himself for having lost paradise by his
disobedience.’ : : aire

* « But he denieth the evidence which striketh his sight.’’—Savary. :

* Rising both in the west :? which conjunction is no contradiction to what is. mentioned
just before, of the moon’s being eclipsed ; because those words are not to be understood of
a regular eclipse, but metaphorically, of the moon’s losing her light, at the last day in a
preternatural manner. Some sun te meaning rather to be, that the sun and the moon
shall be joized in the loss of their light.* :

5 Or the good which he hath doh and that which he hath left undone, &c. _

rj. e. The fleeting pleasures of this life. Thew rds intimate the natural hastiness and
impatience of man,‘ who takes up with a present enjoyment, though short, and bitter in
its consequences, rather than wait for real happiness in futurity. . :

¥4. e. And when he shall stretch forth his legs together 3, as 1g usual with dying persons.
The words may also be translated, And when one affliction shall be joined with another.
afftiction. :

1 Al Beidawi. * ? See the Prelim. Disc. p. 57. *AlBeidawi. ‘See chap. 17, p, 228,
2P
ATA AL KORAN. CHAP. LRXVI.

he believed not,? neither did he pray ; but he accused God’s apostle of im-
posture, and turned back from obeying him: then he departed unto his
family, walking with a haughty mien. Wherefore, woe be unto thee; woe!
And again, woe be unto thee; woe! Doth man think that he shall be left
at full liberty, without control? Was he not a drop of seed, which was

* emitted? Afterwards he became.a little coagulated blood, and God formed
him, and fashioned him with just proportion ; and made of him two sexes,
the male and the female. Is not he who hath done this able ‘e ouicken the
dead ?*

 

CHAPTER LXXIV.
INTITLED, MAN; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Dw there not pass over mana long space of time; during which he was
a thing not worthy of remembrance ?* Verily we have created man of the
mingled seed of both sexes, that we might prove him: and we have made
him to hear and to sees We have surely directed him in the way,
whether he be grateful, or ungrateful. Verily we have prepared for the
unbelievers chains, and collars, and burning fire. But the just shall drink
of a cup of wine, mixed with the water of Cafur,? a fountain whereof the
servants of Gop shall drink; they shall convey the same by channels
whithersoever they please. These fulfil their vow, and dread the day, the evil
whereof will disperse itself far abroad; and give food unto the poor, and
the orphan, and the bondman, for his sake, saying, We feed you for Gop’s
sake.only : we desire no recompense from you, nor any thanks: verily we
dread, from our Lorn, a dismal and calamitous day. Wherefore Gop shall

 

* Or, He did not give alms; or, He was not a man of veracity. Some suppose Abu Jahl,
and others one Adi Ebn Rabia, to be particularly inveighed against in this chapter.

* “Did not God form you from a little blood? Hath he not given just proportions to
your bodies? Did he not bring from nothing the first pair? Can the creator of the hu-
man race be deficient in power to revive the dead ?’—Savary.

= Tt isisomewhat doubtful, whether this chapter was revealed at Mecca, or at Medina.

> Some take these words to be spoken of Adam, whose body, according to the Mo-
hammedan tradition, was at first a figure of clay, and was left forty years to dry, before
God breathed life into it: * others understand them of man in general, and of the time he
lies in the womb.

* That he might be capable of receiving the rules and directions given by God for his
guidance ;° and of meriting reward or punishment for his observance or neglect of them.

“Js the name of a fountain in paradise, so called from its resembling camphor (which the
word signifies) in odour, and whiteness. Some take the word for an appellative, and
coe he ene of paradise will be mixed with camphor, because of its agreeable coolness
and_ smell.

* Tt is related that Hasan and on Mohammed’s ‘grandchildren, on a certain time
being both sick, the prophet, among others, visited them; and they wished Ali to make
some vow to God for the recovery of his sons: whereupon Ali, and Fatema, and Fidda,
their maid-servant, vowed a fast of three days in case they did well: as it happened they
did. This vow was performed with so great.strictness, that the first day, having no pro-

* See the notes to chap, 2, pp. 4, 5. * Al Beidawi. ‘Idem,
OHAP. LXXVI. AL KORAN, AT5

deliver them from the evil of that day, and shall cast on them brightness of
countenance, and joy; and shall reward them, for their patient persevering. =
with a garden and silk garments: therein shall they repose themselves on
couches; they shall see therein neither sun nor moon;‘* and the shades
thereof shall be near spreading above them, and the fruits thereof shall hang
low, so as to be easily gathered. And their attendants shall go round about
unto them, with vessels of silver, and goblets : the bottles shall be bottles of
silver shining like glass ; they shall determine the measure thereof by their
wish. And therein shall they be given to drink of a cup of wine, mixed
with the water of Zenjebil,t a fountain in paradise named Salsabil:® and
youths, which shall continue for ever in their bloom, shall go round to attend
them ; when thou seest them, thou shalt think them to b¢ scattered pearls :
and when thou lookest, there shalt thou behold delights, and a great king-
dom. Upon them shail be garments of fine green silk, and of brocades, and
they shall be adorned with bracelets of silver: and their Lorp shall give
them to drink of a most pure liquor; and shall say unto them, Verily
this is your reward: and your endeavour is gratefully accepted. Verily
we have sent down unto thee the Koran, by a gradual revelation.
Wherefore patiently wait the judgment of thy Lorn; and obey not any
wicked person or unbeliever among them. And commemorate the name
of thy Lorp, in the morning, and in the evening: and during some part of
the night worship him, and praise him a long part of the nightt Verily
these men love the transitory life, and leave behind them the heavy day of
judgment. We have created them, and have strengthened their joints; and
when we please, we will substitute others like unto them, in their stead.
Verily this is an admonition: and whoso willeth, taketh the way unto his
Lorp: but ye shall not will, unless Gop willeth; for Gop is knowing and
wise. He leadeth whom he pleaseth into his mercy ; but for the unjust
hath he prepared a grievous punishment.

 

visions in the house, Ali was obliged to borrow three measures of barley of one Simeon, a
Jew of Khaibar ; one measure of which Fatema ground the same day, and baked five cakes
of the meal; and they were set before them, to break their fast with after sunset: but a poor
man coming to them, they gave all their bread to him, and passed the night without tasting
any thing, except water. The next day, F’atema made another measure into bread, for the
same purpose ; but an orphan begging some food, they chose to let him have it, and passed
that night, as the first: and the third day they likewise gave their whole provision to a
famished captive. Upon this occasion Gabriel descended with the chapter before us, and
told Mohammed that God congratulated him on the virtues of his family.®

f Because they shall not need the light of either.» The word Zamharir, here translated
moon, properly signifies extreme cold: for which reason some understand the meaning of the
passage to be, that in paradise there shall be felt no excess either of heat, or of cold.

* “ They repose on the nuptial couch; they shall not be incommoded by the splendour
of the sun or of the moon.’’—Savary.

© The word signifies ginger, which the Arabs delight to mix with the water they drink ,
and therefore the water of this fountain is supposed to have the taste of that spice.”

* Signifies water which flows gently and pleasantly down the throat.
+ ‘Adore him during the night. Make known his praise in the midst of the darkness.
—Savary.

® Al Beidawi. ® See Rev. xxi, 23. ” A] Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
476 AL KORAN. ‘HAP, LXXVII.

CHAPTER LXXVII.
INTITLED, THOSE WHICH ARE SENT; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the angels which are sent by God, following one another in a con-
tinual series; and those which move swiftly, with a rapid motion ; and by
those which disperse his commands, by divulging them through the earth ;
and by those which separate trute from falsehood, by distinguishing the
same ; and by those which communicate the divine admonitions, to excuse,
or to threaten: verily that which ye are promised * is inevitable.* When
the stars, therefore, shall be put out, and when the heaven shall be cloven
in sunder, and when the mountains shall be winnowed, and when the
apostles shall have a time assigned to them to appear and bear testimony
against their respective people ; to what a day shall that appointment be
deferred! to the day of separation: and what shall cause thee to under-
stand what the day of separation is? On that day, woe be unto them who
accused the prophets of imposture! Have we not destroyed the obstinate
unbelievers of old? We will also cause those of the latter times to follow
them. Thus do we deal with the wicked. Woe be, on that day, unto them
who accused the prophets of imposture! Have we not created you of a
contemptible drop of seed, which we placed in a sure repository, until the
fixed term of delivery? And we were able to do this: for we are most
powerful. On that day, woe be unto those who accused the prophets of
imposture: Have we not made the earth to contain the living and the

dead, and placed therein stable and lofty mountains, and given you fresh
* water to drink? Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the pro-
phets of imposture! It shall be said unto them, Go ye to the punishment
which ye denied as a falsehood: go ye into the shadow of the smoke of hell,
which shall ascend in three columns, and shall not shade you from the heat,
neither shall it be of service against the flame ; but it shall cast forth sparks
as big as towers, resembling yellow camels in colour..t Woe be, on that day,

 

' Some understand the whole passage of the verses of the Koran, which continued to be
sent down, parcel after parcel, during the space of several years, and which rescind (for so
the verb dsafa may also be ranelated) and abolish all former dispensations, divulging and
making known the ways of salvation, distinguishing truth from falsehood, and cammunicat-
ing admonition, &c. Some interpret the first three verses of the winds sent in a continual
succession, blowing with a violent gust, and dispersing rain over the earth: and others
give different explications.

* viz. The day of judgment.

* «By the messengers which follow each other, by the frightful tempests, by the winds
which bring fruitfulness, by the verses of the Koran, by the angels who bear warnings,
the punishments which are announced to you will come.’”’—Savary.

‘ Being of a fiery colour. Others, however, suppose these sparks will be of a dusk
hue, like that of black camels, which always inclines a little to the yellow ; the word ane.
lated yellow signifying sometimes black. Some copies, by the variation of a vowel, have
cables instead of camels.

t “* Go ye under the trees which have only three branches to cover you. That shade
shall bring unto you no coolness, neither shall it afford unto you a refuge from the flames.

They shall dart up on all sides in pyramids lofty as the roofs of palaces. Thei
shall be like unto that of red camels "—Saeary, 7 er ae
CHAP. LXXVIII. AL KORAN. ATT

unto those who accused the prophets of imposture! This shall be a day
whereon they shall not speak to any purpose ; neither shall they be per-
mitted to excuse themselves. Woe be, on that day, unto those who ac-
cused the prophets of imposture! This shall be the day of separation:
we will assemble both you and your predecessors. Wherefore, if ye have
any cunning stratagem, employ stratagems against me. Woe be, on that
day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture! But the pious
shall dwell amidst shades and fountains, and fruits of the kinds which they
shall desire : and it shal? be said unto them, Eat and drink with easy diges-
tion, in recompense for that which ye have wrought; for thus do we reward
the righteous doers.* Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the
prophets of imposture! Eat, O unbelievers, and enjoy the pleasures of this
life, for a little while: verily ye are wicked men. Woe be, on that day,
unto those who accused the prophets of imposture! And when it is said
onto them, Bow down; they do not bow down. Woe be, on that day,
unto those who accused the prophets of imposture! In what new revela-
tion will they believe, after this

CHAPTER J, XXVIII.
INTITLED, THE NEWS; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

*[XXX.] Concernine what do the unbelievers ask questions of one an-
other? Concerning the great news of the resurrection, about which they
disagree. Assuredly they shall hereafter know the truth thereof. Again,
Assuredly they shall hereafter know the truth thereof. Have we not made
the earth for a bed, and the mountains for stakes to fix the same?+™ And
have we not created you of two sexes ;{ and appointed your sleep for rest;
and made the night a garment to cover you; and destined, the day to the
gaining your livelihood; and built over you seven solid heavens ; and
placed therein a burning lamp? And do we not send down from the clouds
pressing forth rain, water pouring down in abundance, that we may thereby
produce corn, and herbs, and gardens planted thick with trees? Verily the
day of separation is a fixed period: the day whereon the trumpet shall
sound, and ye shall come in troops to judgment ; and the heaven shall be
opened, and shall be full of gates for the angels to pass through ; and the
mountains shall pass away, and become as a vapour ; verily hell shall be a
place of ambush, a receptacle for the transgressors, who shall remain therein
for ages: they shall not taste any refreshment therein, or any drink, except
voiling water, and filthy corruption :§ a fit recompense for their deeds! For

 

 

ae ink at pleasure. Enjoy the reward of your virtues.’’—Savary.

t epee. - raat cine out the earth like unto a carpet? Have we not raised the
yaountains to serve for a support unto it.”"—Savary.

™ See chap. 16, p. 215, and chap. 31, p. 335. 7

t ‘* We have drawn man and woman from nothing. —Savary.

§ “Boiling and ontrid water shall be their only drink.’’—Savary.
478 AL KORAN. CHAP. LX XIX

they hoped that they should not be brought to an account, and they diss
believed our signs, accusing them of falsehood. But every thing have we
computed, and written down. Taste, therefore : we will not add unto you
any other than torment." But for the pious is prepared a place of bliss :
gardens planted with trees, and vineyards, and damse/s with swelling breasts,
of equal age with themselves, and a full cup. They shall hear no vain dis-
course there, nor any falsehood. This shall be their recompense from thy
Lorp; a gift fully sufficient: from the Lorp of heaven and. earth, and of
whatever is between them; the Merciful. The inhabitants of heaven or of
earth shall not dare to demand audience of him: the day whereon the spirit
Gabriel and the other angels shall stand in order, they shall not speak in
behalf of themselves or others, except he only to whom the Merciful shall
grant permission, and who shall say that which is right.* This is the in-
fallible day. Whoso, therefore, willeth, let him return unto his Lorp.
Verily we threaten you with a punishment nigh at hand: the day whereon
a man shall behold the good or evil deeds which his hands have sent be-
fore him; and the unbeliever shall say, Would to Gov | were dust!

CHAPTER LXXIX.
INTITLED, THOSE WHO TEAR FORTH; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the angels who tear forth the souls of some with violence; and by those
who draw forth the souls of others with gentleness;° by those who glide
swimmingly through the air with the commands of God ; and those who
precede and usher the righteous to paradise ; and those who subordinately
govern the affairs of this world : on a certain day, the disturbing blast of
the trumpet shall disturb the universe ; and the subsequent blast shall follow
it. On that day men’s hearts shall tremble : their looks shall de cast down.
The infidels say, Shall we surely be made to return whence we came?? After
we shall have become rotten bones, shall we be again raised to life? They

a This, say the commentators, is the most severe and terrible sentence in the whole
Koran, pronounced against the inhabitants of hell ;: they being hereby assured that every
change in their torments will be for the worse. :

* «Tn that day Gabriel shall remain standing, the angels shall keep theirranks. They

shall speak: to no one without the permission of the Highest, and they shall say only that
which is fitting.’’—Savary.
_ ° These are the angel of death, and his assistants ; who will take the souls of the wicked
in a rough and cruel manner, from the inmost part of their bodies, as a man drags up a
thing fron the bottom of the sea ; but will take the souls of the good in a gentle and easy
manner, from their lips, as when a man draws a bucket of water at one pull.

There are several other interpretations of this whole passage ; some expounding all the
five parts of the oath of the stars, others of the souls of men, others of the souls of war-
rors in particular, and others of war-horses: a detail of which, I apprehend, would rather
‘ure than please.

°«.e. Shall we be restored to our former condition?

1Al Beidawi.
CHAP. LXXX. AL KORAN. 479°

say, This then willbe a return to loss.* Verily it will be but one sounding
of the trumpet,2 and, behold, they shall appear alive on the face of the
earth." Hath not the story of Moses reached thee? When his Lorp
called unto him in the holy valley Towa,’ saying, Go unto Pharaoh; for he
is insolently wicked: and say, Hast thou a desire to become just and holy;
and I will direct thee unto thy Lorn, that thou mayest fear to transgress.
And he showed him the very great sign of the rod turned into a serpent :
but he charged Moses with imposture, and rebelled against God. Then he
turned back hastily ; and he assembled the magicians, and cried aloud, say-
ing, ] am your supreme Lorp. Wherefore Gop chastised him with the
punishment of the life to come, and also of this present life. Verily herein
is an example unto him who feareth to rebel. Are ye more difficult to create,
or the heaven which God hath built? He hath raised the height thereof,
and hath perfectly formed the same: and he hath made the night thereof
dark, and hath produced the light thereof. After this, he stretched out the
earth,‘ whence he caused to spring forth the water thereof, and the pasture
thereof; and he established the mountains, for the use of yourselves, and
of your cattle. When/the prevailing, the great day shall come, on that day
shall,a man call to remembrance what he hath purposely done: and hell
shall be exposed to the view of the spectator. And whoso shall have
transgressed, and shall have chosen this present life; verily hell shall be his
abode; but whoso shall have dreaded the appearing before his Lorp, and
shall have refrained his soul from lust, verily paradise shall be his abode.
They will ask thee concerning the Zast hour, when will be the fixed time
thereof? By what means canst thou give any information of the same?
Unto thy Lorp belongeth the knowledge of the period thereof: and thou art
only a warner, who fearest the same. The day whereon they shall see the
same, it shall seem to them as though they had not tarried in the world
longer than an evening, or a morning thereof.t

CHAPTER LXXxX.

INTITLED, HE FROWNED; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

The prophet frowned, and turned aside, because the blind man came unto
him :* and how dost thou know whether he shall peradventure be cleansed

 

* “ Assuredly this resurrection is chimerical.”"—Savary. _

«viz. The second or third blast, according to different opinions. nee

' Or, They shall appear at the place of judgment. The original word al Sabira is also
one of the names o: ae :

* See chap. 20, p. 256. . .

; Which had en created before the heavens, but without expansion.? ae

+ ‘It shall seem unto men, as if that they had abode but an evening, or a morning, in
the tomb.’’—Savary. : . Lien

«This passage was revealed on the following occasion. A certain blind man, named

2 Jallalo’ddin.
480 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXXXL

from his sins; or whether he shall be admonished, and the admonition shall
profit him? The man who is wealthy, thou receivest respectfully; whereas
it is not to be charged on thee, that he is not cleansed: but him who cometh
unto thee earnestly, seeking his salvation, and who feareth God, dost thou
neglect. By no means shouldst thow act thus. Verily the Kordn is an
admonition (and he who is willing retaineth the same ;) written in volumes
honourable, exalted, and pure; by the hands of scribes honoured, and
just.* May man be cursed! What hath seduced him to infidelity ?* Of
what thing doth Gop create him? Of a drop of seed doth he create him;
and he formeth him with proportion; and then facilitateth his passage oyt
of the womb: afterwards he causeth him to die, and layeth him in the
grave; hereafter, when it shall please him, he shall raise him to life.
Assuredly, He hath not bitherto fully performed what God hath. com-
manded him. Let man consider his food; in what manner it is provided.
We pour down water by showers ; afterwards we cleave the earth in clefts,
and we cause corn to spring forth therein, and grapes, and clover, and the
olive, and the palm, and gardens planted thick with trees, and fruits, and
grass, for the use, of yourselves and of your cattle. When the stunning
sound of the trumpet shall be heard; on that day shall a man fly from his
brother, and his mother, and his father, and his wife, and his children.
Every man of them, on that day, shall have business of his own sufficient to
employ his thoughts. On that day the faces of some shall be bright, laughing,
and joyful: and upon the faces of others, on that day, shall there be dust;
darkness shall cover them. These are the unbelievers, the wicked.

CHAPTER LXXXI.
INTITLED, THE FOLDING UP; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Wuen the sun shall be folded up;*{ and when the stars shall fall; and
when the mountains shall be made to pass away ; and when the camels ten

 

Abdallah Ebn Omm Macttim, came and interrupted Mohammed while he was engaged
in earnest discourse with some of the principal Koreish, whose conversion he had hopes
of; but the prophet taking no notice of him, the blind man, not knowing he was other-
wise busied, raised his voice, and said, O apostle of God, teach me some part of what God
hath taught thee ; but Mohammed, vexed at this interruption, frowned and turned away
from him; for which he is here reprehended. After this, whenever the prophet saw Ebn
Omm Mactiim, he showed him great respect, saying, The man is welcome, on whose ac-
count my Lord hath reprimanded me ; and he made him twice governor of Medina.*

= Being transcribed from the preserved table, highly honoured in the sight of God, kept
pure and uncorrupted from the hands of evil spirits, and touched only by the angels. Some
understand hereby the books of the prophets, with which the Koran agrees in substance.‘

(The Mohammedans are faithful to this precept: they transcribe the Korfn with the
greatest exactness, and preserve it with the profoundest veneration.)—Savary.

* “ Perish the wicked! Who hath had the power to render him unfaithful ?”? Savary.

y As a garment that is to be laid by.

tT ‘ When the sun shall be covered with darkness.’’—Savary.
> Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi. “ Al Zamakh.
CHAP. LXXXI AL KORAN. 481

months gone with young shall be neglected ;7 and when the wild beasts
shall be gathered together ;* and when the seas shall boil; and when the
souls shall be joined again to their bodies ; and when the girl who hath been
buried alive shall be asked for what crime she was put to death;* and
when the books shall be laid open; and when the heaven shall be re-
moved ;* and when hell shall burn fiercely ; and when paradise shall be
brought near; every soul shall know what it hath wrought. Verily I
swear ° by the stars which are retrograde, which move swiftly, and which
hide themselves; and by the night, when it cometh on; and by the
morning, when it appeareth ;* that these are the words of an honourable ©
messenger,® endued with strength, of established dignity in the sight of the
possessor of the throne, obeyed by the angels under his authority, and
faithful: and your companion Mohammed is not distracted. He had
already seen him in the clear horizon: ® and he suspected not! the secrets
revealed unto him. Neither are these the words of an accursed devil.
Whither, therefore, are you going? This is no other than an admonition
unto all creatures; unto him among you who shall be willing to walk
uprightly: but ye shall not will, unless Gop willeth, the Lorp of all
creatures.

 

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 59.

* See ibid. pp. 59 and 61.

> See ibid. p. 59. ;

¢ For it was customary among the ancient Arabs to bury their daughters alive, as soon
as they were born, for fear they should be impoverished by providing for them, or should
suffer disgrace on their account. See chap. 16, p. 218.

4 Or plucked away from its place, as the skin is plucked off from a camel which is flaying ;
for that is the proper signification of the verb here used. Miarracci fancies the passage
alludes to that in the Psalms,‘ where, according to the versions of the Septuagint and
Vulgate, God is said to have stretched out the heaven like a skin.

© Or, I will not swear, &c. See chap. 56, p. 437, note d. (Savary prefers this reading.)

‘ Some understand hereby the stars in general; but the more exact commentators five
of the planets, viz. the two which accompany the sun, and the three superior planets, which _
have both a retrograde and a direct motion, and hide themselves in the rays of the sun,
or when they set. :

* «By the night, when it spreads its shades; by the dawn, when it expands in
new-born fires.’’—Savary. :

® 4. e. Gabriel.

4 See chap. 53, p. 427.

. ‘Some copies, by a change of one letter only, instead of dhananin, read dantnin; and
then the words should be rendered, He is not tenacious of, or grudges not to communicate
to you, the secret revelations which he has received.

k Who has overheard, by stealth, the discourse of the angels. The verse is an answer
to a calumny of the infidels, who said the Koran was only a piece of divination, or magic:
for the Arabs suppose the soothsayer, or magician, receives his intelligence from those evil
spirits who are continually listening to learn what they can from the inhabitants of heaven.

5 Psalm civ. 2.
482 AL KORAN. OHAP. LXX XIII

CHAPTER LXXXII.

INTITLED, THE CLEAVING IN SUNDER; REVEALED AT MECCA.*

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Wuen the heaven shall be cloven in sunder; and when the stars shall
be scattered ; and when the seas shall be suffered to join their waters ,
and when the graves shall be turned upside down: every soul shall know
what it hath committed, and what it hath omitted. O man, what hath
seduced thee against thy gracious Lor, who hath created thee, and put
thee together, and rightly disposed thee? In what form he pleased hath
he fashioned thee. Assuredly. But ye deny the das? judgment as a false-
hood. Verily there are appointed over you guardian angels, honourable in
the sight of God, writing down your actions ; who know that which ye do.
The just shall surely be in a place of delight : but the wicked shall surely be
in hell; they shall be cast therein to be turned, on the day of judgment,
and they shall not be absent therefrom for ever. What shall cause thee to
understand what the day of judgment is? Again, What shall cause thee
to understand what the day of judgment is? Jt is a day whereon one soul
shall not be able to obtain any thing in behalf of another soul: and the
command, on that day, shall be Gop’s.

CHAPTER LXXXIII.

INTITLED, THOSE WHO GIVE SHORT MEASURE OR WEIGHT;
REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Woe be unto those who give short measure or weight: who, when they
receive by measure from other men, take the full; but when they measure
unto them, or weigh unto them, defraud! Do not these think they shall
be raised again, at the great day, the day whereon mankind shall stand
before the Lorp of all creatures? By no means.t Verily the register of
the actions of the wicked is surely in Sejjin.™ And what shall make thee

 

* (Zamakhshari says, that the believer who shall read this chapter shall receive a divine
favour for every drop of water which falls from the clouds, and another for each grave upon
the face of the earth.)—Savary.

1 See chap. 50, p. 421; and the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 51.
+ ‘Thou canst not doubt of it.’’—Savary.

™ Sejjin is the name of the general register, wherein the actions of all the wicked, both
men and genii, are distinctly entered. Sejn signifies a prison; and this book, as some think,
derives its name from thence, because it will occasion those whose deeds are there re-
corded to be imprisoned in hell. Sejjin or Sajin is also the name of the dungeon beneath
the seventh earth, the residence of Eblis and his host ; where it is supposed, by some, that
this book is kept, and where the souls of the wicked will be detained till the resurrection.
If the latter explication be admitted, the words, And what shall make thee to understand
what Sejjin is ? should be enclosed within a parenthesis.

° Jallallo’ddin, al Beidéwi. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. pp. 55, 56.
CHAP. UXXXIII. AL KORAN. ‘ 483

to understand what Sejjin is? Jt is a book distinctly written. Woe be on
that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture; who denied
the day of judgment as a falsehood! And none denieth theesame as a
falsehood, except every unjust and flagitious person : who, when our signs
are rehearsed unto him, saith, They are fables of the ancients. By no
means: but rather their lusts have cast a veil over their hearts. By no
means. Verily they shall be shut out from their Lorp on that day; and
they shall be sent into hell to be burned : then shall it be said unto them by
the infernal guards, This is what ye denied as a falsehood.* Assuredly.
But the register of the actions of the righteous is Iliyyun:" and what shall
cause thee to understand what Illiyyun is? Jt is a book distinctly written:
those who approach near unto God are witnesses thereto.° Verily the
righteous shail dwell among delights; seated on couches they shall behold
objects of pleasure ; thou shalt see in their faces the brightness of joy.
They shall be given to drink of pure wine, sealed; the seal whereof shall
be musk :?. and to this let those aspire, who aspire to happiness : + and the
water mixed therewith shall be of Tasnim,* a fountain whereof those
shall drink who approach near unto the divine presence.* They who act
wickedly laugh the true believers to scorn: and when they pass by them,
they wink at one another: and when they turn aside to their people, they
turn aside making scurrilous jests; and when they see them, they say,
Verily these are mistaken men. But they are not sent to be keepers over
them.s Wherefore one day the true believers, in their turn, shall laugh
the infidels to scorn:t dying on couches they shall look down upon them in
hell. Shall not the infidels be rewarded for that which they have done?

 

* ** At the day of judgment, God shall envelope them in a veil, and shall plunge them
inlg hell. Behold, will he say unto them, the torments which you treated as a chimera!’’
—Savary.

2 The word is a plural, and signifies high places. Some say it is the general register
wherein the actions of the righteous, whether angels, men, or genii, are distinctly recorded.
Others will have it to be a place in the seventh heaven, under the throne of God; where
this book is kept, and where the souls of the just, as many think, will remain to the last
day.’ _If we preter the latter opinion, the words, And what shall make thee to understand
what Illyyun is? should likewise be enclosed in a parenthesis.

° Or, Are present with, and keep the same.

? i. e, The vessels containing the same shall be sealed with musk, instead of clay. Some
understand by the seal of this wine, its farewell, or the flavour it will leave in the mouth
after it is drunk.

+ * Let those who aspire to this happiness exert themse.ves to merit it.’””—Savary.

4 Tasnim is the name of a fountain in paradise, so called from its being conveyed to the
highest apartments.

* For they shall drink the water of Tasnim pure and unmixed, being continually and
wholly employed in the contemplation of God ; but the other inhabitants of paradise shall
drink it mixed with their wine.*

i. e. The infidels are not commissioned by God to call the believers to account, or te
judge of their actions. ; :

When they shall see them ignominiously driven into hell. It is also said that a door
snall be shown the damned, opening into paradise, and they shall be bidden to go in;
but when they come near the door, it shall suddenly shut; and the believers within shall
laugh at them.® / :

‘Jallalo’ddin. See the Prelim. Disc. ubi sup. ® Al Benlawi. °Tdem.
484 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXXXIV

CHAPTER LXXXIV.
INTITLED, THE RENDING IN SUNDER; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

WueEn the heaven shall be rent in sunder, and shall obey its Lorp, and
shall be capable thereof ; and when the earth shall be stretched out,” and
shall cast forth that which is therein,” and shall remain empty, and shall
obey its Lorp, and shall be capable thereof: O man, verily labouring thou
labourest to meet thy Lorp, and thou shalt meet him.* And he who shall
have his book given into his right hand shall be called to an easy account,
and shall turn unto his family” with joy: but he who shall have his book
given him behind his back* shall invoke destruction to fall upon him, and
he shall be sent into hell to be burned; because he rejoiced insolently
amidst his family on earth. Verily he thought he should never return
unto God : yea verily, but his Lorp beheld him. Wherefore I swear* by
the redness of the sky after sun-set, and by the night, and the animals
which it driveth together,* and by the moon when she is in the full; ye
shall surely be transferred successively from state to state.» What aileth
them, therefore, that they believe not the resurrection ; and that, when the
Koran is read unto them, they worship not?* Yea: the unbelievers ac-
cuse the same of imposture: but Gop well knoweth the malice which they
keep hidden in their breasts. Wherefore denounce unto them a grievous
punishment, except those who believe and do good works: for them is
prepared a never failing reward.

 

« There are some who take this chapter to have been revealed at Medina.
’ Like a skin: every mountain and hill being levelled.
» As the treasures hidden in its bowels, and the bodies which lie in their graves.

al And thou shalt meet thy labour, whether thy works be good, or whether they be
evil.

74. e. His relations or friends, who are true believers; or rather, to his wives and ser-
vants, of the damsels and youths of paradise, who wait to receive him.”

* That is, into his left hand; for the wicked shall have that hand bound behind their
back, and their right hand to their neck.

° Or, I will not swear. See chap. 56, p. 437, noted. (Savary adopts this reading.)
* «By the night, and that which it enfoldeth in its shades.’’—Savary.

*i. e. From the state of the living, to that of the dead; and from the state of the dead,
to a new state of life.in another world.

° Or, hums-2 not themselves.

Al Beidiwi, " Tdem.
CHAP. LXXXV. AL KORAN. 485

CHAPTER LXXXV. .
INTITLED, THE CELESTIAL SIGNS; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the heaven adorned with signs; by the promised day of judgment ,
oy the witness, and the witnessed ;* cursed were the contrivers of the pit,!
of fire supplied with fuel; when they sat around the same, and were
witnesses of what they did against the true believers *¢ and they afflicted
them for no other reason, but because they believed in the mighty, the
glorious Gop, unto whom belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth: and
Gop is witness of all things. Verily for those who persecute the true
believers of either sex, and afterwards repent not, is prepared the
torment of hell; and they shall suffer the pain of burning.“{ But for those
who believe, and do that which is right, are destined gardens beneath which
rivers flow: this shail be great felicity. Verily the vengeance of thy Lorn
is severe. He createth, and he restoreth to life: he is inclined to forgive,
and gracious; the possessor of the glorious throne, who effecteth that
which he pleaseth. Hath not the story of the hosts of Pharaoh‘ and

 

4 The original word properly signifies towers, which some interpret of real towers,'
wherein it is supposed the angels keep guard ; and others, of the stars of the first magni-
tude: but the generality of expositors understand thereby the twelve signs of the zodiac,
wherein the planets make their several stations.*

* The meaning of these words is very uncertain, and the explications of the commenta-
tors consequently vary. One thinks the witness to be Mohammed, and that which is borne
witness of to be the resurrection, or the professors of the Mohammedan fazth; or else that
these latter are the witness, and the professors of every other religion those who will be
witnessed against by them. Another supposes the witness to be the guardian angel, and
his charge the person witnessed against. Another expounds the words of the day of
Arafat, the 9th Dhu’lhajja, and of the day of slaying the victims, which is the day fol-
lowing; or else of Friday, the day of the weekly assembling of the Mohammedans at their
mosques, and of the people who are assembled on those days, &c.*

‘ Literally, the lords of the pit. These were the ministers of the persecution raised by
Dhu Nowas, king of Yaman, who was of the Jewish religion, against the inhabitants
of Najran: for they having embraced Christianity (at that time the true religion, by the
confession of Mohammed himself), the bigoted tyrant commanded all those who would
not renounce their faith to be cast into a pit, or trench, filled with fire, and there burnt to
ashes.‘ Others, however, tell the story, with different circumstances.®

* “By the signs which are in the heavens, by the promised day, by the witness and
the day of witnessing,” the dwellers of the cavern have perished. They kept up there a

ilty fire: while that they were seated around it, they devised plots against the be-
levers.’’—Savary. ‘

& Or, as some choose to understand the words, And shall be witnesses against themselves.
at the day of judgment, of their unjust treatment of the true believers.

» Which pain, it is said, the persecutors of the Christian martyrs above-mentioned felt
in this life ; the fire bursting forth upon them from the pit, and consuming them.*

+ “Those who have burned the believers of both sexes, and who have not repented
thereof, shall be plunged into the flames of hell.’’—Savary.

§ See chap. 7, p. 127. :

‘Yahya. See chap. 15, p. 210, and chap. 72, p. 467.  Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi,
Yahya. 4 Tidem. 5 Tidem. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 62. Ecchellens, Hist. Arab. part 1.
c. 10; and Prid. Life of Mohammed, p. 61. * Vide D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Abou
Navas. 7 The day ofresurrection. ° Al Beidawi, Yahya.
486 . AL KORAN. CHAP. LKXXVII.

of Thamud* reached thee? Yet the unbelievers cease not to accuse the
divine revelations of falsehood: but Gop encompasseth them behind, that
they cannot escape. Verily that which they reject is a glorious Koran; the
original whereof is written in a table kept in heaven.

CHAPTER LXXXVI.

INTITLED, THE STAR WHICH APPEARED BY NIGHT; REVEALED
AT MECCA. -

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the heaven, and that which appeareth by night: but what shall
cause thee to understand what that which appeareth by night is? it is the
star of piercing brightness: ™* every soul hath a guardian set over it. Let
a man consider, therefore, of what -he is created. He is created of seed
poured forth, issuing from the loins, and the breast bones." Verily God is
able to restore him to life, the day whereon ail secret thoughts and actions
shall be examined into; and he shall have no power to defend himself, nor
any protector. By the heaven which returneth the rain;° and by the
earth which openeth to let forth vegetables and springs: verily this is a
discourse distinguishing good from evil ; and it is not composed with light-
ness. Verily the infidels are laying a plot to frustrate my designs: but I
will lay a plot for their ruin. Wherefore, O prophet, bear with the unbe-
lievers : let them alone a while.

CHAPTER LXXXVII.
INTITLED, THE MOST HIGH;*? REVEALED AT MECCA.t

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Praise the name of thy Lorp, the most high; who hath created, and
completely formed his creatures: and who determineth them to various

* See chap. 7, p. 123.

' And preserved from the least change or corruption. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 3. p.
46, and sect. 4, p. 71. F

™ Some take the words to signify any bright star, without restriction: but others think
some particular star or stars to be thereby intended; which one supposes to be the morning
star, (peculiarly called al Térek, or the appearing by night;) another, Saturn, (that planet
being by the Arabs surnamed al Thakeb, or the piercing, as it was by the Greeks, Phenon,
or the shining ;) and a third, the Pleiades.

* “ By the heaven, and the nocturnal star: who shall depict unto thee this star, the
fires of which are penetrating ?”’—Savary.

®4.e. From the loins of the man, and the breast bones of the woman.?

° Or, as some expound it, Which _performeth its periodic motion, returning to the point
from whence it began the same. The words seem designed to express the alternate re-
turns of the different seasons of the year.

» Some take the first word of this chapter, viz. Praise, for its title.
+ * The believer who shall read the chapter, intitled the Most High, shall receive ten

* Al Beidawi, Yahya.
CHAP. LXXXVIII. AL KORAN. 487

ends,* and directeth them to attain the same ;** and who produceth the
pasture for cattle, and afterwards rendereth the same dry stubble of a dusky
hue. We will enable thee to rehearse our revelations 3* and thou shalt not
forget any part thereof, except what Gop shall please ;* for fe knoweth
that which is manifest, and that which is hidden. And we will facilitate
unto thee the most easy way." Wherefore admonish thy people, if thy
admonition shall be profitable unto them. Whoso feareth God, he will be
admonished : but the most wretched unbeliever will turn away therefrom;
who shall be cast to be broiled in the greater fire of hell, wherein he shall
not die, neither shall he live. Now hath he attained felicity, who is puri-
fied by faith, and who remembereth the name of his Lorp, and prayeth.
But ye prefer this present life: yet the life to come is better, and more
durable. Verily this ig written in the ancient books, the books of Abra
ham and Moses.

CHAPTER LXXXVIII.
INTITLED, THE OVERWHELMING;* REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Harn the news of the overwhelming day of judgment reached thee?
The countenances of some, on that day, shall be cast down; labouring and
toiling :*f they shall be cast into scorching fire to be broiled: they shall be
given to drink of a boiling fountain: they shall have no food, but of dry
thorns and thistles:” which shall not fatten, neither shall they satisfy hunger
But the countenances of others, on that day, shall be joyful; well pleased
with their past endeavour: they shail be placed in a lofty garden, wherein
thou shalt hear no vain discourse: therein shalZ be a running fountain

 

celestial gifts for every letter which is contained in the books sent from heaven, to Abra
ham, Moses, and Mohammed. So say the Mohdmmedan theologians.’’—Savary.

+ Determining their various species, properties, ways of life, &c.* /

* Guiding the rational by their reason and also by revelation, and the irrational by in
stinct, &c.? ; ; ;

* ‘< He hath created and perfected his works. Eternal wisdom presideth over his de-
crees.’’—Savary.

"See chap. 75, p. 473. :

* i. e. Except such revelations as God shall think fit to abrogate, and blot out of thy
memory. See chap. 2, p. 14, and chap. 75, p. 473.

= To retain the revelations communicated to thee by Gabriel: or, as some understand
the words, We will dispose thee to the profession and strict observance of the most easy
religion, that is, of Islam. -

’ This is a name, or epithet of the last day; because it will suddenly overwhelm all
creatures with fear and astonishment. It is also a name, or epithet, of hell fire.

x 4. e. Dragging their chains, and labouring through hell fire, as-camels labour through
mud, &c. Or, Employing and fatiguing themselves in what shall not avail them.?

t “ Hath any one depicted unto thee the gloomy veil? Those of whom the counte-
nance shall be covered by it shall be like unto hirelings exhausted by fatigue..’—Savary

y Such as the camels eat when green and tender. Some take the original word al Dari
for the name of a thorny tree. (Savary 1s of this opinion.)

1 Al Beidawi. 2 Idem. 2 Idem.
488 AL KORAN. CHAP. LXXXIX.

therein shall be raised beds, and goblets placed before them, and cushions:
laid in order, and carpets ready spread. Do they not consider the camels,*
how they are created; and the heaven, how it is raised; and the moun-
tains, how they are fixed; and the earth, how it is extended? Wherefore
warn. thy people ; for thou art a warner only: thou art not impowered to
act with authority over them. But whoever shall turn back,* and dis-
believe, Gon shall punish him with the greater punishment of the life:to
come. Verily unto us shall they return: then shall it be our part to bring
them to account.

. CHAPTER LXXXIX.
INTITLED, THE DAY-BREAK; REVEALED AT MECCA?
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GoD.

By the day-break, and ten nights;° by that which is double, and that
which is single;** and by the night when it cometh on: is there not in
this an oath formed with understanding? Hast thou not considered how
thy Lorp dealt with Ad, the peeple of Irem,° adorned with lofty buildings,

 

.* These animals are of such use, or rather necessity, in the east, that the creation of a
species so wonderfully adapted to those countries is a very proper instance, to an Arabian,
of the power and wisdom of God. :

Some, however, think the clouds, (which the original word 26J also signifies,) are here
intended: the heaven being mentioned immediately after.

* Or, Except him who chall turn back, and be an infidel ; and God shall also punish
him, &c. By which exception some suppose that power is here given to Mohammed to
chastise obstinate infidels and apostates.

> Some are of »pinion this chapter was revealed at Medina.

¢ That is, The ten nights of Dhu’lhajja, or the tenth of that month, (whence some un-
derstand the day-break mentioned just before, of the morning of that day, or of the pre-
ceding ;) or the niente of the 10th of Moharram ; or as others rather think, the 10th, 11th,
and 12th of Dhu’lhajji. All which are days peculiarly sacred among the Mohammedans.

4 These words are variously interpreted. Some understand thereby all things in gene-
ral; some, all created beings, (which are said to have been created by pairs, or of two
kinds,‘) and the creator, who is single: some, of the primum mobile, and the other orbs;
some, of the constellations, and the planets ; some, ofthe nights before mentioned, taken
either together or singly ; and some, of the day of slaying the victims, (the 10th of Dhu’l
hajja,) and of the day of Arafat, which is the day before, &&c.5

* «« By the union and the separation.” —Savary.

° Trem was the name of the territory or city of the Adites, and of the garden mentioned
in the next note ; which were so called from Irem, or Aram, the grandfather of Ad, their
progenitor. Some think Aram himself to be here meant, and his name to be added to
signify the ancient Adites, his immediate descendants, and to distinguish them from the
latter tribe of that name:* but the adjective and relative joined to the word are, in the
original, of the feminine gender, which seems to contradict this opinion.

‘ Or pillars. Some imagine these words are used to’express the great size and strength
of the old Adites ;* and then they should be translated, who were of enormous stature. But
the more exact commentators take the passage to relate to the sumptuous palace and de-
li biol yeteene built and made by Sheddéd the son of Ad. For they say Ad left two sons,
Sheddad and Sheddid, who reigned jointly after his decease, and extended their power over
the greater part of the world: but Sheddid dying, his brother became sole monarch ; who
having heard of the celestial paradise, made a garden, in imitation thereof, in the deserts
of Aden, and called it Irem, after the name of his great-grandfather: when it was finished,
he set out, with a great attendance, to take a view of it; but when they were come within a

“See chap. 51, p. 424. 5 Al Zamakh. ° Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ‘lidem.
See the Prelim. Disc. p. 5.
OHAP. LXXXIX. AL KORAN. 489

the like whereof hath not been erected in the land;* and with Thamud,
who hewed the rocks in the valley™ into houses; and with Pharaoh,
-he contriver of the stakes :' who had behaved insolently in the earth, and
multiplied corruption therein?* Wherefore thy Lorp poured on them
various kinds * of chastisement: for thy Lorp is surely in a watch-tower,
whence he observeth the actions of men. Moreover man, when his Lorp
‘trieth him by prosperity, and honoureth him, and is bounteous unto him,
saith, My Lorp honoureth me; but when he proveth him by affictions, and
withholdeth his provisions from him, he saith, My Lorp despiseth me. By
no means :? but ye honour not the orphan, neither do ye excite one another
to feed the poor; and ye devour the inheritance of the weak, with undis-
tinguishing greediness, and ye love riches with much affection. By no means
should ye do thus.— When the earth shall be minutely ground to dust; and
thy Lorp shall come, and the angels rank by rank ; and hell, on that day,
shall be brought nigh:" on that day shall man call to remembrance his evil
deeds ; but how shail remembrance avail him? He shall say, Would to’
Gop that [ had heretofore done good works in my life-time!*° On that day
none shall punish with his punishment; nor shall any bind with his bonds.?

 

day’s journey of the place, they were all destroyed by a terrible noise from heaven.
Al Beidawi adds that one Abdallah Ebn Kelabah (whom, after D’Herbelot, I have else-
er named Colabah®*) accidentally hit on this wonderful place, as he was seeking a
camel,

® If we suppose the precéding words to relate to the vast stature of the Adites, these
must be translated, The like of whom have not been created, &c.

The learned Greaves, in his translation of Abu’lfeda’s description of Arabia,® has
falsely rendered these words, which are there quoted, Quibus petre vallis responsum de-
derunt, i.e. To whom the rocks of the valley returned answer: whicn slip being made by
go great a man, I do not at all wonder that la Roque, and Petis de la Croix, from whose
Latin version, and with whose assistance, la Roque made his French translation of the
aforesaid treatise, have been led into the same mistake, and rendered these words, A qui
les pierres de la vallée redirent réponse. The valley here meant, say the commentators?
is Wadi’ lkora, fying about one aay journey,? (not five and upwards, as Abu'lfeda will
have it) from al Hejr.

' See chap. 38, p. 372.

* Art thou ignorant how Gop took vengeance on the Adites; on the Iremites, whose
stature equalled the height of columns; (the earth never bore men like unto them;) on
the Thamuds, who hewed the rocks into valleys; and on Pharaoh, who, surrounded by a
splendid court, ruled Egypt haughtily.”—Savary.

« The original word signifies a mizture, and also a scourge of platted thongs: whence
some suppose the chastisement of this life is here represented by a scourge, and intimated
to be as much lighter than that of the next life, as scourging is lighter than death.‘

! For worldly prosperity or adversity is not a certain mark either of the favour or dis-
favour of God. thes :

™ Not suffering women or young children to have any share in the inheritance of their
husbands or parents. See chap. 4, p. 60. .

t “Are not these your faults?’”’—Savary. _

= There is a tradition that at the last day hell will be dragged towards the tribunal b
70,000 halters, each halter being hawled by 70,000 angels; and that it will come wi
great roaring and oe ‘

° Or, For this:my latter life. ; ;

Pie. None shall be able to punish or to bind, as God shall then punish and bind the
wicked.* / :

a im. Disc. p. 5.  ° Page 23. It was published by Dr. Hudson, in the third vol. _
of ihe Ganaraphie sates Scrittor. Gr. minor. * Descr. de |’ Arabie, mise a la suite du
Voyage de la Palestine, par La Roque, p. 35. 2J allal., al Beidawi. * Ebn Hawkal,
apud Abulf. ubi sub. Géogr. Nub. p. 110. ‘ Al Beidawi. 5 Al Beidawi, Fallal.
* Tidem.

2@
190 AL KORAN. CHAP. XC.

O thon soul which art at rest,? return unto thy Lorp, well pleased with thy
reward, and well pleasing unto God : enter among my servants ; and enter
my paradise.

CHAPTER XC.
INTITLED, THE TERRITORY; REVEALED AT MECCA.*
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. 5

I swear’ by this territory,’ (and thou, O prophet, residest in this ter-
ritory,t) and by the begetter, and that which he hath begotten; = verily
we have created man in misery.* Doth he think that none shall prevail
over him?¥ He saith, I have wasted plenty of riches. Doth he think
that none seeth him? Have we not made him two eyes, and a tongue, and
two lips; and shown him the two highways of good and evil? Yet he
attempteth not the cliff. What shall make thee to understand what the
cliff is?{ Jt is to free the captive; or to feed, in the day of famine, the
orphan who is of kin, or the poor man who lieth on the ground. Whoso
doth this, and is one of those who believe, and recommend perseverance unto
each other, and recommend mercy unto each other; these shall de the com-
panions of the right hand.* But they who shall disbelieve our signs shall

_ be the companions of the left hand :* above them shall be arched fire.

 

4 Some expound this of the soul which having, by pursuing the concatenation of natural
sauses, raised itself to the knowledge of that Being which produced them, and exists of
necessity, rests fully contented, or acquiesces in the knowledge of him, and the contem-
plation of his perfections. By this the reader will observe that the Mohammedans are no
strangers to Quietism. Others, however, understand the words of the soul which, havin
attained the knowledge of the truth, rests satisfied, and relies securely thereon, snftataried
dy doubts; or of the soul which is secure of its salvation, and free from f@pr or sorrow."

_ * The faithful who shall read this chapter devoutly, says Zamakhshari, shall enjoy
the protection of heaven; at the day of resurrection, God will give them a safe-guard
against his wrath.’’—Savary.

Or, I will not swear, §-c. See chap. 56, p. 437, noted. (Savary prefers this reading.)

* viz. The sacred territory of Mecca.

* Or, Thou shalt be allowed to do what thou pleasest in this territory; the words, in this
sense, importing a promise of that absolute power which Mohammed attained on the
aking of Mecca.®

+ “It is thy asylum.’’—Savary.

" Some understand these words generally ; others of Adam, or Abraham, and of their
offspring, and of Mohammed in particular?

* Or, to trouble. This passage was revealed to comfort the prophet under the persecu-
tions of the Koreish.!

ySome expositors take a particular person to be here intended, who was one of Mo-
hammed’s most inveterate adversaries ; as Al Walid Ebn al Mogheira:? others suppose
Abu’l Ashadd Ebn Calda to be the man: who was so very strong, that a large skin
deing spread under his feet, and ten men pulling at it, they could not make him fai,
though they tore the skin to pieces.

* Tn a vain and ostentatious manner; or, in opposing of Mohammed.*

{ ‘We have made him experience the one and the other fortune. But we have not
put him to the last proof. What is that proof?”’—Savary.

* See chap. 56, p. 435. >See ibid.

.

“ee Beidiwi, ‘Idem. *Idem. ‘Idem. °%AlZamakh. Al Beidawi.
) Idem.
CHAP. xom. AL KORAN. 491 .

CHAPTER XCI.
INTITLED, THE SUN; REVEALED AT MECCA.*+

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the Sun, and its rising brightness; t by the moon, when she followeth
him ;* by the day, when it showeth his splendour; by the night, when it
covereth him with darkness;{t by the heaven, and him who built it; by
the earth, and him who spread it forth; by the soul, and him who com-
pletely formed it, and inspired into the same its faculty of distinguishing,
and power of choosing, wickedness and piety: now is he who hath purified
the same, happy; but he who hath corrupted the same, is miserable.
Thamud accused their prophet Saleh of imposture, through the excess of
their wickedness: when the wretch? among them was sent to slay the
cumel; and the apostle of Gop said unto them, Let alone the camel of
Gop; and hinder not her drinking. But they charged him with imposture;
and they slew her. Wherefore their Lorp destroyed them, for their crime,
and made their punishment equal unto them all: and he feareth not the
issue thereof.

CHAPTER XCII.

INTITLED, THE NIGHT; REVEALED AT MECCA.$

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD

By the night, when it covereth all things with darkness; by the day,
when it shineth forth; || by his who hath created the male, and the female:
verily your endeavour is different.1 Now whoso is obedient, and feareth
God,** and professeth the truth of that faith which is most excellent; unto
him will we facilitate the way to happiness: but whoso shall be covetous,
and shall be wholly taken up with this world, and shall deny the truth of
that which is most excellent; unto him will we facilitate the way to misery ;

 

* “The Mohammedan, says Zamakhshari, who shalt devoutly read this chapter, shall
be rewarded as if he had bestowed in alms all that the sun and the moon enlighten in
their course.”’—Savary.

+ ‘By the sun, and its brilliant fires.”"—Savary. :

© i, e. When she rises just after him, as she does at the beginning of the month; or
when she sets after him, as happens when she is a little past the full.*

t ‘By the night, which covereth his luminous countenance.""—Savary.

4 yiz, Kedar Ebn Salef. See chap. 7, p. 124, and chap. 54, p. 430.

$ God will fulfil all the desires of the faithful who shall read this chapter ; he will*
mitigate for them the troubles of life, and will crown all their undertakings with success.
Such is the opinion of the Mohammedan theologians.’’—Savary.

l ‘* By the day when it shineth with the purest radiance.’’—Savary.

™ “Your zeal shall have a different success.’’—Savary.

** « He who giveth alms and who feareth God.""—Savary.

+ Al Beidawi.
492 AL KORAN. CHAP. XCIIF

and his riches shall not profit him, when he shall fall headlong into hell
Verily unto us appertaineth the direction of mankind : and ours is the life
to come, and the present life. Wherefore I threaten you with fire which
burneth fiercely, which none shall enter to be burned except the most
wretched; who shall have disbelieved, and turned back. But he who
strictly bewareth idolatry and rebellion shall be removed far from the same;
who giveth his substance in alms, and by whom no benefit is bestowed on
any, that it may be recompensed, but who bestoweth the same for the sake
of his Lorp, the most High,* and hereafter he shall be well satisfied with
his reward.*

 

CHAPTER XCIII.
INTITLED, THE BRIGHTNESS; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the brightness of the morning; and by the night, when it groweth
dark: } thy Lorp hath not forsaken thee, neither doth he hate thee. Verily
the life to come shall be better for thee than this present life: and thy
Lofp shall give thee a reward wherewith thou shalt be well pleased. Did
he not find thee an orphan, and hath he not taken care of thee? And did
he not find thee wandering in error, and hath he not guided thee into the
truth? And did he not find thee needy, and hath he not enriched thee?

Wherefore oppress not the orphan: neither repulse the beggar : but declare
the goodness of thy Lorp.

 

° Jallalo’ddin thinks this whole description belongs peculiarly to Abu Becr: for when
he had purchased Belal, the Ethiopian (afterwards the prophet’s Muedhdhin, or crier to
prayers), who had been put to the rack on account of his faith, the infidels said he did it
only out of a view of interest; upon which this passage was revealed.

* «The pious man shall dwell in a far different abode. He made the sacrifice of that
which he possessed, that he might become more pure. He never allowed a benefit to
remain unrecompensed. To please God was his sole desire. The enjoyment of paradise
shall constitute his felicity.’’—Savary.

‘ The original word properly signifies the bright part of the day, when the sun shines
full out, three or four hours after it is risen.

t ‘By the sun in his meridian splendour, by the shades of night.""—Savary.

* Itis related, that no revelation having been vouchsafed to Mohammed for several
days in answer to some questions put to him by the Koreish, because he had confidently
promised to resolve them the next day, without adding the exception, If it please God, or
because he had repulsed an importunate beggar, or else because a dead puppy lay under

his seat, or for some other reason; his enemies said that God had left him: whereupon
this chapter was sent down for his consolation."

® See chap. 18, p. 240. " Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. xov. AL KORAN. 493

CHAPTER XCIV.
INTITLED, HAVE WE NOT OPENED; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Have we not opened thy breast ;*' and eased thee of thy burden,* which
galled thy back; and raised thy reputation for thee? Verily a difficulty
shall be attended with ease.t Verily a difficulty shall be attended with ease.
When thou shalt have ended thy preaching ; labour to serve God in return
for his favours ;1 and make thy supplication unto thy Lorp.

CHAPTER XCV.
INTITLED, THE FIG; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the fig, and the olive;™ and by mount Sinai, and this territory of
security ; [" verily we created man of a most excellent fabric; afterwards we
rendered him the vilest of the vile:* except those who believe, and work

 

* «« Have we not expanded thy heart!’’—Savary. .

‘ By disposing and enlarging it to receive the truth, and wisdom, and prophecy; or, by
freeing thee from uneasiness and ignorance? This passage is thought to intimate the

ening of Mohammed’s heart, in his infancy, or when he took his journey to heaven, by
the angel Gabriel; who, having wrung out the black drop, or seed of original sin, washed
and cleansed the same, and filled it with wisdom and faith:* but some think it relates to
the occasion of the preceding chapter.

«i.e. Of thy sins committed before thy mission; or of thy ignorance, or trouble of
mind.

t ‘By the side of pain is pleasure ; by the side of misfortune is happiness.’’—Savary.

1 Or, When thou shalt have finished thy prayer, labour in preaching the faith.”

= God, say the commentators, swears by these two fruits, because of their great uses
and virtues: for the fig is wholesome and easy of digestion, and physically good to carry
off phlegm, and gravel in the kidneys or bladder, and to remove obstructions of the liver
and spleen, and also cures the piles, and the gout, &c.; the olive produces oil, which is
aot only excellent to eat, but otherwise useful for the compounding of ointments ;' the
wood of the olive-tree, moreover, is good for cleansing the teeth, preventing their growing
sotten, and giving a good odour to the mouth; for which reason the prophets, and Mo-
hammed in particular, made use of no other for toothpicks.? :

Some, however, suppose that these words do not mean the fruits or trees above-mer
oned, but two mountdins in the Holy Land, where they grow in plenty; or else the
temple of Damascus and that at_Jerusalem.?

t “And this faithful land.’”’"—Savary.

"viz, The territory of Mecca. These words seem to argue the chapter to have been
revealed there. i sa : ee ; j

°;. e, As the commentators generally expound this passage, We created man of comely
praporeion of body, and great perfection of mind; and yet we have doomed him, in case of
disobedience, to be an inhabitant of hell. Some, however, understand the words of the
vigorous constitution of man in the prime and strength of his age, and of his miserable
decay when he becomes old and decrepit: but they seem rather to intimate the perfect

idawi hya. Vide Abulf. vit. Moh. p. 9, and 33. Prid. Life of Moh. p.
ost Bese AT Bonlawi, Idem. Idem, al Zamakh. | Al Zamakh.
* Idem, Yahya, al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. ‘ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.
494 AL KORAN. CHAP XCVI.

righteousness; for they shall receive an endless reward. What, therefore,
shall cause thee to deny the day of judgment after this? Is not Gop ‘he
most wise judge ?*

CHAPTER XCVI.
INTITLED, CONGEALED BLOOD; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Reap, in the name of thy Lorp, who hath created ail things; who hath
created man of congealed blood.*t Read, by thy most beneficent Lorp ; *
who taught the use of the pen; who teacheth man that which he knoweth
not. Assuredly. Verily man becometh insolent, because he seeth himself
abound in riches.t Verily unto thy Lorp shall be the return of all. What
thinkest thou as to him who forbiddeth our servant, when he prayeth?*
What thinkest thou; if he follow the right direction; or command piety? t
What thinkest thou; if he accuse the divine revelations of falsehood, and
turn his back? Doth he not know that Gop seeth? Assuredly. Verily,
if he forbear not, we will drag him by the forelock,y the lying, sinful fore-
lock. And let him call his council? to his assistance: we also will call the
infernal guards to cast him into hell. Assuredly. Obey him not: but con-
tinue to adore God ; and draw nigh unto him.

 

state of happiness wherein man was originally created, and his fall from thence, in conse-
quence of Adam’s disobedience, to a state of misery in this world, and becoming liable to
one infinitely more miserable in the next.5

» Some suppose these words directed to Mohammed, and others to man in general, by
way of apostrophe. :

* “Ts not the Eternal the most equitable of judges !'"—Savary.

«The first five verses of this chapter, ending with the words, Who taught man that which
he knew not, are generally allowed to be the first passage of the Koran which was revealed,
though some give this honour to the seventy-fourth chapter, and others to the first, the
next, they say, being the sixty-eighth. ‘

* All men being created of thick or concreted blood,® except only Adam, Eve, and Jesus."

t ‘* He formed man by the union of the sexes."’—Savary.

* These words, containing a repetition of the command, are supposed to be a reply to
Mohammed, who in answer to the former words spoken by the angel had declared that he
could not read, being perfectly illiterate ; and intimate a promise that God, who had in-
spired man with the art of writing, would graciously remedy this defect in him.

‘ The commentators agree the remaining part of the chapter to have been revealed
against Abu Jahl, Mohammed’s great adversary. °

“For Abu Jahl threatened that if he catched Mohammed in the act of adoration he
would set his foot on his neck ; but when he came and saw him in that posture, he sud-
denly turned back as in a fright; and being asked what was the matter, said there was a
ditch of fire between himself and Mohammed, and a terrible appearance of troops, to de-
fend him?

t ‘« What thinkest thou of him who disturbeth the servant of the Lord when he prayeth,
when he accomplisheth the command of Heaven, when he exhorteth to piety ?”’—Savary.

¥ See chap. 11, p. 181.

i.e. The council or assembly of the principal Meccans, the f. te t of whi
adhered to Abu Jahl. sf e . SE ey ae

’ Vide Marrace. in loc. p. 809. 5 See chap. 22, p. 274. ™ Yahya. Al
Beidawi, Sideme aoe rane
CHAP. XCVIH. AL KORAN. 495

CHAPTER XCVII.
INTITLED, AL KADR; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GoD.

VeRILY we sent down the Kordn in the night of al Kadr.t And what
shall make thee understand how excellent the night of al Kadr is? The
night of al Kadr is better than a thousand months. Therein do the angels
descend, and the spirit of Gabriel also, by the permission of their Lorp,
with his decrees concerning every matter.»* It is peace until the rising of
the morn.

CHAPTER XCVIII.

INTITLED, THE EVIDENCE;* WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS
DISPUTED. ‘

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Tue unbelievers among those to whom the scriptures were given, and
among the idolaters, did not stagger,‘ until the clear evidence® had come
unto them : an apostle from Gop, rehearsing unto them pure books of reve-
lations ; wherein are contained right discourses. Neither were they unto
whom the scriptures were given divided among themselves, until after the

 

* The word al Kadr signifies power, and honour, or dignity, and also the divine decree ;
and the night is so named, either from its excellence above all other nights in the year, or
because, as the Mohammedans believe, the divine decrees for the ensuing year are annu-
ally on this night fixed and settled, or taken from the preserved table by God’s throne,
and given to the angels to be executed.!. On this night Mohammed received his first
revelations ; when the Koran, say the commentators, was sent down from the aforesaid
table, entire and in one volume, to the lowest heaven, from whence Gabriel revealed it
to Mohammed by parcels, as occasion required. .

The Moslem doctors are not agreed where to fix the night al Kadr; the greater part are
of opinion that it is one of the ten last nights of Ramadan, and, as is prune believed,
the seventh of those nights, reckoning backwards; by which means it will fall between
the twenty-third and twenty-fourth days of that month.?

» See the preceding note, and chap. 44, p. 402.

* “Tt was consecrated by the coming of angels and of the spirit (Gabriel). They
obeyed the orders of the Eternal, and brought laws concerning every matter.’’—Savary.

t “The virtuous Mohammedans (say the Mussulman theologians), who shall read the
chapter of the Evidence, shall, at the day of the resurrection, be placed among the most
excellent of the creatures which have been pardoned by the hand of the Eternal.’’—Savary.

° Some intitle this chapter from the first words, Did not.

44, e, Did not waver in their religion, or in their promises to follow the truth, when an
apostle should come unto them. For the commentators pretend that before the appear-
ance of Mohammed, the Jews and Christians, as well as the worshippers of idols, unani-
mously believed and expected the coming of that prophet, until which time they declared
they would persevere in their respective religions, and then would follow him: but wher
he came, they rejected him through envy.’

¢ viz. Mohammed, or the Koran.

t See chap. 44, p. 402. 2 Al Zamakh., al Jallalo’ddin. 3 Tidem.
496 _AL KORAN. CHAP. XOIX.

clear evidence had come unto them. And they were commanded no other
in the scriptures than to worship Gop, exhibiting unto him the pure reli-
gion, and being orthodox; and to be constant at prayer, and to give alms;&
and this is the right religion. Verily those who believe not, among thase
who have received the scriptures, and among the idolators, shall be cast
into the fire of hell, to remain therein for ever. These are the worst of .
creatures.* But they who believe, and do good works; these are the best
of creatures: their reward with their Lorp shall be gardens of perpetual
abode, through which rivers flow; they shall remain therein for ever.
Gop will be well pleased in them; and they shall be well pleased in him.
This is prepared for him who shall fear his Lorn.

 

CHAPTER XOIX.

INTITLED, THE EARTHQUAKE; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS
“DISPUTED.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Wuen the earth shall be shaken by an earthquake ;* and the earth shall
cast forth her burdens;! and a man shall say, What aileth her?t On
that day the earth shall declare her tidings, for that dhy Lorp‘will inspire
her.* On that day men shall go forward in distinct classes, that they may
behold their works. And whoever shall have wrought good of the weight
of an ant,’ shall behold the same. And whoever shall have wrought evil
of the weight of an ant, shall behold the same.

 

t But when the promised apostle was sent, and the truth became manifest to them,
they withstood the clearest conviction, differing from one another in their opinions ; some
believing and acknowledging Mohammed to be the prophet foretold in the scriptures,
and others denying it.‘

«But these divine precepts in the law and the gospel have they corrupted, changed,
and violated.® 2

* “They are the most perverse of mankind.’’—Savary.

» This earthquake will happen at the first, or, as others say, at the second blast of the
trumpet.® :

5 wiz. The treasures and dead bodies within it.”

+ ‘* Man shall say, What a spectacle !’”’—Savary.

«ji, e. Will inform all creatures of the occasion of her trembling, and casting forth her
treasures and her dead, by the circumstances which shall immediately attend them.

Some say the earth will, at the last day, be miraculously enabled to speak, and will give
evidence of the actions of her inhabitants.®

1 See chap. 4, p. 65, note x.

* Al Zamakh., al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, * Tidem. ® Al Zamakh., al Beidawi.
See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 59. 7 See chap. 84, p. 484, 8 Al Beidiwi. See
the Prelin, Disc. sect. iv. p. 63. ; :
CHAP. CT. AL KORAN. 497

CHAPTER C.

INTITLED, THE WAR-HORSES WHICH RUN SWIFTLY: WHERE IT
WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the war-horses which run swiftly to the battle, with a panting noise ,
and by those which strike fire, by dashing their hoofs against the stones
and by those which make a sudden incursion on the enemy early in the
morning, and therein raise the dust, and therein pass through the midst of
the adverse troops:™ verily man is ungrateful unto his Lorp;* and he is
witness thereof: and he is immoderate in the love of worldly good. Doth
he not know, therefore, when that which is in the graves shall be taken
forth, and that which is in men’s breasts shall be brought to light, that their
Lorp will, on that day, de fully informed concerning them?

CHAPTER CI.
INTITLED, THE STRIKING; REVEALED AT MECCA.

INTHE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Tue striking!" What is the striking? And what shall make thee to
understand how terrible the striking will be? On that day men shall be
like moths scattered abroad,f and the mountains shall become like carded
wool of various colours driven by the wind. Moreover he whose balance
shall be heavy with good works, shall lead a pleasing life: but as to him
whose balance shall be light, his dwelling shall be the pit of hell.0 What
shall make thee to understand how frightful the pit of hell is? Itisa

burning fire.f

™ Some will have it that not horses, but the camels which went to the battle of Bedr,
are meant in this passage.’ Others interpret all the parts of the oath of the human soul ;”
but their explications seem a little forced, and therefore I choose to omit them.

* “By those who in the morning are exercised in running; who make the dust fly
ander their rapid feet; who pass through the hostile battalions; verily man is ungrateful

unto the Lord.’’—Savary. ; i
2 This is one of the names or epithets given to the last day, because it will strake the

hearts of all creatures with terror.* ;
+ “Day of calamities! Terrible day! Who is able to depict it unto thee? In that

day men shall be like unto scattered locusts.”’—Savary.
° The original word Hawiyat is the name of the lowest dungeon of hell, and probably

signifies a deep pit or gulf.
es Who shall give unto thee an idea of the abyss? It is the most devouring of fires.’’

—Savary.

Yahya, ex trad. Ali Ebn Abi Taleb. »° Al Beidawi. 1 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
498 AL KORAN. CHAP. CII

CHAPTER CII.

INTITLED, THE EMULOUS DESIRE OF MULTIPLYING; WHERE IT
WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.*

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Tux emulous desire of multiplying riches and children employeth you,
until ye visit the graves? By no means should ye thus employ your time :
hereafter shall ye know your folly. Again, By no means: hereafter shall
ye know your folly. By no means: if ye knew the consequence hereof with
certainty of knowledge, ye would not act thus. Verily ye shall see hell:
again, ye shall surely see it with the eye of certainty. Then shall ye be
examined, on that day, concerning the pleasures with which ye have amusea
yourselves in this life.t

CHAPTER CIII.
INTITLED, THE AFTERNOON; REVEALED AT MECCA.t

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the afternoon; ® verily man employeth himself in that which will prove
of loss: except those who believe, and do that which is right; and who
mutually recommend the truth, and mutually recommend perseverance
unto each other.

 

* (The believer who shall read this chapter (say the Mohammedan expositors) shall be
rewarded as if he had read a thousand verses of the Koran, and God shall not demand of
him an account of the benefits which he has received in this life.) —Savary.

> de. Until yedie. According to the exposition of some commentators, the words should
be rendered thus: The contending or vying in numbers wholly employeth you, so that ye
visit even the graves, to number the dead: to explain which, hey relate that there was a
great dispute and contention between the descendants of Abd Menéf and the descendants
of Sahm, which of the two families were the more numerous; and it being found, on cal-
culation, that the children of Abd Menaf exceeded those of Sahm, the Sahmites said that
their numbers had been much diminished by wars in the time of ignorance, and insisted
that the dead, as well as the living, should be taken into the account; and by this way
of reckoning they were found to be more than the descendants of Abd Menaf2

t “The care of heaping up occupieth you until ye descend into the tomb! Alas, one
day ye will know! Alas! I repeat it to you, your eyes will one day be opened. Ah!
if ye but certainly knew! Ye will sce the gulfs of hell; ye will see them opened! Then
must ye give an account of your pleasures.’’—Savary.

+ (He who shall read this chapter shall experience the indulgence of the Lorn, and
shall be reckoned in the number of the faithful who have made truth and patience a law
to themselves.)—Savary. ;

_ “Or the time from the sun’s declination to his setting; which is one of the five appointed
times of prayer. The original word also signifies, The age or time in general.

2 Al Zamakh., al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.
CHAP. Ov. AL KORAN. 499

CHAPTER CIV.
INTITLED, THE SLANDERER; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Wor unto every slanderer, and backbiter:* who heapevh up riches, and
prepareth the same for the time to come! He thinketh that his riches will
render him immortal. By no means. He shall surely be cast into Al
Hotama.* And who shall cause thee to understand what al Hotama is ?
It is the kindled fire of Gop; which shall mount above the hearts of those
who shall be cast therein. Verily it shall be as an arched vault above
them on columns of vast extent.

CHAPTER OV.
INTITLED, THE ELEPHANT; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Hast thou not seen how thy Lorp dealt with the masters of the ele-
phant?" Did he not make their treacherous design an occasion of drawing

 

t This passage is said to have been revealed against al Aknas Ebn Shoreik, or al Walid
Ebn al Mogheira, or Omeyya Ebn Khalf, who were all guilty of slandering others, and
especially the prophet.®

* Al Hotama is one of the names of hell, or the name of one of its apartments ;‘* which
is so called because it will break in pieces whatever shall be thrown into it.

' And therefore shall not be extinguished by any.*

* This chapter relates to the following piece of history, which is famous among the
Arabs. Abraha Ebn al Sabah, surnamed al Ashram, i. é. the Slit-nosed, king or vicero’
of Yaman, who was an Ethiopian,® and of the Christian religion, having built a aeante
cent church at Sanda, with a design to draw the Arabs to go in pilgrimage thither, instead
of visiting the temple of Mecca, the Koreish, observing the devotion and concourse of the
pilgrims at the Caaba began considerably to diminish, sent one Nofail, as he is named by
some, of the tribe of Kenanah, who, getting into the aforesaid church by night, defiled the
altar and walls thereof with his excrements. At this profanation Abraha being highly
incensed, vowed the destruction of the Caaba, and accordingly set out against Mecca at
the head of a considerable army, wherein were several elephants, which he had obtained
of the king of Ethiopia, their number being, as some say, thirteen, though others mention
but one. The Meccans, at the approach of so considerable a host, retired to the neigh-
pouring mountains, being unable to defend their city or temple: but Gop himself under-
ook the protection of both. For when Abraha drew near to Mecca, and would have
entered it, the elephant on which he rode, which was a very large one, and named
Mahmid, refused to advance any nigher to the town, but knelt down whenever they
endeavoured to force him that way, though he would rise and march briskly enough if
they turned him towards any other quarter: and while matters were in this posture, on
a sudden a large flock of birds, like swallows, came flying from the sea-coast, every one
of which carried three stones, one in each foot, and one in its bill; and these stones they
threw down upon the heads of Abraha’s men, certainly killing every one they struck.
Then Gop sent a flood, which swept the dead bodies, and some of those who had not
been struck with the stones, into the sea: the rest fled towards Yaman, but perished by
the way ; none of them reaching Sanaa, except only Abraha himself, who died soon afte’
his arrival there, being struck with a sort of plague or putrefaction, so that his bod,

2 Al Zamakh., al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. “See Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p.65.  * Al
Beidawi. ® See the Prelim. Disc. pp. 7, 8.
500 AL KORAN. CHAP. CV.

them into error; * and send against them flocks of birds, which cast down
upon them stones of baked clay;* and render them like the leaves“of corn
eaten by cattle ? t

 

opened, and his limbs rotted off by piece-meal. It is said that one of Abraha’s army,
named Abu Yacsiim, escaped over the Red Sea into Ethiopia, and going directly to the
king, told him the tragical story; and upon that prince’s asking him what sort of birds
they were, that had occasioned such a destruction, the man pointed to one of them, which
had followed him all the way, and was at that time hovering directly over his head, when
immediately the bird let fall the stone, and struck him dead at the king’s feet.”

This remarkable defeat of Abraha happenes in the very year Mohammed was born, and
as this chapter was revealed before the Hejra, and within fifty-four years, at least, after it
came to pass, when several persons, who could have detected the lie, had Mohammed
forged this story out of his own head, were alivé, it seems as if there was really something
extraordinary in the matter, which might, by ageing some circumstances, have been
worked up into a miracle to his hands. Marracci® judges the whole to be either a fable,
or else a feat of some evil spirits, of which he gives a parallel instance, as he thinks, in
the strange defeat of Brennus, when he was marching to attack the temple of Apollo at
Delphi.* Dr. Prideaux directly charges Mohammed with coining this miracle, notwith-
standing he might have been so easily disproved, and supposes, without any foundation,
that this chapter might not have been published till Othman’s edition of the Koran, which
was many years after, when all might be dead who could remember any thing of the
above-mentioned war.2_ But Mohammed had no occasion to coin such a miracle himself,
to gain the temple of Mecca any greater veneration: the Meccans were but too supersti-
tiously fond of it, and obliged him, against his inclinations and original design, to make
it the chief place of his new-invented worship. I cannot, however, but observe Dr. Pri-
deaux’s partiality on this occasion, compared with the favourable reception he gives to
the story of the miraculous overthrow of Brennus and his army, which he concludes in
the following words: ‘‘ Thus was Gop pleased in a very extraordinary manner to execute
his vengeance upon those sacrilegious wretches for the sake of religion in general, how
false and idolatrous soever that particular religion was, for which that temple at Delphos
was erected.’’* If it be answered, that the Gauls believed the religion, to the dévotions
of which that temple was consecrated, to be true, (though that be not certain) and there-
fore it was an impiety in them to offer violence to it, whereas Abraha acknowledged not
the holiness of the Caaba, or the worship there practised; I reply, That the doctor, on
occasion of Cambyses being killed by a wound he accidently received in the same part
of the body where he had before mortally wounded the Apis, or bull worshipped by the
Egyptians, whose religion and worship that prince most certainly believed to be false and
superstitious, makes the same reflection: ‘‘ The Egyptians,’’ says he, ‘‘ reckoned this
as an especial judgment from heaven upon him for that fact, and perchance they were not
much out in it: for it seldom happening in an affront given to any mode of worhip, how
erroneous soever it may be, but that religion is in general wounded hereby, there are
many instances in history, wherein Gop hath very signally punished the profanations of
religion in the worst of times, and under the worst modes of heathen idolatry.” ¢

* «Did he not turn their perfidiousness to their own ruin ?””—Savary.

v These stones were of the same kind with those by which the Sodomites were de-
stroyed,* and were no bigger than vetches, though they fell with such force as to pierce
the helmet and the man through, passing out at his fundament. It is said also that on each
stone was written the name of him who was to be slain by it.

a The perfidious were rendered like the leaves of the harvest which hath been reaped.”
—Savary. / *

* Al Zamakh., al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, Abulf. Hist. Gen. &c. See Prid. Life of Moh.
2. 61, &c. and D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Abrahah. ® Refut. in Alcor. p. 823.
* See Prid. Connection, part. II. book 1, p. 25, and the authors there quoted. 1 See
he Prelim. Dise. sect. i. 2 Prid. Life of Moh. pp. 63, 64. 3 Prid. Connection
in the place ab-ave cited. “Ibid. part. I. book 3, p. 173. 5 See chap. 11, p. 184.
UHAP. CVI. AL KORAN. 501

CHAPTER CVI.
INTITLED, KOREISH; REVEALED AT ‘MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

For the uniting of the tribe of Koreish;~ their uniting in sending forth
the caravan of merchants and purveyors* in winter and summer;* let them
serve the Lorp of this house; who supplieth them with food against hun
ger,’ and hath rendered them secure from fear.

 

CHAPTER COVII.

INTITLED, NECESSARIES; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS
~ DISPUTED.t

‘
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Waar thinkest thou of him who denieth the future judgment as a false
hood? Jt is he who pusheth away the orphan;* and stirreth not up

 

* Some connect these words with the following, and suppose the natural order to be,
Let them serve the Lord of this house, for the uniting, &c. Others connect them with the
preceding chapter, and take the meaning t0 be, that God had so destroyed the army of
Abraha for the uniting of the Koreish, &c. And this last opinion is confirmed by one
copy, mentioned by al Beidawi; wherein this and the preceding make but one chapter.
It may not be amiss to observe, that the tribe of Koreish, the most noble among all the
Arabians, and of which was Mohammed himself, were the posterity of Fehr, surnamed
Koreish, the son of Malec, the son of al Nadr, who was descended ina right line from
Ismael. Some writers say that al Nadr bore the surname of Koreish, but the more re-
ceived opinion is, that it was his grandson Fehr, who was so called because of his intrepid
boldness, the word being a diminutive of Karsh, which is the name of a sea-monster,
very strong and daring ; though there be other reasons given for its imposition.*

xIt was Hashem, the great-grandfather of Mohammed, who first appointed the two
yearly caravans, here mentioned ;* one of which set out in the winter for Yaman, and
the other in summer for Syria.®

* “Tt importeth the safety of commerce during the winter and the summer.’’—Savary.

y By means of the aforesaid caravans of purveyors ; or, Who supplied them with food in
time of famine, which those of Mecca had suffered.*

* By delivering them from Abraha and his troops; or, by making the territory of Mecca
a place of security.

+ ‘God, saith Zamakhshari, will blot out the sins of the believer who shall read this
chapter, provided that he have been punctual in obeying the precept of alms.’’—Savary.

* The person here intended, according to some, was Abu Jahl, who turned away an
orphan, to whom he was guardian, and who came to him naked, and asked for some
relief out of his own money. Some say it was Abu Sofian, who having killed a camel,
when an orphan begged a piece of the flesh, beat him away with his staff; and others
think it was al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, &c.

6 Vide Gagnier, Vie de Mohammed, tom. 1, pp. 44, 46. 7 See the Prelim. Disc. p. 3.
tA] och, Setalolddan, al Bade, ident,
502 AL KORAN. CHAP. CVE.

others to feed the poor. Woe be unto those who pray, and who are neg-
ligent at their prayer: who play the hypocrites, and deny necessaries” to
the needy.*

 

CHAPTER CVIII.

INTITLED, AL CAWTHAR; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Verity we have given thee al Cawthar.t. Wherefore pray unto thy
Lorp, and slay the victims.® Verily he who hateth thee shall be childless.*t

 

> The original word al Matin properly signifies utensils, or whatever is of necessary use,
as a hatchet, a pot, a dish, and a needle, to which some add a bucket and a hand-mill ; or,
according to a tradition of Ayesha, fire, water, and salt ; and this signification it bore in
the time of ignorance: but since the establishment of the Mohammedan religion, the
word has been used to denote alms, either legal, or voluntary ; which seems to be the
true meaning in this place.

* «* Hast thou remarked the unbeliever who denieth the day of judgment? It is he
who devoureth the substance of the orphan. He thinketh not of feeding the poor. Woe
to the hypocrites. They pray negligently, and only from ostentation. They refuse to
stretch out a succouring hand unto their fellow-creatures.’’—Savary.

© There are some, however, who think it to have been revealed at Medina.

4 This word signifies abundance, especial y of good, and thence the gift of wisdom and
prophecy, the Koran, the office of intercessor, &c. Or it may imply abundance of children,
followers, and the like. It is generally, however, expounded of a river in paradise of that
name, whence the water is derived into Mohammed’s pond, of which the blessed are to
drink before their admission into that place.t According to a tradition of the prophet’s,
this river, wherein his Lord promised him abundant good, is sweeter than honey, whiter
than milk, cooler than snow, and smoother than cream ; its banks are of chrysolites, and
the vessels to drink thereout of silver ; and those who drink of it shall never thirst.?

Euthymius Zigabenus,? instead of Cauthar, reading Canthar, supposes the word to
have the same signification in Arabic as in Greek, and translates the two first verses of
the chapter thus: ’Hyet dedwxapév coe tov" kdvOapov Ket tvéac mpds rdv Ktpidy cov, Kai oddtov,
We have given thee the beetle ; wherefore pray unto thy Lord, and slay it ; and then he
cries out, O wonderful and magnificent sacrifice, worthy of the legislator !

© Which are to be sacrificed, at the pilgrimage, in the valley of Mina. Al Beidawi
explains the words thus: Pray with fervency and intense devotion, not out of hypocrisy ;
and slay the fatted camels and oxen, and distribute the flesh among the poor: for he says

this chapter is the counterpart of the preceding, exhorting to those virtues which are op-
posite to the vices there condemned.

‘ These words were revealed against al As Ebn Wayel, who, on the death of Al Kasem,
Mohammed’s son, called that prophet Abtar, which signifies one who has no children, or
posterity.* i

+ ‘‘He who hateth thee shall perish.’’

* See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 4, p. 68. 2 Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c. 7In
Panoplia dogmat. inter Sylvurgii Saracenic. p. 29. ‘ Jallalo’ddin.
OHAP. OX. AL KORAN. 503

CHAPTER OIX.
INTITLED, THE UNBELIEVERS; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Sav: O tinbelievers,¢ I will not worship that which ye worship; nor
will ye worship that which I worship. Neither do I worship that which
ye worship; neither do ye worship that which I worship. Ye have your
religion, and I my religion.

 

CHAPTER CX.
INTITLED, ASSISTANCE; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

WueEn the assistance of Gop shall come, and the victory ;5 and thou shalt
see the people enter into the religion of Gop by troops:: celebrate the
praise of thy Lorp, and ask pardon of him ;* for he is inclined to forgive.

 

It is said that certain of the Koreish once proposed to Mohammed, that if he would
worship their gods for a year, they would worship his God for the same space of time,
upon which this chapter was revealed.*

(This chapter is one of those which the Mohammedans repeat daily as a prayer.) —
Savary.

47, e. When God shall cause thee to prevail over thy enemies, and thou shalt take the
city of Mecca.

! Which happened in the ninth year of the Hejra, when, Mohammed having made him-
self master of Mecca, and obliged the Koreish to submit to him, the rest of the Arabs
came in to him in great numbers, and professed Islam.°

* Most of the commentators agree this chapter to have been revealed before the taking
of Mecca, and suppose it gave Mohammed warning of his death: for they say that when

he read it al Abbas wept, and being asked by the prophet what was the reason of his .

weeping, answered, Because it biddeth thee to prepare for death; to wich Mohammed
replied, It is as thow sayest.". And hence, adds Jallalo’ddin, after the revelation of this
chapter, the prophet was more frequent in praising and asking pardon of God; because he
thereby knew that his end approached: for Mecca was taken in the eighth year of the
Hejra, and he died in the beginning of the tenth.

* Jallalo’ddin, al Beidawi ® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 2, p.39. * Al Beidawi.
504 AL KORAN. CHAP. OXIL.

CHAPTER CXI.
INTITLED, ABU LAHEB; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Tue hands of Abu Laheb shall perish,! and he shall pefish.=* His
riches shall not profit him, neither that which he hath gained." He shal!
go down to be burned into flaming fire;° and his wife also,” bearing
wood,* having on her neck’a cord of twisted fibres of a palm-tree.

 

CHAPTER CXII.

INTITLED, THE DECLARATION OF GOD’S UNITY; WHERE IT
WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Say, God is one God; the eternal Gon: he begetteth not, neither is he

oegutten: and there is not any one liké unto him. ?

 

' Abu Laheb was the surname of Abd’al Uzza, one of the sons of Abd’almotalleb, and
uncle to Mohammed. He was a most bitter enemy to his nephew, and opposed the estab-
lishment of his new religion to the utmost of his power. When that prophet, in obedience
to the command he had received to admonish his relations,* had called them all together,
and told them that he was a warner sent unto them before a grievous chastisement, Abu
Laheb cried out, Mayest thou perish ! hast thou called us together for this? and took up a
stone to cast at him. Whereupon this passage was revealed.®

By the hands of Abu Laheb some commentators, by a synecdoche, understand his per-
son; others, by a metonymy, his affairs in general, they being transacted with those
members ; or his hopes in this world, and the next.

™ He died of grief and vexation at the defeat his friends had received at Bedr, surviving
that misfortune but seven days.t| They add, that his corpse was left above ground three
days, till it stank, and then some negroes were hired to bury him.?

* The power of Abu Laheb hath vanished. He himself hath perished.’’—Savary.

® And accordingly his great possessions, and the rank and esteem in which he lived at
Mecca, were of no service to him, nor could protect him against the vengeance of God.
Al Beidéwi mentions also the loss of his son Otba, who was torn to pieces by a lion, in
the way to Syria, though surrounded by the whole caravan.

° Arab. nér dha! laheb; alluding to the surname of Abu Laheb, which signifies the father
of flames. ‘

» Her name was Omm Jemil; she was the daughter of Harb, and sister of Abu Sofian.

«For fuel in hell; because she fomented the hatred which her husband bore to Mo-
hammed; or, bearing a bundle of thorns and brambles, because she carried such, and
strewed them by night in the prophet’s way.?

* This chapter is held in particular veneration by the Mohammedans, and declared, by
a tradition of their prophet, to be equal in value to a third part of the whole Koran. It is
said to have been revealed in answer to the Koreish, who asked Mohammed concerning
the distinguishing attributes of the God he invited them to worship.

® See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 2, p. 31. ® Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin, &c. 1 :
Vit. Mohammed, p.57. ?AlBeidiwi. *Idem, Jallalo’ddin. ¢ ids on
CHAP. Cxty. AL KORAN, , 505

CHAPTER OXIII.

INTITLED, THE DAY-BREAK; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED I3
DISPUTED.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Say, I fly for refuge unto the Lorp of the day-break,** that he may
deliver me from the mischief of those things which he hath created ;* and
from the mischief of the night, when it cometh on;"{ and from the mis-
chief of women blowing on knots ;* and from the mischief of the envious,
when he envieth. ’

CHAPTER CXIV.
INTITLED, MEN; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Say, I fly for refuge unto the Lorp of men, the king of men, the Gop of
men, that he may deliver me from the mischief of the whisperer who slily
withdraweth,?{ who whispereth evil suggestions into the breasts of men;
from genii and men.

 

* The original word properly signifies a cleaving, and denotes, says al Beidawi, the pro-
duction of all things in general from the darkness of privation to the light of existence, and
especially of those things which proceed from others, as springs, rain, plants, children
&c. and hence it is used more particularly to signify the breaking forth of the light fror
darkness, which is a most wonderful instance of the divine power.

* “Say, I put my trust in the God of the morning.’’—Savary.

‘i.e. From the mischiefs proceeding either from the perverseness and evil choice of
those beings which have a power to choose, or the natural effects of necessary agents, as
fire, poison, &c. the world being good in the whole, though evils may follow from those
two causes.® :

" Or, as the words may be rendered, From the mischief of the moon when she is eclipsed. |

t ‘‘ That he may deliver me from the evils with which the human race is surrounded ;

. from the influence of the moon, shrouded in darkness.’’—Savary.

* That is, of witches, who used to tie knots in a cord, and to blew on them, uttering at
the same time certain magical words over them, in order to work on, or debilitate the
person they had a mind to injure. This was a common practice in former days;® what
they call in France, Nouér l’eguillette, and the knots which the wizards in the northern
parts tie, when they sell mariners a wind, (if the stories told of them be true,) are also
relics of the same superstition. : :

The commentators relate, the Lobeid, a Jew, with the assistance of his daughters, be-
witched Mohammed, by tying eleven knots on a cord, which they hid in a well: where-
upon Mohammed falling ill, God revealed this chapter and the following, and Gabriel
acquainted him with the use he was to make of them, and of the pare where the cord
was hidden: according to whose directions the prophet sent Ali to fetch the cord, and the
same being brought, he repeated the two chapters over it, and at every verse (for they
consist of eleven), a knot was loosed, till on finishing the last words, he was entirely freed
from the charm."

(The Mohammedans have an implicit faith in the efficacy of the words contained ia these
two chapters. They consider them as a sovereign specific against magic, lunar influences,
and the temptations of the evil spirit. They never fail to repeat them evening and morn-

I ry. £ ‘ s
ng Dnhcrciet was revealed on the same occasion, and at the same time with the former.
ti. e. The devil; who withdraweth when a man mentioneth God, or hath recourse to

is protection. ‘
“ That he may deliver me from the temptations of Satan.’’—Savary.

® Al Beidawi ® Vide Virgil. in Pharmaceutria. Al Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin
2R
AN INDEX

OF THE

PRINCIPAL MATTERS CONTAINED IN THE KORAN,
AND THE NOTES THEREON,

Aaron, vide Moses.

Al Abbas, one of Mohammed’s uncles,
taken at Bedr, and obliged to ransom
himself, 146, n.; professes Islam, 147,
n.; confesses a passage of the Koran to
be fulfilled in respect to himself, 7b. n.;
remarkable for his loud voice, 151, n.

Abda’lhareth, a son of Adam so named
Abda’llah Dhu’lbajadin, 161, n.

Abda’llah Ebn Obba Soliil the hypocrite,
admired for his person and eloquence,
451,n.; threatens to drive Mohammed
frem Medina, 453; raises and infames
a scandalous story of Ayesha, 288, n.;
is present at an interview between
Mohammed and his adversaries, 341,
n.; occasions a quarrel, 418, n.; pro-
mises to assist the Nadirites, but fails
them, 445, n.; endeavours to debauch
Mohammed's men at Ohod, 50, n.; ex-
cused from going on the expedition to
Tabiic, 154, n.; desires Mohammed’s

prayers in his last sickness, 159, n.;°

and to be buried in the prophet’s shirt,
a.

“Abda’llah Ebn Omm Mactim, a blind
man, occasions a passage of the Koran,
480, n.

Abda’llah Ebn Rawa4ha, rebukes Ebn
Obba, 341, n.

Abda’llah Ebn Saad, one of Mohammed's
amanuenses, imagines himselfinspired,
and corrupts the Koran, 108, n.; apos-
tatizes and is proscribed, but escapes
with life, 2b. :

Abda'llah Ebn Salam, a Jew intimate
with Mohammed, his honesty, 45, n.;
supposed to have assisted in composing
the Koran, 223, n.; confounded by Dr.
Prideaux with Salman the Persian, id. ;
commended for his knowledge and
faith, 79. ;

Abd Menéf, a dispute between his de-
scendants and the Sahmites, 498, n.
Abda’lrahmar. Ebn Awf, one of Moham-

med’s first converts, Prelim. Disc. 31,

n; an instance of his charity, 158, n.

 

Abel, vide Cain; his ram sacrificed by
Abraham, 369, n.

Abraha al Ashram, king of Yaman, his
expedition against Mecca; the occa-
sion and success thereof, 499, n.

Abraham, the patriarch, an idolater ir
his youth, 106, n.; how he came to the
knowledge of the true God, ib.; demo-
lishes the idols of the Chaldeans, 268;
preaches to his people, 326; his reli-
gion commended, 15, 16, 47, 115; dis-
putes with Nimrod, 31; escapes the
fire into which he was thrown by
Nimrod’s order, 269; his praying for
his father, 163, 447; desires to be con-
vinced of the resurrection, 31, 32; his
sacrifice of birds, 32; entertains the
angels, 182,423; receives the promise
of Isaac, 182; called the friend of God,
75; is miraculously supplied by the
changing of sand into meal, 7). n.;_ his
sacrifice of his son,.369; praises God
for Ismael and Isaac, 208 ; commanded,
together with Ismael, to build and
cleanse the Caaba, 16; prays to God
to raise up a prophet of their seed, and
for the plenty and security of Mecca,
ib.; bequeaths the religion of Islam to
his children, 7d,

Abu Amer, vide Amer, &c.

Ad, a potent tribe of Arabs, destroyed
for their infidelity, 123, 282, 305, 390,
408, 490; vide Hud.

Adam, traditions concerning his creation,
4, n., 228, n.; worshipped by the an-
gels, 5, 117, 211, 232, 243, 376; his
fall, 5, 117; repents and prays, 6,
meets Eve at Mount Arafat, 5, n.; re-
tires with her to Ceylon, 1b.; their sta-
ture, ib.; his posterity extracted from
his loins by God to acknowledge him
for their Lord, 135, n.; names his eld-
est son as directed by the devil, 137, n.

Adoption creates no matrimonial impedi-
ment, 341,

Adulterers,Mohammed’s sentence agaist
them, 37, n., 87, n.

(659)
660

Adultery, its punishment, 37, 63; what
evidence required to convict a woman
of it, 61.

Adversaries, the dispute of two termi-
nated by David, 373.

Ahmed, the name under which Moham-
med was foretold by Christ, 449.

Al Ahk4f, the habitation of the Adites,
406.

Aila, or Elath, the sabbath-breakers there
changed into apes, 9, 134.

Al Akhnas, a hypocrite, 24, n., 460, n.

Alexander, vide Dhu’lkarnein.

Ali is sent to Mecca to publish part of
the Koran, 148, n.; the abstinence and
charity of him and his family, 474, n.

Alla. an idol of the Koreish, 74, n.,
42)

Alms recommended, 6, 14, 23, 118, 438;
the punishment of not giving alms, in
the next life, 56, n.

_Amena, Mohammed’s mother, he is not
permitted to pray for her, 163.

Amer and Arbad attempt to kill Moham-
med, and their punishment, 201, n.
Amer (Abu), a Christian monk, and vio-
lent enemy to Mohammed, 162, n.
Amer (Banu), their abstinence on the

pilgrimage, 118, n.

Ammar Ebn YaAser, tortured on account
of his faith, 224, n.

Amru Ebn Lohai, the great introducer
of idolatry.among the Arabs, 113, n.,
167, n.

Amru (Banu) builds a mosque at Koba,
162, n. :

Anam, the name of LokmAn’s son, 336, n.

Angel of death, vide Azrail.

Angels, their original, 117,376; worship
Adam, vide Adam; impeccable, 243,
n.; of different forms and orders, 357 ;
not the objects of worship, 280; nor

ought to be hated, 13; the number of ©

them which support God’s throne, 463;
are deputed to take an account of
men’s actions, 421; some of them ap-
pointed to take the souls of men, 478;
to preside over hell, and to keep guard
against the devils, 472; assist the
Mosleras at Bedr, 36, 145; believed
by the Arabs to be daughters of God,
74, 218, &c.; appea™ to Abraham and
Lot, 182, 183, 423.

Animals, irrational, will be raised at the
resurrection and jucyed, 102, n.; cre-
ated of water, 293.

Ans Ebn al Nadar, his vehaviour at Ohod,
52, n. '

Ansars, or helpers, who, 160, n.; three
of them excommunicated for refusing
to attend Mohammed to Tabiie, 164.

Auts, the valey of, 310; their queen’s

 

INDEX.

speech to them on the approach of
Solomon’s army, 1b.

Apostles were not believed who wrought
miracles, 57; those before Mohanimed
accused likewise of imposture, 57, 101;
of Christ, 42; two of them sent to
preach at Antioch, 361.

Apparel, what kind ought to be worn by
those who approach the divine pre-
sence, 118.

Arabians, their acuteness, 115; their cus-
toms in‘relation to divorce, 341, n.; to
adoption, ib.; in burying their daugh-
ters alive, 112, 481; théir chief idols,
137, n.; their superstitions in relation
to eating, 113, 295, &c.; and in rela-
tion to cattle, &c., 74, 95; used to wor-
ship naked, and why, 118, n.; their
injustice to orphans and women, 75,
n.; deem the birth of a daughter a
misfortune, 218, n.; the reconciliation
of their tribes deemed miraculous, 145,
n.; quit their new religion in great
numbers on Mohammed's death, 89.

Arabs of the desert, more obstinate, 160.

Al Araf, what, 116, n.

Arafat, Mount, why so called, 5, n.; the
procession thereto, 23.

Arbad, vide Amer.

Al Arem, the inundation of, 353, n.

Ark of Israel taken by the Amalekites,
30, n.

Arrows for divination forbidden, 81.

Al As Ebn Wayel, an enemy of Moham-
med’s, 214, 254.

Asaf, Solomon’s vizir, 312, n.

Asem, his charity, 158, n. :

“Ashadd(Abu’l)his extraordinary strength,
490, n.

Ashama, king of Ethiopia, embraces Mo-
hammedism, 92, n.; prayed for after
his death by Mohammed, 58, n.

Asia, the wife of Pharaoh, martyred by
her husband for believing in Moses,
458, n.; is taken alive into paradise,
ib.; one of the four perfect women, 1b.

Aslam, 414, n.

Astrology, hinted at, 57.

Al Aswad al Ansi, the false prophet, 8$,n.

Al Aswad Ebn Abd Yaghuth, al Aswad
Ebn a! Motalleb, two of Mohammed's
enemies, 214.

Aws and Khazrai, their enmity, 48, n.
Ayesha, Mohammed's wife ; the history
of her accusation, 288, n. :
nmzer, the name ‘given to Terah, Abra-

ham’s father, 105, n.

Azrail, the angel of death, why appointed
to that office, 4, n.; a story of him and
Solomon, 338, n,

Baar, the chief idol of the Chaldeans, 268,n,
INDEX.

Babel, the tower of, destroyed, 216. n.

Backbiting, vide Slander.

Bahira, 95,

Bakhtnasr, vide Nebuchadnezzar.

Balaam, his punishment for cursing tle
Israelites, 135, n.

Balkis, queen of Saba, visits Solomon,
and her reception, 312; her legs hairy,
313; marries Solomon, ib.

Barnabas, his apocryphal gospel, some
extracts thence, 42, n., 117, n.

Al Barzakb, what, 285, n.

Becca, the same with Mecca, 47.

Becr (Abu) attends Mohammed in his
flight from: Mecca, 154, n.; bears testi-
mony to the truth of Mohammed's
journey to heaven, 232, n.; his wager
with Obba Ebn Khalf, 330, n.; strikes

xa Jew on the face for speaking irreve-
rently of God, 56, n.; gives all he has
towards the expedition of Tabtic, 158,
n.; purchases Belal, 492, n.; compared
to Abraham, 146, n.

Bedr, Mohammed’s victory there, 36, 50,
&e.

Bees made use of as a similitude, 219.

Believers, the sincere ones, described,
281; their reward, 67; their sentence,
119.

Benjamin, son of Jacob, 195, &c.

Birds,'omens taken from them, 228, n.

Blessed, their future happiness described,
364, 404.

Blood forbidden, 20.

Boath, the battle of, 48, n.

Bodeil, a dispute concerning his effects,
occasions a passage of the Koran, 96, n.

Boheira, the monk, 223.

Bribery to pervert justice, forbidden, 22.

Burden, every soul to bear its own, 358.

Caab Ebn al Ashraf, a Jew, Mohammed's
inveterate enemy, 45,n., 204, n.; slain
by his means, 45, n., 443, n.; mistaken
by Dr. Prideaux for another person,
45, n. /

Caab Ebn Asad, persuades the Jews in
league with Mohammed to desert him,
345, n.

Al Caaba, appointed for a place of wor-
ship, 16, 276; built and cleansed by
Abraham and Ismael, 16; the keys of
it returned to Othman Ebn Telha, 67, n.

Cafur, a fountain in paradise, 474.

Cain and Abel, their sacrifices, 85; kills
his brother, ib.; instructed by a raven
to bury him, 1b.

Caleb, vide Joshua

Calf, the golden, of what and by whom
made, 7, n.; animated, 1b. ; worshipped
by the Israelites, 1b. 2

Calumny frrbidden, 78.

 

661

Camels, an instance of God's wisdom.
488; appointed for sacrifice, 277 ; Jacot.
abstains from their flesh and milk, 47, n.

Canaan, an unbelieving son of Noah, 179.

Caravans of purveyors sent out by the
Koreish, 501.

Carrion forbidden to be eaten, 20.

Cattle, their use, 112, 388; superstitions
of the old Arabs concerning them, 95,
113.

Al Cawthar, a river in paradise, 502.

Ceylon, the isle of, vide Serendib.

Charity recommended, 65.

Chastity commended, 82.

Children, to inherit their parents’ sub-
stance, 28, 60.

Christ, vide Jesus.

Christians declared infidels, 83; and ene-
mies of the Moslems, ib. Vide Jews.

Collars to be worn by the unbelievers in
the life to come, 200.

Commandments given the Jews, 236, n.

Commerce, from God, 233.

Companions of God, what, 112.

Congealed blood, the matter of which
man is created, 494.

Contracts to be performed, 81,

Cow ordered to be sacrificed by the Is-
raelites, 9.

Creation, some account of it, 389, 390.

Crimes to be punished with death, 230.

David kills Goliah, 30, 227; his extraor-
dinary devotion, 372; the birds and
mountains sing praises with him, 352;
makes breastplates, 30, 270; his re-
pentance for taking the wife of Uriah,
372; his and Solomon’s judgment, 270

Days appointed to commemorate God,
276.

Dead body raised to life by a part of the
sacrificed cow, 10.

Debtors to be mercifully dealt with, 34.

Devil, vide Eblis and Satan; the occasion
of his fall, 4, 117.

Devils, included under the name Genii,
111; the patrons of unbelievers, 56,
118, 308; their plot to defame Solo-
mon, 13; were permitted to enter all
the seven heavens till the birth of
Christ, 210, n.

Dhu’lkarnein, who he was, 246, n.; builds
a wall to prevent the incursions of Gog
and Magog, 247, &c.

Dhw'lkefl, the prophet, opinions concern-
ing him, 271, n.; saves a hundred Is-
raelites from slaughter, 375, n.

Dhu’Indin, vide Jonas.

Dhu Nowas, king of Yaman, a Jew, per
secutes the Christians, 458.

Disputes to be carried on with mildness
328.
662

Ditch, (War of the) 342, &e.

Divorce, laws concerning it, 28, 62, 348.

Dogs, &c. allowed to be trained up for
hunting, 82.

Al Dorah, the celestial model of the
Caaba, 425, n.

Drink of the damned, 104, 105. .

Dying persons, what part of the Koran
is usually read to them, 316, n.

Earth, its creation, 389, 390; remonstrates
against the creation of man, 4, n.; is
kept steady by the mountains, 215, 335.

Earthquake, a sign of the approach of the
last day, 496.

Eblis refuses to worship Adam at God's
command, and why, 4, 117, 211, 232,
243, &c.; his sentence, ib.; occasions
the fall of Adam, ib.

Eden, the meaning of the word in Ara-
bic, 157, n.

Edris, supposed to be the same with
Enoch, 252, n. ;

Education makes aman an infidel, 332, n.

Elephant, (War of the) 499.

Elias, vide al Khedr.

Elisha, the prophet, 107.

Enoch, vide Edris.

Entering into houses and apartments ab-
ruptly forbidden, 290, 294.

Envy forbidden, 64.

Esop, vide Lokman.

Eucharist, seems to have occasioned a
fable in the Koran, 97, n.

Eve, vide Adam.

Evidence, vid Witness.

Evil, vide Good,

Examination of the sepulchre, 145, n.,
112%,

Exhortation to the worship of God, 384;
to a good life, 186.

Ezekiel raises the dry bones, 29, n.

Ezra and his ass restored to life after
they had been dead a hundred years,
31, n.; called, by the Jews, the son of
God, and why, 152.

Faith, must accompany good works, 177;
the reward of those who fight for it, 69,
140, 150, 153, 227, 411, &c.; apostates
from it to be put to death, 230, n., par-
tial faith not sufficient, 77, n.

Famine, afflicts the Meccans, 284, n.;
ceases at Mohammed’s intercession,402,

Fast of. Ramadan instituted, 22.

Fatema, Mohammed’s daughter, one of
the four perfect women, 458 ; favoured
of God like the virgin Mary, 40, n.;
her charity, 474, n.

Al Fatiha, the first chapter of the Kor&n,
often repeated by the Mahommedans
in their prayers, 1, n.

 

INDEX.

Fidelity recommended, 149.

Figs, their virtues, 493, n.

Fire, the manner of striking it in the
East, 365, n.

Fishing allowed during the pilgrimage, 94.

Flood, vide Noah.

Food, what kinds are forbidden, 20, 81,
110, 113, 225, 295

Forbidden fruit, what, 5, n.

Forgiveness, to whom it belongs, 346.

Al Fork4n, one of the names of the Ko-
ran, 296, n.

Fornication forbidden, 61, 230; its punish-
ment, 61, 63.

Fountain of molten brass flows for Solo-
mon, 352.

Fountains of paradise, 475, 483.

Friday, set apart by Mohammed for pub-
lic worship, and why, 450, n.

Friendship with unbelievers, forbidden,
89.

Fruits of the earth, their production an
instance of God’s power, 108.

Fugitives for the sake of religion shall
be provided for and rewarded, 73, 279.

Gabriel, revealed the Koran to Mahom-
med, 13; assists the Moslems at Bedr,
36, n.; appears to Zacharias, 40, n.;
the angel of revelations, 13, n.; the
enemy of the Jews, 7b.; appears twice
to Mohammed in his proper form, 427;
appears to the virgin Mary, and causes
her to conceive, 250; the dust of his
horse’s feet animates the golden calf,
261; generally appeared to Moham-
med in a human form, 99, n.; com-
manded to assist Mohammed against
the Koreish, 214, n.; orders Mohammed
to go against the Koradhites, 345, n.

Gaming forbidden, 25, 93.

Ganem (Banu) builds a mosque with an
ill design, which is burnt, 162, n.

Garden, story of the, 461. ;

Genii, what, 109, n.; some of them con-
verted on hearing the Koran, 467.

God, proofs of his existence, 332, 334;
his omnipresence asserted, 442; his
omnipotence, 31, 438; his power and
providence, conspicuous in his works,
19, 175, 404 ; his omniscience asserted,
73, 351, 392; knoweth the secrets of
men’s hearts, 315; and of futurity, 468;
five things known to him alone, 338
n.; his goodness set forth, 24, 164, 214,
428, 432; in sending the scriptures
and prophets, 24, 111; the author of
all good, 220; his word, laws, and
sentence unalterable, 110, 332, 421;
his mercy set forth, 51, 300, 322, 395,
428 ; the only giver of victory, 51,331;
his promise to the righteous, 335: who
INDEX.

acceptable to him, 150; ruleth the
heart of man, 141; his tribunal, 31;
his throne, 176; praiseworthy, 220,
&c.; his attributes, 136, n.; ought not
to be frequently sworn by, 26; hath
no issue, 15, 171, 285, 370; nor simili-
tude, 335, 377; rested not the seventh
day through weariness, 422; his wor-
ship recommended, ib. ; his fear recom-
mended, 168.

Gog and Magog, 247, 272.

Goliah, vide Jalut.

Good works, who shall be redeemed by
them, 437.

Good and evil, both from God, 70.

Gospel, vide Jesus.

Greaves, (Mr.) a mistake of his, 489, n.

Greeks overcome the Persians, 330.

Gudaiz, the name of Nebuchadnezzar, 227.

Habib, his martyrdom, 362, n.

Hafedha, an idol of Ad, 122, n.

Haman, Pharaoh’s chief minister, 316,
320,

Hami, 95.

Hamza, Mohammed’s uncle, killed at
Ohod, 50, n.; his body abused, 226, n.

Handha Ebn Safwan, a prophet, 278, n.,
299, n.

Hareth, (Abu) a Christian bishop, dis-
putes with Mohammed, 44, n,

Haretha, (Banu) reproached by Moham-
med for flying in battle, 343,

Harut and Marut, two angels, their story
and punishment, 13.

Hasan, the son of Ali, an instance of his
moderation and generosity, 51, n.

Hateb Ebn Abi Baltaa sends a letter dis-
covering Mohammed’s design against
Mecca, which is intercepted, 446.

Al Hawiyat, the name of an apartment
in hell, 497, n.

Heathens, justice not to be observed with
regard to them, according to the Jews,
45.

Heavens, the Mohammedan belief con-

. cerning them, 281, n.; guarded by an-
gels, 467; heaven and earth manifest
God’s wisdom, 265; will fall at the
last day, 280. :

Al Hejr, the habitation of the Thamud-
ites, 209. ‘

Hell, torments described, 275, 436, 476 ;
the portion of unbelievers, 49, 176;
prepared for those who choose the
pomp of this life, 176; and hoard up
money, 153; shall not hurt the be
lievers, 253, n.; will be dragged to-
wards God’s tribunal at the last day,
489, n.; and will then be filled, 421,n.

Al Hodeibiya, the trial there, 94; the
expedition thither, 415, &c.

 

663

Holy Spirit, who is meant thereby, 12, n. -

Honein, the battle of, 151.

Honey, an excellent medicine, 219.

Hospitality recommended, 65.

Al Hotama, the name ofan apartment
in hell, 499.

Hud, the prophet, his story, 122. See Ad.

Hunting and fowling forbidden during
the pilgrimage, 81, 94.

Husband, his superiority over the wife,
27; his duty to her, 26, &c.; difference
between them to be reconciled by
friends, 65, 76. See Divorce, Wives,
Marriage, &c.

Hypocrites described, 451, &c.; their sen-
tence, 157.

Jacob bequeaths the religion of Isl4m to
his children, 16 ; grows blind by weep-
ing for the loss of Joseph, 197; reco-
vers his sight by means of Joseph’s
garment, and goes into Egypt, 198.

Jadd Ebn Kais, 155, n.

Jahl (Abu) a great enemy of Mohammed,
274; his injustice to an orphan, 501
n.; his advice concerning Mohammed
142, n.; slain at Bedr, 144, n.

Al Jallas Ebn Soweid, 157, n.

Jalut, or Goliah, sent against the Israel-
ites, 227, n.; slain by David, 30.

Al Jassdsa, the beast which will appear
at the approach of the last day, 316, n.

Jawwas Ebn Omeyya, 415, n.

Idolaters compared to brutes, 299; toa
spider, 328 ; not to be prayed for while
such, 163; their sentence, 119.

Idolatry, the heinousness thereof, 25; un-
pardonable if not repented of, 67.

Idols, their insignificancy, 20, 287, 333,
364; will appear as witnesses against
their worshippers, 168, 169; worship-
ped by the antediluvians, 467.

Jesus, promised to Mary, 40; his miracu-
lous birth, 41, &c. ; compared to Adam,
43; speaks in his mother’s womb, 41;
and in his cradle, ib.; the apostle of
the Jews, ib., animates a bird of clay
when a child, ib.; performs several
miracles, but not by his own power,
ib,; raises three persons to life, ib.;
causes a table with provisions to de-
scend from heaven, 97; his miracles
deemed sorcery, ib.; rejected by the
Jews, 42; sends two of his disciples
to Antioch, who work miracles, 361;
a curse denounced against those who
believe not on him, 43; the Jews lay
a plot for his life, but are disappointed,
42; not really crucified, 78; whether
he died or not, 42; not God, nor equal
to God, 84, 152; but an apostle only;
30, 92, 400 ; Word of God,.40.; various
664

opinions concerning him, 251; will
descend on earth before the resurrec-
tion, and kill antichrist, &c. Prelim.
Disc., 57, 58, 400.
Jethro, vide Shoaib.
Jews, vide Israelites. Particularly ap-
plied to, 6, 15; accused of having cor-
rupted the scriptures and of stifling
passages, 6, n. 44, 66; accuse the Vir-
gin Mary of fornication, 78; plot against
Jesus, 42; their unbelief, 12, 77; co-
vetous of life, 13; reproved for war-
ring against one another, 11; proof re-
quired by them of a prophet’s mission,
57; their punishments at different
“mes for neglect of their religion, 84;
tamorphosed into apes and swine
. their infidelity, 9, 84, 97, n.; pre-
vend their punishment in hell shall be
short, 11, 38: their law confirmed by
Jesus and the Koran, 88; their laws
concerning food, 114;.dispute with the
Mohammedans concerning God’s fa-
vour, 275; Mohammed refuses to de-
cide a controversy between them, 88;
league with the Koreish against Mo-
hammed, 67; demand that Mohammed
cause a book to descend from heaven,
78; a controversy between a Jew and
a Mohammedan, 68; Jews and Chris-
tians atcused of condemning one an-
other, 15; and of corrupting the scrip-
tures, 44; guilty of two extremes as to
their opinion of Christ, 79; none of
them shall die before he believes in
Christ, ib.; their different behaviour to
the Moslems, 92;{to be protected on
payment of tribute, 152. )
Ilhiz, a sort of food used among the Arabs
in time of scarcity, 284, n.
Illiyydn, the meaning of the word, 483.
Ilyasin, who, 369, n.
Imam, the meaning of the word, 16, n.
Immodesty condemned, 290.
Immunity declared to the idolaters for
four months, 148.
Imposture charged on all the prophets, 283.
Imram, father of the Virgin Mary, 35;
whether Moham:aéu confounded him
with the father of Moses and Miriam,
38, n.
Infidels, bow they will appear at the last
day, 101; will drink boiling water,
105; would have believed had the
Korén been revealed to some great
man, 398; if not convinced by the Ko-
‘ran, will not be convinced by miracles,
109, n.; have some notion of a future
state, 314; their blasphemy, 370; to
be made war upon, 22, 25; those who
die such not to be prayed for, 159, 163;
‘forbidden te approach Mecea, 151.

 

“INDEX.

Inheritances, laws relating thereto, 60, 80.
Injury, to forgive the same is meritorious,

Intercalation of a month forbidden, 153.

Jo», his story, 271, 375.

John, the son of Zacharias, his character
40; his murder revenged on the Jews
by Nebuchadnezzar, 227; the miracle”
of his blood, ib.

Jonada first practises the intercalation
of a month among the Arabs, 153.

Jonas, his story, 173, 370; called Dhu’'l-
nin, 271.

Joseph, his story, 187, &c.

Joshua and Caleb sent as spies into the

_ land of Canaan, 83, n.

Journey, Mohammed's to heaven, 226.

Jowadh (Abu’l) the hypocrite, finds fault
with Mohammed’s distribution of the
spoils at Honein, 156.

Trem, the city of Ad, 488.

Tron, its usefulness, 440; some utensils
of that metal brought by Adam down
from paradise, ib.

Isaac promised, 182; his birth, 183.

Islim, the proper name of the Moham-
medan religion, 37, n.; the only true
religion, 48; the only religion till the
death of Abel, 167, n.

Ismael, vide Abraham.

Israelites, their males slain by Pharaoh,
6; pass the Red Sea, 130; God’s good-
ness to them, 130, 405; miraculously
fed in the wilderness, 133; lust for the
herbs of Egypt, 8; worship the golden

- ealf, 7, 11,132; their punishment, 7

11; change the word put into their
mouth at Jericho, 8, 134; commanded
to sacrifice a red cow, 9, &c.; demand
to see God, and their punishment, 78 ;
refuse to enter the holy land, and their
punishment, 84; their transgression,
227; desire a king, 29; cursed by Da-
vid and Jesus, 92; vide Jews.

Judgment, day of, Mohammedan tradi-

tion concerning it, 38, n.; describec
297, 425, 429; the signs of its approach
273, n., 402, 411; called the hour, 101; °
unknown to any besides God, 136;
will come suddenly, 1b.; and inevi-
tably, 170, 435.

Al Judi, the mountain whereon Noah's

ark rested, 171.

Just and unjust, the difference between

them, 395.

Al Kadr, the name of the night on which

the Koran came down from heaven,495.

Kail sent to Mecca to obtain rain for Ad,

123.

Kardin, or Corah, his story and fearful

end, 323.
INDEX.

Kebla, the part towards which the Mo-
hammedans turn in prayer, 47, n.; in-
different, 15; changed from Jerusalem
to Mecca, 17.

Kendah, a tribe who used to bury their
daughters alive, 112,

Keys of knowledge (the five), 338, n.

Khadijah, Mohatnmed’s wife, one of the
four perfect women, 458, n.

Khaibar, the expedition thither, 414, n.

Khaithama (Abu) a story‘of him, 164, n.

Khaled Ebn al Walid puts Mahommed’s
horse to flight at the battle of Ohod,
52, n.; demolishes the idol of al Uzza,
380, n.; drives Acrema and his men
into Mecca, 416, n.

Khantala, vide Handha.

Khawla bint Thalaba, her case occasions
a passage of the Koran, 441.

Khazraj, vide Aws. -

Al Khedr, the prophet, his adventures
with Moses, 244, &e.

Khobaib, his martyrdom, 224, n.

Khozaa, the tribe of, held the angels to
be the daughters of God, 266, n.

Kitfir, Joseph’s master, 12, n.

Koba, Mahommed foundsa mosque there,
162, n. :

Kobeis, Abu, a mountain near Mecca,
whence Abraham proclaimed the pil-
gtimage, 276, n.

Koran, the signification of the word, 187,
n.; by whom composed, 223; twenty-
three years in completing, 298, n.;
could not be composed by any besides
God, 169; men and genii desired to
produce a chapter like it, 169, 235; no
forgery, 464; sent down by God him-
self, 110; its excellency, 48, n. 324,
392; consonant to scripture, 176, 321,
&c.; no revelation more evident, 136 ;
contains all things necessary, 221, 273;
all differences to be decided by it, 68;
its contents partly literal and partly
figurative, 35; traduced by the unbe-
lievers, 296 ; as a piece of sorcery, 166;
as a poetical composition, 364; as a
pack of fables, 314; the sentence of
those wlo believe not init, 406; when
revealed, 402; not liable to corruption,
175- ought not to be touched by the
unclean, 437.

Koreidha, tribe of,
345, n.

Koreish, the tribe of, their nobility, 54,
501; their enmity to Mohammed, 111,
n.; demand miracles of him, 203;
threaten him for abusing their gods,
380, n.; propound three questions to
him, 235; some of them attempt to
kill him, but are struck blind, 361 ; lose
seventy of their principal men at Bedr,

their destruction,

665

36, 144; persecute Mohammed’s foi-
lowers, 217; plagued with famine,
284, n.; and several diseases, 214;
their manner of praying, 142; make a
truce with Mohammeds 416, n.; vio-
late the truce and lose Mecca, 413, n.
Kosai, names his sons from four idols,
137; the Koreish demand him to be
raised to life by Mohammed, 141, n.

Laheb, Abu, Mohammed’s uncle, ant
bitter enemy, 504,n.; his and his wife’s
punishment, ib.

Lapwing, gives Solomon an account of
the city of Saba, 310; carries a letter
from him to the queen, 311; her saga-
city in finding water, 310.

Last day, vide Judgment.

Law, given to Moses, 7; confirmed by
Jesus, 42; and the Koran, 6.

+ Laws, relating to inheritances, 60, 80;
legacies, 21, 95; to divorce, vide Di-
vorce; to murder, vide Murder, &c.

Laws of Moses and Jesus set aside by
the Koran, 87, n.

Laws of God, the punishment of those
who conceal them, 57, n.

Lazarus raised, 41, n.

Leg made bare, the meaning of that ex-
pression, 462, n. '

Leith, Banu, thought it unlawful to eat
alone, 295, n.

Letters, initial, explained, 116, n.

Life to come, how expressed in Arabic,
2; n.

Lobaba, Abu, his treachery, 141, n.

Lokman, his history, 335, &c.; whether
the same with Esop, 326.

Lot, his story, 125, 182, 212, 313; his
wife’s infidelity, 457.

Lote-tree in heaven, 427.

Lots forbidden, 25, 93.

Madian, a city of Hejaz, 125; its inha
bitants destroyed, 307, n.

Magog, vide Gog. :

Malec, the principal angel who has the
charge of hell, 401.

Malec Ebn al Seif, a Jew, 48, n.

Man, his wonderful formation, 377; cre
ated various ways, 274; shall be re-
warded according to his deserts, 64;
ought to be thankful for the good things
of this life, 365; his ingratitude to God
332; his presumption in undertaking
to fulfil the laws of God, 351; why
destroyed, 186. | 4

Manna given to the Israelites, 7.

Marriage, laws relating thereto, 62, 291:
Mohammed's privileges as to marriage.
347, &c.; apt to distract a man from
his duty, 453.

 
666 INDEX.

Martyrs, not dead, but living, 18; the suf-
ferings of two Mohammedans, 224.

Marut, vide Harut.

Mary, the Virgin, her story, 249, &c.; free
from original sin, 39, n.; miraculously
fed, 40, n.; one of the four perfect wo-
men, 458, n.; calumniated by the Jews,
78; a woman of veracity, 92.

Al Masher al Haram, 23.

Masud, Ebn, a tradition of his in relation
to Pharaoh, 386, n,

Maturity of age, 60, n.

Measure, ought to be just, 126, 483.

Mecca, the security and plenty of that
city, 47. See Caava.

Meccang, their idolatry and superstitions
condemned, 112, 398; imagined their
idols interceded for them with God,
166; reproached for their ingratitude,
207; threatened with destruction, 390 ;
require Mohammed to show them the
angels, 109, n.; send their poor out of
the city to Mohammed, 103, n.; hold
a council and conspire Mohammed’s
destruction, 142, n.; applied indecent
circumstances to God, 218, n.; chas-
tised with famine and sword, 284, 381,
n.; promised rain on their embracing
Islam, 468, n.

Medina, its inhabitants reproved for de-
clining the expedition to Tabiic, 164.

Ment, an idol of the Meccans, 74, 427.

Merwa, vide Safa.

Mestab, one of the accusers of Ayesha,
288, n.

Midian, vide Madian.

Michael, the friend of the Jews, 13, n.

Milk, its production wonderful, 219.

Mina, the valley of, 24.

Miracles required of Mohammed, 203,
n., 235,

Months, sacred, to be observed, 23, 81,
95, 153.

Moon, split in sunder, 429,

Mohajerin, or refugees, who, 161, n.

Mohammed promised to Adam, 6; fore-
told by Christ, 449; expected by Jews
and Christians, 495; sent at forty years
of age, 167, n.; complained of by the
Koreish to his uncle Abu Taleb, 372,
n.; his yevelations ridiculed by the
Meccang, 168, n.; his journey to hea-
ven, 226; enters into a league with
those of Medina, 142, n.; discovers the
conspiracy of the Mccans against his
life, ib, n.; gains some proselytes of
the genii by reading the Koran, 409, n.;
sent as a mercy to all creatures, 273 ;
the illiterate prophet, 133; excuses his
inability to work miracles, 109, 201;
his promise to those who fly for reli-
gion, 329, n.; accused of injustice in

 

dividing the spoils, 54, n., 156; flies to
Medina, 154; foretells the victory at
Bedr, 431, n.; an account of that vic-
tory, 36, 138, &c.; loses the battle of
Ohod, where he is in danger of his life,
50; reported to be slain, 52, n.; lays
the fault on his men for disobeying his
orders, ib.; endeavours to quiet their
murmurs for that misfortune, ib.. &c.;
goes to meet the Koreish at Bedr, ac-
cording to their challenge, 55, n.; fore-
tells the battle of the ditch, 344; the
fear of his men at that battle, ib.; his
men swear fidelity to him at al Hodei-
biya, 415, n.; his generosity, 416;
makes a truce with the Koreish for ten
years, ib.; his courage at the battle of
Honein, 151, n.; expostulates with his
followers on their unwillingness to go
on the expedition to Tabtic, 154, &c.;
some account of that expedition, 125,
n.; a conspiracy to kill him, 158, n.
361, n.; another attempt on his life,
from which he is miraculously pre-
served, 83, n.; is almost prevailed on
by the Jews to go into Syria, 234; re-
proves the hypocritical Moslems, 69;
his mercy to the disobedient, 54; his
wives demand a better allowance, on
which he offers them a divorce, 345;
they choose to stay with him, and he
lays down some rules for their beha-
viour, 346 ; the Jews reproach him on
account of the number of his wives,
240, n.; his privileges in that and some
other respects, 348, &c.; his divorced
wives or widows not to marry again,
349; his amour with Mary, an Egyp-
tian slave, 456; disputes in a Jewish
synagogue, 37, n.; decides a contro-
versy in favour of a Jew against a
Mohammedan, 68, n.; reprehended for
a rash judgment, 73; not allowed to
pray for reprobate idolaters, 163; ut-
ters blasphemy through inadvertence,
279, n.; no revelation vouchsafed him
for several days, 240, n. 492, n.; en-
joined to admonish his people, 426;
his near relation to the believers, 342;
demands respect and obedience from
them, 295, 442; challenges his oppo-
nents to produce a chapter like the
Koran, 3; put out of conceit with ho-
ney, 455; desires nothing for his pains
in preaching, 300 ; acknowledges him-
self a sinner, 411; commanded to pray
by night, 469; refuses the adoration
of two Christians, 46, n.; refuses to
eat with an infidel, 298, n.; prophe-
sies the defeat of the Persians by the
Greeks, 330; reprehends his compa.
nions’ impatience, 325; and their imi
INDEX.

tating the Christians, 93; speaks by
revelation, 427; his dream at Bedr,
143, 144; his dream at Medina, 417;
his doctrine compared with that of the
other prophets, 407; is terrified at the
approach of Gabriel, 471; is repre-
hended for his neglect of a poor blind
man, 480; demolishes the idols of
Mecca, 235; warned to prepare for
death, 503.

Mohammedans believe in all the scrip-
tures and prophets without distinction,
17; forbidden to hold friendship with
infidels, 49, 89; the hypocritical threat-
ened, 169; the lukewarm deceive their
own souls, 413; the sincere, their re-
ward, 321; their description, 417.

Moseilama, the false prophet, 89, n.

Moses, his story, 127, &c., 255, &c., 301,
&c., 316, &c.; his miraculous preser-
vation in his infancy, 256, &c.; the im-
pediment in his speech, how occa-
sioned, 1b., n.; kills an Egyptian, and
flies into Midian, 318; is entertained
by Shoaib, 319; receives his rod from
him, ib. n.; sees the fire in the bush,
309 ; is sent to Pharaoh, and receives
the power of working miracles, 236 ;

his transactions in Egypt, 127, &c., 172,.

&c.; brings water from the rock, 8,
133, n.; cleared from an unjust asper-
sion by a stone’s running away with
his clothes, 350, n.; treats with God,
and receives the tables of the law from
him, 7, 131; breaks the tables, and is
wroth with Aaron, on account of the
golden calf, 132; threatens the people,
ib.; part of his law rehearsed, 114;
reproved for his vanity, 244, n.; his
expedition in search of al Khedr, ib.;
his and Aaron’s relics in the ark, 30;
his law now corrupted, 37, n.

Moslems, vide Mohammedans. :

Murder, laws concerning it, 21, 72, 86,
230, 279.

Mussulman, whence the word comes,
16, n.

Mysteries, how expressed in Arabic, 2,n.

Al Nadir (the tribe of) expelled Arabia,
443, n.

Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerusalem, 227, n.
Night, part of it to be spent in prayer,
469. b
Nimrod disputes with Abraham, 31; his

tower, 216, n.; attempts to ascend to
heaven, 269, n.; his persecution of
Abraham, and his punishment, 1b.
Noah, his story, 121, 171, 305, 326, 466,
&e.: his prayer, 430; his wife’s infi-
delity, 457.
Al Nodar, one of Mohammed’s adversa-

 

667

ries, his opinion of the Koran, 100, n.;
introduces a Persian Romance as pre-
ferable to it, 335, n.

Oath, an inconsiderate one, how to br
expiated, 93; an extraordinary one, 488.

Oaths, cautions concerning them, 26; not
to be violated, 222.

Obba Ebn Khalf disputes against the re-
surrection, 214, n.; his wager with Abu
Becr, 330, n.; is wounded by Moham-
med, 298, n. :

Oda Ebn Kais, an enemy of Mohammed,
214.

Offerings to God recommended, 277; a
large one made by Mohammed, ib., n.

Og, fables concerning him, 84.

Ohod, the battle fought there, 50, n. 52.

Okail (Abu) his charity, 158, n.

Okba Ebn Abi Moait, professes Islam
and apostatizes, 298,n.; publicly abuses
Mohammed, ib.; taken and beheaded
at Bedr, 1b.

Olive-trees grow at Mount Sinai, 282.

Olivet (mount), Christ taken thence by a
whirlwind, 43, n.

Omar, his deciding a dispute between a
Jew anda Mohammedan,68 ; compared
to Noah, 146, n. 3

Omm Salma, one of Mohammed’s wives,
242, n.

Omeyya Ebn Abi'lsalt, 135, n.

Opprobrious language forbidden, 418,419.

Orphans not to be injured, 59, 492; a
curse on those who defraud them, 60;
to be instructed in religion, 2b.

Ostrich’s egg, a fine woman’s skin com
pared to it, 367,

Othman Ebn Affan, sent by Mohammed
to the Koreish, is imprisoned, 415, n.;
contributes largely to the expedition
of Tabiic, 158, n.

Othman Ebn Matin, his conversion occa-

_ sioned by a passage of the Koran, 221,n

Othman Ebn Telha, has the keys of the
Caaba returned to him by Mohammed,
67, n.; embraces Mohammedism, ib.

Oven, whence the first waters of the
deluge poured forth, 178, n. 282.

Ozair, vide Ezra.

Parables, 32, 207, 220, 241, 292, 373.

Paraclete, the Mohammedan opinion
concerning the person thereby meant,
449, n,

Paradise described, 203, 411, 423, &c.;
where situate, 5, n.; its fruits, 4; the
portion of the distressed, 25.

Pardon, will be granted to the penitent,
149,

Parents, to be honoured, 229, 408; make
their children infidels, 232, n.
668

Patience recommended, 59, 387; the sign
of u true believer, 162, n. 391, 410.
Patriarchs before Moses, neither Jews

nor Christians, 17.

Pen, with which God’s decrees are writ-
ten, 460.

Penitents, their reward, 162.

Pentateuch, vide Law.

Persians overcome by the Greeks, 330, n.

Peter (St.) his stratagem to convert those
of Antioch, 361, n.

Pharaoh, his story, 127, 172, &c., 316, &c.,
384; the common title of the kings of
Egypt, 127; a punishment used by
him, 372; his presumption, 399.

Phineas Ebn Azura, a Jew, his disho-
nesty, 45, n.; his indecent expressions
conceruing God, 56, 90, n.

Pico de Adam, vide Serendib.

Pilgrimage to Mecca, commanded, 23; di-
rections concerning it, 23, 47, 276, &c.

Pledges to be given, where no contract
in writing, 34. :

Plurality of worlds, the belief thereof
imputed to Mohammed, 1, n.

Poets censured, 308.

Pomp of this life, of no value, 322.

Polygamy, vide Marriage.

Prayer, commanded and enforced, 6, 14,
264, 328, 331, &c.; directions concern-
ing, 58, 73, 82, 234, 237; not to be en-
tered on by him who is drunk, 65; be-
fore reading the Koran, 222, &c.; for
the penitent, 383.

Predestination, 52, 228.

Pre-existence of souls, a doctrine not un-
known to the Mohammedans, 135, n.

Pride, abominable in the sight of God, 230.

Prideaux (Dr.) charges the Mohammed-
ans with cruelty, without foundation,
444, n.; confounds Salman with Ab-
d@allah Ebn Salim, 223, n.; his par-
tiality as to the story of Abraha’s over-

. throw, 500, n.; confounds Caab Ebn
al Ashraf, the Jew, with Caab Ebn
Zohair, the poet, 45, n.; misled by El-
macinus, 444, n.; misquotes a passage
of the Koran, 456, n.; mistaken in as-
serting Mohammed might marry his
nieces, 348, n.

Prodigality, a crime, 229, :

Prophets, their enemy will have God for
his, 13 ; rejected and persecuted before
Mohammed, 101, 169; not chosen for
their nobility or riches, 111; vide Sinai.

Prosperity or adversity, no mark of God’s
favour or disfavour, 489,

Punishments and blessings of the next
life, 119, &c.

Quails given the Israelites, 7; what kind
of birds they were, 1b., n.

 

INDEX.

Quarrels between the true believers ‘o.
be composed, 418; to be avoided on
the pilgrimage, 23.

Quietism, Mohammedans no strangers to
it, 490, n.

Rafe (Abu), a Christian, offers to worship
Mohammed, 46.

Rahiin, vide Serendib.

Raina, a word used by the Jews to Mo-
hammed by way of derision, 14.

Al Rakim, what, 238.

Ramadan (the month) appointed for a
fast, 22. ‘

Ransom of captives disapproved, 146.

Al Rass, various opinions concerning it,
299, n.

Razeka, an idol of Ad, 122, n.

Religion, no violence to be used in it, 31;
fighting for it commanded and encou-
raged, 22, 52,70, 140, 149, 151, 278,
449; divided into various sects, 283;
harmony therein recommended, 48;
whether those of any religion may be
saved, 9, n.

Repentance, necessary to salvation, 62;
a death-bed one ineffectual, 1b.

Resurrection asserted, 231, 421, 473,485;
described, 285, 421; the signs of its
approach, 473; its time known to God
alone, 339, &c.

Retaliation (the law of), 21.

Revelations in writing given to several
prophets, 2,n.; what are now extant
according to the Mohammedans, 1b.

Revenge allowed, 279.

Riches will not gain a man admission
into paradise, 355, employ a man’s
life, 498.

Right way, what the Mohammedans so
eall, 1, n. .

Righteous, their reward, 168, 325, 339.

Righteousness, wherein it consists, 20.

Rites, appointed in every religion, 280.

Rock, whence Moses produced water, 8.

Saad Ebn Abi Wakkds, 138, 329, n.

Saad Ebn Moadh, his severity, 146, n.;
dooms the Koradhites to destruction,
345, n.

Saba, queen of, vide Balkis.

Saba, the wickedness of his posterity,
and their punishment, 353.

Sabbath, the transgression thereof pu-
nished, 134.

Safa and Merwa (mountains of), two
monuments of God, 19.

Safiya bint Hoyai, one of Mohammed's

wives, 419, n. /
Al Sahira, one of the names of hell, 479, n.
Saiba, 95.
Sajaj, the prophetess, 89, n.
INDEX.

Sixia, an idol of Ad, 122, n.

Sakhar, a devil, gets Solomon? 8 signet and
Teigns in his stead, 374, n.; his punish-
ment, id.

Saleh, the prophet, his story, 123, &c.,
305, &e., 313; vide Thamiid.

Salem4, i idol’ of Ad, 122, n

Salsabil, a fountain in paradise, 475.

Salutation, mutual, recommended, 71.

Al Sameri, the maker of the golden calf,
who, 7, n.; 260, n.

Sarah, wife of Abraham, her laughing,182.

Satan, his punishment for seducing our
first parents, 117; believed to assist
the Koreish, 144.

Saul, his story, 29.

Sects and their leaders, shall quarrel at
the resurrection, 20.

Sejjin, what, 482, n.

Sennacherib, 227, n.

Separation (the day of) a name of the
day of judgment, 403.

Serab, what, 292.

Serendib (the isle of), Adam cast-down
thereon from paradise, 5, n.; the print
of Adam’s foot shown on a mountain
there, ib.

Sergius, the monk, 223, n.

Serpent, his sentence for assisting in the
seduction of man, 127, n.

Seventy Israelites demand to see God;
are killed by lightning, and restored
to life at the prayer of Moses, 7.

Al Seyid al Najrani, a Christian, offers
to worship Mohammed, 46.

Shamhozai, a debauched angel, his pe-
nance, 14, n.

Shas Ebn Kais, a Jew, promotes a quar-
rel between Aws and Khazraj, 48, n.

Shechinah, misinterpreted by the com-
mentators, 30, n.

SheddAd, son of Ad, makes a garden in
imitation of paradise, 488, n.; is de-
stroyed in going to view it, ib.

Sheep, the prodigious weight of their tails
in the east, 114, n.

Shem, raised to life by Jesus, 41, n.

Shoaib, the prophet, his story, 125, &c.,
184.

Signs, the meaning of the word in the
Koran, 6, n.

Al Sijil, the angel who takes an account
of men’s actions, 272.

Sin, the irremissible one, in the opinion
orthe Mohammedans, 11,n.; the seven
deadly sins, 64, n.

Sinai (mount) lifted over the Israelites,
3, 12; the souls of all the prophets
present at the delivery of the law to
Moses thereon, 46, n.

Simon the Cyrenwan, supposed to be
crucified instead of Jesus, 42, n.

F

 

669

Sirius, or the greater dog-star, worshipped
by the old Arabs, 429.

Slaves, how to be treated, 291; women
not to be compelled to prostivate them
selves, ib.

Slander forbidden, 419; ie punishment
of those who slander the prophets, 157,
&c., 499.

Sleepers (the seven) their story, 238, &c.

Smoke, which will precede the day of
judgment, 402.

Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed, 183.

Sodomy, 62.

Sofian (Abu) commands the army of the
Koreish at Ohod, 50, n.; and the con-
voy of the Caravan at Bedr, 139, n.;
challenges Mohammed to meet him at
Bedr a second time, 52, n.; but fails,
55, n.; embraces Mohammedism on
the taking of Mecca, 447, n.; expostu-
lates with Mohammed, 284, n.

Sohail Ebn Amru, treats wath ‘Moham.
med on behalf of the Koreish, 416, n.

Soheib, flies to Medina, 24, n.

Solomon, succeeds David, 310 ; has power
over the winds, 270, 374; his and Da-
vid’s judgment, 270; his manner of
travelling, 310; what passed between
him and the queen of Saba, 311, &c.;
a trick of the devil’s to blast his cha-
racter, 13; cleared by the mouth of
Mohammed, ib.; orders several of his
horses to be killed, because they had
diverted him from his prayers, 374; is
deprived of his signet and his kingdom
for some days, ib.; his death concealed
for a year, and in what manner, 353, n.

Soraka Ebn Malec, the devil appears in
his form, 144.

Soul; the origin of it, 235.

Spoils, laws concerning their division,
138, 143, 444,

Stars darted at the devils, 210, n.

Stoning of adulterers, 37, n.

Striking, an epithet of the last day, 497.

Supererogation, 234.

Sura, or chapter of the Koran, 156, n.

Sun and moon, not to be worshipped,
391; are subject to God and the use
of man, 121, 137, &e.

Swearer (a common) nut to be obeyed,
460.

Swine’s flesh, vide Food.

Table, caused to descend from heaven
by Jesus, 97; of God’s secree, U2:

Tables of the law, ivils

Tabiic, the expedition of, 154, 164,

Tagat, the meaning of the word, 31,n. -

Taleb (Abu) Mohammed's uncle, 163, n.;
Mohammed refuses to pray for him,
on his dying an infidel, 7b.
670

Talat, vide Saul.

Tasnim, a fountain in paradise, 483.

Tebala and Jorasb, their inhabitants em-
brace Mohammedism, 151.

Temple of Mecca, vide Caaba; of Jeru-
salem, built by genii, 352.

Thalaba, grows suddenly rich on Mo-
hammed’s prayer for him, 158, n.; re-
fusing to pay alms is again reduced to
poverty, ib.

Thakif (the tribe of) demand terms of
Mohammed, which are denied them,
233, n.

Thamiid (the tribe of) their story and

' destruction, 123, 278, 282, 390; vide
Saleh.

Theft, its punishment, 86

Throne of God, 31; will be borne by eight
angels on the day of judgment, 463.

Thunder, celebrates the praise of God,201.

‘Tima Ebn Obeirak, his theft, 73, n.

Time computed by the Sun and Moon,108.

Titian, the name of the person supposed
to be crucified in Christ’s stead, 42, n.

Tobba (the people of) destroyed, 403.

Toleihah, the false prophet, 89, n., 342, n.

Towa, the valley where Moses saw the
burning bush, 479. i

Tribute, its imposition, 152.

Trinity, the belief thereof forbidden, 80,92.

True believers, who are such, 281.

Trumpet, will sound at the last day, 315,
382.

Variety of languages and complexions
hard to be accounted for, 232, n.

Victory of the Greeks over the Persians
foretold by Mohammed, 330.

Visitation of the Caaba, 23. :

Unbelievers described, 356; their sen-
tence, 19, 67, 309, 404.

Unity of God asserted, 504.

Unrighteousness punished, 170.

Usury forbidden, 34, 333.

Al Uzza, an idol of the Meccans, 74, n.;
380, 427.

Al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, a great enemy
of Mohammed, was a bastard, 460, n. ;
derides Mohammed for calling God al
Rahman, 136 ; has his nose slit, 460, n.;
his prosperity and decay, 471; hires
another to bear the guilt of his apos-
tasy, 428; his death, 214.

Al Walid Ebn Okba, 418, n,

War against infidels, commanded and
recommended, 70, 146, 410, &c.

Waraka Ebn Nawfal, acknowledged one
God before the mission of Mohammed,
70, n.

Wasila, 95.

THE

 

INDEX.

Water produced from the rock by Me
ses, 8.

Weight to be just, 126, 482,

Whoredom, laws concerning it, 61, 287.
See Unbelievers.

Wicked, their sentence, 171, 209, 476."

Widows, to be provided four, 29; laws
relating to them, 28.

Wife ought to be used justly, 76; may be
chastised, 65,; the number of wives
allowed by the Koran, 59; their duty
to their husbands, 27; see Adultery,
Divorce, and Marriage.

Wills, laws relating to them, 95,

Winds, their use, 333; subject to Solo-
mon, 270, 374.

Wine forbidden, 25, 93.

Witnesses, laws relating to them, 76, 82;
necessary in bargains, and to secure
debts, 34.

Witchcraft used against Mohammed, 505.

Women, ought to be respected, 59; and
to have a part of their relations’ inhe-
ritance, 60; not to be inherited against
their will, 62; to be subject to-the
men, 64; unclean while they have
their courses, 26; some directions for
their conduct, 290, 387; the punish-
ment of those who falsely accuse them
of incontinence, 287, 289; those who
come over from the enemy, how to be
dealt with, 448.

Works of an infidel, will appear to him
at the last day, 101.

Al Yamama, its inhabitants a warlike
people, 415.

Al Yaman, the inhabitants thereof slay
their prophet, 265, n.; they are de
stroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, 1b.

Yathreb, the ancient name of Medina, 343

Al Zabir, mount, 131, n.

Al Zacat, vide Alms.

Zacharias, praying for a son, is promised
John, 40, 248; educates the virgin
Mary, 40. ‘

Al Zakkdm, the tree of hell, 232, 367.

Al Zamhartr, what, 111, n.

Zeid Ebn Amru, acknowledged one God
before the mission of Mohammed,
70, n.

Zeid, the husband of Zeinab, his story.
346; the only person, of Mohammed's
companions, named in the Koran.
347, n.

Zeinab, her marriage with Mohammed
347.

Zenjebfl, a stream in paradise, 475.

Zoleikha, Joseph’s mistress, 189.

END.

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